Blemya

World Cities Shopping Centres - A new generation of retail store

2011-12-31T16:38:00.000-02:00

Imagine yourself parkingyour car into a giant building forming a complex of shops, and buying brand newitems from New York, Tokyo and Milan by the morning, having lunch in an exoticThai restaurant, attending (virtually) the Paris fashion show, and then, stopby on a Paris store to pickup some of the learned novelties.

In 2013 you won’t haveto dream about such place, a new concept of retailing stores is becoming areality (at least with regard to the Blemya’s concern) the Global Malls, orWorld Cities Shopping Centres, a complex of buildings with stores that have inits mix one or more shops representing products of each country in the world.

Researches indicatesthe demand for this sort of shopping mall, even a super-rich class Londonerwould like the idea to go to the next door mall to buy genuine Mexican “maiz”,of his on preference to make tortillas mexicanas, and a pair of BrasilianHavaianas sandals that he forgot to buy to his nephew on his last trip toBrazil.

But this mall wasspecially designed for the upper middle class and lower middle class.International travel has become very cheap, and this public became fans of somecities local brands and want to have them, even the consumer that was not ableto travel would became aware of a new foreign brand and adopt it.

The shops don’t sellonly the products itself, but also its culture. Attendants are, in its greatmajority, well-trained students that always inform the client about theproduct's culture and are able to speak the local languages as well as thelanguage spoken of the shop's nationality.

Another importantpoint for the emergence of this retail segment was the stock on demandaccording to results of researches and studies promoting the knowledge base ofthe hospitality and tourism field in world’s major cities, together with thecheap and efficient logistics services and the specialized media (travel booksand magazines such as Wallpaper magazine, Lonelly Planet, among others).

Consulates andchambers of commerce no longer have a passive role on this new retail store andenter thoroughly in the story, helping commercially and even subsidizing some culturallyimportant products.

On anot-to-distant-future we would say: “the World Cities Shopping Centres are animportant step to demonstrate the beauty and viability of collectiveness”.

The end of “we pay in many ways for our trash” culture

2011-11-29T16:27:00.001-02:00

Since the beginning ofIndustrial era we’ve been buying products packaged in their own marketing,using the product and throwing away its pack.

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We pay for the product and also forit’s advertising made by the industries interested in differentiatingthemselves from other manufacturers.

This pack, as we know, becomes garbage atthe end of the consume process.

With the increase ofworld population, this Marketing-packaging-waste model should be changedimmediately.

The Great PacificGarbage Patch, discovered in late 1990 is certainly the proof that, unlike anyother animal on this planet, we, human-beings, are not able to deal with ourown garbage.

Located in the centralNorth Pacific Ocean, roughly between 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N, anexcessive area where ocean currents gathered marine pollution together over theyears. It contains all kinds of trash from sinks to plastic bags.

The Great PacificGarbage Patch has now about 1,760,000 square kilometers; the area is threetimes bigger than Spain and Portugal peninsula.

It is not only in thepacific, we could find big island of garbage in oceans all over the planet infive main spots, also called the 5 gyres (see http://5gyres.org/).

Just for the record, ittakes around 20 years for a plastic bag to decompose, while a plastic bottlecan take 500 years.

The question we shouldask is - Who is responsible for this garbage collection? The logic answers thisquestion by saying “the waste should be picked up by its maker” - the Americanbiologist, Barry Commoner once proposed as his fourth law of ecology, “There isno such thing as a free lunch.” Everything we produce and consume has both aneconomic cost and a cost to the environment.

What goes down ourdrains and into our landfills will eventually place a burden somewhere onsomeone, or on some part of nature. Unfortunately, our throw away culture often forgets this fact. As a result, the communities who end uppaying the costs of our garbage are often far removed in space and time fromthose who produced it.

In order to try tosolve this problem the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environmentlaunched a consultation on a Canada-wide Action Plan on Extended ProducerResponsibility – EPR. It may include the costs of reducing pollution that stemsfrom the manufacturing process, but also the expenses of dealing with thegarbage that results after the consumer has finished with the product.

EPR can be used toshift the responsibility of paying for recycling and garbage programs away frommunicipalities and onto the companies that produce the waste.

One result of this isthat it provides an incentive for the producers of waste to develop moreenvironmentally friendly designs. For example, since the introduction of EPR laws in Japan and Europe,many electronic manufacturers have shifted to lower use of plastics for manyappliances, to reduce the difficulties in recycling.

Fortunately manycountries have introduced plastic bag bans: Belgium, Italy, Australia,Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa.

A project named as ProjectKaisei ("ocean planet" in Japanese) was launched on 19 March 2009,with plans for an initial phase of scientific study of the plastic debris inthe North Pacific Gyre and feasibility study of the recovery and recyclingtechnologies. The goal is to bring about a global collaboration of science,technology and solutions, to help remove some of the floating waste.

How can the worldafford this cleaning effort? - Blemya believes in a simple but not easysolution; the names printed on the plastic packs should pay the billproportionally to the amount of found material.

In order to preventnew plastic garbage islands on the oceans a New Algae Plastic is become thebase for the new packaging industry.

At the SPE’s GlobalPlastics Environmental Conference (www.sperecycling.org) in Atlanta in October2011, two brand new recycling operations were introduced along with a new algaebioplastic. The new recycling processes are sophisticated closed-loops forcomplex post-consumer materials.

To make sure that our effortsat cleaning the oceans, along with the new discoveries made by thebio-engineering plastic/algae materials, Blemya traveled ahead in time andbrought us some articles about the beneficial effects of our present actions:

- The advantages ofthis new material was obvious, once discarded it is easily reintegrated intonature, and if it accidentally ends up in sea waters, it will be deemed as fishfood, with a calculated small ecological impact.

Fishes would be able to eat the package

- Unfortunately, thetaste of some products changed a little bit once it entered in contact with thenew material, but simple solutions such as a separate the aliment from thesurface of the pack by a thin layer of paraffin solved the problem.

- It was extremelywell accepted by ecological institutions, NGOs, and most important, theconsumer.

- The use ofbioengineered materials made possible to create a whole line of packs, designedand programmed directly using genetic codes, the result was amazing.

Some milk brands havechosen to use a pack made out of the genes of the Portuguese Man o' War(Physalia physalis), of course the nematocysts and the tentacles have beensuppressed, and, strangest as it may seen, it become a huge market success,consumers pay even 30% more just to have the new pack on the table for thebreakfast.

Blemya and the “Super Collective Era”

2011-08-11T13:46:00.009-03:00

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By definition “The Internet” is a global system of interconnection, we use computers, mobile phones, television, etc. through a common language, (the standard Internet Protocol Suite TCP/IP) to connect billions of users worldwide.

But long before Internet phenomena we always been connected somehow, we have never been isolated.

I am going to give you an example; have you already wondered why in every city of this planet there is someone wearing screen printed t-shirts with the message I (heart) “something”?

It all began with an advertising campaign to promote tourism in New York City and State since the mid-1970s. The trademarked logo appears in souvenir shops and brochures throughout the state, some licensed, many not. Created by Milton Glaser and Bobby Zarem it consists of the capital letter I, followed by a red heart symbol (♥), below with the capital letters N and Y, set in a rounded slab serif typeface.

Since 1979 so many people have been seen and copycatting the original “I love N.Y.” campaign t-shirt, with little modifications here and there, different variations of it.

This is what is called collective consciousness, a term coined by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858–1917) to refer to the shared beliefs and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within globalized society.

But strangest it may seen, sometimes you see a behavior that is repeated in different places within different cultures, apparently without any form of connection between them, as if everyone draws ideas, images, and meanings from a common pool. This “Universal Reservoir” is known as the Collective Unconscious proposed by Carl Gustav Jung.

The Collective Unconscious is a term of analytical psychology that describes the existence of a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature, which is identical in all individuals. This collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents.

As Jung, many other people and even entire civilizations believed that we may be connected to a universal and inexplicable force, ancient Greeks believed that before coming to life on Earth, all souls lived in city-state called Kallipolis (Plato - 428-348 BC - “the city of Kallipolis” the perfect society mentioned in “The Republic”). Once they decide that would live a corporeal life, they choose how their lives would be succeeded, then they present their plans to Lachesis, and she would offer the mandatory company of a Daimon, an angel guardian, chosen by each soul.

In a dark cave filled with multicolored strings and golden cords that hummed with power sit the Moirae, three sisters, daughters of Zeus and the Titaness called Themis.

Clotho the Spinner, Lachesis the Allotter, and Atropos the inexorable, each one with a purpose and a task that must never end. Clotho the youngest of the three, must forever spin the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle, She is called upon at the ninth month of pregnancy when life must come forth.

Once a life born on Earth, the perfect city is forgotten, but sometimes they still have glimpses of there.

Lachesis, the middle sister, then takes the thread and measures it, for she decides, together with the soul, how long he or she would live and how the thread of his or her life would get tangled with the threads of the people who the soul is going to meet during the lifetime. Artropos, the oldest of three, was the cutter of the thread. She is responsible for the death of this soul on earth.

This is how ancient Greeks believed that we have the option choose the way our life would be lived on earth. It is surprisingly similar to other culture beliefs, see for example, how Brazilian Spiritists conceive it.

Spiritism is based on the five books of the Spiritist Codification dictated by spirits to mediums and written by French educator Hypolite Léon Denizard Rivail under the pseudonym Allan Kardec.

Spiritists believe in the possibility of communication between incorporeal intelligences (spirits) and living people through mediumship, the ability of a person to experience contact with spirits of the dead, angels, demons or other immaterial entities.
Kardec was a teacher with little scientific background (he had never attended a university), so he decided to do his own research. Not being a medium himself, he used to go regularly to Spiritism séances with a list of questions compiled by him put them to spirits. Soon the quality of the communications with spirits appeared to improve. According to the spirits, we incarnate and reincarnate many times, in every life we evolve a little bit through charity and love (the Spiritism teaches that without charity, there is no salvation).

When we are not incarnated, we wait in colonies as seen in the best-selling novel psycho-graphed (channeled) by the Brazilian spiritist medium Francisco Cândido Xavier, “Nosso Lar” (Our Home).

'Nosso Lar' refers to dimensions different from ours and establishes a continuum matter-energy-spirit, associated to wise, just, and perfect laws acting on different levels, from matter as we know it to the spirit more ethereal and evolved. The novel 'Nosso Lar' was dictated by a deceased Brazilian physician who adopted the fictitious name of 'Andre Luiz'. Although competent and respected among others when alive, and in spite on having helped numerous people in his private clinic, in the afterlife his inner battles took him to spend approximately 8 years in the lower zones of agony and madness.

Most of the things that the mankind creates here on Earth are copy of something that already exists in the almost 1300 perfect colonies that surround our planet.

Spirits are encouraged to choose how (and when) to suffer retribution for the wrong they did in previous lives. Disabilities, physical or mental impairment or even an unlucky life are due to the choices a spirit makes before reincarnating.

In Spiritism we also have a mandatory relationship with a Spirit Guide (as the Daimons in Ancient Greek philosophy) that will be with us during the life period we spent on Earth.

It does not matter whether you believe in one of these theories or not, the common elements that will lead us to a Type 1, 2 and 3 society ( see http://www.blemya.com/2009/02/future-of-our-civilization-in-3-steps.html ) are here, there is no escape, we are all connected.

After the advent of Internet in the late 60’s we improved enormously our connections toward what should be called “The Super Collectivity”, the era in which we shift from individual endeavors to a collective global power, the time when we will have tolerance toward the differences and enjoy the wealth created by the diversity. The core philosophy of this blog ( Blemya ) lies in the beliefs that “Super Collective composed by the beautiful and strong different individuals will achieve better present and tomorrow”. The sympathetic character of the blemya monster is regarded to what we are now living; In the beginning, it can be very frightening, but if you can beat that little negative rejection to the monster of collectiveness, you will surely love her.

The Great Pyramid Era - Egypt on the verge of a great transformation

2011-07-31T19:02:00.009-03:00

Due to the difficulty in describing the political situation of Egypt without being boring, I’ve decided to write this article based on screenplay by Ron Howard TV movie “Tut and Tuttle”, aired in 1982 (here in Brazil).

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Meditating over the small cupper pyramid and holding his quartz crystal small version (my father gifted me both pyramids in the seventies), I went to Ancient Egypt accompanied by a protector lion.

We arrived precisely on 13th September, 2588 b.C. – or, 27th Paopi day of the festival of lighting, the fires of Neith

Our hosts were Prince Rahotep and his wife Nofret.

He was a Prince in Ancient Egypt during the 4th dynasty. It is not clear if his is son of pharaoh Sneferu and his first wife. Zahi Hawass suggests his father was Huni.

Anyway, Rahotep's titles were inscribed on a magnificent statue of him side by side his wife, Nofret, found inside his mastaba at Meidum in 1871 describing him as High Priest of Ra at Heliopolis (with the added title, unique to Heliopolis, Ra's town, of "Greatest of Seers"), Director of Expeditions and Supervisor of Works. He also has a title given to high nobility, "the son of the king, begotten of his body".

Rahotep's older brother was Nefermaat, and his younger brother was Ranefer. Rahotep died when he was young.

Rahotep's wife, Nofret is very beautiful, her parents are not known and the circumstances that made her marry Rahotep are uncertain.

Nofret and Rahotep had three sons – Djedi, Itu and Neferkau – and three daughters – Mereret, Nedjemib and Sethtet.

Rahotep said that he should travel to the Sinai turquoise mines, and if we want, we could go with him to encounter his half-brother Khufu that will become pharaoh after Snefru's death.

Snefru must ensure extensive work and storage of materials to enable them to undertake massive construction projects (such as the pyramids).

(According to Guillemette Andreu, this is where the king’s foreign policy played a large part. Sneferu’s conquests into Libya and Nubia served two purposes: the first goal was to establish an extensive labour force, and the second goal was to gain access to the raw materials and special products that were available in these countries. This is alluded to in the Palermo stone:

“…The building of Tuataua ships of mer wood of a hundred capacity, and 60 royal boats of sixteen capacity. Raid in the Land of the Blacks, and the bringing in of seven thousand prisoners, men and women, and twenty goats…
The bringing of forty ships of cedar wood (or perhaps "laden with cedar wood")…”

Sneferu's military efforts in Libya led to the capture of 11,000 prisoners and 13,100 head of cattle. Aside from the extensive import of cedar (most likely from Lebanon) described above, there is evidence of activity in the turquoise mines on the Sinai Peninsula and also a large-scale quarrying projects to provide Sneferu with the stone he needed for his pyramids.

The travel was tense; the popularity of Sneferu after his fast and effective campaigns left much to be desired. People seem to be looking down at us with a suspicious expression.

We reach turquoise mines by night and the 23 year-old Khufu was having trouble with a group of Mentiu (or Moniti, a name which is applied to a tribe of Bedouins that wear strange hats of the Sinaitic Peninsula).

The lieder of the group, took advantage of the relatively open road to hit Khufu. Rahotep react immediately, saving his half brother’s life.

On the rocks of what is known today as Wady Magharah, we could see stone tablets representing the monarch in the act of smiting an enemy, whom he holds by the hair of his head, with a mace. The action is apparently emblematic, for at the side we see the words Ta satu, "Smiter of the nations;"

Sneferu used to call himself Neter aa, "the Great God," and Neb mat, "the Lord of Justice." He is also "the Golden Horus," or "the Conqueror." Neb mat is not a usual title with Egyptian monarchs; and its assumption by Sneferu would seem to mark, at any rate, his appreciation of the excellence of justice, and his desire to have the reputation of a just ruler.

Sneferu had reduced to subjection these tribes, which in his time inhabited the Sinaitic regions. The motive of the attack was not mere lust of conquest, but rather the desire of gain.

After the revenge of the Mentiu tribe by attacking Khufu, we went to Ankhaf’s quarters.

Back to Menphis, we went to the temple of Ptah to receive the blessings of the High Priest, and then to the temple of Toth, where Ankhaf would take care of Khufu’s injuries.

Nofret was there, and left the place with a strange look in her eyes. I don't mean this as gossip – but I believe that Nofret is having an affair with Ankhaf.

Ankhhaf was a son of pharaoh Sneferu and an unknown wife. He had an elder brother, Kanefer. He was younger half-brother to Khufu, who became a king after Sneferu died. Ankhhaf had the titles "eldest king's son of his body" (sa nswt n khtf smsw), "vizier" and "the great one of Five of the house of Thoth" (wr djw pr-Djehuti).

Ankhhaf's tomb in Giza (G 7510) depicts his sister-wife Princess Hetepheres. Hetepheres was the eldest daughter of Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I and thus Ankhhaf's half-sister. Hetepheres had the titles "eldest king's daughter of his body", "the one whom he loves" (sat nswt n khtf smst mrt.f) and "Priestess of Sneferu" (hmt-nTr Snfrw). Ankhhaf and Hetepheres had a daughter, who was a mother of Ankhetef.

Ankhhaf and Hemiano was the main responsible to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza and played a role in the construction/reformation of the Sphinx. (Ankhaf’s mastaba tomb, G 7510, was the largest in the eastern cemetery at Giza).

After attending his half-brother Ankhaf came to talk to us. He promised that we would visit, next morning, the brand new pyramids of Snefru.

The most well known monuments from Sneferu’s reign are the three pyramids, two built in Dahshur (the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid) and one in Meidum (Meidum pyramid). Under the reign of Sneferu, was developed the major evolution in pyramidal structures, which would lead to construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Meidum Step Pyramid

The first of three pyramids is an immense stone structure. It serves as physical testimony to the transition from the stepped pyramid structure to that of a “true” pyramid structure.

(Archaeological investigations of the pyramid shows that it was first conceived as a seven-stepped structure, built in a similar manner to the Djoser complex at Saqqara. Modifications later were made to add another platform, and at an even later stage limestone facing was added to create the smooth, angled finish characteristic of a “true” pyramid).

The Bent Pyramid

Also known as the Rhomboidal or Blunted Pyramid, attests to an even greater increase in architectural innovations. As the name suggests, the angle of the inclination changes from 55° to about 43° in the upper levels of the pyramid. It is likely that the pyramid initially was not designed to be built this way, but was modified during construction due to unstable accretion layers.

The satellite pyramid complementing Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid introduces more change in the architecture of the time, when the passage way is built ascending westward (as opposed to the conventionally descending northward direction of the passages of previously build pyramids) towards the burial chambers.

The Red Pyramid

With the increase of innovation in Sneferu's building projects, one expects that his last pyramid, the Red Pyramid, will show the greatest complexity and change in architecture yet. Upon first glance, one may be disappointed seeing that the construction of the Red Pyramid seemingly is simpler than its predecessor. Due to the advances achieved by Sneferu team, secret chambers could be waiting to be uncovered within the stone superstructure. (Considering that the remains of King Sneferu have not yet been found, it still may be possible that his sarcophagus and mummy lie hidden in his mysterious last structure).

Ankhafer makes fun of the first two pyramids by saying “the Bent Pyramid and the Steps Pyramid of Meidum are the largest open air drafts ever built”.

Some weeks later, Sneferu succumbed to a disease and Khufu came to the Egyptian throne in his twenties.

Khufu was the son of King Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I and brother of Princess Hetepheres. Unlike his father, Khufu was a cruel and ruthless. Khufu had nine sons, one of whom, Djedefra, was his immediate successor. He also had fifteen daughters, one of whom would later become Queen Hetepheres II.

(Several of Khufu's sons are known from the papyrus Westcar, while other children are merely known from their tombs in Giza. Cemetery G 7000 contains several of the mastabas of these royal children.

Khufu's negative reputation lasted at least until the time of Herodotus, who was told further stories of that king's cruelty to his people and to his own family in order to ensure the construction of his pyramid).

Khufu knew that he must take the chance to build the best pyramid ever; he had the most experienced team of constructors, financial resources, and determination.

He started the work even before the end of his first year.

One of the biggest falsehoods about the Great Pyramid of Khufu is that it was built by slaves. Zahi Hawass discoveries in the tombs of the Pyramid builders on the Giza Plateau, have finally and conclusively put this theory to rest.

We now know with certainty that the Pyramids were built by Egyptian men and women -- not slaves! Slavery, while it existed in Ancient Egypt, was not an important part of the economy, especially in the Old Kingdom, and, moreover, it is important to examine the meaning of the word "slavery". We think of slavery as the ownership of a person. In Ancient Egypt the word "slavery" meant a person who worked for another, like the modern term "servant".

The construction of Pyramids was a national project. The massive monument symbolised the might and power of the royal house. In Ancient Egypt, it was essential for the Pharaoh to build a tomb to ensure his rebirth as a god in the afterlife and thus magically maintain the right order of the universe. Every household from Upper to Lower Egypt participated in the construction of the Pharaoh's tomb (pyramid). Every family helped by sending food, materials and manpower. From hieroglyphic inscriptions and graffiti we infer that skilled builders and craftsmen probably worked year-round at the Pyramid construction site. Peasant farmers from the surrounding villages and provinces rotated in and out of the labour force.

Time to get back to the future, now we know the forces behind the construction of this intriguing monument.

“Ops” seems like I brought a little souvenir from ancient Egypt.

Why different civilizations built pyramids?

2011-07-31T00:00:00.017-03:00

The seaside view of El Castillo at Tulum

For thousands of years, the largest structures on Earth were pyramids: the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still remaining.

Pyramids are being constructed since Upper Paleolithic, about 45,000-10,000 years ago to modern days. The first humans used mammoths’ bones, stones and/or pieces of wood as construction material for their pyramid-like structures.

Pyramids are the most stable constructions, and man learned how to imprint some information on it, writing on its walls, or even by the way they’ve constructed it.

Why were pyramids built?

Basically, ancient Egypt pyramids came from the mastabas, tombs used for the burials of pharaohs and their queens.

The first pyramid was made by stacking a mastaba on top of a slightly larger one. Mastabas were relatively low, rectangular, flat-roofed, roughly bench-shaped burial mounds for the pre-Dynastic pharaohs or nobility. Mastabas, which were made of mud brick or stone, were visible monuments, with the actual burial chamber under ground.

During the fourth dynasty, after the construction of the first pyramid, monuments were erected as a signal of prosperity. Tall, glorious, and expensive structures were built as a testament to the society that they represented, and also the rulers who lead those societies. In Egypt, pyramids were erected as a tribute to the glory of the civilization by the Nile.

Pyramids were also related to the religion of the time, Egyptian pyramids held many personal items of the deceased in preparation for his afterlife.

Some other structures in Central America were used as astronomical observatories and benchmarks.

Many have said that some pyramids are mathematical compendium incorporating all kinds of astronomical and cosmological formulas of each civilization.

Although many of these factual findings and conclusions are related to pseudoscientific research, we may consider formulas incorporated in pyramids as "intentional”.

Contrary to common beliefs, the largest pyramid by volume is not the Great Pyramid of Giza; it is the Cholula pyramid in the state of Puebla.

