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September 29, 2012
Bridgestone Displays Concept Tire of “100% Sustainable Materials” at the 2012 Paris Motor Show
Photos: Bridgestone at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
Photo: Bridgestone Battlax Sportbike Tires
Bridgestone Corporation is exhibiting a concept tire of 100% sustainable materials at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
According to Bridgestone, as the world’s largest tire and rubber manufacturer, it is working to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society while providing a constant and reliable supply of advanced and high-quality products to meet the needs of its customers around the world.
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:34 PM | View the original post
September 28, 2012
Opening of the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly
Photo: View of a cross-section of the General Assembly Hall during the opening of general debate of the Assembly’s sixty-seventh session. 25 September 2012. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine.
Photo: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Barack Obama, President of the United States. 25 September 2012. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: “Education First”, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Global Initiative on Education, which seeks to make a breakthrough to mobilize all partners to achieve universal primary education ahead of the 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), was launched on the margins of the UN General Assembly’s general debate. 26 September 2012. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Bill Clinton, Founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and former President of the United States, speaks at the launch of the Global Initiative on Education, “Education First”. The Initiative seeks to make a breakthrough to mobilize all partners to achieve universal primary education ahead of the 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 26 September 2012. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
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“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
— Aristotle.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:37 PM | View the original post
September 23, 2012
U.S. Higher Education Accreditation Body Launches International Forum
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), Washington, DC, has announced the launch of the CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG).
• “The CIQG (CHEA International Quality Group) will provide an important international forum for institutions, accrediting and quality assurance organizations and others around the world to address vital topics related to quality and quality assurance,” CHEA President Judith Eaton said. “The launch of the CIQG reflects the growing importance of international higher education quality issues.”
The main function of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is to recognize institutional accrediting organizations in the USA.
CHEA advocates self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation.
According to the CHEA announcement, an Advisory Council of individuals from the academic and accreditation/quality assurance communities in a number of countries will guide the CIQG with regard to strategic development and identifying key trends and issues in international quality assurance.
CIQG will hold international meetings, produce an international newsletter and research briefs, and will offer fee-for-service consultation assistance.
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:27 AM | View the original post
September 22, 2012
ACADEMY TO CELEBRATE THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND
Photo: Record album cover, THUNDERBALL, 1965. Courtesy: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Photo: Record album cover, MOONRAKER, 1979. Courtesy: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Photo: Record album cover, GOLDFINGER, 1964. Courtesy: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
As part of the global 50th anniversary celebration of James Bond, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present “The Music of Bond: The First 50 Years,” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, USA. Held 50 years to the day after the U.K. opening of the first Bond film, “Dr. No,” the evening pays homage to the memorable title songs that have become as celebrated as the films themselves.
According to the Academy announcement, “Hosted by music historian and writer Jon Burlingame, the program will feature many of the people who made the music, including composer Bill Conti (“For Your Eyes Only”), songwriter Carole Bayer Sager (“Nobody Does It Better” from “The Spy Who Loved Me”), lyricist Don Black (title songs for “Thunderball,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” “The Man with the Golden Gun” and “The World Is Not Enough”) and guitarist Vic Flick, who laid down the famous guitar lick for the “James Bond Theme.” There also will be a special video message from actor Roger Moore [best known for his role as British secret agent James Bond in the official film series between 1973 and 1985].”
“Over the 22 films released to date as part of the official James Bond series, there have been several constants: suave but deadly leading men, gorgeous Bond girls, over-the-top villains and incredible music,” the academy reminded. “Those notable elements combined with the remarkable scores by composers including Conti, John Barry, Marvin Hamlisch and David Arnold has resulted in a body of work that continues to play a major role in popular film culture.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization. The Academy is known around the world for its annual Academy Awards, informally known as the “Oscars”.
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:27 AM | View the original post
September 21, 2012
Taxi of Tomorrow: New York City Approves Nissan as Exclusive Taxi Provider
According to Nissan, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) has officially approved regulations requiring the replacement of taxicab vehicles with the Nissan NV200 Taxi of Tomorrow.
