Saturday, November 29, 2014

Miracle Of Life


Published on Oct 2, 2014
We often hear by our parents that each one of us is a miracle, but honestly, we truly are. The chain reaction of events that take place leading to pregnancy and birth is nothing short of mind-blowing. This absolutely stunning animation created by Silvio Falcinelli (RenderingCG) and music by Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard. 

Friday, November 28, 2014

Ultimate Mixtures

The Egyptian Legacy of the Ultimate Mixtures..

A romantic spot in Cairo;
Agha Khan's AlAzhar Park, next to mosque and shrine of Sayyedah Fatima, daughter of Sayyed Husain bin Ali, PBUT..

Ferro: A Brazilian Tango..

Forró de Domingo Festival
The festival of the most practiced couple dance in Brazil

Friday, November 14, 2014

How Powerful Is Your Passport?

With restrictions at most ports, I was very hopeful to get another..
     
This map shows you which countries have the most powerful & least powerful passports in terms of gaining visa-free access to other countries. The United Kingdom, Sweden and Finland top the list with 173 countries granting them visa-free (or visa on arrival) access. The US comes in second along with Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark with 172.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

The Psychology of Colors in Marketing


Article cover image
Thinking about your brand and your logo? You should be thinking about colors. It's a conversation / debate I recently had with a client and a colleague in regards to our client's website design.
There are a lot of doubters in the world of marketing about the roles that colors play in buying decisions.
So let's dive right into the analysis with a question - one that's specifically geared towards the doubters.

What color is associated with Republicans? Democrats? Starbucks? Vimeo?
If you knew the answers to at least one of them immediately, then keep reading.
If not, then you need to spend a little more time in public.

Here's why there's such swirling controversy surrounding color marketing. Some of it is entirely subjective. For two reasons. 1) If, from the moment you are born, you're taught that the sky is green and grass is blue, then that is your reality. Perception = reality. 2) If, when you were growing up, you picked a favorite color and have stuck with that color, then chances are that color will hold confidence and security to you - regardless of what the color is. Simply put, your upbringing and experiences impact the emotions you associate with different colors.
So let's get a little more into the objective scenarios.


Friday, November 7, 2014

Princeton Study: U.S. No Longer An Actual Democracy

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A new study from Princeton spells bad news for American democracy—namely, that it no longer exists.

Asking "[w]ho really rules?" researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page argue that over the past few decades America's political system has slowly transformed from a democracy into an oligarchy, where wealthy elites wield most power.

Using data drawn from over 1,800 different policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002, the two conclude that rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of or even against the will of the majority of voters.
TPM Interview: Scholar Behind Viral 'Oligarchy' Study Tells You What It Means
"The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy," they write, "while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence."

How Guy Fawkes became the face of post-modern protest


ON NOVEMBER 5TH Britons up and down the country will light bonfires and set off fireworks to mark the execution of Guy Fawkes, a 17th-century Roman Catholic terrorist. More recently activists have appropriated the day as one of mass protest. Anonymous, an online "hacktivist" group, is encouraging people to march against their governments. The London faction of the "million mask march" will gather outside the Houses of Parliament, many of them wearing masks of a grinning Guy Fawkes. How did he become the face of post-modern protest?

In 1605 Fawkes was part of a Roman Catholic group that plotted to blow up the House of Lords during the state opening of parliament. The "Gunpowder plot" was intended to kill King James I, a Protestant, and install his nine-year-old daughter on the throne to rule as a Roman Catholic monarch. But an anonymous letter describing the plans was sent to the King. Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the House with 36 barrels of gunpowder nearby. He was tortured and the conspirators were convicted of high treason in January 1606. The government was particularly heavy-handed in its treatment of the group in order to try to deter future terrorist attempts. The tradition of lighting bonfires and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes began shortly after the foiled plot, and schoolchildren still learn the ghoulish rhyme "Remember, remember the fifth of November".

Second Languages Spoken by Countries Around the World

Do you know what your country or region’s second language is? And if so, do you know how to speak it? The website MoveHub.com is a resource for people who want to move abroad, and they recently released this fascinating infographic that shows the popular second tongue of every region around the world.
Some places, like Canada’s knowledge of the French language, are fairly predictable. Others might surprise you, and this graphic gives an overall idea of the world’s history from the past hundreds of years and whose influence traveled where. We also learn that English is the most popular second language to know, followed by French, Russian, and then Spanish.