March 25, 2010
Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010
• Sweden replaces Denmark as world's most networked economy in The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010 rankings.
• United States moves down two positions to fifth place.
• China (37th) and India (43rd) lead BRIC economies and continue upward trend with a 9 and 11 place improvement respectively.
• Ninth edition of report covers 133 economies, accounting for over 98% of world's GDP.
Sweden tops the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010, released today (March 25, 2010) by the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland.
The report highlights the key role of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) as an enabler of a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable world in the aftermath of one of the most serious economic crises in decades. Sweden is followed by Singapore and Denmark, which was in the number one position for the last three years.
Photo: An overview captured during the session 'The Global Agenda 2010: The View from Davos' at the Congress Centre of the Annual Meeting 2010 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 31, 2010. (Copyright by World Economic Forum. swiss-image.ch/Photo by Michael Wuertenberg)
"Sweden, Singapore and Denmark's superior capacity to leverage ICT as an enabler of sustainable, long-term economic growth is built on similar premises, relating with a long-standing focus placed by governments and private sectors alike on education, innovation and ICT access and diffusion," said Irene Mia, Senior Economist of the Global Competitiveness Network at the World Economic Forum and co-editor of the report. "The success of these countries underlines the importance of a joint ICT vision, an implementation, by all the different stakeholders in a society for a country to take full advantage of ICT advances in its daily life and overall competitiveness strategy."
The report is produced by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with INSEAD, the leading international business school, within the framework of the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Network and the Industry Partnership Program for Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries.
Published for the ninth consecutive year with an extensive coverage of 133 economies worldwide, the report remains the world's most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.
Under the theme ICT for Sustainability, this year's report explores the many and diverse links between ICT and sustainability, in all its dimensions.
• The Networked Readiness Index: View the Rankings of All Countries
The Networked Readiness Index (NRI), featured in the report, examines how prepared countries are to use ICT effectively on three dimensions:
1. The general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT.
2. The readiness of the three key stakeholder groups in a society -- individuals, businesses and governments -- to use and benefit from ICT.
3. The actual usage of the latest information and communication technologies available.
The NRI uses a combination of data from publicly available sources, as well as the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum with its network of partner institutes (leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries included in the report. The survey provides unique data on many qualitative dimensions important to assess national networked readiness.
• The cross-country analysis of the drivers of networked readiness provides useful comparative information for making business decisions and additional value to governments wishing to improve their ICT preparedness.
The report contains detailed country profiles for the 133 economies featured in the study, providing a snapshot of each economy's level of ICT penetration and usage. Also included is an extensive section of data tables, as well as each indicator used in the computation of the Index.
The editors of the report are Soumitra Dutta, Roland Berger Professor of Business and Technology, INSEAD, France, and Irene Mia, Director and Senior Economist, Global Competitiveness Network, World Economic Forum.
• Get the Entire Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010
Source: The World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 1:15 PM | Link to this Post
March 15, 2010
Global Institutional Profiles Project: Thomson Reuters Launches Academic Reputation Survey
Thomson Reuters today announced it has launched the highly anticipated Academic Reputation Survey, which will help inform the Times Higher Education's influential World University Rankings.
The survey reflects a new approach to data gathering and analytics to provide a one-of-a-kind resource to the global scholarly community.
A unique feature of the Thomson Reuters Academic Reputation Survey is an opportunity for disciplinary focus: academics will highlight what they believe to be the strongest universities in their specific fields, both in teaching and research.
With the ability to select from hundreds of disciplines and over 6,000 academic institutions, scholars will have great latitude in pinpointing their reputation assessment.
"Researcher engagement is critical to ensuring that this new initiative delivers what the industry has long been asking for -- a more accurate representation of the institutional landscape, from the source," said Jonathan Adams, director of research evaluation at Thomson Reuters. "The survey results, combined with clear methodology, will provide the community with a thorough, accurate, and multi-faceted data source to support institutional assessment, comparisons and rankings."
Participants of the survey have been carefully selected from Thomson Reuters internal databases and supplemented by a third-party source for balanced coverage of disciplines and geographic regions.
The survey will represent thousands of researchers, university administrators, and students worldwide. And their responses will provide the most reliable and accurate representation of academic viewpoints used in the World University Rankings' seven year history, says Thomson Reuters.
The Academic Reputation Survey is part of the Thomson Reuters Global Institutional Profiles Project. The initiative will create data-driven profiles of globally significant research institutions -- combining reputation feedback, scholarly outputs, citation patterns, funding levels, and faculty characteristics across disciplines in one comprehensive database.
• The data can be packaged and analyzed to different specifications, giving organizations custom information for evaluating and benchmarking their performance and supporting efforts to secure research funding.
• Get the Report: New Outlooks on Institutional Profiles
Source: Thomson Reuters
|GlobalGiants.Com|
World University Rankings 2009: TOP 200 WORLD UNIVERSITIES
"Soon, any Academic Institution with Higher Global Ranking would be an Automatic Candidate for Grants, Funds, and Investment."
© GlobalGiants.Com. All Rights Reserved.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 5:09 PM | Link to this Post
March 4, 2010
The Plastiki Expedition
An 11,000 nautical mile journey-with-a-message from San Francisco, California, to Sydney, Australia, setting sail March 2010.
Photo: Eco-Friendly Catamaran, The Plastiki, Made From 12,500 Reclaimed Plastic Bottles Prepares to Embark on Transpacific Voyage From US to Australia. February 25, 2010. San Francisco, CA. (Photo: Luca Babini).
The Plastiki, an eco-conscious catamaran made from reclaimed plastic bottles is embarking on transpacific journey to raise awareness of ocean pollution problem by showcasing plastic debris as a resource and demonstrating real world solutions through its design and construction.
The goal of The Plastiki Expedition is to draw attention to the massive amounts of plastic debris in the world's oceans, and to showcase re-thinking waste as a resource by demonstrating real world solutions to this pressing problem.
The legacy of The Plastiki Expedition will be its capacity to shift public thinking and perception from plastics as the enemy to how plastic can become part of the solution. To solve the marine debris and waste issues at large will require a reprogramming of how the global community currently uses, re-uses and ultimately disposes of plastics.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:20 AM | Link to this Post
January 18, 2010
IBM CORPORATION INVENTOR
Photo: IBM inventor, John Gunnels, holds U.S. Patent #7,506,196, one of 4,914 patents IBM received from the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2009 -- the 17th consecutive year IBM topped the annual list of patent holders. Gunnels received patent #7,506,196 for an invention that enables IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer to run with the assurance that its internal communications network is functioning properly.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 9:35 AM | Link to this Post
January 8, 2010
Thomson Reuters to work with Times Higher Education: Data-Driven Profiles of World's Leading Universities & Research Institutions to be Created
Thomson Reuters, the authority on research analytics and decision support citation data for more than half a century, announced today in PHILADELPHIA and LONDON that it has begun working with thousands of institutions and research facilities to produce a one-of-a-kind resource.
This initiative, the "Global Institutional Profiles Project", will create data-driven portraits of globally significant universities and research institutions - combining peer review, scholarly outputs, citation patterns, funding levels, and faculty characteristics in one comprehensive database.
"There is a need for robust, dynamic, and above all transparent and verifiable data on scholarly performance to reshape how administrators approach institutional comparisons," said Keith MacGregor, executive vice president at Thomson Reuters. "Thomson Reuters has the proven history of bibliometric expertise and analysis to provide the foundational data and consultative elements needed to create this tool."
The dataset can be packaged and analyzed to different specifications, allowing organizations to receive custom information for their specific needs. The Times Higher Education, a London-based weekly newspaper that covers higher education issues, is the first to request a customized dataset to produce an improved version of their annual World University Rankings. The publication will work closely with Thomson Reuters to create a balanced, transparent methodology to support their influential rankings.
The Global Institutional Profiles Project has already begun with a worldwide survey of opinion leaders at key research institutions. The advice they provide will inform the project both in terms of data collected and methodologies used. According to Thomson Reuters, its goal is to be fully transparent in approach and verifiable in outcomes, so the results of the opinion survey will be published in Q1 of 2010.
• Following is the Thomson Reuters' Open Letter to University & Higher Education Institution Administrators Worldwide:
"Dear Friend:
We are writing to update you on major developments within academic rankings. As 2010 unfolds, your institution's researchers will likely receive multiple survey requests from various ranking initiatives. However, only one seeks to fundamentally change the way data is collected and analyzed.
