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Pure IP infrastructure can save enterprises 43 percent over traditional PBX systems, a new study purports.

The study, from Siemens Enterprise Communications, also said an increasingly mobile workforce is forcing more enterprises to adapt cloud technology, and staff training and headcount issues often delay a company's migration to a unified communications (UC) platform.

Siemens said it looked at enterprise communications practices worldwide, including the influences of cloud computing and mobility on communications infrastructures. The study was conducted by ReRez Research in January; the company surveyed more than 1,100 respondents from enterprises with more than 500 employees in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, India, Brazil, Russia and Sweden.

"IP-based unified communications not only simplifies productivity for end users, but it also saves companies money," said Chris Hummel, Siemens' president of North America and CMO. "Enterprise communications is in transition--from PBX to IP and from premise to cloud."

The potential for savings is driving a move to a pure IP environment, said Siemens, with companies often adopting a hybrid environment during the changeover to mitigate risk and protect existing investments. Running IP communications next to legacy PBX is the most common approach, with 91 percent of respondents reporting this method.

The study also looked at how the mobile workforce is impacting enterprise and driving the adoption of cloud services.

Siemens said most enterprises have just 20 percent of endpoints dedicated to phones at headquarters locations, while the greatest number of endpoints--39 percent--were dedicated to remote/branch phones, followed by mobile phones at 33 percent.

Not surprisingly, the study also revealed that about one-third of call center operators now work from home.

As to cloud deployments, only 16 percent of those surveyed currently had cloud services in place; 45 percent of respondents reported that cloud was part of their 2012 communications plan, with respondents favoring private cloud to public cloud at a nearly three to one ratio. The top applications that enterprises plan to deploy in the cloud are web collaboration, UC and video conferencing, the survey showed.

A technology that's seen as critical to the enterprise, unified communications, is being slowed by staffing issues, among other factors.

More than 90 percent of respondents listed IP web collaboration, UC and IP video conferencing as technologies they are discussing for 2012, and more than half of respondents are already using these. But respondents said IT staff often lacks the skills necessary to deploy newer technologies, especially cloud computing. More than half of respondents feel that the IT landscape has become too complex, which, combined with narrow skill sets and high turnover rates, can easily hamper cloud and UC adoption.

Siemens laid out a road map for enterprises to follow to move to IP-based communications, including:

• Look for a native SIP-based software architecture and platform that centrally enables and manages conferencing, collaboration and messaging across voice, video, text and social media.
• Consider cloud to help lessen staffing issues and complexity.
• Consider a centralized session management server to help mitigate the cost of running a combined PBX and IP infrastructure.
• Consider managed services to help mitigate staffing issues.
• Address mobility needs with flexibility and a full feature set in mind.

For more:
- see this release

Related articles:
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Cisco, Avaya hit different segments in PBX, IP PBX sales; SMBs are big customers for both
Virtual PBX Complete gets 'anywhere' features to enhance smartphone use
Cisco increases lead in a flat global PBX market

The latest interim forecast of the European Commission, issued today, points to a stagnation of the EU economy and to a mild recession in the euro area. However, modest growth is predicted to return in the second half of the year. Against the backdrop of a waning growth momentum and continued low confidence, real GDP is expected to stagnate in the EU and to shrink by 0.3% in the euro area in 2012. The Maltese economy, however, is projected to grow by 1%, one of the best performers. Estonia and Slovakia and projected to be the best performers in the eurozone with growth of 1.2%. Divergences between Member States remain pronounced At the level of the individual Member States, growth divergences remain pronounced. In 2012, GDP growth is forecast to be positive in seventeen countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Austria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) stagnant in one (Czech Republic) and negative in nine countries (Belgium, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia). Growth will be highest in Poland (2.5%),...

By Radar Staff

Lana Del Rey flopped on Saturday Night Live. Bad.... Or did she?

The singer, whose performance on the January 14 Saturday Night Live broadcast did not evoke much critical-acclaim (we’ll get into that further down), might have done herself a favor with the poorly received set, as she’s been getting plenty of priceless publicity since the debacle, even making another appearance on the NBC stalwart ... kind of.

PHOTOS: Rock Stars Past & Present

In what was perhaps the show’s most well-received parody since Tina Fey famously spoofed Sarah Palin, Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig helped contribute to the fame — or shame — of the singer, who might have had the laugh last as her debut full-length album landed at a lofty No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week. 

With that in mind, RadarOnline.com reveals seven things you may not know about the stumbling singer ...

PHOTOS: More Rock Star Flash Backs!

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[Business Daily] Kenyan businesses have started reaping dividends from the removal of restrictions on goods entering Tanzania with exports to East Africa's second largest economy overtaking those to the United Kingdom and Uganda for the first time in a decade.

The government has secured funds worth 70 billion shillings from United Kingdom and European Union to strengthen Uganda's national road construction industry and improve on the efficiency of the government's spending on roads.

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)-IT is one of the worst times currently to be a foreigner in the United Kingdom. With the UK's economy facing threat of plunging into recession with each passing day, jobs are hard to come by these days.

SA Info (Johannesburg)-A new gold mine set to open in the United Kingdom will be processing its ore using South African technology and expertise - an indication of how SA's economy could benefit from new mining operations internationally, reports the Mail & Guardian.

A new gold mine set to open in the United Kingdom will be processing its ore using South African technology and expertise - an indication of how SA's economy could benefit from new mining operations internationally, reports the Mail & Guardian.

Children view technology as being fundamentally human, as researchers aim to predict future needs for innovation.

Research firm Latitude's study, Robots@School, asked children around the world to write and illustrate a story answering the question "What would happen if robots were a part of your everyday life -- at school and beyond?"

The results showed how children, who are "digital natives" raised around technology, see robots as being almost human, fulfilling functions of friendship and even parenting, and reveals how technology blurs the line between education and playing.

"Education and learning are moving, at least in many children's eyes, beyond acts of knowledge transmission toward acts of exploration and creation," said Steve Mushkin, founder and president of Latitude.

Technology is already changing how children learn, and the mobile industry is responding. For example, Apple is reinventing easily worn, cumbersome textbooks with new digital textbooks featuring interactive, multi-touch capabilities, video, graphics, and built-in quizzes and reviews to offer "immediate feedback." Apple will offer the new materials through a new "Textbook" category in the iBookstore.

Computers have been a part of schools for several years, but the study showed that children would likely love to have robots in class with them as well. Nearly 350 children, ages 8-12, from Australia, France, Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, participated in the Robots @ School study, submitting drawings and text-based narratives of their imagined experiences with robots.

Latitude is planning to expand the study to include children in Asia.

In the study, nearly two-thirds of the children took it for granted that robots would make excellent human-like friends, conceiving of their fictional robots as peers they can identify with. They even imagined robots would be socially successful because they were smart.

The children also imagined robots that were better versions of their parents and teachers and offered them limitless time and patience. Conversely, they envisioned robots as being machines that would take on boring tasks so the children have more time for interesting pursuits.

"While children imagine robots that are virtually human in many regards, it's their slight machine-ness that ultimately makes robots such effective partners for learning and creative exploration," said Ian Schulte, director of technology and business development at Latitude. "Robots support and encourage, but don't judge. They don't run into scheduling conflicts, and they certainly don't ostracize kids for wrong answers or unconventional thinking."

The study could hold implications about how education and technology can integrate further in the future. The more interactive or human-like the technology, the more likely children will identify with it, which may enhance how they learn.

Technology Is "Almost Human," Children Say originally appeared at Mobiledia on Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:46 am.

BlueCat Networks provides advice to the UK Government on IP Address Management (IPAM) and IPv6-Ready DNSSEC

BlueCat Networks, the IPAM Intelligence™ company, today announced that it has collaborated with the UK Cabinet Office on a best practice approach for deploying a resilient, IPv6-ready DNS service for the Public Sector Network (PSN). The PSN is a CIO Council initiative designed to create the effect of a single network across government.

