Rechercher dans la communauté

The New Global Centers for Talent London, New York, and Paris top the list of the world’s leading talent hubs—but not for the reasons you might think. RICHARD FLORIDA London, the world's most popular work destination, according to a new survey. (Reuters/Paul Hackett)Over the past couple of decades, talent has supplanted endowments of natural resources and the technological and industrial prowess of large corporations as the source of economic advantage for nations and cities. Jane Jacobs initially identified the economic power of talent clustering in cities, and a raft of economic studies has since confirmed that concentrations of human capital drive national and regional economic growth and development. But most studies have only identified and examined the role of talent clusters within nation states. A new study released last week by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the recruiting firm The Network identifies the leading cities for global talent around the world. The study is based on survey responses from more than 203,000 people across 189 countries based on online and email queries. Specifically, the study asked respondents to indicate up to five cities in which they would “consider living abroad.” The graphic below, from the study, lists the top 30 talent hubs around the world based on these survey responses. London ranked first, with 16.0 percent of respondents listing it as a top destination. New York was second with 12.2 percent. These two cites typically top lists of the world’s most economically powerful global cities, with Paris in third place (8.9 percent). The next several cities are more surprising. Sydney, which typically ranks among the world’s most livable cities, takes fourth, followed by Madrid, Berlin, and Barcelona in Europe, with Toronto, Singapore, and Rome rounding out the top 10. Of these, only Singapore routinely ranks among the globe’s most powerful economic and financial centers. The rest, including Sydney, are more renown for their high qualities of life. Among U.S. cities, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco rank 12th, 15th, and 18th, respectively. This ranking may seem somewhat surprising: Miami is known more as a center for sun and fun and as a Latin American financial and business center, but its economy does not compare in size, breadth, or scale to either L.A., the nation’s second largest metro, or San Francisco, the high-tech capital of the world. Montreal is 21st and Vancouver 23rd, giving North America seven of the world’s top 30 talent hubs. That is second to Europe, with 17. Asia has just two, and Latin America and the Middle East only one each. That said, when it comes to nations, 42 percent of respondents ranked the U.S. as the No. 1 potential work destination, followed closely behind by the United Kingdom (37 percent) and Canada (35 percent). It’s notable that all three of these countries are English-speaking nations with relatively high percentages of foreign-born residents and comparatively open immigration policies. The study found two-thirds of survey respondents to be willing to move abroad for work.These results should, however, be taken in the context of the global distribution of survey respondents. Roughly half of respondents are currently located in Europe, which may help explain the relatively high share of those selecting European cities for an international move. This compares to the just 10 percent of respondents from Asia. But an even smaller share —about nine percent—are currently located in the U.S., and just under two percent are from Canada. Those low percentages indicate that the countries’ popularity as work destinations is less skewed by relative locals willing to hop over borders, and more by their global attractiveness to international talent. It’s also worth pointing out that the survey is skewed towards top talent and does not reflect the preferred destinations of the world’s populations broadly. Nearly one in four (23 percent) of respondents had master’s degree or postgraduate qualifications; 36 percent had bachelor’s degrees; and just 10 percent of respondents replied “none” or “other” when queried about their educational attainment. *** Overall, the study found a huge percentage of survey respondents—64 percent, nearly two-thirds—to be willing to move abroad for work. But it found considerable variation in how willing talented workers are to move based on the country they currently live and work in, as the chart below (also from the study) shows. Workers from the U.S., U.K., Denmark, Germany, and Ireland, as well as Latvia and Russia, were among the least likely to move. But workers from the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jamaica, and surprisingly the advanced nations of France and the Netherlands were among the nations with the highest share of residents ready to move. The survey results don’t indicate why the latter two countries had such high percentages of pro-moving respondents, but it may be because highly-educated French and Dutch residents are likely to be attracted to global powerhouses like London and New York, which provide more opportunities for top talent. Willingness to move abroad for work, however, is not always a good sign. In countries like Pakistan, the report found that 97 percent of residents said they would be willing to go abroad for work—in this case, an indication of just how many people are interested in escaping that nation’s troubled economy and political instability. The report also identifies the kinds of workers who are most and least likely to want to move. The most likely are engineering and technical workers in fields like IT and telecommunications, 70 percent of whom said they would consider moving abroad. As the report notes: The world is hungry for what these workers have to offer, and engineers may in turn sense that they have a chance to significantly increase their earnings by going to places where there is a high demand for what they do, such as Silicon Valley in the U.S. and Silicon Roundabout in the U.K. On the flip side, only about half of the respondents in the medical and social work fields said they would be willing to move, which likely reflects national regulatory requirements for these kinds of jobs. This may be cause for concern in some countries, especially those facing shortages of medical and health-care workers The study also identified the percentages of younger workers, 21 to 30 years of age, who would consider moving abroad for work. Now the pattern changes, as the chart below shows. In particular, younger Americans are much more willing to go abroad than their older countrymen. More than half of American job seekers ages 21 to 30 say they are willing to move abroad. That represents the largest gap between the locational preferences of a nation's young people versus the workforce in general. Young Brits, Canadians, and Swedes were also more willing to move than their older counterparts. Meanwhile, less than 50 percent of young Russians said they would be willing to move, about on par with the general population. Once again, Jamaican and French young people topped