Known as Tlachihualtepetl (Nahuatl for "artificial mountain"), Cholula is a huge complex located in Mexico. Is the largest archaeological site of a pyramid (temple) in the New World. The pyramid stands 55 meters (180 ft) above the surrounding plain, and in its final form it measured 400 by 400 meters (1,300 by 1,300 ft). The pyramid is a temple that has traditionally been viewed as having been dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl. The architectural style of the building was closely linked to that of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico.

But of course, Egyptians achieved State-of-the art in matters of pyramids construction.

The name behind the construction of the first pyramid was Imhotep, a priest and physician; credited with many miraculous healings.

Although he achieved great fame during his lifetime, Imhotep's renown continued to grow after his death. He eventually achieved status of a god among Egyptians.

He is best known today as the architect who began the "age of pyramids" in Egypt. He designed and supervised the building of the step pyramid complex at Saqqara, which is believed to be the first colossal stone edifice ever built, but ancient Egypt’s chief attraction still the Great Pyramid of Giza.

It has been said that the dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Giza incorporate measurements from which the Earth's size and shape can be calculated, as well as the distance between the Earth and the moon and the distance between the Earth and the sun.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu’s Pyramid or Cheops was built entirely of limestone, and is considered an architectural masterpiece. It contains around 1,300,000 blocks ranging in weight from 2.5 tons to 15 tons and is built on a square base with sides measuring about 230 m (755 ft), covering 13 acres. Its four sides face the four cardinal points precisely and it has an angle of about 51 degrees. The original height of the Pyramid was c.146.5 m (488 ft), but today it is only 137 m (455 ft) high, the 9 m (33 ft) that is missing is due to the theft of the fine quality limestone covering, or casing stones to build houses and Mosques in Cairo.

Find here some nice statistics about the Pyramid of Khufu:

- The sides of all three of the Giza pyramids were astronomically oriented to be north-south and east-west within a small fraction of a degree;

- Pi

The pyramid of Cheops have a base length of 230,28 m, and a height of 146.6 m. If you take two times the base length, and divide this by the height, you get a value of Pi "3,14161..." the mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter;

- Golden Ratio – Phi

We could also find Golden Section (1:1.618), a unique ratio (or relationship between parts) that seems to be preferred by nature as the best geometry for growth, energy conservation, elegance and has some fundamental relationships to the platonic solids. Al we have to do is divide the length of the base (230.28m) by 2 and then divide it by the apothem (the altitude of a face, from ground to the top);

- Center of Earth

The Pyramid lies in the center of gravity of the continents. It also lies in the exact center of all the land area of the world, dividing the earth's land mass into approximately equal quarters.

The north-south axis (31 degrees east of Greenwich) is the longest land meridian, and the east-west axis (30 degrees north) is the longest land parallel on the globe. There is obviously only one place that these longest land-lines of the terrestrial earth can cross, and it is at the Great Pyramid! This is incredible, one of the scores of features of this mighty structure which begs for a better explanation.

- Perfectly placed stones

The average casing stone on the lowest level was 5 ft. long by 5 ft. high by 6 ft. deep and weighed 15 tons. The casing stones weighing as much as 20 tons were placed with an accuracy of 5/1000ths of an inch, and an intentional gap of about 2/100ths of an inch for mortar;

- From far away

High quality limestone was used for the outer casing, with some of the blocks weighing up to 15 tones. This limestone came from Tura, about 8 miles away on the other side of the Nile. Granite quarried nearly 500 miles away in Aswan with blocks weighing as much as 60-80 tones, was used for the portcullis doors and relieving chambers;

- Chambers above ground level

The Great Pyramid is the only pyramid to have chambers above ground level.

The arrangement of the pyramids is a disputed representation of the Orion constellation. Hancock and Bauval in their book explain that the ‘air’ shafts inside the Great Pyramid aligned to the stars in the Belt of Orion and the pole star around 2500 BC. The southern shaft from the Queens Chamber aligned with the star Sirius at its culmination point on the meridian. This star was very important to the Egyptians and was associated with the mother Goddess Isis. The southern shaft emanating from the Kings Chamber aligned with the brightest star of the Orion Belt Zeta Orionis. This star was associated with the Egyptian God of resurrection and rebirth Osiris! The northern shafts aligned to the ancient pole star Alpha Draconis (Kings Chamber) and to Beta Ursa Minor (Queens Chamber);

- Indicates equinoxes

At dawn and sunset at the time of the equinoxes (around 21 March and 22 Sept), a shadow appears on the south face of the great pyramid, apparently dividing it in half, with the shaded side nearest the sun. The phenomenon occurs because the core-masonry is concave on all four faces by a yard deep. The casing stones that exist show clearly that the finished surface wasn't concave. This strange feature was first illustrated in La Description de l'Egypte in the late 1700's (Volume V, pl. 8). Flinders Petrie noticed a hollowing in the core masonry in the center of each face and wrote that he "continually observed that the courses of the core had dips of as much as ½° to 1°" (The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh, 1883, p. 421). Though it is apparently more easily observed from the air, the concavity is measurable and is visible from the ground under favorable lighting conditions.

- Pyramid power

At the end of 70's Luiz Pagano father gifted him a cooper pyramid

There are many pseudoscientific theories in wich pyramids harnesses cosmic energy (or Universal Life Force Energy) and preserves it in its bosom. The idea that using small models of pyramids can improve health, improve the growth of seeds and plants, preserve food, sharpen or maintain the sharpness of razor blades, among others, was initiated in the 1930s by French hardware store owner and pendulum dowsing author Antoine Bovis.

Pyramid should be oriented correctly with one of its face facing the north and the base should be perfectly aligned with the needle of a compass, Cosmic Energy gets more accumulated at 1/3rd height from the base of the Pyramid, the so called King's Chamber region.

In 2005, an episode of MythBusters a test of pyramid power was performed, using pyramids built according to the specifications found in the Great Pyramid. Of course the show busted the myth, but strangely enough a half apple placed under the pyramid rots slower than the half they left in the open, force them to remake the experiment, and they didn’t perform the seed growth experiment (this one always worked in my tests as seen in my 1982 annotations caught on photo).

There are lots and lots of pyramids in Egypt… And around the world:

Pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico – one of the new 7 wonders of the World

Mexico amazing historical Pyramid Chichen Itza was constructed by the pre-Columbian Maya someday among the 10th and 13th centuries AD, El Castillo served as a temple to the god Kukulkan, the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity carefully associated with the deity determine Quetzalcoatl identified to the Aztecs and different important Mexican cultures of the Postclassic period.

Chichen Itza can be a step pyramid with a floor plan of squared terraces with stairways up each of the 4 facets to the temple on top. Nice sculptures of plumed serpents run down the edges of the northern staircase, and are set off by way of shadows from the nook stages at the spring and autumn equinoxes. Chichen Itza, this pyramid has 91 steps on 3 of the perimeters and 92 on the north staircase, which provides as much as 365 steps, or days of the year.

The Mexican executive restored the pyramid in the 1920s and 1930s, concurrent with the Carnegie Establishment’s restoration of the Temple of Warriors. Archaeologists had been in a position to reconstruct two sides of this Chichen Itza pyramid in their entirety.

Luiz Pagano travel to to Chichen Itza Sep/1994

Through digging from the top, they discovered another temple buried beneath the current one. Within the Chichen Itza temple chamber is a Chac Mool statue and a throne in the shape of jaguar, painted red with spots made from inlaid jade. The Mexican government excavated a tunnel from the base of the north staircase, up the in advance pyramid’s stairway to the hidden temple, and opened it to tourists.

In up to date years, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which manages the archaeological website online of Chichen Itza, has been final monuments to public access. At the same time as visitors can stroll round them, they may be able to no longer climb them or pass within their chambers. Mountaineering El Castillo used to be halted in 2006 after an 80-year old woman fell to her death. On the similar time INAH closed the general public access to the throne room.
The staircases rise at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal, while the average inclination of the stepped pyramid itself is 53.3 degrees.

The faces of the individual steps are sloped at a greater angle, approximately 73 degrees.

- The nine main platforms of the pyramid are thought to represent the 18 months of the haab, and the 52 panels represent the number of years it takes for a calendar round date to recur.

Height: 24m - top platform (+6m with the temple);

The construction is 24 m high, the square base measures 55.3 m across;

The temple at the top of the pyramid is 6 m high, 13.42 m wide, and 16.5 m long.

The Pyramid of Kukulcan also has some facts imprinted on its structures:

- The days of the year

El Castillo's design is thought to relate to the Mayan calendar. Each of the four faces incorporates a broad, steep staircase consisting of 91 steps that ascends to the top platform. Counting the top platform as an additional step gives a total of 365 steps: 1step for each day of the year.

- Indicates equinoxes

The shadow-serpent appear the slide down the steps of the north balustrade.
The word for a snake's rattle, Tzab, is the same word for the Pleiades. In addition, research by Jose Diaz Bolio indicated that some Yucatecan rattlesnakes have a strange little three-dot marking in a circle near the rattlel. This symbol was read by Bolio as a solar ahau face, a symbol of the sun. Now, when the serpent shadow appears, if we wish to imagine the snake's tail, it must pierce the temple on top of the pyramid (the fifth, central direction-the zenith direction) and then it points up into the center of the sky (see diagram). Since the rattle is called tzab (Pleiades) and the three-dot ahau face design is the sun, the symbolism states unequivocally: sun and Pleiades in the zenith.

This alignment doesn't occur on the equinoxes, but at Chichen Itza it occurs on May 20th in the 21st century. The point is that the pyramid "points", with this symbolism, to an astronomical alignment that occurs in a specific precessional era. As such, the Pyramid of Kukulcan is a precessional star clock constructed in stone.

Pyramids of Louvre

The third pyramid I would like to mention is the Louvre pyramid, a modern large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre Palace. Was commissioned by the President of France François Mitterrand in 1984, it was designed by the architect I. M. Pei.

The pyramid and the underground lobby beneath it were created because of a series of problems with the Louvre's original main entrance, which could no longer handle an enormous number of visitors on an everyday basis. Visitors entering through the pyramid descend into the spacious lobby then re-ascend into the main Louvre buildings. Several other museums have duplicated this concept, most notably the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

- Louvre Pyramides facts:

The Louvre Pyramid is a pyramid with a square base.
Height: 21.65 m
Length of the base: 35 m
Tilt angle: 51.7 degrees;

- The Legend of 666 windows

This legend has its roots back in the 80s, when the official brochure was published, during its construction; it actually cited the number 666. But it was a mistaken number. The direction of the Louvre Museum confirmed that the complete pyramid has a total of 673 glass plates (603 diamonds and 70 triangles).

David A. Shugart, in other hand, counts 689 3. It was made several statements, leading to varying results, all of them presenting more than 666;

La Pyramide Inversée (The Inverted Pyramid)

It is a magnificent skylight, considered a smaller sibling of the more famous Louvre Pyramid, yet turned upside down.

The pyramid marks the intersection of two main walkways and orients visitors towards the museum entrance. Tensioned against a 30-ton, 13.3-meter square steel caisson frame, the inverted pyramidal shape in laminated glass points downward towards the floor. The tip of the pyramid is suspended 1.4 meters (a little more than 4.5 feet) above floor level. Individual glass panes in the pyramid, 30 mm thick, are connected by stainless-steel crosses 381 mm in length. After dark, the structure is illuminated by a frieze of spotlights.

Directly below the tip of the downwards-pointing glass pyramid, a small stone pyramid (about one meter/three feet high) is stationed on the floor, as if mirroring the larger structure above: The tips of the two pyramids almost touch.

Brown was not the first writer to offer esoteric interpretations of the Inverted Pyramid. In Raphaël Aurillac's work Le guide du Paris maçonnique the author declares that the Louvre used to be a Masonic temple. To Aurillac, the various glass pyramids constructed in recent decades include Masonic symbolism. Aurillac sees the downward-pointing pyramid as expressing the Rosicrucian motto V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Visita Interiorem Terrae Rectificandoque / Invenies Occultum Lapidem, "Visit the interior of the earth and… you will find the secret stone"). Another writer on Masonic architecture, Dominique Setzepfandt, sees the two pyramids as suggesting "the compass and square that together form the Seal of Solomon" (quoted in Code Da Vinci: L'enquête by Marie-France Etchegoin and Frédéric Lenoir),

Luiz Pagano at Louvre Aug 2010
Whether it is built to consolidate power of the Pharaoh or to accumulate the energy of the universe, fact is that the pyramids will be always related as a symbol of mystery and power of our planet.

Inventions of Alberto Santos=Dumont to the First flight of 14 BIS

2011-05-15T10:56:00.026-03:00

Santos=Dumont parking his Dirigible Number 9 in front of his apartment at Avenue Champs Elysées - Paris

See more about the extraordinary life of Santos=Dumont at http://santosdumontvida.blogspot.com/ (in Portuguese)

Santos=Dumont had a well defined line of reasoning, attacked the lighter than air vehicles and evolved step by step up to the heavier than air, and finally began his studies with the individual flight and ornithopter, "the inventor, as in the nature of Linnaeus, achieve no leaps: he evolves in a slow, gradual process. I have started by improving my ballooning pilot skills attacking the problem of dirigibility. Than I became an aeronaut in the good management of my airships, for many years I have studied the background to the petrol engine, and only when I realized that their state of perfection was enough to make it fly, I attacked the problem of heavier than air". Find below the list of inventions of Santos-Dumont in chronological order to the 14-Bis.

"Dirigible, biplane and monoplane, - My family, Rio de Janeiro, January 8, 1929".

THE LIGHTER THAN AIR

- Brazil – Smallest captive balloon ever created - with a wingspan of 6 feet in diameter, able to hold 113 m3 of hydrogen, weight 27.5 kg.

First flight made on June 4, 1898;

- L'Amérique - was built in 1898, the airman usually took his bicycle attached to the cords in order to return from the place where he had landed - with a wingspan of 9.8 meters in diameter, volume of 500 m3;

- Dirigible Number 1 – Santos=Dumont dispensed the web and held the cords directly to the involucre, suffered falls on 18 September and 20 September 1898.
A 25 meters length involucre, 3.5m of diameter at the widest part of the involucre (enclosure), scaling 186m3, De Dion Boutton engine modified with two overlapping cylinders, that reached 3.5 horsepower and a two blades propeller with 50 cm from tip to tip;

- Dirigible Number 2 – Santos=Dumont has made changes to the rudder in order to make it more functional, fell on June 11, 1899. Increased the size of the involucre to 26.5 m long, 3.8 meters in diameter at the widest part, able to hold 200m3 of hydrogen, used the same engine De Dion Boutton, now with adjustments that increased the power to 4.5 hp and propellers of 50 cm long tip to tip;

- Dirigible Number 3 - After several falls by folding the involucre solved the problem with the design of the "vesica piscis" by increasing the curvature and reducing the length, first flew on November 13, 1899. 20m meters long, 7.5 meters in diameter at the most bulging of the involucre, cubature of 500m3, used the same engine De Dion Boutton of 4.5 hp and propellers 50 cm long from blade to blade;

- Dirigible Number 4 - First flight on 08 August 1900. contrary to its own beliefs, the wheels were not landing gears, it was used only to taking the aircraft from hangar, used water ballast. With 29 meters long, S=D sat dangerously on a saddle attached to a bamboo cane, 5.6 meters in diameter at the most bulging part of the enclosure, cubature of 420m3, used a 2-cylinder engine Buchet with 7 hp, the propeller had 4 meters in diameter;

- Dirigible Number 5 - First airship with the design of Deutsch Prize winner, first flight on 12 July 1901, on July 13, 1901 flew 11km in 40 minutes, destroyed in the crash of August 8, 1901. 34 meters long, 6.5 m in diameter at the most bulging part of the Involucre (enclosure), 500m3 of cubature, engine Buchet with 20hp 4-cylinder with blades 4 m;

- Dirigible Number 6 - First flight on 06 September 1901, S=D made changes at the helm, won the prize in Deutsch October 19, 1901, was destroyed in the accident in Monaco on 14 February 1902. 33 m long, 6m diameter of the involucre, 622m3 of cubature, engine 4-cylinder Buchet with 20hp with an exposed radiator, 2 blades propeller with 4m from tip to tip;

- Dirigible Number 7 - First flight on June 16, 1904, destroyed on June 26, 1904 in St Louis - USA (supposedly by sabotage). 49m long, involucre with 7 meters in diameter, 1.257m3 of cubature, made use of a Clement Bayard engine of 60hp, had two propellers, one at the bow and other at the stern with 4 m from tip to tip each;

Dirigible Number 8 - An exact replica of the dirigible Number 6, sold to the director of the Aeroclub of America(USA), Mr Boyce, contrary to its own beliefs, the number eight has been built. Was destroyed in a crash on his first flight in the vicinity New York in September 1902;

- Dirigible Number 9 – "La Balladeuse" - First flight on June 7, 1903, also sold to Mr. Boyce, with this one, S=D had made several individual flights in metropolitan Paris. It was 2 m long, 5.5 m in diameter, 220m3 of cubature, 2 a cylinders Clement Bayard engine with 3hp ativated a 2.8 m from tip to tip propeller;

- Dirigible Number 10 "Lo Omnibus" - It flew attached to the ground on October 18, 1903. With 48 meters long, 8.5 m involucre in diameter, cubature of 2010m3, worked with a Clement Bayard engine of four cylinders able to 46hp to move two propellers of 3m, one at the bow and other at the stern;

- Number 11 - Project of an Airplane - Monoplane aircraft based on the Cayley concept, was not constructed;

- Number 12 - Project of a Helicopter - (photo of an essay which was built but did not fly) part of the structure and the engine was ready. It had two propellers of 4 meters and tensile prop with 2m in diameter, the helicopter appears in this photo next to an 8-cylinder Antoinette engine of 50 hp;

- Number 13 – Dangerously concept of a half hot air balloon and half hydrogen dirigible - S=D attempt to achieve greater autonomy, (fortunately it was destroyed in the hangar during a storm on December 29, 1904 before tested). 19 meters long, 14.5 m in diameter, cubature -1902 m3 of hydrogen and 750 m3 of air;

- Dirigible Number 14 - The spear shaped involucre was not stable, at risk of folding as occurred with the number 1 and 2, first flight on June 12, 1905. With 41 meters long, 3.4 m in diameter, cubature of 186m3, weighed 150 kg, and worked with a Peugeot engine of 2 hp;

- Dirigible modified Number 14 - The involucre was changed to 20 meters in length, 6m in diameter and cubature of 200m3;

- Dirigible Number 14 coupled with the 14 Bis - Hybrid of an airplane with Hargrave wings and a balloon attached. Tests that will lead to flight of heavier than air. Tests performed on July 21, 22 and 23, 1906;

- Les Deux Amerique - Spherical balloon with two horizontal propellers to replace the use of balasts, built to participate in the Gordon-Bennett Cup on September 30, 1906, departing from Place de la Concorde-Paris. With 16 meters long and 2150 m3 of cubature, used a 6-horsepower engine Dion to move two propellers;

THE HEAVIER THAN AIR

- 14 Bis airplane - Built in 1906, made a short flight at Bagatelle Field on 04 September 1906, flew 7-8 meters on September 13, 1906, won the Archdeacon Cup on October 23, 1906 with a flight of 60 meters to 3 meters high, 220m. Flew 6 meters high on November 12, 1906 and won the prize Aeroclub of France - IT WAS THE FIRST DOCUMENTED FLIGHT IN THE HISTORY OF AVIATION, Destroyed in SaintCyr on April 04 1907.

It was 9.6 meters long, 11.46 meters wingspan, 290 kg, and an Antoinette 50 hp engine used to activate a 2m propeller.

We could see in the photo a specially constructed contraption used to start the engin.

How Linkedin would help to perfectly place professional

2011-03-07T12:59:00.002-03:00

leia este artigo em português

Based on the assumption that each person is the world’s best in a particular subject, worldwide-business-oriented social networking site such as Linkedin will be the perfect tool to locate and to employ the best professionals possible at the best position.

More than just allow registered users to maintain a list of contact with details of people they know and trust in business, replacement software will analyze candidate’s skills to create a GRePS (Graphic Representation of Professional Skills). As fingerprints those GRePS are unique and allows the candidate to experience professional plenitude.

Lets see how it will work:

Mr. Miyamoto Shintaro lives in Tokyo and is currently looking for a job. His experiences encompasses managing Human Resources department, recruiting, training and supervising the F&B teams, as well as creating supporting material. Systems update (Micros, websites) is also part of the routine. He speaks Japanese, English and Italian.

He keeps his profile in Linkedin perfectly updated. The GRePS program generates an specific key that matches perfectly to an open position at an Italian Company.

Mr. Miyamoto was very excited with the prospects of working in Rome, but he lacks the Erasmus Exchange Program, course required by the contractor. He immediately inscribed ate the course and after 6 months he will be “perfectly” qualified to the position.

Thanks to the GRePS Software Mr. Miyamoto and many others around the world would find the perfect workplace, helping Earth’s society to reach post-scarcity Era.

Post Scarcity Symbol

2011-03-05T17:26:00.005-03:00

leia este artigo em Português

I’ve been tasked with creating a logo for Post Scarcity.

As a universal logo it must have elements of different cultures and beliefs, Chinese, Ancient Egyptian, Mayan, Christian, Buddhist, Pagan among others.

The circle around the logo symbolizes the spheres of universe, working together in infinite harmony. It represents the commitment of working, for and by the whole universe system.

The color burgundy or purple symbolize in many cultures wealth, success, and prosperity. It is indicative of ones potential power.

The saffron yellow color is associated with the robes worn by Tibetan monks of some Buddhist lineages, Chinese monks of Shao Lin and Hindu ascetics. And also yellow is the color of gold - it stands for great wealth.

By association, gold is also the color of nobility. However, although the historical Buddha was the son of a king, it is his Dharma (teachings and methods) that is considered most noble.

In a great part of Asia, the very soil itself is yellowish, so that color "refers" to our Earth. By extension then, yellow also symbolizes a basis, the Foundation.

Every component of a Prosperous Post Scarcity Society should be diverse as cells are diverse, and serve as every cell serve to a purpose. Each one of us is the best of universe at something; we just have to discover our special talent.

The circles connected to vertical lines represent cells connected to the webs of the universe, which makes together the Cornucopia of Plenty, a symbol of abundance, fertility, prosperity and well being. Every living being on Earth society has a purpose as well as in the body of any given living being every cell has a purpose

In summary, the logo reflects the ability to recognize abundance and make the perfect use of it. Through a greater harmony between values and behaviors, the logo inspires every man to be part of a greater prosperous society.

A 400 million year chronicle of our civilization From Pangea I to Pangea II

2011-02-26T16:22:00.017-03:00

leia este artigo em português

Once upon a time in Human Era a man named Carl-Henric Svanberg said “What brought us here won't keep us here” it could be a good hint to be used in business world and also in matters related to our world.

200 millions before Human Era, Earth had one big continent called Pangea, scientists believed that a new Pangea will form 200 million years in the future, so, the Human Era is placed in the very center between the two Pangeas.

This 400 million years period is merely a small fraction of time in universe history, and at the same time, a very long period for us to conceive.

It was on Triassic Era that the first vertebrate flew, the pterosaurs evolved from dinosaurs, that first appeared on earth surface about 230 million years ago and survived the Late Triassic mass extinction (228 million years ago), when some 35 per cent of all living families died out.

