The health of the European banking system has come back into the media spotlight. The recent fall in bank shares; the creation of the Italian “bad bank”; and Britain’s demands to shield its banks from rules governing the euro region; suggest that the debate on the design and functioning of the European banking regulatory architecture will be on the table in the following months.
Given the complex and evolving nature of European banking regulation, there is much confusion about what has already been established and what plans are being discussed. We hope to clarify the current and proposed state of the European bank regulatory architecture. We differentiate which rules and institutions form the so-called “banking union” and which rules are part of the more general EU single market for financial services.
Relevant banking rules and institutions that apply to:
|All EU Member States|
|Banking Union Member States|
|EEA/EFTA||The majority of relevant EU Single Market legislation applying to all EU members in the area of financial services has been adopted in the EEA agreement. However, the following important legislation has NOT been incorporated yet (although they are expected to be incorporated soon): EU Regulations on the European Supervisory Authorities (including the EBA); BRRD; and the last revisions of CRD/CRR and DGSD.|
|Switzerland||Bilateral agreements with the EU (there is one small bilateral agreement with Switzerland in financial services, specifically on non-life insurance)|
Rules and Institutions Applying to All EU Member States
There is a set of financial legislation known as the “Single Rulebook” that applies to all 28 EU member states. The idea behind this term, which took shape in the De Larosiere Report, relates to the harmonisation and furthering of the single market with the aim of ensuring a level playing field between financial institutions. However, the single rulebook is a political rather than a legal concept and comprises a variety of specific acts ranging from secondary legislation (regulations and directives) to technical standards.
Although the substance of this body of law touches different parts of the financial field, three of the most important single-rulebook pieces are directly related to banking. These are the Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRD IV) and the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) and the Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive (DGSD), which lay down capital requirements for banks and create regulation to the prevention and management bank failures, including a minimum level of protection for depositors.
There are also several pan-EU institutions that constitute the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS), which is responsible for ensuring supervision of the whole Union’s financial system. The ESFS includes bodies such as the European Banking Authority, whose mandate is to produce a number of Binding Technical Standards (BTS) for the implementation of the CRD IV package and the BRRD. It also includes the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), which is responsible for the macro-prudential oversight of the financial system within the Union.
Rules and Institutions Applying to “Banking Union” Member States
Apart from EU-wide rules and institutions, there is a set of legislation and institutional arrangements known as banking union that currently applies only to the 19 euro-area members. It has three pillars:
The first pillar is the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) which was established by the SSM Regulation. Under the SSM framework, the European Central Bank became the main supervisory authority for the member states participating in the banking union, although the supervisory tasks are performed in close cooperation with the National Competent Authorities (NCAs).
The second pillar is the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM), which in turn is comprised of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) and the NCAs of the banking-union member states. Both the SRB (an independent EU agency) and its resolution fund, known as the Single Resolution Fund (SRF), were established by the Single Resolution Mechanism Regulation. However, the details of how the SFR is funded are arranged by the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on the Transfer and Mutualization of Contributions to the Single Resolution Fund.
The third pillar, known as the European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS), is still under construction. It would go further than the deposit insurance directive, which only sets minimum national deposit insurance requirements, by creating a new banking union-wide deposit insurance scheme. Even though, the Commission introduced a proposal for the scheme in November 2015, there are some member state policy-makers opposing it, notably in Germany.
Rules and Institutions Applying to EEA/EFTA Members
There is another group of countries outside of the EU that is subject to a set of EU banking legislation. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), an intergovernmental organisation set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration, is composed of Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Whereas Switzerland participates in the European Union's single market through bilateral agreements, the other three EFTA countries together with the rest of EU Member States form the European Economic Area (EEA) through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA joint committee has to decide whether a specific piece of EU legislation should be adopted into the EEA treaty, and therefore adopted by the three EFTA countries participating in it (even though specific amendments can be made).
That is why the non-EU countries Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland are transposing, for instance, the BRRD and DGSD into national law (although these legislative acts have not been yet incorporated to the EEA agreement, they are expected to be included soon). Because Switzerland does not participate in the EEA, it does not have to implement the EU financial services legislation (however it has decided to unilaterally introduce a resolution regime similar to the BRRD).
Not every piece of EU financial legislation has been adopted in the EEA Agreement. For example, the negotiations for adopting the regulation establishing the EBA have not concluded yet since some EEA/EFTA countries expressed their concern over the consequences of being bound by an external authority. For more information on this issue see this, this, and this.
This complex mix of legislation and institutions naturally can create confusion. Here are some frequently asked questions:
1) Do non-euro area members participate in the banking union?
Out of the 9 non-euro area members, 7 members (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Romania) are obliged to join the eurozone and so also the banking union once convergence criteria are met. However, non-euro area countries can join by establishing a close cooperation agreement with the ECB (see "European banking union: should the ‘outs’ join in?"). The two non-euro area members with an opt-out of the euro (Denmark and United Kingdom) also have the possibility of joining the banking union without joining the euro.
2) How do national regulators interact with the Single Supervisory Mechanism and the Single Resolution Mechanism?
In respect to supervision, both the ECB and the National Competent Authorities (NCA) form the SSM. Based on different criteria, the ECB directly supervises the ‘significant banks’ of the banking union participant countries whereas the ‘Less significant’ banks continue to be supervised by their national supervisors, in close cooperation with the ECB. However, the ECB is the license-granting authority for all banks including the less significant ones. Only “day-to-day supervision” is delegated to NCAs. Regarding resolution powers, both the SRB and the NCAs are part of the SRM. However, the decision on the resolution schemes is carried out by the SRB whereas the execution of such resolution is done by the NCAs.
3) Is the BRRD part of the banking union?
The BRRD provides common rules for dealing with failing banks, and it is applied across the whole EU. However, this piece of legislation cannot be considered part of the banking union. Its initial version was published in early June 2012, several weeks before the banking union agreement, following months of consultations. For countries outside of the banking union, these rules are implemented by national authorities. As explained in the previous paragraph, for countries in the banking union, the SRB decides on resolution schemes whereas the execution of such resolution is done by the NCAs.
4) How are the Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive and European Deposit Insurance Scheme related?
The original Directive on Deposit Guarantee Schemes was adopted in 1994 in order to promote depositors’ confidence in the banking system through a minimum harmonization of national deposit schemes. Because of the financial crisis, the directive has been revised on two occasions since 2008. Firstly, the Directive of March 2009 required Member States to increase coverage of their DGS up to € 100 000. A second amendment was adopted in 2014 in order to ensure that DGS will be able to fulfil their obligations towards depositors, and faster access to deposits after a bank failure will stabilise the confidence of depositors and ensure financial stability. The implementation and, importantly, funding of each scheme remains with each member state. In contrast, the European Deposit Insurance Scheme would be a banking union-wide institution pooling funding from banks across the banking union. Though, at present, it is just an EU Commission’s proposal that aims to create a single European deposit scheme for the euro area members.
5) What is the difference between the EU-wide stress tests and the Asset Quality Review?
SSM authorities (the ECB together with the national supervisors) carry out financial health checks of the banks they supervise directly. These checks are known as Comprehensive Assessments, which are composed of two pillars: the Asset Quality Review (AQR) and Stress Tests. Covering only banking union members, the AQR focuses on the resilience of banks’ balance sheets through an assessment of data quality, asset valuations, classifications of non-performing asset exposures, collateral valuation and provisions. However, even though the stress tests are also part of the SSM comprehensive assessment, their scopes go beyond the banking union framework. Being coordinated by the EBA in cooperation with SSM authorities and covering euro and non-euro area members, these tests are a forward-looking view of banks’ shock-absorption capacity under stress.
6) Why is there an Intergovernmental Agreement for the Single Resolution Fund?
The SRM Regulation establishes the Single Resolution Board and the Single Resolution Fund. In the initial phase, the SRF is composed of national compartment funds. National authorities from participant member states will collect contributions from banks and will transfer them to these national compartments in a transitional period of 8 years. This mutualization of financial resources is regulated by an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) in order to avoid legal challenges that might derive from it.
Moreover, the IGA envisages the potential participation (and contribution to the Fund) of the non-euro area Member States. This is why the agreement was signed by 26 EU member states (all except Sweden and the United Kingdom), although it only has been ratified by euro area members as parts in the SRM.


Ritter Oil Company sold certain assets and executed a long-term lease agreement related to Ritter’s fuel, lube and fuel services business to Mid-South Sales on Feb. 21, 2012. If you are looking for high-quality petroleum products in Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi or Missouri, we recommend them.
Visit the Mid-South Sales website »
Ritter Crop Services was sold to Nutrien AG Solutions on Feb. 27, 2012. We recommend CPS for your crop services needs in the Mississippi River Delta region and throughout the Midsouth.
Visit the Nutrien Ag Solutions website »


Heightened health, safety and financial concerns in the U.S. have introduced a host of new challenges to the child care industry. Despite these challenges, many child care providers across the U.S. are achieving their business goals by making practical adjustments in their approach. How exactly are they doing it? In this webinar, Evelyn Knight, the Childcare Business Coach and successful child care center owner, will provide some of her top tips for navigating a challenging economy to not only survive, but thrive. In this webinar, you’ll learn:
- Easy-to-implement strategies to grow enrollment.
- How to leverage automation to understand and improve your financial picture.
- Ways to transform your internal and external communication to not only build a better, more resilient culture, but also create advocates among your parent community.


