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Saturday, June 30, 2012
Kanye West, Black Keys Lend New Songs To RZA's 'Iron Fists'
New red-band trailer reveals 'Man With the Iron Fists' soundtrack will also feature Wiz Khalifa and the Wu-Tang Clan.
By James Montgomery
RZA in "The Man with the Iron Fists"
Photo: Universal
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powerscosmic: Marvel?s Mystery Movie To Be Guardians Of The Galaxy? - The Hollywood News http://t.co/9PJ3uaTK
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Microsoft lists 180 countries in Windows Phone 8 Marketplace, says apps can filter by screen size
Now that the dust has settled on the big Windows Phone 8 hoedown, Redmond is filling in the details of all its announcements. To wit, it just released a list of the 180 countries that will get access to its WP marketplace and developer app hub. That number is a big jump from the 63 markets and 38 app hubs of today, and with in-app purchasing coming soon, Microsoft emphasized that point -- along with the 100,000 apps in stock -- to developers. The software giant also added that the marketplace will filter apps by phone screen resolution and "other key characteristics," allowing easier targeting of users. To see if your country made the cut, check the source for the very long list.
Microsoft lists 180 countries in Windows Phone 8 Marketplace, says apps can filter by screen size originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Windows Team Blog | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/29/microsoft-180-countries-in-windows-phone-8-marketplace/
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Friday, June 29, 2012
Chrome (for Android)
If speed is your holy grail, Chrome is your mobile browser. With Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google finally replaced the stock Android browser with its very own Chrome for Android (free). Chrome first hit Google Play as a beta app, but now the full release brings an even slicker user interface, faster performance both in real life and in benchmarks, and mobile-only features like voice search and scrolling navigation.
If you're a desktop Chrome user, you're probably already familiar with Chrome's other flagship features, such as Incognito browsing, autofilling, and the unified search/address bar (called omnibox). That's all in mobile Chrome too.
What Chrome lacks is video-loving Flash. The stock Android browser supported the plug-in, but I guess Google is putting the final nail in Flash's coffin?unsurprising, given Adobe's abandonment of Android support last December. If you're hell-bent on using Flash, then check out Firefox for Android (free) or Dolphin HD (free, 4.5 stars and an Editors' Choice), both excellent browsers that let you customize gestures, support Flash, and download numerous plug-ins. But for fast, simple browsing, Chrome can't be beat. ?
How Chrome Makes Searching Faster
To make the most of Chrome's intelligent, fast searching, sign into your Google account when you browse. Chrome syncs pretty much every keystroke you enter into Chrome on a desktop or another mobile device, as long as you've signed into your Chrome account. For instance, even if you quit Chrome on one device you can open Chrome on another and see your last synced tabs, bookmarks, and browsing history. However, this is a one-way street only?desktop to mobile. ?
Syncing also makes autocomplete with Chrome for Android more effective too, since the search engine improves with use. For instance when I typed "F-A" in the omnibox, it immediately suggested my friend's Facebook page that I had been checking out a minute earlier in my desktop browser. Spookay.
You can actively improve your autocomplete suggestions. For every suggestion, you can tap an up arrow next to it, to bump up the suggestion. The next time autocomplete is activated, that bumped suggestion will pop up first.
Chrome now accepts voice input, too. Simply tap the mic symbol next to the omnibox and speak clearly, slowly, and preferably in a quiet place. I was surprised at how much I found myself using this feature, and forgave Chrome for always managing to confuse "six" with "sex," because it shaves off so much time. In other browsers, such as Dolphin HD's Sonor, the voice input is part of the keyboard, which means a two-tap process to use it, versus Chrome's one-tap process.
Power Tabbing
A lot of browsers do the tab thing, but Chrome does it best. A single tap on the tab icon next to your omnibox opens up a new tab?in Chrome beta, it took two taps. You can open a seemingly infinite number of tabs and swipe the left or right edges to move from one to the next, though I found this gesture inconsistent. A more effective way is to simply scroll through the tab names themselves, which beats navigating on a desktop. If you've lost track of what tabs you've opened, simply open a new one to display a thumbnail view of opened tabs.
Supposedly, you can also tilt left and right to switch between tabs too (using your device's accelerometer) but this never worked for me. ?
Tabs in Chrome have a functional benefit as well, though that hasn't reached the mobile app yet. In desktop Chrome each tab has a separate rendering processes, which from an end user perspective means that if one tab crashes, or is breached, it doesn't affect any of your other open tabs.
Benchmarks: Sunspider, V8
We put all mobile browsers through two Javascript rendering tests, Sunspider version 0.9.1 and V8. I ran each test three times and averaged the results. Chrome came out on top for both, in a pool that includes the stock Android browser, Dolphin Browser Mini 7, Firefox 10, Dolphin Browser HD 7, Opera Mobile 11, and UC Browser.
In Sunspider, where a lower score is better, Chrome scored 1,765ms. Next was Firefox (2,865 ms), Opera (3,251), and the previous stock browser a distant (4,172).
In Google's V8 Benchmark Suite test (where higher is better), version 6, Chrome trounced the competition. It scored 1575, more than twice as fast as the next fastest, the stock browser (627).
A Browser for the Privileged
Sadly Chrome is only available to devices with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and above (that's still a paltry six percent of you Android users, according to Google), and I am reluctant to give top marks to an app that so few of you can use. Still, there's no denying that, if you are running Ice Cream Sandwich, Chrome is the Editors' Choice browser. For the vast majority of Android users, however, Dolphin still reigns supreme.
