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Online Masters in Hospitality Management Programs | MBA Hospitality Management Degrees
Online Masters in Hospitality Management & Hotel Management Programs Overview
Busy working professionals might consider an Masters in Hospitality Management Online as a convenient way to advance their education and prepare for a variety of potential roles in the extensive hospitality industry. With the strides in educational technology, distance learners are able to complete assignments, view lectures and interact with classmates or faculty using a variety of digital tools within an online classroom environment. Some courses may require participation in class discussions via message boards, chat rooms or even live Web classes utilizing conferencing technology. This means that one is able to study from anywhere they are set up with a computer and reliable Internet.
Hospitality Management includes diverse industries and businesses, such as hotel management, and the growing trend amongst employers is to favor candidates with formal and relevant education and job experience. For upper level management positions, such as working in an upscale hotel or restaurant, extensive work experience is often required.
Popular schools with Masters in Hospitality Management Online Degrees
What is an Online Masters Program in Hospitality Management?
For students who work well independently, earning a masters degree in hospitality management online may be a great alternative to studying full-time on campus. If this sounds right to you, start reviewing your options on GradSchools.com to find an online hospitality management program that is accredited and aligns with your interests. Students may verify whether the program they are selecting is accredited with the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. Some of the listings you might browse through may include online Master of Tourism Management (MTM), online Master of Science in Entertainment Business and Master of Business Administration in Hospitality Management.
What is Common Coursework in Online Masters Programs in Hospitality Management?
Many of the top schools have online graduate programs that mirror their on-campus ones, though it is always preferable for applying or interested students to request the details from the school they are considering.
Coursework often varies depending on the program; an MBA in Hospitality Management might offer a different program structure to that of a Master of Science by focusing on entrepreneurship and strategic leadership skills for example. Some of the basic courses that students might expect to explore may include:
- Introduction to hospitality management
- Facility management and
- Tourism convention management
- Hospitality planning and business models
- Marketing
- Decision analysis in hospitality.
What are options for a Masters in Hospitality Management?
Students who choose to specialize in one specific area should expect to find courses that focus just on their specialization. Some of these possible areas of concentration include:
- Hotel management
- Restaurant management
- Resort management
- Casino management
- Club management
- Food and beverage management
- Lodging management
Some Masters in Hospitality Management Online programs expect students to complete a thesis, but some distance learning programs require or give the option to complete a final comprehensive project and/or complete additional coursework as alternatives.
Jobs For Masters in Hospitality Management Graduates
The many aspects of the hospitality industry translate to a variety of potential career paths that may include:
- Top Executive Roles
- General and Operations Managers
- Human resources Managers
- Food Service managers
- Marketing Managers
FUN FACT: Some food service companies, hotels, and restaurant chains recruit management trainees from college hospitality or food service management programs. Some of these programs may require students to work in internships and to have real-life food industry-related experiences in order to graduate.
Ready to Pursue an Online Masters in Hospitality Management degree?
If you have already been working in one of the hospitality industries and are seeking to advance into a senior position, or you aspire to a leadership role, what may set you apart from other candidates is your perspective and a quality education that demonstrates your diligence and competence. Since a large number of people in the hospitality industry have associate's or bachelor's degrees, a Masters in Hospitality Management Online may potentially open a new level of jobs and positions to you. Start reviewing your options on GradSchools.com today!
GradSchools.com offers 16 Graduate Schools with Masters in Hospitality Management Online Programs | MBA in Hospitality Management Degrees
Full Sail University
Colorado State University
Northeastern University
The George Washington University
University of Nevada Las Vegas
California State University, East Bay
The George Washington School of Business Online
Sullivan University
University of Guelph
University of North Texas
University of Illinois Global Campus
San Diego State University


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Well-being of People in Seminole County, Oklahoma
What does it mean for people to enjoy well-being? Well-Being of People is both how people feel about their lives and how long they are likely to live. Health, security, prosperity, sense of connection, and purpose all play a role in well-being.
How many residents are thriving in Seminole County, Oklahoma? How many are struggling or suffering?
What this measures: Cantril's Ladder is an overall measure of how someone feels about their life using two simple questions. The first question asks people to rate their lives on a ladder where the bottom in their worst possible life (0) and the top is their best possible life (10). The second question asks them to rate where they think they will be on the ladder in five years. A score of 7 or higher now and 8 or higher in the future on Cantril's ladder puts someone in the "thriving" category, along with half of the US population. A score of 4 or below on both questions puts you in the "suffering" category. Everyone in between is categorized as "struggling."
