All posts by staronepr

IAPAM Announces Next Date for hCG Training: September 21, 2012

The IAPAM helps physicians enter this lucrative market, by offering their physician-led hCG Training in Scottsdale, Arizona on September 21, 2012.

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – August 4, 2012 — A recent study found that, “more than 1.7 billion people worldwide may be classified as overweight and need appropriate medical or surgical treatment with the goal of sustainable weight loss.” To meet this consumer demand, the IAPAM helps physicians enter this lucrative market, by offering their physician-led hCG Training in Scottsdale, Arizona on September 21, 2012. Physicians will learn and receive everything they need to start safely and profitably offering hCG for weight loss to their patients as they go back-to-school and back-to-work.

Researchers in Canada recently published a study that found “that over a six-year period 43% of the patients of a weight-management clinic dropped out of the program before achieving sustainable weight loss.” The study also found that “substantial early weight loss,” like that associated with an hCG program or bariatric surgery, served as a successful motivator to continue a weight loss program, and that of those patients who achieved a substantial early weight loss, only 12% dropped out of the their program.

To that end, the IAPAM (http://www.iapam.com) has trained over 700 physicians on how to effectively offer hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin) for “substantial early weight loss” to their patients. To date, well over 26,000 patients have successfully lost weight on hCG using the IAPAM’s Exclusive hCG Diet (http://www.hcgtraining.com), based on Dr. Simeons manuscript, Pounds and Inches (http://www.iapam.com/dr-simeons-pounds-and-inches-manuscript.html).

Join the IAPAM for its next hCG Training session of 2012, on September 21, 2012, and offer hCG for Weight Loss to your patients as they prepare to go back-to-school and back-to-work after the summer.

The IAPAM’s hCG Training includes everything a physician needs to add this program to a practice, such as:

– Detailed IAPAM hCG Program Protocols
– Patient selection criteria
– Common medical hCG contraindications
– Consent forms, medical history forms
– Patient hCG Program Guidebook to offer patients (hCG friendly recipes, food journal, tips)
– Patient PowerPoint presentations for the waiting room
– Phone scripts & call logs for your staff
– Legal/Insurance considerations, and current FDA status
– hCG ordering information and special pharmaceutical hCG pricing
– Special hCG Facebook discussion forum
– VLCD/LCD diet programs
– Meal replacement diet programs
– Ketogenic based diet programs
– Utilizing B6/B12 injections in weight loss
– Using prescription appetite suppressants in weight loss
– Metabolism testing as a profit center
– Laser assisted lipolysis
– Listing of one’s hCG Clinic in the IAPAM’s NEW hCG Diet Clinic Directory (http://www.hcgtraining.com/hcg-diet-clinics)

Moreover, the IAPAM’s respected program is taught by true hCG experts who operate hCG weight loss clinics, and who have completed the hCG Protocol themselves. This allows physicians and their staff to learn from the faculty’s vast experience. Finally, the IAPAM’s hCG Training is the only Physician hCG Training program in North America approved for a special medical malpractice rate for those who have attended and have been certified by the IAPAM. This medical malpractice coverage is not offered to any other hCG training program.

For additional information or to register for the September 21, 2012 hCG Training, please contact the IAPAM, at 1-800-219-5108 ext. 708, or visit http://www.hcgtraining.com or http://iapam.com/physician-weight-loss-training-using-hormones

About the IAPAM: The International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine

The International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine is a voluntary global association of physicians and supporters, which sets standards for the aesthetic medical profession worldwide. The goal of the association is to offer education, ethical standards, credentialing, and member benefits to members around the globe. IAPAM membership is open to all licensed medical doctors (MDs), doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs), dentists (DDSs/DMDs) physicians assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). The IAPAM offers aesthetic medicine and hCG medical weight management programs, including: botox ® training, medical aesthetic training, laser training, physician hCG training, and aesthetic practice business training. Additional information about the association can be accessed through the IAPAM’s website (http://www.iapam.com) or by contacting:

Jeff Russell, Executive-Director
International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM)
1-800-219-5108 ext. 708
http://iapam.com/physician-weight-loss-training-using-hormones

REITs are proving an Attractive Option, claims AAA

AAA claims that commercial property investment trusts are a great option for alternative investors.

