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Calgary, Canada, and Brasilia, Brazil - February 17, 2009 -- Userful and ThinNetworks today announce that they have been selected to supply 356,800 virtualized desktops to schools in all of Brazil's 5,560 municipalities.

This initiative will provide computer access to millions of children and adolescents throughout the country. It is a historical achievement, being: the world’s largest ever virtual desktop deployment; the world’s largest ever desktop Linux deployment, and a new record low-cost for PCs with the PC sharing hardware and software costing less than $50 per seat. The decision to deploy Userful and ThinNetworks' low-cost and environmentally friendly desktop virtualization solution establishes the Brazilian Ministry of Education as a global leader in computer education and provides other
governments and institutions worldwide with a proven model for improving student to computer ratios while rolling out large numbers of desktops with minimal cost and environmental impact.

London residential property prices have fallen for much of 2008, while Moscow property price declines only started in the last quarter, allowing Moscow to catch up with London. Both countries have experienced strong currency declines.

Tokyo and Hong Kong come in fourth and fifth, respectively.

New York, the only US city included in the survey, is 6th, with an average price of US$15,000 per sq. m.

Completing the top ten most expensive real estate markets are two European cities (Paris at 7th and Rome at 9th) and two other Asian cities (Singapore at 8th and Mumbai at 10th). Average prices range from US$9,000 per sq. m. to US$12,000 per sq. m.

The figures are based on the average price of a 120 sq. m., good-condition high-end used apartment in the city centres of more than 110 cities around the world, typically the economic centres where most foreigners are likely to buy. Data were collected during 2008. The US dollar exchange rate used is that of January 27, 2009.

A Policy Brief by Gilles Dorronsoro

In a new Carnegie Policy Briefing, Focus and Exit: An Alternative Strategy for the Afghan War, Gilles Dorronsoro argues that the U.S. troops surge should focus on securing key cities and roads in order to strengthen Afghan institutions. Ultimately, this should create the conditions for a progressive troops withdrawal - the only realistic political strategy for the U.S. to deconflict Afghanistan.