Useful Things

Flock, new browser that had integrated blog editor

2008-03-13T20:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I tried install Flock, one browser just that was built from Mozilla Firefox codebase. It's look similar with mozilla. And that made me be interested evidently inside flock has been blog the editor although tools him only the standard, so increasingly facilitated in posting to blog.

Flock was integrated with various sorts blog, news aggregaton, social networking site. When login to site a kind blog, youtobue, etc, flock will remember our account. When our friend upload the photograph or publish something, flock will make the notification. This browser claim facilitated us in sharing the media through drag and drop, facilitated upload the photograph and the integrated blog editor, so it's easy to post from anywhere.

Social networking site that was supported to be around 15 among them Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flick, Blogger, etc..

Flock could be downloaded from Here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

PCMAV 1,0 RELEASE Finals

2008-02-20T01:42:00.000-08:00

After old in the RC version finally PC Media issued PC MAV 1,0 Release finals on February 18 2008. In the version 1,0 finals, PCMAV could know 1,615 viruses as well as his variant, that it was reported often spread the area in Indonesia. Along with this description that in could from readme file.

WHAT's NEW?

Added, database the connoisseur and the cleaner 102 local viruses/foreign/the new variant that was reported spread in Indonesia. Totally 1,615 viruses as well as his variant that often circulated in Indonesia were known in 1,0 this by engine internal PCMAV.
Improvisation, RTP Final currently has the shape of Windows service that could walk in the level process. This will produce RTP that was very stable compared to RTP Beta beforehand that walked in the level of the application.
Improvisation, after being tested since RC20, then PCMAV currently could use engine ClamAV the series 0.9x replaced the series 0.8x. With the series 0.9x this, almost 200,000 viruses could be detected. See information in the use part engine ClamAV below.
Improvisation, after since long before fitur this was used for the internal interests (undocumented), then currently the use of the parameter fitur that was useful officially was opened. Some fitur that was competent enough to be returned registry and settingan "Tools Folder Options" to default Windows after being damaged by the virus. Saw use information of the parameter part that was useful below.
Improved, the mistake on the routine inisialisasi VDB that could cause VDB to be able to not be read if being used simultaneously by Cleaner and RealTime Protector.
Optimation, scan engine especially for the inspection of file autorun.inf that normally is used by the virus to be able to be active.
Renewed, the change in several names of the virus followed the new variant that was found. The improvement some minor bug and internal code improvisation to confirm that PCMAV Cleaner & PCMAV RealTime Protector more than only an antivirus normally.

Download:

1. Download PC MAV 1,0 of + Update + LibClamAV in Gilaupload
2. Download ClamAV Main.cvd
3. Downlaod Clam AV Daily.cvd

Toshiba may end its HD DVD video business

2008-02-18T18:56:00.001-08:00

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Sony's Blu-ray technology is emerging as the likely winner in the format battle for the next generation of DVD players after Toshiba appeared ready to ditch its HD DVD business.

People watch a demonstration of HD DVD at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Such a move would help consumers know which system to invest in and would likely boost sales in Blu-ray gadgets, analysts say. But it will disappoint the 1 million people around the world estimated by Toshiba who have already bought HD DVD players. Toshiba said Monday no decision has been made but acknowledged it had started a review of its HD DVD strategy. The comments follow a flurry of weekend Japanese media reports that the company was close to pulling the plug on the business.

A company official, speaking on condition of anonymity because she isn't authorized to speak on the matter, said a board meeting could be held as soon as Tuesday, where a decision is likely.

HD DVD has been competing against Blu-ray disc technology, backed by Sony, Matsushita, which makes Panasonic brand products, five major Hollywood movie studios and others.

Both formats deliver crisp, clear high-definition pictures and sound, but they are incompatible with each other, and neither plays on older DVD players. HD DVD was touted as being cheaper because it was more similar to previous video technology, while Blu-ray boasted bigger recording capacity. Both formats play on high-definition TVs.

Only one video format has been expected to emerge as the victor, much like VHS trumped Sony's Betamax in the video format battle of the 1980s.

This time, however, it appears Sony will end up on the winning side.

"If true, this will be good news for the next-generation DVD industry in clearing up the confusion for consumers because of the format competition that had curbed buying," said Koya Tabata, electronics analyst at Credit Suisse in Tokyo. "This will work toward a profit boost for Sony."

The reasons behind Blu-ray's apparent triumph over HD DVD are complex, analysts said, as marketing, management maneuvers and other factors are believed to have played into the shift to Blu-ray's favor that became more decisive during the critical holiday shopping season.

Recently, the Blu-ray disc format has been gaining market share, especially in Japan. A study on fourth quarter sales last year by market researcher BCN Inc. found that by unit volume, Blu-ray made up 96 percent of Japanese sales.

American movie studios also were increasingly lining up behind the Blu-ray standard.

Last month, Warner Brothers Entertainment decided to release movie discs only in the Blu-ray format, joining Sony Pictures, Walt Disney and News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox. That left only Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and General Electric Co.'s Universal Pictures as exclusive supporters of HD DVD.

