Monday, December 27, 2010

Top American software companies

Fastest growing software companies in USA
Rank Company Growth
1 Google 455%
2 Omniture 102%
3 Activision Blizzard 73%
4 Attachmate 57%
5 Rosetta Stone 50%
Source: US Software Top 100
Largest software companies in USA
Rank Company Revenues
1 Microsoft 49,453
2 IBM 22,089
3 Oracle 17,560
4 HP 11,604
5 Symantec 5,692
Source: US Software Top 100

Top 25 in business

1. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft
2. Sam Walton, former CEO of Wal-Mart
3. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
4. Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
5. Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler
6. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple
7. Herb Kelleher, chairman of Southwest Airlines
8. Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer
9. Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve
10. Carl Icahn, 1980s corporate raider
11. Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel
12. Michael Milken, former junk-bond wizard
13. John Reed, former CEO of Citigroup
14. Ted Turner, founder of CNN
15. Jim Clark, former CEO of Netscape
16. Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay
17. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com
18. Michael Eisner, CEO of Disney
19. Peter Lynch, manager of Fidelity's Magellan Fund
20. Phil Knight, CEO of Nike
21. Katharine Graham, late CEO of Washington Post Co.
22. W. Edwards Deming, influential business consultant
23. Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron
24. Shawn Fanning, founder of Napster
25. Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM

Top American business leaders Academy of Achievement.

Ref By: American Academy of Achievement.

Jeff BezosJeff Bezos

Founder and CEO, Amazon.com

 

Steve CaseSteve Case

Co-Founder, America Online


Michael DellMichael Dell

Founder & Chairman, Dell Inc.


 

Michael EisnerMichael Eisner

Entertainment Executive

 


Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison

Founder & CEO, Oracle Corporation


Jeong KimJeong Kim

President of Bell Labs

 

James V. KimseyJames V. Kimsey

Founding Chairman,
America Online

 

Henry KravisHenry Kravis

Financier and Investor


George LucasGeorge Lucas

Creator of "Star Wars"


Craig McCawCraig McCaw

Pioneer of Telecommunications

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Best Hostels in the USA

AYH Ranch Hostel - Vashon Island, Washington
This unique lodging is located 25 minutes from Seattle and Tacoma. It is located on an island in Puget Sound in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, and offers a unique Western setting with Indian teepees, covered wagons,  log lodge with comfortable private rooms.  Camping is also available and includes a "u-fix" pancake breakfast. The beautiful 10 acre ranch boarders a 100 acre reserve and offers a relaxing retreat from the city.
 
Greenwood Lodge - Bennington Vermont
Greenwood Lodge is located about eight miles east of Bennington, VT. Being in Bennington go on Highway Nine East, the street goes up a hill, as soon as you see a sign at the right side which says, Greenwood Lodge Camping, turn right and follow the sign to the Office.  It is one of the most beautiful hostels we have seen. It is in the main building of a Campground, therefore you are allowed to use all things common on a campground, such as canoes, boats, a game room, and BBQ area. 


Hostel Seattle - Seattle, Washington
This is one of the nicest hostels I've stayed in on my 6 month trip around the world. its cosy, homely, clean. Amazingly helpful and enthusiastic staff..the location is not central seattle, this does not let it down . The area around the hostel is beautiful and its 1 bus ride into town. You have to stay here!! This hostel is a small intimate hostel, centrally located. We are minutes from downtown Seattle and steps away from the waterfront of your own beach

   HI - Baltimore International Hostel - Baltimore, Maryland
HI-Baltimore is located in the heart of downtown Baltimore City. Nestled in between the Washington Monument and the Inner Harbor just off of Charles Street; HI-Baltimore is within walking distance to everything Baltimore City has to offer. Explore the world famous Lexington Market. Walk along the water and discover the neighborhoods of the Inner Harbor, Harbor East, and Fells Point. Spend the day relaxing in the parks surrounding the Washington Monument or take a short trip to the rolling hillsides of Patterson Park. If it’s the wild that you are after, visit the National Aquarium and the Maryland Zoo. Did someone say sports? Camden Yards and Ravens' Stadium are a quick 10 minute walk from the hostel, just on the other side of the Convention Center. And don’t forget Washington DC is just a short 50 minute train ride away.
 
Green Tortoise Seattle Hostel - Seattle, Washington
The Green Tortoise hostel is located across from the world famous Pike Place Market. The hostel is located at the corner of 1st and Pike Street across the street from the Pike Place Market sign. Free Internet Terminals and Wi-Fi, Free Continental Breakfast, Free Dinner three times a week.  The World Famous Green Tortoise Adventure Travel began over 30 years ago, with one sturdy bus and the realization that beautiful places, great food, and sociable people were the only essentials for gratifying travel experiences. The Green Tortoise hostels in San Francisco and Seattle are built on this fine tradition. The Green Tortoise San Francisco and Seattle hostels are created around a social communal experience.