Mayor Barlow announces decline in City overtime for second consecutive year
City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow announced today that for the second year in a row City overtime expenses have declined. Total overtime for all City of Oswego departments combined in 2017 was $857,395. The total for year 2017 was significantly less than the official total for 2016 at $1,008,502, the first year of Mayor Barlow’s administration, and significantly less than the total in 2015 at $1,228,384. All three major Oswego City departments, including the Department of Public Works, Oswego Fire Department and Oswego Police Department reduced their amount of overtime usage in the last year with the most substantial savings in the Department of Public Works, reducing overtime from $375,604 in 2015 to $242,762 in 2016 to $169,225 in 2017.
“Since taking office I have identified City overtime as an area to save money by making our departments more efficient, effectively using on shift personnel and properly allocating our resources. After trying new, innovative ideas and pushing for increased productivity we have managed to reduce our overtime expenditures by $371,000 in just two years”, said Mayor Barlow. “Moving forward we will continue to focus on managing our overtime and working on behalf of all taxpayers to control our spending and cut obvious waste in City government. We need to have the Oswego taxpayer’s interests at the forefront of our decision making and ensure we do our best to manage our departments while maintaining the quality of service our residents are accustomed to”, the Mayor said.
Council President Rob Corradino (R-7th Ward) applauded the Mayor and his department heads for working to reduce overtime expenditures and expressed his support for reducing costs and increasing efficiencies. “Mayor Barlow has consistently pushed his department heads to find savings and cut waste in their respective departments. The notable reduction in Citywide overtime is a testament to Mayor Barlow and the Oswego Common Council’s commitment to properly managing our City’s finances as we work adamantly to reduce the cost of local government for Oswego City taxpayers”, said Corradino. “As President of the Common Council, I pledge to continue identifying ways to reduce costs and ensure local government is being fiscally responsible at all times”, Corradino concluded.
Mayor Billy Barlow also announced today the date and location of the 2018 State of the City Address, scheduled for Tuesday, January 30th at 6pm at G.S. Steamer’s in Oswego.


The Tasmanian Government has made some changes to its energy reform program in response to challenges in the external market. However, plans to introduce full retail competition to Tasmanian households and small businesses from 1 July 2014 remain in place.
The Government has closed the current sale process for Aurora Energy’s retail customer base following advice that this will not deliver the Government’s reform objectives at this time. These include achieving a fair and reasonable price for the customer asset.
Aurora Energy’s retail business will continue as the regulated electricity retailer serving Tasmania’s residential and small business customers.
Customers will not be assigned to a new retailer from 1 January 2014.
Where to from here?
The Tasmanian retail electricity market will be open to full retail competition, commencing from 1 July 2014. From this date, new retailers will be able to operate in Tasmania.
The Government continues to support the future sale of Aurora’s retail customer base and will proceed when market conditions improve.
The planned merger of Transend Networks and Aurora’s network business will continue. The new business, TasNetworks, will start operating on 1 July 2014.
What’s been achieved?
A large program of work to implement the Government’s reforms and provide benefits for Tasmanians has already been completed.
- Delivering a price decrease of at least 5.23 per cent to customers on 1 January 2014.
- Updating the concessions framework to support vulnerable Tasmanian households.
- Completing a major asset replacement program in the State’s electricity networks.
- Proceeding with the merger of the network businesses.
- Providing certainty on feed-in tariff arrangements for small solar customers and the industry.
- Ensuring transparency of the wholesale price setting framework.
- Consolidating the generation portfolio through the transfer of the Tamar Valley Power Station to Hydro Tasmania.
For more details, read the statement from the Minister for Energy and Resources, Hon Bryan Green MP.


Passive Income Through Naming Rights
There are many ways of generating a passive income. Some venture into video content creation and writing eBooks, while others buy stocks or invest in real estate. As long as you have more time to spare, you’ll get the extra money while pursuing your primary job.
But did you know that there’s a new exciting way of generating a passive income? It’s by selling your vacant space or property for “naming rights” where companies can print their brand’s name or logo to promote their products or services.
What are Naming Rights?
Naming rights are a form of advertising where a company purchases the right to name objects, facilities, locations, or an event for the desired period. In other words, a buyer can use your free space as a marketing property, or medium to help them build brand awareness, increase revenues, and retain customers.
According to studies, consistent brand presentation across all platforms and mediums increases revenue up to 23 percent. And with an impressive design, colour, and word use, it would only take 5 to 7 impressions for consumers to remember your brand. Companies just need the right tools and perfect location to get people’s attention.
If a company decides to use naming rights to promote their brand, the possibilities are endless. An interested buyer can name or put their brand names on billboards, buildings, parks, walls, or anywhere they want to have their name. These would generate passive earnings to the seller without exerting too much time and effort.
How Do Naming Rights Work?
Many companies would love to put their brands outside, but some companies are struggling to do so, especially small start-ups. One factor can be an un-favourable location, and second, the costly advertising fees.
If you have an unused vacant space, you can sell the rights for that space so a company can use it as a billboard to advertise their products. If you’re looking for ways to earn money for your Council, Hotel, or in fact any organisation or individual at all, start using your vacant spaces to help other corporations promote their brand and put money in your pocket!
If you own a car, selling naming rights to the buyer allows them to wrap your car with their brand’s design, theme, and colour. Your car is still your own, but you are now earning money by promoting their brand using your car.
If you are looking into financing your sports club, you can sell the naming rights to businesses that are looking to advertise. They can get their logo printed on guernseys, oval fencing, locker rooms, merchandise or even the grass itself and get their branding known to the crowd.
Though most people are now on their smartphones, nothing beats the classic, and strategic way of putting brand names on something they’ll always actually see—or somewhere they rarely expect to see branding. Seeing a brand logo with a powerful tagline, on exciting or unexpected places, can be a mysterious talk of the town. The advertising party will get a wider reach and a greater impact on their business.
Aside from billboards or spaces, you can name new streets, even name a Hotel, a Stadium or a local sports team. The brand can be stamped on restaurant menus, coffee shop tables, park benches, apparels, the list goes on and on. A buyer can even use the available space to name it after their loved ones. As we’ve mentioned, the possibilities of putting these names out there are endless.
So if you have something you think you could sell the naming rights for—and we mean everything and anything at all—then don’t hesitate to put up your listing right away. Our buyers are waiting for you.
Naming rights will greatly benefit businesses by creating unlimited exposure. It will keep their brands visible for consumers to remember without spending so much on advertising, but most importantly, you now have a unique way to generate passive income with minimal effort.
How Can I Sell Naming Rights?
Branding is crucial for the success of any business. And advertising their brand helps them stand out against their competitors. They will always look for ways to expand their marketing campaigns, where they can constantly and consistently advertise their products and services. To effectively do so, they will need all the strategic spaces and locations where they can print their name.
Companies will use NameIt.Auction to look for items, spaces, or locations to bid and put their name on. The highest bidder of the space or item you are selling will have the right to name your property. Now, how exciting is that?
Start selling naming rights here at NameIt.Auction, a passive income generating platform that benefits both buyer and seller. It’s convenient and easy to use, you get to sell your space right away. As a seller, you no longer need to waste time or exert so much effort to generate extra revenue.
Sign up and post your first auction. Start selling and generating your passive income today.