Note: Data is not shown for counties with fewer than 20 survey responses.
Why this matters: How someone feels about their life using these questions turns out to be very powerful, relating to how healthy they will be, how long they will live, and their cost to society. It even seems to relate to how people voted in the last election. These two Cantril's ladder questions can be used to identify which populations one might need to focus on. It can also be used to monitor the health of a population over time. It can be used to evaluate improvement efforts. Change in this measure can be seen as soon as 3-6 months and is often used by employers and communities in this way.
What this relates to: Every other domain. These questions are used to compare the well-being of countries in the World Happiness Report. They are also recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to assess population health.
Data source: Gallup. Percentages and mean responses calculated by LiveStories based on raw survey data. Only responses of 0 to 10 were included in the calculations.
How many years, on average, can residents expect to live in Seminole County, Oklahoma?
What this measures: The average number of years a person (or a group of people) can expect to live. This is calculated based on the experiences of a group of people who are similar. In this case, it looks at others who live in the same area.
Why this matters: Many factors can affect life expectancy, such as health and social and physical environment. Life expectancy can be used to monitor the overall health of a population. It can also help to identity groups who are at risk of dying earlier than the average population. Life expectancy does not change quickly and is less useful for measuring short-term improvement. We are now able to see differences in life expectancy at the level of neighborhoods through USALEEP and City Health Dashboard.
What this relates to: Nearly every domain.
Data sources:
• Census-tract-level life expectancy data is from the U.S. Small-area Life Expectancy Estimates Project (USALEEP), published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The USALEEP estimates cover the period of 2010 to 2015. The estimates were produced with data from death records geo-located to census tracts, population estimates from the Census Bureau, and statistical modeling to mitigate limitations from small population sizes. More details on the project's methodology are available here (pdf).
• County-, State-, and US-level life expectancy data is from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Death records from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and population counts from the census bureau, NCHS, and the Human Mortality Database were used in the analysis. Results of the study were published in JAMA in May 2017 in "Inequalities in life expectancy among US counties, 1980–2014."
Learn More | Read Story | Act
Other Interesting Measures
• Cantril's ladder: percent of people with hope (percent of people with higher scores than current or scores 8 or higher in 5 years). Source: Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.
• Cantril's ladder item for Financial Security. Source: Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.
• In general, how would you rate your physical health? Source: Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).
• In general, how would you rate your mental health, including your mood and your ability to think? Source: PROMIS.
• How often do you get the social and emotional support you need? Source: BRFSS.
• How strongly do you agree with this statement? "I lead a purposeful and meaningful life." Source: Short Flourishing Scale.

subset: commoncrawl


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Splendid Robert Indiana, The Rebecca, 1983
Artist: Robert Indiana, American (1928 - )
Title: The Rebecca
Year: 1983
Medium: Serigraph
Size: 12.5 in. x 10 in. (31.75 cm x 25.4 cm)
Frame Size: 24 x 20.5 inches
EXTRAORDINARY ROBERT INDIANA, THE REBECCA, 1983. This is a wonderful exciting LIMITED EDITION SERIGRAPH. Created by Artist Robert Indiana. Featured in several important published works on the artist. It is the RARE hard to find Limited Edition features sophisticated brilliant color tones in this print, excellent!
Made of the very Finest Archival Museum quality Excellent NEW MINT CONDITION is Highly desirable for collectors.This item selling in Upscale Art Galleries and Museum galleries when and if it can be found. This item is subject to availability. This is perfect for any elegant home, office, restaurant or place of business. WE CARRY SEVERAL ROBERT INDIANA Art works in our inventory.
Robert Indiana
Robert Indiana was born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana. born September 13, 1928
He moved to New York City in 1954 and joined the pop art movement, using distinctive imagery drawing on commercial art approaches blended with existentialism, that gradually moved toward what Indiana calls "sculptural poems".
Indiana's iconic work LOVE was first created for a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1964 and later was included on an eight-cent United States Postal Service postage stamp in 1973, the first of their regular series of "love stamps." The first serigraph/silk screen of "Love" was printed as part of an exhibition poster for Stable Gallery in 1966.
