MEXICO CITY, Mar 28, 2003 (Cronica/Corporate Mexico by Internet Securities, Inc. via COMTEX) -- Next Monday, the Supreme Auditor of the Federation (ASF) will release its report on the Public Account 2001, which is expected to recommend that the Bank Savings Protection Institute (IPAB) reduce close to 30 billion pesos (US$2.80 billion) of Bank Fund for Savings Protection (Fobaproa) payments made by Bancomer, Bital and Banorte.According to sources from the financial sector, it is expected that the ASF will comment on Fobaproa's purchase of this portfolio supposedly composed of related credits or with interest moratoriums between 1995 and 1996. The sources did not know whether the report would name the amount connected to each institution, but expect the ASF to give IPAB 45 days to explain why Fobaproa bought this "bad" portfolio. IPAB will likely argue that Fopabroa's technical committee made the decision to accept the offer.This article has been translated by Internet Securities, Inc. as a service to its customers. Internet Securities, Inc. makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy or content of the translation.
URL: www.securities.com
Copyright 2003 Internet Securities, Inc., all rights reserved. A Euromoney Institutional Investor Company.
News Provided by COMTEX (http://www.comtexnews.com)
ATLANTA, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ --
Fidelity National Corporation (Nasdaq: LION) announced that its subsidiary Fidelity National Bank now offers online account management to its credit cardholders. Fidelity National selected InteliData's Internet Card Solutions to allow cardholders to review and manage their credit card accounts safely and securely through the Internet.
Fidelity National Manager of Technology Services Ben Davis said, "We are always looking for solutions to better serve our customers. We are committed to implementing the newest and best technology. Fidelity National customers can now manage their credit card account information in a completely secure environment."
In addition to managing credit card accounts, Fidelity National customers can manage their bank accounts and arrange for bill pay services online. They can also gather information on an array of Fidelity's financial products and view current CD rates. In addition, they can access applications for credit cards and mortgages at www.FidelityNational.com .
Fidelity National Corporation, through its operating companies Fidelity National Bank and Fidelity National Capital Investors, Inc., provides a wide range of banking, trust, mortgage and investment brokerage services through 19 full-service branches in Atlanta, Georgia. Mortgage, construction and automobile loans are also provided through an office in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information, visit the company's website at www.FidelityNational.com
Contact: Martha Fleming, Howard Griffith
Fidelity National (404) 240-1504
MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X71649416
Santa's Sleigh Delivers Great Prizes In the December
'Dashing Through the Net' Sweepstakes
DALLAS, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- GTE's SuperPages(R) Service, a comprehensive online shopping workshop located at http://www.superpages.com, is an easy, fun way for gift givers to make holiday wishes come true. The hottest toys, perfect sweaters, must-read best sellers, seasonal decorations, low-priced airline tickets and more are just a click away. Shopping from the comfort of their homes, consumers can avoid the crowds and hassles while researching, finding and purchasing products and services over the Internet.
From now through Dec. 31, GTE's SuperPages offers visitors the chance to win fabulous prizes as part of its "Dashing Through The Net" sweepstakes ( http://www.superpages.com/prom/holiday ). Clues found on the sweepstakes homepage help shoppers locate the four tiny sleighs hidden throughout the SuperPages site. Clicking on all the sleigh icons enters the participant in a sweepstakes to win: one of two grand prizes, a pair of round-trip domestic travel vouchers; first prize, a Pioneer 25 Disc CD Changer Mini System; second prize, RCA Home Theater System; and third prize, Epson Stylus 640 Inkjet Printer.
The following SuperPages features are sure to make the holiday gift-buying season merrier:
* GTE Shop Online(SM) offers direct links to hundreds of selected sites
that allow consumers to securely purchase goods and services online
anytime, anywhere. Tie a bow around great presents from such retail
favorites as The Sharper Image, Barnes & Noble, Bloomingdale's, JC
Penney, Shop4.com and more. Shop Online is an easy, secure way to check
gifts off the shopping list without making trips all over town.
* Consumer Guide(R) Interactive takes the guesswork out of gift giving.
Instantly access independent product information, ratings, reviews and
recommendations for over 100 different categories of items, including
consumer electronics, baby items and household goods. Shoppers can make
informed buying decisions before they purchase and get what they expect,
the first time.
* Yellow Pages features comprehensive and accurate information on
virtually every business in the United States. Use the detailed search
fields to find retailers and grocers open Christmas Eve or Christmas
Day.
Winners of the "Dashing Through the Net" sweepstakes will be selected on or about Jan. 11, 1999, and will be contacted via e-mail, telephone and/or Federal Express. Grand prizes have been furnished by Travelocity and American Airlines.
About GTE's SuperPages
With over 11 million businesses listed and thousands of advertisers, GTE's SuperPages, offered by GTE Directories Corporation, is a rich, comprehensive shopping tool designed for people who want the convenience of finding information and purchasing products and services online.
GTE Directories Corporation is a part of GTE Corporation, one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services.
A man whose wife was recently diagnosed with two forms of cancer tells Nichola Jones why he'll never give up on her Six months ago, Ulysses and Eugene Alegre were blissfully happy - living in Dubai, working hard, having fun and enjoying married life. But in December, their lives changed forever when 33-year-old office worker Eugene was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. "My wife had been sick since August. She was in a lot of pain and couldn't breathe sometimes," Ulysses explains."We took her to the Iranian Hospital and the doctors thought it was a gastro problem. "Nobody knew what was wrong with her." After months of tests and visits to different doctors across Dubai, the couple were finally given the devastating news on December 26, 2008, that Eugene's body was battling not one, but two forms of the deadly cancer which attacks blood cells. "It was a big shock," says Ulysses, a 39-year-old fitness instructor.