On Friday, Wal-Mart, the largest U.S. retailer, said it will sell only Blu-ray DVDs and hardware. That announcement came five days after Netflix Inc. said it will cease carrying rentals in HD DVD.

Several major American retailers have made similar decisions, including Target Corp. and Blockbuster Inc.

Despite the reports, Toshiba's stock soared 5.7 percent to 829 yen ($7.69) in Tokyo as investors cheered the likely decision as lessening the potential damage in losses in the HD DVD operations, despite the blow to Toshiba's prestige.

Sony shares rose 1.0 percent to 4,900 yen ($45.45). The Tokyo-based manufacturer declined comment on the reports about HD DVD. Sony also said it did not have numbers on how many Blu-ray players had been sold globally, or a number for Sony brand Blu-ray machines sold.

Adding to Blu-ray's momentum was the gradual increase in sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 home video-game console, which also works as a Blu-ray player. Sony has sold 10.5 million PS3 machines worldwide since the machine went on sale late 2006.

But PS3 sales have trailed the blockbuster Wii machine from Nintendo, and the game machine wasn't widely seen as that critical to the video format battle.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 game machine can play HD DVD movies, but the drive had to be bought separately, and its proliferation is believed to be limited. Toshiba said such players are included in the overall tally of 1 million HD DVD players sold so far.

Kazuharu Miura, an analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research in Tokyo, said the final holdout for HD DVD may come in personal computers, if Microsoft decides to continue to push HD DVD. But once the balance tilts in favor of one format, then the domination tends to become final, he said.

"You've seen this happen before, as in Macintosh vs. Windows," he said. "The content makers are going to choose one format, and the stores are going to want to stack their shelves with the dominant format, too."

Toshiba is expected to focus its resources on its other businesses, including computer chip production, such as flash-memory, which are used in digital cameras and cell phones.

The Nikkei, Japan's top business newspaper, reported in its Monday's editions that Toshiba plans to invest as much as 1.8 trillion yen ($16.7 billion) in two plants in Japan for its flash memory business for fiscal 2008, starting April 1. Toshiba said no decision has been made.

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Kosovo celebrates amid Serb protests

2008-02-18T18:48:00.001-08:00

PRISTINA, Kosovo (CNN) -- Fireworks lit the skies and crowds filled the streets of Kosovo's capital Sunday after the territory's parliament declared independence from Serbia, a move backed by many Western governments, but which Serbia and Russia bitterly oppose.

"The day has come," Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, a former separatist guerrilla leader, told his parliament. "From this day onwards, Kosovo is proud, independent and free."

The province has been under U.N. administration and patrolled by NATO troops since a 1999 bombing campaign that halted a Serb-led campaign against Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.

Thousands of people swarmed Pristina's streets ahead of Sunday's parliamentary declaration, singing, dancing and holding signs in freezing wind after the vote was announced. But Serbs consider the territory the cradle of their civilization, and protesters clashed with police outside the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade as the declaration was issued.

Serbia said it will not oppose independence with violence, but Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said his country will never accept the establishment of a "false country" on its territory.

"Anything and everything that we couldn't achieve today will be obtained by new generations of Serbian people in the future," Kostunica said Sunday in a televised address. "Citizens of Serbia, we have to come together and show the whole world that we do not acknowledge the creation of a false state in our territory. The violence that has been perpetrated upon Serbia is very obvious."

About 100,000 Serbs still live in Kosovo, making up about 5 percent of the population, and Kostunica said Serbs have been killed or lost their land in the eight-plus years the country has been under international rule. But Fatmir Sejdiu, the nascent republic's president, pledged to create a nation "where all citizens of all ethnicities feel appreciated."

"Today is probably a day of trepidation for some of you, but your property and your rights will be respected in the future," he said.

Former U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark, who led the NATO alliance during the 1999 conflict, said "There was no way beyond moving to this step." But he urged the international community to work with Serbia to keep the country moving toward integration with Europe and "to help them understand their situation."

"I'm very sad that the Serbs are unable to understand what's happened," Clark told CNN. "But the magnitude of Serb repression of the Albanian majority there and the violence that accompanied the ethnic cleansing in 1998 and 1999 was just so overwhelming that I think the Serb people have to understand that the Albanians themselves have to have this separation."

Thaci said Kosovo's declaration of independence "marks the end of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia," which triggered years of bloodshed across the Balkans.

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic launched a crackdown against ethnic Albanian insurgents led by Thaci in 1998 and refused to yield to Western pressure to halt the campaign. When NATO responded by launching airstrikes against Serbia and Montenegro, the last remaining Yugoslav republics, Yugoslav troops drove hundreds of thousands of Kosovars out of the region and killed thousands more.

Milosevic died in 2005 while awaiting trial for war crimes before a U.N. tribunal in The Hague.

The United States and leading European nations, including France, Britain and Germany, have supported Kosovo's move toward independence. But Russia, the Serbs' historical ally, has opposed independence, fearing it would incite other separatist movements in its backyard.