Historically the rise of the dinosaurs has been treated as a classic case in which a group evolves key features that allow it to rapidly expand, fill many niches, and out-compete other groups.

At that time, Earth history was ready to a big change; it was in Human Era that the most incredible event took place, the emergence of sentient beings. Carl Sagan put it in a very poetical way “We (human beings) are a way for the cosmos to know itself. We are creatures of the cosmos and always hunger to know our origins, to understand our connection with the universe. How did everything come to be? Every culture on the planet has devised its own response to the riddle posed by the universe. Every culture celebrates the cycles of life and nature. There are many different ways of being human”.

We learned how to cultivate the land, and that aloud us to stay in the same area. Cities was founded, wealth invented, we started using the nature, instead of living in, and with it.

The population started to explode, and we were forced to occupy areas that were not prime. That again let to an even stronger misuse of the nature.

The Human race had almost destroyed itself and the planet when we were learning the power of nuclear energy. We were young and curious and as children we did not know what we were doing.

But we learned how to survive and how to help others instead of use them. After all the technological accomplishment we realize that was important to get back to our own origins.

Earth was about to become incandescent due to the amount of electricity we were using when we understand how to use bioluminescent light. The building not just saved electricity but also generated oxygen by using BASS (Bioluminescent Algae Symbiotic Systems).

Brazilian city of São Paulo was one of the first to use BASS, Avenida Paulista was elegantly illuminated and Brazil prospered.

But it was during the Ice Age that Avenida Paulista suffered its worst threat. Almost 100 years of Iced cold storm almost destroyed MASP, Cultural Heritage of Humanity filled with tons of our civilization’s art.

Planet of the apes? No, planet of the dogs.

Men always asked himself “If for some reason humankind died off, what creature would rise up as the dominant specie?”

Dogs, not apes (as we’ve seen on movies) thrived. Dogs, wolves, and coyotes was the species with the highest probability of success to dominate planet earth.

The earliest wild dog originated in Africa fifteen to thirty-five million years before Human Era, probably a wolf father and jackal mother bread a beautiful puppy that was tamed by a primitive man.

The friendship between dogs and humans could be summarized in the tale of a hunter: “after a successful hunt, a group of primitive men started a small fire with lower branches to cook and eat. They realized that wolf-like-animals were watching closely. A boy of the group had been touched by the sad look of the animal and offered a piece of meat. The brave dog came closer and caught it. Weeks later, the friendship was sealed when the dogs, organized in a group leaded by that same dog, defended the hunters from the attack of a large predator during the night”.

The friendship has become stronger and stronger, humans were buried with their pet dogs in ancient Jericho, Homer's tough warrior Odysseus wept at the death of his devoted old hound Argus, and greyhounds were valued companions to Roman and medieval aristocrats.

There are differing opinions about how dogs became so diversified. But many experts believe that humans, able realize the dogs' potential, started selectively breeding dogs of certain physical characteristics for different types of tasks.

But, how dogs become self-conscious, and intelligent?

Largely known French novelist Pierre Boulle became famous by writing two of the greatest novels which were adapted for blockbusters films in the 70’s, “The Bridge over the River Kwai” and “La Planète des singes”.

The book published in 1963 and the film released in 1968 (again in 2001) tells the story of an astronaut crew who crash-land on a strange planet in the distant future. The surviving crewmembers stumble upon a society in which apes have evolved into creatures with human-like intelligence and speech. The apes have assumed the role of the dominant species and humans are animals wearing animal skins.

A Russian biologist, Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov (Илья Иванович Иванов”, August 1 1870-March 20, 1932) specialized in the field of artificial insemination and the interspecific hybridization of animals. He was involved in controversial attempts to create a human-ape hybrid with the purpose of making Soviet dictator's dream come true; soldiers with no fear, with superhuman strength and endurance, who would follow any order, eat anything, and ignore pain or injury or workers who could do the labor of ten men without complaint.

Nobody knows exactly how appeared the first Intelligent Cynocephalus, may be it is the result of military experiments to create more intelligent dogs, able to perform complex strategic missions, or could have been, a multi-millionaire businessman, who wanted to impress his family, commissioned a corrupt geneticist and brought home the ultimate “state in the art” pet – the so called G.A.D. (Genetically Altered Dog). But what we do know is that once the GADs become intelligent, words such as racism (or would say “specism”) riots, slavery and anti-slavery become common place on news screens.

Underwater society

Hothouse earth 100 million years in the future

New subduction zones along the eastern coasts of North America and South America began to consume the ocean floor separating North America from Africa. About 100 million years from the Human Era, Mid-Atlantic Ridge subducted and the continents will come closer together.

100 million years after human era, human race is pretty much the same because of the so called “shark syndrome”. The researches on cure of cancer led us to the sharks. They have survived some 400 million years on Earth with little evolutionary modification; their longevity is due in part to an extraordinary resistance to cancer and other diseases.

In the quest for the cure of cancer mankind has made use of lots and lots of genetic experiences. At some point, scientists performed interspecific hybridization with sharks and man. The result was the cure of a disease and the creation of a not so good condition, in which the evolutionary modifications are very slow.

The experiences with sharks did not stop there. In a particular edition of Olympic games an outstanding swimmer broke all the records, he was able to swim 1,5 kilometers without putting his head out of water, and was not doped.

After some examination, it was discovered that the man had gills and webbing between their fingers and toes. He was result of a series of experiments in order to create “Atlanti” the man from Atlantis.

When the results of the test came to light there were already a considerable population of Atlantis living in the oceans.

So, in “Hothouse Earth Era” man haven’t change much, but there are other species coexisting in harmony; Cynocephalus, Atlanti, and some others. The space trip capability helped humans and humanoids to survive some mass extinction events.

The Atlanti was undoubtedly the most prolific and prosperous specie. As the sea level rose because of the high temperatures of the planet, they had plenty of space on earth's watery surface. The human race has stagnated evolutionarily in matter of intelligence due to “shark syndrome” and the dogs are not that smart, assuring the well-intentioned and benevolent specie of Atlantis the status of “EDS” (Earth Dominant Species).

Today a huge earthquake hit the planet, looks like Earth wanted us to remember that Pangea II is almost united. We don’t need long bridges to link continents in Pangea II, we could remember facts from 2 minutes ago with the same precision that we remember facts from the Triasic. I want to finish this chronicle by thank the Humans, Cynocephalus and Atlantis for all this beautiful treasure, the Earth civilization.

Today, a huge earthquake hit the planet, it seemed that the earth wanted us to remember that Pangea II is almost united. We do not need long bridges connecting the continents in Pangea II, we are able to remember events that occurred within 2 minutes with the same precision that we remember events of the Triassic. Let me end this chronicle by thanking to Humans, Cynoscephalae and Atlantis and quoting Carlos Drummond de Andrade from the Human Period - New Year's Recipe:

“To have a New Year

Which deserves that name

You, my friend, have to deserve it,

You have to make it new; I know that it's not easy,

But try, experiment, be conscious.

It's inside of you that the New Year

Has always been dormant and waiting.”

Tax Haven

2011-02-20T18:14:00.004-03:00

leia este artigo em português

It is a well-known fact that investment taxes differ from bank to bank and from countries to countries. In Ancient Greece (circa 400bC), for instance, some of the Greek Islands were used as depositories by the sea traders of the era to place their foreign goods to thus avoid the two-percent tax imposed by the city-state of Athens on imported goods.

The avoidance of the Cinque ports (coastal towns established in 1155 for military and trade purposes in Kent and Sussex at the eastern end of the English Channel) in order not to pay the taxes to the English Crown illustrate very well the human historical need for maximize return on investments.

Basically a Tax Haven is the place in which certain taxes are imposed either at a low rate or not at all. It is the place where investors always want to go in order to reduce their tax rates.

There are some specific characteristics as being identified by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (the OECD) to decide the tax structure of any nation to be denoted as Tax Haven. These are:

- Regarding the situations when there is either payment of no/only nominal taxes. In special cases, Tax Haven creates such conditions to offer themselves as shelters for the non-residents to evade high taxes in their respective residential countries.

- Tax Haven generally emphasizes protecting the personal financial information of the taxpayers. They have specific laws for the benefit of corporate houses and individuals that can protect them from the scrutiny and other strict laws of the foreign tax authorities.

However, there occurs a lack of transparency in the functioning of the different provisions of the Tax Haven. As per the OECD, the tax laws should be open and consistent such that any information on the individual taxpayer required by the foreign tax authorities is easily available. The OECD decides whether every jurisdiction can be allowed to impose direct taxes and to determine the required tax rate.

Among the oldest Tax Haven in the world stands the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. As per the modern concept of Tax Haven, Bermuda is the first Tax Haven creating the first offshore tax companies of Conyers Dill and Pearman. This view is contested as according to some the first Tax Haven in its truest sense was Switzerland and then Liechtenstein. Nevertheless, the emersion of the modern Tax Haven is difficult to decide.

The U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research has suggested that roughly 15% of countries in the world are tax havens, that these countries tend to be small and affluent, and that better governed and regulated countries are more likely to become tax havens, and are more likely to be successful if they become tax havens.

Places regarded as tax havens:

- Andorra – No personal income tax.

- Anguilla – A British Overseas Territory and offshore banking centre

- Antigua and Barbuda

- Aruba

- The Bahamas levies neither personal income nor capital gains tax, nor are there inheritance taxes.

- Barbados – A 'Low-tax regime' not 'Tax haven'. – The government of Barbados sent off a high level note to members of the United States Congress recently in protest of the label "Tax Haven" stating it has the potential to undermine or override the Barbados/United States double taxation agreement. Since appearing on the 2009 OECD/G-20 white-list, the Barbados government began an international ad-campaign to market the country as the only Caribbean country to be included on the white-list.

- Belize – No capital gains tax.

- Bermuda does not levy income tax on foreign earnings, and allows foreign companies to incorporate there under an "exempt" status. Companies are "exempt" from the local 60/40 ownership laws, and are not offered any special tax status. Exempt companies are also limited from doing local trade and may not hold real estate in Bermuda, nor may they be involved in banking, insurance, assurance, reinsurance, fund management or similar business, such as investment advice, without a license. The island also maintains a stable, clean reputation in the business world. At present, there are no benefits for individuals. In fact, for a non-Bermudian to own a house on the island, they would have to pay a foreign ownership tax of 25% of the purchase value, and minimum of $15,000 a year in land tax alone. They also can only purchase homes of a specific type and high value (over $4 million), so the tax is generally greater than $1 million.

- Bosnia and Herzegovina – 10% corporate income tax, 10% income tax, 10% capital gain tax

- British Virgin Islands: the 2000 KPMG report to the United Kingdom government indicated that the British Virgin Islands was the domicile for approximately 41% of the world's offshore companies, making it by some distance the largest offshore jurisdiction in the world by volume of incorporations. The British Virgin Islands has, so far, avoided the scandals which have tainted less well regulated offshore jurisdictions.

- Bulgaria – 10% corporate income tax, 10% income tax, 10% capital gain tax

- Campione d'Italia an Italian enclave within Switzerland

- Cayman Islands

- In the Channel Islands, no tax is paid by corporations or individuals on foreign income and gains. Non-residents are not taxed on local income. Local taxation is at a fixed rate of 20% in Jersey, Guernsey, & Alderney and 0% in Sark.

- Cook Islands

- Cyprus: this jurisdiction has grown recently in popularity and anticipates further future growth. As a jurisdiction Cyprus is in a position to exploit its unusual position as an offshore jurisdiction which is within the EU. 10% corporate tax (0% for shipping companies), 20 - 30% income tax, 20% CGT

- State of Delaware a State in the USA which charges no income tax on corporations not operating within the state,

- Egypt – 20% corporate income tax, 20% income tax, No capital gain tax

- Gibraltar is no longer considered a non-cooperative tax haven since 30 June 2006. No new Exempt Company certificates are being issued from that date. All previous Exempt Company certificates will be ineffective from 2010.

- Hong Kong's tax rates are low (16.5%) enough that it can be considered a tax haven. Hong Kong does not levy tax on capital gain as well. However, it contains a highly vibrant service economy and its low taxes were not designed to make Hong Kong a tax haven. Hong Kong itself has usually rejected the label. The former financial secretary, Nicholas Haddon-Cave has asserted: "In Hong Kong we rely on our low tax structure and free movements across exchanges to encourage investment, and not on the usual gimmicks of tax holidays and quick write-offs found in tax havens."

- The Isle of Man does not charge corporation tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax or wealth tax. Personal income tax is levied at 10–20% on the worldwide income of Isle of Man residents, up to a maximum tax liability of £115,000 (as of April 2010). Banking income tax is levied on the profits of Isle of Man based banks at 10% and income from the rent of Isle of Man property is levied at the same rate.

- Labuan, a Malaysian island off Borneo

- Kuwait

- Macau - Corporate tax rates between 9-12%. Personal Income tax rates between 5-12%. No capital gains tax. No tax for companies operating "off shore". The overwhelming majority of the Macanese gov't taxes are derived from a hefty casino tax of 39%. All Macanese Residents (Temporary and Permanent) are entitled to an annual cash handout from the gov't of MOP3600 or MOP6000 (Approx. $450 USD/ $750USD).

- Mauritius – based front companies of foreign investors are used to avoid paying taxes in India utilising loopholes in the bilateral agreement on double taxation between the two countries, with the tacit support of the Indian government, who are keen to improve figures relating to inward investment. The use of Mauritius as a gateway to funnel foreign investments into India has always been controversial. Mauritius's financial regime has a number of the key characteristics of a tax haven, which has helped to facilitate this.

- Republic of Macedonia – corporate taxes 10%, income taxes 10%, tax on reinvestment profit 0%

- Monaco does not levy a personal income tax.

- Nauru – No taxes. Only tax in country is an airport departure tax.

- Netherlands Antilles – In October 2008 the State Secretary of Finance announced that the Netherlands Antilles along with the Isle of Man would begin to seek ways to combat the 'Tax Haven ' label that has been placed on their territory by some governments. The leaders hinted they would welcome a more level playing field in terms of the international financial services industry.[33]

- Nevis

- New Zealand does not tax foreign income derived by NZ trusts settled by foreigners of which foreign residents are the beneficiaries. Nor does it tax the foreign income of new residents for four years.[34] No capital gains tax.

- Norfolk Island – no personal income tax.

- Panama 'Offshore' entities are not prohibited from carrying on business activities in Panama, other than banks with International or Representation Licenses (see Offshore Business Sectors) but will be taxed on income arising from domestic trading, and will need to segregate such trading in their accounts.

- Russia – 13% personal income tax

- Samoa

- San Marino

- Saudi Arabia

- Seychelles

- St Kitts and Nevis

- St Vincent and the Grenadines

- Switzerland is a tax haven for foreigners who become resident after negotiating the amount of their income subject to taxation with most of the cantons of Switzerland in which they intend to live. Typically taxable income is assumed to be five times the accommodation rental paid. French-speaking Vaud is the most popular canton for this scheme, thus it is usually called "forfait fiscal" (tax package). For businesses, the canton of Zug is popular, with over 6000 holding companies.

- Turks and Caicos Islands The attraction of the Exempt Company lies in a combination of its tax exempt status and minimal disclosure and administrative requirements. In order to obtain tax exempt status the subscribers must at the time of incorporation lodge at the Companies Registry a signed declaration stating that the business of the company will be mainly carried on outside the Turks and Caicos Islands. The subscribers are not required to inform the Registrar of the identity of the beneficial owners. An exempt company must nominate a representative resident in the Islands for the purpose of service of legal process. There are more than 15,000 International Business Companies registered in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

- Ukraine – 15% income tax

- United Arab Emirates for individuals and Jebel Ali Free Zone for companies.

- United States Virgin Islands offers a 90% exemption from U.S. income taxes and 100% exemption from all other taxes and customs duties to certain qualified taxpayers.

- United Kingdom no Capital Gains Tax for non-residents or foreign corporations or overseas Trusts, no worldwide taxation for non domiciles

- Vanuatu's Financial Services commissioner announced in May 2008 that his country would reform its laws so as to cease being a tax haven. "We've been associated with this stigma for a long time and we now aim to get away from being a tax haven."

Former tax havens:

- Beirut formerly had a reputation as the only tax haven in the Middle East. However, this changed after the Intra Bank crash of 1966,[36] and the subsequent political and military deterioration of Lebanon dissuaded foreign use as a tax haven.

- Liberia had a prosperous ship registration industry. The series of violent and bloody civil wars in the 1990s and early 2000s severely damaged confidence in the jurisdiction. The fact that the ship registration business still continues is partly a testament to its early success, and partly a testament to moving the national Shipping Registry to New York City.

- Tangier had a brief but colorful existence as a tax haven in the period between the end of effective control by the Spanish in 1945 until it was formally reunited with Morocco in 1956.

In the map below, Blemya selected 50 financial centers or 50 countries suspected of tax practices more or less doubtful according to the methodology shown in the “Le Mond” article, considering the crossed definitions as follows:

- From the OECD

- Definitions of Chambost Edward, an internationally renowned expert in offshore locations.

Definitions of Gregory Duhamel, French tax lawyer, author of guides on tax havens.

The level of transparency of the 50 tax havens identified is evaluated taking into consideration the criteria extracted from the OECD reports, "For equal conditions, " Global Forum on Taxation 2007.

* Countries with strong banking secrecy laws but involved in automatic exchange of information in the context of the EU directive on investments, and also three other countries with bank secrecy a little less strict, but also signatories to this sort of agreement, They are: Aruba, Cayman Islands Montserrat.

Civil society groups at the World Social Forum in Dakar launched a campaign on February 8, 2011 to end financial secrecy in tax havens by multinationals they say deprive developing countries of enormous sums of money.

"Very few people are aware that developing countries lose more money through tax dodging than they receive in aid. It is really important to make the link between tax and development," said Mariana Paoli of London-based group Christian Aid.

The group joined Oxfam, the Tax Justice Network Africa and others in calling on the G20 group of leading economies to end financial secrecy in tax havens.

The groups estimate tax losses in developing countries at more than 125 billion Euros ($170 billion) per year, "more than the total budget for development assistance, while the economic crisis leads to significant budget cuts and millions of children still lack access to education."

Post Scarcity Society – Prosperous Civilization

2011-01-02T19:22:00.004-02:00

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The problem of watching science fiction movies is that once the film ends you have to get back to your own bad reality. I never get tired to hear the memorable movie quotes and lines of dialogue, from Star Trek for example, when they say, “we live in a society free from poverty”.

I remember specially this line of Star Trek The Next Generation when Counselor Deanna Troi explain to Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain):

Counselor Troi: “Poverty was eliminated on Earth, a long time ago. And a lot of other things disappeared with it - hopelessness, despair, cruelty...”

Mark Twain: “Young lady, I come from a time when men achieve power and wealth by standing on the backs of the poor, where prejudice and intolerance are commonplace and power is an end unto itself. And you're telling me that isn't how it is anymore?”

Counselor Troi: That's right.

Will we be able to say that in the future?

May be Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens (born 18 January 1938) would help us. Giddens is a British sociologist who is renowned for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern contributors in the field of sociology, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29 languages. Baron Giddens, uses "post-scarcity" to refer to a set of trends he sees in modern industrialized nations, such as an increased focus on "life politics" and a decreased focus on productivity and economic growth. Giddens acknowledges that the term has also been used historically to mean a literal end of scarcity.

Post scarcity or post-scarcity describes a hypothetical form of economy or society, in which things such as goods, services and information are free, or practically free. This would be due to an abundance of fundamental resources (matter, energy and intelligence), in conjunction with sophisticated automated systems capable of converting raw materials into finished goods, allowing manufacturing to be as easy as duplicating software.

Even without postulating new technologies, it might be true that today there is already enough energy, raw materials and biological resources on Earth to provide a comfortable lifestyle for every person on earth, but even a hypothetical political or economic system that was able to achieve an egalitarian distribution of goods would generally not be termed a "post-scarcity society" unless the production of goods was sufficiently automated that virtually no labor was required by anyone (although it is usually assumed there would still be plenty of voluntary creative labor, like a writer creating a novel or a software engineer working on open-source software). This is a key difference between the most common post-scarcity vision and other utopian visions.

When we reach the status of a Post Scarcity Society the human race will eventually realize the insane extravagance of throwing away a single item. (read also my article http://blemya.blogspot.com/2007/09/globalizao-e-conscincia-coletiva.html ) . The way we treat our trash says much of how evolved we are.

If we want to take the next step towards a Non-Waste Society here goes some good ideas to consider:

Trash Powered Car - Gasification Plasma – as in Back to the future “Mr Fusion”

As Deanna Troy, Doc Emmett Brown impressed me in Back to The Futre. He’d modded the Delorean to run on garbage.

Nowadays, Jim Mason did the same.

The technology? - gasification - and is running his '89 Honda Accord on garbage ... or biomass, if you prefer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XPH3fV1Fd4&feature=related

Plasma, often referred to as the “fourth state of matter”, is the term given to a gas that has become ionized. An ionized gas is one where the atoms of the gas have lost one or more electrons and have become electrically charged. The sun and lightning are examples of plasma in nature. Man made Plasma is formed by passing an electrical discharge though a gas such as air or oxygen. The interaction of the electric discharge and the process gas causes the temperature of the gas to increase significantly often exceeding 5,500°C (10,000°F), nearly as hot as the sun’s surface.

What is Plasma Gasification?

Gasification is a process that converts carbon-containing materials, such as coal, petroleum coke, municipal solid waste, or biomass, into a synthesis gas, (syngas), composed primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.Gasification occurs when a carbon-containing feedstock is exposed to elevated temperatures and/or pressures in the presence of controlled amounts of oxygen.

St. Lucie County, Florida (GeoPlasma)

The first plasma-based waste disposal system in the USA was announced in 2006 in St. Lucie County, Florida. The county stated that it hopes to not only avoid further landfill, but completely empty its existing landfill — 4,300,000 short tons (3,900,000 t) of waste collected since 1978 — within 18 years. The plant was scheduled to come into operation in 2009. However, no permits as yet have been submitted for construction. Backers have announced that the facility would produce 600 short tons (540,000 kg) of solid rubble from around 3,000 short tons (2,700,000 kg) of waste per day at 5,500 °C (9,900 °F). Uncertainties have arisen however regarding the safety of such a facility. The public and environmental threats from incinerators coupled with the uncertainty of the community's ability to produce such large quantities of waste consistently have led GeoPlasma to submit a new proposal for a much smaller facility that would convert 200 short tons (180 t) of waste per day.

Out of the trash with art

As old alchemists, we could obtain gold from trash. One man is doing more than that. Edouard Martinet (1963) is capable of turning mounds of disgusting garbage into beautiful peaces of art. Martinet was born in Le Mans, France in he studied art at ESAG, Paris and graduated in 1988. From 1992 to 1995 he lived in Charente before moving to his current location in Rennes where he teaches art at L'Institut des Arts Appliques. He uses a series of common metallic objects that could be considered trash, such as old typewriters, car lights, rusted kitchen pans, etc, to create intricate and outstanding sculptures.

