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Send us a text◆ EU's securitization plan leaked ◆ The first new EM sovereign issuer for years ◆ Who can be sued for climate change?Interest rates coming down was supposed to be a sure bet. Now it's not. Long government bond yields are rising, and not just in the US. Investors are worried — the term premium is climbing, which means it's not enough now. It's safest to stay away from duration.We try to diagnose this queasy market for high quality bonds. Are there any silver linings?MLex, a regulatory news service, has leaked two crucial draft proposals from the European Commission for how it will reform rules on securitization. Will they ease what the market feels is regulators' stranglehold?It's six years since the last new sovereign bond issuer appeared from a true emerging market, but the Kyrgyz Republic came this week. The bond was a hit — we explore what it means.You may not have heard of Huaraz — or Hamm. But you've probably heard of RWE, the German power company which has been called Europe's biggest carbon emitter.This week an appeal court in Hamm, Germany denied a lawsuit by a farmer from Huaraz, Peru. He had sued RWE for damages for the risk to his home from global warming-induced flooding. But his supporters believe they achieved their aim: establishing that carbon emitters can be held liable for climate change.
Following the journey of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers, From Dreams to Goals takes you deep behind the headlines to explore the stories from nations aspiring to qualify for the tournament in Australia next year. Each week From Dreams to Goals will focus on delving deep and telling the story of women's football in countries from Saudi Arabia to India, from Indonesia to Nepal and everywhere in between, talking to players, coaches and journalists to explore the unique story of each country as they drive forward on the road to the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026. This week we focus on the Kyrgyz Republic, and the wider Central Asian region, which of course will host the next edition of the tournament in Uzbekistan in 2029. We are joined by Nuraiym Alymkulova, the Executive Director of the Women's Football Association of Kyrgyz Republic, to discuss the development of women's football in the country and across Central Asia more broadly. Follow Gina Bagnulo on X: https://x.com/GinaBagnulo3 Follow Gina Bagnulo on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ginabagnulo Follow Anirudh Nair on IG: https://www.instagram.com/annie_rude_ Be sure to follow The Asian Game on all our social media channels: X: https://twitter.com/TheAsianGame IG: https://instagram.com/theasiangame Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheAsianGamePodcast
This audio is brought to you by Wearcheck, your condition monitoring specialist. The private-sector's Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBTC) and the State's Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has shown that the private sector and State-owned entities can work together very well, Menar MD Vuslat Bayoglu has highlighted in a Zoom interview with Mining Weekly. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.) Menar is a private investment company with a portfolio of diversified minerals that includes anthracite, coal and manganese in South Africa, gold in Kyrgyz Republic and nickel in Türkiye, In alignment with the company's ferrous strategy, Menar last month signed a memorandum of with the government of Gabon to explore for iron-ore and manganese in Gabon. Also being heightened in Bayoglu's view is the prospect of more exploration investment taking place in South Africa following the appointment by South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) of a new service provider for its cadastral system. "If you are a serious investor, and you are waiting for your mining right, the DMRE is very helpful. They are always on the side of the investor to unlock value because they know that they have a duty to support the economy so that jobs are created, and procurement opportunities are given to community businesses. "A more consistent and reliable DMRE licensing processes will attract investors to the country. South Africa has great potential for exploration. This will help existing companies in South Africa, and companies coming from other parts of the world, to feel more comfortable when applying for prospecting or mining rights," Bayoglu noted. COAL LINE SECURITY Pointing out that the partnership between RBCT and TFR began with security services, Bayoglu credited RBCT with having played an important role in helping TFR to minimise security incidents, especially cable theft, which is critical because when cables are stolen, the system comes to a halt. RBTC's work with TFR to supply batteries and compressors for locomotives is helping with improving locomotive availability, which is Bayoglu identifies as TFR's biggest problem. "If locomotives need spare parts, and the spare parts are not there, the locomotives remain idled. This issue will be resolved by providing spare parts to TFR. It will assist with locomotives' availability and improve capacity on the coal line," Bayoglu commented. Collaboration has resulted in TFR moving about one million tons of coal a week, compared with only 700 000 t to 800 000 t a week earlier. "Another good example of a collaboration between the private sector and TFR is the partnership with Kalagadi Manganese, which opened the rapid loader facility for junior manganese miners. "We will hopefully start to move the first manganese to Port Elizabeth soon. It is a good initiative and we appreciate what Kalagadi is doing by helping junior manganese miners and unlocking capacity," Bayoglu acclaimed. Mining Weekly: What is the latest on the advancement of the Gugulethu Colliery project in Mpumalanga and what is the latest on upcoming projects such as Bekezela in Gauteng and Thuso also in Mpumalanga? Bayoglu: We have been developing Gugulethu for the past two years, and things are going according to plan. We opened the pit, have seven teams working, and have an operational processing plant. We also did the cold commissioning and hot commissioning of the plant. We are targeting steady-state production within the next three months. The target is to mine 200 000 t monthly and process it to between 110 000 t and 120 000 t of saleable product a month. We employ people from the community; we have already employed 41 young people and trained them as machine operators. When we reach steady state production, we will employ 410 people in total. We are hoping that the first coal that will be exported will be ready in the next two to three weeks. Bekezela and Thuso are now fully licenced. We are hoping to start developing both ...
Fostering Growth & Collaboration in Central Asia with B5+1 The B5+1 is a business dialogue platform for the five central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, along with the United States. The Center for International Private Enterprise had a leading role in bringing these voices of the private sector together, including convening a two-day conference in Kazakhstan in March 2024. CIPE's Executive Director, Andrew Wilson, is joined by Eric Hontz, Director of CIPE's Center for Accountable Investment (CAI) and Sobir Kurbanov, Senior Program Manager for CIPE's Europe and Eurasia team to discuss the background of the B5+1, how this conference will address of the issues of different investment models in Central Asia, and what outcomes the conference hopes to achieve long term. Eric Hontz - Center for International Private Enterprise Eric Hontz leads CIPE's Center for Accountable Investment which uses the lens of Corrosive and Constructive Capital to examine the impact of investment on democratic and market institutions. The CAI's work sits at the confluence of corporate governance, the rule of law, and the business and investment climate, with... www.cipe.org Andrew Wilson - Center for International Private Enterprise Andrew Wilson is the Executive Director of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington, D.C. Wilson has extensive experience working with the private sector on development issues in conflict and post-conflict settings, crafting successful business strategies to reduce corruption, encouraging en... www.cipe.org
Chaarat Gold Holdings Ltd chief financial officer David Mackenzie joined Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with an overview of the company's operations in the Kyrgyz Republic, where it is advancing two significant projects on the same license: Tulkubash and Kyzyltash. Tulkubash, an open-pit project expected to produce approximately 95,000 ounces of gold annually, is nearing operational readiness. The project requires 18 months to build, with a recently completed EPC contract, and is awaiting final financing. Additionally, Mackenzie highlighted the potential of the nearby Kyzyltash project, an underground venture poised to yield 350,000 ounces annually. This project, slated for a feasibility study refresh in 2025, promises to substantially enhance the company's gold production capacity. Mackenzie also discussed the strategic importance of the Kyrgyz Republic as a mining jurisdiction. The region has seen renewed interest in foreign investment, attributed to the proactive efforts of the new government, including outreach initiatives and participation in international forums. He said the company is focused on completing project financing in Q1 2024 and initiating the EPC with Power China in Q2 2024. The company anticipates first gold production by Q4 2025. #ChaaratGold #MiningIndustry #KyrgyzRepublicMining #GoldProduction #CFOInterview #DavidMackenzie #ProactiveLondon #TulkubashProject #KyzyltashProject #MiningInvestment #EPCContract #MiningFinance #GoldMining #MiningJurisdiction #ForeignInvestmentMining #MiningStrategy #MiningDevelopment #FeasibilityStudy #MiningSector #GoldReserves #MiningNews #MiningProjects #InvestmentOpportunities #MiningUpdates #ResourceManagement #PreciousMetals #ChaaratGoldHoldings #MiningEconomics #MiningTechnology #SustainableMining #ProactiveInvestors #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews
Though we often view China's increasingly activist foreign policy in its trade wars, territorial disputes, and frequent collisions with Western states, less attention is paid to its gradual and quiet expansion of influence in the 'Stans of Central Asia. But it is here, among the populations of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan where one can see the true evolution of the Belt and Road Initiative, and watch the in progress departure of Russian influence over these former Soviet republics which has only accelerated since the war in Ukraine. In this episode of Departures we welcome the Raffaello Pantucci, the co-author along with the late Alexandros Petersen of the remarkably unique book, "Sinostan: China's Inadvertent Empire." Pantucci and Petersen, the latter of whom was tragically killed in an attack in Afghanistan before the book's publication, underwent more than 10 years of field research and travel to draw this incredibly detailed portrait of the evolution of China's geo-economic footprint in the resource-rich Central Asian basin. With a highly visual narrative story-telling framework, Sinostan offers readers an unprecedented look inside how many Central Asian citizens and officials feel as this accidental empire has been built up around them.
