Partnership between the Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW GROUP

In an unprecedented partnership with the private sector, the Alliance of Civilizations (AOC), an initiative of the UN Secretary-General, is joining hands with the BMW Group to launch an award for intercultural innovation. The name of the award is “BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation in support of the Alliance of Civilizations, under the auspices of the United Nations”.



The annual award will identify highly innovative initiatives that are advancing cross-cultural understanding between different communities and cultures. For future recipients of the award, alongside a monetary prize, winning will mean receiving support from the AOC and the BMW Group and its influential network of civil society, corporate, government, media and foundation partners. The specific assistance provided will depend on the individual needs of each project.





By providing support to emerging intercultural initiatives, the AOC and the BMW Group aim to encourage innovation in the field while helping winners expand their projects, make them more impactful, and replicate them in other settings where they might be useful.



Both BMW Group and the AOC come with a track-record of having supported intercultural projects around the world for many years. The new award builds on such previous efforts.



The ten most innovative initiatives in the area of intercultural understanding will be distinguished for the first time at an award ceremony that will take place during the Fourth Annual UNAOC Forum in Doha, Qatar in December 2011. Application forms can be downloaded from http://www.unaoc.org/unaoc-bmwgroup-award/ and must be submitted by October 16, 2011.



Intercultural understanding has a long tradition in the BMW Group

As an international company with a multinational workforce, the BMW Group has recognized the importance of mutual cooperation between different cultural groups for decades. Through the BMW Group Award for Intercultural Learning/Commitment the company has recognized innovative projects and personalities around the world for 14 years, for their support to sustainable and open relationships between international communities. Hundreds of projects and documents have been received in which people express their ideas for intercultural cooperation either within their own neighbourhoods or at trans-regional level. Over the long history of this award, more than 40 projects and academic papers have been awarded. Current awardees are supported for a whole year by employees of the company.



The Alliance of Civilizations (AOC) is an initiative of the UN Secretary-General which aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions. It also helps to counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism. The AOC was established in 2005, at the initiative of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations and under the leadership of Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, as High Representative for the AOC.



| BMW

Jennifer Lawrence Cars

 Jennifer Lowrence Cars Volkswagen EOS

Jennifer Lawrence Fills Up Volkswagen EOS

Source :http://www.celebritycarsblog.com/2012/08/jennifer-lawrence-volkswagen-eos-2/

2 Friends

Dear friends,

I would love to share with you today a small piece of history:

Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin meeting:

Albert: what I admire most about your art is that’s universal. you don’t say any word and the whole world understands you!

Charlie: True. But your glory is greater! the world admires you while no one understands you!

Cheeky is it not?! :p

Also a few more quotes from Charlie:

• A day without laughter is a day wasted.
• A mans true character comes out when hes drunk. 
• We think too much and feel too little.
• Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.  
• Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.

And a bit more from Einstein :)

•  Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
• Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.
• The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. 
• Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and Im not sure about the former.
• A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
• When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. Thats relativity. 

**I didnt receive anything for this review, just wanted to share the love!**

With love to both of the 2 gentleman above,
The LadyBug :)

Something to Focus On

If youre anything like me, you know that its easy to run out of ideas for taking a perfect photo. Thats why i picked up The Unforgettable Photograph by George Lange and Scott Mowbray. Its full of unique ideas for taking an amazing photo. 

Recently, Ive been focusing on the idea of depth of field.  This is where you focus your shot on the closest subject, and in result the things farther back in the shot are blurred.  Because of this, depth of field shots are only good for certain things since theyre meant to capture a specific object in time and not an entire picture of detail. Lange realized this through his work too, "i dont want pictures to be so blatantly about technique. There are times when it works, though"(168). You achieve a Depth of field shot by "first, selecting the widest possible aperture in the AV mode and, second, zooming in" (168). 

When i tried this idea I found that it works best with objects rather than people. When taking pictures of people you want to capture the moment as it is rather than try to pose it (26). This technique gives each photo a sense of professionalism which isnt always needed when taking shots of people. Which in contrast, always works out when taking a picture of any object, even a tree branch or a flower! Have you tried a depth of field shot? Can you prove me wrong? Does Depth of Field work well on people too?

Citation: 

Lange, George. The Unforgettable Photograph. New York, NY: Workman Publishing Company, 2013.

Chevrolet Spark Diesel In India Coming Soon

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Chevrolet Spark has never been successful enough for the company and has been way behind in terms of sales from the company’s most successful product till date, Chevrolet Beat. The company offers only above two cars in the small car segment and of which one being a weak player is a matter of concern and it needs to be worked out.

