January 9, 2008
Reader's Digest Association and The Shanghai Press and Publishing Development Company Announce the Launch of 'Puzhi' Magazine in China
SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 8 -- The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (RDA), global publisher and marketer of books, magazines, music and video, and The Shanghai Press and Publishing Development Company (SPPD), today announced the launch of a new publication -- Puzhi magazine in China. Puzhi will be published by Puzhi Magazine Incorporated, a wholly owned enterprise of SPPD under a Trademark and Copyright License Agreement with RDA.
Puzhi, which means "universal knowledge" in Mandarin, debuted today in The People's Republic of China. It will be available at about 43,000 retail outlets (including convenience stores, book stores and subways), newsstands and kiosks across 43 cities and 25 provinces with a target circulation of 420,000 copies.
As a window on the world, Puzhi will feature a rich and stimulating variety of compelling, insightful, relevant articles on everything from everything from science, health and medicine to arts, money management and more. It will have the high editorial standards of international publications in terms of credible, trusted and easy-to-read information that will appeal to urbanites and families in China. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 11:55 AM | Link to this Post
January 1, 2008
PEPSI CHINA WESTERN NEW YEAR
Photo: Celebrating Western holidays is relatively new in China, but didn't stop thousands of revelers from dancing in the streets of Shanghai to ring in 2008, the Year of Gold. The large-scale celebration, featuring sponsorship from Pepsi, included live music, fireworks, Olympic athletes, and the whole crowd dancing in the street at stroke of twelve. The evening's theme was, "I-China!" capturing the country's growing sense of passion and patriotism for a successful 2008!. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 7:20 AM | Link to this Post
November 15, 2007
Reminisce Magazine Releases 'The 1940s,' an Exclusive 3-DVD Collection of Video Memories of America's Heroic Generation
The editors of Reminisce magazine have released a three-set DVD tribute to the 1940s, a time of patriotism and heroism lauded in books and TV documentaries as one of America's greatest. "The 1940s" is a unique multimedia time capsule with exclusive video clips, photos and storytelling in the words of the people who were there. The DVD set was produced by the editors of Reminisce and The Memory Lane Company.
Editors of "The 1940s" combed through mountains of stories and thousands of feet of home movies from the 1940s submitted by Reminisce readers. The resulting 3-disk set tells a remarkable story through the words and images of everyday people, woven together into an entertaining portrait of America during a time of historic transformation. Topics include Front Lines, At Ease, Home Front, What We Wore, At Work, At Play, In Love, Driving, Shopping and At Home.
Photo: Pauline Mauck, pictured on the cover of "The 1940s" DVD set from Reminisce magazine, was a "Rosie the Riveter" who worked in a Republic Aviation P-47 plant in Evansville, Iowa during WWII. She posed on the propeller of one of the planes coming out of the plant and it became an iconic image during the war. Her husband, Leonard Mauck, fought in WWII. Their story is among hundreds of heart-warming personal recollections presented in "The 1940s" DVD set. (Reader's Digest Association)
Reminisce magazine, a part of the Home & Garden division of Reader's Digest Association, publishes the stories, photos and memories of its more than 1.5 million subscribers every month, and according to the publishers, "Provides a unique blend of nostalgia and celebration of what is great about America."
"The 1940s" is the first in what is expected to be a series of history and nostalgia DVD collections produced by Reminisce and Memory Lane. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 7:49 AM | Link to this Post
October 7, 2007
New York City Columbus Day Parade: Gondoliers arrive in NYC
Photo: After a six(6)-day, more than 150 mile journey down the Hudson River, an international crew of gondoliers arrive in Manhattan, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007. The gondola and crew will be featured in the New York City Columbus Day parade on Monday, Oct. 8, 2007. (Photographer: Brian Benson) |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:49 AM | Link to this Post
September 24, 2007
De La Rue Delivers Gulf Region's First ePassport for State of Qatar
LONDON, September 24 -- The State of Qatar has chosen De La Rue Identity Systems to supply an integrated end-to-end ePassport solution, providing it with an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compliant biometric document which includes the latest high security features and is integrated into Qatar's existing eID scheme.
