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Tag / BRIC
June 20, 2013 by Mike Poverello
Euromonitor's latest insight on the Tobacco industry
Asia Pacific, BRIC, China, Cigarette, Euromonitor International, Middle East, Tobacco, Tobacco industry
Euromonitor International's latest global Tobacco market research provides the latest insight on how the Tobacco industry performed in 2012 and identifies the key prospects through to 2017. The double whammy of continued global economic uncertainty and increasing tobacco control took its toll as the industry posted a year of weak growth, in which no region experienced volume increases with the solitary exception of Asia Pacific, itself bolstered by the cigarettes behemoth that is China. World cigarettes values, normally propelled by growing unit prices and consumer uptrading, also took a battering, unprecedentedly growing by the same amount as global illicit trade volumes. With the current debate surrounding the reduced risk credentials of non-combustible products such as electronic cigarettes and their classification (pharma vs tobacco), the industry finds itself at a crossroads, pursuing cigarette alternatives whilst maintaining its cash cow.
Worldwide, 5.8 trillion cigarettes were consumed in 2012, representing 0.19% growth on the previous year, though this was due to the effect of the world's largest cigarettes market, China. Without China, the world witnessed a -1.7% decline in 2012 versus 2011.
Every region in the world, save for Asia Pacific, saw falls in cigarettes volume sales in 2012 (vs 2011), a decline expected to continue to 2017, with the sole exception of Middle East & Africa, which is expected to return to growth once political turmoil stabilises.
None of the BRIC markets registered cigarettes volume growth in 2012 (with the sole exception of China), a trend which will continue into 2017.
World cigarette value sales grew by almost the same amount in 2012 as global illicit trade volumes – at around 2.5% each. Values decreased in three regions – Western Europe, North America and Latin America – reflecting consumer down-trading.
Sales of premium cigarettes grew by nearly 10% globally in 2012, on the back of China's double-digit premium growth, though this will not be sustained at the global level in the long term. For whilst China will grow its premium brands by nearly 30% over the next five years to 2017, world premium sales will register a 5% fall.
World RYO volumes conversely grew by 6% in 2012 (vs 2011), registering growth in all regions, particularly Eastern Europe where it saw double-digit growth. Growth will continue to 2017, albeit at a declining rate.
Sales of cigars and smokeless tobacco both saw volume declines of around 3% in 2012, affected by a combination of poor economic performance and declines in its major markets.
Source: Euromonitor International
The Tobacco Industry at a Crossroads: The Decline of Cigarettes and the Rise of Alternatives (euromonitor.com)
March 24, 2013 by Mike Poverello
India's Trade Challenges Unique Among the BRICs
BRIC, Economic growth, Euromonitor International, Gross domestic product, India
In 2013, the prospects for trade for the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) will diverge. While the BRIC economies have been at the forefront of emerging market growth for the past decade, weaker export demand from the developed world since 2012 is impacting the trade balances of each BRIC country, reports Euromonitor International.
The widening trade deficit for India in particular, the only BRIC member in which imports outstrip exports, is threatening the country's growth prospects for the year. India's trade deficit widened in 2012 to 10.3% of GDP, as high oil prices further increased the cost of the country's imports, while export growth slowed, leading the imbalance to worsen. This is compared to 2.9% surplus in China, 9.9% surplus in Russia and a 0.9% surplus in Brazil in 2012. Both Russia and Brazil's exports are buoyed significantly by primary resources, such as oil and gas. Euromonitor International expects India's trade deficit to widen to 12.3% in 2013.
India's situation is unique. The country has not posted an annual trade surplus since at least 1977, primarily due to two key factors. First of all the country is highly dependent on imports of energy to maintain the country's energy consumption. For example, the country imports 75.2% of the crude oil that it consumes, as a result, in 2012, imports of mineral fuels accounted for 33.9% of the country's import bill. The rising costs of fossil fuels after 2010, as well as the low levels of energy efficiency have exacerbated India's trade deficit issues;
Secondly, the economy's external sector remains comparatively small in comparison with the other BRIC economies. The Indian economy has maintained growth through rising domestic spending and a burgeoning services sector, which in 2012 made up 53.4% of the economy. As a result, India's exports made up just 15.7% of the country's GDP in 2012, compared to 25.3% in China and 27.2% in Russia, Brazil is the exception with exports making up just 10.8% of GDP in the year;
However, over the majority of the period studied, the trade deficit has been offset by capital accumulation in India from FDI inflows into the country. Since 2006, a rapid acceleration in imports has led to a much larger trade deficit, while the financial crisis of 2007-2008 has meant FDI flows have tightened across the world. The trade deficit is therefore, a growing burden for India, as capital is diverted from India's economy to fund rising import costs.
Although there are challenges for India's external sector in 2013, the economy has seen very high trade growth, the fastest of the BRIC economies. Between 2007 and 2012, exports increased by 103.6% in US$ terms, while imports increased by 123.2%. Growth will continue in 2013, with 15.2% increase in exports and a 22.2% increase in imports. The rapid growth is a result of a burgeoning middle class and the development of export industries in the country. The long term prospects for India remain bright as a result, as the growing population and continued economic development offer considerable opportunities for investment. However, the trade deficit will continue to drag on economic growth until investor confidence in India returns. Source: Euromonitor International
The Top 5 Largest Economies in 2020 (mpoverello.com)
March 6, 2013 March 6, 2013 by Mike Poverello
Boost for Intra-African, BRICS Trade
Economic development, Economic Processing Zones, Trade and Industry
Africa, Brand South Africa, BRIC, China, Development Bank of Southern Africa, Eskom, IDC, India, NDP, Pravin Gordhan, South Africa
South African companies, including foreign companies based in South Africa, stand to benefit from relaxed cross-border financial regulations and tax requirements, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Delivering his 2013 National Budget speech in Parliament, Gordhan said that outward investment reforms that applied as part of a new set of "gateway to Africa" reforms would also apply to companies seeking to invest in countries outside of Africa, including in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries
Boost for cross-border trade
These reforms include the relaxation of cross-border financial regulations and tax requirements on companies in South Africa, as well as reforms making it easier for banks and other financial institutions in South Africa to invest and operate in other countries.
Brand South Africa welcomed these moves as being in line with South Africa's National Development Plan (NDP), which acknowledges the global shift of economic power from West to East, while also highlighting the rise of Africa.
"This is an important step to enabling trade and supporting regional integration," Brand South Africa CEO Miller Matola said in a statement following Wednesday's Budget speech.
Gordhan said Africa now accounts for 18 percent of South Africa's exports, including nearly a quarter of its manufactured exports, and that the SA Reserve Bank had approved over 1 000 large investments into 36 African countries over the last five years.
Southern Africa development projects
South Africa is also helping to fund several development projects in the wider southern African region, with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) accelerating investment into neighbouring countries, particularly in the field of electricity generation and transmission and road transport.
Added to this, South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) last year funded 41 projects in 17 countries to the tune of R6.2-billion. Most of these projects were in industrial infrastructure, agro-processing and tourism.
State company Eskom was also now considering investing in several regional generation and transmission projects outside South Africa. (Comment: I would have thought Eskom would ensure the money was spent on the local South African electrical grid! After having its expected 16% tariff increase halved last week, its quite incredible that such a notion can be in the cards. The South African public are truely being kept in the dark!!!)
Gordhan said there was a proposal to pool the foreign exchange reserves of the five BRICS member countries, with the idea of using this to support one another in times of balance of payments or currency crisis. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa collectively hold reserves of US$4.5-trillion.
He said work was under way to create a trade and development insurance risk pool, with the aim of setting up a sustainable and alternative insurance and reinsurance network for BRICS members. Source: SA News.gov.za
Will Nigeria Overtake South Africa as Africa's Powerhouse? (mpoverello.com)
Government heeds the call – Tax Holidays for SEZs (mpoverello.com)
BRICS countries seek "virtual secretariat" (indrus.in)
February 28, 2013 February 28, 2013 by Mike Poverello
Will Nigeria Overtake South Africa as Africa's Powerhouse?
BRICS, Economic development
Africa, BRIC, Economy of Africa, Nigeria, South Africa, Think Africa Press
Is Nigerian's President Goodluck Jonathan on the road to success? – Photograph by IITA Image Library
Posted with special permission and credit to Think Africa Press. Projections that Nigeria's economy will be more important than South Africa's by 2020 underplay serious instabilities in Nigeria's economy, political systems and surrounding region.
Following Nigeria's announcement that calculations of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) may have been underestimated over the last two decades, the country's economy has been portrayed much more optimistically by mainstream media. The Financial Times headline 'Nigeria: No 1 in Africa by 2014?' in its special edition on emerging markets, Beyond Brics, is a case in point. Similarly, headlines such as 'Nigerians optimistic about economic prospects' or 'Nigeria wins ratings upgrade for tight fiscal policy' from The Guardian and Reuters, respectively, capture the media's changing attitude towards Africa's most populous nation.
And Nigeria's economic performance has not only caught the attention of the media. The traditionally cautious business community, major global players such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and influential private institutions such as Goldman Sachs, have warmly embraced this favourable analysis, setting the scene for more positive depictions of Nigeria's economy. It appears academia, too, has joined the chorus in praising Nigeria's apparatchiks for supposedly bringing in reforms that have resulted in "unprecedented" growth.
Several commentators are now asserting that Nigeria's economy will be more important to Africa than South Africa's by 2020. These analyses in particular require a closer look.
South Africa vs. Nigeria
There is little doubt that the Nigerian economy, simply in terms of size, will reach the top rung by 2020, if not earlier. By some measures, it could already be seen as the biggest economy in Africa. Its massive population has seen its economy grow at speeds unimaginable not long ago. But does that mean Nigeria will automatically become a more dynamic and important regional economy than that of South Africa?
Measured analysis is less convincing, and show that such predictions focus heavily on Nigeria's current high growth rates at the expense of serious weaknesses and instabilities in its economy, political systems and region. In comparison to South Africa, Nigeria is still confronted by numerous challenges.
First, Nigeria's high growth rates have been driven by consistently high crude oil prices. Indeed, the story about Nigeria's growth is predominantly about oil. The primary engine for such high oil prices on the world market has been demand from BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. However, since the 2008 global financial crisis, BRICS countries have been showing signs of struggling, with growth forecasts for this year cut by almost half. If oil demand continues to weaken due to their sluggish economic performance, Nigeria's economy could prematurely plateau in a manner analogous to Japan. On the other hand, South Africa's economy is more diversified, and as a result, its growth rate, though more measured, is likely to be steady.
Second, Nigeria has, in comparative terms, a smaller entrepreneurial community than South Africa. Dependency on oil appears to have profoundly discouraged would-be innovators and entrepreneurs from other sectors, such as the 'smart' industries of finance or telecommunications. With the exception of well–established conglomerates such as the Dangote Group, Nigeria also struggles with internationalising its companies. Indeed, there is a sense that Nigerian entrepreneurs have more interest in accumulation than in global expansion. The Nigerian economy needs to reach out to international markets if it wants to sustain the momentum initiated by high GDP growth rates.
South Africa, on the other hand, has shown that it has the ability to take advantage of regional and international markets, with its companies such as Nandos Restaurants, MTN Multinational and Stanbic Bank, amongst many, showing the potential to become global brands. In a manner akin to the US, South Africa has also successfully 'exported' its currency, with the rand being used as official currency in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland, a move that has boosted trade with its neighbours.
Third, Nigeria struggles to retain skills and continues to see an outflow of its best minds to London, New York and Johannesburg. For the past 30 years, it has been a country exporting future engineers, economists and doctors. With its workforce, Nigeria will be hard pressed to keep up with the mature knowledge of South Africa, a country whose dynamic economy continues to see it attract some of the best people in Africa. South Africa's top industries and universities are manned by highly qualified and some of the most sought after professionals in the region, including Nigerians. For the foreseeable future, human capital will remain South Africa's comparative advantage.
Fourth, intractable corruption in Nigeria is a formidable barrier to sustained growth. Corruption is pervasive and the problem is compounded by the fact that Nigeria lacks the political will and effective institutions to address it. To be a dynamic economy, Nigeria needs to demonstrate interest in countering corruption by building the trust of its own people and investors. In contrast, South Africa has comparatively stronger institutions for tackling corruption, including an effective judiciary system, the very elements that are missing in Nigeria today.
Fifth, Nigeria lags behind South Africa in terms of infrastructure. Its infrastructural systems are not fully competitive, nor do they resemble 21st century standards, with its rail and road networks requiring serious attention. Nigeria needs to invest in infrastructure that will better connect its regions to each other and the country to the rest of the world. More of everything, from ports and bridges to airports and industrial clusters, is required for trade with its neighbours, along with extensive broadband internet connections. The same is not true of South Africa, which has the region's most extensive infrastructural development.
Sixth, for an economy to grow sustainably, its immediate periphery must be stable and prosperous enough for trade. In West Africa, Nigeria is in the middle of a rough neighbourhood, with social unrest in the Ivory Coast and the unpredictable politics of Mali and Chad, amongst others, posing a threat to regional stability. South Africa benefits from its relatively peaceful immediate region, with the 'Post–Apartheid Regional System' having seen increased stability in Southern Africa over the past 15 years.
Last but not least, Nigeria is confronted by religious violence that poses an 'existential' threat to its state, and relentless socio-ethnic tensions. In the predominantly Muslim North, for example, the activities of groups such as militant Islamists Boko Haram threaten security and political order – public goods upon which dynamic economic activity is dependent. The former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar recently expressed concern at the deteriorating security situation, admitting that insecurity was constraining Nigeria's potential.
South Africa has its problems too
So far South Africa has been looked at as a stable entity. However, it's important to continue this analysis from the opposite direction: the sustainability of South Africa's stability. Indeed, the real threat to South Africa's leadership of the Africa region is not Nigeria, but its increasingly tense social atmosphere, undermining its fragile stability. Despite the promise that its economy shows, incidents such as the Marikana massacre give a strong sense that South Africa's post–apartheid society still faces serious problems. Concise definition of these problems, though, has appeared difficult, with even some of the most incisive voices struggling to provide convincing explanations of what is haunting the Rainbow Nation.
South Africa's state elites and the civil and business communities need to urgently explore the causes of such a tense social atmosphere, and confront them head on. The 2000 crisis across the Limpopo River in Zimbabwe is a stern reminder that an insecure social atmosphere bodes ill. It may only be, though, when South Africa faces a crisis of 'Zimbabwean' proportions, which may not be impossible, that Nigeria gains that precious title of being the regional powerhouse. Otherwise, the continental economic order is likely to look the same come 2020.
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The Top 5 Largest Economies in 2020
Economic development, International Trade
BRIC, China, Euromonitor International, GDP, India, Japan, PPP, Russia
Source: Euromonitor International from national statistics/Eurostat/OECD/UN/International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Financial Statistics (IFS)Note: Purchasing Power Parity has been used as this is a method of measuring the relative purchasing power of different countries' currencies over the same types of goods and services, thus allowing a more accurate comparison of living standards.
By 2020, three of the world's five largest economies will be emerging countries, accounting for 30.4% of global GDP in PPP terms. Advanced economies are being displaced by emerging market superpowers, notably the BRIC countries, which has been accelerated by the seismic effects of the global economic downturn of 2008-2009. Euromonitor International predicts that China will become the world's largest economy in PPP terms in 2017.
Additionally, Russia will overtake Germany as the fifth largest economy in 2016. These shifts will influence global politics, business environments and investment flows while consumer markets in developing countries will rise in importance as the middle class expands.
1. China: Set to become world's largest economy in 2017
A large manufacturing base, cheap labour costs, the world's largest population and economies of scale have resulted in unprecedented economic growth in China. Although growth is slowing, the delayed recovery in advanced economies from the global economic downturn means China will overtake the USA as the world's biggest economy in 2017, and account for 19.0% of global GDP in PPP terms by 2020. Challenges loom large, however, including rising labour costs, pollution, a potential real estate bubble and rapid ageing arising from the government's one child policy. Euromonitor predicts that China's working age population (aged 15-64) will decline from 2014.
2. USA: End of the American dream?
The USA will lose its position as the world's number one economy in 2017. In 1990, the USA accounted for a quarter of global GDP in PPP terms but we forecast this to plummet to 16.0% by 2020. The country was where the global financial crisis began in 2008 and it has failed to recover to its potential while also slipping in global competitiveness rankings. Although the government avoided the "fiscal cliff" in 2012, one of the biggest challenges remains a budget deficit reduction strategy, without the ensuing political gridlock. Nevertheless, the USA retains advantages, namely as the world's largest consumer market and a leader of technological innovation.
3. India: Demographic dividend to benefit country beyond 2020
India overtook Japan as the world's third largest economy in PPP terms in 2011 and its demographic advantage means the country could become the world's biggest economy in the coming decades. India has a young population where it is benefitting from its demographic dividend (when there are more people of working age and the proportion of the child population declines). Euromonitor forecasts that India will become the world's largest population by 2025 and that its working-age population will increase by 11.6% in 2013-2020 compared to -3.1% in China. However, India lags in major indicators including educational attainment and infrastructure development.
4. Japan: Paying the price for decades of economic stagnation
Structural problems beset Japan, with decades of weak economic growth and deflation while it has totalled the highest proportion of public debt in the world at 235% of GDP in 2012. Although the country has not yet suffered a eurozone-style sovereign debt crisis, as the majority of its debt is domestically-owned, an increase of foreign debt could trigger a Japanese debt crisis. It has the oldest population globally (mean age of 44.7 in 2012) and a shrinking labour force which will add considerable strain on government finances, while a strong currency makes its exports uncompetitive. Yet Japan's location within Asia means it can take advantage of cheaper production costs in the region and growing demand for its high-tech products from a burgeoning Asian middle class. Like the USA, it is a global technological leader, giving it a competitive edge over its emerging neighbours.
5. Russia: Overtakes Germany as fifth largest economy in 2016
Russia will become the world's fifth largest economy in 2016 in PPP terms, driven by its energy sector, as one of the top oil and natural gas producers worldwide. It also offers potential in its rapidly expanding consumer market, which Euromonitor forecasts will be the ninth largest globally in real terms in 2020. Its accession to the World Trade Organisation in August 2012 further cements its integration into the global economy. The lack of economic diversification and modernisation remain key long-term challenges with government policy aiming to tackle this, for example, by investing in the Skolkovo Innovation Centre Project, Russia's equivalent to Silicon Valley. Corruption, state control and bureaucracy also hamper the business environment in Russia. Like elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the Russian working-age population is in decline (-4.5% in 2013-2020) despite a short-term baby boom, which will pose a demographic challenge to sustaining non-oil economic growth. Source: Euromonitor.com
China to Become World's Largest Economy by 2017 (247wallst.com)
Emerging markets to make up over 50% of global GDP this year (wantchinatimes.com)
The BRICS Strategic Roadmap (mycatbirdseat.com)
February 5, 2013 February 5, 2013 by Mike Poverello
Nigeria – Maximizing Opportunities in Free Trade Zones
Economic development, Economic Processing Zones, Export, IDZ, Manufacturing, SEZ, Special Economic Zones, Trade Facilitation
Africa, BRIC, Business and Economy, China, EPZ, Foreign trade zone, Free trade zone, Free Trade Zones, FTZ, IDZ, Nigeria, Risk management, South Africa, World Trade Organization
Lagos Free Trade Zone
So how come FTZs, IDZs, EPZs, etc are working in other African countries and not here in South Africa? This Day Live (Nigeria) offers some of the critical success factors which delineate such zones from the normal economic operations in a country. Are we missing the boat? The extent of economic and incentive offering can vary substantially between the different economic and trade zone models – some extremely liberal while others tend to the conservative. Obviously the more liberal and free the regulations are the more stringent the 'guarantees' and controls need to be. However, in today's e-commercial world, risk to revenue can more than adequately be mitigated and managed with through risk management systems. Manufacturing and logistical supply chain operations are likewise managed in automated fashion. I guess the real issue lies in governments appetite for risk and more particularly its willingness to relax tax and labour laws within such zones. Furthermore, a sound economic roadmap demonstrating backward linkages to the local economy and outward linkages to international markets must be defined. Herein lies some of the difficulties which have plagued South African attempts at such economic offerings – no specific economic (export specific) goals. Limited financial/tax incentives for investors, and poor cooperation between the various organs of state to bring about a favourable investment climate.
Free Trade Zones (FTZs) are at the crux of the growth attributed to emerging markets. All the BRIC nations have used the FTZs as a buffer to economic meltdown particularly in the wake of the most recent financial and economic crises. The "great recession" of 2007 – 2009 saw the BRIC nations growing at the rates of 7% to 13%. Consequently, the importance of FTZs as well as maximizing opportunities therein cannot be over-emphasized. The literature defining FTZs vary, but they all have the following characteristics in common:
A clearly delimited and enclosed area of a national customs territory, often at an advantageous geographical location, with an infrastructure suited to the conduct of trade and industrial operations and subject to the principle of customs and fiscal segregation.
A clearly delineated industrial estate, which constitutes a free trade enclave in the customs and trade regime of a country, and where foreign manufacturing firms, mainly producing for export, benefit from a certain number of fiscal and financial incentives.
Industrial zones with special incentives set up to attract foreign investors, in which imported materials undergo some degree of processing before being re-exported.
Fulfilling their roles in having a positive effect on the host economy, regulators look at FTZs from a nationalist perspective. Inevitably, they seek the following benefits:
Creating jobs and income: one of the foremost reasons for the establishment of FTZs is the creation of employment.
Generating foreign exchange earnings and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI): measures designed to influence the size, location, or industry of a FDI investment project by affecting its relative cost or by altering the risks attached to it through inducements that are not available to comparable domestic investors are incentives to promoting FDI. Implicit in this statement lies the definition of FTZ. Other traits that are recognizable when discussing FDI's include specially negotiated fiscal derogations, grants and soft loans, free land, job training, employment and infrastructure subsidies, product enhancement, R&D support and ad hoc exceptions and derogations from regulations. In addition to FDI, by promoting non-traditional exports, increased export earnings tend to have a positive impact on the exchange rate.
Transfer of technology: trans-national corporations (TNCs) are a dominant source of innovation and direct investment by them is a major mode of international technology transfer, possibly contributing to local innovative activities in host countries. It is a government's primary obligation to its citizenry to provide attractive technology, innovative capacities and mastering, upgrading, and diffusing them throughout the domestic economy. Nevertheless, through national policies, international treaty making, market-friendly approaches, a host country gravitates from providing an enabling environment to stronger pro-innovation regimes that perpetually encourage technology transfer.
FTZs can be both publicly (i.e. government) and or privately owned and managed. Governments own the more traditional older zones, which tend to focus more on policy goals that are primarily socio-economic. They emphasize industry diversification, attracting FDI, job creation and the like. Privately-owned FTZs have the advantage of eliminating government bureaucracy, are more flexible, and are better prepared to deal with technological changes. The global trend towards privatization has made privately-run zones more popular and a number are highly successful. The role of government in the case of privately-run zones is to provide a competitive legal framework with attractive incentive packages that meet the World Trade Organization (WTO) requirements.
FTZ Operations in Nigeria
FTZs were established in 1991 in order to diversify Nigeria's export activity that had been dominated by the hydrocarbon sector. By 2011, there were nine operational zones; ten under construction; and three in the planning stages. The governing legislation includes the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Act (NEPZA) and the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone Act (OGEFZA). Zones may be managed by public or private entities or a combination of both under supervision of the Authority. For the full article go to – This Day Live
World Bank-Nigeria Cooperation: A Partnership for Accelerated Development (ayokoya.wordpress.com)
SA, Nigeria sign accounting agreement (accountkeeper.wordpress.com)
Does China Plan To Establish "China Cities" And "Special Economic Zones" All Over America? (fromthetrenchesworldreport.com)
September 12, 2012 September 13, 2012 by Mike Poverello
Is South Africa being screwed by China?
Anti-Dumping, Customs Law, Illicit Goods, Non Tariff Barriers, Risk Management, WTO
BRIC, China, Department of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, Market economy, Moeletsi Mbeki, Russia, South Africa, Tariff, Trade, World Trade Organization
In recent days there's been mutterings amongst several business commentators concerning the state of the South African manufacturing sector and its inability to compete in the local economy in the face of 'so-called' cheap imports. For once I heard some common sense instead of the usual WTO/economist waffle which normally just confuses people instead of shedding light on the inherent problems. What the Business Times article below suggests is that our prevailing job plight is self-induced and should not be blamed entirely on rogue elements alone. Under valuation and mis-declaration have and always will pose a challenge to any country. The blame has been placed on Customs not doing its job; yet, the problem appears to lie at the feet of policy makers who have made foolish decisions for which the country as whole now pays the price.
The trouble began soon after 1994, when then Trade and Industry Minister, anxious to prove to the then rich and powerful, and sceptical, West what lovers of democracy and free markets they were, removed tariff protection on cheap imports against a considerable body of expert advice. And 12 years before we needed to, because the World Trade Organisation's predecessor, GATT, had given South Africa 12 years to modernise its manufacturing, improve its skills and prepare itself before lowering import tariffs.
At the time, Trade and Industry Minister and the government thought South Africa did not need a grace period. Leslie Boyd, then head of the Anglo-American industrial division, warned of the devastating consequences but to no avail. "They thought if they took the crutches away we'd become a free market economy and we'd be competitive," says Stewart Jennings, chairman of the Manufacturing Circle which represents thousands of manufacturers in SA. "It was the most ridiculous thing you could ever imagine. Those of us in business know there is no free market in the world. Every country protects itself. We don't. Here's an economy without skills that just throws open the tariffs. We're the country that's whiter than white in terms of the WTO. Everybody else just abuses us."
Business consultant Moeletsi Mbeki opines "[government] is too ideologically orientated, it operates from ideology rather than from practical expertise. This motivates our relationship with China. The Chinese can do no wrong."
One of the worst mistakes they made, he believes, was to sign an agreement that gave the Chinese market economy status which it did not and does not deserve. The talk was that SA agreed to do this as compensation for imposing a three-year quota on Chinese textile imports. The effect on SA's manufacturing sector has been devastating. "As a consequence of that agreement it is virtually impossible for us to get countervailing duties into China through ITAC [the International Trade Administration Commission which used to fall under the Department of Trade and Industry but is now under Ebrahim Patel's Department of Economic Development]," says Stewart Jennings. "We've battled to get dumping duties or safeguards against China. Most of the applications that have gone to ITAC have been kicked into touch."
First, China starts with a currency that is 30% undervalued. It manipulates it, so any goods it exports to SA are 30% cheaper than they should be. On top of that there are all sorts of incentives for Chinese exporters. And then, as Jennings says, attempts by local manufacturers to defend themselves by applying for countervailing duties more often than not go nowhere.
Iraj Abedian of Pan African Investment and Research says the short answer to the question is yes, we are being screwed. "Not because the Chinese have been smart but because we've been snoozing and naïve."
SA was so flattered to be asked to join the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) club of developing economies that it did not drive a hard enough bargain. "We were romanticising our relationship with China and celebrating the fact that China was inviting us to join BRIC. We took it as a form of political honeymoon without recognising its effect on manufacturing, without assessing our counter-strategy for safeguarding national interests in the form of jobs and tax revenue." China needed SA to join BRIC at least as much as SA itself wanted to join, but SA failed to capitalise on this.
Executive director of the Manufacturing Circle, Coenraad Bezuidenhout, who has observed the effect at close quarters, thinks part of it is that "our guys find the prospect of dealing with China daunting. They feel we need China as a market for our raw materials more than China needs us." He thinks this attitude reflects a worrying lack of professionalism on the part of those who are paid to battle for SA's interests. "We should be leveraging our position with regard to our minerals and our access to African markets far more than we do when we deal with China." Source: Business Times