As you're well aware, institutional rankings play an increasingly powerful and controversial role within the academic landscape. Yet many of the existing efforts have been largely criticized for being based on questionable data and flawed methodology. In response to heated industry debate, Times Higher Education, a global authority on higher education, recently announced plans to work with Thomson Reuters on revamping its popular World University Rankings. We are proud to have been chosen by Times Higher Education and believe this development underscores a major breakthrough within the rankings dialogue.
Our aim with the GLOBAL INSTITUTIONAL PROFILES PROJECT, which includes our work with Times Higher Education, is to develop a data source that provides the best informed and most effective resource to build profiles of universities and research-based institutions around the world.
As part of this initiative, some of your researchers may be contacted soon to complete our reputational survey. Their engagement is critical to ensuring this new initiative delivers what the industry has long been asking for -- an accurate representation of the institutional landscape, from the source. And we firmly believe your support is essential to notifying researchers and encouraging their participation.
We are excited to be a part of such a widespread initiative and look forward to working with you and your institution on bringing greater depth and transparency to institutional assessment."
• Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people and operates in over 100 countries.
Source: Thomson Reuters
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 12:28 PM | Link to this Post
December 14, 2009
World-Class Universities Debate Rankings
Over 700 university academics and administrators from around 45 countries gathered at the fifth QS Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education Conference in Kuala Lumpur to hear international experts from 25 countries speak on globalization and the role of rankings in higher education.
A Rankings Workshop, held on 23 November, brought delegates up to date with developments in the QS World University Rankings, and sought their feedback. QS, the authors of the World University Rankings, has conducted over 70 Rankings Workshops in the last five years, attended by more than 5,000 senior university officers, planners and strategists.
Nunzio Quacquarelli, Managing Director of QS says: "These workshops ensure the methodology, rigor and impartiality of the QS World University Rankings are constantly reviewed by the academic community and fed back to the QS rankings team."
Tony Sheil, Associate Director, Research Policy at Griffith University, Australia observes: "QS has always been open and accountable, willing to listen and quick to take on changes for the better. The QS method has become very difficult for institutions to 'game' due to its use of both qualitative and quantitative indicators."
QS Quacquarelli Symonds, one of the world's leading networks for careers and education, has been publishing world rankings since 2004.
These rankings have obtained increasing influence among academics worldwide and have a growing effect on prospective students and government policy makers.
• QS World's Best Universities: Top 200 has also been published by U.S.News & World Report.
Below are the world's top 400 universities according to the Times Higher - QS World University Rankings.
• TOP 200
2009 RANK --- INSTITUTION --- COUNTRY
1 HARVARD University, United States
2 University of CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
3 YALE University, United States
4 UCL (University College London), United Kingdom
5= IMPERIAL College London, United Kingdom
5= University of OXFORD, United Kingdom
7 University of CHICAGO, United States
8 PRINCETON University, United States
9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
10 California Institute of Technology (Caltech), United States
11 COLUMBIA University, United States
12 University of PENNSYLVANIA, United States
13 JOHNS HOPKINS University, United States
14 DUKE University, United States
15 CORNELL University, United States
16 STANFORD University, United States
17 AUSTRALIAN National University, Australia
18 Mcgill University, Canada
19 University of MICHIGAN, United States
20= ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute), Switzerland
20= University of EDINBURGH, United Kingdom
22 University of TOKYO, Japan
23 KING'S College London, United Kingdom
24 University of HONG KONG, Hong Kong
25 KYOTO University, Japan
26 University of MANCHESTER, United Kingdom
27 CARNEGIE MELLON University, United States
28 Ecole Normale Superieure, PARIS, France
29 University of TORONTO, Canada
30 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
31 BROWN University, United States
32= NORTHWESTERN University, United States
32= University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), United States
34 University of BRISTOL, United Kingdom
35 HONG KONG University of Science And Technology, Hong Kong
36= Ecole Polytechnique, France
36= University of MELBOURNE, Australia
36= University of SYDNEY, Australia
39 University of California, BERKELEY, United States
40 University of BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada
41 University of QUEENSLAND, Australia
42 Federal Polytechnic School of LAUSANNE, Switzerland
43= OSAKA University, Japan
43= TRINITY College Dublin, Ireland
45 MONASH University, Australia
46 The Chinese University of HONG KONG, Hong Kong
47= SEOUL National University, South Korea
47= University of NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia
49= TSINGHUA University, China
49= University of AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
51 University of COPENHAGEN, Denmark
52= NEW YORK University (NYU), United States
52= PEKING University, China
54 BOSTON University, United States
55= Technical University of MUNICH, Germany
55= TOKYO Institute of Technology, Japan
57 HEIDELBERG University, Germany
58 University of WARWICK, United Kingdom
59 University of ALBERTA, Canada
60 LEIDEN University, Netherlands
61= The University of AUCKLAND, New Zealand
61= University of Wisconsin-madison, United States
63= AARHUS University, Denmark
63= University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I), United States
65 Catholic University of LEUVEN, Belgium
66 University of BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom
67= London School of Economics And Political Science (LSE), United Kingdom
67= LUND University, Sweden
69 Kaist - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, South Korea
70= University of YORK, United Kingdom
70= UTRECHT University, Netherlands
72 University of GENEVA, Switzerland
73= Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
73= WASHINGTON University In St. Louis, United States
75 UPPSALA University, Sweden
76= University of CALIFORNIA, San Diego, United States
76= University of TEXAS At Austin, United States
78 University of NORTH CAROLINA, Chapel Hill, United States
79 University of GLASGOW, United Kingdom
80 University of WASHINGTON, United States
81 University of ADELAIDE, Australia
82 University of SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom
83 DELFT University of Technology, Netherlands
84 University of WESTERN AUSTRALIA, Australia
85 DARTMOUTH College, United States
86 GEORGIA Institute of Technology, United States
87= PURDUE University, United States
87= University of ST ANDREWS, United Kingdom
89 University College DUBLIN, Ireland
90 EMORY University, United States
91 University of NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom
92= NAGOYA University, Japan
92= University of ZURICH, Switzerland
94 Free University of BERLIN, Germany
95= NATIONAL TAIWAN University (NTU), Taiwan
95= University of SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom
97 TOHOKU University, Japan
98 Ludwig Maximilian - University of MUNICH..., Germany
99 University of LEEDS, United Kingdom
100 RICE University, United States
101 University of OSLO, Norway
102 Hebrew University of JERUSALEM, Israel
103= DURHAM University, United Kingdom
103= FUDAN University, China
105 University of MINNESOTA, United States
106 University of CALIFORNIA, Santa Barbara, United States
107 Universite De Montreal, Canada
108= ERASMUS University Rotterdam, Netherlands
108= University of BASEL, Switzerland
108= University of CALIFORNIA, Davis, United States
108= University of HELSINKI, Finland
112 University of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, United States
113 University of WATERLOO, Canada
114= TEL AVIV University, Israel
114= University of PITTSBURGH, United States
116 MAASTRICHT University, Netherlands
117 University Pierre and Marie Curie - PARIS, France
118 QUEEN'S University, Canada
119 CASE WESTERN RESERVE University, United States
120= EINDHOVEN University of Technology, Netherlands
120= PENNSYLVANIA STATE University, United States
122= University of Fribourg, Germany
122= University of MARYLAND, College Park, United States
124 City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
125 University of OTAGO, New Zealand
126= Catholic University of LOUVAIN (UCL), Belgium
126= Ecole Normale Superieure de LYON, France
128 University of VIRGINIA, United States
129= GEORGETOWN University, United States
129= OHIO STATE University, United States
129= University of ABERDEEN, United Kingdom
132= TECHNION - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
132= University of VIENNA, Austria
134 POHANG University of Science And Technology, South Korea
135 CARDIFF University, United Kingdom
136 University of GHENT, Belgium
137 University of LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom
138= CHULALONGKORN University, Thailand
138= University of GRONINGEN, Netherlands
140 VANDERBILT University, United States
141 University of ROCHESTER, United States
142 KEIO University, Japan
143 Mcmaster University, Canada
144= University of BATH, United Kingdom
144= University of BERGEN, Norway
146= HUMBOLDT University of Berlin, Germany
146= University of CAPE TOWN, South Africa
148 WASEDA University, Japan
149= Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Germany
149= University of CALGARY, Canada
151= The University of WESTERN ONTARIO, Canada
151= YONSEI University, South Korea
153 SHANGHAI JIAO TONG University, China
154 University of Science And Technology of China, China
155= KYUSHU University, Japan
155= LOMONOSOV MOSCOW State University, Russia
155= WAGENINGEN University, Netherlands
158 NEWCASTLE University, United Kingdom
159 Technical University of DENMARK, Denmark
160 TUFTS University, United States
161 University of CALIFORNIA, Irvine, United States
162 LANCASTER University, United Kingdom
163 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India
164 QUEEN MARY, University of London, United Kingdom
165 VU University AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
166= University of ARIZONA, United States
166= University of SUSSEX, United Kingdom
168= NANJING University, China
168= Saint-petersburg State University, Russia
168= University of LAUSANNE, Switzerland
171= HOKKAIDO University, Japan
171= University of BARCELONA, Spain
173 STONY BROOK University, State University of New York, United States
174= Kth, ROYAL INSTITUTE of Technology, Sweden
174= University of BOLOGNA, Italy
174= University of TSUKUBA, Japan
177= University of ANTWERP, Belgium
177= University of ATHENS, Greece
179 TEXAS A&M University, United States
180 University of MALAYA (UM), Malaysia
181 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), India
182 RWTH AACHEN University, Germany
183 RUTGERS, The State University of New Jersey, United States
184 University of KARLSRUHE, Germany
185 University of GOTHENBURG, Sweden
186= University of Colorado At BOULDER, United States
186= University of Gottingen, Germany
188 University of CANTERBURY, New Zealand
189 MACQUARIE University, Australia
190 National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico
191= Free University of Brussels, Belgium
191= University of READING, United Kingdom
193= INDIANA University Bloomington, United States
193= University of BERN, Switzerland
195 The HONG KONG Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
196= SIMON FRASER University, Canada
196= University of LEICESTER, United Kingdom
198 CHALMERS University of Technology, Sweden
199 University of NOTRE DAME, United States
200 University of TWENTE, Netherlands
...............................................................................