Boston, MA, USA, August 4, 2012 — Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) claims that commercial property investment trusts are a great option for alternative investors.

The alternative investment advocacy group claims that recent results showing impressive returns from real estate investment trusts (REITs) demonstrate how alternatives are regularly outperforming more traditional asset classes, such as equities.

Recent statistics show that average annualized returns from REITs total 33 per cent over the past three years, illustrating the kinds of returns people can see if they invest in income-producing property at the right time. REITs offer extra benefits to investors as they are obliged to distribute 90 per cent of their taxable income to shareholder to avoid the kind of taxes that other corporate property owners pay.

Investors usually receive payouts each quarter, which they take as dividend or cash. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index average dividend yield is just 2.1 per cent, compared with an average yield of 3.2 per cent for REITs.

Investing in real estate is a popular option at the moment, with house prices in the US finally increasing once more. Many of those who took the risk and bought property when the prices were at rock bottom will already be reaping the returns. AAA’s analysis partner Anthony Johnson said, “It’s not surprising that investors are putting their cash into solid investments such as bricks and mortar, precious metals, commodities and timberland. Getting something in return for your cash rather than simply some shares, is increasingly attractive.”

He added that REITS are attractive as low interest rates make it difficult to earn much interest without taking a risk on an asset class that can earn well each month. Like forestry investment through firms like Greenwood Management, REITs allow investors to receive income while holding onto an asset that will also produce healthy returns when it is sold off.

About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

URALCHEM HOLDING P.L.C. Reports Unaudited IFRS Financial Results for the First Half of 2012

Moscow, Russia – August 03, 2012 — (For Immediate Release)

– Revenue increased to US $1,261 million, compared to US $1,035 million in H1 2011
– Operating profit increased to US $410 million, compared with US $288 million in H1 2011
– Adjusted EBITDA grew to US $462 million, compared to US $337 million in H1 2011
– Net profit amounted to US $444 million, compared with US $266 million in H1 2011

URALCHEM HOLDING P.L.C. (hereinafter URALCHEM Holding or the Company), a Cypriot holding company of the URALCHEM Group (hereinafter the Group), one of the largest producers of nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers in Russia, announced its unaudited IFRS financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2012.

Dmitry Konyaev, CEO of URALCHEM, OJSC (part of the Group), commented on the results for the first half of 2012, “We achieved good financial results in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2011. EBITDA increased by more than one-third, sales grew by 18% and reached 3 million tons. The good performance was driven by situation on the urea and ammonium nitrate markets, which was favourable for us, as well as acquisition of Minudobrenia OJSC and our own efforts aimed at improving the efficiency of enterprises, the modernization of production and our responsiveness to changing market needs.”

Financial Results

Revenue for the first half of 2012 grew to US $1,261 million, compared to US $1,035 million in the first half of 2011. Operating profit amounted to US $410 million, or 33% of the revenue, compared with the operating profit of US $288 million, or 28% of the revenue in the first half of 2011.

Net profit for the first half of 2012 amounted to US $444 million, compared to US $266 million in the first half of 2011.

During the first half of 2012, adjusted EBITDA reached US $462 million, compared to US $337 during the same period last year, a rise of 37%. Adjusted EBITDA margin for the first half of 2012 comprised 37% of revenue compared with 33% of revenue for the first half of 2011.

Markets

During the second quarter of 2012 prices of mineral fertilisers and semi-products showed significantly different dynamics. Ammonia prices began to recover due to high demand and limited supply. During the second quarter the price grew by $150/t and by the end of June it reached $600/t FOB at the Yuzhny port.

Prices for urea increased until mid-May and surpassed the peak figures of 2011. Since mid-May there was a significant decline in prices due to low activity of buyers. In late June – early July, the urea market began to show signs of recovery.