CIO has a very vital role in the growth of any company in these times of technology. From someone who was responsible for churning out financial data under the leadership of a CFO to someone who is at equal footing or even more in board room discussions has been the journey of the CIO over last four decades.
Large companies spend a lot of time and money to get an all-round leader to lead their business IT function. The role has become so crucial that company's sustainability, growth and profitability, all hinge on the ability of the CIO to enable business. While large companies can hire superstar leaders in managing their IT, issue is mainly with small companies who are not very tech savvy and have almost no access to a CIO like person. Several mid scale companies also have been carrying their IT manager who was more of an execution guy than a strategist as a CIO.
Without knowing the risk of having someone not capable to lead this function, many of these companies run a risk of loosing out in this era of technology excellence and enablement. These companies end up doing things which either is inefficient, not scalable or just something because it was in their plain sight in absence of someone to advice & guide them appropriately in enabling them better.
I happened to stay in a hotel where the point of sale was a standard system and except for room booking and printing invoices, nothing more could be done. This hotel was listed online but on doing online booking, rooms were not automatically booked in the system. Hotel staff relied heavily in several manual processes to keep track of these things, without knowing that there can be something better. In this process, they missed few overnight reservations already done online ending up loosing customers and not knowing how to control the issue.
On the other hand, a Hotel chain was highly efficient and had far less staff to do the same work even more efficiently, because of effective automation. Moreover, system helped them understand the customer's previous history and offer them with deals, which generated even more business.
The question of how these small entities can have access to good CIOs still remains. There are niche companies, who provide a virtual CIO like services by helping mid and small scale companies in deciding the IT strategies and helping them execute in a shared mode. An informed CIO can help bring down the cost of IT while making the business grow and certainly worth the cost.
This is something, even larger companies can take advantage of eventually, using he collective wisdom of thousands of CIOs globally.


