rmonk, NY, USA – 06 Jun 2011: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the IBM Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities, a new solution designed to help cities of all sizes gain a holistic view of information across city departments and agencies. By infusing analytical insights into municipal operations through one central point of command, cities will be able to better anticipate problems, respond to crises, and manage resources.
The Intelligent Operations Center for Smarter Cities will allow cities to use information and analytics to make smarter and more timely decisions, helping local leaders manage a spectrum of events, both planned and unplanned, such as deploying water maintenance crews to repair pumps before they break, alerting fire crews to broken fire hydrants at an emergency scene, or anticipating traffic congestion and preparing redirection scenarios.
IDC Government Insights estimates the new Smarter Cities information technology market opportunity at $34 billion in 2011, increasing more than 18 percent per year to $57 billion by 2014.
The Lebanese President General Michel Suleiman has saved Lebanon during this unfortunate event at the Telecommunication Ministry and unified the country by preventing clashes btw the new and old majority through his unique judgment, leadership, and power of the constitution.
khazen.org offers its complete support to the President as the Commander in Chief of all of Lebanon and more specifically in this particular case of the Armed Forces. Regardless of the unfortunate event of what has happened in the Telecommunication Ministry, and the intention of the Minister Charbel Nahas, we can ask many questions:
·Why did Minister Nahas decide to find more information at this time?
·Why not when the government was created and when he took in charge the ministry of Telecommunication?
All of these questions we may never find the answers, but one important factor this is NOT THE ISSUE. The Problem is that you have the head of the internal security forces General Rifi abusing his power by not respecting the oders of the Interior Minister.
The President of the Republic because of his unique leadership as preserving the constitution has saved Lebanon an additional time by preventing any fights btw different camps, and sending the army under his authority to take in charge of the building.
Khazen.org salutes our President as the Commander in Chief of all of the Armed forces and stand by him. Most importantly khazen.org request for General Rifi to be tried in Justice.
The 14 March Camp is pointing fingers at Nahas while the 8 March Group is pointing fingers at the Future Movement and each group is speaking about legality of the issue. The first group is questioning the timing of Nahas, while the other group is questioning the allegiance of Rifi and attacking the victim (here the Lebanese Constitution). In reality the REAL ISSUE: is Rifi has abused his power.
· Rifi has shown poor judgement, regardless of why Nahas was there when the Interior Minister Baroud requests his forces to leave the building, his duty is make them leave! The actions of Rifi are action of a person that do not respect Lebanese Laws and constitution.
Because of the action of Rifi and disrespecting the orders of the Interior Minister Baroud until our President stepped in, we request his case to be persecuted within the Lebanese Justice and we demand his direct resignation from Head of the internal security forces. He is not fit anymore to be able to control ISF when he takes political stands; This is not a political position!
We thank our president of bringing the country together at these hard moments.
By Morgan Housel – In a way, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) couldn’t be more different. Microsoft has lost a third of its value over the past decade; IBM has gained 50%. IBM recently surpassed Microsoft in market capitalization for the first time since 1996.
In other ways, they’re a lot alike. Microsoft has grown earnings per share by 10.9% annually for the past decade. IBM’s growth over the same period? 10.2%. Analyst estimates for Microsoft’s five-year projected growth rate is 10.3% — IBM’s, 11.2%.
These are different companies with different products in different industries, yet both past and projected growth are about equal. Shareholder returns, however, couldn’t be more night and day.
Why?
I think you can break this conundrum down into two parts. Both are huge lessons every investor should be aware of.
1) The most important lesson in investing The most important lesson in investing is simple: Starting price determines future returns.
A parade of analysts and investors chide Microsoft for its abysmal shareholder returns over the past decade. In reality, Microsoft the company has done terrific. How many large companies grew earnings at 10% annually during one the worst economic decades on record? (11, if you’re wondering). Nearly all of the misery Microsoft investors experienced over the past 10 years can be explained by starting valuation. Shares traded at 60 times earnings at the start of the last decade. Shareholders’ fate was already sealed at that point. There was no realistic outcome that could have left them with anything other than tears today.
IBM was a different story. While it, too, was caught up in the dot-com bubble, it never got outrageously out of whack. Ten years ago, IBM shares traded at roughly 25 times earnings. That created a high hurdle but not an insurmountable one. The compression in IBM’s earnings multiple over the past 10 years hasn’t been drastic, letting shareholders enjoy at least some of the company’s earnings growth. Microsoft’s earnings multiple compression has been astronomical, causing shares to crumble even while the company grew briskly. The same story of flatlining returns amid strong earnings growth has happened to Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) , Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) , and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) . Each case can be explained simply: Starting valuation determines future returns.