Dariha Erketaeva is a humanitarian professional from Kyrgyzstan – a country that, she says, “very few people know about”. Throughout her career and many negotiations, she's often found it challenging to be taken seriously as a young woman, as a person from a distant Asian country, or as a non-Arabic speaker. In this episode, Dariha reflects on how the way one looks, acts, and is perceived by a counterpart can impact dramatically the outcome of a negotiation process, and how she found practical solutions to overcome the problems.
This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch to discuss the ways in which U.S. policy has evolved in the region surrounding Ukraine, and the ways people should understand the evolution of that policy for current challenges regarding Ukraine and Democratization in the region as a whole. Zachary sets the scene with his poem: "Ode to President Zelensky". Marie Yovanovitch served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019), the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008). She also served as the Dean of the School of Language Studies at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State and as the Deputy Commandant and International Advisor at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University. Earlier she served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, where she coordinated policy on European and global security issues. Before that, she was the bureau's Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for issues related to the Nordic, Baltic, and Central European countries. Ambassador Yovanovitch is the author of a recent memoir: Lessons from the Edge. This episode was mixed and mastered by Oscar Kitmanyen.
Aliman Temirbek is high energy and engaging communication professional. She heads Asian Development Bank's communication in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Today she tells a story (0:33 min) about her not keeping a secret to herself (09:00). We discussed electric cars (22:00 min), charging business opportunities (26:00 min), and electric vehicle retrofit (30:22 min) opportunities in the Kyrgyz Republic. While we all ponder what we can do at an individual level to take action and save our energy costs, here, in this episode, Aliman explains what she did. I was amazed by her extraordinary efforts in her neighborhood to engage everyone in climate actions. Connect with Sohail Hasnie: Facebook @sohailhasnie Twitter @shasnie LinkedIn @shasnie ADB Blog Sohail Hasnie
EPISODE NOTES HEREGo BIGTENTUSA.ORG AND SIGN UP TO JOIN US!Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch (Ret) is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a non-Resident Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University. Previously, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019), the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008). She also served as the Dean of the School of Language Studies at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State and as the Deputy Commandant and International Advisor at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University.Mila Atmos, a global citizen based in New York City, is the producer and series host of Future Hindsight, a weekly podcast that takes big ideas about civic life and democracy and turns them into action items for everyday citizens. In-depth conversations with citizen changemakers showcase how to be an active participant in our democracy that's beyond voting and short of running for office. Mila combines life experiences from living in multiple cultures ranging from Indonesia to Germany to the rural U.S. with her knowledge base in history, economics, and international affairs (B.A. & M.I.A. Columbia University) in creating Future Hindsight. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigtentnews.substack.com
Season 4, Episode 8: In the current series of Diplomatic Immunity, ISD Director of Programs and Research Dr. Kelly McFarland looks back at the first year of the Biden administration's foreign policy and looks forward to the next. In the final episode of the season, Kelly is joined by Ambassador Maria L. Yovanovitch, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019), to discuss her recent book Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir as well as the threat corruption poses to national security and the importance of history. Additionally, Ambassador Yovanovitch explains her motivation to describe and extol the work of foreign and civil service officers when she testified during President Trump's first impeachment trial, and shares her insights into the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine. Ambassador (ret.) Marie L. Yovanovitch is a Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She first joined ISD as a Senior State Department Fellow in the spring of 2019 after three years as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019). She previously served as Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008). From 2012-2013, Ambassador Yovanovitch was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, where she was responsible for policy on European and global security issues. She also served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2004-2005. She retired from the Department of State as a Career Minister in January 2020. Ambassador Yovanovitch served as the Dean of the Language School at the Foreign Service Institute, as well as International Advisor and Deputy Commandant at the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University, where she also taught national security strategy. She began her career in Ottawa, followed by overseas assignments in Moscow, London and Mogadishu, and at the Department of State as Deputy Director of the Russian Desk. A graduate of Princeton University with a master's degree from the National Defense University, Ambassador Yovanovitch received numerous Presidential and State Department awards, including the Secretary's Diplomacy in Human Rights Award. Episode recorded: April 19, 2022 Image: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visit Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 24, 2022. [Public Domain] Hosted and produced by Kelly McFarland. Audio editing by Aaron Jones. Production assistance by Kit Evans. Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.
Icebreakers: A conversation about Canadian and Eurasian business
It's time to hear words of wisdom from our honoured guest and oil and gas expert, Mr. Don Streu, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Alberta and President, CEO and Director at Condor Petroleum.Don has over 35 years of experience in the oil & gas industry globally: from Angola to Indonesia, from Canada to Central Asia. He's sharing his personal experience of operating a company in Kazakhstan, exploring the Uzbekistan market, working with oil & gas reserves, and leading LNG technological revolution in Central Asia.Related links:Condor PetroleumChevronEmbassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to CanadaEmbassy of Canada to the Republic of Kazakhstan,Kyrgyz Republic and TajikistanTimeline0:00 Intro0:40 Welcome Don Streu1:24 The heart of the new West (Alberta)2:36 Will the current uptick in Gas & Oil price help Alberta's economy?3:50 Starting with Shevron in 19865:52 The “Three No” Rule and move to Angola11:04 Experiences in Indonesia and Nigeria14:09 Founding Condor Petroleum: turning to Kazakhstan16:25 What does it take to discover oil?17:53 Step in the right direction: introducing LNG technology in Kazakhstan20:19 Ethical oil22:48 Can-do attitude: Kazakhstani and Uzbekistani culture and professionalism25:36 Opportunities in Uzbekistan26:43 Leading the small-scale LNG revolution29:53 What does it mean to be an Honorary Consul of Republic of Kazakhstan in Alberta?31:39 Enjoying Alberta and Ontario beef in Kazakhstan33:12 Positive reforms in Kazakhstan36:14 What made Don a leader?37:09 What does the future hold for Don Streu?39:21 OutroIcebreakers is produced by CERBA, an independent non-profit organization that promotes bilateral trade and investment between Canada and Eurasia. www.cerbanet.org
Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Marie Yovanovitch, the ambassador and author of the memoir Lessons from the Edge. Ambassador (ret.) Marie L. Yovanovitch is a Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She first joined ISD as a Senior State Department Fellow in the spring of 2019 after three years as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019). She previously served as Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008). From 2012-2013, Ambassador Yovanovitch was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, where she was responsible for policy on European and global security issues. She also served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2004-2005. She retired from the Department of State as a Career Minister in January 2020. Visit our website: https://lnkd.in/gZNKTyc7 Email Andrew: a.keen@me.com Watch the show live on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajkeen Watch the show live on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/gatW6J8v Watch the show live on Facebook: https://lnkd.in/gjzVnTkY Watch the show on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gDwPgesS Subscribe to Andrew's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gzwFsxPV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tom Ward is an economist and advisor with a long track record in financial services from the World Bank to some of the biggest financial services consulting firms worldwide. During a nearly decade at the World Bank, Tom had a variety of assignments and functions including projects for Armenian, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Romania, Russia, and Turkey. Sectors he covered included agribusiness, banking supervision and finance, competitive grant schemes, disaster management and associated risk management, e-government, extension services, forestry, healthcare, infrastructure, knowledge management, oil and gas, open data, as well as Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) development. During a later stint at Price Waterhouse Coopers, Tom oversaw and supported international financial institutions in support of efficient and effective operations. He maintained full account development responsibility for creating and managing re-branding and account rebuilding, assigned to relationships and responsibilities across private-public partnerships (infrastructure and healthcare) and in other areas. He also held high level responsibilities at other major companies. Tom attended the London School of Economics and Political Science where he earned an Msc., Political Economics of Transition and International Business. He has a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of St. Thomas. Contact Tom Ward: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trward E-Mail:twconsult1997@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-aidan-byrne0/support
Julia Emtseva, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, Germany, gives a talk for the Public International Law seminar series. Julia Emtseva is a research fellow and a PhD candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, Germany. Julia obtained her LL.M. in International Human Rights Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, M.A. in Human Rights and Democratization in the Global Campus of Human Rights Regional Program in the Caucasus, and LL.B. at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). Julia Emtseva obtained her qualification as a lawyer in Kyrgyzstan and before starting her PhD, she interned at different national courts, including the Constitutional Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic, and worked as a teaching and research assistant at the law faculty of the AUCA, a human rights observer with the American Bar Association as well as in different NGOs, including the National Committee of the Red Cross in Kyiv and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights in Berlin.
