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— April 2013 —


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April 29, 2013

DOCUMENTA MADRID: MAY 5 - May 12, 2013

Films, Global Giants

Films, Global Giants

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Films, Global Giants

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Films, Global Giants

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Photos: WINTER NOMADS. Director: Manuel von Sturler. 90 Minutes / 2012 / Switzerland.

Winter Nomads is an adventure film, a contemporary road movie. Pascal and Carole are shepherds. In the month of November 2010, they embark on their long winter transhumance: four months during which they will have to cover 600 km in the Swiss-French region, accompanied by three donkeys, four dogs and eight hundred sheep. An exceptional adventure is about to begin: they brave the cold and the bad weather day in day out, with a canvas cover and animal skins as their only shelter at night. This saga reveals a tough and exacting profession requiring constant improvisation and unflinching attention to nature, the animals and the cosmos.

Films, Global Giants

Photo: Irish Folk Furniture. Director: Tony Donoghue. 8 Minutes / 2012 / Ireland.

This is an animated documentary film about repair and recycling. In rural Ireland old hand-painted furniture is often associated with hard times. Because of this association much of the country’s furniture heritage lies rotting in barns and sheds. In the making of this film 16 pieces of abandoned folk furniture were restored and returned back into daily use. This film was shot in a green and environmentally-friendly way using local craftspeople, local narrators, and inexpensive equipment. Only natural light was used to shoot this film.

Films, Global Giants

Films, Global Giants

Photos: Kyrkogardso. Director: Joakim Chardonnens. 23 Minutes / 2012 / Switzerland.

Kyrkogardso is a small island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It is an Island of 8 habitants and has been owned by the Nordberg Family for 16 generations. Every morning, Ida Nordberg, 5 years old, crosses an icy sea to go to school. Kyrkogardso is a movie which questions the relation of a child with the immensity and the power of the Landscape.

Films, Global Giants

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Photo: Flo. Director: Riley Hooper. 10 Minutes / 2012 / United States of America.

With gritty style and a witty sense of humor, New York photographer Flo Fox has been documenting the streets of New York City since the 1970s. Now, not being fit, and no longer able to even hold a camera, she instructs her attendants to take photos for her and continues to pursue photography and maintain her adventurous, feisty spirit.

Films, Global Giants

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Photo: Dime quien era Sanchicorrota. Director: Jorge Tur Molto. 63 Minutes / 2012 / Spain.

The story revolves around exploration of the legend of Sanchicorrota, a 15th century outlaw, who, just like Robin Hood, became known for “robbing from the rich and giving to the poor”. But the search only reveals some interesting things about shepherds, sheep, hunters, and film settings.

The 10th Edition of the International Documentary Cinema Festival of Madrid, DOCUMENTA MADRID, is taking place from 5th to 12th of May, 2013.

DOCUMENTA MADRID will open a wide window enabling the Madrid audience to see the world around them. They would enjoy 75 chosen films selected from more than 1,100 applications from 84 different countries from all continents.

Two different International Juries, composed of professionals with a long career in the documentary cinema field, will decide the Awards for the three best films in each category.

|GlobalGiants.Com|


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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 5:57 AM | View the original post





April 25, 2013

Traffic Congestion Rising in USA, Declining in Europe

Traffic, Global Giants

Cars, Inrix, Global Giants

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INRIX, a leading international provider of traffic information and driver services, today released its sixth Traffic Scorecard Annual Report, which revealed that traffic congestion in the USA is back on the rise in 2013 after two consecutive years of declines. In the first three months of this year, traffic congestion is up 4 percent compared to 2012. The uptick in traffic congestion in 2013 follows a 22 percent decrease in 2012.

U.S. Traffic Patterns & Worst Traffic Corridors

By analyzing traffic in USA’s 100 largest metropolitan areas in 2012, INRIX revealed that drivers wasted an average of 42 hours in America’s Top 10 Worst Traffic Cities - the equivalent to one week of vacation.

Top 10 Worst Cities for Traffic in America in 2012

RANK — CITY — HOURS LOST IN 2012

1 — Los Angeles — 59
2 — Honolulu — 50
3 — San Francisco — 49
4 — Austin, TX — 38
5 — New York — 50
6 — Bridgeport, CT — 39
7 — San Jose, CA — 31
8 — Seattle — 35
9 — Washington, D.C. — 41
10 — Boston — 31

Findings also exposed that drivers wasted an average of 62 hours last year on America’s most congested roads. The Top 10 Worst Roads for Traffic in 2012 were:

  1. The Cross Bronx Expy (New York: I-95 SB) - Drivers on New York’s worst highway waste over six days each year in traffic.

