 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
Photo: Writer/Director/Producer Emin Alper accepts the award for Best Feature Film, Beyond the Hill, at the the sixth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards on November 23, 2012 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo © Chris Hyde/2012 Asia Pacific Screen Awards).
Photo: Nadine Chandrawinata, former Miss Universe Indonesia, and producer of the Best Children’s Feature Film, The Mirror Never Lies, at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards on November 23, 2012 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo © Chris Hyde/2012 Asia Pacific Screen Awards).
Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill, Turkey, Greece) has taken out the Best Feature Film award at the sixth Asia Pacific Screen Awards announced on Friday night at a glittering ceremony at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
Awards and High Commendations went to films from a further ten countries and areas of Asia Pacific including India, Indonesia, Iraqi-Kurdistan, Israel, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Taiwan, and for the first time, Iraq.
An unprecedented total of 264 films were entered in this year’s competition. Asia Pacific countries and areas represented by the nominated films were Australia, Hong Kong (PRC), India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iraqi-Kurdistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Taiwan and Turkey.
WINNERS
• Best Feature Film: Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill), Turkey, Greece
• Best Children’s Film: Laut Bercermin (The Mirror Never Lies), Indonesia
• Best Documentary Feature Film: In My Mother’s Arms, Iraq, UK, Netherlands
• Best Animated Feature Film: Momo e no tegami (A Letter to Momo), Japan
• Achievement in Directing: Anurag Kashyap for Gangs of Wasseypur, India
• Best Screenplay: Reis Celik for Lal gece (Night of Silence), Turkey
• Achievement in Cinematography: Touraj Aslani for Fasle Kargadan (Rhino Season), Iraqi-Kurdistan,Turkey
• Best Performance by an Actor: Choi Min-sik for Bumchoiwaui Junjaeng (Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time), Republic of Korea
• Best Performance by an Actress: Nora Aunor for Sinapupunan (Thy Womb). Philippines
• The UNESCO Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film went to director Wei Te-sheng and producers John Woo, Terence Chang and Jimmy Huang for their Taiwanese film — Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale.
Acclaimed Australian film producer Jan Chapman headed the six-member International Jury. Ms. Chapman follows previous International Jury Presidents Nansun Shi (2011, Hong Kong, PRC), Lord David Puttnam (2010, UK), Huang Jianxin (2009, People’s Republic of China), Bruce Beresford (2008, Australia) and Shabana Azmi (2007, India).
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:06 AM | View the original post
Photos: Formula One - United States GP, Austin, Texas. November 16-18, 2012 (Credit: Red Bull and Daimler AG).
Formula One returned to the United States of America with the penultimate round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship held at the purpose-built Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, November 18, 2012.
Austin is the 10th venue for a F1 race in the USA (after Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Phoenix, Riverside, Sebring and Watkins Glen).
2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX RESULTS
Position — Driver — Country — Team
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:19 PM | View the original post
Photo: Actress Berenice Marlohe at the Skyfall film press conference in Berlin. Berenice Marlohe is wearing Carrera y Carrera Tiger ring in a white gold, diamonds and a smoky quartz. Berenice Marlohe is a French actress. Marlohe played Bond girl “Severine” in the twenty-third James Bond film, Skyfall.
Carrera y Carrera is a Spanish jewelry firm. Present in over 40 countries, the company has subsidiaries in the United States, Japan, and Russia, and boutiques in Madrid, Barcelona, Tokyo, Moscow, Dubai, and Kuala Lumpur, among others.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:36 AM | View the original post
Photos: FIA Formula One World Championship 2012 - India. From above: Mark Webber in Action, 26 Oct 2012, Delhi; Sebastian Vettel in Action, 28 Oct 2012, Delhi; Sebastian Vettel in Action, 28 Oct 2012, Delhi; Mark Webber in Action, 27 Oct 2012, Delhi; Sebastian Vettel declared Winner, 28 Oct 2012, Delhi (Photos © Red Bull).