the list, with more than 90 percent saying they were willing to move, similar to the overall population of workers from those countries. *** Most people think money is the key reason people look for work in cities outside their home countries. But that is not what the study found. In fact, as the chart at left shows, when respondents were asked to rank factors that affected their happiness on the job, compensation-related characteristics ranked low. The highest-ranked money factor was “attractive fixed salary," and it came in eighth overall. The most highly ranked factors had much more to do with challenging jobs and engaging work environments. The top four factors were: appreciation for your work, good relationships with colleagues, good work-life balance, and good relationships with superiors. Conversely, two of the four least important factors in job happiness had to do with compensation Clearly, the talented and creative workers of today are different from the old industrial workers of the past. They want to work on great projects, be challenged on the job, and desire a stimulating work environment. They also want to work in open-minded, diverse cities with lots of other creative and talented people and varied career opportunities, which provide the abundant excitement on which creatives thrive. It’s an important lesson for cities, and one that I've written about extensively: When it comes to attracting talent, money and job security are necessary but insufficient conditions. Truly global and national powerhouses offer great work, great colleagues, great projects, and great cities.

The French election and business The terror The 75% tax and other alarming campaign promises Apr 7th 2012 | PARIS | from the print edition EUROFINS SCIENTIFIC, a bio-analytics firm, is the sort of enterprise that France boasts about. It is fast-growing, international and hungry to buy rivals. So people noticed when in March it decamped to Luxembourg. Observers reckon it was fleeing France’s high taxes. It will soon be joined by Sword Group, a successful software firm, which voted to move to Luxembourg last month. As France enters the final weeks of its presidential campaign, candidates are competing to promise new measures that would hurt business. François Hollande, the Socialist candidate, and the current favourite to win the second and final round on May 6th, has promised a top marginal income-tax rate of 75% for those earning over €1m ($1.3m). He has declared war on finance. If the Socialists win, he pledges, corporate taxes will rise and stock options will be outlawed. Other countries welcome global firms. “France seems to want to keep them out,” sighs Denis Kessler, the boss of SCOR, a reinsurer. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, an even leftier candidate than Mr Hollande, has been gaining ground. Communists marched to the Bastille on March 18th to support him. The right offers little solace. Nicolas Sarkozy, the incumbent, is unpopular partly because of his perceived closeness to fat cats. To distance himself, he has promised a new tax on French multinationals’ foreign sales. If Mr Hollande wins, he may water down his 75% income-tax rate. But it would be difficult to back away from such a bold, public pledge. And doing business in France is hard enough without such uncertainty. Companies must cope with heavy social charges, intransigent unions and political meddling. The 35-hour work week, introduced in 2000, makes it hard to get things done. Mr Hollande says he will reverse a measure Mr Sarkozy introduced to dilute its impact by exempting overtime pay from income tax and social charges. The 75% income-tax rate is dottier than a pointilliste painting. When other levies are added, the marginal rate would top 90%. In parts of nearby Switzerland, the top rate is around 20%. French firms are already struggling to hire foreign talent. More firms may leave. Armand Grumberg, an expert in corporate relocation at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a law firm, says that several big companies and rich families are looking at ways to leave France. At a recent lunch for bosses of the largest listed firms, the main topic was how to get out. Investment banks and international law firms would probably be the first to go, as they are highly mobile. Already, the two main listed banks, BNP Paribas and Société Générale, are facing queries from investors about Mr Hollande’s plan to separate their retail arms from investment banking. He has also vowed to hike the corporate tax on banks from 33% to nearly 50%. In January Paris launched a new €120m ($160m) “seed” fund to attract hedge funds. Good luck with that. Last month Britain promised to cut its top tax rate from 50% to 45%. No financial centre comes close to Mr Hollande’s 75% rate (see chart). Large firms will initially find it hard to skedaddle. Those with the status ofsociété anonyme, the most common, need a unanimous vote from shareholders. But the European Union’s cross-border merger directive offers an indirect route: French firms can merge with a foreign company. Big groups also have the option of moving away the substance of their operations, meaning decision-making and research and development. Last year, Jean-Pascal Tricoire, the boss of Schneider Electric, an energy-services company, moved with his top managers to run the firm from Hong Kong (where the top tax rate is 15%). For now, the firm’s headquarters and tax domicile remain in France. But for how long? Pressure to leave could come from foreign shareholders, says Serge Weinberg, the chairman of Sanofi, a drugmaker. “American, German or Middle Eastern shareholders will not tolerate not being able to get the best management because of France’s tax regime,” he says. At the end of 2010, foreign shareholders held 42% of the total value of the firms in the CAC 40, the premier French stock index. That is higher than in many other countries. It is not clear whether the 75% tax rate would apply to capital gains as well as income. As with most of the election campaign’s anti-business pledges, the detail has been left vague. Mr Sarkozy has offered various definitions of what he means by “big companies”, which would have to pay his promised new tax. Some businessfolk therefore hope that the most onerous pledges will be quietly ditched once the election is over. But many nonetheless find the campaign alarming. French politicians not only seem to hate business; they also seem to have little idea how it actually works. The most debilitating effects of all this may be long-term. Brainy youngsters have choices. They can find jobs or set up companies more or less anywhere. The ambitious will risk their savings, borrow money and toil punishing hours to create new businesses that will, in turn, create jobs and new products. But they will not do this for 25% (or less) of the fruits of their labour. Zurich is only an hour away; French politics seem stuck in another century. http://www.economist.com/node/21552219

https://www.realisonsmtl.ca/search?utf8=✓&query=Sainte-Catherine+Ouest+étude+des+impacts+en+transports Non La rue est moins achalandée la fin de semaine, en passant.