"The security of business and network services accessible to users over the PSN is of paramount importance," said John Stubley, Public Sector Network — Program Director. "Over the past year, we have worked productively with BlueCat Networks to identify the technical issues to ensure our DNS core services are authoritative, resilient, scalable and easy to manage. BlueCat Networks has been extremely responsive in answering our requests and has provided expertise to the PSN Programme for this area of work."

"The PSN is a key component of the UK's ICT strategy, and will allow public sector users in the UK to more easily share information and access open standard-based services," said Matthew Pearson, UK and Ireland Sales Director, BlueCat Networks. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Cabinet Office and the PSN in a technical advisory role. BlueCat Networks contributed to the architecture and configuration for a centralised, authoritative DNSSEC and IP Address Management (IPAM) solution for .gov.uk domains. The approach had to be easy to manage, resilient, geographically-dispersed and scalable to support the network backbone for the whole of the United Kingdom. It also had to be future-ready with support for IPv6. Our recommendations were based on our experience in helping US government agencies successfully deploy DNSSEC and IPAM across their large, distributed networks."

BlueCat Networks' appliance-based software solutions provide a purpose-built platform for IP Address Management (IPAM) and DNS/DHCP core network services. Deployed at some of the most demanding and secure organizations in the world, BlueCat Networks' physical and virtual appliances help public and private sector organizations improve security, lower costs and increase IT efficiency. BlueCat Networks' solutions also allow organizations to securely manage change and growth with unsurpassed scalability and future-ready support for IPv6 and DNSSEC.

For a free trial of BlueCat Networks' DNS, DHCP and IPAM solutions, visit http://pages.bluecatnetworks.com/FreeTrial.

MCV's 2012 UK Games Industry Salary Survey , which polled 975 people (597 of whom worked in United Kingdom), showed an average UK games industry salary of £33,123 ($50,741), more than a 10 percent increase from 2011's average of £30,667 ($46,979).

That figure was created using survey results from "all sectors - development, publishing, retail, PR & marketing, services, technology and business development," according to MCV. Ten percent of respondents were women, which is reportedly in-scale with their overall presence in the British gaming industry.

The study's average salary figure is a median average rather than a mean average, we should note, and does not include "the group of very senior, and very well paid, execs" that also participated in the survey. Including their data, the average salary is £35,790. If you include the 378 non-British respondents, the average rose to £34,263, indicating that junior-level employees may be earning more outside of the UK.

The survey also showed a disparity between the average salaries of men and women, with industry women making £1.35 an hour less than their male counterparts. This is disproportionate to MCV's global findings, which show that women in the games industry earn more than men on average, albeit only by a few hundred pounds. Here is your reward for making it all the way through a facts-oriented article about salaries and averages.

[Image credit: mffoto via Shutterstock]

MCV 2012 UK salary survey shows industry pay up 10 percent year over year originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The British government discussed proposals today to give Scotland the legal powers to hold a referendum on independence, which could happen within the next 18 months. Prime Minister David Cameron said a referendum should be held soon because the uncertainty about the issue was damaging Scotland's economy, although he remains strongly opposed to the break-up of the United Kingdom. Scotland's deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon, of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), accused Cameron of "a blatant attempt to interfere" in an issue that should be decided by Scotland and its people. In elections in May, the SNP led by Alex Salmond won the first overall majority in the Edinburgh parliament since it opened in 1999, and promised to hold a referendum on independence. Cameron's move is being seen as a ploy to force a referendum before the SNP wants it, in the belief that Salmond does not yet have enough support for independence. The prime minister said ahead of a cabinet meeting at which the issue was discussed that the uncertainty about the independence issue could have economic consequences. "This is very...

NIGERIA's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dropped from 8. 9 per cent to 6.8 per cent growth rate, the latest World Economic League Table compiled by United Kingdom-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has shown.

Brazil has topped the United Kingdom in the World Economic League Table. The British based Centre for Economics and Business Research – ...

 French Finance Minister Francois Baroin raised concerns about the state of the British economy today  and said France was in better shape. "It's true that the economic situation in Great Britain is very worrying and that we prefer being French rather than British on the economic front at the moment," Baroin said on Europe 1 radio. "We don't want to be given any lessons and we don't give any," he said, fuelling a British-French row that broke out yesterday when senior French officials mockingly criticised the British economy, arguing that ratings agencies are targeting the wrong country for a debt downgrade. "They should start by degrading the United Kingdom, which has greater deficits, as much debt, more inflation and less growth than us," central bank chief Christian Noyer had told the regional newspaper Le Telegramme. Noyer also warned that Britain, which clashed with France at last week's EU crisis summit and refused to join the members of the eurozone single currency bloc in a new fiscal pact, was facing a credit crunch. The British press reacted furiously today. His comments were dismissed as "outrageous" and...

Woe is us. According to a new study, the accelerating shift of workers to a more mobile lifestyle has a dark side attached to it, and that "overcoming the challenges of the dark side of mobility is essential for well-being and satisfaction in life and work."

The study, the "Well-being of the Mobile Workforce" from the Institute of Work Psychology at the University of Sheffield in England, compares findings from quarterly iPass Mobile Workforce reports with academic research on the subject of employee well-being.

Not surprisingly, it found that many of us who work out of the office pay a price for being able to sport polo shirts and shorts around the clock... 47 percent put in 5 to ten extra hours each week, and 26 percent work an extra 15 to 20 hours each week.

And there are additional repercussions; among them:

• A difficulty in balancing work and personal commitments, and additional stress because of too much flexibility;
• 32 percent of us said we felt tethered to our smartphones, even when on vacation;
• We're more likely to work odd hours, especially late at night. That, obviously, costs us sleep; and,
• Those long hours, because they've worn us out, may actually be making us less productive.

"People should be careful to mentally detach from work and create strong work-home boundaries while their employers should find ways to enhance employee control, provide support and reduce the expectations on them to work long hours," said Dr. Carolyn Axtell of the Institute of Work Psychology.

But, the paper said, being able to schedule their own time--a third of mobile employees are able to work when and where they want--leads to higher job satisfaction, better psychological well-being, better work life balance and lower intentions to leave the job.

Another study, from the Journal of Business and Psychology, reported similar findings, and pointed out that telecommuting and mobility might even make parenting more difficult.

"When job and family are in the same place, some workers feel there is no chance for downtime--no respite or time to relax," wrote one of the report's authors.

Of course, for every cloud there's at least one silver lining.

In this case, it's all about UC, videoconferencing and collaboration.

A BroadSoft survey of some 400 IT professionals from the United States and United Kingdom revealed that enterprises are rapidly shifting to a mobile-only workforce. The bright note? They're prioritizing the expansion of their unified communications capabilities.

In fact, some 62 percent of survey respondents said they are expanding their UC use, and 72 percent of U.S. execs said they plan to deploy videoconferencing across their organization in the next year. And that's good news for our industry.--Jim

Forecasts and future outlook of the market till 2016 - Country overview, macroeconomic indicators and indicators of doing business These market analyses answer such important questions such as: - What is the size of the bearings market in different countries? - How are the markets divided into different types of products? Which products are growing ... (more)

(This post is by Christine McCann)

Here’s the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

State of Nuclear Politics in Japan

A Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) memo has revealed a 2002 secret meeting between METI officials and Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO)’s Chairman, President, and Vice President, in which participants discussed abandoning the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant in Aomori Prefecture. METI was concerned about several problems with the plant, including major budget issues. Costs for the project were originally estimated at 760 billion yen, but estimates bloomed to more than two trillion yen (25 billion USD), plus another trillion in demolition costs. A follow up meeting was scheduled but never took place, because TEPCO’s president and chairman resigned over a cover up regarding damaged equipment. The Rokkasho project - combined with similarly crippled Monju fast breeder reactor - played a central part in Japan’s nuclear fuel plan, and these revelations may influence the Japan Atomic Energy Commission as it establishes new nuclear policies this summer.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced last week that Japan will continue to export nuclear equipment and technology to those countries that want it, in spite of a lack of popular support for the idea in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Japan’s Diet is set to approve nuclear accords next week with Jordan, Russia, South Korea, and Vietnam. The country is also in discussions with Turkey, India, and Brazil.