Indian GP Top 5 (Position - Driver - Country - Team)
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 or Grand Prix is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The F1 season consists of a series of races, held on purpose-built circuits and occasionally on street circuits. The result of each race is combined to determine two annual FIA Formula One World Championships.
Formula One cars are considered to be the fastest circuit-racing cars in the world. Formula One cars race at speeds of up to 318 km/h (192 mph).
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 8:59 AM | View the original post
Photo: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet, races Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, and Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 7, 2012 in Talladega, Alabama. Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR.
Photo: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 26, 2012 in Ridgeway, Virginia. Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR.
Photo: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #51 Toyota Toyota, passes Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Zecol/Menards Toyota, for the leads during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 27, 2012 in Ridgeway, Virginia. Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR.
Photo: Tissot brand ambassador Danica Patrick poses with the No. 7 Tissot Chevrolet after unveiling the new Tissot lobby clocks at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Tissot.
Photo: Darrell Wallace Jr., driver of the #20 Freightliner Trucks Toyota, and Justin Allgaier, driver of the #31 Brandt Chevrolet, lead the field to the start/finish line to start the NASCAR Nationwide Series OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway on September 29, 2012 in Dover, Delaware. Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images.
NASCAR will return to Las Vegas for the postseason NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week — a star-studded, entertainment-filled celebration for the series champion and NASCAR fans, culminating with the highly anticipated NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards.
This year’s annual awards will take place Nov. 30, returning to Wynn Las Vegas with SPEED, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio providing live coverage. As in past years, fans can expect an exciting interactive week of activities that celebrate the 2012 season and also build excitement for the 2013 season ahead.
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America’s premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. NASCAR fans are among the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as three international series.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:00 PM | View the original post
EF Education First’s English Proficiency Index reveals wide gaps in English skills across the world. Women are better at English than men. This is one of many findings officially reported today in the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), an in-depth ranking of English ability. The Swedes are the best English speakers of all based on a survey of 1.7 million adults in 54 Non-English-Speaking Countries and territories in five continents.
The EF EPI is published by international education company EF Education First. “English is key to innovation and competitiveness,” says Michael Lu, Senior Vice President of EF Education First. “The EF ranking should be a wake-up call to countries falling behind their neighbors - because today’s report shows that poor English is linked with less trade, less innovation and lower income.”
Key points revealed by the EF EPI include:
• Italy, Spain and Portugal at the heart of the euro zone crisis are being dragged down by poor English. EF’s research suggests that English skills are strongly linked with how much exports contribute to an economy. All three countries are among the bottom in Europe in proficiency.
• There are wide disparities between the BRIC countries, the developing nations competing to be future economic superpowers. Brazil is ranked only 46th, much lower than China at 36th, Russia at 29th or India - where English is an official language - at 14th.
• The gap between men and women is widest in the Middle East and North Africa, where female scores are considerably higher. This highlights the fact that English could prove key to greater opportunities for women in developing nations. Other countries where men are far worse than women are Italy and China.
• South Korea, at 21st, and Japan, at 22nd, perform disappointingly badly for wealthy countries near the top of global rankings of academic achievement. This is surprising because they come in well behind several lower-income countries, including Hungary (8th) and Poland (10th).
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:39 PM | View the original post
Photo: Oracle Team USA, San Francisco. Photo © Guilain GRENIER.
Photo: San Francisco (USA, CA), 34th America’s Cup, America’s Cup World Series San Francisco 2012 October - Final Race Day. Photo © Gilles Martin-Raget.
Photo: San Francisco (USA, CA), 34th America’s Cup, America’s Cup World Series San Francisco 2012 October - Final Race Day. Photo © Gilles Martin-Raget.
Photo: San Francisco (USA, CA), 34th America’s Cup, America’s Cup World Series San Francisco 2012 October - Race Day 2. Photo © Gilles Martin-Raget.
Photo: San Francisco (USA, CA), 34th America’s Cup, America’s Cup World Series San Francisco 2012 August, Race Day 2. Photo © Gilles Martin-Raget.
