The offline content involved live training sessions over 5 subjects and the online content was developed as 15 complementary bitesize modules, accessed through an online portal.
The UK is one of the world biggest economies. However there are 11.5 million adults with a digital skills gap. In order to grow the economy and prepare for the future this needs to be addressed.
Both private and government organisations are taking up the challenging and looking at ways to educate and build digital skills across the populace. Lloyds Bank, a key driver of the UK governments digital skills task force, sought to build a scalable pilot program to train and empower jobseekers.
The programme would need incorporate the governments [Essential Digital Skills Framework] to enable the most vulnerable of individuals to participate in and contribute to the digital world of today and tomorrow.
Leveraging UpSkills experience, in building training programs for wide and varied audiences, specifically focused on employability. Our learning team was perfectly placed to build a programme that would support individuals to improve their digital skills. The focus was on jobseekers in the Greater Manchester area.
We created a blended learning approach based on the Essential Digital Skills Framework, in the form of both online and offline content. The offline content involved live training sessions over 5 subjects and the online content was developed as 15 complementary bitesize modules, accessed through an online portal. Our training covered topics such as 'Preparing for A Digital Workplace', 'Improving your CV' and 'Using Email in the Workplace'. Each face to face session included a mix of practical tasks as well as demonstrations, allowing participant to build skills they could use immediately.
As a result of the initial pilot the Lloyds Bank Academy has taught almost 500 people online and 80 in person. Some of which have already found work as a direct result of the programme. Phase 2 of the pilot kicks off on the early 2019 aiming to reach an even wider audience in the Manchester area and hopefully beyond.


We loved hearing David live – it was exciting and motivating. The best part of the program was that my husband and I also discovered we are a great team.
Now our future looks bright. I feel more confident now as a woman and future business owner. I used to think I wasn't good with money – but now that I've taken this step to educate myself I can see that I am and will continue to be. That is an amazing feeling – not feeling like I'm on the outside looking in.


December 19th, 2015: In the world of robot technology, there are certain names that stand out from the rest; like Kawasaki, Motoman, KUKA, and Fanuc. These brands have been known to dominate the industry of industrial robots manufacturing. If the focus is shifted toward the used industrial robots sector, UsedRobotsTrade has evolved as an emerging name. The company specializes in refurbishment and sales of used robots, further offering robot spare parts, robot welding systems and lasers machines to businesses. UsedRobotsTrade deals in the best brands of used robots, making it the first go-to source for cost efficient industrial robots solutions.
It is needless to point out that brands like Motoman and Kawasaki have taken years of experience, and expertise to put together outstanding quality robots that have now become an integral part of most manufacturing industries; but does the 'brand name' matter when it comes to used robots?
Often brand names are associated with superior quality, and outstanding services. While it may not be true for all but the top brands in the robot manufacturing industry have made sure they live up to their reputation. With the used robots industry fast growing, the same brands, although refurbished are still leading the markets.
With that said, one can be sure that the quality of product is not something UsedRobotsTrade compromises on. Dealing in the best, they are setting their roots firmly in the used robots industry.
Used Robots Trade is a leading company specializing in refurbishment and sales of used robots. The company headquarter is located in Zamudio, Spain, ten minutes from the airport of Bilbao. It specializes in numerous brands of industrial robots.