"We spent New Year's Eve in hospital and my wife started chemotherapy. She is being very brave, we have to keep strong." Since the gruelling treatment began at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, Ulysses has watched his wife's weight plummet and her hair disappear, but says her smile and spirit are as bright as ever. "I met my wife at church," he says. "It was love at first sight. I met her in June 2001, we were engaged in September and married in the January. "We are both very active and fit. My wife is a workaholic, she was very committed to her job, but we used to have holidays and do lots of things. "The chemo makes her very sick, but she is still smiling."
Like most young married couples, their thoughts were turning to starting a family of their own, but the cancer treatment means they have been forced to face the heartbreaking reality that Eugene will not be able to have children. "The doctor told us the chemo would mean that Eugene would not be able to conceive, but we had no choice," Ulysses said. "It is very sad that we will not be able to have our own children, but we can adopt a baby; we would like to do that."As the second cycle of chemotherapy comes to an end, Ulysses knows the only hope for his wife is a bone marrow transplant. But as the couple's health insurance claim was refused, their only option is to pay dhs300,000 for an operation in the Philippines - cash they do not have. "Without it she will die but I can't accept that. I hope people who know me will help," says Ulysses. "I have to stay positive because she gets her strength from me. "Even if I am crying on the inside, I can't show that to my wife."
The inseparable pair now have to be apart while Eugene lies in hospital, but her husband makes the three-hour round trip from their home in Jumeirah to her bedside every other day after he finishes his shift at the gym. "I can't show her I feel sad or lonely because I want to be positive," he says. "I like the drive to the hospital because it gives me time to think. I usually cook her something too. But because of the chemotherapy, she is nauseous a lot and can't eat many things. "We celebrated Valentine's Day in hospital and I took her balloons and a teddy bear." Despite the tragedy that has befallen the couple, they retain an incredible faith and are determined to beat the illness. Ulysses says his wife has been an inspiration. "My wife has changed many people's lives. "People who have never helped anyone before are trying to help us and that is a wonderful thing."
nichola.jones@7days.ae
*** FINDING SUPPORT
While there are several support groups for breast cancer patients in Dubai, despite phoning major hospitals around the city, 7DAYS could not find a support group for patients suffering from other forms of cancer. Well-known breast surgeon Doctor Houriya Kazim runs Brest Friends and says that although the group was set up for breast cancer patients, she does accept sufferers of other forms of cancer due to the fact there are no other cancer support groups in the city. Brest Friends meets once a month at Emirates Towers hotel. The first hour is a 'social hour' where ladies can mingle before an information section begins where patients can find out about a variety of topics such as complimentary therapies. Email info@brestfriends.org for details. Elsewhere, the group Friends of Cancer Patients is based in Sharjah. Contact them on 06 506 5555 or email focp@emirates.net.ae.
2009 Al Sidra Media LLC
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
M2 PRESSWIRE-July 15, 2011-: Entanet Calls On Entertainment Industries To Evolve And Embrace(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
RDATE:15072011
Leading wholesale communications provider, Entanet, has called on the entertainment and music industries to embrace the opportunities that the Internet is bringing rather than fighting the ever-increasing tide of the web to download and stream entertainment content.
In the latest article on its opinion website, the company points to recent statistics from Envisional, the developer of Internet monitoring and copyright infringement protection software, which found that illegal film piracy by broadband users has grown by 30 percent over the past five years. Entanets Head of Marketing, Darren Farnden argues that the statistic is hardly surprising when we consider the technological developments we have benefitted from over this period and the significant changes to our Internet habits.
Back in 2006 the latest broadband access technology available was the up to 8Mbps MAX product. According to Ofcom, in March 2006 just 53 percent of UK households had a broadband connection (approx 13.3 million homes) and average broadband speeds were just 3.6Mbps. Five years on and Ofcoms latest reports show an average broadband speed of 6.2Mbps, with the latest access product being FTTC, offering up to 40Mbps and overall broadband availability increased to 75 percent of UK adults. Arguably this actually suggests that the problem is no better or worse today than it was five years ago.
He continues: Over the past five years we have become more Internet-savvy as access has become a more integral part of our lives. We dont just shop online, surf and send emails anymore; we use VoIP, social networks, watch IPTV, game and much more, often not only from our fixed broadband connections but also via our phones. With these significant changes to our usage habits and the improvements in technology and take-up, the number of channels to access film and music has mushroomed. Its therefore surprising that the figure Envisional quotes is not much higher.
Farnden goes on to argue that the DEA and its proposed three strikes policy and website blocking rules will not successfully tackle copyright infringement. Instead, he argues that the entertainment industries need to adapt their current antiquated business models and embrace the new opportunities the Internet can bring.
We think entertainment industry players need to provide their markets with affordable and accessible legal alternatives. The music industry has started to adopt this approach, albeit slowly, with a handful of brave artists embracing the new technologies that can help to distribute their music to a much wider audience. Weve all heard of new artists uploading their demos to YouTube and being discovered, while others have provided free single downloads and podcasts to encourage interest in their new albums and tours before they release the full versions via iTunes etc. Consider the success that Radiohead had with its three-month pay-what-you-like strategy for its In Rainbows album although its believed most fans paid nothing to download the album, more income was generated before it was released physically than the total sales of the bands previous album.
To read the article in full and contribute by leaving a comment visit http://stellasix.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dbfa681510d9d5e6e8aa5b6ae&id=498cb4a583&e=f10ccc00c7.
