Grameen shows poorest of poor can be creditworthy

 The global financial crisis has highlighted a curious success story: A bank that doles out loans to some of the world's poorest, least-creditworthy people continues to have a payback rate of nearly 100 percent. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, known as the "banker to the poor," quips that the Grameen Bank he founded owes its success to "sub-sub-subprime borrowers" who also own nearly all the bank's equity. When Yunus approached traditional banks over 30 years ago about lending to the poor in Bangladesh to start small businesses, he was told it could not be done. But since 1983, the bank has lent more than $8 billion to nearly 8 million people in Bangladesh who have had a 98 percent repayment rate. About 4 million more have been similarly helped through partner organizations in 38 other countries -- with an average repayment rate of 95 percent. Yunus thinks his model could teach big commercial banks some lessons. "We have now shown that the poorest of the poor can be creditworthy," he said in an interview with The Associated Press during a recent trip to Bangkok. "Our loan repayments are as high as ever."

Grameen takes on clients who have no collateral, no credit history and no lawyers. The vast majority of them are women. Most take out loans for $200 or less each time. Yunus attributes micro-lending's success to a system of "moral responsibility" that makes approval and repayment of the loan the concern of the community as well as the individual borrower. Here is how it normally works. A group of five prospective borrowers from similar social and economic positions come together to determine an appropriate loan for each. The request then goes before a larger council of borrowers, who are also shareholders in the bank, and finally to the bank for approval. It's not entirely surprising that Grameen and other microfinance institutions have been largely unscathed by the financial turmoil, said Mayumi Ozaki, a microfinance specialist at the Asian Development Bank. They generally support tiny businesses such as retail shops, vegetable growing and craft making that are not affected much by a global trade slowdown. But the success of Grameen is also attributed to building relationships and trust.

"Microfinance loan officers visit their poor clients frequently," she said. "They have good knowledge of the creditworthiness of their clients, and the clients as well value the trust and have a good credit discipline."

Ozaki says it's hard to draw too many lessons for big commercial banks, whose transactions are usually much larger and more complicated. But the success of microfinance "shows that successful banking operation on whatever scale is about understanding the risk and managing it well and not overreaching," she said.

Such overreaching, as well as lax oversight, contributed to the U.S. credit crisis. One big problem in the U.S. was that lenders made risky loans to people with shaky credit under the false assumption that housing prices would keep rising. Those loans were then packaged into securities and sold to investors around the world. When borrowers started defaulting in growing numbers, financial firms were left with huge losses. Scores went out of business. American government regulators, meanwhile, had little power over mortgage brokers and other firms that catered to so-called sub-prime borrowers. Only now are lawmakers talking seriously about stricter regulations for the mortgage industry.

Yunus said at Grameen, "We know the limits of our operations and we know how much risk the bank and our clients can take."

A focus on consumption, rather than income-generating activities, contributed to the American credit fiasco, he adds. Grameen also has been successful because it's grounded in what he calls "the real economy," rather than "fantasy economy" of ever-climbing asset prices. A loan for a goat, for example, produces tangible benefits that can support a family.

"The closer you are to the real economy, the safer you are," he said. Grameen's model has been replicated successfully in more than 100 countries, including the United States. Established in the U.S. since early 2008, Grameen America lends investment capital to people who otherwise would not have access or would have to rely on money from pawnshops and loan sharks. The failure of traditional banks to provide this kind of credit is a "big hole" in the American financial system where millions cannot open bank accounts, according to Yunus. The global financial meltdown "has given us an opportunity to create a financial system that is more inclusive," said Yunus, who was in Bangkok to launch the Yunus Center in partnership with the Asian Institute of Technology, a university, aimed at poverty reduction in the region. Yunus' latest project is advocating what he calls "social business," which combine altruism with business models to bring corporate efficiency and innovation to help the poor. The goal is to solve social issues and not to maximize profits. But unlike charity which has no mechanism to regenerate its funding, the business must recover its full costs and recoup its investment. Joining with multinational companies, Grameen has successfully launched a yogurt business, Grameen Danone, which provides malnourished children with a low-cost source of nutrition. Grameen Veolia has built several water treatment plants that provide clean drinking water to the poorest in Bangladesh, where some groundwater is contaminated by arsenic. BASF Grameen provides cheap treated mosquito nets to help prevent malaria. Despite cynicism about whether such cause-driven projects could be done on a large scale with no profit incentive, Yunus remained optimistic. He has faced plenty of naysayers before.

"When things fail, then it's time to ask questions, fix the problems and redesign the system so it works for everyone," he said. "That's the challenge of the day."

10 Tips to Live By If You Want to Keep Your Job

1. Remember: It's Not About You Right Now

Force yourself to focus with laser accuracy on your company's success, not your own. In challenging times, the last thing your employer wants is to cater to you and your fears. They want you to be a selfless, highly collaborative team player who meets and exceeds your commitments. Your presence can't be an energy drain or create work.

2. Become a Black Belt at Change

The most important skill to develop right now is finesse at navigating change. That means flexibility and open-mindedness. Accept whatever management throws your way. If they change direction (again), shuffle the product mix, add new goals, or refine strategy on the fly, say yes to all of it. Resisting change only makes life more difficult for management and for everyone.

This also applies to those things you took for granted. Accept that your expense budget and staff have been cut. Accept that you now have more work on your plate with the same (or fewer) resources than you had a year ago.

3. Everything Is Your Job

Demonstrate your commitment to the overall success of your team and your company by taking on tasks that fall outside your job responsibilities. Pitch in on packing up the trade-show booth. Manage your own schedule/address book/travel plans. Offer to take notes and follow up after every meeting.

Nothing is beneath you. The little things you do above and beyond your job description will serve you well when it's performance appraisal and/or downsizing time. Forget your fancy title, your impressive résumé—and your ego.