Prices for ammonium nitrate repeated the dynamics of the urea market and grew rapidly until mid-May. However, the second half of the quarter was characterized by falling prices for the product, which was also due to low purchasing activity.

The global market of phosphate fertilisers was in the process of recovery during the second quarter of 2012. Due to strong demand in Latin America, spot prices recovered, despite the launch of Chinese products on the market. Market participants are forecasting a stable outlook for the third quarter of the year.

Sales

In the first six months of 2012 the Group’s product sales grew by 18% compared to the same period in 2011 and totalled 3 million tons. Due to the acquisition of OJSC Minudobrenia, Perm, sales of urea and ammonia increased significantly, by 117% and 61% respectively.

Financial Situation

Cash generated from operating activities in the first half of 2012 amounted to US $342 million compared with US $194 million in the first half of 2011.

On 30 June 2012, the Company’s net debt amounted to US $991 million. Interest expenses in the first half of 2012 decreased by US $23 million or 36% compared to the same period last year.

For more information, please visit the Company web site http://www.uralchem.com or use the following contact information:

PR department
URALCHEM, OJSC
Tel: +7 (495) 721 89 89
E-Mail: pr@uralchem.com

URALCHEM HOLDING P.L.C. is a holding company of the URALCHEM Group, which includes four fertilizer manufacturing facilities in Russia. URALCHEM Group is one of the largest producers of nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers in Russia and the CIS with production capacities of over 2.5 million tons of ammonium nitrate, 2.8 million tons of ammonia, 0.8 million tons of MAP and DAP, 0.8 million tons of complex fertilisers and 1.2 million tons of urea per year. URALCHEM Group is the second largest ammonium nitrate producer in the world and number one in Russia, the second largest producer of nitrogen fertilisers in Russia. URALCHEM Group’s key production assets include Azot Branch of URALCHEM, OJSC in Berezniki, Perm Region; OJSC Minudobrenia, Perm; MFP Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Works, OJSC, Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov region; Voskresensk Mineral Fertilisers, OJSC in Voskresensk, Moscow region.

Vietnam’s Golden Central Coast Attracts High-End MICE Travelers

Vietnam is an emerging destination for the MICE sector, as Luxury Travel (www.luxurytravelvietnam.com) targets MICE groups.

Hanoi, Vietnam, August 3, 2012 — Vietnam is an emerging destination for the MICE sector, as Luxury Travel targets MICE groups.

Vietnam is recognized as a good destination for MICE. The tourism industry, especially luxury hotels and airlines, have had success in promoting Vietnam’s new MICE venues.

“Vietnam is for everyone and all sizes of MICE events can be held in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Central Vietnam (Hue, Danang, Hoi An). The international standard hotel in Central Vietnam has modern conference facilities, resort and meeting rooms and a variety of attractions suiting all tastes. This can include trips for nature and culture lovers, golfers, health and spa enthusiasts, and aficionados of fine cuisine. Further, the Central Coast of Vietnam has more varied products to offer the MICE market than Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi,” said Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Ltd.

The central coast is growing in stature as one the hottest tourist spots in Southeast Asia with a variety of attractions. With a string of top-class resorts and golf courses opening, the region has been steadily growing in stature as one of the hottest tourist spots in the country and Southeast Asia but the arrival of a new international standard airport with links to multiple cities in China, Singapore and routes to Bangkok and Hong Kong set to open soon will help put Danang on the global map.

“We need to promote Vietnam as a preferred destination for both domestic and international MICE travels. We will foster closer and more effective partnerships between the private and government sectors. This will help build Vietnam’s ability to compete internationally in the long term,” explained Ha.

Luxury Travel opened its Danang office to tap tourism boom in Central Coast of Vietnam. MICE planners can go to http://www.luxurytravelvietnam.com for inspiration and options for successful meeting incentive conference and exhibition trips.

Media Contact:
Linh Doan
Luxury Travel Ltd
05 Nguyen Truong To Str.,
Ba Dinh Dist, Hanoi 84444
Vietnam
84439274120
marketing12@luxurytravelvietnam.com
http://www.LuxuryTravelVietnam.com

AAA Welcomes New Support for Canadian Impact Investing

AAA, an alternative investment advocacy and research group, has lent its support to the TMX Group in Canada, which has announced a commitment to contributing to the development of the impact investing market in the country.

