Spoken English

Top Ten Big Mistakes Of Bill Gates

2011-05-14T03:18:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates, who created a software monopoly Microsoft, is regarded as one of the greatest and most powerful men in the world. His talent and successes are admired by a lot of people and provide strong motivation for the young to follow. However, whether the superman has perfectly finished his role as the captain of the multinational computer technology corporation?

Like other human being in our society, Gates has also made big mistakes. On May 18, 1998, a set of consolidated civil actions against his company were performed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and 20 U.S. states because it was sued for illegally thwarting competition in order to protect and extend its software monopoly.

However, it is not the first time the tech titan had to face with serious trouble. Here are ten big mistakes he made through the time.

Bill Gates didn’t appreciate the opensource, so his business strategies were always opposed to opensource principles and paradigm

Gates earned much profit from the Windows OS but its latest iteration is bombarded with lots of negative criticisms

It is said that if Gates had paid more attention to Windows Mobile, the market would have had brighter future

Gates let DOS die, but it is actually promising and stable

Gates allowed Windows Millennium edition to be released in 2000 but it definitely failed the expectation of the people and was a reflection of the lack of talents from Microsoft

In 2006, Gates continued to make mistake with Windows Vista, a major update to the Windows family of operating systems after a long gap of around five years. However, it wasn't used widespread because its installation requires superb computers and its price was too high

Bill Gates ignored search while Google actually becomes one of the leading titans thanks to this field. Microsoft then developed its own search tool Bing but this action seemed to be too late

The Microsoft Zune is also a mistake he made because this music device didn’t yield enough profit though a lot of money poured into its development

Though the Xbox received less criticism than the Microsoft Zune, it is too expensive for a gaming console to afford. As a result, gamers go for other brands with cheaper ones. Microsoft had to set its price in war with Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s top-selling Wii

One of the biggest mistakes he made is not to probably think of cloud computing due to his proprietary Windows OS

(ezineseeker.com)

What Now for al-Qaida After Death of bin Laden?

2011-05-10T01:47:00.000-07:00

[audio:url=http://www.opendrive.com/files/26419320_gmsRz/se-itn-death-of-osama-bin-laden-07may11%20(1).mp3]

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Al-Qaida on Friday confirmed the death of its leader, Osama bin Laden. The SITE Intelligence group said al-Qaida released a statement on militant websites. The statement threatened more attacks on Americans and their allies.

Al-Qaida also urged Pakistanis to rebel against their government. It urged them to "cleanse the shame that has been attached to them" by the death in Pakistan. American special-forces killed Osama bin Laden early Monday during a raid on a house where he had been living.

BARACK OBAMA: "Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan."

President Obama announced the news late Sunday night in Washington. Abbottabad is a two-hour drive from Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, and has a large military presence. But Pakistani officials say they had no idea the al-Qaida leader was there. Mr. Obama said his death does not mark the end of the threat.

BARACK OBAMA: "There's no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad. As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam."

Mr. Obama also had a message for families who lost loved ones to al-Qaida's terror.

BARACK OBAMA: "Justice has been done."

This year is the tenth anniversary of the attacks against the United States on September eleventh, two thousand one. Almost three thousand people were killed.

So now who, if anyone, will take control of al-Qaida? Osama Bin Laden's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, is considered a likely choice.

(SOUND)

That was Ayman al-Zawahri in a message released in February. Mohamed Salah is editor of the al Hayat newspaper in London. He says Ayman al-Zawahri -- a surgeon -- is the real founder of al-Qaida. He says his experience organizing Islamists in Egypt is at least as important as the ideas and financing that Osama bin Laden provided. The two men met during the fight against Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

Now, American officials are studying documents and computers seized during the raid in Abbottabad. American officials said immediately after the raid that Osama bin Laden had been armed; they later said he was not armed. President Obama has rejected the release of photographs of the body, saying the images could incite violence. Officials say the body was buried at sea from a Navy ship.

On Friday, two United Nations investigators urged the United States to provide more details about the death. They say whether or not American forces met international human rights standards when they killed Osama bin Laden depends on the facts. And those facts, they said, need to be brought out into the open.

The American-based group Human Rights Watch agrees. Reed Brody from Human Rights Watch explains why his group has joined the debate.

REED BRODY: "I think it would be very important for the US to give more information, both to show its justification for the legality and also frankly to prevent a lot of other countries from hunting down their opponents either at home or abroad and using this as justification."

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. For more on this story, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

Department

2011-05-05T07:30:00.001-07:00

Last month, I decided to move out of my parents' place and start living on my own. I searched in the newspaper for apartment listings and found a place not too far from my work. The landlord showed me around the apartment, and because it suited my needs, I signed the rental agreement and paid a deposit, some of which I might get back when I move out. The apartment has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and kitchen. It also has a small utility room where I keep my washer and dryer. Right before I moved in, the landlord put in new carpet and had the walls painted, so it looks like a new place. The rent is $650 a month, not including utilities. I pay about $100 for gas, electricity, water, sewage, and Internet service. Unfortunately, the apartment complex doesn't allowpets, so my dog has to stay with my parents for now. I might get a roommate at some point to share expenses, but I haven't decided on that yet. The place looks a little empty because it isn't furnished, but for the time being, I only have the basics: a bed, a table, a small sofa in the living room, and a TV. It's not as liveable and cozy as my parents' place, but it will have to do for now.

What do you need to learn?

2011-04-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

Yodel (mp3 link)
.In general,in all of them,there are two most fundamental have-to-do things to build up and develop effectively your speaking skills.These are IMITATION and PRACTICE.This principle does work well on almost everyone or every level.

[audio:url=http://www.opendrive.com/files/18810140_GOqlW/Bretty%20boy%20[M2M]

How was your day off?

2011-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

If you have just gotten back to work after a holiday or your colleagues have it,you'd better know how to say it!

Asking about a day off

How was your day off?
Did you do anything exciting / special?
Did you have a good day yesterday?
Did you get up to anything interesting?

Responding

It was great, thanks!
Wonderful thanks! What about you?
Oh, we didn't do much. Just lazed about.
We visited… / had lunch with / went to / checked out…

Being vague

Oh well, you know. The usual.
Oh, nothing special / nothing out of the ordinary.
The usual same old, same old.

Don't Worry!

2011-04-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

In life there are two things to worry about: either you are well or you are sick. If you are well then there is nothing to worry about, but if you are sick there are only two things to worry about: either you get well or you die.

If you get well then there is nothing to worry about. But if you die there are only two things to worry about: either you will go to heaven or to hell.

If you go to heaven then there is nothing to worry about. But if you go to hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands with friends you won't have time to worry

American Accent Training

2011-04-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

American Accent Training - A Guide to Speaking and Pronouncing American English

Author: Ann Cook
URL: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764173693/americanaccenttrProduct Details
pages: 185
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series

The second edition of the highly acclaimed American Accent Training, now on 5 audio CDs, is for foreign-born students and business people working, traveling or studying in the United States and Canada. Through extensive intonation and pronunciation exercises, students learn how to speak with a standard American Accent. At the same time, listening comprehension improves dramatically. Supplementary materials included detailed nationality guides for eight languages (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Korean), access to a comprehensive website, and referral to a qualified telephone analyst for an individual diagnostic speech analysis. Also included are colored markers for written exercises, and a mirror to practice accurate pronunciation.

You can download here: Ebook, CD1, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5