text:
Eduard Kunz (), (born October 30, 1980 in Omsk, Soviet Union) is a Russian pianist. He reached the 2nd round in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011.

Biography
Eduard was born in Siberia from an assimilated minority German ethnic in Russia. He studied with  Michail Khokhlov at the Gnessin Special school for gifted children and with Andrei Diev at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He made his debut with the Omsk Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 10.
He gained a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction as well as the Gold Medal for performance from the Royal Northern College of Music studying with Norma Fisher and the late Mark Ray.

Named among 10 tomorrow's great pianists by the BBC Music Magazine, Eduard Kunz has performed and broadcast with many major orchestras in the UK including the BBC Symphony, BBC Concert, and BBC Scottish Symphony orchestras, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Hallé, Ulster Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Welsh National Opera Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and London Musici orchestras, with conductors such as Tugan Sokhiev, Christian Mandeal, Edward Gardner, Gerard Schwarz, Lothar Koenigs, Garry Walker, Clark Rundell, Mark Stephenson, Alejandro Posada, Josep Caballe Domenech, Alexander Joel, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Barry Wordsworth and David Angus, amongst others.

Other important debuts included Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin at the Berlin Philharmonie, The Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Orkest van het Oosten, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse and Braunschweig Symphony orchestras as well as recitals at the Wigmore Hall in London, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Louvre in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Winterthur Hall in Barcelona, amongst many others.
Recordings for classical radio stations include BBC Radio 3, Radio France and Deutschlandradio Kultur amongst many others.

Eduard is a winner of thirteen first prizes of international piano competitions including First Prize of George Enescu Competition in Bucharest and Gold Medals of the New Orleans and Paderewski International Piano Competitions.

Other awards included Silver medal from The Worshipful Company of Musicians in London, awards from Hattori and Musical Foundation, Dame Myra Hess and Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe as well as Spivakov Foundation and "Richter" award from Rostropovich Foundation in Moscow. In the 2011, he reached the 2nd round in the International Tchaikovsky Competition.

Eduard's stage partners include Yulian Rachlin, Patricia Kopachinskaya, Sol Gabetta, Vilde Frang, Boris Andrianov, Aleksandr Ghindin and Yuriy Medyanik.
Eduard's performances were recorded by all major European stations including BBC Radio 3, Radio France and Deutsche Radio Kultur and Russian Orpheus.
Eduard radio recordings include Piano Concerto No. 10 (Mozart)  with BBC Scottish Orchestra, Piano Concerto No. 3 (Beethoven) and Piano Concerto No. 1(Tchaikovsky) with Ulster Orchestra Northern Ireland, Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninoff) with BBC Concert Orchestra, Schumann and Dmitri Shostakovich concertos with WNO and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff with BBC Symphony Orchestra, as well as a recording  with Alexandru Tomescu of complete repertoire for violin and piano by George Enescu.

Eduard is the co-founder of Kunz Piano Academy in Brașov, Romania, where he invites young artists from all around the world twice a year for a week of public masterclasses. In 2020, the Academy will have its 4th edition.

Eduard is a Moscow Philharmonic Society Artist, Verbier Festival laureate, a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist (2006–2008) and a Yamaha Artist.

He is featured in the 2010 film A Surprise in Texas about the 2009 Van Cliburn Foundation competition.

Awards and Competitions

References

External links
 Official web-site
 Youtube channel
 Rachmaninov - Moments musicaux, Op. 16: No. 2, 3, 4
 Scarlatti - Piano Sonata in D minor, K.213

Russian classical pianists
Male classical pianists
Russian people of German descent
1980 births
Gnessin State Musical College alumni
Living people
Alumni of the Royal Northern College of Music
BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists
21st-century classical pianists
21st-century Russian male musicians