About Entanet
Entanet is a leading wholesale voice and data communications provider and operates via a network of wholesale and resale channel partners. Entanet was founded in 1996 by Taiwanese Comms Business channel entrepreneur of the year winner Jason Tsai as part of Entagroup, a leading IT distribution and IP communications group also comprising Enta Technologies and Entamedia. The company employs over 80 staff across a variety of teams, from sales and marketing, programming, systems and network engineers, technical support and customer service operatives through to accounts and personnel. The company is located within a strikingly impressive and authentic Chinese pagoda in Telford, Shropshire, reflecting the companys Taiwanese heritage.
As a wholesale provider Entanet offers an extensive portfolio of services including wholesale and packaged broadband, leased lines and Ethernet, IP VPNs, hosting and colocation, VoIP and traditional telecoms. It is also a member of ISPA.
The company operates its own fully resilient national next generation network from Glasgow to London, with further connectivity into Amsterdam and Frankfurt and covers all of the key aggregation points that form BTs 21st century network (21CN), providing up to 10Gbps capacity. Entanet maintains over 900 peering relationships throughout Europe and manages three state of the art data centres at its Telford HQ.
Entanets high quality services and channel commitment have been regularly acknowledged with nominations in several leading awards programmes including the ISPAs, ITSPAs, CRN Channel Awards, PCR Awards, Comms Business Awards and Comms National Awards. Most recently, Entanets founder Jason Tsai was chosen as Channel Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2010 Comms Business Awards while the company was awarded the title of Best Internet Telephony in the 2011 ISPA awards. Entanets substantial levels of organic growth have also been regularly recognised by the Sunday Times Tech Track 100, Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA, TechMedia Invest Top 100 and Real Business Hot 100.
For more information contact:
Darren Farnden, Head of Marketing Entanet International Ltd Tel: 0333 101 0000 Email: marketing@enta.net
Neville Street
Stella Six - Press & PR
78 White Hart
Reabrook
Shrewsbury
Shropshire UK
SY3 7TE
T: +44 (0) 1743 246917
Skype: neville.street
F: +44 (0) 1743 291816
M: + 44 (0) 7967 717259
E: nev@stellasix.com
www.stellasix.com
((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).
PETALUMA, California -- HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc., the proven leader in Smart Water Management Solutions, today announced a major upgrade to their popular WeatherTRAK.net Central Internet Management application that provides On-Demand remote control access and real-time visibility of WeatherTRAK smart irrigation controllers.
Increasing productivity and portfolio-wide visibility for landscape professionals and property managers, the new WeatherTRAK.net Central Internet Management application now provides at no additional cost; Automated Site Monitoring, Real-time Remote Troubleshooting & Diagnostics, Intelligent Site Reports and Centralized Account and Site Management. These time saving features are now supported by a dramatically enhanced User Interface designed to save users time and money while helping them realize WeatherTRAK's proven water savings.
"With the new release of the WeatherTRAK.net 7.0 Central Internet Management application, H20 Designs now has a variety of reports that provides greater remote visibility of all our customers' sites and controllers that we didn't have before," stated Mr. Jeff Welch, vice president, business development, H20 Designs, LLC. "We have worked with other manufacturers' Internet Management applications; they don't even come close to what HydroPoint's Central Internet Management application offers. This release increases our team's productivity and enables us to provide greater service to our customers."
WeatherTRAK.net 7.0's Central Internet Management application delivers time saving features that address customers' most critical pain points:
AUTOMATED SITE MONITORING
Know what's happening at your sites even when you're not there. Manage and track all changes and settings made to your controllers.
* Controller Change History: Manage changes made to your controllers with WeatherTRAK.net Controller Change History. This feature tracks all changes made to a controller's settings including the value before the change, if the change was made at the controller or online, who made the change from WeatherTRAK.net, and when the change occurred.
* Event Tracking: Know what is happening at the site even when you're not there with WeatherTRAK.net Event Tracking. This feature provides detailed reporting on what occurred on the site and when, including when a controller was turned off and back on, when a rain switch was activated and deactivated, and when manual irrigation occurred and for how long.
REAL-TIME REMOTE TROUBLESHOOTING & DIAGNOSTICS
Don't waste time or money guessing about site issues. Use WeatherTRAK.net Central's Real-time Controller Status and On-Demand Controller Operating Status to gain real-time insight into what's going on at your sites.
* Real-time Controller Operating Visibility: Allows you to know if the controller is manually irrigating, paused, off, shutdown or offline. In addition, you can see detailed operating status of which stations are running and current flow rate through a connected flow sensor.
INTELLIGENT SITE REPORTS
See the information you need to manage your site. This rich library of alert, flow and controller operation reports provides the information you need with a graphical chart that makes the information easy to understand. Reports include:
* Controller Setting Change Reports: Provides a detailed list of a controller's current settings, and change history. The user can optionally create a report of the controller's settings for a selected date.
* Controller Runtime Reports: Provides daily station specific runtimes and ET for troubleshooting, monitoring and historical trending.
* Water Usage Reports : Provides daily water usage and ET for troubleshooting, monitoring water budgets and historical trending of actual water usage.
* Alert Reports: Provides the ability to track, troubleshoot and verify site issues and events such as valve or flow alerts.
CENTRALIZED ACCOUNT AND SITE MANAGEMENT
Stay on top of your controllers with one simple alert and operations summary interface. Users can quickly and easily navigate to the information they are looking for with one-click.
* Alerts and Operations Dashboard: Learn what all your sites are doing with one simple central alert and operations summary interface.