Technology companies IBM Corp. and SAP AG are teaming up with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lubar School of Business to establish a data center that focuses on bringing more technologically trained business graduates into the workforce.
The center is being unveiled on Monday.
IBM is providing computer hardware, software and training for the center, officially known as "The Technology Innovation Datacenter – Powered by IBM," university officials said.
The data center features the high-performance IBM Power 750, the server used for IBM’s Watson, the recent "Jeopardy" winner.
The data center will support the SAP University Competence Center, which is located in the Lubar School. The UCC is a hub for universities across a large portion of North America that offer a technology-focused business curriculum.
"The UCC provides hosting services and help-desk support for faculty and the 40,000-plus students in the more than 100 universities in North America where SAP software is used to reinforce and supplement classroom content," UWM said.
"Students from all over North America can access the center via the Internet to use in their course work," said Dave Haseman, director of the Lubar School’s Center for Technology Innovation and IBM Professor of Information Technology Management.
The Lubar School’s UCC is one of only five such competence centers in the world.
A business, tech marriage
Demand for workers who have a combination of technology and business skills is growing.
"It’s huge," said Aaron Ritchie, managing director at Experis, the specialty recruitment arm of ManpowerGroup that focuses on information technology, engineering and finance/accounting.
(HealthDay News) — Voter registration cards may offer more insight into who people promise to love and cherish than personality or appearance, new research suggests.
Most people marry those whose political views align with their own, according to a study from Rice University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The study, published recently in the Journal of Politics, examined the physical, personality and behavioral traits of more than 5,000 married couples in the United States. The various qualities — including body shape, height, weight, impulsivity, religion and ideology — were scored on a scale of zero to one, with one being a perfect match.
The researchers found that spouses appeared to instinctively select partners with similar social and political views. In fact, political attitudes were among the strongest shared traits — even taking precedence over personality or looks. The only attribute that scored slightly higher than political views was the frequency of church attendance.
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb) By Emma Gatten
BEIRUT: In most countries, people who do Mireille Raad’s job have no trouble working from home. As a freelance software developer, the technology exists for her to send clients her work via email, or access their computers remotely in order to resolve any issues.
In Lebanon, Raad spends two hours most days traveling to clients from her home in Batroun. The problem is that while Raad has access to the latest technology, Lebanon’s Internet connections are stuck in the early ‘90s. Earlier this month, the country’s Internet speeds were declared the slowest in the world by the website speedtest.net.
“Are you going to send [big files] by Liban Post?” Raad asks. “And wait until the next day for the client to get it and then call him to tell him how to use it?”
Raad estimates that her productivity is cut by at least 30 percent a month, factoring in poor speeds and extra travel. She also faces high prices, paying $70 a month for her connection.
In a 2008 survey by the Telecoms Regulatory Authority (TRA), the independent body funded by the state to regulate the industry, Lebanon came out with the most expensive Internet in the region for 1mbps of ADSL, while 46 percent of people surveyed said they thought their monthly rate was too high.
There are manifold reasons for the high prices and slow speeds. The country has, as Mahmoud Haidar, an adviser to caretaker Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas puts it, “much more than we need” in terms of bandwidth coming in to the country, thanks to cables from Cyprus, and another from India to Europe, across the Middle East (IMEWE).
And in a news conference in September last year, Nahhas said new projects to be implemented that year would increase capacity by 168 times. Yet nothing has changed for users.
khazen.org, "Our joy has no limit!." Glory to our New Patriarch!!! The Glory of Lebanon is given to you – All of the khazen will serve as your servants Patriarch Mar Bechara Al Raai. The khazen family pray for the new Patriarch to continue, in strengthening and lead he Maronite Catholic Nation all around the World. It is a day of extreme hope, unity and happiness for Khazen.org! Rai, 71, who was the Archbishop of Jbeil, is the 77th patriarch of the Maronite Church, a position. Rai was elected after almost a week of deliberations by 38 bishops at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki. His election was celebrated by a televised mass while Maronite churches across the country rang bells at midday in celebration. “The elections took place with love and peace,” Rai said in a televised speech.