TEPCO

TEPCO has released an interim report on the ongoing nuclear crisis at its Fukushima Daiichi plant. The report claims that TEPCO employees made no errors in the handling of the disaster and attributes the cause of the meltdowns to the tsunami, not the magnitude 9.0 earthquake. The utility said that such a large tsunami could not have been anticipated, in spite of the fact that it ignored its own research from 2008 showing that a tsunami exceeding 10 meters was possible.

However, experts are criticizing the report and the company’s lack of transparency. They say the report fails to address questions about why workers shut down a cooling system that could have prevented meltdowns at the reactors, as well as why the utility has been unable to discover the source of continuing water leaks at the plant. Moreover, TEPCO was not able to explain the large spike in radiation levels on March 15, nor does it know why hydrogen explosions occurred at the plant. Tetsuo Sewada, an assistant professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, said, “TEPCO should not have had a system that doesn’t work in an actual emergency.”

Significantly, a majority of members of a government panel investigating the nuclear crisis doubt TEPCO’s claims that the tsunami caused the disaster, instead believing that the 9.0 magnitude earthquake contributed to the problems at the Fukushima plant, including damaging the piping responsible for cooling the reactors. This could have crucial impact on the decision to restart other reactors around the country, most of which are currently idled.

Japan’s central government and TEPCO could jointly announce that the utility has achieved cold shutdown status at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant as early as 16 December. Some experts have questioned the validity of that assessment, when the internal condition of the reactors is still unknown and the company is struggling to keep the situation at the plant under control. The plant has suffered numerous issues in the past month, including a large leak of radioactive water.

Reactor Status

TEPCO revealed this week that at least 45 tons of radioactive water have leaked from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, and may have flowed into the ocean, which is only 500-600 meters from the site of the incident. It took workers 21 hours to identify the issue, which occurred after water flooded a purification device and then poured through a cracked wall. The water was used to cool the plant’s reactors. TEPCO officials estimate that the contaminated water contained one million times the legal limit of strontium (100 million becquerels per liter) and 300 times the legal limit of cesium (45,000 becquerels per liter). Both substances can be absorbed by humans and are cancer causing.

The new admission means that up to 220 tons of contaminated water have reached the sea since March. The fisheries cooperative association in Fukushima Prefecture has filed a complaint against TEPCO, citing concerns about the effect on sea life and demanded details on which areas of the ocean were affected. Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has ordered TEPCO to determine the cause of the leak and outline how it will prevent it from recurring. In the meantime, the utility insists that the incident will not affect efforts to establish cold-shutdown status at the plant. 

TEPCO said that it will replace part of the water decontamination system at the Fukushima plant this week, a move that it hopes will improve decontamination efforts and reduce waste generated by the process. US based Kurion built the current system; previously, it was used in conjunction with a system made by Areva. However, the Areva system has been plagued with problems and is no longer working.

Contamination (Includes Human Exposure)

The Japan Chemical Analysis Center said that the Fukushima nuclear disaster resulted in a release of xenon-133 that exceeded normal levels in Chiba Prefecture by 400,000 times. However, researchers said that the excessive measurements—which took three months to return to normal—did not pose a risk to humans. The Center revealed the new data at a meeting sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT).

Japan plans to establish three zones around the Fukushima Daiichi plant, signifying different contamination levels. In the zone with the highest radiation readings, the government may purchase land from evacuees. In other areas, decontamination and reconstruction plans will be implemented.

Rice Crisis

New bans were placed on rice shipments from Fukushima’s Watari District, 60 km from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, after officials discovered rice containing 590 Bq/kg of cesium. Japan’s legal limit is 500 Bq/kg. The move follows bans on rice shipments from the Onami District and Date City, and will affect 406 farms. Previously, Fukushima prefectural officials had said that all rice from the prefecture was safe to consume.

Decontamination Efforts and Waste Disposal

A scientist from Osaka University and a former professor at the Tokyo University of Science are calling for radioactive soil, contaminated as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis, to be dumped into the sea. The researchers, who were speaking at a study meeting at Osaka University, said they would submit a proposal to do so to the central government. Experts say that the proposal would violate the London Convention, which prohibits dumping of waste into the ocean. In addition, the move is expected to spark criticism from the international community.

Fukushima Prefectural officials have unveiled a white paper outlining decontamination plans for farms and forests in the prefecture. Officials plan to spray decontamination agents; remove topsoil, tree bark, and leaves; and employ water jet cleaners, in order to reduce contamination levels within two years. The prefecture will also assist local municipalities in drawing up contamination plans.

Compensation

TEPCO’s compensation office in Tokyo began accepting applications this week for a second round of compensation, covering September through November. The center, which employs 5,000 workers, receives approximately 700 applications each day, but already has a daily backlog of about 100 applications. Takashi Nakamura, who heads the center, apologized for the delay and said that TEPCO did not expect to receive so many applications. In addition, he said, the company is not accustomed to such work.

Other Nuclear News

The United Kingdom is planning to become the first county to bury plutonium stores in Cumbria, in an effort to reduce terrorist threats and reduce maintenance costs. Officials said they will encase the plutonium in concrete and bury it hundreds of meters underground. Disposal is scheduled to begin in 2040. By that time, the country expects to have over 130 tons of plutonium--enough to construct over 10,000 nuclear weapons should it reach the wrong hands. Each weapon requires only 8 kg of high-grade plutonium.