Tom Ward is an economist and advisor with a long track record in financial services from the World Bank to some of the biggest financial services consulting firms worldwide. During a nearly decade at the World Bank, Tom had a variety of assignments and functions including projects for Armenian, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Romania, Russia, and Turkey. Sectors he covered included agribusiness, banking supervision and finance, competitive grant schemes, disaster management and associated risk management, e-government, extension services, forestry, healthcare, infrastructure, knowledge management, oil and gas, open data, as well as Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) development. During a later stint at Price Waterhouse Coopers, Tom oversaw and supported international financial institutions in support of efficient and effective operations. He maintained full account development responsibility for creating and managing re-branding and account rebuilding, assigned to relationships and responsibilities across private-public partnerships (infrastructure and healthcare) and in other areas. He also held high level responsibilities at other major companies. Tom attended the London School of Economics and Political Science where he earned an Msc., Political Economics of Transition and International Business. He has a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of St. Thomas. Contact & More on Tom Ward: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trward E-Mail:twconsult1997@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-aidan-byrne0/support
2007 Annual Report Big Cat Rescue is more than just a place that provides permanent care for big cats. It is a movement; a change in the tide of human perceptions and is the combined effort of more than 74,000 supporters. If you are one of them, you are a Big Cat Rescuer and the following is the great work YOU did! If you haven't helped yet, you can do so now at the top right of the screen or here: http://bigcatrescue.org/donate.htm Big Cat Rescue's Mission Statement: To provide the best home we can for the animals in our care and to reduce the number of cats that suffer the fate of abuse, abandonment or extinction by teaching people about the plight of the cats, both in the wild and in captivity, and how they can help through their behavior and support of better laws to protect the cats. Advances: Combined Federal Campaign Best of the CFCIn late November we conquered the web site issues that have made our site inaccessible to all browsers other than Internet Explorer resulting in a 33% increase in the number of pages viewed by the 2,510,255 visitors to our bigcatrescue.org site in 2007 and 1,147,174 visitors to our www.CatLaws.com site for a total of 3,657,429 online visitors in 2007. Big Cat Rescue is increasingly listed in world wide publications as a “must see” in Tampa. Began the permitting process for the wall we have been raising money to build for the past 4 years. Big Cat Rescue has been accepted into the federal version of the Combined Federal Campaign. Where we could only be in the local books in years past, we will be in every book that goes out to government employees as a choice for their auto deduction giving. Not only were we accepted, but we were also awarded with the Best of the CFC seal. In the local market we receive upwards of $7,500.00 in donations, so we are hopeful that we will do even better by going national. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity and thank those of you who are participating For the first time in our history, Big Cat Rescue offered a reward for information. When a tiger was found shot to death along side an apartment complex and busy highway in Dallas, TX on Christmas day, we announced a $5,000.00 reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the people involved. The police and animal control authorities told us that they cannot offer such bounties and that our doing so greatly enhanced their ability to pursue the case. See the video plea http://bigcatrescue.org/video/b42008/5000reward.htm Animal Care: Rescued four tigers left to die at the now defunct Savage Kingdom. (TJ, Bella, Modnic & Trucha) Watch this dramatic rescue here: http://bigcatrescue.org/video/b42008/savagekingdom.htm Built & remodeled cat-a-tats for them. Rescued two lions (Joseph & Sasha) and two tigers (Nikita & Simba) from the now defunct Siberian Tiger Foundation which was nothing more than a thin guise for Pay to Play with tigers. Read about that rescue and see the video here: http://bigcatrescue.org/rescuelionsandtigers.htm Built & remodeled cat-a-tats for them. Rescued four native bobcats in four weeks. (Ace, Chance, Kennedy & Will) Read about their rescue and what is being done to send them back to the wild here: http://bigcatrescue.org/rehabbobcats2007.htm Built & remodeled cat-a-tats for them. Rescued a Savannah cat (Diablo) who was abandoned and living in an animal shelter that was not designed for long term care of exotic cats. Assisted in the rescue of another Serval and Bobcat and another two Tigers, finding them permanent homes in facilities that meet the guidelines set out at http://www.sanctuarystandards.com/ Vernon Stairs finished all of the new safety entrances to cages. He built tunnels on the lions cages, Precious Bobcat and The Great Pretender Bobcat, and others to enable easy shifting and introductions. Vern doubled the size of Jumanji the leopard's cage and added a cave and mountain. He joined a number of cages to each other to provide more room for the cats to roam. Catera Bobcat got to move in next to his mom and dad in a huge double sided enclosure. Began renovations to Auroara the tiger's 1 acre, lakefront home to provide better drainage and a hurricane room. Began work on a hurricane shelter for Nyla leopard after moving her next to her brother, Simba after years of them being separated. Moved Bailey Bobcat in with Anasazi and Moses the Bobcats. Moved Rose Caracal to a double cage and introduced her to Cachanga Caracal. Moved the African Civets to Bailey's old cage after it was civet-ized. Reintroduced Dances with Wolves and Shatia the Canada Lynxes. Our cats are altered so that no accidental births will occur from these groupings. Spayed Zabu the white tigress and Bella the tigress. http://bigcatrescue.org/video/00143.htm Raked the entire park before freezing weather to try and kill fleas and eggs and may switch products again as efficacy is fading. Refurbished all 18 pools and one of them twice thanks to TJ the tiger being an absolute maniac when it comes to chasing fish. Every year the cats get pumpkins to smash after Halloween http://bigcatrescue.org/video/00062.htm, but this year they also got Christmas trees http://bigcatrescue.org/video/00162.htm. Staff and Volunteer Training: In addition to our monthly, on site volunteer training courses, Tiffany Deavor took several online training courses, Scott Lope and Dr. Liz Wynn are scheduled for Safe Capture course, Sharyn Beach, Howard & Carole Baskin and Susan Mitchell attended D.C. conference on effective grass roots efforts. Carole continues to take online courses and audio seminars to enhance her efficacy in legislation and leadership. Fine tuned some of our training methods and tracking. Education: Joined the International Tiger Coalition with the mission of preserving 10,000 tigers in the wild in the next ten years. More about that here: http://bigcatrescue.org/internationaltigercoalition.htm Assisted WNET and SeaStudios.org in ascertaining the number of big cats in the U.S. for their film about a world without humans. As there is no government agency responsible for tracking these animals, it falls to anecdotal evidence that we have been compiling for many years. The illegal portion of the 15 billion dollar trade in exotic pets is second only to the market for illegal drugs. In 2005, some 210 million wild animals were brought legally into the U.S. and many more were smuggled, because there are just 120 USFWS inspectors to cover 39 International airports and all of the border crossings. In just the legal importations, that means each inspector must view and approve the health of almost 15,000 animals per day, every day of the year. Big Cat Rescue provided the photos and resources for an eBay guide to let buyers and sellers know that it is illegal to trade in many exotic cat furs. We also provided this information to the World Wildlife Fund in Poland to enable them to train their border guards to recognize endangered cat species that are frequently smuggled through customs. Provided bobcat and Canada lynx photos and info for a scientific training / educational presentation on wildlife awareness for Environment Canada. Cambridge University Press selected Carole Baskin's article on Cause Related Marketing for their Professional English in Use Series textbooks called Professional English in Use – Marketing. It is a new addition to the Profession English in Use Series that is a self study reference book that will be used for classroom work and tutoring. Cambridge included Baskin in their 2008 Who's Who Among Executive and Professional Women “Honors Edition.” as well. We implemented our first Artificial Intelligence V-host on a page called Ask the Cat where you can type in any question and the virtual cat will answer you in an intelligent way: http://bigcatrescue.org/askthecat.htm All of our species information pages were recorded and now each page offers the visitor the opportunity to read and/or listen to the information. This can be downloaded onto mP3 players as well. Jamie Veronica's photos of cougars were requested by wildlife biologist Anna Huckabee Smith, AWB for use in her 5 year status report for USFWS and Wildlife Trends which will be covering the topic of captive cougars being turned loose when they are no longer wanted as pets. We harnessed the powerful mapping technology available with google maps and posted online, interactive maps that show the accredited and non accredited facilities (mostly back yard pet owners) who keep dangerous big cats. It took four maps to hold all of the information, but they can all be accessed online here: http://bigcatrescue.org/map.htm This was offered to the FWC as they had stated they would be releasing this data online soon, several months ago, and this saved them the time and effort. It will be helpful to the media when tracking maulings, killings and escapes and to emergency response personnel in the event of natural disasters. Until now, this information has not been immediately accessible to fire fighters, the police or animal services. Visitors: In 2007 Big Cat Rescue had 26,497 visitors for guided tours. 