Challenge your creativity

Based on Edouard Martinet art try to create a frog out of an umbrella.

I did mine with peaces of an umbrella and two spoons. Take a look.

Good Luck

The difference between a phenomenal successful product and a tragic flop

2010-10-07T22:03:00.005-03:00

The Apple iPad, was launched in the stores of US market in Apr. 3rd.Undoubtedly one of the most hyped launch in technology history. IPad could revolutionize computing and media market or it could be a flop.

Apple's Steve Jobs is known for his wizardry in the new-gadget department, but if the iPad is a flop it won't be Apple's first bomb. In the year 2000 the company introduced Power Mac G4 Cube. The diminutive 8" x 8" x 8" cube, suspended in a 10" tall Acrylic (PMMA) enclosure, housed a PowerPC G4 processor running at 450 or 500 megahertz, and had an unconventional vertical slot-loading DVD-ROM or CD-RW drive.

Apple targeted the Cube at the market between the iMac G3 and the Power Mac G4. Despite its innovative design, critics complained that it was too expensive. It was initially priced US$200 higher than Power Mac G4 at the time (450 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive) and did not include a monitor, thus leading to slow sales. Additionally, early Cubes suffered from a manufacturing issue that led to faint lines in the clear plastic case. This was often considered damaging to the aesthetic quality of the computer. Almost one decade before that, Apple launched Newton and the Message Pad. The MessagePad was the precursor to the modern PDA and ran on Apple's Newton operating system. Both innovations were meant to make consumers' lives easier, but they were, in fact, too complicated for many to use with ease. As result, Apple gave up of them in 1998.

Now, put yourself into Steve Jobs shoes. You’ve created a brand new product; people around you are crazy about it; you put it into the market and it suddenly became a huge success. The first month is a promising one; and then, the sales stopped abruptly. What happened?

The most difficult step is making the transition between visionaries (early adopters) and pragmatists (early majority). This is the chasm that Geoffrey Moore refers to in his 1991 book “Crossing the Chasm”.

Geoffrey A Moore presented the view that successful companies shrink the chasm between early adopters of products and the early majority by: choosing target markets, understanding the whole product concept, positioning the product, building marketing strategies and choosing appropriate distribution channels and pricing. Today, those are basic elements in most companies.

The 2004 CPAS – (Comparative Practices Assessment Study) - report found the average cycle time for a new product is only 104 weeks, down from 181 weeks in 1995. At the same time, new product line cycle time has more than halved, down from 126 to 62 weeks over the same period. It’s critical that organizations develop processes that enable rapid alignment of product development efforts with changing strategy for maximum agility.

The creation of a central repository of product planning information is a critical first step. This repository must form the ‘single source of truth’ for every product in the portfolio and include key information on:

* Strategic fit/alignment
* Product stakeholders and team
* Product goals and benefits
* Risk factors
* Lifecycle status
* Resource requirements
* Program schedule
* Budgeted costs
* Status and actual costs

This information must be available to the entire cross-functional product team, allowing stakeholders and management to view information across all products. This global view provides them with a uniform and objective analysis of product attractiveness and performance, and allows them to make informed, strategic decisions.

Strategic alignment must be considered at the individual product level and at the portfolio level. Individual product risk must also be assessed in the context of the overall risk profile of the portfolio, as well as within the overall organizational posture.

Without these types of solutions, companies that choose to select and prioritize new product development projects blindly will not recognize success, rather the opposite – higher development costs, more failed products and reduced profitability. Falling into the ‘rest’ category spells ultimate doom.

There is no shortcut to put a product as a market leader. But, it is still possible to make it by doing it with patience and resolve. You must identify your potential costumer, and also find the detail about them. And finally you must know if and how they can pay for that product. If you did it correctly your product will definitely be a market success.

Here is a list of some of the successful products and worst flops

Volkswagen Beetle - Succeeded

Launched in 1938 was the bestselling single design in history, and the first car to reach twenty million sales (21,529,464 unities ). The last Mexican Sedán Clásico was discontinued in 2003.

Ford Edsel - Flopped

Ford introduced its much-hyped Edsel in 1957 to consumers who waited for years in anticipation for the car they heard would revolutionize the road. What they saw was a vehicle that looked and drove like many other Fords. Ford sold only 63,110 models in the U.S. during the first year and 44,891 in 1959, when the Detroit Company decided to pull the car from the market. Ford's losses on the Edsel were estimated at $350 million.

Coca-Cola – Succeeded

Coca-Cola is in fact the most successful non-alcoholic beverage to date. The Coca-Cola Company has employed some of the most effective advertising techniques in history. Originally intended as a patent medicine to cure diseases, such as morphine addiction, dyspepsia and neurasthenia, the soft drink has since became a sales success all over the world.

Crystal Pepsi - Flopped

In 1992, Pepsi decided they needed a clear cola to go along with their regular drinks. They introduced Crystal Pepsi as “a caffeine-free alternative to regular cola”. They released in after what they considered successful test runs and waited for results.
The drink initially sold decently but quickly fell off. Pepsi tried to save the campaign by changing the name to Crystal by Pepsi, a citrus drink instead of a clear cola but that flopped too and Crystal Pepsi was discontinued in 1993 after only being introduced in 1992. It lasted a little longer in Europe but, not much longer.

Bic - Succeeded

Société Bic is a company based in Clichy, France, founded in 1945, by Baron Marcel. Bic sells some 22 million pens and other stationery items every day.
Known for making disposable products including lighters, magnets, ballpoint pens, shaving razors and watersports products. The Bic pen, was the company's first product and 50 years later is still synonymous of ballpoint pen.

Colgate Kitchen Entrees - Flopped

Undoubtedly one of the most bizarre brand extensions ever. Colgate decided to use its name on a range of food products called Colgate's Kitchen Entrees. Needless to say, the products did not take off and never left U.S. soil.

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Taxis Around the World

2010-03-27T14:25:00.020-03:00

A 2008 report in Fortune said that Goldman Sachs hired about 300 MBAs in 2007 and that, last year, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup were planning to hire 160 and 235 MBAs, respectively. Is it just a coincidence that so many superstar minds arrived on Wall Street just as it started to fall into one of the biggest crisis ever?

Do you want to know about a good investment? Ask a cab driver. Investing in stocks has been a tough business, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 posting a total return of -13% since the start of 2000. Boring old bonds have fared better (Pimco Total Return Fund returned 46%), while commodities have done best of all (crude oil has nearly tripled, for example). But the really big money has been made in New York City taxis. The value of a city taxi medallion has jumped 179% this decade, to $760,000 last month, outperforming just about every asset save for gold, which has risen 245%.

Believe it or not Bruce Kovner, a former NYC Cab driver turned $3000 he borrowed off his credit card into a multibillion-dollar fortune trading forex. Looks like an urban myth, but it is true.

Taxicab Drivers are the best-informed person that you can count on, if they are in good mood, of course. They will give you the best information available about everything, the best place where a single guy could meet beautiful girls, best and cheapest place to sleep and eat, not to mention the latest news on politics.

The word Taxi came from Taximeters, invented in ancient Rome, where they employed a mechanism that used the turning of the cart's axle to release small balls. At the end of the trip, the passenger paid based on the number of released balls. The modern taximeter was invented by the German Wilhelm Bruhn in 1891, and the Daimler Victoria—the world's first meter-equipped (and gasoline-powered) taxicab—was built by Gottlieb Daimler in 1897. And the word Cab is an abbreviation of cabriolet, a type of horse-drawn carriage. In Britain, the word taxicab is rarely used. In the U.K., taximeter cab was shortened to taxi and cab, and these were and are used separately to distinguish between type of service and/or vehicle.

The word Taxi is universal (words, which are used in many countries with the same meaning such as Hotel or Sofa) as well as the service, but every city is proud of having their own characteristic Taxi services, normally provided by automobiles, but various human-powered vehicles, (such as the rickshaw) and animal-powered vehicles (such as the Hansom cab) or even boats (such as water taxies or gondolas). Here are some of the most-extravagant and beautiful Taxis you may find around the world.

TAXI DE BUENOS AIRES

BEIJING TAXI

BARCELONA TAXI

CAIRO TAXI

TAXI OF HONG KONG

COCO TAXI HAVANA

TAXI DE LISBOA

LONDON BLACK CAB

TAXI DE MADRID

TAXI MILANO CONCEPT CAR

TAXI DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO

TAXI OF MOSCOW "PINK TAXIS"

TAXI OF NEW DELHI

NEW YORK YELLOW CAB

RIO DE JANEIRO TAXI

SINGAPORE TAXI

TUC TUC TAXI THAILAND

TAXI OF TOKYO

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NIMPS - Near Impossible Solutions

2010-01-31T12:36:00.001-02:00

Once Walt Disney quotes “it is kind of fun to do the impossible”. Worldwide, there are lots and lots of people making fun by doing the impossible, trying (and sometimes even achieving) to solve problems deemed unsolvable, building the bridge between real life and dreams. The Trans Global Highway, robots working as housekeeper, ultra realistic prosthetic limbs that are able to regain the sense of touch are some of the articles you may find in NIMPS. Surely you will find inspirational content capable to elevate your spirit, widen your horizons, and maybe even solve your near impossible problem.

Know more about NIMPS – Near Impossible Solutions

State of the art Social Entrepreneurship for Rio Olympics and World Cup

2010-01-09T01:13:00.009-02:00

Rio de Janeiro won the vote to stage the 2016 Olympics, becoming the first South American city to host the event. Ruy Cezar Miranda Reis, 63, special secretary for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games expects 2 million tourists in Rio, proposed investments of $11.1 billion in preparation for the games.

Leia este artigo em português

Billionaire Eike Batista was one of the main responsible for Rio’s achievement. Made the Olympics bid part of his personal quest to become Brazil’s champion of infrastructure development. His EBX Brasil SA group said it donated 23 million reais ($12.8 million) to Rio’s campaign -- about a quarter of the 102 million reais that Brazil’s Olympic Committee invested in the competition with four other campaign donors.

Though, we haven’t seen so far any Social entrepreneurship initiative that could help Rio and Brazil to use this giant opportunity to tackle down poverty and some of our social problems.

A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change. Whereas a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur assesses success in terms of the impact he has on society as well as in profit and return.

Yan Waligora, 18, architecture student, questioned “What if part of that investment was used to turn Favelas (shanty houses) into the most fascinating hotel complex? - People would safely walk on the streets; local shops would sell Brazilian souvenirs and other Favelas would build house extensions to receive even more tourists, all of this with an exclusive view to the Atlantic, which is amazing from the Favelas heights.

Much of the people that live in Favelas receives very low wages or are unemployed, they could become small entrepreneurs in a nightshift and Waligora has a plan for them.

Rio de Janeiro is not so different from Valparaiso, we could trace a parallel between Valparaiso and Rio de Janeiro with its improvised urban architecture covering the mountains and surrounding the see.

The big difference is that valparaisians are aware about the potential in the region, which conquered the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site upon its improvised urban design and unique architecture. With its magnificent view to the pacific Valparaiso was nicknamed “The Jewel of the Pacific”. In 1996, the World Monuments Fund declared Valparaiso’s unusual system of funicular elevators (highly-inclined cable cars) one of the world’s 100 most endangered historical treasures. Valparaiso also experienced a very well succeed pilot plan for criminality prevention. The Municipality of Valparaiso promotes the safety and good conviviality in the historical center using the concept of participative vigilance. This way, tourists may walk in a considerably safe fashion on the streets.

Being proud of Rio may be difficult for those who live in poverty, surrounded by violence and under one of the worst social conditions in the planet.

Once we overcome this situation, we have another problem to solve - we won’t have time or money to do so.

Maybe “Catadores de Lixo” – Trash catchers and Tetra Pack could help.

The biggest multinational in food processing and packaging is a Swedish company founded in 1951 in Lund, by Ruben Rausing. Tetra Pack is also the leader in recycling is own trash.

Tetra pack unit in Campinas recycle tetrahedral package and the resulting sub-product has wide application in the construction industry.

The package basically made of plastic and aluminum is recycled through the process of drying and grinding in a machine called "hidrapulper", a sort of giant blender, and then extrusion and injection molding. The final result is a material that could be used to produce plastic parts such as shovel, broom, collectors and others.

But, the most interesting process is the one that grinds together plastic and aluminum and presses it all in high temperature, transforming the material into a plate similar to plywood that can be used in the manufacture of partitions, furniture, decorative items and tiles.

The plate could be molded in many different forms and the expressive cost-benefit ratio could be more even better if counting on sponsors. Paint manufacturer such as Suvinil would be in the best place to be seen, turning the Favelas into a beautiful place to look at.

Now that we want to turn Favelas into an architectural marvel, here is another option short excerpt from the article “Social Entrepreneur Branches Out with Tree House Community” by Jennifer:

“If building tree houses for a living sounds absurd, than investing in the construction of an entire community of geodesic, eco-friendly and self-sustaining tree houses in the forests of California must be down right crazy. Dustin Feider – social entrepreneur, Change Agent and Founder of O2 Treehouse – couldn’t disagree more.

As a child building forts and climbing trees in the woods of Wisconsin, Dustin never envisioned his childhood love for tree houses coupled with rock-solid carpentry skills and a passion for sustainability would culminate in a social entrepreneurship career. Dustin is an emerging champion for “living architecture,” a movement fusing art, design and the use of sustainable natural resources for residential and commercial construction.

All of O2 Treehouses are made from sustainable materials and are eco-friendly.
Dustin’s vision for changing the way we build is touching lives across the country. Guided by Buckminster Fuller’s social entrepreneurship and his 100% percent for humanity idealism, an idea based on the thought all people in the world should enjoy nature and architecture, Dustin is building an entire community of green tree houses in California’s Redwood and Doug Firs forests. The O2 Treehouse project relies on eco-friendly and sustainable practices that would pass muster with any bona fide treehugger. Not one hole is drilled into the trees to build these breathtaking, practical structures Dustin designs as backyard retreats, vacation cabins and eco-adventure resorts.

The eco-friendly building process protects trees from restricted growth.

Dustin is nailing down the basics for the Redwood project, which includes finalizing the details for a prefab location in Oakland, where he can pre-build the tree houses, and finding investors.

While Dustin irons out the final details for the Redwood tree house project, he is working on a Venice bamboo structure, which will include two hanging platforms, a catwalk, bamboo sanctuary and rope ladders. He’s prefabricating the structure in the backyard of the Permacultre East house in Mar Vista which has a rich history of improving sustainability and reducing waste.” See more Social Earth

The Mayan message of doomsday is not in the calendar Part II

2010-01-06T19:47:00.005-02:00

Maya success Despite the so called “Maya decline” Mayan culture never really vanished. Differently from many other cultures like the Rapa Nui and Egyptians, we could still see Maya people talking in their natural idiom, playing “Juego de Pelota” ( Mayan ballgame), elders’ council still decide de fate of tribes, etc.

As we have seen in the first article The Mayan message of doomsday is not in the calendar, the doomsday of 2012 comprises a range of eschatological beliefs which affirm that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21 or December 23, 2012, which is said to be the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar. These beliefs may derive in part from numerological constructions, archaeoastronomical speculation, alternative interpretations of mythology, or alleged prophecies from extraterrestrial beings. Thought, we could interpret the message of doomsday in other directions. Some Maya tribes took advantage from lessons that they have learned from the effects their own mistakes, and from mistakes of the others to prosper, one good example is Milpa agriculture.

We have also seen that deforestation coincided with a dramatic drop in the Mayan population, but they have learned one of the most advanced and simple form of agriculture – The Milpa

Milpa agriculture - A Milpa is a field, usually but not always recently cleared, in which farmers plant a dozen crops at once including maize, avocados, multiple varieties of squash and bean, melon, tomatoes, chilis, sweet potato, jícama, amaranth, and mucana, Milpa crops are nutritionally and environmentally complementary. maize lacks the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, which the body needs to make proteins and niacin; beans have both lysine and tryptophan, squashes, for their part, provide an array of vitamins, avocados, fats. The Milpa, in the estimation of H. Garrison Wilkes, a maize researcher at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, "is one of the most successful human inventions ever created.

To understand the concept of Milpa, we have to understand the concept of four based Mayan cosmography. A traditional Maya house is constructed over four sticks or columns, each column represents a cardinal direction – north represented by the white maize, south the Yellow maize, east the red one and west the black one. The firmament is supported by the same four columns. The city of Uxmal for example, represent the basis that support Orion constellation. Number four is constantly used, even in Milpa agriculture, they believe that the period of eight years is perfect for the earth to be fertile again. They divided this period in four bases of two years. By the first period of two years an area of forest is selected, and the vegetation is cut and allowed to dry after some period of time, the residual dry vegetation is burned. After two years starts the second period in which they plant Maize crop. After two years the start to plant beans in the same field, the last period of two years they permit the forest to grow up again.

These brand new techniques such as Milpa were transmitted by word of mouth from city to city. The city of Cancuén which means place of serpents, was located in the region of Pasión river subregion of the central Maya lowlands in the present-day Guatemalan Department of El Petén. The Mayan city-state is notable for having one of the largest palaces in the Maya world. It was a major trade center, specializing in jade, pyrite and obsidian. Its strategic position on the Río Pasion helped it dominate trade in the region.

They have coordinated commerce and information. Trading commodities as obsidian they had to deal with the elite of their time, and they discovered that high quality information that arrived from elite could be a very important asset.

Cancuén was at the top of its prosperity, Taj Chan Ahk, one of the city's most powerful Ahaus (Mayan political, religious and military leaders) built the city's palace in 770 A.D.

By that time, Ahaus use to attack neighbor cities and capture enemies alive for later rituals of sacrifice in order to consolidate their power. The destiny of the enemy was often decided in a “Juego de Pelota”, the loser and even the winner (we still don’t know why) had his body painted in blue and was sacrificed. This sort of war or invasion used to have pre-arranged dates and hours to occur. A massacre occurred in Cancuén around 800 A.D, Investigations have shown that the bodies, including the city's ruler at the time, Kan Maax, had been executed and dumped in a cistern,

As traders were no more able to use Passion River as trade route, they start to use other routes and took their knowledge to other cities such as Tulum and Xcaret (the original name of Xcaret was p'ole', from the root p'ol that means "merchandise" or "deal of merchants", which gives an idea of the economical relevance of the site).

After that, Maya culture survived Hispanic colonization, deceases brought by Europeans and truism in the region. Today’s Maya culture adopted Milpa as a way to live in harmony with nature and many directors of archeological sites are Maya descendents. Prophecies of 2012 doomsday could mean the end of Maya civilization through erosion caused by westernization and intermarriage. Their cultural purity and way of life could be under a threat. But this is not the first time they face that sort of menace, Mayan know how to survive and shine.

Evolutionary Economics

2009-11-07T19:28:00.009-02:00

Every fisherman in Tsukiji fish market (築地市場 Tsukiji shijō) in Tokyo knows that the fight to the top, in a non productive way, is the worst thing one should do in order not to be eaten.

Portunus Trituberculatus, the GAZAMI crab is a Japanese blue crab that is also the most widely consumed species of crab in the world, with over 300,000 tonnes being caught annually the GAZAMI is the best example of nature’s contraproducent behavior. The lack of success of this crab is due to an apparent inherited selfish attitude.

Gazami demonstrate some intelligence and are even capable of communicate by drumming or waving their pincers. They are aware about themselves and others. It is very well known that if you put a bunch of GAZAMI crabs in a barrel. As one draws closer to the top of his barrel, nearing his escape, one of the other crabs would reach up and pull his fellow crab back down. Another one goes up, another one comes down. This process continues and the only way for them to escape from the barrel is to be sold to someone with lunch or dinner intentions.

Markets are the perfect non-biased teachers of self-reflection and discipline as well as evolution. Studying attitudes of animals like that we could understand our own nature and also learn how to keep up with our social lives. Termites in other hand are proliferating worldwide, and differently from GAZAMI crabs, they are capable of helping each other, looks like they live by the motto “Create more prosperity in the life of others and you shall experience more prosperity in your own life”.

David M. Raup, a biologist at the University of Chicago, identifies in his book Bad Genes or Bad Look that everything about extinction that we thought was true is wrong. The author’s main thesis is that extinction is a mostly random event; due to catastrophes and bad luck, and not related to the process of evolution itself.

There is an interesting but naive chapter in the book on the relation of extinction to industries. Raup argues that most of the companies around today were not in existence 50 years ago, and the cause of their disappearance, merger or bankruptcy corresponds to the causes of species disappearance or phyletic transformation.

The author draws parallels between such things as that the total number of companies names was lower 50 years ago, just as biodiversity was less, and that certain industries wax and wane just as species do.

Comparing the extinction of ancient species and old companies brings few points into consideration:

1 - Species are temporary but the energy manifested in individuals and markets carries on beyond the gradual understanding of science and reason. (Corporate) death is nothing but an opportunity. Time is nothing but a hubristic attempt to contemplate the unknown;

2 - Individual entities, while susceptible to a variety of ills, are more inclined to survive attacks based on the presumption that assumes a large group is present and available to be taken out with the first strike. Less mass = Less possible chance of extinction;

3 - Diversification in multiple markets should prove a trusted strategy?

4 - Extinction would have taken its toll on multiple organisms, yet somehow these organisms were allowed endure.

Evolutionary economics is a heterodox school of economic thought that is inspired by evolutionary biology. Much like mainstream economics, it stresses complex interdependencies, competition, growth, structural change, and resource constraints.

Joseph Alois Schumpeter (8 February 1883 – 8 January 1950) was one of the predecessor of evolutionary economics, economist and political scientist born in Moravia, then Austria-Hungary, now Czech Republic. Schumpeter wrote “Theorie der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung” translated as The Theory of Economic Development (Entwicklung also means Evolution).

In Schumpeter's book he proposed an idea radical for its time: The evolutionary perspective. He based his theory on the assumption of usual macroeconomic equilibrium, which is something like "the normal mode of economic affairs". Both economics and evolution employ the notion of optimization, whether optimization of the profit, of a business, or optimization of species for its environmental niche.

Howard Aldrich, Geoffrey Hodgson, David Hull, Thorbjoern Knudsen, Joel Mokyr, Viktor Vanberg and others have argued that the general Darwinian principles of variation, inheritance and selection apply to social as well as biological entities, despite important detailed differences in the mechanisms and processes involved.

Maybe in the future Artificial Intelligence and paleontology would work together in a model that simulates fluctuation of the markets comparing companies to extinct and living animals.

Maybe Google would receive algorithms that simulate the happenings of early forms of Dimetrodon (perhaps maintain homoeothermy had the same effect into the past evolution events that lead Dimetrodons to the mammals, as cutting edge search engines has today into the global economy), and from that point, Google can trace next step for a future leadership strategy.

Edward O Wilson wrote in 1978 “Human Nature” – Economics can be improved by Darwinian theory. Wilson supports that All Social sciences rely upon implicit models of genetic. (It won a Pulitzer Prize) Even though it was written in 1978, it continues to provide a good overview of much that is still held to be true about human biology and sociology.