Oracle Team USA Spithill (Jimmy Spithill) rebounded from last place at the first turning mark of the “Super Sunday” fleet race finale to win the America’s Cup World Series San Francisco Championship.
Spithill and crew were “dead last” off the start line, but fought their way back through the fleet. They rounded the last windward gate first and held on for a 17-second win over teammates Oracle Team USA Coutts (Russell Coutts).
“The difference is the four guys on the front of the boat,” said Spithill, referencing his crew. “We were dead last off the start line but it didn’t faze these guys. We have a real team of fighters here. We’re really, really happy.”
“We’ve always said we need to be able to come from behind and overcome adversity,” said Spithill, who skippered the team to victory in the 2010 America’s Cup.
The Teams:
• Oracle Team USA Spithill, Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco, USA.
• Luna Rossa - Piranha, Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Palermo, Italy.
• Team Korea, Sail Korea Yacht Club, Gyeonggi, Korea.
• Energy Team, Yacht Club de France, Paris, France.
• Luna Rossa - Swordfish, Circolo della Vela Sicilia, Palermo, Italy.
• Artemis Racing - White, Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Stockholm, Sweden.
• Emirates Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Oracle Team USA Coutts, Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco, USA.
• Artemis Racing - Red, Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Stockholm, Sweden.
• J.P. Morgan BAR, Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, Falmouth, England.
• China Team, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Mei Fan Yacht Club, China.
America’s Cup World Series San Francisco Match Racing Championship Results:
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|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:44 AM | View the original post
Photo: The Academy Presents a 50th Anniversary Screening of “Lawrence of Arabia”. Chris Cookson, President of Sony Pictures Technologies, prior to a 50th anniversary screening of the U.S. premiere of a new digital restoration of Columbia Pictures’ 1962 Best Picture winner “Lawrence of Arabia” presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. © Greg Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S.
Photo: Actress Kym Karath prior to a screening of a new print of the 1965 musical classic “The Sound of Music” presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of its series “The Last 70mm Film Festival” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. © Matt Petit/A.M.P.A.S.
• A record 71 countries, including first-time entrant Kenya, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 85th Academy Awards.
The 2012 submissions are:
• Afghanistan, “The Patience Stone,” Atiq Rahimi, director;
• Albania, “Pharmakon,” Joni Shanaj, director;
• Algeria, “Zabana!” Said Ould Khelifa, director;
• Argentina, “Clandestine Childhood,” Benjamín Ávila, director;
• Armenia, “If Only Everyone,” Natalia Belyauskene, director;
• Australia, “Lore,” Cate Shortland, director;
• Austria, “Amour,” Michael Haneke, director;
• Azerbaijan, “Buta,” Ilgar Najaf, director;
• Bangladesh, “Pleasure Boy Komola,” Humayun Ahmed, director;
• Belgium, “Our Children,” Joachim Lafosse, director;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Children of Sarajevo,” Aida Begic, director;
• Brazil, “The Clown,” Selton Mello, director;
• Bulgaria, “Sneakers,” Valeri Yordanov and Ivan Vladimirov, directors;
• Cambodia, “Lost Loves,” Chhay Bora, director;
• Canada, “War Witch,” Kim Nguyen, director;
• Chile, “No,” Pablo Larraín, director;
• China, “Caught in the Web,” Chen Kaige, director;
• Colombia, “The Snitch Cartel,” Carlos Moreno, director;
• Croatia, “Vegetarian Cannibal,” Branko Schmidt, director;
• Czech Republic, “In the Shadow,” David Ondrícek, director;
• Denmark, “A Royal Affair,” Nikolaj Arcel, director;
• Dominican Republic, “Jaque Mate,” José María Cabral, director;
• Estonia, “Mushrooming,” Toomas Hussar, director;
