September 13, 2009
New Global Reserve Currency
• The international monetary system needs reform, but so do the Asian and US economies.
According to thought leaders from the principal world economies, the current international monetary system, reliant on the US dollar, is deeply flawed, but a single viable alternative is not readily apparent.
This was the outcome from the debate at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions on September 12, 2009 at Dalian, People's Republic of China, where they discussed the global currency reserve system.
Photo: Participants captured during the Dalian WorkSpace 2009 at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China 10-12 September 2009. © World Economic Forum.
Photo: Participants gather at the Education for the Next Wave of Growth session at The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China 10-12 September 2009. © World Economic Forum.
Photo: Michael D. Antonovich, Los Angeles County Supervisor, speaks during the North America's Economic Outlook session at The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China 10-12 September 2009. © World Economic Forum.
• In March, China's Central Bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan sparked controversy when he proposed that the International Monetary Fund create a new reserve currency - a proposal with enormous implications across Asia, which holds nearly US$ 4 trillion in foreign currency.
"I strongly supported the proposal made by Governor Zhou," said Yu Yongding, Senior Fellow, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), People's Republic of China and member of the Forum's Global Agenda Council on International Monetary Systems.
However, panelists agreed that the creation of a new global currency to replace the dollar and other sovereign currencies was not politically viable.
The overwhelming problems facing the Asian and US economies are not based on currency doubts. "Don't kid yourself. This crisis is not about currency problems. This problem is about the failures of policies," said Stephen S. Roach, Chairman, Asia, Morgan Stanley, Hong Kong. "We've had central banks that have just gone along for the ride, driven by ideologies, driven by politics."
Photo: Aron Cramer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), speaks during the Global Redesign Series -- What Is the Basis of a New Social Compact? session at The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China 10-12 September 2009. © World Economic Forum.
Photo: Participants captured during the Dalian WorkSpace 2009 at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China 10-12 September 2009. © World Economic Forum.
Photo: Zhu Min, Group Executive Vice-President, Bank of China, laughs during The Global Economic Outlook session at The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China 10-12 September 2009. © World Economic Forum.
For the global financial system to steady itself, the US must increase exports and Asian economies, China's in particular, must do much more to reorient their growth away from external demand towards domestic consumption. "The most important thing for China is to speed up structural reform," agreed Yu.
When polled informally, participants preferred the yuan over the dollar as an investment but few believed it would replace the dollar as the global reserve. Among the panelists, only Oki Matsumoto, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Japan's Monex Group, was mildly bullish on the dollar.
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
Source: World Economic Forum
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Posted by Editors at 3:55 AM
August 21, 2009
Harvard, Princeton, and Williams top in U.S. News Media Group's 26th Annual America's Best Colleges Rankings
New edition includes specialty rankings and online guides for admission and paying for college.
• America's Best Colleges Rankings 2010
U.S. News Media Group today released the 2010 edition of America's Best Colleges, which includes rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide USA. Harvard University and Princeton University tie the top of the list for Best National Universities, while Williams College is ranked top for Best Liberal Arts College.
Over the past 26 years, the U.S. News college rankings, which groups schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities. The America's Best Colleges ranking package, which includes editorial content and multimedia resources, is helping families navigate the difficult decisions involved throughout the college process, from college admission and selection to financing options.
"As it becomes increasingly difficult to choose the right school - and pay for it - U.S. News strives to provide students and families with the best information to help guide them through the entire college process," said U.S.News & World Report Editor Brian Kelly. "This year, the recession has seriously challenged the traditional model of paying for college, and so we've developed ranking and editorial content to address the many ways to finance an education as well as information on how to get the most out of such a big investment."
Photo: Stanford University student Kristen Lence studies on her Apple MacBook on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, California.
The 2010 America's Best Colleges features the established rankings of the Best National Universities, Best Liberal Arts Colleges, and Best Historically Black Colleges, and includes rankings of Best Colleges for Financial Aid, A+ Schools for B Students, and Up-and-Coming Schools.
The 2010 America's Best Colleges package provides thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of 15 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and graduation rate performance (National Universities and Liberal Art Colleges).
Photo: President Barack Obama poses with six of the Barack Obama Scholars at Arizona State University commencement.
America's Best Colleges Rankings 2010
• Best National Universities
1. Harvard University (MA)
• Princeton University (NJ)
3. Yale University (CT)
4. California Institute of Technology
• Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
• Stanford University (CA)
• University of Pennsylvania
• Best Liberal Arts Colleges
1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College (PA)
4. Middlebury College (VT)
• Wellesley College (MA)
• Up-and-Coming Schools
• National Universities
1. Univ. of Md. - Baltimore County
2. George Mason University (VA)
• Northeastern University (MA)
4. Drexel University (PA)
5. Arizona State University
• University of Central Florida
• Liberal Arts Colleges
1. Hendrix College (AR)
2. Agnes Scott College (GA)
• Davidson College (NC)
• Furman University (SC)
• Dickinson College (PA)
• University of Richmond (VA)
• Ursinus College (PA)
The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis.
Source: U.S. News Media Group
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"A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit."
-- Francois Rabelais
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Posted by Editors at 4:56 AM
July 28, 2009
Around the Americas Ocean Conservation Expedition
Funded by Rockefeller Family and Tiffany Foundation, Around the Americas project demonstrates global warming and climate change impacts on the environments and ecosystems, its Ocean Watch crew departs Barrow, hopes for a safe journey through the ice encrusted Amundsen Gulf.
Photo: 64-foot Ocean Watch makes its way into the Northwest Passage on the first part of a 25,000 mile ocean conservation expedition around North and South America.
After eight weeks at sea following its departure on May 31 from Seattle, the crew of Ocean Watch - the 64-foot steel-hulled sailboat - representing the 13 month- long Around the Americas expedition has turned east into the ice-filled Northwest Passage after traveling a predominantly northerly course.
The expedition is focused on the realities of global warming and climate change. Captain Mark Schrader describes in the latest Captain's Log what the boat and crew face as they enter the Northwest Passage.