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
A Visit to Palmerston Island
One of the more unique experiences available to cruisers traveling in the Cook Islands is a visit to Palmerston Island. Palmerston Atoll is one of the largest atolls in the South Pacific, consisting of approximately 22 motus surrounded by a reef and lagoon, and Palmerston Island is its only inhabited motu.
Lagoon colors
Idyllic setting
Other motus in Palmerston atoll as seen from Palmerston Island
Launch and salvaged flotsam at the edge of the lagoon
The settlement history of Palmerston Island has a twist in it when compared with most South Pacific islands (which are believed to have been populated by a westward migration from southeast Asia) in that it was settled in or around 1860 by an Englishman, William Marsters, and his three Polynesian wives. Much conjecture surrounds how William Marsters originally came to the island. One version we heard described Marsters as a barrel maker aboard a whaling ship who abandoned ship and swam ashore. Another version had him arriving at the island already wed to his Tahitian bride. She became lonely, so Marsters sent for her two cousins, who eventually also became his wives.
In any case, all of the people currently living on the island are either direct descendants of the original three family lines (from each of Marster's three wives), or their spouses, transplanted from other islands. Almost everyone we met on the island had the family name Marsters and all the tombstones that we saw in the cemeteries were engraved "Marsters." Today, there are 64 inhabitants of Palmerston Island, almost half of whom are children. Over a thousand descendants of the Marsters family now live elsewhere, most in New Zealand or Australia.
William Marster's grave: He left descendants scattered throughout Oceania
Systems that were established by William Marsters are carried on today. The land was divided up equally among Marsters' three wives and remains divided among the three family lines; although all of the islands inhabitants eventually moved to Palmerston Island, giving it the nickname "Home Island." The power structure on Palmerston is also divided among the three family lines (sort of like our system of checks and balances), with the eldest male in each family line holding a position of significant authority. While in theory, the power structure is fair, from what we read and from our conversations with islanders, there is a good deal of in-fighting and competition for scarce resources. On a positive note, this situation seems to be slowly changing as the Palmerston islanders realize they can achieve more through cooperation and developing a collective vision than by looking out for the special interests of their own family line.
Another tradition of Palmerston Island is that visiting vessels (yachts and cargo ships alike) are "hosted" by one of the Marsters families. The first family with whom you make radio contact becomes your host. While some reports we read on other sites implied that you can have some control over which family hosts you, it appeared at the time of our visit that the islanders have their own system for delegating hosts to vessels. In fact, even though we were told there are currently four families hosting vessels, the only people to respond to any of the vessels arriving in the anchorage during our stay were Edward or Simon Marsters. This indicated to us that it was either their family's "turn" to host vessels or that perhaps, some of the other host families were off-island at the time.
The degree of "hosting" appears to vary with the family, but at a minimum, members of the host family will direct you to a mooring or place to anchor, ferry you back and forth from the anchorage to the island in an aluminum launch, give you a tour of the island, and feed you while you are on the island.
Simon Marsters takes us back to our boat after a day on Palmerston Island
One of the hosts that we met, Bill Marsters---who, with supplies and help from yachties created the Palmerston Island Yacht Club (sporting the bar with no beer) ---also assists boats with getting their laundry done or filling jerry jugs of water from the island's cisterns. On the surface, all of this looks like hospitality, but attached to it is a cultural imperative to collect trade goods and services from the hosted vessel. The family that hosts you is the only family with the right to barter with you during your visit to the island.
With an understanding of some of these facts in advance of our visit, we set off for Palmerston Island of a mind that the experience could be both interesting and perhaps slightly uncomfortable. As we left Rarotonga, a wheel and tire destined for the pastor on Palmerston Island (Tere Marsters) was lashed to the stern of our boat.
Cargo for Palmerston Island hitches a ride on Silhouette
As we approached the atoll, Patrick contacted the island by radio. One of the Marsters brothers responded to us, and we were told that Edward Marsters would be our host. Edward and his son David met us at the anchorage and directed us to a mooring. The moorings at Palmerston consist of chain wrapped around and through small coral heads or anchored under coral flanges. The moorings were originally installed not by the islanders themselves, but by passing yachties with scuba equipment. Moorings are inspected (again, by the first yachties who come through with dive gear) at the beginning of every season. In addition to tying to the mooring, most vessels also hang an anchor over the side so that it almost reaches the bottom (the depth of our mooring was over 100 feet.) The hope is that if the mooring line breaks, the anchor will catch on something before your vessel goes up on the reef.
It was windy and choppy when we arrived in the anchorage at mid-day and we declined an invitation to go ashore, both because we were tired from the passage and because we did not want to leave the boat on a new mooring in those conditions. That evening, Simon Marsters came by the boat with some fresh parrotfish, already filleted, for our dinner! (There reportedly is no ciguatera in parrotfish on Palmerston Island.) We had already eaten but saved the parrotfish for the next morning's breakfast. (It was delicious, and we experienced no ill effects.) That night, we got up several times to check the vessel and had an uneasy sleep in the rolly anchorage.
A northeast wind was blowing when we arrived in the anchorage
The next morning dawned calm and clear, with the sunrise colors turning the sea, sky and motu into a Maxfield Parrish painting.
Maxfield Parrish morning over the motu
After the hustle and bustle of Rarotonga, it was a delight to be only one of two boats in the anchorage off the little motu. (The other boat was the Slovenian boat, Mala, which we had met in Rarotonga.) We were happy to again be visited by boobies, which seemed small after New Zealand gannets. A booby landed on our bimini with an interesting pink leg band.
We were told a boy on the island considered some boobies his pets and banded them
We then watched in amazement as first, a pod of dolphins passed through, the two calves traveling with them leaping out of the water, pirouetting and spinning. Next, humpback whales visited the anchorage, surfacing only feet from the boat. We experienced calm conditions for the next two days of our stay and went ashore that morning.
Humpback whale spouting
A humpback displays its fin and flukes while completing a dive
After the preliminaries of checking in, we took tour of the island. We had checked in and out of the Cook Islands in Rarotonga (with clearances for visiting the other islands)---paying the entrance fee, the fumigation fee, the departure tax, and the exit fee in Raro---so the only fees we paid on Palmerston were $5 per person to check in and $10 per night for the mooring.) Edward, our host, is a policeman on the island, and during our visit, he would frequently take off on a mini-bike to make a circuit of the village and do a police report. David took us on the tour of the island instead. What we saw was the future colliding with a history lesson in a unique sociological experiment.
David and Patrick start off on the tour while the palm frond patterns on the road captivate me
Our first stop was the Palmerston Administration office. It's equipment shed was remarkably well-supplied for an island whose population consisted of 64 inhabitants.
Palmerston Island emergency response gear in the shed
Another view of the Palmerston Administration shed
Alex (office manager) and Simon hang out outside Palmerston Administration
Built on a flat motu in a hurricane zone, William Marster's old homestead still stands.
Original William Marster's homestead
Patrick pointed out its massive timbers and the hand-wrought nails as big as railroad spikes. Incongruously, a modern black plastic electrical box and a gray telephone cable box stood in front of the building. When I asked about it, David told me they didn't serve Marster's homestead but were connected via underground cables to a house nearby.
History meets high tech
Two stone cisterns used to serve the water needs of the entire village; now, most homes have individual plastic cisterns and their own water supply.
Early cistern on Palmerston Island
Flotsam and jetsam were evident throughout the island, not going to waste but incorporated into the buildings and daily lives of the villagers. The church bell was originally a ship's bell, salvaged from the shipwreck of the Thistle. The same shipwreck may have supplied the timbers for Marster's home.
The Palmerston Island Yacht Club also displayed some materials salvaged from the wrack-line.
Patrick talking to Bill Marsters in front of the Palmerston Island Yacht Club
Yacht club interior: The bar with no beer is to the left
Mitz cleaning a broom with a straight razor
Broom straws meet high tech: VHF radio, cell phone, and lighter are in evidence on the table
William Marsters was buried in the church cemetary; while nearby, the remains of his three wives lie buried together in a crypt in the island's original cemetary.
The crypt (far end) where the remains of Marster's three wives are buried
Another view of the island's original cemetary
The island's communications system is truly astounding.
Palmerston's communications array
Satellite dishes allow islanders to communicate with their government and the outside world via telephone. A huge solar array charges a battery bank used to keep the communications system running. In the midst of it all, pines an empty telephone booth, awaiting a caller.
Telephone booth on Palmerston Island
"Palmerston Lucky School" is one of the newest and most well maintained buildings on the island. We did not visit a classroom since it was the first week of classes after a school holiday and we did not want to disrupt, but we peered into the open doors of both the primary and secondary grade classrooms.
Palmerston "Lucky" School
The nameplate says it all
The island is densely vegetated with coconut, pandanus, and mahogany. The paths lined with mahogany were particularly striking, as they provided the island's shade and often included benches or borders like a public park. Again, we were impressed with the infrastructure (however basic) of such a sparsely populated island.
Mahogany trees shading Palmerston Island
It looked like we were on a park path through a botanical garden
Lemony scented mahogany blossoms
David pointed out how the leaf duff from the mahogany trees mixed with the coralline sand to create a kind of soil. We did not see any gardens on the island, and we wondered whether it would be possible for the islanders to grow vegetables?
While we were walking, David asked Patrick what he had done for a living back in the States. (Patrick worked as an aerospace technician for Boeing, first on their hydrofoil program and then, in IT.) Once we returned to Edward's family compound, Edward first showed Patrick a Perkins 4-107 engine (we have a 4-108 on Silhouette) and asked if he could help get it running. Although we have a similar engine, we didn't have a spare starter for the engine Edward has (possibly salvaged from the shipwreck Ri Ri) and since that was what the engine needed, Patrick was of no use in helping him get it going. Patrick was next paraded over to a generator and asked if he could help diagnose the problem with that piece of equipment. The family had apparently started the generator before, but it melted the sheathing around the wire coil. Patrick promised to bring back a volt meter the next day to see if the generator was putting out any power or not.
Patrick and Edward discussing the Perkins 4-107
We were invited to stay for lunch, but lunch was being delayed until school was out, so Edward took us over to visit the pastor whose wheel we had brought from Rarotonga. Tere Marsters was interested in the cruisers' nets, because he was trying to line up a ride to Niue on a boat sometime in September. There is no airfield on Palmerston Island (whose entire perimeter can be walked in less than an hour), but from Niue, Marsters could catch a flight to Melbourne. Patrick was asked to contact the cruisers' nets and help line up a ride for Marsters.
We were then ushered to a family lunch (the main meal of the day) of smoked parrotfish and rice with coconut milk. Since school was out, two more of the Marsters clan---John Willy, 5, and John Torcana (sic), 14---joined us. John Willy was very engaging, and he and I had a spirited card game of "Fish."
When we returned to the boat, we saw a sea turtle swimming through the anchorage. I went for a snorkel outside the reef and saw hundreds of colorful fish. The next morning, we again saw humpbacks in the anchorage. We spotted a striking humpback with massive milky white-to-gray patches that began below its dorsal fin and ran along both sides of its vertebral column all the way to its tail. (This whale became known in the anchorage as "the white-tailed whale.") The white-tailed whale was traveling with a bull, and they did not linger that day. Soon, they were south of us, near the tip of the south reef.
The next day, as promised, Patrick brought his volt meter ashore. He determined there was some output from the generator but not much. Privately, he confided to me that given a week's time and effort, he might be able to do something for the generator; but he was not willing to commit to that given the conditions in the anchorage and the fact that the wind was about to blow from the wrong direction.
Since the family had already fed us twice, I brought along some dishes to share for lunch. I also brought a coloring book with jumbo crayons for John Willy and some math and science curriculum guides from Rarotonga for John to deliver to his teachers to use as copy masters. Patrick brought Edward a leader with an oversized hook (from the longline we had snared way back in the Galápagos)---fishing gear that was much too heavily built for our needs---along with a heavy-duty swivel and another large hook that Patrick had purchased in Rarotonga. Edward expressed appreciation for the fishing gear and was most excited about the swivel. He said, "This is just what I have been looking for. I can use this." Then he suddenly said, "Maybe I can use this now!" In fact, Edward and David Marsters went out fishing immediately and returned in less than a couple of hours with three impressive wahoo!
David (left) and Edward (right) Marsters preparing to clean an impressive wahoo
Two other wahoo awaiting processing
While Edward and David were fishing, we ate lunch with Simon, John Willy, and a friend of the family. During the meal, we sensed that they had lost interest in us due to the fact that we couldn't fix any of the things they needed help with. After lunch, we said our thank you's and farewells and returned to our vessel.
In the meantime, three more boats had arrived in the anchorage (our friend Anthony on Wild Fox and Dolphin of Leith---both of whom we had met in Rarotonga---and the multihull Blue Marble.) The Marsters became occupied with ferrying the Customs, Biosecurity, and Health officers out to the anchorage to clear these boats in. Ashore, they prepared for the next round of tours, gentle interrogations to uncover the new yachties' skill sets, and hosted meals.
It seemed to me to be an exhausting way to live: the constant shuttling of people on and off the island, serving them in the hope of getting some useful resources in return. Simon said the lifestyle had its benefits---more interesting things to listen to, he cited---and he said that he didn't tire of hosting the visiting vessels when asked.
Wild Fox anchored at Palmerston on another Maxfield Parrish morning
When you think about it, Palmerston Island is singularly unique. Here, you have an insular island, where practically every inhabitant is related by blood, interacting with the outside world---which presents itself in the form of transient yachts and ships inhabited by people from every corner of the globe. One cannot come away from Palmerston Island without dwelling on the relationship between the islanders and the transient vessels. It is loosely a relationship of interdependency; however, neither party is truly dependent upon the other. The yachties do not really need to be hosted by the islanders, but if they want to stop at Palmerston Atoll, they do need a mooring. The islanders put what the yachties bring to immediate use, but they can survive just fine on their own on the gifts that come from their motu, the surrounding reef, and the sea: coconuts, parrotfish, lobster, and wahoo. Is it simple curiosity about each other that keeps the yachties visiting and the islanders hosting the visiting vessels?
We left Palmerston Island on the morning of our fourth day there. Before leaving, we had a thrilling whale watching experience in which the white-tailed whale and her bull returned. (Patrick had been taking a shower, and I seriously think that our new black bottom paint, coupled with the bellowing sound of the fresh water pump vibrating through the hull, may have caused the whales to come investigate: Silhouette might have been another humpback whale!) The pair surfaced just feet from the boat and swam, spouted, and dove nearby for what seemed like a long time. The white-tailed female was shy, and we seldom saw more than her back above the surface. She swam just below the surface alongside Silhouette several times, and I kept hoping she'd surface and show us her whale eye. The bull showed his flukes when diving multiple times. In a rare occurrence, we saw both whales raise their heads.
Lateral view of the "white whale": a female humpback
The "white whale" beginning a dive
The bull displaying his dorsal fin and barnacle scars
The bull's spiracle (blowhole)
Water streaming from the bull's flukes during a dive
The flip side of the flukes
The bull spouting with the white whale swimming next to him on port
Traveling together: Another view of the bull with the white whale right next to him (she is underwater but shows her fin in this picture)
Close up of the female's mouth
Close up of the bull's mouth
The anchorage at Palmerston Island is spectacularly beautiful and teeming with life, while the social encounters onshore are thought-provoking. If the wind isn't coming from the west, this atypical atoll is well worth a stop.
Silhouette at anchor as seen from Palmerston Island
Posted from Suwarrow Atoll via Ham Radio.
Suwarrow Nation
A Shout Out to Ben Ison and A Quote from Paul Theroux
On Passage Through the Cooks: Some Showers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Sew Magical House will be your children's best new doll. A listing of features include front door really opens, manual pet elevator and windows on each floor. The dollhouse is 15" Height x 42.3" Length x 39.5" Width, add to cart by clicking the weblink below.