* Quick Search and Filter Tools: Easily search for controllers and filter what you see to quickly find the information you need.
* One-Click Reporting: Put what you see on a page in the format you need with one click. Export the data into either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Excel.
"Real-time response and intuitive features create a faster, more interactive WeatherTRAK Central Internet Management platform," said Peter Carlson, vice president, technology and product management, HydroPoint. "The WeatherTRAK Central operations dashboards and report summaries along with the ability to conveniently manage site-specific details remotely from the internet create a new standard for commercial landscape and water management."
Proven Technology
Proven in 23 independent agency studies, HydroPoint's WeatherTRAK Smart Water Management solutions provide corporate real estate managers, sustainability officers, maintenance and facilities directors as well as irrigation and landscape contractors with 24/7 visibility to irrigation schedules and water use via central internet management. Daily evapotranspiration (ET) data is transmitted to the WeatherTRAK controllers, updating the automated watering schedules as local weather conditions change. Plants receive precise amounts of water only when they need it. The WeatherTRAK technology eliminates over-watering as well as costly water run-off, hardscape repairs and liabilities.
About HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc.
HydroPoint, founded in 2002, is the market and technology leader in Smart Water Management. The company's WeatherTRAK solution uniquely delivers a multitude of financial and environmental benefits by revolutionizing management of the area of greatest waste in urban water use: landscape irrigation. Proven in 23 independent studies, including the vanguard pollution runoff study led by the EPA, the WeatherTRAK solution saves water, reduces energy demand and protects water quality while it minimizes liability and expense exposure. In 2011, subscribers including The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Regency Centers (NYSE: REG) and numerous public institutions will save 17 billion gallons of water, 68 million kilowatt hours and 91 million pounds of CO2. Facing water rates ranging from $2 to $6 per 1,000 gallons and related expenses due to overwatering damages ranging from $500 to $10,000 per site, companies across the U.S. have identified WeatherTRAK as the green initiative with the fastest payback. Headquartered in Petaluma, Calif., HydroPoint is privately owned and operated. For more information, visit www.hydropoint.com.
WeatherTRAK is a registered trademark of HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc.
MOSCOW, Russia -- The following information was released by the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation:
An Australian citizen Peter James sent his gratitude to the website of the MOI for Mariy El, to the section "Write a Letter to the Minister". In his letter, he thanks the Administration of the Ministry, as well as officers of the Cyber Crime Prevention Department and the Investigation Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate for Ioshkar Ola for identification and detention of a Ioshkar Ola's skamer, who tricked him out of his money in the amount of about three thousand Australian dollars.
To be precise, the sum of the damage caused to the Austalian was 98,343 rubles. This was the sum paid by the 55-year-old Australian to help a beautiful Russian girl Elena from the Mariy El Republic, who he got acquainted with on one of international dating sites at the beginning of 2010, to come to him.
When they started their correspondence, the girl informed him that she lived with her grandmother, helped her on the farm and at the same time worked as an operation nurse in a hospital. She complained that she was short of money and could not afford a mobile phone to speak to him. That is why they only could communicate via the Internet. Evidently, the Australian was so moved by the story of the 29-year-old beauty that he sent an equivalent of about 8,600 rubles. However, in her next letter the girl wrote again that she had not bought the phone since she still had no money to pay for telephone talks. So, she would better spend this money on a ticket to Australia. Since this sum was not sufficient for the ticket, she asked to send some more money. In order to be more convincing, she sent him an alleged copy of her passport. As a result, the foreigner transferred more than an equivalent of 29,600 rubles and started waiting for his bride.
According to Yekaterina Poptsova, Investigator of the Investigation Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate for Ioshkar Ola, who later interrogated the victim via Skype, the middle-aged foreigner was full of confidence in the 29-year-old Russian girl, because she promised to come and definitely cure him of his ailment got during participation in warfare. However, having received the money, she disappeared. James wrote one letter after another to her, but in vain. There was no answer. Then, having suspected that something was wrong, he became seriously worried. Some time later, an unknown girl called him and said that Elena was not able to come because she was detained at the Customs. The girl, who called him, explained that $2,000 was needed for customs clearing, but Elena did not have this sum. Not wishing to put up with such injustice, the Australian borrowed the necessary sum from his mother, sent it to Russia and began preparing for the arrival of his beloved. Having vainly waited for her from May to August, the foreigner realized that he had been deceived and some time later he appealed to the Cyber Crime Prevention Department of the MOI for Mariy El.
According to Ivan Smolentsev, Head of the Cyber Crime Prevention Department, after Peter James's application had been received, operational and investigative actions were carried out, which helped identify the address, from which the letters had been sent, whereupon the person who really communicated with the foreigner was also identified. It turned out to be not Elena, but a male, a 24-year-old citizen of Ioshkar-Ola. After a system unit was seized from his flat during the search, the young man, realizing the inevitability of punishment, came to militia himself and wrote the acknowledgement of guilt. Officers of the Cyber Crime Prevention Department also identified the girl who had received the money transferred by the foreigner and gave them to the offender.
In early May, the young man returned all the stolen money to the Australian. Being very happy with the positive outcome of the unpleasant situation, the foreigner wrote the letter of gratitude to officers of the MOI for Mariy El: "The splendid result is not only that this man admitted having committed the crime, but also returned all the money to me. This means that I have returned it to my elderly mother. Once again, I express by gratitude to all those who took part in this case," Peter James wrote in his letter.
At the end of May, the criminal case in respect of this fact was considered by the City Court of Ioshkar-Ola, which found the young man guilty in having committed this crime and sentenced him to imprisonment for a term of 8 months suspended.