4. Walk Away from the Water Cooler

When straits are dire and headlines scary, the last thing your company needs is negative, gossipy employees who polarize colleagues into an us-vs.-them dynamic. Employers value passionate overachievers whose uplifting attitude contributes to a more energizing team culture. Whatever it takes, keep the negative mindset out of the office. This is your mantra: No complaining, no blaming! Dwell on what can be rather than what can't.

5. "Unwritten Rules" Are Now Engraved in Stone

Show up early, stay late. Everyone notices people who leave on the dot of 5 (or before) or take very long lunches or excessive coffee/smoking breaks. Don't get a reputation for being one of those people who takes forever to respond to an e-mail, voicemail, or a simple question. Vigilantly follow up on all assigned action items. Management is increasingly scrutinizing your every move.

6. Step Up—and Wear Very Big Shoes

Don't wait for someone else to solve your problems. Your manager needs to hear how the organization can trim costs, manage the supply chain better, find a new client, improve processes, motivate the workforce, and deliver the next big thing.

Observe what your competitors are trying and testing, read everything relentlessly, and ask people how you can improve what you do.

Your goal here is to make sure there'd be a gaping hole if you were no longer around. Make the choice every day to do work that really matters to the success of the team and the company. Put yourself in a position that is crucial to the success of a new initiative, or dig in to solve a vexing, long-neglected problem. Maintain a bias for action in every meeting.

7. Transparency Is Your New Trump Card

You must be totally transparent as to what you're working on and how it fits with management objectives. There can be no hiding, and no withholding information. If you don't have enough on your plate, say it. Ask to take on more—or better yet, suggest projects you can spearhead that have killer ROI.

The more honest your superiors believe you are, the more likely they are to trust you and keep you close. Being authentic builds relationships, even more than just hard work. Stop hoping no one finds out who you are or what you really do all day. Let people in…or they'll be showing you the door. Employers are likely to keep you around if they see you as a vital associate.

8. Make Friends in New Places

Human resources and finance are two departments that can have a significant impact on your career whether you realize it or not. They know a lot about you that can influence how you're perceived. Respect those folks, socialize with them, ask for their advice, and make sure you carefully do a little self-promotion. When cuts need to be made, you won't be an unknown quantity to them.

9. Start Tweeting or Start Packing

Look at the Millennials and see how they work, how they make decisions, and what technology and tools they use. No time for "I don't do Twitter or Facebook." Acquaint yourself with social networks, mobile applications, and commerce platforms to remain relevant. Let them intimidate you and you give your boss reasons to replace you with someone younger and more in the game. Ask a family member to help, take a course, read a book…and dive in.

10. Fit Club

Healthy people tend to have better outlooks and are easier to be around. They take good care of themselves, which in turn earns them the respect of others. Fit people often set high standards for themselves both at work and at play. And they just have more stamina, so they tend not to get tired when on deadline, and they don't call in sick as much. They have incredible endurance when others are reaching for that 10th Coke or itching to make that next trip to Starbucks. They are also calmer and more productive. So get your sleep, eat well, exercise, stay hydrated, and avoid excessive caffeine and alcohol. This is an investment that will pay dividends for you and your employer. And yes, your employer does notice.

Mega Millions jackpot hits $333 million

Undeterred by the miniscule odds, people were lining up Friday for a chance to score the estimated $333 million Mega Millions jackpot.  The odds really are microscopic. You have a one in 175,711,536 chance of winning. That's a 0.0000006% chance.  Still, since tickets are just $1, and the jackpot payout is double the odds of winning, if a person bought all 176 million combinations, he or she would be guaranteed to win at least $157 million.  So playing the Mega Millions on Friday could make sense ... if you could afford to spend $176 million on tickets. Bear in mind, that only works if there is a single winner who doesn't take a lump sum payout. The 12-state lottery anticipates hundreds of millions tickets to be purchased before the 11 p.m. ET drawing Friday night for what will be at least the third-largest U.S. lottery jackpot of all time. The New York Mega Millions branch said it expects ticket sales to eclipse $1 million per hour starting with the noon hour on Friday. "This is a huge jackpot," said Jennifer Givner, spokeswoman for the New York Mega Millions. "There's a lot of excitement about it, and we probably made a conservative estimate of the jackpot." Mega Millions guarantees its jackpot, so it could go even higher, depending on the number of ticket sales. In fact, Mega Millions raised its jackpot estimate by $8 million on Friday based on stronger-than-expected sales. Sander Sharman, who owns the newsstand on 9th Avenue and 57th Street in New York said Mega Millions sales have been overwhelming. The line for lottery tickets was out the door. "It's never been anything like this," said Sharman just before 1 p.m. ET on Friday. "We usually do 1,200 sales in a day, and already we have 4,200." All of that business is good news for retailers like Sharman. Lottery retailers get a 6% commission on all sales and a $10,000 bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.

A Second Job: The Right Choice for You? by Laura Rowley

Kelli Conway, 23, graduated from the University of Louisiana last year. By day she’s a junior publicist in a small public relations firm in New York City, by night a restaurant hostess. She works at the agency weekdays from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., then pulls a shift at the restaurant from 4:30 to 10:30 three weeknights and one Saturday or Sunday night each week.

Conway told her boss at the PR firm about the restaurant gig when she was hired. “The founder of the company was great about it from the get-go; he completely understood that I need two jobs to be able to survive in the city,” she says. 

Moonlighting is becoming ever more popular as households struggle with layoffs, wage cuts, furloughs, and rising expenses. Unemployment is at 9.5 percent, and employees are averaging a workweek of 33 hours, according to the Labor Department -- a record low. In the first six months of 2009, 7.5 million people held multiple jobs, or 4.8 percent of workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

In a Yahoo! survey of 2,000 Americans conducted in April by Decipher, 12 percent of respondents said they had taken a second job in response to the recession. Separately, the survey found 28 percent of workers felt less satisfied in their jobs than a year ago; of that group, 68 percent said they were not making as much as they desired, and 42 percent were concerned about job security.