"(Sunday) at 0745 the anchor was up and Ocean Watch headed to Point Barrow, approximately 8nm to the north. At Point Barrow we make a sharp turn east, exit the Chukchi Sea, enter the Beaufort Sea and finally point our bow into the Northwest Passage. With Cambridge Bay roughly 1050nm (nautical miles) due east and still blocked by ice in Amundsen Gulf. We'll make several stops along the way while waiting for the forecast mid-August breakup.
"The next community with a sheltered harbor, fuel and services with enough depth for OW [Ocean Watch] is Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk), 490nm down the line. All of our ice reports indicate the passage from here to Tuk is currently open. The predicted winds for the next few days should keep the ice away from the shore and leave plenty of room for us. If the conditions change we have some options; Thetis Island, Stockton Island, Kaktovik and Herschel Island can all afford some protection from wind and ice. Herschel Island with its long and rich whaling and over-wintering-for-stranded-sailors-history is on our 'must visit' list."
Photo: Captain Mark Schrader, leader of the 25,000 mile ocean conservation project Around the Americas, gives steering directions through the ice in the Northwest Passage.
Ocean Watch is carrying the message of the Around the Americas expedition that the oceans surrounding North and South America are very fragile and we need to be aware of the problems and make changes in our lives to help correct them. Led by Captain Mark Schrader, the first American to solo circumnavigate the earth via the five southern capes, the 25,000-mile voyage will be one of only about 100 boats to have travelled through the Northwest Passage in the past 100 years.
Schrader continues in the Log, "Writing this was just interrupted by a whale sighting off the bow, then a Polar Bear sighting on the beach. The beach is a little less than 1/3 nm away, the bear appears to be sleeping. The helmsperson also just announced we're finally turning east. Ocean Watch hasn't sailed an easterly course since leaving Seattle, some 3,400nm and 8-weeks ago. This is a significant waypoint for us - we're now truly going 'over the top' and into the Passage."
With a permanent crew of four experienced sailors, a scientist and educator on board, Ocean Watch will traverse the treacherous frozen waters of the Northwest Passage for the next four to six weeks making scientific observations and collecting information.
Around the Americas is a 25,000-mile clockwise-circumnavigation of the North and South American continents, never before undertaken in continuous fashion. The sailboat, equipped with some of the latest technology, along with scientists and educators who join during various legs of the voyage, is making 31 stopovers in 13 months to draw attention to the changing condition of the oceans. With major funding support from Tiffany & Co. Foundation, a non-profit consortium has been formed to make the public more aware of the plight of the oceans.
Source: Around the Americas
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Posted by Editors at 10:46 AM
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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"The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm."
-- Florence Nightingale
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Posted by Editors at 11:05 PM
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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Posted by Editors at 10:11 AM
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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• GlobalGiants.Com is Member of the Boxxet Network Campus Mixxer (College and Universities)
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Posted by Editors at 3:12 AM
June 20, 2009
BARNES & NOBLE FLAGSHIP STORE OPENS IN NEW YORK CITY
Photo: Barnes & Noble putting the finishing touches on its 55,000 square foot store in New York City, June 19, 2009, on 86th Street and Lexington Avenue. The flagship store offers more than 400,000 book, music, DVD and magazine titles, the largest Blu-ray selection in Manhattan, expanded children's section offering 5,000 titles and a huge games selection. Serving as a community center, the store will host events throughout the year, including author readings, book clubs and programs with local literary and cultural organizations. (Photo Source: Barnes & Noble, Scott Kahn)
Photo: Hundreds of customers are eager to make their purchases, on the opening day of the new flagship Barnes & Noble on 86th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City, Friday, June 19, 2009. The bookstore offers more than 400,000 book, music, DVD and magazine titles, the largest Blu-ray selection in Manhattan, an expanded children's section offering 5,000 titles and a huge games selection. (Photo Source: Barnes & Noble, Scott Kahn)
Source: BARNES & NOBLE
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"Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other folks have left me."
-- ANATOLE FRANCE
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Posted by Editors at 1:39 PM
June 8, 2009
Apple Announces New Products: iPhone 3G S, Updated MacBook Pro, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and Safari 4 Browser
Apple® today introduced the new iPhone™ 3G S, which, according to it, (1) is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, (2) is packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance--up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G--with longer battery life, (3) has a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, and has (4) easy to use video recording and hands free voice control.
iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, an advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, Spotlight Search, and landscape keyboard.
"iPhone 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet and we think people will love the incredible new features including autofocus camera, video recording and the freedom of voice control," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of WorldWide Product Marketing.
iPhone 3G S offers speed and performance that is up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G.
iPhone 3G S features a new 3 megapixel autofocus camera that adjusts focus, exposure, color and contrast for the best possible image and includes an automatic macro focus for extra close up shots. With the new "tap to focus" feature, you simply touch the display to select an object or area of interest and the camera automatically re-adjusts focus and exposure. You can record high-quality video clips and edit them right on your iPhone 3G S by simply trimming the start and stop points.
The voice control feature in iPhone 3G S offers hands free operation for both iPhone and iPod® functions. Simply speak the appropriate commands into the built-in microphone or headset microphone to dial by name or number. With voice control you can play your favorite music by artist, album or playlist and activate the Genius feature by saying "play more songs like this." You can also tell iPhone to pause the music, play the next track, turn on shuffle or ask, "What's playing right now?"
iPhone 3G S features a new built-in digital compass for instant navigation. The new built-in digital compass is also integrated within Maps, so it automatically orients any map to the direction you are facing.
• Apple Updates MacBook Pro Family with New Models & Innovative Built-in Battery for Up to 40 Percent Longer Battery Life.
Apple® today updated the aluminum unibody MacBook® Pro line to include 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models featuring Apple's innovative built-in battery for up to 40 percent longer battery life. Each MacBook Pro includes an LED-backlit display with greater color intensity, the innovative glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad, an illuminated keyboard, an SD card or ExpressCard slot, a FireWire® 800 port and state of the art NVIDIA graphics.