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The beauty of a legacy: The Gordon Murray T.50s Niki Lauda
Posted on Feb 25, 2021 by TheMotorist Team - Uncategorised
On the 22nd of February 2021, the former legendary Formula 1 driver of yesteryear, Niki Lauda would have turned 72. The late three time World Champion and personality for the historically based movie Rush, has a legacy that lives on in the automotive world as Gordon Murray Automotive's latest creation commemorates the decorated driver's career.
The Durban-born Gordon Murray has easily cemented himself as one of the modern all time greats in automotive design – which should instill a sense of pride for us South Africans. With extensive experience in Formula 1 and an impressive CV working on some truly incredible machines (yeah, the Mclaren F1 is one of them), he decided to channel his talents into a creation that bears his own name. If you were under a rock during August of last year, you would be none the wiser that the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 was released. In summary, the T.50 is a lightweight, 488kW V-12 powered, manual transmission supercars with a price tag north of £2.4m (before tax – not that it really matters if you can afford it). If you're able to snag of the 100 built.
On Niki Lauda's birth date, Gordon Murray tributed the next iteration of his personal masterpiece after him by giving it the name: the T.50s Niki Lauda. To add context into the naming convention, Lauda raced the Murray-designed Formula 1 challengers in the late 1970's, including the iconic Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B (appropriately named the fan car because of the massive fan mounted to its rear cowling).
"The T.50s is named in honour of Niki to commemorate his famous win with the Brabham BT46B fan car in the 1978 Swedish GP," said Murray. If you play spot-the-difference between the rear of the BT46B and the T.50, you will be hard pressed to find many – both iconically wearing Murray's fan to aid ground effect.
With only 25 of these to be created, they will have a chassis plate with a story equally as romantic as their name. Each car produced will be designated after one of the Murray-designed F1 Brabham or Mclaren winning challengers. In other words, the first car to be completed: Chassis 1, will bear a chassis plate with the engravings of Kyalami 1974, crediting Murray's first victory in Formula 1 when F1 driver Carlos Reutemann emerged victorious behind the wheel of the BT44.
If history isn't what you came for then the numbers might be. To carry the weight of the Austrian born Ferrari and Mclaren-TAG champion requires a substantial justification, which the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s Niki Lauda on paper should live up to. The power in the 3.9-litre, naturally-aspirated Cosworth V12 has been uprated to 540kW. Which is a lot – especially in a car that only weighs a measly 852kg. Power upgrades are thanks to higher compression ratio (15:1), new camshafts and revised cylinder heads with air being fed through a roof-mounted RAM induction box. This all helps the lightweight V12 reach a glorious 12 100rpm (just imagine the deafening sound with the factory straight piped exhaust). While the T.50 is manual, gearing in the Lauda is offered in a six-speed sequential paddle-shift with a choice in ratios getting the vehicle to approximately 330km/h or 275km/h with the short-ratio cogs.
If you thought the stock-standard T.50 came with a hefty price, take a seat because the T.50s Niki Lauda comes in with a whopping price of £3.1m. While both variants of the T.50 have been developed in tandem, the 25 Lauda's won't begin production until the last of the 100 road-going T.50's roll off the production line in early 2023. There is hope that the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s will compete in the World Endurance Series and not exclusively be reserved for opulent-climate controlled garages after Murray expressed interest in 2019.
Tags: GMA, Gordon Murray, Gordon Murray Automotive, Niki Lauda, Supercar, T.50, T.50s Niki Lauda
The new Mercedes-Benz GLA: A Step-Up in All Areas!
The pumped up version of the A-Class is here and Alex Shahini gets to grips with the new GLA 200.
A few decades ago the majority of passenger vehicles that filled the streets and transported families were sedans. Towards the end of the century, hatchbacks had asserted themselves as worthy adversaries and continued to increase in popularity in the ensuing years. Could it be that the compact SUV is under the same trajectory, one that will overthrow the beloved hatchback?
Since the automotive world is constantly evolving, brands of all sizes conduct extensive market research to ensure they have the upper hand in new vehicle development. Things are no different with compact SUVs. They have become such a popular trend that consumers and brands have put their full focus into its development!
Now, this is where the new Mercedes-Benz GLA comes into the picture, it fills the niche for young buyers that desire compact SUV characteristics while retaining the no compromise comfort and style synonymous with the brand. Our test car, the GLA 200 AMG Line delivered on both accounts, with exterior styling imparting a more aggressive look than its predecessor and a sufficiently comfortable ride, even on 20" AMG Multi Spoke alloys.
While the GLA is 100mm taller and slightly wider than its previous model, it is one of the most compact in its range, – in fact it is 15mm shorter than the previous generation and measuring in smaller than the chief rivals Audi Q3 and BMW X1. This makes it easily manoeuvrable and devoid of the cumbersome reputation SUVs have garnered. The dipped front bonnet made gauging tight surroundings quite difficult but credit can be given to the intuitive Mercedes Active Parking Assist with front and rear mounted cameras that provide extra confidence – albeit the sensor alarms were very enthusiastic near kerbs and parking garages.
Consider this a more practical, spacious and consumer appeasing A class – it still feels very composed and planted around sharp corners and bends, although its inherently higher ground clearance does compromise it somewhat. Additionally, the elevated 140mm seating position from its sibling makes for comfortable driving and provides good vision of the surroundings. The A-pillars are not overtly bulky and do not hamper vision between the front windscreen and side windows – overall visibility from the driver's seat is therefore good.
Sitting slightly higher than most other vehicles on the road will generally instil an air of superiority to whoever is behind the wheel, but that is likely where its additional height advantage ends. Most non 4Matic front-wheel-drive GLA's are unlikely to opt for the trail-less-travelled, which is a good thing since venturings into uneven terrain resulted in parking sensors frequently dispatching warning sounds and an uneasy ride (perhaps the risk of damaging those 20" rims only made this worse).
While the local Mercedes-Benz GLA configurator only includes the two engine variants counting the 2.0 turbo diesel in the GLA 200d, our GLA 200 had the alternative, punchy 1.3-litre turbo four cylinder engine with 120kW. While the motor is well suited to lumbering around at low RPM and cruising on open roads, more spirited bursts of driving presented an annoying engine whine on deceleration which was exacerbated when the windows were open. Engine sound is as expected in a family orientated vehicle: numb, although there was a significant audible difference once the Sport mode was engaged.
While the smoother, newer 8 speed gearbox of the local range is limited to the GLA 200 d, the only choice in our car was the 7 speed dual-clutch-transmission (DCT). While it felt less evolved and more hesitant in grabbing a gear than the 8 speed DCT in its diesel partner, it is still well suited for use as a comfortable runabout and highway cruiser. With engine rpm well below 2500 at 120km/h it provides good efficiency too, the combined figure for both urban and open road driving while under our care was about 7l/100km – disclaimer: spirited driving was top of the agenda and economy mode was only engaged once.
As mentioned earlier, the interior is comfortable and spacious. The double screen layout provides a sensibly laid out display for the driver and central infotainment system while space-age inspired air vents take the focal point just below. The customisable displays and interior LED lighting allow for personalisation, while the central infotainment system has the ability to learn the drivers preference over time. The user interface is well integrated, but certain applications can be clunky to retrieve and process information like fuel economy and driving analytics. But the tactility of the central trackpad and drivers buttons can forgive some of the niggles. It was noted by other members of the team that material quality and overall fit and finish has taken a big step up from its hatchback sibling.
Space is abundant for both the driver and any passengers in the GLA, with sufficient leg and head room for normal sized adults in the rear. However, cargo space is where it falls short, even with 2 adjustable boot floor heights, the GLA has one of the least volumetric boot capacities in the segment at 435l.
The GLA 200 is therefore a well balanced vehicle that is dressed up as an SUV. It is an option that will make valid sense to the consumer that is looking to satisfy as many driving and lifestyle needs as possible, while still retaining a three-pointed star on its grille. With a base price starting at R679 040, it is the most expensive of the lot too. Although it comes with a list of standard equipment, speccing options such as larger diameter rims and interior comforts could send the price closer to the R800 000 mark.
Tags: Driven, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz GLA, Mercedes Benz South Africa, Test
Number crunching with Porsche's new 911 GT3.
The hallowed proving ground in the automotive industry has always and will continue to be the Nurburgring Nordschleife, better known as the Green Hell for those who can't correctly pronounce anything German. While the track is steeped in dozens of interesting numbers, competing automotive brands always want to achieve the lowest when it comes to doing a lap in their cars… and Porsche has achieved just that in their new model to sport the GT3 nameplate with a sub 7 minute figure.
Porsche finally revealed the next generation 992 911 GT3 on February 16th, bringing the wait for the most exciting new 911 derivative to an end. It did so in incredible style as the same car also underwent its development around the Green Hell and managed to trounce the previous generations time. For context, Lars Kern – Porsche's number 1 test driver completed the 20.8 km lap of the famous circuit in 6:59:927 minutes, beating the previous version by a massive 17 seconds. With its 9000rpm redline, it surely completed this lap to the aural satisfaction of anyone that was close enough to hear it.
About the car: with the same flat-six four liter boxer engine and drivetrain of that in the seasoned endurance racer, the 911 GT3 R, there is no doubt the 375Kw engine should be able to consistently put down reliable consistent power wherever it goes. Other aspects of the GT racer exist in the form of a double wishbone front axle layout, functional diffusers and a swan neck rear wing. While it may not be as fast off the line as the Turbo S, the GT3 still manages a 0-100 time in 3.4 seconds and will continue up to 318km/h (or 320km/h in the manual box). Remember, this car is all about the downforce and handling. with a four-stage adjustable splitter at the front rear wing with an equal number of adjustments at the back. For the purists, it is also offered in a 6 speed manual gearbox and mechanical diff too, which translates to 17kg lighter than the models with the 7 speed PDK transmission and electronic diff.
South Africa can expect to receive the latest GT3 derivative in Q4 of 2021. Pricing will be confirmed closer to the time of its local release. This is a car that we can't wait to drive!
Watch Porsches official onboard footage of Lars Kern piloting an initial sub 7 minute lap in the GT3 around the Green Hell here.
Tags: New Release, Porsche, Porsche 911, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 Nurburgring lap time
The Swedes Are On A Roll!
Volvo reports best January in its history
Volvo is often considered the alternative premium marque to the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. But with the latest sales results, that could be turning around!
Starting 2021 on a strong note, Volvo Cars reported the best January in its history. Global sales rose by 30.2 percent to 59 588 cars, boosted by a strong year-on-year performance in China where the company more than recovered losses from earlier COVID-19 shutdowns.
Demand for Volvo Cars' SUV line-up remained strong and represented 71 percent of overall volumes, while the popularity of its Recharge line-up of chargeable cars continued to grow. The volume of Recharge models more than doubled in January year-on-year, now accounting for 23 percent of all Volvo cars sold globally.
In China, sales grew by 91.3 percent to 19 160 cars in January, as Volvo Cars' biggest market more than recovered from a pandemic-related sales drop in the first month of last year. The sales increase in China was helped by strong overall market demand, but also boosted by a sales ramp-up of the company's XC40 compact SUV and the S60 sedan.
US sales reached 8 151 cars in January, an increase of 32.4 percent compared with the same period last year. The company's award-winning SUV line-up, led by the XC90, drove the strong sales increase.
European sales for the month increased by 9.0 percent to 24 857 cars sold, helped by strong performances in key markets such as Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. Recharge cars amounted to 41 percent of total European sales.
South African sales were strong too. According to Greg Maruszewski, managing director of Volvo Car South Africa, the XC40 was the star of the show. "Sales rose by 37 percent in January 2021 (versus
January 2020). This is encouraging given the fact that the XC40 had a good 2020; it had an 8.40% share of its segment in 2019; that grew to 14.70% in 2020," he reveals.
In January 2021, globally the XC40 was the company's top selling model with 17 770 cars (2020: 10 802 units), followed by the XC60 with 17 053 cars (2020: 13 353 units) and the XC90 with sales of 7 564 cars (2020: 6 902 units).
Maruszewski says that 2020 was a landmark year for Volvo. "On a global front, we introduced our first all-electric car, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, which will come to South Africa soon. Our plug-in hybrid line-up range also enjoyed growth. We're facing 2021 with optimism and we look forward to continuing to meet our customers' ever-evolving needs," he concludes.
Buying or servicing a car? Take note as things are about to change!
George Minnie, CEO of AutoTrader, breaks down the latest guidelines set out by the Competition Commission.
Buying and maintaining a car can prove to be a daunting task for those without technical knowledge and experience. Fortunately, there are changes that are coming to the automotive industry that should in theory, provide consumers with more freedom for their own vehicle. These changes will affect every single South African seeking to buy, repair or service a car. The changes – effective 1 July 2021 – are coming about thanks to guidelines published by the Competition Commission.
According to George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader, the guidelines are about to introduce substantial changes to the car buying and servicing processes. "These changes will mean that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), dealerships and workshops will have to alter the way that they do business in the future," he points out.
So, what are these changes and how will they impact the OEMs, dealerships, workshops and most importantly, the consumer? Here are some of the most important guidelines – and their implications.
1.Freedom of choice
Consumers who do not have insurance cover may repair their motor vehicles at a service provider of their choice at any point during the motor vehicle's lifespan. They don't have to go to a so-called "approved motor-body repairer" anymore.
2. More Options
For various reasons, consumers' options when it comes to motor-body repairers have been limited. This won't be the case in the future. The OEMs need to promote and/or support the entry of new motor-body repairers, with a preference for firms owned by Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDIs). The OEMs also cannot enter into exclusive arrangements, either with one or more approved motor-body repairers, for effecting repairs on an OEM's motor vehicles within a designated geographic area. Practically, this should mean that there are more motor-body repairers – and the consumer has more options. In theory, cars should also be repaired faster.
3. More flexibility with maintenance and service plans
Dealers won't be able to include a maintenance or service plan in the purchase price of a vehicle; the plan has to be "unbundled". Practically, this means that the consumer can say yea or nay to buying a plan from a dealership. He or she is free to shop for one elsewhere. In addition, if a vehicle with a maintenance or service plan is written off by an insurance company, that plan must pass on to the replacement vehicle.
4.Dealerships will become less grandiose
The Commission says that dealership start-up costs – at an average of R60 million – can be exorbitant and a high barrier to entry. In future, the OEMs will need to adopt measures to lower financial barriers to entry and promote the participation of HDIs in the dealership market. In addition, OEMs should not impose so-called "onerous obligations" on prospective dealers. So, expect a lot more smaller, far less grandiose dealerships to pop up.
The Mazda 3 as a compact SUV – the new CX30
The CX-30 is the latest Mazda addition to receive the minimal, traditional Japanese KODO design philosophy. First revealed at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2019 as the updated compact SUV fitting between the CX-3 and CX-5, this yuppie-appealing yet elegant SUV is now ready for the South African Market.
So, what does the Mazda 3's slightly bigger sibling offer you? Aesthetically, you are awarded with the same sophisticated and bold proportions of an SUV combined into the aesthetic silhouette of a coupe.
The pronounced triangular grille seamlessly intersects with the headlights creating a cohesive yet aggressive front end while the rear includes thick black cladding below the tailgate that runs the length of the car, alluding more to its SUV capabilities. Consumers of this popular segment have their choice of nine exterior colours, Active and Dynamic models include 16" grey metallic alloy wheels, while the range topping Individual includes 18" wheels finished in silver. LED Auto levelling headlights are standard across the range as well as Driver, Passenger, Knee (Driver), Side & Curtain airbags which assist in its impressive five-star Euro NCAP rating.
The human centered design philosophy dictated the layout of the cabin, placing particular emphasis around the driver. The 8.8" display screen placed above the dashboard is slightly angled towards the driver as are all other essential dials, HUD and other instruments. This minimizes driving distraction through emphasised operational ease.
Entertainment comes in the form of MAZDA CONNECT which includes the use of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth and Voice command. The Active and Dynamic models offer 8 speaker sound systems while the Individual model includes a 12 speaker BOSE audio layout. Grey cloth seats are standard with black and navy blue accents on the dashboard while the Individual model comes with perforated leather seats seamlessly integrated into the dark themed and tactile interior.
The CX-30 range is exclusively powered by the latest 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G engine paired to a 6 speed automatic transmission powering the front wheels. Power is sufficient at 121kW at 6,000rpm while a maximum torque figure of 213Nm is found at 4,000rpm. All of this is covered with Mazda Care's standard 3-year unlimited kilometre service plan, a 3-year factory warranty, 3-year roadside assistance and a 5-year Corrosion Warranty. The 2020 World Car of the year finalist goes on sale at R469,000 with the entry level Active while the range topping individual will set you back R540,000.