As potentially exciting as the in competition [1] and out of competition [2] films that will play the 2012 Sundance Film Festival are, the fact is most people haven't heard of them yet. The Premiere category, though, that's where the big movies are. Or, at least, the movies with the big names. This year's line up with is no exception with stand-outs including Spike Lee's latest Red Hook Summer, Stephen Frears' gambling film Lay the Favorite with Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rebecca Hall, Josh Radnor's sophomore effort, Liberal Arts with Elizabeth Olson and Joe Berlinger's latest documentary focusing on Paul Simon. Plus there are films with Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Parker Posey, Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Read about them all below. Here's the full list of feature and documentary premieres at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival: PREMIERES A showcase of some of the most highly anticipated dramatic films of the coming year from new and established directors. Presented by Entertainment Weekly. Each is a world premiere. 2 Days in New York / France (Director: Julie Delpy, Screenwriters: Julie Delpy, Alexia Landeau) — Marion has broken up with Jack and now lives in New York with their child. A visit from her family, the different cultural background of her new boyfriend, her sister’s ex-boyfriend, and her upcoming photo exhibition make for an explosive mix. Cast: Julie Delpy, Chris Rock, Albert Delpy, Alexia Landeau, Alex Nahon. Arbitrage / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nicholas Jarecki) — A hedge-fund magnate is in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire before the depths of his fraud are revealed. An unexpected, bloody error forces him to turn to the most unlikely corner for help. Cast: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Nate Parker. Bachelorette / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Leslye Headland) — Unresolved issues between four high school friends come roaring back to life when the least popular of them gets engaged to one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City and asks the others to be bridesmaids in her wedding. Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, James Marsden, Adam Scott, Kyle Bornheimer. California Solo / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marshall Lewy) — A former Britpop rocker has long settled for an unfettered life working on a farm outside of L.A. When he’s caught driving drunk and faces deportation, he must confront past and current demons in his life to stay in the country. Cast: Robert Carlyle, Alexia Rasmussen, Kathleen Wilhoite, A Martinez, Danny Masterson. Celeste and Jesse Forever / U.S.A. (Director: Lee Toland Krieger, Screenwriters: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack) — Celeste and Jesse met in high school, married young, and at 30, decide to get divorced but remain best friends while pursuing other relationships. Cast: Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Ari Graynor, Chris Messina, Elijah Wood, Emma Roberts. For A Good Time, Call... / U.S.A. (Director: Jamie Travis, Screenwriters: Katie Anne Naylon & Lauren Anne Miller) — Lauren and Katie move in together after a loss of a relationship and a loss of a rent controlled home, respectively. When Lauren learns what Katie does for a living the two enter into a wildly unconventional business venture. Cast: Ari Graynor, Lauren Anne Miller, Justin Long, Mark Webber, James Wolk. GOATS / U.S.A. (Director: Christopher Neil, Screenwriter: Mark Jude Poirier) — Ellis leaves his unconventional desert home to attend the disciplined and structured Gates Academy. There, he re-connects with his estranged father and for the first time questions the family dynamics. Cast: David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga, Graham Phillips, Justin Kirk, Ty Burrell. LAY THE FAVORITE / U.S.A. (Director: Stephen Frears, Screenwriter: D.V. Devincintis) — An adventurous young woman gets involved with a group of geeky older men who have found a way to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas to their advantage. Cast: Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rebecca Hall. Liberal Arts / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Radnor) — When 30-something Jesse is invited back to his alma mater, he falls for a 19-year-old college student and is faced with the powerful attraction that springs up between them. Cast: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, John Magaro, Elizabeth Reaser. Price Check / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Walker) — Pete is having trouble resolving a happy marriage and family life with rising debt and a job he hates. When his new boss pulls him into the maelstrom that is her life, money and opportunities come his way, but at what price? Cast: Parker Posey, Eric Mabius, Annie Parisse, Josh Pais, Cheyenne Jackson. Red Hook Summer / U.S.A. (Director: Spike Lee, Screenwriters: James McBride, Spike Lee) — A young Atlanta boy spends his summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, who he's never seen before. Cast: Clark Peters, Jules Brown, Toni Lysaith, James Ransone, Thomas Jefferson Byrd. Red Lights / U.S.A., Spain (Director and screenwriter: Rodrigo Cortés) — Psychologist Margaret Matheson and her assistant study paranormal activity, which leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic. Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Olsen, Toby Jones. Robot and Frank / U.S.A. (Director: Jake Schreier, Screenwriter: Christopher Ford) — A curmudgeonly older dad’s grown kids install a robot as his caretaker. Cast: Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler. SALT LAKE CITY GALA FILM Shadow Dancer / United Kingdom (Director: James Marsh, Screenwriter: Tom Brady) — When a widowed mother is arrested in an aborted bomb plot she must make hard choices to protect her son in this heart-wrenching thriller. Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Aiden Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson, with Gillian Anderson and Clive Owen. The Words / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal) — Aspiring writer Rory Jansen finds another man's haunting memories in a collection of lost stories and claims them as his own, propelling him to literary stardom. Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde with Zoe Saldana. CLOSING NIGHT FILM Special event: Hit RECord at the Movies with Joseph Gordon-Levitt — Be a part of the process by joining Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the global hitRECord community for a special one-time-only interactive exploration of the power of making things together. Gordon-Levitt will showcase works that have been created from the collaborative hitRECord production company and invite the audience to engage, interact and contribute to the event using their digital devices. The event will be recorded, with footage posted on their website for all to enjoy and be inspired by. hitRECord, which launched with an installation in the New Frontier section of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, returns to the Festival to showcase the project’s evolution and potential for creative experimentation. DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES Created to highlight the growing impact and popularity of documentaries in our world today, Documentary Premieres presents eight moving new films about big subjects or by master filmmakers that showcase the power of the form. Each is a world premiere. About Face / U.S.A. (Director: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders) — An exploration of beauty and aging through the stories of the original supermodels. Participants including Isabella Rossellini, Christie Brinkley, Beverly Johnson, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Paulina Porizkova, Jerry Hall and Christy Turlington weigh in on the fashion industry and how they reassess and redefine their own sense of beauty as their careers progress. BONES BRIGADE: An Autobiography / U.S.A. (Director: Stacy Peralta) — When six teenage boys came together as a skateboarding team in the 1980s, they reinvented not only their chosen sport but themselves too – as they evolved from insecure outsiders to the most influential athletes in the field. The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia / U.S.A. (Director: James Redford) — While following a Dyslexic high school senior struggling to achieve his dream of getting into a competitive college, The D Word exposes myths about Dyslexia and reveals cutting edge research to elucidate this widely misunderstood condition. ETHEL / U.S.A. (Director: Rory Kennedy) — This intimate, surprising portrait of Ethel Kennedy provides an insider's view of a political dynasty, including Ethel’s life with Robert F. Kennedy and the years following his death when she raised their eleven children on her own. A Fierce Green Fire / U.S.A. (Director: Mark Kitchell) — A definitive history of one of the most important movements of the 20th century, A Fierce Green Fire chronicles the environmental movement’s fascinating evolution from the 1960s to the present. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP / United Kingdom (Director: Ice-T, Co-Director: Andy Baybutt) — Through conversations with Rap’s most influential artists – among them Chuck D, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, MC Lyte, Mos Def, and Kanye West – Ice-T explores the roots and history of Rap and reveals the creative process behind this now dominant art form. Untitled Paul Simon Project / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Berlinger) — Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he sparked for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa, designed to end Apartheid. West of Memphis / U.S.A. (Director: Amy Berg) — Three teenage boys are incarcerated for the murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. 19 years later, new evidence calls into question the convictions and raises issues of judicial, prosecutorial and jury misconduct – showing that the first casualty of a corrupt justice system is the truth. [1] http://www.slashfilm.com/competition-films-2012-sundance-film-festival-announced/ [2] http://www.slashfilm.com/sundance-2012-competition-films-announced/

A week after Microsoft and Verizon announced that FiOS channels are coming to the Xbox 360, the software giant is unleashing more apps to allow TV viewing online via the hit gaming console.

As of Tuesday, Dec. 6, Xbox Live subscribers in the U.S. will be able to watch EPIX, ESPN, Hulu Plus and the Today show on MSNBC, the partnership channel between Microsoft and NBC.

Customers in Japan will get Hulu, while German viewers will have Sky Go, United Kingdom viewers will have LOVEFiLM and Italian viewers will be able to watch Premium Play. Spanish Xbox users can watch Telefonica Espana. Netflix, available already to U.S. users, will be accessible in Canada as well.

'More Social and Personal'

Twenty-seven more channels will debut later this month. For U.S. users, they include iHeartRadio, Sony Pictures' Crackle, more programming from MSNBC and Wal-Mart's Vudu movie rental service. YouTube will be available in 24 countries, and more programming, including content from HBO and Xfinity, will debut in 2012.

Together with the Kinect voice and motion control system and the Bing search engine to find and select programs, Microsoft hopes the Xbox will transform the way consumers aggregate their entertainment.

"A new era in entertainment begins where all your entertainment is together in one place: your games, movies, TV shows, music and sports," said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "With this update, Xbox 360 system owners will experience Kinect voice control integrated with Bing search, making your TV and entertainment experiences more social and personal than ever."

The announcement is a landmark because media companies have been slow to allow their content to stream on the Internet and away from airwaves, where advertising rates still command the highest rates.

"Microsoft is moving aggressively to extend its network of TV and online video partners, improve search with...

SMEs are struggling to respond in a timely fashion to the needs of customers, despite an overwhelming belief that communicating with customers quickly is one of the most important factors in developing business, according to a new study.

The research, a 700-person survey of senior managers in SME's across the United Kingdom and Germany by Avaya, found 68 percent see responsiveness as critical to their businesses success and 66 percent seeing communications as necessary to building customer relationship.

Despite that, more than four-in-five respondents cited dissatisfaction with their company's customer service, and more than half said they needed to improve general communications with their clients.