"Across the line, all of our new MacBook Pro models now include Apple's innovative built-in battery for up to seven hours of battery life, while staying just as thin and light as before," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models include Apple's built-in notebook battery for up to seven hours of wireless productivity on a single charge without adding thickness, weight or cost. Using Adaptive Charging and advanced chemistry first introduced with the 17-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year, the built-in battery delivers up to 1,000 recharges before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity--nearly three times the lifespan of conventional batteries. The longer battery lifespan equals fewer depleted batteries and less waste.
• Apple Unveils Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
• Apple® today unveiled Mac OS® X Snow Leopard™ a powerful and refined advanced operating system.
"We've built on the success of Leopard and created an even better experience for our users from installation to shutdown," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "Apple engineers have made hundreds of improvements so with Snow Leopard your system is going to feel faster, more responsive and even more reliable than before."
• Apple Releases Safari 4--Fast & Innovative Browser.
Apple® today released Safari® 4. Available for Mac® and Windows PCs and introduced as a beta in February of this year, Safari 4 features the Nitro engine which runs JavaScript up to 4.5 times faster than Safari 3. Safari 4 makes browsing more intuitive and enjoyable with innovative features, such as Top Sites, Full History Search and Cover Flow®, and support for modern web standards like HTML 5 and advanced CSS Effects.
"The successful beta release helped us fine tune Safari 4 into an even better, faster version that customers are going to love," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Safari is enjoyed by 70 million users worldwide and with its blazing fast speed, innovative features and support for modern web standards, it's the best browser on any platform."
Safari 4 includes Top Sites, for a visual preview of frequently visited and favorite pages; Full History Search, to search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages; and Cover Flow, to easily flip through web history or bookmarks. Other innovative features include Smart Address Fields for automatically completing web addresses from an easy to read list of suggestions; Search Fields, to fine tune searches with recommendations from Google Suggest or a list of recent searches; and Full Page Zoom, for a closer look at any website without degrading the quality of the site's layout and text.
Source: Apple
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Posted by Editors at 8:25 PM
June 2, 2009
Global Consumer Recession Index Reveals Most and Least Affected Countries
U.S.A. is among the most impacted nations worldwide.
GfK Roper Consulting, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, today announced highlights from its first Global Consumer Recession Index, ranking the impact of the economic climate on individuals worldwide based on their level of concern, distress and reaction.
Segmenting the countries by high, medium and low impact, the Index reveals consumers in U.S., Taiwan, Canada, Korea, the UK, France and Australia are feeling most affected. Comparatively, India, Japan, Russia, Argentina, South Africa and Argentina all landed low on the impact scale.
"What's clear is that the global recession is not equally distributed," explains Nick Chiarelli, Director of Consumer Trends, GfK Roper Consulting. "To truly understand the impact of today's economic environment, it's vital to view this not as one blanket fiscal storm but rather as a series of localized recessions."
Based on GfK Roper Consulting's 2009 GfK Roper Mood of the World(R) Study, the Index was created by averaging, weighting and combining the following three measures to calculate an overall score in terms of how consumers are feeling:
• Concern - Respondents list their top-three worries from a selection of 21 economic, social and political issues. "Recession" ranked as the top concern globally. Regarding the highest levels of economic concern, Asian consumers topped the list while the U.S. landed in 15th place just behind its northern neighbor Canada (14th).
• Distress - Consumers indicate which positive and negative financial-related events they've experienced from a list of eight. Globally, 62% say they faced a negative event (e.g. losing their job or having difficulty paying their bills) in the past 12 months and the U.S. clocked in higher at 77% with Canada not far behind at 72%. Americans are also among the most distressed, following only Turkey.
• Reaction - Participants report where they've cut back from a list of 26 items and activities as well as which of 10 money-saving strategies they've employed. Consumers in English-speaking nations such as the U.S., Australia, Canada and the UK are the most likely to be doing things to cut back and save money.
Worldwide, the top cutback area is "dining out", whereas "shopping more carefully for everyday items" is the top-ranked money-saving strategy. Among Americans and Canadians, "dining out" also ranked first in cutbacks while the number one strategy for saving cash is using coupons.
"Localized marketing efforts are absolutely essential in this environment of cautious spending. Companies will benefit most by tailoring their strategies to address the concerns driving consumer behavior as they vary across several regions.", concludes GfK's Nick Chiarelli.
Source: GfK Roper Consulting
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Posted by Editors at 9:22 AM
May 28, 2009
Microsoft Introduces New Search Engine: BING
Bing Helps People Make Better Decisions, says Microsoft.
Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Bing, a new Decision Engine and consumer brand, "providing customers with a first step in moving beyond search to help make faster, more informed decisions".
According to Microsoft, Bing is specifically designed to build on the benefits of today's search engines but begins to move beyond this experience with a new approach to user experience and intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas:
• Making a purchase decision.
• Planning a trip.
• Researching a health condition.
• Finding a local business.
This new approach is a beginning for a new kind of search service, which Microsoft is calling a Decision Engine that is designed to empower people to gain insight and knowledge from the Web by moving more quickly to important decisions.
The explosive growth of online content has continued unabated, and Bing was developed as a tool to help people more easily navigate through the information overload that has come to characterize many of today's search experiences, explains Microsoft.
"Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they don't do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. "When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web. Bing is an important first step forward in our long-term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information they've found to accomplish tasks and make smart decisions."
Based on the customer insight that 66 percent of people are using Internet search more frequently to make complex decisions, Microsoft identified three design goals to guide the development of Bing:
• Deliver great results.
• Deliver a more organized experience.
• Simplify tasks and provide insight, leading to faster, more confident decisions.
"The new service, built to go beyond today's search experience, includes deep innovation on core search areas including entity extraction and expansion, query intent recognition and document summarization technology as well as a new user experience model that dynamically adapts to the type of query to provide relevant and intuitive decision-making tools," claims Microsoft.
The new service, located at http://www.bing.com/, will begin to roll out over the coming days and will be fully deployed worldwide on Wednesday, June 3, 2009. It is only then that one can find out whether Bing is really a "Decision Engine" as Microsoft proclaims.
Source: Microsoft Corporation
"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."
-- Immanuel Kant
[Added June 25, 2009]
"Bing is overtaking Google. But Google has the Best Database."