In 2008, Indiana created an image similar to his iconic but this time showcasing the word "HOPE," and donated all proceeds from the sale of reproductions of his image to Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign, raising in excess of $1,000,000.
He has enjoyed solo exhibitions at over 40 museums and galleries worldwide. Indiana's works are in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, The Netherlands; Carnegie Institute, Detroit Institute of Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C.; Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Los Angeles County Museum, California, among many others
We Ship Internationally. Contact Us For Details.


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The bright feature in this image might be the parachute from a 1971 Soviet Mars lander named Mars 3. The image was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
Hardware from a spacecraft that the Soviet Union landed on Mars in 1971 might appear in images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
While following news about Mars and NASA's Curiosity rover, Russian citizen enthusiasts found four features in a five-year-old image from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that resemble four pieces of hardware from the Soviet Mars 3 mission: the parachute, heat shield, terminal retrorocket and lander. A follow-up image by the orbiter from last month shows the same features.
The Mars 3 lander transmitted for several seconds after landing on Dec. 2, 1971, the first spacecraft to survive a Mars landing long enough to transmit anything.
Images of the possible Mars 3 features, taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, are available at http://uahirise.org/ESP_031036_1345 and http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16920 .
"Together, this set of features and their layout on the ground provide a remarkable match to what is expected from the Mars 3 landing, but alternative explanations for the features cannot be ruled out," said HiRISE Principal Investigator Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "Further analysis of the data and future images to better understand the three-dimensional shapes may help to confirm this interpretation."
In 1971, the former Soviet Union launched the Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions to Mars. Each consisted of an orbiter plus a lander. Both orbiter missions succeeded, although the surface of Mars was obscured by a planet-encircling dust storm. The Mars 2 lander crashed. Mars 3 became the first successful soft landing on the Red Planet, but stopped transmitting after just 14.5 seconds for unknown reasons.
The predicted landing site was at latitude 45 degrees south, longitude 202 degrees east, in Ptolemaeus Crater. HiRISE acquired a large image at this location in November 2007. This image contains 1.8 billion pixels of data, so about 2,500 typical computer screens would be needed to view the entire image at full resolution. Promising candidates for the hardware from Mars 3 were found on Dec. 31, 2012.
Vitali Egorov from St. Petersburg, Russia, heads the largest Russian Internet community about Curiosity, at http://vk.com/curiosity_live . His subscribers did the preliminary search for Mars 3 via crowdsourcing. Egorov modeled what Mars 3 hardware pieces should look like in a HiRISE image, and the group carefully searched the many small features in this large image, finding what appear to be viable candidates in the southern part of the scene. Each candidate has a size and shape consistent with the expected hardware, and they are arranged on the surface as expected from the entry, descent and landing sequence.
"I wanted to attract people's attention to the fact that Mars exploration today is available to practically anyone," Egorov said. "At the same time we were able to connect with the history of our country, which we were reminded of after many years through the images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter."
An advisor to the group, Alexander Basilevsky, of Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Moscow, contacted McEwen suggesting a follow-up image. HiRISE acquired the follow-up on March 10, 2013. This image was targeted to cover some of the hardware candidates in color and to get a second look with different illumination angles. Meanwhile, Basilevsky and Erogov contacted Russian engineers and scientists who worked on Mars 3 for more information.
The candidate parachute is the most distinctive feature in the images. It is an especially bright spot for this region, about 8.2 yards (7.5 meters) in diameter. The parachute would have a diameter of 12 yards (11 meters) if fully spread out over the surface, so this is consistent. In the second HiRISE image, the parachute appears to have brightened over much of its surface, probably due to its better illumination over the sloping surface, but it is also possible that the parachute brightened in the intervening years because dust was removed.
The descent module, or retrorocket, was attached to the lander container by a chain, and the candidate feature has the right size and even shows a linear extension that could be a chain. Near the candidate descent module is a feature with the right size and shape to be the actual lander, with four open petals. The image of the candidate heat shield matches a shield-shaped object with the right size if partly buried.
Philip J. Stooke from the University of West Ontario, Canada, suggested the direction of search and offered helpful advice. Arnold Selivanov (one of the creators of Mars 3) and Vladimir Molodtsov (an engineer at NPO Lavochkin, Moscow) helped with access to data archives.
HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona, Tucson. The instrument was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Curiosity are managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
For more information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been studying Mars from orbit since 2006, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mro .