January 29, 2013, 1:48 p.m.
As part of his continuing efforts to fight hunger worldwide, Microsoft founder Bill Gates this week called on the governments of Germany and all of the European Union to commit to alleviating hunger, despite the region's ongoing economic crisis.
Gates, who devotes most of his time now to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, met with Germany's Development Minister Dirk Niebel today, where his foundation pledged €20 million ($27 million) to help the country's anti-hunger drive. According to the Associated Press, the German government will match the foundation's donation, with another €40 million coming from other businesses. The money will be used worldwide, including southeast Asia and west Africa.
Speaking to the German magazine Vorwärts, which is run by the Social Democratic Party, Gates criticized European governments for cutting back on anti-hunger aid during the economic crisis. "Development aid only counts for a fraction of public spending in most donor countries," Gates said, as reported by New Europe. "Cuts in this area will not solve our budgetary problems." The Social Democrats have pledged to increase anti-hunger funding to 0.7 percent of gross domestic product if they take back control in this year's elections.
According to Gates, nearly 6.9 million children under the age of 5 died from hunger during 2011 — an improvement over the 20 million who died in 1960, but not good enough. "We still have a long way ahead of us to ensure that every child that is born has the same chance of a healthy life regardless of whether it is born in a rich or a poor country," he said.
Gates, accompanied by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, launched a worldwide effort to fight hunger earlier this month. The Enough Food for Everyone campaign is supported by the Gates Foundation, the Church of England, Oxfam, Tearfund, Save the Children and nearly 100 other organizations. In announcing the campaign, Gates and Tutu warned that nearly 1 billion children worldwide will experience hunger and malnutrition by the year 2025. "Hunger is not an incurable disease or an unavoidable tragedy," Tutu said last week. "We can make sure no child goes to bed hungry. We can stop mothers from starving themselves to feed their families. We can save lives."
Over on his foundation's website, Gates wrote that he will release his annual letter on Jan. 30, sharing what the foundation has learned in the past year and what it will be doing in the coming year. "This year," he wrote, "my letter focuses on the catalytic role that measurement can play in reducing hunger, poverty, and disease. Setting goals and measuring progress are obviously not new ideas. But over the last year, I've really been struck by the impact this can have improving the lives of the poorest." He will also be talking about some of the foundation's other efforts, including helping teachers, improving health services, and eradicating polio.