In retail business intelligences, and more specifically in an analysis of customer-supermarket relationship, the factors, such as geographic location of customers, demographic distribution, customers' preferences, accessibility to the store are crucial in decision-making tasks. Visualization is an important tool for analysis and decision-making. This work is a novel approach to the hexagonal gridded maps, which integrates diverse information layers with adaptive zoom. The visualization provides means to: (i) explore and analyze data regarding customer-supermarket relations; (ii) reveal the impact of supermarkets localization on customer preferences; (iii) suggest areas of low coverage by supermarkets. Additionally, the interplay among the complementary graphical layers provided by the visualization increases its exploratory and analytical power.
Diverse combinations of graphical layers along with hexagonal gridded map.
The datasets of consumptions are retrieved from 729 Portuguese supermarkets and hypermarkets of the Sonae chain, which cover the entire country. The consumptions are linked to the client through a client card issued by house hold, which can be shared by the entire family. Each transaction corresponds to one product bought and it has several properties, such as, spent amount (in euros), date, time, and place of purchase. The data for this project were aggregated by months and were divided in three datasets.
The dataset A contains the total amounts spent, and the number of visits to the supermarkets for each customer.
The dataset B contains customer–supermarket pairs with the spent amounts and visits to a particular supermarket.
The dataset C is composed by customer–supermarket pairs with the supermarket preference score.
The calculation of the nearest supermarket was done in two ways: (i) through geometric distances – the nearest supermarket in straight line; and (ii) computing distances by traversing the road network – the nearest supermarket taking into account the road network topology.
Hexagonal binning is a process that produces hexagonal grids of variable resolution to subdivide space according to the density of points in geographical space. Similar to Quadtrees the hexagonal tree uses a hierarchical structure with hexagons on the leaves and a composition of seven copies at higher levels of the tree. The construction of the hexagonal tree and the insertion of points are more sophisticated when compared to the Quadtrees. Since it is impossible to evenly subdivide a hexagon, we employed an algorithm based on the simplified version of Snowflake fractal.
compute composite circles per each cell.
Visualization of dataset B in a close view of Lisbon area.
The aggregation of points is performed in each cell of the grid and is represented by composite circles. The composite circles, located at the center of each cell, depict the type of points found in the corresponding cell. The number of points of each type is encoded by the area of the corresponding circle. The order in which the circles are drawn depends on the frequency of points of each type – from the inner circle to the outer circle, from high to low numbers, respectively.
Aggregation by hexagonal grid (left) and traditional rectangular grid (right).
Adaptive zooming enables users to identify areas of interest in higher levels of zoom, and to analyze these areas in more detail at low levels of zoom, retaining coherent representation at each zoom level. The map provides different levels of abstraction and granularity depending on the zoom level. In particular, the cells are scaled proportionally to the zoom level, providing different granularities of aggregation. Consequently, the variation in the number of points per cell diminishes as the user zooms in, providing close to optimal representation at the lower levels of zoom.
Illustration of the adaptive zooming behavior. Images from left to right correspond to low, middle and high levels of zoom. The visualization represents the values from the dataset B.
To encode dataset A we used the following scheme: the two extremes of the triangle encode high values for consumption and frequency; the top corner encodes low values for both components; the other colors are linearly interpolated. Having the color scheme generated, we map the normalized values as follows: first we find locations of a point on the edge of consumptions (point A) and on the edge of frequency (point B); then to find corresponding color we take the ratio between A and B and project it onto the segment AB. The point C indicate the color that the point on the map should take.
Discrete triangular color space. Red and cyan colors correspond to the upper bound for consumption and frequency of visits, respectively. Yellow color corresponds to zero consumption and frequency of visits. Other colors are linearly interpolated. Points A, B and C exemplify the projection of values to this color space.
The blue lines show traditional Voronoi diagram, the black lines display distorted Voronoy diagram in accordance with the road network.
(ii) the representation of the population densities, providing the user with additional information about the demographics.
The shades of gray encode population density, and the data were scaled using predefined maximal threshold.
The figure below illustrates close view of Lisbon area. As can be observed, areas with high frequency of visits are in most cases located near supermarkets. This behavior is expected, since it is normal to see that the customers who live near supermarket purchase in less quantity but more frequently, and vice-versa. Also it is possible to find areas with greater purchasing power. Finally, the strong correlation with reach neighborhoods is visible, such as Odivelas, central Lisbon, south of Oeiras, and Cascais.
Close view of Lisbon area. Visualization of the dataset A in a time window of May of 2012.
Another case study captures the customers that reside around the intersection of three districts – Coimbra, Viseu and Guarda. These areas are mostly covered with mountains. Nevertheless, there seems to live a significant number of customers. As it can be observed, these clients are colored in red, which means that they do not prefer to shop in the nearest supermarket. We discovered that recently SONAE has opened a new store on the intersection of three districts.
Visualization of the negative impact of distance.
E. Polisciuc, C. Maçãs, F. Assunção, and P. Machado, "Hexagonal Gridded Maps and Information Layers: A Novel Approach for the Exploration and Analysis of Retail Data," in SIGGRAPH ASIA 2016 Symposium on Visualization, New York, NY, USA, 2016, p. 6:1–6:8.


Did you watch the Newsnight programme from Boston last Tuesday night? No, probably not if you relied on the TV programme magazines or daily newspapers as there was no indication the town would feature in one of Newsnight's EU referendum debates.
Apparently it was such a close-kept secret that not many people found out ahead of it happening. Even more strange, it was in front of an 'invited' audience, very few of whom I could recognise from Boston – but I certainly recognised UKIP's Victoria Ayling, who couldn't resist mentioning the lack of police resources in the area after her narrow defeat in the Police Commissioner election.
Labour borough councillor Paul Gleeson was interviewed on camera alongside a UKIP councillor who I had never heard of but none of the 'experts', apart from the Stump vicar, was from round here. And why was there no place for any of our other local councillors who you would presume have a more informed opinion on how the problem is affecting Boston and the immediate area?
Last week I had a tongue-in-cheek comment about MP Matt Warman and his views on the town. This week I think he should receive an apology from the BBC for not even being interviewed for the programme; two MPs were from Surrey and Wales.
As for the broadcast itself it seemed no more than an outlet for presenter Evan Davis to monopolise everything; just as discussions were getting interesting he immediately went on to another subject.
I don't know how long the programme makers were in town but the introduction of Boston as a busy, bustling place certainly brought the timescale down significantly.
All the statistics were based on national figures naturally enough, but it would have been interesting to see these presented in a way that actually represented Boston.
All in all it was a programme from Boston purely because we have a high level of immigration. It was an opportunity missed to show, on film, how the town has altered significantly over the past decade and why there appears to be so much opposition to more immigration.


Followers of the Actual Housewives of Atlanta have been left swooning throughout final Sunday evening's episode of the fact present as Eva Marcille and her now husband, Atlanta politician Michael Sterling, tied the knot in a phenomenal ceremony.
Whereas the opulent particulars from the occasion have been actually a dialog piece, it was Sterling's gorgeous wedding ceremony vows, which confirmed him check with God as "her" and "she" that left many in a trance.
Upon seeing him learn his vows, some conventional Christians took to social media to voice their disapproval of his alternative, explaining that the usage of the pronouns was disrespectful.
In response to the minor backlash, Sterling took to Instagram to defend his alternative and to clarify simply why he intentionally determined to make use of the phrases he did.
After including that he believes God is "a mom to the motherless and a father to the fatherless" who "transcends time, house, existence, and life," he gave a extra detailed clarification on who the upper being is to him.
We're not crying — you might be.
Eva actually discovered her one. Congratulations to the couple on their nuptials!