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For August, Chris Feldman looks at Time Bokan, The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye and Ghost in Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society in AWN's monthly anime reviews.
Time Bokan OAV
(2004) OAV series (two episodes). Director: Akira Shigino. 60 minutes. DVD bilingual $9.99. Distributor: U.S. Manga Corps
Tatsunoko Production is a legend in the anime community. Starting back in 1965 they have produced some of the most classic and beloved anime series ever. Titles, such as Gatchaman, Robotech and Speed Racer, are just a few of the gems to have sprung from the amazing talents at Tatsunoko Production. Even today they still produce some really outstanding anime, with series production highlights, such as Video Girl Ai and even a remake of Speed Racer.
So, I find it funny that when a studio like Tatsunoko creates an anime OAV series, such as Time Bokan. Apparently this story takes place after the original Time Bokan TV series that aired back in the early '70s. The amusing part about this DVD is not that it is a plot line continuation of the original TV series, but that it was intentionally produced to make fun of Tatsunoko Production. Yes, much like Joe Namath in panty hose or Ozzy Osborne attempting to sing the American national anthem, it is always funny when poking fun at a legend.
Well, for those out there who are more familiar with '70s anime action heroes like Tekkaman and Casshan, Time Bokan will be an enjoyable experience. The rest of fandom will find it to be a nonsensical romp through the zany and often twisted humor of Japanese animators. A certain degree of familiarity with the older anime series and characters is a prerequisite to understand most of the shows content and humor. That being said, for those that can mimic the hero pose of every '70s mecha, the comedy in Time Bokan is pure gold. So many excellent choices were made in the production of this show that only the most fanboy of all fanboys will truly appreciate this DVD. Time Bokan's story seems to really only exist to provide a platform for which the comedy may ensue. But, I will attempt to sum it up, regardless of the futility.
It appears that the main characters of this story are the Dorombo Gang. The first episode is a race between seven trios of villains each in their own mech. Each trio is the exact same set of three people, a tall skinny smart guy with a weird nose, a short hoodlum/thug type person, and a young lady for eye candy. They are all washed up villains from the previous TV series and the winner gets a part in an upcoming movie. In standard '70s villain style, cheating and dastardly deeds abound, all of which seem to end in slapstick goodness.
In the second episode, the Dorombo Gang receives orders from their leader Dokurobe to steal a stone from the hidden kingdom of Tatsunoko. With their new mech, which happens to be in the form of a little first grade girl, they set out on their mission. A ton of cameos are made in this episode and most of the fun is picking them all out. The bulk of this episode's humor comes from poking fun at every type of anime from kid stuff through hentai. If anyone remembers a mech that used to make little boys blush called Aphrodite from Mazinger Z (Tranzor Z) there is a joke in this episode that may cause loss of bladder control.
To begin with, the art style of this OAV has gone beyond retro and has landed squarely upon antiquated. 009-1 and other modern animes that have an art style that harkens back to the older animes utilize modern animation techniques like CG. The Time Bokan art style is entirely old school relying solely on hand drawn techniques. And, I wouldn't have it any other way, because the look of this show really is an integral part of the humor. If the copyright date was not printed on the back jacket I would have a hard time believing that this was produced in the 21st century. The entire show is hand drawn with every cheesy little cheat that fans love to hate in shows like Speed Racer.
Each vehicle is only drawn from four angles -- front, side, back and front three quarters. No attempt was made to tween any additional rotations. Just like in Speed Racer, a vehicle will enter the frame in the correct perspective, but then will not change perspective until it moves into one of the other pre-drawn views. Character styles, especially their outfits, would have been right at home four decades ago. Everything is deliberately dated and stylized making things lots of fun to watch.
Audio has been given a similar treatment as the animation. All the music is performed in that synthesized '70s style tone. I half expected the audio to have a crackle in it from the recording. Even the sound effects are the same type used in older anime. It is a very nostalgic experience just listening to Time Bokan. The Japanese language version is very well done with perfectly mated voices to each character. English voices, while they are not going to win any awards, are at the very least a really good attempt. There is some added humor with various accents and impressions, but, sadly, they are not consistent throughout the episodes.