Consider the Toll 

But carefully consider the toll of moonlighting before jumping in, says Andrea Kay, an author and career consultant based in Cincinnati: “If the second job detracts from time with your family, will you be creating new problems in your life? Who do you need to have a conversation with about that? How will it affect your health? People can get easily overwhelmed when they take on second roles.”

Conway admits “there are days, especially after working 12 or 13 hour shifts a few days in row, where I come in exhausted, I’m not completely up to par. But at the end of the day, I’m getting my job done.”

Lay out the financial costs -- commuting, day care, taxes on the extra earnings, or equipment a second job may require. For example, several legitimate call center companies allow employees to work at home and earn $7 to $8 an hour, such as liveops.com, alpineaccess.com, and willow.com. But workers have to have a designated landline to answer calls -- which can run $25 or $30 a month. Make sure you know what your full-time employer’s policy is on moonlighting, and be wary of conflicts of interest.

In addition, put a time limit on your moonlighting plan -- three months, six months -- so you can see a light at the end of the tunnel. To stay motivated, attach a specific goal to the timeframe, whether it’s saving a certain amount of cash, paying off a debt, or gaining skills that will boost your salary in your day job.

Look Into Other Options 

Moreover, if the motivation is strictly extra cash, first consider other options to boost your paycheck in your current industry, says Kay: “Is there something you can do on the side -- education, training -- that would enhance your value so you’ll be paid more at your current job or at another one? Or help you build toward that goal in the future?”

On the other hand, a career change often motivates workers to put in a double shift. When I was transitioning from a print journalism job to television, for example, I worked as a freelance writer on a morning news program from 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and then put in a 9-to-5 shift at my day job. (It was brutal.) After five months, I was hired by the new company.

Nearly one-third of dissatisfied workers in the Yahoo! survey said they “don’t feel part of a career path.” Robert Lorber, president of Lorber Kamai Consulting and a professor at University of California, Davis, advises career-shifters to ask themselves four questions before jumping into a second job:

1. Who are you and what do you want?
2. Where are you and why are you there?
3. What will you do and how will you do it? 
4. Who are your allies and how can they help?

“Think about what you’d like to learn and what gets you excited,” says Lorber, author of several career books. 

Mark Mansfield, 37, is vice president of sales and marketing for a Minnesota company that sells point-of-sale systems and other technology to restaurants. At night he works on his start-up, boolaka.com, a social-networking site for independent filmmakers that's something like LinkedIn meets YouTube meets the Sundance Film Festival. Filmmakers and others in the business can post their needs for a project or resumes seeking work; find resources, tools, and expert advice to get a project done and noticed; and upload finished films for visitors to watch.

Mansfield argues that there's an upside to having a second job. "It's an enormous challenge -- but it's a blast; it evolves and changes every day," he says. "It keeps me from getting burned out on my day job because it's not all that I think about. I can unplug from my day job and come back with a totally new perspective on how to tackle a problem. That's been very valuable."

If a second job is out of the question, consider asking for an unpaid leave of absence or a one-day-a-week furlough for a period of time to explore the new career, says Kay, since many employers are looking for ways to reduce costs in the current environment. “Be careful about how much detail you share with the company” regarding why you want the time off, she adds.

There’s also the allure of launching a small business. In 2008, 1.6 million workers, or 1 percent of the workforce, earned wages and salaries in a primary position and were self-employed in a second job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Bridging the Gap 

Even if the job that pays the bills seems unrelated to the passion, look for potential “allies” who can bridge the gap. Kay knew an artist who took a second job as a hostess at a popular restaurant and eventually convinced her employer to display her artwork on the walls, which helped drive her business.

Just beware “daylighting” -- the practice of managing a side business while you’re on the clock. Although there are no formal statistics on daylighting, a 2008 Salary.com survey found that 73 percent of respondents admitted to doing activities unrelated to their jobs while at work -- up 10 percent from the year before.

Lorber says daylighting is a major no-no. “If you take another job while doing your own job, it’s totally out of integrity,” he says, especially if there are conflicts of interest or you are competing with your employer. On the other hand, “if you are doing something additional at night that’s not taking away from what you’re doing at work, that’s a personal choice” and doesn’t necessarily need to be revealed.

Conway works on commission at the PR firm, so she can’t always count on a weekly paycheck. But she’s making the most of her opportunity. “I get to go to some events -- it’s a great way to meet people in the city,” she says. “When you want to move up, networking is everything.”

Seven Questions About Health Care, Charles Wheelan, Ph.D

Health care is the most difficult public policy problem there is. Substantively, the system has been cobbled together with duct tape for 40 years, so tweaking costs in one area could easily cause another part of the system to fall apart. Politically, health care is right up there with many other controversial issues, and in some cases it's probably tougher since doctors, hospitals, trial lawyers and insurance companies aren't giving tens of millions of dollars to politicians to affect every particular battle. In the case of health care, that is what's happening. But unlike flag burning, for example, health care actually affects your life. I don't know if the Obama plan would be an improvement on the status quo, in large part because it's not entirely clear what the Obama plan will turn out to be.  I do know that the current health system is not something that any sane person would have designed from scratch. And if that's true, then it stands to reason that we ought to at least entertain thoughts of how we might make it better. As the health care debate swirls around us, here are seven questions designed to illuminate that discussion:  

1. How did we get the health care system we have? 

By accident. This is not a system that Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson planned over months of meetings in Philadelphia. This whole system was an unintended consequence of Franklin Roosevelt's attempt to restrain inflation during World War II. His administration forbade wage increases; clever employers offered workers free health care instead. Ever after, health insurance was attached to employment in the U.S., making it a complete outlier in the developed world.

Our whole health care system was an unintended consequence.