Chevrolet had recently launched Chevrolet Beat Diesel with the hope of penetrating more effectively into the hatchback segment and now has announced of a Chevrolet Spark Diesel variant. Considering the small size of the car, the diesel engine will definitely enhance the car’s performance and eventually its sales, once it is into the market properly.So clearly it will blow away some of the hot selling cars but the Maruti Alto K10 will be affected the most as the company also has Chevrolet Spark 800 on the cards which will sport a 800cc heart and will go on a 1-on-1 competition with Alto. If the company succeeds in expanding its market share even by a small percentage, a large volume of sales will come its way.

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Guess Whos Got A Liebster Award !

Dear friends,

Looks like Ive been nominated for the Liebster Award by the adorable book read extraordinaire Jess of Bookworms in Dresses! Ive never been nominated for this award before, though I have been for another award called Sunshine Award granted by Carina from Windswept Wishes! So here we are, facing a new challenge so better brace yourself, as... The LadyBug is Coming! :)

Rules:
1. Post 11 facts about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions from your nominator
3. Nominate 11 other blogs with under 200 followers and ask them 11 questions (let them know you nominated them!)

My Facts:
1. I am a newlywed, and very proud of it! We had the civil marriage on the 7th December 2013, as a Saint Nicholas present to eachother and we shall have the Church Ceremony + Party on the 9th August 2014.
2. I am a proud expat that loves to travel as much as possible. I believe that the best things in life that one can store are memories and experiences.
3. I love my family and the worst thing about being an expat is not being able to be close to the ones you love, to be close to your family - I really miss my sister, mum and my awesome Granny :) 
4. I am happy to say that I do have a soulmate, my dear pea in the pod, but I am so sad she is so far away that I get to see her only once or twice in a year :( Love you Dana!
5. I am proud of my orientation in space sense and the fact that if you take me one time to a place I would know how to get there again with my eyes closed. Actually that is one of the things my lovely other half is jealous about. I get to have the saying where and what road we should take :)
6. I was supposed to stay in Poland, in Krakow, just for a few months - to build some more work experience - but the term ended up to be longer as I met the man of my life here.
7. To my shame, before coming to Poland I did not know a lot about it - except Sobieski, World War II histories, Auschwitz & Birkenau, Schindlers List & The Pianist. I know, I am mortified! but today, mainly due to my husband, I know more and more about this lovely country.
8. I am a very good Krakow guide - certified by all my friends and people I helped around. I lived for around 6 months in the city center and I would never go straight home. I would always have walks and discover new things. That is how I learned the streets and the little dark and twisted and magical corners of this lovely town I call home now. My husband says that he can trust 2 people to be his GPS while lost in Krakow - me and one dear friend that knows Nowa Huta well... 
9. Nowa Huta is the only region / area / district in Krakow where I could get lost. For me all the houses and blocks of flats look the same and this is very confusing - same height, same color... 
10. I love fruits :) I love fruits more than I love candies and chocolate. That is precisely why when I look at the movie Amelie I can feel a connection with her... I used to put berries on my fingertips as well... and also cherries around my ears. Hey! Whom am I trying to fool here? I still do that :) 
11. I believe that we never grow old at heart. Growing old is a choice that everyone makes and I surely hope that both me and my lovely half will manage to keep our hearts young :)

The Questions:

1. If you could escape to any fantasy world (book/TV/movie) which one would you choose?

I would choose The Lord of The Rings/Silmarillion without any shred of doubt! I would be confused over the fact that I would like to be both human and elf so that will be a struggle to choose... but that is the place where I would like to escape for sure. 

2. The song/soundtrack of your year so far? 

I would say Let It Go - from the Frozen soundtrack. Now that is a song that just got sticked to my brain and wont let it go, my friends! Now Ive heart Idina Menzel before and I admire his voice/vocal talents. The first movie I have seen her in and heart her lovely voice was the musical Rent - the movie - and I was shocked! I think I had a long time when I would listen to the Rent soundtrack over and over and over again. Same goes for Frozen now ;) Even my husband - who did not see the movie - recognises the song now!

3. Something new you want to try/learn how to do this year? 

Well I dunno if this counts, but I am trying to learn how to get in sync with my other half and organise a wedding that everyone would be happy of - family, friends & us. And that is one bad ass task! 

4. Scary campfire story? 

Actually we never did tell scary stories at the campfire, but we always loved to laugh and sing. So... unfortunately I have no tales of the unded to speak of - or would that be fortunately?! :p 

5. Do you play any instruments?

I used to go, when I was a small lass, to accordeon classes. Me and my sister. Unfortunately nothing got stuck to my head. My sister, on the other hand, is the talented one and can tell you the notes of the song only by listening to it. I also tried later on, around 2-3 years ago, to play the tin whistle and that was fun. I managed to learn only one song on it and that was Amazing Grace :)

6. Favorite Starbucks drink? (I have to ask, Im a barista!)

That would most probably be the Chai Tea Latte :)  Lovely black tea spiced blended with milk - soya milk please :) It used to be a dear friends fav until I tasted it as well and right now I wouldnt take anything else. 

