Press Releases & News

Is Spain the most gay-friendly country in Europe?

Spain shows itself as one of the world’s most gay-friendly countries with a new law offering asylum to persecuted homosexuals.

The legislation was brought in just in time for last week’s Gay Pride, which was celebrated with colour and vivacity in cities throughout the country.

The Ley de Asilo which also strengthens the protection offered to women, children and the disabled, comes exactly four years after Spain became only the fourth country in the  world to recognise gay marriage, after Holland, Belgium and Canada. Since June 2005 married gay couples in Spain have enjoyed equal rights and freedoms as married heterosexual couples, including the right to adopt children.

Norway and Sweden have since joined the list of states who recognise marriage between same-sex couples, but many countries, including Britain France and Germany, only go as far as recognising civil partnership.

Spain, which just 34 years ago was a right-wing dictatorship, has seen 13,116 gay and lesbian marriages take place during the past four years, with the largest number being in Cataluña and Madrid, followed by Andalucia, Valencia, the Canary Islands, the Basque Country and the Balearic Islands.

As a result of the new laws, and certainly helped by the warm climate, Spain is a popular choice for lesbians and gays wanting to relocate in a new country.

Period Properties in Spain have these superb properties for sale in Madrid and Cataluña.

Castle, near Madrid    €12,900,000

Steeped in history and awash with period features, This impressive castle, just 36km from Madrid, was built during the 15th and 16th centuries and was totally restored during the 1970s.

Coastal townhouse, Portbou, Cataluña     €695,000

This property is ideal for conversion into a hotel. The house dates from 1900 and is located in the heart of the town of Portbou, close to the Spanish-French border. It is 300m from the beach, 50m from the town’s market and next to the station.

L’Ametlla de Mar    €85,000

Finca with almond, carob and fruit trees and just 3km from town and beach, in need of restoration but with planning permission already granted.

Period Properties in Spain specialise in older Spanish properties with character and history. Some are in need of a bit of TLC and restoration, others need a complete overhaul, while some are ready to move into straight away.

For more information please visit www.periodpropertiesinspain.co.uk or contact Catherine Dolan at Catherine@periodpropertiesinspain.co.uk or call 0034 675 834 066.

Sage 200 BI for Commercials is a powerful tool for businesses, invaluable companies emerging from recession, says DMC Software Solutions. Sage 200 BI is due for imminent release and is “a superior alternative to complex spreadsheet reporting with easy to create reports and powerful analysis which will improve the accuracy.”

Sage 200 BI takes data collated in day-to-day processes and transforms it into actionable intelligence. Users are able to quickly and easily report, analyse and interrogate every aspect of business performance as information is required, informing strategic decisions and helping to build a significant competitive advantage.

The latest release of Sage 200 BI, Sage 200 BI for Commercials, builds on previous versions as it now encompasses more data. Traditionally Sage 200 BI included five financial data cubes however in Sage 200 BI for Commercials an additional eight commercial data cubes are available. The latest cubes provide in depth analysis of Sales Order Invoices, Purchase Order Invoices, Stock Movement, Sales Orders, Sales Despatches, Purchase Supply, Stock Levels and Stock Discrepancies.

Ben Robertson, Sage 200 Project Manager at DMC Software said, “The current economic climate has forced businesses to re-think how they use their data. With Sage 200 Business Intelligence businesses are able to better understand implications of an investment, identify business trends and anomalies which all support better business decisions and planning moving forward.

“Introducing a BI solution to an organisation can radically change the way in which it functions and the new found agility can improve a business’s competitive advantage. BI solutions can enable businesses to adapt quickly to the changing needs of the customer, identifying requirements of the target market ahead of the competition.”

About DMC Software

DMC Software is a company that is experienced in providing Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Accounts and integrated business solutions for businesses of all sizes, across a broad range of industries including ACT! by Sage, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix CRM and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. With advanced development abilities DMC can tailor a solution to meet the exact requirements of a business, providing the tools and supporting services to increase efficiency and profitability.

