Nice models from Asia

Download All - 200 Pics

White Long Dresses ... Lull

"Ru em áo dài tha thướt lạ
À ơi em ngủ anh thương quá!"

.. a little from Vietnam.

50 Famous Saying about Mathematics and How to learn

1. "There is no Royal Road to Geometry." - Euclid

2. "Mathematics is the Queen of the Sciences." - Carl Friedrich Gauss

3. "One machine can do the work of fifty men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man."

4. "If I have seen farther than other men, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." - Isaac Newton

5. "The length of your education is less important than its breadth, and the length of your life is less important than its depth." - Marilyn vos Savant

6. "The more you know, the less sure you are." - Voltaire

8. "Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare." - Descartes

9. "Mathematics is a more powerful instrument of knowledge than any other that has been bequeathed to us by human agency." - Descartes

10. "Cogito, Ergo Sum. I think, therefore I am." - Descartes

11. "The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest people of past centuries." - Descartes

12. "How you teach is more important than what you teach."

13. "Old math teachers never die, they just tend to infinity."

14. "Polar coordinates aren't just arctic fashions."

15. "A great memory does not make a mind, any more than a dictionary is a piece of literature."

DOWNLOAD FULL

Some basics about RAID

Download this:
RAID Basic

Top 5 Final Fantasy Music Videos!

If you've ever tried making a music video, you'll see how talent these people are for creating such great music videos!

Clip: FFX-FFX2

Song: Read My Mind

Artist: Jade SweetBox

Format: avi

Size: 75 MB

Author: Nikkimono

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6H6W57T2

Clip: FFX-FFX2

Song: Everytime we touch

Artist: Cascada

Format: avi

Size: 84.46 MB

Author: Nikkimono

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BU85S55W

Clip: FFX-FFX2

Song: The show must go on

Artist: Queen

Format: avi

Size: 84.52 MB

Author: Maggie

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AI9HLW9K

Clip: FFX-FFX2

Song: I'll be there

Artist: Gloria

Format: wmv

Size: 61.7 MB

Author: Yuna-Lenne

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=12OFDZ5O

Clip: FFX-FFX2

Song: Bring me to life

Artist: Evanescence

Format: avi

Size: 71.2 MB

Author: Nikkimono

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CA4NYJAI

Not enough money to buy Office? This's totally FREE!

OpenOffice.org 2.1.0 RC1

OpenOffice is a free, Open Source alternative to MS Office with a Word compatible word processor, a complete Excel compatible spread sheet program and a Power Point like presentation software and drawing program and also allows to save to PDF file.In addition, OpenOffice offers enhanced printing capabilities and options for direct connection with external email programs as well as form-letter management to send letters to addresses from a database.

Download

Breaking Dance Video

17.87Mb
3,17 мин
Video: Flash Video 1 400x300 [Video]
Audio: MPEG Audio Layer 3 22050Hz mono 64Kbps [Audio]

Download:
http://rapidshare.de/files/36301625/superbreakdancing.rar.html

pass if need: yoknall

(from Internet)

What kind of Vista correspond with your PC?

Some info about versions of Windows Vista
Prepare for your upgrade now!

See:
Vista Versions

Add A Picture To Your Header

Ever wanted to add some hip, now with it graphics to the top of your blog? Here's how to do it.First of all, you need a header image. Obviously, I used the one up at the top of this page. So, where to stick it? That's the trick. You create a draft in your posts, and save it.
When you save the story, not the HTML code for the pictures. You copy that code to stick in the Template. When you are editing the Template, you find this line in the code:

Then you replace this part of the code, and only that code, with the HTML for your picture:


by HackStansbury

New push for paid family leave in N.J.

By TOM HESTER Jr.

TRENTON, N.J.

Diane Blanco knows life can change quickly.

One Friday in October, the Saddle Brook woman was in a doctor's office with her ailing 16-year-old son, Guy. Three days later, Blanco was helping tend to the boy in an intensive care unit as he was treated for pulmonary hypertension caused by high blood pressure.