• Finland, “Purge,” Antti J. Jokinen, director;
• France, “The Intouchables,” Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, directors;
• Georgia, “Keep Smiling,” Rusudan Chkonia, director;
• Germany, “Barbara,” Christian Petzold, director;
• Greece, “Unfair World,” Filippos Tsitos, director;
• Greenland, “Inuk,” Mike Magidson, director;
• Hong Kong, “Life without Principle,” Johnnie To, director;
• Hungary, “Just the Wind,” Bence Fliegauf, director;
• Iceland, “The Deep,” Baltasar Kormákur, director;
• India, “Barfi!” Anurag Basu, director;
• Indonesia, “The Dancer,” Ifa Isfansyah, director;
• Israel, “Fill the Void,” Rama Burshtein, director;
• Italy, “Caesar Must Die,” Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani, directors;
• Japan, “Our Homeland,” Yang Yonghi, director;
• Kazakhstan, “Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe,” Akan Satayev, director;
• Kenya, “Nairobi Half Life,” David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga, director;
• Kyrgyzstan, “The Empty Home,” Nurbek Egen, director;
• Latvia, “Gulf Stream under the Iceberg,” Yevgeny Pashkevich, director;
• Lithuania, “Ramin,” Audrius Stonys, director;
• Macedonia, “The Third Half,” Darko Mitrevski, director;
• Malaysia, “Bunohan,” Dain Iskandar Said, director;
• Mexico, “After Lucia,” Michel Franco, director;
• Morocco, “Death for Sale,” Faouzi Bensaïdi, director;
• Netherlands, “Kauwboy,” Boudewijn Koole, director;
• Norway, “Kon-Tiki,” Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, directors;
• Palestine, “When I Saw You,” Annemarie Jacir, director;
• Peru, “The Bad Intentions,” Rosario García-Montero, director;
• Philippines, “Bwakaw,” Jun Robles Lana, director;
• Poland, “80 Million,” Waldemar Krzystek, director;
• Portugal, “Blood of My Blood,” João Canijo, director;
• Romania, “Beyond the Hills,” Cristian Mungiu, director;
• Russia, “White Tiger,” Karen Shakhnazarov, director;
• Serbia, “When Day Breaks,” Goran Paskaljevic, director;
• Singapore, “Already Famous,” Michelle Chong, director;
• Slovak Republic, “Made in Ash,” Iveta Grófová, director;
• Slovenia, “A Trip,” Nejc Gazvoda, director;
• South Africa, “Little One,” Darrell James Roodt, director;
• South Korea, “Pieta,” Kim Ki-duk, director;
• Spain, “Blancanieves,” Pablo Berger, director;
• Sweden, “The Hypnotist,” Lasse Hallström, director;
• Switzerland, “Sister,” Ursula Meier, director;
• Taiwan, “Touch of the Light,” Chang Jung-Chi, director;
• Thailand, “Headshot,” Pen-ek Ratanaruang, director;
• Turkey, “Where the Fire Burns,” Ismail Gunes, director;
• Ukraine, “The Firecrosser,” Mykhailo Illienko, director;
• Uruguay, “The Delay,” Rodrigo Plá, director;
• Venezuela, “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” Hernán Jabes, director;
• Vietnam, “The Scent of Burning Grass,” Nguyen Huu Muoi, director.
The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at The Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:08 AM | View the original post
Photo: Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2012 Sydney. Dany Torres (Spain) in Action. 05.Oct 2012. Sydney, Australia. (© Red Bull).
Photo: Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2012 Sydney. Levi Sherwood (NZL) in Action. 06.Oct 2012. Sydney, Australia. (© Red Bull).
Photo: Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2012 Sydney. Thomas Pages (FRANCE) in Action. 06.Oct 2012. Sydney, Australia. (© Red Bull).
Levi Sherwood of New Zealand won the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour on Saturday with a thrilling victory in the final round of the 2012 season in Australia over his hard-charging rival Thomas Pages of France.
Sherwood was the dominant force during the entire seven-month 2012 season with three wins, getting clear victories in the season opener in Dubai and then in the mid-summer classic in Madrid. But he was beaten decisively in Glen Helen, California by American Todd Potter, who held the championship lead through the middle of the season. Sherwood then opened a big lead after his win in Madrid but was beaten in Munich by red-hot Pages.