2. If we had a Canadian-style system (or British or French), would you give it up for what you have now?  

I'm not asking if those systems are perfect. They're not. And I'm not asking whether people in those countries complain about their health care. They do. I'm asking you to do a thought experiment. Imagine that you were in a country that guaranteed coverage, where health care costs are 25 percent to 40 percent less, where life expectancy is higher; and where the costs of the system are not imposed directly on businesses.

Now suppose that a politician stood up and proposed scrapping all of that (and the admitted flaws of those systems) and replacing it with the U.S. system: No guaranteed access, shockingly mixed health outcomes, a stifling burden imposed on businesses, and all at a higher price.

3. What are your preferred benchmarks for quality in a health care system, and how does the U.S. system stack up?

Any reasonable indicators should measure how healthy we are, not how we get that way. The most pathetic thing about the current health care debate is the ideological obsession with government involvement. That's a means, not an end.  

I doubt we will ever see the following conversation:

Doctor: "I have good news. Your daughter's heart surgery was a success. We expect a complete recovery."

Parent: "That's wonderful!"

Doctor: "But wait, there is tragic news as well. I'm going to be reimbursed for this successful surgery by the government, not by a private insurance plan."

Parent: "Oh God, no!"

What we should care about is the outcome, not who is paying for it. How healthy are we? How long are we living? What is happening to our survival rates for different diseases? Are we providing patients with the most appropriate and cost-effective care? Do Americans have access to good care in a timely manner?
  
We shouldn't care about government involvement per se. We should care about whether government involvement improves health outcomes or not. As far as I'm concerned, we should embrace health care delivered by small green aliens wearing rainbow suits -- if there is evidence that it would produce better results.

4. Where did King Hussein of Jordan fly for cancer treatment?

To the United States. The U.S. is a great place for cutting-edge research and care. I suspect that the rest of the world is free-riding on that to some extent. King Hussein didn't fly to France or Canada. In fact, many wealthy Canadians come to the U.S. for care.

But here is the wrinkle in the King Hussein story. He flew to Minnesota for treatment, not Miami or L.A. Why is that relevant? Because Minnesota is one of the places in the U.S. that spends significantly less on health care than the rest of the country, while getting similar outcomes (taking into account the pre-existing health of the population).

And King Hussein flew to the Mayo Clinic, which practices a form of medicine that doesn't look like the rest of the American system. Physicians are paid a salary, rather than being compensated based on the quantity of procedures and tests they provide. The incentives are different. The costs are lower. And the outcomes are excellent. Good enough for a king, literally.

If we could somehow get the whole system to look like Minnesota or the Mayo Clinic, or to look different but operate just as well, then we'd be done.

5. Should we scrap Medicare?

I'd just like a little more intellectual honesty here. The same politicians who rail against government involvement in health care almost always extol the virtues of Medicare. In fact, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell had the chutzpah to accuse Democrats of cutting Medicare in order to create a massive new government-run health care plan -- which is curious, given that Medicare IS a massive, government-run health care plan.

So if you are ideologically opposed to government-run health care, then I'd like to hear your explanation of how and why America would be better off without Medicare.

If you oppose government-run health care but support Medicare, then you've just left me confused.

6. Can our health care system get worse?  

Yes. Just because the status quo is a mess doesn't mean that Congress can't make it worse. That's what is so scary and difficult about the current reform effort. For all the failings of the system, a large proportion of Americans think that their health care is just fine. 

If Democrats believe that any reform is better than no reform, they are dangerously wrong. That's why whatever happens ought to proceed slowly, deliberately, and with as much Republican support as possible.

7. Do you think the American health care system will be better or worse in 10 years if we do nothing now?

I'll let you answer that.

The 6 Biggest Mistakes Job Hunters Are Making Now

1. Relying Solely on Ads and Online Job Sites 

Jobs often are not advertised, and the only way to find them is by networking. "Many employers prefer not to advertise on the Internet. They prefer to fill vacancies in more personal ways. Job hunters who go on the Internet, typically only 10% or less" are successful, Bolles said.

That means finding and contacting companies that can use your skills, Kay said. "Find a live human being there that you can connect to so you're not just another resume coming in the door."

Contact that person via email or telephone, and say, for instance, "I understand you're in the process of rolling out a new product. I would like to talk to you about how I can support you in this," Kay said. Also send your resume and a letter "packed with reasons for them to want to talk to you."

At small to mid-size firms, try simply walking in the door, resume in hand -- but keep in mind that not all employers appreciate this.

"I'm a fan of physically going to the company," said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, a temporary staffing agency for administrative professionals and unit of Robert Half International.

"Get yourself looking professional. Walk into reception. 'I understand you posted an ad for this. I know it said to email the resume. I personally wanted to drop one off,'" Hosking said. "It shows tremendous initiative to be able to do that. It sets you apart from 90% of job seekers out there, and it gets your resume to the top of the pile in hardcopy."

Still, at a larger company, you'll likely need to find somebody to drop off your resume for you, Bolles said. In that case, your network, as well as online sites such as LinkedIn can be invaluable for making connections.

2. Don't Make Your Resume a List of Activities 

Job seekers often think their resume is for listing "everything I've ever done in my life," TheLadders.com's Douzet said. "No, no, no. This is a marketing vehicle. This is your company brochure. It's your brand statement. It's got to tell your story."

Focus on detailing your achievements, not listing what you've done. Quantify your successes, whether in dollars or time saved for your previous company, or in customers retained, experts said.

Also, your resume should be tailored to fit the company's job description so it catches the eye of the person doing the initial resume sorting. Also, your resume's story should parallel what you say in the interview. "When I meet with you and I've read your story on paper," Douzet said, "there shouldn't be a disconnect."

More resume rules: Two pages maximum, and no colored paper or cute graphics, Hosking said. If you drop off your resume, use a slightly heavier paper so it stands out from the stack the company printed out from emails.