For more information on the CRM solutions and professional services available from DMC Software visit www.dmcsoftware.co.uk. Alternatively, email info@dmcsoftware.co.uk or call FREEPHONE 0800 6522 423 to speak to a member of the sales staff.

- ENDS –

For more information please contact Jade Dixon-Winters, Marketing Executive.
Email: jadewinters@dmcsoftware.co.uk
Tel: 01733 362120

Postal address:
Churchill House, Isis Way, Minerva Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6QR

London - Catering for babies, boys and girls aged 0-8 years, ASOS’s new in-house designed collection consists of clothing and accessories which take their trend inspiration from the mainline adult A/W 09 ASOS collections.

For playtime, girls and boys printed tees featuring fun motifs such as waistcoats, bow-tie and braces and cassette tapes are easy to throw on and layer over long sleeved tees. Paired with skinny jeans in a variety of paintbox brights, this is smart, relaxed dressing.

For chillier days and smarter occasions, woollen toggle duffle coats, hooded lumberjack check shirts and cool checkerboard print cardigans are a fast track way for boys to steal a slice of Dad’s style. Girls will be spoilt for choice with an array of jewel bright pieces including faux-fur ribbon bow coats, sequin stripe dresses, and pocket detail jumpsuits – perfect party dressing style to give Mum a run for her money in the trend stakes.

“Our kidswear range is going from strength to strength. We already have a fantastic choice of brands available and with the addition of the Little ASOS collection, shoppers will now be spoilt for choice!” says Merissa Lam, Kidswear Buyer, ASOS.com

Launching online from October 2009, prices range from £4-£24 for babywear and £4-£28 for kidswear.

Little ASOS now stocks 50 labels within its branded collections including new additions Little Paul & Joe, Antik Batik and People Tree and online exclusives from Gap Kids. http://www.asos.com/kids/

About ASOS.com
Established in June 2000, asos.com is the UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer. With over 19,400 branded and own label products available, and 1000 new lines added each week, asos.com is rapidly becoming the market leader in the UK online fashion world. Aimed primarily at fashion forward 16-34 year olds, asos.com attracts over 4.5 million unique visitors a month and has 1.88 million registered users.

For more information, please contact:

Amy Davies
asos.com
Greater London House
Hampstead Road
London
NW1 7FB

0207 836 1284
press@asos.com
http://www.asos.com
.

Giunti Labs, a leading global vendor of learning content management solutions (learn eXact LCMS) and digital repository platforms (Hive), has signed a partner agreement with Saffron Interactive. Under the terms of the agreement Saffron Interactive, which is a London based online and mobile learning provider working with clients around the world, will market Giunti Labs’ content management solutions.

“Naturally, we’re delighted to have Saffron Interactive as a champion and advocate for our systems,” commented JJ van Delsen, Sales Director for Giunti Labs in the UK. “Saffron is a well established business and they work with an enterprise customer base in relevant sectors.

“Content management is still a matter for large organisations,” he continued. “These organisations build more content – and the need to manage this professionally and economically is key.”

“Saffron Interactive develops bespoke e-learning, learning and training solutions on a variety of subjects,” said Saffron Interactive’s CEO, Hanif Sazen. “Everything Saffron delivers is bespoke, built in partnership with its clients to deliver business results and improved performance.

“Over the years, we’ve built strong relationships with a number of partners within the industry,” he added. “This means that we’re able to offer an enhanced service to all our clients – so they, as well as Saffron, can benefit from our partner relationships.”