Times Square West Hostel - Manhattan, New York
Good location- nearby Times Square centre area, two blocks from Times Square & Subway station. We are just a few minutes by foot to Times Square and Broadway Shows. We have very good neighbours, 46th Street is very clean, beautiful and safe, and many famous restaurants and bars are around us. Our mattresses are 5 Star Hotel standard. We have different kinds of private rooms you can choose from, bathroom inside or share with 2 or 3 other people. Free bed sheets, blankets and towels to offer. We are a good place to stay and meet people in a homely atmosphere. Free wireless Internet, Free Internet and printer to use, Free long distance calls, 24-hour on-site hostel manager and Security Lockers.

Hostelling International - San Diego, California
HI San Diego Hostels are the friendliest, cleanest, most comfortable hostels you'll find in San Diego. Offers comfortable dorm rooms and charming up to date private rooms, ensuite available; free breakfast included. Onsite internet access, Free WI-FI, full kitchen, onsite laundry facilities.
 
HI- Portland, Oregon
The location is in Portland's historic and active city center district where you walk to everything, plus a 10-minute walk to Greyhound/Amtrak and 5-minute walk to airport MAX train. Friendly, helpful, & organized. Free bread & bagels, free Portland map, free local calls, free wireless Internet access with your laptop, free lockers and luggage storage.
 
Green Tortoise Backpackers, San Francisco, California
"Time and time again we hear people mention the Green Tortoise hostel as one of the best they've stayed in on their RTW trip - and we can see why. You get a whole lot of freebies for your money, a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. This place is backpacker heaven."

Music City Hostel - Nashville, Tennessee
Music City Hostel is a great place to stay for a few days or a longer time. The apartments are well furnished, comfortable and modern. The hosts are really nice, like to help you when you need it (for example, give a ride to go shopping!) and organize some outing (restaurants, etc.) to build a strong community feeling among the residents. I really enjoy my stay here and advise you to come to Music City Hostel when you are in Nashville

top ten Hollywood Actresses

alyssa-milano1. Alyssa Milano
One of Hollywood’s favorite, child actress and model Alysa Milano rose to fan-magazine fame in the role of Samantha Micelli on the popular TV series Who’s the Boss . Through the run of this series, Milano made her TV-movie bow opposite no less than Sir John Gielgud in 1986′s The Canterville Ghost. Like many former child stars, Milano has done her utmost to break her earlier image by appearing in adult roles calling for heavy breathing and come-hither glances: perhaps her most spectacular appearance along these lines was in the role of the estimable Amy Fisher.

angelina-jolie2. Angelina Jolie
Angelina jolie Born in June 4, 1975 in Los Angeles, Angelina Jolie Voight (yes, Jolie is her middle name, which angelina used so she didn’t have to bear the burden of her father’s name, Jon Voight) has become one of the ‘in’ women in Hollywood. Daring to be different, perhaps to the point of being bizarre, Jolie (incidentally meaning “pretty little girl” in French) has starred in many big budget films of late and has catapulted herself from model daughter of a famous acting pair to a top billed actress in her own right.

Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and possessing a sure bodacious je ne sais quoi, Heather Graham has had one of the more inspiring career trajectories of the 1990s. After debuting in the 1988 License to drive, which featured the Two Coreys and little else, Graham worked in relative obscurity for years before hitting it big in a string of successful films, including Swingers, Boogie Nights and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

jennifer-lopez4. Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez, the multi-talented superstar, actress and singer, who hails from New York City’s Castle Hill section of the Bronx, has busted onto the scene in a manner that has left a lot of folks speechless. Getting her break when she was chosen to play the lead role in Selena , the 1997 big screen biopic of the slain Tejano singer, Lopez earned more film credits in the 1997 summer thriller Anaconda, Oliver Stone’s U Turn, Jack , with George Clooney in Out of Sight and The Cell . Recently she finished filming The Wedding Planner with Matthew McConaughey.

sarah-michelle-gellar5. Sarah Gellar
Born April 14, 1977 in New York City, Sarah Michelle Gellar has become sort of a pseudo ‘feminist’ for her generation, although she cringes at the word herself. But her role as a beautiful female who kicks ass on television certainly has made herself a role model to her female generation. While many of Gellar’s scenes as Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer use stunt double Sophia Crawford, Gellar does carry a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do.

jennifer-love-hewitt6. Jennifer Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt prefers to be called Love. Her mother named her after her college friend and roommate whom Love has never met. Her mom had told her friend (who was gorgeous and really sweet) that if she ever had a little girl, she would name her Love. Love started performing young. When she was only three years old, she got away from her mother at a dinner club, and was found on stage, singing “Help Me Make It through the Night.” Two years later, Love started taking dance lessons. While still in Texas, Love was voted a “living doll” in a Texas beauty pageant, and at the age of nine, joined the Texas Show Team, performing in the U.S.S.R. and Denmark. At ten, Love was touring the world as a spokesperson for L.A. Gear.