3. Don't Go to the Interview Unprepared 

If the company recently made an acquisition or unveiled a new product, you need to know, and be able to speak intelligently about the company's needs and culture. "Companies loved to be loved, just as much as individuals," Bolles said.

Another way to prepare: Come up with two or three messages you want to get across to hiring managers. Again, tailor these to match the job description, Douzet said. Why? More than one person is going to have to approve hiring you.

"These people are going to get together later and discuss your candidacy," Douzet said. "They have to remember something about you and they have to convince each other that you are the right person to do the job."

If you've presented a coherent story about your achievements and how they fit the job's requirements, you're more likely to be considered as a contender.

4. Don't Confuse 'Networking' With Asking for Work 

Networking is about developing relationships, Kay said. Contact people you know to ask for advice; don't ask for work. Tap their expertise about their industry and company, and what advice they have for you on the job hunt.

Also, don't ask chance acquaintances for a reference, but tap them for information on their firm's hiring process, its culture and even the name and number of the person doing the hiring.

Networking "is developing relationships that may not have an immediate payoff tomorrow but certainly in the long run are very helpful," said Judith Applebaum, director of career services at the University of Buffalo.

5. Don't Treat Support Staff Poorly 

Sixty-one percent of executives said they considered their assistant's opinion important when evaluating job candidates, according to an OfficeTeam survey. "No matter how stressed you get, keep in mind that if you're not as nice to the front desk person as you could be, that information always gets back," Hosking said.

6. Failing to Tap Resources 

Many college career offices offer their services to alumni of all ages, Applebaum said.

"At the University of Buffalo we provide individual assistance through career counseling, we have vacancy listings, resume databases that we offer to employers, job fairs [and] networking opportunities with employers and with alumni," she said.

Also, search for local nonprofit and for-profit career-counseling agencies, she said. Along with networking opportunities, support groups can help job seekers maintain a positive attitude.

Finally, while you're job-hunting, consider volunteering or taking a class at a local college. The experience will keep you connected and may lead to achievements that will serve you well on your resume.

Compared: Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7

This is shaping up to be the autumn of new operating systems. The latest version of Mac OS X, Snow Leopard, ships to customers this Friday. Windows 7, the follow-up to the much-maligned Windows Vista, hits store shelves in late October. Neither operating system will drastically change the way you work.

Windows 7 builds on Windows Vista, smoothing out Vista’s rough spots and bringing a number of new end-user features (such as the reworked taskbar) to the table. Meanwhile, with Snow Leopard, Apple focuses on new under-the-hood technologies that offer subtle refinements and fixes. Still, there is plenty to say about how Apple’s next big cat and Microsoft’s lucky number stack up against each other.

Google fails to squeeze into smartphone market

August was supposed to be the month that Andre Torrez kicked the iPhone habit. Like many tech-savvy early adopters the chief technology officer at Federated Media in San Francisco had had enough of Apple’s omnipresent iPhone. Frustrated by stories that Apple was squeezing software developers and rumours it was blocking applications that could compete with products controlled by Apple and its partners, Torrez decided it was time to switch. Like all good techies he made the move a public event — blogging a day-by-day account of his defection to a G1 phone powered by Android, a mobile software platform developed by Google. Torrez is hardly alone in developing a new-found antipathy for Apple’s iPhone. In recent months several tech writers have turned on the world’s hottest smartphone, frustrated by its service and concerns over Apple’s tight control over the development of the myriad applications the phone now runs. Google’s Android, in contrast, was designed to offer open standards — a system supposedly more attractive to software developers. For the average consumer, arguments about “open source” versus closed systems might look academic, but Apple knows how important the advanced guard of techies is to a company’s fortunes. When they move on, many follow. Luckily for Apple, by day three Torrez’s enthusiasm for the G1 was already waning: “I can’t think of one application that works as well as the average iPhone app. I need to keep looking,” he wrote. By day seven it was over. Queuing to use a cash machine, Torrez found he had even lost the will to Twitter. “I give up. I thought it would be fun to see what life was like on a different platform but I think I’ve seen more than enough on this hardware,” he wrote.

“On Saturday my family was here to visit and I found myself reaching for the iPhone to check on a restaurant, map some directions, and to check on an order. Given a choice between the two I just could not keep flipping that thing open knowing there were other perfectly good computers nearby ... I took the G1 into work today but I came home knowing what I had to do. I switched back to the iPhone.”

Good news for Apple. Bad news for Google.

It is almost two years since Google launched Android but so far it has disappointed. After the initial hype, Harry Wang, analyst at Parks Associates, said he was surprised by how slow the rise of the software had been. “After the G1 was introduced I expected more products to arrive featuring Android. The pace is so slow,” he said. Some have pinned the slow start on Google’s decision not to launch its own phone but to partner with a variety of providers. Announcing Android in November 2007, Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said the operating system was “more ambitious than any single Google phone”. “Our vision is that the powerful platform we are unveiling will power thousands of different phone models,” he said. So far those phones have failed to materialise and the iPhone’s popularity has convinced developers to set aside their open source preferences to work on applications for Apple. As for consumers: “They care about the experience,” said Wang. “So far Android hasn’t offered much in that regard. Next month will be a big push for the system when Motorola is expected to introduce new phones powered by Android. The phone giant has lost a lot of ground to rivals including Apple and BlackBerry. Wang said there was still a lot of ground left for Android-powered phones. At the end of 2007 there were 35m smartphones in America. Parks Associates reckons that number will be closer to 90m by the end of 2009. Wang said Google was a formidable competitor and had signed up impressive partners. But Google has a lot of work to do convincing even Apple’s least happy customers that it’s time to join the Androids.

Apple event expected soon, but no tablet in sight

Anyone holding their breath for Apple Inc's much-anticipated, but never confirmed, touchscreen tablet device may have to wait a bit longer than they planned. Early hopes that Apple could introduce a tablet -- or "iPad" -- at an event in September have given way to expectations that the company will instead roll out a refreshed lineup of its iPod devices. 