Newness by Amarelo Manga, the Marcelle Overall.
Shot in a stylish built store reminding of the late seventies, this is Marcelle, a black overall/Jumpsuit with a fuzzy warm fur collar in beige.
As jumpsuits show you curves, it comes with a big leather cognac colored belt to accentuate your waist.
As can be expected, Luana made Marcelle in several color options.
← ~ 019 Where to go for my dreaming……..


The Edgewood College Eagles coaching staff is excited to run this camp to help the Memorial athletes increase their volleyball skills and understanding of the game. Winning a Big 8 Conference championship takes a lot of work, and this camp is intended to help get you there.
Camp Updates: Will be sent via email. Please check the email address that you supplied us when you signed up for camp.


Open Music Archive is a collaborative initiative to source, digitise and distribute out of copyright sound recordings. The archive website is currently under construction and will be open for anyone to use, edit and contribute to.
Open Music Archive want to engage in future collaborations and distributive projects.
We are currently working on a project researching and collecting music that has fallen out of copyright and is now in the public domain. This music will be distributed freely through a website (under construction).
For Open Congress, Ben will play a short DJ set of music made entirely of samples of the collected recordings, mainly sourced from 1920s 78rpm records. An accompanying slideshow will uncover the process of tracking this material.
For British Art Show 6 Eileen Simpson and Ben White were invited to develop 'Screen Tests' with artists Marysia Lewandowska and Neil Cummings. Using tracks sourced from the Open Music Archive, Ben White created the soundtrack for Screen Tests and performed the soundtrack live as part of the BAS6 launch at BALTIC. Further live performances are scheduled for Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol.


