Saturday, June 16, 2007

Submit Your Questions For The Debates




www.youtube.com/debates

This is a major positive development. I got a question I will be submitting.

Hi. This is Paramendra from New York City. Iraq will be the number one issue in the Democratic primaries as well as in the general election. The Al Qaeda is stronger than ever before. I agree with the neocons that the War On Terror is the same magnitude as the Cold War. I believe the only way to win it is by ensuring a total spread of democracy across the Arab world. That is to drain the swamp. But you don't do it like in Iraq which has been a half trillion dollar mistake. You do it like in Nepal, which also has 27 million people. You spread democracy the progressive way. The message from Nepal is you shut the country down completely for three weeks, and you will have democracy. Would you agree with this basic prescription? And do you think progressives in America should get behind the nobel cause of spreading democracy? Could we achieve a total spread of democracy by 2020?

This is cool. I hope they make the entire debate available on YouTube, in full as well as in parts, so bloggers have the option to embed them on their sites. The conversation should never stop.

In The News

Hamas May Find It Needs Its Enemy New York Times two Palestines rather than one might emerge — one in Gaza, dominated by Hamas, the other in the West Bank, led by Fatah. ..... the West Bank supporting a landlocked urban and agricultural society, Gaza facing the sea. .... the traffic was largely one way, carrying unemployed Gazans to the West Bank in search of work in the better economy there.
Goodbye Barack, hello Hillary Indian Express the smart guys always go to the Oscars confident that the best advertising campaign will win.
'My nomination reflects respect women get in India' Hindu Pratibha Patil .... 72-year-old Patil ...... first woman president of the country. .... Asked about the proposed move to give 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and Assemblies to empower them, Patil evaded a direct reply, saying Parliament would decide on the bill in this regard.
US-India body seeks clarification from Obama Hindu Expressing concern over reports that his staff was engaging in "worst kind" and "hurtful" stereotyping of Indian-Americans ..... "We have been encouraged by your message of inclusion and your promise to bring a new king of politics to our life to our country (the United States). This is why we are so concerned about the media reports," Sanjay Puri, Chairman of the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) said. .... Hillary Clinton, who is the co-chair of the Senate India Caucus
UN resolution on Gandhi proud moment for India: PM Peninsula On-line the UN resolution declaring Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence ..... the United Nations will henceforth observe Gandhi Jayanti, October 2 as International Day of Non-Violence each year, following a unanimous decision by the General Assembly of United Nations yesterday
Time to reform UN, says India Central Chronicle Questioning the credibility of the 15-member UN Security Council as Africa, Latin America and India do not find representation in it .... the resolution, initiated by India, was adopted unanimously
UN Gandhi resolution a proud moment for India: PM Indian Muslims
The unanimous adoption of the resolution in the UNGA is being seen as a triumph of India's diplomacy as New Delhi launched a spirited campaign to mobilize support of member states after the Satyagraha Conference, titled 'Peace, Non-Violence and Empowerment', early this year.
Conservative bloggers in full revolt over immigration CNN no issue in recent memory has united conservative bloggers like the debate over immigration ..... the immigration bill has done serious damage to the president's credibility among the conservative netroots .... You've got war against the president within the Republican party ..... Many bloggers said they are disappointed the president has pushed so hard for the immigration bill .... a plugged-in show of force that would have been beyond comprehension a decade ago. ..... 96 percent of bloggers surveyed were "pleased that the Senate immigration bill did not pass."
Troop Influx Complete, US Forces Press Al Qaeda in Iraq New York Times
US forces launch offensives around Baghdad Reuters AlertNet
US: 60 Pct of Baghdad Not Controlled
ABC News
US says 60pc of Baghdad not controlled Houston Chronicle
Problems Deepen for Iraqi Prime Minister Washington Post Al-Maliki's domestic backers, the Shiites and Kurds, are growing unhappier by the day about the decision-making monopoly the prime minister and close aides have accrued to themselves. .... the unusually harsh criticism of the government over the bombing by Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, whose every word is waited on by Iraq's Shiites. ..... Already, Sunni Arab partners in the government are openly trying to form a new bloc in parliament to vote al-Maliki out, sounding out potential participants from among Shiite and Kurdish groups while getting subtle and quiet backing from powerful Sunni Arab states. ...... The problems facing al-Maliki's year-old government are seemingly endless. ..... the raging violence, the deep mistrust between the nation's main ethnic and religious groups as well as widespread mismanagement. ...... The legislation include a law to divvy up Iraq's oil wealth, another to allow local elections to be held, a third one to reinstate in government junior members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party and constitutional amendments demanded by Sunni Arabs. ..... Iraq's parliament is notorious for its poor attendance, failing to pass legislation on several occasions because it has no quorum.
WiMax set for Egypt debut ITP.net
Sprint Nextel considers how to fund WiMax rollout Computerworld
Woods in four way tie for lead
Reuters
Space station computer crash a mystery
Reuters AlertNet
Presidential debate to feature YouTube video questions
TG Daily Those who presented selected entries will also be flown out to the debate site...... Yahoo, The Huffington Post .. Slate. .... simulcast between Yahoo and The Huffington Post and are labeled the first online-only debates. Users will be able to submit their own questions for these debates as well. ...... the 2008 voting season will have an online presence like never before.
CNN, YouTube Take Electoral Debates To The People InformationWeek
YouTube, CNN aim to 'revolutionize' presidential debate process CNet News.com Blog co-sponsored Democratic and Republican presidential debates that aim to bring the standard televised events into the digital age of mashups, remixes and viral buzz. Not only will video content from the events (as well as other CNN debates) be made available for sharing and distribution online, but the debate questions themselves will come in the form of videos sent in by YouTube users.