"It has to be great -- and I don't think it's going to be ready for September," FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger said of a tablet device that many expect would likely resemble a larger, keyboard-less iPod touch. 

A number of companies have been working to put their stamp on a nascent tablet market that has yet to be truly defined, from personal computer manufacturers to Amazon.com Inc with its Kindle electronic reader. Apple has a tradition of hosting a glitzy September media event, using it to launch devices such as the iPod touch model in 2007 and the iPod nano in 2005. While it has yet to announce anything, it is widely expected to repeat the practice this year. With hopes low that a tablet will be rolled out next month, analysts say there is little risk that its absence will hurt Apple's stock. The year's event would be particularly important if Chief Executive Steve Jobs were to make his first public appearance since a nearly 6-month leave of absence for health issues. Investors will be keen to see for themselves how well he appears.  Jobs' appearance could overshadow any products at the event, especially without a tablet. Odds are that the iPod nano and iPod touch will be refreshed with digital cameras, analysts say, and the iPod touch could also get a video camera. Apple could also unveil the ninth generation of its iTunes software.  Although Apple declined to comment, many analysts believe the tablet may not arrive until later this year or next, given the company's well-known reluctance to rush any device to store shelves before it is fully ready for consumers. Whatever the timing, the prospect of a tablet generates enthusiasm from those who follow the company or own shares. It would likely mark a new product line in the company's device portfolio, which includes the red-hot iPhone, along with the iPod and Mac computer segments, which have matured. 

WHY A TABLET? 

Barry Jaruzelski, a partner at consulting firm Booz & Co, cautioned that the tablet space has proved to be a challenge for all who have tested it. Apple, he said, must answer one critical question: "What do I need a tablet for?" 

He also noted that Apple's major successes this decade -- the iPod and the iPhone -- were helped by the services that accompanied them, namely iTunes and the App Store. 

"It's got to be something more than just a device. It's got to be the apps or some sort of solution or service linked to the device, otherwise it's hard to see how it's going to be big, as opposed to just nice," he said. 

Broadpoint Amtech analyst Brian Marshall expects the device to carry a price tag of $500 to $600, and have both WiFi and cellular connectivity, potentially subsidized by Verizon Wireless in the same way that AT&T subsidizes iPhone purchases. Verizon Wireless is a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc. 

He also said expectations are that the tablet will pack a low-power processor from Samsung Electronics and a Qualcomm Inc wireless chip. 

To be sure, there are tablet notebook PCs already on the market, including offerings from Hewlett-Packard Co, Lenovo and Fujitsu Ltd, with swiveling touchscreens. Some models cost more than $2,000. 

At the same time, e-readers from Amazon.com and Sony Corp have carved out a solid niche in the marketplace. 

But analysts envision something different from Apple, more of a multimedia device. 

"If they can develop a fantastic product that's ahead of the competition they'll roll out with their tablet," said Berger. "If it's a me-too device, they're not going to come out with it." 

Ankur Crawford, an analyst at Fred Alger Management Inc, which owns Apple shares, said she does not think the tablet has been priced into Apple stock or analysts' sales estimates. 

Apple's stock has nearly doubled this year, and the shares trade at around 29 times forward earnings. 

She said a tablet would be a way for the company to compete indirectly with netbooks, which are stripped-down, low-cost PCs that have become a favorite of consumers. 

"I bet a lot of the people buying $400 netbooks will say 'You know what, I'm going to take that extra $200, I'll get an iPod, I'll get a video player, I'll get so much more, I'll get this really cool device and I'll upgrade to it.'"

Burglars using Facebook, Twitter to find targets

Facebook users enthusing about an upcoming holiday or a recently purchased high-tech gadget may not just be telling their friends but also potential burglars, warns an insurance company.  A survey of 2,092 social media users by British-based Legal & General found nearly four in ten, or 38 percent, of people using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter post details about holiday plans and 33 percent details of a weekend away.  "Coupled with the finding that an alarmingly high proportion of users are prepared to be 'friends' online with people they don't really know, this presents a serious risk to the security of people's home and contents," said the insurer. In a report called "The Digital Criminal," Legal & General said people used social media sites to connect with people who were essentially strangers, which could provide potential thieves with vital, personal information.  To test how readily people accepted 'friends' online, Legal & General's survey, conducted by European market researcher Opinion Matters, involved sending out 100 'friend' or 'follow' requests to strangers selected at random.  Of those 13 percent were accepted on Facebook and 92 percent on Twitter -- without any checks.  But despite these new 'friends,' the survey found that nearly two-thirds, or 64 percent, of 16-24 year olds shared their holiday plans, with younger users the most likely to give away information about their whereabouts.  Men were found to be quite relaxed about giving personal information online, with 13 percent including their mobile number on their profile compared with 7 percent of women. Nine percent of men also posted their address compared to 4 percent of women.  "This reaction could result in a complete stranger potentially being able to learn about a person's interests, location and movements in and out of their home," said Legal & General. Reformed burglar Michael Fraser, who appears in BBC's "Beat The Burglar" series and helped Legal & General prepare the report, said this kind of information was being used by professional burglars to establish a list of targets.  As well as information about trips away, people were posting party photos showing the interiors of homes and also chatting about their cool new purchases and presents. "I call it "Internet shopping for burglars." It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home ... all from the comfort of the sofa," said Fraser in a statement. "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to develop relationships with people to identify likely targets."