• 201- 400
2009 RANK --- INSTITUTION --- COUNTRY
201= Queen's University of BELFAST, United Kingdom
201= University of FLORIDA, United States
201= University of INDONESIA, Indonesia
204 PARIS IEP Sciences Po, France
205 Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
206 University of STUTTGART, Germany
207= University College CORK, Ireland
207= University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
209 RENSSELAER Polytechnic Institute, United States
210 HELSINKI University of Technology (TKK), Finland
211= Autonomous University of BARCELONA, Spain
211= KOREA University, South Korea
211= Technical University of BERLIN, Germany
214 DALHOUSIE University, Canada
215= Autonomous University of MADRID, Spain
215= STOCKHOLM University, Sweden
215= University of DUNDEE, United Kingdom
218= KOBE University, Japan
218= Paris-Sud XI University, France
220= MAHIDOL University, Thailand
220= Radboud University NIJMEGEN, Netherlands
222 MICHIGAN STATE University, United States
223= National TSING HUA University, Taiwan
223= Rmit University, Australia
225 University of IOWA, United States
226 University of OTTAWA, Canada
227 Free University of BRUSSELS, Belgium
228 Paris-SORBONNE University (Paris IV), France
229= CHARLES University, Czech Republic
229= LOUGHBOROUGH University, United Kingdom
229= VICTORIA University of Wellington, New Zealand
232 University of Technology, SYDNEY, Australia
233 Goethe University FRANKFURT, Germany
234= ATENEO De Manila University, Philippines
234= BRANDEIS University, United States
234= SOAS - School of Oriental And African St..., United Kingdom
237= Indian Institute of Technology KANPUR, India
237= University of BONN, Germany
237= University of MASSACHUSETTS, Amherst, United States
237= WAKE FOREST University, United States
241= LA TROBE University, Australia
241= University of VICTORIA, Canada
243 National University of Ireland, GALWAY, Ireland
244= CURTIN University of Technology, Australia
244= QUEENSLAND University of Technology, Australia
244= University of MIAMI, United States
247= KING SAUD University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
247= ZHEJIANG University, China
249 University of SURREY, United Kingdom
250 GADJAH MADA University, Indonesia
251 University of WOLLONGONG, Australia
252= Complutense University of MADRID, Spain
252= University of CALIFORNIA, Santa Cruz, United States
254= FLINDERS University, Australia
254= University of Strasbourg, France
254= University of STRATHCLYDE, United Kingdom
257 STOCKHOLM School of Economics, Sweden
258 LAVAL University, Canada
259= HIROSHIMA University, Japan
259= University of MANNHEIM, Germany
259= University of UTAH, United States
262= GEORGE WASHINGTON University, United States
262= University of The PHILIPPINES, Philippines
264= University of TURKU, Finland
264= VIENNA University of Technology, Austria
266= KING FAHD University of Petroleum & Mine..., Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
266= University of EXETER, United Kingdom
266= University of NEWCASTLE, Australia
269 NORTH CAROLINA STATE University, United States
270 NORWEGIAN University of Science And Technology, Norway
271 Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees..., France
272 University of HAMBURG, Germany
273= Ecole Normale Superieure Lettres et Science, France
273= University of ESSEX, United Kingdom
273= University of HAWAII, United States
273= YORK University, Canada
277= Pontifical Catholic University of CHILE, Chile
277= University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, France
279= DUBLIN City University, Ireland
279= University of ULM, Germany
281= DRESDEN University of Technology, Germany
281= Joseph Fourier University - GRENOBLE I, France
281= National CHENG KUNG University, Taiwan
284 Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
285 University of CALIFORNIA, Riverside, United States
286 Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy
287 ASTON University, United Kingdom
288= DARMSTADT University of Technology, Germany
288= University MONTPELLIER II - Sciences and..., France
288= University of CINCINNATI, United States
291= GRIFFITH University, Australia
291= National University of Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia
291= University of DELHI, India
291= University of LIEGE, Belgium
295= State University of CAMPINAS (Unicamp), Brazil
295= TULANE University, United States
295= University of SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Australia
298 University of BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
299 MASSEY University, New Zealand
300 University of SOUTHERN DENMARK, Denmark
301 University of Cologne, Germany
302= JAGIELLONIAN University, Poland
302= University of EAST ANGLIA, United Kingdom
302= University of Tromsa, Norway
305 AUSTRAL University, Argentina
306 National YANG MING University, Taiwan
307= CHIBA University, Japan
307= HONG KONG Baptist University, Hong Kong
309= ARIZONA STATE University, United States
309= University of Warzburg, Germany
311 VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC Institute, United States
312= NOVOSIBIRSK STATE University, Russia
312= University of PADUA, Italy
314= University of Science, Malaysia (USM), Malaysia
314= University of WAIKATO, New Zealand
316 ROYAL HOLLOWAY University of London, United Kingdom
317 Friedrich Alexander University of Erlang..., Germany
318= BRUNEL University, United Kingdom
318= Umeå University, Sweden
320 University of Technology, Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia
321 University of The WITWATERSRAND, South Africa
322 University of PISA, Italy
323 BEN GURION University of The Negev, Israel
324= Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf, Germany
324= POMPEU FABRA University, Spain
326= DUBLIN Institute of Technology, Ireland
326= University of TASMANIA, Australia
328= KUOPIO University, Finland
328= University of LEIPZIG, Germany
330 IOWA STATE University, United States
331= Johannes Gutenberg University of MAINZ, Germany
331= University of OULU, Finland
333 University of Lille 1, France
334 Paris Diderot University, France
335 Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
336 University of GRAZ, Austria
337= University of ALABAMA, United States
337= University of ST GALLEN (HSG), Switzerland
339= HANYANG University, South Korea
339= MONTERREY Institute of Technology and Hi..., Mexico
339= University of CONNECTICUT, United States
342 BIELEFELD University, Germany
343= BOSTON College, United States
343= University of CHILE, Chile
345 Putra University, Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia
346= HOWARD University, United States
346= Ruhr University BOCHUM, Germany
346= University of KONSTANZ, Germany
349 University of WARSAW, Poland
350 National University of Sciences And Technology, Pakistan
351= American University of BEIRUT (AUB), Lebanon
351= BANDUNG Institute of Technology (ITB), Indonesia
351= NATIONAL TAIWAN University of Science An..., Taiwan
354 University of MARBURG, Germany
355= DEAKIN University, Australia
355= JAMES COOK University, Australia
357= Saarland University, Germany
357= Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
357= SWANSEA University, United Kingdom
360 BILKENT University, Turkey
361= GOLDSMITHS, University of London, United Kingdom
361= University of INNSBRUCK, Austria
363 COLORADO STATE University, United States
364= HITOTSUBASHI University, Japan
364= University of PARIS V - Descartes, France
366= University of COIMBRA, Portugal
366= WASHINGTON STATE University, United States
368= SHOWA University, Japan
368= University of GEORGIA, United States
368= University of TEHRAN, Iran
371= FLORIDA STATE University, United States
371= Paul Sabatier University - TOULOUSE III, France
371= PUSAN National University, Korea, South
374= Heriot-watt University, United Kingdom
374= KYUNG HEE University, South Korea
374= UNITED ARAB EMIRATES University, United Arab Emirates
377= University of FLORENCE, Italy
377= YOKOHAMA NATIONAL University, Japan
379 SOGANG University, South Korea
380 University of TENNESSEE, United States
381= City University of New York, United States
381= University of NAVARRA, Spain
383= Federal University of RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil
383= University of BRADFORD, United Kingdom
383= University of NEW MEXICO, United States
386= ABERYSTWYTH University, United Kingdom
386= CARLETON University, Canada
386= University of BAYREUTH, Germany
389= National CHIAO TUNG University, Taiwan
389= University of MANITOBA, Canada
389= YESHIVA University, United States
392= ILLINOIS Institute of Technology, United States
392= NAGASAKI University, Japan
394= BANGOR University, United Kingdom
394= CZECH TECHNICAL University in Prague, Czech Republic
394= Universite Du QUEBEC, Canada
397= DREXEL University, United States
397= EWHA WOMANS University, South Korea
399= OSAKA CITY University, Japan
400 University of BREMEN, Germany
Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds (www.topuniversities.com). With permission.