Avaya said the survey shows most SMEs are still struggling to build a cogent communications strategy.

Some 84 percent of respondents said they would support flexible scheduling for their employees, and more than half said that flexibility was a string recruiting and retention tool, both germane to developing solid customer service.

"It's interesting to see that such a vast majority (OF SMES) are prioritizing responsiveness, customer service and relationships above all else," said Michael Bayer, president of Avaya's EMEA division. "Yet, the findings also uncover the need for new ways of working and communicating to fill the gap between good intentions and reality. It's critical that businesses have the tools and solutions to communicate with and serve customers effectively."

For more:
- see this TelecomReseller UC Networks article

Related articles:
Avaya gets 2014 Olympics network business
Avaya says SIP growth leads to new revenue strategy
Avaya pushes channel partners toward broader technology portfolio

Yesterday the Sundance Film Festival announced the core lineup of films [1] that will be spotlit in the Competition slates at the 2012 festival. Now we've got a lineup of films that will play out of competition in the Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, NEXT and New Frontier schedules. There are a few films in here with which you might be nominally familiar, like The Raid, Grabbers and Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, not to mention Andrea Arnold's new version of Wuthering Heights. But many are new announcements. While the competition lineups are always a good place to look for some of the films that will be the most talked-about in the year following each Sundance fest, these schedules are where some of the more unique and provocative films live. There are still some big premieres to be announced next week, but if I was making a big Sundance wishlist, these 30 movies would be among the ones I'd consider most highly. SPOTLIGHT Corpo Celeste / Italy (Director and screenwriter: Alice Rohrwacher) — After moving back to southern Italy with her mother and older sister, 13-year-old Marta struggles to find her place, restlessly testing the boundaries of an unfamiliar city and the catechism of the Catholic church.Cast: Yle Vianello, Salvatore Cantalupo, Anita Caprioli, Renato Carpentiere. Declaration Of War / Belgium (Director: Valérie Donzelli, Screenwriters: Jérémie Elkaïm, Valérie Donzelli) — A young couple embark upon a painful, enlightening journey when they discover that their newborn child is very ill. Cast: Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm, César Desseix. North American Premiere Elena / Russia (Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev, Screenwriter: Oleg Negin) — A meditative, modern-noir tale about an older woman, Elena, who marries the wealthy business man for whom she worked and, when his health fails, is forced to deal with his estranged daughter who threatens her inheritance. Cast: Andrey Smirnov, Nadezhda Markina, Elena Lyadova, Alexey Rozin. Monsieur Lazhar / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Philippe Falardeau) — An elegant reflection on loss and death focused on an Algerian immigrant teacher who brings emotional stability to a Montreal middle school class shaken by the suicide of their well-liked teacher. Cast: Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Danielle Proulx, Brigitte Poupart. The Orator (O le Tulafale) / New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Tusi Tamasese) — A Samoan villager must defend his land and family when they are threatened by powerful adversaries. Cast: Fa’afiaula Sagote, Tausili Pushparaj, Salamasina Mataia, Ioata Tanielu. The Raid / Indonesia (Director and screenwriter: Gareth Evans) — All hell breaks loose when an elite SWAT team, given orders to raid a run-down Jakarta apartment building that houses the city’s most notorious crime boss, is forced to fight their way to freedom or die trying. Cast: Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Joe Taslim, Doni Alamsyah. U.S. Premiere Where Do We Go Now? / France, Lebanon, Italy, Egypt (Director: Nadine Labaki, Screenwriters: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Rodney Al Haddad, with the collaboration of Thomas Bidegain) — A group of Lebanese women try to ease religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in their village. Cast: Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Layla Hakim, Nadine Labaki, Yvonne Maalouf, Antoinette Noufaily. U.S. Premiere Wuthering Heights / United Kingdom (Director: Andrea Arnold, Screenwriters: Andrea Arnold, Olivia Hetreed) — A freshly conceived retelling of Emily Bronte’s classic novel about Heathcliff and Cathy, two teenagers whose passionate love for each other creates a storm of vengeance.Cast: Kaya Scodelario, James Howson, Solomon Glave, Shannon Beer, Steve Evets. U.S. Premiere Your Sister's Sister / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lynn Shelton) — While still mourning the recent death of his brother, a bereft and confused man finds love and direction in a most unexpected place. Cast: Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mark Duplass. U.S. Premiere PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake. Each is a world premiere. Black Rock / U.S.A. (Director: Katie Aselton, Screenwriter: Mark Duplass) — Three childhood friends set aside their personal issues and reunite for a girls' weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. One wrong move turns their weekend getaway into a deadly fight for survival.Cast: Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth. Excision / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Richard Bates, Jr.) — A disturbed and delusional high school student with aspirations of a career in medicine goes to extremes to earn the approval of her controlling mother. Cast: AnnaLynne McCord, Traci Lords, Ariel Winter, Roger Bart, John Waters. Grabbers / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Jon Wright, Screenwriter: Kevin Lehane) — When the residents of an idyllic Irish fishing village are attacked by mysterious, blood-sucking sea creatures, a high blood alcohol content could be the only thing that gets them through the night. Cast: Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tovey, Bronagh Gallagher. The Pact / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nicholas McCarthy) — As a woman struggles to come to grips with her past in the wake of her mother's death, an unsettling presence emerges in her childhood home. Cast: Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien. SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS / United Kingdom (Directors: Dylan Southern, Will Lovelace) — A documentary that follows LCD Soundsystem front man James Murphy over a crucial 48-hour period, from the day of their final gig at Madison Square Garden to the morning after, the official end of one of the best live bands in the world. Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim) — After two guys are given a billion dollars to make a movie, their Hollywood dreams run off course and they decide to rehabilitate a run-down shopping mall in an attempt to make the money back. Cast: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim. V/H/S / U.S.A. (Directors: Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence, Screenwriters: Simon Barrett, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence) — When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for. Cast: Joe Swanberg, Calvin Reeder, Adam Wingard, Sophia Takal, Kate Lyn Sheil. NEXT NEXT encompasses a selection of pure, bold works by promising filmmakers distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling. Presented by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Each is a world premiere. COMPLIANCE / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Craig Zobel) — When a prank caller convinces a fast food restaurant manager to interrogate an innocent young employee, no one is left unscathed. Based on true events. Cast: Ann Dowd, Pat Healy, Dreama Walker, Bill Camp, Philip Ettinger. I AM NOT A HIPSTER / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Destin Daniel Cretton) — Set in the indie music and art scene, this is a character-driven story exploring themes of love, loss and what it means to be creative in the face of tragedy. Cast: Dominic Bogart, Alvaro Orlando, Brad William Henke, Tammy Minoff, Kandis Erickson, Lauren Coleman. KID-THING / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Zellner) — A rebellious girl whose existence is devoid of parental guidance, spends her time roaming the land, shoplifting, and vandalizing. Her routine is broken one day while playing in the woods when she hears a woman calling from a mysterious hole in the ground, asking for help. Cast: Sydney Aguirre, Susan Tyrrell, Nathan Zellner, David Zellner. Mosquita y Mari / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Aurora Guerrero) — A friendship between two 15-year-old Latinas becomes complex as they struggle to recognize the sexual undercurrent in their relationship. Cast: Fenessa Pineda, Venecia Troncoso, Joaquín Garrido, Laura Patalano, Dulce Maria Solis. My Best Day / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Erin Greenwell) — Karen’s life as a small-town receptionist is turned upside down when the father she never knew calls for a refrigerator repair. That day she encounters a sister addicted to off track betting, a brother struggling with grade school heartache and bullies, and a load of fireworks. Cast: Rachel Style, Ashlie Atkinson, Raúl Castillo, Jo Armeniox, Robert Salerno, Harris Doran. Pursuit of Loneliness / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Laurence Thrush) — An elderly patient dies in a county hospital leaving no known next of kin. Over the next 24 hours, four central characters try to find a family member to contact regarding the death of this anonymous individual. Cast: Joy Hille, Sandra Escalante, Sharon Munfus, Kirsi Toivanen, Natalie Fouron. Sleepwalk With Me / U.S.A. (Co-directors: Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish, Screenwriters: Mike Birbiglia, Ira Glass, Joe Birbiglia, Seth Barrish) — Reluctant to confront his fears of love, honesty, and growing up, a budding standup comedian has both a hilarious and intense struggle with sleepwalking. Cast: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane, James Rebhorn, Cristin Milioti. That's What She Said / U.S.A. (Director: Carrie Preston, Screenwriter: Kellie Overbey) — Armed with nothing but their addictions and lots of personal baggage, two best friends and a mysterious young interloper battle a series of misadventures on their quest for love in New York City.Cast: Anne Heche, Marcia DeBonis, Alia Shawkat. TWENTY-EIGHT HOTEL ROOMS / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Ross) — Seen only as fragments in the secret world of hotel rooms, a long-term affair becomes perhaps the most significant relationship of a couple’s lives. Cast: Chris Messina, Marin Ireland. NEW FRONTIER With media installations, multimedia performances, transmedia experiences, panels, film screenings, and more, New Frontier highlights work that celebrates experimentation and the expansion of cinema culture through the convergence of film, art, and new media technology. These films complement the previously announced installations and performances in the New Frontier venue at the Festival. Bestiaire / Canada, France (Director: Denis Côté) — The boundaries we place around animals are provocatively and formally explored in this meditation on the relationship between nature and humanity. World Premiere An Oversimplification of Her Beauty / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Terence Nance) — A quixotic young man humorously courses live action and various animated landscapes as he tries to understand himself after a mystery girl stands him up. Cast: Terence Nance, Namik Minter, Chanelle Pearson. World Premiere THE PERCEPTION OF MOVING TARGETS / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Weston Currie) — A segmenting journey into the dreams of four neighbors. Cast: Brighid Thomas, Cherie Blackfeather, Gerald Casey, Tom Wood, Jin Camou. Room 237 / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — This experimental documentary explores the numerous theories about the real meaning of Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining. World Premiere whiteonwhite:algorithmicnoir / U.S.A., Kazakhstan (Directors: Eve Sussman | Rufus Corporation, Screenwriters: Eve Sussman, Kevin Messman, Jeff Wood) — A computer program assembles raw elements of music, dialogue, sound and footage shot in Kazakhstan into a generative noir mystery film in this live algorithmic performance. Cast: Jeff Wood, Marina Fedorenko. [1] http://www.slashfilm.com/competition-films-2012-sundance-film-festival-announced/