more digging into this story! via The Gazette : Culture officials initially opposed hotel tower for Mount Stephen Club: documents Marian Scott, Montreal Gazette Published on: May 10, 2016 | Last Updated: May 10, 2016 7:57 AM EDT Heritage experts for the Quebec government were deeply divided over a proposed hotel tower behind the Mount Stephen Club, documents obtained under a freedom of information request reveal. The documents show the ministry of Culture initially rejected the project in 2007, judging the highrise annex would detract from the heritage value of the 136-year-old mansion at 1400 Drummond St. They detail five years of negotiations with developer Tidan Inc., during which the ministry rejected two versions of the project and approved two. The final project got the go-ahead in May 2012 and construction started in the fall of 2013. The documents — 702 pages of emails, reports, permits and photos dating back to 2001 — show experts in the Culture ministry and at Parks Canada opposed the hotel project when it was first submitted in 2007, saying it “negatively affects the monument’s heritage value and its appearance as an isolated and monumental building.” In contrast, the Commission des biens culturels du Québec, an advisory body, favoured it, saying the conversion to an 80-room hotel “can and should set an example of harmonious integration.” The documents also reveal that on March 1, 2012, then-assistant deputy minister of Culture France Dionne sent a query to ministry officials in Montreal asking why they had rejected the project six weeks earlier. “I would like to discuss this or for us to visit the site during our visit (to Montreal),” Dionne wrote to ministry official René Bouchard. Two months later, the final version of the project was approved. While officials debated behind closed doors, the public was kept in the dark about the plans to redevelop the historic landmark. No public consultation was ever held on the proposed hotel and underground parking lot even though the mansion and its grounds are a protected heritage site. The Ville-Marie borough is not obliged to hold consultations when a project does not contravene zoning bylaws. Built from 1880-83 for George Stephen, first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the mansion, in the Italian Renaissance style, bears witness to Montreal’s Gilded Age, when the city was Canada’s industrial and transportation hub. From 1926 to 2011, it operated as a private club, which accounts for its remarkable state of preservation, while so many other mansions in the city’s affluent Square Mile have been gutted or demolished. Its sumptuous interior features walls and ceilings panelled in precious woods, fixtures plated in 22-carat gold and 18th century stained-glass windows from Italy. The federal government designated it a National Historic Site of Canada in 1971. In 1975, Quebec classified the mansion as a heritage site, meaning that its interior and exterior are protected under the province’s Cultural Heritage Act from alteration or demolition without the minister’s authorization. In 1978, Quebec extended the site’s heritage protection to include the entire area within a 152-metre (500 foot) radius of the building. Recommended rejection of hotel project The documents reveal that ministry officials recommended rejection of the hotel project when Tidan first proposed it, the year after it bought the building from the non-profit private club. In a memo to the Deputy Minister of Culture on Aug. 28, 2007, heritage consultant André Chouinard said the project violated “the established principles for the preservation and reuse of classified historic monuments,” which call for the preservation of a heritage building’s surroundings when they are key to its character. The reason the area around the mansion was classified in 1978 was “to preserve its heritage value,” Chouinard noted. “The heritage value of the Mount Stephen Club building lies partly in the fact that it typifies a certain type of building, the urban bourgeois residence,” he wrote. An important characteristic of the grand villas of the Square Mile, where Canada’s industrial elite lived in the late 19th century, was their landscaped gardens, behind wrought-iron fences. Over the years, the mansion’s stately grounds, once the setting for elegant garden parties, have shrunk as higher buildings have hemmed it in on all sides. To remove the last vestiges of those grounds and add to the tall buildings crowding in on the two-storey mansion would detract from its value, Chouinard argued. ‘Qualities not hidden, damaged, destroyed’ “Ideally, additions to classified monuments are not desirable, because it’s important to maintain the building’s original dimensions. However, if an addition is necessary, ‘It must be designed and built in such a way that the heritage value of the site is not radically altered and that its characteristic qualities are not hidden, damaged or destroyed,’” Chouinard wrote, quoting from Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. In an independent report on Aug. 23, 2007, a committee of experts for Parks Canada reached the same conclusion. The project would detract from “the architectural