16,424 were adult tours that generated $409,587.03 which is up 2.62% from last year. Our biggest leap was in our kids tours for families with children under the age of 10 and with 3,271 participants that was up 44.31% and generated $54,668.60. All of our tours are guided and are educational. Our Education Program also convenes camps, special field trips and such and those were attended by 4,969 and generated $66,309.71 which is an increase of 15.37%. In keeping with our desire to give back to the community we provided 27 free field trips for Title One schools and others on a needs-based application. Prices: Because we were nearing capacity at the end of 2006 we raised our prices considerably in 2007. This slowed our growth sufficiently to keep the sanctuary a serene home for the cats but increased our bottom line. Prices were raised from $20 to $25 for adults and from $12 to $15 for children under ten. All of our specialty tours were raised to $50 from $25. Our supporters understand that as word spreads about Big Cat Rescue being such a magical experience people have been flocking here, and that we had to raise the prices in order to keep the number of guests down to a reasonable roar. The added benefit is that people who visit really are committed to the animals and we are not just another tourist attraction. Legislation/Education: Presented testimony, statistics and charts to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commissioners in Destin, Key Largo and St. Petersburg, asking to ban contact with big cats and their babies and to allow counties to enact more restrictive rules to protect the animals and the public. Presented testimony, statistics and charts many times to their staff at planning sessions before and after the Commission meetings. Provided the same to the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking. Testified at a Congressional briefing about the need for Haley's Act, a bill to ban contact with big cats. The International Fund for Animal Welfare liked the presentation materials so much that they asked permission to reproduce them for their own legislative use, which was, of course, granted. Presented a slide show on using the secret, the law of attraction, to assist in lobbying efforts in the exhibit hall at the Taking Action for Animals conference in Washington, DC. There were 950 registrants and many more visitors throughout the two day exhibit. Through our online video marketing we are educating more people in a week than we have visit the sanctuary in a year! We are changing the way people think about animals and as a result they are acting more compassionately. The recent outcry at Michael Vick's involvement in dog fighting shows that people care about animals more than ever before. As wonderful as that is, however, it isn't enough. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Legislation can't change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless.” Knowing this to be the case, we are using our online marketing to change legislation too. In December 2003 we had to turn away more than 300 unwanted big cats and every other year that number was doubling. That same year a new law, that we helped pass, banned the sale of big cats as pets across state lines. The following year, for the first time ever, the number of abandoned big cats dropped to 160. We decided, then and there, the only way to stop the suffering and abuse was through the creation of better laws that would ban the private ownership of lions, tigers and cougars as pets. Thanks to the laws enacted below, the number of abandoned big cats in 2007 has dropped to 72. By December of 2004 we launched a new section of our website www.CatLaws.com that would enable people to learn about pending bills and enable them to connect to their lawmakers to ask for laws that would protect our communities while ending the suffering and abuse of big cats. We believed that if people knew what was happening and knew how to help that they would. Directing the traffic to the legislative sections had to be more creative however, because by and large, people don't want to think about politics. The cat's stories and their photographs had to be compelling enough to overcome this typical aversion to legal matters and we feel that we have had considerable success in doing that since we have been able to track 1,147,174 visitors to our legislative pages in 2007. The combined number of visitors, between our main web site bigcatrescue.org and our legislative website, is now 10,020 visitors per day with an average of 4 pages viewed by each visitor or roughly 40,000 page views per day. Our peak day in 2007 was March 15 with 55,184 page views. The next step was to get a person to take action by composing a letter to their congressman and that is even harder yet, but we believe the numbers speak for themselves: 33,596 letters were successfully sent from the legislative site asking for better laws to protect the community and to end the suffering and abuse of big cats kept in backyards and basements. The Legislative Action Center report shows a steady, quarterly increase. The results are measurable in more than just statistics however. In the past 2 years seven states banned the private possession and barter in big cats and the numbers we have to turn away continue to drop. The USDA has issued policy statements against the private ownership of big cats and against heretofore accepted practices such as walking a 500 pound cat on a leash in public and allowing people to pet big cats at fairs, malls, parking lots and schools. Details on these here: http://bigcatrescue.org/lawsbigcatbans.htm USDI issued their new rules that went into effect in September 2007 that ban the transportation of big cats across state lines by non USDA entities. They also defined a sanctuary as a place that provides a permanent home and does not breed, sell, trade nor allow public contact with the big cats. Before now there was no definition of a sanctuary and many places that were adding to the problem were doing so under the guise of being sanctuaries. The language used by USDI is practically verbatim from our web sites at bigcatrescue.org and SanctuaryStandards.com. http://bigcatrescue.org/laws/lawscaptivewildanimalsafetyact.htm In 2007 the Florida legislature unanimously agreed to impose a $10,000 bond on anyone in the state who exhibits big cats. This bond is used as a surety in the case of injury to the public and can be used by the FWC to care for dangerous wild animals when they have been abandoned. Big Cat Rescue had been a strong proponent of this bond and our supporters, via our CatLaws.com site had made their wishes known to their legislators. On July 2 Governor Charlie Crist signed the bond requirement into law and the FWC drafted the rules to enforce the new law in 2007. The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission put together a task force to review their policies that still allow the breeding and selling of big cats in the state with only the addition of a $40.00 USDA permit. Public opinion polls on our web site indicate that 76% of those polled would support a ban on all exotic animals as pets. That same percentage also agrees that hunting should be outlawed. Florida's Wildlife Conservation Commission is funded almost entirely by issuing hunting permits and permits to people to own exotic animals so the fact that they are reviewing their own policies in view of changing public opinion is certainly measurable evidence of Big Cat Rescue's impact on this very serious situation. The FWC staff announced that they are making recommendations to the Commissioners that include proposed rules: 1. Raise the classification of a cougar from a Class II pet to a Class I animal that may not be kept as a pet. 2. Prohibit contact between big cats and their babies in accordance with the new federal bill that is pending which would ban the practice. 3. Prohibit transport of big cats to flea markets, parking lots, etc. 4. Require that exhibitors have all of their animals on exhibit as there is a current issue of meeting the letter of the law by exhibiting one animal while warehousing dozens more in minimum size cages that would appall the public. 5. Require Class II owners to secure a $10,000.00 bond as is now required for Class I. As mentioned above, there is a federal bill called Haley's Act HR 1947 that is gaining momentum in the U.S. House and is expected to pass this session. This bill is being broadly marketed by Big Cat Rescue because it will ban contact between the public and big cats, including their babies. Baby tigers and baby lions are bred to be used as photo props and for petting sessions and then are discarded when they get too big. This bill would stop the unscrupulous breeding for this industry and ultimately would end the biggest cause of the over abundance of big cats in captivity. Using the email targeting feature of the CatLaws.com site we were able to convince the Medieval Fair to not allow a shabby traveling circus to set up shop by having our supporters write Hunsader Farms, the owner of the property, and telling them how they feel about such abuse. 