"It was something I didn't plan," said the 45-year-old software company administrator, who used all three weeks of her vacation time while caring for her son. "God forbid, if something else happens, I have nothing to take now."

New Jersey legislators have been trying for years to pass a bill that would offer money to people such as Blanco who need time off work to care for a sick family member or for a newborn. Called paid family leave, the measures have always failed amid heavy opposition from businesses who didn't want to pay for the program.

But a new plan by a Democratic senator to pay people for up to 12 weeks off work may be building momentum.

"It's a fairness issue for workers," said state Sen. Stephen Sweeney. "It's so important that if you have someone you need to care for that you can care for them."

Federal law has allowed workers in businesses with at least 50 employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave since 1993, but New Jersey would become only the second state to authorize paid family leave. California lets workers to take up to six weeks of paid leave.

"We all have families," Blanco said. "Things do happen, and sometimes things that you just don't plan for. In my case I was in the doctor's office on a Friday and I was in the hospital on Monday."

Under Sweeney's plan, workers who take leave from work would be paid through the state's temporary disability insurance fund, which allows people who miss time from work because of illness or injury to receive two-thirds of their weekly wages, up to $488 per week. People taking paid family leave would receive the same benefits.

The leave would be funded by a 0.1 percent charge against a worker's weekly wages. Legislative officials estimate that would cost most workers less than $1 per week.

Most New Jersey workers pay $129 per year in temporary disability insurance through their paychecks.

"It's 100 percent employee-paid," Sweeney said. "We think we've got it right. We really think this is something that could be a national model."

Sweeney holds sway as chairman of the Senate Labor Committee and plans to push the measure once the Legislature completes its work on lowering property taxes in the coming weeks. He said he's been working for three years to ease business concerns about the bill.

The legislation is supported by organized labor and groups that advocate for women, minorities, children and the poor. The groups formed the New Jersey Time to Care Coalition, which on Wednesday plans to unveil a poll measuring statewide support for paid family leave.

Eileen Appelbaum, professor and director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University, which doesn't endorse bills but supports family leave policies, said the center's research has found most people who need to take such a leave only need two weeks off.

"We want people to be able to fulfill their responsibilities for their employees and fulfill their responsibilities for their families," she said.

Gov. Jon Corzine's office said it is looking into the measure.

"The administration believes workers should have the support they need to balance work responsibilities with their families' needs, and we're reviewing Mr. Sweeney's legislation," Corzine spokesman Anthony Coley said.

But businesses remain concerned.

"At a time when New Jersey is trying to climb out of the economic basement, we don't need legislation like this that will push us back in a hole," said Jim Leonard, chief lobbyist for the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Though Sweeney's plan wouldn't require employers to pay for the leave, Leonard and John Rogers, a vice president with the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, said businesses worry they'll be charged if the disability fund falters.

Rogers said employers would also have to pay for temporary workers to fill vacant spots.

"To heap another one-size-fits-all mandate on New Jersey employers is not the way to go," Rogers said.

How to Nest Users and Groups for Permissions

Author: Derek Melber

In this article I will show you how to nest users and groups for permissions.

When you investigate groups within Active Directory, you will see that you have many to choose from. The type and scope of group that you choose to create will depend on how that group can be used and where it can be used within the enterprise. Knowing how the Active Directory groups are designed by Microsoft will help you develop a solid group strategy for assigning permissions. In addition to knowing how to design your groups, there are some pitfalls with user and group nesting that you want to avoid, as these pitfalls create a very insecure environment.


Group types and scope

Full Detail

Cats: Oh, my lovely pets ^^

I ate too much again!


Please don't disturb!


Kiss me momma!


Yodalling Angel


Long time no see you!