De La Rue has supplied Qatar's travel documents for over 15 years. De La Rue's latest integrated solution incorporates ePassport documents, MIDIS(TM) document issuing system and the recently launched SIPS(TM) 500e for automated ePassport personalisation. Used in conjunction with De La Rue's secure laminate MLIS(TM), SIPS(TM) 500e automatically both encodes the chips with the holder's personal and biometric data and personalises the physical document. Sophisticated tracking and audit control features ensure that the secure laminates and passports are recorded and tracked as the document moves through the system. This provides the reassurance that every passport issued is a unique document, properly assigned to the correct individual.
De La Rue produces passports for 35 countries including ePassports for Ireland, the Bahamas and Qatar, the Mexican passport, The New York State driving licence and national ID cards for Chile, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
De La Rue is the world's largest commercial security printer and papermaker, involved in the production of over 150 national currencies and a wide range of security documents such as passports, authentication labels and fiscal stamps. The Company is also pioneering new technologies worldwide in government identity solutions for national identification, driving licence and passport issuing schemes. Employing over 6,000 people across 31 countries, it is also a leading provider of cash handling equipment and software solutions to banks and retailers worldwide.|GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 2:52 AM | Link to this Post
September 23, 2007
World's Major Economies Have High-Tax Handicap: C.D. Howe Institute
TORONTO, September 23, 2007 -- Many of the world's largest economies have a common malady handicapping their abilities to generate jobs and government revenues, according to an e-brief released by C.D. Howe Institute. From the United States, Germany and Japan, to other engines of the global economy, they tend to have high corporate income tax rates that blunt their competitiveness, making it harder for manufacturing and service businesses to adopt better technologies that would boost workers' incomes. Except for the United Kingdom, which is committed to reducing its corporate tax rate to 28 percent in 2008, most of the world's major economies rely on corporate rates in excess of 30 percent. These high rates hurt competitiveness, because when investment moves to low-tax jurisdictions, prospects worsen for economic growth and job creation. These high tax rates also hurt government revenues, say the authors, Duanjie Chen, Jack Mintz and Andrey Tarasov.
"High rates also hurt government revenues. The evidence shows that lower corporate tax rates, on the other hand, may increase rather than reduce revenues, because governments gain revenue from an expanding tax base, as business investment and profits grow, and this helps offset the effect of a lower rate. In other words, governments shoot themselves in the foot when they set corporate income tax rates too high, hurting both competitiveness and revenues.
We find evidence, based on analysis of data for the years 2001 to 2005, that corporate income tax collections as a share of GDPwould be maximized at a corporate income tax rate of 28 percent (see Figure 1). In other words, reductions in high corporate income tax rates above 28 percent could increase rather than reduce tax revenues as business activity expands and the tax base broadens.
High tax burdens on investment hurt a given country's competitiveness, and also that of their trading partners. Large economies, like Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States in particular, need to reduce corporate rates, because they are far too high relative to the revenue-maximizing corporate rate. With the possibility of an economic slowdown resulting from a collapsing housing market in the United States, the harm imposed by the high effective tax rates in the largest economies is not just bad for them, but for the world economy as a whole. President Sarkozy of France, for example, has proposed a sharp reduction in the corporate rate, to 25 percent. Others, especially Japan and the United States, should follow suit..."
The C.D. Howe Institute is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that aims to improve Canadians' standard of living by fostering sound economic and social policy. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 1:26 AM | Link to this Post
September 12, 2007
Japan's Prime Minister to Resign : GlobalGiants.com
Photo: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a hastily arranged news conference over his resignation at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on September 12. (Photo by Kyodo News)
Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:59 AM | Link to this Post
September 11, 2007
NATIONAL 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM EXHIBIT S.C.