3,236 of our online supporters sent letters to the Chinese government urging them to ban the farming of captive tigers for their fur, bones and organs. All of these advances have been made possible by getting our message out to the people who can make a difference. See below how we got the message out. Fundraising and Marketing: We were in the press 85 times. Howard Baskin was featured in the Nov. 5th issue of U.S. News & World Report for his charitable work with Big Cat Rescue. http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/aboutbcr/usnewsandworldreport.htm Scott Lope was quoted in Newsweek about the escape of Tatiana the tiger from a zoo where she mauled three young men and killed a teenage boy. http://www.newsweek.com/id/82067/page/1 Awards: In January of 2007 Big Cat Rescue was awarded the People's Choice Award by WEDU, our local PBS affiliate. We won again in Jan. 2008. More than 80 charities competed in a 16 county radius for this award, but Big Cat Rescue took 31% of the vote. Next year the contest is going national. Won Parenting Magazine's Best of Tampa Bay Award. In August Big Cat Rescue was Change.org's Pick of the Month. TV: Animal Planet show called Ms. Adventure aired our episode in March and Real Strange aired in Europe. The first episode of “Big Cat Rescuers” ever aired on: April 11, 2007 cable channel 19 7:00 PM and April 15, 2007 cable channel 20 6:30 PM. This one hour episode was created by our own Jamie Veronica, Brian Czarnik and Honey Wayton, and features several of our keepers, partners and of course, Scott Lope our manager. Our big cat expert Scott Lope was interviewed on the History Channel's MonsterQuest‘s search for the elusive big black cats that are frequently reported roaming wild all across the U.S. Roar and Rolling: Lindy Melendez with EGS Printing has generously donated a van “wrap” that is valued at $5000. See the stunning artwork here: http://bigcatrescue.org/images/EasySt/van/index.htm The wrap was done with a lot of love from everyone at ESG Printing. Memory Lane: Our cemetery was transformed from a pitiful little hodgepodge of cage placards to a wall of memories created in stone and inlaid with marble headstones that feature a laser inscribed image of the cat, his or her date of birth and death and the sponsor of the plaque. This was done as a fund raiser for the living cats and in its first year generated enough money to support a tiger for a year. Thanks to Babs Riddle the grounds were luxuriously sculpted to include gardens, a shell path and benches where our volunteers can rest and reflect on the lives they have known who continue to inspire them. Great marble lions that were donated to us now flank either side of the impressive entrance. http://bigcatrescue.org/foreverremembered.htm Google: In today's fast paced environment we have to stay quick as a cat and be as entertaining as a basket full of kittens. We have found mini videos, or podcasting, to be our most effective way of marketing our message. On July 8, 2006 we launched our first video on google. We now have 195 live videos playing and have had 183,514 viewers. Our most popular video is an hour long film about all of the plights faced by exotic cats in the wild and in captivity and it has been played 51,357 times. None of our tracking can tell how many times people play our videos on their iPods after downloading them. YouTube: (the fastest growing web site in the world) In August of 2006 we launched our YouTube account and have 72 of our videos playing that have been viewed 1,752,846 times. We have 881 subscribers to our videos with more joining all the time and are the #2 Most Viewed (All Time) – Non Profit and #9 – Most Subscribed (All Time) – Non Profit. In late December we launched two additional sites dedicated to our Educational Department and our Animal Communicator. MySpace: myspace.com/1BigCatRescue In August of 2006 we launched our MySpace account and are one of the top ranked sites as we have 221,617,683 in our network who have visited our profile page 22,928 times and we have 4,276 subscribers to our videos there. MySpace has become such a popular portal that it now ranks in the top 10 list of referring sites that send visitors to our main website at bigcatrescue.org. That ranks our own MySpace account just behind such powerful referrers as the google, yahoo and aol search engines. VEOH: In 2007 we began posting our videos to Veoh.com We have 143 videos playing and these videos are getting thousands of plays each. Veoh is the next generation in T. V. viewing. Videos can be watched in low resolution for free, or for a fee can be downloaded in high resolution and watched on a television set or computer. We post most of our videos as a free download, but post PSA's in high resolution so that the media can get b-roll from us instantly for less than the cost of mailing a disk. We now film, edit and post 1-2 videos each week. Our videos have been so popular that they have been picked up for use on Current TV and many online content providers. In addition to our online video marketing we have been in the press 427 times and if you haven't heard of the Fur Ball, you don't watch TV, listen to the radio or read the papers. We have been blessed with complimentary ads from all of the biggest media outlets such as Cox Radio, The Tampa Tribune, The Tampabay Business Journal, the Maddux Report and the St. Pete Times to market our biggest annual fundraiser each year. We also have Public Service Announcements running on Brighthouse cable TV and nationally on Animal Planet. Search Engine Ranking: Our goal was to increase the number of web visitors by increasing our web site's visibility on the Internet. The most dramatic breakthrough was in revamping the underlying html so that browsers other than IE could view the site. The second more important feature was implementing navigation that enabled visitors to see every level of our 12,000+ file site. Even though this was not accomplished until November the pages viewed increased 33% in 2007 when the even though the number of new visitors only increased by 12%. For the first time in history we have risen to the top page of google's search page for the keyword “tigers” and are number 18 of more than 43,000,000 competing sites. To see the ranking on our most important key words visit: http://bigcatrescue.org/get_more_hits.htm Party of the Year: That's what a lot of people in the know call it. The Fur Ball netted more than $120,000.00 with a sell out crowd of 700 people. That's up $80,000.00 over last year! See the entire recap including photos of Bo Derek and our colorful, cat themed guests here: http://bigcatrescue.org/000archives/2007FurBall.htm Saving Wild Places for Wild Cats: The Jaguar Trust. Trapping is the furthest thing from our mission, except when it comes to camera traps for tracking and aiding wildlife. Our own Big Cat Rescue president Jamie Veronica went to Guyana, South America with a fellow volunteer on a mission for the sanctuary. Jamie and Justin Boorstein were in Guyana for ten days setting new digital camera traps with video to track Jaguars, Ocelots and Pumas. Our partner, Foster Parrots, tells us that with the recent import ban of all birds into Europe, Guyana now finds herself in a position to change the long practiced wildlife export industry there. Many trappers are finding that there are no markets for their “products”! Many of these trappers now find themselves unemployed and the government may start to look at the potential revenues of eco-tourism to fill the gap. If we can make a concerted effort with our conservation project we hope to serve as an example and to garner the support of Guyana to create the world's premier rainforest destination. Our plans include the promotion of our project here in the US and a marketing strategy to heighten the visibility of this important move in Guyana. Visitors to Guyana will have a choice of tour itineraries ranging from an ambitious 3 and 4-day Kanuku Mountains hike that will bring them to the realm of the Harpy Eagle, to more leisurely tours that will encompass sightings of Red Bellied, Scarlet, Red and Green, Blue and Yellow Macaws, Giant Anteaters and a wide variety of primates. Horseback and canoe excursions will let tour groups experience the wilds of Guyana at an intimate level. Visitors can also travel to Kaeiteur Falls to witness one of the world's tallest single-drop waterfalls of 741 feet. Construction on the first of two planned lodge complexes, located in Nappi Village, has been completed by the local tribes with funds from Foster Parrots and Big Cat Rescue. Contact SaveTheCats@bigcatrescue.org to spend your vacation dollars saving the wildcats in the rainforest. Africa: President Jamie Veronica and volunteer Barbara Stairs also toured Africa to see the issues first hand that have resulted in game parks being virtually the only lands left that house wild cats. She will work with relatives there to check out sources for offering handmade products in our gift shop that could help preserve wildlife there as we currently do in the Jaguar Trust. (Barbara Stairs funded this excursion) Since 2005 Big Cat Rescue has provided both funds and volunteers to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya . Lewa relocates problematic wildlife to protected areas and provides education to children in the area who would not otherwise be able to read or write. In addition to the funds that Big Cat Rescue donates, we also provide a U.S. market for Kenya ‘s craftsmen and send clothing with our volunteers to distribute when they visit. Our volunteers take their skills and attitudes of compassion for all life into these barren regions and share a message of hope. China, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia and Pakistan: Every year since 1997 Big Cat Rescue has donated to the countries that are home to the Himalayan mountain range where the elusive snow leopard is found. One whole corner of the gift shop explains how the sale of items made by the villagers helps save the snow leopard in the wild. In 2006, Dr. Tom McCarthy, the Conservation Director for the Snow Leopard Trust, came to Big Cat Rescue to explain just how crucial each sale was to protect these exquisite cats. The snow leopard lives in regions where the average person makes the equivalent of $1.00 per day. Most of the people who share the same highlands with the snow leopard are herders and to them, the loss of one sheep or goat can mean the difference in their survival. Most of the snow leopards that are killed are retribution killings; meaning that the cat has been blamed for killing one of the herd and the herdsman has killed the next snow leopard he saw. The herdsman can eat the cat and sell the hide for 25.00 which for them is a month's wage. There are many other middle men along the way who are anxious to get their hands on a snow leopard pelt or penis for the Asian medicinal trade or for the black market. The pelt dramatically becomes more valuable as it goes down the line and can cost $5,000.00 or more to the final buyer. The Snow Leopard Trust members in China, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia and Pakistan work closely with the local people to find out what they need. In some cases, they can create handicrafts like those we sell and make five times what they can make from herding. The programs are structured with reducing reliance on