He asserted that many human behaviors had genetic basis, like the behavior of termites inside a mound, an idea then disputed by many social scientists and by Marxists intent on remaking humanity.

Today, termites are one of the worlds most pervasive and successful insect groups, with about 2,300 known species, mostly in tropical settings, busily at work chewing wood or other plant fiber that protozoa help to digest. They have important ecological roles, helping to create habitat, build soil fertility, recycle nutrients and serve as food for many predators.

On march 2009 Dr. George Poinar discovered a termite and a protozoa released from the insect's gut. A termite, entombed in amber for 100 million years, reveals the earliest known mutualism ("mutualism," one type of symbiotic relationship in which two species help each other ) between an animal and a microorganism.This particular termite was probably flying around while mating in a wet, humid tropical forest in what is now Myanmar during the Early Cretaceous period.

We should take social life in a termite colony as model for today’s economic life, it is flawless. The termites act together simultaneously as one body and cooperate in performing all functions of the community. And, if we consider that sometimes termites live with at least one million others, we can easily understand the importance of a system of communication that allows termites to provide a working area, come together and join forces against intruders and manage all the other needs of the colony in perfect harmony. This communication system is based on the exchange of chemical signals through smell or taste.

Perhaps it is in our DNA the origin of our social life, but, once it would not be appropriate for a person to be conditioned like termites, we should not be surprised if in a non-distant future colonies of termite-minded robots would be working in the surface of Moon or Mars.

I’m sure that more and more we will live under the “Create more prosperity in the life of others and you shall experience more prosperity in your own life” role model. In fact I do believe that this attitude is more like a genetic instruction than a religious commandment.

The Mayan message of doomsday is not in the calendar

2009-09-28T15:12:00.007-03:00

After a long time it was great sitting in the movie theater once again, watching movie trailers when I saw the teaser of an upcoming disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich, 2012.

The teaser showed a tsunami surging over the Himalayas together with a message suggesting the doomsday in 2012, and ended with a message to viewers to "find out the truth" by searching "2012" on search engines.

As a dilettante archaeologist and ancient art enthusiast I did it and discovered some revealing truth.

The calendar itself predict nothing but a cycle change, the end of cycle 12, and the beginning of cycle 13 (nothing spectacular will occur besides that), but the real message is in the question “why did the Mayan civilization collapse?”

First step – understanding Maya calendar

According to the outstanding translation work of Sylvanus G. Morley the Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used by ancient Maya civilization called Tonalamatl dating back to at least the 6th century BC.

The Tonalamatl is divided in three parts; the first with a period of 260 days called Tzolk’in combining the name of 20 days with smaller cycles of other 13 days. Tzolk'in is integrated with a second calendar called Haab’ with 365 days distributed in 18 months of 20 days plus a small month of 5 days. Both calendar together perform a cycle of 52 years.

A different form of calendar was used to track longer periods of time, the third part is called “long count calendar” used to track longer periods of time is based upon the number of elapsed days since a mythological starting-point.

The long count calendar is a combination of 5 cycles:

First – the day cycles called Kin that starts on day 0 and goes to day 19. When Kin period reaches the day 0 again it moves one grade of the Unial cycle.

Second – Unial cycle has 17 grades, and when Unial reaches the grade 0 again it moves one grade of Tun cycle.

Third – Tun cycle has 19 grades, and when Tun reaches the grade 0 again it moves one grade of the Katun cycle.

Fourth – Katun cycle also has 19 grades, and when Katun reaches grade 0 again it moves on grade of the great cycle (here called simple “cycle”).

It may be confusing, but let’s try to understand it in a practical way.

The stelae A is perhaps the most beautiful of all the Stelae located in Copán, It portrays the 13th ruler of Copán Waxaklajun Ub'aah K'awiil (18 Rabbit, see Maya ruler genealogy) carrying a two-headed centipede bar that is symbolically giving birth to sun deities.

The inscription on west side of Stela A outlines the erection of the monument on the date of 12 Ahaw 18 Cumku, and there is also a long count date, which makes clear the date of January 28th, 731 AD. Let’s translate it.

Now, let’s organize it in a Tonalamatl table, we obseve that it is an initial day of a new Unial (period of 19 Kins).

If we compare with the date that I am supposed to publish this article, September 30th, 2009 we can understand how a date in Mayan calendar goes forward.

We are now three Cylces ahead from the date of stelae A of Cópan (from 9 to 12), representing the difference of 1.935.905 days from that date to today.

Now, let’s see the table for December 21st, 2012, the so called Dooms date.

It represents the exact change of Cycle 12 to Cycle 13, you may noticed that it is also the beginning of a new Kin, Unial, Tun and Katun. But, how about Tzolk’in and Haab?

As we can see, Kankin third is not the last day of Haab’ cycle, as well as Ahau fourth is not the last day also.]

Ok, it is not the end for now but, what would happen when we reach the last grade of all cycles? I have the answer – it will be the beginning of a new cycle – just that.

As Stevie Wonder would say “When you believe in things that you don't understand. Then you suffer....superstition ain't the way”.

In other hand, the research about this Maya doomsday brought something appalling and terrible; we are repeating the same mistakes that lead Mayan culture to a total collapse. Will we face the same fate?

Maya civilization warning about the end of the world

We should not be afraid about of the end of Maya twelfth cycle period, but we should pay attention to the message that they really left to mankind.

According to NASA archaeologist Tom Sever, the Mayan civilization in Mesoamerica was one of the densest populations in human history; Mayan population reached an all-time high. Population density ranged from 500 to 700 people per square mile in the rural areas, and from 1,800 to 2,600 people per square mile near the center of the Mayan Empire (in what is now northern Guatemala and Yucatan peninsula in Mexico).

As we, Mayans was not worried about environmental impact of their accomplishments, but differently from us today, they did not know what they were doing.

They make use of intensive agricultural methods included canals, terracing, raised fields, ridged fields, chinampas, the use of human faeces as fertilizer, etc.

The agricultural techniques utilized by the Maya were entirely dependent upon ample supplies of water.

They also clear the rainforest to create space for new cities and they need firewood to burn a high quality plaster floor that they used to put together the stones of temples.

Pollen samples collected from columns of soil that archeologists have excavated across the region provide evidence of widespread deforestation approximately 1,200 years ago they would have needed about 20 trees to build a fire large and hot enough to make a plaster floor stone that is about one square meter. In the earliest ruins, these stones were a foot or more thick, but they progressively got thinner.

The most recently built ones were only a few inches thick.” Sever’s colleague, atmospheric scientist Bob Oglesby of Marshall Space Flight Center, calls the Mayan deforestation episode “the granddaddy of all deforestation events.” Studies of settlement remains show that this deforestation coincided with a dramatic drop in the Mayan population.

The Maya civilization perished because of intense deforestation and the consequent environmental damage.

After the Mayan collapse, this area was abandoned and the forest recovered. But as people have returned over the last three decades, the deforestation has returned.

The good point of that panorama is that we still have the power to avoid doomsday to occur, we know exactly what we have to do.

History of Brands

2009-06-14T21:26:00.010-03:00

Brands were first used in ancient Egypt to identify ownership and pride of their livestock such as cattle, people of that time would know that Great mr TI would have the best cattle due to an outstanding alimentation and care with their livestock. Of course, in the open range, cattle could become mixed with those of another owner, and therefore it became necessary to establish some form of identification. From the excavation of a 26th Dynasty animal cemetery, we believe that one means of identifying ownership was to etch or mark the horns of cattle. However, branding scenes are known from several Theban tombs (Nebamun and Neferhotep), as well as from the Varzy Papyrus, and branding was probably a more effective means of identification practiced by large estates and temples.

Cattle were branded long before this; the term "maverick", originally meaning an unbranded calf, comes from Texas rancher Samuel Augustus Maverick who, following the American Civil War, decided that since all other cattle were branded, his would be identified by having no markings at all.

Brands were used also to identify prisoners with symbols of dishonor or to mark a slave. Every numeral and letter of the alphabet can be made with a hot iron shaped in a “J”configuration.

Flags was also a form of branding, the usage of flags spread from India and China, where they were almost certainly invented, to neighboring Burma, Siam, and southeastern Asia.

The Persians used Drafsch e Kavian as the flag, at the time of Achaemenian dynasty at 550–330 B.C. Afterwards it was used in different look by the late Sassanid era (224-651). It was also representative of the Sassanid state - Ērānshāhr, the "Kingdom of Iran" - and may so be considered to have been the first "national flag" of Iran.

But the first time a brand was used to identify a manufactured product was in Rome.

Some time ago was found in ancient Roman dumping in Modena vases, bottles and bricks, and oil lamps, each bearing their maker’s name.

Firmalampen, or “factory lamps,” were one of the first mass-produced goods in Roman times (circa 150 A.D.). They carried brand names clearly stamped on their clay bottoms.

It was founded also vast quantities of different qualities of Garum, likewise called liquamen, is a type of fish sauce condiment that was popular in Ancient Roman society. (such as the marketing puns of the "Vesuvinum" wine jars found at Pompeii).There were also the scandinavian sword (XI c.) with the handle made in bronze commonly ornamented by imaging of monster (like on Runes Rock). with a brand (trade mark) on the blade: “Kоваль Людота (Людоша )” (“Koval Ludota (Ludosha)”), translated like “Blacksmith Ludota (Ludosha)”.This is the most ancient weapon with cyrillic brand. The brand of the first ukrainian swordmaking blacksmith.

The usage of Family Blazons in medieval times to distinct a family from the others highlighting its main characteristics is used till today as a form to differentiate products (families) happened at same time in Japan with the Tsubas.

The Tsuba - (鍔) were usually a round or occasionally squarish guard at the end of the grip of bladed Japanese weapons, like the katana and its various declinations (tachi, wakizashi etc.), tanto, or naginata. They contribute to the control of the arm (the right index of the fighter typically touches the tsuba), and to the protection of the hand. The tsuba was mostly meant to be used to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade during thrusts as opposed to protecting from an opponent's blade

Nicolas Appert (November 17, 1749 - June 3, 1841), born in Châlons en Champagne was the French inventor of airtight food preservation. Appert, known as the "father of canning," was a confectioner.

Bass & Company, the British brewery, claims their red triangle brand was the world's first trademark. Lyle’s Golden Syrup makes a similar claim, having been named as Britain’s oldest brand, with its green and gold packaging having remained almost unchanged since 1885

Those are earlier examples which could be deemed "protobrands" or brands tha came before industrial revolution and mass-production and subsequently mass-marketing.

Brands in the field of mass-marketing originated in the 19th century with the advent of packaged goods. Industrialization moved the production of many household items, such as soap, from local communities to centralized factories. When shipping their items, the factories would literally brand their logo or insignia on the barrels used, extending the meaning of "brand" to that of trademark.

Around 1900, James Walter Thompson published a house ad explaining trademark advertising. This was an early commercial explanation of what we now know as branding. Companies such as Coca cola, IBM, Fiat soon adopted slogans, mascots, and jingles which began to appear on radio and early television.

Well, speaking of the Coca-cola … marketers use to say that the world has changed since the very first Coca cola bottle was sold in Jacobs’ Pharmacy Atlanta, Georgia on may 8th 1866. The name and the product itself have lots of different meanings to hundreds of millions of consumers around the globe. Coca-Cola products are served more than 705 million times every day, quenching the thirsts of consumers in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.

Lets see how Coca-cola brand a product evolved since that day:

1886 - Sales of Coca-Cola averaged nine drinks per day. That first year, Dr. Pemberton sold 25 gallons of syrup, shipped in bright red wooden kegs. Red has been a distinctive color associated with the No. 1 soft drink brand ever since.
1891 - Atlanta entrepreneur Asa G. Candler had acquired complete ownership of the Coca-Cola business. Pemberton was forced to sell because he was in a state of poor health and was in debt. He had paid $76.96 for advertising, but he only made $50.00 in profits. Candler acquired the whole company for $2,300. Within four years, Candler's merchandising flair helped expand consumption of Coca-Cola to every state and territory.
1893 - In January "Coca-Cola" was registered in the U.S. Patent office..
1917 - 3 Million Coke's sold per day. "" is the worlds most recognized trademark.
1925 - 6 Million Coke's sold per day.
1927 - The first Coca-Cola radio advertisement.
1929 - Coca-Cola was made available through vending machine
1931 - The Coke Santa was introduced as a Christmas promotion
1934 - Johnny Weissmuller, and Olympic champion swimmer, and Maureen O'Sullivan, a motion-picture star, appeared on a metal serving tray for Coca-Cola.
1940 - Coke is bottled in over 40 countries.
1950 - Advertising on on the television began. Currently Coca-Cola is advertised on over five hundred TV channels around the world.
1971 - The song "I'd like to Buy the World a Coke" was released.
1977 - The Coca-Cola contour bottle was patented
1982 - Diet Coke was introduced in July.
1988 - Coca-Cola was the first independent operator in the Soviet Union.
1993 - Coca-Cola exceeds 10 Billion cases sold worldwide.
1993 - Advertising slogan -"Always Coca-Cola".
1995 - Coke was consumed aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery -- marking the third trip into space for Coca-Cola and the first for Diet Coke.
1996 - The Summer Olympics will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, the home of Coca-Cola.
For more than 65 years, Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of the Olympics.
2002 – Marketing platform Welcome to the coke side of life make its debut
2005 – Coca cola creates its Aluminum contour bottle
2008 – coca cola celebrates its 80th years of continuous involvement with the Olympics games a partnership unmatched by any other corporate supporter
Read this article in portuguese

Bio-engineered House (BEH)

2009-06-01T20:47:00.010-03:00

Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is an ancient concept recently returning to scientific thought that examines nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements— and emulates or takes inspiration from them to solve human problems sustainability. Scientific and engineering literature often uses the term Biomimetics for the process of understanding and applying biological principles to human designs.

The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, typifies the best of green architecture and ecologically sensitive adaptation. The country’s largest office and shopping complex is an architectural marvel in its use of biomimicry principles. The mid-rise building, designed by architect Mick Pearce in conjunction with engineers at Arup Associates, has no conventional air-conditioning or heating, yet stays regulated year round with dramatically less energy consumption using design methods inspired by indigenous Zimbabwean masonry and the self-cooling mounds of African termites!

Outside air that is drawn in is either warmed or cooled by the building mass depending on which is hotter, the building concrete or the air. It is then vented into the building’s floors and offices before exiting via chimneys at the top. The complex also consists of two buildings side by side that are separated by an open space that is covered by glass and open to the local breezes.

The Eastgate Centre uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building its size. These efficiencies translate directly to the bottom line: Eastgate’s owners have saved $3.5 million alone because of an air-conditioning system that did not have to be implemented.

But what if we can develop a genetic engineered life form in order to build spaces to live, hoses completely adapted to the environment.

Mitchell Joachim of MITs Media lab leads a team that is designing a tree house. Not a house that will be put in a tree, but rather a living tree that will be sculpted into a house. Obviously a house that is also a tree will have radically innovative systems for all aspects of living. Water would be gathered in a roof-top trough and circulate by gravity through the house, where it would be used by the inhabitants, filtered through a garden, and purified in a pond containing bacteria, fish, and plants that consume organic waste.

This house would be completely self sufficient a so called Technogaia House (Technogaianism - a portmanteau word combining "techno" for technology and "gaian" for Gaia philosophy is a bright green environmentalist stance of active support for the research, development and use of emerging and future technologies to help restore Earth's environment. Technogaians argue that developing safe, clean, alternative technology should be an important goal of environmentalists).

With the advent of BEHs we would never be concerned about Construction & Building Materials prices; all we have to do is to buy a BEH seed and let it grow. Obviously at some point of its growing genetic instructions will be given in order to stop it, unless you want a mansion.

I am sure that we will see in the near-future projects like the “DRAGONFLY MOUND”, a giant house constructed by genetic engineered termites measuring around 2 centimeters called Megatermites. Houses with a highly effective oxygenation and natural air conditioning system. The windows will be made out of their altered DNA wings resulting in a state-of-the-art stained Glass.

Giant Mollusca will provide the “CACO3 coiled shells” prefab modular homes that will take advantage of its natural vascular system as electric conduits and water pipes. And the semi-transparent nacre structure will give an extraordinary effect of lightening during the day and natural luminescence will give a natural and calm illumination during the night.

Power plugs and sockets of the world

2009-04-04T22:19:00.015-03:00

Brazil is the only country in the world that has plans to introduce the IEC 60906-1, the international standard 230 V household plug system. It was intended to become the common mains plug and socket standard, to be used one day everywhere in Europe and other regions with 230 V mains. The standard was published by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 1986.

When electricity was first introduced into the household, it was primarily used for lighting. At that time, many electricity companies operated a split-tariff system where the cost of electricity for lighting was lower than that for other purposes. This led to portable appliances (such as vacuum cleaners, electric fans, and hair driers) being connected to the light fitting.

U.S. Patent 774,250 . The first electric power plug and receptacle. However, as electricity became a common method of lighting houses and operating labor-saving appliances, a means of connection to the electric system other than using a light socket was needed. The original two blade electrical plug and socket were invented by Harvey Hubbell and patented in 1904.

A (NEMA 1-15 USA 2 pin)

B (NEMA 5-15 USA 3 pin)

C (CEE 7/16)

D (BS546 5 A

E (French)

F (CEE 7/4 "Schukostecker" or "Side Earth")

G (BS1363 Fused 13 A)

H (SI 32 Israel)

I (AS-3112 Argentina / Australia / New Zealand)

I, plus sockets for A, C and I (China)

J (SEV-1011 Switzerland)

K (SRAF 1962/DB Denmark)

L (CEI 23-16 Italy)