More Android App Reviews:
??? Chrome (for Android)
??? Groupon 2.0 (for Android)
??? LastPass Premium Password Manager (for Android)
??? Flipboard (for Android)
??? Keeper 5.0 (for Android)
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/-wjMQBhP8Q0/0,2817,2406535,00.asp
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One Million Moms Condemns Oreo Cookies For Gay Pride Support
Oreo
In June 2012, Oreo posted a photo of a rainbow sextuple-stacked cookie to its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oreo" target="_hplink">Facebook</a> page in honor of Pride month. While the responses were mostly positive, some commenters were outraged, even calling for a <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/oreo-sees-support-backlash-boycott-gay-pride-rainbow-cookie-article-1.1103369" target="_hplink">boycott</a> of the product. Still, Basil Maglaris, Kraft's associate director of corporate affairs, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-krafts-gay-pride-oreo-draws-20000-comments-some-flak-20120627,0,490983.story" target="_hplink">said</a> that the positive comments on the post "far outweighed" the negative ones.
Betty Crocker
The staple of American domesticity is part of the General Mills family of products, which has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by the National Organization for Marriage</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Agreement. What better way to celebrate the stand against intolerance than Betty Crocker's <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/supermoist-cakes/products/supermoist cake mix/rainbow-chip" target="_hplink">Rainbow Chip</a> cake?
Levi's
In 1992, Levi's found itself at odds with the Boy Scout's 'Three Gs' principle that had guided the Scouts' membership model for more than 80 years -- that everyone is welcome, provided they are not gay, godless, or a girl. San Francisco-based Levi's <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/boy-scouts-battle-on-antigay-policy-levis-the-denim-firm-has-withdrawn-its-sponsorship-over-the-movements-refusal-to-accept-homosexuals-writes-david-usborne-in-washington-1550450.html" target="_hplink">pulled its Boy Scout funding</a>, due to the group's exclusion. In response, Republican Dana Rohrabacher encouraged a 'grassroots' counter-boycott of Levi Strauss and his Texan colleage, Tom DeLay, was even more extreme in his reaction: "When Texans find out that the Levi's they have on go toward attacks on the Boy Scouts of America... they'll take off those Levi's and burn them in the streets."
Cheerios
Not only will this breakfast cereal reduce your family's cholesterol but it will reduce your family's moral integrity as well, according to The National Organization for Marriage. As part of the General Mills family of products, Cheerios is one of the brands that has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Agreement.
American Apparel
In 2009, <a href="http://www.americanapparel.net/" target="_hplink">American Apparel</a> put its "Legalize Gay" t-shirt in storefront windows in Washinton, D.C. When a group of <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/american-apparel-pushes-back-against-anti-lgbt-vandalism" target="_hplink">anti-LGBT vandals broke the store's windows</a>, the company didn't back down, but rather agreed to send shirts to any group in D.C. that was fighting for gay rights.
Disney World
Although Walt Disney World's <a href="http://www.gaydays.com/" target="_hplink">Gay Days</a> are not officially sanctioned by the theme park, they were the object of a <a href="http://floridafamily.org/full_article.php?article_no=158" target="_hplink">Florida Family Association warning</a>. The anti-LGBT group paid to have two planes fly over the park, with warning banners, to deter unsuspecting families from attending the park during Gay Days.
Starbucks
In January 2012, when Starbucks released a <a href="http://www.dumpstarbucks.com/documents/memo.pdf" target="_hplink">memorandum</a> voicing support of gay marriage, NOM launched <a href="http://www.dumpstarbucks.com/" target="_hplink">DumpStarbucks.com</a> to urge people to boycott the coffee chain.
Wheaties
As part of the General Mills family of products, which has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Agreement, there are attempts to dethrone Wheaties as the "Breakfast of Champions."
Tide Detergent
In 2004, Proctor and Gamble <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">angered conservatives</a> by opposing an anti-gay rights statute that would exempt gays and lesbians from special civil rights protection in its hometown of Cincinnati. In response, the American Family Association <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">issued a boycott</a> of some of P&G's most popular products, including Tide Detergent, and gathered petition signatures from almost 365,000 families urging Procter & Gamble to change its policy.
Microsoft
In 2005, Microsoft <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1490060/Religious-Right-to-boycott-Microsoft-over-support-for-gay-rights.html" target="_hplink">came under fire</a> from anti-LGBT activists, including evangelical preacher Ken Hutcherson, for its support of a bill in that would outlaw discrimination against homosexuals at work in the state of Washington. In response, Microsoft <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1490060/Religious-Right-to-boycott-Microsoft-over-support-for-gay-rights.html" target="_hplink">withdrew its support</a> of the bill, prompting outrage from gay and liberal activists and criticism from its staff and other big businesses. In response, Bill Gates backtracked again and admitted that he was surprised by the vehemence of the reaction. When the bill was defeated by a single vote, Microsoft's liberal critics blamed its withdrawal of support for the loss.
Home Depot
A May 2012 <a href="http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147521725" target="_hplink">post</a> on the American Family Association web site proclaims, "AFA is promoting a boycott of Home Depot until it agrees to remain neutral in the homosexual culture war. The total number of people who have signed the Home Depot boycott pledge is 719,037." The <a href="http://action.afa.net/item.aspx?id=2147496231" target="_hplink">pledge</a> condemns Home Depot for giving "financial and corporate support to open displays of homosexual activism," because this helps expose "small children to lascivious displays of sexual conduct by homosexuals and cross-dressers." In response to the <a href="http://action.afa.net/item.aspx?id=2147496231" target="_hplink">pledge</a>, which was delivered at Home Depot's annual shareholder meeting, Chairman Blake <a href="http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147521725" target="_hplink">responded</a>, "We are, and will remain, committed to a culture that fosters an inclusive environment for our associates, our customers and communities in which we exist."
Pampers Diapers
Diapers are essential to fulfilling the straight family-making dream, which make them an odd target of a 'pro-family' boycott. However, in 2004, Proctor and Gamble <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">angered conservatives</a> by opposing an anti-gay rights statute that would exempt gays and lesbians from special civil rights protection in its hometown of Cincinnati. In response, the American Family Association <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">issued a boycott</a> of some of P&G's most popular products, including Pampers Diapers, and gathered petition signatures from almost 365,000 families, urging Procter & Gamble to change its policy.