richness of the heritage mansion by eliminating the space of the yard,” says the report, which Parks Canada provided to the Montreal Gazette. It criticized the “intensification of high buildings surrounding the NHS (National Historic Site), and this even though this site has provincial protection (as a classified historic site).” However, the Commission des biens culturels du Québec (now called the Conseil du patrimoine culturel du Québec), said that since the building’s original setting had already changed beyond recognition, the project should be accepted. Following Chouinard’s memo, the ministry rejected the project on Nov. 9, 2007. Ministry approved scaled-down version However, in February 2008, the ministry approved a scaled-down version. It reduced the tower’s height to 10 storeys from 15 and confined it to the area behind the Mount Stephen Club instead of including a side wing. However, Tidan did not go ahead with the project at that time. In 2009, the developer learned that municipal zoning for the site allowed a higher building and submitted a third proposal that added about 30 feet to the tower. It was rejected in January 2012. The final version was approved in principle in May 2012, with the final plans getting the green light in April 2013, and construction began that fall. When it approved the project, the ministry praised the design of the hotel annex, comparing it to wallpaper that would showcase the mansion. The final design addresses some of the criticisms experts raised in 2007, since it is smaller than Tidan’s original version, at 11 storeys, and is partly hidden by the mansion. However, it adds to the high structures hemming in the historic landmark, as government experts warned. The cement-board annex has been criticized as an eyesore for its facade dotted by small windows of different sizes and three blind walls. But its esthetic impact is the least of the problems facing the hotel project. In recent weeks, workers have been dismantling part of the mansion’s stone facade, which cracked and became unstable during construction of the tower and underground garage. Stones must be saved, numbered The ministry and the Ville-Marie borough have ordered Tidan to save and number the stones and rebuild the wall as it was before once the foundation problems have been addressed. Much of the building’s interior must also be removed and reconstructed, including wood-panelled walls, coffered ceilings and a marble entrance hall. The documents also reveal the ministry had known for at least 15 years that the mansion was at risk of structural damage from nearby construction, yet did not call for special precautions to protect the fragile landmark. The ministry is also suing Tidan owners Mike Yuval and Jack Sofer and their numbered company, 9166-9093 Québec Inc., for unauthorized alterations, including the demolition of three chimneys, removal of a stone and wrought-iron fence and porch railing, covering up of a stone wall with cement-panel siding, construction of a cinder-block wall in the attic and of a structure on the roof to hide a generator. [email protected] Twitter: JMarianScott

Voir artice dans la Prsse d'aujourdhui http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/montreal/201402/27/01-4743180-annee-record-pour-montreal-international.php Avec plus des investissements étrangers totalisant 1,3 milliard, 39 projets qui ont permis la création ou le maintien de 2700 emplois, Montréal International a connu une année 2013 «exceptionnelle», se félicite sa nouvelle présidente-directrice générale, Dominique Anglade. <!-- .excerpt --> La part du lion de ces investissements, soit 83%, provient de l'Europe. On y retrouve par exemple les annonces en septembre dernier des deux multinationales françaises Ubisoft et Danone, qui totalisaient 413 millions. En point de presse cet après-midi, Mme Anglade a attribué cet intérêt des Européens à «une certaine morosité» économique sur leur continent. «Ils en profitent pour venir ici.» Les résultats de l'an dernier représentent une hausse de plus de 85% des investissements par rapport à 2012. «C'est une année d'exception : il y avait beaucoup de projets, les clients étaient pressés, explique la PDG, nommée le 13 septembre dernier à la tête de MI. On veut que ça devienne la norme.» L'organisme entend prêter une attention particulière l'an prochain aux États-Unis et à l'Asie, qui n'ont représenté que 15% et 2% des investissements en 2013. Métropole «au carrefour» Montréal International, fondé en 1996, se veut le bras de la Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) et de ses 82 municipalités pour attirer des investissements étrangers et des organisations internationales. La position de la métropole québécoise est plutôt enviable à ce dernier chapitre, avec 63 organisations internationales contre 34 à Toronto et 14 à Vancouver. En avril 2013, le magazine américain fDi a d'ailleurs accordé à Montréal la première place pour sa «stratégie d'attraction des investissements directs étrangers», devant 126 autres villes des Amériques. Ces faits démentent la perception que Montréal stagne en ce qui concerne les investissements étrangers, estime le ministre des Relations