Embarking on the journey of turning a business idea into reality is a thrilling venture, but the complexity of crafting a comprehensive business plan can be daunting. Worry no more, as today’s advanced AI tools, including ChatGPT, offer unprecedented assistance in the business planning process.
In this guide, we delve into the transformative powers of AI, enabling you to meticulously outline your business structure, finetune your market positioning, captivate your target audience, and devise robust sales strategies with ease.
With a few keystrokes, you gain access to a cutting-edge business planning tool that streamlines creating a basic business plan outline.
Discover how to leverage AI not just to write a business plan but to reimagine the entire planning landscape, from conceptualizing your organizational structure to forecasting financial success.
Let’s embark on this journey together, transforming your visionary business idea into a tangible and actionable blueprint for success.
How to Utilize ChatGPT Prompts for Crafting Your Business Plan
Creating a solid business plan is crucial to your venture’s success, serving as a roadmap for your business’s future. With AI’s rise, particularly ChatGPT, you can simplify this vast undertaking.
Here’s how to harness ChatGPT’s capabilities to construct each key component of your business plan.
Overview of the Business
To start, ask ChatGPT to provide a comprehensive description of your business overview. Begin by introducing your business name, model, and unique selling proposition.
You can try our Free AI Chat Bot to utilize GPT-4 for free.
Elaborate on the value it offers to the target market, ensuring that specific details are included to encapsulate the essence of your business idea. By adding more depth and detail, you can paint a clearer picture of your business and its potential impact.
Analysis of the Market
Next, it is highly recommended that ChatGPT undertake a comprehensive market analysis to ensure a robust understanding of the current market landscape. By incorporating in-depth analysis of market trends, identifying key competitors, and gaining valuable insights into the target audience, you will be equipped with an up-to-date market research section that can greatly enhance your decision-making process.
It is important to remember that this research will complement the precision of AI-generated data, resulting in a comprehensive and well-rounded analysis for your business.
Description of Products and Services
Direct ChatGPT is designed to provide you with a comprehensive outline of your offerings, ensuring that you have all the information you need.
Strategies for Marketing and Sales
Instruct ChatGPT to leverage its capabilities in formulating highly effective marketing and sales strategies. By utilizing advanced algorithms and data analytics, ChatGPT can assist in identifying the ideal customer acquisition channels, conducting market research, and crafting a compelling unique value proposition.
With its vast knowledge and insights, AI can generate a comprehensive marketing plan that includes potential pricing strategies, sales techniques, and revenue generation strategies. This enables businesses to optimize their marketing efforts and drive sustainable growth in a competitive market landscape.
Plan for Operations
ChatGPT, our advanced AI assistant, can provide valuable assistance in delineating a comprehensive operational plan for your business. It can help you outline various aspects such as inventory management, supply chain optimization, quality control measures, and efficient human resource management.
By leveraging ChatGPT, you can present a clear and detailed vision of how your day-to-day operations will run, ensuring a streamlined and successful business journey.
Team for Management
Leverage the power of ChatGPT to generate a comprehensive section about your esteemed management team. Highlight their professional backgrounds, expertise, and specific roles within the organization, showcasing their collective capabilities and reinforcing investor confidence in their ability to successfully execute the business plan.
By providing additional details on their accomplishments, industry experience, and notable achievements, you can present a compelling narrative that resonates with potential investors and underscores the team’s expertise in driving the company toward success.
Preparing financial projections, such as cash flow statements, profit margins, and break-even analysis, can be a complex task. However, with the assistance of ChatGPT, you can navigate through the essential concepts and calculations to include in this section.
By providing a solid foundation for a comprehensive financial strategy, you can gain valuable insights and make informed decisions to drive the success of your business. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or a novice in the financial realm, ChatGPT is here to help you understand and master the intricacies of financial projections, empowering you to plan for a prosperous future.
Finally, harness the power of ChatGPT, an advanced AI language model, to effortlessly craft a compelling executive summary. This crucial piece serves as a concise yet comprehensive overview of your entire business plan, capturing the essence of your venture and presenting it as a persuasive snapshot.
By distilling the key points, highlighting the unique value proposition, and showcasing the potential for success, the executive summary becomes a valuable tool for engaging stakeholders and attracting potential investors. Embrace the transformative capabilities of ChatGPT to create an impactful summary that leaves a lasting impression.
Following these detailed, AI-powered steps, you’re well-equipped to forge a business plan that is not only thorough but aligned with current industry standards. Remember, while ChatGPT provides a great starting point for your business planning, augmenting AI suggestions with your insights and in-depth research is key to a tailored and persuasive business strategy.
Tips to Create a Business Plan Using ChatGPT
Brainstorm Business Concepts
Leverage ChatGPT to generate ideas for different facets of your business, ranging from crafting an enticing company description to formulating innovative marketing strategies. This ensures the development of a creative and distinctive business model that stands out from the competition.
Market Analysis Precision
Elevate your market analysis section with ChatGPT, leveraging the latest market research data to gain a comprehensive understanding of your industry and target audience. Unlock valuable insights that enrich your decision-making process and propel your business forward.
Strategic Pricing Plans
Instruct ChatGPT to explore various pricing strategies, providing you with a diverse range of approaches tailored to different segments of your market. This will enable you to optimize your word choice, sentence structure, readability, and overall eloquence while staying true to the original meaning.
Refinement through Research
Ensure to enhance the outputs from ChatGPT by incorporating your research. This will add depth and precision to every aspect of your business plan, ranging from financial projections to operational details.
Competitive Analysis with AI
Leverage the analytical prowess of ChatGPT to perform a competitive analysis, providing you with vital information that shapes your legal structure and reinforces your business plan’s structure and substance.
Concise Executive Summary
Employ ChatGPT to distill your comprehensive business plan into an executive summary that boldly emphasizes your products, strategies, and projected successes, compelling for prospective investors and stakeholders.
In conclusion, ChatGPT presents an innovative and strategic approach to crafting a comprehensive business plan tailored to the contemporary market. By leveraging its advanced capabilities for brainstorming business concepts, conducting a precise market analysis, and formulating strategic pricing plans, entrepreneurs can create a business model that effectively stands out from the competition.
Entrepreneurs who adopt this integrated approach are positioned to present stakeholders with a clear and concise executive summary that convincingly communicates the business’s unique value proposition and promising outlook. ChatGPT empowers you to envision, articulate, and realize the fullest potential of your business venture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can AI, such as ChatGPT, enhance my business plan’s marketing strategy?
AI tools like ChatGPT can provide data-driven insights and emerging trends to bolster a marketing strategy within business plans. By analyzing patterns in consumer behavior, ChatGPT can suggest innovative approaches to capture your target market, contributing to a well-informed and effective marketing plan.
What are the benefits of integrating a sales strategy into my business plan using ChatGPT?
Incorporating a sales strategy into your business plans using ChatGPT ensures synergy between your marketing approach and sales execution. This integration allows for the creation of a cohesive sales plan that aligns with business operations, potentially generating revenue more effectively and scaling your venture to new heights.
How can I use ChatGPT to develop a competitive pricing strategy?
By instructing ChatGPT to consider current market analysis, financial projections, and your unique competitive advantages, you can generate an array of pricing strategies. ChatGPT can simulate different scenarios to pinpoint the optimal pricing structure for your products, balancing profitability with market demand to maximize revenue.
Can ChatGPT assist with the human resources aspect of writing a business plan?
Yes, ChatGPT can serve as a good starting point for outlining the human resources section of your business plan by providing templates and examples of organizational structures. However, complementing this with your research is crucial to tailor the plan to your specific business needs and ensure it reflects the intricacies of your operations.
In what way does the executive summary written by ChatGPT contribute to my business?
An executive summary crafted by ChatGPT presents a concise overview that highlights the core components of your business plan, including your marketing and sales plan, projected revenue, and strategic positioning. Capturing the essence of your venture sets the tone for the entire document and can be pivotal in engaging investors’ interest right from the outset.


Our Ethical Statement
We are an independent family-run business and since 2000 have worked in partnership with an entrepreneur in Vietnam who runs her own family business. This enterprising and resourceful woman has her own team of talented, largely female lead technicians. We visit our supplier regularly, twice a year (although unable to visit during the pandemic), we are in constant daily touch with our partner in Vietnam and are confident that:
- No young children work in the manufacture of our products;
- We pay a full and fair price for our products agreed in discussion with our Vietnamese partner who, in turn, ensures a fair wage and good working conditions for their workers. We have purposefully avoided the ‘designer’ image and price tag for our products and have always tried to balance a sustainable income for our workers with an affordably priced product for the retailer;
- All Lua bags and purses are hand-made mainly by women, working in small villages either in small, clean, brightly lit and well ventilated, safe workshops or at home so that they can work according to their own and their families’ needs. Many workers come from rural rice farming communities where poverty is widespread. Working with Lua enables them to combine their farming obligations with a valuable additional source of income. The work is flexible so they are able to learn new tailoring skills and continue with their education if required and, are also able to have time off for family commitments. Training is provided on the job in the workshop for the first two years to develop skills and experience. Higher rates are paid to the women who progress to more skilled work such as pattern cutting and embroidery. The workers are paid sick leave and, health insurance is provided for older workers. Bonuses are paid after each season and, in summer, a holiday to the beach is organised by our main partner for all the workers and their families. The regular work provided enables women from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their families’ living conditions and to send their children to higher education;
- The workshops are fully compliant with local regulations – working conditions, health and safety practices, salary levels/insurance, etc – and are inspected regularly at local level;
- The workers who make our products are happy with their work and pay and consequently more than 30 women at the core of the team have been making our products for more than 19 years!
Please note our printed scarves are sourced from China and are not handmade. Although we have not visited directly, we have been assured by our trading partner that they are ethically manufactured in factories there.
Charities We Support
We are proud to support Rewilding Britain and The Kianh Foundation. For more info Click Here
We try to reduce waste by:
- Donating large quantities of surplus fabrics to people in poorer areas in the mountains of North Vietnam. In collaboration with Buddhist monks in the areas of Yen Bai province and Son La, more than 500m of fabric was taken by our technicians and distributed as blankets during 2020/2021.
If you have any suggestions on ways we can improve and deliver products, please do get in touch – firstname.lastname@example.org