Press Service of the MOI for Mariy El
Author:
Zoe Christodoulides
AS NEXT week's parliamentary elections approach, driving has become a rather serious affair. Cruise down the highway and billboard pictures of smart-suited candidates loom overhead at regular intervals. Crawl along the car-choked roads of the main towns and every few metres you are confronted with one serious face after another gazing down on you expectantly.
In Nicosia, massive billboards on the sides of all main roads made their debut well over a month ago, and they've been glanced at so many times it's almost impossible not to associate certain candidates with their very own "sweeping statements".
"Together, we make a difference," says DISY's Nikos Tornarides, while another DISY candidate, Sotiris Drakos, appears with a simple "Enough is enough." Neophytos Constantinou, standing for DIKO declares: "You know why."
Others take a slightly more unusual approach. Take, for example, the EDEK candidate, Maria Vasiliadou, whose slogan reads: "The teacher with the sweet smile."
Some candidates, women in particular it seems, attempt to woo the young.
The attractive blonde Alexia Savadaki from the Green Party appears on a poster reading: "I vote for young people," while DIKO's Elena Papadopolou states she is: "A young woman with an opinion."
Some candidates even list their personal website at the bottom of each image.
Dotted in between all those glazed looks are a few billboards that promote the political party as a whole; AKEL only opts for party posters, choosing not to favour any individual candidate while focusing on team work. "For the future of Cyprus, for Cyprus of the future," say AKEL. "We dare," says DIKO.
Billboard advertising has become more popular than ever before, and the amount of advertising in the press has dropped markedly in comparison to the last parliamentary elections in 2006. The print media allows for more space to state views and visions, while a billboard is really all about a face and one - hopefully - impressionable line. So what accounts for the change?
The cost of each billboard doesn't sound cheap. A position on the highway costs well over a e1/41,000 per month, while a hot spot on any main road costs an average of e1/4650 for just two weeks.
"To be honest, although it might not sound like it, this is actually a very cheap form of advertising for the campaigners," says Yianis Emilianides from Niche Outdoor Media, adding that many candidates are lawyers or big businessmen with funds coming from various directions. "Most of the ads they placed with us have been sponsored and the money doesn't come directly out of the pockets of the candidates."
Emilianides insists that billboards are both efficient and eye catching. "So many people are stuck in traffic each day and in just a couple of moments they can be aware of a new candidate with a simple message. It's modern and uncomplicated."
DISY candidate Chris Sofroniou sends out a message "For a brighter future" on his billboards around town. "I think this kind of advertising creates awareness but I don't really think people will make a decision based on a given billboard or what someone looks like," he admits. "But we have to follow the trend and you feel a certain urge to put up a poster. I only made an appearance on the billboards about a week ago." The 39-year-old said he chose an optimistic slogan which gives a positive message for the future as a younger candidate.
DIKO candidate Christiana Erotokritou has made her appearance on a couple of billboards around Nicosia with a slogan that reads: "We can do it together." But she confesses that she wasn't keen to embrace the billboard trend.
"I don't think they make very much difference in the votes and can sometimes be a bit of an injustice," she says. "The way the law stands is that campaigners are privately funded and that means that those with more money to back them are in a much better position than others. That's not fair for some people."
But many candidates have managed to find additional methods to publicise themselves. Those appealing to a younger internet-savvy crowd are also making full use of the cyber world with a big emphasis on Facebook. Regular local users of the social networking site have lately been inundated by ads running down the side of their homepage that boast the merits of one candidate or other.
Click on the ads and in most cases you'll be taken to a page which lists the candidate's full biographical details and interests. Some even list their favourite TV shows, while others give their mobile numbers and a list of their hobbies. In some instances, the link will even take you straight to their 'open group' Facebook page with information on all the public events they are attending and interviews that they're giving. Click 'like' on their page and all your Facebook friends will then be able to access their information.
Erotokritou set up her Facebook page and a personal website especially for the campaign. "Using the internet is an absolute must these days. Especially for the younger generation who don't really read papers and find political programmes boring. And it's good for us as candidates to keep up with technology," she says. "The really positive thing about the internet is that you can communicate with people without a third party involved, it's free and anyone can use it."
But is it really necessary for a candidate to reveal so many personal details online? "If you choose to be a candidate, you've chosen to reveal your personal life up to a certain extent; so listing your interests and hobbies gives people an idea of your all rounded personality. Of course, it's a very fine line between that and completely selling yourself."
As a Facebook user with his own page for the campaign, Sofroniou believes that such promotion has its serious pros and cons. "It's an exciting tool that's especially useful at reaching out to young people," he says. "But it has also been abused with many candidates bending over backwards just to give people what they want to hear to get votes. You shouldn't change what your goals are just to get fans off Facebook."
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2011
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
By Rich Jaroslovsky
This isn't quite hell freezing over, but its close: The makers of the BlackBerry have come out with something you might love.
It's the PlayBook tablet, and for Research In Motion the stakes could hardly be greater.
With market share for its pioneering smartphones falling, the company desperately
needs the PlayBook to be a success.
And it deserves to be, once the software catches up to the hardware.
The PlayBook, which arrives in stores April 19, is initially available only with a Wi-Fi connection.
It's priced the same as the Wi-Fi-only models of Apple's iPad 2: $499 for 16 gigabytes of storage; $599 for 32 GB and $699 for 64 GB.
It really, though, shouldn't be compared to the iPad, whose bigger screen makes it better for watching movies and Web- surfing, but is also 40% heavier.
The PlayBook's true competitors are the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Dell's Streak 7, in a category that might be considered pocket-sized as long as you've got good-sized pockets.
