Daily Archives: September 29, 2014

Post-2015 agenda must focus on implementation

Posted: September 29, 2014 at 4:40 am

Sustainable Development Goals:

The full text of the address made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

I congratulate Your Excellency Sam Kutesa on being elected as the President of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

We wish you success and assure you of our fullest cooperation.

The theme for this Session, Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda, is timely. The world has undergone many changes since the UN was created, and since the year 2000, much progress has been made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

However, there are multiple challenges that still remain to be addressed. The moral and practical importance of creating an equitable world and a sustainable planet for this purpose cannot be ignored.

The Commonwealth, of which Sri Lanka is the current Chair in Office, accounts for over one quarter of the UN membership. In November 2013, the Commonwealth Heads of Government agreed in Colombo, to contribute to the process of evolving the new post-2015 global development agenda. They have endorsed the central focus on the eradication of extreme poverty and re-affirmed commitment to sustainable development.

The perspective on the post-2015 development agenda is based on shared values and principles contained in the Commonwealth Charter and individual experiences. The Commonwealth leaders encourage others to approach the forthcoming inter-governmental negotiations, in a collaborative spirit to achieve a balanced post-2015 development agenda.

Reducing inequality within and among countries is one of the most transformative goals that have been proposed by the Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. We hope that this goal will serve to enhance the voice and representation of developing countries in decision-making.

The post-2015 agenda must focus on implementation. Achieving the SDGs would be impossible without the political will and dedication of all countries. It must be ensured that the failure of the developed countries to fulfill Millennium Goal 8 that called for a global partnership for development, is not repeated.

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Post-2015 agenda must focus on implementation

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Sierra Nevada Corporation Files Protest Over NASA Spacecraft Selection

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Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)

Sierra Nevada Corporation announced on Friday that theyve filed a legal challenge with the General Accounting Office over NASAs decision to select Boeing and SpaceX for its Commercial Crew program to develop spacecraft that will deliver astronauts to the International Space Station.

Sierra Nevada was one of three finalists for the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), along with Boeing and SpaceX. Unlike those two companies, which are both developing capsule spacecraft to transport astronauts, Sierra Nevada is developing what it calls the Dream Chaser an airplane-like spacecraft thats capable of landing on a runway.

One of the reasons for the companys challenge is the cost difference between its proposal and that of Boeings proposal, and noted that its proposal was the second-lowest priced of the three.

With the current awards, the U.S. government would spend up to $900 million more at the publicly announced contracted level for a space program equivalent to the program that SNC proposed, the company said in a statement. Given those facts, we believe that a thorough review must be conducted of the award decision.

Sierra Nevada also noted that in terms of NASAs other mission criteria, it believes theres very little difference between the three proposals, making cost a primary issue. In its statement, the company said that NASAs own Source Selection Statement and debrief indicate that there are serious questions and inconsistencies in the source selection process. SNC, therefore, feels that there is no alternative but to institute a legal challenge.

The GAO has until January 5th to make a decision about Sierra Nevadas challenge.

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Sierra Nevada Corporation Files Protest Over NASA Spacecraft Selection

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Its Oh So Quiet (Except Outside the Shows)

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Photo: Imaxtree

Anyone looking to find calm in Paris on Friday would have done well to avoid the Louvre. The crowd rubbernecking at Dakota Fanning and Carla Bruni before that afternoon's Dior show was intense. But inside, things were far more tranquil: The venue was divided into circular salons, isolating editors and buyers from the celebrity scrum.

Raf Simonss collection built on his sober, down-to-earth couture show in July. Said the designer in his show notes, For this collection I wanted to continue; I thought there was more to explore. The show was called Providence (Extended Remix) and many of the looks had an angelic feel: Many were all-white and voluminous, inspired by 18th-century court coats. They also referenced astronaut uniforms, with a touch of '60s futurism. The last two looks featured sweeping gilets in bright pink and gold, a stunning visual complement to Simonss white canvas.

Issey Miyake let loose a bunch of white balloons in his show tent, an image of calm and cheer that jibed nicely with a collection that was inspired by clouds. The balloons were attached to strips of audiotape, an invention of the composer Ei Wada, who played them during the show. The haunting experimental music paired nicely with Miyakes white cumuluslike creations, many in a new proprietary fabric the company is calling 3-D Steam Stretch, used on oversize jackets and puffy dresses.

Isabel Marant always has pieces you want to buy and wear straight out of the show, and this season was no different. She jumped on the serenity bandwagon with looks like a loose white tunic with origami folds and a rope belt, paired with perfectly frayed white pants. When she wasnt going full Zen, Marant squeezed in some sex appeal, in the form of shimmery micro-minidresses, perhaps for when youre feeling less contemplative.