Special features are pretty sparse on this one. The DVD has no insert and no other art other than what is on the DVD jacket. On the actual DVD, there is a special feature section that contains the OAV trailer that really doesn't give a good impression of what to expect out of Time Bokan and an art gallery. The gallery is pretty generic consisting of mostly images captured from the two episodes and the box art. There is an additional section on the DVD with additional trailers. On one hand there are the standard anime trailers. Nothing to get all crazy and write home about, but what is on this disk that is really cool is the manga previews. I have seen a few different attempts of previewing a manga comic in video form. For the most part, what I have seen up until now haven't been very successful. But here the manga previews have sound, music, and Foley and they are done in an animatic style complete with motion graphics and 3D visual effects. Very cool stuff.
The rating of Time Bokan is 13 and up. Despite being aimed at a slightly younger audience, Time Bokan earned that rating from its cartoon violence, some crude humor, fan service and some occasionally bare-breasted young ladies. Funny thing is I don't think that anyone under the age of 13 would really understand the humor of Time Bokan, so I think that the rating is really more of a formality. I can definitely see this one being popular in the late night viewing rooms of anime conventions. At the $9.99 price point, this one is a steal and will have any fan of the old school animes cracking up.
The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye V.1
(2007) TV series (four episodes). Director:Jun Kamiya. V.1 Four episodes 100 minutes. DVD bilingual $24.99. Distributor: RightStuf
XBEC Studios, whose animated works, such as Outlaw Star and Martian Successor Nadesico isn't afraid to take convention and turn it on end. Or at the very least laugh a little at it. The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye is a strange and lengthy title for an anime but don't let it scare anyone away from this one. True to XEBEC's previous works The Third takes an interesting and role reversing spin on the youth pilot mecha samurai warrior thing. Traditionally this role is played by an angst-filled young man, but this time around the honor goes to a young and upbeat girl. Through creative use of humor, action and fan service, the story is kept interesting. While as a huge mecha samurai fan myself, I did enjoy The Third. But, at the same time, I don't think that it will appeal to everyone.
There is a feeling that The Third is geared a little toward the ladies with its independent, butt-kicking, very cute leading lady and her effeminate love interest. Not to say that there isn't something in store for the guys with all the action and some light fan service; it's just that the pacing and character development is more along the lines of Revolutionary Girl Utena than Gundam.
The premise of the story is familiar. In a world in the aftermath of horrific war that turned the planet into a burnt out desert, survivors are forced to live reliant on technology for their very existence. Living above the planet is a group called the Third who are constantly monitoring the planet below and policing its inhabitants. After war ravaged the landscape, the Third decided that in order to protect those who remain, they would institute techno taboos that would limit the amount of technology people could use and thereby actively controlled the degree of destruction they are capable of. Of course, this law does not apply to the Third as they use incredibly advanced weaponry against those who break these taboos.
The mechanics in this world are referred to as technos and in Gestapo-like fashion the Third will attack and detain (if they are lucky enough) these technos if they are found guilty of breaking any taboos. Enter our heroine, Honoka. She is proud to make her living as a jack-of-all-trades, but her real talents lie in the sword she is carrying. Given the name of sword dancer, Honoka has developed an almost mythical reputation out in the wasteland. Her steel easily dispatches giant spiders and can ever cut the barrel off of a tank.
Speaking of tanks, Honoka's partner is an A.I. tank named Bogie whose main job is to watch her back while out in the field. Life is pretty normal until Honoka rescues someone she finds out alone in the desert at night. The person she finds, named Iks, seems to stir up feelings inside of Honoka that she isn't familiar with. It's not that other suitors haven't vied for her affections before, Honoka just never had feelings for another like she has for Iks. The trouble comes from the Third who have taken an interest in this boy Iks and the mechanized armor Honoka just purchased that breaks the technos taboo.
This story is laid out very deliberately. The narrator portion gives this anime an almost RPG feel to it. Each scene relates to the one before it, and any jumps in time are described in detail by the narrator. It hurts the pacing a little but in its defense, narration only seems to be used when jumping between locations or similar breaks in the action. Plus, with the additional exposition, a younger audience will be able to get into this story. Dialogue is written at the standard sixth grade level and easily followed. The Japanese language track is far superior to the English version. There are some good points in the English language version. For instance, the character Iks speaks in an effeminate tone in the Japanese version and the English voice actor did an excellent job translating that over without making the character irritating.