Region | Type(s) of plug / socket | Voltage | Frequency | Comments

Afghanistan C, D, F 240 V 50 Hz Voltage may vary from 160 to 280.
Albania C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Algeria C, F 230 V 50 Hz
American Samoa A, B, F, I 120 V 60 Hz
Andorra C, F 230 V 50 Hz
Angola C 220 V 50 Hz
Anguilla A (maybe B) 110 V 60 Hz
Antigua A, B 230 V 60 Hz Airport power is reportedly 110 V.
Argentina C, I 220 V 50 Hz Live and neutral are reversed for socket outlet type I in comparison to most other countries.
Armenia C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Aruba A, B, F 127 V 60 Hz Lago Colony 115 V.
Australia I 230 V 50 Hz As of 2000, the mains supply voltage specified in AS 60038 is 230 V with a tolerance of +10% -6%[3]. This was done for voltage harmonisation - however 240 V is within tolerance and is commonly found. Mains voltage is still popularly referred to as being "two-forty volts".
Austria C, F 230 V 50 Hz
Azerbaijan C 220 V 50 Hz
Azores C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Bahamas A, B 120 V 60 Hz along with 50 Hz in some outlying areas
Bahrain G 230 V 50 Hz Awali 110 V, 60 Hz.
Balearic Islands C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Bangladesh A, C, D, G, K 220 V 50 Hz
Barbados A, B 115 V 50 Hz
Belarus C 220 V 50 Hz
Belgium C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Belize A, B, G 110 V
and
220 V 60 Hz
Benin C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Bermuda A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Bhutan D, F, G, M 230 V 50 Hz
Bolivia A, C 220 V 50 Hz La Paz & Viacha 115 V.
Bonaire 127 V 50 Hz Receptacle is combination of B&C without ground connector.
Bosnia C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Botswana D, G, M 231 V 50 Hz
Brazil A, B, C, I 127 V and 220 V 60 Hz Type I is becoming common for 220 V outlets and appliances in 127 V areas. Dual-voltage wiring is rather common for high-powered appliances, such as clothes dryers and electric showers which tend to be 220 V even in 127 V areas. Depending on the area, the exact voltage might be 115 V, 127 V, or 220 V. The A, B and C types are sometimes together (flat with rounder ends and ground pin) so that an A, B or C types can be used. Also note that by 2009, Brazil will be converting to the IEC 60906-1 international plug which looks similar to type J but is not compatible.
Brunei G 240 V 50 Hz
Bulgaria C, F 230 V 50 Hz
Burkina Faso C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Burundi C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Cambodia A, C, G 230 V 50 Hz
Cameroon C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Canada A, B 120 V 60 Hz Standardized at 120 V. 240 V used for applications such as clothes driers, air conditioning, electric cook-stoves and machinery. Buildings with more than one branch circuit must have both voltages. Type A outlets are for repairs only, type B now required for new construction and renovation. A 20-Amp type B but with a T-slot is used in kitchens in new construction.
Canary Islands C, E, F, L 220 V 50 Hz
Cape Verde C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Cayman Islands A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Central African Republic C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Chad D, E, F 220 V 50 Hz
Channel Islands C, G 230 V 50 Hz
Chile C, L 220 V 50 Hz
China (mainland only) A, C, I 220 V 50 Hz Most wall outlets simultaneously support Types A and I. Some outlets support both Type A and Type C (the holes in the outlets are flat in the middle and round on the sides) so that either a Type A or a Type C plug can be used. The Type I outlet is next to the Type A & C outlet. Type A outlets only fit plugs with pins of the same width -- a polarized Type A plug requires an adapter. NOTE: no matter the type of plug the socket will accept, voltage in china is always 220 volts. See photo at right.
Colombia A, B 120 V 60 Hz High-power air conditioners, restaurant equipment, cookstoves and ovens use 240 volt supplies. Wiring conventions, practices and standards follow the Colombian Electrical Code (Codigo Electrico Colombiano) which is essentially a translation of the USA National Electric Code.
Comoros C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Congo-Brazzaville C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Congo-Kinshasa C, D 220 V 50 Hz
Cook Islands I 240 V 50 Hz
Costa Rica A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Côte d'Ivoire C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Croatia C, F 230 V 50 Hz
Cuba A, B 110 V 60 Hz
Cyprus G 240 V 50 Hz
Czech Republic C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Denmark C, K 230 V 50 Hz Type E is added from July 2008.[5]
Djibouti C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Dominica D, G 230 V 50 Hz
Dominican Republic A, B 110 V 60 Hz
East Timor C, E, F, I 220 V 50 Hz
Ecuador A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Egypt C 220 V 50 Hz
El Salvador A, B 115 V 60 Hz
Equatorial Guinea C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Eritrea C 230 V 50 Hz
Estonia C, F 230 V 50 Hz
Ethiopia C, E, F, L 220 V 50 Hz
Faroe Islands C, K 220 V 50 Hz
Falkland Islands G 240 V 50 Hz
Fiji I 240 V 50 Hz
Finland C, F 230 V 50 Hz
France C, E 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz Type C wall sockets are prohibited in new installations since > 10 years.
French Guiana C, D, E 220 V 50 Hz
Gaza Strip C, H 230 V 50 Hz (see Israel in this list)
Gabon C 220 V 50 Hz
Gambia G 230 V 50 Hz
Germany C, F 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz Type F ("Schuko", short for "Schutzkontakt") is standard. Type C Plugs ("Euro-Stecker") are common, especially for low-power devices. Type C wall sockets are very uncommon, and exist only in very old installations.
Ghana D, G 230 V 50 Hz
Gibraltar G, K 240 V 50 Hz Type K was used in the Europort development by the Danish builders. Otherwise the United Kingdom fittings are used.
Greece C, F 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz Type F is the de-facto standard for new installations' sockets. Type C sockets exist only in old installations. Light appliances use type C plug while more electricity-consuming ones use type E&F or F plugs.
Greenland C, K 220 V 50 Hz
Grenada G 230 V 50 Hz
Guadeloupe C, D, E 230 V 50 Hz
Guam A, B 110 V 60 Hz
Guatemala A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Guinea C, F, K 220 V 50 Hz
Guinea-Bissau C 220 V 50 Hz
Guyana A, B, D, G 240 V 60 Hz
Haiti A, B 110 V 60 Hz
Honduras A, B 110 V 60 Hz
Hong Kong G is used in almost all products, while M is (rarely) used when required current rating is between 13~15A. D is now obsolete in Hong Kong. 220 V 50 Hz Largely based on UK system. Occasionally, a 'shaver' socket (similar to Type C) is found in some bathrooms that provides low current to some other plug types. These almost always have a 110 V socket and a 220 V socket in the same unit, or a switch to select voltage, which are sometimes labelled as 110 V and 220 V. This duo installation is not as common in HK as in the UK. There was a smaller 2A version of type D, now obsolete.
Hungary C, F 230 V (formerly 220V) 50 Hz
Iceland C, F 230 V 50 Hz
India C, D, M 230 V 50 Hz The standardardised voltage used in India is 230V/50 Hz with a tolerance varying from 216V to 253V. Some hotels provide dual receptacles for foreign appliances giving both 120V and 230V.
Indonesia C, F, G 127 V
and
230 V 50 Hz Type G socket/plug is less common.
Iran C, F 220 V 50 Hz Type C wall sockets are less common, and exist only in older installations. Type F is used for new installations. Type C Plugs are common for low-power devices.
Iraq C, D, G 230 V 50 Hz
Ireland G found in all normal installations - Legacy systems (rare/extinct): (D and M (as in the UK); and type F (Schuko) ) 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz G Sockets and plugs standard as defined by NSAI I.S. 401 (Plug) I.S. 411 (Socket outlet). Type F ("Side Earth") plugs occasionally seen in old installations probably because much of the early Irish electrical network was heavily influenced by Siemens. ' A 'shaver' socket (similar to Type C) is sometimes found in bathrooms that will provide low current to some other plug types. These almost always have a 110 V socket and a 230 V socket in the same unit, or a switch to select voltage, which are sometimes labelled as 115 V and 230 V. The G type socket often has a on-off switch on the socket. 110 V centre point earthed transformers are often used for industrial portable tools.
Isle of Man C, G 240 V 50 Hz
Israel C, H 230 V 50 Hz The standard for H plugs and sockets was recently modified to use round pins, so most modern sockets accept both type C and type H plugs. Type M sockets are used for air conditioners. Identical plugs and sockets also used in the Palestinian National Authority areas.
Italy C, F, L 230 V (formerly 220v)[6] 50 Hz
Jamaica A, B 110 V 50 Hz
Japan A, B 100 V 50 Hz
and
60 Hz Eastern Japan 50 Hz (Tokyo, Kawasaki, Sapporo, Yokohama, and Sendai); Western Japan 60 Hz (Okinawa, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nagoya, Hiroshima). Older buildings have nonpolarized sockets, in which case American polarized plugs (one prong wider than the other) would not fit. Many buildings do not have the ground pin. Sockets and switches fit in American-sized standard boxes.
Jordan B, C, D, F, G, J 230 V 50 Hz
Kazakhstan C, E, F 220 V 50 Hz No official standard. Voltage tolerance is 220 V ±10%. Actual voltage may vary (usually 150-200 V) because of unstable electrical system.
Kenya G 240 V 50 Hz
Kiribati I 240 V 50 Hz
Korea, North C 220 V 50 Hz
Korea, South A, B, C, F (Types A & B are used for 110-volt installations and/or found in very old buildings. Types C & F are used for 220 Volts.) 220 V 60 Hz Type F is normally found in offices, airports, hotels and some upscale homes; while Type C (type CEE 7/17) is the norm in most households. 220 volt power is distributed by using both "live" poles of a 110 volt system (neutral is not used). 110 V/60 Hz power with plugs A & B (under Japanese colonial influence) was previously used but has already been phased out. Some residents install their own step-down transformers and dedicated circuits, so that they can use 110 V appliances imported from Japan or North America. Most hotels only have 220 V outlets, but some hotels offer both 110 V (Type A or B) and 220 V (Type C or F) outlets. Switches and outlets fit American-sized boxes.
Kuwait C, G 240 V 50 Hz
Kyrgyzstan C 220 V 50 Hz
Laos A, B, C, E, F 230 V 50 Hz
Latvia C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Lebanon A, B, C, D, G 110 V
and
200 V 50 Hz
Lesotho M 220 V 50 Hz
Liberia A, B, C, E, F 120 V
and
240 V 50 Hz Previously 60 Hz, now officially 50 Hz. Many private power plants are still 60 Hz. A & B are used for 110v; C & F are used for 230/240v. Much of the centralized power system was destroyed during the civil wars starting in 1990, and public power supplies are still limited. Local supplies may vary and may not match the usual voltage for a particular wall socket. [7]
Libya D, L 127 V 50 Hz Barce, Benghazi, Derna, Sebha & Tobruk 230 V.
Lithuania C, F 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz
Liechtenstein C, J 230 V 50 Hz Swiss Norm, C only in the form CEE 7/16.
Luxembourg C, F 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz
Macau S.A.R. of China D, M, G, a small number of F 220 V 50 Hz No official standards there. However, in the Macao-HK Ferry Pier built by Portuguese Government before handover the standard was E & F. After handover, Macau adopted G in both government and private buildings.
Macedonia C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Madagascar C, D, E, J, K 127 V
and
220 V 50 Hz
Madeira C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Malawi G 230 V 50 Hz
Malaysia G (but M for air conditioners and clothes dryers) 240 V 50 Hz The official mains power voltage is AC 230 V with the tolerance of +10%,-6%.[8] However, the supplied voltage remains at 240 V (except Penang at 230 V), as the supplied voltage is within the allowed tolerance. Type C plugs are very common with audio/video equipment. Plugged into Type G outlets using widely-available adapters or forced in by pushing down the shutter. The latter is widely practised, although hazardous.
Maldives A, D, G, J, K, L 230 V 50 Hz
Mali C, E 220 V 50 Hz
Malta G 230 V 50 Hz
Martinique C, D, E 220 V 50 Hz
Mauritania C 220 V 50 Hz
Mauritius C, G 230 V 50 Hz
Mexico A, B 127 V 60 Hz Type B is becoming more common. Voltage can legally vary by +/- 10% (giving a range of 114 to 140 volts). Split phase is commonly available and local electricians are apt to wire both to a type A/B socket to give 240 V for air conditioning or washing machine/dryers.
Micronesia A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Moldova C, F 220-230 V 50 Hz Compatible with European and former Soviet Union (GOST) standards.
Monaco C, D, E, F 127 V
and
220 V 50 Hz
Mongolia C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Montenegro C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Montserrat (Leeward Is.) A, B 230 V 60 Hz
Morocco C, E 127 V
and
220 V 50 Hz Conversion to 220 V only underway.
Mozambique C, F, M 220 V 50 Hz Type M found especially near the border with South Africa, including in the capital, Maputo.
Myanmar/Burma C, D, F, G 230 V 50 Hz Type G found primarily in better hotels. Also, many major hotels chains are said to have outlets that will take Type I plugs and perhaps other types.
Namibia D, M 220 V 50 Hz
Nauru I 240 V 50 Hz
Nepal C, D, M 230 V 50 Hz
Netherlands C, F 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz
Netherlands Antilles A, B, F 127 V
and
220 V 50 Hz St. Martin 120 V, 60 Hz; Saba & St. Eustatius 110 V, 60 Hz, A, maybe B
New Caledonia E 220 V 50 Hz
New Zealand I 230 V 50 Hz Electricity Regulations 1997 states supply voltage is 230 V ±6%
Nicaragua A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Niger A, B, C, D, E, F 220 V 50 Hz
Nigeria D, G 240 V 50 Hz
Norway C, F 230 V 50 Hz IT earthing system

Okinawa A, B 100 V 60 Hz Military facilities 120 V.
Oman C, G 240 V 50 Hz Voltage variations common.
Pakistan C, D, M, G 230 V 50 Hz Official standard is 230 V / 50 Hz. Voltage tolerance is 230 V ±5% (218 V to 242 V). Frequency tolerance 50 Hz ±2% (49 Hz to 51 Hz) But Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) is 240 V / 50 Hz.
Type C and D Plug / Socket are common for low-power devices. Type M Plug / Socket is common for air conditioners and high-power devices. Type G Plug / Socket is less common.
Panama A, B 110 V 60 Hz Panama City 120 V.
Papua New Guinea I 240 V 50 Hz
Paraguay C 220 V 50 Hz
Peru A, B, C 220 V 60 Hz Talara 110/220 V; Arequipa 50 Hz
Philippines A, B 220 V 60 Hz Most plugs and outlets are Type A, but some are B. Sockets and switches are built to USA dimensions and fit USA sized wall boxes. Some areas have 110V as in Baguio.
Poland C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Portugal C, F 220 V[9] 50 Hz
Puerto Rico A, B 120 V 60 Hz
Qatar D, G 240 V 50 Hz
Réunion E 220 V 50 Hz
Romania C, F 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz Virtually identical to German standards. Most household sockets still compatible with East European standards (4.0 mm pins). Industrial appliances (washing machines, welding equipment) use 3-phase 380V AC supply.
Russian Federation C, F 220 V 50 Hz USSR (along with much of Eastern Europe) used type GOST sockets with 4.0 mm pins instead of the 4.8mm standard used by West European (Schuko) Plugs. Now "Soviet" sockets could be seen mainly in old houses and in countryside. Obsolete standard 127 V/50 Hz AC is used in some remote villages. Elsewhere it was replaced in 1970s by the 220V standard. Industrial appliances use 3-phase 380V AC supply.
Rwanda C, J 230 V 50 Hz
St. Kitts and Nevis A, B, D, G 110 V
and
230 V 60 Hz Region plug is same as United States (2 pin) 110-120 V
St. Lucia (Winward Is.) G 240 V 50 Hz
St. Vincent (Winward Is.) A, C, E, G, I, K 230 V 50 Hz
São Tomé and Príncipe C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Saudi Arabia A, B, F, G 127 V
and
220 V 60 Hz
Senegal C, D, E, K 230 V 50 Hz
Serbia C, F 220 V 50 Hz
Seychelles G 240 V 50 Hz
Sierra Leone D, G 230 V 50 Hz
Singapore G (but M for air conditioners and clothes dryers) 230 V 50 Hz Types A and C are used for audio/video equipment and plug adapters are widely available.
Slovakia C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Slovenia C, F 230 V 50 Hz 3-phase 380 V AC used for heavy duty applications.
Somalia C 220 V 50 Hz
South Africa M 220 V 50 Hz Grahamstown & Port Elizabeth 250 V; also found in King Williams Town
Spain C, F 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz
Sri Lanka D, M, G 230 V 50 Hz Increased use of type G in new houses/establishments. Mainly in Colombo and high end hotels.
Sudan C, D 230 V 50 Hz
Suriname C, F 127 V 60 Hz
Swaziland M 230 V 50 Hz
Sweden C, F 230 V 50 Hz
Switzerland C, J 230 V 50 Hz C only in the form CEE 7/16.
Syria C, E, L 220 V 50 Hz
Tahiti A, B, E 110 V
and
220 V 60 Hz/50 Hz Marquesas Islands 50 Hz [10]
Taiwan A, B 110 V 60 Hz Most outlets are Type A. When an outlet is Type B, the ground (earth) holes are usually not connected to anything. Most appliances have Type A plugs, but some appliances have Type B plugs. Sockets and switches are built to USA dimensions and fit USA sized wall boxes. Dedicated sockets provide 220V for air conditioning units.
Tajikistan C, I 220 V 50 Hz
Tanzania D, G 230 V 50 Hz
Thailand A, B, C, F 220 V 50 Hz Outlets in hotels and newer buildings are usually a combination of types B and C which will accept plug types A, B and C while outlets in older buildings are usually type A. An equal proportion of appliances have type A or C plugs, or B if an Earth connection is required. Type F is mainly for high-powered appliances such as air conditioners, kettles and cookers. A 3-pin plug that only fits in B/C sockets is also seeing increased use, it differs from type B by having all the pins round. [11]
Togo C 220 V 50 Hz Lome 127 V.
Tonga I 240 V 50 Hz
Trinidad & Tobago A, B 115 V 60 Hz
Tunisia C, E 230 V 50 Hz
Turkey C, F 230 V 50 Hz
Turkmenistan B, F 220 V 50 Hz
Uganda G 240 V 50 Hz
Ukraine C, F 220 V 50 Hz
United Arab Emirates C, D, G 220 V 50 Hz
United Kingdom G (D and M seen in very old installs and specialist applications) 230 V (formerly 240v) 50 Hz Voltage tolerance of 230 V +10%/−6% (216.2 V to 253 V), to be widened to 230 V ±10% (207 V to 253 V) in 2008. The system supply voltage will remain centered on 240v rms. [12] A 'shaver' socket (similar to Type C) is sometimes found in bathrooms that will provide low current to some other plug types. These almost always have a 110 V socket and a 240 V socket in the same unit, or a switch to select voltage, which are sometimes labelled as 115 V and 230 V. The G type socket often has a on-off switch on the socket. 110 V centre point earthed transformers are often used for industrial portable tools. IEC 60309 plugs and connectors are used in industrial and construction locations as well as for outdoor use in domestic and other business premises. Plug types D and M still in preferred use for theatre and TV stage lighting applications due to lack of internal fuse.
United States of America A, B 120 V 60 Hz Standardized at 120 V. Electricity suppliers aim to keep most customers supplied between 114 and 126 V most of the time. 240 V/60 Hz used for heavy duty applications such as air conditioners, clothes dryers, stoves, ovens, and water heaters. Buildings with more than two branch circuits will have both 120 and 240 V available. Type B outlets are now required by code in new construction and renovation. A T-slot Type B is rated for 20 Amperes for use in kitchens or other areas using large 120 V appliances.
Uruguay C, F, I, L 230 V (formerly 220v) 50 Hz Type F becoming more common as a result of computer use. Neutral and live wires are reversed, as in Argentina.
Uzbekistan C, I 220 V 50 Hz
Vanuatu I 230 V 50 Hz
Venezuela A, B 120 V 60 Hz Type G found in household 220V service only for air conditioning and some high power appliances.
Vietnam A, C 220 V 50 Hz Type A is the norm in Southern Vietnam and Type C is the norm in Northern Vietnam (according to the pre-unification border at 17 degrees North). Type G is found only in some new luxury hotels, primarily those built by Singaporean and Hong Kong developers. But Type G is never found in homes, shops, or offices.
Virgin Islands A, B 110 V 60 Hz
Western Samoa I 230 V 50 Hz
Yemen A, D, G 230 V 50 Hz
Zambia C, D, G 230 V 50 Hz
Zimbabwe D, G 220 V 50 Hz

The Future of our civilization in 3 steps

2009-02-24T14:05:00.010-03:00

The begin of year 1963 was a very important year for civilization as we know, Russian astronomer Nikolai Semenovich Kardashev (Никола́й Семёнович Кардашёв – born on April 25, 1932 in Moscow) was examining quasar CTA-102 in the first Soviet quest in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and started to philosophate about extraterrestrial life and all achievements of mankind.

leia este artigo em Português

The result was released 22 years later in his work "On the Inevitability and the Possible Structures of Supercivilizations" in "The search for extraterrestrial life”

The basic ingredient for a decent standard life and to improve a society to prosperous levels is ENERGY. At the present moment we humans are getting most of the energy we need from dead plants and animals on the planet turned into coal, oil, etc.

Karadshev has developed a scale that has three designated categories called Type I, II, and III. These are based on the amount of usable energy that a civilization have at their own disposal, and the degree of space colonization. In general terms, a Type I civilization have achieved mastery of the resources of our home planet as seen in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, a “planetary civilization”, system. Star Trek with the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet colonization of few Star Systems correspond to Type II, a time when our civilization have achieved mastery of the resources of our own solar system. And Type III like the “Empire” in Star Wars, when we have achieved mastery of the resources of our own galaxy.

We are now in type 0 (ZERO) civilization because at the present moment, we are not able to achieve mastery of the resources on Earth. Far from it, we had almost destroyed ourselves many times during cold war, the best known of these episodes was in 1962 when military intervention by the United States in Cuba, that almost triggered a nuclear war perfectably capable of human race annihilation. That was the so called “Bay of Pigs episode”.

Japanese-American theoretical physicist Michiuo Kaku (加來道雄 - January 24, 1947) says that the transition form type 0 to type 1 civilization could be the most dangerous period that a civilization can face. Mathematicians says that could exist thousands of Type 1 Civilization in the galaxy, and if is so, why we have not seen them yet?

Kaku says that in one hand we have cultural tolerance, good scientific growth, integration, but in other hand we have nuclear weapons, terrorism that works as obstacles to reaching Type I Civilization status. Perhaps no other civilization could make it to transform itself from a Type 0 into a Type I.

The current status of human civilization has thus been named Type 0. Although intermediate values were not discussed in Kardashev's original proposal, American astronomer Carl Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) calculated in 1973 grades between 0 and 1 in HUMANITY’S CIVILIZATION TYPE – HCT he stipulated that at that point Earth was to be 0.7, in relationship to Kardashev's model for Types 0 and I

Sagan used the formula:

Kaku posted that in 1900 our HCT was 0,58, in 2004 was 0,72 and that if we make use of large scale application of fusion power, Anti-matter production to be used in antimatter-matter collisions power plants, Solar energy, converting sunlight into electricity by either solar cells, etc. in the year 2100 we could get out of zero and reach HCT I.

The Great leap into a Type I civilization also encompasses economical and political changes, maybe in year 2110 could be read in headlines of the newspapers “Today was signed the first planetary trading block, we could buy antimatter from VULCANO with paying taxes” or “Despite all Chinese efforts English was approved as the new interplanetary official language”.

Even if in our Type I economy English would be the “planetary idiom” other languages will be spoken because people will have time and resources to stud and enjoy their own culture, cultural tolerance will tend grow with no limits because people learned from the process of reaching Type I that diversity was the great ingredient of evolution, poverty will be extinguished, because “now we can explore other planets and make use of abundant resources” , enterprises will not enter into a new business because of money; instead, they will pay more attention to improve employee’s personal skills, they will realize that this is the best way to prosper in a resourceful planetary system. Type I political system (adopted as one in the whole planet) is more equitable and maybe democracy will be replaced by “total democracy” (I have no idea how that would work).

Understanding our reality and the forces that could lead us into a Type I, II or III civilization, we could be the race (maybe the first) that will prosper beyond the limits of a planet, solar system or galaxy.

Shoktidoi against hunger

2008-10-26T14:50:00.002-02:00

Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus along with Grameen Group and the French yogurt company Danone are doing an extremely good work in order to promote a world free from hunger. Shoktidoi (Shakti, शक्त - means sacred force, power, or energy)is an immunity-enhancing and energy-boosting yogurt. It has been developed in an ultra-modern research center in the Paris suburb.

Danone faced a different kind of innovation challenge when it teamed up in 2005 with Grameen Group of Bangladesh to develop a yogurt for some of the poorest consumers in the world. The result was a product that would retail for less than 10¢ per serving yet provide 30% of the minimum daily requirement of iron and other key nutrients to poor children.

It is manufactured in a small, environmentally friendly factory, with a low-tech, labor-intensive supply and distribution network—the kind of small-scale "social business enterprise" conceptualized by Grameen's founder, Muhammad Yunus.

Danone’s managing director Emmanuel Marchant and Grameen Bank are developing something that aims to create a unique investment fund, Danone Communities, managed by a leading European bank and aimed to attract investors who want to promote new models for development while getting at least a minimum return. The fund will help finance new Grameen Danone plants in Bangladesh and new projects on other continents to reduce community poverty. It seeks to benefit the community in general by creating more than 1,000 livestock and distribution jobs including the “Grameen Ladies” who sell Shoktidoi yoghurt door to door, while still earning a profit.

State of the art plant design and financing were needed to build the plant in Bogra, 150 kilometers north of the capital, Dhaka. The plant is using compost-generated gas, uses biodegradable packaging, reduces automation to a minimum, and copes with a lack of refrigeration between milk collection points and the plant. The product recipe was adapted to use locally-produced date molasses rather than expensive imported sugar.

The world's most exciting, fastest-growing new market is where you least expect it: at the bottom of the pyramid “BoP”. Collectively, the world's billions of poor people have immense entrepreneurial capabilities and buying power. You can learn how to serve them and help millions of the world's poorest people escape hunger and poverty. in economics, the bottom of the pyramid is the largest, but poorest socio-economic group. In global terms, this is the four billion people who live on less than $2 per day, typically in developing countries.

Capitalism and Global Problems through time

Find now some of different initiatives through time that private sector has conceived to solve global problems:

1 - Social Actions - Is a concept developed by Max Weber (Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Soziologie und Sozialpolitik - Collected Essays on Sociology and Social Policy, original - 1924) that explores interaction between humans in society. The concept of social action is used to observe how certain behaviors are modified in certain environments. The impact of social action is clearly seen in the development of norms and customs and everyday interaction between people;

2 - Social responsibility - Is the obligation of organization management to make decision and take actions that will enhance the welfare and interests of society as well as the organization. The term was first used in 1987, through the report of the World Commission of Environment and Development (WCED);

3 – Sustainability - In a general sense, is the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely. The first book with the title Ecological Economics was published in Europe by Juan Martinez-Alier (Blackwell, Oxford, 1987). It traces the history of ecological critiques of economics since the 1880s to the 1950s;

4 – Bottom of the pyramid - C.K. Prahalad suggests in his book “Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, 2004” that four billion poor people can be the engine of the next round of global trade and prosperity;

5 - Creative Capitalism - is a term popularized by American entrepreneur and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates at the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The ideology calls for a new form of capitalism that works both to generate profits and solve the world’s inequities, using market forces to better address the needs of the poor;

6 - A Social Business - is one which aims to be financially self-sufficient, if not profitable, in its pursuit of a social, ethical or environmental goal. Dr. Muhammad Yunus is a key proponent of the social business model, seeing it as a mean to eradicate poverty and to influence the future of capitalism;

Passport

2008-08-02T22:25:00.007-03:00

Nehemiah the man that rebuilt Jerusalem 150 years after it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar over an astounding 52-day span, was also the also the first person in history to have a passport; he asked the king Artaxerxes permission to leave to travel to Judea, and the king granted him a letter "to the governors beyond the river" requesting safe passage for him as he traveled through their lands.

Safe Conducts were issued in 1414 (the earliest passports) in an Act of Parliament during the reign of King Henry V, in 1540 The Privy Council Register begins, leaving us a record of Privy Council business. According to the Register, this includes granting passports. But it was only in June 18th that King Charles I issued and signed a passport (this document still exists).
The word Passport derives from a document required to pass through the gate ("porte") of a city wall in medieval Europe. Until 1772, passports were written in Latin or English. From this date onwards they began to be written in French. (see more in http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/about-history.asp ).

