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IRRI staff featured in BBC documentary on GMOs
In a three-part radio documentary, Seeds Of
Contention, Andrew Luck-Baker of the BBC World Service, explores the issues at the heart of what has arguably become the most controversial technology of our time,
i.e., GM food. He talks to the proponents, opponents and those in the middle of the battleground, the farmers and the consumers. In Part 1,
GM Crops: Food For Thought, Ron Cantrell, Swapan Datta, and Gurdev Khush provide the IRRI point-of-view on the issue. Representatives of
Cornell University (Susan McCouch), MASIPAG, SEARICE, and other organizations also make their cases. Pictured
below is Luis Herrera, a Mexican plant engineer, who has developed
transgenic maize specifically for the poorest subsistence farmers in his
country. He says in the documentary: "we need to make sure that technology reaches small
farmers, so that they can increase their own production."
 Part 1 of the documentary runs about 29 minutes. The BBC Web site provides access to the program via a RealPlayer file. However, since many computers at IRRI do not currently have RealPlayer software, we re-recorded the piece and created a wav file that can be accessed
and played by the basic audio players on most IRRI machines that have speakers.
We have placed the wav file (bbc.wav) in a folder called "BBC GMO
Documentary" on the T (temporary): drive that is now
accessible on the Network (See the article about the T: drive further down
in this Bulletin). Click
here for a sound byte of Dr.
Cantrell's comments.
Click the BBC logo above to access its Web site, which provides more details on the
documentary and provides links to the major contributors to the production as well as to the RealPlayer version of the program.
Next week, we will provide access to Part 2, which looks at the
debate about whether GM crops pose a threat to the environment, or whether in fact they offer a greener kind of crop growing compared
to the agriculture of the 20th
century.
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CGNET President Georg Lindsey visits IRRI
 Georg Lindsey, seen here inspecting IRRI's link to PHNET, took some time off from a recent meeting at the Ford Foundation in Manila to visit IRRI on Thursday,
22 March. He met with IT Manager Paul O'Nolan and the Director General, Ron Cantrell and reminisced about how CGNET Services
in a sense got started
at IRRI. Ken Novak, CGNET's director of Network Services, then living in Australia, flew to Manila to meet Georg and do some work at IRRI in the mid 80s. The partnership was a success and what became CGNET was launched. Today CGNET is
a successful high-tech company employing 40 people in Menlo Park, California, serving the communications needs of international organizations and other customers in more than 90 countries. CGNET is the Internet
Service Provider to the Ford, Hewlett and Packard Foundations as well as to most CGIAR Centers, the
e-mail provider to the CGIAR, FAO, and many NGOs.
Seven years ago, as CGNET staff and CGIAR IT managers developed the plans to electronically interconnect the CGIAR
centers worldwide the Internet had just reached the Philippines--at the University of San Carlos in Cebu.
Today there are 2.9 million Filipinos online and International Data Corporation expects the number to grow to 12.5 million by 2005.
How many will be rice farmers and how many will visit IRRI’s Web site?
And what about the rest of Asia? Food for thought.
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 Coming soon: E-learning at IRRI
Computer Services is pleased to announce the conclusion of an agreement with ICON Educational Software to begin a trial of electronic training materials for Microsoft Office; these will be made available online on the IRRI network to up to 100 users for 6 months starting on
1 April.
 These materials facilitate "at your desk" and "at your own convenience" learning. Got 20
minutes to spare? Why not brush up on your Outlook skills or take a crack at getting an online certification? NETg, whose materials are used, is one of the world's largest packagers and resellers of online educational materials. Microsoft uses NETg products to teach its own products to its staff.
Requests for course evaluators will be sent to DCU heads shortly. Courseware available includes beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses in MS Office products, 16 courses in total.
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David Kaimowitz is new director general at CIFOR
After an extensive international search, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
has named Dr. David Kaimowitz as the new director general. The appointment was announced 23 March by Dr. Jagmohan Maini, chairman of CIFOR's Board of Trustees.
Dr. Kaimowitz, an economist who joined CIFOR in 1995, is the second person to lead the center after founding Director General Jeffrey Sayer.
Born in the United States, Dr. Kaimowitz completed a
BA degree in development studies at the University of California-Berkeley and received
MA and PhD degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
CIFOR was created after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and other environmental forums pointed to the need for reliable scientific knowledge about the environmental, social, and economic consequences of forest loss. The center is one of 16 research institutes sponsored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIFOR and its partners conduct research in three dozen countries aimed at improving the management and use of tropical forests.
Click here for a detailed story.