PepsiCo Products
After it was discovered that PepsiCo gave a combined $1,000,000 to the <a href="http://www.hrc.org/" target="_hplink">Human Rights Campaign</a> and <a href="http://community.pflag.org/page.aspx?pid=191" target="_hplink">PFLAG</a> (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to promote the so-called "homosexual lifestyle" in the workplace, the American Family Accociation posted a "<a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147483718" target="_hplink">Boycott Pepsi Pledge</a>," urging conservatives to stay away from Pepsi drinks, Frito Lay chips, Quaker Oats, and Gatorade.
Safeway
In June of 2009, Safeway honored Pride by putting large gay/lesbian Pride posters in its stores across America. In response to this celebration of the "gay lifestyle," the American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147484828" target="_hplink">urged conservatives</a> to contact their local Safeway, and ask it to "stop promoting homosexuality," and "let Safeway know if they continue, you will consider grocery shopping with their competitors."
Crest Toothpaste
In 2004, Proctor and Gamble <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">angered conservatives</a> by opposing an anti-gay rights statute that would exempt gays and lesbians from special civil rights protection in its hometown of Cincinnati. In response, the American Family Association <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/17/news/fortune500/pg_gay_rights/" target="_hplink">issued a boycott</a> of some of P&G's most popular products, including Crest Toothpaste, and gathered petition signatures from almost 365,000 families, urging Procter & Gamble to change its policy.
Old Navy
In 2011, when Old Navy planned to sell shirts to benefit the anti-suicide, anti-bullying <a href="http://www.itgetsbetter.org/" target="_hplink">It Gets Better</a> project, the American Family Association <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/fischer-gays-ought-be-ashamed-national-borders-were-set-god" target="_hplink">urged members</a> to "drop by your Old Navy store in your community and tell them you're not going to shop at Old Navy until they get their minds right."
Girl Scouts
In 2011, when The Girl Scouts decided to allow a transgender youth to participate, The American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147513279" target="_hplink">urged members</a> to contact Girl Scout leadership, "expressing your disappointment in their recent decision to allow boys as troop members," and to "let them know you will not support the Girl Scouts as long as it continues down a path of destructive policies."
Macy's
In December 2011, a Macy's dressing room attendant prevented a transgender woman from using a female dressing room, because it violated her religious beliefs. After the woman was fired for refusing to abide by Macy's pro-LGBT policies, the American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147514523" target="_hplink">lamented</a>, "The LGBT agenda has become the theater of the absurd" and <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147514523" target="_hplink">urged</a> members to contact the Macy's headquarters to "express... outrage at this injustice to female employees and customers."
Target
In May 2012, Target <a href="http://action.afa.net/uploadedImages/Activism/AFA_Action_Alerts/Action_Alert_Related_Items/targetpride.jpg" target="_hplink">announced</a> that 100% of the purchase price of any of its Pride merchandise would be donated to the pro-LGBT <a href="http://www.familyequality.org/" target="_hplink">Family Equality Council</a>. The American Family Association <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147521799" target="_hplink">lamented</a> that "Target is joining President Obama in ramming same-sex marriage down the throats of the American people" and urged members to contact Target Chairman Gregg Steinhafel, to "let him know that a majority of Americans oppose same-sex marriage and are able to use their pocketbooks to voice their opposition to companies that support it."
J.C. Penney
Aside from One Million Mom's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/ellen-degeneres-jc-penney_n_1247657.html" target="_hplink">infamous boycott</a> of the department store for choosing Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson, J.C. Penney also came under fire in June 2012 when its <a href="http://calendar.jcpenney.com/june/#!book/thebook/16" target="_hplink">catalog</a> featured two men on the floor playing and hugging their two children at home indicating, <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147522587" target="_hplink">according</a> to the American Family Association, that the company made a "departure from its moorings to God's Word and Mr. Penney's leadership by taking sides in the cultural war in celebration of homosexuality." The AFA <a href="http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147522587" target="_hplink">urged members</a> to "call or visit your local J. C. Penney store manager to politely inform them that you will not be shopping at their store this Father's Day," and added, "If you have a store credit card or hold stock with the J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), you might consider closing your account and divesting until they become neutral in the culture war."
Pillsbury
Pillsbury is part of the General Mills family of products, which has been <a href="http://www.dumpgeneralmills.com/?REF=EB120625NANT" target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Agreement.
Walgreen's
In 2006, Walgreen's was a Platinum-Level sponsor of the Chicago "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Games" target="_hplink">Gay Games</a>." According to Tom Kovach of <a href="http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/kovach/060319" target="_hplink">RenewAmerica.com</a>, "by its very definition, the 'Gay' Games will invite people from all over the world to come to Chicago this summer and have homo-sex," and Walgreen's support contradicted it "squeaky-clean, family-friendly corporate image." Kovach wasn't alone in his condemnation -- the Illinois Family Institute <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-10-19/news/0510190382_1_walgreens-gay-games-vii-michael-polzin" target="_hplink">voiced opposition</a> and considered urging members to boycott the Pharmacy chain.
Ford
In 2005, the American Family Association <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8047423/ns/business-us_business/t/another-swing-pocketbook/#.T-x3GCtSTDV" target="_hplink">launched a boycott campaign</a> against Ford for being "the company which has done the most to affirm and promote the homosexual lifestyle." The group criticized Ford for donating money to gay-rights organizations (Ford offered to give up to $1,000 to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for every Jaguar and Land Rover it sells to a member of GLAAD) and complained that Ford had sponsored Pride celebrations, advertised in gay-oriented publications and was "redefining the definition of the family to include homosexual marriage."