Up to World War I, passports were not required for international travel in Europe, and crossing a border was extremely easy. During World War I, European governments introduced border passport requirements for security reasons (to keep out spies) and to control emigration of citizens with useful skills, and retaining potential manpower. These controls remained in place after the war, and became standard procedure, though not without controversy. British tourists of the 1920s complained, especially about attached photographs and physical descriptions, which they considered led to a "nasty dehumanisation".
In 1920, the League of Nations held a conference on passports and through tickets. Passport guidelines resulted from the conference, which was followed up by conferences in 1926 and 1927.
The United Nations held a travel conference in 1963, but passport guidelines did not result from it. Passport standardisation came about in 1980, under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO.

Machine-readable passport

A machine readable passport (MRP) is a passport where the data on the identity page is encoded in optical character recognition format. Most travel passports world-wide are MRPs. They are standardized by the ICAO Document 9303 (endorsed by the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission as ISO/IEC 7501-1) and have a special Machine Readable Passport Zone, which is usually at the end of a passport. It spans two lines and each line is 44 characters long. The following information is provided in the zone: name, passport number, two check digits, nationality, date of birth, sex, passport expiration date and personal identity number.

In early 2006 Pakistan become the first country in the world to issue a passport using both machine readable passports and Automated Finger Identification and Facial Recognition system Biometrics technology.

The advantages of machine readable passports include:

- faster processing of arriving passengers by immigration officials;

- more secure, compared to the manually read passports that preceded them, since the data read by the machine would always be the same as the data in the Machine Readable Passport Zone;

Between 2003 and 2005 the United States progressively introduced regulations that make machine readable passports mandatory for those entering the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP)

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States of America which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. All countries participating in the program have high HDI and most are regarded as developed countries.

As of 2006, 27 countries were designated as VWP participants:

Europe (22)
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France (including French overseas territories), Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom.

Asia (3)
Brunei, Japan, Singapore

Oceania (2)
Australia, New Zealand

During his visit to Estonia in November 2006, President Bush announced his intention "to work with our Congress and our international partners to modify our visa waiver program". Recently (July 2007) the Congress and the senate passed the Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Act, directing the secretary of Homeland Security to establish a pilot program to expand the visa waiver program for up to five new countries that are cooperating with the US on security and counterterrorism matters. This new act changes the nonimmigrant visa refusal rate threshold - from 3% - to 10%, thus making (as of 2008) 30 countries[13] qualify for inclusion in the visa-waiver program: Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hong Kong (HKSAR passport and British National (Overseas) passport), Israel, Kuwait, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Namibia, Nauru, Oman, Qatar, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Timor Leste, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and Vatican City.

Generally standardized terminology related to passports:

Ordinary passport, also called tourist passport
Issued to average citizens.
Official passport, also called service passport
Issued to government employees for work-related travel, and to accompanying dependents.
Diplomatic passport
Issued to diplomats and consuls for work-related travel, and to accompanying dependents. Having a diplomatic passport is not the equivalent of having diplomatic immunity. A grant of diplomatic status, a privilege of which is diplomatic immunity, has to come from the government of the country in relation to which diplomatic status is claimed. Also, having a diplomatic passport does not mean visa-free travel. A holder of a diplomatic passport usually has to obtain a diplomatic visa, even if a holder of an ordinary passport may enter a country visa-free or may obtain a visa on arrival.
In exceptional circumstances, a diplomatic passport is given to a foreign citizen with no passport of his own, such as an exiled VIP who lives, by invitation, in a foreign country.
Emergency passport, also called temporary passport
Issued to persons whose passports were lost or stolen, and who do not have time to obtain replacement passports.
Collective passport
Issued to defined groups for travel together to particular destinations, such as a group of school children on a school trip to a specified country.
Family passport
Issued to family members -- father, mother, son, daughter. There is one passport holder. He may travel alone, or with another family member, or with other family members. A family member who is not the passport holder must travel with the passport holder.
Laissez-passer
A document which is not a passport, but which serves the function of a passport. Laissez-passer are issued by international organisations to their officers and employees for official travel.
Alien's passport
A document which is not a passport, but is a travel document issued under certain circumstances, such as statelessness, to non-citizen residents.
In Latvia, an alien's passport is a passport for residents to whom the government denied citizenship and associated rights. It is used as an internal passport inside Latvia, and as a travel document outside Latvia.
Internal passport
A document which is not a passport, but is an identity document which controls movement within a country. Examples: the internal passport of the former Soviet Union and present Russia; the hukou residence-registration system in mainland China; or the REAL ID of the United States.

Kinds of Passport in Brazil:

Blue: Common passport;

Green: official assport;

Red: diplomatic;

Brown: “laissez-passer;

Yellow: refugees;

Light-blue: emergency passport.

United Nations Laissez-Passer

United Nations Laissez-Passer (UNLP or LP) is a travel document issued by the United Nations to its staff, under the provisions of Article VII of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

The UNLP is a valid travel document, which can be used like a national passport. Just like for national passports, some countries accept it for entry without the need for a visa (e.g. Germany, Kenya, United Kingdom), while most require a visa to be issued in it before it can be accepted for entry to the country. This is regardless of the nationality of the staff member.

Marco Polo in Bukhara

2008-07-13T01:17:00.008-03:00

The Polo brothers decided to avoid Crimea, because of a civil war between Berke and his cousin Hulagu or perhaps because of the bad relationship between Berke Khan and the Byzantine Empire. Instead, they moved further east to Bukhara, in modern day Uzbekistan, where the family lived and traded for three years.

Crossing the Volga River and travelling around the northern end of the Caspian Sea, the Polo brothers, traversed the dry steppes of Kazakhstran and Usbekistan to the ancient city of Bukhara. The Mongols had captured and destroyed the city in 1220. When the Polos arrived, it was one of the chief cities of the Chaghatai Khanate.

The brothers stayed in Bukhara for three years, waiting for the unrest in the western khanates to end. It must have been an unrest of three years, but it may have given the Polos a chance to learn the Mongol language, Perhaps they also still had goods to sell in the city, whick was an important stop along the east-west overland trade routes.

Unfortunately for Marco, only Marco Polo's father, Niccolò (also Nicolò in Venetian) and his uncle, Maffeo (also Maffio), were in Bukhara. But as written by Rustichello da Pisa “Ma ancora v'à di quelle cose le quali elli nonvide, ma udille da persone degne di fede” And still have things which he had not seen, but he had heard it from faithful people.

In Sanskrit word "Bukhara" means "monastery". Here you can find more than 140 architectural monuments and architectural masterpieces. Bukhara is a "museum city" under the blue sky.

Bukhara (Uzbek: Buxoro, Tajik: Бухоро, Persian: بُخارا, Russian: Бухара), also spelled as Bukhoro and Bokhara, from the Soghdian βuxārak ("lucky place"), is the capital of the Bukhara Province (viloyat) of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 237,900 (1999 census estimate).

As the Polos you could also learn some Mongolian:

Phrase list
[Basics
Hello.
Sain bainuu . ( )
Hello.
Sain'uu(informal) : . ( )
How are you?
Sain bainuu? ( ?)
Fine, thank you.
Sain bainaa. ( )
What is your name?
Tany ner khen be? ( ?)
Who are you / Who is it?
Chi khen be? ( ?)
My name is ______ .
Mini ner ______ . ( _____ .)
Nice to meet you.
. ( )
Please.
Tik Tik . ( )
Thank you.
Bayarlalaa . ( )
You're welcome.
Zuuger . ( )
Yes.
Tiim . ( )
No.
Ugu . ( )
Sorry.
Uuchlaarai : . ( )
Goodbye
Bayartai . ( )
I can't speak Mongolian
Bi Mongoloor yairdaggui [ ]. ( [ ])
Do you speak English?
Chi angilar yairdaguu? ( ?)
Help!
! ( !)
Look out!
! ( !)
Good morning.
uglunii mend . ( )
Good afternoon.
udriin mend . ( )
Good night.
orai mend . ( )
Good night (to sleep)
saikhan untaarai . ( )
I don't understand.
bi oil-rakh gui . ( )
Where is the toilet?
khanas toalet? ( ?)

Some good ideas to reduce world poverty

2008-07-12T20:41:00.002-03:00

Did you know that you can replace poverty with hope, and with opportunity at low cost?

Here are some of the things you can do to help; Somalis have an opportunity to switch to sun power using solar cookers. A company named Sun Fire Cooking has developed a sturdy (50 kilos), long-lasting, butterfly-designed solar cooker that works as fast as a gas or electric stove because of the large size parabolic mirrors.

According to the company the solar cooker pays for itself in less than one year and should give twenty years of free solar cooking.

For $200 you can buy a solar cooker for a family or for a woman to start her own tea shop and support her family. Send an email at sunfirecooking@yahoo.com for details or telephone Fatima in Bosaso at +252 5 797844 to learn how can you help more.

If you want to put your efforts towards urban areas and reduce the disposal of waste materials on the streets, you could sponsor Brazilian Rag-pickers (catadores de Lixo). Rag-pickers are informal workers who collect recyclable materials on their pushcarts to earn a small wage sending it to recycling companies.

Rafael Antonio Bruno, Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnic School of USP Universidade de São Paulo (São Paulo State University) has created a low cost lite pushcart equipped with rearview mirror, reflective tape, brake system and with an appropriate load compartment.

Rafael still has some challenges such as weight and cost reduction, the pushcart costs R$ 1,100.00 (45% more than it should be) and weights 110kg (10% more that projected).

Another good initiative to solve this equation was taken by Banco do Brasil which have donated on may 13th 14 special trycicles to Centcoop - Central das Cooperativas de Catadores de Materiais Recicláveis (Central of Cooperatives for Recycled Materials Collectors) at a cost per unity of R$ 17,600.00 (about US$ 11,000.00).

Centcoop aggregates 17 different Rag-pickers cooperatives in Brazil and 3.5 thousand of Rag-pickers. The city of São Paulo produces 16,000 tons of waste daily and Rag-Pickers are responsible for about 1% of its recycling.

Corporate Titles and Labor Classification

2008-07-09T16:08:00.001-03:00

If you like anime or/and manga you probably know the meaning of the words Senpai (先輩, ) roughly equivalent to the western concept of "mentor", and kōhai (後輩, kōhai) the equivalent to "acolytes". According to a Japanese tradition a young person may be considered the senpai of an older person at times if the older person entered an organization, such as a company, at a later time than the younger person did.

In the occidental tradition, when middle Ages came to an end, the rank structure of medieval armies became more formalized. The top officers of hierarchy were known as commissioned officers whose authority came directly from a sovereign power, the word hierarchy derives from the Greek ἱεραρχία (hierarchia), from ἱεράρχης (hierarches), "president of sacred rites, high-priest" and that from ἱερός (hieros), "sacred" + ἄρχω (arkho), "to lead, to rule".

The basic unit of the medieval army was the company, a band of soldiers assigned (or raised) by a vassal lord on behalf of his lord. Today’s companies have inherited that sort of rank based structure in organizations all over the world. Corporate titles have been created to confer to individuals as a means of identifying their function in the organization. Titles vary by the type of organization, the sector that it is, whether it is for-profit or non-profit, public or private, partnership or sole proprietorship. Some sectors, such as educational institutions, have particular titles.

In order to standardized occupational titles globally the International Labor Organization (ILO) have established the labor classification structure. The current version, known as ISCO-88, is the third iteration, following ISCO-58 and ISCO-66. There is an updated version of the structure being prepared for release by 2008.

The ILO describes the purpose of the ISCO-88 as:

A tool for organizing jobs into a clearly defined set of groups according to the tasks and duties undertaken in the job. It is intended both for statistical users and for client oriented users. The main client oriented applications are in the recruitment of workers through employment offices, in the management of short or long term migration of workers between countries as well as in the development of vocational training programmes and guidance.

The ISCO-88 divides jobs into 10 major groups, with each group further organized into sub-major, minor and unit (not shown) groups.

MAJOR GROUP 1
LEGISLATORS, SENIOR OFFICIALS AND MANAGERS

11 LEGISLATORS AND SENIOR OFFICIALS
111 LEGISLATORS
112 SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
113 TRADITIONAL CHIEFS AND HEADS OF VILLAGES
114 SENIOR OFFICIALS OF SPECIAL-INTEREST ORGANISATIONS
12 CORPORATE MANAGERS
121 DIRECTORS AND CHIEF EXECUTIVES
122 PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT MANAGERS
123 OTHER DEPARTMENT MANAGERS
13 GENERAL MANAGERS
131 GENERAL MANAGERS

MAJOR GROUP 2
PROFESSIONALS

21 PHYSICAL, MATHEMATICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS
211 PHYSICISTS, CHEMISTS AND RELATED PROFESSIONALS
212 MATHEMATICIANS, STATISTICIANS AND RELATED PROFESSIONALS
213 COMPUTING PROFESSIONALS
214 ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS AND RELATED PROFESSIONALS
22 LIFE SCIENCE AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
221 LIFE SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS
222 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS (except nursing)
223 NURSING AND MIDWIFERY PROFESSIONALS
23 TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
231 COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY AND HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
232 SECONDARY EDUCATION TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
233 PRIMARY AND PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
234 SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
235 OTHER TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
24 OTHER PROFESSIONALS
241 BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS
242 LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
243 ARCHIVISTS, LIBRARIANS AND RELATED INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS
244 SOCIAL SCIENCE AND RELATED PROFESSIONALS
245 WRITERS AND CREATIVE OR PERFORMING ARTISTS
246 RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS

MAJOR GROUP 3
TECHNICIANS AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS

31 PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCE ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
311 PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCE TECHNICIANS
312 COMPUTER ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
313 OPTICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT OPERATORS
314 SHIP AND AIRCRAFT CONTROLLERS AND TECHNICIANS
315 SAFETY AND QUALITY INSPECTORS
32 LIFE SCIENCE AND HEALTH ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
321 LIFE SCIENCE TECHNICIANS AND RELATED ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
322 MODERN HEALTH ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS (except nursing)
323 NURSING AND MIDWIFERY ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
324 TRADITIONAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS AND FAITH HEALERS
33 TEACHING ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
331 PRIMARY EDUCATION TEACHING ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
332 PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION TEACHING ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
333 SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHING ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
334 OTHER TEACHING ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
34 OTHER ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
341 FINANCE AND SALES ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
342 BUSINESS SERVICES AGENTS AND TRADE BROKERS
343 ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
344 CUSTOMS, TAX AND RELATED GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
345 POLICE INSPECTORS AND DETECTIVES
346 SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
347 ARTISTIC, ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS
348 RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS

MAJOR GROUP 4
CLERKS

41 OFFICE CLERKS
411 SECRETARIES AND KEYBOARD-OPERATING CLERKS
412 NUMERICAL CLERKS
413 MATERIAL-RECORDING AND TRANSPORT CLERKS
414 LIBRARY, MAIL AND RELATED CLERKS
419 OTHER OFFICE CLERKS
42 CUSTOMER SERVICES CLERKS
421 CASHIERS, TELLERS AND RELATED CLERKS
422 CLIENT INFORMATION CLERKS

MAJOR GROUP 5
SERVICE WORKERS AND SHOP AND MARKET SALES WORKERS

51 PERSONAL AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES WORKERS
511 TRAVEL ATTENDANTS AND RELATED WORKERS
512 HOUSEKEEPING AND RESTAURANT SERVICES WORKERS
513 PERSONAL CARE AND RELATED WORKERS
514 OTHER PERSONAL SERVICES WORKERS
515 ASTROLOGERS, FORTUNE-TELLERS AND RELATED WORKERS
516 PROTECTIVE SERVICES WORKERS
52 MODELS, SALESPERSONS AND DEMONSTRATORS
521 FASHION AND OTHER MODELS
522 SHOP SALESPERSONS AND DEMONSTRATORS
523 STALL AND MARKET SALESPERSONS

MAJOR GROUP 6
SKILLED AGRICULTURAL AND FISHERY WORKERS

61 MARKET-ORIENTED SKILLED AGRICULTURAL AND FISHERY WORKERS
611 MARKET GARDENERS AND CROP GROWERS
612 MARKET-ORIENTED ANIMAL PRODUCERS AND RELATED WORKERS
613 MARKET-ORIENTED CROP AND ANIMAL PRODUCERS
614 FORESTRY AND RELATED WORKERS
615 FISHERY WORKERS, HUNTERS AND TRAPPERS
62 SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURAL AND FISHERY WORKERS
621 SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURAL AND FISHERY WORKERS

MAJOR GROUP 7
CRAFT AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS

71 EXTRACTION AND BUILDING TRADES WORKERS
711 MINERS, SHOTFIRERS, STONE CUTTERS AND CARVERS
712 BUILDING FRAME AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
713 BUILDING FINISHERS AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
714 PAINTERS, BUILDING STRUCTURE CLEANERS AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
72 METAL, MACHINERY AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
721 METAL MOULDERS, WELDERS, SHEET-METAL WORKERS, STRUCTURAL- METAL PREPARERS, AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
722 BLACKSMITHS, TOOL-MAKERS AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
723 MACHINERY MECHANICS AND FITTERS
724 ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT MECHANICS AND FITTERS
73 PRECISION, HANDICRAFT, PRINTING AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
731 PRECISION WORKERS IN METAL AND RELATED MATERIALS
732 POTTERS, GLASS-MAKERS AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
733 HANDICRAFT WORKERS IN WOOD,TEXTILE, LEATHER AND RELATED MATERIALS
734 PRINTING AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
74 OTHER CRAFT AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
741 FOOD PROCESSING AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
742 WOOD TREATERS, CABINET-MAKERS AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
743 TEXTILE, GARMENT AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
744 PELT, LEATHER AND SHOEMAKING TRADES WORKERS

MAJOR GROUP 8
PLANT AND MACHINE OPERATORS AND ASSEMBLERS

81 STATIONARY-PLANT AND RELATED OPERATORS
811 MINING- AND MINERAL-PROCESSING-PLANT OPERATORS
812 METAL-PROCESSING-PLANT OPERATORS
813 GLASS, CERAMICS AND RELATED PLANT OPERATORS
814 WOOD-PROCESSING- AND PAPERMAKING-PLANT OPERATORS
815 CHEMICAL-PROCESSING-PLANT OPERATORS
816 POWER-PRODUCTION AND RELATED PLANT OPERATORS
817 AUTOMATED-ASSEMBLY-LINE AND INDUSTRIAL-ROBOT OPERATORS
82 MACHINE OPERATORS AND ASSEMBLERS
821 METAL- AND MINERAL-PRODUCTS MACHINE OPERATORS
822 CHEMICAL-PRODUCTS MACHINE OPERATORS
823 RUBBER- AND PLASTIC-PRODUCTS MACHINE OPERATORS
824 WOOD-PRODUCTS MACHINE OPERATORS
825 PRINTING-, BINDING- AND PAPER-PRODUCTS MACHINE OPERATORS
826 TEXTILE-, FUR- AND LEATHER-PRODUCTS MACHINE OPERATORS
827 FOOD AND RELATED PRODUCTS MACHINE OPERATORS
828 ASSEMBLERS
829 OTHER MACHINE OPERATORS AND ASSEMBLERS
83 DRIVERS AND MOBILE-PLANT OPERATORS
831 LOCOMOTIVE-ENGINE DRIVERS AND RELATED WORKERS
832 MOTOR-VEHICLE DRIVERS
833 AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER MOBILE-PLANT OPERATORS
834 SHIPS' DECK CREWS AND RELATED WORKERS

MAJOR GROUP 9
ELEMENTARY OCCUPATIONS

91 SALES AND SERVICES ELEMENTARY OCCUPATIONS
911 STREET VENDORS AND RELATED WORKERS
912 SHOE CLEANING AND OTHER STREET SERVICES ELEMENTARY OCCUPATIONS
913 DOMESTIC AND RELATED HELPERS, CLEANERS AND LAUNDERERS
914 BUILDING CARETAKERS, WINDOW AND RELATED CLEANERS
915 MESSENGERS, PORTERS, DOORKEEPERS AND RELATED WORKERS
916 GARBAGE COLLECTORS AND RELATED LABOURERS
92 AGRICULTURAL, FISHERY AND RELATED LABOURERS
921 AGRICULTURAL, FISHERY AND RELATED LABOURERS
93 LABOURERS IN MINING, CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURING AND TRANSPORT
931 MINING AND CONSTRUCTION LABOURERS
932 MANUFACTURING LABOURERS
933 TRANSPORT LABOURERS AND FREIGHT HANDLERS

MAJOR GROUP 0
ARMED FORCES

Find here the "C-level"( titles begin with the term "chief.") Table:
chief accounting officer - CAO
chief acquisition officer - CAO
chief audit executive - CAE
chief automation officer – CAO
chief analytics officer - CAO
chief benefits officer - CBO
chief business officer/business development officer – CBO/BDO
chief channel officer - CCO
chief compliance officer - CCO
chief credit officer -CCO
chief data officer - CDO
chief design officer - CDO
chief diversity officer - CDO
chief engineering officer - CEO
chief experience officer - CXO
chief governance officer - CGO
chief information security officer - CISO
chief innovation officer - CIO
chief intellectual property officer - CIPO
chief investment officer - CIO
chief knowledge officer -CKO
chief learning officer - CLO
chief legal officer - CLO
chief marketing officer - CMO
chief networking officer - CNO
chief people officer - CPO
chief privacy officer - CPO
chief process officer - CPO
chief product officer - CPO
chief quality officer - CQO
chief research officer - CRO
chief revenue officer - CRO
chief risk officer - CRO
chief sales officer - CRO
chief science officer - CSO
chief security officer - CSO
chief strategy officer - CSO
chief sustainability officer - CSO
chief visionary officer - CVO

Marco Polo’s Bestiary

2008-01-27T22:29:00.002-02:00

“Partendosi dalla Giava e dal regno di Lambri, poi che s'ha navigato da circa centocinquanta miglia verso tramontana, si truovano due isole, una delle quali si chiama Nocueran e l'altra Angaman. E in questa di Nocueran non è re, e quelle genti sono come bestie, e tutti, cosí maschi come femine, vanno nudi e non cuoprono parte alcuna della loro persona.”...” Angaman è un'isola grandissima, che non ha re, le cui genti adoran gl'idoli, e sono come bestie salvatiche, conciosiacosachè mi fosse detto ch'hanno il capo simile a quello de' cani, e gli occhi e denti. Sono genti crudeli, e tutti quegli uomini che possono prendere gli ammazzano e mangiano.”

“Upon living Java (minor) and the kingdom of Lambri, and sailing about one hundred and fifty miles, you fall in with two islands, one of which is named Nocueran, and the other Angaman. Nocueran is not under the government of a king, and the people are little removed from the conditions of beasts; all of them, both males and females, going naked, withot a covering to any part of the body.”…”Angaman is a very large island, not governed by king. The inhabitants are idolaters, and are most brutish and savage race, having heads, eyes, and teeth resembling those of the canine species. Their dispositions are cruel, and every person, not being of their own nation, whom they can lay their hands upon, they will kill and eat.”

