08Jul/22

OPINION: Europe classifying gas and nuclear power as green is greenwashing

July 8, 2022Environmentche

Esther Bollendorff and Olivier Vardakoulias are policy experts with Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe.

Earlier this week, the European Parliament adopted the Delegated Act on Taxonomy classifying fossil gas and nuclear as “green” activities for private investors.

This highly controversial act developed by the European Commission, pushed by French President Emmanuel Macron, and supported in early stages by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz illustrates how politics can overrule science.
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08Jul/22

OPINION: Food crisis promises a global wave of unrest

July 8, 2022Economy2007–08 world food price crisis, Andrew Firmin, Articles, Business economics, Chile, CIVICUS, Contemporary history, Economy, Ecuador, Egypt, food, Food prices, Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing, Impact of the Arab Spring, Iran, Kazakhstan, Late modern period, Pricing, Protest, Quito, Russia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Ukraine, World food price crisische

Andrew Firmin is editor-in-chief at CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, and one of the lead authors of the 2022 State of Civil Society Report.

For the past couple of weeks, mass protests have brought the South American nation of Ecuador to a standstill.
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08Jul/22

How Star Wars’ Jedi were inspired by the Knights Templar

July 8, 2022FilmsAlec Guinness, Anakin Skywalker, Andrew Ramsey, Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Ewan McGregor, Fiction, Fictional characters, Fictional cyborgs, George Lucas, Hayden Christensen, Hugh de Payne, J.W. Rinzler, Jacque de Molay, Jedi, Judith Upton-, Lightsaber, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Palpatine, Patrick Masters, Phillip IV, Pope, Sith, Skywalker family, Star Wars prequel trilogy, Thorpe, University of Portsmouth, Yodache

Patrick Masters, University of Portsmouth

Star Wars is once again in the spotlight and pulling on nostalgic heartstrings in the new Disney+ limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, starring Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. The series follows members of the knightly order of Jedi as they are persecuted across the galaxy. What many might not know is the idea of the Jedi was heavily influenced by the real history of the Knights Templar.

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07Jul/22

Boris Johnson: a terminal case of hubris syndrome

July 7, 2022PoliticsAmerican people of German descent, Boris Johnson, British MPs, British people, Conservative Party, Creative Commons, David Owen, English people, Government of the United Kingdom, International Democrat Union, Labour Party, Margaret Thatcher, Matthew Flinders, Politics by country, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tom Bower, United Kingdom, university of sheffieldche

As Boris Johnson barricades himself in Number 10, apparently unwilling or unable to listen to the advice of close party colleagues who are calling on him to resign, how can we understand this bizarre melodrama?

As I watched Johnson’s appearance in front of the House of Commons Liaison Committee on the afternoon before his showdown with key members of his cabinet, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a deeper malady at play. It was as if an existential disconnect had settled across the comfortingly boring committee room.

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04Jul/22

Higgs boson: ten years after its discovery, why this particle could unlock new physics beyond the standard model

July 4, 2022ScienceBoson, Chicago, Creative Commons, Elementary particle, François Englert, Geneva, Higgs boson, Large Hadron Collider, Martin Bauer, Mass, Natural sciences, Particle physics, Peter Higgs, Physical sciences, Physics, Quantum field theory, SHUTTERSTOCK, Standard Model, Stephen Jones, Switzerlandche

Martin Bauer, Durham University and Stephen Jones, Durham University

Ten years ago, scientists announced the discovery of the Higgs boson, which helps explain why elementary particles (the smallest building blocks of nature) have mass. For particle physicists, this was the end of a decades-long and hugely difficult journey – and arguably the most important result in the history of the field. But this end also marked the beginning of a new era of experimental physics.

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04Jul/22

Formula for peak performance and staying power of family businesses revealed: Global report

July 4, 2022EconomyArticles, Attachment theory, Business, Business models, Economy, Entrepreneurship, Family business, KPMG, kpmg enterpriseche

Successful family businesses have common characteristics that drive their performance and continuity from one generation to the next, finds a new global report by KPMG Enterprise and the STEP Project Global Consortium. According to the report, three key characteristics help to sustain their success: a strong entrepreneurial orientation across the generations; family connection and attachment to the business; and ambitious next-generation leadership. Continue reading

04Jul/22

Oracle Becomes First Hyperscaler to Open a Cloud Region in Mexico

July 4, 2022InternetCloud applications, Cloud computing, Cloud infrastructure, Cloud storage, Computing, Database management systems, Digital technology, Dyn, HP Cloud, Mexico, Oracle, Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience, Oracle Cloud, Oracle Corporation, Oracle Database, Technologyche

Oracle today announced the opening of the first Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) region in Mexico, becoming the first major cloud provider to establish a dedicated cloud region in the country. The new region in the state of Querétaro will give Oracle’s Mexico-based customers, partners, and developers access to a wide range of cloud services with built-in security, disaster recovery, and industry-leading price-performance. Continue reading

04Jul/22

First Mode to combine with Anglo American’s nuGen™ to accelerate decarbonization across mining and heavy industry

July 4, 2022EnvironmentANGLO AMERICAN, Anglo American plc, Articles, Companies of the United Kingdom, Energy economics, Engie, First Mode, Natural environment, Nature, NuGeneration, Toshiba, Zero-energy buildingche

Building on their recent joint success introducing the world’s largest zero-emission haul truck, creative engineering company First Mode and Anglo American have agreed to combine First Mode and Anglo American’s nuGen™ Zero Emissions Haulage Solution (“ZEHS”) under the First Mode name to accelerate the further development and commercialization of nuGen™ ZEHS. Continue reading

04Jul/22

“UGLY FOR A REASON”: BIRKENSTOCK LAUNCHES ITS FIRST GLOBAL PAID CONTENT CAMPAIGN ON NYTIMES.COM

July 4, 2022FashionBIRKENSTOCK, Carl Birkenstock, Consumer goods, Footwear, Karl, Konrad Birkenstock, Sandals, Shoe, Shoemaking, Shoesche

“Ugly for a Reason” – with this provocative message, BIRKENSTOCK draws attention to its first global brand campaign – a three-part video documentary that shines a light on the human foot, raising the awareness of consumers all around the world on the importance of foot health and the role footwear plays to maintain it. The purpose-driven campaign is in the tradition of the lectures in which master shoemaker Konrad Birkenstock educated his peers in Germany and parts of Europe in the 1920s about diseases of the foot related to wrong footwear and the means to alleviate them – a tradition that was later to be continued by his son Carl Birkenstock and his grandson Karl. Continue reading

03Jul/22

Going digital help sustain MSMEs in NZ: Crazy Domains survey for International MSME Day 2022

July 3, 2022InnovationBirds, Digitization, Kiwi, Ratitesche

As the world hopefully awaits the end of the pandemic, Kiwi small businesses have found a lifeline in digitization to sustain their operations moving forward. This was revealed through a recent survey by Crazy Domains, the leading hosting and online solutions provider in New Zealand. Continue reading