Photo: Irmo, S.C., residents, Nobuo Yamashiro, left, and Dawn Yamashiro, right, along with their four children, sign a beam for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Monday, Sept. 10, 2007, in Columbia, S.C., on the opening day of the exhibit, in memory of Dawn's brother, Brian Warner, who worked at the World Trade Center for Cantor Fitzgerald, and was killed in the attacks. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 6:23 AM | Link to this Post
September 4, 2007
THE PANAMA CANAL AUTHORITY STARTS THE EXPANSION OF THE PANAMA CANAL : GlobalGiants.com
Photo: Panama City -- September 4, 2007 -- Thousands gathered in a ceremony near Paraiso Hill in Panama to celebrate the beginning of the first-ever expansion of the nearly 100-year-old Panama Canal. The symbolic blast inaugurated the first construction project for expansion. (Photo Credit: The Panama Canal Authority)
Joining former US President Carter at the event were regional presidents, including Colombia's Alvaro Uribe, Honduras' Manuel Zelaya, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega and El Salvador's Elias Antonio Saca. Jose Miguel Inzulsa, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, also was among an estimated 40,000 people at the ceremony.
When complete, the expanded canal will accommodate ships capable of carrying 12,000 containers, up from a maximum 5,000 containers.
The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Construction of the canal was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9,500 km (6,000 miles), well under half the 22,500 km (14,000 mi) route around Cape Horn.
Since opening, the canal has been enormously successful, and continues to be a key conduit for international shipping. Each year more than 14,000 ships pass through the canal, carrying more than 205 million tons of cargo.
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is the autonomous agency of the Government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:27 AM | Link to this Post
August 15, 2007
United States Mint: Presidential $1 Coin Featuring Thomas Jefferson Rolls Into Circulation Tomorrow : GlobalGiants.com
Survey Reveals Most Americans Can't Name Nation's Founding Fathers.
Photo: The obverse (heads side) of the Thomas Jefferson $1 Coin was designed and sculpted by Joe Menna, a United States Mint Medallic Artist. The reverse (tails side) on all the Presidential $1 Coins is a magnificent image of the Statue of Liberty, designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 -- A survey commissioned by the United States Mint has found that most Americans don't know that Thomas Jefferson was their Nation's third President and a shockingly small number could name the first four Presidents in order. The United States Mint released the findings of the Presidential $1 Coin Survey, as the third Presidential $1 Coin featuring Jefferson heads into circulation nationwide USA tomorrow.
"That's what's great about the Presidential $1 Coin Program," said United States Mint Director Ed Moy in an event today for the new Jefferson coin at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. "This series of circulating coins provides the perfect opportunity for Americans to learn more about our Presidents and the critical role they played in some of our Nation's historic milestones."
Only 7 percent of those surveyed could name the Nation's first four Presidents in order: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. When asked specifically about Thomas Jefferson, only 30 percent knew that he was their Nation's third President. However, slightly more than half of Americans, 57%, knew that Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence, the Presidential $1 Coin Survey revealed.
The United States Mint celebrated the new Thomas Jefferson $1 Coin by allowing visitors to the Jefferson Memorial to exchange dollar bills for the new coins one day ahead of their official release. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 1:58 PM | Link to this Post
July 23, 2007
Ahead of Talks Between US and Iran, The Economist Warns Against Conflict : GlobalGiants.com
15-page special report in this week's issue of The Economist finds an uncompromising Iran and an uncomprehending America may be stumbling to war.
NEW YORK, July 23 -- United States and Iranian officials are preparing to meet in Baghdad to discuss the conflict in Iraq as early as tomorrow. But while the world has been distracted by Iraq, Afghanistan and much else, Iran has been moving relentlessly closer to the point where it could build an atomic bomb. Iran is now within fingertip-touch of mastering the art of enriching uranium. If the world intends to halt Iran by peaceful means, time is running short, argues Peter David, Foreign Editor of The Economist in this week's issue of the magazine. And if peaceful means fail, Israel or America may resort to war. |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 2:04 PM | Link to this Post
July 18, 2007
Democratic Senators Pull an All-Nighter in Iraq Debate : GlobalGiants.com
Roll away beds are moved into the U.S. Senate for an all-night session to discuss the Iraq war on Capitol Hill July 17, 2007. (Reuters)
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the overnight session to highlight a GOP filibuster preventing the Senate from voting on an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would bring U.S. combat troops home by next spring.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:13 AM | Link to this Post
July 13, 2007
North Korean Military Leaders Call For Direct Talks With United States : GlobalGiants.com
North Korea’s military proposed Friday holding direct talks with U.S. forces, an unusual plea amid recent progress on the nuclear standoff between the two countries.