Rustichello da Pisa was an Italian romance writer best known for co-writing Marco Polo's autobiography while they were in prison together in Genoa around 1298 after a clash between Genoa and Venice.

Marco dictated his tales of travel to Rustichello, and together they turned it into the book known as Il Milione or, in English, The Travels of Marco Polo - Description of the World.

Needless to say that I’m really impressed with the book, but what I like most about Description of the World is the fantastic description of what could be considered surreal stories.

It was very difficult at that time to separate scientific reports from bestiaries or Bestiarum vocabulum, a compendium of beasts. Bestiaries were made popular in the middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals, birds, etc. Their fantastic and magnificent writings and illustrations were quite highly prized amongst general public and were regarded as great appreciation of fine literature and poetry, and gain acceptance as a wonderful source of fantasy in reader’s minds.

In the late 18th century the English sailor Andrew Battell held prisoner by the Portuguese in Angola, had described two anthropoid "monsters" named Pongo and Engeco. His description was considered to be another bestiary tail but it is pretty obvious that he was referring to orangutans.

Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian explorer c. 450 BC had described "a savage people, the greater part of whom were women, whose body were hairy, and whom our interpreters called Gorillae". It sounds very much like a Rustichello’s report.

In the Early 20th century Carl Akeley of the American Museum of Natural History traveled to Africa accompanied by his friends Mary Bradley, a famous mystery writer, and her husband. When they come back Mary Bradley wrote “On the Gorilla Trail” this one was no longer a bestiary, it was a magnificent scientific report.

A research study has been deemed scientific when it pursues the application of scientific criteria in both its formulation and implementation.

Marco Polo described on his journeys through the Gobi desert the sound to evil desert spirits. The noise can be very loud, audible for over a kilometer. It was a bestiary report but today we know that in a Chinese desert, guides point to what Polo apparently saw–the Mingsha Dune–and explain that when the wind blows, the dune whistles because solid granite is just below the shifting sand.

Tough much of what of Rustichello de Pise wrote is impossible to be held as a true fact, I really wish that all relates would not be a lie. In that sense I’ve created some possible images of what Marco and Rusticello described as if a fictional explorer from late 19’s encountered such creatures and photographed them.

So rejoice yourself with this scientific beautiful report!!!
Those Blemyas (The Blemmyes - Latin Blemmyae) were really gentile when our tem photographed them. They are a race of creatures that live in Africa, in Nubia, Kush, and Ethiopia, generally on the south of Egypt. They are acephalous (headless) people who had eyes and mouths in their bellies and could die if not smell a special local fruit in daily basis.
The Sciapodes (σκιαποδες - 'shadow foots' in Greek) or monocoli (μονοκωλοι - 'one legged' in Greek) live in India and have only one leg, but are able to leap with surprising agility.
In this photo you could see one Sciapode protecting himself from the sun by the shade of his own feet.
A Roc or Rukh (from the Arabic and Persian رخ rokh, asserted by Louis Charles Casartelli to be an abbreviated form of Persian simurgh) is an enormous bird of prey, often white, reputed to have been able to carry off and eat elephants.

Marco Polo as quoted inAttenborough (1961: 32) stated "It was for all the world like an eagle, but one indeed of enormous size; so big in fact that its quills were twelve paces long and thick in proportion. And it is so strong that it will seize an elephant in its talons and carry him high into the air and drop him so that he is smashed to pieces; having so killed him, the bird swoops down on him and eats him at leisure".

The Panotti (panacios, panotti, panotos, panotios - from the Greek words for "all ears") were a race of creatures, described as possessing large ears that covered their entire bodies.

They are mentioned by classical writers such as Pliny the Elder, who writes that they live in the "All-Ears Islands" off Scythia (Greek Σκυθία Skythia, Engl. /'sɪθɪə/ or /'sɪðɪə/) was the area in Eurasia inhabited by people of Iranian language. Pomponius Mela, however, writes that they lived near the Orkneys.

Postal Address formats II

2008-01-24T15:26:00.000-02:00

Do you want to make sure that your correspondence will arrive at its destination without unnecessary delays, here is some postal address formats, business culture and etiquette for some countries. This will help you direct your international correspondence properly and ensure that your partner will receive the package/letter.

Angola

Exmo.[1] Senhor[2]
Luis[3] Pagano[4]
Internacional Blemya S.A.[5]
Av. [6] 4 de Fevereiro [7] n. 39[8] - 4.°[9] B[10]
Caixa Postal n.º-802[11]
Luanda[12]
República de Angola[13]

[1] Exmo. - treatment pronoun – Excelentíssimo ("Your Excellency", or, less formally, simply "Excellency".)
Vossa Excelência ( V. Ex.ª ).normally used for:
President
Vice President
State Minister
Senator
Judges
Ambassadors
[2]Senhor means "Mr."; not usually abbreviated.
[3]First given name.
[4]Family names; probably addressed as Mr. Pagano. (In domestic usage these two lines are more likely to be written as a single "attention" line under the following line.)
[5]S.A. = Sociedade Anônima, meaning an stock corporation,
Ltda. – Limitada meaning a Limited Company
[6] Av. – Avenida – Avenue
R. Rua is the most common word for "street."
[7]Street name.
[8]Building number.
[9]Fourth floor.
[10]Office B.
[11]Caixa Postal means Four-digit postcode P.O. Box.
[12] City name.Luanda – Capital
18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia);
Bengo,
Benguela,
Bie,
Cabinda,
Cuando Cubango,
Cuanza Norte,
Cuanza Sul,
Cunene,
Huambo,
Huila,
Luanda,
Lunda Norte,
Lunda Sul,
Malanje,
Moxico,
Namibe,
Uige,
Zaire
[14] Country name.

Armenia

Mr.[1] Pavel Safarian
Blemya Capital LLC[2]
9[3] Tpagrichneri [4]St.[5]
Yerevan[6] 375010[7]

[2 ]Limited liability company - similar to a corporation and a limited liability partnership.
Limited - Equivalent to PLC Public Limited Company in the UK
OJSC Open Joint–Stock Company
CJLC Closed Joint–Stock Company
Inc. "Corporation", "Incorporated" and the abbreviations "Corp." and "Inc."
[3] Building number.
[4] Street name
[5] St. – Street
[6] City name – Yerevan – Capital
11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz);
Aragatsotn,
Ararat,
Armavir,
Geghark'unik',
Kotayk',
Lorri,
Shirak,
Syunik',
Tavush,
Vayots' Dzor,
Yerevan
[7] Six-digit postcode.

Austria

Herrn[1]
Dipl.-Ing.[2] Andreas[3] Stuck[4]
Blemya International Stern[5] GmbH[6]
Glockengasse[7] 159[8]
1010[9] WIEN[10]

[1]Herr means "Mr.," Herrn means "to Mr."; usually on a line by itself.
[2]Dipl.-Ing. is an engineering degree.
[3]Given name.
[4]Family name.
[5]Company name.
[6]GmbH. - Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung Translated "company with limited liability". Similar to Limited Liability Company (LLC). In Germany, min. capital in Austria €35,000
[7]Street name; many names in older areas end in -gasse, meaning "street." Or “Alley” – Strasse, street – Platz, square.
[8]Building number.
[9]four digit Postcode.
[10]City or delivery-post-office name, not usually capitalized in domestic usage. Wien is Vienna.
9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland);
Burgenland,
Kaernten (Carinthia),
Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria),
Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria),
Salzburg,
Steiermark (Styria),
Tirol (Tyrol),
Vorarlberg,
Wien (Vienna)

Azerbaijan

Attn:[1] Grigory[2] Polova [3]
7 [4] Behbudov [5]St.[6]
Baku,[7] Az-1014[8],
Azerbaijan[9]

[1]Attn - ATTN is an acronym for the attention of
[2] Given name.
[3]Family name.
[4]Building number
[5]Name of the street
[6] street - st.
Поспект – avenue
Улица –street
[7] Baku – city name – Capital
59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)
rayons: Abseron Rayonu,
Agcabadi Rayonu,
Agdam Rayonu,
Agdas Rayonu,
Agstafa Rayonu,
Agsu Rayonu,
Astara Rayonu,
Balakan Rayonu,
Barda Rayonu,
Beylaqan Rayonu,
Bilasuvar Rayonu,
Cabrayil Rayonu,
Calilabad Rayonu,
Daskasan Rayonu,
Davaci Rayonu,
Fuzuli Rayonu,
Gadabay Rayonu,
Goranboy Rayonu,
Goycay Rayonu,
Haciqabul Rayonu,
Imisli Rayonu,
Ismayilli Rayonu,
Kalbacar Rayonu,
Kurdamir Rayonu,
Lacin Rayonu,
Lankaran Rayonu,
Lerik Rayonu,
Masalli Rayonu,
Neftcala Rayonu,
Oguz Rayonu,
Qabala Rayonu,
Qax Rayonu,
Qazax Rayonu,
Qobustan Rayonu,
Quba Rayonu,
Qubadli Rayonu,
Qusar Rayonu,
Saatli Rayonu,
Sabirabad Rayonu,
Saki Rayonu,
Salyan Rayonu,
Samaxi Rayonu,
Samkir Rayonu,
Samux Rayonu,
Siyazan Rayonu,
Susa Rayonu,
Tartar Rayonu,
Tovuz Rayonu,
Ucar Rayonu,
Xacmaz Rayonu,
Xanlar Rayonu,
Xizi Rayonu,
Xocali Rayonu,
Xocavand Rayonu,
Yardimli Rayonu,
Yevlax Rayonu,
Zangilan Rayonu,
Zaqatala Rayonu,
Zardab Rayonu

cities:
Ali Bayramli
Sahari,
Baki Sahari,
Ganca Sahari,
Lankaran Sahari,
Mingacevir Sahari,
Naftalan Sahari,
Saki Sahari,
Sumqayit Sahari,
Susa Sahari,
Xankandi Sahari,
Yevlax Sahari

The Indian caste system

2008-01-21T22:25:00.001-02:00

The Indian caste system is related to social stratification and social restrictions in India, in which social classes are defined by hereditary groups often termed as jātis or castes. Within a jāti there exist exogamous groups known as gotras, the lineage or clan of a person, although in a handful of sub-castes like Shakadvipi endogamy within a gotra is permitted and alternative mechanisms of restricting endogamy are used.

Although generally identified with Hinduism, the caste system was also observed among followers of other religions in the Indian subcontinent, including some groups of Muslims and Christians. The Indian Constitution has outlawed caste-based discrimination, in keeping with the socialist, secular, democratic principles that founded the nation. Caste barriers have mostly broken down in large cities, though persist in rural areas of the country. The caste system, in various forms, does continue to play a major role in the Indian society and politics.

According to the ancient Hindu scriptures, there are five "varnas”:
The Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests);
The Kshatriyas (kings and warriors);
The Vaishyas (traders);
The Sudras (agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups). Offspring of different varnas belong to different Jātis;The Dalits, another group excluded from the main society was called Parjanya or Antyaja. This group of former "untouchables" (now called Dalits) was considered either the lower section of Shudras or outside the caste system altogether.

World´s cultural diversity

2008-01-21T17:13:00.000-02:00

In 1908 Israel Zangwill first staged his play which depicts the life of a Russian-Jewish immigrant family, the Quixanos. David Quixano has survived a pogrom (form of riot directed against a particular group), which killed his mother and sister, and he wishes to forget this horrible event. He composes an "American Symphony" and wants to look forward to a society free of ethnic divisions and hatred, rather than backward at his traumatic past. The name of the play is Melting Pot. It did great when opened, and was even praised by President Theodore Roosevelt.

The idea of "melting" as a metaphor for ethnic assimilation had been used before but Zangwill was the first to use the term "melting pot" as a symbol for this occurrence in American society.

The melting pot refers to the way in which homogeneous societies interacts, in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures, races and religions) are combined so as to develop a multi-ethnic society.

The diversity of human culture is infinite; Ethnologue, a web encyclopedia that plans to catalogue all worlds’ living languages has already data of 6,912 different languages. Cultures and races fall into a comparable number.

Cultural diversity undoubtedly is what makes our society successful! It is what brought Europe into the Renaissance. It brings new ideas and ways of blending thoughts and ideas into something greater than the original. Great art, literature and science all came when cultures melted in the Pot.

Since humans emerged in Africa about two million years ago we have spread throughout the world, adapting to widely differing conditions and to periodic cataclysmic changes in local and global climate. The many separate societies that emerged around the globe differed markedly from each other, and many of these differences persist to this day.

In that sense UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, adopted by 185 Member States in 2001, represents the first international standard-setting instrument aimed at preserving and promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.

The Declaration puts in the first article that “Cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature” and goes on to assure policies for the inclusion and participation of all citizens and guarantees social cohesion, in order to increase the vitality of world society and world peace.We are not only members of the human species. We also belong to states, nations or ethnic groups. Ethnic identity and the feeling of belonging to a particular group of people should be maintained and valued in a peaceful and harmonious fashion.

Marco Polo & Blemyas

2008-01-19T18:27:00.001-02:00

“Signori imperadori, re e duci e tutte altre genti che volete sa-pere le diverse generazioni delle genti e le diversità delle regionidel mondo, leggete questo libro dove le troverrete tutte le gran-dissime maraviglie e gran diversitadi delle genti d'Erminia, diPersia e di Tarteria, d'India e di molte altre province। E questovi conterà il libro ordinatamente siccome messere Marco Polo,savio e nobile cittadino di Vinegia, le conta in questo libro e eglimedesimo le vide. Ma ancora v'à di quelle cose le quali elli nonvide, ma udille da persone degne di fede, e però le cose vedutedirà di veduta e l'altre per udita, acciò che 'l nostro libro sia ve-ritieri e sanza niuna menzogna.”

“Emperors and kings, dukes and marquises, counts, knights, and townsfolk, and all people who wish to know the various races of men and the peculiarities of the various regions of the world, take this book and have it read to you. Here you will find all the great wonders and curiosities of Greater Armenia and Persia, of the Tartars and of India, and of many other territories. Our book will relate them to you plainly in due order, as they were related by Messer Marco Polo, a wise and noble citizen of Venice, who has seen them with his own eyes. There is also much here that he has not seen but has heard from men of credit and veracity. We will set down things seen as seen, things heard as heard, so that our book may be an accurate record, free from any sort of fabrication.”

Marco Polo, Description of the World - Descrizione del mondo.

Marco Polo was born in Venetian Republic in September 15, 1254 died in his home on January 9, 1324, was a Venetian trader and explorer who gained fame for his worldwide travels, recorded in the book Il Milione ("The Million" or The Travels of Marco Polo).

Polo, together with his father Niccolo and his uncle Maffeo, was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China and visit the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan. At Khan’s service Marco went to Tartaria, China and Indochina. On their return to Venice, Marco spent the few months commanding a ship in a war against Genoa, ending up as prisoner. During the imprisonment he dictated to a fellow prisoner, Rustichello da Pisa, a detailed account of his travels in the then-unknown parts of China, further translated to Latin by Franciscan friar Francesco Pipino. Printed in 1485 in many other idioms.

His travel histories have inhabited the reader's mind all over the world and the richness of details and emotion of the wonderful and even fantastic narrative have always caused commotion.

Marco Polo's travels may have been the starting point of the integration consumer market among different cultures of the world.

But what really fascinate me in his narratives are the different legendary creatures founded, such as from Tanguibar Islands, where giant people use to live side by side with cynocephalus. The enormous serpent from Caragian region, the Sciapodes - Men with a single, large foot extending from one thick leg centered in the middle of their body and Salamander “Salamander is neither beastes nor Serpent, and from thence they doe gather that whiche is called Salamandra, which is a threede they doe make cloth of” and finally – Blemyas.

Blemyas are the perfect synthesis of the bizarre, something that causes extreme fear and at the same time curiosity, strangeness, fascination and wander of traveling.
On the process for deciding the name of this blog and choosing the name of the main character, I wanted to show that business travel won’t have to be mechanical, cold and non-interesting, that we should not regard our attitude towards globalized world as a strange afternoon watching CNN reports on terrorist attacks and death.
It is more like Body Shop’s Anita Roddick ecological militancy, or Richard Branson’s radical leadership and passion for his company or even a Brazilian dressmaker that exports using easy mail export “Exporta Fácil” .

As well as an interconnected meteorological system, where butterfly's wings air movements in Japan might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that ultimately cause a storm in Europe, the attitude of leaving home to a nearby newsstand in order to buy a newspaper might create big changes in Times Warner shares.

Be part of it; try to narrate your travel experiences and even the Blemyas that may cross your ways.

New Year Celebrations Around the World - 2008

2008-01-08T23:04:00.001-02:00

AFRIKAANS gelukkige nuwejaar 2008
ALBANIAN Gëzuar vitin e ri 2008
ALSATIAN e glëckliches nëies / güets nëies johr 2008
ARABIC عام سعيد (aam saiid) / sana saiida 2008
ARMENIAN shnorhavor nor tari 2008
AZERI yeni iliniz mubarek 2008
BAMBARA bonne année 2008
BASQUE urte berri on 2008
BELARUSIAN З новым годам (Z novym hodam) 2008
BENGALI subho nababarsho 2008
BERBER asgwas amegas 2008
BETI mbembe mbu 2008
BOBO bonne année 2008
BOSNIAN sretna nova godina 2008
BRETON bloavezh mat / bloavez mad 2008
BULGARIAN честита нова година (chestita nova godina) 2008
BURMESE hnit thit ku mingalar pa 2008
CANTONESE sun lin fi lok / kung hé fat tsoi 2008
CATALAN bon any nou 2008
CHINESE xin nian kuai le / xin nian hao 2008
CORSICAN pace e salute 2008
CROATIAN sretna nova godina2008
CZECH šťastný nový rok 2008
DANISH godt nytår 2008
DARI sale naw tabrik 2008
DUTCH gelukkig Nieuwjaar 2008
ESPERANTO felicxan novan jaron 2008
feliæan novan jaron (Times SudEuro font) 2008
ESTONIAN head uut aastat 2008
FAROESE gott nýggjár 2008
FINNISH onnellista uutta vuotta 2008
FLEMISH gelukkig Nieuwjaar 2008
FRENCH bonne année 2008
FRISIAN lokkich neijier 2008
FRIULAN bon an 2008
GALICIAN feliz aninovo 2008
GEORGIAN გილოცავთ ახალ წელს (gilocavt akhal tsels) 2008
GERMAN ein gutes neues Jahr / prost Neujahr 2008
GREEK kali chronia / kali xronia 2008
eutichismenos o kainourgios chronos (we wish you a happy new year) 2008
GUJARATI sal mubarak / nootan varshabhinandan 2008
GUARANÍ rogüerohory año nuévo-re 2008
HAITIAN CREOLE bònn ané 2008
HAWAIIAN hauoli makahiki hou 2008
HEBREW shana tova 2008
HINDI nav varsh ki subhkamna 2008
HMONG nyob zoo xyoo tshiab 2008
HUNGARIAN boldog új évet 2008
ICELANDIC farsælt komandi ár 2008
INDONESIAN selamat tahun baru 2008
IRISH GAELIC ath bhliain faoi mhaise 2008
ITALIAN felice anno nuovo, buon anno 2008
JAVANESE sugeng warsa enggal 2008
JAPANESE akemashite omedetô 2008
KABYLIAN asseguèsse-ameguèsse 2008
KANNADA hosa varshada shubhaashayagalu 2008
KAZAKH zhana zhiliniz kutti bolsin 2008
KHMER sur sdei chhnam thmei 2008
KIRUNDI umwaka mwiza 2008
KOREAN seh heh bok mani bat uh seyo 2008
KURDE sala we ya nû pîroz be 2008
LAO sabai di pi mai 2008
LATIN felix sit annus novus 2008
LATVIAN laimīgu Jauno gadu 2008
LIGURIAN feliçe annu nœvu / feliçe anno nêuvo 2008
LINGALA bonana / mbula ya sika elamu na tonbeli yo 2008
LITHUANIAN laimingų Naujųjų Metų 2008
LOW SAXON gelükkig nyjaar 2008
LUXEMBOURGEOIS e gudd neit Joër 2008
MACEDONIAN Среќна Нова Година (srekna nova godina) 2008
MALAGASY arahaba tratry ny taona2008
MALAY selamat tahun baru 2008
MALTESE is-sena t-tajba 2008
MAORI kia hari te tau hou 2008
MARATHI navin varshaachya hardik shubbheccha 2008
MONGOLIAN shine jiliin bayariin mend hurgeye (Шинэ жилийн баярын мэнд хvргэе) 2008
MORÉ wênd na kô-d yuum-songo 2008
NDEBELE umyaka omucha omuhle 2008
NORWEGIAN godt nyttår 2008
OCCITAN bon annada 2008
PASHTO nawe kaalmo mobarak sha 2008
PERSIAN sâle no mobârak 2008
POLISH szczęśliwego nowego roku 2008
PORTUGUESE feliz ano novo 2008
ROMANCHE bun di bun onn 2008
ROMANI baxtalo nevo bersh 2008
ROMANIAN un an nou fericit / la mulţi ani 2008
RUSSIAN С Новым Годом (S novim godom) 2008
SAMOAN ia manuia le tausaga fou 2008
SANGO nzoni fini ngou 2008
SARDINIAN bonu annu nou 2008
SCOTTISH GAELIC bliadhna mhath ur 2008
SERBIAN srećna nova godina 2008
SHIMAORE mwaha mwema 2008
SHONA goredzwa rakanaka 2008
SINDHI nain saal joon wadhayoon 2008
SINHALA suba aluth avuruddak vewa 2008
SLOVAK stastlivy novy rok 2008
SLOVENIAN srečno novo leto 2008
SOBOTA dobir leto 2008
SPANISH feliz año nuevo 2008
SRANAN wan bun nyun yari 2008
SWAHILI mwaka mzuri / heri ya mwaka mpya 2008
SWEDISH gott nytt år 2008
SWISS-GERMAN es guets Nöis 2008
TAGALOG manigong bagong taon 2008
TAHITIAN ia orana i te matahiti api 2008
TAMIL iniya puthandu nalVazhthukkal 2008
TATAR yaña yıl belän 2008
TELUGU nuthana samvathsara subhakankshalu 2008
THAI สวัสดีปีใหม่ (sawatdii pimaï) 2008
TIBETAN tashi délek 2008
TURKISH yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun 2008
UDMURT Vyľ Aren 2008
UKRAINIAN Z novym rokom 2008
URDU naya saal mubarik 2008
UZBEK yangi yilingiz qutlug' bo'lsin 2008
VIETNAMESE Chúc Mừng Nǎm Mới / Cung Chúc Tân Niên / Cung Chúc Tân Xuân 2008
WALOON ("betchfessîs" spelling) bone annéye / bone annéye èt bone santéye 2008
WELSH blwyddyn newydd dda 2008
WEST INDIAN CREOLE bon lanné 2008
WOLOF dewenati 2008
YIDDISH a gut yohr2008