What I did find irritating was the inconsistencies in the pronunciations of the main character's name. Half the time it is hard to tell if people are saying Honoka or Hanukkah. Her name isn't even that hard to say, so I don't know where the confusion is. What's worse is that a lot of the English voice actors seemed to be reading their lines off of cue cards. That flatness and reactive emoting of feelings is a dead giveaway to a voice actor reading their lines with their face in the script. The Japanese voice acting is delightful and, with this DVD, I definitely would recommend watching this one is Japanese. The translations seem solid and the script makes perfect sense. There are some pretty significant differences between the subtitled translation and the spoken English translation, but nothing to get too worked up over. The English narration does leave out some of the exposition, but any information omitted is either obvious or learned in a following scene.
Character designs are either cute or pretty as in all bishounen anime. There is plenty of eye candy to go around, as I did not see one ugly person in any of the four episodes. With the exception of the perverted doctor, but he is supposed to be really old and, as ballast, his android assistant is smokin.' Background characters all dress in a different way that shows their profession. Farmers dress different than technos, bounty hunters have cybernetic implants, miners are dirty, everyone is wearing something that seems to have a little story about who they are. There is an interesting old west kind of feel to a lot of the technology used that seems intertwined modern warfare machinery.
This is an odd mix, but it is one that seems to work pretty well. The 3D models and animations used rock. The 3D model for Bogie is simply awesome. Unlike a lot of 3D that is to be integrated with 2D, detail wasn't spared to help with the blending. The action sequences that use the 3D for effects, as well as machinery, really stand out. These scenes just looked so cool.
Special features are indeed special with this DVD. On the disk itself there are two music videos that are done really well, but do contain some spoiler material. There are also voice actor interviews with the Japanese voice actors for Honoka and Iks. Of course there are the obligatory trailers, but there is also a character bios section that comes with commentary from the Japanese voice talent. Always a personal favorite of mine is the character art gallery. There are model sheets for six different characters that include changes in clothing as well as accessories.
The DVD itself comes with a reversible artwork for the cover. The second side does not feature the Japanese cover art, just an alternative cover art. Inside the case is a 12-page booklet with a nice card board cover that has some additional character art and some poetry no less. On a side note, one thing that was added in the DVD was a real comment card. Not just some 3x5 thing with a box to check if you liked the title or not, but a real questionnaire giving the fans an opportunity to give some constructive feedback. My suggestion is for everyone that buys this DVD fill it out. All of the cool special features show that the producers want to give fans what they have been asking for, so help them to help all of us fans by filling it out and sending it in. I know I did.
All in all The Third is a very strong title that is worth picking up. The story has a fair amount of humor that is actually funny, and plot development is very thorough allowing ample time to get to know each of the main characters very well. There is plenty for everyone on this DVD, and I think it is nice to see a samurai mech anime that isn't full of angst for a change.
Ghost in Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society
(2006) movie. Director: Kenji Kamiyama. 108 minutes. Bilingual DVD $19.98 Limited Edition $39.98. Distributor: Manga Video
Back in 1996, an anime feature film was released based on Masamune Shirow's cyberpunk manga Ghost in the Shell. The Ghost in the Shell feature, while not completely faithful to the original manga, was groundbreaking in its use of cutting edge 3D animation and extremely highbrowed plotline. The immense popularity of this original movie sparked renewed interest in the original manga, and spawned a sequel manga and second equally groundbreaking film. Both of which were followed by an anime series titled, Stand Alone Complex. This new series is set in the same world as the manga and films, but followed its own story independently. While the action and adult content had been toned down somewhat for television, the same heady political and philosophical plot devices along with surgical military strike action that made Ghost in the Shell so intense still remain. Now after two seasons a new feature in the Stand Alone Complex universe has been created at a reported cost of more than $3 million.
Solid State Society takes place two years after the end of Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG. A lot of big changes have happened, but Section 9 is still standing. I don't want to say too much, but this one should definitely be seen after 2nd GIG.
The movie itself is an entirely new and has a complete story that can be followed with only a bit of knowledge of Stand Alone Complex. But the first 25 minutes worth of film contain a ton of spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen 2nd GIG. So, consider this fair warning. The movie takes place in 2034 Japan and another hacker called the puppeteer is drawing all of Section 9's attention. As with the other Ghost in the Shell animes the plot is rather convoluted. Not to worry, if anyone gets lost or confused, there are points of exposition at the end of each act to bring everyone back up to speed. The really great part about this story is that all of the characters aside from the Major are changing and maturing.