Copyright © 2004-2009 QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd.
• Read the full edition of the QS Top Universities Guide online.
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 5:48 AM | Link to this Post
December 4, 2009
World Bank: Majority of People Want Action on Climate Change, Even if it Entails Costs
Photo: View of lakes and mountains. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
A new poll of 15 nations, most of them in the developing world, finds that majorities of the people canvassed want their governments to take steps to fight climate change, even if that entails costs. People signaled they would support public measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and step up adaptation measures. For example, respondents would support higher fuel efficiency standards for cars, preserving or expanding forests, and extending funding to vulnerable countries so they can develop hardier crops suited to more severe climates.
Photo: Fishing. Photo © Alex Baluyut / World Bank.
"The poll's findings shed light on global attitudes at a particularly important moment: the run-up to the conference on climate change to be held December 7-18 in Copenhagen. Hearing from people in the developing world offers a new lens on this issue," says Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development.
Photo: Horse-drawn cart. Mali. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
Photo: Mali. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
Carried out by WorldPublicOpinion.org and commissioned by the World Bank, the poll questioned 13,518 respondents in 15 nations -- Bangladesh, China, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, Turkey, the United States, and Vietnam.
Other key findings include:
• Public concern about climate change is high worldwide, but it's generally higher in developing countries.
• Publics, particularly in developing countries, believe climate change is already having negative effects.
• In most countries, wealthy and poor alike, large majorities are willing to pay to fight climate change.
• Support for increased adaptation funding to poor countries is widespread worldwide.
Photo: View of river and mountains. Bhutan. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
"It is encouraging indeed to see strong across-the-board support for committing to emissions limits in both developed and developing nations, since behavior change and attitudes will help determine whether we succeed or fail in addressing this global issue," says Marianne Fay, World Bank Chief Economist for Sustainable Development and Co-Director of the World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change.
Ms. Fay explained that the poll was commissioned as a follow-up to the recently released WDR. The aim was to gain a better understanding of how the recommendations of the Report to invest substantially and immediately to manage climate change ("Act now, act together, and act differently") resonate in a cross-section of countries.
In the low-income country of Vietnam, for example, 98% say their government should commit to limiting emissions as part of a deal, and 93% support the same course in the absence of a deal. At the other end of the wealth spectrum, the people of France express 97% support if an agreement is reached at Copenhagen, and 87% if no agreement emerges.
Photo: View of road before storm. Ghana. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
Majorities in 14 of 15 countries are willing to pay to fight global climate change.
Majorities in most countries also support measures that would raise costs for energy and transportation.
Photo: Portrait of children. India. Photo © World Bank / Curt Carnemark.
Similarly, majorities in 12 countries support "gradually increasing the requirements for fuel efficiency in automobiles, even if this raises the cost of cars and bus fares." Majorities in 11 countries support "gradually reducing government subsidies that favor private transportation, even if this raises its cost." Majorities in all countries polled support "preserving or expanding forested areas, even if this means less land for agriculture or construction."
WorldPublicOpinion.org operates as a collaborative project involving research centers from around the world that is managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. The margins of error for each country range from +/-3 to 4 percentage points. The surveys were conducted across the different nations in September and October 2009.
Source: World Bank
|GlobalGiants.Com|
"We, the Heads of the MDBs and the IMF, appeal to the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to agree in Copenhagen the foundations for an ambitious, comprehensive, and equitable global climate change regime that enables all countries to achieve sustainable development along climate-resilient and low greenhouse gas emission-intensive paths. We recognise the primacy of the UNFCCC, whose principles and process we have supported from the start. We endeavour, in accordance with our organizations' respective mandates, expertise, and resources, to further coordinate our financing and analyses of climate change actions and enable our client partners to maximise the effective use of new financial flows."
-- Joint statement by the heads of the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund.
The International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) has released the names of over 140 leading climate experts from 17 countries who are asking the United Nations and other supporters of this month's Climate Change Conference to produce convincing OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE for their claims of dangerous human-caused global warming (AGW) and other changes in climate.
• "With revelations that critical temperature data used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change appear to have been intentionally distorted to increase warming trends, national representatives to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference must demand a thorough re-examination of the scientific evidence supporting proposed mitigation actions. This should not be limited to simple temperature data auditing but must also include a re-evaluation of many of the climate-related assertions uncritically accepted by politicians and media worldwide."
-- Dr. Tim Patterson, ICSC Chair and Professor of Earth Sciences at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
• "While policies designed to conserve energy, reduce pollution and help vulnerable peoples adapt to climate change are important to pursue, proposals to severely curtail GHG emissions in an effort to control climate make no sense, given the current state of scientific knowledge. Instead we need to focus on environmental issues we know we can positively impact - air, land and water pollution being primary examples."
-- Dr. Wibjörn Karlén, Professor Emeritus, Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Sweden.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:32 AM | Link to this Post
November 20, 2009
Every GM Vehicle Sold Costs Taxpayers $12,200, Says National Taxpayers Union
The American taxpayer has put up $12,200 for every General Motors vehicle sold through the beginning of 2011, and $7,600 for every Chrysler vehicle sold as well, according to a new report issued by the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU).
The report, The Auto Bailout - A Taxpayer Quagmire, is authored by NTU Adjunct Scholar Thomas D. Hopkins, Professor of Economics at Rochester Institute of Technology. Hopkins held senior management positions in two White House agencies during the Ford, Carter and Reagan Administrations. In the early 1980's, he served as Deputy Administrator, Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs, in the Office of Management & Budget.
Photo: 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LTZ Extended Cab.
"Every time someone in your neighborhood drives home in a shiny new Chevy Silverado, remember that it cost American taxpayers more than $12,000," said Pete Sepp, NTU Vice President for Policy and Communications.
The study found that the average American taxpaying family has invested roughly $800 in the auto bailouts so far. Moreover, the study found, the government support poured into General Motors, Chrysler, and GMAC - the financing subsidiary that supports sales at both - now stands at $78.9 billion. Given that figure, and an estimate of how many vehicles GM and Chrysler will sell through the end of 2010, the study finds that each vehicle one of the bailed-out companies sells costs taxpayers $10,700.
Finally, breaking down the costs by company, the study reports that every Chrysler vehicle sold costs taxpayers $7,600, and every GM vehicle sold costs taxpayers $12,200.
The research is based upon a November study released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), entitled "Continued Stewardship Needed as Treasury Develops Strategies for Monitoring and Divesting Financial Interests in Chrysler and GM," a follow-up report on the "Troubled Asset Relief Program," as well as statements and reports released from the U.S. Treasury.