  2. The San Diego Fwy (L.A.: I-405 SB) - Consistently jammed in both directions, the 405 is LA’s worst freeway; the 8.1-mile stretch leading to Mullholland Dr. takes drivers over 50 minutes on Tuesday mornings - the worst day and time of the week.

  3. The Van Wyck Expy (New York: I-678 SB) - On Thursdays between 4-5 p.m., drivers crawl at 10 mph, and it takes nearly 40 minutes to travel 6 miles.

  4. The Santa Monica Fwy (L.A.: I-10 EB) - It can take drivers up to over an hour (63 min) to navigate the 15-mile stretch from Lincoln Blvd. to Alameda.

  5. The Riverside Fwy (L.A.: CA-91 EB) - Drivers waste approximately six days per year in gridlock on this road.

  6. The Long Island Expy (New York: I-495 EB) - New Yorkers waste more than a half hour per day on the evening commute in traffic on the L.I.E.

  7. Brooklyn Queens Expy (New York: I-278 WB) - It takes approximately an hour to go 10 miles on this highway during the Tuesday evening commute.

  8. San Diego Fwy (L.A.: I-405 NB) -A 13-mile stretch up to Getty Center Drive takes 40 minutes at a crawl of 20 mph.

  9. The Dan Ryan/Kennedy Expy (Chicago: I-90/I-94 WB) - Chicago commuters waste approximately one work week (5 days) every year in traffic on this popular road to O’Hare Airport.

  10. The Santa Ana/Golden St. Fwy (L.A. I-5 SB) - An 18-minute trip on this 17-mile stretch takes almost 50 minutes on weekday afternoons

Additionally, the Scorecard uncovered several other interesting trends regarding U.S. commute times during rush hour. According to INRIX, the worst times to be on the roads in terms of delay are weekday mornings between 7-8 a.m. and weekday evenings between 4-5 p.m. The busiest morning commute hour is Tuesday from 8-9 a.m., and the busiest evening commute takes place on Friday from 5-6 p.m.

Global Traffic Trends

While the Scorecard tells the story of rising traffic congestion indicative of a recovering economy, the report shows that, unlike the U.S., Europe traffic congestion is decreasing as the Eurozone continues to struggle through its debt crisis. Traffic congestion fell 18 percent across Europe in 2012 and continues to spiral downward in 2013 with a further 23 percent decline in the first quarter.

Aside from Luxembourg, the remaining 11 European countries analyzed in the report continue to show steep declines. Even Germany, the long-considered economic stalwart of the EU, showed declines in 2012.

COUNTRY — HOURS LOST IN 2012

Portugal — 11
Italy — 22
Luxembourg — 29
Spain — 25
Hungary — 16
United Kingdom — 29
Austria — 25
Netherlands — 52
Germany — 37
France — 37

Luxembourg has the largest increases in traffic with congestion up by 38 percent in 2013. Ireland is up 10 percent in the same period. Traffic congestion in Europe’s financial capital of London is up 23 percent in the first three months of 2013.

According to INRIX, after leveraging trillions of data points collected and archived by its Traffic Intelligence platform, the Scorecard publishes the most up-to-date information regarding overall congestion and the worst roads for traffic across America. By analyzing hundreds of thousands of road segments totaling nearly 2 million miles of major highways, arterials and city streets nationwide - with a special focus on the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas - the Scorecard informs the ongoing debate of one of the USA’s most frustrating and intractable issues — Traffic Congestion.

|GlobalGiants.Com|

Inrix Traffic, Global Giants


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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:33 AM | View the original post





April 21, 2013

Regatta: America’s Cup World Series 2013 Races begin in Naples, Italy

America's Cup, Global Giants

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America's Cup, Global Giants

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America's Cup, Global Giants

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America's Cup, Global Giants

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America's Cup, Global Giants

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Photos: America’s Cup World Series Regatta 2013, Naples, Italy. April 18, 2013. © Gilles Martin Raget for America’s Cup.

The best sailors in the world have come to Naples, Italy, for the first America’s Cup World Series event of 2013 (April 16-21).

Oracle Team USA, the home team in the United States, charged with defending the America’s Cup in 2013, is currently leading the 2012-13 series.

