Air travel these days is available for almost everyone. On a yearly basis many millions of people enjoy the speed and ease of travelling by plane. Fares usually aren’t too steep and the journey is pretty comfortable. Of course there’s always room for improvements: delays, security checks and luggage restrictions to name just a few. But that’s for another time.
Have a look at the corporate website of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). A beautiful green forest and a message ‘care for tomorrow’. An excellent example of how a company deals with its corporate responsibility in response to Greenpeace’s Forest Campaign in Indonesia. The company committed to end all deforestation of natural forests.
Despite a 6 percent drop the most valuable retail brand in the world remains Walmart. Walmart’s brand value is estimated to be 132 billion dollar, which equals the total value of the 20 most valuable retail brands in Europe.
People use to travel a lot, be it for business or for relaxing purposes. But we need to sleep too and that’s where hotels come in. The following list is not about quality, but about quantity. About hotels by number of rooms.
Agriculture is as old as mankind. There is evidence of the cultivation of figs in the Jordan Valley 11,000 years ago. During the same period the Chinese started to cultivate rice. Nowadays, agriculture is characterized by increased productivity, the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. It’s also the era of the largest seed companies of the world!
Modern cities that thrive economically well are all confronted with a big problem: limited space. That’s why the prices of the available land to build on rise and rise. In order to use the space as efficient as possible, skyscrapers are built. So how many skyscrapers can you spot in the following cities? Here’s a top 10 cities by number of skyscrapers.
Nothing is more relaxing than driving around for fun. Just a bit of cruising through some beautiful places surrounded by spectacular landmarks. In many countries though this kind of relaxing may be bad for your wallet. As the global demand for oil rises, the prices at the pump are increasing as well. Check these countries by gasoline prices!
The following billionaires have so much money that they don’t even have the time to spend it. They belong to the richest people on the planet. And they have one thing in common. They are the richest women in the world.
Coal is the world’s largest source of energy for the production of electricity. It’s also relatively cheap. It accounts for 40% of the generation of electricity in the United States. Coal is also the largest source of carbon dioxide release. Many (growing) economies rely on the countries that produce coal. So here’s a top 10 countries by coal production!
The subway or underground is the most efficient way of public transport. It has a high capacity and a high frequency of service. Passengers normally don’t have to wait more than 10 minutes to catch a train during daytime service. There are 188 metro systems in the world. Here’s a top 10 largest metro systems.
Writing a book can be a hell of a job. You’ve got to come up with a fascinating plot or a nice piece of relevant scientific research. And once it’s finished, you don’t have a clue if your hours, days, months or even years of tough labour will pay out. That’s where the publisher comes in. The largest publishing companies publish thousands of titles on an annual basis.
According to some estimations the total number of cars in the world exceeds one billion. Mainly because of the fast economic growth in China and India. And although local car manufacturers like Tata (India) or Dongfeng (China) increase production to satisfy domestic needs, there’s still a hunger for the mainstream car brands. These brands belong to the largest car companies in the world.
The earliest airports were grassy fields allowing aircrafts to approach at any angle. It was Wilbur Wright (one of the brothers) who established College Park Airport in Maryland in 1909. Today, billions of people around the world take the plane to travel. It’s only a matter of time for the world’s busiest airports to break the barrier of 100 million passengers per year.
English is the lingua franca of the modern era. It is by far the language spoken by most people with an estimated 1.8 billion users worldwide. It is the official language of the United Nations and many other international organizations. Moreover, English is the standard for aeronautical and maritime communications. English proficiency therefore is a key component of economic well-being.
Yesterday, we’ve talked about steel. Today, we highlight another crucial resource in the modern economy. Crude oil or petroleum. Often disputed because of its carbon footprint, but an absolute necessity in our current lives. The keyboard you’re using has its origin in crude oil. Gasoline, kerosin, diesel, lubricants, asphalts are also made of petroleum. The world’s largest oil companies are working 24 hours a day to satisfy our needs.
Steel is everywhere. The car you’re driving often has a body of steel, the building you’re working in contains reinforcing bars, the knife you use to cut meat, the world’s longest bridges, wrist watches, surgical equipment, domestic appliances, bolts, nails and so on. Steel plays a vital part in our lives. Economies heavily depend on steel as the steel industry is often considered an indicator of economic progress. So which countries are ranked high on steel production?
It’s the time of the year that people start to make plans for their holiday. What will it be this year? Having some drinking fun in Cancun? Visiting le Louvre in Paris staying in some old hotel in Quartier Latin? Smoking weed in Amsterdam? Losing your wallet to a pickpocket on Barcelona’s Ramblas? Visiting South Africa to spot some wildlife? Of course there are many more popular tourist destinations.
Pharmaceutical companies belong to the most influential and richest companies in the world. The annual turnover in the pharmaceutical industry for prescription drugs is estimated to be worth 700 billion dollars – or $ 100 for each person on earth! We didn’t even mention the drugs that are available without prescription.
Corruption is of all ages. During the Middle Ages the Catholic Church sold indulgences, which was a highly profitable way of making money for the church and perhaps one of the most controversial corrupt practices at the time. In modern times corruption comes in many forms on almost any level of power. In the most corrupt countries corruption can be systemic, political or small scaled.
‘With great power comes great responsibility’. The earliest usage of this phrase is attributed to Voltaire. In 2002 Spiderman used this mantra too. We don’t know if Voltaire or Spiderman ever got caught up in the nasty web of sex scandals and intrigue, but many famous people got involved in a sex scandal. TV-personalities, actors or sportsmen were confronted with their sexual escapades being made public.
Mindy McCready, a country star from Arkansas, was found dead on her porch in an apparent suicide. It wasn’t the first suicide attempt for the troubled star. Suicide is often committed out of despair; many factors contribute to the final act, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, several mental disorders, financial or relational problems. Out of every 100,000 people in the United States, 12 commit suicide.
Many rich people donate a part of their fortune to charity. Their generosity is fueling non-profit foundations that are involved in medical research, humanitarian causes, poverty, education, health and many more causes. America’s most generous philanthropists donated an estimated total of nearly 300 billion dollars in 2011. Last week Philantropy.com, a site dedicated to donating and fundraising, announced who were America’s biggest donors in 2012. Who’s the most generous, what’s their source of wealth, how much is given and where is the money flowing to? Here’s a top 10 most generous philanthropists!
In the early 1990’s, cell phones looked like bricks. Still, many people didn’t mind carrying a device that allowed them to have telephone contact with the world, when and where ever they wanted. And over a timespan of twenty years technology went on. The modern mobile phones also support a wide variety of other services such as text messaging, MMS, email, internet access, photography and gaming.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) every year more than 1,2 million people die in a road accident. In absolute numbers India is topping the list with an estimated 134,000 fatalities per year. The most important causes for these high rates are to find in poor drivers skills, road design, vehicle design and speed. Behaviour also contributes to the car fatality rate.
Tobacco is grown in 124 countries, occupying around 3.8 million hectares of agricultural area. The revenues of the tobacco industry worldwide is estimated to reach 500 billion dollars annually. Cigarette companies produce nearly 6 trillion cigarettes per year. If all cigarettes are lined up the distance they would cover is about 300 million miles, or three times the distance from here to the sun. Holy smoke! But which countries are producing the most cigarettes? Here’s a top 10 countries by cigarette production!