internationales, Jean-François Lisée. «Nous sommes au carrefour des marchés européens et nord-américains, a-t-il déclaré. Le Québec est un lieu idéal pour rayonner à la fois aux États-Unis et en Europe.» L'importance d'un organisme comme Montréal International, qui se donne comme but de repérer, attirer et faciliter la tâche aux entreprises d'ailleurs, est évidente, estime-t-il. «C'est une course internationale pour les investissements étrangers, où les investisseurs ont la part belle. Chaque fois qu'on gagne, c'est parce qu'on a les bons arguments.» Le maire de Montréal et président de la CMM, Denis Coderre, en a profité pour appeler à un «front commun face aux autres métropoles du monde». Les deux élus ont réitéré leur engagement financier : sur trois ans, Montréal versera 10 millions et Québec, six. Questionné sur l'assurance que ces fonds seront dépensés de façon adéquate, après les révélations concernant le train de vie princier du PDG de Tourisme Montréal en novembre dernier, le maire Coderre a eu cette réponse lapidaire : «On a un inspecteur général.» <!-- END #leftbar --> <!-- partager --> [TABLE] <tbody>[TR] [TD]Partager [/TD] [TD]<fb:like class=" fb_iframe_widget" fb-iframe-plugin-query="action=recommend&app_id=166995983353903&font=arial&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lapresse.ca%2Factualites%2Fmontreal%2F201402%2F27%2F01-4743180-annee-record-pour-montreal-international.php&layout=button_count&locale=fr_FR&sdk=joey&show_faces=false" fb-xfbml-state="rendered" href="http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/montreal/201402/27/01-4743180-annee-record-pour-montreal-international.php" show_faces="false" font="arial" layout="button_count" action="recommend"></fb:like> [/TD] [TD]<iframe title="Twitter Tweet Button" class="twitter-share-button twitter-tweet-button twitter-count-horizontal" id="twitter-widget-1" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.1392079123.html#_=1393682751064&count=horizontal&counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lapresse.ca%2Factualites%2Fmontreal%2F201402%2F27%2F01-4743180-annee-record-pour-montreal-international.php&id=twitter-widget-1&lang=fr&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lapresse.ca%2Factualites%2Fmontreal%2F201402%2F27%2F01-4743180-annee-record-pour-montreal-international.php&related=lapresse_sports%2Clp_international%2Clp_arts%2Clp_musique%2Clp_sante%2Clp_voyage%2Clp_musique&size=m&text=Ann%C3%A9e%20record%20pour%20Montr%C3%A9al%20International&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lapresse.ca%2Factualites%2Fmontreal%2F201402%2F27%2F01-4743180-annee-record-pour-montreal-international.php&via=lp_lapresse" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width: 118px; height: 20px;" allowtransparency="true" data-twttr-rendered="true"></iframe> [/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE] <!-- FB init est dans l'entête appId: '166995983353903' --> <!-- /partager --> <style type="text/css"><!--#google_bas {font-family:arial;border:1px solid #cccccc;padding-left:10px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:10px;}#google_bas .line{border-top:1px dotted #999;}#google_bas .lineg{padding-bottom:10px;}#google_bas a.adLink_a:hover {color:#828282;background-color:#e7edf5;text-decoration:none;}#google_bas a.adLink1_a:hover {color:#828282;background-color:#e7edf5;text-decoration:none;}#google_bas a.adTitle_a:hover {color:#003399;background-color:#e7edf5;text-decoration:none;}#google_bas a.adTitle1_a:hover {color:#003399;background-color:#e7edf5;text-decoration:none;}#google_bas a.adLink_a {color:#828282;text-decoration:none}#google_bas .single_center {text-align:center}#google_bas a.adTitle_a {color:#003399;text-decoration:none; }#google_bas a.adLink1_a {color:#828282;text-decoration:none;}#google_bas a.adTitle1_a {color:#003399;text-decoration:none;}#google_bas .header {color:#003399;background:#eee;padding:4px;font-size:15px;font-weight:bold}#google_bas .ad {color:#003399;width:590px;height:200px;}#google_bas .ad1 {color:#003399;width:590px;height:200px;}#google_bas .adText {color:#333;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;}#google_bas .adText1 {color:#003399;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;}#google_bas .adLink {color:#828282;overflow:hidden;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;}#google_bas .adLink1 {color:#828282;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;}#google_bas .abg {color:#828282;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;}/* titre */#google_bas a.abg:hover {color:#828282;text-decoration:underline;}#google_bas a.abg:visited {color:#828282;text-decoration:none;}#google_bas .adTitle {color:#003399;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;}#google_bas .adTitle1 {color:#003399;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;}#google_bas .ad_box1 {height:200px;width:590px;overflow:hidden;}#google_bas .ad_box2 {height:200px;width:590px;overflow:hidden;}--></style> [TABLE=class: ad] <tbody>[TR] [TD=class: lineg][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: line][/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE]