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 Workshop
on rice-wheat cropping system held in India
A three-day workshop on Technology needs assessment for the rice-wheat cropping system in Eastern Uttar, Pradesh was held in
Lucknow, 14-16 March. The workshop, which identified the technological needs of farmers and prioritized research areas for rainfed lowland intensive cropping areas in
eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP), was facilitated by IRRI and organized by the Uttar Pradesh Remote Sensing Applications Centre (UPRSAC) in Lucknow.
Participants explored the interest of NARES partners in setting up a site at Faizabad for concerted R&D efforts to tackle food production and natural resources management.
The photo at left shows (from left to right) R.K. Singh (IRRI-Delhi
Office), S. Modgall (chairman UPCAR), Rakesh Yamdagni (VC NDUAT), and Sri Anand Mishra
(secretary, UP Department of Science and Technology).
 Participating
UP institutions included the UP Council of Agricultural Research, UP Department of Agriculture,
Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology (NDUAT), UP Bhumi Sudhar Nigam (UPBSN), UPDASP, CWAML, and
host institution UPRSAC. Sri Anand Mishra, Secretary of the UP Department of Science and Technology, inaugurated the workshop.
IRRI scientists present were R.K. Singh, M. Hossain, V.P. Singh, T. Paris, G. Castillo, S.P. Kam, and Ismail
Abdelbagi. Seen in the photo are (left
to right) Dr. Modgall, V.P. Singh, and M. Pathak from the Center for Research and Development of Waste and Marginal Lands,
Lucknow.
 Discussions focused on identifying farmers' main concerns/feedbacks
received by the extension staff to identify the bottlenecks in
translating research results into actual technologies that are relevant
to farmers' needs and are within their means and resources to use these
technologies.
There was active interaction and exchange of information among
researchers from universities and development/ extension people from
government and nongovernment organizations. The benefit of bringing
together these groups with different roles and mandates was evident
during the workshop. The photo above shows Gelia Castillo,
Mahabub Hossain, and Dr. Devedi during a field visit at Mungeshpur
village, Faizabad District.
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 IRRI
Sports Tournament 2001 opens
The Institute's Sports Tournament
started on 27 March with opening ceremonies held at the IRRI Softball
Field. The event kicked off with a parade and a presentation of the
different teams. The annual tournament includes softball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, bowling, and chess.
Director General Ron Cantrell gave an inspirational
speech to the participants and threw out the ceremonial first pitch in softball, while
Pam Cantrell tossed the opening tip-off in basketball (photo). William Padolina, Ian Wallace, Fe Aglipay, and other
guests also attended the festivities.
Unit I won the Best Uniform award and Ms. Belen Reyes of the LBCSI team was
named Miss IRRI Sports Tournament 2001. Judges include Pam Cantrell and
the heads of IRRI's sectoral organizations.
In the first basketball game, Unit I (Adm/Fin/CPS/Library/PP/Transport/CS)
outscored Unit V (CSWS), 67-57. In women's softball, the Employee's Team
blanked the Staff Ladies/Dependents team, 10-0.
The participating teams are: Basketball: Unit I - Adm/Fin/CPS/Library/PP/Transport/CS;
Unit II - Experiment Station/Ag Engineering; Unit III - EPPD/GRC/Training
Center/IPMO/Biometrics; Unit IV - PBGB/SSD; Unit VI - IRS/AFSTRI; Unit VII - Safeguard Security;
and Unit VIII - LBCSI. Softball: Unit I - Adm/Fin/CPS/Library/PP/Transport/CS;
Unit II - Experiment Station/Ag Engineering; Unit III - EPPD/GRC/Training
Center/IPMO/Biometrics; Unit IV - PBGB/SSD; Unit VI - IRS; and Unit VII - Safeguard Security.
Click here for a complete
schedule of games.
Click
here for more photos.
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Announcements |
Suhay book
sale set for Friday, 30 March
Need some new reading material to curl up with next weekend? If so,
Suhay is running a second-hand book sale with lots of bargains, 8 a.m-3
p.m. on Friday, 30 March in the breezeway between Riceland Cuisine and
the Travel Office. Proceeds will go toward building a new feeding center
in Mayondon, Los Baños. Your support will be appreciated.
New improved
telecommunications office
Computer Services is pleased to announce the internal recruitment of Rizza Abrigo-Esconde to the position of Secretary I/Telephonist in what was the "Radio Room." We will now call it the Telecommunications Office and encourage you to do likewise. Rizza started work in her new position
on 5 March. Previously she was a treasury secretary in Finance for the last 5 years.
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Workshop on diagnostic key development
under way
A specification and planning workshop on
Development of a diagnostic key for problems in tropical rice crops
is under way, 26-28 March, at the Multi Function Room, Training Center. Organized by Mark A. Bell, Paul Marcotte, K.L. Heong, and Geoff Norton,
University of Queensland, Australia, the workshop is being supported by the Australian Center for International Agricultural
Research (ACIAR).