About Giunti Labs

Giunti Labs http://www.giuntilabs.com is a leading Online and Mobile Learning Content Management Solutions provider with offices around the world.
Giunti Labs provides a wide range of solutions for content development, content management and content delivery; covering:
• Multi-language bespoke content production
• Content management and digital repository platforms
• ePortfolio and skills management solutions
• Mobile learning technologies
• Consulting and professional services

Giunti Labs provides solutions to many sectors including public sector, defence, manufacturing, finance, retail, ICT, education and healthcare.
Giunti Labs is part of Giunti Group, a leading educational and cultural heritage publisher with roots back to 1841. Over the years, Giunti has built a catalogue of over 12.000 titles and has acquired new brands worldwide.

Further information from:

Minna Leikas, Giunti Labs, +39 3474435167, m.leikas@giuntilabs.com

Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, +44 (0)1727 860405, bob.little@boblittlepr.com

These days, due to the hectic life many commitments, like work, gym, friends, parents, do not always allow to rest for a quiet mentente number of hours appropriate.

Why a group of scientists is studying the effects of certain molecules on the balance sleep wakefulness.

The pill is being tested to act at the level of the hippocampus by adjusting the concentrations of cAMP and PDE4.
As it is these two molecules to regulate the cycle, but especially to facilitate or less storage.

A first phase of testing on rodents has already been accomplished, very good results, because the rodents while not sleeping through the recruitment of the drug had no difficulty staying awake.

It ‘true that life in these times forces us very often to a little rest and at a constant stress, but the mental and physical fulfillment of a good night’s sleep or a good rest can not be compared to the simple assumption of a medicine, that once experienced will allow us to stay awake for days without sleep, but that will always be an artificial situation.

It ‘always advisable to rest for at least eight hours a day, maybe in their japanese style bedrooms, where you can relax and rest also physical.

Choosing oriental beds, to improve even more rest and to help the body and mind to stay refreshed and young.

From 2 to 5 December 2009 in Frankfurt will be Euromold with real “special effects” dedicated to automation, Moldmaking and Tooling, Design and Application Development.
Very interesting and “futuristic” the event novelty in hall 8.0: The Special Feature Show for Automation within Moldmaking and Tooling, “the show will in a unique way visualize the interaction of construction and shop floor and present state-of-the-art technology on this field”.
Some of the most interesting innovations in the industry will show and many machines will come into action to show visitors how and how much technology does, in this area can have a positive influence on the optimization of timing and quality of work.
An innovative technology for the production of molds entitled Blow Molding and Mold Making Technology  will be also presented to the public and employees about this sector.
This new type of technology is about a wide range of products: PET bottles, drums and protection of fuel tanks in cars.
There will be also for young talents with the stand ” Design Talents “, here young professionals and designers can show their inventions and creativity in order to establish contact with the companies for  employment opportunities.

Millutensil – Die Mould Spotting Presses, Equipments for Presses and Conveyor

Safety in construction work is always an important issue in Italy as in the rest of the world.

The yards are large areas of work where there are dozens and sometimes hundreds of people, working with carpentry equipment.

Why it was organized in Grosseto and in many areas of Tuscany a camper traveling aims to disseminate the rules on safety in construction sites.

The camper will be active October 28 from 9 am in the town of Gavorrano, which will allow those who wish to attend lectures on safety in construction sites.

Initiative to be supported by technicians who deal with prevention of workplace hazards Asl 9, which will make available to anyone who wants their knowledge about the risks at work.

The campers will then move elsewhere in the region of Tuscany, like Massa Marittima, the fair of Marsiliana, but in another region, namely Ontario, going to Tarquinia, a town in the northern part of Lazio.

The event will end at Arezzo, with the last event for 2009, just 6 to 8 November 2009, where in addition to technical ASL 8 there will be those of ASL 9.

The first masterclass in a series of five being run jointly by the specialist healthcare quality, innovation and productivity improvement enabler, Amnis, and the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM) has been hailed a resounding success, with all the delegates rating the programme as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’.

The programme focused on the problems of introducing Lean and Service Improvement methodologies into healthcare organisations and was called ‘Service Improvement & Lean for Managers and Executives’. Participants came from a variety of primary and secondary care organisations as well as from private organisations.