Browse our catalogs or browse our shop We have access to print anything in the catalogs that we have posted on the site. Due to customization of products, we recommend you contact us at [email protected] or call us 775-388-2020 in order to discuss options for your order and pricing for bulk orders. You may also submit an order request below.


text:
module Watir
  module Generator
    class SVG
      class SpecExtractor < Base::SpecExtractor
        private

        def extract_interface_map
          list = @doc.search("//div[@id='chapter-eltindex']//ul/li")
          list.any? || raise('could not find elements list')

          @interface_map = parse_list(list)
        end

        def build_result
          {}.tap do |result|
            @interface_map.each do |tag, interface|
              result[tag] = fetch_interface(interface)
            end
          end
        end

        def parse_list(list)
          {}.tap do |result|
            list.each do |node|
              tag_name = node.css('a span').inner_text.strip
              id = node.css('a').attr('href').to_s

              next if external_interface?(id)

              interface_css = 'div.element-summary a.idlinterface'
              interface_definitions = @doc.css("#{id} #{interface_css}, #{id} ~ #{interface_css}")

              # TSpan is defined along with Text so the first IDL definition is SVGTextElement
              idx = tag_name == 'tspan' ? 1 : 0

              result[tag_name] = interface_definitions[idx].inner_text.strip
            end
          end
        end

        def issued_interfaces
          []
        end

        # Some interfaces are actually defined in different specs
        # (for example, clipPath), so we ignore them for now.
        def external_interface?(id)
          id !~ /^#.+/
        end
      end # SpecExtractor
    end # SVG
  end # Generator
end # Watir

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Includes 1 Large Resin Bowl Neolithic's handcrafted Resin Bowl is a timeless example of a functional art piece. All are one-offs!!! I believe we eat with our eyes - get creative with an exotic salad or use as a stunning fruit bowl. Perfect for any cold food presentation. *HOT tip – when not using this bowl for food, it's a stand-alone artwork and centerpiece for your dining, coffee or entrance hall table. NB: Individually made by hand – the marbled colouring will be beautifully unique in every Neolithic piece. A stunning set when coupled with our salad servers (click on Buy Sets). Dimensions: 25cm wide x 35cm long x 8.5cm deep Weight: 900 grams approx. Note: This product does not include the salad servers. To get the salad servers you must buy the set.


text:
AV/IT Team
Registration Closing Soon for AV Roadshow New York August 2
By David Keene ( AVTechnology ) published 14 July 17
Registration is heating up for the Rental & Staging Roadshow that will take place Wednesday, August 2 in New York City. Stagers and live event producers from the area are registering for the event, to network, see presentations from some of the industry's top players, and get hands-on gear demos. The panel sessions are shaping to be the best in the Roadshow's history. Registration is still open. Click here to Register
The new venue is nice: the Roadshow will take place in NYC, but the venue has changed to the "other" Metropolitan Pavilion in the city. The new venue is the Metropolitan Pavilion West: 639 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036. One of the country's leading staging companies, Worldstage, will co-host the event with NewBay again this year; the venue, the technology on hand, and the presenters and attendees will be great.
The agenda for the event, is outlined below. There will be some great presentations and panel discussions, involving some of the top staging pros in the U.S. One area where there is more focus at the event is video production services and tools, including video streaming technologies. Some of the discussion will be focused on how the huge boom in video production services—and more, better, and more affordable video capture, production, streaming, and storage gear—is affecting the staging/live event world. Another focus: With more than 32 million people attending at least one music festival a year in the U.S., they have become "a mainstream pastime of our culture," and the implications for the staging world, will surprise you; we'll explore the tech and business crossover with some top players in the market.
Josh Weisberg, heading one of the top staging companies in the world, Worldstage, will give the keynote address to open the Roadshow Wednesday morning, and share his ideas on Managing Change in a Technology-Driven Industry–What I Learned on Broadway.
The Roadshow will feature panel sessions including: Laser Phosphor Projectors, Version 2.0– with a deeper dive into LP. Pictured here (left to right) at the NYC Roadshow summer 2016 are Curtis Lingard from Christie, Barco's Goran Stojmenovik, and Bret Tracey, Nationwide. The session at the Aug. 2 it will be a different discussion: the LP revolution has strengthened, and there are now high lumen LP projectors– so it's not just about the lamp-free dynamic. It's now being asked: are we all going to all LP?... it's all in the application details, and it's a moving target. At the Roadshow Aug. 2nd, the world's top expert on laser, Bill Beck, will update attendees on the latest developments.
And there's much more, new content and new sessions, at the Roadshow August 2nd. See the full agenda below.
Rental & Staging Roadshow
Metropolitan Pavilion West:
This is the day's agenda:
• 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.: Registration | Coffee | Exhibitor Showcase
• 10:00 a.m.: Introduction | David Keene, Executive Editor, NewBay Media
• 11:15 - 12:00 p.m.:
Disrupting the AV Staging World–New Technologies, and New Business Models, Push the Envelope for Stagers
A special panel of top staging company executives and top gear manufacturers discuss the ongoing industry evolution, as we see new display, staging, and audio technologies enter. And as we see new pressures–and new opportunities–resulting from price compression for gear and labor and some interesting new event landscapes that combine traditional AV staging with other interactive and/or streaming technologies. Particular attention will be focused on how the huge boom in video production services–and more, better, and more affordable video capture/production/streaming gear–is affecting the staging/live event world.
• 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.: Networking Lunch & Exhibit Showcase Open
• 1:30 – 2:00pm:
Rethinking Staff and People Issues in Today's Staging World
A Special Panel discussion with some of the top staging company executives– on how changing demographics, generational staffing dynamics, and changing staging business models are pointing to new ways to run a staging business– to both better service customers and better provide for staging employees' needs.
Laser Phosphor Projectors, Version 2.0
A Conversation with the "Laser Guy", Bill Beck
Last year, the TCO discussion dominated, when it came to "laser phosphor vs. lamped projectors" for the staging world. This year, it's a different discussion: the LP revolution has strengthened, and there are now high lumen LP projectors–so it's not just about the lamp-free dynamic. It's now being asked: are we all going to all LP? Maybe not–it's all in the application details, and it's a moving target. In this panel, both stagers and projector manufacturers will share their insight, dispel some myths, and teach you some things about new generation projectors you did not know: about color gamut, about the exact nature of the LP light engine, and other features–as a new generation of LP comes to market.
Since Bill Beck joined Barco's projection development and marketing efforts, the industry's collective technical knowledge of laser light source projection, as well as regulatory and marketing issues, has increased exponentially. Beck was one of the first to recognize the potential of laser illumination for premium digital cinema. And that foresight has paid off. At Barco they call him "The Laser Guy." At this session, Bill will answer some key questions about the ongoing laser phosphor (LP) projector evolution.
• 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.:
The Staging Business and the Explosive Growth of Music Festivals–What Corporate Stagers Need to Know
Invited pro panel will address: It's been one of the most dramatic changes in the concert landscape in the past 10 years: the spawning of hundreds of new music festivals worldwide. There are of course many reasons for this: the need for musicians to augment shrinking revenues from CD and streaming sales/royalties with live performance fees, the popularity of festivals as a way the fan can see 10–20 bands or more over 2–3 days, and the benefit to promoters from both the scale and quantity of performances. With more than 32 million people attending at least one music festival a year in the U.S., they have become "a mainstream pastime of our culture."
What does this all mean for Stagers? As much as we all love big production values and the latest line array and high lumen IMAG technology at the big festivals, what is the future of music festivals? Big production value festivals will continue, but the business is changing. If you are in the entertainment side of the business, how can you stay ahead of the curve? If you're a corporate stager, should you jump in, with live video streaming or other big technology services?
• 3:45 - 5:30 p.m.: Networking Reception & Exhibitor Showcase Open. This includes mixer with all attendees and presenters and with invited Meeting Planner industry and other special guests.
David Keene is a publishing executive and editorial leader with extensive business development and content marketing experience for top industry players on all sides of the media divide: publishers, brands, and service providers. Keene is the former content director of Digital Signage Magazine.
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MORE FROM AVTECHNOLOGY
Adapting to a Changing World – Webcast Jan. 26, 2:00 p.m. ET
"No-Coding" Solutions Within the AV Industry
AV/IT Team: Purpose-built Displays
AV/IT Team: The Digital Canvas of Fame
AV/IT Team: Out of this World Visualization


text:
Q: Render helper in elixir I want to have a helper method for my phoenix templates which renders the navigation. In my views directory I have added the following function
def render("breadcrumbs.html", %{user: user}) do
    "
nav goes here
"
end

when I call this render function it shows up as a string and not rendered HTML. How should I create a helper function which can be used on all views?

A: EEx in Phoenix by default will escape all content that's inserted using <%= ... %> to prevent XSS attacks. You can mark a string as being safe for inserting without any escaping using Phoenix.HTML.raw/1. So, in your helper function, you should do this instead:
def render("breadcrumbs.html", %{user: user}) do
  raw("
nav goes here
")
end

Make sure to only use this if you trust the HTML. You should not call raw on arbitrary user input without some kind of sanitization.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


3. One step service system help you solve the problem of product selection and after-sales services, We Always Pays Great Attention To Customers' Requirements About epoxy concrete floor paint, concrete basement floor sealer, interior concrete floor sealer.
1. concrete floor sealer has been attracting more and more customers for its sealing concrete garage floors and concrete basement floor sealer.
2. We know how important it is to get the right materials, on time. Call!