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Posted by Editors at 8:42 PM
May 17, 2009
Airbus "Fly Your Ideas" Contest: Five Teams Reach Final
Teams hail from the Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe.
Photo: Airbus A321 being delivered to Air France at Airbus' Hamburg, Germany facility. (© Airbus)
Photo: Airbus A380 Takeoff. (© Airbus)
Five teams out of the 86 that were still in the competition have been chosen to go forward to the grand final of the Fly Your Ideas challenge at the Paris Le Bourget Airshow. Airbus, launched the contest in October 2008.
More than 2,350 students from 82 countries entered Fly Your Ideas. To participate in the contest, students were asked to develop creative ideas that can shape the future of aviation and deliver a further reduction in the industry's impact on the environment. Of the 225 teams taking part in the first round concluded in December 2008, the top 86 teams were selected for round two which ended on 31 March.
The five finalist teams are:
• The "Big Bang Team" from Universidad Politécnica de Valencia in Spain for its windowless cabin proposal for a new eco-efficient aircraft design.
• "COz" from the University of Queensland, Australia (including an overseas student from the University of Stuttgart, Germany) for its proposal on the use of bio composite cabin materials made from castor plant natural fibres.
• "Kometa Brno" from Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic whose team developed a project on aircraft taxiway movements using electro-motors.
• "Solaire Voyager" from the National University of Singapore, selected for its solar cell technology project integrating photovoltaic cells aboard aircraft to generate electricity.
• "Stanford ADG" from Stanford University in the USA for their proposal on inverted V formation flight, building on the model of migrating birds to reduce energy consumption.
Photo: The Airbus A350 XWB's onboard systems are designed for maximum robustness and simplicity. (© Airbus)
Photo: The Airbus A350 XWB's widebody fuselage provides optimum seating efficiency for revenue potential. (© Airbus)
Between now and the Le Bourget Airshow, the teams will prepare their project presentations with the help of an Airbus coach. On 18 June, the teams will present their projects to the jury in Paris. The first and second place teams will be announced on 19 June, at the Le Bourget Airshow where Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO will present the prizes. The winning team will receive a first prize of 30,000 euros whilst the runner-up will receive 15,000 euros. An additional prize of 5,000 euros will be given to the team who is chosen by Airbus employees for the "Employees Choice" prize. The additional award will be given to the team who is selected as having the best video from among the teams not selected for the final.
The jury is comprised of five internationally renowned independent experts and five Airbus representatives, specialized in fields such as engineering, the environment, human resources and marketing.
"Selecting the five teams was incredibly difficult as the projects submitted were very diverse and of high quality. The Fly Your Ideas contest has demonstrated that students from around the world have excellent ideas for the aviation industry of tomorrow," declared Patrick Gavin, Airbus Executive Vice-President Engineering and Fly Your Ideas contest patron.
Airbus is one of the world's leading aircraft manufacturers. With annual revenues of over 27 billion euros in 2008, Airbus is a global company employing some 52,000 people from over 80 countries.
Source: Airbus
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Posted by Editors at 11:17 PM
April 27, 2009
Web Dominated the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Breaking News Stories: Nieman Journalism Lab
According to Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University, the three newspapers honored by the Pulitzer Prize Board for breaking news all shared a common thread: They used the Web as their primary outlet, not ink-on-paper.
The New York Times -- which won the prize -- and finalists the Houston Chronicle and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch each shifted to a web-first mentality when faced with big breaking news. That was true whether the news was a prostitution scandal (Times), a hurricane (Chronicle), or a shooting (Post-Dispatch).
"We cover news any way people need news," Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen told the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard. "We cover it online, analog, digital, straight media -- any way you can serve it up, our staff is serving it up."
"The Internet has brought forth an unprecedented flowering of news and information," explains the Harvard Lab. "But it has also destabilized the old business models that have supported quality journalism for decades. Good journalists across the country are losing their jobs or adjusting to a radically new news environment online. We want to highlight attempts at innovation and figure out what makes them succeed or fail. We want to find good ideas for others to steal. We want to help reporters and editors adjust to their online labors; we want to help traditional news organizations find a way to survive; we want to help the new crop of startups that will complement -- or supplant -- them."
The Nieman Journalism Lab is a project at Harvard University to figure out the future of quality journalism online.
Source: Nieman Journalism Lab
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"I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation of journalism, having spent my life in that profession, regarding it as a noble profession and one of unequaled importance for its influence upon the minds and morals of the people."
-- Joseph Pulitzer
"Journalism is popular, but it is popular mainly as fiction. Life is one world, and life seen in the newspapers is another."
-- Gilbert K. Chesterton
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Posted by Editors at 6:06 AM
April 3, 2009
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Forum to focus on How Cities can Lead the Way to a Global Economic Recovery
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to Headline UIC's Fifth Annual Richard J. Daley Urban Forum.
Photo: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden with Mayor Richard M. Daley at the Chicago Global Cities Forum. (City of Chicago, Antonio Dickey) [Photo Added: May 1, 2009]
PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING COMPUTER SCIENCE FACILITY
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the Daley family will host the fifth annual Richard J. Daley Urban Forum, titled "Global Economic Recovery: Cities Lead the Way." U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will give the keynote address at this year's Forum, which will be held on Monday, April 27 beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the UIC campus.
The Forum will bring together municipal leaders from around the world, business leaders, public officials, policymakers, leading scholars and commentators for an intimate and interactive dialogue that examines the vital role cities will play in a successful recovery from today's global economic crisis.
Vice President Biden will be joined at the Forum by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and a rich host of panelists providing diverse perspectives about how cities are crucial to recovery, what kinds of obstacles exist and the kinds of imaginative steps cities are already taking.
"We are thrilled and honored to have Vice President Biden join us for this year's Forum," said Mayor Daley. "President Obama and Vice President Biden understand the great role cities play in driving the larger economy. By working collaboratively, sharing innovative ideas and unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit and imagination, cities can lead our nation to a healthy and much needed economic recovery."