HSBC faces copyright case by songwriter Apple

HSBC officials in Bangladesh face a copyright infringement case by composer and lyricist Apple Mahmud, who accuses them of marketing his songs without his permission. Mahmud said he was filing a case against the three top HSBC officials in Dhaka, but the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court refused to accept the case on Thursday as it was not the proper authority to accept a copyright case. The songwriter said he would file the case again on Sunday against HSBC chief executive Sanjay Prakash, chief of corporate banking Md Mahbubur Rahman and chief of finance Mustafa Amin Aolad for violation of copyright. Mahmud claims the three were responsible for the sale of a CD containing his songs, such as Mora ekti phulke banchabo bole juddho kori (Just save one flower we fight a war) and Tir Hara Ai Dheuer Sagor Pari Debore (This endless rough sea we will cross), without his permission. He said they marketed the CD with the title `Sotoborsher Bangla Gaan (A Century of Bangla Song)', performed by other artistes. Mahmud's lawyer Abdul Mannan Khan told reporters that he would file the case again Sunday at Dhaka district judges court. Mahmud was present at the time.

Microsoft Wants To Avoid Cheap Mobile Apps

Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) is urging Windows Mobile developers to price their offerings more aggressively than the 99-cent applications that make up much of Apple (NSDQ:AAPL)'s App Store inventory. Microsoft recently unveiled its Race To Market Challenge contest, in which Windows Mobile developers can submit applications for listing in its forthcoming Windows Marketplace For Mobile. The contest includes free and paid application categories, with the winner of the former determined by the number of downloads and the latter determined by revenue from application sales. At a Wednesday gathering of Windows Mobile developers in Redmond, Wash., Loke Uei of Microsoft's Mobile Developer Experience Team offered a glimpse into where Microsoft would like to see developers focus their creative energies and pricing strategies. "I know, 99 cents is interesting -- yes, consumers like to pay 99 cents for applications. But 99 cents, come on, I think your app is worth more than that," said Uei, as reported by Todd Bishop of TechFlash. Windows Marketplace For Mobile, which will open this fall once Windows Mobile 6.5 devices start hitting the market, represents Microsoft's effort to emulate the success of the App Store in a way that's tailored to its own developer community. Microsoft says it's aware of the frustrations App Store developers have had over rejected apps and has vowed to give Windows Mobile developers clearer guidelines. The problem for Microsoft is that Windows Mobile is fast becoming a footnote in the fast-moving mobile space. Windows Mobile used to dominate among enterprises, but the rise of smartphones has relegated it to the status of an also-ran. The iPhone, which is becoming more than just a consumer device, and the App Store's runaway success serve as constant reminders of how far behind Windows Mobile has fallen. Windows Mobile 6.5 has been repeatedly delayed, and Windows Mobile 7 won't arrive until the fourth quarter of 2010, according to some sources. Windows Mobile 7 is supposed to bring Microsoft up to speed with smartphone foes, but until it arrives, competitors are going to continue pushing their own platforms forward. What's puzzling is that Microsoft has plenty of interesting technology that could be applied to mobile. Microsoft's Silverlight advancements, its February 2008 acquisition of Danger, maker of the T-Mobile SideKick, and the slick touch-screen interface of the Zune HD all serve as notable examples, according to Andrew Brust, chief of new technology for twentysix New York, a Microsoft partner in New York.

UK students lose 39 million hours a year for bad typing: study

 UK students are losing 339 million hours each year because they can't type properly, according to a recent study. According to the study, by touch-typing training company Student-type.com, average student can type—that is, input the words, check and correct them—at just 20 words per minute. A student that can touch-type properly—using all their fingers, looking at the screen and not their hands—will type at least 80 words per minute. Assuming the average student will have to type 300,000 words in their three years of university or college, then a non-touch-typing student will take 333 hours longer to complete their coursework than one that can type properly. That's 70 nights of a student's life to do something, frankly, more useful with. 

"Most of us are still typing like electro-chickens, hunting and pecking with our index fingers to find the right keys" says Sue Westwood of Student-type.com The company has developed a unique typing programmeme, in association with an Educational Psychologist, to get students learning to type over the summer in preparation for university. With A-level results out from the 18th August students need to think about getting ready for their studies. "Many professionals now recognise the importance of typing. Sadly though, the UK lags behind the likes of the USA where it is a standard part of the school curriculum," says Westwood. "Here in the UK, whilst all students are expected to type up their work, very few are actually up to typing it properly – and they are wasting millions of hours, just sitting in front of a computer. "Many people either think they can already type, or believe it's only needed if you want to be a secretary in a business. But once the scale of the time people are wasting is appreciated then we are hopeful this attitude will change," says Westwood. It's not just time that is saved, typing has also been shown to improve literacy, and work rates improve allowing the typist to keep up with their thoughts. But not yet taught in schools, touch typing remains something that eludes many. 
Indeed, Professor John Sutherland of University College London has said "It's pointless ...to rabbit on about 'the future is electronic' if our best students can't find a V on the keyboard without 5 seconds' hesitation. Who would employ a graduate with a reading speed of 20 words per minute?" In the last month, Student-type.com has joined with Oncampus, who provide students with their University internet site, to offer students the opportunity to learn to type in the summer off before they start university. 

Daniel Moran, MD of Oncampus says, "Working in partnership with Student-type.com, Oncampus can enable students to improve their computer literacy skills. Not only will this help save students time in their studies, it will also better prepare them for the post-campus workplace. This is time they can reinvest back in their studies, or let's face it, time they can re-allocate back in the student bar!" The typing programme from Student-type.com costs just £26.99, and includes full lessons, unique colour coding of fingers for rapid learning and retro games to encourage practice. The programme was developed by an Educational Psychologist, who also developed the BAFTA winning DanceMat typing programme for the BBC.