Nouvelles fonctionnalités de mtlurb.com (en anglais) 4.1.2 Skimlinks Integration Mobile Style VerticalResponse Integration Bug Fixes/Improvements Here is a list of the major bug fixes/improvements included in this release. A full list of issues are available here. Mobile API Custom profile field doesn't return all information in 3.7 and 3.8 api Miss editlink, replylink and forwardlink show vars in postbit related methods Blogs Wrong Permission checks for blog tags Wrong Permission checks for blog tags (2) General Fixes Forum Home Optimization cms_nodeinfo doesn't have an Index for associatedthreads field Others New Profile Format Not Workable With Custom Tabs XFBML For Facebook Like Button Upgrade failing for older versions where custom templates exist CMS error: Cannot redeclare class vB_Bootstrap_Forum in /XXXXXX/class_bootstrap.php Adding new SubCategories http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/VBIV-3801 Paid Subscriptions not working with Authorize.net 4.1.3 Bug Fixes/Improvements Here is a list of the major bug fixes/improvements included in this release. A full list of issues are available here. CMS Text of CMS comments not visible in IE7 or IE8 compatibility mode Database error when CMS is disabled vbcms_content_article_page Template After deleting a cms comment you get redirected to the comment thread, instead of the cms article Empty sessionid added to all CMS home url's Time is wrong in Recent Articles Widget Putting textarea into static page breaks edit display CMS Widget "Tag Cloud" always saves "Most Used" - You can't save "Most Searched" CMS displays Sections and Category titles incorrect (& instead of &, etc.) in AdminCP Double HTML escape for multi-page articles dropdown vbcms_widget_categorynavcurrent_page, heading mismatch Code Errors/Optimization Filecache datastore does not work on PHP 5.2.14 and later versions. (var_export handles negative integer array keys incorrectly) construct_quick_nav() is slow 20 additional SELECT node.nodeid queries on showthread.php due to class_postbit Hold Memcache Connection Unnecessary query executed on every page CSS not cached as efficiently as possible: Cache-Control header issues Missed index on user table, email field Code Review includes/class_dm_picturecomment.php unnecessary code in packages/vbcms/content/section.php False variable used in vb/db/query.php Some changes requested for ajax.php false variable usied in packages/vbcms/widget/myfriends.php admincp/cms_admin.php false variable in includes/blog_function_online.php false variable in packages/vbcms/comments.php false variable in vb/cache.php 4x include of framework in inlinemod.php Styling PNG images need to be optimized 31 votes Blog Comment Header aligment incorrect if "Store CSS Stylesheets as Files?" is activated 8 votes Stylevar issue Little styling issue Remove images about PT from vBulletin package Border-radius for Opera 10.50 If you change the padding stylevar, the collapse image on forum home is not positioned correctly Styling issue - profile / profile field categories Wrong sessionurl used for online.php "Posting permissions" isn't a moveable blog block Templates [vB 4] Member List: $userinfo[lastvisit] FORUMDISPLAY conditional change for no-thread-list catagories detailed thread rating can'T be found anywhere? If there is no titleimage then a broken image link is shown on the page Recurring Event Selector Resets Upon Editing Datepicker template not working W3C Valiadtion errors in FAQ template Wrong variable order in Template vbcms_content_section_type3 Templates postbit and postbit_legacy - title="{vb:rawphrase reputation} has to be {vb:rawphrase add_reputation} Others Facebook Like it "forgets" who has liked articles 20 votes Facebook Auth: Linking a Facebook Account after registration with Required Fields Does Not Allow Connection to be Made 15 votes Search results posts per page is limited at 20 9 votes Unable to post a non-English thread to facebook via the publish to facebook button 7 votes When tag cloud on search page is turned off in admincp, query still runs Missing Options When Viewing a User Profile in Mod CP (Compared to Admin CP) No Option in Mod CP to Edit Signature Pictures for Those Who Have Permission to Edit Signatures No Select All Option For Inline PM Tracking Checkboxes (Regression from vB 3) 4.1.4 CKEditor Bug Fixes/Improvements Here is a list of the major bug fixes/improvements included in this release. A full list of issues fixed are available HERE. Editor related items fixed CMS HTML Editor Buggy as Hell WYSIWYG Editing not available for Opera browser users Switch to Editor Mode Causes Article Text to Disappear Retrieve remote image fails. insert table not working Cookieless browsing issue for Apply in CMS editor insert table not working IE6 RTL: Tags field in text editor is in LTR mode. Carriage Returns being added/removed on article save Firefox: Buggy Paste of Forum-Links Standard Editor does not support Add an Image from URL Firefox: Buggy Paste of #3-Links Add the same table code that is in CMS to forum. Insert All missing from Attachments Paper Clip Drop Down (Regression from vB3) Thumbnail and Image Editing/Resizing Font Drop Down Box not showing its font in the font type Tab Key Function with tables Pasted