Posted by Elena del Valle on September 20, 2013
Pemba talks to sherpas on the radio
Photos, video: Robbie Ryan, IFC Films
On August 1, 2008, eleven mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, said to be the second highest mountain in the world. Three others were seriously injured. It was the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering. Following that day, many wondered why the athletes risked serious injury or death to reach a place inhospitable to humans. Questions about the events and decisions that led to the accident lingered. Unsung heroes were brought to light by some of the survivors.
The Summit, a 99-minute film, rated R and produced in 2012, explores the complex questions that arose that day. It was filmed on location in Ireland, Switzerland, Pakistan, Spain, Serbia, Nepal, Italy, Holland, Norway and Sweden. It features, according to promotional materials and a trailer (no review copy was made available), reenactments based on the testimony of the survivors. It is scheduled to open October 4, 2013 at the Lincoln Plaza, 1886 Broadway, and Sunshine, 143 E Houston Street, in New York City. The following week the film is slated to open at theaters nationwide. Scroll down to watch a film trailer.
A scene from The Summit
Although the climbing season at K2 usually runs from June to August, in 2008 poor weather made the mountain inaccessible. By the end of July, ten groups of climbers were waiting for an opportunity to scale the summit. Some of the people had waited for almost two months before attempting to reach the top of the mountain. Many lost their lives in the attempt.
The film is Winner of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Editing Award and 2013 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominee. It was produced and directed by Nick Ryan, written by Mark Monroe and edited by Ben Stark with the support of investment incentives for the Irish Film Industry from the Government of Ireland.
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 13, 2013
The Power of Latino Leadership book cover
Leadership specialist Juana Bordas thinks Latino leaders are powerful, distinctive, and offer lessons that can inform other leaders. In The Power of Latino Leadership Culture, Inclusion, and Contribution (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, $19.95) she strives to outline the principles and practices of how, she believes, Latinos lead.
The 261-page softcover book is divided into five main parts and thirteen chapters.
In the book, peppered liberally with Spanish language words, Bordas includes comments from a few politicians and nonprofit Latino leaders. She also shares sayings she hopes illustrate Latino culture, and even notes on how, in her opinion, the Spanish language itself influences and reflects the Latino worldview.
Bordas is president of Mestiza Leadership International. Prior to that she was vice president of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership’s board, and trustee of the International Leadership Association.
Click to buy The Power of Latino Leadership
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 9, 2013
Danielle Nierenberg, cofounder, Food Tank
Photo: Food Tank
A podcast interview with Danielle Nierenberg, cofounder, Food Tank, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, she discusses how Family Farming Can Feed the Worldwith Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Danielle is an expert on sustainable agriculture and food issues. She recently spent two years traveling to more than 35 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America meeting with farmers and farmers groups, scientists and researchers, policymakers and government leaders, students and academics, and journalists collecting their thoughts on what’s working to help alleviate hunger and poverty, while also protecting the environment.
Her knowledge of global agriculture issues has been cited in 3,000 major publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, BBC, and The Guardian in the United Kingdom. Danielle served as director, Food and Agriculture Program, Worldwatch Institute. She also worked for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Danielle Nierenberg” click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the September 2013 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 6, 2013
Big Data book cover
Photos: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
The recent revelations of government surveillance of United States citizens electronic and phone communications via National Security Agency programs has brought the issue of data collection at a mass level to the foreground. Other government programs such as police department vehicles photographing random vehicles as they drive around and the United States Postal Service program that photographs all mail and opens some mail for inspection have come to light recently. Privacy advocates draw attention to the lack of regulations for the use and storage of all that data and the potential harmful effects and unintended consequences it might bring.
Add that to data the private sector gathers on its own employees and consumers for marketing and sales purposes, often without their knowledge, from public and private sources such as credit reports and social media pages and it’s enough for reasonable people to be wary. In Big Data A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27) suggest that big data gathering and analysis is transforming the way we see people and the world in a revolutionary way.
Kenneth Cukier, coauthor, Big Data
In the 242-page hardcover book, they share with readers insights on the interesting and alarming impact they believe electronic surveillance is having on our lives from business to government, science, safety and privacy, and how we think and view patterns and the world. From employee monitoring via GPS tracking to player scouting and the business search for efficiencies that drive profits big data is changing the way we do things.
Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, coauthor, Big Data
They point out that data compilation should be more than cold hard facts and information. There should be a space for human intuition, serendipity and common sense, they say; adding that “What is greatest about human beings is precisely what the algorithms and silicon chips don’t reveal…” because it can’t be captured in data.
The less glamorous worrisome side of data gathering concerns privacy in a setting in which notice to individuals, consent, opting out and anonymity are almost no longer possible, they point out. Between government surveillance and commercial tools like apps personal data is used, sold, and repurposed for use by others in ways that were not thought about when the data was gathered. Predicting consumer behavior based on data could lead to dangerous and even amoral uses.