Gap
When Gap launched an ad campaign featuring two men pressed together under a shared t-shirt, anti-LGBT group One Million Moms, which is part of the American Family Association, launched a boycott, <a href="http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/gay-issues/one-million-moms-protests-gap-clothing-gay-billboard" target="_hplink">stating</a>, "GAP Inc. Brands, including Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta, does not deserve, nor will it get, money from conservative families across the country. Supporting GAP is not an option until they decide to remain neutral in the culture war. GAP needs to seriously consider how their immoral advertising affect the youth of our nation."
Green Giant
The frozen vegetable brand is part of the General Mills family of products, which, in June 2012, was <a href="DumpGeneralMills.com " target="_hplink">boycotted by NOM</a> for opposing the Minnesota Marriage Agreement.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/29/one-million-moms-oreo-cookies-gay-pride_n_1638774.html
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Jaw-dropping switch saves 'Obamacare'
In his White House memoir, ?Courage and Consequence,? Karl Rove recalls being the lone non-lawyer among the group of George W. Bush aides who initially interviewed John Roberts for the Supreme Court in 2005. Rove asked Roberts to go back in history to name the justice whom he most revered. Roberts? answer, Robert Jackson, intrigued and reassured Rove. When appointed in 1941, Jackson was serving as Franklin Roosevelt?s attorney general and had been expected to be a pro-New Deal rubber-stamp on the court. But, as Rove put it, Jackson ?instead demonstrated a fidelity to the Constitution that Roberts admired.?
Thursday, in a jaw-dropping turnabout worthy of Justice Jackson, Roberts provided the swing vote in a 5-to-4 decision that upheld the constitutionality of almost all of Obamacare, the president?s signature legislative achievement. While an army of armchair court watchers expected Justice Anthony Kennedy to determine the fate of the Affordable Care Act (a recent Time cover called him ?The Decider?), it was Roberts who took his fidelity to the Constitution in an ideologically surprising direction. Kennedy voted with three other conservative justices to overturn the health insurance mandate at the heart of the law.
Constitutional law seminars and unlicensed political psychologists will spend years speculating about Roberts? motivations in joining the liberal bloc in probably the most important Supreme Court decision since Bush v. Gore in 2000. While we may wait decades to know for certain, it does seem plausible that Roberts may have been partly triggered by a desire to prevent the court from being seen as overtly political. Polls showing public respect for the Supreme Court at a quarter-century low reflect the growing view that the justices pursue partisan agendas.
One of the most important passages in Roberts? majority decision was the chief justice?s assertion: ?We do not consider whether the act embodied sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the Nation?s elected leaders. We ask only whether Congress has the power under the Constitution to enact the challenge provisions.?
In short, if you want a national referendum on the health-care law, then the proper arena is the 2012 campaign?and not the inner sanctums of the Supreme Court.
The majority opinion in the health care case points up the inadequacy of the political clich?s used in the heat of an election year to describe the Supreme Court. Phrases like ?strict constructionist? and ?not making law from the bench? do not clarify complex Supreme Court opinions like Thursday?s ruling. Romney?s campaign website declares, ?As president, Mitt will nominate judges in the mold of Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito.? There?s only one problem with this formulation: Roberts went in one direction and Scalia, Thomas and Alito went in the opposite on the constitutionality of the health care bill.
Obama?s own ability at prophecy is limited, as well. In 2005, the former constitutional law professor declared in a Senate address that he was opposing Roberts? nomination to the Supreme Court because ?I ultimately have to give more weight to his deeds and overarching political philosophy ? than to the assuring words he provided me in our meeting.?
While Obama has sharply disagreed with major decisions of the Roberts Court (particularly the anything-goes Citizen United ruling on campaign finance), it is tempting to wonder if the president now feels that he misjudged the man who saved his legislative legacy.
It is almost part of the job description of a president that he will make, at least, one blunder when picking Supreme Court justices. Harry Truman called one of his nominees, Tom Clark, a ?damn fool from Texas.? When George H.W. Bush tapped New Hampshire jurist David Souter in 1990, the president never expected that he would be reinforcing the court?s liberal wing. Now it is Roberts who has refused to stay in his pre-determined ideological cubbyhole.
With four current justices over the age of 70, it is likely that whoever is elected president this November will get an opportunity to put his stamp on the Supreme Court. But the potential for Lucy-and-the-football surprises endures. About the only ways a president can achieve some measure of certainty about the court are either to nominate fire-breathing ideologues like Antonin Scalia or political cronies like Abe Fortas, who kept open a back channel to Lyndon Johnson during his brief tenure as a justice. But even the Scalia precedent no longer works, because anyone with a sharply articulated judicial philosophy probably could not make it through today?s hyper-partisan Senate.
As for the health care law, its major provisions remain on schedule to take effect in 2014. Even a President Romney may find it difficult to reverse history, as he would have to face down a filibuster threat by Senate Democrats to get a repeal bill through Congress. (There are, however, administrative gambits that Romney could use to eviscerate Obamacare if Congress proves balky.) That?s why the Supreme Court seemed like such a beguiling short cut for conservatives who loathe Obamacare.
It?s also why back in 2005 Karl Rove may have badly misinterpreted John Roberts? stated intention to be an independent jurist like Robert Jackson.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/john-roberts-saves-obamacare--how-does-george-w--bush-feel-right-now-.html
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DWP lawsuits over water rights may put squeeze on Mammoth Lakes
MAMMOTH LAKES ? The people of this small High Sierra ski town have survived drought, forest fires and earthquakes. They have endured economic recessions and volcano scares. But nothing in their history prepared them for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The DWP launched a legal attack six months ago for control of the city's primary source of water, Mammoth Creek, which tumbles down the slopes through town. The utility contends it has owned the water since 1905 and Mammoth Lakes has been poaching for decades.
The tiny Mammoth Community Water District says that if it loses the lawsuits, the district would have to buy water from the DWP. That would force the district to raise average rates to levels many locals cannot afford ? increasing them by at least 100%, to about $840 a year, one district official said.
