I am inviting 1818 Society Japan Chapter Members to share their experiences with 1818 Society Members HQ and the rest of the World.  I am also inviting 1818 Society Members from HQ and eslewhere to share their thoughts on these pages.

Dear Friends,
Internationally renowned art historian Dr. Nurhan Atasoy will present a lecture on Thursday, March 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Turkish Embassy. Please see attached invitation for details and RSVP.

Very best,
Yildiz Yagci
President
Anatolian Artisans
11325 Empire Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852
Ph/Fax 301-231-8128

www.anatolianartisans.org

The STOCK PICKERS’ GROUP (SPG) is for members who are interested in investing in individual companies. The SPG portfolio consists of stocks selected by the members of the group after review of their fundamentals. The SPG meets once a month in a conference room. Stephen Gibson is the current manager of the SPG.

The ASSET ALLOCATION GROUP (AAG) is designed to determine, at any point in time, what is the best allocation of resources among the various asset classes. The asset class selections of the group are materialized in the AAG portfolio. The AAG meets every other month. Francesco Scaduto-Mendola is the current manager of the AAG.

The READING GROUP (RG) provide its members with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with and to reflect upon together on the best ideas which have been expressed regarding the art of investing. Normally, two to three classic books are reviewed and discussed each year. Meetings are organized on an ad hoc basis.

 The Club subscribes to several investment letters which provide its members with relevant and up-to-date information on companies, on major market trends and on appropriate allocation of assets. In order to pay for the expenses of operations, there is an annual membership fee, currently of $100.  The Club is for individuals who have already gained valuable experience in investing, but also for those who have a keen interest to learn about investing by participating in the activities of a Club of serious investors.  If interested, please contact Philippe Beuzelin at pbeuzelin@yahoo.com.

December 2010

Dated: November 11, 2010

Location: Washington, DC

Timeframe & duration: Immediate, for 20 days until December 15, 2010

Contact: Matthijs Schuring (mschuring@worldbank.org)

Background:

The multi-donor trust fund called the Water Partnership Program (WPP) is a Bank-administered trust funds for water in the Transport, Water and Information Communication Technology Department (TWI) of the Sustainable Development Vice-Presidency of the World Bank. This program is managed by the Water Anchor (TWIWA).

One of WPP’s funding modalities is the Expert Support Team (EST) called the Groundwater Management Advisory Team (GW-MATE), a multi-disciplinary expert advisory team in the field of groundwater resource management and quality protection, providing support globally to Bank Task Team Leaders (TTLs) and their clients, and disseminating best practices. Currently, GW-MATE has more than 20 activities in its portfolio, which is running until the end of December 2010.

Objective and tasks:

The objective of this short term consultant position is to update the GW-MATE financial management and tracking system, and assist in the monitoring and closing of GW-MATE activities. This position is funded by the WPP. The work will take place in Washington, DC.

The main tasks of this assignment are:

1. Update (if necessary redesign) the GW-MATE financial management and monitoring sheets;
2. Contact TTLs and consultants to confirm findings and numbers where necessary, and to request an update in terms of planning; and
3. Structure the records and documents in a clear way on the local network drive and in IRIS;
4. Review the financial aspects of the closure reports, follow-up issues, and financially close activities after the closure report is financially and technically approved.

 Expected outputs:

• A short report on new or adjusted design of the updated GW-MATE financial management and monitoring sheets as described above under task 1, 2, and 3;
• Completed and filed closure reports of two or more closed GW-MATE activities (task 4).

 Selection criteria:

• Advanced degree (MA/MS) or bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) and equivalent experience in a relevant discipline (finance or accounting, budgeting, economics, or other related field). 
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, of which at least 3 year at the World Bank.
• Experience in financial monitoring of complex grant programs with many activities and extensive knowledge of Bank’s accounting and record keeping systems (SAP, IRIS) and experience with Bank-executed Trust Fund programs. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Windows applications, specifically Excel.

Background:
Merck informed us that there will be a shortage of the Zostavax (herpes zoster/shingles) vaccine throughout 2010. Providers and pharmacies will experience backorders and there may be periods when they are unable to place orders for the Zostavax vaccine. Currently, the Zostavax vaccine may be ordered, but it may be subject to backorder.

Details:
If members are informed by their provider or pharmacy that the vaccine is not available, then they can review the supply status of the Zostavax vaccine on the federal government website:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/shortages/default.htm

They can also check the supply status on Merck’s website:

http://www.merckvaccines.com
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