External Benchmarking – to benchmark against other educational institutions offerings similar degrees.
Holistic – a whole of program approach was important to ensure students' progress in a way that ensures graduate attributes can be introduced and then further developed before they are asked to demonstrate the standards expected in each graduate attribute on completion of their award.
Integrated – in order for graduate attributes to be valued by academic teaching staff and students they had to be embedded into the curriculum, and linked to assessment.
Collaborative – the process had to be developed in conjunction with the academic teaching staff in an inclusive rather than top down approach, so that staff engaged with, and recognized the importance of the process.


"Our client (Japanese) was difficult asking for many requests on the way during the project period, but the project members of Auctus as well as Mr. Jawale were all very cooperative and worked hard for us to satisfy our client."
A company where golden improvements are possible through the concept of software benchmark. Auctus Software Pvt. Ltd. is the appropriate choice for companies that wish to have an Outsourced Software Development Facility with state-of- the -art infrastructure, qualified and certified engineers and guaranteed Quality of Service. Prudentially, we are a company where you open up before us your life long stress and queries, relieving you in return total dedicated, uncompromising quality output.
Spanning infrastructure-business and outsourcing solutions and services, Auctus Software Pvt. Ltd. India IT operations focus on enriching the solutions portfolio, developing industry specific solutions, addressing new markets and advancing towards growing the software outsourcing business.
With this philosophy by our side, our company provides solution requirement of our esteemed clients. This features Software Development, Project Management, Off-shore Development, Internet/web solutions. Our focus on customers relates to the service we provide and the processes we follow.
Our focus is always to provide the best quality and service. We mainly stress on technology and innovation and a lasting commitment towards design.


Within Canada 95% of all hydropower plants fall under the regulation of the Canadian Hydro power Association (CHA). Of the 17 companies represented for generation Hydro-Quebec is the most influential in regards to Maine. The company is responsible of distributing power supply for the Quebec market. To meet Quebec's electric demand, Hydro-Quebec Distribution (HQD) blocks off 165 TWh of energy. To meet demand in excess of these 165 TWh, HQD must reach out to other CHA members for support. The Annapolis Royal Generating Station is one of the crowning achievements of Canadian hydropower. The tidal dam can generate 18-MW, and is located on the Annapolis River in Nova Scotia. It is currently the only tidal generating source in North America. Finished 1984, Annapolis has harnessed the power of the Bay of Fundy with mixed results. Though effective at generating energy, the project has caused significant erosion on both sides of the Dam. Other energy contributors include nuclear power as well as wind. New Brunswick constructed the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station in 1983. Located near the north shore of the Bay of Fundy, the facility has a total capacity of 680 MW. In 2005 it was awarded a $1.4 billion dollar contract to refurbish the plant allowing the life span to increase by 30 years. In 2007, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) began a $2.5 million study in interest in the installation of a new 1100 MWe Advanced CANDU reactor at Point Lepreau, to supply power to New England. Quebec also has three nuclear power plants contributing to the energy grid located in and around Becancour. Wind power has also become a viable and possibly lucrative business within Canada. With large untouched parcels of land in the north many Canadian companies are interested in introducing large-scale wind power to Canada. See wind strength distribution within Canada and Maine below.


text:
Top brass welcomes delegates to PATA Travel Mart 2018
PATA Travel Mart
PATA Travel Mart 2018 in Langkawi, the beautiful island in Malaysia, got off to a glittering and colorful start with the inaugural dinner reception dinner at the plush Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC). The event started on September 12 and ends on the 14th.
The top brass of the host country, led by the Deputy Prime Minister, was there to welcome the delegates and dignitaries, who heard the speakers laud PATA for its role and also the role Malaysia has played over the years in hosting PATA events – marts, conferences, and other activities.
There are 67 sellers from Malaysia itself, and 260 buyers from 53 source markets.
It was revealed that the host country added 250 new hotels in 2017 and that 130 hotels with 26,000 rooms are now coming up.
Langkwai and other parts of Kedah have many attractions which need to be promoted.
Meanwhile, there is much expectation from the mart which opens on September 13, with buyer-seller meetings and interaction.
Nandakumar, Director of Madras Travel and Tours which is based in Chennai, said he was looking forward to quality buyers. His experience in Macau last year was good, and he hoped that he will meet with new and old sellers in the next 2 days.
Sanjay Mehta was keen to network and make new contacts but regretted that there were no buyers from the USA. He has some good meetings from Australia, and he hoped but added that suppliers this year seemed to be less than Macau, the Rajkot-based agent said on the eve of the mart.
He suggested that the hotels of the buyers and sellers should be near the venue of the mart in order to save time and make it more convenient.
Jaswinder Singh, executive director of AAyan Journeys, is looking for potential buyers and hopes the new ones will be productive.
Vijay Kumar from IRCTC is looking at Sabah, China, New Zealand, and Canada for luxury trains.
Neha, from Singapore said that her Mastercard company was keen to see technology developments. Where the tourism industry is going in terms of technology, is her concern.
The Turkish Airline reps will boost awareness of the country and airline and make new contacts.
The position on the trends in tourism destinations and products will be clear tomorrow and the day after.
But what is clear now is that PATA and Tourism Malaysia have left no stone unturned to see that it is a memorable event. Delegates were spellbound to see the cable car, mangrove forest, and the crocodile farm.
The Youth Symposium attracted much attention, with several youth coming from far and near and other organizations also joining the PATA endeavor, which has become an annual event at the marts.
Choice Hotels opens 10th Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites dual-brand location
First-ever luxury space hotel begins accepting reservation deposits
Cape Town Tourism uses travel web site for instant identity
Newer PostJamaica Tourism Minister endorses Mobay Marlin Tournament
Older PostHigh-stakes Las Vegas gambler commits suicide: Is the casino liable?
Vanilla Islands serving the African Tourism Board
Experience local culture: Travelers 50 and older go off the beaten track
Transat and Aéroports de Montréal unveil Espace Air Transat
California becomes first "China Ready" ski and snow destination in the US
Bahamas official website wins 'Best In Class' at Interactive Media Awards
Boeing and Biman Bangladesh Airlines announcement at Dubai Airshow
What Boeing says after the Lion Air Flight 610 crash report?


text:
package io.cloudslang.content.xml.actions;

import io.cloudslang.content.constants.ResponseNames;
import io.cloudslang.content.xml.utils.Constants;
import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
import org.junit.After;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.Test;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.URI;
import java.net.URISyntaxException;
import java.nio.charset.Charset;
import java.util.Map;

import static io.cloudslang.content.constants.BooleanValues.FALSE;
import static io.cloudslang.content.constants.OutputNames.RETURN_CODE;
import static io.cloudslang.content.constants.OutputNames.RETURN_RESULT;
import static io.cloudslang.content.constants.ReturnCodes.FAILURE;
import static io.cloudslang.content.constants.ReturnCodes.SUCCESS;
import static io.cloudslang.content.xml.utils.Constants.Outputs.RESULT_TEXT;
import static io.cloudslang.content.xml.utils.Constants.Outputs.SELECTED_VALUE;
import static io.cloudslang.content.xml.utils.Constants.QueryTypes.NODE;
import static io.cloudslang.content.xml.utils.Constants.QueryTypes.NODE_LIST;
import static io.cloudslang.content.xml.utils.Constants.QueryTypes.VALUE;
import static io.cloudslang.content.xml.utils.Constants.SuccessMessages.SELECT_SUCCESS;
import static org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils.readLines;
import static org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils.EMPTY;
import static org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils.join;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;

/**
 * Created by markowis on 22/02/2016.
 */
public class XpathQueryTest {

    private static final String XML_PATH = "xmlPath";
    private String xml;
    private XpathQuery select;

    @Before
    public void setUp() throws Exception {
        select = new XpathQuery();
        xml = join(readLines(ClassLoader.getSystemResourceAsStream("xml/test.xml"), Charset.forName("UTF-8")), IOUtils.LINE_SEPARATOR);
    }

    @After
    public void tearDown() {
        select = null;
        xml = null;
    }

    @Test
    public void testSelectValue() {
        String xPathQuery = "/root/element3/subelement";
        String expectedResult = "Sub3";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(xml, EMPTY, xPathQuery, VALUE, null, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
    }

    @Test
    public void testSelectNode() {
        String xPathQuery = "/root/element3/subelement";
        String expectedResult = "<subelement attr=\"toDelete\">Sub3</subelement>";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(xml, EMPTY, xPathQuery, NODE, null, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
    }

    @Test
    public void testSelectElementList() {
        String xPathQuery = "//subelement";
        String delimiter = ",";
        String expectedResult = "<subelement attr=\"toDelete\">Sub2</subelement>,<subelement attr=\"toDelete\">Sub3</subelement>";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(xml, EMPTY, xPathQuery, NODE_LIST, delimiter, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
    }

    @Test
    public void testSelectAttributeList() {
        String xPathQuery = "//root/@*";
        String delimiter = ",";
        String expectedResult = "someid=\"5\"";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(xml, EMPTY, xPathQuery, NODE_LIST, delimiter, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
    }