Snow Leopard Trust funds for each consecutive year and to remain in the program the community must ensure that no snow leopards are killed. If anyone in the community kills a snow leopard, the entire community risks losing their right to participate in the program for a year and that is enough to keep everyone watching out for the snow leopard. Their claims of protection must verified by the game wardens and governmental agencies who actually have incentives to discover poaching because they are often paid a portion of the confiscation if they can catch a poacher. Big Cat Rescue is the second largest retailer for Snow Leopard Enterprises. We collected fecal samples from our captive snow leopards for the Snow Leopard Trust to use in training dogs to be able to tell one wild snow leopard from another just by sniffing the scat left behind. This will greatly enhance conservation efforts and is a cost effective method as well. The video we produced is being aired on our sites, and also being used as a marketing tool for the new program and the Snow Leopard Trust. The U.S. State Department enlisted our help in saving the critically endangered Amur Leopard because of our ability to reach so many people who care about wild cats and their habitat. You can learn all about what is happening with the Amur Leopard & Tiger here: http://bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/leopard_save.htm. For more details on our International work visit: http://bigcatrescue.org/000archives/2007AttachmentAInternational.htm Other: Big cat breeders, dealers, collectors and exploiters hate us because as we educate the public about the truth behind their abusive practices such as breeding white tigers, ligers or babies for photo booths their profiteering opportunities are drying up. There is no justification for their activities so their only recourse has been to file a plethora of false complaints with authorities who regulate us and to make false accusations to anyone who will listen. The only gain they could expect was to keep us busy proving ourselves so that we would be diverted from our mission of ending the abuses that result in so many unwanted big cats. Now the regulators are on to them as we have proven time and again our integrity which is illustrated in our perfect inspection reports and our continued accreditation by The Global Federation of Sanctuaries and the Better Business Bureau. Only one media outlet in 2007 repeated their slanderous accusations, but the article went on for many pages explaining that the reason such libelous statements are made is likely due to our success in exposing the activities that result in Florida having the highest incidents of maulings, killings and escapes by big cats. Created pages devoted to the cats who have live and died in cages here with tributes from the keepers who loved them and who work ceaselessly for their freedom: https://sites.google.com/site/bigcattributes/home Thanks to the work of our AdvoCat LaWanna Jones we added hundreds of new e-Cards here: http://www.bigcatfun.com/ecards/ and added hundreds of new online puzzles, new bookmarks and hundreds of new free online games here: http://bigcatrescue.org/game/games.htm. Then and Now Our CFO, Howard Baskin, compiled a ten year snapshot of the sanctuary and its growth. This is just a comparison between 1996 and 2007. Wildlife on Easy Street to Big Cat Rescue 1996 2006 Visitors 85 26,497 Total Expenses $1,686,386 *$708,607.00 Total Income $0 $1,236,237.00 Total Net Assets $148,455.00 $2,419,227.00 Spent on Program Services 100% 91% ** *funded by Founder **4% spent on Management and 5% spent on Fundraising Officers and Members of the Board of Directors in 2007 and meetings: • CEO and Founder Carole Baskin (not compensated by BCR) • President and Chairman of the Board Jamie Veronica • Vice President & BOD Cathy Neumann (not compensated by BCR) • Secretary Jen Ruszczyk (not compensated by BCR) • Treasurer Howard Baskin (not compensated by BCR) • Director Dr. Liz Wynn, DVM (not compensated by BCR for her role as a Director) Paid Staff: We went from 3 paid staff to 7 and now provide worker's comp insurance. We still can offer no other benefits than the peace of mind in knowing their work is changing the world. • Operations Manager & Volunteer Coordinator Scott Lope $35,000.00 incl. bonuses • Staff Manager, Editor & Creative Director Jamie Veronica $24,700.00 (compensated but not for her work as a member of the board) • Social Science Director Brian Czarnik $18,400.00 (leaving for Chicago early 2008) • Gift Shop & Guest Services Bridget Czarnik $18,400.00 (leaving for Chicago early 2008) • Gift Shop & Guest Services Honey Wayton $22,800.00 • Intern Director & Lead AdvoCat Tiffany Deavor $25,000.00 • Education Directors Dr. Beth Kamhi & Coleen Kremer $14,000.00 combined • Vernon Stairs Cage Builder and Maintenance $35,600.00 All of our animal care is done by volunteers or by staff who also volunteer time before & after work. Volunteers: Big Cat Rescue had 107 volunteers in 2007 who clocked in 57,302 man-power hours in addition to staff and Volunteer Committee member hours. Roughly the equivalent workforce of 27 more full time staff. Created the S.A.V.E. award for Scratch's Award 4 Volunteer Excellence. The recipients were January – Julie Hanan, February – Cathy Monroe, March – Tiffany Deavor, April – Glen Yancey, May – Kym Marszal, June – Merrill Kramer, July – Barbara Frank, August – Marie Schoubert, September – Edith Parker, October – Babs Riddle, November – Anne Canterbury and December – Angie Gabor (the first Red Shirt to ever win) Winners of the S.A.V.E. award are allowed to direct $500.00 to the cat project of their choice. Created pages devoted to our dedicated volunteers at: http://bigcatrescue.org/hero/000hero.htm and our 2007 Volunteer of the Year is Barbara Frank. I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.
Q1 2021 Operational Update Chaarat (AIM:CGH), the AIM-quoted gold mining Company with an operating mine in Armenia and assets at various stages of development in the Kyrgyz Republic, announces its production and operational results for the quarter ended 31 March 2021 (the "Quarter", "Q1" or the "Period") for its Kapan Mine ("Kapan"), in Armenia and a general corporate update.Artem Volynets, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "I am pleased that we can report another strong quarter with further improvements to the mine. Especially the work on minimising dilution and increasing efficiencies supported by the continuing strong commodity price environment have resulted in strong first quarter performance. I am very happy with the performance of the Kapan team in delivering higher production this quarter by mining higher grade areas and treating more third-party ore, offsetting a temporary reduction in own tonnes mined. At Tulkubash, the BFS update is almost ready for release along with a revised mineral resource estimate and ore reserve. The teams are ready to commence exploration works and construction works. Project financing discussions are on track for closing in H1 2021."https://www.share-talk.com/darrin-cooper-coo-charaat-gold-holdings-cgh-l-interview/
Final results for year ended 31 December 2020 Chaarat (AIM: CGH), the AIM-quoted gold mining company with assets in the Kyrgyz Republic and Armenia, publishes its audited financial results for the year ended 31 December 2020. Highlights for the year 2020 Group Financial Results • Revenue up 12.5% in 2020 to US$76.0 million (2019: US$68.1 million), reflecting increased production and the recovery in commodity prices in the second half of the year. • Group EBITDA of US$9.3 million in 2020 (2019: loss of US$12.8 million), reflecting the significantly improved operating performance at Kapan and lower overhead costs at both corporate and Kyrgyz Republic level. The Group achieved an operating profit of US$1.9 million (2019: loss of US$18.4 million). • Cash and cash equivalents at the end of 2020 were US$6.9 million (2019: US$3.6 million). At 1 March 2021, the Group had cash and cash equivalents of approximately US$31.2 million, following the successful equity raise in February 2021 described below.https://www.share-talk.com/chris-eger-cfo-of-chaarat-gold-holdings-limited-cgh-l-interview/
I was speaking to producers of the documentary film about Japanese war prisoners sent to Central Asia during the WW2, Aigul Kubatova, Arstanbek Sagaldaev, and the head of the Kyrgyz-Japan entrepreneurial council and the former ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to Japan Ryspek Moldogaziev. We spoke about Kyrgyz-Japan relations, historical encounters, and how producers decided to create the documentary about war prisoners from Japan? Disclaimer: the radio program aired two years ago.
Andrew, Theo, and Ben talk through all the exciting things happening at Foursquare, check-in with the New Jersey man using a sonic cannon to try and kill God, and learn all about the incredible folklore of the Kyrgyz Republic. *** Support our show and get exclusive bonus episodes by subscribing on Patreon: www.patreon.com/BoontaVista *** Email the show at mailbag@boontavista.com! Call in and leave us a question or a message on 1800-317-515 to be answered on the show! *** Twitter: twitter.com/boontavista Website: boontavista.com Merchandise: boontavista.com/merchandise Twitch: twitch.tv/boontavista
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation; its predecessor was the Shanghai Five mechanism. The SCO's creation was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China, by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Currently, the organisation comprises eight member states, namely the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Four other states have observer status: they are the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Mongolia. The organisation has two permanent bodies: the SCO Secretariat, based in Beijing, and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, based in Tashkent, and has six dialogue partners, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Republic of Turkey, and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. In this lecture under our Prominent Speaker Series, HE Vladimir Imamovich Norov, the secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, will talk about the crucial role that the SCO plays in ensuring stability and sustainable development in the region.