Rome, 17/12/2018: on December 12th, the Ambassador of Qatar to Italy, H.E. Abdulaziz Bin Ahmed Al-Malki Al-Jehani, organized a prestigious reception in the halls of the Excelsior Hotel in Rome, to celebrate Qatar National Day. The event was attended by around 1,000 of the highest Representatives.
Easy Diplomacy was directly appointed by His Excellency to organize the moment of highest visibility – the speech. The Ambassador's need and desire was for the public to see and listen to him attentively. The Head of Mission pronounced important words indeed: he highlighted the steady growth and development of Qatar's economy and the closer relations with Italy. On May 1st, for instance, Qatar's Defence Attaché Office opened in Rome.
On that specific occasion, Easy Diplomacy designed and set up the 'stage' where the Ambassador stood to deliver his official speech: from the audio and video system projecting contents during the key moments of the soirée, to the extremely refined floral frame with the colours of Qatar's flag, up to the customized celebratory cake, for the much anticipated joint cutting of the cake with the most distinguished guests.
The preparation of the precious and most significant moments of the soirée was coordinated in synergy with the Embassy's personnel. Each minute of the event's programme was meticulously planned, therefore the soirée went on smoothly from the welcome address to the final dinner.
The effort made by professional experts for entire days made a real difference during the few hours when the event took place, leading to the client's full satisfaction, and consequently ours too.
This is our job – giving clients what they need and customizing our service as a tailor-made suit. As for event planning, Easy Diplomacy's badge blends with creativity and attention to details for a broader international outreach. That is why details, above all, are essential for us, for guests to understand the attention and special care dedicated to designing the whole project.
What are the ingredients in our recipe for success? Field experience and precise knowledge of the Diplomatic World, wide network of providers and professional partners selected nationwide, and finally a lot of passion for our job!
>> See pictures of our work. Click here!


A list of attendees also lists Pro Football Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Warren Sapp.
RIDGEDALE — A number of the best pass rushers in the NFL are at Big Cedar Lodge for Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller's second annual pass rushing summit.
Miller, a Denver Broncos All-Pro outside linebacker, hosted his first summit on the campus at Stanford University in California last year. It was attended by pass rushers Khalil Mack, Vic Beasley and Malik Jackson among others.
This year's summit features Broncos fifth overall pick in the most recent NFL Draft, Bradley Chubb, along with DeForest Buckner, Bud Dupree, Marcus Davenport and Charles Harris among others.
Miller told reporters in May that Bass Pro Shops is sponsoring the event.
The summit is not Miller's first trip to a Bass Pro attraction.
The outside linebacker gave thumbs up to Wonders of Wildlife when he visited the USA Today's America's Best Aquarium in January.
A fishing component will be a part of the event.
The News-Leader has a reporter and a photographer at Top of the Rock this morning.


Updated, @Mack your bank total was correct. The post before this you started with 4 in the bank then added 3 bringing it to 7. Then in this update you spent 12 of the 14 you earned which adds 2 to your bank bringing it to 9 in total. If you feel like this is incorrect then pm me and I can request an audit on your update page.
Redistribute: +3 face offs, +3 checking, +3 fighting, +3 Penalty shot.


text:
Caratteristiche tecniche
Lustig viene schierato, solitamente, da terzino destro. È un calciatore con caratteristiche sia difensive che offensive.

Carriera

Club
È cresciuto nel settore giovanile del Sandåkerns SK, un piccolo club della sua città natale Umeå. Successivamente è passato al principale club cittadino, l'Umeå FC, con cui ha giocato per due anni nella terza serie nazionale. All'epoca, veniva talvolta schierato come centrocampista.

Nell'agosto del 2005 è avvenuto il suo passaggio al GIF Sundsvall, squadra con cui Lustig nella rimanente parte di stagione ha avuto modo di giocare le sue prime 8 partite in Allsvenskan, nelle quali ha segnato due reti. Il GIF Sundsvall, tuttavia, ha chiuso quel campionato al penultimo posto ed è quindi retrocesso in Superettan. Lustig è rimasto in rosa, e nei due campionati successivi è sceso in campo in 57 delle 60 partite in calendario, contribuendo al ritorno nella massima serie al termine della stagione 2007. Con la maglia del GIF Sundsvall ha iniziato a disputare anche il campionato di Allsvenskan 2008, giocando titolare tutte e undici le partite prima della pausa estiva dovuta agli Europei 2008.

Il 26 luglio 2008 è stato ufficialmente acquistato dai norvegesi del Rosenborg, formazione guidata dall'allenatore svedese Erik Hamrén che ha identificato in Lustig il sostituto del connazionale Fredrik Stoor appena ceduto al Fulham. Lustig ha debuttato con il nuovo club il 3 agosto, nella sconfitta esterna del Rosenborg per quattro a zero contro il Tromsø. Il 31 agosto, invece, ha segnato la sua prima rete, ai danni del Vålerenga. La sua permanenza con i bianconeri è durata tre anni e mezzo, durante i quali la squadra ha conquistato due titoli norvegesi, rispettivamente nel 2009 e nel 2010.

Il 23 novembre 2011 il club scozzese del Celtic di Glasgow ha annunciato la firma di un pre-contratto da parte di Lustig, che è approdato a tutti gli effetti nel suo nuovo club il 1º gennaio 2012, anche in questo caso con un accordo iniziale della durata di tre anni e mezzo. Vestirà a lungo la maglia biancoverde, tanto da festeggiare la presenza ufficiale numero 250 in occasione della semifinale di Coppa di Lega del 28 ottobre 2018 contro gli Hearts. La stagione 2018-2019 è stata la sua ultima in Scozia. Nei suoi sette anni e mezzo di militanza, il Celtic ha conquistato otto campionati, quattro Coppe di Scozia e quattro Coppe di Lega. Le sue presenze ufficiali con il club sono state complessivamente 273, con 21 gol segnati.

La sua parentesi successiva è stata in Belgio, al Gent, dove è approdato nell'estate del 2019 con un contratto triennale. Con la formazione fiamminga ha disputato 30 partite ufficiali, 16 delle quali collezionate nel campionato di Pro League 2019-2020 interrotto anticipatamente per la pandemia di COVID-19.

Il rapporto con il Gent si è interrotto dopo un solo anno, visto che il giocatore nell'agosto del 2020 è stato libero di accasarsi agli svedesi dell'AIK con un contratto fino al 31 luglio 2021. Lustig era già stato in trattativa con l'AIK l'anno precedente, e già nel 2004 aveva svolto un provino con il club. Ha segnato il suo primo gol con l'AIK il successivo 20 settembre, quando ha fissato sul definitivo 3-0 il risultato del derby vinto contro i rivali dell'Hammarby. Nel marzo del 2021 ha rinnovato il proprio contratto con l'AIK fino al 31 dicembre 2022. Lustig si è ritirato dal calcio giocato al termine dell'Allsvenskan 2022: il 6 novembre dello stesso anno è infatti sceso in campo per l'ultima volta nell'ultima giornata di campionato contro l'Elfsborg.

Nazionale
Lustig ha debuttato con la maglia della  il 19 gennaio 2008, in un'amichevole persa per 2-0 contro gli , dopo aver disputato ventuno partite e aver messo a segno una rete per la .

Ha partecipato agli Europei 2012, agli Europei 2016 e ai Mondiali 2018. In quest'ultima competizione ha giocato titolare 4 partite, in un cammino che per la Svezia si è interrotto solo ai quarti di finale contro l'Inghilterra, match che Lustig ha dovuto saltare poiché squalificato per somma di ammonizioni.

Statistiche

Presenze e reti nei club
Statistiche aggiornate al 25 maggio 2019.