Monsignor Youssef Tawk, head of the Council of Maronite bishops, announced the news from the church’s headquarters in Bkerke, northeast of Beirut, after days of meetings behind closed doors during which the Bishops voted on who would succeed the long-serving Sfeir.
Well-wishers, including politicians and clergymen, immediately began to pour in to Bkerke upon hearing the news, some shedding tears of joy.
Cardinal Patriarch Boutros Nasrallah is very happy of the election of the Patriarch and has said of Raii "He is one of the pillars of the church (in Lebanon) and is open to all the communities, he added. "He is a very qualified person from a spiritual standpoint, he listens to everyone and greets everyone the same, whatever their background."
Worshippers attend a ceremony for the newly elected Christian Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai at the the patriarchate church in Bkerki, north of Beirut, March 25, 2011. Lebanon’s Maronite Church Christian community held an official ceremony to assume the new Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai in his new post on Friday held at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerki . REUTERS/ Dalati Nohra/Handout
Lebanon’s Christian Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir (L) blesses the newly elected Christian Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai during a ceremony at the patriarchate church in Bkerki, north of Beirut, March 25, 2011. Lebanon’s Maronite Church Christian community held an official ceremony to assume the new Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai in his new post on Friday. REUTERS/ Dalati Nohra/Handout
"The El Khazen family represented by two members (Ghosta Branch and Ajaltoun Branch) will have the honor to guard Bkerke during the next election of the Maronite Patriarch. This is a special power and preeminence that Bkerke has over the El Khazen family, as a consequence of its sovereignty and safety of election. The main duty is to ensure that there will be no interference or influence from any outsiders. Cheikh Farid Haikal El Khazen will represent the Ghosta branch and Cheikh Amine Keserouan El Khazen will represent the Ajaltoun Branch.
His beatitude Patriach Sfeir has accomplished tremendously for Lebanese, ensured freedom, Maronite safety and growth throughout the last three decades. The El khazen as a whole are very thankful about the great and unique accomplishments of His Beatitude Patriarch Sfeir and they will remain always servants of the Patrarch at his service."
Daily Star:
BEIRUT: Newly elected Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai was born in the Metn town of Hemlaya on Feb. 25, 1940. Before his election Tuesday, Rai was head of the Maronite Diocese of the coastal town of Jbeil, northern Beirut, from 1990. Rai received his intermediate and high school education at the College Notre-Dame de Jamhour. In 1962, he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and theology and in 1975 he received a PhD in canon and civil law. Rai also studied three years of law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
In 1995, Rai was appointed by Pope John Paul II as a member in the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants and he has served on the council since then.
In 2005, he was appointed by the Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient as a coordinator for the Episcopal Commission for the Family in the Middle East in 2005.
More recently in 2010, Rai was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
The new patriarch has also worked in academia. He has been a lecturer in pontifical theology and the sacrament of matrimony at Universite Saint-Esprit De Kaslik since 2001. He has also been a lecturer in legal rights at Sagesse University in Beirut since 2001.
In 1994, Rai received the Order of Merit, Commander Rank, by the Italian president of the Italian Republic and in 2007 he received the National Order of the Cedar. – The Daily Star
The first electoral rounds will begin Friday morning or afternoon after a secretary general – to preside over electoral rounds – and a committee to sort out votes is elected Thursday by the Synod of Bishops following hours of prayers. Former Kesrouan MP Farid Haykal El Khazen and former ambassador Amin El Khazen locked the patriarchate’s doors to visitors. By tradition, members of the Khazen family stand guard in Bkirki until a patriarch is elected. The tradition began in 1703 when a member of the Khazen family used to guard the monastery, which was then under construction, before it became the seat of the patriarchate in 1823. Thirty-seven Maronite bishops, among them several presiding over dioceses across the world, arrived in Bkirki by Wednesday afternoon after flying to Lebanon.
khazen.org The El Khazen family also would like to send its eloge, gratitude to His Excellency Mgr. Roland ABOU JAOUDE General Patriarchal Vicar Auxiliary Maronite Patriarcal Protosyncelle. Who has played a unifying role for all of the Maronites Nation, in bringing all leaders together and has offered tremendeously to the Maronite Church and to the Lebanese overall. It is through his leadership, unique actions and faith that we are stronger today.
Catholic news agency: "Pope Benedict XVI has formally accepted the resignation of Maronite Catholic Patriarch Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, who is retiring at the age of 91.Cardinal Sfeir has led the Maronite Church since 1986. A new Patriarch of Antioch will be elected at a meeting of the Maronite Synod of Bishops, expected to be held at Bkirke, the headquarters of the patriarchate, in March.