    @Test
    public void testNotFoundValue() {
        String xPathQuery = "/root/element1/@id";
        String expectedResult = "No match found";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(xml, EMPTY, xPathQuery, VALUE, null, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
    }

    @Test
    public void testNotFoundNode() {
        String xPathQuery = "/root/element1/subelement";
        String expectedResult = "No match found";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(xml, EMPTY, xPathQuery, NODE, null, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
    }

    @Test
    public void testFindWithNameSpace() throws Exception {

        URI resource = getClass().getResource("/xml/namespaceTest.xml").toURI();
        String namespaceXml = FileUtils.readFileToString(new File(resource));

        String xPathQuery = "//foo:element1";
        String expectedResult = "<foo:element1 xmlns:foo=\"http://www.foo.org/\">First element</foo:element1>";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(namespaceXml, EMPTY, xPathQuery, NODE, null, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
    }

    @Test
    public void testSelectElementWithXmlPath() throws IOException, URISyntaxException {
        String path = getClass().getResource("/xml/test.xml").toURI().getPath();
        String xPathQuery = "/root/element3/subelement";
        String expectedResult = "Sub3";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(path, XML_PATH, xPathQuery, VALUE, null, FALSE);

        assertEquals(expectedResult, result.get(SELECTED_VALUE));
        assertEquals(SELECT_SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_RESULT));
        assertEquals(SUCCESS, result.get(RETURN_CODE));
    }

    @Test
    public void testSelectElementWithWrongXmlPath() throws IOException, URISyntaxException {
        String path = "/xml/Wrongtest.xml";
        String xPathQuery = "/root/element3/subelement";

        Map<String, String> result = select.execute(path, XML_PATH, xPathQuery, VALUE, null, FALSE);

        assertEquals(ResponseNames.FAILURE, result.get(RESULT_TEXT));
        assertEquals(FAILURE, result.get(RETURN_CODE));
    }
}


BAFTA-award winning supernatural thriller The Lighthouse has absolutely nothing to do with Virginia Woolf. This flick stars Michael Jibson (Hunter Killer, Beauty and the Beast) and Mark Lewis Jones (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Game of Thrones), and hits theaters and VOD this July.
Directed by Chris Crow, and nominated for five BAFTA awards, including Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Visual Effects, The Lighthouse opens in select theaters July 6th and VOD July 10th.


This AIDS awareness key chain is a red ribbon with the word "AIDS" on a horseshoe style key ring. The key ring is approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter and the charm is approximately 3/4 inch tall. This sterling silver plated key chain comes in a gift box with cotton insert in a beautiful white drawstring organza gift bag.


text:
Car News Holden
2016 Holden Commodore VF II previewed for first time
A teaser image of the upcoming 2016 Holden VF Commodore Series II has been posted up onto the company's Facebook page, giving us a brief look at what will be the last locally produced Commodore ever.
The VF II is set to come with only a mild facelift in terms of exterior design, likely consisting of updated bumper bars and trimmings, and possibly a revised set of headlights and taillights.
No concrete details accompany the teaser. As far as we know the 2016 Commodore will get some interior technology upgrades, particularly with the MyLink system, along with paddle shifters for the higher-end V8 models.
Under the bonnet, there's talk of a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 making its way into the SS, producing around 300kW. This would make it similar to the Chevrolet SS which has been exported to the USA since the VF was introduced in 2013. The V6 models aren't likely to receive any major changes.
Holden says the new model will be the best Commodore ever. Given the VF is already regarded as the best, it certainly seems plausible for the update to be even more appealing. All will be unveiled at the company's headquarters down in Melbourne on September 13.
InHolden Commodore


Office Printers as Bad as Cigarette Smoke?
Is the Public Wrong to be Anti-Globalization and Income Inequality?
Air Safety: Which Seats Have Highest Survival Rate?
Were Some Derivatives Trades Primarily About Tax Avoidance?
Is the Fed Acting Like the Drunk Looking for His Keys?
The Environment: China's Achilles Heel?
Two Bear Stearns Funds "Nearly Worthless"
"Goldman, JP Morgan Saddled With Debt They Can't Sell"
"You Know You're Subprime When…"
"MIT finds cure for fear"
New York Times Takes Conservative Line on "Populism"
Is Kuwait Lying About Its Oil Reserves?
New Class of Chemicals Accumulating in People, Land Animals "
Is Lifespan Inherited From Fathers?
"Warsh, Steel Don't See `Systemic Risk' From Subprime"
Has the Credit Contraction Finally Begun?
"Thrift Regulator May Ban 'Unfair' Lending Practices"
"Junk rated loans hit new lows"
"Hedge funds eye Mexico amid US subprime woes"
Atlanta: Microcosm of Real Estate Woes to Come?
Negative Equity ARMs: Bad, But Is It That Bad, and Is It News?
Why Do Shareholders Let Corporate Acquirers Get Away With It?
"Minority families face wave of foreclosures"
"Buyers shun Bear Stearns' fire sale"
What If We Stop Believing the Ratings?
Was Bear Stearns' Hedge Fund Intervention a Bad Idea?
Report from DC: "Area Suburbs See Rise in Foreclosures"


text: Q: How to log JavaScript client stack traces in AWS CloudWatch It would be nice to consolidate logging on AWS with our server logs - curiously tho I don't see much chatter about the subject of using CloudWatch for logging client errors.


text:
As we move forward we need more AI
"In any case, there will be an integrated airspace traffic management system and it will be able to function quite autonomously. To get there, different parties from the industry will have to keep working with each other," says Amit Ganjoo, founder of ANRA Technologies, which in just 6 years has taken a leading position in the world of traffic management solutions.
Amit Ganjoo founded ANRA Technologies in 2015. And according to Ganjoo, ANRA is one of the first companies active in the airspace management business for unmanned traffic since the day the term UTM was coined. The company has a space act agreement with NASA and the only company that can claim to have participated in all of NASA's UTM national campaigns. Six years later, ANRA is operating globally and has offices in the US, UK and Asia.
It is not so strange that Ganjoo would become active in the world of UAM. He started his career at Ericsson, ran his own company, worked as a contractor for the US Department of Defense in the field of drones and communications, learned to fly and even built his own experimental plane. "We are a company that builds the technology but also helps write the standards and regulations. We define the standards, we implement them and firmly believe in open standards and global harmonisation. This industry cannot scale by building be a one-off things. Everything in this new airspace management paradigm needs to be harmonised. In a few years from now you will have a transborder operation and much much more.
ANRA Technologies is probably one of the few companies that works with NASA as well as for the European SESAR project. Ganjoo knows better than anyone the differences in approach between Europe and the US. 'At a 10-thousand foot level, the differences are few. But the regulations that cover the technology, as it were, differ in Europe, the US and Asia. But on a conceptual level, we try to solve the same technical problems everywhere. And that is why we must focus on standards and interfaces that can be used worldwide.'
Although nothing is perfect and there will always be room for improvement, Ganjoo does have his ideas about an ideal UTM system. "But that will develop gradually and evolutionarily. We'll start with something, try it out in real world, we'll realize that some things will work, but some things also need to be adjusted. I don't think the systems we're imagining now will be around in 15 years. Ultimately, a completely integrated airspace management will be created: manned or unmanned. Or crewed or uncrewed in the new terminology. They are all going to interoperate: all sizes and all shapes. In our internal briefings we call it airspace management plus plus. And it's going to be a combination of what UTM or UAM air space management brings, what the legacy ATM brings and there will be ties between the two and some new additions that will be required. The system has to be more automated because having that legacy concept of a human always in the loop is not scalable when the number of aircraft increases. So it has to be human on the loop versus human in the loop. As we move forward we need more automation, more machine learning, more AI."
Monetise
Ganjoo is not afraid that the industry and the market cannot keep up with such a comprehensive system. "Technology always leads regulation. I don't think the problem will be on the technology side. Regulations are lagging. But they are catching up. Hopefully that gap narrows as we move forward."
And it's not just about regulation. Ganjoo cites business models as the next obstacle. "It depends on where in the world you are, but the differences between Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are huge. Who will be able to earn money with this new form of air traffic navigation? Because at the end of the day it's the same air space and you need to create equitable access. But someone has to manage and monetise it to ensure and sustain the technology, the framework and the infrastructure."
Last March CANSO invited more than 20 organisations from around the globe for what was named the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) Global Council. The outcome of the Council should be a blueprint for future skies. Ganjoo is enthusiastic about the initiative. "It will have to be done in small steps. Because you can't eat an elephant all at once. What certainly helps is the collaborative nature of the Council. The industry works together with governments and regulators. That's what a young industry like ours needs. I like to call it 'coopetition': you have to cooperate before you compete. If we don't cooperate today, there won't be an industry to compete in down the line."
Anra Technologies at the AAM Summit in Las Vegas
Amit Ganjoo will be speaking during the AAM Summit in Las Vegas 9 September 2021 on the mobility needs for future cities. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) represents the evolution of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), which is a concept that will revolutionize air travel for consumers everywhere. This evolution is connected to the future of the sky as a whole where unmanned vehicles of all sizes will be sharing the same airspace. We'll address the technological progress being made in this area along with an update on the policy and regulatory advancements that are in the works. View the programme here.