By Ramzy Baroud

The so-called 'Arab Spring' is creating an intellectual divide that threatens any sensible understanding of the turmoil engulfing several Arab countries.

While it is widely understood that revolutions endeavor to overthrow political structures and aim to change the social order and power paradigm within any given society, there is still no single, inclusive understanding of what actually constitutes a revolution. Nor is there any consensus as to exactly what a revolution is supposed to achieve.

An ordinary Egyptian is likely to determine his/her take on revolution from various angles: measurable economic advancement – or lack thereof; the ability to voice an opinion without fear of censorship or retaliation; the right to participate in collective action, and influence the overall direction of his/her country.

A revolution can also delve into the realm of self-definition. Some Arab collectives have redefined themselves along religious, nationalistic or ideological lines – by re-coloring a flag or rewording a national anthem – in the hope that this would allow them to cement political change through a collective psychological departure from one era into another.

While conceptual depictions of major phenomena may be achievable, their practical application can be elusive. On January 14, just days after the ousting of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, I warned of the failure to appreciate the unique circumstances of the Tunisian revolution, and the distinctiveness of Tunisian society as a whole:

“There is no harm in expanding a popular experience to understand the world at large and its conflicts. But in the case of Tunisia, it seems that the country is largely understood within a multilayer of contexts, thus becoming devoid of any political, cultural or socio-economic uniqueness. Understanding Tunisia as just another ‘Arab regime’, another possible podium for al-Qaeda’s violence, is convenient but also unhelpful to any cohesive understanding of the situation there and the events that are likely to follow.”

The article was a response to the media frenzy which placed all Arab societies into one category. But this failure of distinction cannot be attributed merely to the overriding ignorance of the Western media and intellectuals in their understanding of Arabs, nor of Western governments’ opportunistic relationship to the ‘Arab world’. Analogous generalizations were also being employed by the Arab media and intellectuals, and even the rebelling masses themselves.

There seemed little harm in Yemeni activists relating to the Egyptian revolutionary experience, or Syrians and Libyans borrowing each other’s slogans. After all, there is an unmistakable cultural and historical bond between various Arab societies, and they are rife with overlapping experiences of colonization, foreign occupation, dictatorship and popular uprisings. But what was meant to inspire a sense of shared values and experiences quickly became a fault line, exploited by those who wanted to ensure the failure of Arab uprisings, or to direct their outcomes.

It was no surprise that the Arab uprisings did not remain the business of the Arabs alone. Even before the governments of France and the United Kingdom signed their infamous Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 - dividing Arab provinces (then part of the Ottoman Empire) into spheres of influence – the fate of the region had already been determined by outside powers. And unlike common myths associated with the ‘Arab Spring’, Arab nations have repeatedly rebelled against foreign colonizers and their own despots.

The belated Western response to the Tunisian revolution - and the incoherent reaction to the Egyptian revolution in January 25 - served as a wakeup call to those who inherited the legacy of François Georges-Picot and Sir Mark Sykes Indeed, past encounters continue to define the Western countries’ ties to the ‘Middle East region’, which is appreciated for its many economic spoils and unmatched strategic importance.

“Western security, construction and infrastructure companies that see profit-making opportunities receding in Iraq and Afghanistan have turned their sights on Libya, now free of four decades of dictatorship,” wrote Scott Shane in the New York Times (October 28, 2011).

This short sentence truly sums up the motives of Western intervention, and the West’s overall attitude towards its former colonies. However, there is a strange resolve among many players in the ‘Arab Spring’ – including in Arab media - that discount or ignore the foreign element whenever Arab uprisings are discussed. This tendency is not only intellectually dishonest and perceptibly ahistorical, it is also highly suspicious. Amid the purposeful silence regarding the self-serving and destructive role played by foreign powers, plots are being hatched against various countries under the very pretexts that led to the destruction of Iraq, Libya, and even Lebanon. Yes, in 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon, it used the concept of democracy as part of its justification.

However, being fully appreciative of the disparaging and exploitative role of foreign powers shouldn’t allow one to turn into an apologist for dictatorship either. A more somber reading of history shows the unshakable bond between dictators and their foreign benefactors - at the expense of the oppressed masses, who are now revolting to reset the course of history on a more equitable route.   

True, a revolution can be polarizing for those who are projected to either win or lose once its final outcome is determined. But intellectuals have a historic responsibility to remain vigilant of the uniqueness of each and every collective experience, and to place it within accurate historical contexts. They should not omit inconvenient truths when such omissions are deemed convenient.

This is not moral neutrality, a notion that has been articulated by South African anti-Apartheid leader Desmond Tutu in his iconic statement: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” It is rather the responsibility of the intellectual to question what is taken for granted. Edward Said claimed that the ideal intellectual should be seen as an “exile and marginal, as amateur, and as the author of a language that tries to speak the truth to power.”

Speaking truth to power is still possible, and is more urgent than ever. The fate of a nation, any nation, cannot be polarized to the terrible extent that the Arab uprisings have. On both sides of the divide, some are cheering for foreign intervention, while others are justifying the senseless murder of innocent people by dictators.

There is possibly a fine line between the divides, and it is the responsibility of the intellectual to trace this line, and remain steadfast there. He may consequently find himself marginalized and exiled, but at least he will maintain his integrity.

- Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story (Pluto Press, London).

The United Kingdom will see its largest strike in a generation Wednesday as more than 2 million public sector workers bring large swathes of the economy to a standstill.

The United Kingdom will see its largest strike in a generation Wednesday as more than 2 million public sector workers bring large swathes of the economy to a standstill.

We're working on the problem, we'll get back to you soon.

That was the message from Samsung Electronics after reports that its hot new smartphone, the Galaxy Nexus, had a somewhat unusual glitch: The volume control tends to have a mind of its own when operating on 2G networks in Europe.

Deliveries Frozen?

Announced last month and launched last week in the United Kingdom, the 4.65-inch, Super AMOLED touchscreen, 1.2-gigahertz dual processor Galaxy Nexus initially had a November U.S. release date via Verizon Wireless, but it has now been pushed off to December, Samsung told Business Insider.

Samsung U.K. released a statement via Twitter on Tuesday, saying: "Regarding the Galaxy Nexus, we are aware of the volume issue and have developed a fix. We will update devices as soon as possible."

That statement is nearly identical to one given to the Web site Android Police by Google, whose Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, is the operating system powering the device.

Citing information from app developer and tech blogger Steve Troughton-Smith, Slashgear on Wednesday said at least one major retailer warned that Samsung has temporarily halted Nexus shipments while the manufacturer assesses whether the volume bug is a hardware or software problem.

The company handling public relations for South Korea-based Samsung in the United States had not replied to e-mail inquiries as of publication time.

The user forum XDA Developers has a long thread about the Nexus problem, informing participants that "Every Samsung Galaxy Nexus handset seems to be affected by this problem.

'Majority of users, however, are not reporting the problem due to not using 2G networks....2G networks working on GSM 900 are majority of Europe, Africa, Australia, Middle East and large part of Asia. In U.K., the GSM 900 is used by O2, Vodafone, giffgaff, Tesco Mobile."

An online poll on the site found...

TO improve Foreign Direct Investments, FDI, and remittances from United Kingdom, UK, Nigerian professionals in UK will host a seminar on December 1 to showcase the avalanche of business and investment opportunities in the country.

What gets measured gets done' is the old business truism that can be seen in action once again in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. Because bad targets make for bad medicine. The previous Labour government set the laudable target of having all patients treated within eighteen weeks of their doctors' referral date. The whole thing falls down when the deadline is not met and there is no target for dealing with these cases. So there is now a neglected group of patients who nobody is encouraged to deal with.

A fertiliser company that has been approved to do billions of dollars' worth of business in Cambodia, and is presumed to be based in the United Kingdom, is in fact affiliated with domestic conglomerate Royal Group, an insider has confirmed.

Unemployment in the UK has risen to 8.3 percent, its highest rate in 15 years, the Bank of England said Wednesday. It also halved its growth forecast for 2012 to 1 percent, painting a pretty grim outlook for the British economy.

In a move to capitalize on what it calls the growth of the "Connected World," Best Buy is making sweeping changes to its operations. Center to those efforts is the acquisition of Carphone Warehouse Group.

Best Buy on Monday announced it will purchase Carphone Warehouse Group's shares in the U.S. and Canadian Best Buy Mobile unit for $1.3 billion. That gives Best Buy full ownership of the business. The acquisition signals Best Buy's bet that the mobile industry will continue its rapid growth.

Best Buy is funding the deal with cash. The motive: tapping into what the company sees as a significant opportunity as connections migrate from phones to other connectable devices such as tablets, laptops, TVs and e-readers.

Connected World Focus

The connected world concept is one into which many tech industry titans are moving. Hewlett-Packard on Monday announced additions to its portfolio of solutions and services for telecom companies that aim to help them drive business growth with better service-management quality for customers.

Last week, Cisco released its 2011 Connected World Technology Report that revealed the next generation of workers expects to use social media, mobile devices and the Internet more freely in the workplace. And the Connected World Forum last week showcased next-generation mobile apps and services.

"We are seeing growth on the mobile side of the business significantly increase and a lot of that is being driven by smartphones and smartphone revenue," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner. "It's not really a surprise that Best Buy would want to invest even further in this type of activity."

Shifting Europe Strategy

Best Buy Europe, meanwhile, is closing the 11 big-box pilot stores it launched in the United Kingdom. Instead, the company will focus on its installed base of about 2,500 smaller stories. Best Buy Europe launched a big-box format test in the U.K....

Originally built and presented as a gift by the United Kingdom to Ghana after it gained independence in 1957, the completely rebuilt hotel is located in the central business district, close to government ministries, major financial institutions and the Accra International Conference Center.

THE Association of Business Practitioners, United Kingdom and Farayem Training Centre, Ibadan Nigeria have concluded plans to give Nigerian students who are working opportunities to acquire professional qualifications abroad in their chosen area of study.

If you think Microsoft's hands-free Kinect controller is just for video games, think again. The company confirmed Monday that it will start a Kinect for business program early next year.

In a posting on the Official Microsoft Blog, Corporate Vice President Frank X. Shaw wrote that the emerging commercial program recognizes "the intense commercial interest in harnessing the capabilities" of the innovative remote control, which uses motion detection, hand-gestures, and voice recognition to control an electronic device.

'Revolutionize Entire Industries'

A beta Software Developers Kit for academic and non-commercial projects was released in June, and a similar one designed for commercial uses with PCs is expected next year. The commercial program will include a new set of tools and APIs, and Shaw said the results could "revolutionize entire industries."

He noted that the commercial pilot program for the Kinect "has already received more than 200 applications from top companies in more than 20 countries spanning 25 unique industries." Companies investigating commercial applications include Toyota, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Razorfish.

Microsoft is trying to capitalize on what it calls The Kinect Effect, which the company's Xbox Web site described as people "using Kinect in ways we never imagined." Far beyond fighting aliens in video games, those uses include helping autistic children, assisting doctors in the operating room, and much more.

At the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the United Kingdom, for example, the controller is being used in rehabilitation exercises. Patients are matched to games, based on the level of their impairment, and the company said the games have helped to improve balance, coordination, and physical movement.

8 Million in 60 Days

The Lakeside Center for Autism in Issaquah, Wash., has used Kinect to help improve social interaction, language development and motor skills.

A Spanish start-up company, Tedesys, is developing an app that will allow doctors to use the device...

Netflix saw it coming, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. The video streaming and DVD rental company has seen a mass exodus of subscribers since its controversial price increase, and the company doesn't expect to recover in 2012.

The news caused Netflix's stock to plummet 27 percent to $87 a share in overnight trading. That dip continued on Tuesday, with Netflix down 36 percent in morning trading. In a 17-page letter to shareholders, CEO Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells explained its difficulties and outlined a recovery plan.

"Although we dramatically improved our $7.99 unlimited streaming service by embracing new platforms, simplifying our user interface, and more than doubling domestic spending on streaming content over 2010, we greatly upset many domestic Netflix customers with our significant DVD-related pricing changes, and to a lesser degree, with the proposed-and-now-canceled rebranding of our DVD service."

More Losses Expected

That's a fairly accurate assessment, though perhaps an understatement. Based on the fact that Netflix saw 810,000 customers bail out, Netflix may have done more than "hurt our hard-earned reputation" and "stalled our domestic growth" as it explained to shareholders.

Considering that Netflix was adding at least 1 million new subscribers each quarter for nearly the past two years, the reversal of fortune is giving employees and stakeholders plenty of reasons for concern.

Netflix met analyst expectations in its third quarter. The company posted $62 million, or $1.16 a share. Netflix even posted record revenue of $822 million in the quarter, which exceeded analyst expectations. Nevertheless, bleeding nearly a million customers, as well as the high cost of international expansion and the reality of an unprofitable business in the United Kingdom and Ireland "for a few quarters" next year caused analysts to downgrade the stock.