The exclusive agreement begins in late 2013, when the first Nissan taxis will hit the New York streets, Nissan said. Powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine, the Nissan NV200 is designed to reduce carbon emissions and enhance fuel efficiency across the entire taxi fleet, as old models are replaced.
Drawing on its full range of commercial vehicle experience - including providing taxis for municipalities around the world - Nissan is in the process of conducting extensive testing for the Nissan NV200 Taxi prior to the vehicle going on sale.
Designed from the inside out, using input from New York taxi drivers, fleets and passengers, standard interior features and passenger amenities include:
• Ample room for four passengers and their luggage, offering substantial improvements over current taxi models.
• Sliding doors with entry step and grab handles, providing easy entry and exit.
• Transparent roof panel, presenting unique views of the city.
• Opening side windows.
• Independently controlled rear air conditioning.
• Active Carbon Lined headliner to help neutralize interior odors.
• Overhead reading lights for passengers and floor lighting to help locate belongings.
• A mobile charging station for passengers, including a 12-volt electrical outlet and two USB ports.
• Driver and passenger intercom system.
In addition, important safety features of the Taxi of Tomorrow include:
• Only taxi ever to be safety tested and certified with full taxi partition.
• Front and rear-seat occupant curtain airbags, and seat-mounted airbags for the front row.
• Standard traction control and Vehicle Dynamic Control.
• Sliding doors to lessen risk of pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists getting struck by doors opening unexpectedly.
• Lights that alert other road users that taxi doors are opening.
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.
• Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.6 million vehicles in 2011.
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:33 AM | View the original post
September 16, 2012
IBM Helps Cities Worldwide Measure Public Social Sentiment on Critical Issues
Photo: Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) is using IBM software to manage maintenance and logistics for the revolutionary high-speed rail network that runs along the west coast of Taiwan. The express trains are capable of traveling at up to 186 miles per hour (300 km/hr) meaning travel between Taipei City and Kaohsiung City is only roughly 90 minutes as opposed to the 4.5 hours by conventional rail. (Photo © IBM).
At the IBM Smarter Cities Forum in New Delhi, India, IBM has unveiled a new social sentiment capability based on sophisticated analytics technologies to help cities around the world better measure and understand public opinions on key city issues and services such as public transportation or education.
The company also unveiled findings from the latest IBM Social Sentiment Index on traffic, which looked at public sentiment across India’s largest cities - Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai.
Analysis of available social media showed that the worst congestion is primarily caused by accidents and bad weather (three out of four times) when looking at the three cities together.
“Combining the knowledge that population will rapidly increase in Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai in the coming years, with sentiment on commuters’ preferred mode of transportation, could help these cities more accurately plan for needed investments in transportation infrastructure and its potential impact,” IBM said. “City officials could also gauge where public awareness campaigns need to be administered to shift commuters to different modes of transport in order to alleviate growing traffic congestion.”
Photo: India is experiencing unprecedented growth. In the next 20 years, 30 Indians will move every minute from rural India to the cities. To accommodate this massive urban migration, India will need about 500 new cities in the next 20 years. An IBM analysis of social media sentiment around transportation in India’s three largest cities - Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi - illustrates how cities can use public opinion to help set priorities for urban planning and prepare for future growth. (Photo © IBM).
According to IBM, the top three factors impacting traffic congestion that citizens in each city talked about most online were diverse. Delhites chattered about public transportation, weather and the stress of commuting, while Bangaloreans show more concern for their overall driving experience, construction and parking issues, and Mumbaikars are talking about private transportation, accidents and pollution more often.
By applying analytics capabilities to the area of social media sentiment, organizations are able to better understand public opinions, and city officials can gain additional insights in order to draw logical conclusions about where they should focus their attentions and resources, IBM explained.
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:30 AM | View the original post
September 12, 2012
Universities Need to Reform to Reflect Changing Job Market and Skills Needed
• Universities need to do a better job of cooperating with the corporate world to better prepare students for their careers.