(from funnypets.com)

There's Not Enough "Me" In MySpace

Like many aspiring musicians looking to get attention, Derek Simmons has a page on MySpace.com (NWS ) and posts his music videos on YouTube (GOOG ). But lately the main online home for his part-time hip-hop passion is his own personal social-networking site. He created it using Ning, a service co-founded by former Netscape Communications Corp. whiz kid Marc Andreessen that gives people more control over the look of their site and the way they share photos, videos, and other material. "I can dress it up so it's my own," says Simmons, a 43-year-old state worker in Orange, N.J., whose Ning site has gotten 12,000 views since he put it up two weeks ago. "It's a-l-l-l-l me."

Move over, MySpace. Just as the big online social networks are branching out, trying to reach an audience broader than teens and Gen Y, a raft of upstarts hopes to reach these same prospects. To attract older or less tech-savvy folks, they're offering ever-more-targeted services that can be personalized to people's existing social groups and interests. "We're empowering anybody to create branded, personal social networks," says Ning Chief Executive Gina Bianchini.

FOLLOWING THE HERD It's the dawning of online social networking's cable-television era. Starting in the late 1970s, the spread of cable channels such as Home Box Office (TWX ), Nickelodeon (VIA ), and MTV started to slice and dice TV programming up into niches attractive to viewers and advertisers. Now there's a similar explosion of niche social-networking sites. They range from karaoke and photography communities on Multiply to canine sites on Dogster and community TV-style personal video sites and mothers' groups created using do-it-yourself services such as Ning and PeopleAggregator.

The big question is whether these sites, which depend largely on advertising for revenues, can overcome the awesome momentum of such leaders as News Corp.'s (NWS ) MySpace, with 130 million users and 8 million more each month, and Facebook, with 12 million people. If most of your friends are already flocking to those sites, you don't have much choice but to follow them if you want to participate.

The new services are aimed at time-starved people more interested in enriching existing relationships and interests than finding loads of new friends. Katherine Sukel belongs to MySpace because the U.S. military wives' group in Germany, where her husband is stationed, has a page. But, she adds, "I hate it. Nothing's private." So for everything else, such as sharing baby photos with friends and relatives, she has her own personal network page on Multiply.com, which she checks three or four times a day.

The incumbents aren't standing still, though. Facebook is branching out from its college roots to business and regional groups. "There is always the opportunity for niche markets," says Melanie Deitch, Facebook's director of marketing. "But people are savvy, and they're going to stick to those that are doing it well."

By Robert D. Hof

Stocks Smacked by Wal-Mart, Google

Major indexes sold off on weakness in both heavyweights' shares. Upcoming data on housing may hold the key to the market's next move
by Marc Hogan

Wall Street returned from the Thanksgiving weekend Monday to fresh worries about the holiday shopping season. Stocks finished broadly lower, as Wal-Mart's (WMT) disappointing November results raised questions about the strength of retail sales and a bearish Google (GOOG) report hampered technology stocks. Futures-related sell programs and ripple effects from the dollar's plunge against the yuan and the euro also weighed on the market, says Standard & Poor's Equity Research.

On Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 158.38 points, or 1.29%, to 12,121.79, for its steepest decline since July 13. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 19 points, or 1.36%, to 1,381.95. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite slid 54.34 points, or 2.21%, to 2,405.92, for its biggest loss since June 5.

NYSE breadth was negative, with 28 issues declining for every six advancing. Nasdaq breadth was 25-6 negative.

The market was undergoing a "good, old-fashioned correction," according to Joe Battipaglia, executive vice-president and chief investment officer for Ryan Beck. "I suspect that investors got ahead of themselves in the last several weeks in terms of their enthusiasm for stocks," Battipaglia says. "Whether it's anything broader or deeper than a one-day correction remains to be seen."

A busy week of economic reports could go a long way toward determining the extent of the reversal. On Tuesday, investors will receive data on existing home sales, consumer confidence, and durable good orders, while Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is set to speak.