"Post-Opulent" discussions with the Rolls-Royce Ghost design team.
In a world where automakers continually prioritise the constant sales of their vehicles, a phrase like planned obsolescence becomes an increasingly apparent theme, it keeps companies ticking over and profit margins in the green. It is therefore refreshing to be able to have a digital round table conversation with those responsible for the new Rolls-Royce Ghost where longevity is the dominating ideology. Granted, the Goodwood based automotive deluxe manufacturer will never be in reach of the vast majority of automotive consumers, 2020 shook the world to its core and even the ultra-moneyed clientele have been looking for a slightly more understated ride.
The team, presented by Rami Joudi (regional PR manager in the Middle East and Africa) included Felix Kilbertus (head of exterior design), Henry Cloke (lead exterior designer) and Jon Simms (vehicle project leader). The objective was to provide valuable insight into their design decisions and begin to explain the brands paradigm shift for the new Ghost portfolio. Much of the world still finds itself affected in some way or another by Covid-19, which consequently has the ultra-wealthy inadvertently appreciating their luxuries in a less ostentatious and imposing manner. Rolls-Royce have dubbed this new luxury age as Post-Opulence. Henry Cloke, the identifier of this new ideology focused his design process of Ghost wholly on minimalism and purity, devoid of grandeur and fuss.
This new approach to creating the updated model has not resulted in a cheaper aesthetic typical with mass produced econoboxes that fill public roads, in fact the quality and benchmark synonymous with the storied brand still remain abundant with their surface finishes and overall aesthetic. To an untrained eye the all new Ghost may seem identical to its precedent which was originally launched in 2009, which brings me to the age old Rolls-Royce ideology of longevity. These are creations that intend to remain eternally fashionable, which is exacting in a world obsessed with consumption and recurring fads. Proportionally, both appear greatly similar however the updated model focuses on removing all unnecessary design and mitigating the risk of any operational flaws. The lengthy wait for the new model can be credited to a mantra mentioned in the conversation where striving to be the best is more imperative than striving to be the first.
Felix Kilbertus alluded to the impressive number of Rolls-Royce models still registered for road use, at over 70% they remain one of the stalwarts of longevity – vehemently rejecting the trend of planned obsolescence. These are cars that are built to last a lifetime and Ghost is no different, in fact its predecessor set the benchmark so high (as the best selling model in their history), that the entire car was re-designed from the ground up to incorporate more modern solutions and technology. Ghost no longer shares any of its underpinnings with anything offered by the BMW group. To achieve their onerous pursuit of perfect simplicity, the platform employs the same Architecture of Luxury that was embodied in the Cullinan and Phantom offerings. This hand-welded aluminium space frame provides it with the same level of luxury and comfort expected from any modern car adorned with the Spirit of Ecstacy.
The Post Opulent era lacking frivolous and unnecessary features has simplified the model into something that is tantalizingly elegant and beautiful while keeping the same exceptional quality and standards of Rolls-Royce. Ghost continues the lineage of manufacturing cars that will last a lifetime.
Is the brand new Suzuki Brezza the best you can get?
Suzuki have just launched their new Vitara Brezza into the South African market, it slots in comfortably between its peppy Ignis and 180mm longer Vitara peers. With a storied history, the brand can confidently claim the title of compact SUV pioneers with the introduction of the original Vitara over 3 decades ago. Although very much has changed with their segment contender over that time, Suzuki guarantees that their current compact SUV offering is an equally fun and affordable option for those with an insatiable taste for adventure while appearing to be great value for money.
Suzuki is highly confident their new arrival offers the same abilities as its competition for a much more affordable price to the consumer. Both variants of the Vitara Brezza, the GL and GLX come standard with 16" wheels, while the GLX sports more stylish looking alloys, LED headlamps with DRL and LED fog lamps. It's lightweight volume and dimensions make it easy to park and convenient to manoeuvre for urban applications while the Indian produced model is still somewhat capable in rugged terrains and gravel roads with its comfortable ground clearance and nimble stature.
Consumers have their choice of six-single tone colours and three-two tone colours on the exterior while the interior includes standard equipment across the range such as climate control, a rear parking sensors and a touch screen 7" infotainment display which has connectivity to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
A 1,5-litre naturally aspirated 4 cylinder from the brand is the only option available to the car, delivering a maximum of 77kW and 138Nm exclusively to the front wheels of both the GL and GLX variants. That is right, there are no options that power all four corners of the car, which make this a front wheel drive Suzuki SUV bearing the Vitara nomenclature. This has been done to appeal to their ever changing demographic of compact SUV consumers, while still keeping it an affordable choice. Both variants are available in either a 5-speed manual or a torque converting 4 speed automatic, which Suzuki claim is the smoothest match for the seasoned K15B motor. Although the power and torque output seems meagre, the gearing combined with a kerb weight of 1 110kg ultimately affords it with thrifty fuel economy at 6.2l/100km.
If you are now wondering what Suzuki's best selling global offering will cost, you may be pleasantly surprised to know that this is one of the more affordable options in the segment. Starting with the 5 speed manual GL at a meagre R244 900 and ending at the 4 speed automatic GLX AT further up the spectrum at R309 900, this is certainly good value for money considering what equipment is included. A 4 year/60 000km service plan and 5 year/200000km warranty come as standard too.
If this price is still out of your budget for a compact SUV, Suzuki is running a competition where entrants stand a chance to win a Vitara Brezza for an entire year, more details for entry are available at Suzukiauto.co.za.
#itjustgetsbrezza
The new BMW M5 CS – Too track focused?
Posted on Feb 9, 2021 by Francisco Nwamba - Uncategorised
We've had this conversation before. Are modern sports-cars focusing too much on track use as opposed to road use? Late last year we attended the launch of the new BMW M2 CS, a car that is marketed as a track ready BMW. The launch took place in Kyalami Racetrack, a fitting location for such a car. We all walked away giddy about the cars new suspension setup, the looks and how it sounds. It was only after scrolling through my social media feeds, did I see another journalist make an important statement that made so much sense. He tweeted "Gotta love the audacity of BMW launching their most track focused car on a racetrack, the one place owners can't drive it without voiding their warranty." This sentiment is very true, especially in South Africa where BMW's carry a Motorplan (Warranty) that can easily be voided if customers fiddle or use their vehicle on track. However, that's not the point of this article. Let's bring it back to the M5 CS that we're all drooling for. This has got to be the hottest M5 to date and it's also BMW most powerful production vehicle ever.
From the gorgeous Frozen Deep Green paintwork, to the Gold Bronze wheels and kidney grille, the car looks extremely mean and in facelift guise, looks even better. The figures are outstanding, 437kW/750N.m and a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 3.0 seconds. In a 1 825kg family saloon? My word. The addition of M Carbon ceramic brakes also means that you'll be able to stop this behemoth with much ease. But here's the thing, this car is world renowned for its ability to be a family orientated sedan on the one hand and then a sports car murdering missile on the other. Unfortunately the M5 CS however has regressed when it comes to the former. I was very disappointed to find out that the CS only comes in a four seater configuration. Why?! Yes BMW have gone through stringent measures to reduce the weight of this vehicle, resulting in a 70kg reduction. The loss of weight is due to the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic in various places and of course, the inclusion of a 2-seater lightweight-construction rear bench unit. I don't know what a standard 3-seater bench weighs, but I'm sure the potential buyers of the vehicle wouldn't care if the M5 CS was only 50kg's lighter but provided the same practical attributes of a standard M5.
By making the M5 CS a four seater, BMW have removed one of the most charming characteristics of the car, it's true family appeal. The reality is that most M5 CS owners won't spend majority of their time on track, the same way most M5 drivers don't. In fact, only a handful of sports car customers use their vehicles on track. These vehicles are meant to be dual purpose, especially a vehicle like an M5. As cars keep progressing in their abilities and more special editions are being made, often times manufacturers love focusing on the track prowess of their cars. Meanwhile they don't tell you how squeaky carbon ceramic brakes are when cold or the fact that using your vehicle on track may result in a Motorplan suspension. On the other hand, many people have spawned only two children, so perhaps it's not the end of the world and the CS is a limited production car, but still – an M5 is not supposed to be a 4- seater. Very few M5 CS's are going to make their way to South Africa and I could bet my house that they're all sold. So perhaps this article is a waste of time, but it just baffles me that BMW M would make such an astonishing vehicle, but then take away a simple yet critical element of the M5, it's middle seat. All this is done in the name of weight saving, in a vehicle that essentially isn't allowed on track. Am I missing something?
Do you have Mswenko?
Posted on Feb 2, 2021 by TheMotorist Team - Uncategorised
VW SA adds some local flavour to their Vivo line-up.
I had a friend back in high school who owned a 2007 Audi A4 Cabriolet. In our matric year, he was voted as Head-Boy and exercised his many privileges by leaving class slightly early at the end of the day so he could park it in front of the school. He'd then roll the top down and blast some jams. I know what you're thinking, but I promise it gets worse. He even got a personalised number plate that read SWAG GP. This was back in 2012, and suffice to say after much ridicule from all of us, he decided to remove it. I sense this was done in slight shame as has very few photos of the car with the number plate on. After much trolling through his social media, I was at least able to find one photo with the plate one.
Fast forward to 2021 and the 'swag' name reappears but this time in isiZulu and on the side of Volkswagen's locally-produced Polo Vivo. So surely you'd think the new Polo Vivo Mswenko should be subject to an equal banter-filled tongue lashing? Well, not really. The connotations of the word Mswenko might limit the scope of appeal to a younger, more exuberant crowd who probably used #Mswenko in their tweets way before others even realised that Twitter even existed. But it is a limited edition model and should certainly appeal to that market quite well.
Volkswagen South Africa have taken advantage of their local production to create a distinctively South African model that can be tailored to appeal to current trends and even has the ability to create them. It's a fantastic concept that can speak to our specific market in a way that the anodyne corporate approach just can't. Volkswagen are known as the peoples car after all and it's models like this that reinforce that.
Admittedly, I am on the fence about the name Mswenko – it will appeal to younger market, like I said, but I can't imagine your husband/wife or children will be entirely happy if you drove around in a car that paraded your allure and swagger to all. But in saying that, I am woefully out of touch with the latest celebs and trends, so my opinion on this can be taken with a pinch of salt. It's an acknowledgement and celebration of our local diversity, so hopefully we will see more models like this not just from Volkswagen, but from other manufacturers who build their vehicles locally.
The Mswenko is based on the Polo Vivo Comfortline variant and in addition to what that models offers as standard, you get decals on the side of the door with Mswenko lettering, 16-inch alloy wheels, a black roof, privacy glass and mirror covers that can be had in two different shades. There are four exterior colours to choose from: Pure White, Reflex Silver, Limestone Grey, and Reef Blue. The bright Ocean Blue seats contrast well against a rather monochrome interior with its various shades of grey. Silver dashboard inlays also spice things up, while other stand out features include a leather steering wheel and gear level, App Connect and 6 speakers. Pricing for the Polo Vivo 1.4 Mswenko comes in at R246 900 which includes a 3 year/120 000km warranty and a 6 year anti-corrosion warranty.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Written by Erica McCrystal, Fanbase Press Contributor
'Anno Dracula 1895: Seven Days in Mayhem #1' - Comic Book Review
In the alternate fictional reality of Anno Dracula 1895: Seven Days in Mayhem #1, Prince Dracula was not defeated by Van Helsing and company. Instead, he became the ruler of Great Britain, which encouraged vampires to emerge from the darkness, making for a Victorian London rampant with vampires. Dracula has ruled for 10 years now, and a resistance group is making plans to overthrow him, while others are planning his jubilee. The premise for this tale is brilliant in the way that Prince Dracula essentially becomes a political figure with those who publically celebrate him in contrast to those who want to usurp him. Adding the animal creatures that Dracula also commands demonstrates his complete power over man, animal, and undead. Kim Newman's plot is a wonderful spin on the Victorian Gothic vampire problem.
Newman also pays a nod to C. K. Chesterton's novel, The Man Who was Thursday (1907) and John William Polidori's The Vampyre (1819). I appreciate the timely literary references and the seamless way she weaves them into the plot. The story is clever and intriguing. I especially love the dynamic of the resistance group, which even includes a vampire. Having the opposition to Dracula's rule as an anarchist group is just brilliant. They are in the minority, as the other characters that we see are very "rah-rah Dracula."
Paul McCaffrey's art is vibrant and playful, which differs from the typical dark, shadowy feel of the Victorian Gothic. But it works so well with this plot. The explosion of blood spatter actually softens the goriness and makes it appear as though this is just the way that blood spreads in this vampire-filled society. The "BLAM" also lightens the mood of the upcoming murder scene. I found myself thinking that this is what a society ruled by vampires looks like. Of course there would be blood everywhere. There is also a perfect blend of gentlemanly behavior with violence, which is so perfectly in line with Dracula himself.
In my favorite panel, McCaffrey makes the man in the moon into a vampire in the moon. The fangs on the moon's face are simultaneously eerie and wonderful. It seems increasingly possible in this world that Dracula would also have command over the moon. Vampires are everywhere, so the members of the Council of the Seven Days have a difficult task ahead trying to rid Dracula's influence over land, sea, and sky.
The cover is reminiscent of a film noir, with Dracula's silhouette towering over the three women. I love that the focus is on the women—who have realistic features compared to Dracula's shadow's long, pointy nose and fingernails. The variant covers are also brilliant, each highlighting the monstrosity of the vampire and his influence over others. Mike Collins' cover is a perfect combination of a creepy, evil silhouette having a Smithers "excellent" moment with Jabba the Hutt chaining up Princess Leia.
I am already hooked just off this first issue. It is playfully terrifying, which is such a hard combination to pull off. Newman and McCaffrey do it so well and make a truly engaging issue of vampiric brilliance.
Erica McCrystal, Fanbase Press Contributor
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One of the most important and sometimes confusing elements of singing is learning to control the breath or support the tone. There are several opinions on how to do it properly, including pushing the stomach in or out. Before you choose what is right for you, it is best to understand what breath support actually is, the basics of phonation, and the effects these processes have on your body.
Breath support is learning to control the breath during singing. A normal breath cycle of inhalation and exhalation takes 4 seconds. The singing process demands a much longer breath cycle, which requires a singer to take a quick inhale and stretch out the exhale while still allowing enough air energy to flow through the vocal cords to create a beautiful tone.
Exhalation is slowed down in several ways. The most important way is through "muscle antagonism," where the muscles of inhalation resist the muscles of exhalation. Another way to control air flow is through the glottis, or opening created by the vocal cords. If the glottis is closed, air stops. During the singing process, a beautiful sound is created by learning to coordinate air restriction through both means.
Though the slowing of air created by closing the vocal cords may have little to do with pushing in or out, understanding the basics of phonation helps to achieve a more holistic view of air flow. The actual sound of singing is caused by the opening and closing of the vocal cords partly controlled by air pressure as explained in Bernoulli's Effect. It states that slower moving air has more pressure than faster-moving air. The vocal cords shut as air flows through them from the lungs and the pressure build up below the cords forces them open again. The process is repeated over and over to create sound. Mild muscular resistance to the pressure below the cords is used to create a beautiful tone. When thinking about breath support, keep in mind the need to coordinate the process with phonation.
The diaphragm is a large horizontal muscle that flexes down during a deep breath, creating room for the lungs to expand. In order for the diaphragm to move down, the stomach naturally expands outward. The lungs should never be stuffed full, but feel relaxed with each breath. Large or extremely low stomach expansion may mean too much air is taken in or you are consciously pushing the stomach area out. Allowing the diaphragm to naturally extend the stomach area allows the body to relax during breathing.
During normal exhalation, the stomach goes in. In order to slow the breath, the muscles of inhalation resist the pressure exerted by the muscles of exhalation to push the stomach in and diaphragm up. When the lower abdominal muscles engage and move inward during exhalation, resistance causes an outward bulge under the ribs. How much bulging you experience is determined by how aggressively you resist the muscles of exhalation.
In reality, there is some pulling in and some pulling out of the stomach muscles in breath support. The key is to find a flexible balance between the muscles of exhalation and inhalation. If you are resisting the muscles of exhalation to a point of tension and rigidity as you sing, then relax to allow a natural inward movement to occur. If you release too much air all at once as you sing, then imagining pushing down (which pushes the stomach out) might help. Focusing too much on the stomach misses the point, it is the diaphragm that is doing all the work. When it lowers, everything below it needs somewhere to go and pushes the stomach out. Literally pushing the stomach out to resist the muscles of inhalation causes physical pain for most. Instead, keep the chest high, ribs expanded, and focus on keeping the diaphragm flexible and low while resisting the muscles of exhalation.