"Obama Girl working on new video," Barely Political founder reveals TheOnlinewire
Video Girl Has A Crush On Obama Jessica Alba Wants To Cook For Barack Post Chronicle
Web has a crush on hot Obama fan vid New York Daily News

Barack Obama Narrows the Gap and Closes in on Hillary Clinton PR Newswire (press release)
The Unknown: Is Obama Ready?
Washington Post cautious and calculating, a disciple of shady patrons, a liberal lawmaker and conservative poker player. ..... a charismatic young Democrat bursting with potential ..... yet dogged by questions about the depth of his experience and principle....... "Obama has a great intellect and the leadership characteristics of our great American presidents" ....... Obama knows how to surround himself with powerful mentors. ..... One of his earliest patrons, Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko, contributed thousands of dollars and raised thousands more as Obama ran for the Illinois Legislature, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. He was even involved in the purchase of land that Obama and his family now live on. ...... Trotter laughs at the memory of Obama elbowing his way ever upward. "Very ambitious and confident, that young man," he said. "You could never say he had a self-esteem problem." ......... Obama never lacked friends, either. ...... His wide circle of relationships in Springfield reflected a lifelong habit of straddling different worlds. ...... street-wise community organizer in Chicago. ..... Obama had a Clinton-like ability to see things through others' eyes, a natural empathy that helped him reach across party lines and forge hard compromises on the death penalty, racial profiling and ethics legislation. ....... there is a fine line between pragmatism and pandering, and Obama walked its jagged edge. ...... Obama cast votes that were more liberal than he actually was. ....... Obama could be as calculating as they come. ..... Obama proposed a constitutional amendment to mandate universal health care. It lacked detail and he settled for a task force to study the issue. ....... "This guy is cool. He's gorgeous. And he's giving me money!" she recalls with a laugh. ........ Obama's cautious, close-to-the-vest style is reflected in the way he plays poker, according to those who joined him in a regular game with lawmakers and lobbyists. Obama was fiercely competitive, refusing to admit when he finished a night with less money than he started. ....... While he was never a Senate leader, Obama did lead. He helped pass ethics laws in a scandal-plagued state and won tax credits for the working poor. On racial profiling and the death penalty, he negotiated with Republicans and police chiefs on bills that chipped away at both institutions. ....... Though these were small steps rather than grand reforms, Obama impressed Republicans and Democrats alike with hard work and a soft touch. ...... Obama broke a logjam over racial profiling legislation when he volunteered to make his case personally to the chiefs. ..... Nargelenas is used to Democrats drawing a line in the sand and declaring war. Not Obama. "The thing we noticed about Obama is he's a willing listener" ....... required police to record the race of people they stop. ....... Nargelenas, a rock-ribbed Republican, can see himself voting for Obama in 2008.
Obama's record in Springfield hint at the president he would be WAND he is a dogged consensus-builder known for his empathy, intellect and ambition. ..... a man less than three years removed from this sleepy capital ...The dynamic in Springfield today is a lot like it was in Little Rock, Arkansas, 15 years ago, when nobody knew whether Bill Clinton was ready for the presidency.
Obama campaign rankles Indian community Chicago Tribune "There cannot be a suggestion that Indian-Americans are somehow taboo," said Sanjay Puri, chairman of the 50,000-member U.S.-India Political Action Committee. "That is not the message we want any leader to be presenting." ...... "Barack Obama has been a longtime friend of the Indian-American community and our campaign is fortunate to have strong support from Indian-Americans across the country," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said in a statement. "The intent of the document was to discuss the issue of outsourcing, but we regret the tone that parts of the document took."
PUN'JAB' HITS OBAMA New York Post
Indian American group denounces Obama's campaign Indian Muslims
Clinton's wealth a handicap
New Zealand Herald the Clintons sold off most of their investments last April, fearing that they would become a political liability in the 2008 presidential race. .... much of their wealth comes from arms, oil and pharmaceutical companies ...... A government directive this spring, meant that she had to dissolve the blind trust and reveal the assets. .... Her leading opponent, Barack Obama, quickly attacked Hillary Clinton for reaping "significant financial rewards" from controversial companies and for her "unwillingness to protect American jobs" that have been outsourced to India.
Clinton talks way to £25m family fortune Telegraph.co.uk they are now worth up to £25 million. ..... Mr Clinton earned $10 million (£5 million) from speaking engagements last year. ..... He is in demand more than ever now that his wife is running for the highest office in the land. ...... paid $150,000 (£75,000) per lecture. ... The Clintons arrived at the White House in 1993 with comparatively modest means and left with debts running into millions of dollars because of legal fees incurred fighting various scandals that dogged his presidency. The Blairs have a large mortgage on their house in Connaught Square, casting a shadow over their future. ...... Holders of blind trusts hand over the management of its assets to a manager, and are not provided details of the fund's progress.
Clinton shouldn’t play campaign too safe Lawrence Journal World Scars can become marks of distinction, and for those assessing her, some of Clinton’s darkest White House moments now add to her character. Murphy and others saw her failure to overhaul health care less as an indication of flawed political judgment than as valuable preparation for a rematch. ...... drawing applause at almost every reference to the 1990s. ..... Clinton still excels more at the prose than the poetry of politics; there was more energy in the room when she arrived than when she left. ...... Both answers contrasted badly with Obama, who, during a recent Detroit speech, forthrightly endorsed better fuel economy and chastised the companies for building too many cars consumers disdained. ...... With such timidity, Clinton risks sharpening one of her detractors’ best weapons — the charge that calculation, not conviction, is her compass. Front-runners dislike risk, but in her case, the riskiest move might be playing it safe.