This is especially true for Togusa. Actually I haven't liked Togusa since the first movie. I always felt that he was fairly weak and whiney, almost useless, compared to the others in section 9. In this story Togusa has grown up so to speak and has become far more interesting. There are plenty of action sequences to keep things moving, and a head to head sniper dual with Saito that is just darned cool.
Another great aspect of this story is that it further expands on the possibilities and consequences of a future that is dependent upon the net and the cost of physically connecting oneself to that net. An underlying tone of current political struggles in Japan is moderately veiled, and adds to the believability of this world. A negative criticism of Solid State Society is that the plot is more or less the same idea that was dealt with in the previous installments of Ghost in the Shell. That is a fair criticism, but what is important here is that the creators keep inventing new and interesting ways to approach this same idea.
I can't see anything wrong with that. After all, this is a sequel and the characters have a very specific job that they do. I somehow can't see Batou doing comedy or anything else that wouldn't have a gun in his hand or his elbow in somebody's face. So, aside from the superficial plot line similarities, this is a fresh and interesting story that is worth seeing. Plus there is a twist ending that surprised even me.
For this movie, the already high production quality of the TV series has been turned up to for this movie. There is ton of eye candy everywhere. Production I.G does an outstanding job recreating the world that Masamune Shirow first visualized in his original manga. Everything has a real but futuristic feel to it. Research for what the world will look like in the future is so thorough that Production I.G even partnered with Nissan Motor Corp. and used actual concept vehicles for section 9 to use, as well as other actual but retro-looking vehicles.
Personally, I think Batou has the best taste in cars ever. 3D integration with the 2D elements has been smoothed and often it is difficult to distinguish between the two. In the TV series I sometimes found that the 3D elements were sometimes too clean and they looked like they didn't belong. This was especially true with the Tachikomas, because they usually appeared right along side the 2D main characters. The animations are top notch and there is only one awkward motion study that I could see, but it was only after several viewings. It is very impressive that so many complicated movements can be hand drawn with such a realistic movement and weight.
What is even more impressive is the number of cuts used throughout this movie. Normally in anime the scenes with a lot of cutting are reserved for the action scenes to aide in making them more exciting, because of their expensive nature. Not here, Production I.G constantly cuts throughout this movie, and, as a result, scenes where the camera fixes on a subject for a length of time really builds tension and drama. Was it necessary to do all of that shot cutting to tell the story? No. Did it help make the movie awesome? Yes.
What is there to say about the sound for this movie other than is was composed by the legendary Yoko Kanno? Kanno lends her amazing musical talents once again to the Stand Alone Complex. Honestly, I don't think there is anything that she can not do incredibly well. Her music adds a sense of epic scale that matches the grand scope of Ghost in the Shell world. Background elements have a nice layer effect thing going on. Anything that moves, buttons pushed, footsteps, basically anything that can make a noise has a sound attributed to it. Background music coincides with little clicks and clacks of Foley adding to the atmosphere of a scene.
English translation is right on with the TV series with the same voice actors returning. All of the performances were solid and consistent. Japanese voice acting is well done as always, so no surprises there. There are variations between the subtitled translation and the English language version but nothing that really that changes the story any. Due to the education level at which the dialogue is written, the subtitles sometimes have a tendency to be a bit quick on screen. I wouldn't have wanted to be a translator on this one, but, considering the mouthfuls that some of the characters spew, I am seriously impressed with the job done here.
Special features are very fan friendly. On the standard movie disk there is an option to show the movie with coinciding storyboards. Very cool to watch if anyone has ever wondered how an animation is visualized. And there is a very cute little video called Uchikomatic Days that really is about nothing, but still fun to watch. The real special features haul is in the limited edition. It includes the audio soundtrack, which is great, and an entire new disk of special features. Most of the content has to do with production, such as the collaboration with Nissan. The other videos are more promotion pieces, such as the English and Japanese trailers and a how they made a real working Tachikoma that was used as part of a press junket to generate attention about the movie. I would so spend big money to have a working 12-inch Tachikoma on my desk at work.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society is one very solid title. This DVD's animation, music, and story are all top notch. While it is not as groundbreaking as the first two movies, this title really holds its own and is worth seeing. Having the option of buying the limited or standard edition is appreciated, and at each respective price point either of these versions is a steal for what is included. Anyone who is a fan of Ghost in the Shell will not be disappointed and will be eager to see what is next in store for Section 9.