Cronologia presenze e reti in nazionale

Palmarès

Club

Competizioni nazionali

Rosenborg: 2009, 2010

Rosenborg: 2010

Celtic: 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019

Celtic: 2012-2013, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019

Celtic: 2014-2015, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019

Individuale
Selezione UEFA dell'Europeo Under-21: 1
Svezia 2009

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Calciatori della Nazionale svedese

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Sport Intern – Cooperation Between 'School Sports Federations' and Federations can Work Wonders
Interview with Ms Kady Tounkara – WADA Education Committee Chair
You were a top athlete and are now a leader of an anti-doping organisation. We would like to have your impressions of this event and the educational...
Ukraine: Host of the 2023 WSC Football & Winter Gymnasiade
In the context of the ISF U15 World School Sport Games taking place from 11-19 September in Belgrade, the ISF Executive Committee attributed the...
Fair Play values at the heart of ISF U15 World School Sport Games !
During the event we had the opportunity to interview Mr Gabor Deregan, Head of the Presidential Office at the International Fair Play Committee, to...
ISF U15 World School Sport Games Belgrade 2021: Into the Home Stretch!
As more and more sports see their competition coming to an end, it is our pleasure to announce some of the victors from this inaugural U15 World...
Sport Intern : The launch of the ISF U15 World School Sport Games is a marker for the future
ISF U15 World School Sport Games Belgrade 2021: Badminton at the heart of Education
The sport of Badminton was one of the 14 sports that was included in the inaugural ISF World School Sport Games, held in Belgrade, Serbia, from...
U15 World School Sport Games: Basketball and Education Driving to the Hoop
Team sports provide a great platform for spreading common values and bringing people together. Being one of first ever sports to have an ISF...
U15 World School Sport Games Belgrade 2021 – Growing Wrestling in the School Sport Community
On 11 September the ISF launched its first ever U15 World School Sport Games, with this edition taking place in the city of Belgrade, Serbia....
U15 World School Sport Games Belgrade 2021: Past Halfway!
As more sports reach the end of their competition in this year's U15 World School Sport Games, the young athletes still have the energy to produce...
ISF Signs Memorandum of Understanding with International Chess Federation
Wednesday 15 September 2021 saw the International School Sport Federation (ISF) and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) officialise their...
School Sport Forum Belgrade 2021: The Springboard for a Healthy Lifestyle
The morning of 15 September marked yet another historic moment for the International School Sport Federation with the launch of the ISF School Sport...
The U15 World School Sport Games: Full Steam Ahead!
While we welcome Wrestling into our competition schedule, it is already time to say goodbye to some sports. Some school athletes completed their...
World Orienteering Day: Belgrade presents Orienteering on the International Multi-sport stage
Today marks an important moment for the global orienteering community: World Orienteering Day. From 11-19 September Orienteering ISF will hold two...
ISF U15 World School Sport Games : The shattering entry of the athletes !
On the second day of competitions, athletes from 13 sports took to the floor. The first events of Basketball 3x3, football, judo, taekwondo, and...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This Consortium brings together practitioners in Open Innovation from across Europe to learn together about best practises, recent experiences, different perspectives of the innovation provider and the purchaser as well as to find and try out better ways to address the problems which arise along the way.
We are well ahead of the curve! The consortium is currently pursuing member interests focussed around Big Data - ie trading 'data rich assets' instead of IP as originally envisoned by Henry Chesbrough. Members of the consoritum see benefits thro the creation of net-new value from data which was collected as part of business as usual .. but challenges including 'permission' 'ownership' and 'trust'.


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The Key to Quantum Computing AI Applications
vijaykhatri96 12 September 2022 Follow
Quantum computing is the field of computing that is devoted to creating computer technology that is based on the ideas of quantum theory. On the other hand, artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that involves simulating human intelligence by machines.
The development of quantum computing holds the potential to fundamentally reshape artificial intelligence (AI). This development is getting closer to artificial intelligence and boosting AI's enterprise and commercial market. The integration of AI, programming languages, and quantum computing into a unified computational environment is yet another outstanding combination.
This integration will make the deep learning models run faster than they run now. The complexity of the issues the deep learning models will resolve will surpass the conventional methods used for advanced machine learning. Moreover, the symbolic and statistic AI will work together in tandem and the resulting benefits will be leveraged by various industry verticals, from energy production to finance.
However, all of these discussed will not be possible without AI programming languages. Such languages are essential for writing AI algorithms that are backed by quantum computing. Also, the developed algorithms have the capability to revolutionize the use case for which they are being developed.
Therefore, the primary key to quantum computing AI applications is programming languages. There is no denying that AI and quantum computing themselves are the keys to developing effective quantum computing AI applications.
So, in this article, let us discuss the keys to quantum computing AI applications
Programming languages, the effect of AI, and quantum computing itself are the keys to quantum computing AI applications. Let us discuss them in detail below.
Adaptive programming languages especially developed for creating AI algorithms using quantum computing are very much beneficial to developers. The reason is that these programming languages enables developers to efficiently write AI algorithm; thus, reducing a lot of time and increasing throughput. Most languages follow the functional programming paradigm as it is mostly considered superior to imperative programming.
Moreover, these quantum computing AI languages are more dynamic in nature as compared to languages other languages that rely on batch code. These languages enable developers to write code and data in expressions.
The AI Effect
Quantum computing enables enterprises to do AI computations considerably faster and on a larger scale than they could otherwise by enabling flexible programming languages for developing AI. These programming languages also support quantum-enhanced statistical and symbolic AI techniques.
For instance, optimization issues are typically resolved in knowledge graph environments that enable smart inferences between constraints.
Writing AI algorithms strengthened by quantum computing can speed up the process of bringing new drugs to market, for example, in applications of advanced machine learning (ML).
There are also data science applications that can be used by everyone to train ML models more effectively while using fewer computational resources.
The availability of a wide range of programming languages that enable programmers to create algorithms that unmistakably benefit from the speed and scalability of quantum computing techniques is the key to developing AI solutions augmented by quantum computing in each of these use cases.
All these aforementioned advancements are possible because of the two ways of quantum computing, namely quantum computations and quantum annealing.
Quantum Computation
In contrast to conventional computers, which can only encode information as 0s or 1s, quantum computers can encode information as both 0s and 1s simultaneously in quantum bits (qubits). One method by which quantum machines analyze enormous amounts of data simultaneously is their capacity to superimpose these states.
Quantum Annealing
Another is quantum annealing, which works by getting the computer to its lowest energy state to solve problems that are even NP-hard.
Traditional computers require exponentially more time to handle some problems, including those involving vehicle, fuel, delivery, and other types of optimization.
Quantum annealing techniques shorten the time needed to arrive at solutions to these issues, offering a level of usable efficiency crucial for logistics or routing machinery in the travel and transportation sectors.
The benefits of using quantum computing to support and enhance AI's overall value for business and society are clear. However, the programming languages that are utilized to create these quantum AI applications receive much less focus. The future of quantum AI is guarded by these programming languages only.
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text:
Q: Testcafe falsely asserting false Testcafe is yielding the following result
) AssertionError: expected 'Field \'HANDLING POINT\' is required.' to deeply equal 'Field \'HANDLING POINT\' is required.'

      + expected - actual

      -Field 'HANDLING POINT' is required.
      +Field 'HANDLING POINT' is required.

from the below code
await t.expect(Selector(".jsError").child().child().innerText).eql("Field 'HANDLING POINT' is required.");

I'm quite confused as I've tried everything I can thing of and yet the same code works fine for different text.
This is the html I am testing agaisnt. I I test for the shift field message, all is well

Field 'HANDLING POINT' is required.

Field 'SHIFT' is required.

A: A Non-Breaking Space, represented by   in HTML, is a different character from a regular space. You can use the escape sequence \xA0 to represent it in the JavaScript string literal you're comparing against.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Spirit (Behind The Scenes)
In the gallery you'll find behind the scenes photos from the "Spirit" music video.
Beyonce Talks About "The Lion King" Soundtrack in New Interview
Watch Beyonce's interview for "The Lion King: Can You Feel The Love Tonight with Robin Roberts" special which aired on ABC.
Beyonce.com: The Lion King London Premiere
Beyonce shared photos from "The Lion King" premiere in London on her website and Instagram.
"Spirit" Music Video
Beyoncé premiered the music video for "Spirit" from "The Lion King"! She wrote: "The spirit of indigenous people and their land is within all of us. We support conservation efforts of these tribes to ensure our precious circle of life."
Harry's Bar in London (July 14)
Beyonce was spotted last night leaving a private party at Harry's Bar in London.
"The Lion King" Premiere in London
Beyonce attended the European Premiere of "The Lion King" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 14, 2019 in London, England.
"The Lion King" - Behind the Scenes
Watch two new behind the scenes videos from "The Lion King" below!
Beyoncé documentary premiering Feb. 16 on HBO
News & Rumors, Movies, TV
Multiple Grammy®-winner, entrepreneur and actress Beyoncé will be the focus of an intimate feature-length HBO documentary film debuting Feb. 16, 2013, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. Directed by the superstar, the film is a fusion of video that provides raw, unprecedented access to the private entertainment icon and high-voltage performances.
"Everybody knows Beyoncé's music, but few know Beyoncé the person," said Lombardo. "Along with electrifying footage of Beyoncé onstage, this unique special looks beyond the glamour to reveal a vibrant, vulnerable, unforgettable woman."
"HBO has a history of pushing every boundary with class and authenticity," said Beyoncé. "Some of my favorite shows are on HBO, so I am excited that my film will be part of its bold programming. This film was so personal to me, it had to have the right home."
The film is a multi-faceted portrait of the 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer, businesswoman, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, wife and mother, showing off the extraordinary gifts that have made her a global phenomenon, and stripping away the veneer of stardom. It includes extensive first-person footage, some of it shot by Beyoncé on her laptop, in which she reflects on the realities of celebrity, the refuge she finds onstage and the transcendent joy of becoming a mother last year.
The film sheds light on her childhood in Houston, with home movies revealing the close bond she built with her family and charts the challenges Beyoncé felt when she decided to manage her career and build her own company, Parkwood Entertainment. The film also captures the intense physical and emotional demands she goes through in the studio, preparing for live performances, running a business and her family life including her return to the spotlight after the birth of her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, in January 2012.
Beyoncé also serves as the film's executive producer.
Name: Remember me