• Young workers are changing companies, forcing companies to adapt.
• An MBA should be carefully considered, as it is not always beneficial.
Photo: Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, Director, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Yale University, USA; World Economic Forum Foundation Board Member; Global Agenda Council on Institutional Governance Systems at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China 2012 (© World Economic Forum).
Photo: Rajeev Bhargava, Director and Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, University of Delhi, India, at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China 2012 (© World Economic Forum).
Photo: Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister of Denmark at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China 2012 (© World Economic Forum).
As the labour market rapidly changes, universities need to play a stronger role in preparing graduates for life in the workplace, according to a panel on talent development on the second day of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of New Champions 2012 at Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, 12 September 2012.
“There is a mismatch between where talent is and where it’s needed,” Mark Du Ree, Regional Head, Japan and Asia, and Member of the Executive Committee, Adecco Group, Japan, told participants. “We have very good students who have a great academic career, but we seem to have a disconnect between what’s needed in a corporation and the skills brought to the table.”
N. V. (Tiger) Tyagarajan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Genpact, India, agreed that training the next generation of workers to cope in fast-paced and quickly changing environments is key. He said graduates frequently lack the skills necessary to succeed.
Du Ree added that some universities employ professors or instructors from the corporate world, but many are staffed solely by academics. “What we need to do is have more corporate cooperation with the academics,” he said, noting that young people need to be better prepared. “How can we get academics to spend time in the real world - in the working world - so they know what they’re talking about?” he asked.
Matching talent with demand is another challenge. Ronald Bruder, Founder and Chair, Education For Employment (EFE), USA, a Social Entrepreneur, said that his organization works with employers to find and train talent that meets their needs.
Kevin Taylor, President, Asia-Pacific, BT, Hong Kong SAR, said young workers are also changing the nature of companies. He said young workers are not interested in working seven days a week, or staying up into the early hours of the morning to get their work done. His company has 20,000 employees working from home in the United Kingdom alone. “It’s great,” he said. “The desktop is dead.” He said workers now get their work done anywhere, at any time. According to Taylor, the future will not be how young workers adapt to companies, but how companies can adapt to the working habits and ideals of young workers.
The panellists also tended to agree that an MBA is not as useful as it is perceived to be. Taylor encouraged new graduates to get job experience first, and then pursue an MBA later if it aligns with their career aspirations. Du Ree said he originally planned to pursue his MBA, but, “after working for a few years and finding my passion, I realized I didn’t need it anymore.”
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 8:38 AM | View the original post
September 11, 2012
New York International Fashion Week: Spring 2013 Collections
Photo: (L-R) Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and designers Diane Von Furstenberg and Yvan Mispelaere walk the runway at the Diane Von Furstenberg Spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo © Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz).
Photo: A model walks the runway at the Tommy Hilfiger Women’s Spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo © Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz).
Photo: A model walks the runway at the Tommy Hilfiger Women’s Spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo © Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz).
Photo: A model walks the runway at the Marimekko Spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 10, 2012 in New York City. (Photo © Dario Canatatore/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz).
Photo: A model walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren Spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 13, 2012 in New York City (Photo © Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz).
“This season’s list of designers participating in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is a testament to the strength of the fashion industry,” said Stephanie Zimmer, Manager of Brand Experience Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA. “Mercedes-Benz is a supporter of fashion initiatives in over 30 countries and we are proud to continue supporting Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. It is the marquee event and this season is shaping up to be an exciting spring collection as the fashion community waits in anticipation for the unexpected designs that will be shown.”
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 8:46 AM | View the original post
September 7, 2012
World Economic Forum releases The Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013
• Competitiveness gap widening among European countries
• US remains world’s innovation powerhouse despite decline in overall ranking
• People’s Republic of China most competitive among large emerging markets; India, Russia fall
Photo: Aerial view of the congress center of Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012 took place January 25 - 29, 2012 (© World Economic Forum/Andy Mettler).