The study also found that during the first ten months of 2009, GM and Chrysler sales fell further than other major auto producers, down 33.4 percent and 38.9 percent, respectively.
Photo: US Treasury Department, Washington, DC, USA.
"While the prospect of repayment of GM and Chrysler loans might be expected, after bankruptcy the vast majority of the bailout funds are no longer legal obligations of the newly-structured GM and Chrysler," the study concludes. "If Americans are to believe public officials' claims that the government will eventually reprivatize the auto industry, the necessity of a thoughtful exit plan is essential. However, at this time no such plan exists, making it likely that the Treasury will not recover its investment."
Source: National Taxpayers Union, 108 North Alfred St., Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
"The names 'GM' and 'General Motors' continue to take a beating.
But the value of the name 'Chevrolet' (as well as that of 'Cadillac' and 'Buick') remains unaffected. It is the same it was 20 or 30 years ago.
If GM had projected 'Chevrolet' as its flagship brand (it may do so even today!), it would have boosted the buyers' confidence in all its brands and nameplates and would have restored the investors' confidence in the company."
© GlobalGiants.Com. All Rights Reserved.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:16 AM | Link to this Post
November 5, 2009
General Colin Powell Receives American Patriot of Character Award
U.S. Civil servant and retired Army General honored for "outstanding service to America, commitment to ethical conduct"
General Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, received the American Patriot of Character Award presented by The Character Education Partnership during their 16th annual National Forum on Character Education, in Alexandria, VA.
The American Patriot of Character Award honors one American citizen whose leadership exemplifies the very best of the nation's founding principles.
"The award recognizes individuals not only for great success in their chosen field, but also for upholding the highest ethical standards in service of the common good." "General Powell is a remarkable public servant who has truly made a positive difference in our nation," CEP's executive director Joe Mazzola said. "He is a shining example of integrity for young people, and all American citizens, to emulate. We are honored to have him as the first recipient of this award."
In his acceptance remarks Powell talked about his family's emphasis on good character and achievement.
General Powell also congratulated the National Schools of Character award winners who were in attendance to receive their awards. He commended the educators for their efforts to develop students of good character.
Character Education Partnership advocates for quality, comprehensive character education in U.S. schools. It is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition of organizations and individuals based in Washington, DC.
Source: Character Education Partnership
|GlobalGiants.com|
"Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character."
-- Albert Einstein
Edited & Posted by Editor | 9:15 AM | Link to this Post
October 28, 2009
Students from Top Academic Institutions Choose The World's Top 50 Most Attractive Employers
Compiled from 11 out of the 12 leading economies, nearly 120,000 students from top academic institutions chose their ideal companies to work for.
Google is the world's most attractive employer, followed closely by its rival, Microsoft. This is the only global index of employer attractiveness and highlights the world's most powerful employer brands, i.e., those companies that are the most successful in talent attraction and retention.
The study has been conducted by Universum. Universum is a global Employer Branding company. It is headquartered in Sweden and has presence in more than 28 countries.
Employers today are faced with a shrinking global workforce, a lack of skilled workers and an increasingly demanding generation of new talent. To secure talent under these conditions, employers must develop true and differentiating employer brands. The employers that feature in this Top 50 all have one thing in common: they successfully appeal to current and future talent, and they are aware of how scarce talent is.
The global ranking is based on the national rankings that Universum conducts annually all over the world. The companies that are featured in at least eight out of the twelve leading economies were included in the global ranking, and the 50 most attractive employers were identified. The countries represented in the Global Top 50 rankings are the US, Japan, China, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain, Canada and India.
• Despite it being one of the toughest years for car manufactures, BMW and Daimler appear in the Global Top 50 rankings.
The Big Four accountancy and professionals service firms; financial services companies and management consultancies, still remain strong. In spite of this year being one of worst recessions since the Second World War, they remain globally attractive employers and are especially popular with business students. IT employers are highly placed in the engineering ranking, which can be expected, with Google, Microsoft and IBM in the top three.
The fast moving consumer goods companies and employers in the retail sector are also attractive employers, recognised for their universal appeal as employers in the graduate recruitment market, attracting students from both a business and engineering background.
"These companies in the Top 50 really work with employer branding strategically. The Big Four, for example, are all in the top 10 business ranking, as they have employer branding as part of their business strategy. Many associate their corporate brands to people. This is normal for the service industry, but it is a new approach for other companies" says Michal Kalinowski, Universum CEO. "These companies are in the Top 50 because they are focused, consistent and differentiate themselves in their communication."
Irrespective of rank, the Top 50 Global Employers for business and engineering students are very similar, showing strong employer brands transcend many skill and industry groups. Conversely, Oracle and Philip Morris make it to the Top 50 for business students, but not for engineering students. GlaxoSmithKline and Alcatel-Lucent appear in the engineering ranking, yet not in the business ranking.
What the rankings most certainly reveal is that the big multinational brands are favored. Due to the globalization of the talent market, multinational companies are generally recognized as being attractive employers. Findings from Universum's various student surveys show that students would like a good career reference, an international career and an employer that can offer secure employment. Lovisa Öhnell, head of research and consulting at Universum, comments, "These multinational brands are globally well-known, they offer relocation opportunities and business travel, interaction with clients and colleagues in various countries, and due to their size and economic strength, they are also seen as being the safest choice."
• GLOBAL TOP 50 - ACCORDING TO BUSINESS STUDENTS
Company - Ranking 2009
Google - 1
PricewaterhouseCoopers - 2
Microsoft - 3
Goldman Sachs - 4
Ernst & Young - 5
Procter & Gamble - 6
J.P. Morgan - 7
KPMG - 8
McKinsey & Company - 9
Deloitte - 10
The Boston Consulting Group - 11
BMW - 12
Coca-Cola - 13
L'Oréal - 14
Morgan Stanley - 15
Sony - 16
IBM - 17
Johnson & Johnson - 18
Deutsche Bank - 19
General Electric - 20
Citigroup - 21
HSBC - 22
Accenture - 23
Nestlé - 24
Credit Suisse - 25
Bain & Company - 26
Unilever - 27
UBS - 28
Nokia - 29
Intel - 30
Esso/ExxonMobil - 31
Kraft Foods - 32
Shell - 33
Hewlett-Packard - 34
Mars (Masterfoods) - 35
Pfizer - 36
Siemens - 37
Philips - 38
Oracle - 39
Bayer - 40
Philip Morris - 41
DHL - 42
BP - 43
Bosch - 44
Cisco - 45
Daimler - 46
Ericsson - 47
ABB - 48
Novartis - 49
Schlumberger - 50
• GLOBAL TOP 50 - ACCORDING TO ENGINEERING STUDENTS
Company Ranking 2009
Google - 1
Microsoft - 2
IBM - 3
BMW - 4
Intel - 5
General Electric - 6
Sony - 7
Siemens - 8
Shell - 9
Procter & Gamble - 10
Johnson & Johnson - 11
Hewlett-Packard - 12
Cisco - 13
Esso/ExxonMobil - 14
McKinsey & Company - 15
Schlumberger - 16
BP - 17
L'Oréal - 18
Nokia - 19
Accenture - 20
Coca-Cola - 21
Philips - 22
Goldman Sachs - 23
Nestlé - 24
Pfizer - 25
Bosch - 26
The Boston Consulting Group - 27
J.P. Morgan - 28
Deloitte - 29
Morgan Stanley - 30
GlaxoSmithKline - 31
Ericsson - 32
Ernst & Young - 33
ABB - 34
Bayer - 35
Unilever - 36
PricewaterhouseCoopers - 37
Deutsche Bank - 38
HSBC - 39
Kraft Foods - 40
Bain & Company - 41
Citigroup - 42
Alcatel-Lucent - 43
Daimler - 44
Novartis - 45
Mars (Masterfoods) - 46
KPMG - 47
Credit Suisse - 48
DHL - 49
UBS - 50
The Global Top 50 rankings are based on the employer preferences of nearly 120,000 final year students, who were surveyed at the top academic institutions in the world's 11 largest economies. The global rankings are based on the annual surveys conducted on a global level in 2009. Each student is presented with a list of 130 to 150 national and international employers, chosen by university students through an independent and structured nomination and assessment process. On a global level, this represents 800 considered employers. Students acknowledge those companies they would consider working for. Out of the companies selected as 'considered employers', each student then selects his or her five Ideal Employers. The Global Top 50 is based on the frequency of being selected as an Ideal Employer overall within 11 markets: US, Japan, China, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain, Canada and India.
