| RECREATION NOTES LUKAS JOHNSON
There will be a putting contest, special event holes and a silent auction. Organizers are seeking hole sponsors, starting at $275, and donations worth at least $100 from area businesses. To donate items or sponsor a hole, call 704-788-1215. The entry fee is $75 per player and $300 for a four-player team. Proceeds are tax-deductible and go toward support of the LIFE Center. Details: 704-788-1215 or 704-786-3305. Birdies for Breast Cancer golf event The second annual Birdies for Breast Cancer Golf Tournament will start at noon May 14 at Rocky River Golf Club, 6900 Speedway Blvd., Concord. Proceeds will benefit the Charlotte affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It is open to the public and costs $75 per person, which includes brunch, a round of golf, a barbecue dinner, and a goody bag.
Uganda: Graft - Abandon Open Bidding
If a Ugandan mother were in labour, government policy would respond to her safety needs by locating a health centre near her. This is because high maternal mortality rates have a close relationship with the availability of health services. Many emergencies in Uganda, which have a direct influence on daily livelihoods, however, are a victim of the slow grind of the procurement process. Over the past several years, major public works have been stuck in the gridlock of government procurement procedures. This is a serious matter since it is estimated that over half Uganda's total budget passes through the procurement system every year. Consider then that 90% of the complaints received by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) reportedly concern contested procurements, which inevitably lead to delays as investigations take place.
CSEB tariff bidding for Bhaiyathan plant gets good response
Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) has initiated the tariff-based bidding of the 1200-1500 MW Bhaiyathan Thermal Power Plant in Surguja District. This is the first mega power project of its kind in the country whereby the procurer (the State) has called for bids with pre-identified site and captive coal mines and the selected bidder will develop the power plant and supply electricity to the State with portion of certain percentage as third party sale. SBI Capital Markets (SBI Caps), the investment banking subsidiary of State Bank of India, has been appointed advisor by the Chhattisgarh Government The project will involve one of the largest private investments in Chhattisgarh and is in keeping with the vision of transforming the State into Indias power hub. The mega power project has received excellent response with 21 bidders, including Tata Power, Reliance Energy, Torrent, CESC, Essar, Sterlite and global power major AES Corporation, purchasing tender documents from the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB).
EDITORIAL: Forest roads scandal
Another case of bid-rigging at the initiative of a government agency has come to light. The Fair Trade Commission on Thursday raided the Japan Green Resources Agency, which coordinates forestry work and civil-engineering work of agricultural land improvement under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The agency, also known as J-Green, is a mainstay of public works projects second to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that has been previously charged with bid-rigging. The FTC began its investigation in autumn 2006 and contacted the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office to conduct the joint search. The FTC unraveled a heinous and continuous bid-rigging scheme that has apparently gone on for nearly 10 years. As soon as the FTC began its investigation, J-Green rushed to adopt a general competitive bidding system to replace designated competitive bidding.
Modest Mouse, Shins, Decemberists Swag in Art Auction
Buckman Elementary School, an arts magnet school in Portland's public system, is rife with the cool, artsy kids. And these cool, artsy kids-- along with some high-profile, indie rock favorites-- have donated some items to be auctioned in benefit of the school; they're no mere pinch-pot ashtray castoffs, either. In addition to a fly-fishing trip and jaunts to the Sonoma wine country, a series of hand-decorated mini-guitars and other swag from the likes of the Decemberists and Carson Ellis, Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, the Shins, Stephen Malkmus and newest Jick Janet Weiss, Sam Coombs of Quasi, and the Dandy Warhols will go up for the good cause. The Art Rocks auction takes place in two parts: the first-- organized by Sleater-Kinney pillar and Buckman parent Corin Tucker-- goes down web-ways April 22, when online bidders can stake their claim on those hand-decorated mini-guitars via eBay (keyword: Buckman).
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