The Forum will feature three panels: "Economic Recovery and Urban Reinvestment," addressing the impact of national stimulus plans and regional and local initiatives on urban areas as well as key obstacles to these recovery efforts; "Economic Revitalization: Education and Healthcare," exploring how cities--as the center of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship--can take the imaginative steps needed to climb out of today's world recession in a way that reaches far beyond urban areas; and a "Global Town Meeting" where mayors from more than 30 global cities will offer examples of innovative programs from their own cities in response to the global economic crisis. Panel formats are subject to change.
"The Forum has become a significant venue for the exchange of ideas and the exploration of strategies that address social and economic issues confronting urban communities in the United States and around the globe," said UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares. "In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of the world's people lived in urban areas. This global demographic change contributes to the urgency of the forum. Thus, UIC is proud to host this event."
Photo: Chicago Skyscrapers seen from Navy Pier
The current economic crisis has imperiled both public and private finance and cost millions of citizens their jobs, homes and access to healthcare and education. While cities have been among the hardest hit economically, they also contribute the majority of the world's economic gross product and are responsible for most new job creation. Therefore, urban vitality is crucial to recovery.
Participants in this year's Forum include Marshall M. Bouton, President, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Victoria J. Chou, Dean, College of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago; Carol Coletta, President and Chief Executive Officer, CEOs for Cities; Richard M. Daley, Mayor, City of Chicago; Bruce Katz, Vice President, Brookings Institution; Michael H. Moskow, Former President, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Senior Fellow, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Norbert Riedel, Corporate Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Baxter International, Inc. and Bernard Shaw, principal anchor emeritus, CNN.
The Urban Forum, held at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd., is open to the public. The registration fee will be waived for all UIC faculty, staff and students, as well as students from other universities. Students attending the Forum must present a valid college ID on the day of the event.
Cities expected to be represented at this year's forum include: Algiers, Algeria; Bangkok, Thailand; Beijing, China; Belgrade, Serbia; Bogota, Colombia; Busan, Republic of Korea; Cartagena, Colombia; Casablanca, Morocco; Chicago, USA; Doha, Qatar; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Galway, Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; Hamburg, Germany; Helsinki, Finland; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Kyiv, Ukraine; Lahore, Pakistan; Manila, The Philippines; Moscow, Russia; Nairobi, Kenya; Paris, France; Petach Tikva, Israel; Prague, Czech Republic; Reykjavik, Iceland; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Shenyang, China; Soriano, Uruguay; Tripoli, Lebanon; Vilnius, Lithuania and Windsor, Canada. Participating cities are subject to change.
Photo: Chicago Skyline
The 2009 Forum will be partially funded through sponsors including American Airlines, Ariel Investments, AT&T, Bank of America, Baxter, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Boeing, The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago White Sox, DLA Piper, Exelon, Gibsons, Grosvenor Capital Management L.P., Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, The MacArthur Foundation and the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation.
Launched in 2005 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Richard J. Daley's first inauguration as Mayor of Chicago, the Richard J. Daley forum at UIC is an annual symposium for students, scholars, public officials, civic leaders, policymakers and commentators to discuss important issues and share insights into urban history and urban studies.
Richard J. Daley was first inaugurated as Mayor of Chicago on April 20, 1955. He served as Mayor for more than two decades, during which time he oversaw the rebirth of Chicago's downtown, construction of McCormick Place, development of O'Hare International Airport, and creation of UIC among other notable achievements.
Establishing UIC--originally known as the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle when it opened in 1965--was described by the late mayor as this greatest contribution to the life of the city. Circle Campus merged with the university's Medical Campus in 1982 to form UIC.
UIC is Chicago's largest university with more than 25,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. The campus ranks among the nation's top 50 universities in federal research funding. UIC has more than 145,000 alumni, more than 110,000 of whom live in the Chicago metropolitan area.
A hallmark of UIC is the Great Cities Commitment, through which faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.
Source: The University of Illinois at Chicago
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Posted by Editors at 12:34 PM
November 16, 2008
Global Association of Risk Professionals Provides Financial Risk Manager Certification Exams to Nearly 14,000 Candidates Around the World
Photo: In New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, November 15, several hundred financial risk manager certification candidates taking the 6-hour Financial Risk Manager (FRM(R)) Exam offered by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).
Yesterday, on November 15, at 9 am local time in each of 78 cities around the world, a record-breaking total 13,681 financial professionals were registered to take the annual Financial Risk Manager (FRM(R)) certification exam offered by the Global Association of Risk Professionals. From New York to Hong Kong, the 6-hour exams were taken at testing centers located in major cities across six continents including Mumbai, Beijing, Jakarta, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, London, Paris, Warsaw, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Dublin, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Melbourne, Sydney, Johannesburg, Montreal, Toronto, Dallas, Seattle, Honolulu and many others.
The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) is a not-for-profit independent association of close to 100,000 risk management practitioners and researchers representing banks, investment management firms, government agencies, academic institutions, and corporations from more than 167 countries worldwide.
There were 500 candidates registered to take the exam in New York, 1,700 in Hong Kong and 1,100 in Mumbai, reflecting the significant and growing global attention to the practice of financial risk management," said Richard Apostolik, GARP President and CEO. "FRM certification has become the gold standard for financial risk managers to objectively demonstrate real world competence in their profession, and the FRM certification program is helping to expand industry-wide understanding of financial risk management best practices, concepts and theories," he added.
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Posted by Editors at 2:40 AM
July 28, 2008
The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition 2009 Announced
Career in the Fashion Industry.
The Art Institutes has announced its 2009 Passion for Fashion Competition. It gives North American high school students interested in the highly competitive fashion industry an opportunity to earn a full tuition scholarship to study in a fashion program at one of The Art Institutes schools.
Open to high school seniors throughout the U.S. and Canada, The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition was created to encourage and reward young fashion talent at the high school level.
Bruce E. Dempsey, Vice President, Academic Affairs Specialist for The Art Institutes, said, "We have seen the caliber and maturity of the entries into the Competition increase every year. There are so many wonderful fashion courses in high school today, and many students see a career in this industry within their reach."
The competition consists of two categories, Fashion Design, and Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Retail Management. The grand prize in each category includes a full tuition scholarship to The Art Institutes school with a Fashion program at which the student entered the Competition.