Mayer-Schönberger is professor of Internet governance and regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University. Kenneth Cukier is data editor at The Economist.
Click to buy Big Data
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 29, 2013
Infinite Progress book cover
Photos: Byron Reese
Our future is rosy. So much so that ignorance, disease, poverty, hunger and war will end thanks to technology and the Internet. The power of technology to transform our lives will be so profound as to usher in a new golden age. So believes Byron Reese founder of several high tech companies and head of research and development for another.
In his book, Infinite Progress: How the Internet and Technology Will End Ignorance, Disease, Poverty, Hunger, and War (Greenleaf Book Group, $25.95) he explains his thinking.
It took Reese six months to write the book, in the evenings. It was originally much longer, he explained by email.
“The book is aimed at a general audience. I suspect that optimists will be more inclined to read it than pessimists,” said the author in response to questions about the target audience for his book and the response he has had so far to the idea of a future golden area brought by technological advances. “People have responded enthusiastically. There are many people who want to believe in a better tomorrow, but the relentless negativity of the media has caused people to call it into doubt. I wrote the book as a case to defend the optimistic viewpoint.”
Byron Reese, author, Infinite Progress
The 295-page softcover book, published March 2013, is divided into an Introduction and seven sections: An Optimist’s Reasoning in Five Easy Premises, The End of Ignorance, The End of Disease, The End of Poverty, The End of Hunger, The End of War, and In Conclusion.
He says in the chapter about poverty that technology is able, without limits, to raise standard of living worldwide. Machines will do more of the labor that doesn’t require human capabilities, allowing people leisure time and abundance.
If we look at history, he says, technology and free enterprise will inevitably lead to wealth even for the poorest people in the world until poverty, as we define it today, ceases to exist. Reese is chief innovation officer at Demand Media in Austin, Texas.
Click to buy Infinite Progress
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 19, 2013
Up to 20 percent of broccoli’s nutritional content is from protein
Photos: HispanicMPR.com, Truth Be Told
Although only seven percent of people in the United States claim to be vegetarian and increasing number of consumers indicate they are purchasing meat alternatives, according to Meat Alternatives US June 2013, a Mintel report available for purchase at $3,995. In 2012, sales of meat alternative products across a variety of conventional and specialty channels, reached $553 million, according to the survey company’s data. That was equivalent to an 8 percent growth compared to 2010.
Popular meat alternatives include seitan, almonds, soy and soy derivative products such as tempeh and tofu, legumes and beans, dairy products such as cheese, milk and yogurt, quinoa, and broccoli to name a few. Some people consume these items to cut back on the costs of expensive meat products. Some shoppers like their health benefits while others seek to replace meat and protein in their diets.
Tofu Shirataki noodles
One such product promoting health and variety is Tofu Shirataki noodles made with tofu and Japanese yam powder or konnyaku. The products are touted as a low-calorie healthy alternative to wheat pastas since each four-ounce serving has only 20 calories and three grams of carbohydrates. The promotional materials point to the benefits of soy and added protein. Similar examples cram the shelves of supermarkets and health food stores.
Thirty-six percent of respondents to a March 2013 survey of 2,000 adults by Mintel said they buy meat alternative products. Those consumers indicated they purchase such products for their health benefits rather than as meat substitutes.
Many respondents (67 percent) who didn’t say they purchased meat alternatives indicated they preferred real red meat while 34 percent said they didn’t enjoy the flavor of alternative products and 20 percent said they didn’t like the texture.
Asians and Hispanics rely more heavily on the use of meat alternatives compared to other consumer segments and Hispanics want variety, according to Mintel findings. These market segments appear to consume meat alternatives more than once per week.
White shopper who responded to the survey over index in their consumption of meat alternatives because they believe they are healthy. Respondents from other race groups said the are more likely to buy the products for their the taste.
Asian (45 percent) and Hispanic (46 percent) shoppers who took the survey said the are more likely than average to cook with meat alternatives in addition to meat and less likely than average to use the products as meat substitutes. Hispanic and Asian survey takers said they are also more likely to serve meat alternative products as a side dish than as mains.
In addition, the report indicates Hispanic shoppers who took the survey said they are interested in information about these products. They would like to know about the ingredients they are made from and how to cook with them.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 14, 2013
By Chris McGinnis
Business travel expert
Best Western
Chris McGinnis, business travel expert, Best Western
Photo: Melissa Wuschnig
Higher prices on airfare and lodging are a healthy indicator of the travel industry’s comeback. In fact, most major airlines are reporting strong profits in recent quarters after several years of capacity reductions, consolidation and the addition of new fees.
As the industry continues to experience a revival, business travel costs are increasing across the globe. In the U.S. the average per diem for food, hotel and miscellaneous expenses in the top 100 cities rose to $262 this year, up 1.6 percent over last year. As businesses prepare for the fall business travel season, business owners and managers can prepare for the season and save the company’s travel budget by considering the following:
Click to read the entire article Budget and save when traveling for business