Sherwood was finally able to shake off his pesky French rival Pages, getting the clutch triumph he needed in the dramatic showdown battle to win the closest finish in the 12-year history of Red Bull X-Fighters. Pages dazzled the crowd in Sydney with breathtaking moves such as the flair or the volt. The flair is a mind-boggling 540-degree mid-air turn, the volt leaves him spinning in mid-air above his bike.
The best FMX Athletes in the world brought an explosion of tricks like never seen before in a Freestyle-Motocross-Event.
Results Sydney 2012:
Results World Tour 2012:
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:35 AM | View the original post
All Photos © Harmony Project, Los Angeles.
Harmony Project of Los Angeles is launching Harmony Project Academy to provide enhanced music training to music students from low-income homes who show exceptional promise.
According to Harmony Project, it helps low-income students living in or near LA’s gang reduction zones to develop the habits of mind they need to lead successful lives by connecting them with professional musician mentors. Music lessons and instruments are provided after school hours at no charge. School enrollment is required. Students rehearse year-round in orchestras, choirs and other ensembles that Harmony Project builds in the students’ neighborhoods.
Harmony Project enrollment has grown from 36 students in 2001 to 1500 with a waiting of 400. Students participate in dozens of youth orchestras, bands and smaller ensembles, the organizers said.
Exceptional students selected for the Harmony Project Academy will receive quality instruments and additional opportunities including private lessons, chamber music coaching, music theory classes, participation in summer music institutes, field trips and support with college planning.
• Harmony Project was founded in 2001 by Margaret Martin, a doctor of public health from UCLA. “The idea wasn’t to make musicians,” says Martin. “The idea was to use the discipline and joy of ensemble music making to help kids develop the habits of mind they need to lead successful lives and become responsible citizens.”
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:21 PM | View the original post
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”.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:27 AM | View the original post
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.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:33 AM | View the original post
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.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:30 AM | View the original post
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
Students heading back to school have a free homework tool at their fingertips with SOPHIA.org, an online social education platform that provides more than 25,000 free academic tutorials on math, science, English and several other subjects. The ad-free site offers multiple lessons on each concept.
“Finding credible, easy to use help with schoolwork can be challenging, however our library of free online academic tutorials makes it easy to find the help you need to succeed in school,” said Steve Anastasi, president and chief technology officer for SOPHIA. “Whether you want to review concepts in algebra, need to learn a bit more about a chemistry topic, or have a desire to work ahead, we have one of the most robust collections of lessons for students on the web today.”
“With SOPHIA, students now have access to hundreds of teachers, each with their own style and technique, at their fingertips anytime they need it,” Anastasi said. “Our goal is to continue to meet them where they are in this digital age and when they’re ready to learn.”
Owned by Capella Education Company, SOPHIA is a first-of-its-kind social education platform that offers students many ways to learn by making free, credible academic content available to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. The site offers more than 25,000 tutorials created by hundreds of teachers and experts taught in a variety of ways.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:09 AM | View the original post
Photo: Field of Stars: Messier 107 is one of more than 150 globular star clusters found around the disc of the Milky Way galaxy. These spherical collections each contain hundreds of thousands of extremely old stars and are among the oldest objects in the Milky Way. Messier 107 is located about 20,000 light-years from our solar system. French astronomer Pierre Mechain first noted the object in 1782, and British astronomer William Herschel documented it independently a year later. This picture was obtained with the Wide Field Camera of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. Image credit: ESA/NASA.
Photo: Curiosity’s Surroundings: This is one of the first images taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars on the morning of Aug. 6, 2012. The cameras are looking directly into the sun, so the top of the image is saturated. As planned, the rover’s early engineering images are lower resolution. Larger color images from other cameras are expected later in the week when the rover’s mast, carrying high-resolution cameras, is deployed. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Photo: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Entry, Descent and Landing Engineer Adam Steltzner reacts after the Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars and as first images start coming in to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012 in Pasadena, Calif. The MSL Rover named Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls).