The 7,700 year-round residents are largely working-class employees catering to vacationers who travel 300 miles north from Los Angeles. Forty percent are low-income.
Greg Norby, manager of the water district, said the DWP is using the lawsuits to intimidate his agency, hoping it will yield on the water rather than pay for a costly court battle. The district has already run up about $300,000 in legal expenses in the case, he said.
In a county with a 12.1% unemployment rate and a city whose bad economy and debts have it on the verge of bankruptcy, the DWP lawsuits could be the last straw, Norby said.
"It would bring a huge return on their investment in attorneys' fees," Norby said. "Mammoth Lakes would cease to exist."
Mammoth Lakes argues that it is entitled to as much as 2,760 acre-feet of water annually under licenses and a permit granted by the state dating back as far as 1949. The district also argues the DWP should not be allowed to claim the water now after allowing the community to become dependent upon it for decades by relying on those licenses and permit.
"Los Angeles never protested any of them," Norby said. "Where the hell was the city 50 years ago?"
The DWP says the state had no authority to give Mammoth Lakes permission to draw from the creek.
Martin Adams, DWP's water project director, said Mammoth Lakes wasn't a big concern when the community was small. "But over the years, after growth spurts which included condos and golf courses, Mammoth's water diversions were no longer just a blip," Adams said. They are now equal to 1% of the flow of water in the aqueduct carrying water from the Eastern Sierra to Los Angeles, he said.
The lawsuits, filed in Mono County Superior Court, are part of a new assertiveness by the utility along the Eastern Sierra, where it has owned land and water rights since early in the last century. After long legal battles, the DWP has been forced to help restore land it drained by giving up water to maintain levels in Mono Lake, re-water parts of the dry Owens Lake and restore a 62-mile stretch of the Lower Owens River.
The utility believes the Owens Lake effort alone unfairly raises rates for its customers by an average of at least $20 a year. Facing an estimated $238-million budget deficit, the DWP is trying to increase revenue from the Eastern Sierra and put as much water as possible into the aqueduct to L.A.
"Every drop counts, and under the city charter we are mandated to protect every drop," Deputy City Atty. Bill Carter said. "The city of Los Angeles does not want to harm Mammoth or its residents."
The water war comes at an especially tough time for Mammoth Lakes.
Just five years ago, the city was almost debt-free, enjoying record snowfalls and a real estate boom. Every Friday night in winter, thousands of vehicles streamed up from Southern California, bringing an estimated 1.5 million skiers to the region during the season.
Since then, the median price of single-family homes in Mammoth Lakes has fallen from $900,000 to $541,000 ? a decline of 40%, according to a study by FTI Capital Advisors. The median price of condominiums has fallen from $560,000 to $270,000 ? or about 52% ? during the same period.
City leaders are preparing to file for bankruptcy because the community cannot afford to pay a $43-million breach-of-contract judgment against it brought by a major developer.
The city considered raising taxes but a financial analysis warned that tax increases would drive tourists elsewhere and devastate households. The area's largest employer, Mammoth Mountain ski resort, laid off 70 full-time employees last winter because of a dearth of snow.
"This town's been through tough times, but never like this," said Tom Cage, a business owner and member of the water district board. "I'm not saying we're going to become a ghost town with tumble weeds rolling down Main Street. But no one around here expects to see development for years to come."
After all, he added glumly, "there are lots of other places for people to go that aren't under the thumb of the DWP."
Under a "Stop the LADWP Water Grab!" campaign managed by the public relations firm Cerrell Associates, the Mammoth Lakes district recently began asking its ratepayers to flood the DWP and Los Angeles City Hall with complaints and hard-luck stories.
Many Eastern Sierra communities have existed as Los Angeles colonies of sorts since the early 1900s when the city acquired enormous swaths of Eastern Sierra land and began pumping so much water south that the region became a de facto desert wilderness. Resentment has festered for a century.
"The DWP is a rapacious agency," said Paul Rudder, a Mammoth Lakes lawyer for 40 years. "The people of Los Angeles aren't going to shed a lot of tears over a poor little mountain town being stepped on by an elephant."
State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) sent a letter to the DWP last week recommending that the agency work with Mammoth Lakes to find common ground. The letter to General Manager Ron Nichols said the dispute is "opening old wounds in the Owens River Valley and risks exacerbating the historic distrust of the City of Los Angeles and LADWP well beyond the Eastern Sierra."
louis.sahagun@latimes.com
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How to Fully Automate Your Internet site So you Don't Squander ...
So you don?t possess a way of managing all the customer responses coming by way of your inbox I can relate, remember to Air Max allow me discuss a personal story.
When I initial began my on the web organization, I did not understand what an autoresponder was, and I had been intimidated by setting 1 up on my internet site. I just had an HTML type set up that might deliver e-mail deal with of individuals that wanted my publication straight to my inbox. I can only envision the quantity of income that I was leaving on the table. I had no way of responding again to my prospective buyers. When I noticed a newsletter signup come into my inbox, I?d copy and paste a reply back to them.
The occasions have altered. Not only will be the above circumstance not suitable, but there is no way it is possible to successfully develop your business without an autoresponder.
After all, given that you now have your website set up to sell your e-book, you might be likely to need to have a method to manage the different forms of correspondence getting sent to you from possible buyers.
Autoresponders are an successful and inexpensive innovation (software program program) developed to ?respond? to any messages an internet site receives. A large number of on the web businesses use autoresponders to mail a confirmation ?thank you? discover when any person registers with their e-mail tackle on the website. Consider them as an answering machine for your site.
Making use of an autoresponder can be an essential part to having a successful book company. Not merely do you?ll want to react to messages and inquiries, you need to carry out an e mail product sales marketing campaign to promote your ebook. Should you had been to try to handle the emails your self, the task will ultimately turn into impractical and very time intensive. You may employ a person to answer them, but whenever your internet site is receiving many hundred hits each day with the common of 50% registering to obtain more data; you would need to hire numerous men and women thus Air Max making the expense really prohibitive. In enterprise, ?time is funds and income is time?, and on-line, and autoresponder may be the only remedy.