Investors may look to the home sales numbers for clues on the depths of the housing slowdown. "The only questions insofar as the U.S. shakeout is concerned—and they are obviously quite important questions—pertain to the extent of the post-bubble downside in housing markets and the broader macro impacts of such a development," notes Stephen Roach, managing director and chief economist at Morgan Stanley.

Looking ahead, releases on new home sales, manufacturing activity, personal income, and auto sales could move the markets this week, as well. Also on tap are the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, Chicago PMI, and a revised reading on third-quarter economic growth.

Retailers were in focus Monday in the wake of the Thanksgiving holiday. Sales on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, were up 6% from last year to $8.96 billion, ShopperTrak announced. Roughly 140 million shoppers each spent an average of $360.15 over the weekend, up 18.9% from $302.81 last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Nevertheless, Wal-Mart was lower after the retail giant said November same-store sales fell 0.1%, the worst performance in more than a decade.

Wal-Mart's lackluster sales numbers could suggest a weak holiday retail season, some analysts say. "This should be a splash of cold water for the Pollyannas among us," says David Rosenberg, North American economist at Merrill Lynch, in a research report.

Shares of Internet search company Google dipped back below the $500 mark following a Barron's report suggesting investors have ignored the stock's "exceedingly" rich valuation and slowing growth rate.

Meanwhile, Ford (F) was lower amid news the automaker plans to obtain financing totaling about $18 billion in order to address negative operating-related cash flow in the near- and medium-term and help fund its restructuring.

On the analyst front, Lowe's (LOW) was higher after Bank of America raised its rating on the stock from neutral to buy. The broker also lifted its price target on home-improvement retailer Home Depot (HD), also rated a buy.

Elsewhere, business-outsourcing provider Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) said CEO Mark King and Chief Financial Officer Warren Edwards resigned after an internal investigation into stock-options practices found both violated the company code of ethics.

In the energy markets, January West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $1.08 to $60.32 a barrel following reports Saudi Arabia's oil minister said his country may support a second cut in OPEC's output this year to prop up prices.

European markets finished sharply lower, as the dollar's decline raised fanned worries about lower export profits. In London, the FTSE-100 index fell 72 points, or 1.18%, to 6,050.1. Germany's DAX index skidded 113.79 points, or 1.77%, to 6,318.11. In Paris, the CAC 40 index dropped 80.81 points, or 1.5%, to 5,308.65.

Asian markets ended mixed amid M&A activity. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index rebounded 150.78 points, or 0.96%, to 15,885.38. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index shed 56.29 points, or 0.29%, to 19,204.01. Korea's Kospi index advanced 3.4 points, or 0.24%, to 1,425.13.

Treasury Market

Treasury prices drifted higher, recovering from opening declines as stocks fell. The 10-year note rose in price to 100-23/32 for a yield of 4.53%, while the 30-year bond rose to 98-04/32 for a yield of 4.62%.

Hogan is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com in New York.

Tory Johnson's Work-From-Home Tips: Don't Get Scammed

Make It a Power November -- Tory Johnson Has a Job Opportunity Every Day
By TORY JOHNSON

Watch Video

More than 11,000 people are now making money at home because of opportunities they've learned about on "Good Morning America" and our online series. They're setting their own hours and working at their own pace, which is one big way they're taking control of their lives.

The message in your e-mails is loud and clear: Whether you're looking to contribute to your family's finances or earn some cash to cover holiday expenses, you want more ways to make money at home.

The most common question we're asked is how to find legitimate home-based opportunities. There are several great ways to find full-time and freelance openings, but sometimes the best way to land a home-based job is by calling someone you'd like to work for and offering your services on either a full-time or freelance basis.

Don't limit yourself solely to responding to advertised openings. Sometimes you have to create the opportunity for yourself by initiating the contact on your own.

Every day this November, I'll have a new lead on home-based work opportunities. We have a range of fields and resources below to help guide you in discovering the options that exist. But only you can decide if an opportunity is right for you.