Obama Calls on Fathers to Be Responsible
ABC News
Senate Leaders Agree to Revive Immigration Bill New York Times The immigration bill, ardently sought by President Bush, would make the biggest changes in immigration law and policy in more than 20 years. ..... “without amnesty and without animosity.” .... The Republican whip, Trent Lott of Mississippi, who supports the bill, said: “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.” ....... At some point, Mr. Lott said, Senate Republican leaders may try to rein in “younger guys who are huffing and puffing against the bill.” ...... A new proposal floated on Thursday in an effort to deter the hiring of illegal immigrants would put biometric identifiers into Social Security cards. That change would make the cards more difficult to forge and counterfeit, Mr. Schumer said.
Former US President Carter Meets Maoist Rebel Leader in Nepal Voice of America
Hilton 'improves prison conditions'
Telegraph.co.uk
Barack Obama At Center Of Racy Video
AHN
The Backstory on Obama-Clinton Attack Memos
New York Times Bill and Hillary Clinton were liquidating their blind trust, converting stocks into cash. ....... the Clintons have been seeking to undercut the effort by Mr. Obama to present himself as the face of a new-kind-of-politics ..... referred to Mrs. Clinton as (D-Punjab) ..... defended the documents, noting that they were simply a compilation of public quotations and information available to anyone with access to the Internet
Clinton, Obama Fight for Chicago TIME In the first three months of the year, Obama raised $3.73 million in Illinois, compared with $373,000 for Clinton .... Chicago attorney Kevin O'Keefe, who met Clinton when they double-dated in college and later worked for her husband at the White House ..... Clinton and Obama are even dividing families. ...... his billionaire sister, Penny Pritzker, who heads national fundraising efforts for Obama. ..... Bill Clinton was nominated for his second term at the 1996 convention in Chicago. The former president also was in the city recently and appeared with Jesse Jackson at his Rainbow/PUSH Organization.
Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger: The New Action Heroes
The Enemy's New Tools in Iraq
The Psychology of Fatherhood
Is Wis.dm Your Next Web Obsession?
The Politics of Search
Where Jesus Spent His Old Age
Harris Poll: Barack Obama Closes In On Hillary NewsMax.com While 13 points separated Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama just one month ago in the race for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, the gap between them has narrowed considerably to just four points.

Bill Clinton: $10 Million Haul for Talks Forbes
Former US President Jimmy Carter Meets With Nepal's Prime Minister
AHN

Amber Lee Ettinger Has A Barack Obama Obsession? As 'Obamagirl' Post Chronicle
Barack Obama Obsession? 'Obamagirl' Video Online Is Saucy & Steamy Post Chronicle
YouTube Video Emphasizes Obama Sex Appeal FOX News
Barack Obama Crush: Girl in Video, "I Got a Crush on Obama"
National Ledger


Black MBAs Slighted? BusinessWeek what could cause a 45% jump in the number of black-owned businesses in just five years? ...... African Americans too often do not receive the support they need to succeed in the corporate world. ...... The city’s Human Rights Commission threatened major firms with sanctions because the industry’s woeful record in hiring and promoting African Americans had scarcely improved in the 30 years since the commission last looked. ....... the two years and $90,000 tuition it requires ..... Striking out on one’s own takes more talent than coasting along at a giant corporation. The George Costanza strategy of "walking fast and looking worried" doesn’t cut it when you’re your own boss. An entrepreneur needs to raise startup funds, secure office space, and devise a public relations strategy—without the support structure available to gargantuan corporations. ....... globalization, the Internet, and free trade
Google Is Making You Dumber
SAP Founder Builds Biotech Empire Dietmar Hopp, the founder of German software giant SAP, has a new project on his agenda: biotechnology. ..... In 1972, Hopp and four colleagues from IBM founded a company called SAP. ...... the industry represents the "new great wave" after information technology ...... help Germany become a biotechnology leader ..... Money burned like straw in the company's capital-intensive research division. ..... like any good investor he prefers to take an anti-cyclical approach, buying when prices are low and hopes high ..... Annual industry sales in Germany of close to 945 million represent barely one-twelfth of the sales of US market leader Amgen alone. .... Unlike run-of-the-mill financiers, they pay close attention to the investments. "We're something on the order of godparents," says Hettich, "we provide the companies with assistance in matters of organization, structure, business development, everything, really." One of the two men always holds a seat on the supervisory board of each of Hopp's investments. ........ "As executives, you should behave like team members. Every employee must have the freedom to make mistakes. You should not build walls, engage in intrigues or condone office politics." ..... the most important attributes are in business: decency and honesty