• The Global Top 50 is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on employer attractiveness.
• This Practical Global Business Study is being presented for the First Time.
|GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 6:34 AM | Link to this Post
September 25, 2009
New York City Green Buildings Program Launch: Building Owners, Union Leader Joined By Mayor Bloomberg
Labor-Management Program to Train 1,000 Building Supers.
Photo: New York Mayor Bloomberg, along with union president Mike Fishman, launched a green building worker training program at an apartment building in Manhattan on Friday, September 25, 2009. The One Year, One Thousand Supers program, said the mayor, "is a smart, practical, effective way to help make the Big apple green.".
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined Realty Advisory Board President Jim Berg and 32BJ President Mike Fishman today in launching an ambitious green buildings program to train one thousand superintendents and resident managers in one year in the latest energy efficient practices.
The launch of One Year, One Thousand Green Supers, which took place at a downtown apartment building, was attended by Jeff Brodsky, President of Related Management, and James O'Connor, President of Douglas Elliman, two of the first companies to have their employees participate in this labor-management green buildings program.
"By working together, 32BJ and New York's building owners have put into place a smart, practical and effective way to help make the Big Apple green," said Mayor Bloomberg. "One Year, One Thousand Green Supers provides a low-cost way to make our buildings more energy and cost efficient, and our environment cleaner, all while saving our city millions of dollars."
"With 77 percent of our city's greenhouse gas emissions generated by buildings, we must all work together to protect the environment," said Mike Fishman. "Making the Big Apple green starts with recognizing the vital role of building service workers."
• With more than 85,000 members in six states and Washington, DC, SEIU Local 32BJ is the largest property service workers union in the country. The union represents window cleaners, doormen, building maintenance workers, cleaners, porters, and security officers in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia.
• One Year, One Thousand Green Supers is part of the Thomas Shortman Training Fund. The program is a 40 hour class that provides building service workers with the latest, state-of-the-art practices in energy efficient operations. The curriculum trains workers to identify and address wasted energy, create a green operating plan and perform cost-benefit analysis for building owners and managers.
"By learning how to air seal a building, improve heating and air conditioning performance and reduce overall energy use in a building's common areas, graduates can achieve substantial savings at their buildings," said Linda Nelson, Director of the Thomas Shortman Training Fund. The third and final pilot class of building service workers in the program is set to graduate next week.
• The Fund's programs provide 150,000 hours of industry, academic, and computer courses at over 20 locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
• The One Year, One Thousand Supers curriculum combines classes and field exercises with elective courses, including renewable technologies, green roofs and water reuse.
With a growing demand for greener buildings, smarter management practices could reduce energy use in buildings by twenty to forty percent, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Source: SEIU Local 32BJ
|GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:46 PM | Link to this Post
September 4, 2009
Climate Change: Helena Christensen Witnesses its Impacts in Peru
Photo: Model and photographer Helena Christensen traveled to Peru with humanitarian organization Oxfam to document the impacts of climate change on poor people ahead of an important global conference on climate. Photo Credit: Jason Mcdonald/Oxfam.
Model and photographer Helena Christensen traveled with international humanitarian organization Oxfam to her mother's native country to witness and document the dramatic effects that climate change is having on poor people today in Peru.
"The impacts of climate change are extremely severe in the areas we visited," said Christensen in Peru today. "The farmers we met and talked to are already living very hard lives, and are now being forced to adapt to the effects of the rapidly changing climate."
Christensen has documented the trip with a series of photographs that will be exhibited in New York, Washington, London and at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December. A short film of the expedition, captured by award-winning Director Richard Bullock, will also be shown.
"One of the women I spoke to, Elizabeth Ayma, told me that because rainfall are less frequent now and impossible to predict due to the climate changes, this is having a huge effect on crop production," said Christensen. "As a result, her family has less food to eat and less produce to sell, resulting in her not being able to afford her children's school fees. The lack of nutritional vegetables also affects her family's health."
"Climate change in Peru is already devastating and we welcome Helena's commitment to show this to the rest of the world. Peru is on the frontline of climate change, along with other developing countries, which have played little part in causing the problem," said Frank Boeren, Oxfam's coordinator in Peru. "It is crucial that rich leaders do the right thing at Copenhagen so that we can begin to stop run away climate change and protect vulnerable people around the world."
"We are at a critical tipping point. We need to put pressure on our governments in order for them to take the necessary, radical steps that are needed. There's no time left, it is absolutely imperative to act now," said Christensen.
Source: Oxfam America
|GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 1:29 PM | Link to this Post
September 2, 2009
Virtuoso Violinist Itzhak Perlman and New York Philharmonic to Join Rotary's Effort to End Polio
Rotary International is joining violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman and the New York Philharmonic, led by Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Daniel Boico, to present the Concert to End Polio. It will be a benefit performance supporting the global effort to eradicate this disabling childhood disease.
The Concert to End Polio will take place on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City. Program information will be announced at a later date.
Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and one of the oldest in the world. The Orchestra is also renowned around the globe, having appeared in 425 cities in 59 countries on five continents.
Polio eradication resonates strongly with Mr. Perlman, who contracted the disease at age four and overcame serious physical challenges to become one of the world's most celebrated musicians. In this historic, one-night-only performance -- his first with the New York Philharmonic in four years -- Mr. Perlman will help Rotary in its effort to raise $200 million to match a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All of the resulting $555 million will fund critical eradication activities in developing countries where polio still threatens children.
Rotary International, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since then, ending polio has been Rotary's top priority, and tremendous progress has been made.
Rotary is an international humanitarian service organization made up of more than 33,000 clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas, with a total membership of 1.2 million business, professional and community leaders.
Source: Rotary International
|GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by Editor | 9:04 AM | Link to this Post
August 1, 2009
United Political and Military Leaders From China, India, Pakistan, and Britain Respond to Obama Prague Speech and to Obama Medvedev Joint Statement on Nuclear Weapons
All Nuclear Powers Should Commit to Multi-Lateral Negotiations for Elimination of All Nuclear Weapons.
Political and military leaders at the forefront of the Global Zero initiative, a nonpartisan international effort to achieve a phased, verifiable plan to eliminate all nuclear weapons worldwide, have expressed support for President Obama's Prague speech and the newly announced U.S.-Russian effort to eliminate nuclear weapons. And they have called on their own governments to commit now to participating in multi-lateral negotiations for an agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons worldwide. In his speech in April, President Obama had said he will "seek to include all nuclear weapons states in this endeavor."
Air Chief Marshal (ret.) Shashindra Pal Tyagi, former Indian Air Force Chief "India has always supported the vision of a nuclear weapons free world. Now that the leaders of the U.S. and Russia have declared their desire to achieve Global Zero, India needs to actively support the movement and participate in a multi-national initiative to ensure a phased, verifiable and time-bound program to eliminate all nuclear weapons."
K. Shankar Bajpai, former Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs of India "The US-Russia summit commitment to achieving Global Zero is as heartening as it is vital. These are the two powers who must set, not just the pace, but the example we can and must all follow. To be clear, Global Zero does not rest with partial disarmament: all states must abandon all nuclear weapons. I am privileged to be among those supporting this vital cause and to join in urging all states, not least my own, to follow up on the US-Russian statement, swiftly and constructively."
Gen. (Ret.) Jehangir Karamat, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pakistan "The Obama-Medvedev declaration is a very real and tangible step towards reduction of nuclear weapons and transcends regional and other concerns. Pakistan should, and I am sure will, be supportive of this initiative."
Maj. Gen. (retired) Peng Guangqian, Chinese Defense Analyst "Elimination of all nuclear weapons globally is a long process, but most importantly, the U.S. and Russia have taken the first step. China always advocates a complete ban and ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons. As a country with nuclear weapons, China has demonstrated that it will not avoid the responsibility and obligation in nuclear disarmament."
Malcolm Rifkind, former Foreign Secretary, Defense Secretary of the United Kingdom "It is critical that all of the other nuclear powers commit now to participating in multi-lateral negotiations on an agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons worldwide - Global Zero. Getting to Global Zero will require the phased and verified reduction of all nations' nuclear arsenals over many years. It is urgent that we begin now."