If you don?t have an autoresponder, you may shed product sales, and a lot of them. Should you are not making use of an auto email system to obtain these non-committals to return for your internet site, you may not be capable of sell your e book to them. It really is truly as easy as that.
How does an autorepsonder work By utilizing the info you input in to the programs, the Autoresponder will immediately answer any e mail or sign-up your internet site gets. You?ll be able to even plan various responses and just how numerous times you want to deliver your clients an e-mail; furthermore any revenue receipts, download info and access, help difficulties can all be effectively handled by an autoresponder. Obviously if there is an assistance circumstance, you or your webmaster will have to step in and repair the problem, however the autoresponder can easily allow the consumer realize that somebody is going to be emailing them quickly to assist.
On account of the nature of the company (e-book revenue), you?ll need a variety of email autoresponses based upon the situation. A normal list of responses for an e-book product sales site might incorporate some or all the following:
1) Thanks reaction for visiting and signing up;
2) Free of charge publication emailed to all sign-ups;
3) Specific offer you emails to entice purchase;
4) Purchase notification|bill;
5) Thank you for purchasing;
6) Informing of one?s newest e-book;
7) Supply free of charge program|reward for signing up;
Notification of troubles|complaints obtained from consumers;
9) Notification of opinions acquired.
Generally the utilizes from the program are endless, Air Max Pas Cher in reality something that you would want emailed to a number of clients may be handled through an autoresponder. And similar to the almost limitless makes use of, you can find a huge number of autoresponder businesses vying to deal with your e-business correspondence.
Many web sites have cost-free autoresponder applications obtainable which handle minimal e-mail tasks; however since you might be trying to sell ebooks, you should seek out a method or provider that will not limit the abilities of your emails. Make sure you get limitless email size plus you?ll need the capacity to mail numerous e-mails for the identical individual over a time period. Don?t forget, the cause for delivering a number of emails more than a program of time is according to the truth that many customers (about 60% ? 70%) don?t buy on their initial pay a visit to. If they?re considering learning much more about your e-book, they will sign up for more data. And this really is if you use an autoresponder to ship a number of targeted information e-mails to generate individuals reluctant buyers back again for your internet site to the Air Max obtain. You will also want to possess the potential to track your email messages to assess the usefulness of such a campaign.
The messages you are going to wish to ship will rely on the cause for the must reply. One way it is possible to handle this by having a number of e mail addresses to your site.
Should you require additional addresses, do not wait to set them up and rely on them; the more you categorize your customer?s email messages, the better you, your webmaster as well as your autorepsonder system will perform. The autoresponder will understand the distinction in between publication sign-ups, client logins, purchases, and so on. This really is all configured within the system, as is delivering notification e-mails for receipt of the customer?s inquiry at one of your outlined email addresses. Again, you or your webmaster will manually must solution any inquiries acquired in a web site detailed address. Regrettably at this minute in time, autoresponders can?t read and answer email messages. I?d picture that someday within the not also length long term this can grow to be a chance. A single can usually hope!
Now you understand why autoresponders are an important if not vital ingredient in creating a successful, performing, 24|7 e-book sales website. Employing one particular will help improve your sales, drive individuals hesitant prospective clients back for your site and care for those every day duties connected with having a specialist and courteous World wide web organization. Providing excellent client services is actually a considerable business building device, particularly for online corporations when a consumer assesses you and your Nike Air Max internet site more quickly than you realize.
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Thursday, June 28, 2012
Small Business Marketing Requires Laser Targeting | Business 2 ...
If mass marketing isn?t helping your small business succeed, perhaps it?s time to do some more focused marketing.
Are you a small business owner striving to do mass marketing and reap the rewards?
It?s not always easy for a small business to be competitive in the world of mass marketing. It?s expensive and it?s not always easy to measure. It often requires a lot of time, effort, and help from professionals.
Maybe it?s time for a more focused approach.
Internet marketing has made it easier than ever for small businesses to gain traction and find customers. It?s also made it easier than ever for consumers to connect with the products and services they want and there are a lot of tools and services that can help.
Benefits of Focused Marketing
Rather than a mass advertising campaign marketing through television, radio, or print, a more focused approach is often a better way for smaller businesses to reach prospects in target markets. Instead of putting out a banner or a commercial and hoping people will see it, focused marketing efforts will increase the chance of reaching your desired customer. Targeted campaigns are also much easier to measure, too. If you can measure your success, you will likely receive a better return on your investment over time.
SEO and SEM
SEO or Search Engine Optimization helps you focus on what people are searching for online. If you sell consulting services and your primary target is Buffalo, New York, you can optimize and target your site so that search engines will list your site under search phrases related to your business and geographical location. Taking the time to learn about effective SEO elements can be very advantageous. You can also hire an SEO specialist to do this for you.
SEM or Search engine marketing enables you to pay to have your ad displayed when people search for words related to your business.
Facebook and Other Contextual Marketing
Facebook advertising is big. But it doesn?t have to be done in a mass marketing way. Instead of paying for an ad to be displayed for all the millions of people on Facebook to see, you could do some laser targeted and contextual marketing here, too. Facebook advertising allows you to target specific demographics, areas, and topics. You could also create a Facebook Fan Page and work to get your customers to ?Like? your page. A Facebook Fan Page can help your customers stay on top of special deals and promotions that your company offers.
There are other contextual marketing programs that can be used to market your offerings in a space target to your potential clientele. You could have your ad displayed on a popular blog or within someone?s email account when the topic on the page relates to your niche.
Newsletter Marketing
Your company newsletter is an opportunity to talk to clients or prospects that have already told that that their interested in your offering by opting-in to receive your newsletters. Take advantage of this opportunity by offering valuable information about your industry, products, services, and even include special offers. This is a great way to continuously market to people, even after they?ve bought from you.