In addition to a full tuition scholarship, the grand prize winning student in each category will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York City for Fashion Week in February 2009, a "meet and greet" at Seventeen Magazine's offices and lunch with a Seventeen Magazine Style Pro.
Deadline for entries into the competition is November 21, 2008. Passion for Fashion Competition Brochure 2009 can be dowloaded by clicking here.
The Art Institutes (artinstitutes.edu) is a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes schools offer a broad range of programs including: Audio Production, Computer Animation, Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing, Graphic Design, Industrial Design Technology, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Photography, Restaurant Management and Video Production.
The parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management LLC (edmc.com), with 96,000 students as of fall 2007, is among the largest providers of post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Education Management has 83 locations in 26 U.S. states and in Canada. Education Management's educational institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology, legal studies and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees.
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Posted by Editors at 11:12 AM
March 29, 2008
SABEW 13th Annual Best in Business Journalism Contest Winners
Recognizing top publications and the best business news reporting during 2007, The Society of American Business Editors and Writers Inc. (SABEW), a not-for-profit organization made up of business journalists in North America, has announced the winners in its 13th annual Best in Business Contest. SABEW is headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
SABEW started the contest in 1995 to help set standards and recognize role models for outstanding business journalism. It has grown steadily since then. Categories for magazines and online sites were added this year. A record 842 entries were submitted for work in 2007 by daily newspapers, business weeklies, magazines, wire services and news Websites.
SABEW will hand out the awards during a ceremony at its annual conference, at 6 p.m. April 27 at The Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.
Following is the full list of winners:
Overall Excellence
Giant Newspapers
(Average daily circulation above 325,000)
Arizona Republic
Los Angeles Times
The New York Times
USA Today
Certificates of Merit:
The Boston Globe
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
Large Newspapers
(circulation from 225,000 to 325,000)
The Miami Herald
Rocky Mountain News (Denver)
The Seattle Times
Certificates of Merit:
The Indianapolis Star
The Orange County Register
Detroit Free Press
Mid-sized Newspapers
(circulation from 125,000 to 224,999)
The Charlotte Observer
The Des Moines Register
The Detroit News
Grand RapidsPress
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Certificates of Merit:
St. Paul Pioneer-Press
Salt Lake Tribune
Small newspapers
(circulation under 125,000)
Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.)
The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
Certificates of Merit:
The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.)
The Post & Courier (Charleston, S.C.)
Weekly Business Newspapers
Advertising Age
Boston Business Journal
Crain's New York Business
Financial Week
Triangle Business Journal (Raleigh-Durham, N.C.)
Certificate of Merit:
Mass High Tech
Small Magazines
(circulation under 500,000)
Bloomberg Markets
Large Magazines
(circulation 500,000 and over)
Fast Company
Small Websites
(up to 500,000 average monthly unique visitors)
Wired.com
Certificate of Merit
Crain's Chicago Business
Mid-sized Websites
(500,000-2.5 million average monthly unique visitors)
AdAge.com
Certificate of Merit
Azstarbiz.com, Arizona Daily Star
Large Websites
(more than 2.5 million average monthly unique visitors)
MarketWatch
The New York Times Dealbook
The Wall Street Journal Online
Business News Reporting
Breaking News
Giant publications
• Patti Bond, Robert Luke, Tom Walker, Maria Saporta, Matt Kempner,
Marilyn Geewax, Duane D. Stanford, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"Nardelli's departure from Home Depot"
• Krishna Guha, Michael Mackenzie, Saskia Scholtes and Gillian Tett, The
Financial Times: "Federal Reserve"
• Robin Sidel, Aaron Lucchetti, Monica Langley, Carrick Mollenkamp, David
Reilly and David Enrich, The Wall Street Journal: "The fall of a
Citigroup Prince"
Large publications
• Staff, Detroit Free Press: GM/UAW settlement
• Staff, Detroit Free Press: Pfizer breaking news
• Roger Fillion, Chris Walsh, David Milstead, Charles Chamberlin,
Joyzelle Davis, Rob Reuteman and Jane Hoback, Rocky Mountain News:
Coors-Miller merger
Mid-sized Publications
• Stella M. Hopkins, Adam Bell, Gail Smith-Arrants, Sharif Durhams,
Christopher D. Kirkpatrick, Tommy Tomlinson, Kat Greene, Marion
Paynter, Mark Johnson and David Ingram, The Charlotte Observer: "Philip
Morris quits North Carolina"
• Amos Maki, Commercial Appeal (Memphis.): "Toyota's decision"
• Sharon Terlep, Bruce G. Hoffman, Eric Morath, Christine Tierney, Daniel
Howes, Louis Aguilar, Nathan Hurst, Brian J. O'Connor, Josee Valcourt
and Bill Vlasic, The Detroit News: "UAW strike"
Small Publications
• Jack Gillum, Christie Smythe and David Wichner, Arizona Daily Star:
"First Magnus meltdown"
• Kathy Jumper, George Talbot, Russ Henderson, Sebastion Kitchen, Dan
Murtaugh, Kaija Wilkinson and Jeff Amy, Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.):
"Towering triumphs"
• Carol Benfell, The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.): "Hospital
closure"
Weekly Publications
• Brent Snavely, Crain's Detroit Business: "Icahn on Lear: company
positioned well in industry"
• Andrew Osterland, Marine Cole, Matthew Quinn, Nicholas Rummell and
Frank Byrt, Financial Week: "Credit crunch"
Real-time News Organizations
• Scott Lanman, Brendan Murray, Matthew Brockett, Caroline Salas, Anthony
Massucci, Lynn Thomasson and Shannon Harrington, Bloomberg News:
"Bernanke's world unravels"
• John D. Stoll and Stephen Wisnefski, Dow Jones News Service:
"DaimlerChrysler stock moves into high gear"
Enterprise
Giant Publications
• David Barboza, The New York Times: "A Chinese reformer betrays his
cause, and pays"
• Gretchen Morgenson, The New York Times: "Crisis looms in mortgages"
• Kate Kelly, The Wall Street Journal: "Bear CEO's handling of crisis
raises issues"
Large Publications
• Jeffrey Tomich, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Bet the farm"
• Pete Carey, San Jose Mercury News: "Harsh side of the boom"
• Kristi Heim, The Seattle Times: "China's eco-city"
Mid-sized Publications
• Rick Rothacker and David Ingram, The Charlotte Observer: "Is this a
conflict?"