Boston, MA, USA, August 3, 2012 — Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA), an alternative investment advocacy and research group, has lent its support to the TMX Group in Canada, which has announced a commitment to contributing to the development of the impact investing market in the country.

TMX Group is officially supporting MaRS Centre for Impact Investing (‘the Centre’), which has been created to try to promote and initiate impact investing programs. The programs that will be launched by the Centre are all about mobilizing cash to help fund projects that are beneficial on either a social or environmental level.

The existing impact investment market in Canada is worth an estimated CA$2 billion and is expected to increase to CA$30 billion within the coming ten years as more and more investors look for ways to ensure their money goes towards ethical and responsible causes. The MaRS project will work by finding ways to match investment with projects that could help social or economic causes, but that could also generate returns for the investors.

AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, said, “Many people may presume that impact investors see little return on their investment. However, more and more ethical investment projects are generating healthy returns due to the fact that there are an enormous number of opportunities to help people in developing countries to make money by starting their own enterprises.”

The TMX Group’s Vice president, Ronald Alepia, said, “TMX Group is pleased to support corporate social innovation in partnership with the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing.”

“The MaRS Centre for Impact Investing is the right institution with which to develop this transformative new opportunity for Canada. We’ve been active with the Centre from its inception and look forward to a long and productive partnership,” he added.

AAA supports ethical investments of all kinds, including investment in sustainable forestry plantation projects, such as those run in Brazil by firms like Greenwood Management.

About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

NanoMarkets Announces Release of Latest Report on Emerging Market for Printed Organic Logic and Memory

NanoMarkets announces the release of its latest report on the emerging organic/printed logic and memory market, titled “Markets for OTFTs, OFETs and Organic Memory – 2012.”

Glen Allen, Virginia – August 3, 2012 — Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets announces the release of its latest report on the emerging organic/printed logic and memory market, titled “Markets for OTFTs, OFETs and Organic Memory – 2012.” The report analyzes the opportunities for materials, component, and device makers in the OTFT/OFET and organic nonvolatile memory (ONVM) value chain over the next eight years. NanoMarkets estimates that the total market value of OTFT/OFET and ONVM components will grow to nearly $1B (US) in revenues by 2018. Over the same time period, the value of the market for printed electronics devices enabled by these OTFT/OFET and ONVM components will reach $4.6B.

Additional details of the report are available at: http://www.nanomarkets.net/market_reports/report/otfts_ofets_and_organic_memory_markets_2012

About the Report:

This latest NanoMarkets report provides an analysis and forecast of the OTFT/OFET and ONVM market over the next eight years. Applications covered include smart packaging, brand protection, security, smartcards, distribution tagging and RFID, interactive media, disposable electronics, and (flexible) display backplanes. The report examines some of the latest market strategies, products and technical developments in materials, and it identifies how performance and manufacturing improvements are finally improving the prospects for printed/organic electronics.

As in all NanoMarkets reports, this report contains granular eight-year forecasts of OTFT/OFET and ONVM shipments in both unit and value terms, with breakouts by material type (small molecule vs. polymer) deposition technology (vapor vs. solution processing), and by panel type (rigid vs. flexible). Material categories discussed include organic and/or polymeric semiconductors, ferroelectric materials, dielectrics, and electrodes.

Key players mentioned in the report include Acreo, BASF, Bemis, Fujifilm Dimatix, Hewlett Packard, Heraeus, Holst Centre, InkTec, JAPERA, LG, Merck/EMD, OE-A, Optomec, PARC, PEA, Polyera, PolyIC, Qolpac, Samsung, Solvay, Sony, Thin Film Electronics, Toppan Printing, and others.