The objectives of the workshop are to review the objectives of the project and how the key will be developed, distributed, and
used in practice; determine how the project fits in with other projects of PhilRice, RIR, and IRRI; team building; discuss specific project details and actions required; determine the procedures regarding the budget and reporting to ACIAR; specify project action plans; and produce a workshop report/project management document.
A copy of the program is available from Edna Reyes at ext. 6871 or
e-mail at
e.r.reyes@cgiar.org.
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 Short
training course at AIT set for August
A short training course on Concepts and institutional issues in integrated watershed
management, organized by the Integrated Watershed Development and Management Program, School of Environment, Resources and Development and School of Civil Engineering Asian Institute of Technology,
Bangkok, Thailand will be held on 6-15 August at the Asian Institute of Technology Bangkok, Thailand.
Click here
for details.
For further information, please contact Dr. Gopal Thapa, Associate Professor and
IWDM Faculty Coordinator, SERD, AIT, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand;
Fax 66 2 524 6431, Tel: 66 2 524 5624; Email: gopal@ait.ac.th
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No medical technologist at IRRI, 28-30 March and 2-3 April
Aida Dela Rea, IRRI's medical technologist, will be attending the Basic First Aid/Basic Life Support (CPR) Training on 28-30 March and 2-3 April. Those who are planning to have the Stage I of the Annual Physical Examination should not submit their specimens on these dates.
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Faculty position available at AIT
The School of Environment, Resources and Development of the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand is now accepting applications for a faculty position. Appointment will be made at the rank of assistant or associate professor, depending upon qualification and professional
experiences. Click here for details.
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Turner Foundation funding for research
The Turner Foundation is now accepting proposals for the Environmental Grant Program, which provides funding for the protection of rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, oceans, and other water systems from contamination, degradation, and other abuses.
Deadlines for the proposals are four times per year: 15 December (of previous year), 15 March, 15 June, and 15 September.
Click here for details. For more information visit their
Web site at
http://www.turnerfoundation.org/turner/water.html.
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Postdoctoral fellowships at Yale
An interdisciplinary program in agrarian studies will be offering four to six
postdoctoral fellowships from September 2002 to May 2003.The program is designed to maximize the intellectual links between Western and non-Western studies, contemporary and historical work, the social sciences and the humanities in the context of research on rural life and society.
The Program also encourages applications from knowledgeable "activists" and "public intellectuals" whose work on rural life transcends the academy. They are expected to reside in New Haven, pursue their own research, and participate in a colloquium series on the broad
theme, Hinterlands, frontiers, cities, and states: transactions and identities. The deadline for receipt of the first stage of applications for 2002-2003 is 3 January 2002. For more information, contact James C. Scott, Program in Agrarian Studies, Yale University, Box 208300, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8300. Fax (203)
432-5036; Web site:
http://www.yale.edu/agrarianstudies.
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 From
Computer Services
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Warning: the T: Drive is for temporary
storage
A growing number of staff are connected to IRRI's "T: drive" (T for Temporary or Transfer). The T: drive is a great way to pass a large file that you might otherwise send by
e-mail.
Also, today we placed (temporarily) the rather large (325 megs) wav file
on the BBC GMO documentary here for easy access and listening (see first
story). Some facts about the T: drive:
* It can be and will be wiped periodically whenever storage is needed
* It's best used to transfer large files or directories between computers
* It shouldn't be used as an extension of your hard disk
* It is not backed up
* Its contents are publicly accessible within IRRI
* Starting 1 April, files in place longer than 1 week will be purged
from the T: drive every week
To gain access to the T: drive, right-click "My computer" on
your desktop and select "Map network drive..." Select
"T" or any vacant letter for that matter and type in "\\snapserver\transfer".
Click "Finish" and you now have access to the drive. Use the
drive but be aware of its limitations.
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 Tune
in to the IRRI Hour every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6:00-7:00
p.m., on DZLB 97.4 FM. |
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Position Announcements
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Click
here to view the IRRI position announcements
Click
here to view position announcements from other CG Centers
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Delegation of Authority
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Suan Pheng Kam is on an official
trip to the Netherlands, 24 March-2 April;
Chu Thai Hoanh is acting as acting PTL for Project 11.
Joseph Rickman will be in Delhi, 26-30 March; Brisbane, 2-15 April; and Iloilo, 16-17 April. During his absence, the following
are acting on his behalf:
Arnold Manza for Experiment Station, 26 March-17 April; Paterno Borlagdan for Agricultural Engineering,
26 March-4 April;
Robert Bakker for Agricultural Engineering, 5-17 April.