America’s Cup World Series Naples Championship Standings
(Provisional, after 4 of 7 scheduled races)

  1. Oracle Team USA (Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco, USA)
  2. Energy Team (Yacht Club de France, Paris, France)
  3. Emirates Team New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Auckland, New Zealand)
  4. J.P. Morgan BAR (Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, Falmouth, England)
  5. Luna Rossa Piranha (Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Palermo, Italy)
  6. Luna Rossa Swordfish Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Palermo, Italy)
  7. Artemis Racing White (Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Stockholm, Sweden)
  8. HS Racing (Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco, USA)
  9. China Team (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Mei Fan Yacht Club, China)

The America’s Cup World Series features up to 11 of the top sailing teams in the world. The America’s Cup World Series has been staged in America and Europe since 2011. High-tech catamarans with wingsails, which demand every ounce of energy from their crews, face off at dazzling speeds down narrow courses in regattas staged right off the coast, creating a breathtaking experience for fans.

The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America’s Cup match races between two sailing yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America’s Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. The America’s Cup is the oldest active trophy in international sport.

One of the most fiercely competitive and sought after trophies in all of sport, the America’s Cup was first raced in 1851, 45 years before the modern Olympics. The U.S. yacht America won, giving the international sailing competition its name. It consists of 3 different stages — the America’s Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton Cup (used as the selection series to determine who will race the Defender), and the America’s Cup Finals.

|GlobalGiants.Com|


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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:06 AM | View the original post





April 15, 2013

Italian Fashion House FENDI To Restore Rome’s Iconic Trevi Fountain

Rome, Global Giants

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Photo: Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain), Rome, Italy.

Fendi, Global Giants

International Brands

Fendi, Global Giants

Unesco, Global Giants

Photos: FENDI Women Spring Summer 2013.

FENDI Chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari together with Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi and the representatives of the City of Rome have announced FENDI’s sponsorship of the restoration of one of Rome’s most precious monuments - the Trevi Fountain. Trevi Fountain is one of the most cherished symbols of Rome and is a part of world’s cultural heritage.

The restoration of the Trevi Fountain is the first of a series of conservation interventions which FENDI intends to support through “FENDI for FOUNTAINS” - a project conceived to restore and safeguard historical fountains in the city of Rome including the four late Renaissance Fountains of Piazza Quattro Fontane.

According to the Italian fashion house FENDI, it boasts deep historical ties with the city of Rome, and has always looked to the city for endless inspiration and cultural stimuli for its runway collections.

|GlobalGiants.Com|


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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:29 PM | View the original post





April 13, 2013

Honeywell Brings Nobel Laureate David Gross and Its Science and Engineering Initiative to India

Honeywell, Global Giants

Honeywell, Global Giants

Honeywell, GlobalGiants

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Photos: Honeywell Aerospace Engine Testing. © Honeywell Aerospace.

Honeywell yesterday introduced Professor David Gross, Nobel laureate in Physics, to the students and faculty of College of Engineering, Pune, India, as part of its global Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering.

Professor Gross is among 22 Nobel laureates that Honeywell has sponsored at universities worldwide since 2006. The event marks the tenth time a Honeywell program has been delivered to a university in India, and the third time the program has taken place at the College of Engineering, Pune. Over the years the program has benefitted thousands of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students and teachers across the country.

Gross was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of ‘asymptotic freedom’ in nuclear interactions in 1973, which proved that as particles move closer to other particles, the nuclear force between them becomes so weak that they behave almost as free particles. This discovery established quantum chromodynamics (QCD) as the correct theory of the strong nuclear force, one of the four fundamental forces in Nature. The other forces are gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak nuclear force.

With more than 1,500 students in attendance, Gross delivered a lecture on quantum mechanics, a theory that describes the behavior of matter and energy at subatomic and atomic scales, and quantum field theory, which is an extension of quantum mechanics.

“Quantum field theory has proven to be the most successful theoretical framework in the history of physics,” Gross told the students and faculty during his lecture. “It can be used to calculate the mass of any particle in nature, regardless of its size, including your body weight.”

Afterwards, students engaged in a lively discussion with the laureate, asking many questions and interacting directly with him throughout his visit.

The Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering program is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company’s corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on five areas of vital importance: Science & Math Education, Family Safety & Security, Housing & Shelter, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief.

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Honeywell is based in Morris Township, N.J., USA.

|GlobalGiants.Com|


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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:45 AM | View the original post





April 7, 2013

Developing Smarter Drivers: Shell Launches "Target One Million" Program

Shell Oil, Global Giants

Shell Oil, Global Giants

As part of its “Smarter Driving” program, Shell Oil Company today announced the US launch of “Target One Million”. The goal of this initiative is to show one million people worldwide how easy it is to become more fuel efficient.

Shell Oil Company also announced its new study that provides insight into current US driver attitudes on fuel efficiency and compares them to those of drivers in other countries.

