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To: Fred Levine who wrote (33574)	12/27/1999 12:09:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 70976

OT FWIW, the story which inspired me to act: more.abcnews.go.com By Peter Jennings ABCNEWS.com N E W Y O R K, Nov. 17 — Om Dhutta Sharma has been driving a taxi in New York for 20 years. He was born and raised in an Indian village that is so small that it isn't even on the map. Sharma and his wife, Kishna, have done well in America. They worked hard, saved their money and raised two kids who are in college now. “I always thought, always thought,” says Sharma, “at the end of my life I will do something for the people back home in my village.” How the Dream Began Sharma is hardly at the end of his life, but in 1996, when his mother died and left him $50 and the family property back in India, Sharma had an idea. “The law helped me a lot,” Sharma says. “It makes you analytical in whatever you do.” In fact, Sharma had been a lawyer in India, though he didn't practice in the United States. He knows the value of his education. And he also knew that the girls in Dhoobher Kishanpur, his village, had no school. Sharma decided he could make a difference. “My wife started saving the money, $10, $15,” Sharma says. “I started saving 15 percent of my income every day. Whatever I make I just put in a jar.” He invested the money in a school for 200 girls, which he built on his mother's property. He named the school, “The Ramkali School,” after his mother. The Value of Each Dollar A dollar goes further in India. One thousand dollars pays the teacher's salaries for a year. There is also enough money for a doctor. Sharma is planning to build three more schools, including a high school. “I'll pay the salaries,” Sharma says. “I'll pay the books. I'll pay the uniforms of the children … I want to utilize their creativity … and for that if you give financial help you never know what can happen.” Some of these girls may even go to college, as Sharma and Kishna and their children did. “The gift of education is the best gift you can give anybody,” Sharma says. His is a gift for the future, earned on the streets of New York.

To: Fred Levine who wrote (33574)	12/27/1999 8:25:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

PC Unit Sales Edge Up 0.9 Pct. in Fifth Week of November December 27, 1999 (TOKYO) -- Personal computer unit sales in Japan's retail market edged up slightly during the fifth week of November 1999 over the prior week, but the general market tone remained brisk. An all-time high sales record is expected the following week as the retailers brace for the peak bonus season. According to Gfk Japan Ltd., an information service company handling POS data of 55 household electric appliance retail stores, PC sales in the fifth week of November (Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 1999) increased 0.9 percent in units, but dropped 1.5 percent in value compared with the previous week. Compared to the same week a year ago (Nov. 30 - Dec. 6, 1998), however, PC sales surged 25.5 percent in units and 8.5 percent in value. The average PC retail price dropped 4,839 yen to 198,804 yen from the previous week's 203,643 yen. (102.26 yen = US$1) This was the first drop in six weeks to the 190,000 yen level in the average retail price. It was affected largely by the full-scale sale of the "M350V," a price-leader model marketed by Sotec Co., Ltd. for less than 100,000 yen. The average retail price of a desktop/tower model was 168,672 yen, the second-lowest level after the 166,021 yen marked in the third week of September 1999, when low-priced fall models were on hand. Notebook PCs retailed for 233,795 yen, about the same as the third week of November. GfK Japan collects POS data from 55 IT-related retail sales companies centering on high-volume stores specializing in home electric appliances. It covers about 3,200 stores (as of April 1998) throughout Japan. In cooperation with GfK Japan, Nikkei Market Access provides weekly reports of PC sales in volume and value. The sales data has been based on the same 41 companies (with about 2,000 stores) since April 1996. The number of PCs sold at the 2,000 stores is estimated to comprise about 10 percent of gross domestic shipments, and when limiting the sales to retail sales channel, the share comes to about 25 percent of such shipments. nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com