From the Report:

A decade ago, OTFTs/OFETs and ONVMs were once darlings of the advanced materials sector, but the early hype largely dissipated as their huge potential was in stark contrast to their disappointing reality. Materials performance was low and manufacturing proved more difficult, and more costly, than originally expected. But today there are signs that things may be turning around. There is renewed interest and commercialization activity in this sector, and NanoMarkets believes that the industry is poised to take off in the 2014-2015 timeframe, built upon better materials and processes, meaningful collaboration between players, and the launch of new products that will add credibility to the whole sector.

But NanoMarkets cautions that commercial success will only happen if suppliers can help to close the remaining technology – and cost – gaps that could hold back the realization of low-cost/high volume fabrication. Players in this industry can thus carve out competitive advantages in the following areas: improved material performance, especially with respect to mobility, because while improvements have been made, still more are needed; development of reliable and easy-to-use inks and coatings, as well as the optimization of suitable printing or solution patterning methods for them; and establishment of a well-integrated manufacturing and supply chain that brings all of the elements together to provide sellable products to end-users.

About NanoMarkets:

NanoMarkets tracks and analyzes emerging market opportunities in electronics, solid-state lighting, energy, and other markets created by developments in advanced materials. The firm is a recognized leader in industry analysis and forecasts of this kind and has been covering the advanced materials sector for nearly a decade.

Visit http://www.nanomarkets.net for a full listing of NanoMarkets’ reports and other services.

Media Contact:
Robert Nolan
NanoMarkets, LC
PO BOX 3840
Glen Allen, VA 23058
(804) 938-0030
rob@nanomarkets.net

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Bart Chilton, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), at World’s Most Influential Hedge Funds Conference

Golden Networking brings back Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012, “Getting Ready to Manage $5 Trillion by 2016”, now in New York, Chicago and London (http://www.HedgeFundsLeadersForum.com), with Keynote Speaker Bart Chilton, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

New York City, NY, USA (August 2, 2012) — Commissioner Bart Chilton, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, will be Keynote Speaker at Golden Networking’s Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012, “Getting Ready to Manage $5 Trillion by 2016” (http://www.HedgeFundsLeadersForum.com). The world’s most influential hedge funds conference will bring a virtual who’s who, which will soon follow as one legendary manager after another will take the stage. Billions of investable assets will be represented by influential local and international investors who will listen with rapt attention as star managers and analysts discuss and debate the biggest issues facing the alternative investments industry today.

Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012, “Getting Ready to Manage $5 Trillion by 2016” will provide attendees in New York (September 25), Chicago (October 9) and London (December 12) with the most up-to-date review of where this ever-changing industry stands and how regulatory and alpha expectation s will impact it. Recognized managers, investors, experts, regulators, and strategists will return to Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012 to provide the information practitioners are looking for in an open and unbiased environment, highly conducive to the most efficient and effective networking.

Mr. Chilton was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the U. S. Senate in 2007. In 2009, he was re-nominated by President Obama and reconfirmed by the Senate. He has served as the Chairman of the CFTC’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee (EEMAC). His career spans 25 years in government service-working on Capitol Hill in the House of Representatives, in the Senate, and serving in the Executive Branch during the Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations.

Prior to joining the CFTC, Mr. Chilton was the Chief of Staff and Vice President for Government Relations at the National Farmers Union where he represented family farmers. In 2005, Mr. Chilton was a Schedule C political appointee of President Bush at the U. S. Farm Credit Administration where he served as an Executive Assistant to the Board. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Chilton was a Senior Advisor to Senator Tom Daschle, the Democrat Leader of the United States Senate, where he worked on myriad issues including agriculture and transportation policy.

From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Chilton was a Schedule C political appointee of President Clinton where he rose to Deputy Chief of Staff to U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. In this role, Mr. Chilton became a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES)-government executives selected for their leadership qualifications to serve in the key positions just below the most senior Presidential appointees. As an SES member, Mr. Chilton served as a liaison between Secretary Glickman and the Federal work force at USDA.

From 1985 to 1995, Mr. Chilton worked in the U. S. House of Representatives where he served as Legislative Director for three different Members of Congress on Capitol Hill and as the Executive Director of the bipartisan Congressional Rural Caucus. Mr. Chilton previously served on the Boards of Directors of Bion Environmental Technologies and the Association of Family Farms.