There's nothing better than a bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds with a beautiful rainbow arcing through... so on days when the weather is chilly and grey, remember the lovely colourful sky with our cosy beanie ^_^.
Each Rainbow Cloud beanie is made from 100% premium acrylic yarn, with a big fluffy rainbow pom pom, cloud pattern and rainbow striped rib.
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No, it is not your imagination: good IT security help is hard to find.
So says a new survey by ISACA and RSA Conference, which reports that 82 percent of organizations expect to be attacked in 2015 – yet acknowledge that they have talent pool that is largely unqualified and unable to handle complex threats.
More than one in three companies or 35 percent are unable to fill open security positions, according to the report, The State of Cybersecurity: Implications for 2015.
Given that online security has been a brewing issue for years — and that universities and colleges have not been shy about promoting their computer science departments and degrees — it is fair to wonder what the heck is going on. Are these IT skills really that scarce and difficult to acquire?
No more than IT skills typically are — but there are some other issues to consider as well, Eddie Schwartz, chair of ISACA's Cybersecurity Task Force and president and COO of WhiteOps told CMSWire.
The first is never overestimate the ability of companies to predict the future or at least their future talent needs.
"The idea that 'everyone' saw this huge need for security IT skills coming years ago is not true," he said. "Think of it like a tidal wave in the sense that it started out as a ripple in the ocean and then quietly but quickly became bigger and bigger."
It wasn't until some of the very high-profile computer hacks of the last few years that ordinary businesses realized that they needed to get up to speed on this issue, according to Schwartz.
Another point to consider -- and one the report further highlights -- is that many companies are starting to seriously think about their security teams from a position of less than zero. The survey noted that only 16 percent of respondents feel at least half of their applicants are qualified. More than half, 53 percent, report it can take as long as six months to find a qualified candidate.
A business might reasonably conclude from all this that the most practical answer is to cultivate and train its in-house staff to meet its online security needs. Unfortunately, here again, the survey leaves little room for optimism.
Respondents overwhelming acknowledged that their ideal cybersecurity worker is someone with a formal education, practical experience and appropriate certifications.
"The problem is, you can't build these people overnight. It takes a few years to go through a Master's program, especially if you are doing it part time," Schwartz said.
Well, what about convincing employees in other, related tech areas to make over their career paths? That might be more doable but don't underestimate the pitfalls involved here as well, Schwartz cautioned.
"Recruiters will tell you that if you want to convince someone to take a risk changing over her career you have to show her the career path first. You have to show her that in X amount of years she can expect to have accomplished certain things and can expect a certain level of compensation."
IT security is still too nascent for that, he added.
There are a few upsides to the report's findings, namely that security has finally made it onto the C-Suite's radar.
Some 79 percent of the respondents say their board of directors is concerned with cybersecurity.
Also, cybersecurity is clearly becoming a core focus for companies: 55 percent of the respondents report that their company has a chief information security officer and 56 percent report their firms will spend more on cybersecurity in 2015.
And here's another piece of good news, relatively speaking. Schwartz believes that this mismatch between IT security talent demand and supply will even out somewhat over the next five to ten years.


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Home > NEW > Harry Kane, Gareth Southgate Slam Hungary Fans for 'Racist Chants' Against England Players
Harry Kane, Gareth Southgate Slam Hungary Fans for 'Racist Chants' Against England Players
© AP Photo / Facundo Arrizabalaga
This is not the first time Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham have been subjected to racist abuse from fans. Earlier, the duo had faced racial slurs during England's Euro 2020 campaign and were treated like villains by home supporters after their failure to secure the country's maiden European Championship title.
England skipper Harry Kane, manager Gareth Southgate, pundits and a number of fans have slammed Hungary supporters for their racist chants during their World Cup qualifying clash on Thursday.
While both Kane and Southgate called for strict action from the game's governing body FIFA, England supporters hailed their team for putting up a spectacular show, which saw their side defeat the hosts 4-0 amid the racially charged atmosphere in Budapest.
Brilliant win in front of a hostile crowd. Kept our composure well to make it four from four. Back to Wembley to try and keep the run going 🦁🏴 pic.twitter.com/dFQJEgWjHc
— Harry Kane (@HKane) September 2, 2021
Monkey chants reverberated across Puskas Ferenc Stadium whenever Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham got close to the ball, but the tensions inside the England Camp escalated to unprecedented heights after plastic cups were thrown at Sterling as he opened the scoring for the Three Lions.
Reacting to the racial abuse of his players from the hostile crowd, the English skipper appealed for "strong" action against the Hungarian fans.
"I didn't hear it," Kane told British media after the match.
"I'll talk to the boys and see if they heard it. We'll have to report it to UEFA as the rules permit and if it was the case then hopefully UEFA can come down strong," he added.
Right from the beginning, the Hungarians booed the England players for 'taking the knee' as a pro-black gesture during the playing of the anthem before the actual kick-off.
However, the mood inside the packed arena became more aggressive once Sterling scored England's opening goal in the 55th minute, as projectiles were thrown at the visiting players, a flare was aimed at the pitch, and beer cups were pelted at Sterling.
The environment continued to heat up as the Hungarian supporters continued their monkey chants on throughout the second half, when England scored all their four goals.
Just like Kane, Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate was left disappointed with Thursday night's incidents and condemned the racial abuse of his players.
"There's no more this group of players or staff can do in the fight against racism," England's manager said. "Other people have got to take the right action to try and make progress."
"Our players can't do anything more than they have done in the past two or three years in trying to get the right messages out, take the right stands, and it's for other people to protect them. It's for me to protect them in the main, but for the authorities to protect them as well," he added.
"They shouldn't have to be subjected to any form of racism. There's a balance in the crowd. As we know at home not everybody causes problems. Tonight our anthem was really respected remarkably well."
"It's not fair to criticise all the Hungarian fans. A lot were very generous and behaved extremely well. The individuals that are responsible need to be dealt with. I think there's some evidence that people have been filmed and we've got to hope the authorities deal with that in the right way," Southgate concluded.
Meanwhile, Arsenal legend and sports commentator Ian Wright hit out at FIFA and UEFA over their lacklustre approach towards dealing with unruly behaviour, insisting that football's governing bodies simply don't care about taking the problem head on.
"You can't believe that two organisations can't get together and ban them," Wright told ITV.
"Black players will know that they're probably going to get racially abused. As soon as Sterling gets fouled, it's embarrassing, don't know what to say about FIFA and UEFA, they don't care enough, they don't care enough," he said.
While the behaviour of the Hungarian crowd made the headlines, English fans were effusive in praise of their players. With their lopsided 4-0 triumph, which was powered by goals from Sterling, Kane, Harry Maguire and Declan Rice, England managed to maintain their 100 percent winning record in Group I.
Kane and his team's admirers not only lauded their performance, but also rebuked the racial abuse, which was pointed at them. Some of their fans even said that they were in "love" with the team as their side never takes the "s***" aimed at them.
Well done England 🏴 👏🏾👏🏼 Disgusting behaviour from a lot of the Hungarian Fans in the stadium.The England players to a man behaved impeccable, tremendous respect to everyone ✊🏼 Oh & by the way it was 4-0 😊
— Chris Kamara (@chris_kammy) September 2, 2021
Football against racism. OK. Remove Hungary from any and all international matches. No ifs or buts. A complete blanket ban on that country for 12 months minimum. #HUNENG
— Emma LUFC Holmes 💙💛 (@EmmaSmileHolmes) September 2, 2021