The U.N. Security Council held emergency talks on the issue Sunday afternoon at Russia's request. Moscow's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, told reporters that the declaration violates the U.N. resolution that placed Kosovo under international administration at the end of the conflict.

"Our position is that this declaration should be disregarded by the international community," as well as by the head of the U.N. mission in Kosovo, Churkin said. He said the council would meet again Monday, with Serbian President Boris Tadic expected to address the session.

But no country supported the Russian call for the U.N. to declare Sunday's declaration "null and void," said Sir John Sawers, the British ambassador to the world body.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all parties "to refrain from any actions or statements that could endanger peace, incite violence or jeopardize security in Kosovo and the region."

The European Union decided Saturday to launch a mission of about 2,000 police and judicial officers to replace the U.N. mission that has controlled the province since 1999. And U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States had "noted" that Kosovo had declared its independence and was reviewing the issue.

Earlier Sunday, President Bush said Kosovo's status must be resolved before the Balkans can become stable.

"We are heartened by the fact that the Kosovo government has clearly proclaimed its willingness and its desire to support Serbian rights in Kosovo," Bush told reporters in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

The United States and many of its European allies support a plan negotiated by former Finnish President Maarti Ahtisaari that would give Kosovo limited statehood under international supervision.

But Russia, which has fought two wars against separatist rebels in its southwestern republic of Chechnya, said U.S. and European support for Kosovo's independence could lead to an "uncontrollable crisis" in the Balkans.

In a statement, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged "everybody to act calmly and in a responsible way. I am convinced that the Kosovar leaders will be up to their responsibilities in this crucial moment." Solana said EU foreign ministers would meet Monday to consider the issue.

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EBay's PayPal funds freeze plan draws fire

2008-02-16T10:52:00.001-08:00

EBay's new policy of holding PayPal funds on "high-risk" transactions for up to 21 days has business owners spooked.

(FORTUNE Small Business) -- Editor's note: This story was originally published Feb. 8 and is being updated to add links to follow-up stories.

In the uproar that erupted over the planned fee hikes and other policy changes eBay announced last week, one drew particular ire and incredulity: eBay's plan to hold payments sent through its PayPal payment service for up to 21 days in certain circumstances.

The freeze will apply to transactions eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500) considers high-risk, and is intended to protect buyers from the hazards of a bad transaction. By hanging on to funds, eBay can easily refund them if a seller doesn't ship a purchased item or sends damaged goods.

What is sparking reactions ranging from annoyance to panic among some of eBay's sellers is the company's criteria for determining what transactions fall into the "high-risk" category. Factors beyond sellers' control, including the number of "feedback" comments they have from previous buyers and how many of those comments are positive, can trigger the freeze.

"It's like a bad dream, really," said Dana White, an eBay seller who lives outside Ocean City, Md., and deals in used clothing, shoes and accessories. "I'm a small seller. All I need is two negatives in a 30-day period, and they will hold funds."

5 PayPal alternatives

Representatives from PayPal, which eBay acquired in 2002, declined to comment on how the new policy would affect individual cases, but noted that the changes are paired with increased protections for merchants who use the service.

If Paypal deems a transaction fraudulent, it currently covers merchants for up to $5,000 per year. That cap will be lifted for eBay's PowerSellers, the site's highest-volume merchants, who will now receive unlimited coverage. PayPal will also offer PowerSellers protection on items sent to any address (not just confirmed addresses, the current policy) and expand its merchant coverage for international sales.

PayPal estimates that its new hold policy will affect less than 5% of eBay transactions, and it emphasizes that only relatively untested sellers risk incurring a freeze. Merchants who have been registered with eBay for more than six months, have a feedback score of 100 or higher (meaning they've received positive comments for at least that many transactions), and have a "dissatisfied buyer" rate of less than 5% will never have their funds held.

But on a site that hosts an estimated 113 million listings worldwide at any given time, a policy affecting as many as 5% of those transactions puts millions in jeopardy. If funds are frozen after a sale, PayPal will release them after the buyer leaves positive feedback, three days after the item's confirmed delivery, or at the end of 21 days without a dispute, whichever happens first.

Paypal says the factors that will play into its formula for triggering a hold include the length of time a seller has been on eBay, the seller's feedback rating, and the final cost and shipping fees for the item.

Because PayPal has sole discretion over whether to freeze funds, sellers are upset about a perceived lack of accountability. They're also grouchy about eBay's efforts to force buyers to rely on PayPal: in some categories and for all new sellers, eBay requires vendors to offer PayPal as an option or have their own merchant credit card account. The site has blocked rival payment systems such as Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) Checkout, saying they are not yet proven safe.

A new lending option: Virgin Money

"The feeling among my forum members is that this new [21-day hold] policy is beneficial for buyers but negatively affects sellers," said Bob Lee, who runs PowerSellersUnite, a popular outlet for entrepreneurs who run businesses on eBay. "A seller is at risk of being taken advantage of by the buyer. Not having access to revenue and having to wait for a buyer to leave positive feedback leaves sellers in the lurch. PayPal and eBay are not allowing sellers to play on a level field."