Mr. Chilton was born in Delaware and spent his youth in Indiana, where he attended Purdue University (1979-1982). He studied political science and communications and was a collegiate leader of several organizations. Mr. Chilton and his wife, Sherry Daggett Chilton, split their time between Washington, D. C. and Arkansas.

Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012 is produced by Golden Networking (http://www.goldennetworking.net), the premier networking community for business executives, entrepreneurs and investors. Panelists, speakers and sponsors are invited to contact Golden Networking by sending an email to info@goldennetworking.net.

Media Contact:
Julia Petrova
Media Relations Coordinator
Golden Networking
516-761-4712
jpetrova@goldennetworking.net
http://www.goldennetworking.net

BusinessVibes Introduces New Microsite for Events

BusinessVibes is pleased to announce that it has recently launched an exciting new feature in its website called “Create Your Own Event”, an online tool that allows BusinessVibes members to create customizable websites.

London, UK, August 2, 2012 — BusinessVibes, the latest B2B network dedicated to connecting businesses all over the world, is growing strong with more than one million members worldwide. Today, it is pleased to announce that it has recently launched an exciting new feature in its website called “Create Your Own Event”, an online tool that allows BusinessVibes members to create customizable websites. This enables members to gain greater online publicity of their company and also showcase all their events, helping them grow both their business and image as a whole.

BusinessVibes Events has always been the number one go-to platform for businesses around the world to advertise their events online. Since its inception in 2010, BusinessVibes has provided businesses that register as members with them, with the opportunity to create an event page and have it advertised. “Create Your Own Event” enriches the user and visitor experience as an actual website, rather than a single page from BusinessVibes, will be provided. Moreover, this new feature is packed with customizable options that will make the event page unique to each business and more appealing to visitors, as opposed to a static, standard background. In addition, although BusinessVibes builds the website, members continue to have control over the content and can make changes anytime.

The main difference between BusinessVibes and any other website creation and hosting platform is that with BusinessVibes, it is free. Furthermore, BusinessVibes offers other types of event promotion solutions to businesses including displaying banner advertisements, publishing event profiles, conducting e-mail blasts and much more for a minimal fee. Therefore with this new feature, businesses can not only substantially save money by avoiding expensive website maintenance costs but also time which can be better utilized for other event planning activities.

Website creation with BusinessVibes takes just 3 easy steps.
1) Choose any one of the attractive, professionally designed templates of your preference.
2) Customize it by adding your own logo, text, graphics and menu options.
3) Publish it with one click of a button!

Schedule a demo and benefit from other supporting promotions which will be available for free for only a limited time. There are no hidden costs or special conditions involved in this promotion. Register with BusinessVibes too to connect with thousands of companies and trade associations in more than 170 countries.

Media Contact:
Lise Martineau
Marketing Executive – Europe
BusinessVibes Network International Inc
8 Wimpole Street
London W1G 9SP
+44 20 7291 0883
lise@businessvibes.com
http://www.businessvibes.com
Follow us on Twitter @businessvibes for daily updates
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BusinessVibes

AAA: Alternative Investors Looking Outside Europe for REITs

Alternative investors are ploughing money into South Africa’s property sector, according to recent reports. AAA claims that regions outside of Europe are receiving more interest and are great options for investing in real estate.

Boston, MA, USA, August 2, 2012 — Alternative investors are ploughing money into South Africa’s property sector, according to recent reports. Alternative Asset Analysis claims that regions outside of Europe are receiving more interest and are great options for investing in real estate.

A new report from JSE Property index shows that the amount of investment in south Africa’s property market is up by around 14.5 per cent with cash coming from both individual investors and institutional investors.

“It’s not just wealthy individuals who are investing in alternatives such as real estate any more,“ explained Anthony Johnson, AAA’s analysis partner. “Pension funds and other institutional investors are now also picking up on the fact that alternatives offer some major benefits by way of diversification and low correlation with equity markets.”

