Latin America

Projects have been developed by students of the University of Castilla la Mancha and the Mondragon, respectively. WaterSense is aimed at getting water everywhere. Smart-Light, towards an efficient lighting system. Two teams of Spanish computer science students were selected to compete in the finals of Imagine Cup, a contest organised by Microsoft to reward the talents of the future, the company reported this week. Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing is the premise of this competition which, inspired by the Millennium development goals, encourages young people to find solutions to real problems.

In its ninth edition, whose final will take place from 8 to 13 July in New York, two Spanish teams, the University of Castilla la Mancha and the Mondragon, will compete, respectively with a project to send water everywhere and an efficient lighting system. WaterSense is the project of La Mancha students, who will compete in her third final of the Imagine Cup thanks to a software (with different applications for mobile, Internet and Facebook) that measured the potability of the water in the most needy areas, incorporates this information into a database, develops a plan with the most urgent needs of water and channelled solidarity aid. For its part, Mondragon Guipuzcoa University students have created Smart-Light, which proposes the development of a management system of urban lighting that allows, through sensors, recognize the needs of light and control the intensity of the lighting depending on these. Together with the Spanish teams, 17 proposals from countries in Latin America such as Brazil, Chile, Comlombia, and Mexico, and a total of 400 young people from around the world displayed their projects and will vie for awards in various categories totalling an amount of 215,000 dollars (152,000 euros). Source of the news: WaterSense and Smart-Light: two Spanish projects in a final of young talents from Microsoft

Qingming Festival

Singapore (March 23) Agoda.es, global site of hotel reservations online with base in Asia and part of Priceline.com (NASDAQ:PLCN), announced special last minute deals to Hong Kong, Taipei, Macau and Beijing to stay during the Qingming Festival celebrations. The Qingming is a Chinese tradition that goes back more than 2000 years, and which develops around the veneration of ancestors. In Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao and mainland China, this date has been declared national and party during the Qingming pronounced ching ming-, families visit the graves of their ancestors?to pay them tribute, arrange the graves and make offerings of flowers, food and the so-called money of the spirit, money delivered so that the spirit of the deceased has everything you need in your afterlife. By these practices it is known as the day cleaning graves. This year the Qingming is celebrated on April 5, the festival takes place 15 days after the spring equinox and coincides with the arrival of the best climate.

Qing Ming – which means clear and bright name alludes to the sunny days of spring and the customs of the festival are closely linked with the benefits of the climate. After visiting the graves of ancestors, people usually go for a walk to the field, plant trees or back comets. A Chinese tradition is to serve cold dishes without cooking, so it also usually refer to the Qingming as the day of the cold food. Visitors to Beijing during the Qingming may walk through the gardens Yuan Ming Yuan, the gardens of perfection and light. A space where, in the middle of the 18th century of the summer palace relics, artisans installed their posts and the comets fans show their skills. The Macau Dome, presents along the River during the Qingming Festival. This is an animated version of a renowned parchment of the 12th century that describes the life in China during this period and is one of the most important illustrated works of China.