An outline planning application has been submitted by O&H to Central Bedfordshire Council for a series of new villages in the Marston Vale.
Located right in the heart of the Oxford to Cambridge arc, the Marston Valley development will bring significant new infrastructure, community facilities and up to 5,000 homes for the local area, built over a 20-year period.
One of the highlights of the Marston Valley proposal is a major new waterway park connecting existing lakes. It would be the first new English waterway in over 100 years.
The development will also deliver new jobs, new schools, leisure facilities, better public transport and health facilities.
Approximately 45% of the 566 hectare site will be for built development, and over 55% (more than 300 hectares of the site) will be green open space, allotments, orchards, nature areas, lakes and water. No Green Belt land is affected.
More than 20% of households in the area attended exhibitions and meetings in February and March this year as part of a public engagement programme.
O&H has refined its plans for Marston Valley following feedback from the engagement programme and these are reflected in the application material. Changes include providing greater woodland buffers to the east of Lidlington to put more distance between the existing village and the new housing, and introducing a limited extension to the village of Brogborough for some smaller family homes.
Pippa Cheetham, head of planning at O&H, said:
“O&H is excited to be submitting this application, which represents a long period of local engagement and will allow the company to demonstrate its commitment to building the high-quality places sought by central government, community leaders and local people alike.
“The engagement from local residents was very helpful and while some are opposed to development, we have benefitted from many others’ openness and suggestions as to how the Marston Valley proposal can work for them.
“We have made changes to the original plans in the light of those suggestions. We hope the Council recognises the efforts made by all involved to make the Marston Valley work for both existing and new residents.
“Our vision is to create an exceptional living environment in the Marston Vale where people will be proud to live and work, and will want to visit. Our scheme will promote healthy lifestyles with an emphasis on footpaths and cycle routes, and can provide housing to meet wide-ranging community needs.
“Marston Valley is about taking a strategic, long-term approach to planning for the wider needs of the area, not just building houses.
“Releasing the land for up to 5,000 homes over the next 20 years not only provides much-needed homes for an expanding population, but also generates funding to pay for new facilities and strategic improvements in the Marston Vale which couldn’t otherwise be considered.
“Delivering Marston Valley as a comprehensive development is crucial to secure significant investment in infrastructure. Smaller scale or piecemeal development does not provide the same level of coordinated infrastructure. That’s why we need to have a bold vision for the future of the Vale.”
The planning application will now be reviewed by planning officers at Central Bedfordshire Council and a formal consultation is being held by the council. The consultation period is for five weeks and letters to residents will be issued from this week onwards.
All comments on the application should go directly to the council.
The application reference number is: CB/18/01969/OUT, and a dedicated area has been created for the Marston Valley outline planning application on Central Bedfordshire Council’s website.


Sands Wealth Management specialise in meeting the financial needs of people who have significant capital, or who earn higher incomes, and whose circumstances are therefore more complicated than most.
Our team offer a wide range of high quality wealth management services to individuals, businesses and trustees.
Our Mission Statement
We create trusting, meaningful, long term relationships with our clients, aiming towards a successful financial journey.
Our deepest purpose is to help you to attain, enjoy and keep the lifestyle you want to lead, while creating happiness through financial contentment.
We excel at what we do and are committed to maintaining standards of excellence.
We do this because we care.
Our Areas of Expertise
Our experienced team offer a wide range of high quality wealth management services and have years of experience and knowledge to support you.
Through our holistic approach we specialise in the following areas:
- Investing for capital growth or capital preservation
- Protecting lifestyles against risk
- Mitigating tax liabilities
- Investing for income
- Contingency planning
- Protecting wealth
- Planning for retirement
- Inheritance planning
- Later life planning
- Tax planning
- Business advice
- Planning your business exit strategy*
* Please note that advice provided in this area, may involve the referral to a service that is separate and distinct to those offered by St. James’s Place.
The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise. You may get back less than the amount invested.
The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time. The value of any tax reliefs depends on individual circumstances.
” Jonathan spent time getting to know us first. As a result, we have not only received excellent financial advice, but it is perfectly tailored to our lifestyle and circumstances.
We would confidently recommend his services.”


Identity Malta Agency signs new collective agreement
Average year-on-year salary increase will amount to 18% by 2023.
Identity Malta Agency to soon launch new mental health policy.
Identity Malta Agency and the General Workers’ Union GWU have signed a new collective agreement for the next five years. The new agreement further builds on the previous one and covers the period of 1st January 2019 to 31st December 2023.
As a result, Identity Malta employees will benefit from improved work conditions and a substantial pay rise. In fact, the average year-on-year salary increase will amount to 18% by 2023, with the lowest income bracket benefiting most.
During the signing ceremony, Identity Malta Agency CEO, Mr. Anton Sevasta, applauded the employees for their hard work and dedication. Further adding that despite the complex nature of work and the ever-growing demand for its services, Identity Malta staff strive to offer a quality public service. Mr. Sevasta claimed that the new agreement will make way for new opportunities and should further motivate staff in reaching the organisation’s overarching goals.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship, Reforms and the Simplification of Administrative Procedures, Hon. Julia Farrugia Portelli presided over the signing ceremony and held that this is a testimony to the workers’ valuable contribution. Farrugia Portelli accredited Identity Malta’s management for their continuous investment in staff training and development.
The Parliamentary Secretary emphasized on the importance of ensuring workers’ wellbeing at the place of work. Further adding that this was the guiding principle in the drafting of the soon-to-be-launched new mental health policy. In this regard, Farrugia Portelli held that Identity Malta will be amongst the first government agencies to not just simply offer mental health care service but to train its employees on how to motivate and support their colleagues who may be experiencing mental health issues.
Mr Kendrick Bondin, on behalf of the General Workers’ Union, praised the professional and cordial manner adopted during the negotiations. Similarly, Identity Malta’s Chief Officer for HR, Mr Joseph Montebello, thanked all those involved for managing to secure the best possible deal.
The new collective agreement was signed by Mr. Anton Sevasta (Chief Executive Officer), Mr. Joseph Montebello (Chief Officer HR) and Mr. Martin Bowerman (Chief Financial Officer) on behalf of Identity Malta together with Mr. Kendrick Bondin and Mr. George Zahra, who were representing the General Workers’ Union and Ms. Berenice Stivala as shop steward. The Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship, Reforms and the Simplification of Administrative Procedures, Hon. Julia Farrugia Portelli presided over the signing ceremony. Identity Malta Non-Executive Chairman Dr Ian Castaldi Paris, Permanent Secretary Mr Vincent Muscat together with the shop stewards representing Identity Malta staff were also present for the signing.


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|From the history of Odessa International Cruise Summit “Black Sea Cruise”|
|Monday, 06 August 2012 14:04|
Experts say that by 2020 every second tourist will have an unforgettable experience of cruise tourism. Cruise market is increasing due to construction of new “floating hotels” and growing popularity of the rest surrounded by moving impressions. Under such circumstances it is extremely important to revive and develop “the most beautiful and modern type of maritime business” in the Black Sea region. Having a high tourist potential, long-term original history and amazing hospitality, the Black Sea region has all chances to become a real cruise destination discovery on the global cruise map. This very issue is the main goal of the international cruise conference “Black Sea Cruise”, the organizers of which are State Enterprise “Odessa Commercial Sea Port”, the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports “MedCruise”, International Black and Azov Seas Port Association (BASPA).
The first conference “Black Sea Cruise” took place on 24-25, September, 2008 in the city of Odessa. Among its participants were representatives not only from all countries of the Black Sea region (Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia) but also representatives of companies from Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, the USA, Spain and Germany. The most attractive point of the event was the presence of such representatives of the world cruise industry as Vice-President of the shipping company «Royal Caribbean» John Tercek (USA), Vice-President of the shipping company “Princess Cruises” Bruce Krumrine (USA), the Head of Maritime Operations Department of the shipping company “Mediterranean Shipping Company” Luigi Pastena as well as such experts as Secretary General of the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports “MedCruise” Jose Campos (Spain), Vice-President of the Association “MedCruise” Valeria Mangiarotti (Spain), the President of the company “G.P.Wild International Ltd” Peter Wilde (Great Britain), etc.
The main trends of the global cruise industry development were discussed at the conference as well as the analysis of the cruise business market at the Black Sea basin and its development perspectives, the state of infrastructure of the passenger carriers at the sea ports of Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The second conference “Black Sea Cruise” took place on 16-18 September, 2010. The event was attended by nearly 120 delegates from 16 countries of the world. The participants of the conference were cruise and travel companies from the Black Sea countries, the USA and Europe, representatives of four cruise lines, authorities of all Black Sea region countries, etc.
The main goal of the conference was free communication between executives and representatives of the largest cruise operators, shipping companies, ports, travel and transport companies, representatives of government agencies and regional authorities, municipalities of the Black Sea region, representatives of all companies connected with passenger transportation and maritime business. The event is aimed at attraction cruise tourists and cruise shipping stimulation on the Black Sea. During the conference Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Bondar O.V., Deputy Minister of Resorts and Tourism of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Marinov N.N., General Manager of State Enterprise “ Odessa Commercial Sea Port” Pavlyuk N.P., the President of the Association MedCruise Mr John Spadni, Marketing Director of the European Cruise Union William Gibbons, the biggest cruise operators Royal Caribbean, V.Ships Leisure (Giorgio Matta), Compagnie Du Ponant (Marc Berberian), analytical company G.P. Wild (International) Ltd, as well as representatives of the governmental agencies and cruise ports of the Black Sea region and many others delivered their reports. The Session was followed by the signing two protocols on cooperation between the port of Yalta and Royal Caribbean International Company and the port of Odessa and the port of Lattakia (Syria).
In 2012 the third international conference “Black Sea Cruise” will traditionally take place in September. The representatives of the leading global cruise operators, state authorities and municipalities of Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Romania, Turkey and Greece, Black sea port administrations, world experts of cruise industry and everyone who is not indifferent to the fate of cruise business in the Black Sea region are expected to participate in the event. The representatives of such cruise companies as “Royal Caribbean Cruises”, “Pullmantur Cruceros”, “Azamara Club Cruises”, “Carnival UK”, “Classic International Cruises”, “Sea Dream Yacht Club”, “MSC Cruises” have already confirmed their participation in the conference. This year the event is held within the frames of the marketing Black Sea cruise ports project «Cruise Black Sea» the aim of which is the promotion of the region as a unified cruise destination on the international cruise market. The Program of the conference includes the discussion of the following issues:
- primary trends of the world cruise market development;
- challenges and prospects of development of the Black Sea cruise destinations;
- overview of the port and city infrastructure;
- investment opportunities of the region;
- quality of shore services rendered to cruise tourists;
- presentation of the shore products of the region;
- promotion of the region as a unified cruise destination on the international cruise
The framework of the conference covers: two sessions, В2В (“business-to-business”), round table of the participants of Cruise Black Sea project, Press conference, gala-dinner.
Looking ahead, we want to believe that due to joint efforts of the members of the regular cruise summit “Black Sea Cruise” in the nearest future flags of the world mega-liners will flutter in each port of the Black Sea.
Organizing Committee of The Third International Conference "Black Sea Cruise 2012"