Articles Not Formatted Correctly in CMS Can't edit image properties of thin images using the WYSIWYG editor Users Cannot Use "Insert Table" Button In The CMS Editor If "Forum Active" Is Set To "No" Center text new thread General Issues rectified What's New not available in Mobile Application Malformed Query Causes Loop Through Every User Anyone can change the thumbnail size of any attachment Slow Query In forumdisplay.php Too Much Memory Used To Generate online.php XMLsitemap does not generate correct URLs for blog and article content when using domain/blogs and domain/content Handling "Canceled Reversal" Transaction Can't drag uploaded attachments (IE9) Change API newtop to get threads, articles and blogs that have been posted [to] last. After approving moderated album pictures, "recently updated albums" and album display on user profile are not updated Old YUI version failing vBulletin in numerous places on IE9 Lastpost Data is incorrect for threads. Typo in Skimlinks package Today's Posts - give it back to us Multi-quote sticking around for next reply with quote Measures to stop the loss of QR, QE content/changes loss StyleVars Are Not Properly Mapped into User Profile Customization Colors, Resulting in Unreadable Areas Query to determine first post in thread can take 60 seconds and is unnecessary Some characters double html encoded when using quick reply and iconv not present header_background changes font colors NONOTICES for ajax.php [blog] Date to Publish Group Quick Reply doesn't show error messages Pencil icon appears below or next to attached image [Maximum Custom Page Characters] ignored Posting a reply to a blog entry in cookieless mode logs the user out Parse links in text fails on links with trailing ) Deleting a CMS grid doesn't delete the associated grid template IE6: Can't add tags in CMS article editor Unnecessary HTTP Request on every page if YUI is loaded from Yahoo Style Generator: default setting behaves quite differently in 4.0.8 than 4.0.7 BBCode

(CNN) -- From time to time, Sasha Raven Gross can be seen teetering around a neighborhood drinking hole. She flirts with strangers, talks gibberish and sometimes spins in circles for no apparent reason until she falls down. In one hand is her liquid of choice -- watered-down orange juice in a sippy cup. The 14-month-old toddler is the sort of barfly who's at the center of a recurring and heated debate: Should parents be allowed to bring their babies and children to bars? It is a question in Brooklyn, New York, that's fired up online arguments, prompted unofficial protests and made outsiders giggle. And while the issue may not be exclusive to that area, it's the stuff disputes are made of in what Sasha's dad, Matt Gross, calls the kid-heavy "greater stroller zone" of Park Slope and its surrounding neighborhoods. Single hipsters and others without (and sometimes with) kids complain about being asked to watch their language, to not smoke outdoors near strollers and to keep their drunk friends under control so as not to scare the little ones. They don't want to feel pressure to play peekaboo. They want to cry over their beers, they say, without having an infant drown them out. If anyone is spitting up, they want it to be them. "I will get up on the subway for kids. I will be tolerant of them kicking the back of my seat while seeing a G-rated movie. But let me have my bars," said Julieanne Smolinski, 26, who feels guilty sucking down suds in front of staring 5-year-olds. The adults who bring their offspring to bars, she suggests, are "clinging to their youth." Parents, on the other hand, say that as long as they're responsible and their kids behave, they deserve the right to grab a quick drink with friends. And, they might add, in a place like New York -- where the cost of baby sitters can be prohibitive and tight living quarters can make hosting guests at home difficult -- they need places to hang out, too. "As a stay-at-home dad, it can be kind of isolating. Bars, as much as they're places to drink, they're places to socialize and meet people," said Gross, 35, a freelance writer, an editor for the blog DadWagon and the columnist behind the Frugal Traveler in The New York Times. "I long for adult contact. ... I don't want to be excluded from the adult world." But the divide remains wide in the blogosphere. Around 150 readers weighed in recently when someone posted on the Brooklynian, a neighborhood blog, the simple query: "Which bars are child free?" One writer shared the tale of a drunk father standing at a bar while his beer sloshed on his stroller-strapped kid's face. Another poster announced a bar crawl in which "no crawlers" would be allowed. The public debate about babies in bars ignited about two years ago when the bar Union Hall, a popular stomping ground, banned strollers from the premises, Gross said. (...) Rest of the article here http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/02/brooklyn.babies.in.bars/index.html#disqus_thread ------------------------------------------- Franchement stupide. Un bar n'est pas une place pour un enfant, point final. Si tu veux prendre un verre, arrange toi pour trouver un gardien ou invite tes amis chez toi.