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Visitors |
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Date
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Time
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Visitors (no.)
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School/Organization
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26 March, Monday
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3:00 p.m.
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Grades 1 - 5 IS students c/o Ms. Pat Young
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27 March, Tuesday
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2:30 p.m.
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50
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Farmers from Barangay Patong and Labut,
Magsingal, Ilocos Sur
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28 March, Wednesday
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8:40 a.m.
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Dr. Behzad Ghareyazie, Deputy Minister of Agriculture;
Eng. Ali Soofi, Governor, Guilan Province; Eng. Alisghar Ahmadi, Governor, Golestan Province;
Eng. Davood Keshavarzian, Governor of Mazandaran Province, Islamic Republic of Iran
and party
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29 March, Thursday
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10:30 a.m.
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40
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Agribusiness students, University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos
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2:00 p.m.
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40
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Technical staff, Agricultural Extension Programs Division
Department of Agriculture, City of San Fernando
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30 March, Friday
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3:00 p.m.
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75
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Sales and Marketing and Research and Development teams
Syngenta Philippines, Inc.
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Guesthouse Visitors
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20-28 March
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Dr. Geoff Norton from Australia
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25-28 March
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Supayono from Indonesia; Roger & Karen
Barroga, Ravindra Joshi, and Anita Antonio, PhilRice
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Travel |
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 International
travel schedule |
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Name
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D/C/U
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Departure
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Arrival
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Destination
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Bakker, R.
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AEU
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25 Mar
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30 Mar
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Dhaka
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Bennett, J.
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PBGB
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23 Mar
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31 Mar
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Fukuoka
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Bouman, B.
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CSWS
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23 Mar
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6 Apr
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Wuhan/Beijing
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Cabangon, R.
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CSWS
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20 Mar
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2 Apr
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Wuhan
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Dawe, D.
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SSD
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23 Mar
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31 Mar
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Wuhan
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Diaz, C.
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SSD
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8 Mar
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31 Mar
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Dhaka
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Elazegui, F.
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EPPD
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8 Mar
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31 Mar
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Dhaka
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Fukuta, Y.
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PBGB
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28 Mar
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8 Apr
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Narita
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Gregorio, G.
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PBGB
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29 Mar
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5 Apr
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Orlando
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Ismail, A.
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CSWS
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11 Mar
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4 Apr
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Delhi/Dhaka/Bangkok/Ubon
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Jahn, G.
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EPPD
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25 Mar
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31 Mar
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Dhaka
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Kam, S.P.
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SSD
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24 Mar
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2 Apr
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Amsterdam/Penang
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Ladha, J.K.
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CSWS
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21 Mar
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30 Mar
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Kathmandu
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McLaren, C.G.
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Biometrics
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18 Mar
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3 Apr
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Delhi/Ubon
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Mew, T.W.
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EPPD
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24 Mar
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29 Mar
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Dhaka
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Moya, P.
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SSD
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23 Mar
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4 Apr
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Wuhan
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Nozoe, T.
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CSWS
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18 Mar
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14 Apr
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Narita
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Peng, S.
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CSWS
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27 Mar
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31 Mar
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Beijing
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Rickman, J.
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AEU
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25 Mar
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17 Apr
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Delhi/Brisbane
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Sheehy, J.
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CSWS
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27 Mar
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30 Mar
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Beijing
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Tuong, T.P.
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CSWS
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19 Mar
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30 Mar
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19 Mar
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Wade, L.
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CSWS
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17 Mar
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4 Apr
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Delhi/Dhaka/Ubon
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Weather Updates |
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| Holidays
of Cooperating Countries |
Click
here for the holidays of countries cooperating with IRRI
for March 2001.
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Status of Publications |
Click
here for the status of IRRI publications in CPS.
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This
week's contributors: Paul
O'Nolan, Gene Hettel, Med Bondad, Bishnu Pandit, Michael Hailu,
Katherine Lopez, Zorayda Menguito, Eloise Revilla, Ellen Sunaz, Edna
Reyes, Mahabub Hossain, Suan Pheng Kam, V.P Singh, and Mirla
Domingo. |
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COLOPHON
The IRRI Bulletin is
produced and distributed weekly. It is intended for internal use only
and may not be quoted or reproduced without IRRI's permission. Staff
members are personally responsible for both the contents and wording of
submissions. Texts, however, will be lightly edited for style. Please
e-mail your contributions to Bulletin
Editors (it appears in the IRRI address list when you press the
"To"
button when composing an e-mail) or to BulletinEditors@irri.exch.cgiar.org
if you are outside IRRI. Names of attached files should contain your
initials and the bulletin number. If using images, please attach the
image files (in gif or jpeg format).
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