This resumes from a previous post in good shape, isolde - part 4. Adapt and evolve is the password of this post of continuous enhancements. Sometimes a solution is so simple that is deceptively obvious when you see one.
Back in 2013, I designed and built a compact power utility panel for Brunnhilde. It was a project of what I like to call making lemonade out of lemon. One of the two cup holders in Brunnhilde's cabin was broken from someone tried to repair it.
This resumes from a previous post in good shape, isolde - part 3. The quest for a perfect cup holder continues.
This is a continuation of the previous post - in good shape, isolde - part 2.
I am using some idle time to putting some icing on the cake so to speak. Small things that just take some time to think through and implement. I bought 2 of this 2 channel digital thermometer from Radio Shack 17 years ago. I bought one extra as a spare. I was in the process of evaluating it as well as finding an satisfactory location to install. I completed the evaluation and were happy with it's functions, accuracy, appearance, and power consumption.
This is a continuation of the previous post - in good shape, isolde - part 1.


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32 Batter Street, The Barbican, Plymouth, Devon
For Sale £250,000 for the Freehold
Characterful three-storey commercial building totalling 3,578 sq ft (332.4 sq m)
City centre location, a short walk from the city core and historic Barbican
Suitable for a variety of uses, subject to planning
Asking price £250,000
The property is on historic Looe Street, close to retail, leisure and academic facilities and within the Barbican area, located between the city centre and Sutton Harbour.
32 Batter Street comprises a three-storey mid-terrace unit. The unit is of brick/stone construction under with part timber façade beneath a slate roof. The windows throughout appear to be of traditional timber sliding sash, single glazed. Internally, the building is subdivided into a number of smaller rooms. WC facilities are located on the ground floor of the premises.
33 Batter Street comprises a two-storey property constructed from brick and block. The ground floor is accessed via a roller shutter on to Batter Street and is currently providing parking / storage accommodation. The first floor, currently accessed via 32 Batter Street, provides a large open area which has most recently been used as a cinema.
Chris Ryland BSc (Hons)
Office: 01752 670700Direct Dial: 01752 907513Mobile: 07917 276772Email: chrisryland@sccplymouth.co.uk
Brochure EPC Print
Genesis Building, 237 Union Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon , PL1
3 & 4 Bedford Park Villas, Plymouth, Devon, PL4
Development Opportunities, Offices
34 Ford Park Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 6NX
Leisure / Health, Offices
Residence 2, Royal William Yard, Plymouth, Devon, PL1


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Q: Program not working - python This program does not work and sends an error on line 6 and 8.Ty for any help

line 6 IndexError: list index out of range line 8, in
      print(plane_ride_cost("Tampa"))

list=["Charlotte","Tampa","Pittsburgh","Los Angeles"]
list2=[(20,11,23,56)]
def plane_ride_cost(city):
        for i in range (4):
            if city == list[i]:
                return list2[i]

print(plane_ride_cost("Tampa"))

A: Well first off, make sure to never use a variable name that clashes with a built-in method name (list)
my_list=["Charlotte","Tampa","Pittsburgh","Los Angeles"]
my_list2=[20,11,23,56]

def plane_ride_cost(city):
    for i in range(4):
        if city == my_list[i]:
            return my_list2[i]

Another problem is you have the list2 only have one index all inside of a single tuple.
So when range is anything other than 0 it will never be able to print anything from list2.
My code above works, and should make more sense.
And in the future try to put your code in a snippet, and follow the rules as the other user posted.


Dye Dilution Testing has been utilized on thousands of flow measurement tests worldwide, for many years and done correctly is known as one of the most accurate methods of flow measurement.
A known concentration of dye is injected into water, wastewater or industrial effluent stream at a precise flow rate. The diluted concentration of fluorescence is measured downstream by a highly accurate analytical instrument. The dilution factor is utilized to accurately calculate a flow rate for that specific test section.
It is recommended by many regulatory agencies that permanent open channel flow monitoring systems be calibrated in-situ utilizing the dye dilution method.


text:
ZEITEN & ZEICHEN TOUR 2022
ZEITEN & ZEICHEN >> The Tour
Hubert von Goisern on Tour 2022
It's been a long time - Hubert von Goisern's last concert was played in autumn 2016. After that he withdrew to focus on writing. The result was a novel, flüchtig, which held firm as a bestseller for two months after publication in 2020. After putting down his pen, Hubert von Goisern set to work once more on new music. The release of the multifaceted studio album Zeiten & Zeichen in summer 2020 revealed the best, most mature, most spectacular Hubert von Goisern there has ever been.
UPDATE: In April 2022 Hubert von Goisern and his band will be setting off on tour with this album. In light of the ongoing situation and because everyone's health must still take precedence over pleasure, having postponed the tour from 2020 to 2022, unfortunately we must now postpone the March dates once more. For every show originally planned for March, there's now a new date later in 2022. All previously purchased tickets remain valid, or can be returned to the original vendor for refund. Details as to the procedure will be communicated via the relevant ticket systems.
Hubert von Goisern: Zeiten & Zeichen Tour 2022 – Dates and Tickets
From his beginnings with alpine rock, to his expeditions to Tibet and Africa, the Linz Europe Tour on a converted cargo ship and the ground-breaking success of Brenna tuats guat, or the blues from New Orleans on the most recent tour: Hubert von Goisern has always challenged, moved and thrilled his audience. He remains curious and offers a new surprise every time.


People ask me this question all the time. In fact, I asked it myself when I first heard about the Bars.
Once these Bars of energy (hence the name) are activated by your touch, they begin to dissipate all the electromagnetic charge that has been generated by all the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and points of views that person has related to the area of the Bar you are running. What this does is create space - space to create, to know, to be, to receive, and to perceive all the infinite possibilities, choices, and change that is actually available to you.
In this reality, we are not taught or encouraged to receive. We are taught to be humble (not receive too many compliments), only receive certain energies from people that are 'appropriate', taught to put barriers up to avoid negative energy and on and on it goes. But receiving is another one of our innate capacities and if we expanded our capacity to receive ALL of life - without judgment - we would have ALL of what we truly desire with greater ease.
It's about Gifting and Receiving - What are you refusing to receive that you could be choosing?
Reiki and many other modalities - are cool, can feel nice for a while - but their basis is not that you are an Infinite Being, with infinite possibilities and capacities - instead it's about how to continue relating to this reality, instead of creating beyond it.
Anything can show up when you have your Bars run. All you need to do is lie down comfortably and receive. Each of the 32 Bars of energy get 'run' for a few minutes at a time and while that occurs a multitude of things can occur or not - each person and session is different. People have experienced deep, profound relaxation, some have fallen fast asleep, some have laughed and giggled and had immense joy for the first time in a long time, others have cried, others have wiggled and shaken, and some have just lay there in stillness or conversation with me until the end. There's no right/wrong; better/worse way to have a session.
Click here to find an Access Bars Practitioner/Facilitator in your area!