The CEO Mayor BusinessWeek places pragmatism before politics ..... forthright and prosaic 65-year-old billionaire just may have the right combination of managerial, risk-taking, and political skills to create a new model for public service ..... from two decades building his eponymous financial-information and media empire, the mayor is using technology, marketing, data analysis, and results-driven incentives to manage what is often seen as an unmanageable city of 8 million. ........ Bloomberg sees New York City as a corporation, its citizens as customers, its sanitation workers, police officers, clerks, and deputy commissioners as talent. He is the chief executive. ...... His failed attempt to build a football stadium in Manhattan gobbled up time and energy for much of his first term. ....... his checklist-obsessed operating style ..... effectively managing something so large and complex ..... Where most politicians would have seen only a fiscal solution to the budget gap, he spotted a marketing opportunity. He was protecting the New York City "brand." Bloomberg saw a low crime rate, good public transportation, and clean streets as indispensable to selling New York. Cutting back on services, he felt, would send the wrong message to the business community and the outside world. ........... metric junkie ..... Since 2003, New York says it has added 151,100 new private sector jobs, boosting the economy and fueling a construction boom. ...... 44 million visitors .... the average value of a single family home surged by 55% .... establishing 24-hour call lines, collecting data to help develop new products, and sending his executives out into the field to solicit feedback directly from clients. "Good companies listen to their customers, No.1," he says. "Then they try to satisfy their needs, No.2. But don't let [them] drive the internal decisions of the company." ........ 311 would give the mayor unprecedented access to what was on his constituents' minds. Bloomberg sees the weekly reports and gets a sense of the citizenry's angst ....... startup cost of $25 million, 311 has received 49 million calls. The service employs 370 round-the-clock call takers ...... The average wait time for an appointment with a building inspector has dropped from 40 days to less than a week. Two years after 311 launched, inspections for excessive noise were up 94%; rodent exterminations, 36%. ....... All meeting rooms had glass windows, so you could look inside. His desk and those of his staff were clustered in a room without walls to facilitate better and faster communication. ....... has tried to make the government and its agencies more open ..... His hope is that, by explaining the forces shaping the city's economy, a better understanding of his tax and spending priorities will emerge. The approach has not only helped him in budget negotiations ........ semiannual mayor's management report ...... the report—which reviews the delivery of city services—is 186 pages, available online, and includes many more features than before, including neighborhood data and five-year trends that allow New Yorkers to compare past and present. ..... the city plans and budget, once convoluted fiscal documents with only summaries available online, are now fully accessible on the city's Web site ....... recruited his lieutenants based on their ability to set targets and hit them. ...... to Oliver's astonishment the agency had only one computer. Most staff were tapping away on electric typewriters. ...... a dedicated team of 33 police officers to ease shoots in the city ...... A major part of the CEO's responsibilities is to be the ultimate risk-taker and decision-maker. ..... The mayor has embraced risk with an almost reckless disregard for political repercussions. ..... "In business, you reward people for taking risks. When it doesn't work out, you promote them because they were willing to try new things. If people come back and tell me they skied all day and never fell down, I tell them to try a different mountain." ...... "The real world, whether in business or government, requires that you don't jump to the endgame [or] to success right away," he says. "You do it piece by piece. Some people get immobilized when they come to a roadblock. My answer is, 'you know, it's a shame it's there, but now where else can we go? Let's just do it.'"
Plus: Bloomberg on Bloomberg America's largest city ..... To see if it is possible to run Gotham like a company. ..... have the ideas you want come from [your team]. But when it comes time, you have to make the decision. I have never had a problem making a decision. ...... Innovation is a lot easier in the private sector because what innovation is really about is not knowing who is going to use it; you don't know what it's going to look like; you don't know how it's going to work; you don't know what it's going to cost; you don't know whether anybody is going to buy it, but you just sort of have this feeling that this might work, and if we don't try, we'll never know. ...... the horse trading and the necessity to give due deference to those people you want to come along ....... Our operations method is to try things and to see whether they work. Research will never tell you that. ..... you make luck by increasing the number of times you flip the coin. ..... The biggest impediment to going into government for people in the private sector is the loss of privacy. ..... I have had friends who have said they would like to volunteer or do something in government but they had to pass because you have to fill out these forms. ...... I'm not terribly interesting to write about. I live with an age-appropriate woman. We don't do coke. We don't go to crazy places. ........ The press didn't know—what does a billionaire do? Do they put on their pants one leg at a time, or not? Do they eat with their fingers, or a knife and fork? ....... And then when I said I wasn't going to tell where I was going on some weekends, The New York Times went ballistic. But after three or four weeks they went on to the next subject. ....... It took a year, but Monica eventually disappeared. ...... I would like to leave a culture of responsibility, accountability, excellence, and honesty. Me and the 300,000 people I work with
The Bank of PayPal PayPal's first-quarter revenue grew 31%, to $439 million .... the greater e-commerce market, which is expected to top $300 billion in the U.S. alone by 2010, up more than 50% from current levels. ...... PayPal has a lofty 143 million accounts, Visa has more than a billion. ...... a one-time MasterCard number for a given purchase. ..... combine community and commerce, something she calls "social commerce" ..... The goal is to become more of a bazaar or mall, a place where people go to hang out and browse, as well as shop for specific items.