In February, the Trump administration launched its Central Asia Strategy to drive the United States' engagement in the countries of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Central Asia has always been the strategic and commercial crossroad of civilizations between Europe and Asia. The United States’ primary strategic interest in this region is to build a more stable and prosperous Central Asia that is sovereign, secure and connected to global markets.To implement this new vision, Acting Administrator John Barsa of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will announce a significant shift of USAID's presence in Central Asia that will help deepen the United States’ commitment to, and strategic partnership with, the countries and in the region more broadly. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
**420% growth in the number of higher education institutions in 3 decades. Which country are we talking about?** We bet Kyrgyzstan is not the one that comes to your mind first. Yet, like some other post-soviet Central Asian states, Kyrgyz Republic saw a dramatic spike in the number of HE institutions opening across the country as its government was faced with the challenges of establishing not only its Education system – but the very country itself. *But does more institutions mean better education opportunities?* *And what does it actually mean to be a good university and to produce a qualified graduate?*  *Our talk is also available on YouTube*: [*https://youtu.be/oNEwTwKc0X0*](http://https://youtu.be/oNEwTwKc0X0) Shedding light on and unpacking these & some other dilemmas for us is **Emma Sabzalieva, an International Higher Education researcher based in Canada**, where she is pursuing a PhD at the University of Toronto. Emma has a rich professional & academic background on the topic: she has worked in consulting and administrative positions with the governments and universities both in Central Asia and the West, and authored multiple academic pieces. One of my favourite ones is [on the challenges of creating a world-class univeristy beyond the West](http://https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21568235.2017.1292856), the established global core of higher education. She also has **an amazing blog** where she's been gathering information – news pieces, academic research and her own notes and survey results on education & societal issues in Central Asia. Before visiting it, for instance, I had no idea [just how many Indian students there are in Kyrgyzstan](http://https://emmasabzalieva.com/2019/07/01/international-students-in-kyrgyzstan/); that Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in Tajikistan has [noticeably higher female participation rates in HE](http://https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20160707140807406) than anywhere else in the country; and how rankings are playing such a growingly important role for universities in Kazakhstan that we see [manipulation of information for image-boosting](http://https://emmasabzalieva.com/2020/06/11/fighting-fake-news-in-kazakhstan/). In our talk, we've managed to cover a range ot topics, so expect to hear about • the challenges of privatisation in HE during the transition from the command to market economies; • the prospects for intra-regional student and faculty exchange; • the likelihood of any shared qualification standards; and more – all topped with insights into just how different status quo is in each of the 5 Central Asian Stans. *Key takeaway?* Higher education landscape in Central Asia is a complex one, with deep historic roots. Only once you start digging under the many layers of history, you will just how much human knowledge was generated here: many forget that it gave the world many great scientists and people of knowledge, including Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the key person behind the Medical Encyclopaedia that was used in Europe centuries after his death, and Timur's grandson Ulugh Beg, great patron of astronomy and a mathematician himself. Nowadays, it is also a region where countries will probably be having growingly more diverging characteristics, which will require case-by-case investigations and careful use of overarching terms – like "Central Asia" itself.  
420% growth in the number of higher education institutions in 3 decades. Which country are we talking about? We bet Kyrgyzstan is not the one that comes to your mind first. Yet, like some other post-soviet Central Asian states, Kyrgyz Republic saw a dramatic spike in the number of HE institutions opening across the country as its government was faced with the challenges of establishing not only its Education system – but the very country itself. But does more institutions mean better education opportunities? And what does it actually mean to be a good university and to produce a qualified graduate? Our talk is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oNEwTwKc0X0 Shedding light on and unpacking these & some other dilemmas for us is Emma Sabzalieva, an International Higher Education researcher based in Canada, where she is pursuing a PhD at the University of Toronto. Emma has a rich professional & academic background on the topic: she has worked in consulting and administrative positions with the governments and universities both in Central Asia and the West, and authored multiple academic pieces. One of my favourite ones is on the challenges of creating a world-class univeristy beyond the West, the established global core of higher education. She also has an amazing blog where she's been gathering information – news pieces, academic research and her own notes and survey results on education & societal issues in Central Asia. Before visiting it, for instance, I had no idea just how many Indian students there are in Kyrgyzstan; that Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in Tajikistan has noticeably higher female participation rates in HE than anywhere else in the country; and how rankings are playing such a growingly important role for universities in Kazakhstan that we see manipulation of information for image-boosting. In our talk, we've managed to cover a range ot topics, so expect to hear about • the challenges of privatisation in HE during the transition from the command to market economies; • the prospects for intra-regional student and faculty exchange; • the likelihood of any shared qualification standards; and more – all topped with insights into just how different status quo is in each of the 5 Central Asian Stans. Key takeaway? Higher education landscape in Central Asia is a complex one, with deep historic roots. Only once you start digging under the many layers of history, you will just how much human knowledge was generated here: many forget that it gave the world many great scientists and people of knowledge, including Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the key person behind the Medical Encyclopaedia that was used in Europe centuries after his death, and Timur's grandson Ulugh Beg, great patron of astronomy and a mathematician himself. Nowadays, it is also a region where countries will probably be having growingly more diverging characteristics, which will require case-by-case investigations and careful use of overarching terms – like "Central Asia" itself.
Hello everyone I am happy to be back with another show about the Land of the Snow Leopard Network. I interviewed Darla Hillard of the Snow Leopard Conservancy and Maria Azhunova, the newly elected leader of the Land of the Snow Leopard Network. Last year I interviewed the founder of the Snow Leopard Conservancy, Dr. Rodney Jackson where he explained what is happening in conservation of these cats. Today’s topic is more about the people coming together to not only protect these cats but protect their traditions. The Land of the Snow Leopard Network spans across 12 countries in Asia: China (where at least half of all wild snow leopards are believed to exist), Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. As you can imagine this area is diverse in tradition, culture and political views. The Land of the Snow Leopard Network shares the voices of local stewards working in the same areas where snow leopards reside. In these indigenous communities the snow leopard is a symbol of endurance and indicator of the health of the high mountain ecosystems. Protectors and stewards of the land in each country are coming forward, reviving spiritual and cultural practices while educating their communities about the importance of saving the snow leopard. So I hope you enjoy this episode as Darla and Maria share their stories and the work they are doing. Photo Credit: Nicolas Villaume
Scott and Paul are joined by FOX Sports Asia analyst Rhys Roshan Rai to dissect the FIFA World Cup qualifying draw and we hear from Philippines coach Scott Cooper, Hong Kong defender Andy Russell and Kyrgyz Republic striker Vitalij Lux.