Moors Gaze was the title of Hussein Chalayans latest collection, and he drew interestingly on Moroccan paneled windows, which found their way into a black-on-black print on a silk dress. Another intricate print looked like the aerial view of a Moorish garden, an enclosed oasis of peace. Of course, the designer, whos celebrating his 20th anniversary, had to shatter the calm with a note of provocation: a series of prints of women in burqas, with fiery red nails.

See the full Christian Dior collection here. See the full Isabel Marant collection here. See the full Issey Miyake collection here. See the full Chalayan collection here.

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Its Oh So Quiet (Except Outside the Shows)

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Business transformation and the Valley of Death (Futurist Speaker Gerd Leonhard) – Video

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Business transformation and the Valley of Death (Futurist Speaker Gerd Leonhard)
This is a short excerpt from my opening keynote at CA Expo in Sydney Australia, August 27, 2014, on the future of business, technology and the app economy, s...

By: Gerd Leonhard

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The 2014 National Council For Education and Training (NCCET) Annual Meeting to Feature Global Futurist Jack Uldrich as …

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Denver, CO (PRWEB) September 29, 2014

On September 29th The National Council for Continuing Education & Training (NCCET), will be holding their annual conference in Denver, Colorado, and futurist Jack Uldrich will be keynote the event and speak on Future Trends in Education.

The NCCET has actively been contributing to national policy development through their sponsorship of national colloquia on certification and credentialing and transcripting, as well as their authorship of white papers on these important topics. Their constituents are continuing education leaders, professionals, and innovators in community and junior colleges and technical schools. Other important stakeholders are their corporate partners and our parent organization, the American Association of Community Colleges.

Uldrich, a best selling author and global futurist has spoken both nationally and internationally on the future of education at events such as the Ohio Educational Technology Conference, the 2014 ATEA Conference, the 2014 Advancement of International Education Conference and the 2013 EAIE Conference in Istanbul.

Online education and MOOCs, college exit tests, and self paced degrees will be be just some of the trends Uldrich will discuss in his keynote. Another forthcoming trend is in the area of loans, grants and financial aid. Uldrich says, "Loans, grants and financial aid wont be the only way to fund higher Education in the coming years." (For more of Uldrich's thoughts on the top 5 trends affecting the future of higher education read this synopsis of here.)

Uldrich will also provide an overview of how technological change and enhanced mobility is rapidly shifting the expectations and behavior of students, teachers, parents and administration, thereby upending long-standing educational models. Throughout the presentation, Uldrich will use vivid analogies and memorable stories, and videos and games drawn from a wide spectrum of industries, to ensure his message of change is both inspirational and applicable for his NCCET audience.

A sample of some his ideas on the future of education can be found in this chapter, The Future of Higher Education: A Cloudy Forecast from his latest book Foresight 2020: A Futurist Explores the Trends Transforming Tomorrow.

Uldrich speaks on a wide variety of topics, from agriculture to finance, to a vast array of industries. Clients include Verizon Wireless, The American Medical Association, General Electric, IBM, Cisco, United Healthcare, PepsiCo, Verizon Wireless, General Mills, the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Pfizer, Healthcare Association of New York, Southern Company, St. Jude Medical, Dressbarn, AG Schering, Imation, Lockheed Martin, Fairview Hospitals, Touchstone Energy, The Insurance Service Organization, and hundreds more.

Parties interested in learning more about him, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about either the event or interviewing Jack as a futurist or trend expert can contact Amy Tomczyk at (651) 343.0660.

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The 2014 National Council For Education and Training (NCCET) Annual Meeting to Feature Global Futurist Jack Uldrich as ...

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Steamboat Economic Summit kicks off Friday

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Steamboat Springs For a company to keep a competitive edge, it must know what lies ahead in the future of the industry, according to futurist Thomas Frey.

It's about having an understanding of what's coming next, said Frey, who is one of several speakers in Steamboat this week for Friday's Steamboat Economic Summit, a conference put on by the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association.

Frey is the executive director and senior futurist for the DaVinci Institute futurist think tank and is the author of Communicating with the Future, a 2011 book about measuring and controlling the future.

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Industries are changing rapidly, and businesses must look ahead to stay successful, Frey said.

As our economies are changing and everything is happening very quickly, the old industries that have been generating most of the wealth for years they're constantly having people do more with less, Frey said.

This equates to fewer jobs in old industries and more positions in startup companies and in new technological industries, he said.

It's important for us to look at this new technology, Frey said. This is where our future jobs are.

The 20th annual Steamboat Economic Summit begins at 8 a.m. Friday at Colorado Mountain College's Alpine Campus, 1275 Crawford Ave.

Also presenting will be K. C. Conway, former chief economist for Colliers International. Conway has 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate field and is currently the senior vice president of credit risk management for SunTrust Bank.

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