Check back often since we post something new each day.

Nov. 27: Don't Get Scammed

While we're focused on making money, it's also important to note how to avoid losing it, too.

I responded to ads to stuff envelopes that boasted the ability to earn up to $1,500 a week with little effort. Though I was highly skeptical, I bought a dozen different starter kits for $20 to $50 each, figuring one might work.

Each instructed me to mail flyers aimed at recruiting other people to stuff envelopes. I wasn't promoting a product or service; I was just told to get other people to stuff envelopes with the same offer. If they purchased the same kit, I'd receive a commission.

I'm pretty resourceful, yet I couldn't get this to pan out. I didn't get a single cent. Recruiting people to stuff envelopes is the oldest work-from-home gimmick that fools people every day. Don't be one of them.

That isn't to say that all home-based opportunities that request money upfront are rip-offs. Many legitimate direct-sales companies and others that help you start your own business require a start-up fee to cover the cost of training manuals and supplies to get you going.

Before mailing a check or submitting a credit card payment, talk to a live person about the requirements and the realistic earning potential. Also ask about obstacles and challenges, too.

If you wanted to become a consultant with Mary Kay or Avon, you'd have no trouble finding people willing to talk — not just e-mail you — about how to get started. The same access to information and people should be your standard for any home-based work you consider.

In the end, only you can decide whether an opportunity is right for you. Do your own due diligence. I wouldn't be willing to pay money in hopes of making money unless I could talk to someone about all of my questions and concerns.

Nov. 26: Channel Your Inner Judge Judy

Full detail

Students Dropping Out of High School Reaches Epidemic Levels

In Some Cities, Half of All Students Quitting School
By PIERRE THOMAS and JACK DATE

Nov. 20, 2006 — In several of the largest school systems across the country — from Baltimore to Cleveland to Atlanta and Oakland, Calif. — half of the students are dropping out.

And the problem is not only in the big cities.

Watch the second part of Pierre Thomas' report Tuesday on "World News with Charles Gibson."

A recent study by the Department of Education found that 31 percent of American students were dropping out or failing to graduate in the nation's largest 100 public school districts.

The implications from dropping out of high school are enormous, including a higher risk of poverty and even an abbreviated life span.

So why do they drop out? Eli Thomasson, 16, of Georgia, explains why he wanted to drop out of school earlier this year.

"I was just tired of school, you know. I didn't like it. I had made my mind up that I wasn't going to school anymore," Thomasson said.

His mother, Donna Thomasson, was frantic.

"Terrified," she said. "I thought his life was over. I didn't really see how I could force him to go because you can't force them to learn if they don't want to."

And Eli Thomasson wasn't the only student at his high school to consider walking away without a diploma.

Berrien High in southern Georgia is part of a national epidemic. More than 40 percent of students there do not graduate.

Sheila Hendley, Berrien High's graduation coach, has the daunting job of trying to stop this epidemic.

"I have sat with students and literally begged, 'Please don't do this,'" Hendley said. "I don't want you to have to suffer like I know you will if you don't finish school."

And in the case of Eli Thomasson, it worked. She stayed on his case and persuaded him to stay in school.

"He said, 'You know, mom. She probably just saved my life,'" Donna Thomasson said.

It is estimated that about 2,500 students drop out of U.S. high schools every day.

"It's like seeing a child in the middle of the lake that can't swim, and you see them bobbing up and down. It's like watching them drown," Hendley said.

At Berrien High, the faculty is fighting to save students who are at risk of becoming a part of that troubling statistic. "It's a real fight. Every day you talk to someone who needs to be motivated," said Berrien High School Principal Mike Parker.

(Read More...)