• Sharon Terlep and Bill Vlasic, The Detroit News: "Inside story"
• Rebecca Mowbray, New Orleans Times-Picayune: "Same house. Same repairs.
Same insurer. Why different prices?"
Small Publications
• Becky Pallack, Arizona Daily Star: "First Magnus: Boom to bust in three
weeks"
• Dan Kelley, Corpus Christi Caller-Times: "Is the city growing or
stretching?"
• George Talbot, Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.): "Several factors are key
to deal"
Weekly Publications
• Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times: "The fight of his life: Bay
Area tech execs and VCs rally to aid one of their own battling a rare
disease"
• Daniel Kaplan and Mark Mensheha, Street & Smith's SportBusiness
Journal: "American invasion: What's driving the gold rush to English
soccer?"
• Dan Monk and Tom Demeropolous, Business Courier of Cincinnati: "Dark
side of progress: The transformation of UC has taken more of a
financial toll than many in the campus community realize"
Real-time News Organizations
• John Schoen, MSNBC: "Mortgage mess"
• John Lippert, Bloomberg News: "Fall of Detroit"
• Melissa Davis, TheStreet.com: "Shattered hopes"
Columns
Giant Publications
• David Leonhardt, The New York Times
• Joseph Nocera, The New York Times
• Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post
Large Publications
• Eileen Ambrose, The Baltimore Sun
• Mary Jo Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• Al Lewis, The Denver Post
Mid-sized Publications
• Mitchell Schnurman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• George Gombossy, The Hartford Courant
• Liz Benston, Las Vegas Sun
Small Publications
• Gregory Karp, The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
• Dan Voelpel, The News-Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
• Susan Miller, Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.)
Weekly Publications
• Brian Kaberline, Kansas City Business Journal
• Greg David, Crain's New York Business
• Steve Symanovich, San Francisco Business Times
Real-time News Organizations
• Jon Markman, MSN Money
• James Saft, Reuters
• Brett Arends, TheStreet.com
Projects
Giant Publications
• Patricia Callahan, Maurice Possley, Michael Oneal, Evan Osnos, Ted
Gregory and Sam Roe, Chicago Tribune: "Hidden hazards"
• Charles Duhigg, The New York Times: "Golden opportunities"
• Walt Bogdanich, The New York Times: "Toxic pipeline"
Large Publications
• Suzanne Rust, Meg Kissinger and Cary Spivak, Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel: "Chemical fallout"
• Mike Casey and Rick Montgomery, Kansas City Star: "Fatal failures"
• Gargi Chakrabarty, Rocky Mountain News: "Ethanol boom: Kernel to car"
Mid-sized Publications
• Binyamin Appelbaum, Lisa Hammersly, Ted Mellnik, Peter St. Onge, Stella
M. Hopkins, Liz Chandler, Mike Drummond, Pam Kelley, Gary Schwab and
Patrick Scott, The Charlotte Observer: "Sold a nightmare"
• Lee Rood, Lynn Hicks, Philip Brasher, Paula Lavigne, Jerry Perkins,
Perry Beeman, Jon Benedict, Jeff Bruner, Suzanne Behnke and Don Tormey,
Des Moines Register: "Fueling Iowa's future"
• Christine Tierney and Bill Vlasic: The Detroit News: "Death of a
Merger"
Small Publications
• Winston Ross, The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.): "Big fish in a big
pond"
• Richard M. Hogan, Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press: "Southwest Florida real
estate sellers beware"
• James L. Martin, Erie (Pa.) Times-News: "Made in Mexico"
Weekly Publications
• Bryant Ruiz Switzky, Katharine Grayson, Nancy Kuehn, Eric Johnson and
Dirk DeYoung, The Minneapolis- St. Paul Business Journal: "Operation
reintegration"
• Jeanne Lang Jones and Steve Wilhelm, Puget Sound Business Journal:
"Industrial land"
• Christopher Tritto, The St. Louis Business Journal: "Fig"
Real-time News Organizations
• David Dietz, Gary Cohn and Darrell Preston, Bloomberg News: "The
insurance hoax"
Magazine Cover Stories
Large Magazines
• Brian Grow and Keith Epstein, Business Week: "The poverty business"
• Ellen McGirt, Fast Company: "Al Gore's $100 million makeover"
Small Magazines
• David Evans, Richard Tomlinson, Seth Lubove and Daniel Taub, Bloomberg
Markets: "Toxic debt"
Online Excellence
Breaking News
Large Websites
• Tom Krazit, Caroline McCarthy, Erica Ogg, Kent German, Leslie Katz,
Brian Cooley, CNET News: "Launch of the iPhone"
• Staff, CNNMoney.com: "Turmoil in the mortgage and credit markets"
Small Websites
• Steve Daniels, Senior Reporter, Crain's Chicago Business: "LaSalle's
Richman near deal to join private bank"
• Alby Gallun, Reporter, Crain's Chicago Business: "Kennedy, developer
plan big Wolf Point project."
• Chad Eric Watt, Staff Writer; Dave Moore, Staff Writer, Dallas Business
Journal: "Questions dog press club"
Projects
Large Websites
• Rex Nutting, Amy Hoak and Alistair Barr, Marketwatch: "Subprime
shakedown: Will 'lemming loans' drive economy off cliff?"