Photo: Adam Steltzner, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) entry, descent and landing phase lead, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, holds a model of the MSL spacecraft during a briefing held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Thursday, August 2, 2012 in Pasadena, Calif. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls).
Photo: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Flight Systems Chief Engineer Rob Manning, left, MSL Entry, Descent and Landing Engineers Adam Steltzner, second from left, Steve Lee and Anita Sangupta, right give a briefing during a NASA Social held to preview the landing of the MSL Curiosity rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Friday, Aug. 3, 2012 in Pasadena, Calif. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls).
• NASA’s most advanced Mars rover Curiosity has landed on the Red Planet. The one-ton rover, hanging by ropes from a rocket backpack, touched down onto Mars Sunday to end a 36-week flight and begin a two-year investigation.
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft that carried Curiosity succeeded in every step of the most complex landing ever attempted on Mars, including the final severing of the bridle cords and flyaway maneuver of the rocket backpack.
“Today, the wheels of Curiosity have begun to blaze the trail for human footprints on Mars. Curiosity, the most sophisticated rover ever built, is now on the surface of the Red Planet, where it will seek to answer age-old questions about whether life ever existed on Mars — or if the planet can sustain life in the future,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “This is an amazing achievement, made possible by a team of scientists and engineers from around the world and led by the extraordinary men and women of NASA and our Jet Propulsion Laboratory. President Obama has laid out a bold vision for sending humans to Mars in the mid-2030’s, and today’s landing marks a significant step toward achieving this goal.”
Curiosity returned its first view of Mars, a wide-angle scene of rocky ground near the front of the rover. “Our Curiosity is talking to us from the surface of Mars,” said MSL Project Manager Peter Theisinger of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. “The landing takes us past the most hazardous moments for this project, and begins a new and exciting mission to pursue its scientific objectives.”
Confirmation of Curiosity’s successful landing came in communications relayed by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter and received by the Canberra, Australia, antenna station of NASA’s Deep Space Network.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:20 PM | View the original post
Photo: To celebrate U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas’ gold medal in the women’s all-around at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Kellogg’s announced today that she will be featured on special-edition boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes which will be on shelves this fall. Kellogg Company is an official sponsor of the United States Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics.
Kellogg Company is the world’s leading producer of cereal. Kellogg’s brands are produced in 18 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:38 PM | View the original post
Brand-sponsored athletes include Michael Phelps, Lin Dan, Rudy Fernandez, Roger Federer, Felipe Franca and Nevin Yanit.
Procter & Gamble, a Worldwide Olympic Partner, today introduced the lineup of more than 150 athletes the company and its brands are sponsoring at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The team of international athletes represents P&G and 34 leadership brands including Pampers®, Tide®/Ariel®, Pantene®, Head & Shoulders®, Duracell® and Gillette®. The team has been selected from 48 countries and includes approximately 70 men and more than 80 women.
These athletes will also serve as ambassadors for P&G brands. They will be featured in advertising and retail programs in more than four million stores around the world. Examples of P&G brand campaigns include:
• Gillette - “A Great Start Every Day” campaign featuring Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, British cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, Chinese Badminton player Lin Dan, Brazilian swimmer Felipe Franca, and American swimmer Ryan Lochte
• Ariel & Tide - “Proud Keeper of Your Country’s Colours” campaign featuring Turkish runner Nevin Yanit and Mexican pentathlete Oscar Soto
• Pampers - “Celebrating Babies’ Unique Spirit of Play” campaign featuring U.S. beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings and British marathoner Paula Radcliffe
• Pantene - “Keep Shining” campaign featuring Argentine tennis player Gisela Dulko, Mexican diver Paola Espinosa, and American swimmer Natalie Coughlin
• Head & Shoulders - “Wash in Confidence” featuring American swimmer Michael Phelps and French handball player Nikola Karabatic
“We are delighted to introduce P&G’s family of athletes to the world. The world-class Olympians we’re sponsoring embody the dedication, passion and commitment that inspires us as a company,” said Marc Pritchard, P&G’s Global Brand Building Officer.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:37 AM | View the original post
Photo: American television and film actress Jessica Alba attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival press conference on July 14, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Martina Colombari attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival photocall on July 17, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Italian film director, actor, and screenwriter Leonardo Pieraccioni attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival photocall on July 16, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Italian film director, actor, and screenwriter Leonardo Pieraccioni poses with the Giffoni Award on July 16, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Mayor of Florence Matteo Renzi attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival photocall on July 16, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Italian Actor Roberto Farnesi attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival photocall on July 17, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Academy Award-winning American actor, producer and director Nicolas Cage attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival press conference on July 18, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. ((Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Italian actor Sergio Assisi attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival photocall on July 20, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
Photo: Actress Anna Safroncik attends 2012 Giffoni Film Festival Red Carpet on July 17, 2012 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. (Photo © Stefania D’Alessandro/2012 WireImage).