The World's Thinnest Notebook BusinessWeek less than 0.7 inches thick .... world's thinnest notebook. ..... 2.25 pounds .... the creation could have a lasting impact on computer design, use, and marketing. ...... Intel Capital, the chipmaker's venture capital arm. ..... Sales of laptops priced at $2,000 and above are rising 1.4% a year, compared with 73.5% for notebooks priced $500 to $999 ..... This model's embedded chips let users access cellular, Wi-Fi, or WiMax wireless broadband networks. (Intel is expected to release embeddable chips that access all these networks in late 2007, early 2008.) ..... a fingerprint reader and a mechanism that lets users kill a hard drive by remote control.
Fired ad exec targets Wal-Mart CEO
Apple rises after iPhone media report hitting an all-time high of $115 on Wednesday ..... Growth in recent months has been fueled by speculation and consumer excitement over the hybrid phone and media player. ...... rise in Apple's share price Friday is being fueled by the CNBC report.
Linux Foundation Fires Back at Microsoft If you earned $34 million a day from Windows and Office, you too would try to spook the market with patent threats ..... Perhaps engage in rhetoric and hyperbole to generate some old-fashioned FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) .... a jury recently ordered the software maker to pay $1.5 billion to Alcatel-Lucent ...... a vibrant Linux ecosystem .... restore confidence in the patent system by making sure they are issued only for truly unique, innovative, and novel functions that advance the state of the art.
Is Motorola Stuck in the Dip? When everything seems similar, smart and busy people seek out the cheapest alternative. ..... most of the time, companies get stuck being average ..... There are 10,000 musicians out there working just as hard as Gwen Stefani or Cat Power. ...... The Dip is the hard part, the part where most people quit. .... On the Toyota (TM) assembly line, company policy is to stop the line completely rather than install a part that's not perfect. Any person on the line is empowered to make this call. ........ Jobs' mantra for the iPhone was to make no phone at all rather than make a boring one
Immigration Fight: Tech vs. Tech technology outsourcing firms, including Infosys Technologies (INFY) and Wipro (WIT) of India, and Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH)
A 'Troubled' Immigration Reform Proposal Conservatives have blasted what they call "amnesty" provisions for illegals, and pro-immigrant groups are hammering measures they deem "anti-family." The tech industry has expressed strong opposition to both the tighter rules for temporary workers and a complex point system for awarding green cards. ........ this spring, the quota for all of 2007 was reached in less than 48 hours. ...... The top recipients range from Microsoft and Cisco Systems (CSCO) to Infosys and Wipro to the New York City public schools ....... The two companies that received the most H-1Bs are Infosys and Wipro, with 4,908 and 4,002, respectively. ....... Microsoft received the most visas outside of the outsourcing companies, with 3,117. It's also one of the most efficient in securing the visas, receiving seven H-1Bs for every 10 labor-condition applications it submitted ....... Intel often uses the visas to recruit engineers with advanced degrees from U.S. schools. ...... Satyam Computer Services .... about two-thirds of the company's 4,570 employees are on H-1Bs now
Dude, You're Getting a Dell_at Wal-Mart low-cost Asian manufacturers. ...... The majority of Dell's sales are from PCs (61%) ..... Services make up 10% of the total, and servers, the machines that run Web sites and corporate networks, account for 9%.

Gates: Don't count us out in the ad biz CNet News Television, newspapers and all forms of publishing are being fundamentally changed by a shift to digital media ..... "Yellow Page(s) usage among people below 50 will drop to near zero in the next five years" ....... While Microsoft is working to catch up to Google in areas such as search, it is also looking to technology to provide new types of Internet content and advertising that it hopes will change the rules of the game. ...... an "infinite zoom ad" ...... now what is an advertisement can actually have as much information as a product catalog ...... pay per zoom or pay per attention ...... another Microsoft photo technology, PhotoSynth, which creates 3D images out of collections of digital photos of the same space. In the past, Microsoft has demoed the software to allow people to move around tourist spots and landmarks. But, Flake said, the technology could also be used to replicate storefronts.
Can Motorola regain its footing? Motorola, the second-largest handset maker in the world, behind Nokia, is struggling to regain its footing in an increasingly competitive market. For the first quarter of 2007, the company reported a net loss as it resisted matching its competitors' price cuts.
SAP says new software on track