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RITTMAN, Ohio — A Rittman family turned a Christmas classic into an ode to Browns QB Baker Mayfield.
Shaun Rufener shared a video to Facebook of his five children singing their tribute to Mayfield to the tune of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on Thursday.
Browns fans should appreciate this festive jingle.


The White House announced on Wednesday that President Donald Trump commuted the 27-year prison sentence of Sholom Rubashkin, the former executive of what was once the United States' largest kosher meatpacking operation.
Trump's action neither vacates Rubashkin's conviction nor relieves him of other restrictions concerning his sentence, including supervised release and restitution. So why did Trump do it?
According to the White House, because Rubashkin's 27-year sentence, while warranted, was too harsh relative to crimes of a similar nature. That view was supported by legislators in both parties, including Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, and three former U.S. attorneys general.
Rubashkin, 57, ran what was America's largest kosher meat-processing company: Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa. The company's facilities were raided in 2008 under accusations of immigration violations and worker exploitation at a time of increased enforcement of illegal labor during the Bush administration. In 2009 Rubashkin was convicted of 86 counts of federal bank fraud related to loans to the company, said to be part of a complex accounting scheme to pay workers off the books.
Supporters (including the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Orthodox Judaism) have long argued Rubashkin's sentence was considered severe compared to cases such as Enron's Jeff Skilling (24 years for fraud that cost shareholders $11 billion; later vacated) and WorldCom's Brenie Ebbers (25 years for a multibillion-dollar accounting scandal).
Meanwhile critics have pointed to allegations from hundreds of undocumented immigrants that Rubashkin fostered a hostile workplace that included 12-hour shifts without overtime pay, exposure to dangerous chemicals, and sexual harassment. (A jury acquitted Rubashkin in state court of 67 misdemeanor child labor law violations in 2010.) Former workers could not testify about the alleged exploitation as Rubashkin was not tried in federal court on immigration charges.
The Obama administration rebuffed arguments in favor of Rubashkin, and in January, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade rejected Rubashkin's request for a shorter sentence and criticized his legal representation for embellishing its claims of government wrongdoing.
Rubashkin was released Wednesday from the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, N.Y.
This is the second instance of Trump using his clemency powers since taking office; his first was pardoning former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court after defying judicial orders to stop detaining suspected undocumented immigrants. Common in both cases is the issue of illegal immigration, which Trump had earlier vowed to enforce more aggressively.