More than 60% of adults in the Kyrgyz Republic do not have access to financial products and services, and many still prefer to keep their money under a mattress. While a quarter of the adult population have savings, only 3% have money saved in financial institutions. Nor do people have much use for credit. Only 10.2% of adults have borrowed from a financial institution or used a credit card, a number that's below global averages. Lack of access to banks and credit keep the poor from escaping poverty because they don't have the means to invest in a business, education, or even their own health. Savia Hasanova describes recent developments in financial inclusion and financial literacy in the Kyrgyz Republic. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2A8BRiN Read the working paper https://www.adb.org/publications/financial-inclusion-regulation-literacy-education-kyrgyz-republic About the author Savia Hasanova is an economic expert at the Investment Round Table in the Kyrgyz Republic. Know more about ADBI's work https://bit.ly/2FvHnlp https://bit.ly/2Q7znLQ
Host: Mark Phillips Guest: COL Ted Donnelly, Assistant Professor, NWC Colonel Ted Donnelly joined the NWC faculty in 2016 from the U.S. European Command’s Directorate of Strategy, Policy, Partnering, & Capabilities (J-5), where he was Chief of the Black Sea-Eurasia Regional Division. He is a 1989 graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned a B.A. in Foreign Affairs with a concentration in the Soviet Union & Eastern Europe. Originally commissioned as an Infantry officer, he later completed training to become a Eurasian Foreign Area Officer (FAO). As a FAO, he has served as a Eurasia Political-Military Planner at European Command; as Chief of the Offices of Military Cooperation (OMC) in Kazakhstan & the Kyrgyz Republic, and as U.S. Liaison Officer to the Russian Separate Airborne Brigade in Bosnia. He was the Associate Dean of the College of International & Security Studies at the George C Marshall Center, served as Course Director of the Eurasian Security Studies Seminar and also taught Central Asian Studies. He served as Director of the U.S. Army’s Eurasian Foreign Area Officer training program. He commanded Regional Support Command – North (RSC-N), NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A). He earned an M.A. in International Relations from Yale University, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
On this episode we bring you the nitty-gritty of the game between India and Kyrgyz Republic with our correspondent joining in from the venue of Bishkek. We discuss the pre-match press conference, the conditions in Bishkek, the form of the teams and compare the squads in every department. Listen in for a fun-filled in-depth build up to the crucial Asian Cup Qualifier. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/
Agriculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus not only ensures the food supply, but also supports the majority of the rural population and creates jobs. Although agriculture's share of gross domestic product or GDP has declined since 2000, it still accounts for a large proportion of GDP in several countries. Tajikistan's agriculture sector makes up over one quarter of GDP. Armenia accounts over a fifth of GDP to agriculture, while and Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic have a little under a fifth. Even so, the relatively small market and reliance on a narrow range of agro-food products have dampened farm output. In order to raise outputs and cash to meet the growing domestic and international demand, the region needs to jointly develop and integrate their agricultural value chains. These value chains encompass the goods and services required for a product to move from farm to consumer. Read the transcript http://bit.ly/2uYsQHU Read the policy brief https://www.adb.org/publications/promoting-agricultural-value-chain-integration-central-asia-and-caucasus Authors Aladdin Rillo https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/aladdin-rillo Suryo Ariyanto Nugroho https://www.adb.org/adbi/about/staff-profiles/suryo-ariyanto-nugroho
It was an incredible performance that the Blue Tigers put on at Sree Kanteerava Stadium tonight, emerging victorious over Kyrgyz Republic in an immensely important Asian Cup Qualifier match-up after a nail-biting 90 minute contest of grit and strength. We discuss the game and rave over it in glorious detail, and listen to captain Sunil Chhetri and head coach Stephen Constantine as they react to this immense victory right after the match. This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/
While ISL has finally announced two new teams for their 2017-18 edition, the Indian national team is busy in Bengaluru preparing to take on Kyrgyz Republic in an Asian Cup Qualifier match that has a lot on the balance; it's an opportunity to prove that they have made progress over the last couple of years and justify their uptick in FIFA ranking. We discuss India's chances and the possible ways the match can play out in detail and also hear from Indian NT head coach Stephen Constantine and captain Sunil Chhetri what they think about the match. This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/
Away from the glamour of the AIFF annual awards the Executive Committee met in Mumbai and it seems the Federation is pushing for a parallel ISL and I-League for the 2017-18 season. We discuss the pros and cons of that, and hear expert inputs from none other than Indian captain Sunil Chhetri himself, who gives his thoughts on the re-structuring of leagues as well as the upcoming Asian Cup Qualifier against Kyrgyz Republic. This is an IVM Production; for more such awesome podcasts, come find us: Website: Indusvox.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts Twitter: https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/
We preview the world’s two biggest football games this weekend. Will Jose and Pep play nicely as the red half and blue half of Manchester collide? Who has the psychological upper hand? North of the border, as the Old Firm derby returns, we look at why there appears to be little softening in the underlying sectarian divide that causes arguably football’s most fearsome and ugly rivalry. 3D Printer Paralympian When Germany's Denise Schindler peddles up to the start line at the Rio Paralympics, she will be unique amongst cyclists she is competing against. Denise will be using a prosthesis made on a low cost 3D printer! She is not only hoping for gold, but that this advancement will revolutionise para sport. The Nordic Nomad: The World Nomad Games took place in the Kyrgyz Republic this week with more than 40 nations represented. It celebrated traditional sports of Central Asia like Kok Boru (akin to polo played with a goat carcass). We are joined by Stefan Sekej who won Norway’s first ever World Nomadic Games Medal in MAS Wrestling (often known as ‘stick wrestling’). (Photo: Jose Mourinho (L) and Josep 'Pep' Guardiola (R) . Credit: Jon Super, Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images)
Brexit, AME BC and First Nations, and pranks! Lesley and Matt talk the Brexit vote (which Matt incorrectly predicts), a big-time policy statement from the AME BC about unauthorized payment demands by First Nations in B.C., Centerra Gold's (TSX: CG) finally receives some good news at its Kumtor gold mine in the Kyrgyz Republic, and Kinross Gold's (TSX: K; NYSE: KGC) jumping into Quebec's Abitibi gold belt. Bonus hijinx include: Top pranks pulled in mining camps, Matt's rant on Canadian politics, and who is your favorite Street Fighter character? Timeline: Macro markets and economics: 2m5s Centerra's permit at Kumtor: 7m9s Kinross Tasiast and Quebec update: 8m35s AME BC and First Nation issues: 12m20s Reservoir and Nevsun deal: 23m24s Top pranks pulled in camp: 25m40s Stories referenced in this episode: Editorial: Uncertainty on the horizon in the Yukon: http://www.northernminer.com/news/uncertainty-horizon-yukon/1003774425/ Sabina suffers ‘surprising' permit setback at Back River: www.northernminer.com/news/sabina-su…er/1003774290/ Centerra to appeal environmental fines: http://www.northernminer.com/court-cases/centerra-to-appeal-environmental-fines/1003773653/ Kinross aims to move Tasiast from liability to ‘world-class': http://www.northernminer.com/news/kinross-aims-to-move-tasiast-from-liability-to-world-class/1003771606/ Nevsun trumps Lundin bid for Reservoir: http://www.northernminer.com/news/nevsun-trumps-lundin-bid-for-reservoirs-timok/1003772577/ Music Credit: Slow Burn Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
We dig further into the lithium boom in our lead up to an in-paper special on the commodity that's all abuzz thanks to Elon Musk and Tesla Motors' (NASDAQ: TSLA) gigafactory in Nevada. Matt suffers the effects of overly embracing national wine day, but rallies to provide an exclusive update on Oban Mining (TSX: OBM; US-OTC: OBNNF) and some socio-political events in Colombia and the Kyrgyz Republic. Lesley digs deep into the geology and fundamentals of lithium following an extensive interview with Pure Energy Minerals (TSXV: PE). Other lithium plays include: Nemaska Lithium (TSXV: NMX; US-OTC: NMKEF), Lithium Americas (TSX: LAC), and Orocobre (TSX: ORL; ASX: ORE). Bonus pop culture coverage: We play the Price is Right with U.S. interest rates, why Matt might make a poor stock broker, and deep shaft sinking! Timeline: Macro Economic: 2m5s Lithium 101: 7m45s Political News Rundown (Colombia and Centerra): 26m01s Oban/Osisko Mining: 32m55s Twitter Hashtags: 40m50s Stories referenced in this episode: Lithium Americas finds a partner in Chilean giant SQM: http://www.northernminer.com/news/lithium-americas-finds-a-partner-in-chilean-giant-sqm/1003770732/ Pure Energy's head start on Nevada lithium rush: http://www.northernminer.com/financial-matters/pure-energy-gets-a-head-start-on-nevada-lithium-rush/1003761548/ Nemaska Lithium revs its Whabouchi project: http://www.northernminer.com/news/nemaska-lithium-prepares-for-a-big-year-at-whabouchi/1003772091/ Cementation sinks deepest shaft in the US: http://www.northernminer.com/news/cementation-sinks-deepest-shaft-us/1003773617/ Editorial: Gold, iron ore rallies fade: http://www.northernminer.com/commodities-markets/editorial-gold-iron-ore-%e2%80%a8rallies-fade/1003773600/ Music Credit: Slow Burn Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
This podcast contains clips from an interview with Eileen Malloy, the Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic from 1994-1997. During an interview with Charles Stuart Kennedy in 2008, Malloy recounts her somewhat embarrassing, yet humorous adventure while exploring Jalalabad. To find the full Moment in U.S. Diplomatic History, click here: http://adst.org/2014/07/skinny-dipping-for-her-country/ If you like the podcast, don't forget to drop by our website and donate today! http://adst.org/donations/ ADST: American Diplomacy, Warts and All.
The Transit Center at Manas is the staging area for most of the air operations going into and out of Afghanistan. The Kyrgyz president was guest of honor at this year's ceremony. Includes sound bites from Roza Otunbayeva, Kyrgyz Republic president. 911TenAnniv