What Buffett Might Buy BusinessWeek Buffett is famously frugal in his personal life and in his corporate purchases. ...... Buffett has long invested almost all his money in the U.S., but he's now searching more actively on foreign shores. .... he might buy a handful of large, well-run international companies ....... Caterpillar's (CAT) market capitalization is $47 billion with annual revenues of $42 billion. It has a nice $6 billion cash flow. What Buffett might not like is the $27 billion debt load. ...... Valero ..... has a no-layoff policy ...... Oracle of Omaha is no fan of astronomical pay packages, the kind of thing handed out like candy on Wall Street ....... he certainly understands the finance business. He had a long-term investment in Salomon Brothers, and even took over as interim chairman in 1991 for 10 months to help turn around the beleaguered investment bank. ....... One thing is clear: Buffett is anxious to put his cash to use.
Toyota: A Turbocharged Profit Machine In what's expected to be the best-ever profit results of any Japanese company in history, Toyota is anticipated to announce operating profits of about $18.4 billion for its fiscal year that ended in March. ..... Sales, meanwhile, are expected to grow 10% to $193 billon. ...... a 10% operating profit margin, an aspiration ...... even now, Toyota retains a sense of caution that dates back to financial woes in the early 1950s. "Toyota's strength is their balance between the short term and long term," Yoshida says. "They do everything to minimize risk." ....... Toyota's U.S. market share was 15.7%, compared to Ford's 16.3% and GM's 23.2%. ....... the U.S., which generates about 60% of Toyota's profits
Another Deal for Arcelor Mittal? may be looking to bolster its U.S. presence ...... The Mittals have cobbled together a global behemoth with $59 billion in annual sales, first by taking over fading steel mills that no one else wanted, and then moving up the value chain to snag higher-quality, more-efficient mills. The crowning touch was the company's $38 billion takeover of European giant Arcelor in June, 2006. The Mittals may also be seeking other prizes, with speculation swirling around Vallourec, a big French maker of pipes for the oil industry. ...... If the Mittals are indeed in the hunt for AK Steel, expect a tenacious pursuit.
Mittal And Son 31-year-old Aditya Mittal, the baby-faced chief financial officer ...... Despite Aditya's tender years, he has worked with his father for a decade and is his closest confidant. ..... The pair is today the most powerful father-son duo on the global business stage. Together, the Mittals have come to dominate one of the oldest, most elemental businesses on earth. In the process, they've helped revive a flagging industry—and created staggering wealth. The Mittals' 45% stake in Arcelor Mittal is worth $33 billion, ranking them among the world's richest families. ..... Where the 56-year-old Lakshmi is the steel industry visionary, Aditya is the financial dealmaker. ..... The smooth, Wharton-educated son pushed for the $38 billion takeover of Arcelor, the giant European steel company, then helped hammer out every aspect of the deal that closed last June. ...... The son of a traveling salesman, Lakshmi lived in a poor and remote Indian village without running water until the age of five. His father later started a small steel mill, giving young Lakshmi a taste for the business. Lakshmi, in turn, went on to found his own steel company, developing the instincts of a from-the-gut manager. ....... Lakshmi is comfortable chatting up line workers and still knows how to operate the electric arc furnaces used to turn scrap into molten metal. ...... Aditya feels more at home with a Wall Street crowd, enjoys scuba diving and skiing, and has become a master dealmaker. ....... They're also free of many of the social and cultural constraints that so often hamstring business in both Europe and India. ...... Lakshmi built his business first from Indonesia and then from London and is seen as something of an outsider in his homeland. As a result, he has become a kind of world citizen without roots. ...... cunning, tenacious, and tough—if not downright ruthless—pushing aside anyone in their way ...... They are legendary for their long meetings, fueled by little more than green tea and sandwiches. The Mittals have cajoled, sweet-talked, or outwitted legions of steel executives from every corner of the planet. ......... negotiated through three years of shifting political winds before winning a steel plant in Romania. ....... Over the decades, the Mittal strategy has been nothing if not consistent. ..... In the long run Lakshmi's vision is an industry dominated by a handful of powerful companies, strong enough to cut output rather than prices in a downturn. ...... While his father zips around the globe in his Gulfstream G550, dining with presidents and potentates, Aditya bears down on the nitty-gritty details. ........ the plant, where he loved to watch the furnace swallow scrap metal with a roar like rolling thunder. "I used to spend Saturday nights at the melt shop," a cavernous space with giant ladles full of molten steel .......... his father's love of the industry and his acute sense of strategy and timing ....... Wharton in 1993 ..... There, he met his future bride, Megha, who for months refused to give Aditya the time of day. ....... He left to help his father create a public company called Ispat International from many of the steel assets Mittal had been buying. "I always believed [a stock offering] would open up more opportunities," Aditya says. ........ A brutal steel slump that led to a wave of bankruptcies had sent Ispat's shares plummeting from an IPO price of 27 in 1997 to just 1.50 in late 2001, and the company's $2 billion Mexican operation was teetering on the edge of default. But the Mittals turned the crisis to their advantage. They snatched up plants in Eastern Europe and Algeria at rock-bottom prices. Capitalizing on the desire of many governments to shed money-losing assets, and backed by favorable financing from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, the Mittals doubled their annual production capacity to 30 million tons over just two years. "Everywhere there was something for sale," says Aditya....... When Aditya first hit on the notion of going after Arcelor, his father was less than enthusiastic. ...... after a three-hour meal, Dollé shrugged off any suggestions of a deal. ........ After Dollé ducked further meetings, Aditya took the gloves off. An investment banker hastily summoned to work on the bid said the deal was classic Mittal. ....... "We were all struggling to find a crack in the Arcelor defense," says Shahriar Tadjbakhsh, an investment banker from Goldman Sachs ....... He tells of touring, like a conqueror, the city of Luxembourg, taking in the opera house and other landmarks. His guide: None other than the Prime Minister. ....... the Mittals are surprisingly down-to-earth ...... they are intensely private, focusing what little downtime they have on the family's inner circle. ..... While the two companies were roughly the same size, Arcelor annually spent more than 10 times what Mittal did on research and development. The best Arcelor plants outperform Mittal mills in efficiency, reliability, and quality of steel. ........ Arcelor, which is not as sharp commercially as it is on technology ..... Most give the Mittal father-son act at least another decade. It's when fathers hit their 70s and sons their 40s that such unions start to unravel, as the younger generation itches to take control ..... "The father is an entrepreneurial icon, one of the great business leaders of the 21st century.
The College Rankings Revolt Heats Up