Marketing isn?t just about advertising. It?s about building relationships. When you market to your customers and prospective customers, keep in mind that your focused approach must take their wants and desires into account. Your approach should also strive to treat their time as valuable. If you leverage laser focused online marketing approaches, you could find that your marketing budget goes further and provides a better ROI than ever.
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Charlotte Robinson: Hal Sparks, 'Gay-Adjacent' Star of Queer As Folk, Explains Why He Supports LGBT Equality (AUDIO)
I talked with actor Hal Sparks, star of Disney XD's top-rated TV series Lab Rats and one of my personal favorites, the groundbreaking series Queer As Folk. Sparks also appears as a regular guest and fill-in host on The Stephanie Miller Show, a national radio show, providing three hours of commentary and humor on Wednesday mornings. I talked with Hal about the new season of Lab Rats and his spin on LGBT issues.
When asked about his personal commitment to LGBT civil rights, Sparks stated:
In my life growing up in Kentucky, I used to hang out with four running buddies as a kid -- 6, 10, and 11 years old. Two of them would later come out, and so 50 percent of my friends as a kid were gay. So in the long run, I guess, the short answer is people will ask you why you care about gay rights or why you care about LGBT issues, and my question would be, "Why wouldn't you?" If you are for freedom and equal rights, which we hear a lot of talk about these days, then you have to include the LGBTQ community in that. And if you're not willing to put your time where your mouth is, then I don't know quite what you mean by commitment in your life. I think the AIDS crisis was a shock to the community. It required sort of a new level of commitment to all of these issues. And I think the primary one was lack of hospital visitation rights, which is probably the crux of my involvement early on working with Marianne Williamson and AIDS Project Los Angeles and Project Angel Food. And once you get past the life and death of it, you know you get to the life of it.
LISTEN:
Sparks is very politically active, not only in his cutting-edge stand-up and weekly Saturday radio show The Hal Sparks Radio Sow, which was picked up by Sirus XM for this fall, but as the celebrity spokesperson for major equality and civil-rights movements, including the NOH8 Campaign and AIDS Walk. Hal appears in top shape with two sold-out tours: Stephanie Miller's Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour, which boasts the country's number-one album on the Billboard comedy charts, and SRO dates with his leading rock band, ZERO 1. All new Lab Rats episodes air through the summer on Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. on Disney XD, and the cast returns to tape the new fall season in August. I just wish they would make a reunion film for Queer As Folk. That would definitely be must-see viewing. Hal resides in Los Angeles and is a proud new father to son Camden.
For more information on Hal Sparks, visit halsparks.com.
Listen to more interviews with LGBTQ leaders, allies, and celebrities at OUTTAKE VOICES?.
Download interviews on iTunes.
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Follow Charlotte Robinson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/OUTTAKEVOICES
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Transparency in Global Real Estate Markets ... - Capital Business
The United States, United Kingdom, Australia rank as world?s most transparent real estate markets; MIST markets among leading improvers. African, Middle Eastern, Latin American markets lag
A biennial index released today by Jones Lang LaSalle and LaSalle Investment Management (NYSE:JLL) reveals that recovering real estate markets have prompted renewed impetus to transparency improvements following a slowdown in progress during the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009.? Nearly 90% of markets have registered advances in real estate transparency during the past two years, driven by improving market fundamentals data and performance measurement, combined with better governance of listed vehicles.
The 2012 Global Real Estate Transparency Index, a proprietary Jones Lang LaSalle survey that calculates transparency in 97 real estate markets worldwide by weighting 83 different factors, provides investors and corporate occupiers with data and analysis critical to transacting, owning and operating in global markets. The Index also assists governments and other industry organizations interested in improving transparency.
Key Findings:
- The United States ranks as the world?s most transparent real estate market in 2012, followed closely by the United Kingdom and Australia. Also in the ?Highly Transparent? category: Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada, France, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. The Index reaffirms the ascent of the MIST growth markets (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey), which all feature among the leading improvers. Turkey once again leads in transparency improvement.
- Environmental sustainability has emerged as an important transparency factor with the United Kingdom, Australia and France the most transparent markets in terms of real estate sustainability. The UK has a long history of building energy efficiency systems and introduced the world?s first Green Building rating system. Australia has been the test bed for new environmental laws, regulations and incentives. Dubai scores less well than other major? global cities in respect of the transparency of sustainability related issues.
- The 2012 Index highlights continued transparency deficiencies in many African, Middle Eastern and Latin American markets. Nations scoring the lowest on transparency, the so-called opaque markets, include Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, Iraq, Pakistan and Algeria.
- While transparency has improved in 80% of the markets across MENA over the past two years, these gains have been relatively modest and real estate markets in MENA remain less transparent than other global regions.? Dubai remains the region?s most transparent market but achieves only a middle ranking in global terms (47 of 97 markets covered globally), while Lebanon has shown the greatest improvement over the past 2 years.
Commenting on the findings of the index for the Middle East & North Africa region, Craig Plumb, Head of Research for Jones Lang LaSalle MENA noted that:
?More needs to be done to increase the level of transparency of the market both in Dubai and across the broader region, particularly in respect of investment performance indicators and data on market fundamentals.?The lack of progress on these areas in recent years has contributed to the low level of investment activity and the oversupply that is currently being experienced in some sectors of the market.
We expect to see more improvement in transparency over the next few years as policy makers recognise this will attract greater demand from overseas investors and occupiers familiar with higher levels of transparency and market information.?The increased focus on sustainability is also likely to result in higher levels of transparency and disclosure.?
Transparency Drivers:
The report identifies four main forces that are expected to drive further progress in transparency through the next update in 2014:
- The growing recognition in many emerging economies, such as the Middle East and North Africa, that the current lack of performance indicators and accurate market information is hindering inward investment and hampering the development of competitive domestic real estate sectors.