The new policy has some questioning its legitimacy: Can PayPal legally freeze funds at will for up to three weeks?

The answer is yes. While PayPal offers interest-bearing accounts, debit cards, and other trappings traditionally associated with banks, it legally isn't one.

PayPal is classified as a "deposit broker," according to David Barr, a spokesman for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). A deposit broker can perform some of the same functions that bank might, but it ultimately depends on banks to hold its money. Other examples of deposit brokers include companies like Charles Schwab (SCHW, Fortune 500), the discount brokerage house.

Buyer and seller money passes through PayPal - "a conduit, so to speak," Barr said - and is then deposited in a traditional bank. That means money parked with PayPal can be eligible for so-called "pass-through" insurance by the FDIC. However, that protection doesn't apply to funds held in a PayPal money market account, which are not FDIC-insured. (Coincidentally, PayPal money-market holders were recently issued incorrectly low January dividends, but that mistake stemmed from a third-party glitch and is now being corrected, according to a PayPal representative.)

While PayPal's operations lie outside of U.S. federal banking regulations, states can individually decide to regulate the company - and in the past some have made overtures in that direction. In 2002, Louisiana banking officials asked the company to cease offering its services to the state's residents until it received a money transmitter's license. PayPal did, and hasn't faced any significant state-level action since. A spokeswoman for the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions confirmed this week that PayPal is a registered money transmitter with the state.

Some sellers have talked of challenging PayPal money freezes in courts, something that's been done before. In 2002, PayPal users in California sued, arguing that PayPal violated the state's consumer-protection laws by locking accounts containing money involved in a fraud investigation. (PayPal froze all cash in affected accounts, not just the money involved in the investigation.) However, the case did not result in any determination of liability: PayPal paid a $9.5 million settlement to end the case in 2004.

PayPal spokeswoman Amanda Pires said the issues at stake in the California case were "totally unrelated" to those being raised in relation to the new 21-day hold provision.

"Obviously, it's legal. We wouldn't do it if it wasn't," Pires said of the provision, noting that the right to temporarily hold funds is reserved in PayPal's user agreement.

PowerSellersUnite's Lee conceded that point: "Everyone who joins PayPal agrees to their terms. Unless a court finds PayPal subject to the same regulations as a bank, it would be a hard case to make."

PayPal's Pires says the changes will increase buyer confidence and generate more sales for eBay's merchants. Some eBay entrepreneurs agree with that assessment.

Jon and Stacie Sefton are the owners of B & H Factory Outlet, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, designer-clothing retailer that sells exclusively on eBay. What began as a home business five years ago now has 70 employees and is eBay's largest clothing merchant. The Seftons are in favor of PayPal's new policies, and believe the changes will achieve PayPal's aim of boosting protections for both buyers and sellers.

Unlimited partnership: Couples in business

B&H does 20% of its business internationally, so PayPal's expanded global protections will directly benefit the company's bottom line, as will its move to expand PowerSeller protections for shipments to any address, not just confirmed ones. Overall, Paypal's effort to weed out unreliable sellers helps everyone who does business through its marketplace, Jon Sefton said.

Also backing the changes is Jonathan Garriss, CEO of eBay shoe store Gotham City Online and executive director of the eBay Professional Sellers Alliance, an influential outside lobbying group.

"That is a big deal because now eBay and PayPal are getting involved in the transaction to make sure buyers get what they are expecting," Garriss said.

His group has long been frustrated by the hands-off, "buyer beware" stance eBay's management has traditionally had about its marketplace: "Imagine if that was the case at the local mall," Garriss said. "That's no way to shop."

But eBay's PayPal changes have already cost the company Suzy Lancaster, a 52-year-old seller from Wichita Falls, Tex., who has been selling on eBay for more than a decade - or, as she puts it, since "back when [eBay founder] Pierre Omidyar started it as Auction Web and ads looked more like e-mail." Lancaster remembers the days when bidders sent cash to sellers through the mail to pay for their purchases.

After last week's announcement of eBay's upcoming policy changes, she closed her Pigeon Alley Books store on eBay and began working on a standalone e-commerce website. EBay's PayPal changes will make small sellers even more vulnerable to unscrupulous buyers, because they will have every incentive to avoid getting dinged with bad feedback that might trigger a freeze on their PayPal account, she said.

"We've spent years trying to build up a good business reputation," she said. "It's going get shredded by someone who doesn't realize [the impact of their feedback]."

Lancaster echoed a common sentiment expressed by eBay business owners in this week's uproar: concern that the site is transitioning to a marketplace only for professional sellers, with no room for smaller vendors or hobbyists. John Donahoe, elevated to CEO-elect two weeks ago when Meg Whitman announced her impending retirement, fed those fears with an oft-repeated dismissive comment to the Financial Times in December, complaining that "our home page still looks like a flea market."