text:
TOP DOG CONFERENCE 19 - 22 MAY 2022!
SHOW ME PAWS
BACK TO ABOUT US PAGE
CONSTITUTION (rEVISED 2019)
ARTICLE 1. NAME
(A) The name of this organization shall be Missouri Guide Dog Users, hereinafter to be known as MGDU.
(B) The name of Missouri Guide Dog Users shall not be used by any person or organization without the expressed written Consent of the President and/or the Board of Directors of MGDU.
ARTICLE 2. PURPOSES
The purpose of this organization shall be:
(A) To promote, through efforts in advocacy and dissemination of educational information, the acceptance of guide dog teams by all agencies, employers, educational institutions, those doing business with the general public, and by the general public.
(B) To work for the standardization, enforcement and expansion of the legal provisions governing the admission of guide dog users to public places, transportation, facilities, hotels, apartments, restaurants, places of amusement and all places to which the general public is invited.
(C) To work to improve the scope and quality of educational, cultural, rehabilitation and employment opportunities for guide dog users through cooperation and affiliation with Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI) and the American Council of the Blind (ACB).
(D) To encourage and improve the relationship between guide dog puppy raisers, guide dog users and guide dog schools.
(E) To work to improve the scope and quality of guide dog breeding, selection, training, health care, and guide dog retirement.
ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING
(A) Any person 16 years of age or older may become a member of MGDU upon compliance with the provisions and requirements of this constitution and such bylaws as may be adopted.
(B) The majority of MGDU members, at least 50% plus 1, shall be guide dog users.
(C) All members in good standing shall have the right to cast their individual votes at any meeting of the membership.
ARTICLE 4. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
(A) The officers of MGDU shall comprise the board of directors and shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.
(B) Two (2) At-large Directors will be elected to serve with the officers on the Board of Directors.
(C) Only members of MGDU who are guide dog users can be officers or Directors.
(D) No member can serve in multiple offices simultaneously.
(E) All officers and Directors shall be elected. Elections shall be held during the MCB convention. All officers and Directors will be elected for terms of two (2) years.
(F) Of the four elected board members and Directors, elections will be held every year for two of the board members and one of the Directors. Elections shall be held during MGDU meetings at the MCB convention. Election for President, Secretary, and one Director will be held on odd-numbered years. Elections for Vice President, Treasurer and the other Director will be held on even-numbered years.
(G) The officers shall perform the usual duties of their office as provided for in ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, current edition, unless otherwise provided for by this constitution or such bylaws as may be enacted.
(H) The Officers and the Board of Directors shall be the governing body of MGDU between meetings of the membership, and will conduct business on behalf of MGDU. Board meetings may be held in person or by telephone. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum at such meetings.
(I) All elections shall be by a majority vote of the members present.
ARTICLE 5 MEETINGS
(A) MGDU will conduct monthly meetings of the membership and of the Board of Directors at dates and times as set by the vote of the membership.
(B) MGDU shall hold one business meeting per year, to be held in the the fall at the MCB convention during the same calendar year.
(C) One-third of the members shall constitute a quorum at any regular or special meeting.(D) The President or a majority of the Board of Directors may call a special meeting. At least two weeks' notice must be given to the membership in order to hold a special meeting.
ARTICLE 6. FISCAL YEAR
(A) The fiscal year of MGDU shall begin November 1 through October 31st
.(B) All fees, membership and other requirements of affiliation with the Missouri Council of the Blind shall be provided as determined by the organization.
ARTICLE 7. RESIGNATION OR REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
(A) Any officer or director may resign from office by notifying the President in writing. In the event of the President resigning or being unable to perform duties of office, the Vice President will assume duties of the President. The succeeding President may appoint an interim Vice President, with the approval the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may, thereafter, in its discretion, elect a person to serve in any vacant office until the next annual meeting.
(B) Any officer or director may be removed from office for good and sufficient cause as enumerated in Bylaw 5, by a vote of two-thirds of the total membership of the Board of Directors, but, in no event, shall the Board vote to remove a person from office until the officer or director has been given notice in writing of the charges pending against him/her and is afforded an opportunity to appear and defend against the alleged charges.
(C) At the next meeting at the MCB convention, the membership of this organization shall, if necessary, elect a person to complete the term for which the resigned or removed officer or director was originally elected.
ARTICLE 8. AMENDMENTS
(A) This Constitution may be amended by a vote of two-third's majority of the members attending a regular or special meeting. (B) Notice of the proposed amendment shall have been mailed and/or electronically mailed (email) to the membership not less than 30 days prior to the meeting during which a vote on the amendment will take place.
(C) All bylaw amendments shall be approved by a two-third's majority vote of the members present at the following regular or special meeting.
ARTICLE 9. COMMITTEES
The President shall appoint the chairperson of all committees within the organization unless otherwise instructed by the membership or the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 10. DISSOLUTION
Upon a vote of dissolution by 85 percent of the active membership and after paying all of its debts and obligations, all remaining funds shall revert to Missouri Council of the Blind.
1. DUES
(A) The annual dues of this organization shall be the amount specified by the Board of Directors as annual MGDU dues.
(B) Collected dues will be deposited in the MGDU account.
(C) These MGDU dues shall be determined from time to time by a majority vote of the membership present at any regular meeting. A majority shall be half of the members in attendance plus one. (D) Annual dues shall be due at the MCB convention, past due November 1, and become delinquent as of December 10 of that year.
(A) The President and the Treasurer shall be responsible for the selection of a bank where) bank accounts shall be established.
(B) The Treasurer may issue checks upon the order of the President.
(C) Either the President or the Treasurer may sign checks on behalf of the organization.
(D) The Treasurer and the President shall not spend more than $50 without the approval of the Board of Directors or, when appropriate, the membership.
3. VACANCIES
If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Vice-President shall assume the office. If a vacancy occurs in another office of the organization, the Board of Directors shall appoint a person to continue in that office until the next scheduled election.
4. GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
(A) Failure to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors without just cause.
(B) Failure to pay dues or otherwise comply with the membership requirement of MGDU.
(C) Failure to perform the duties of office as prescribed by the constitution and bylaws.
(D) Performance of the duties of office in a manner that is detrimental to the aims and purposes of this organization.
(E) Conviction of a felony.
5. STANDING COMMITTEES
(A) MGDU will maintain the following standing committees:
(1) Fund raising.
(2) Advocacy and Legislation.
(3) Membership.
(4) Publications.
(B) Each committee will be chaired by an officer, as agreed among themselves.
(C) Directors will be assigned committee service by presidential appointment.
Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilities
Airport relief areas for service dogs
https://usaservicedogregistration.com/airport-relief-areas-service-animal/
American Council of the Blind (ACB)
www.acb.org
https://www.ada.gov/
Assistance Dogs International (ADI)
https://assistancedogsinternational.org/standards/summary-of-standards/
Guide dog schools information, Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI)
https://guidedogusersinc.org/resources/gdui-school-survey/
Guide Dog Users, Inc
https://guidedogusersinc.org
International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP)
https://www.iaadp.org/
International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF)
https://www.igdf.org.uk/
Missouri Council of the Blind
https://www.moblind.org/
Rally House (Pet Supplies)
https://www.rallyhouse.com/?msclkid=545b74861d01141dce082a1e9c222ea4&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=401_Branded_RallyHouse&utm_term=rally%20house&utm_content=Branded
Table of state laws for assistance dogs
www.animallaw.info/topic/table-state-assistance-animal-laws
Copyright © 2020 MISSOURI - GUIDE DOG USERS
PAUL MIMMS, PRESIDENT
EMAIL: PAUL8655@GMAIL.COM
Additional Corrections, please email
Webmaster: clgajadhar@aol.com


text:
Tariffs & Trade Barriers
Everyday Trade
Trade Rules
Negotiations & Institutions
Timelines & Interactives
Authors & Advisors
You are here: Home / TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION / Logistics / The Rise of Global Value Chains (GVCs)
The Rise of Global Value Chains (GVCs)
by Scott Miller/ November 10, 2016 CATEGORIES: Logistics, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
Modern production is increasingly organized around "value chains." A value chain describes the set of tasks required to bring a product to market, from invention to final use. Thanks to technology and policy improvements, activities such as design, production process development, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, and distribution can be performed by different firms in different places yet subject to precise coordination among the parties. Economists sometime describe this as "trade in tasks," and the operation and development of global value chains (GVCs) has important implications for trade, investment, innovation, and regulatory policies.
"Companies used to make things primarily in one country. That has all changed. Today, a single finished product often results from manufacturing and assembly in multiple countries, with each step in the process adding value to the end product." World Bank
While manufacturers have long used specialized suppliers, information and communication technology (I/CT) in the form of cheaper and more reliable telecommunications, information management software, and powerful personal computers have radically lowered the cost of coordinating complex tasks within and between firms over long distances. Fast, inexpensive I/CT makes many more goods and services tradable, and has opened the possibility for efficiency gains through specialization. Trade liberalization (especially lower tariffs) has further reduced trade costs, as have advances in transport—containerized shipping, standardization, and inter-modal transport systems.
This implication is that the many functions that were once housed in one manufacturing plant are now spread across different firms in different places interacting through international trade because it's cheaper and more efficient to do it that way thanks to these new technologies. GVCs allow firms to look at relative costs and factor endowments (who's best to do what) and build a set of production arrangements with product and service suppliers depending on whether it makes sense to source these inputs from within and outside the firm's direct operations.
Increasing specialization and access to global suppliers is what drives economies of scale and scope, which ultimately improves both firm competitiveness and consumer welfare. Companies get better at making more and better things and we like the non-stop innovation and variety of things to buy.
The Apple iPhone is a relatively famous example of a GVC: the device is invented, designed, and developed in Cupertino, California. Its components are sourced from suppliers in the United States and all over the world with final assembly in China by a firm headquartered in Taiwan. The finished devices are distributed all over the world with branding (and, in some cases, retail sale) by Apple.
GVCs operate in many sectors, from apparel to food. The level of specialization varies, but all GVCs rely on low coordination costs, open markets, and efficient transportation.
GVCs operate in many sectors, from apparel to food. The level of specialization varies, but all GVCs rely on low coordination costs, open markets, and efficient transportation. Importantly, international trade to a large degree is driven by trade among firms within GVCs. That means that imports of goods and services are the vital backbone of efficient GVCs.
OECD on Global Value Chains: https://www.oecd.org/sti/ind/global-value-chains.htm
Joint OECD-WTO Initiative on Measuring Trade in Value Added: https://www.oecd.org/sti/ind/measuringtradeinvalue-addedanoecd-wtojointinitiative.htm
Mapping Global Value Chains: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/5k3v1trgnbr4.pdf?expires=1478732683&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=DE4E6345A8C097CDD337BFB8DD60443F
Scott Miller is a senior adviser at CSIS. Previously, Miller was director for global trade policy at Procter & Gamble. He advised the U.S. government as liaison to the U.S. Trade Representative's Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, as well as the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy. Earlier in his career, he was a manufacturing, marketing, and government relations executive for Procter & Gamble in the United States and Canada.
Tags: manufacturing, services, value chains
https://tradevistas.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Tablet-e1478799530431.jpg 1049 1659 Scott Miller https://tradevistas.org/wp-content/uploads/TradeVistas_Logos-04.png Scott Miller2016-11-10 01:00:492019-05-23 19:46:59The Rise of Global Value Chains (GVCs)
COPYRIGHT © TRADEVISTAS 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
What Politicians Get Wrong About U.S. Manufacturing Skirts on Lawnmowers and Other "Non-Tariff" Barriers to Trade


The Wars of the Roses call to mind bloody battles, treachery and deceit, and a cast of characters known to us through fact and fiction: Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, Richard III, Warwick the Kingmaker, the Princes in the Tower, Henry Tudor. But the whole era also creates a level of bewilderment among even keen readers. John Ashdown-Hill gets right to the heart of this 'thorny' subject, dispelling the myths and bringing clarity to a topic often shrouded in confusion. Between 1455 and 1487, a series of dynastic wars for the throne of England were fought. These have become known as the Wars of the Roses. But there never was a red rose of Lancaster ... This book sets the record straight on this and many other points, getting behind the traditional mythology and reaching right back into the origins of the conflict to cut an admirably clear path through the thicket.