7. Do you have a favorite quote?

“Im selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you cant handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell dont deserve me at my best.” - Marilyn Monroe + "Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Ghandi

8. Favorite Studio Ghibli movie?

Well tell you the truth, I am not good with names so this question got me into trouble and I had to Google my way out. Thank God for IMDB - my bestie when it comes to movie infos ;) I pulled a list of the Studio Ghibli movies and I am ashamed to say that I know less than half of those... But! My personal fav will always be Arrietty. I was a lass when I watched this but I remember it still :) and with great joy ;)

9. Do you collect anything? Howd the collection come about?

Oh, I have several :))) I think the most extensive ones I have are the earring collection + the book collection. I was never that much into earrings until about 5 years ago, when I joined the multinational company I am part of. One of my dear friend and collegue there started showing me this handmade products page and I just fell in love with different earrings. The books were always a burden I had to handle ever since I was a wee lass. I started buying books with my pocket money - like the huge collection from home wasnt enough! I believe my first book was a translation of the Star Wars (episode 4-6) in Romanian language and I had to save for a long while for it! I always loved books and I always loved smelling them - they all smell so very different! + the feeling of starting/finishing a good book that you wanna just keep with you forever is priceless! that is why I have to have it on the shelf, next to me...

10. Number one pet peeve?

Well... can I have 2?! When people do not listen and when people interrupt you. Totally NO NO! Very unpolite and shows disrespect. It is not gentleman/lady-like and should be avoided at all costs!

11. Favorite color of nail polish? Either for the color itself, or the name of the color 

Actually - dont stone me to death! - I dont do nail polish. I tried but it always goes haywire and I have no patience for it! I envy people who can do that and I have only 2 nail polish in the house: one that is no color, just for the shine, and one that is deadly green ;)) Both of them are from INGLOT - Polish company, really really good products ;)

My Questions:
1. If you would choose to be a book, what book would you be?
2. If you would choose a specific period in time to live in, which period would that be and whom would you like to be?
3. If you find out that all your previous posts have been deleted, how owuld you react?
4. What is the place you can call HOME?
5. If something goes wrong with the programs on your PC or just with your PC while working on your post, would you call a Help Desk or would you try to fix it?
6. What is the best vacation you ever had?
7. What is your fav travelling spot and what would you recommend visiting/doing there?
8. Coffee / Tea / Juice or Water? and why?...
9. Take the closest thing to your right hand and tell us its story :)
10. Surprise us with a true confession about yourself :) 
11. How do you like my blog and what would you change in it? What atracted you to it? I appreciate the honest and true answer, no matter how bad it will be ;)

***

Nominees:
1. Megan from Ginger Snaps
2. Tania from Rowdy Fairy
3-11... Oh, I am bad at this as I am following a lot of lovely lasses that have more than 200 followers :(
So... everyone who is reading me and has under 200 people haunting them, please feel free and more than welcome to join in the game and let me know if you did it so I can say Congrats! and give you a virtual hug but warm hug :)

Yours truly,
The Liebster Awarded LadyBug

A Language Far Away

Dear friends,

Why relax our brains today just for the simple fact that it is Friday and weekend will be starting soon?! Today I will share with you a piece of information I bumped into by checking Facebook - yes, good things can come from FB! One of my previous teachers from the University of Economics posted the link to this article about the lexical distance between the languages in Europe. I thought you may like it as well - well at least some of you will :p

via

This chart shows the lexical distance — that is, the degree of overall vocabulary divergence — among the major languages of Europe.
The size of each circle represents the number of speakers for that language. Circles of the same color belong to the same language group. All the groups except for Finno-Ugric (in yellow) are in turn members of the Indo-European language family.
English is a member of the Germanic group (blue) within the Indo-European family. But thanks to 1066, William of Normandy, and all that, about 75% of the modern English vocabulary comes from French and Latin (ie the Romance languages, in orange) rather than Germanic sources. As a result, English (a Germanic language) and French (a Romance language) are actually closer to each other in lexical terms than Romanian (a Romance language) and French.
So why is English still considered a Germanic language? Two reasons. First, the most frequently used 80% of English words come from Germanic sources, not Latinate sources. Those famous Anglo-Saxon monosyllables live on! Second, the syntax of English, although much simplified from its Old English origins, remains recognizably Germanic. The Norman conquest added French vocabulary to the language, and through pidginization it arguably stripped out some Germanic grammar, but it did not ADD French grammar.
The original research data for the chart comes from K. Tyshchenko (1999), Metatheory of Linguistics. (Published in Russian.)

Thank you so much for your time in immersing ourselves in this knowledge :)

Yours truly,
The LadyBug that wishes you a easy Friday at work, wherever you are ;)