Lancaster said she is sad to see eBay becoming a marketplace only for businesses that "buy inventory by the boatload."

"They already have a place for that," she said. "It's called Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500)." source : here

EBay seller boycott set to start Monday

2008-02-16T10:46:00.001-08:00

Ebay sellers plan a weeklong strike to protest changes to the site's fee, search and feedback policies.

(FORTUNE Small Business) -- Activists opposed to eBay's (EBAY, Fortune 500) upcoming fee and policy changes are readying for a weeklong site boycott starting on Monday, with buyers and sellers waiting to see if this strike will succeed where past protests have failed.

The boycott, planned to run Feb. 19 - 25, is scheduled to overlap eBay's Feb. 20 rollout of significant changes announced last month.

Sellers say eBay's new policies are likely to cost them more money, but what's really inspired an outpouring of wrath is an adjustment to eBay's feedback system: sellers will no longer be able to leave negative commentary about their buyers. Critics say that will leave sellers vulnerable to negligent bidders and scammers.

"You get bad buyers as often as you get bad sellers," said M. Owens, a Severn, Md.-based seller of high-end dolls that typical go for several hundred dollars each. On such an expensive transaction, having a buyer cause trouble - by, for example, disputing the transaction and requesting a credit-card chargeback after they've already received their merchandise - can be financially devastating, she said.

Owens, who plans to participate in the boycott and avoid buying or selling on eBay next week, is also worried about the impact of a change to eBay's "best match" search algorithm, one of the least-publicized aspects of the upcoming changes. That search method, which will become eBay's default next month, favors sellers with high and detailed customer-satisfaction ratings. Low-volume sellers, like Owens, say this puts them at a disadvantage by burying their listings.

EBay spokesman Usher Lieberman said the company is taking a wait-and-see approach to the boycott talk

"At this point it's still premature for us to speculate," Lieberman said. "We're empathetic with our sellers and understand that they're concerned, and that some of them object to some of the changes we're implementing. On the other hand, we think we have very good reasons for what we're doing."
Rival sites court eBay sellers

EBay has no plans for listing-fee discounts or other special promotions next week to combat a potential boycott-related drop in listings, Lieberman said. This week, eBay ran a one-day discounted listing fee special offer on Wednesday, a move that increased listings on the site that day from around 12 million to 16 million.

That special offer was not prompted by the groundswell of seller discontent about the upcoming changes, according to Lieberman.

"We shouldn't be reading anything into that," he said. "We're always testing the price elasticity of our market."

Whether or not the planned boycott will be successful in affecting eBay's bottom line remains to be seen, but auction veterans say this degree of seller backlash to eBay fee hikes and other changes is unprecedented.

"I've been getting about 400 e-mails an hour," said Valerie Lennert, an Anaheim, Calif., doll-clothing merchant who became an unofficial spokeswoman for the boycott after posting a call-to-arms video on Google (GOOG, Fortune 500)'s YouTube.

Past eBay boycott attempts have fizzled, and this one may too, Lennert acknowledged. With millions of individuals selling on eBay, gaining critical mass for any organized action is extremely challenging. But simply getting eBay's attention is a worthy accomplishment, she said.

"There are a lot of people who are really upset, and if we choose to go somewhere else as a group, there won't be an eBay anymore," she said. "We don't think eBay understands that. They think they're invincible, and they don't seem to listen to what we need. Even if listings don't go down, we're reached the main goal: to let them know how upset we are. I'm pretty sure they know that at this point." Source : here

Blue chips that can ride out a recession

2008-02-16T10:40:00.001-08:00

Solid stocks have been dragged down along with troubled shares. Learn to spot the bargains.

By Michael Sivy, Money Magazine editor at large

(Money Magazine) -- Really bad stock markets knock down shares of all kinds. That's essentially what has been happening since the start of 2008, as subprime fallout led to recession anxiety. But not every market sector faces the same problems and uncertainties.

Even if we are in a downturn, many companies will come through with their long-term prospects untarnished. Scoop up such stocks while their prices are depressed, and you have a real chance to boost your returns.

The way I see it, the stock market now is actually three markets. First, there are companies that depend on borrowing and lending, including home builders and makers of big-ticket consumer items that typically require financing, as well as bank stocks. Their shares all posted double-digit losses last year.

Yes, the stocks are starting to look like bargains, and the Fed's aggressive interest-rate cutting should eventually spark a recovery. But I'd be worried about buying in too early: The final chapter of the subprime story isn't written yet.

At the other extreme, inflation-sensitive sectors, such as energy and other commodities, have boomed for several years running. But they've had sizable losses so far in 2008, they're still relatively expensive, and they could stay down for a while if demand for raw materials falls in a slowing economy.
Finding the best deals

That still leaves a big swath of stocks whose share prices are down but which are unlikely to suffer lasting damage from the subprime flu or any mild cold the economy catches. The industrial, technology and consumer sectors all fall into this category.

In particular, companies that derive a large percentage of their earnings from outside the U.S. have the best chance of riding out a bad domestic economy. For example, two of the stocks I recommended in last month's column - Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500) and 3M (MMM, Fortune 500) - get at least 60% of their sales abroad.