How can we rebuild Zaptel?
I tried to rebuild zaptel, but I was unsuccessful. How can we do a clean zaptel rebuild on v1.0.
1.0 has the kernel-devel package included. So, it should be possible to build zaptel in this distro. Could you post more details about the problem?
I am running the 1.0 version on vmware and to eliminate choppy sound I installed kernel-vm-2.6.18-53.1.4.el5 and kernel-vm-devel-2.6.18-53.1.4.el5. When I choose this kernel at start up I have to rebuild the zaptel.
I will check the kernel-devel package as you suggested.
Running the Xen version does indeed fix the sound problem without braking anything else. Still trying to get it running with the VMWare version of the kernel though as I assume it has some performance benefits.
I think that while fixing the bug, a good workaround would be to boot with the Xen kernel as stated by dsantiago.
Booting with Xen seems to resolve the sound problem. Thanks everyone for their inputs.
I downloaded and compiled zaptel-1.4.10. Zaptel no longer fails to load with the VMWare kernel. Unfortuently the sound canceller fails to load.
Will it be easy to update from Xen version to VMWare version when it's released?
Is anyone aware of issues running the Xen kernel in VMWare?
I am running a few versions of Elastix from VirtualBox on Windows. Although the standard kernel gave us accelerated recordings on some versions of Elastix, I think this may be resolved with the VMware kernel which so far, seems perfectly happy with Virtualbox.
There is however an error produced at start up saying that Zaptel does not load, and I would really like to know how to rebuild Zaptel as there seems to be no documentation here relating to that. Can I ignore the Zap errors if I have no such hardware?
CentOS is looking for /dev/zap at start up and it seems to not exist.


text:
Q: When running the 'hello world' test container for new installation of Docker, i get an OCI runtime error I've installed Docker on Centos 7 using the yum process. Below is the output for systemctl status docker.service -l:
       ● docker.service - Docker Application Container Engine
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/docker.service; disabled; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Tue 2018-01-02 14:11:09 GMT; 1h 15min ago
     Docs: https://docs.docker.com
 Main PID: 136537 (dockerd)
   Memory: 71.3M
   CGroup: /system.slice/docker.service
           ├─136537 /usr/bin/dockerd
           └─136556 docker-containerd --config /var/run/docker/containerd/containerd.toml

Jan 02 15:00:33 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:00:33.157175048Z" level=error msg="c60a6261b7381f5739fa11e6df8b4219d8db94e766c6e4c8c4c2d45a44ee03a5 cleanup: failed to delete container from containerd: no such container"
Jan 02 15:00:33 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:00:33.157230927Z" level=error msg="Handler for POST /v1.35/containers/c60a6261b7381f5739fa11e6df8b4219d8db94e766c6e4c8c4c2d45a44ee03a5/start returned error: OCI runtime create failed: unable to retrieve OCI runtime error (open /run/docker/containerd/daemon/io.containerd.runtime.v1.linux/moby/c60a6261b7381f5739fa11e6df8b4219d8db94e766c6e4c8c4c2d45a44ee03a5/log.json: no such file or directory): docker-runc did not terminate sucessfully: unknown"
Jan 02 15:09:44 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:44.837926048Z" level=info msg="ignoring event" module=libcontainerd namespace=moby topic=/containers/create type="*events.ContainerCreate"
Jan 02 15:09:44 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:44Z" level=info msg="shim docker-containerd-shim started" address="/containerd-shim/moby/3e04ce212f3603d2b93339494d74e305ea6a2e8d08a3ba9c30a0c741c9232b1f/shim.sock" debug=false module="containerd/tasks" pid=145298
Jan 02 15:09:44 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:44Z" level=info msg="shim reaped" id=3e04ce212f3603d2b93339494d74e305ea6a2e8d08a3ba9c30a0c741c9232b1f module="containerd/tasks"
Jan 02 15:09:44 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:44.899560066Z" level=error msg="stream copy error: reading from a closed fifo"
Jan 02 15:09:44 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:44.899585062Z" level=error msg="stream copy error: reading from a closed fifo"
Jan 02 15:09:44 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:44.921068216Z" level=info msg="ignoring event" module=libcontainerd namespace=moby topic=/containers/delete type="*events.ContainerDelete"
Jan 02 15:09:45 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:45.309201262Z" level=error msg="3e04ce212f3603d2b93339494d74e305ea6a2e8d08a3ba9c30a0c741c9232b1f cleanup: failed to delete container from containerd: no such container"
Jan 02 15:09:45 colossus dockerd[136537]: time="2018-01-02T15:09:45.309254679Z" level=error msg="Handler for POST /v1.35/containers/3e04ce212f3603d2b93339494d74e305ea6a2e8d08a3ba9c30a0c741c9232b1f/start returned error: OCI runtime create failed: unable to retrieve OCI runtime error (open /run/docker/containerd/daemon/io.containerd.runtime.v1.linux/moby/3e04ce212f3603d2b93339494d74e305ea6a2e8d08a3ba9c30a0c741c9232b1f/log.json: no such file or directory): docker-runc did not terminate sucessfully: unknown"

The error i get (sudo docker run hello-world) is:
docker: Error response from daemon: OCI runtime create failed: unable to retrieve OCI runtime error (open /run/docker/containerd/daemon/io.containerd.runtime.v1.linux/moby/3e04ce212f3603d2b93339494d74e305ea6a2e8d08a3ba9c30a0c741c9232b1f/log.json: no such file or directory): docker-runc did not terminate sucessfully: unknown.
    ERRO[0001] error waiting for container: context canceled
docker --version
 Docker version 17.12.0-ce, build c97c6d6

and here is the docker info
Containers: 27
 Running: 0
 Paused: 0
 Stopped: 27
Images: 47
Server Version: 17.12.0-ce
Storage Driver: devicemapper
 Pool Name: docker-253:0-135160107-pool
 Pool Blocksize: 65.54kB
 Base Device Size: 10.74GB
 Backing Filesystem: xfs
 Udev Sync Supported: true
 Data file: /dev/loop0
 Metadata file: /dev/loop1
 Data loop file: /var/lib/docker/devicemapper/devicemapper/data
 Metadata loop file: /var/lib/docker/devicemapper/devicemapper/metadata
 Data Space Used: 14.4GB
 Data Space Total: 107.4GB
 Data Space Available: 25.82GB
 Metadata Space Used: 12.6MB
 Metadata Space Total: 2.147GB
 Metadata Space Available: 2.135GB
 Thin Pool Minimum Free Space: 10.74GB
 Deferred Removal Enabled: true
 Deferred Deletion Enabled: true
 Deferred Deleted Device Count: 0
 Library Version: 1.02.140-RHEL7 (2017-05-03)
Logging Driver: json-file
Cgroup Driver: cgroupfs
Plugins:
 Volume: local
 Network: bridge host macvlan null overlay
 Log: awslogs fluentd gcplogs gelf journald json-file logentries splunk syslog
Swarm: inactive
Runtimes: runc
Default Runtime: runc
Init Binary: docker-init
containerd version: 89623f28b87a6004d4b785663257362d1658a729
runc version: N/A (expected: b2567b37d7b75eb4cf325b77297b140ea686ce8f)
init version: 949e6fa
Security Options:
 seccomp
  Profile: default
Kernel Version: 3.10.0-327.36.3.el7.x86_64
Operating System: CentOS Linux 7 (Core)
OSType: linux
Architecture: x86_64
CPUs: 88
Total Memory: 125.6GiB
Name: colossus
ID: HV7I:KP2J:N6SQ:SAEP:MWSO:O5T3:Y2PE:L6TL:2D6L:IHVD:SQ3E:TM5P
Docker Root Dir: /var/lib/docker
Debug Mode (client): false
Debug Mode (server): false
Registry: https://index.docker.io/v1/
Labels:
Experimental: false
Insecure Registries:
 127.0.0.0/8
Live Restore Enabled: false

WARNING: devicemapper: usage of loopback devices is strongly discouraged for production use.
         Use `--storage-opt dm.thinpooldev` to specify a custom block storage device.
WARNING: bridge-nf-call-iptables is disabled
WARNING: bridge-nf-call-ip6tables is disabled

A: You most likely have an old package installed that is breaking runc. Make sure to upgrade your operating system to the current release (for CentOS, this is 1708, or the RHEL equivalent of 7.4). Others have reported similar issues related to packages being out of date.

A: I had 2 systems with identical CentOS 7.2 versions and kernel.  Had this problem with one but not the other.   Comparing package versions showed a difference in the version of containerd.io -- I downgraded that on the non-working version and it worked:
$ sudo yum downgrade containerd.io-1.2.0-3.el7
Removed:
 containerd.io.x86_64 0:1.2.4-3.1.el7

Installed:
  containerd.io.x86_64 0:1.2.0-3.el7

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package com.intellij.spring.model.highlighting.jam;

import com.intellij.find.findUsages.FindUsagesHandler;
import com.intellij.psi.PsiElement;
import com.intellij.psi.PsiMethod;
import com.intellij.spring.model.jam.utils.SpringJamUtils;
import com.intellij.spring.model.xml.beans.SpringBaseBeanPointer;
import com.intellij.spring.model.xml.beans.SpringBeanPointer;
import com.intellij.util.containers.ContainerUtil;
import javax.annotation.Nonnull;

import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Set;

public class SpringJavaExternalBeanFindUsagesHandler extends FindUsagesHandler {
  private final PsiMethod myExternalBean;

  public SpringJavaExternalBeanFindUsagesHandler(final PsiMethod externalBean) {
    super(externalBean);
    myExternalBean = externalBean;
  }

  @Nonnull
  public PsiElement[] getSecondaryElements() {
    final List<SpringBaseBeanPointer> list = SpringJamUtils.findExternalBeans(myExternalBean);

    Set<PsiElement> psiElements = new HashSet<PsiElement>();

    for (SpringBeanPointer springBean : list) {
      ContainerUtil.addIfNotNull(springBean.getPsiElement(), psiElements);
    }
    return psiElements.toArray(new PsiElement[psiElements.size()]);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


"There never did, there never will, and there never can exist a parliament, or any description of men, or any generation of men, in any country, possessed of the right or the power of binding and controlling posterity to the `end of time,' or of commanding for ever how the world shall be governed, or who shall govern it. ... Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself, in all cases, as the ages and generations which preceded it."
ooops, 5 stars for the sentiment. I do agree that freedom and liberty will have an opportunity to return to this land one day.
DC will pass something as SSN. The first generation gets a free ride off the backs of the generations to come. Paine was so right.
Mike, let's hope that freedom and liberty start to return around November 6th, 2011.
Another reason we should scrap all the laws and start over. Let the states regain their sovereign power, let's cut the binds from the banksters that load us with debt, and let's truly free ourselves from tyranny. Start with the Declaration of Independence, for the arguments for separation are as valid today -- even more. Let's get rid of the Commerce Clause and prohibit the government from giving the power to create money to private banks. Let us have hard and credit currencies the values of which would be determined by the market and not statutory law. Let America produce again and watch us prosper.
For how many decades or generations can a nation subsist on its patrimony?
Can the Golden Thread of continuity, once severed, be reconnected?
Yes, but will we ever see it?
Truth and the intrinsic value of honesty plot the course. To what degree and to what methods in obtaining such goals ?
Robert, you will never 'see it' until you 'embody it.' Promote individual responsibility rather than gun control, population control, health control, education control, revenue control -- all those 'controls' rest with the individuals themselves.
This page has made for most interesting reading. Quotes can be spurious, pandering, posturing and epithetical to distraction. Uselessly pontificating because they do not reach the complicated nature of what living in a constantly changing society represents. Yet, the cycle of existence has commonalities which enable people to see, understand, the basic human motives (forces) behind individual issues of each age and across cultures. Yet, there are differences; unique to each age because we are evolving, growing, maybe. What is the alternative?


and 1,224 Sq Ft of living space.
Nice 3 bedroom 1 full bath Cape Style House with over 1,700 square feet on two levels.
Heating system and hot water are gas.
Prime Investor Opportunity in Bridgeport, CT! Don't miss out!