Merida Industry Co,, Ltd is a bicycle design, manufacturing, and sales company based in Taiwan. It started its activities in 1972 like a small Japanese bicycle parts shop. The founder and current director of the company is Dung-Huang Tseng. The successful operation over the first three years allowed us to start the production of BMX bikes and acquire a modern painting line. Their efforts were appreciated and they received an award - A Class Quality Control Factory. In 1980, the brand MERIDA was used for the first time. At that time, the amount of bicycles produced increased to 60,000 units per month. After 10 years, the Product Quality Office gave the company the rating “Excellent Quality Factory”, and over the next 6 years it was certified according to ISO 9002.
Currently, MERIDA is located in Yaunlin, Taiwan and has a laboratory in Magstadt, Germany. By using the modern production system 3T - Toyota Production System, Total Quality Control, Total Product Maintenance - it has become a producer of the highest quality bicycles.
Having successfully developed trade in Europe and the USA, MERIDA has become one of the largest participants in the global bicycle market in their development and production. Their bikes are sold in 67 countries around the world, with total sales of around 450,000 units. About 300,000 of their bikes are sold in China.
MERIDA has its own team of athletes, the Multivan Merida Biking Team, and also sponsors cycling competitions and mountain races.
More information about MERIDA bikes: http://www.merida-bikes.com
Merida bicycle catalogue: https://www.bikko.lt/dviraciai/merida-dviraciai/
Bicycle Merida BIG.NINE XT-edition silk sparkling gold
Bicycle Merida CROSSWAY 500 Lady matt burgundy red


As families navigate the complexities of laying a loved one to rest, one aspect that often comes to the forefront is the financial consideration of the services chosen. Cremation services offer several economic benefits that can alleviate some burdens during this challenging time. The choice of cremation can significantly reduce the overall cost of farewell ceremonies, sparing families from the expenses associated with more traditional burial processes. But beyond the immediate savings, there are broader financial implications to consider, such as the reduced need for land use and the flexible options for memorialization that do not necessitate a gravesite.
In cremation services in Lowell, MA, these financial benefits are of particular importance, as the thoughtful staff, including those at the Morse-Bayliss Funeral Home, guide bereaved families through cost-effective arrangements tailored to their needs. Opting for cremation does not mean compromising the dignity or personalization of a service; on the contrary, it opens a myriad of possibilities for honoring a loved one in a way that is both respectful to their memory and considerate of the financial realities facing the family. Whether it is simplifying the ceremony or customizing a unique tribute that reflects the individual’s life without incurring extensive costs, cremation services offer a practical path for remembrance within a manageable budget.
Reduction in Direct Costs
Cremation services are increasingly recognized for their financial benefits, primarily due to a significant reduction in direct costs compared to traditional burials. Without the need for a burial plot, casket, or headstone—which can collectively amount to a considerable expense—cremation presents a more economical option. This allows families to focus their resources on personalizing a memorial service that reflects the essence of their loved one without the financial strain that often accompanies elaborate burial procedures.
Flexibility in Memorialization Options
Another critical financial benefit of cremation is its flexibility in memorialization choices. With cremation, there is no immediate pressure to purchase a burial plot or make other costly decisions in a time of grief. Families can take time to plan a fitting tribute, whether that includes keeping the ashes in an urn, integrating them into a piece of commemorative jewelry, or utilizing a variety of other remembrance options that fit their budget and the wishes of their loved ones.
Long-Term Financial Considerations
In addition to immediate savings, cremation services provide long-term financial considerations that can be a relief for families. The maintenance costs associated with a gravesite are not applicable, and there is less urgency to make rapid decisions on memorial products that often carry a high markup. Additionally, cremation offers the possibility of planning ahead of time, including pre-payment options that protect against inflation and alleviate the future financial burden on loved ones.
In summary, the financial benefits of cremation services are multifaceted, providing immediate relief from various high-cost requirements characteristic of traditional burials and offering flexibility for personalized memorials within a reasonable budget. By lessening the fiscal load, cremation services in Lowell, MA, such as those provided by the Morse-Bayliss Funeral Home, make it possible for families to honor their loved ones with dignity without compromising their financial stability, fostering a sense of solace and respect during the grieving process. For your requirements, kindly reach out to our team today.


This is one of those tastings where you should get here early, taste, pull out your wallet and run home to stash your score in your cellar and then dream about the future when you’ll open these beautiful wines with friends and family and tell story of the amazing prices you paid back in 2012. Yes folks, once again we have wines in the most desirable collectable category selling for a fraction of what they usually sell for due to our continuing economic crisis. And these are not off vintages. Take the premium pour. Elio Grasso; One of the absolute best Barolo producers, period! 2004. Along with 2001 the best vintage of the decade. I poured the 2006 of this exact wine about a year ago. The wine sold for $82. $82! We are selling the 04, a better vintage, for $59. $23 less! Can you say screaming bargain. If you have the patience to lay this down for another 10-15 years you will have the drinking experience of a lifetime. Many of you are familiar with Canalicchio Brunello. We get it for the great price of $42 here in Portland because it’s imported directly into Oregon. Try to buy it in say, New York, and it will run you in the mid to upper $50’s. We’re pouring and selling the 03 for $30. $30 for a top notch Brunello Di Montalcino! These are Rosso Di Montalcino prices. And speaking of ridiculous prices. How about a single vineyard Barbaresco for $27. I almost can’t believe it. Then I taste it and really can’t believe it. And all of this says nothing of the awesome deal on the Pecchenino Dolcetto San Luigi for $13 and the Ciacci Toscana at $14. I hope I’m making my point here. You don’t want to miss this one.
I’ve put the wines in the order that they will drink best, not by price. The Sangiovese’s follow each other and are followed by the Nebbiolo’s. I’d rent a U Haul for this one. Talk to Dave if you need one.
2009 Pecchenino, Dolcetto di Dogliani “San Luigi”/ Piemonte $13
2008 Ciacci, Rosso Toscana/ Tuscany $14
2003 Canalicchio, Brunello Di Montalcino/ Tuscany $30
2006 Casanova Di Neri, Brunello Di Montalcino/ Tuscany $50
2008 Montarabaldi, Barbaresco “Palazzina”/ Piemonte $27
Premium Pour ($6)
2004 Elio Grasso, Barolo “ Gavarini Chiniera”/ Piemonte $59
Sandy Thompson, Proprietor
Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
4316 SE Hawthorne Bl
Portland, Or. 97215


“Time is money says the proverb, but turn it around and you get a precious truth, money is time.” -George Gissing
The most central concept tackled in good financial planning is the precious resource of your time. Strip away all the excess, you’re left with how you spend your days, your hours, your minutes.
Financial planning does address:
– Retirement and income planning…..oh yeah.
– Investment process…..definitely.
– Education funding…..it should.
– Insurance protection…..of course.
– Tax planning…..annually.
– Estate planning…..for your family.
All important, but none are on the level of your life, your time. These items serve to support your plan. The plan is the proactive planning of time and resources. Don’t plan these financial items without addressing time first. This is a subtle, yet key distinction.
If you’re reading as a financial professional, we need to do a better job of putting this into practice. Stop spending too much of your client’s time on minutiae (performance reports, investment funds, risk/return discussions, product features, financial jargon and talk, etc.) Spend time on what matters, what endures; life. Use the 80/20 rule. 20% to give the financial stuff it’s proper due and respect. 80% to make a real impact on your client’s lives.
If you’re reading as a client, expect and judge planning service based on life metrics that matter (peace of mind, goal progress, growth, life improvement, etc.), not on trivial and relatively uncontrollable short-term measures.
If you’re reading as a prospective client of some financial planner, it’s okay to feel too busy, too chaotic, and too overwhelmed. Great financial plannings starts the process of gaining clarity. You don’t need to know or solve everything, but you do need to start. Action beats thinking.