Spotting true bargains during this downturn is no layup, though. Price/earnings ratios based on anticipated results may be misleading, for instance, because growth may not come through as expected this year. So make sure that a stock also looks cheap compared with its peers based on P/Es using 2007 earnings.

Another smart way to compare stocks is by ratios of price to cash flow (the cash per share a company actually generates each year). The reason: Cash figures tend to be less volatile than earnings.
Three stocks to watch

In doing a little bargain hunting among stocks in the Sivy 70, I found three that have solid prospects, trade at P/Es below 15 based on 2007 earnings and are priced at less than 10 times cash flow. Those multiples count as cheap by anyone's calculations.

DuPont (DD, Fortune 500) announced 27% earnings per share growth (excluding one-time items) in the fourth quarter and recently raised its earnings targets for 2008. How does a company in a cyclical industry such as chemicals buck a U.S. recession? Almost two-thirds of sales come from overseas, where they are growing up to 20% a year in countries such as Brazil, China and India.

The hottest part of DuPont's business has been agricultural products, boosted by rising food prices and demand for ethanol. That division, which accounts for almost a quarter of sales, is growing twice as fast as the rest of the company. As an added bonus, DuPont shares yield a very healthy 3.8%, making them a great choice for retirees.

Fortune Brands (FO, Fortune 500) is a conglomerate with top-name consumer brands, including Jim Beam bourbon and Titleist golf balls. The company also has a home and hardware division, which consists of product lines like Moen faucets. Those businesses have been suffering because of the bad housing market. As a result, the stock has fallen close to a 52-week low of $66, down from a high of $90. That looks like too much punishment for limited housing exposure. Besides, Fortune is restructuring to trim costs, downsizing its home and hardware division and selling its wine business. As a result, the company took a large write-down in the fourth quarter.

But long-term growth has averaged 9% annually and is projected to continue at that rate over the next five years. Add in the stock's solid 2.6% yield, and you have double-digit return potential.

IBM (IBM, Fortune 500) reported terrific fourth-quarter results. Earnings per share were up more than 20% on a 10% rise in sales. A third of the increase in per-share profits was the result of 2007 stock buybacks totaling almost $19 billion. The rest of the profit gain was mostly from IBM's extensive business outside the U.S., which now accounts for almost two-thirds of total sales.

The company is enjoying especially strong growth in Asia and some developing markets. Bookings for service contracts in 2008 are also several billion dollars above expectations, and IBM has raised earnings projections for 2008. As Big Blue goes global, seems like it would deserve a market-beating multiple. source : here

Bangladesh bank offers loans to US poor

2008-02-16T10:26:00.001-08:00

By Daniel Pimlott in New York

Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank has made its first loans in New York in an attempt to bring its pioneering microfinance techniques to the tens of millions of people in the world’s richest country who have no bank account.
The bank’s entry into the US, its first in a developed market, comes as mainstream banks’ credibility has been hit by the mortgage meltdown and many people are turning to fringe financial institutions offering loans at exorbitant interest rates.
“Now is a good time because of . . . the subprime crisis and that highlights the issue that the financial system is not perfect,” Muhammad Yunus, the bank’s Nobel Prize-winning founder, told the Financial Times.
Grameen has lent $50,000 in the past month to groups of immigrant women in Jackson Heights in New York’s borough of Queens. During the next five years, it plans to offer $176m in loans within New York city, and then expand to the rest of the US.
In Bangladesh, Grameen lends to poor women seeking to start small enterprises who cannot borrow from banks because they do not have accounts or a high enough credit rating. The bank, which started with $27 in loans Mr Yunus made to 42 women in Bangladesh in 1976, has now made more than $6.5bn in loans to 7m people in the country.
In the US, about 28m people have no bank accounts and 44.7m have only limited access to financial institutions. People often do not hold bank accounts because they have had credit problems, have no access to a local branch or they distrust the mainstream financial system, said Jonathan Morduch, a microfinance expert at New York University.
Some microfinance experts doubt that Grameen could make an impact in the US where credit is widely available, and businesses and tax systems are much trickier to navigate than in developing countries.
After beginning with small loans to micro-entrepreneurs, Grameen plans to expand into other businesses such as remittances and mortgages.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

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Kosovo independence imminent

2008-02-16T09:42:00.001-08:00

Kosovo is expected to declare independence from Serbia on Sunday, with its majority ethnic Albanian population already celebrating.
Although the provincial government has refused to confirm the move, Hashim Thaci, the prime minister, has said that Sunday would be "a big day, a peaceful day".
People began to celebrate in the streets on Friday night. Tachi had said on Friday: "In independent Kosovo, not one citizen will feel discriminated against or neglected. We guarantee equal rights and security. Kosovo is the homeland of all citizens."
But political tensions continued over the potential declaration of independence with Boris Tadic, the Serbian president, saying he "will never give up fighting for our Kosovo and I will, with all my might, fight for Serbia to join the European Union".
As he was sworn in for a second presidential term in Belgrade, Tadic said he intended to defend Serbian sovereignty over Kosovo, which his country's constitution proclaims as an "integral" part of Serbia.
Considered pro-Western, Tadic opposes Kosovan independence but not at the expense of Serbia's potential European Union integration.