WiMax Nation: Sprint, Intel And Motorola May Be Right 24/7 Wall St. WiMax will reach 150 million potential customers by 2008. By 2010, that number will hit 650 million with 1.3 billion being the figure by 2012. Just five short years. ....... the biggest winner may be Sprint (S), which is betting almost its entire future on building a US WiMax network that will reach 100 million potential customers by the end of 2008.
Paris Hilton breaks down Melbourne Herald Sun Hilton showed up 20 minutes late for the 1.30pm hearing, powdering her nose on the way in. On the way out, she donned dark sunglasses to hide her tear-streaked eyes and runny makeup. ...... During the hearing, Hilton blamed misinformation from her "advisers" for her two forays behind the wheel while her licence was suspended for an alcohol-related reckless driving conviction late last year. ..... When a prosecutor asked if she had read the licence suspension notice mailed to her from the Department of Motor Vehicles, she replied: "I have people do that for me." ..... Hilton said she didn't read her plea agreement either. ..... "I just sign what people tell me to sign," she said. ...... on February 27, she was stopped and cited when she drove her Bentley again -- this time with the headlights off even though it was 11pm. ...... Hilton's lawyer, Howard Weitzman, vowed to appeal and said the sentence bordered on the ludicrous.
Oracle, IBM, NEC Team for Linux Push in Japan TechNewsWorld
Oracle Announces Creation of Financial Services Global
Assodigitale
Sun Embraces OpenOffice For Mac Wired News
Google Goes Wireless
MSNBC Google's agenda is clear. As a provider of a host of Internet services, including search, e-mail, and online video through YouTube (NWS), Google wants to ensure its content can flow unimpeded and untaxed over the world's broadband networks. One way to do that is by making sure there's plenty of competition in the market for high-speed Internet access--in particular, from providers other than behemoths like AT&T (T) and Comcast (CMCSA). "Google's key interest here is in seeing fourth and fifth [broadband access] pipes to the home to compete with cable and telecom companies," says Whitt. ...... wants the FCC to offer wide swaths of spectrum, allowing for superfast wireless services. ...... "The leading technology companies--Google, Intel, Skype, Yahoo, along with DirecTV, and EchoStar--are the only parties that have promised to try to provide a national, wireless broadband alternative." ......... Google itself may bid in the 700 Mhz auction
RFMD sees WiMAX demand outstripped by 2011 Compound Semiconductor
Linux Inside Hewlett-Packard Linux Magazine
Toshiba Horns In on the Desktop Linux Party
CrunchGear
AMD Hosts Preemptive Lunch Before Intel Launch
eWeek
Microsoft reboots itself
Globe and Mail its developers and visionaries entrenched their attitudes to their products. This is not surprising — it’s something every company much guard against. ....... Adobe, which has become the second-largest software company (after Microsoft) after it purchased Macromedia, whose Flash technology has become the standard for Web-based animation ......... Microsoft’s Silverlight is designed to create the kind of interactive Web applications usually made with Flash — and obviously Microsoft wants to push Flash really hard, offering video in much better quality and better controls. It’s supposed to support as much as 720p video, which translates to a resolution of 1280 by 720, which Flash can’t match without a major upgrade. Moreover, unlike Flash, Silverlight does not need back-end servers to operate, cutting end-user costs tremendously. ...... Silverlight has done something a Microsoft product has never done before: it can be used on all major Web browsers, including Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, and even Apple’s Safari.
Ozzie takes Microsoft beyond Windows ZDNet UK Microsoft is creating an offering for customers such as small web companies that may have no interest in its largest product lines, Office and Windows. ........ "In some respects, you could argue that Microsoft has been assimilated into the internet culture." ...... Microsoft also introduced Silverlight Streaming, a service, now in alpha testing, through which the company will host and deliver up to 4GB of video in Silverlight format to web pages for free. ....... data storage and network authentication, as well as access to online data, such as contact information for its Windows Live Spaces users, for building mashup applications.
Yahoo Offers Chat With No Downloads Attached TechNewsWorld