Jeremy Morris, one of the delegates, said: “The session was clear, well run, participative and engaging. I found the clarity and practicality of the approach excellent.

“There are many things that I will take away from today, including the key experiences from other participants.”

Mark Eaton, of Amnis, said: “It was great that everyone derived so much from the session. It is further proof of the benefits of sharing knowledge and experiences both between similar organisations and across health economies.”

The IHM’s Phil Slinger said: “This was a great start to our programme with Amnis and I am delighted by the excellent feedback and testimonials. We’re already discussing running a similar programme in Scotland and are already planning our programme with Amnis for 2010.”

Dates for future events are:

17th November – Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement (London)

1st December – Problem Solving Tools for Improvement & Innovation (London)

20th January – Sustaining Lean (Birmingham)

26th February – Thinking Strategically (Birmingham)

End

About the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM)

The IHM is the professional organisation for managers throughout healthcare, including the NHS; Independent Providers; Healthcare Consultants and the Armed Forces.

The IHM’s focus is on improving patient/user care wherever and whenever healthcare is needed. The route to achieving this is through the promotion of excellence in healthcare management.

The IHM achieves this by:

* Publishing standards of management practice
* Promoting the IHM Code (covering behavioural and ethical aspects of management practice)
* Establishing a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework
* Promoting CPD and moving towards implementing a CPD validation mechanism
* Holding CPD events in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
* Establishing a coaches database to support members when they choose an executive coach

The IHM has access to the highest offices of the NHS. Many of the senior players in the NHS are members of the IHM. More importantly, by promoting CPD, the IHM influences the management practice of thousands of managers.

About Amnis Limited

Working with both public and private sector organisations, Amnis is a consultancy which specialises in innovation, transformation and organisational improvement, helping clients plan and deploy strategies for successful transformation. Its goal is to help clients not only deliver sustainable change but also to develop their capability to tackle their next challenges.

Providing both consultancy and training services, Amnis’ team includes specialists in Lean/Six Sigma, organisational development, strategic planning, change management and systems thinking.

Further information from:

Ruth Bodman, Amnis, 00 44 (0) 870 446 1002; ruthbodman@amnis.uk.com 
Phil Slinger, IHM, 00 44 (0)20 7620 1030; P.Slinger@ihm.org.uk
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 00 44 (0)1727 860405; bob.little@boblittlepr.com

CHLOR*RID ANNOUNCES SOLUBLE SALT REMOVER IS 100% “GREEN”
ALL ORGANIC, NON-HAZARDOUS & BIODEGRADABLE

Removes Dangerous & Costly Salt Corrosion in America’s Bridges, Aircraft, Tanks, Dams, Ships & State Highway DOTs

CHLOR*RID® is True Salt Remover – Not Just Corrosion Inhibitor like Other Companies

October 27, 2009, Chandler, AZ — CHLOR*RID International, Inc. www.chlor-rid.com, the world’s leading source of products for soluble salt testing and soluble salt removal, announced today that its CHLOR*RID salt remover is 100% “Green,” organic, non-hazardous, and biodegradable. CHLOR*RID is used by state highways, bridges, railroads, aircraft, ships, dams, and tanks to protect and remove dangerous salt contamination and corrosion in crucial U.S. infrastructure systems. CHLOR*RID employs unique patented organic bonding chemistry to fully remove chlorides, sulfates and other soluble salts, making America’s key bridges, ships, and machinery safer for all.

U.S. Spends $300 Billion Dollars a Year on Dangerous Corrosion

In the last few years, the coating industry and corrosion engineers have become aware of the damage and cost of salt corrosion, resulting in 300 billion dollars spent each year in the U.S.– wasted money easily avoided by using CHLOR*RID to remove soluble salts on surfaces prior to applying protective coatings. Soluble salts (like chlorides, sulfates and nitrates) are found on surfaces everywhere – in marine environments or as residue left by chemical compounds, such as de-icing salts or industrial emissions. Soluble salts pull moisture from the air, causing protective coatings to fail. Salts can also cause degradation of the structure, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, concrete, foam, plastics and others. Left unchecked, the salt contamination corrodes into deep pockets in the substrate, making decontamination more urgent and challenging.