At his request, Patriarch Rai will officially be installed on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25. Catholic patriarchs do not have their elections confirmed by the pope, but the new patriarch will request and receive spiritual communion from Pope Benedict XVI.
The 77th patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church said "Communion and Charity" would be his motto.
The Maronite Church exerts enormous public influence in Lebanon, where it is by far the largest Christian body. In his letter accepting the Patriarch’s resignation, Pope Benedict alluded to Cardinal Sfeir’s leadership during years of turmoil in Lebanon:
You began your noble ministry of patriarch of the Maronites amidst the torment of the war which bloodied the face of Lebanon for so many years. With the ardent desire for peace in your country, you led the Church and travelled the world to console those obliged to emigrate. Finally, peace returned, ever fragile but still extant.
The outgoing Patriarch will convene the Maronite Synod to elect his successor—according to reports in Lebanon, in the middle of March. He denied that he had his own favored candidates, stressing that the younger Maronite bishops would make the decision.
Lebanon’s President Suleiman chats with Lebanon’s outgoing Christian Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and newly elected
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Mar
Lebanon’s newly elected Christian Maronite Patriarch Rai greets his audience at the patriarchate in Bkerki
Patriarch Election History
by Richard Van Leewen – Notables and Clergy in Mount Lebanon "The political prestige of the El Khazen Sheiks, and even their position as Consuls of France, was partly founded on the endorsement of the Maronite prelates and the European missionaries. In the course of the 17th century, when the Khazens asserted their control over Kiserwan, the symbiosis between secular and clerical authority took the form of an all-embracing secular patronage over the church and the dominance of lay interests. It should be noted that this lay interference was not inconsistent with tradition, as no clear definition of the role of laymen in the church existed. The privileges acquired by the Khazens were not seen as an infringement of traditional practice or of clerical independence as it was justified by their secular authority and, moreover, provided the clergy with obvious advantages.
The influence of the El Khazen Sheiks in clerical matters concentrated on two aspects, which were, as far as the clergy were concerned, closely interrelated: the nomination of prelates and the founding and administration of clerical and monastic possessions. Traditionally, the main Maronite notables were consulted on the occasion of the election of the patriarch. In practice, from the 17th century onwards, this custom implied that the Khazen Sheiks had to approve the chosen candidate, before he could receive the pallium from Rome. It has been recorded, for instance, that the delegates who had travelled to Rome in 1633 to obtain the confirmation of the election of Jirjis IJmayra had to return to Mount Lebanon empty-handed, as they were unable to produce the endorsement letters from the Khazens which were required by the Vatican. In 1670 discord broke out between the Khazen Sheiks and the elected patriarchal candidate al-Duwayhi, since, according to some sources, Sheik Abu Nawfal had not previously been consulted. In 1710, finally, the Khazen Sheiks used their influence to have the mutrans depose Patriarch Ya^ub Awwad and appoint a Khazen protege, Yusuf Mubarak. These examples, which supposedly were recorded because they represented irregularities in the prevailing pattern, show that in the course of the 17th century the patriarchate came under the control of the Khazen Sheiks to a large extent.13
The authority of the Khazen Sheiks over the patriarchate was enhanced by their interference in the ordination of the mutrans, who were officially responsible for the election of the patriarch and provided the candidates. Moreover, the mutrans were, again officially, directly responsible for the administration of the dioceses covering the Khazen domains and for the collection of the "ushur. Mutrans who were ordained as a result of the intercession of the Khazen Sheiks in the 17th century were, as far as we know, Ishaq al-Shadraw! (Tripoli; 1629), Sarkis al-Jamri (Damascus; 1658) Yusuf Mubarak (Baalbek; 1683) and Butrus Makhliif (Cyprus; 1674). Eventually, the three main branches of the Khazin family acquired the privilege of selecting the mutrans of the dioceses of Aleppo (awldd Abi Nasif), Baalbek (awldd Abi Qansawh) and Damascus (awldd AbT Nawfal). This privilege was acknowledged by Patriarch Ya’qub ‘Awwad. It is, therefore, evident that the Khazen Sheiks also interfered in dioceses which officially had no connection with their administrative territory, an indication that they saw their role in church matters as an extension of their political power within the community as a whole.14
1- Improve internet connection to enable us to work form Lebanon to international companies!! now our internet connection is as fast as a turtle connection from Middle Ages!