Chuck Hagel, former U.S. Senator "The launch of the North Korean missile - in addition to demanding the aggressive pursuit of the six-party talks - should be viewed as an urgent call for the leaders of all the nuclear countries to support Presidents Obama's and Medvedev's bold and historic effort to achieve the only real and lasting solution to proliferation and nuclear terrorism: the elimination of all nuclear weapons - Global Zero."
"Of course -- as is always the case in serious negotiations -- there are a host of difficult issues that must be resolved in order to reach a new arms control agreement," said Ambassador Richard Burt, who was the top U.S. negotiator for the START 1 negotiations and now leads Global Zero. "But the presidents' joint statements today make it clear that they will not let these issues stand in the way of the priority goal they set April 1: establishing joint U.S.-Russian leadership to reduce their two arsenals and to lead an international effort for the elimination of all nuclear arsenals to zero."
"The key to achieving global nuclear disarmament is the improvement of US Russia relations," said Senator Mikhail Margelov, Chair of the Committee of International Relations in the Russian Federation Council and a founding member of the Global Zero initiative. "We face a number of stumbling blocks including the expansion of NATO and missile defense systems in Eastern Europe, but these are issues we can work through. Our main goal must be to create a world without nuclear weapons."
Global Zero is spearheaded by a group of more than 100 leaders worldwide, including many who have worked at senior levels with issues of national security such as former heads of state, former foreign ministers, former defense ministers, former national security advisors, and more than 20 former top military commanders.
Meanwhile, former senator Sam Nunn, Co-Chairman, Nuclear Threat Initiative, has issued a statement saying "I strongly support the commitment made by the leaders of the G8 nations meeting in Italy to create the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons and to work together to reinforce global nonproliferation efforts."
"The leaders of the G8 nations have laid out an ambitious nonproliferation agenda that recognizes the fundamental principle that we are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe. Most importantly, they understand that the essential steps required to reduce nuclear dangers must be accomplished together -- with the cooperation of all nations," says Nunn. "We must do all we can to prevent nuclear weapons and materials from getting into dangerous hands, to prevent their proliferation and, ultimately, to end them as a threat to the world."
Sources: Global Zero, Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Related Post: International Leaders Want All Nuclear Weapons Eliminated
|GlobalGiants.com|
"There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time as come."
-- Victor Hugo
"There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte
Edited & Posted by Editor | 3:25 AM | Link to this Post
July 16, 2009
America's Best Hospitals 2009-10 As Ranked By U.S. News Media Group
U.S. News Media Group today announced the 2009-10 publication of America's Best Hospitals, accessible today online and on sale at newsstands Tuesday, July 21.
Now in its 20th year, the multi-platform 2009-10 America's Best Hospitals guide is the most extensive hospital ranking to-date. It includes rankings of 174 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties -- with full data available online for another 1,500 unranked hospitals. In addition, the Best Hospitals "Honor Roll" highlights 21 medical centers that were ranked at or near the top in at least six specialties.
The 16 ranked specialties are cancer; diabetes & endocrine disorders; digestive disorders; ear, nose, and throat; geriatric care; gynecology; heart and heart surgery; kidney disorders; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; psychiatry; rehabilitation; respiratory disorders; rheumatology; and urology.
"When the stakes are high, you want the best care you can get for someone close to you," said Avery Comarow, health rankings editor. "These are hospitals that are used to getting the sickest patients."
The 2009-10 Best Hospitals guide also includes a web video series on USNews.com where visitors can watch HealthiNation Chief Medical Editor Dr. Holly Atkinson interview Comarow and Dr. Bernadine Healy, U.S. News health editor, to capture their expertise and insight into the Best Hospitals ranking process. The videos take viewers behind the scenes of the rigorous selection process, include profiles of top winners across categories, and reveal what it takes for a hospital to be named one of "America's Best."
"Over the past two decades, America's Best Hospitals has proven to be an essential resource for consumers facing difficult healthcare decisions," said Brian Kelly, editor of U.S. News & World Report.
Of the medical centers ranked in the 2009-10 America's Best Hospitals, 21 earned Honor Roll status, demonstrating excellence and breadth of expertise by ranking at or near the top in at least six specialties.
The top hospitals in the 2009-10 Honor Roll are:
1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
4. Cleveland Clinic
5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell
7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
8. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
9. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
10. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston
10. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
12. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
13. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
14. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor
15. Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, Calif.
16. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
17. NYU Medical Center, New York
17. Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.
19. Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
20. Methodist Hospital, Houston
21. Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus
In addition to the hospitals that appear in one or more specialty rankings in the print magazine, the 2009-10 America's Best Hospitals package includes an online consumer guide where readers can find information on more than 1,500 hospitals that qualified for rankings, but did not score high enough to be ranked.
Source: U.S. News Media Group
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-- Florence Nightingale
Edited & Posted by Editor | 11:05 PM | Link to this Post
July 6, 2009
UNESCO and Microsoft Announce Higher Education ICT Task Force for Long-Term Skills and Sustainable Development
Collaboration to promote greater access and use of ICT for higher education enhancements.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Microsoft Corporation today announced in Paris a joint task force to help higher education institutions worldwide meet the growing challenge of supporting economic stimulus efforts and work-force development strategies. The UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will create a strategic plan of action to identify how ICT can be used by governments as a catalyst for change.
The announcement was made at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE), which opened today and is being attended by close to 100 ministers of education, senior education officials and policy advisors. The WCHE is also focusing on critical issues around reduced funding for education globally as a result of the economic crisis and the need for governments to find affordable measures for short-term skills training and work force enhancement in support of economic recovery and growth. Many delegations in attendance from developing regions emphasized the longer-term challenges of sustainable higher education reform and capacity-building.
The UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT will analyze the findings and recommendations of the WCHE, in addition to feedback from global higher education experts and stakeholders, to identify key initiatives that will promote more effective use of ICT in post-secondary teaching, learning and research.
"Higher education is increasingly strategic for building up skilled work forces in countries. Our focus has been on ensuring that tertiary institutions address the key long-term requirements of our increasingly knowledge-based societies and that students today are best equipped to drive and support economic growth and to address major development challenges from education to health to the environment," said Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO assistant director-general for education. "Through the creation of the UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT we will help mobilize critical strategic resources to better assist ministries of education worldwide."
The current economic downturn combined with rising demand for higher education places governments under enormous pressure to fund enhancements in higher education and support programs needed to train the next generation of work forces with the new skills necessary for economic recovery. Under the umbrella of the UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT and through the Microsoft Education Alliance , Microsoft will provide a tailored package of resources for short-term higher education enhancements, including curriculum, training and affordable access to collaboration and development software.
"We believe that technology has a vital role to play in building up 21st-century skills, broadening access to education and personalizing the learning experience to adapt teaching to the unique needs of each learner," said Michael Golden, corporate vice president, Education Products Group at Microsoft. "This program makes technology resources more accessible than ever before to governments and students across the world. We will continue to support UNESCO and our newly formed UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT in every way we can."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the UN agency responsible for the promotion of international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:11 AM | Link to this Post
July 2, 2009
Companies Stockpiling Cash, Credit Access Still Tight
42% increase short-term holdings; most move to more conservative vehicles.
With little easing in access to credit, U.S. organizations are continuing to stockpile cash, according the Association for Financial Professionals' 2009 Liquidity Survey. Almost three-quarters (72%) of companies had increased or maintained their U.S. cash balances during the first part of 2009.
According to the new AFP survey, 42% of organizations increased their U.S. cash and short-term investment balances between December 2008 and May 2009, while 30% saw no significant change in short-term cash balances. More than a quarter (28%) of organizations saw their U.S. cash and short-term investment balances deteriorate over the six-month period. Organizations with non-investment grade ratings were more likely to have seen their cash and short-term investment balances shrink.
"Despite unprecedented government action, the lack of any significant thaw in short-term credit access is extremely troubling and many companies are reacting by stockpiling cash," said Jim Kaitz, President and CEO of AFP. "While, many organizations with their strong cash positions will be well-positioned once the economy begins to improve, overall economic conditions will not improve until organizations can begin using their cash in activities that foster growth."
The fourth annual AFP 2009 Liquidity Survey was underwritten by The Bank of New York Mellon.
Despite reports of an easing in the corporate credit markets, over half (59%) of respondents indicated that their organizations' access to short-term credit had not changed significantly since the beginning of 2009. A larger percentage of organizations reported that credit was less available (27%) than those who indicated that credit access had improved (14%). Two-thirds expect their access to short-term credit to remain the same over the next year.
