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May Day, International Workers’ Day History

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May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several public holidays.In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers’ Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. As a day of celebration the holiday has ancient origins, and it can relate to many customs that have survived into modern times. Many of these customs are due to May Day being a cross-quarter day, meaning that it falls approximately halfway between an equinox and a solstice.
The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian Europe, as in the Celtic celebration of Beltane, and the Walpurgis Night of the Germanic countries. Many pre-Christian indigenous celebrations were eventually banned or Christianized during the process of Christianization in Europe. As a result, a more secular version of the holiday continued to be observed in the schools and churches of Europe well into the 20th century. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole and crowning of the Queen of the May. Today various Neopagan groups celebrate reconstructed (to varying degrees) versions of these customs on 1 May.

The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer. In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary’s month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary’s head will often be adorned with flowers. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of “May baskets,” small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps.

- Wikipedia

Microsoft Introduces Tool for Avoiding Traffic Jams, No more Traffic

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Microsoft on Thursday plans to introduce a Web-based service for driving directions that incorporates complex software models to help users avoid traffic jams.

The new service’s software technology, called Clearflow, was developed over the last five years by a group of artificial-intelligence researchers at the company’s Microsoft Research laboratories. It is an ambitious attempt to apply machine-learning techniques to the problem of traffic congestion. The system is intended to reflect the complex traffic interactions that occur as traffic backs up on freeways and spills over onto city streets.

The Clearflow system will be freely available as part of the company’s Live.com site (maps.live.com) for 72 cities in the United States. Microsoft says it will give drivers alternative route information that is more accurate and attuned to current traffic patterns on both freeways and side streets.

A system for driving directions that Microsoft introduced last fall was limited, because without Clearflow there was no information available about traffic conditions on city streets adjacent to the highways. Because the system assumed that those routes would be clear, drivers were on occasion sent into areas that were more congested than the freeways.

The new service will on occasion plan routes that might not be intuitive to a driver. For example, in some cases Clearflow will compute that a trip will be faster if a driver stays on a crowded highway, rather than taking a detour, because side streets are even more backed up by cars that have fled the original traffic jam.

The new service is part of Microsoft’s efforts to catch up with Google, the dominant search engine provider, by offering an attractive array of related services surrounding its Live search service.

MINI Clubman’ is first launched in Korea

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BMW Korea launched ‘MINI Clubman’, its premium brand of the small car category in Korea market.

Remarkable features of Clubman are a unique rear door that is split down the middle and opens to either side, as well as an additional clubdoor, hinged at the back on the right-hand side of the car to facilitate easy access to the back seat and help make the Clubman a true 5-seater.

The MINI Cooper Clubman, benefiting from its 1.6-liter four-cylinder developing 120 hp at 6,600 rpm and featuring fully variable valve management, can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 10.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 195km/h.

Powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with twin-scroll turbocharger, direct gasoline injection and maximum output of 175 hp at an engine speed of 5,500 rpm, the MINI Cooper S Clubman can accelerate form 0 to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 218km/h.

Suggested price is 36,000,000(KRW) for MINI Cooper Clubman and 41,000,000(KRW, VAT included) for MINI Cooper S Clubman.

(Picture: ‘MINI Cooper S’ to be unveiled during L.A. Auto Show 2007)

…continue reading MINI Clubman’ is first launched in Korea » »

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