Established in 1956, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) is one of the major permanent arbitration institutions in the world.
CIETAC independently and impartially resolves commercial disputes, as well as investment disputes by means of arbitration.
CIETAC European Arbitration Centre is committed to promoting CIETAC arbitration in Europe, cooperating with European international arbitration institutions, providing advisory services and arbitration services to the parties nearby.
CIETAC and its sub-commissions/arbitration centers constitute a single arbitration institution. They adopt the same set of Arbitration Rules and the same Panel of Arbitrators. It is explicitly stipulated in CIETAC’s Articles of Association that sub-commissions/arbitration centers are branches of CIETAC which accept arbitration applications and administer arbitration cases with CIETAC’s authorization.
CIETAC’s Nearly 30,000 concluded arbitration cases have involved parties from more than 100 countries and regions outside the Mainland China, and its awards have been recognized and enforced in 159 countries and regions.


Micari Financial Group has been providing Connecticut residents with full service financial products since 1990 and is determined to help all of its customers achieve their financial goals.
What sets Micari apart is it develops individualized financial plans for each of its clients that is best set up to meet their needs. Micari financial planners make a concerted effort to educate clients on the financial concepts being used so that everyone has a clear understanding of what is being done with their money.
Micari provides basic financial tools from its website including a series of calculators that can help with short-term and long-term financial planning. These calculators can help with things such as saving for the kids to go to college or planning for retirement and provide well educated estimates on the funds necessary for these goals based on the client's current financial circumstances.
The group’s other investments services include investment management, annuities and various insurance products such as life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance.
Micari works with businesses as well as individual clients, helping local entrepreneurs set up benefit plans for their employees. The group will devise a proprietary 401(K) program for a company and assist in implementing it and educating all participants on its details. They can do the same with other benefits such as health insurance, dental, life and disability.
The group’s website is also stocked with resources to help anyone better understand their finances. The website’s resources tab has articles, flipbooks, newsletters and videos covering every topic from retirement saving to investment risks to annuities and so much more.
The website also provides real-time information on the stock market and allows users to look up individual stocks or track a market’s change over time.
Online visitors can also request an insurance quote from Macari without even stepping outside. Quotes can be provided for long-term care insurance, group health insurance, life insurance, individual health insurance and disability income insurance.
Founded by Bristol native Bill Marcari, holds FINRA series: 7, 6, 63, and 65 licenses and insurance licenses through the state of Connecticut. In 2011, he earned the AIF designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies. The AIF designation certifies that he has specialized knowledge of fiduciary standards of care and their application to the investment management process.
Anyone interested in enlisting the services of Micari can visit www.micarifinancial.com , call 860-261-4746 or visit the office at 101 Church Avenue in Bristol.


I support open elections and restricting the power of the entrenched
two party political agenda to benefit their special interests
at the expense of the people of Nevada as a whole.
I support the repeal of the Commerce Tax, the Wage Tax and the
Government Services Tax and replacing them with a fair and
equitable tax structure which treats everyone equally under the law.
I support the creation of an AFFORDABLE Single Payer Healthcare
System for Nevada Which improves both the availability, access
and quality of healthcare for everyone in the state.
I support the restructuring and the creation of a world class education
system in Nevada to provide our children and grandchildren the necessary
skill sets to successfully make their way in an ever changing world.
I support the creation of a world class business friendly environment to
facilitate bringing major investment, industry and high paying jobs to Nevada.
I will work to reduce time wasting regulations and excessive startup requirements.
I support equal pay for equal work. I will fight discrimination
based on age, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, race.
I will work to insure every person is treated equally under the law.
I support measures for the protection of victims from both the perpetrators
of crime and the corruption in the criminal justice system. As Governor,
I will work improve the 'system' to better serve the citizens of Nevada.
I support an $11/hour minimum wage for EVERYONE employed by any business
in Nevada and a major block grant to all the counties to help them improve
their infrastructure, healthcare and educational facilities.
I support GMO labelling, the listing of prices for all medical procedures by
healthcare entities, prohibiting of 'resort fees' and 'parking fees' by
licensed gaming entities and an open border for sports betting.
I support a complete restructuring of the business and corporate licensing
regime to make it more business friendly, equitable and responsive to
business concerns and to providing a better business environment in Nevada.
I support the repeal of the anti-water harvesting law, the streamlining of
all the cannabis rules and regulations and the creation of a Hemp industry
to manufacture hemp products for both domestic use and to export.
I support the creation of Solar and Wind energy facilities in Nevada, the
creation of a Sovereign Nevada Intra-State Bank to help facilitate overall
development, investment and an major investment banking industry in Nevada.


Recent Macro-economic Indicators (GDP Growth Rate)
Estimation of GDP for 2015
Based on data collected in the first 6 months of 2015 by Ministry of Economy taking into consideration of the impact from the slowdown of economies including Europe and China, GDP growth for Cambodia has been revised down from 7% a year ago to around 6.9 %. The value of current GDP is estimated to be worth 74.93 trillions riel or 18.50 billions US dollars (1USD= 4040Riel) and GDP per capita is around 1228USD.
Industries which have been identified to see the potential growth include Agriculture (1%), Manufacturing (8.7%), Garment (5.5%), Electricity and Clean water (7.2%), Construction (17.7%) and Service (9%).
Source: The Ministry of Economy and Finance


Realizing the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the economy, in 2012 Bahrain Technology Companies(BTECH) society was established. This is part of the country’s vision to improve its economic efficiency and the establishment of a sound foothold in the ICT sector regionally. Government interest in the ICT sector was reflected by fully supporting the establishment of BTECH, which aims in supporting the local ICT companies to excel. Being a nonprofit entity, we strive in fully elevating the statuesque of the sector and bring the ICT companies in Bahrain to a competing level with its regional and international competitors.
BTECH backs ICT Companies participating in Bahrain Pavilion @ GITEX
BTECH together with Tamkeen supports companies wishing to participate in Bahrain’s National Pavilion at GITEX 2017 from 8 to 12 October at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
More than 45 companies are expected to participate in Bahrain’s pavilion this year, which in an increase of nearly 50% from the previous year.
This will contribute in enhancing the presence of Bahrain’s IT industry in regional forums, increasing its contribution to national output.
Board Chairman of BTECH Ubaidly Ubaidly called on various Bahraini ICT companies to take advantage of Tamkeen’s support.


Posted by Paul Fisher on 1/1/2020 to News
Looking back on 2019, we had a great year, thanks to all of our wonderful customers. You have helped to propel this small startup bullet business into real success, and we are deeply thankful for your support. We know that our simple $2.80/lb pricing is the key to much of that success and we are not changing that in 2020. On the other hand, USPS has announced that they will be increasing shipping costs on January 26th, including small and medium flat rate boxes. This has caused us to have to examine and make an adjustment to how we handle shipping costs. For many of you this will result in no change, and in some cases a slight decrease in cost. The rest of this article explains the details of the change and give examples of how it will effect purchases.
Details of Change
So what are we changing? As of today we are making the change to always charge for shipping. If the package is 15lbs or under, it ships for $7 in a small flat rate box, and if it is 15-65lbs it ships for $14 in a medium flat rate box. This is the same as what we charge today for orders that are less than 4 bags. In addition, we are going to lower the price for sample bags from $17.99 to $14, but charge for shipping.
The best way to show how this will effect you is with some examples:
So the bottom line is:
- For customer that purchase three (3) or less bags, there is no change
- For customer that purchase two (2) or more samples, you will pay less
- For customers that purchase a combination of bags and samples, you will pay less
- For customers that purchase four (4) or more bags, or a single sample, you will pay for shipping
Are We Still Competitive?
Yes, we are still the best deal around.The simplest to demonstrate this is just to show you a selection of profiles compared to the competitor "bulk" prices.
As you can see, we still provide the best price per round, delivered to your door. Even when you see holiday specials, or discount codes, we are still the best deal. We just don't go in for taking advantage of our customers all of the rest of the time. Just a great product, at a good price, all of the time.
We really do want to thank all of our customers for their support in 2019. You have made us successful, and we really appreciate that you continue to support us, and enjoy supplying you with winning bullets. The upshot of all of this is that you can just order whatever you need, when you need it. You no longer need to organize your purchases to order in bulk. Just order what you need, when you need it, and you can be confident that you are still getting superior quality at a truly competitive price year round.
As always, keep 'em in the X-ring!


Located in the southeastern part of the state, it is the principal city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land.
Houston’s economy boasts of a broad industrial base in energy, transportation, manufacturing and aeronautics. It is also a leading city in building oilfield equipment and health care sector. It is also home to the second highest number of Fortune 500 headquarters after New York City.
Houston is ranked a global city, with strengths in international trade, business, technology, media, fashion, entertainment, education, science, research and medicine.
The city’s population comes from various religious and ethnic backgrounds and consists of a large and growing international community. Is has also been dubbed as the most diverse city in the United States. It is also home to numerous cultural exhibits and institutions.


The 2023 tax statements have been mailed out. Property taxes are due on or before February 1, 2024. If you have not received your tax statement, you can view your tax information by clicking on "property taxes" above or call the tax office.
Service Connected, totally disabled (100%) American veterans who were honorably discharged from military service are exempt from all ad valorem taxes on homesteads. This new law takes effect January 1, 2015. The old law only exempted up to 7,500 assessed value.
After a very lengthy process, the N.C.R.S. has completed the soil data for the county and the new soil maps have been assessed to each parcel for the 2019 tax year. Click here to view soil maps.