Reproduction of a toy originally made by the ACME Thunderer Whistle Co.
Before we had any sophisticated electronics, how did soldiers know who was friend or foe at night in enemy territory? During World War II, when paratroopers were dropped on the night before the invasion of Normandy, the soldiers carried small metal clicking toys called "D-Day crickets." These, along with passwords, were used to click to each other to signal that they were friendly and not the enemy.
Want to buy a reproduction clicker?


Daniela Müller-Brunke was born in Namibia to German parents. At the age of 7 the family moved to South Africa where she grew up in a small town in the semi-desert. After studying photography at the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elisabeth she moved to London to work as a photographic assistant for several years. After honing her talent in London she moved to Berlin. Here she works as a fashion, portrait and documentary photographer, dividing her time between London, Berlin and Africa shooting for clients worldwide. She regularly spends longer periods of time in Africa to work, visit her family and to breath.


text:
Home > England > Isle of Wight > Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Heritage Guide
BY DAVID ROSS, EDITOR
Carisbrooke Castle
Located just four miles off the Hampshire coast, the Isle of Wight has been drawing visitors from the mainland for centuries, but interest really picked up since Queen Victoria made it her "home away from home". Indeed, the major tourist draw is Victoria's own Osborne House, the fanciful Italianate mansion designed between 1845-1850 by Prince Albert as a retreat for the royal couple. A grieving Victoria had the house preserved exactly as it was when Albert died in 1861.
While Osborne House can be quite crowded, especially on summer weekends, most areas of the island still maintain an air of calm, and provide ample opportunities for outdoor pursuits such as walking and cycling. A cycle path circles the entire island, and a network of walking trails combine to offer excellent recreational strolls. One popular path is Tennyson's Trail, which runs along a ridge that the poet himself walked regularly, on its way to the striking chalk towers of The Needles.
Near The Needles is Alum Bay, famed for its unusual patterns of multi-coloured sand. Alum Bay is home to The Needles Park, a family attraction with a popular chairlift to the cliff base and boat trips around the Needles headland. Just as popular with families are the east coast towns of Ryde, Shanklin, and Ventnor. Outside Ryde is Quarr Abbey, a 12th century ruin, and at nearby Brading are the remains of a Roman villa.
The Needles, Alum Bay
Newport is the capital and largest town on the Isle of Wight, and just outside Newport is Carrisbrook, with its striking Norman castle. Though the castle itself is fascinating - and the views superb - it is the history of the fortress that provides much of its interest. For it was here that Charles I was imprisoned in 1647 before his final journey to London and death. Charles attempted to escape from the castle, and visitors today can see the narrow window where the unfortunate king became stuck.
If you come to the Isle of Wight for peace and quiet, don't come during Cowes Week! Every year in early August the attractive port of Cowes is filled with yachts from every corner of the globe. Cowes Week bills itself as the World's Greatest Sailing Event, and there are probably more millionaires per square foot in Cowes than anywhere else on the planet; certainly the series of races attracts worldwide attention and the finest boats and sailors make it an essential part of their schedule.
Getting to and from the Isle of Wight is simplicity itself; regular ferry services provide passage for cars and pedestrians to and from the island, arriving at Ryde, Cowes, Fishbourne, and Yarmouth.
Best of Britain Express Art Prints
Sandwood Bay, Sutherland
Loch Tay, Perthshire
Canvas prints, framed prints and greeting cards by award-winning photographer David Ross, editor of BritainExpress.com
Isle of Wight Hotels
Winkle Street, Calbourne, Isle of Wight Prints
Top Historic Attractions in Isle of Wight
Osborne House
Nunwell House and Gardens
Brading Roman Villa
Roman Site
Arreton Manor
Arreton, St George's Church
Historic Church
Freshwater, All Saints Church
Godshill, All Saints Church
Self Catering in Isle of Wight
1 Church House
Totland
Sleeps 7, from £557.00
1 The Stables
1 Willow Cottages
10 St. Joseph's
2 Hope Cottages
More self catering in Isle of Wight


text:
Mary Wilson (* 6. März 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi; † 8. Februar 2021 in Henderson, Nevada) war eine US-amerikanische Soul-Sängerin, die vor allem als Gründungsmitglied der Girlgroup The Supremes bekannt wurde. Sie war das einzige Mitglied, das von der Gründung 1959 bis zur offiziellen Auflösung 1977 Teil der Gruppe war.

Karriere

Mary Wilson sang nur selten die Leadstimme bei den Supremes, da diese Rolle meist von Diana Ross ausgefüllt wurde. Eine Ausnahme bildet zum Beispiel die erste Single der Supremes aus dem Jahre 1960, noch als "The Primettes" veröffentlicht. Hier singt Wilson auf der B-Seite Pretty Baby die erste Stimme.

Nach Ross' Ausstieg aus der Gruppe im Jahre 1970 sang Wilson unter anderen bei den beiden amerikanischen Top-40-Hits, Floy Joy und Automatically Sunshine (1972), neben Jean Terrell die Leadstimme.

Nach der offiziellen Auflösung der Supremes unterschrieb Wilson einen Solo-Vertrag bei Motown und veröffentlichte das Disco-Album Mary Wilson (1979), das allerdings nur einen der hinteren Plätze in den R&B-Charts erreichte. Das Lied Red Hot erreichte als einzige ihrer Singleveröffentlichungen einen Platz 95 in den amerikanischen R&B- und Platz 85 in den Disco-Charts. Auch danach nahm sie hin und wieder Solo-Platten auf, die allerdings keinerlei Erfolg hatten.

Für großes Aufsehen sorgten Wilsons Autobiografien Dreamgirl – My Life as a Supreme (1986) und Supreme Faith – Someday We'll Be Together (1990), in denen sie sich kritisch mit ihrer Vergangenheit als Mitglied der Supremes auseinandersetzte.

1988 wurde Mary Wilson als Gründungsmitglied der Supremes in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen.

Privat
Mary Wilson war von 1974 bis 1981 mit Pedro Antonio Ferrer verheiratet und hat drei Kinder mit ihm. Ihr gemeinsamer Sohn Rafael starb 1994 mit 14 Jahren nach einem Autounfall, bei dem auch Wilson schwer verletzt wurde. Dies ist einer der Gründe, warum sich die Sängerin später in diversen Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen für Kinder engagierte. Wilson adoptierte außerdem in den späten 1960er Jahren den siebenjährigen Sohn ihrer Cousine.

Diskografie

Alben
 1979: Mary Wilson (Motown)
 1992: Walk the Line (CEO)

Weblinks
 Offizielle Website von Mary Wilson

Einzelnachweise

Soulsänger
Musiker (Vereinigte Staaten)
Autobiografie
Person (Afroamerikanische Kultur)
US-Amerikaner
Geboren 1944
Gestorben 2021
Frau

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


What are your tricks for sorting through photographs?
That's like do you say Culvert or Calvert in Calvert County MD?
To be clear, there is no right or wrong. Sort of.
I download the photos or scarf them off Photo Stream.
I sift through them painstakingly.
I rename or put five stars by the best so they group themselves.
Then I put the top 30 in a folder.
I take gazillions so I avoid editing.
But tomorrow Picasa is on the learn list.
Anyway, what's in your sort and sift bag of tricks?
My First CirclePix YouTube Videos Have Launched!
What do you Toss in your Crockpot Chicken Soup on a Sunny Snowy Day?
Calvert County Schools CLOSED Today!
Three Spring Pop By Stop By Client Ideas!
Class notes from the 2013 RE/MAX Rally!
RE/MAX Rally is offered THREE Locations Nearby!


text:
Q: Python variable passing in functions to a menu I have a function, menu() which creates a menu to navigate and call functions. here is the function.
def menu():
    x = raw_input("WOOF! What can POODLE fetch for you? ('--nothing' to exit): ")
    if x == "--nothing":
            sys.exit(0)
    elif x == "--build":
            populateCrawled(toCrawl)
            graph = buildGraph(crawled)
            index = buildIndex(graph)
            ranks = computeRanks(graph)
            menu()
    elif x == "--dump":
            saveFile(index, "index.txt")
            saveFile(graph, "graph.txt")
            saveFile(ranks, "ranks.txt")
            menu()
    elif x == "--restore":
            index = loadFile("index.txt")
            graph = loadFile("graph.txt")
            ranks = loadFile("ranks.txt")
            menu()
    elif x == "--print":
            print graph
            print index
            print ranks
            menu()
    elif x == "--help":
            print "WOOF! POODLE Help Options"
            print "--build     Create the POODLE database"
            print "--dump      Save the POODLE database"
            print "--restore   Retrieve the POODLE database"
            print "--print     Show the POODLE database"
            print "--help      Show this help information"
            menu()
    elif x == "--search":
            search(index, rankablePages)
    else:
            print "Help option not found"
            menu()

seed = raw_input("Please enter the seed URL: ")
testSeed = "https://dunluce.infc.ulst.ac.uk/d11ga2/COM506/AssignmentB/test_index.html"
seed = testSeed
toCrawl=[seed]
crawled, graph, index, rankablePages = [], {}, {}, {}
MAX_DEPTH = 10
menu()

these variables and dictionaries are all declared globally but when I say type "--build" it does successfully build but then if I go to type "--print" it shows me
UnboundLocalError: local variable 'graph' referenced before assignment
However if I print these dictionaries immediatly after building then they print fine. It's when menu() is reloaded it loses these values. Should I use a while loop or do I need to do some parameter passing?