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[ October 15, 2019 ] Cristiano Ronaldo achieves 700 career goals	International
[ July 19, 2019 ] Is Zaha what Arsenal needs right now?	Premier League
[ July 18, 2019 ] Who are the top 5 talents to look out next season?	Transfers
[ November 11, 2021 ] Can Zlatan Ibrahimovic Bring The Title to AC Milan?	Serie A
[ November 9, 2021 ] Is Antonio Conte The Right Man For Tottenham's Job?	Premier League
[ September 16, 2021 ] Transfers That Were Ruined by Illness or Injury	Transfers
[ September 15, 2021 ] Can Cristiano Ronaldo End His Career as The Greatest Player In Football History?	International
[ January 20, 2021 ] The task facing Mauricio Pochettino at PSG	Ligue 1
La Liga Santander 2019/2020 Table
La Liga schedule
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Ligue 1 schedule
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Liga NOS schedule
Eredivisie schedule
MLS table: regular season and playoffs
MLS schedule
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UEFA Europa League Group Stage
HomeTransfersWho are the best free agents players on the market?
Who are the best free agents players on the market?
August 2, 2019 Alex Dudley Transfers, Uncategorized 0
Credits: BBC
The summer transfer window is that time of the year when clubs throw enormous amounts of cash around trying to secure the mega-money signing that can take them to the next level. However, as has been shown by Juventus over recent seasons; you don't always need to spend big. The Old Lady have carefully built their staked squad through smart acquisitions that haven't required a transfer fee.
Just this summer they have brought in Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot on free transfers from Arsenal and PSG respectively, while Gianluigi Buffon has also been brought back to the club using the Bosman rule. Could more clubs follow the Serie A champions and find what they are looking for in the free-agent market? Let's see who is still without a club.
Why always him? The striker is one of the most controversial characters in world football, but this summer following his release from Marseille he is still on the lookout for a new club. The Italian international is still only 28 and has achieved success in Serie A, the Premier League and Ligue 1.
However, his off the field antics are usually what gets him in the headlines, and that certainly takes away the ability that he has on the football field.
He was an essential member of the team that secured a first Premier League title at the Etihad but following a falling out with Roberto Mancini his career suddenly went backwards. He has enjoyed a renaissance over recent seasons in France with Nice and Marseille where he has scored 41 goals in 73 Ligue 1 fixtures. Maybe a manager out there may feel he could be the one to tame Balotelli.
😘😘😘 pic.twitter.com/yqAzjotfuQ
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) March 11, 2019
Gary Cahill
The former Chelsea captain was released at the end of last season after falling down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. However, he still has much to offer teams, and his leadership qualities could see him as an attractive proposition for clubs at the lower end of the Premier League table.
The defender played over 190 times for Chelsea, and his natural defending style would be perfect for a club such as Burnley or Brighton & Hove Albion.
During his time at the Bridge, he was an integral member of the team that won the Premier League, FA Cup, and the Champions League. Despite being 33 years old, he will still have enough gas in the tank to play an integral role at any club.
'It was a great moment for me to get out there and just thank the supporters'@GaryJCahill 💙👏
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 6, 2019
It isn't every day that a club will have the opportunity to sign a Ballon d'Or nominee, but with Ribery available on a free then every chance should jump at the chance to sign the talented Frenchman.
The 36-year-old has spent the last 12 seasons at Bayern Munich, but he decided that this would be his last at the club. Niko Kovac has opted to transform Munich into a younger team and Ribery is one of the players that he decided to release.
The Frenchman won nine Bundesliga titles during his career in Bavaria, as well as playing a crucial role in the team's success in the 2013 Champions League final. It was reported earlier in the summer that Sheffield United were considering making a move for the winger, but ultimately the move didn't happen.
That means that Ribery is still available for free on the market, but it only seems a matter of time before a club will snap up the star.
Get ready! 🙌 Hard work never stops! 💪 #fr7 #Workhardplayhard #Training pic.twitter.com/q1eHyHfmsE
— Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery) July 23, 2019
There is no doubting the quality of Daniel Sturridge, and but for constant injury problems, he would have remained at Anfield. However, this summer the Champions League winners released him following another injury-hit season at the club.
There is a chance for a top club to take a chance on the Englishman, and he could be the decisive factor in their season should he remain fit. Just last season Sturridge showcased what made him a star in the Premier League when he scored a brilliant goal to save a point for Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
The concerns over his fitness are a granted stumbling block, but a club could offer a pay as you play deal because his quality is that high. His natural goalscoring ability has a crucial element to Liverpool's second-place finish in the 2013-14 season, and should a club get him into that kind of form then he would be a marvelous signing.
My good bye message to everyone at @LFC Always love ❤🙌🏾 https://t.co/mHWy8bvZLH pic.twitter.com/qQSElLquMV
— Daniel Sturridge (@DanielSturridge) June 5, 2019
Welbeck is another player that falls under the same category as Daniel Sturridge. His injury problems coupled with his high wages meant that Arsenal could no longer afford to have him on the books since he wasn't playing as consistently as they wished. Welbeck struggled for game time throughout the 2019-20 season and hasn't played more than 20 games in consecutive seasons since the 2012-13 and 2013-2014 seasons.
While his goalscoring record has never been consistent, he does offer energy that not many other players can. His work rate opens up space for his teammates and is selfless when given the chance. He would be a perfect signing for a club like Newcastle, and fans would quickly fall in love with him.
Step by step 🏃🏻♂🏃🏿♂ pic.twitter.com/cNzZbZtgEw
— Danny Welbeck (@DannyWelbeck) March 26, 2019
With the Premier League schedule ready to start next week, clubs must rush to finish their deals and one of these players might suit them well. Who would you sign for your team?
About Alex Dudley	35 Articles
Alex has travelled the world covering major sporting events for various websites and publications. He has attended football European Championships, Rugby League and Union World Cups, and the Paralympics. Along with this Alex has covered big wrestling, horse racing and boxing events. His work can be found in the Express & Star, WWE Kids Magazine, or online with the Football Faithful, and The Local. Alex also works closely with betting companies such as Betfair, Coral and Betway to produce compelling sports content for their exclusive blogs.
Sheffield United turn official the club record signing of Oli McBurnie
Everton brings the heat to the Premier with the signing of Moise Kean
Liverpool edge Chelsea to keep lead and City score 8
September 23, 2019 Alex Dudley Premier League 0
It has been yet another unforgettable weekend in the Premier League, and the one performance that got all fans purring over the past couple of days was Manchester City's at home to Watford. After their […]
Champions League group stage: what to expect?
October 2, 2020 Jorge Costa Champions League 0
Later than usual, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Champions League group stage will get on its way this month. The draw took place last Thursday and we got to know the first games for […]
Premier League Deadline Day: Arsenal gets Tierney & Luiz; Tottenham Sessegnon & Lo Celso
August 8, 2019 Jorge Costa Premier League 0
Happy Premier League Deadline Day. The English top-flight closes its transfer window on this Thursday, 8th of August. Tomorrow, the Premier League schedule starts kicking. Stay updated on the Premier League table and the Premier […]
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You are here: Home ∼ Interviews ∼ Structural integrity
John Matthews, president of Master Builders South Africa
Q: What is Master Builders South Africa (MBSA)?
A: MBSA is a federation of employers regulated in terms of the Labour Relations Act. We are mainly responsible for protecting and promoting the interests of builders in SA. We have eight regional associations and three affiliate members, with a combined membership of about 4 000 construction companies. We are an advocacy federation that represents all those construction companies.
Q: How would you describe SA's construction industry?
A: The local industry is facing an unprecedented decline. It's actually on its knees right now, for a number of reasons. One of these is sluggish economic growth, which affects spending power by both the private and public sector.
The government's inability to spend infrastructure budgets means that lots of money is allocated for infrastructure development and maintenance but very little is spent, and that municipalities and departments are unable to spend all allocated funds for infrastructure development. Then, government is not paying its contractors: our member companies are currently owed about R5.5 billion for work done, and those payments are still outstanding. The Eskom situation is devastating and has had dire consequences for the industry. For contractors, load shedding means loss of working hours and loss of profit; for employees in the construction sector it means potential loss of a job and income on the 'no-work, no-pay' basis.
Finally, there's the so-called 'construction mafia'. They masquerade as champions of transformation, while employing criminal tactics to intimidate contractors, assault workers, stop construction works and kill contractors. SA is one of the only countries – if not the only one – where you'll find a builder building and a thug demolishing at the same time, without any consequence whatsoever. It is estimated that the 'construction mafia' phenomenon has affected more than R25 billion worth of projects.
Q: What can bodies such as MBSA do to stop that?
A: We have appealed to the government for help with the construction mafia, but very little has been done in this regard. As an employer entity, our role is to sharply raise this behaviour to law enforcement bodies, who are trained to deal with those illegal acts. We created a 'to-do' list for our members in the event of their construction sites being illegally invaded.
Part of the recommended approach is to refer such invaders to a local master builders association for attention where necessary. Our approach is only limited to legal means, so we rely a lot on law enforcement to help us.
Q: Some small-scale building projects are done by 'fly-by-night' operations, or people who simply don't have the necessary skills. What is MBSA doing about this?
A: We encourage easy entrance to the industry. MBSA has embarked on a consistent contractor-development programme aimed specifically at emerging contractors. MBSA associations have emerging contractor categories that were created with a view to encouraging emerging contractors to belong to an employer body and increase their business and technical skillset.
The risk of 'fly-by-night' operations is very much our problem, as it adversely affects the reputation of our industry, our members and the community at large. Freedom of choice does allow the client to select their own contractor, but we encourage the public to appoint a contractor who is affiliated to our regional associations and adopts its code of conduct when doing business.
Q: In his State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa said that the Infrastructure Fund has a project pipeline of potential investments worth more than R700 billion over the next 10 years. What is the significance of that?
A: Any announcement relating to available infrastructure spend is good news to us. Our concern has always been that such announcements do not come with plans to ensure that such budgets are being spent. If government was able to spend a significant portion of its announced amount, the construction industry would be saved from total collapse.
Q: How is MBSA improving – or at least enforcing – quality standards in the trade?
A: Through our regional master builders associations, we implement apprenticeship and learnership programmes aimed at skilling new entrants to the industry. Members of master builders associations are expected to subscribe to a code of conduct, including provision of quality work.
Q: How is MBSA promoting a culture of health and safety in local building?
A: We promote and encourage our members to comply with construction health and safety regulations. MBSA has a standalone occupational health and safety (OHS) committee, which considers all aspects of OHS. To promote compliance in a positive way, master builders associations run OHS competitions, which then become a national safety competition with a special awards session at our annual congress. Our longstanding relationship with Federated Employers' Mutual has enabled us to do more in this regard.
By Kerry Dimmer
Image: Francesca Cockcroft
Article written by Nicola
COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal


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