The North’s Korean Peoples Army proposed that the talks also be attended by a U.N. representative, “for the purpose of discussing the issues related to ensuring the peace and security on the Korean peninsula,” the chief of the North Korean military’s mission at the truce village of Panmunjom said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. (Reuters)
Edited & Posted by Editor | 12:27 PM | Link to this Post
July 6, 2007
Giant Pandas are Part of Chinese Gift to Hong Kong to Celebrate Anniversary : GlobalGiants.com
Giant pandas Ying Ying and Lok Lok are seen inside the new giant panda habitat at the Hong Kong Ocean Park June 30, 2007. The two giant pandas are the latest gifts from China to Hong Kong to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to Chinese rule. (Eyepress)
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:43 AM | Link to this Post
July 2, 2007
President Bush Hosts President Putin at Family Compound in Kennebunkport
Russian President Vladimir Putin, centre, foreground, U.S. President George W. Bush, left, background, and former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, right, at the Bush family estate at Walker's Point, Kennebunkport, ME, USA. (Image Credit: Abaca Press).
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 11:13 AM | Link to this Post
June 29, 2007
London Police Deactivate 'Bomb Packed With Nails' in Piccadilly Circus : GlobalGiants.com
Police forensics officers load a Mercedes car in which police said contained a "potentially viable explosive device" onto a lorry in Haymarket in central London, 29 June 2007. Scotland Yard said they were called to The Haymarket, near the Piccadilly Circus landmark and the British capital's main theatre district, just before 2:00 am (0100 GMT) after reports that a car was parked suspiciously. "As a precautionary measure the immediate area was cordoned off while the vehicle was examined by explosives officers," they said in a statement. (Agence France Presse)
Edited & Posted by Editor | 11:01 AM | Link to this Post
PBS 'A Capitol Fourth' 2007 : GlobalGiants.com
A CAPITOL FOURTH (2007) Airs Wednesday, July 04, 2007, 8:00-9:30 pm ET on PBS. On the American nation's birthday, this program, hosted by Tony Danza and featuring a star studded line-up including: Hayden Panettiere, Elliott Yamin, Little Richard, Bebe Neuwirth, Dierks Bentley, and Yolanda Adams, brings PBS viewers an evening of patriotic and uplifting music live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, followed by a display of fireworks over the Washington Monument. (Capital Concerts) |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:49 AM | Link to this Post
June 27, 2007
Prime Minister Tony Blair Resigns : GlobalGiants.com
Gordon Brown to be Named Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Tony Blair waves as he walks out of Number 10 Downing Street on June 27, 2007 in London. Mr Blair came to power in 1997 and in 10 years as Prime Minister won three general elections. Former Chancellor Gordon Brown will be the 52nd Prime Minister to walk through the door at Number 10 Downing Street. (Getty)
Edited & Posted by Editor | 12:21 PM | Link to this Post
June 26, 2007
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Kremlin Palace : GlobalGiants.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov pass by a Tsar cannon as they cross the Kremlin plazza to take part in a reception for graduates of Russian military academies and universities at the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow, 26 June 2007. (AFP)
Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:55 AM | Link to this Post
June 20, 2007
NYC Mayor Leaves Republican Party : GlobalGiants.com
Could a Run at the White House be Next?
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today he would leave the Republican Party and switch his voter registration to independent. 'I have filed papers with the New York City Board of Elections to change my status as a voter and register as unaffiliated with any political party' Bloomberg said in a statement today. 'Although my plans for the future haven't changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our City.' (Photo Credit: ZUMA) |GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 12:27 PM | Link to this Post