Gallery Art: COOL-ICE Works

5 ways Internet Explorer 7 helps you get more done

Internet Explorer 7 makes surfing the Net easier and more secure.
Published: May 9, 2006
By S. E. Slack, author and technology expert

"I used Internet Explorer 6.0 (IE6) all day long, every day. I had arranged all the settings how I liked them, and I don't like change. I'm the kind of girl that just wants technology to work when I need it; I'm not into installing all the latest gadgets and upgrades so I can one-up my friends. So when I heard there was a new version of Internet Explorer on the way, my first reaction was, "I don't need that."
Then I tried Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). It's cool to look at, simple to use, and helps takes away some of the security issues I'm always worried about. You can, and I suggest you do, download and install Internet Explorer 7, too. Here are the top five new features that you will appreciate from a productivity standpoint."

All Details

Guide to Install ISA Server 2006 Step by Step

Microsoft published new verion of this great firewall. If you're using or not, but wanna try it? Follow this link:

http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/configtraining.swf

Microsoft hoping for business upgrades

By BRIAN BERGSTEIN
REDMOND, Wash.

Bill Hartnett got accustomed to the screaming. As Microsoft Corp.'s manager of software sales to financial services companies, Hartnett used to get pelted with complaints about the security and reliability of Microsoft's products.

Hartnett speaks openly about those dark days because he's sure they're well past. He and his colleagues contend the company is about to give businesses compelling reasons to not just tolerate Microsoft, but to be thrilled with it.

The occasion is the launch of crucial upgrades to Microsoft's most widely used and most profitable products. All at once, Microsoft is releasing a new Windows operating system, known as Vista; an update of the Office "productivity" package, which includes Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint; and server software that handles behind-the-scenes functions.

The products will begin to be available for business users Nov. 30, with a consumer release of Windows and Office on Jan. 30.

Even in a less competitive world, the enormity of the launch would make this a crucial time for Microsoft. Vista has been delayed so long that it has been five years since the last overhaul of the operating system, which runs 90 percent of the world's personal computers. Office last got refreshed in 2003.

But the stakes are particularly high now. Savvy competitors using the Internet are challenging Microsoft's status as computing's vital plumbing provider. Meanwhile, Microsoft is spending some of the vast fortune it has amassed in desktop software to branch out with expensive splashes in video games and music players.

In other words, this is no time for Microsoft to deliver a dud in the core of its franchise. Next Thursday's corporate launch of Vista, Office and server software is being called "A New Day For Business," meaning Microsoft's customers, but the phrase applies in Redmond just as well.

Microsoft executives claim that computer users who upgrade to Vista or Office, but especially both together, will be dazzled by how much more productive they can become. The company spent years studying how people use its most popular programs and retooled the user interface accordingly, trying to make it easier to find and use features.

It also worked to make its software sturdier than ever -- less prone to crashes and less vulnerable to hackers. Because of that and new tools aimed at pleasing corporate technology staffs, Microsoft estimates the labor costs of supporting a machine running Vista will be $507 per PC a year, down from $542 with Windows XP.

Despite the improvements, many analysts don't expect corporate technology buyers to rush to buy PCs with Vista or Office 2007 upgrades. Surveys have found that fewer than half plan to adopt Vista in its first year of release.

That's largely because switching can be a complicated, costly process. Many organizations only recently upgraded to Office 2003.

And while Vista and Office may look better, a lot of the features are likely to be seen as nice-to-haves rather than must-haves.

"If you look at Vista, you say, `What's the killer app?'" said Forrester Research analyst Ted Schadler. "Somebody else will build a killer app on it, but until you get a killer app, you don't see the power of the platform."

His Forrester colleague Kyle McNabb, who tracks business computing, believes the most powerful new item from Microsoft won't be something PC users can see. It's Microsoft's server software -- particularly the Sharepoint document-management service -- that McNabb believes has been best reshaped.

This is no small matter. Together, Sharepoint, the Exchange e-mail offering and Office software rang up $14.5 billion of Redmond's $44.3 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year, which ended June 30. That exceeded Windows sales of $13.2 billion.