Real Estate Investment trusts (REITs) managers in South Africa are feeling very positive about the future, according to Growth Point Properties. Its executive director, Estienne de Klerk, said that most REIT managers claim that the asset class will grow over the coming two years.

Mr Johnson stated, “It’s easy to see why people would prefer to put their cash into something more tangible after the economic collapse. More and more people are looking for alternatives to stocks and bonds, which they have seen lose value overnight.”

AAA supports a wide range of alternative investments, but is most keen to advocate investment in ethical and environmentally responsible causes, such as sustainable forestry and impact investment funds. Firms such as Greenwood Management offer investors the opportunity to buy up their own section of sustainable plantation in Brazil, from as little as EUR 10,000.

“This type of direct investment in timberland that is managed sustainable can remove some of the pressure on native forests and provide a more environmentally friendly options for industries that use timber products and charcoal.”

About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

NextPlane Releases XMPP-Hosted Group Chat Federation for Microsoft OCS 2007 and Lync 2010

Expanded Features for NextPlane Federation Cloud Service Allows Microsoft Office Communicator and Lync Users to Participate in Chat Rooms Hosted on XMPP UC Platforms.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (August 1, 2012) — NextPlane, Inc., the market leader in cloud-based federation services for unified communications (UC), today announced the addition of XMPP group chat federation to the NextPlane Federation Cloud service. Now end users with Microsoft Office Communicator (MOC) and Lync clients can easily add chat rooms hosted on XMPP-based UCs, such as OpenFire, to their contact lists without requiring specialized Microsoft Group Chat servers or clients. With these new features, Microsoft users can now take advantage of the NextPlane Federation Cloud services as a central exchange to extend their reach and connect with other UC platforms to create collaborative business communities.

Now Microsoft OCS and Lync users can easily participate in chat rooms hosted on XMPP UC platforms see the other participants, view chat room history, and engage in live chat conversations. Chat rooms can be added to the MOC or Lync client contact list as if they were federated users. Moreover, NextPlane supports the restrictions imposed by members-only rooms.

“Enabling group chat federation is an important component in building federated communities, a strategy that more and more competitive organizations are adopting with the aid of the NextPlane Federation Cloud service to connect to suppliers, partners, and customers in real time,” said Farzin Shahidi, Founder and CEO of NextPlane. “For the first time, Microsoft users can participate in XMPP hosted chat rooms.”

The NextPlane Federation Cloud service accelerates building federated business communities by eliminating the need to set up and maintain separate federation to multiple partners. NextPlane Federation Cloud service subscribers enjoy unprecedented control over which types of traffic (IM, presence, voice, video, and file transfer) are allowed or denied to any of their federated partners. Finally, using NextPlane’s unique analytics and reporting tools, companies are gaining valuable insight into how collaboration with their federated partner community is boosting their business.

To demonstrate the value of the NextPlane Federation Cloud to build collaborative business communities, NextPlane is offering a 30-day trial to qualifying organizations. For more information, visit http://www.nextplane.net.

About NextPlane, Inc.

NextPlane offers the NextPlane Federation Could service for unified communications (UC) platforms, seamlessly federating Microsoft LCS, OCS, OCS R2 and Lync, Cisco Jabber XCP, CUPS and Webex Connect, IBM Sametime, Google Apps, Jive OpenFire, ISODE M-Link and eJabberd. Using the NextPlane Federation Cloud service, organizations can connect users from different companies regardless of underlying UC platforms – with shared presence, instant messaging, multi-user chat, voice and video – as if they are on the same UC platform.

NextPlane offers an ideal solution for companies migrating from one UC platform to another, or to integrate different legacy platforms following a company merger or a new contract or partnership. NextPlane even supports domain sharing, allowing two or more UC platforms to federate internally and externally using the same domain name.

For more information please visit http://www.nextplane.net, or contact sales at sales@nextplane.net.

Contact:
Farzin Shahidi
NextPlane, Inc.
(650) 305-7404
farzin@nextplane.net

Tom Woolf
Woolf Media & Marketing
(415) 259-5638
tomw@woolfmedia.com