"The long-term potential for streaming-only in the U.S. and international markets...

Just two weeks after closing its acquisition of Sipera, unified communications specialist Avaya has purchased United Kingdom-based Aurix, a global provider of speech analytics and audio data mining technology. Avaya will operate the company as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deal will allow Avaya to add speech analytics to its contact center and UC products. Customers will be able to perform phonetic audio searches and real-time historical analysis of one-to-one or group spoken interactions.

"The value of document search engines is widely understood, (but) there's another dimension of data that is largely untapped, however, and that is the information exchanged through spoken interactions," said Brett Shockley, SVP of corporate development, strategy and innovation at Avaya. "Aurix's technology will help enable Avaya's customers to quickly find the interactions that can impact their ability to attain high customer satisfaction and increase revenue generation. The analysis of these interactions can drive enhancements in processes that advance their business objectives."

Aurix technology enables real-time identification, search and data mining of large volumes of audio and audio-visual material. It's built on open architecture and already integrates with Avaya Aura as well as applications from other vendors.

Avaya is in the process of preparing for an IPO. Earlier this month, it acquired security specialist Sipera, a worldwide provider of UC  solutions, including Session Border Control (SBC) functionality and a range of UC security applications. The company said it planned to integrate that business into its own.

The move strengthened Avaya’s UC portfolio with a set of fit-for-purpose, enterprise-class SBC capabilities for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking. Sipera's open, standards-based solutions work in both Avaya and non-Avaya networks.

Sipera, combined with Avaya Aura, gives customers access to secure VoIP, SIP trunks, videoconferencing, cloud-based communications, instant messaging and collaboration tools.

For more:
- see this release

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Internet leaders and visionaries will convene to share insights and new research findings regarding how to strengthen the Internet infrastructure at Verisign's "Building a Better Internet" symposium to be held in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 18.

The forum will spotlight how, after decades of exponential growth, the Internet infrastructure needs to be strengthened and fortified to support the needs of the next billion users. It will also look forward to the increasing complexity and internationalization of Internet-enabled technologies, and the evolutionary changes that must take place to meet those challenges.

"In the years ahead, we believe the world will welcome a billion new Internet users, and witness the development of businesses and services that have yet to be imagined," said Jim Bidzos, Verisign's executive chairman, president and chief executive officer. "That is why it is imperative to bring industry and technical leaders together to think through and plan for the challenges ahead. Verisign is proud to host such an impressive group."

Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of "The Long Tail," will keynote the event, which will feature technology leaders from the academic, business and policy communities.

The event will also feature the winners of the four $75,000 infrastructure grants that Verisign awarded as part of its 25 Years of .Com commemorations in 2010.

The grant winners who will present their findings are:

• Professor Shlomi Dolev, Ben Gurion University, Negev, Israel (Techniques for Achieving Positive Anonymity)
• Anil Madhavapeddy, Cambridge University, United Kingdom (Constructing a "Functional" Name System)
• Professor Philip Brighten Godfrey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Lifesaver: Enabling Responsive Web Applications)
• Professor Z. Morley Mao, University of Michigan (Enhancing Mobile Internet Infrastructure for Improved Performance and Security)

The infrastructure grant program, launched during the 25 Years of .Com commemoration, represents a continuation and expansion of Verisign's commitment to sponsoring research that supports the Internet's healthy growth and development. Through Verisign Labs, Verisign has sponsored numerous university research programs this year, in addition to the infrastructure grants.

As the steward of critical components of the Internet's global infrastructure — including the .com and .net top-level domains, and two of the Internet's 13 authoritative root zone servers — Verisign plays a leading role, in partnership with other organizations, in ensuring the security and stability of the Internet. The research being highlighted at the "Building a Better Internet" symposium exemplifies the creative thinking that should help the industry to stay ahead of mounting demands and new threats, and enable users to enjoy the full benefits of the connected digital world.

After looting the bulk of Ghana's wealth through colonialism to develop the United Kingdom (UK) to the status it is today, the young British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is still not satisfied with the havoc his forefathers unleashed on this small third world economy.

Automotive OEM manufacturer and aftermarket distributor, Control Instruments (CI) recently announced that it had advised the directors of Pi Shurlok UK that it would no longer continue to fund the UK business. This effectively means that Pi Shurlok UK would be placed under administration, with a view to selling it out of administration.

The Bank of England, the United Kingdom’s reserve bank, on Thursday announced it was injecting a further US $160 billion into the UK economy.

Many movie critics and business analysts have declared that 3D is dead, or at the very least, dying a very slow and painful death.  The reasons are obvious – higher ticket prices that combined with lackluster, post-converted efforts.   People have paid out the nose and gotten dark, muddy 3D prints that scream nothing but cheap cash grab. That’s not the message to send when you’re pushing a new format, especially in a bad economy. If you were looking for the final nail in the 3D coffin, it may have finally been hammered in.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony has announced to movie theater owners that they will stop paying for RealD glasses as of May 1, 2012, and other studios may follow suit. Disney is already saying it was never “an indefinite policy” for them to cover the cost of glasses, as they had once promised to theater owners.  Fox tried to pull the plug once, and failed, but now that they’ve got allies? They may follow suit. Since movie theaters have already spent vast sums converting their screens to 3D, the idea of their having to now eat the cost of the glasses won’t meet with a lot of enthusiasm. Not that they will completely cover it, of course. You will.  If theater owners have to pay for glasses, we’ll probably have to start paying an additional fee to rent them.  This is already standard overseas – the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and Spain all pay for their glasses – but Americans are unlikely to jump to paying for something that was handed to them for free, especially since they’re already paying a higher ticket price. I imagine people assumed they were already paying a little something to cover the glasses in there.  This summer, moviegoers were already going out of their way to find 2D showings because they were unwilling to be burned again and again on blurry, cheap efforts.  2D is cheaper  For many, it’s probably the difference between getting to see the film, or staying home altogether.  If studios pile more on that cost, and fail to produce 3D movies of quality, there will be more and more empty seats at those showings.  It’s basic math.Source: THR

London, United Kingdom, September 23, 2011 -- -- SMEStorage CEO Ian Osborne, talking about a new EU data centre launch, stated, "Although we are a UK business, when we first launched the SMEStorage Open Cloud Platform for businesses, the majority of small businesses embracing the Cloud File Server proposition were in the United States.

TREASURY has invited United Kingdom investors to consider investing in a number of government owned banks set for privatisation. The government plans offload its shares in National Bank of Kenya, Consolidated Bank as well as Development Bank of Kenya. Treasury permanent secretary Joseph Kinyua yesterday urged UK financial services investors to bid for the offer. "The government is selling a number of banks and you should consider this opportunity," Kinyua told a visiting delegation of UK business leaders who are accompanied by Mayor of London Alderman Michael Bear.

Sierra Leone's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom has said that his government's Agenda for Change policy aims to put Sierra Leone solidly on the path that will take it away from "aid dependency to a dynamic, self-sustaining economy".

In an effort to boost trade and investments with the United Kingdom, Turkey will open diplomatic attaches in Birmingham and Edinburgh to work alongside its trade counselor in London.

Between July 20-30, 2011, I was in the United Kingdom. I was a visitor at the University of London to deliver a Public Lecture at the London School of Economics on "African Competitiveness in the Global Economy."

The bank also wants to exit its United Kingdom and Ireland card businesses. It has not decided whether to sell or wind down those operations, said bank spokesman Jerry ...

The United Kingdom's Business secretary, has announced major changes...

Vince Cable, the United Kingdom's Business secretary, has announced major changes to that country's copyright law concerning digital media. The government will legalize "format shifting," or allowing consumers to rip content from CDs and DVDs for personal use. The government will also reverse part of last year's Digital Enforcement Act, which would have blocked websites for hosting copyrighted material. Cable said the law needed to change to conform to reasonable expectations of consumers. "We've got to bring law in line with reality," he said....