One of Spain’s foremost leading ladies of the 1990s, Penelope Cruz has managed to make her mark on international audiences as well. Born in Madrid on April 28, 1974, Cruz was one of three children of a merchant and a hairdresser. After years of intensive study in ballet and jazz, she broke into acting in 1992. That year, she had starring roles in Jamón Jamón and Belle Époque, two very disparate films. The former cast she as the desperately poor daughter of a village prostitute, while the latter featured her as one of four lusty daughters of a wealthy man in pre-Franco Spain. Belle Époque proved to be a huge success, winning nine Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of an Academy Award) and an Oscar.

shannon-elizabeth8. Shannon Elizabeth
As part of the amazingly successful American Pie (1999), went almost overnight from complete obscurity to being a lust object for mammary-obsessed teenage boys everywhere. Before her turn as Nadia, the Czech foreign-exchange student who steals the heart and hormones of the film’s perpetually horny protagonist, Jim (Jason Biggs), Elizabeth did time in a number.

charlize-theron9. Charlize Theron
As legend has it, Charlize Theron was discovered by an agent while fighting with a bank manager on Hollywood Boulevard. Eighteen and starving, Theron purportedly got into the argument after the manager refused to cash her check. The outburst caught the agent’s attention, and eight months later Theron got her first acting job. Since then, she has become one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood, thanks to a combination of talent and the blonde, statuesque good looks so loved by the camera. Born August 7, 1975, Theron was raised on a farm in Benoni, South Africa. Trained as a ballet dancer, she was sent to Milan at sixteen to become a model following the death of her father.

A former child star whose flame continued to burn bright into her teen years, blonde beauty Elisha Cuthbert has successfully carried the success from Popular Mechanics for Kids and Are You Afraid of the Dark? into a featured role on the hit FOX series 24 and a successful film career. A Calgary native who landed her first modeling job at the tender age of seven, it was a mere four years later that Cuthbert instinctively knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her days in front of the lens. Following an appearance in the 1997 feature Dancing on the Moon, Cuthbert landed a job as a field correspondent for the acclaimed Canadian television series Popular Mechanics for Kids, and her reporting proved so effective that she caught the attention of first lady Hillary Clinton, who invited Cuthbert to Washington for a meeting

The Best Actress Academy Awards



The Top Best Actress
Oscar Winner
Best Actress Wins

Katharine Hepburn
12 career nominations
(all B.A. noms),
4 wins
Morning Glory (1932/33)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
The Lion in Winter (1968)
On Golden Pond (1981)

Other Top Best Actress Oscar
Winners
and Nominees
Best Actress Wins

Meryl Streep
16 career nominations
(13 B.A. noms),
2 wins (1 B.A.)
Sophie's Choice (1982)

Bette Davis
10 career nominations (all B.A. noms)
(plus an "unofficial" write-in
nomination in 1934),
2 wins
Dangerous (1935)
Jezebel (1938)

Ingrid Bergman
7 career nominations
(6 B.A. noms),
3 wins (2 B.A.)
Gaslight (1944)
Anastasia (1956)

Jane Fonda
7 career nominations
(6 B.A. noms),
2 wins (both B.A.)
Klute (1971)
Coming Home (1978)

Norma Shearer
6 career nominations
(all B.A. noms),
1 win
The Divorcee (1929/30)

Sissy Spacek
6 career nominations
(all B.A. noms)
1 win
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

Olivia de Havilland
5 career nominations
(4 B.A. noms),
2 wins (both B.A.)
To Each His Own (1946)
The Heiress (1949)

Elizabeth Taylor
5 career nominations
(all B.A. noms),
2 wins
Butterfield 8 (1960)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Glenda Jackson
4 career nominations
(all B.A. noms),
2 wins
Women in Love (1970)
A Touch of Class (1973)

Jodie Foster
4 career nominations
(3 B.A. noms),
2 wins (both B.A.)

The Accused (1988)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Luise Rainer
2 career nominations
(both B.A.),
2 wins
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Good Earth (1937)

Hilary Swank
2 career nominations
(both B.A.),
2 wins
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Vivien Leigh
2 career nominations
(both B.A. noms),
2 wins
Gone With The Wind (1939)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Sally Field
2 career nominations
(both B.A. noms),
2 wins
Norma Rae (1979)
Places in the Heart (1984)

Greer Garson
7 career nominations
(all B.A. noms),
1 win
Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Kate Winslet
6 career nominations
(4 B.A. noms),
1 win
The Reader (2008)