- The ongoing credit and sovereign wealth crises, particularly in Europe, will motivate regulators, central banks, foreign investors and other real estate professionals towards better transparency, in the process offering more public data on real estate debt and monitoring lenders more closely.
- As recent corruption scandals come to light (often involving the permit process for commercial real estate development), governments will pay closer attention to the circumstances that engender under-the-table payments.
- The role of properties? sustainability characteristics will play an increasing role in leasing and investment decisions, growing from a marginal criterion to a critical decision-making input. Such concerns will force greater transparency of energy efficiency and Green Building benchmarking.
Middle East and Africa:
While some improvements have been recorded since 2010, the Middle East and Africa remains the ?least transparent of the 4 global regions covered in the Index. Areas where the MEA region scores particularly poorly include the lack of investment performances indices and the lack of available data on market fundamentals.
Global Transparency Index (2012) by region
| Global | Europe | Asia Pacific | Americas | Middle East & Africa |
| 3.10 | 2.55 | 2.76 | 3.40 | 3.87 |
Source: Jones Lang LaSalle
Note, Data relates to 2012 composite index.? Lower scores indicate most transparent markets
Real Estate Transparency 2012 ? Composite Index by Region
Within the MEA region, there is a wide variation in terms of transparency. South Africa is the most transparent market, sharing many of the same characteristics as the Anglophone markets such as the US, the UK and Australia which top the global list of most transparent markets. Dubai is the second most transparent market within MEA and the most transparent within the MENA region. Among the areas that Dubai scores most strongly are its regulatory framework, with RERA (the Real Estate Regulatory Authority) widely acknowledged to be the market leader within the region and the DIFC (Dubai International Financial centre) which is emerging as the vehicle of choice for listed real estate funds.
Lebanon has seen the greatest improvement in transparency within the MENA region over the past 2 years, although this market is currently experiencing some instability due to events in neighbouring Syria. The strong performance of the Beirut market has attracted greater interest from overseas investors and has led to a greater awareness and more market data becoming available. The creation of the Real Estate Association of Lebanon and stricter controls on lending by the Central Bank have also contributed to the improvement in transparency.
At the other extreme, eight of the eleven opaque markets globally are found in the MEA region.? While current levels of transparency remains poor in markets such as Sudan, Pakistan, Iraq and Algeria, there is increased interest from international corporate occupiers in these emerging markets and this is likely to result in an improvement in transparency levels over the next few years.
Real Estate Sustainability Transparency Index:
In recognition of the increasing relevance of environmental sustainability in real estate decisions, the 2012 Index includes a separate Real Estate Sustainability Transparency Index for a sub-set of 28 countries, covering issues such as energy efficiency benchmarking and green building rating systems. The United Kingdom, Australia and France have emerged as the most transparent markets in terms of real estate sustainability while Dubai is one of the lowest.
The 2012 results also reaffirm the relationship between real estate investment volumes and transparency. Rising levels of transparency are associated with higher levels of foreign direct real estate investment, a powerful incentive for encouraging the free flow of information as well as the fair and consistent application of local property laws. The world?s fastest-growing direct commercial real estate investment markets during the past two years ? such as Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia and Vietnam ? are all among the world?s top 10 transparency improvers.
About the Global Real Estate Transparency Index
The Global Real Estate Transparency Index, first published in 1999, is based on a combination of quantitative market data and information gathered through a survey of the global business network of Jones Lang LaSalle and LaSalle Investment Management. For each market a total of 83 separate factors have been assessed, through data collection and survey questions, answered by local research teams in collaboration with business leaders. These 83 factors are grouped into 13 topic areas and further grouped into five sub-index categories ? a) performance measurement, b) market fundamentals c) governance of listed vehicles d) regulatory and legal and e) transaction process. A Composite Index for each market is created from the weighted scores of the 83 factors. The scores range on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0. A country or market with a perfect 1.0 score has total real estate transparency; a country with a 5.0 score has total real estate opacity. Countries/markets are assigned to a one of five transparency levels ranging from Highly-Transparent, Transparent and Semi-Transparent to Low-Transparency and Opaque.
For investors, the Index provides a risk management tool by offering comparative information across multiple geographies, facilitating informed global/regional investment strategies and country target allocations. The Index enables corporate occupiers to more efficiently assess different real estate operating environments across the globe. Transparent markets allow for easier comparison of occupancy costs; provide more options for strategic action (e.g. the execution of sale and leasebacks); and raise the efficiency of transactions and facilities management.
In addition to the new sustainability sub-set, the 2012 index has been enhanced in three main areas. The 2012 edition:
- Incorporates more quantitative measures of real estate investment performance relating to directly owned real estate, public real estate securities and unlisted real estate funds.
- Deepens the coverage of real estate market fundamentals, by incorporating detailed empirically-derived measures of time-series data and database availability.
- Expands the Index into new markets in sub-Saharan Africa (i.e. Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and Zambia) and Central America (i.e. the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica and Puerto Rico), as well as Brazil?s Tier 2 cities, Iraq, Mongolia and Serbia. The Index now covers 97 markets, 16 more than in 2010.
The 2012 Global Real Estate Transparency Index is available to investors and occupiers in multiple platforms, including report, website, PowerPoint and webinar.
About Jones Lang LaSalle MENA
Across the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Jones Lang LaSalle is a leading player in the real estate market and hospitality services market. The firm has worked in 35 Middle Eastern and African countries and has advised clients on more than US$ 1 trillion worth of real estate, hospitality and infrastructure developments. Jones Lang LaSalle employs over 100 internationally qualified real estate and hospitality professionals of 30 nationalities with regional offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah and Cairo.
About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of US$ 3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company?s investment management business, is one of the world?s largest and most diverse in real estate with US$ 47.2 billion of assets under management.
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