Stanford scientists scan 2,500-year-old mummy

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Scientists trying to unwrap the mysteries of a more than 2,500-year-old mummy believed to be an ancient Egyptian priest conducted computer scans Thursday to help determine how the man died, what was buried with him and what he looked like.In a basement lab at Stanford University Medical School, Iret-net Hor-irw's mummy lay tightly wrapped in tattered linen as a handful of scientists looked on. Starting with his feet, the scanner rotated around the mummy, snapping X-ray type images that appeared on nearby computer screens. The pictures, showing well-preserved bone structure, were then mathematically manipulated to generate 3-D images that give a fuller picture of the skeleton. The highly sophisticated scanning technology allows scientists to learn about the 5-foot-4 inch mummy in remarkable detail without doing invasive or damaging procedures.

"You begin to see features that relate to paleopathology, diseases that may have been suffered by the individual, also mummification style and patterns — how they may change through time," said Dr. Jonathan Elias, director of the Pennsylvania-based Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium, which directs CT scans of mummies and archives the research.

The digital images will also be useful for teaching anatomy to everyone from small children through medical school, said Paul Brown, Consulting Associate Professor at Stanford's Department of Surgery.

"We'll be able to look at every bone in the body, see if there are any fractures ... any artifacts," he said. "It's a mummy, so it makes the interest factor high."

Iret-net Hor-irw's mummy belongs to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It was dug up from a cemetery in Akhmim, on the east bank of the Nile. Elias said Akhmim was an important provincial capital and the site of one of Egypt's major temples. The maternal relatives of the more famous King Tut also came from there, Elias said.

"The big picture is this is not just the analysis of one mummy," Elias said. Studying Iret-net Hor-irw, for example, can lead to a better understanding of changes in population from his time to the Tutankhamun period.

Scientists have not been able to pinpoint Iret-net Hor-irw's age when he died or his cause of death. The scanning tests may help them get a little closer. For now, they can only date him to around 500 B.C., just before the Persian conquest, when the last native Egyptian dynasty ruled.

"This is one era which is very poorly understood at this point," Elias said. "So if this mummy is of that period, which we believe that he is, we'll be able to begin to write a history that has never been written."

After scientists are finished with him, Iret-net Hor-irw's mummy will be the centerpiece of an exhibit starting in October at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. The mummy has been out on loan from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco since 1944, and the exhibit, "Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine," is considered his homecoming.

DNA to make next-gen microchips

International Business Machines Corp is looking to the building blocks of our bodies -- DNA -- to be the structure of next-generation microchips. As chipmakers compete to develop ever-smaller chips at cheaper prices, designers are struggling to cut costs.Artificial DNA nanostructures, or "DNA origami" may provide a cheap framework on which to build tiny microchips, according to a paper published on Sunday in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Microchips are used in computers, cell phones and other electronic devices. "This is the first demonstration of using biological molecules to help with processing in the semiconductor industry," IBM research manager Spike Narayan said in an interview with Reuters. "Basically, this is telling us that biological structures like DNA actually offer some very reproducible, repetitive kinds of patterns that we can actually leverage in semiconductor processes," he said. The research was a joint undertaking by scientists at IBM's Almaden Research Center and the California Institute of Technology. Right now, the tinier the chip, the more expensive the equipment. Narayan said that if the DNA origami process scales to production-level, manufacturers could trade hundreds of millions of dollars in complex tools for less than a million dollars of polymers, DNA solutions, and heating implements. "The savings across many fronts could add up significantly," he said. 
But the new processes are at least 10 years out. Narayan said that while the DNA origami could allow chipmakers to build frameworks that are far smaller than possible with conventional tools, the technique still needs years of experimentation and testing.

Band Of Brothers: Amazon, Yahoo, Microsoft Fight Google

Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN), Yahoo (NSDQ:YHOO) and Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) have united in their fight to stop Google from continuing its book digitization program, citing competitive concerns. 
To thwart Google (NSDQ:GOOG)'s Library Project, the companies have joined a new association, The Open Book Alliance. The alliance is an umbrella group driven by The Internet Archive, a non-profit group dedicated to providing free online digital content. 

Since its launch three years ago, Google's Library Project, which digitizes books, ran afoul of The Authors Guild, the American Association of Publishers and individual authors, who sued Google alleging copyright infringement. The parties reached an agreement in 2008, with both sides agreeing to a preliminary $125 million settlement to avoid a trial case, according to court documents. In return, Google was released from any alleged liability and agreed to fund publishing programs. In April 2009, Adam Smith, director of product management for Google Book Search wrote a blog post explaining how the Google Book Search settlement would expand the public's access to out-of-print and otherwise hard-to-find books. 

"When you find the book you're searching for, you'll be able to preview 20 percent of the book over the Internet from anywhere in the U.S.," Smith wrote. "If you want to look at the whole thing, you'll be able to go down to your public library where there will be a computer station with access to the whole book for free." 

However, those terms do little to satisfy anti-competitive concerns brought up by Amazon.com, Microsoft and Yahoo. Separately, the Department of Justice began an investigation earlier this year looking into antitrust issues regarding the book program. In April 2009, the Association of American Publishers was contacted by the DOJ to discuss the proposed settlement regarding Google's Book Search service. However, Allan Adler, the AAP's vice president of legal and governmental affairs, stressed that the DOJ's involvement does not necessarily mean that there are grave antitrust issues at stake. 

"We've been contacted by the DOJ and they want us to visit with them to discuss the preliminary agreement with Google," Adler said. "All of the parties involved have been in touch with the DOJ. It's much too soon to guess how serious DOJ's concerns are at this point."

USA's superbomb will be ready by 2010

The Pentagon has announced that a 14-ton anti-refuge superbomb could be ready by 2010 and will cost US treasure about $88 million. It is a 6 meter-device of a project called Massive Artillery and explode only after penetrating over 60 meters in the place of the impact. The Defense Department speak of All Bombs Mother or (Conventional) and argued the missile will be charged with 2,400 kilo of explosives, twice more than previous BLU-109 prototype tested in 2003. The bomb was designed to be launched from B-52 or B-2 planes but the last ones are not ready for such mission since they do not count with an optimised radars-evasion system, noted sources.