2- Unblock all voice over IP connection right away!! blocking internet sites is a big set back for the Lebanese economy
Lebanon is stifling your digital freedom By Imad Atalla
No one has noticed, but the Lebanese government is writing yet another chapter in the endless mockery of our rights as private citizens and social entrepreneurial agents of progress and change. The state is extending censorship over the remainder of our liberties into the last frontier of freedom – the internet and its supposed neutrality. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a cost effective and sometimes free way of long-distance voice calling and video conferencing. It is also illegal in Lebanon, according to the telecoms law of 2002. Unlike Instant Messaging, VoIP allows users to speak from phone to phone via the internet. While extremely economical for average consumers and businesses, it greatly reduces revenues to the (monopolistic) landline network and, in some cases, wireless telephone companies – read Ogero, MTC, Alfa, and the Finance Ministry as the direct beneficiaries of long-distance communication revenues.
Last week the Telecommunications Ministry began implementing the short-sighted telecoms law to the letter: It activated new hardware and software equipment to enforce the ban on VoIP communications. The new equipment, which was tested in recent months, now effectively blocks internet telephony for good. As a consequence, part of my office-to-office business communications and videoconferencing with companies outside and inside Lebanon have come to a halt. And this is probably the case with many others, such as telemarketing centers, outbound support centers, and businesses that also use VoIP.
ولكم من ساعة امضيت فيها وقتي في تلك الالة الطائرة الا وهي الطائرة….لا كطائرة الورق التي تطير بها هائما في عالم الافق والاحدود لا بل" كماكينة" تطير بك من افق الى اخر لا بل الى عالم مرتفع ارتفاع الارتفاع……تسلمها حياتك و جسمك حيث العلو الشاهق والضغط الضاغط…..ضغط المقصورة ….ضغط جسمك….ضغط اذنيك…..انت بين ايديها…لا حول لك ولا قوة….بين السماء والارض…"مع هيدا وكلو "تلك الالة لا زالت مجهولة لدى بعض الناس"بحلم بمشوار بالطيارة…….واو شو حلوي"نعم ليس لدينا ادنى شك ومع الوقت سيتاح لاي كان بارتيادها ….فهي أشبه بباص طائر …
نزاعات سياسية، طائفية، إقطاعية، عنصرية، مجرمة… نتيجة لعقلية رجعية مبنية على العصبية الدينية الموروثة عائلية وبيئياً. إنه الوضع اللبناني الماضي الراهن.. والمستقبلي على ما يبدو، فكلاب حراسة العقائد البالية لاتزال وللأسفمهيمنة على المجتمع اللبناني الغير منقف سياسياً بدرجة أساسية وغير مدرك وعالم بتاريخه الدموي تارة والمزدهر تارة أخرى.
مجتمع مليء بالتناقضات والمفارقات، فهل وحدة الأضداد أو التناقضات هي التي تبقي لبنان وشعبه على قيد الحياة؟ لا أعتقد ذلك، فالمصالح الإقتصادية وعقلية التاجر والناطور والتخاذل والكذب المستشري الذي يحكم العلاقة اليومية بين اللبنانيين هو المحرك الرئيس للعجلة السياسية، الإقتصادية وحتى الإجتماعية. ولعل المثال الفاقع على صورة المجتمع اللبناني الذي يتجلى بأبهى انعكاس له في الطبقبة السياسية الفاسدة التي ينتجها وينتقدها في نفس الوقت. ولكن وأمام هذا الواقع الأليم، يبقى السؤال…. ما العمل؟؟؟
العمل هو هدم المجتمع الحاضر وبناء مجتمع جديد بعقلية ومنهجية جديدة أي ثورة على العادات والتقاليد البالية وبالتالي الوصول إلى فرز طبقة سياسية شفافة قادرة على الإبحار بالبلاد نحو شط الأمان.
الحل هو الثورة التي تهدم البنيان القديم عبر قيام نخبة طبقات العمال المثقفين بتغيير النظام بالقوة وفرض نظام عادل ومساوي لجميع المواطنين، غير أن إمكانية حدوث الثورة يجب أن تكون مرتبطة بالتطور التاريخي للمجتمع أي باكتمال الأرضية، العناصر والأسس الخصبة التي تجعل من هذه الثورة أمر محتوم عند نضوج الأضداد الكافيةأي زيادة
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