100% Biodegradable — Easiest, Safest & Most Economical Way to Remove Salts

CHLOR*RID is the safest and most economical method available on the market for removing dangerous soluble salts. Extremely easy to use, just add water to CHLOR*RID and apply to the contaminated surface prior to applying coatings. The organic chemicals in the patented CHLOR*EXTRACT solution bond with chloride and sulfate ions to quickly remove them from surfaces, so a protective coating can then be applied free of rust and contamination. 100% biodegradeable, CHLOR*RID is also nonflammable and contains no volatile organic compounds (VOC).

CHLOR*RID is True Salt Remover – Not Just Corrosion Inhibitor Like Other Companies

Unlike other companies, CHLOR*RID is a true salt remover and not a corrosion inhibitor. True salt removers use an acidic product to remove salts from a steel surface. Other companies claiming to be salt removers are only corrosion inhibitors that use alkaline products, which cause a hydroxide residue layer that masks salts so they do not show up in normal testing, and are never actually removed. CHLOR*RID safely protects your investment from costly and hazardous protective coating failures and will not interfere with the adhesion of protective coatings.

CHLOR*RID IS USED IN:
• Bridge Structures
• Ships
• Mining Facilities
• Storage Tanks
• Public Utilities
• Electronics
• Offshore Drilling Rigs
• Marine Structures
• Process Equipment
• Pulp and Paper Mills
• Power Generation Plants
• Natural Gas Facilities
• Saw Mills
• Petrochemical Installations
• Piping
• Cooling Towers
• Railcars
• Aircraft

“CHLOR*RID is proud to continue our commitment to environmentally friendly products with the CHLOR*RID salt remover, which has always been green,” said Jim Johnson, Marketing Director, CHLOR*RID International, Inc.

Pricing and Availability

The CHLOR*RID “Green” salt remover is available immediately from CHLOR*RID International Inc. and their authorized distributors at http://www.chlor-rid.com/distributors/index.php. For pricing, see https://www.chlor-rid.com/order/index.php. For more info, see website www.chlor-rid.com or email info@chlor-rid.com Phone: 800-422-3217 Fax: 480-821-0039.

About CHLOR*RID International, Inc.

Founded February 1992, CHLOR*RID International, Inc. is the world’s leading source of products and information for soluble salt testing and soluble salt removal. The CHLOR*RID line is used by state highways, bridges, railroads, aircraft, ships, dams, tanks and microbiology labs to protect and remove dangerous salt contamination and corrosion from the world’s most crucial infrastructure systems. CHLOR*RID is the proud sponsor of the Soluble Salt Technology Center at http://www.paintsquare.com/techcenter/salts/chlorrid/home.cfm with lab test parameters for chloride, sulfates and other soluble salt testing, corrosion info, technical articles on soluble salts, and access to organizational standards and guides. See www.chlor-rid.com for more info.

Contact:
Karen Thomas
Thomas PR
(631) 549-7575
kthomas@thomaspr.com
www.thomas-pr.com

Photos:
CHLOR*RID 5 Gallon: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/chlorrid5gal.html
CHLOR*RID 5 Gallon: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/chlorrid5gal2.html
CHLOR*RID: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/chlorridphoto.html
CHLOR*RID Logos: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/chlorridlogo.html

http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/chlorridlogo2.html

Chlor*Rid is used on Bridges: http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/chlorridbridge.html

Release at: http://www.thomas-pr.com/pr/chlorridgreen.html

SUNRISE, Florida – October 27, 2009 — Learn.com^®, the leader in on-demand workforce development and productivity, and The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT), a global strategic advisory firm, today announced a global implementation alliance.