According to Shell, while, for years, American car culture has influenced US motorist behavior, affecting everything from what they drive to how they drive and maintain their vehicles, this new study counters some common myths and reveals that Americans care about using energy resources wisely, understand the importance of fuel efficiency and want to learn more about how to save fuel.

The study shows:

• Americans are more concerned about energy waste compared to other countries surveyed, with half of US drivers bothered by people wasting energy and 54 percent seeing it as a waste of resources beyond just money.

• US drivers recognize the positive impact of fuel efficiency both financially and out of respect for the planet’s resources. Seventy-seven percent see being fuel efficient as an important way for them to personally use resources in a more sustainable way, while 86 percent also see it as important for saving money.

• 63 percent of drivers indicate a willingness to change their driving behaviors to be more fuel efficient, nearly one in three US drivers also indicated they don’t know how to drive more efficiently.

“Shell has more than 100 years of experience showing the world’s drivers how to get more out of their fuel,” said Elen Phillips, vice president, Shell Fuels Sales & Marketing Americas. “From this new research, it’s clear that Americans want to know more. Programs like Smarter Driving and Target One Million are extremely important in demonstrating simple changes motorists can make to their driving habits to become more fuel efficient and to save at the pump.”

Shell has developed a Smarter Driving program for motorists to help them go further on less fuel by helping them “M.A.P.” their own journey to Smarter Driving. M.A.P. stands for:

• Maintenance : Perform smart maintenance before you drive;

• Actions : Practice smart behaviors while you’re behind the wheel; and

• Products : Purchase smart products and services without sacrificing price or quality.

Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries.

|GlobalGiants.Com|


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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 5:34 AM | View the original post





April 4, 2013

L'OREAL-UNESCO Awards For Women in Science 2013

UNESCO, Global Giants

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Photo: For Women in Science - La Sorbonne. Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and CEO, L’Oréal, delivers opening remarks. © For Women in Science 2013.

UNESCO, Global Giants

Photo: Professor Deborah S. Jin, University of Colorado, USA, L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards 2013 Laureate for North America “For having been the first to cool down molecules so much that she can observe chemical reactions in slow motion which may help further understanding of molecular processes which are important for medicine and new energy sources”. With Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and CEO, L’Oréal, and Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO. © For Women in Science 2013.

UNESCO, Global Giants

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Photo: 2013 L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards ceremony. © For Women in Science 2013.

UNESCO, Global Giants

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Photo: Grand Salon, La Sorbonne, Paris, France. 2013 L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards ceremony. © For Women in Science 2013.

UNESCO, Global Giants

Photo: Photo Exhibition “Femmes de Science” - Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris. Photo Credit: Micheline Pelletie. © For Women in Science 2013.

The L’OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science program awarded five exceptional women scientists from around the world with the 2013 L’OREAL-UNESCO Awards in the Physical Sciences. The award ceremony took place on March 28 at Sorbonne University in Paris, France.

Since its inception, L’OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science has honored 77 Laureates, including two who subsequently were awarded the Nobel Prize. The program has also supported more than 1,652 Fellows who have made contributions in every field of scientific research. By the end of 2013, a total of 1,729 women scientists from over 100 countries will have benefited from the program.

An international network of nearly 1,000 scientists nominates the candidates for each year’s Awards. The five Laureates are then selected by an independent, international jury. Each Laureate receives $100,000 in recognition of her contribution to the advancement of science.

Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO remarked, “This program embodies UNESCO’s founding principles. It is based on the idea that science has no gender and no frontiers; that scientific knowledge must be shared; that the curiosity of all girls and boys must be nurtured and encouraged as much as possible for the benefit of all.”

The five Laureates recognized for their scientific achievements are:

NORTH AMERICA
Professor Deborah S. Jin, University of Colorado (USA)

AFRICA and ARAB STATES
Professor Francisca Nneka OKEKE, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Nigeria)

ASIA / PACIFIC
Professor Reiko Kuroda, Tokyo University of Science (Japan)

EUROPE
Professor Pratibha Gai, University of York (United Kingdom)

SOUTH AMERICA
Professor Marcia Barbosa, Federak University if Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre (Brazil)

The 2013 L’OREAL-UNESCO Awards Jury is made up of 13 eminent members of the international scientific community. The President of the jury is Professor Ahmed Zewail, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1999. Professor Christian de Duve, Nobel Prize in Medicine 1974, is the Founding President of the Awards, while Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, is Honorary President.

|GlobalGiants.Com|


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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:27 AM | View the original post






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