Yahoo Unveils Instant Messaging Inside Web Browser FOX News In India, 46 percent of consumer Web users log on from Internet cafes. ...... "The Internet is evolving from a static experience where a Web page is just a Web page to where Web pages behave more like traditional desktop computer applications," Garlinghouse said. ...... Another feature likely to impress heavy users is the ability to manage 10 or more simultaneous conversations in just one IM window. ...... blurring the distinctions that existed in the first decade of the Web between e-mail, instant-messaging and phone-calling. ..... Web services are fast becoming available not just on computers but also mobile phones, televisions and game consoles.
Yahoo's CEO gets $80 million package in 2006 Blogging Stocks
FCC OKs WiMax Laptop Card Wireless Week
Clearwire announces WIMAX laptop card: here’s where it will work ZDNet experience our fast, simple, portable, reliable and affordable wireless broadband services
FCC gives thumbs up to first WiMAX laptop card Ars Technica
First WiMax laptop card approved by FCC InfoWorld, CA Regulators have approved the first WiMax wireless broadband laptop PC card ........ should be available to users later this year
FCC Approves Clearwire WiMAX Card xchange Magazine, AZ
Clearwire Announces FCC Approval for First Mobile WiMAX Internet ... Broadband Wireless Exchange (press release), AZ
FCC OKs Motorola WiMAX card for Clearwire RCRNews.com, CO
Clearwire: First WiMax Notebook Card OK'd by FCC CIO, MA
First WiMax laptop card approved by FCC, Clearwire says NetworkWorld.com, MA
FCC approves first WiMAX-class laptop card to be offered by Clearwire Mobile Tech News (press release), TN
FCC Approves First WiMAX-Class Laptop Card to Be Offered by Clearwire Cellular-News, UK
First WiMax laptop card approved by FCC, Clearwire says Webwereld, Netherlands
WiMax laptop card gets go-ahead PC Advisor, UK
First WiMax laptop card approved by FCC, Clearwire says ARNnet, Australia
FCC Approves First WiMAX-Class Laptop Card to Be Offered by Clearwire TMC Net, CT
Clearwire announces WIMAX laptop card: here’s where it will work ZDNet
FCC OKs First WiMax Laptop Card Wired News
Clearwire To Roll Out WiMAX Card for Laptops InformationWeek, NY
FCC OKs WiMax Laptop Card Wireless Week
FCC gives thumbs up to first WiMAX laptop card Ars Technica, MA
FCC approves WiMax card for release by Clearwire SlashGear, AZ
FCC Approves 1st Wimax Laptop Card BroadbandReports.com, NY
US FCC approves the first WiMAX capable laptop from Clearwire TechWhack, India
Clearwire gets FCC nod to release WiMAX-class laptop card engadget, CA
WiMax Laptop Card Approved Technocrat.net, MA
Clearwire gets FCC approval for Wimax notebook card TG Daily
Google joins 4 states to organize public information DM News
Arizona Governor Napolitano Announces Arizona-Google Partnership All American Patriots (press release)
Google makes it easy to locate information on government websites Monsters and Critics.com
Dell unveils Feisty Fawn Ubuntu in response to customer survey Guardian Unlimited
Dell 2.0 coming soon
Coolest Gadgets
Dell memo hints at layoffs, acquisitions Computerworld Malaysia the direct sales model that moved his company from a Texas start-up in 1984 to the world's largest PC vendor in 2006 ... hiring a new slate of managers, many from outside the company. .... a long-term plan to build new products for the world's fastest-growing markets and regions .... improve its industrial design, expand its IT services and boost sales in developing countries by building factories there. ..... offer corporate customers a set of products that will "radically simplify IT." ..... Dell may have to acquire some new technologies or even companies .... "We won't hesitate to use our company's assets to build or buy the capabilities and technologies we need to deliver on our initiatives," Michael Dell said. ..... merely a "cheerleader memo," designed to be leaked to the press in order to soothe nervous investors."This gives Dell time -- time to see who the memo makes nervous, time to see who reaches out to him with ideas and tactics to actually help Michael deliver on his vision," said Richard Doherty, research director at The Envisioneering Group. "It is a shake-up-the-box approach to management, see who scurries and see who has good ideas."
Digg users show who's the boss in Web 2.0 world Macworld In short, that code is now everywhere. It’s quite possibly the most quickly spread piece of information to ever appear on the Internet. ...... the cat was not just out of the bag but well on its way to Mexico





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