Switzerland, for the fourth consecutive year, tops the overall rankings in The Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, released by the World Economic Forum.
Singapore remains in second position and Finland in third position, overtaking Sweden (4th). These and other Northern and Western European countries dominate the top 10 with the Netherlands (5th), Germany (6th) and United Kingdom (8th). The United States (7th), Hong Kong (9th) and Japan (10th) complete the ranking of the top 10 most competitive economies.
The large emerging market economies (BRICS) display different performances. Despite a slight decline in the rankings of three places, the People’s Republic of China (29th) continues to lead the group. Of the others, only Brazil (48th) moves up this year, with South Africa (52nd), India (59th) and Russia (67th) experiencing small declines in rankings.
Despite growing its overall competitiveness score, the United States continues its decline for the fourth year in a row, falling two more places to seventh position. According to the report, in addition to the burgeoning macroeconomic vulnerabilities, some aspects of the country’s institutional environment continue to raise concern among business leaders, particularly the low public trust in politicians and a perceived lack of government efficiency. On a more positive note, the country still remains a global innovation powerhouse and its markets work efficiently, the report says.
The report indicates that Switzerland and countries in Northern Europe have been consolidating their strong competitiveness positions since the financial and economic downturn in 2008. On the other hand, countries in Southern Europe, i.e. Portugal (49th), Spain (36th), Italy (42nd) and particularly Greece (96th) continue to suffer from competitiveness weaknesses in terms of macroeconomic imbalances, poor access to financing, rigid labour markets and an innovation deficit.
Behind Singapore, several Asian economies are performing strongly, with Hong Kong SAR (9th), Japan (10th), Taiwan, China (13th) and the Republic of Korea (19th) all in the top 20.
In the Middle East and North Africa, Qatar (11th) leads the region while Saudi Arabia remains among the top 20 (18th). The United Arab Emirates (24th) improves its performance while Kuwait (37th) slightly declines. Morocco (70th) and Jordan (63rd) improve slightly. In sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa (52nd) and Mauritius (54th) feature in the top half of the rankings.
In Latin America, Chile (33rd) retains the lead and a number of countries see their competitiveness improve, such as Panama (40th), Brazil (48th), Mexico (53rd) and Peru (61st).
“Persisting divides in competitiveness across regions and within regions, particularly in Europe, are at the origin of the turbulence we are experiencing today, and this is jeopardizing our future prosperity.” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum. “We urge governments to act decisively by adopting long-term measures to enhance competitiveness and return the world to a sustainable growth path.”
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:24 PM | View the original post
September 3, 2012
Made in Italy: Lancia is main sponsor of the 69th Venice International Film Festival
Photo: Actor Luca Argentero and Actress Myriam Catania attend the Lancia Cafe during the 69th Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2012 in Venice, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Lancia).
Photo: Actress Barbora Bobulova shows her award during the ‘Premio Kineo’ Ceremony during the 69th Venice International Film Festival at Lancia Cafe on August 30, 2012 in Venice, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Lancia).
For the seventh consecutive year, the Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia (a part of the Fiat Group) is the main sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival, scheduled from August 29 to 8 September 2012.
The new Lancia Flavia ia being used to provide an exclusive courtesy car service. The glamorous convertible embraces the stylistic features of the Lancia brand. Equipped with 175 HP 2.4 litre petrol engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission, the new Lancia Flavia boasts generous external dimensions. It can accommodate up to four adults.
During the Venice Film Festival, Lancia will present a special edition of the new Flavia created in collaboration with Italian furniture maker Poltrona Frau. This special edition car is distinguished by its seats and armrests completely covered in red Pelle Frau Pieno Fiore leather.
“The new Flavia is the perfect expression of the Italian way of life and the beauty of Italian lifestyle based on taste, imagination, style and refinement,” the company said. “The front wheel drive Lancia Flavia guarantees a refined driving experience unparalleled by any other in its segment, whether tackling the daily trip in town to go to the office or when travelling those spectacular panoramic roads out of town on weekends.”
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:51 AM | View the original post