Giffoni Film Festival is the most important international festival for kids and youth.
Hollywood star Nicolas Cage was there in typical cool rock style, wearing jeans, T-shirt and blue jacket. “I’ve literally fallen in love with the Giffoni Film Festival basic idea, which gives voice to kids and youth from all over the world,” he said at the press conference. “It is the unique philosophy in the world which makes us aware that we are all human and with the same feelings. Young people who participate in Giffoni learn to love each other before adults teach them to hate on the basis of their different cultures.”
The Giffoni International Film Festival is the largest children’s film festival in Europe, and possibly the World. It takes place in the little Italian town of Giffoni Valle Piana in Southern Italy. Over 2,000 children attend the festival. During the festival, the children and teenagers watch the films, learn about the filmmaking process, and are called to judge them and award the best ones with prizes.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:24 AM | View the original post
Photo: In Celebration of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Old Spice Teams up with Timothy Wang to Celebrate the “Champion” in Every Man. Team USA Table Tennis star epitomizes brand’s scent philosophy and gives guys the motivation and self-confidence to “Believe in Their Smellf” and win in the game of life.
“Motivation, self-confidence and the right scent are key elements to becoming a champion in the game of life, and nobody knows this more than Olympic athletes.” Old Spice refers to this winning mix of attitude and scent as “Believing in Your Smellf.” To celebrate the brand’s new Champion grooming line, Old Spice, a Procter & Gamble brand, today announced a partnership with Team USA table tennis representative Timothy Wang, who will look to secure the USA’s first-ever medal in Table Tennis at this year’s London 2012 Olympic Games.
To kick off its partnership with Wang, Old Spice will host a table tennis event in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 12, where Wang will meet and greet fans and provide table tennis pointers prior to departing for the London 2012 Olympic Games to take on the best in the world. The brand will also support its relationship with Wang through a number of Champion-themed digital engagement activations.
“As I prepare to take on the world later this month, I know how important it will be for me to compete with confidence,” said Timothy Wang. “Whether it’s at the Olympic Games or in life, understanding the importance of believing in yourself and smelling great are important tools for achieving personal success. Old Spice Champion offers guys that winning combination.”
Old Spice’s partnership with Wang celebrates the brand’s new Champion scent, which features the Olympic Rings on its packaging. The Old Spice Champion lineup includes a full range of anti-perspirant, deodorant, body wash and body spray products designed to give men the motivation and self-confidence to “Believe in their Smellf” and smell like a champion.
“For world-class athletes like Timothy Wang or ordinary guys, believing in your scent can truly be a powerful personal motivator,” said Josh Talge, brand manager for Old Spice North America. “Old Spice Champion captures the essence of manhood, confidence and a sense of achievement, and celebrates the true champion in every man. It’s designed to give guys the self-assurance that they can do anything if they put their Smellf into it.”
While table tennis (also known as ping pong) is widely popular in the U.S., it has been dominated by China and South Korea since becoming an official Olympic sport in 1988. With a ‘champion’ mentality and scent, Wang will look to bring home Olympic gold.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:57 PM | View the original post
 |
 |