Easter time is virtually here. For those who wants to embellish a family house while using theme connected with Easter time, there is certainly however time.
The trick, opt for basic decorations that do not take on considerably time. And so straightforward, you can make your very own Easter day decorations. Save money perfect?
Remembering Easter using your friends and relations is unquestionably some thing you should do. Eating together in the home might be on the list of exercises for you to get familiar yourself. To be able to enjoy your big event people should embellish your house based on the theme. Apart from producing your house more lovely, you'll find it would make your day much more festive. In case you are mixed up the best way in case you embellish your own home through an Easter design, many of us gives you creativity through the following pictures.
Easter time the industry festivity connected with Dinosaur'resurrection will be symbolic of planting season celebrations within the ancient traditions with the West. Because it is trusted image associated with bunnies in addition to eggs. The one thing you must not neglect will be building Easter eggs.
People causes it to become your self in the home, actually through taking a child or maybe niece. Generate one of a kind Happy easter ! and many colors. Never only with pretty desirable hues, you may too.
These kinds of chicken eggs can in the future end up being distinctive decorations which can be saved in every single place of the house.
Related Post "Fire Pit Coffee Table Indoor"


An open coal-fired furnace occupies half the room, providing both intense heat and the only light source. No indoor plumbing so you're forced to use a five gallon pail. You have no choice but to endure your boss's martini-soaked screams and rants whenever he feels the need to release a little stress, which is all the time, because he has to stick around after work hours to babysit you. At 3:00AM you're finally permitted to surface for fresh air, covered in soot and hot glue gun burns, able to go home to bed only to return five hours later.
Yes, this really happened because you had the mind to speak up and share an honest thought. And crush an eggshell.
Welcome to the wonderful world of irrational fear. It comes in all shapes and forms, hindering our abilities to do what's right and doing things well. It controls us for as much as we allow it. It can destroy our careers if not kept in check. Letting your imagination run amuck with all that could go wrong for the simplest task – see overwrought example above – can be taxing on your well-being and mental condition. I know many of us deal with varying levels of anxiety, which tends to fuel these irrational responses, I get that. But you need to know that fear cannot rule you.
I'm getting off my pedestal now.
I am neither a sociologist nor a psychologist. I am a novice student of these disciplines when it comes to my professional life. I know from plenty of years of experience that fear is both pervasive and detrimental in the workplace and I have ideas rooted in my experience and observations on how to address it.
In reality, what's the worst that can happen when you approach a senior level executive with a suggestion? Your fears will tell you everything can go wrong, anything from immediate termination to indentured servitude. Rational thinking should tell you the executive will thank you, maybe ask to learn more, set up a meeting to discuss. Or a simple no thanks. You're not working for a Sith Lord, just another human being who's accomplished a few more things to achieve that job level. Always remember they are humans too.
That thought reminded me of the many times I've witnessed employees in various workplaces revere the senior management as untouchable gods. I've never wrapped my head around that. We don't live in a feudalistic society, so why does this innate sense of fear-based reverence exist in our culture? Perhaps it was passed down in families with harsh rules on children speaking only when spoken to followed by punishment if breeched. Whatever the cause, it's up to each individual to take control, to annihilate those irrational fears. The critical first step is to be assertive, not pompous, assertive. There is a difference.
If I cannot communicate openly with a senior manager about a project I'm working on, or share thoughts from my expertise on how something can be improved, I'm not doing my job well. There are nuances within this statement of course, but it's a clean generalization. Consider adopting a similar mentality in what you do, one that allows you to feel comfortable and speak freely without fear of retaliation. Push fear aside, reserve it for real problems like active war zones, category five hurricanes, and zombie infestations.
More to come on this topic. Your suggestions and comments are welcome.
This entry was posted in business, communication, essay, fear, MFA Writing and tagged boss, creativity vs. fear, irrational fear. Bookmark the permalink.
When I was a boss myself, I always pushed my team of managers to speak up. By getting their ideas and even cultivating conflict, everyone becomes stronger. Plus, you build a lot of trust.
That's great, Jackie. I've always encouraged anyone I've managed – they always tend to be creative and tech freelancers – to speak freely and honestly. Trust is critical in building a strong functioning team.


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Ian Milligan	 International Project Advisor	 International 0141 444 8521
Ian is far more than our man overseas, although his training and consultancy work on international policy development and implementation projects has taken him all over the world. In addition to providing internationally recognised policy, practice and research expertise, Ian acts as a gateway to work being done by CELCIS and the wider care sector in Scotland for our overseas visitors. Now semi-retired, Ian has more time for anti-nuclear weapons activism, traditional music and his young grandson.
Chrissie Gale	 International Services Lead	 International 0141 444 8522
Chrissie has spent much of the last 22 years working on child protection programmes in different countries around the world. She leads on our international work which includes building partnerships with policy makers and practitioners across the globe working on the promotion and use of Moving Forward, a handbook to accompany the UN Guidelines on Alternative Care of Children. Although a world-wide traveller Chrissie loves her home among the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales.
Dominique Harvey	 Edge of Care Consultant	 Permanence 0141 444 8547
It was interviewing young people for her PhD which led Dominique into children's services. She is currently working on a joint CELCIS and Robertson Trust programme supporting three community planning partnerships to shift away from crisis response to earlier intervention. During the programme Dominique will work with professionals plus children and families themselves to develop, test and implement new ways of working. As the mother of two small boys, football in the park is as exciting as life gets for Dominique, but she hopes her social life will pick up again soon.
Kirsty Doull	 Permanence Consultant	 Permanence	 0141 444 8572
Kirsty is CELCIS' resident legal eagle. She comes from a local authority and government background where she specialised in looked after children and permanence, both in practice and in policy. She is helping to deliver the PACE Programme which supports Councils and their partners to make improvements to the processes they use to secure permanent homes for looked after children. A big am dram fan, Kirsty's appeared on stage in the Edinburgh Festival and in musicals. She can act and sing a wee bit, but says please don't ask her to dance.
Carol Wassell	 Permanence and Care Team Lead	 Permanence 0141 444 8538
A 25-year career in Social Work Services and the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration, alongside being a working mum, has taught Carol the critical importance of settled and stable homes for all children. She and her team are pleased to have have helped raise the profile of permanence, and deepened an understanding that permanence is not just about bricks and mortar, but includes that all-important sense of security too. Away from CELCIS, Carol just loves the outdoors, counting open water swimming and star-gazing as favourite ways to spend her spare time.
Aileen Nicol	 Head of Improving Protection and Permanence Permanence 0141 444 8314
Aileen's role on the CELCIS senior management team sees her leading and managing the organisation's partnership work in child protection, permanence, health and children's hearing improvement programmes . Aileen's focus is on developing systems which offer both practical support on a child's legal journey through or into care, but also incorporate their physical, psychological and emotional needs. Working collaboratively to make change for the better is what makes Aileen happy, as does her eclectic range of interests ranging from punk rock and time with her own two children, to gardening and cats.
Jimmy Paul	 Permanence Consultant	 Permanence	 0141 444 8573
As a care experienced person himself, Jimmy feels right at home working for CELCIS. With the PACE programme, he's working with multidisciplinary teams across Scotland to support the streamlining of permanence processes. His own care experience has made Jimmy deeply committed to improving the lot of looked after children through earlier intervention, and with love from committed individuals and within systems. As well as acting as a spokesperson and commentator on children's care, Jimmy's a big fan of Liverpool FC, his kitten Tuco, and leadership books.
Carolann Anderson	 Permanence Data Analyst	 Permanence	 0141 444 8569
Carolann has a truly analytical mind. She uses her logical, numerical skills to produce easily accessible data and visuals as baseline to improve systems supporting vulnerable children. Every point on one of her graphs represents a real child, on his or her journey towards a permanent home. Carolann applies her analytical mind and sense of order to everything, including the kitchen sink. Every item on her desk and in her wardrobe is lined up in perfect order, and she simply doesn't do crossed lines on her data charts.
Linda Davidson	 Permanence Consultant	 Permanence 0141 444 8558
As a social worker, family support manager and team leader, Linda is passionate about the practical application of child development and early year's research in supporting our understanding and decision making for children. Linda loves gardening, growing her own food and making preserves to share with family and friends.
Micky Anderson	 Permanence Team Data Analyst	 Permanence 0141 444 8533
With a background in applied social research, higher education strategic planning and performance monitoring, and social work information system implementation, Micky is our resident Data Analyst. Never shy of a mental or physical challenge, he enjoys grappling with data-related issues faced by CELCIS and partner organisations as we seek to evidence improvement. A committed all-weather cyclist, Micky also loves to island hop by sea kayak and endurance running.


Ireland formally invited 19/1 (see Flyer and for "Greece" read "Ireland").
An Irish Youth Team vs very strong teams from Russia, France, Netherlands, England and Tunisia.
An Irish Youth Team of 10 (2 each of U20, U18, U16, U14, U12 on 1/1/19) subject to ICU selection from those expressing interest by "entering" below by 26th Jan.
6 Teams, 5-rounds, all play all FIDE rated.
Note: Irish participation subject to confirmation of a full team.