• Art Lenehan, Anh Ly, Suzanne McGee and Chris Oster, MSN Money: "Keeping
up with the Wangs"
• David Barboza, Keith Bradsher, Howard French, Joseph Kahn, Jim Yardley
and the staff of The New York Times and nytimes.com: "Choking on
growth: China's environmental crisis"
Mid-sized Websites
• Ted Mellnik, Bill Pitzer, Phillip Hoffman, David Enna, The Charlotte
Observer: "Sold a nightmare"
Small Websites
Certificate of Merit
• Rich Laden, Nichole Montanez, Mark Reis, Christian Murdock, David
Bitton and Joanna Bean, The Gazette (Colorado Springs): "Academy
Boulevard at a crossroads"
Audio/Visual Reports
Large Websites
• John Authers, Financial Times: "Short view"
• Jenalia Moreno and Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle: "Olive oil"
• David Pogue, The New York Times: "The iPhone challenge: keep it quiet"
Mid-sized Websites
• Hoag Levins, Ad Age: "3-Minute Ad Age"
• Stephanie AuWerter and Stacey Bradford, SmartMoney.com: "Smart Advice
video: avoiding foreclosure"
Blogs
Large Websites
• Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle: "Techblog"
• Staff, The New York Times: "Bits"
• Staff, The Wall Street Journal: "Deal Journal"
Mid-sized Websites
• Bill Bowen, Jim Fuquay, Dianna Hunt, Mike Lee, Richard Stubbe and Scott
Nishimura, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "Barnett Shale: Drilling for
answers about the natural gas boom in North Texas"
• Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register: "Lansner on real estate"
• Todd Bishop, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog"
Creative Use of Online
Large Websites
• Roben Farzad, Business Week: Narrated slideshows
• Staff, MarketWatch: "The heat is on"
• Staff, CNNMoney.com: "2007 best places to live"
Student Contest
For stories written for professional publications
• Daniel Johnson, Seattle Times: "Grape-growing town not on wine lovers'
map"
For stories written for student publications
• Jessica Nunez, Columbia Missourian: "Funding farming"
Source: The Society of American Business Editors and Writers
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Posted by Editors at 3:01 PM
America's Best Graduate Schools: U.S.News & World Report Announces the Publication of the 2009 Edition
U.S.News & World Report today announced the publication of the 2009 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools. Examining more graduate programs than before, this year's edition of America's Best Graduate Schools is a comprehensive guide to graduate schools across the USA. The guide contains the exclusive rankings of over 1,500 graduate school programs in categories such as business, education, engineering, law, and medicine.
Following are the listings of the top 10 schools in each of the main disciplines.
2009 Graduate School Rankings
Schools of Business
1. Harvard University (MA)
Stanford University (CA)
3. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
University of Chicago
7. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
University of California-Berkeley (Haas)
9. Columbia University (NY)
10. New York University (Stern)
Schools of Education
1. Stanford University (CA)
2. Vanderbilt University (Peabody) (TN)
3. University of California-Los Angeles
4. Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
5. University of Oregon
6. Harvard University (MA)
7. University of California-Berkeley
University of Washington
9. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
10. University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas-Austin
Schools of Engineering
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Stanford University (CA)
3. University of California-Berkeley
4. Georgia Institute of Technology
5. University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
6. California Institute of Technology
7. Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
8. University of Southern California (Viterbi)
9. Cornell University (NY)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Schools of Law
1. Yale University (CT)
2. Harvard University (MA)
Stanford University (CA)
4. Columbia University (NY)
5. New York University
6. University of California-Berkeley
7. University of Chicago
University of Pennsylvania
9. Northwestern University (IL)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Virginia
Schools of Medicine (Research)
1. Harvard University (MA)
2. Johns Hopkins University (MD)
3. Washington University in St. Louis
4. University of Pennsylvania
5. University of California-San Francisco
6. Duke University (NC)
University of Washington
8. Stanford University (CA)
9. University of California-Los Angeles (Geffen)
Yale University (CT)
Source: U.S.News & World Report
|GlobalGiants.com|
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Posted by Editors at 6:20 AM
February 28, 2008
Tata Companies Unite to Support First Book and Distribute 65,000 New Books to Children in Need
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Photo: Stephen Wilkes, from Corus, is reading a new book to a Dodge Park Elementary School student. Tata Group Companies have donated over 65,000 books for distribution to children in need across the USA.
WASHINGTON -- First Book and The Tata Group North America representatives gathered Feb. 27 at Eight O'Clock Coffee(R) in Landover, MD, to kick off the distribution of 65,000 new books to children in need nationwide USA. Second grade students from Dodge Park Elementary School were the first students to receive brand-new books as a result of the support of The Tata Group North America. The students participated in reading circles with Tata Company representatives to celebrate First Book's mission to provide new books to disadvantaged children.
First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.
Tata, headquartered in India, is among the world's most trusted and respected corporate brands. The Tata Group is comprised of 98 operating companies with operations in seven business sectors - Engineering, Materials, Energy, Chemicals, Consumer Products, Services, and Communications and Information Systems. Tata has more than 80 offices in the U.S. and Canada and more than 15,000 employees. |GlobalGiants.com|
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Posted by Editors at 8:55 AM
February 14, 2008
Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School serves the common good
The Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government has been recognized by Affinity Research's VISTA Awards for having one of the most widely read magazine pieces in 2007. The America's Best Leader's feature in the November 19 issue of U.S. News & World Report, a joint effort of CPL and U.S. News, was read by 86% of those surveyed, making it the third most popular piece for the fourth quarter.
CPL's collaboration with U.S. News involves a selection process, conducted by an independent panel, which results in the honoring of 15-25 of the country's most effective leaders. CPL and U.S. News also jointly commission a public opinion survey of Americans' attitudes about leaders from all sectors of society. CPL then analyzes the survey data to produce the National Leadership Index. This year's index reveals that more than three-quarters of the public (77%) now say that our country has a crisis in leadership. It also provides some thought-provoking findings relative to the upcoming presidential election. For example, the next president's likeability is more important to the youngest Americans surveyed (those age 18-24) and the oldest Americans (those 65 years and older) than it is to those age 25 to 64. But these same two groups believe that it is less important for the next president to be decisive than do Americans age 25 to 64.
Established in 2000 through a generous grant from the Wexner Foundation, the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School serves the common good by providing cutting-edge teaching and research as well as hands-on training in the practical skills of leadership for people in government, nonprofits, and business. |GlobalGiants.com|
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Posted by Editors at 9:48 AM
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|
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Posted by Editors at 11:55 AM