These segments are so profitable -- that combined $27.7 billion from business software and Windows sales produced $19.9 billion in operating income -- that they all but float the company, letting Microsoft's entertainment and online divisions lose money.

Still, competitors have made important inroads -- one reason that Microsoft stock remains cheaper today than when Windows XP launched in 2001.

Open-source offerings such as Zimbra, an e-mail service that competes with Microsoft Exchange, have grabbed customers with lower sales prices and a more flexible delivery method. Zimbra founder Satish Dharmaraj thinks the Office 2007 launch is a great opportunity for his company, since it forces companies to think about what to do with their e-mail systems.

Other rivals, including
Google Inc., are increasingly hosting Office-like applications over the Web for free, supported by ads. For now, that threat to Microsoft is somewhat muted, since most businesses probably would rather pay for software than let their workers be distracted by ads all day. Even so, Microsoft has been racing to develop ways to deliver its software over the Web as well.

And it's not just a bunch of gnats targeting Microsoft. IBM Corp. sells a range of productivity applications and Web services. Database leader Oracle Corp. has been maneuvering closer to Microsoft's territory by pledging to support open-source products.

Proof that Microsoft is watching closely came in the recent $400 million cooperation pact it signed with Linux vendor Novell Inc., a deal aimed at strengthening Microsoft's hand against other open-source players. Even after the agreement was signed, however, Microsoft and Novell were squabbling over its details.

Microsoft's best chance of continued riches from the business sector likely lies in its products' ubiquity. Just about every PC user is familiar with Microsoft programs. That tends to make it safe for many companies, and a risk to use something else.

Of course, that ubiquity is also a hazard for Microsoft. Its software is the ripest possible target malicious hackers could exploit, so they do. And being everywhere often ties Microsoft's hands. Microsoft considered more radical changes to Vista, for example, but feared whether users and third-party software developers would be able to adapt.

This landscape means that "Microsoft's always going to be a half-step to a full step behind" many of its rivals, said McNabb at Forrester. But at the same time, he added, "they don't have to be the innovation leader."

------

On the Net:

Soul of a new Microsoft: DOWNLOAD


Vista: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista

Office: http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview

Wal-Mart's holiday opening disappoints

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
NEW YORK

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had a disappointing start to the holiday shopping season, despite an aggressive discount campaign. It now expects to report November same-store sales below its already lackluster forecast.

The world's largest retailer said Saturday that it expects to report a 0.1 percent decline in November sales in stores opened at least a year, slightly below its projections for flat sales for the month, compared to the year-ago period. The results cover the four-week period through Friday, the first day of the holiday shopping season.

Wal-Mart and other major retailers are expected to report final same-store results for November on Thursday.

Wal-Mart's disappointing performance in November is the latest in a string of anemic sales gains for the discount store, which is struggling to expand its appeal to higher-income shoppers. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, Wal-Mart has averaged a meager 2.4 percent gain in same-store sales for the February-October period. That compares with a same-store sales 4.8 percent gain for discount rival Target Corp.

Wal-Mart, which had downplayed its emphasis on discounting, or what it calls rollbacks, stepped up its campaign in mid-October, with price reductions on over 100 toys. The move was followed by price cuts on consumer electronics and small appliances earlier this month. The bargains like Panasonic 42-inch HD plasma TVs, slashed to $1,294 from $1,794, were usually reserved for the day after Thanksgiving.

Goodwill for Kids—and Good Business

Toy makers and retailers are partnering with charities and consumers to give until it helps—and maybe goose sales
by Bremen Leak

As consumers gear up for their holiday shopping, toy makers and distributors across the country have already been hard at work. Starting earlier than in previous years, they're not only looking to juice sales, they're also looking to boost the profile of their giving campaigns for a very deserving demographic: children.

Toys "R" Us, for example, kicked off its Million Dollar Toy Drive in October—a month earlier than it did last year. Executives at the company say its goal is to raise $4 million in toys and cash for the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation, a Virginia-based nonprofit that distributes gifts to children in need.