UN role
Earlier on Friday, Kosovo's parliament convened to approve a procedure to adopt new laws that would come into effect upon independence, including measures to guarantee the safety of Serbs.
The predominately ethnic Albanian province has been run by a UN mission since 1999, when a Nato bombing campaign drove out forces loyal to Slobodan Milosevic, the late Serbian president, after a months-long armed conflict with ethnic Albanian fighters.
If and when a declaration is made, a group of EU states - including Britain, France, Germany and Italy - is expected to recognise Kosovo's independence almost immediately, followed by the US.
The EU is due to start sending a 2,000-strong force of police and legal experts to help the transition to independence. The bloc, along with the World Bank, is also preparing a donors' conference to underwrite the development of the new state, which will probably be held in June.

Moscow's reaction
Russia, however, suggested on Friday that an independence declaration will affect its policy on two separatist pro-Russian regions in former Soviet Georgia. "The declaration and recognition of the independence of Kosovo will doubtless have to be taken into account as far as the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia is concerned," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The statement, released after Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, met the regions' leaders, did not say how Russia's policy towards the provinces might change. Moscow formally supports the territorial integrity of Georgia, but has granted Russian citizenship to most residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Barnaby Phillips, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Mitrovica, said: "A meeting of Serb leaders in Mitrovica gathered from all over Kosovo, and their mood was one of deep apprehension and a lot of defiance.
"Community leaders stood up and said, 'Let us tell the international community that if Kosovo declares independence, they can forget about northern Kosovo. This is illegal, nothing is over, we will never accept it, it is just beginning.'"
Tomislav Nikolic, the acting leader of Serbia's Radical Party, has appealed to Tadic and Vojislav Kostunica, the prime minister, to arrange a massive protest.
"If Kosovo proclaims independence on Sunday, the rally should be held in the course of next week," Nicolic, whose party's president Vojislav Seselj is being tried for war crimes in The Hague, said. Fatmir Sejdu, the president of Kosovo, told Al Jazeera that he wanted peace and stability after independence is declared, and that he would protect minority Serbs in the region.
"Kosovo will be a country for all its citizens. Our institutions are committed to this. We will keep these guarantees. The citizens that love Kosovo as their own country will stay here.
"Our approach was of course that Kosovo would have full international support, but because a few countries hesitated [in the UN], we had to take another road."

Olympic dreams for Al Ghasara

2008-02-16T00:17:00.001-08:00

Ruqaya Al Ghasara couldn't stop smiling. She had just won gold in the 60m event at the 3rd Asian Indoor Championships in Doha, and after a frustrating year with injury, the Bahraini sprinter could finally set her sights on the Beijing Olympics.

Al Ghasara, famous for winning the 200m at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and for running in a body-covering suit and hijab in accordance with Islamic dress principles, had a recurring hamstring ailment in 2007 which caused her absence at some key events. She missed the IAAF World Championships in Osaka in August and the 2nd Asian Indoor Games in Macau in October, putting pressure on her preparation going into an Olympic year.

However in her first appearance of 2008, Al Ghasara set two championship records and picked up a gold medal on the opening night to kick-start her Olympics campaign, with coach Noureddine Tadjne equally excited as his protégé.

"I thank God for this achievement. I am very, very happy with this win."
Ruqaya Al Ghasara on her 60m victory in Doha

"It's big for us, because last year Ruqaya endured a hamstring injury two times," Noureddine told Al Jazeera. "The first was in July before the world championships when she had the chance to reach the finals and possibly to get a medal in the 200m. "After the injury we did physiotherapy for two months and then she prepared for Macau. "Two days before leaving for Macau she suffered the same injury while training. It's very difficult when you get the same injury the second time."

Record breaking night

Al Ghasara, who won silver in the 60m, 200m and 400m at the inaugural Asian Indoor Championships in Tehran in 2004, set her first record of the night when winning her 400m heat in 54.12 seconds, bettering the mark of 54.46 set by Tatyana Roslanova of Kazakhstan in 2004.

The 25-year-old, who was the first Bahrain-born athlete to win a major international athletics gold medal, then backed up in the 60m final and blitzed the field after a slow start, winning in 7.40 seconds.

This was her second championship record in a matter of hours, narrowly eclipsing the previous best of 7.41 set by China's Zhu Yingting in 2004.

"I thank God for this achievement. I am very, very happy with this win," a beaming Al Ghasara said after the race.

"It's the first competition for me this year, because last year I had an injury in my leg.

"God willing, I will go to Valencia for the World Indoor Championships." Coach Noureddine agreed that the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia next month could be the next stepping stone for Al Ghasara on the way to Beijing. "This competition wasn't really her objective," the trainer said of the Doha meet. "I think, because she ran a great 400 semi-final today, that maybe she can run the 400 at the World Championships in Spain. "The main objective is the Olympic Games."