IGM Financial, GWL set to buy Montreal office towers: sources Investors Group and GWL Realty Advisors are set to buy two Montreal office buildings from Germany's KanAm Grund Group for around C$415 million ($308.99 million), though the transaction has not been finalized, two sources familiar with the deal said. Investors Group is part of IGM Financial Inc (IGM.TO) while GWL is part of Great-West Lifeco Inc. (GWO.TO) Power Financial Corp (PWF.TO) is the controlling shareholder of both companies. Power Corp of Canada (POW.TO) in turn controls Power Financial. The buildings are expected to be sold at a low capitalization rate for the Montreal market, indicating that demand for high-quality office buildings is spilling over from Toronto and Vancouver. The potential sale of the office towers was reported on Friday by Reuters. Power Corp spokesman Stephane Lemay referred a reporter's query directly to Winnipeg-based Investors Group which declined to comment. GWL Realty in Toronto and KanAm could not immediately be reached for comment. The deal should close before year's end, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because terms of the transaction have not been made public. The downtown buildings are expected to be sold at a capitalization rate of just over 5 percent, which is indicative of a premium asset, said the sources. Capitalization rates are calculated by dividing an asset's net operating income by its market price. According to recent data from Colliers International, Montreal cap rates for Class A buildings range from 5.50 percent to 6.25 percent. "It (a 5 cap) is unusual for the city," said a third source familiar with both the deal and the Montreal commercial real estate market, who declined to comment because the transaction is not yet public. According to data from CBRE Ltd, Montreal's third quarter downtown vacancy rate was 11 percent, compared with 10.6 percent for downtown markets in Canada as a whole. KanAm, which owns real estate assets in Europe, North America and Australia, acquired the buildings at 1350-1360 René-Lévesque West, in 2007 and 2008. The nearly 1 million square-foot property is managed by Canderel Inc, a Canadian real estate developer. Tenants include IT services providers CGI Group, Computer Sciences Canada, IBM and TD Bank, according to its website. Real estate services firm JLL, which is selling the properties, declined to comment. IGM Financial, GWL set to buy Montreal office towers: sources | Reuters

Gretzky confirms Coyotes in trouble MATTHEW SEKERES January 16, 2009 VANCOUVER -- Phoenix Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky confirmed yesterday that the troubled NHL franchise requires financial assistance and is seeking an investor who could help keep the team in Arizona. The Coyotes could lose as much as $45-million (all currency U.S.) this season, including interest payments, and owner Jerry Moyes is looking for a partner. He also is speaking to city officials in Glendale about the lease arrangement at the community-owned Jobing.com Arena. Yesterday, when Gretzky was asked whether the owner could continue to operate the club, given its losses, he deferred queries to Moyes. But Gretzky, the club's coach and managing partner, also signalled that Moyes requires investment in the franchise and financial relief from the city of Glendale. "I don't think it is any big secret that Mr. Moyes has asked for new partners or investors," Gretzky said. "Mr. Moyes is doing the best he can in working with the city and city officials. Our responsibility is to come, show up and play, and play the best we can." Since The Globe and Mail began documenting the Coyotes' economic woes last month, no one from the club's management had confirmed that it was seeking financial help. A TSN report on Wednesday said that as much as 80 per cent of the team is expected to be sold in the next two months, and that Moyes would retain as much as 20 per cent. Barring a sale, the club could be forced into bankruptcy proceedings. It is possible the Coyotes could be disbanded or moved out of Phoenix before next season. The Coyotes entered a game against the Vancouver Canucks last night in seventh place, a playoff spot, in the Western Conference. The team is trying to snap a seven-year postseason drought behind a youth movement that features seven players who are 22 or younger. "The older players definitely don't let [the financial trouble] be a distraction, but the younger players don't understand it, maybe," said defenceman Derek Morris, the team's union representative. "We realize that things aren't good, but they are still treating us first-class here. They're allowing us to play hockey."

Poll: Obama leads McCain by small margin By The Associated Press 11:00 AM CDT, June 23, 2008 ___ THE NUMBERS Barack Obama, 50 percent John McCain, 44 percent Obama's slight advantage is basically unchanged since Hillary Rodham Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed Obama earlier this month. While six in 10 likely Democratic voters say they're more enthusiastic than usual about the election, only about a third of Republicans feel as energized. Obama is seen as likelier than McCain to understand peoples' problems and to stand up to special interests, while McCain is seen as the stronger leader. Seven in 10 worry that McCain's policies would be too similar to President Bush's, while half are concerned Obama's changes would go too far. Almost one in 10 say Obama would be a less effective president because he is black, while nearly one in four say McCain, 71, would be less effective because of his age. People prefer a Democrat to a Republican representing them in Congress by 10 percentage points. ___ The USA Today-Gallup Poll was conducted from June 15-19 and involved telephone interviews with 1,310 likely voters. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. http://www.chicagotribune.com/search/dispatcher.front?page=4&Query=obama&target=article&subheader-search-button=Go&sortby=display_time%20descending