In years past, the toy retailer collected cash donations at the register and gifts in its in-store collection boxes. Now, customers can give online or in any store, including for the first time this year, at all 240 Babies "R" Us stores."

Record Donations
Early results are promising. As of Nov. 22—two days before Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season—the foundation had seen record monthly donations on its Web site and hit early collection goals in stores such as KB Toys, FAO Schwarz, and Best Buy (BBY). Bill Grein, vice-president for marketing and development at Marines Toys for Tots, says both types of donations are important: "Cash gives us the ability to buy the toys we need, as opposed to what people think we need. People don't tend to buy for older children." Last year, Toys for Tots provided 18 million toys for more than 7 million needy children. That's a little more than half the nation's impoverished children, according to U.S. Census data.

In an effort to reach more of them, this year Toys "R" Us made Toys for Tots its signature charity program, forming the largest retail partnership in the nonprofit's 60-year history. Toys "R" Us Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jerry Storch says the company has established an "educational platform" to help teach kids about giving.

"We want to emphasize the value of giving and not just receiving," he says. Toys "R" Us even published a book called The ABCs of Giving, which parents can download from the Web or pick up in stores. Recently, actress Brooke Shields read the book to children at the chain's flagship store in New York's Times Square.

It may not be a coincidence that Toys "R" Us's push comes at a time when traditional toy stores have taken a back seat to retailing giants such as Wal-Mart (WMT) and Target (TGT) in toy sales. Storch admits there is business value in such an approach, but of course, "the primary focus is to give back to children." After all, Toys "R" Us caters to a customer base that is very cognizant of the needs of children. "Every company can't support every cause," Storch says. "We pick areas where we have brand resonance and believe we can absolutely make a difference."

Big-Box Cares, Too
That's not to say that the big-box retailers aren't trying to do their bit. On Nov. 21, Target ran a well-publicized event in which magician David Blaine was shackled to a three-ring gyroscope and hoisted by crane 50 feet above Times Square. His mission: to escape in time for the post-Thanksgiving Day sales, during which he is to escort 100 deserving children on a Target shopping spree.

Wal-Mart is focusing its holiday giving campaign this year on military families, delivering a half-million dollars worth of toys and gifts to families in Virginia, Illinois, and the Gulf Coast states. A company spokeswoman said the store has not implemented a nationwide toy drive but continues to partner with the Salvation Army (who last year collected one-fourth of its donations in front of Wal-Mart stores). As long as Wal-Mart sticks to the Red Kettles, other toy retailers may provide the main thrust for Toys for Tots and some other children's charities this holiday season.

Even toy makers are giving big bucks to charity this year and formalizing their donation strategies. Hasbro (HAS), a family-run toy manufacturer in Providence, R.I., has committed to giving $6 million in toys to children's charities this holiday season, including Toys for Tots and Walking Shield, an organization that provides toys for children on the poorest Native American reservations. Hasbro recently launched the Hasbro Children's Fund, a three-year, $18 million commitment to 10 nonprofit organizations that help children at home and abroad. Says Hasbro President and CEO Al Verrecchia: "Writing the check is the easy part. Making an impact is a different thing."

Charitable Partnerships
And like Hasbro, California toy maker Mattel (MAT) is leveraging its gift-giving this year through effective partnerships. As early as October, it began hosting fundraisers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles with the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Mattel executive Joe Cristina, that has raised more than $23 million since 1993. Early last year, the Mattel Children's Foundation, which first launched 20 years ago, was relaunched in order to tackle problems that barely existed two decades ago. "Mattel has become an anchor for us," says Cristina.

The collective goodwill among toy makers, retailers, children's charities, and shoppers is enough to make you want to foray into the holiday mall crowds. Says Ernie Speranza, chief marketing officer of KB Toys: "We're hoping to break records this year." From the looks of things, it's one holiday wish that just might come true.

Leak is a reporter for BusinessWeek in New York.