2018 (Sub-Saharan Africa) Corruption Perceptions Index
source: Transparency International (see attributions)
"The Corruption Perceptions Index is an index which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people. It uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. More than two-thirds of countries score below 50 on this year’s CPI, with an average score of just 43. It reveals that the continued failure of most countries to significantly control corruption is contributing to a crisis in democracy around the world. While there are exceptions, the data shows that despite some progress, most countries are failing to make serious inroads against corruption. " - excerpt from CPI website (below)
Average Scores By Region
As a region, Sub-Saharan Africa ranked last in the average index scores.
The First Industrial Revolution was about mechanization through the use of steam and water power.
The discovery of electricity ushered in the Second Industrial Revolution with mass production.
In the Third Industrial Revolution, the advent of computer digitization propelled the manufacturing world forward with automation and electronic and IT systems.
As the manufacturing world becomes increasingly computerized and digitized, the emergence of IoT, more powerful sensors and lowered costs of networks begin to define the Fourth Industrial Revolution with connected cyber-physical systems. Industry 4.0 is a technical articulation of how this revolution can be realized.
That said, the year of 2019 is helmed by the familiar major Industry 4.0 events such as the Hannover Messe which has attracted close to 250,000 visitors and 6,500 exhibitors in the past years. In Asia, China and Taiwan, both high-end manufacturing trailblazers, also host the highly visited CIEX 2019, SPS-Industrial Automation Fair and the Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition.
Altogether, there are 14 highest mountains that are more than 8,000 metres high above sea level - collectively, they are referred to as the "eight-thousanders". All of the eight-thousanders are located in Asia's Himalayas and the Karakoram mountain ranges.
Mount Everest ( or otherwise known as Chomolungma or "Goddess Mother of Mountains" to Tibetian natives ) remains the highest of the highest mountains at 8,848m. The first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders was the Italian Reinhold Messner, who completed this feat on 16 October 1986.
The Henley Passport Index is the ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access visa-free. The creator of this index, Henley & Partners, has analysed the visa regulations of countries in the world since 2006.
Scoring. The score is calculated as the number of countries that a specific passport can access becomes its visa-free
Globally. As of March 2019, the countries with the most powerful passports are Japan, Singapore and South Korea, with their holders capable of visiting 189 countries visa-free. The countries with the least powerful passports are Iraq and Afghanistan, with their holders being able to visit only 30 countries visa-free.
South America. Chile, Argentina and Brazil are the top ranked countries in South America with the most powerful passports, enabling visa-free access to 176 (Chile) and 171 (Argentina, Brazil) countries respectively.
The most limiting passports in South America belong to Bolivia and Suriname, which offer visa-free access to 78 and 79 countries respectively.
Avengers Endgame Spoiler Alert Reminder - this list may contain some spoilers to the movie. Continue with caution
One of the things I notice and feel uneasy is the number of times Thanos needs to sit down in Infinity Wars and Endgame. That's one too many times than any character we have ever seen in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
On one hand, it seems to be a "natural" habit of Thanos, perhaps to sit down whenever he needs to contemplate something. He sat down to contemplate the success of his post-Snap peace vision. He sat down after arriving in 2023 to "wait", perhaps while contemplating Endgame battle strategies. He sat down at the end of the end, contemplating his "i am inevitable" defeat/demise.
On the other hand, our Mad Titan may have knee osteoarthritis, partly due to his heavy bulk and thick armor which adds pressure on the knees (Thanos 2014) and exacerbated by the damage from wielding the Infinity stones in two occasions (Thanos 2018).
Let's recount the times and moments Thanos was caught sitting down:
At a combined GDP of US$2.8 trillion, ASEAN collectively stands as the 6th largest economy in the world.
The ASEAN region is expected to grow at an annual rate of 5.2% from 2018 to 2021 and is projected to become the fourth largest single market in the world by 2030, behind only the US, China and the European Union. Here are the countries and their GDP contributions to the ASEAN economy, with Indonesia taking the lion's share at US$1 trillion (34.77%). In terms of GDP per capita, Singapore ranks the highest at US$61,230.
Wooden roller coasters are as safe as their steel brethren but they offer an extra bit of excitement to roller coaster enthusiasts that you may not find in a steel roller coaster. The wooden ones sway a lot more and sound and feel more rickety, adding much to the riding anxiety.
The Beast of Kings Island Park at Ohio, United States, has the longest wooden roller coaster track in the world. The Beast is 2,243 meters long and stands 34 meters tall. The track stretches over two hills. contributing to a riding duration of more than four minutes.
At second, is The Voyage of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Indiana, United States with a track length of 1,964 meters and a maximum height of 53 meters.
In third place, is T Express of Eveland Park at Yongin, South Korea. Built by Swiss manufacturer Intamin on a hillside, T Express stretches 1,641 meters in length and rises up to 56 meters in height.
The OICA, or Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers), tracks and represents the global auto industry. Here is a raw summary of the light commercial vehicle (LCV) production for 2017 to 2018 by countries.
A light commercial vehicle is generally referred to as a commercial carrier vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 metric tons. USA, Mexico and China remain the top three light commercial vehicle (LCV) producers for 2017-2018 and account more than 60% of the global production of light commercial vehicles.
In 2018, there are close to 21 million light commercial vehicles produced. Out of which, 38.8% (or 8.2 million vehicles) are produced in USA, 11% (or 2.3 million vehicles) are produced in Mexico and 9.5% (or 2 million vehicles) are produced in China.
In 2017, there are close to 20 million light commercial vehicles produced. Out of which, 39% (or 7.9 million vehicles) are produced in USA, 10% (or 2 million vehicles) are produced in Mexico and 8.7% (or 1.77 million vehicles) are produced in China.
(Note: some figures may be rounded off; listed figures have not been adjusted for double-counting across countries)
These are our Taurus babies . The youngest Taureans are Uchae of Nature, Yechan of 1THE9 and Remi of Cherry Bullet.
Uchae (Yu Hye Jun) of Nature is the youngest Taurus with her birthday on May 07, 2002.
Yechan is from 1THE9 under MBK Entertainment and is born on 14 May 2001.
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Remi (or Katsuno Rise) is from Cherry Bullet under FNC Entertainment and her birthday falls on 26 April 2001.
Please see the full data table below and more after that ...