In that realm, the BlackBerry raises the bar.
Like those competitors, the PlayBook is compact enough to be held in one hand.
It's roughly the size of a half-sheet of paper and weighs about 15 ounces.
Along its top edge are a too-small power button and media-playback controls; the bottom includes a micro-USB connection and an HDMI video port.
The beautiful display measures seven inches diagonally with a 1024 x 600 resolution, the same as the Galaxy Tab and much better than the Streak.
Unlike the iPad 2, the PlayBook runs videos that use Adobe's Flash technology.
Its cameras are also better than the iPad's: Three megapixels facing front and five megapixels facing rear, and it's capable of capturing video in full high-definition.
RIM says it expects the PlayBook battery to provide eight to 10 hours of use, which seems about right based on my experience.
After two days of using it for a variety of tasks, including Web surfing, watching YouTube videos and editing documents using the included Docs to Go suite of Microsoft Office-compatible productivity apps, I had plenty of juice left.
While the Galaxy and Streak use a version of Google's Android software that was designed for mobile phones, the PlayBook uses a new operating system called the BlackBerry Tablet OS.
It's fast and easy once I got used to the unusual fact that the border as well as the screen is touch-sensitive.
You navigate by starting with your finger on the frame and then swiping it across the viewing area.
Open apps can be dismissed from the screen with an oddly satisfying flick gesture.
The new operating system is strong on multitasking.
If you're watching a video and bring up the PlayBook's desktop, the video continues in a smaller window.
Connect it to a high-definition TV or projector and you can continue to access the Internet or files on the tablet while your content plays uninterrupted on the big screen.
The main drawback is that the PlayBook feels unfinished.
That's because it is: A number of critical features and applications, while promised, aren't yet available.
For starters, there's currently no software for accessing all your e-mail, calendars or contacts in one place.
RIM says it will be available in the summer; in the meantime you can expect to be doing a lot of logging into websites to access your personal information.
Perhaps the most important missing feature, which won't show up until later in the year, is software that RIM says will allow the PlayBook to run a limited selection from the vast universe of Android wireless-phone applications.
The mobile marketplace is increasingly a battle of app-fueled ecosystems, and while RIM says the PlayBook is launching with about 3,000 apps, offering Android compatibility hedges the risk that developers won't continue to write for it if the tablet isn't an immediate hit.
It's impossible to say whether RIM's bet-the-company strategy will pay off.
Still, who would have thought that the maker of some of the world's least exciting smartphones would have produced a product this slick? The PlayBook makes BlackBerry relevant again.
WPBLOO
2011 Jordan Press & publishing Co. All rights reserved.
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
A report released on November 5 by Ernst & Young highlights how media and entertainment (M&E) companies will increase future revenue and profitability from digital media distribution by creating bundles of differentiated products and services.
The Company noted that the report also compares global penetration rates of free online content with the tendency to engage in online commerce and examines where online paid content strategies succeed.
According to Monetizing digital media: creating value consumers will buy media and entertainment companies will use digital content to add value to consumers and thereby help revenue and profitability in four key areas:
-Format and additional content: content and information can be delivered to consumers in specific formats that are most conducive to their needs and the devices on which they consume content. Consumers will also find value in additional bonus or exclusive content.
-Timing: Content consumption has been steadily shifting from a fixed-time model to one in which consumers can enjoy what they want, when they want. M&E companies can profitably monetize their products and services by accommodating this desire.
-Availability and interoperability: consumers want to access their media and entertainment from anywhere on multiple devices. M&E companies will enable multiple-device distribution and allow consumers the ability own and access content stored in a "digital locker."
-Sharing: the concept of sharing is changing. Free content can become premium content if consumers have the ability to share it with their social networks or can recommend, comment or customize it. In this way, providers can turn what has traditionally been a liability into an asset.
One example of this direction is Internet radio stations that are shifting their focus from free content to premium services that offer subscribers a selection, a higher quality stream, no advertising and the ability to create and listen to customized channels on mobile devices, Ernst & Young said.
"Now that the majority of consumers have learned to seamlessly integrate free digital media and entertainment content into their lives, companies have the opportunity to better monetize this habit by developing multiple paid content strategies that focus on consumer value," said John Nendick, Ernst & Young's Global Media and Entertainment Leader.
The report also compared penetration rates of free online content with the tendency to engage in online commerce. The Company reported that the US has an average penetration of free online activities of 57 percent, with South Korea showing the greatest penetration of free online activities at 70 percent and Japan the least at 43 percent. However, Ernst & Young noted that when examining the willingness of consumers to engage in online transactions as measured by e-commerce and online transactions a different picture emerged. The Company said that the average penetration levels of ecommerce and online transactions ranged from a high of 59 percent in Japan to a low of 7 percent in Russia, with the US placing third highest at 49 percent. The countries that ranked highest in free online content were generally less likely to engage in online commerce.
This divergence becomes most apparent when overall penetration is compared to online spending. In the U.S., for example, Internet users spent an average of $8.80 on digital music products last year, with 34 percent of the population using the Internet to access digital music, both paid and free. Looking across the globe, the Company noted that Japan has a high per user spend ($10.12) with a relatively low penetration (25 percent), indicating the Japanese are paying for their music content more than in any other country. Conversely, China has an extremely high penetration (83 percent) with a very low per user spend ($.20), indicating the Chinese are getting the overwhelming majority of their online music for "free."
"Media and entertainment companies will be more likely to see their online paid content strategies succeed in countries where Internet users' online spending is more aligned to their online media consumption habits," says Bruno Perrin, Ernst & Young's EMEIA Media & Entertainment Leader.