Our flagship trailer operation provides all our customers easy access to the most reliable and economical groupage service available, delivering your goods daily throughout both Northern and Southern Ireland.
From our warehouse in Batley, Geoff Ricketts Freight Ltd is departing daily. We are able to carry all types of cargoes and packaging. Most of our competitors only handle palletised cargo for a ‘uniformly distributed load’. We provide quotes from 1 carton, 1 pallet, 1 tube or however your goods are packaged, we carry and deliver it. This is one of the many reasons why our customers have been with us for many years.
When choosing a Company to carry your goods you'll want the best possible experience at the most competitive price. Geoff Ricketts Freight Limited has many years’ experience in the freight, storage and distribution industry, offering an unmatched level of quality customer service and attention to detail, combined with the most competitive rates around.
By calling us at Geoff Ricketts Freight Ltd, you're not only choosing a logistics company; you're choosing an experienced and knowledgeable partner that strives to help your business grow through cost-effective solutions and successful long standing relationships.
For more information or to discuss your requirements, please contact us today.
From the distribution warehouse in Newry we are ideally placed to serve our customers selling products in either the North and South with daily departures to all major destinations.


If you’ve won a large mega millions jackpot and opted for an annuity, you hope to enjoy your winnings for years to come. Of course, no one likes to think about dying, but making a will if you come into large sums of money is always a good idea.
If a mega millions winner dies after securing an annuity, this will become part of their estate. Whoever inherits it will continue to receive payments every year for the remaining number of years.
Whether there are only two years left or twenty, the payouts could be huge. This would make a very nice nest egg for a lucky beneficiary. Money that could buy a new car, a house, holidays abroad, or even pay for kids’ university fees. It would certainly make life comfortable. Whether it’s a close family member, partner, or even friend, you need to take action on getting a will drawn up as soon as you’ve set up your annuity.
Can You Have More Than One Beneficiary?
If you have several family members can your annuity have more than one beneficiary? Unfortunately, most states only permit one named beneficiary. If you have several children and grandchildren this could present problems.
Check your state lottery rules, and speak to someone if you’re not sure. In the event that they don’t allow more than one beneficiary, consider getting payments made directly to your estate. This way all the money could be evenly distributed among the heirs.
This is something you’d certainly need to consider carefully to avoid creating family tensions. It’s not uncommon for siblings to quarrel over an inheritance.
Would Beneficiaries Pay Tax on Winnings?
Each state has it’s own tax laws and your beneficiaries would be responsible for any tax liability on their share of the estate. In some cases, this could be as much as 40%


workers.coop is creating a new finance group made up of a couple of existing Board Members and hopefully members of our community that are accountants or financial experts.
If you are interested in being on this group or able to advice/support in a more limited capacity. Do get in touch with me direct or sign-up here.
To oversee and support the financial health of workers.coop. Ensuring it follows all legal requirements and good accounting practice. Working with the project coordinator to oversee and approve financial transactions in line with the Board approved budgets.
- To approve financial transactions within its own delegated budgets or that of workers.coop budgets where there is no existing group with delegated responsibility.
- To make recommendations regarding all financial policy and to ensure that the Board and other working groups financial policy decisions are fully informed, documented and implemented.
- To propose an annual budget and ensure financial accounts are presented to the Board and other groups in a timely and understandable format to inform decision making.
- To ensure adequate financial controls and authorisation procedures are in place to safeguard the organisation.
We have a number of other working groups all looking for people to get involved.


BLS Cargo is purchasing 10 new Siemens "Vectron" (DACHINLBE) multi-system locomotives for use in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. The locomotives also feature the newly developed XLoad equipment package.
XLoad is a combination of features that improve the traction capability and efficiency of the locomotives. This allows heavier trains to be run in single traction, eliminating the need for additional booster or push locomotives. XLoad is a new development from Siemens Mobility and has been available since 2022.
BLS Cargo tested the new function in detail last year and was convinced of its usefulness. "With the new locomotives, we can run heavier trains than before on the gradients in Alpine transit. This will make us more efficient and we will also have more locomotives available in operation," says Dirk Stahl, CEO of BLS Cargo.
For years, BLS Cargo has relied on end-to-end traction concepts with multi-system locomotives, in which cross-border products are produced end-to-end to ensure maximum efficiency and quality for customers. The procurement of the 10 locomotives further supports this strategy. In addition, there will be a need for reinvestment in existing older locomotives in the coming years as well as additional demand for the targeted growth.
The new locomotives will be delivered in 2026. The Vectron fleet of BLS Cargo will thus grow to a total of 50 vehicles. The company had already ordered a total of 40 locomotives from Siemens Mobility in 2015 and 2020.


Northeast Middle School student Audrianna Green (center) realizes just how expensive housing is while other students scramble to find affordable apartments.
Lauderdale County School District (LCSD) Cyber Foundations II teachers promoted financial literacy to eighth grade students through a districtwide event this fall.
Held in November, the 2019 Reality Fair provided students with a simulation on balancing spending for necessities versus wants and other luxury items. Each student was randomly assigned a job and an average, career-specific salary. Local businesses helped students spend their income on needs — housing, groceries, transportation and insurance, for example — and non-necessities including pets, cell phones and gym memberships. Students also spun the Wheel of Reality to account for unexpected windfalls — an inheritance, for example — or expenses such as repairing or replacing a flat tire. Students kept records of their balances after each expenditure and visited credit counselors to find solutions to financial dilemmas including loans and second jobs.
First sponsored at Northeast Middle School (NEMS) by MUNA Federal Credit Union under the leadership of its president, Bo Pittman, and implemented by NEMS counselor Terisa Pittman and Cyber Foundations II teacher Sheri Thornton, this year’s fair included Clarkdale Middle School, Southeast Middle School and West Lauderdale Middle School. Debbie Smith (Meridian Mutual Credit Union), Rebecca Cooper (First Mississippi Federal Credit Union) and Darlene Wilkerson (Mississippi Air National Guard Federal Credit Union) also helped facilitate this experience for the students of Lauderdale County.
The Reality Fair included a tour of the Meridian Community College (MCC) Workforce Development Center. There, students saw technical education classrooms where MCC students learn skills necessary for construction-related fields such as carpentry, welding and electrical installation. MCC instructors explained the importance of a good work ethic and the importance of skills development.
The LCSD program began with Cyber Foundations teachers at all four LCSD middle schools helping students with goal setting, career exploration and educational planning, with an emphasis on financial literacy. Teachers provided lessons on needs versus wants, salary, deductions and budgets. Lesson plans included speakers from local businesses, online financial literacy programs and teacher-created activities to help students learn how to handle personal finances. These lessons culminated in the LCSD Reality Fair, where students used what learned about income and expenses.
The Reality Fair and the preparatory lessons provided students an eye-opening look into the real world. When students returned to school, they shared their thoughts with teachers and expressed a deeper appreciation for their parents.
“The Reality Fair was a fun way to help students develop financial literacy skills,” said NEMS Future Business Leaders of America President Itzel Gomez-Moreno.


This event is tailored to help women* navigate the world of personal expenses with confidence. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your financial life!
✨ What You Will Learn ✨
🔹 How to Get the Most Out of Your Money:
Discover easy steps to make every euro count. Learn to set realistic financial goals and build an emergency fund that inspires confidence in your financial security.
🔹 How Much in Savings Do You Personally Need:
Uncover the secrets to enjoyable saving in both your home currency and foreign currency, so you can reach your financial dreams.
🔹 How Financial Instruments Work:
Gain the knowledge to make informed decisions about your finances. Understand which bank accounts to open, when to buy foreign currency, and how to prepare for a secure retirement.
🔹 How to Get Out of Debt:
Stop relying on your credit card and break free from debt’s grip. We’ll help you create a practical debt repayment plan that will give you financial freedom.
🔹 Finding Free Money in Your Budget:
Learn to optimize your daily spending without strict restrictions. Say goodbye to unnecessary expenses and add awareness to your financial choices, freeing up extra funds.
🔹 What to Do After the Masterclass:
Walk away with the tools to create a simple, actionable financial plan that’s easy to follow, ensuring your financial success
About Anastasia Soloveva
Anastasia is a licensed professional wealth advisor and personal wealth planner with 15 years of experience in private banking. She helps women to organize their money routine, reach their financial goals and start to spend smart and invest.
Anastasia Soloveva is an author of the Investment course Million Dollar Baby, personal finance expert and Harvard Business School Alum. For 17 years she has been helping her clients to improve their relationship with money, and for the last 4 years Anastasia works exclusively with women. During this time, more than 500 women and girls have completed her course, figured out their financial goals, built savings, closed their debts and credit cards