A: The fact that these variables are declared globally doesn't help (although note that you didn't actually define ranks globally…), because they're also declared locally, and the local names hide the global ones.
Whenever you write spam = eggs in the body of a function, that makes spam into a local variable, and anywhere spam appears in the function, it refers to that local variable.
If you want to make something global, but still be able to assign to it, you need a global statement. So:
def menu():
    global graph, index, ranks
    # the rest of your code

But as usual, a better solution is to stop using global variables.
One option create a class to hold your state, make menu a method of that class, and make graph and friends attributes of the class's instances.
But there's an even simpler option here. The only reason you need these variables to be global is because menu is calling itself recursively to simulate a loop. That's already a bad thing to do in Python, for other reasons. (For example, if you go through the menu about 999 times, you're going to get a recursion error.) If you just use a loop instead of trying to fake it, you can just use  local variables:
def menu(graph, index, ranks):
    while True:
        # the rest of your code except the menu() calls

# ...
crawled, graph, index, rankablePages = [], {}, {}, {}
menu(graph, index, ranks)

A: You should declare graph (and any other variable that menu should use externally) as a global:
def menu():
    global graph

    #rest of the code

you can read more about globals here


text:
Семен Михайлович Лазарчик (,  3 вересня 2000, Мінськ, Білорусь) — білоруський футболіст, захисник борисовського БАТЕ.

Життєпис
Вихованець школи футбольного клубу «Іслоч». Перший тренер — Борис Михайлович Лазарчик. З 2016 року розпочав виступати за дубль команди в першості дублерів. 1 серпня 2020 року дебютував у складі головної команди в матчі чемпіонату Білорусі проти «Славії-Мозир». Семен з'явився на полі на 3-ій компенсованій до основного часу матчу хвилині замість Дмитра Юсова. У січні 2021 року став гравцем борисовського БАТЕ.

Титули і досягнення
  Кубок Білорусі
  Володар (1): 2021

Примітки

Посилання

 Профіль гравця  на сайті soccerpunter.com
 Профіль гравця  на сайті worldfootball.net
 Профіль гравця  на сайті pressball.by
 Профіль гравця  на офіційному сайті ФК «Іслоч»

Уродженці Мінська
Білоруські футболісти
Футболісти «Іслочі»


text:
Antarctic sea ice increase caused by winds
Ex Contributor / May 4, 2019 November 12, 2012
In support of their views, climate change skeptics have long pointed to the fact that Antarctic sea ice – unlike that in the Arctic – is actually growing.
Now, though, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) say they know why.
It's sea ice drift caused by changing weather patterns, they say, after examining over five million individual daily ice motion measurements captured over a period of 19 years by four US Defense Meteorological satellites.
"Until now these changes in ice drift were only speculated upon, using computer models of Antarctic winds," says Dr Paul Holland of BAS.
"The total Antarctic sea-ice cover is increasing slowly, but individual regions are actually experiencing much larger gains and losses that are almost offsetting each other overall. We now know that these regional changes are caused by changes in the winds, which in turn affect the ice cover through changes in both ice drift and air temperature."
The changes in ice drift, says Holland, also suggest large changes in the ocean surrounding Antarctica, which is very sensitive to the cold and salty water produced by sea-ice growth.
"Sea ice is constantly on the move; around Antarctica the ice is blown away from the continent by strong northward winds," he says.
"Since 1992 this ice drift has changed. In some areas the export of ice away from Antarctica has doubled, while in others it has decreased significantly."
The research also helps explain why changes in the amount of sea-ice cover are so different in the two polar regions. The Arctic has experienced dramatic ice losses in recent decades whi,le the overall extent of ice cover in the Antarctic has increased slightly.
This small Antarctic increase is actually the result of much larger regional increases and decreases, says the team, which are now shown to be caused by wind-driven changes. In places, it now appears, increased northward winds have caused the sea-ice cover to expand outwards from Antarctica. But because the Arctic Ocean is surrounded by land, changed winds can't cause Arctic ice tomake it expand in the same way.
"The Antarctic sea ice cover interacts with the global climate system very differently than that of the Arctic, and these results highlight the sensitivity of the Antarctic ice coverage to changes in the strength of the winds around the continent," says Dr Ron Kwok of JPL.
Categories SustainabilityPost navigation
Celebrating Firefly's anniversary
Apple reaches patent accord with HTC


text:
Islam at Mount Vernon
Home Washington Library Center for Digital History Digital Encyclopedia Islam at Mount Vernon
By 1799 most of the enslaved individuals at Mount Vernon were second or third generation Americans. Some enslaved people were involved with Christian denominations in the area, including the Episcopalian, Baptist Methodist, and Quaker communities. However, elements of both Islam and other traditional African religions are found in the documentary and archaeological records of Mount Vernon's enslaved population.
Evidence of similar cultural survival has been found elsewhere in Virginia, Maryland, and in the Carolinas, as African-born enslaved people frequently continued to practice the religions that they had grown up with after their enslavement and transportation to the Americas. These traditions survived the longest in areas where the enslaved population had the highest concentrations of African-born individuals.
George Washington expressed little preference as to the religion practiced by the Mount Vernon workforce. Writing in March of 1784, Washington noted: "If they are good workmen, they may be of Asia, Africa, or Europe. They may be Mahometans [Mohammedans/Muslims], Jews, or Christians of any Sect, or they may be Atheists."1
Despite Washington's outlook, there were significant, inherent challenges to anyone trying to practice Islam at Mount Vernon. The typical workweek in Virginia stretched from Monday through Saturday, making traditional Friday Islamic prayers nearly impossible to continue at Mount Vernon since Friday was a workday. The degree of supervision by an overseer would also have interfered with the requirement to pray five times a day.
On most plantations, pork formed a significant part of the rations provided for the enslaved community, and alcohol was often utilized as a reward or was dispersed during times of especially hard work, in the belief that it was necessary for health. This certainly would have made it difficult for individuals to follow Islamic dietary guidelines. In addition, a pilgrimage to Mecca would have been out of the question for anyone enslaved in the Americas.
Much of the evidence for the presence of Muslim enslaved people at Mount Vernon comes from naming practices as well as individual histories. The names of at least three enslaved women at Mount Vernon indicate an Islamic influence on the Estate, if not the actual practice of Islam, over a period of roughly thirty years. Two women, presumably a mother and daughter, named "Fatimer" and "Little Fatimer" were included on a 1774 tithables list at Mount Vernon, a document prepared for local authorities listing the people whom Washington was responsible to pay taxes for. These names appear to be a variation of the popular Muslim woman's name Fatima, meaning "Shining One" in Arabic, and the name of the Prophet Mohammed's daughter.
The documented history of an enslaved African-born carpenter at Mount Vernon known as Sambo Anderson suggests that he was a practicing Muslim. The name Sambou is common throughout West Africa, used primarily for a second son among the Hausa people of what is now northwestern Nigeria and southern Niger. Sambo Anderson was described as having mahogany-colored skin, with high cheekbones, and a stout build. His face was marked by both tribal cuts and tattooing, and he wore gold rings in both ears. Interestingly, Sambo told several people that he was of royal birth and that his father was a king.
One of the things Sambo probably brought with him to Mount Vernon was Islam. The ethnic group from which he most likely came, the Hausa, was heavily influenced by both the Arabic language and Islamic religion, which spread to them from Mali beginning in the late fourteenth century.
Late in 1800, a young, unmarried, mixed-race woman named Letty who lived at Washington's Muddy Hole Farm gave birth to a girl she called "Nila." This name is a known variant of an Islamic woman's name "Naailah," which means "someone who acquires something" or "someone who gets what they want." Even if no one was actually practicing Islam at Mount Vernon by this time, this child's name provides evidence that some knowledge of Islamic tradition or familiarity with Arabic could still be found in the larger African American community in Fairfax County or Alexandria, if not at Mount Vernon itself, at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Mary V. Thompson
Research Historian
George Washington's Mount Vernon
1. "George Washington to Tench Tilghman, 24 March 1784," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-01-02-0174.
Curtin, Philip. D. Africa Remembered: Narratives by West Africans From the Era of the Slave Trade. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1967.
Diouf, Sylviane A. Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas. New York: New York University Press, 1998.
Gomez, Michael A. "Muslims in Early America," The Journal of Southern History (November 1994), 671-710.
Kolchin, Peter. American Slavery, 1619-1877. New York, N.Y.: Hill and Wang, 1993.
Thompson, Mary V. "'And Procure for Themselves a Few Amenities': The Private Life of George Washington's Slaves." Virginia Cavalcade 48, no. 4 (Autumn 1999): 178-190.
Thompson, Mary V. "Religious Practice in the Slave Quarters at Mount Vernon." Colonial Williamsburg Interpreter 21, no. 1, (Spring 2000): 10-14.
Walsh, Lorena S. From Calabar to Carter's Grove: The History of a Virginia Slave Community. Charlottesville, VA.: University Press of Virginia, 1997.


penetrates the dullness of a routine.
The routine gains an architecture. Lines sculpted from the sound.
An accretion and some longing.
For a past? A future?
Swedish partner/couple of singer Mariam Wallentin and drummer Andreas Werliin doing a hybrid of spare, percussion and vocal based music. Sort of defies categorization. I like that. I like that it defies category.
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This book explores two central aspects of shopper behavior at the POP: decision-making itself and how it is affected by in-store and out-of-store factors, with a focus on the role of in-store attention, post-decision choice satisfaction and its determinants. It empirically researches these aspects using data gathered in an eye-tracking field experiment. These data allow for a precise analysis of attention at the POP, as well as of many other important variables of in-store decision-making. Overall, the results show that retailers have less influence on in-store decision-making than manufacturers, despite having control over the POP, as out-of-store factors have a stronger impact on in-store decision-making than in-store factors.