Overall, only one-quarter (27%) of organizations expect to decrease their U.S. short-term cash and investments balances over the next year.
"The turbulence of the present period has had no small impact on the liquidity needs and practices of individuals and corporations worldwide," said Eric Kamback, the Bank of New York Mellon's CEO of Treasury Services. "The survey also revealed that many believe the tightening of available credit will persist in 2009, so conservative, safety-based investment strategies can be expected to continue."
Organizations have moved to a more conservative investment strategy for their short-term balances and have reduced the number of vehicles they use for short-term investments, allocating 78% of their short-term investment balances to three safe and liquid vehicles: bank deposits, money market mutual funds and Treasury securities.
The use of commercial paper, separately managed accounts and auction-rate securities declined significantly over the past year. While investment policies allow for the use of four or more investment vehicles, on average, organizations use 1.6 investment vehicles compared to 2.4 options in 2008, the report says.
• AFP 2009 Liquidity Survey (PDF)
Source: Association for Financial Professionals
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 2:53 AM | Link to this Post
June 29, 2009
U.S. News Media Group Launches Online University Directory
• Portal Links Students with Degree Providers
U.S. News Media Group has launched Online University Directory, an online portal focused entirely on higher education and professional and continuing education opportunities.
The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the monthly U.S. News & World Report magazine, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, USNews.com, and RankingsandReviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money & Business, Education, and Public Service/Opinion, the U.S. News Media Group is a leading provider of service news and information. The U.S. News Media Group's signature franchises include its "News You Can Use(R)" brand of journalism and its "America's Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, and health plans.
Complementing the U.S. News rankings, the long-preferred tool for the assessment of excellence in higher education, the University Directory helps potential college-bound students and working adults further invest in their future by serving as an online marketplace where they can directly interact with colleges and universities.
The new portal (distinct from USNews.com) will provide consumers with a full range of education options, including information about both online and offline educational institutions, and will provide educational institutions with an opportunity to showcase their degree and certificate programs in a co-branded forum jointly created by U.S. News Media Group, "America's Authority on Education(R)", and Bisk Education, a facilitator of online degree and certificate programs from some of America's leading universities.
The University Directory organizes schools in multiple ways including an alphabetical directory of ranked and unranked schools in various categories.
"Not everyone is looking for a ranked school," said Brian Kelly, Editor of U.S. News. "While the University Directory has ranking information, it also provides a resource for many different kinds of students."
The site also includes interactive features and expanded sorting abilities, and will present content about degree and certificate programs from U.S. News & World Report's vast collection of the 'News You Can Use(R)' service journalism that has justifiably made it the leading source of news and information about educational opportunities in the United States. It will also feature informative content focused on providing information to consumers who are actively looking for educational opportunities.
"U.S. News & World Report is the leading resource - both in print and online - for students looking at college as well as adults searching for continuing education opportunities, and we wanted to create a website focused on these consumers and institutions," said Bill Holiber, president of U.S. News Media Group. "With Bisk Education, we found a company focused on online education with state-of-the-art technology and capabilities to create a dynamic education-focused portal. Their proven success in working with colleges and universities to bring their schools' online degree and certificate programs to students made for a natural collaboration."
Holiber explained that USNews.com - the U.S. News Media Group's flagship website - will continue to feature rankings and other college and graduate school information, along with the public policy analysis, money, and health content that has distinguished it as a leading provider of information for consumers. "However, we realized that we needed to create a site with navigation and design that was focused specifically on consumers who were in the market for higher education opportunities," Holiber said.
As part of the partnership, all advertising from colleges and universities at USNews.com and the University Directory will be sold by Bisk under the U.S. News brand. Bisk Education is the world's largest exclusive provider of professional education online. Bisk's University Alliance division facilitates the promotion and online delivery of associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as professional certificate programs from the leading traditional universities and institutions in the USA.
"Higher education institutions need a credible and trustworthy marketplace in which they can showcase educational opportunities and connect with potential students that are suited to their programs," said Nathan Bisk, Founder and Chairman of Bisk Education. "For the past 15 years, we have been at the forefront of creating and executing online and distance-learning marketing and recruitment campaigns for some of the nation's leading universities. We know how to market in the digital age and we understand the need to protect the integrity of each institution's brand while helping them connect with qualified students. The new U.S. News Directory will allow educational institutions the opportunity to meet the ever increasing demand for university based education and workforce retraining that is in such demand in today's economy."
Source: U.S. News Media Group
Links:
• Directory of U.S. Universities
• America's Best Colleges 2009
"Rankings attempt to quantify the value of an education. Although the collection and publication of information about such things as location, class size and programs offered is useful to students and their parents, the statistics used in the rankings do not offer that kind of information. How can the interaction between faculty and students be quantified? What kind of numbers tell you about the interests students discover as they explore new ideas and participate in scholastic and extracurricular programs? Do statistics reflect the skills in thinking, writing and analysis that students develop during the course of a well-designed and cohesive program of study?
....
The kinds of data used to rank schools in the U.S. News and World Report survey are not indications of educational excellence."
-- Presidents of St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland and St. John's College, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
"Education is the leading of human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them."
"The first duty of government is to see that people have food, fuel, and clothes. The second, that they have means of moral and intellectual education."
-- JOHN RUSKIN
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 3:12 AM | Link to this Post
June 3, 2009
U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Monitor GM and Chrysler Restructuring
Photo: Evolution of Motor Car: The original Benz patent motor car of 1888 in the Dr. Carl Benz Automotive Museum in Ladenburg, Germany. (Photo © Daimler AG)
Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has issued the following statement on the U.S. Federal Administration's plan to restructure General Motors and the impending ruling on Chrysler:
"The future success of General Motors and Chrysler ultimately depends on whether they can profitably design and build cars that Americans and other consumers actually want to buy.
Our biggest concern with the restructuring plan announced today is the potential for governments and unions to influence production, product, workforce, and management decisions in ways that could jeopardize the automakers' chances for survival, put politics and special interests above sound business strategy, and disrupt our nation's trading relationships across the world.
For example, the UAW has said that it pressured GM to change where the company plans to produce a new line of smaller cars. And as part of the GM restructuring, the administration has reportedly closed the U.S. market to Opel and blocked Opel's forays into China so it could not compete with GM -- clear examples of market manipulation and protectionism.
If members of Congress, along with government officials from the United States to Germany to Canada, are allowed undue influence over management's decisions, then you can write this down: These companies will not return to profitability and their survival will be seriously challenged. The global talent that exists in the automotive sector must be allowed to do its job and be paid on a competitive basis. Management must be permitted to make tough decisions in a competitive global market without political interference.
So going forward, the U.S. Chamber will carefully monitor the activities of the new GM and Chrysler boards, and we will expose and fight any counterproductive influence by government, unions, or politicians over decisions that should be left to management. And we will continually insist that government reduce and eliminate its ownership stake as soon as possible."
(The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.)
Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 2:39 PM | Link to this Post
April 18, 2009
Halle Berry Bracelet Auction to Benefit Victims of Domestic Violence
Proceeds from Online Auction to be Donated to the Jenesse Center.
Photo: Bracelet featured in Halle Berry fragrance ad to be auctioned off for charity.
Academy Award-winning actress and beauty icon Halle Berry will auction off a unique, hand-carved rose gold cuff bracelet this week to show her support for families dealing with the devastating effects of domestic violence. As of April 15th, consumers can place bids through CharityBuzz.com for the chance to own this signature piece. The cuff bracelet was designed exclusively for Halle Berry to wear in the advertising campaign for her debut fragrance, Halle by Halle Berry. Net proceeds generated by the auction will be donated to the Jenesse Center, a domestic violence intervention program.
Designed by Gara Danielle, this stunning cuff bracelet was inspired by Halle Berry's natural beauty and was designed specifically for Halle to wear on set at the making of her fragrance campaign in Ohahu, Hawaii. Now anyone can have the opportunity to own a replica of the bracelet and support this cause by bidding on charitybuzz.com. Made from 14K rose gold plate over sterling silver, this adjustable cuff is valued at $4,000.
The Jenesse Center is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1980 and provides help to victims of domestic violence with a comprehensive centralized base of support through facilities, education and health programs, case management, and legal services.
Source: Coty Beauty
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:04 AM | Link to this Post