When looking at how willing consumers are to pay for online content, Ernst & Young noted that the report highlights that they are more willing to pay for games, TV shows and music, and are less likely to pay for news, except for few highly specialized business newspapers, which have successfully combined advertising, subscription and microtransactions revenues.
Bruno added that, "The gaming industry has developed various paid content business models for social gaming, generating revenues through microtransactions for virtual goods. Most users don't pay for virtual goods, but those who do, generate enough revenue to make the model work."
In the US, the virtual goods market reached $1.6 billion in 2010. Which, the social gaming market contributed $835 million. Another developing market, China, the Company said, has estimated 105 million gaming users. Virtual goods sales in 2009 were estimated at $2.2 billion. However, the Company reported that micropayments processing costs are still too high, with cost approximately US$0.20 per transaction, which is prohibitively high for a payment of US$1 or less. Nonetheless, market vendors are capitalizing on the opportunity, resulting in a more competitive market for micropayment processing.
Nendick concluded that, "Consumers in certain parts of the world will pay more for content and services they value. In creating "a la carte" content, M&E companies will generate more microtransactions, which in turn will increase micropayments and monetization."
Ernst & Young's Global Media & Entertainment Center works to anticipate market trends, identify the implications and develop points of view on relevant industry issues.
Ernst & Young is a global company focusing on assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
More Information:
www.ey.com
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
Deal Provides Consumers Anytime, Anywhere Access to High-Quality Music, Film, Comedy and More
PALO ALTO, Calif. & NEW YORK & LONDON -- Web and mobile premium content platform Babelgum and Metacafe, the world's leading independent video site, today announced a partnership that maximizes and aligns Babelgum's high-quality content offerings and mobile technology with the large and growing Metacafe audience of more than 46 million unique monthly viewers1.
Launching today is the Metacafe iPhone application, powered by Babelgum, which features a curated collection of Metacafe videos in categories including movies, sports, music, comedy, animation and "how-to" as well as a selection of Babelgum professionally produced programming. The free application is now available via the iTunes Store in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France and Spain.
Also a result of the new partnership is a recently launched Babelgum-branded channel on Metacafe, showcasing a selection of film, music, comedy, environmental and urban content from the extensive Babelgum catalog. This content will also be promoted in Metacafe's recently introduced premium entertainment hubs where relevant: TV Clips, Movie Trailers, Music Videos, Sports Highlights and Video Games.
"Packaging content in popular entertainment categories is a win-win for viewers and advertisers," said Erick Hachenburg, CEO of Metacafe. "We make it easy for consumers to find content that suits their interests and preferences, and we make it efficient and effective for advertisers to reach those consumers when they're engaged in the entertainment experience."
"To us, this is an incredible and winning combination," said Babelgum CEO Valerio Zingarelli. "We're pleased to extend our mobile expertise, following the successful launch of our own US-based iPhone application earlier this year. With Metacafe's reach and Babelgum's professionally produced content and mobile technology both companies are ensured maximum visibility." This initiative was developed by the Babelgum management team with the support of Massimo Armanini of Babelgum's Board.
About Metacafe[R] - Entertainment That Connects
Metacafe[R] is the leading independent online video site. We connect consumers with the entertainment content they love and brand advertisers with the consumers they serve. The company is teaming with content creators including top movie studios, music labels, professional sports leagues, television networks, video game publishers and best-of-the-web production firms to deliver an exceptional entertainment experience to its more than 46 million unique monthly viewers, more than 11 million of them in the U.S.1. The privately held company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, and has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, London and Tel Aviv. For more information - and millions of entertaining videos - visit www.metacafe.com.
About Babelgum
An integrated mobile and Web content platform, Babelgum combines the full-screen video quality of traditional television with the interactive capabilities of the Internet and offers innovative professionally produced programming on-demand to a global audience. Babelgum recently launched an original mobile application in the United States, UK and Italy, that brings regionally tailored programming to smart phones - at present iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, Nokia (N96, N95 and 6210) - via 3G and WiFi. Babelgum's editorial focus is on music, comedy, film, urban culture, nature and the environment. The company has set up two online contests to nurture independent film and music talent: the Babelgum Online Film Festival, chaired by Spike Lee (now in its second year) and the Babelgum Music Video Awards, judged by acclaimed director Michel Gondry. Babelgum also launched a Digital Studio initiative producing new, exclusive and original content. Two productions have already been completed, including Downstream, focusing on the controversy over the development of the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, and Extinction Sucks, a wildlife series on the subject of conservation and protection, with the active involvement of WWF. Babelgum's content partners include, amongst others, EMI, Sony BMG, the Associated Press, PBS, BBC, VBS, Lonely Planet, National Geographic, T5M, Shine Limited, Cinetic Rights Management, Content Republic, Gong Anime, The Workbook Project, Cinelan, IMG, Power to the Pixel and Off the Fence, as well as the Encounters, Los Angeles, Rushes, From Here To Awesome and Renderyard Film festivals. Babelgum is an independent and privately held company with offices in the United States, UK, Ireland, France and Italy. www.babelgum.com
1 comScore, August 2009
Martin Luther King's family joins forces with Time Warner to package and promote his legacy achieved eloquence as easily as he DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. drew breath. As a result his sermons, his political speeches and even his extemporaneous comments always sounded thoughtful and memorable, never contrived. He also seemed instinctively to anticipate the requirements of the various media covering the civil-rights movement. He knew that image-hungry film crews would respond to the sight of people marching down a road, and he matched the magnificence of his great speech, "I have a dream," against the equal magnificence of the Lincoln Memorial. He was an expert in multimedia three decades before the term became cool. And if you've ever wondered what King might have accomplished with the Internet or a CD-ROM, you're not going to have to wait much longer to find out.