Under the terms of the alliance agreement, Hackett will be the preferred provider of global implementation services for Learn.com, the world’s most popular learning and talent management suite. Hackett will offer full life-cycle implementation services and consulting for global enterprises inside and outside of the United States.

“This partnership is important for Learn.com, as we wanted to select a world-class, proven, and trusted implementation partner to work with us in providing our global clients the bench strength and depth of domain expertise they need to stand up and support multi-pronged learning and talent management initiatives. The Hackett Group’s years of experience driving improved performance through the implementation of enabling technologies and best practices will uniquely empower our clients as they strive to achieve world-class learning and talent management performance. Our combined expertise will result in maximum ROI for our clients,” said JW Ray, Chief Operating Officer at Learn.com.

According to Brian Koniuk, Managing Director at The Hackett Group, “Alignment to business goals and priorities is critical to getting maximum value for investments in talent management processes. Our research shows that world-class HR organizations place greater emphasis on the needs of the business in determining the learning and development initiatives they undertake than typical companies, and spend more on automation and leverage technology to enable learning and development. Learning management solutions are a vital component to any organization’s talent management strategy. ”

Get a free copy of The 7 Factors That Driver Performance from Learn.com

About The Hackett Group
The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT), a global strategic advisory firm, is a leader in best practice advisory, benchmarking, and transformation consulting services, including shared services, offshoring and outsourcing advice. Utilizing best practices and implementation insights from more than 4,000 benchmarking engagements, executives use Hackett’s empirically based approach to quickly define and prioritize initiatives to enable world-class performance. Through its REL brand, Hackett offers working capital solutions focused on delivering significant cash flow improvements. Through its Hackett Technology Solutions group, Hackett offers business application consulting services that helps maximize returns on IT investments. Hackett has worked with 2,700 major corporations and government agencies, including 97% of the Dow Jones Industrials, 73% of the Fortune 100, 73% of the DAX 30 and 45% of the FTSE 100.

Founded in 1991, The Hackett Group was acquired by Answerthink, Inc. in 1997. Answerthink was renamed The Hackett Group, Inc. in 2008. The Hackett Group has global offices in the United States, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

More information on The Hackett Group is available: by phone at (770) 225-7300; by e-mail at info@thehackettgroup.com; or on the Web at www.thehackettgroup.com.

About the LearnCenter Platform
The Learn.com LearnCenter platform has been voted as America’s favorite Learning Management System. Organizations of all sizes can now manage the entire pre-hire to retire employee lifecycle by creating a cost effective, high quality training, development and measurement environment designed to empower users with visibility into and control of their career planning while providing management with real-time business intelligence. Learning Management, Performance Management, Content Management, Online Authoring, Succession Planning, Collaboration, e-Commerce, Portal Authoring and more are included within one solution, with one interface and one partner – Learn.com.

About Learn.com
Learn.com^® is the worldwide leader in on-demand workforce development and productivity with more than 50 million end users around the globe. Our broad suite of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications can fully automate the employee development lifecycle from pre-hire to retire^® within organizations of all sizes, from the growing business with fewer than one hundred employees; to the global enterprise managing internal and external initiatives with millions of users in multiple languages. Learn.com’s unwavering commitment to understanding client needs, goals and objectives allows us to partner with our clients to help them realize low TCO and high ROI.

The Learn.com family of solutions includes the award-winning LearnCenter^® learning and talent management suite, the WebRoom^® Web conferencing suite, the PeopleCenter^®, Application Builder, FormFlow^® Custom Form Creation and the 1,000 title Learn2.com^® online course library.

Press Contacts
Don Cook
Learn.com
954-233-4000 x5192
don@learn.com

Chloe Foster
Learn.com
954-233-4000 x5726
chloe.foster@learn.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information please visit www.learn.com or call 954-233-4000.