Summit Information Solutions named as one of 2016
Best Places to Work in Virginia
January 29, 2016
Summit Information Solutions was recently named as one of the 2016 Best Places to Work in Virginia. The annual list of the Best Places to Work in Virginia was created by Virginia Business and Best Companies Group.
This statewide survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Virginia, benefiting the state’s economy, workforce and businesses. The 2016 Best Places to Work in Virginia list is made up of 100 companies.
To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Be a for-profit, not-for-profit business or government entity;
- Be a publicly or privately held business;
- Have a facility in the state of Virginia;
- Have at least 15 employees working in the state of Virginia; and
- Be in business a minimum of 1 year.
Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Virginia. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Virginia and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final ranking.
View the article and photos from the Virginia Business Magazine Best Places to Work Luncheon for 2016.
Contact Summit Information Solutions
Summit Information Solutions Contributes to Huntsville Economy
by Opening Second Location
August 4th, 2014
The newest addition to Summit Information Solutions is its new office in Huntsville Alabama. The small, woman, minority owned business provides systems engineering, software technology and program management services.
Summit is headquartered in Richmond Virginia and has been providing government solutions since 2002. The new office in Huntsville has deep roots for president and founder of Summit Information Solutions, Shuganti Caradonna. Shuganti grew up in Huntsville and earned two degrees from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH); while attending UAH Shuganti met her husband Chris Caradonna. Huntsville was where the couple decided to raise their family.
“We are excited and grateful to be able to return to our Huntsville roots,” Caradonna said. “Huntsville is the place where we both were educated, where our children were born and raised, where much of our family still resides, and where our careers were launched.”
The Huntsville area is growing and attracting government contracting agencies. In the past five years the city has grown by 5.8% in population. While the recent job growth is not impressive the future job growth comes in at 31.6%.
Summit Information Solutions is a small, woman, minority 8(a) owned business that was founded in Richmond, Virginia in 2002. We provide best in class systems engineering, software technology, and program/project management services.
In today’s economy and fast emerging technologies, it is important for customers and consumers to expect efficient and innovative solutions. We work with our customers to identify, prioritize, and plan strategic goals to tactically align with an organization’s imperatives.
Our team members have extensive experience delivering innovative solutions to the Department of Defense (DoD), Non-DoD Government Agencies, and the commercial sector. We strive to apply best practices from both the government and commercial industries to enable efficient solutions.
Our mission is to create synergy in each alliance while fostering trust, respect, and teamwork to deliver efficient and innovation solutions that make a difference for all stakeholders. Our core values are excellence, teamwork, and integrity and community.
Summit Information Solutions reported estimated gross sales of more than $4.5 million in 2013.
Contact Summit Information Solutions


The Corporate lecture series 2012 at SMS, Varanasi started with an expert lecture by Mr. Shivam Bansal , Director , J.J. Plastalloy Pvt on On August 28, 2012.
Mr Shivam Bansal , Ltd interacted with BBA III and V semester students of SMS, Varanasi.
Mr. Shivam discussed the various aspects of Entrepreneurship and its relevance in present business environment.
Mr. Bansal in his deliberations, emphasised on the main traits of an entrepreneur. He discussed about the shrinking job prospects and importance of entrepreneurial abilities for self dependence.
He also discussed the real time challenges and possible solutions to the existing problems in business operations.
Mr. Shivam Bansal; B.Tech IIT Delhi; MBA MDI Gurgaon and EDHEC Business School, France has been instrumental in steering J.J Plastalloy Pvt Ltd in the Global Economy.
Earlier Dr. P.N. Jha , Director, SMS, Varanasi welcomed Mr. Shivam Bansal .
Dr. J.P. Mishra , Dean , SMS, Varanasi felicitated the esteemed guest by presenting a memento and proposed the vote of the thanks after the lecture session.
Dr. Meenakshi Singh Senior Lecturer SMS, Varanasi coordinated the event.


During the 1970s, diplomatic interactions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were largely limited to key strategic issues, most notably counterbalancing the Soviet Union and cross-Strait relations. After the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979, and increasingly so in the post-Cold War period, the intensification of relations between the U.S. and China has resulted in a rapid broadening of the bilateral diplomatic agenda. U.S.-China relations have expanded from the diplomatic arena to exchanges involving security, trade, tourism, business, culture, education, health, environment, science and technology, etc. In the twenty-first century, the depth and breadth of the bilateral diplomatic agenda encompasses an extremely broad range of bilateral, regional, and global issues that are discussed and negotiated in bilateral, regional, and multilateral settings (the UN, the G-20, the WTO, the East Asia Summit, etc.) Relatedly, the cooperative or competitive dynamics between the U.S. and the PRC vary from one issue area to the other.
Nina Hachigian’s book aims to provide a portrait of these competitive and cooperative forces at play in the U.S.-China relationship by means of a dialogue – in the form of exchanges of letters – between Chinese and American scholars and policy experts. In each chapter, two specialists, one Chinese and one American, discuss one of the following nine major issue areas on the U.S.-China diplomatic agenda: economics, human rights, media, global roles, climate and energy, development, military affairs, Taiwan, and regional security. In light of the significant strategic distrust that characterises the most important bilateral relationship of the century, Debating China also seeks to offer a venue for enhancing mutual understanding between the two sides.
After the introductory chapter by Kenneth Lieberthal and Wang Jisi, which provides an overview of the main international and domestic factors that are driving the U.S. and China toward conflict, rivalry, or partnership – and in which the two authors stress the deep-seated distrust between the two countries – the first issue area examined in the book is the economic dimension of the Sino-American relationship. Barry Naughton and Yao Yang critically discuss the two countries’ economic models and the main concerns in the field of bilateral trade and investment, ranging from intellectual property rights protection, to rebalancing the American and Chinese growth models, to the recent economic reforms in the PRC. Zhou Qi and Andrew Nathan assess the role of “values” and ideology in U.S. and Chinese foreign policy as well as their diverging conceptions of democracy and human rights as either civil and political rights or economic and social rights. The transformative impact of the media, including Internet and online blogs, on the domestic societies of both countries, and their implications for U.S.-China relations, are analysed by Wang Shuo and Susan Shirk. The authors converge in their assessment that the media are providing fertile soil for the growth of anti-foreign nationalism in China that could push the country into confrontations with the U.S. and its neighbours, but they disagree on the relative role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in this process. Yuan Peng and Nina Hachigian explore how both countries see their respective global roles and responsibilities in the contemporary international system. While disagreeing over the likelihood of America’s decline and decreased relative power, they candidly discuss the extent to which the U.S. is willing to share power with the PRC, and whether Beijing is willing to take on greater responsibility in managing global issues. Kelly Sims Gallagher and Qi Ye show how environmental issues have also become an area of growing interaction between the world’s two largest polluters, with converging interests but differing domestic challenges in tackling pollution and the development of clean energy. The main differences in the Chinese and American approaches to development and foreign aid are highlighted in the chapter by Elizabeth Economy and Zha Daojiong. While the former offers significant criticism regarding China’s practices in the field of foreign aid and development policies (including on corporate social responsibility and the role of state-owned enterprises), the latter stresses that China’s practices have substantially improved over the years and have evolved in line with, and as a function of, its development path. Christopher Towney and Xu Hui’s chapter on the military dimension goes to the heart of the strategic distrust that permeates the Sino-American relationship and trickles down into other issues on the diplomatic agenda. They candidly demonstrate profoundly diverging views and disagreements on key areas such as the two countries’ capabilities, intentions, and strategies in the modernisation and of their armed forces, on their position on territorial disputes, on the status of Taiwan, etc. The latter topic is analysed in depth by Jian Qingguo and Alan Romberg in the chapter on Taiwan and Tibet. While agreeing that Taiwan might be the most likely trigger for a U.S.-China conflict, their exchange also shows apparently irreconcilable perspectives on each other’s intentions vis-à-vis the future status of Taiwan and its role in their respective regional strategic postures. In the last chapter of the volume, Wu Xinbo and Michael Green further exemplify the divergence in the two countries’ assessments of their regional security roles and challenges, from the North Korea quandary, to territorial disputes around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and in the South China Sea, to the two countries’ “hegemonic” ambitions in the region.
The original format of the book offers a fruitful venue for exploring the mutual perceptions and areas of agreement and disagreement among scholars and policy experts from both countries. Overall, the chapters of the volume collectively bring to light the trust gap in the bilateral relationship on a variety of issues, ranging from exchange rate policies, to human rights, to investment and aid, to maritime issues. However, the most significant area of suspicion and concern is, unsurprisingly, in the security realm – what is labelled as “strategic distrust.” As stressed in the conclusion by former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, the volume sheds light on the deep uncertainty and distrust that characterise both countries’ perceptions of the other’s motives and strategies. Instances of recurrent apprehension include whether the U.S. is intent on containing China, whether China seeks to extrude and/or to challenge the hegemony of the U.S. in the Asia Pacific, the rationale for each country’s policy vis-à-vis Taiwan, and the military modernisation of both countries. On the other hand, while acknowledging the limits to collaboration stemming from deep strategic distrust, the volume’s contributors all advocate greater cooperation in the bilateral relationship. Specifically, they put forward a range of policy recommendations and suggest pragmatic steps aimed at reducing areas of friction and expanding areas of cooperation on issues of common concern (from the environment and climate change to proliferation, piracy, and financial stability, etc.). Indeed, none of the American and Chinese contributors believes strategic confrontation between the world’s preeminent power and its rising competitor is inevitable. The underlying key thread running throughout the pages of the book is the question of to what extent – and how – strategic distrust can be tamed to facilitate U.S.-China cooperation in bilateral, regional, and global issues, thereby avoiding a military confrontation. It is the balance between these conflicting forces and contradictory logics at play in the U.S.-China relationship – those of strategic distrust versus common interests and cooperation – that might well decide the prospects of great power conflict, or its absence, in the twenty-first century.
Hugo Meijer (King’s College London)
Cette recension a originellement été publiée dans le numéro 2015/3 de China Perspective.