Last week King's estate and Time Warner Inc. announced the formation of a unique partnershp to publish his works as books and as audio books, and to create interactive educational tools and a Web site on the Internet. The project, which both sides win describe only as a "multimillion-dollar deal," includes reprinting five previously published books by King, audio books of his speeches and a volume of his sermons, some of which have never been transcribed from tape. There are plans for a King autobiography, to be cobbled together from his writings by Clayborne Carson, the Stanford University historian currently editing a 14-volume edition of King's papers. Coretta Scott King, King's widow, will also write a new autobiography (her first was published in 1969), as will King's youngest son, Dexter, 35. Discussing the family's decision to work with Time Warner, Dexter argues that even though his father's birthday is a national holiday, King's true legacy--his writings and his thoughts-has been neglected:
"The media focused on the 'I have a dream' speech, and that became the commercial sound bite that could be used time and time again. That was the top-40 version of him."
Time Warner plans to spend about $5 million on the project in the next two years (the sermons and the "autobiography" are scheduled to be published in 1998), and expects that the King estate will earn about twice that in the same period. Time Warner itself hopes eventually to see its revenues climb to about $10 million a year. But does the market for King material exist? Booksellers and scholars say probably. "I have a lot of requests for Martin Luther King tapes, especially around his birthday," says Donna Stokes-Lucas, owner of X-pressions ("as in Malcolm x") Bookstore and Gallery in Indianapolis. "People feel safe with him." And King scholars agree that some systematizing of King's written and spoken words would be welcome. According to biographer David Garrow, "The most valuable part of King's corpus is the sermons," many of which, particularly the later, more personally revealing works, have never been available to the public before. Historian Taylor Branch agrees. "There's a whole new generation of people who haven't heard about Dr. King. This is the kind of thing the family ought to be doing, and I hope it signals better relations with the scholarly community."
In the past the King estate has gone to court repeatedly to make anyone who uses King's works or his image pay for the right, and they have been as litigious with scholars and documentary filmmakers as they have with merchants who want to put King's face on refrigerator magnets. The family insists this has to be done to protect King's reputation. Their critics say it has more to do with making money. Disparaging the deal with Time Warner, Garrow says, "If Dr. King were alive he would be nauseated that money earned is going seemingly only into private hands and not for use in any political change." Carson, author of the "autobiography," is more charitable. "King did not leave money behind. What he left behind were his ideas. So, in a sense, Mrs. King is saying to her children, 'This is your legacy: your father was taken away, but he left behind a literary property.' They are now exercising the ownership of that property. You can either see it as selfish or, what better way to get the word out than make a deal with one of the largest communications companies in the world?"
At least in teaming up with Time Warner, the family can retain control of the material. The last big deal they struck, some months ago, was for a biographical film about King-- made with none other than Oliver Stone, a director never accused of slavish devotion to facts. The good news, so far, is that Stone has been too busy with "other projects," according to a spokesman, to pay much attention to the movie of Martin Luther King.
With RAY SAWHILL in New York and VERNE. SMITH in Atlanta
BYLINE: RONNIE MORRIS
Cape Town - "Stop attacking us, or we'll gag you through a court order." This is the message Anglo American Platinum (Angloplat), a subsidiary, Potgietersrust Platinum, and partner African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) have for Richard Spoor, a Nelspruit occupational injury specialist attorney who acts for several communities in Limpopo and who wants to stop platinum mining activities on tribal land.
Spoor, who has a history of acting for people and communities in the Northern Cape affected by exposure to asbestos dust and fibres, has been vociferous in his criticism of the conduct of the platinum mining companies on the Hendriksplaats, Onverwacht and Maandagshoek farms.
In a letter to Spoor last Thursday, WP le Roux of the law firm, Brink Cohen Le Roux, said the company had been instructed that Spoor had defamed the mining companies on various occasions and that the defamatory remarks had been published in the media.
Le Roux cited an article in the Business Report on May 14 penned by Spoor in which he had made allegations about Angloplat, Potgietersus Platinum and ARM. He also cited an article in Business Report on June 12, the internet website of minesandcommunities.org on June 25 and the Mail & Guardian of June 23 to 29.
Le Roux said the statements that were published were untrue and defamatory. The lawyers requested Spoor to withdraw the statements and undertake not to defame the platinum mining companies by no later than 2pm tomorrow.
Should Spoor fail to do this, they would apply to the high court for an urgent interdict.
Spoor said on Friday that he was preparing a response. He said the companies wanted to silence the communities and stop them telling the world about their plight.
"The allegations and commentary that [have been] made are no more than a summary of allegations already made under oath and are before the courts in various applications our client communities have filed against Anglo Platinum," Spoor said.
"It's part of my brief to present my clients' case to the court of public opinion.
"The impact of mining and ... of multinational corporations on the indigenous communities is well documented around the world. It is the subject of a great deal of writing, commentary, social activism and academic research."
Spoor said one of the core complaints against the companies was racism. "It is unthinkable that white people would be treated the way Anglo treats black people."
Simon Tebele, the company's head of communications, said the threat of an application for an interdict to prevent Spoor from making defamatory statements was not an attempt to prevent him from representing communities.
"We are seeking to ensure that information given to communities or the media is fair and accurate," Tebele said.
The companies have reserved their rights to claim damages from Spoor in respect of defamatory statements.