Living the dream

"She is very strong in the 200m and she can, God willing, run a good time."
Noureddine Tadjne, Al Ghasara's coach

For the Games of the 29th Olympiad, Al Ghasara plans to compete in the 100m and 200m. She will try to improve on her Athens 2004 showing of a first round exit in the 100m heats, although the 200m will be her main focus this time around.

"I have qualified for the 100m and 200m in the Olympics," said Al Ghasara. "My favourite event is the 200m, I like it the best."

After Doha, Noureddine had planned a month-long training camp in South Africa for Al Ghasara, but with the Valencia indoor meet now on the cards her schedule leading into Beijing may change.

"She has worked hard and has had no rest," Noureddine said. "She is very strong in the 200m and she can, God willing, run a good time."

Al Ghasara was set to compete in the final of the 400m on day two of the Asian Indoors in Doha, but one feels that the result will mean little as long as she comes through the event injury free, and with the added race experience.

All eyes will turn to the track and field come the second week of the Olympics in August, with many looking out for the trademark headscarf and red body-suit of Ruqaya Al Ghasara as she lives her Olympic dream. source : al jazeera

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Virtualisasi, install various of OS in 1 computer without formating hardisk

2008-02-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

In Computer knowledge , Virtualization was the public's term that referred to The abstraction From computer resources. The other definition was “the technique to hide the physical characteristics of computer resources from how the other system, The application Or The user Interacted with these resources. This including making a resources single (like Server , one The operation system , an application, or Storage equipment Seen functioned as several resources logikal; or was able also including the definition to make several resources physical (like some storage equipment or server) was seen as one logical resources . ” [1]

The term virtualisasi has been used widely since In the 1960 's , and was applied to several aspects computer—from the whole of the computer system until a capacity or the individual component. Generally all technology virtualisasi referred to “Hide technical details” through Enkapsulasi . (from Wikipedia Indonesia, the encyclopaedia free to speak Indonesia. )
The Virtualization benefit:

We seem like-seem like had many machines (the machine virtual) with only used 1 machine (1 Physical computer)
Could try various operation systems without must formating hardisk.

Physical computer we are usually mentioned with the term “host, whereas the machine virtual that walked often was mentioned “guest”.

Virtualization Software:

VMWare Workstation
Including software commercial (not free). For his free version that is Vmware Player. Supportive almost all the operation systems.
Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
Give away by microsoft, we could mendownload him from website him. However software this only supported OS microsoft as guest him.
VirtualBox
Software output innotek GmbH, at this time has achieved the version 1,5,2 and we could mendownload him freely. Supportive almost all the good operation systems as Host and guest. (had the version linux him)
Qemu (free) ( http://fabrice.bellard.free.fr/qemu/)
Xen ( http://xen.org/) only in Linux

Trying KRL AC Ekonomi

2008-02-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday as usual was finished the departing subuh prayer headed the airport of Bojong Gede.
However because angkot him was annoying, berhentidi each alley, finally had missed the train economics that the dispatch 05:37 from Bojong Gede.
The following economic carriage ought to be at 05:59, but from Monday, February 11 2008 this carriage has been replaced by the carriage of AC Ekonomi with the ticket Rp. 6000.
Be forced must nambah transport deh today because the following carriage just was at 06:17.
While waiting the carriage came rain descended rintik-rintik, took first shelter in the available platform his roof.
Several times the official of the station announced that the carriage has been in Cilebut.
For a long time was waiting for his carriage how come gak dateng.
Suddenly had the notification that his carriage still stalls in Cilebut.
At 06:17 emerged the normal economic carriage, evidently until was followed by all same yng economics.
There were several passengers who returned the ticket afterwards moved rose economics.
Whereas I stayed loyal was waiting for AC Ekonomi because has was already done hoped wanted comfortable although late.
Finally around 06:30, came also the carriage that was waited for.
Fought with each other the passengers to rise, I was enough to stand that was important with AC and did not jostle, hoped I.
Departed from Bojong Gede still quite comfortable in order to stand also.
However after entering following stations began deh the fullness like krl economics.
Unfortunately not all the doors to the carriage were opened, only the middle door whereas 2 doors that close to continuation continued to be closed.
Possibly his engineer was still thinking this the carriage express the time.
Alhasil, in the door that was closed by passengers could sit on the founded floor of the newspaper was in the door that was open the passenger dump happened because passengers went out entered from this door.
From the gossip beberepa passengers, went out complaints about this carriage.
Beginning with the fullness like the economic carriage, the not cold ac (only the wind he said), the door that was not opened by all, etc..
Such was the face of the transport in our country, did not yet take sides with the consumer.
However had also his surplus that is, free from the pedlar/the beggar/the busker, moderate ngebut the running (if tdiak still suffered a relapse stalled him).
Bravo PT. KAI, hopefully could be again better and if could his ticket was supervised 4000 then.