Normally, we donât profile concept cars in Lucire: cars that appear at shows but are not available to the public. They usually demonstrate the companyâs advanced thinking, but they tend not to be things we can buy for some years.
However, weâll make an exception for the Porsche 918 Spyder concept shown at the Salon de GenĂšve. This mid-engined sports car is a hybrid that can see 100 km/h in 3·2 seconds, weighs less than 1,400 kg, and has carbon dioxide emissions at a possible 70 g/km. Excuse the cheesy voiceover, claims of âPorsche DNAâ and the soundtrack: the message itself is more important here.
MAC has unveiled its latest Viva Glam campaign, featuring Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper. Proceeds from the sale of its Viva Glam VII lipsticks will benefit the MAC Aids Fund.
The spring 2010 edition sees two new lipstick shades, with a light coral red lustre bearing Lauperâs name and a light blueâpink lustre with Lady Gagaâs.
The collection hits counters on March 1, retailing at NZ$40.
The MAC Aids Fund will announce $2·5 million in new donations to fund model programmes that address the vulnerabilities and inequities that place women at increased risk for HIV and Aids, says the company.
To date, the MAC Aids Fund has already raised over $150 million to combat HIV and Aids.
âI think itâs absolutely insane that some people have fewer rights than others, and Iâm grateful that MAC has decided to focus on women while Iâm a Viva Glam spokesperson. I have so much to say and so much to share, and Iâm going to let my lips and lipstick do the talking!â says Lauper in a release.
âIâve been familiar with the campaign and have been wearing MAC since I was 10 years old. To be joining the likes of iconic former Viva Glam spokespeople is an honour. My new Viva Glam lipstick colour is amazing. Itâs very meâa bluish pink, great for every day, a little bit â80s. I hope that women buy this lipstick, and honour themselves and honour the cause,â says Lady Gaga.
We have already tried the Volvo XC60 with collision avoidanceâand in good Swedish tradition, the new Volvo S60 takes the safety idea a step further.
Newly announced today, with its world premiĂšre at the Salon de GenĂšve on March 2, the S60âs pedestrian detection, using a camera and radar, has a full automatic brake. It can detect pedestrians who walk into the road in front of the car, warn the driver, and automatically apply full braking power if the driver does not respond in time.
The car can avoid hitting a pedestrian at under 35 km/h. Over this speed, the car will reduce speed as much as possible to help minimize injuries to the pedestrian. The system will detect children over 80 cm tall.
The new chassis includes new stability control and traction control measures. Below are videos of the S60 in motion and a full explanation of its party trick.
Left Jean-Luc Colonna dâIstria of Merci. Right Medinge director and MIP dean Pierre dâHuy translates for Dominique BenoĂźt of Pictet et Cie. Below The Brands with a Conscience certificate, designed by UffindellWest.
The Medinge Group had a slightly smaller Brands with a Conscience ceremony today at the Management Institute of Paris, reflecting the international nature of the winners. Many were scattered around the globe and unable to attend the ceremony, though two of the European winners made it to the French capital to collect their awards in person: Jean-Luc Colonna dâIstria of Merci and Pictet et Cie.âs Dominique BenoĂźt.
Stanley Moss, CEO of the Medinge Group, noted that it was remarkable that in a year of financial crises, there were two winners from that sector that were doing good. Apart from Pictet, the Co-op Bank received a Brands with a Conscience award.
The seventh annual awardsâ programme also honoured Alibaba Group, Marks & Spencer (for its Plan A initiative), SAP and Selco Solar Pvt. Ltd. Muna Abu Sulayman won the Colin Morley Award and a letter from her was read out in absentia by Medinge member Simon Nicholls.
Medinge founder Thomas Gad noted that the Awards had become so successful that they had spawned at least one imitator.
Muna Abu Sulayman is today announced as the winner of the Medinge Groupâs 2010 Colin Morley Award, given to an individual who has contributed to the betterment of society through sustainable, socially responsible and humanistic behaviour. The award is part of Medingeâs annual Brands with a Conscience list, now in its seventh year.
âIt is a great honour,â a delighted Muna Abu Sulayman remarked, when informed of the award last night by Simon Nicholls, of the Medinge Group, who made the nomination.
In giving this award, the Medinge Group recognizes Munaâs outstanding work in educational development, poverty alleviation and strategic philanthropy; as Executive Director of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, developing and implementing operations for humanitarian assistance across the globe; her role as the first woman in Saudi Arabia to be appointed by the United Nations Development Programme as a Goodwill Ambassador; and for exceptional reporting as co-host on popular MBC-TV social programme Kalam Nawaem, in particular her advocacy of rights for women. As a public and media personality, she speaks about issues relating to Arab society, media, building bridges of understanding between east and west.
Since 1997, Ms Abu Sulayman has served as lecturer on American literature at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. She frequently appears as a panellist at the Davos World Economic Forum, Jewish Economic Forum, C-100 of the World Economic Forum, Brookings Institute Conferences and other venues.
Medinge, an international collective of brand practitioners, meets annually in August at a secluded location outside Stockholm, Sweden, and collaborate on the list, judging nominees on principles of humanity and ethics, rather than ïŹnancial worth. The Brands with a Conscience list is shaped around criteria including evidence of the human implications of the brand and considering whether the brand takes risks in line with its beliefs. Evaluations are made based on reputation, self-representation, history, direct experience, contacts with individuals within the organizations, media and analysts and an assessment of the expressed values of sustainability.
Three years ago the group added a unique category commendation, the Colin Morley Award, recognizing exceptional achievement by an individual or NGO. Mr Morley, a member of the Medinge Group, died in the London Underground bombings on July 7, 2005. The award commemorates his visionary work in humanistic branding.
[Cross-posted] I posted this on my Tumblog earlier today but it is worth repeating here:
I captioned it, âWe probably will keep thinking [climate change] is someone elseâs problem till we encounter threats like the Maldives and other places do: if we donât do something, our country will disappear. But this graphic is a heck of a good reminder.â
The pic says it all, really.
Volvo showed an electric C30 some time ago. Still a concept, the company is showing more details, with a test fleet promised for 2010. The cars can run on electricity on a single charge for 150 kmâwhich means it suits 90 per cent of European drivers.
Our video below has comments from Volvo, as well as motoring media veteran Richard Bremner, who feels that desirable electric cars will be a hit.
The Energimyndigheten, or Swedish Energy Agency, is supporting the project and contributing Kr 150 million to the funding.