Chris Feldman is a freelance 3D modeler and animator whose work has been featured in television, games and manufacturing. He is an active member in the pop art community as well as a long time staff member/promoter of anime and comic conventions. In his very finite spare time he volunteers teaching animation to kids.


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(visited by Targ Parsons)
23-Jul-2003 -- Continued from 31°N 108°E.
Tuesday 22 July 2003 – After waking to my alarm at 8 a.m., I went downstairs to the hotel travel agent and bought a plane ticket for that afternoon from Chongqing to Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province. I then enjoyed the complimentary breakfast in the hotel dining room, before venturing out to find an Internet bar, where I informed friends and relatives of my progress, posted a "visited but not submitted" plan to the DCP Web site for yesterday's confluence, and caught up on the latest news. It was raining lightly.
I checked out of the hotel around noon and took a taxi to the departure point of the airport shuttle bus. The next bus left at 1 p.m., which got me to Chongqing Airport in plenty of time for my 3:10 p.m. Air China flight 4841 to Nanchang.
As I sat in the waiting lounge, I noticed that there was one other foreigner also waiting for the same flight. Later, when it came time to board the plane, I smiled when I discovered that we'd been allocated seats in the same row. Presumably the check-in staff felt that that's the way it ought to be.
On the final part of the journey, as the plane flew over northwestern Jiangxi, I had a wonderful view from my window seat of just how flat much of the countryside was. Although there had been light rain in Chongqing when I left, it was bone dry when we touched down in Nanchang, and the temperature was a searing 38°C. I took the airport shuttle into the city, and by 6 p.m. had checked into good cheap accommodation at the Nanchang Hotel, conveniently situated midway between the train station and the central bus station, both within easy walking distance.
The bathroom in my two-star hotel room was nothing less than palatial, with a large window running the entire length of the east-facing wall, holding out the promise of plenty of morning sunlight, and an equally large mirror running the entire length of the adjacent southern wall. For the price, I was extremely satisfied. I decided to make this my base of operations for the coming days and weeks, while I embarked on my goal of knocking off the remaining 15 of the 16 Jiangxi confluences.
I submitted my first load of sweat-encrusted clothing to the hotel laundry service, then walked down to the central bus station to check out the state of play. The station was very well organised, with big, clear, informative, up-to-date timetables on the wall. What the timetables couldn't tell me, the helpful staff could. In fact, I began to realise something that I would continue to notice throughout my entire stay in Jiangxi, that of all the places I'd been in China, the people of Jiangxi were far and away the most kind and helpful I'd ever had the pleasure to meet.
I decided to make six separate forays out of Nanchang to visit the 15 confluences. The first two would be day trips to the nearest two confluences, immediately to the north and south, then after that would be multi-day, multi-confluence trips to the northwest, east, southwest, and finally to the south. I gathered what information I needed from the central bus station to put this plan into effect. Later, I would complement this knowledge with additional information gleaned from the train station, a short walk in the other direction from the hotel.
But for tonight, I contented myself with another quick session in an Internet bar, a shampoo and blow-dry, and a dim sum dinner in a nice restaurant, all within the vicinity of my hotel. In contrast to Chongqing, the prices in Jiangxi proved to be considerably cheaper. During my excursion, I also picked up a Nanchang city map featuring all the commuter bus routes, which was to subsequently prove indispensable.
Wednesday 23 July 2003 – I awoke to a cloudless sky. It promised to be yet another scorcher. Sunlight was streaming into my hotel room and its palatial bathroom.
For my first Jiangxi confluence of this trip, I'd selected the closest, just 38.2 kilometres to the north. At 7:15 a.m. I set off on a no. 2 trolley bus from the hotel across town to Bayi Bridge, then at 7:45 a.m. was on a no. 131 commuter bus north to Xiangshan. There was an old lady (she proudly told me she was over 70) sitting next to me on the bus, peeling and eating boiled quail eggs. She kept offering them to me. Once she finished the quail eggs, she delved into her collection of well-used plastic bags and pulled out a supply of sweet buns. These too she insisted on offering me, and in the end I was "forced" to eat first one, then another. I had to physically restrain her as she attempted to jam a third down my throat. It wasn't that the buns were no good--they were quite tasty in fact--it was all just part of the customary ritual when involved in one of these "Chinese politeness contests". She even tried to pay my bus fare, a not insubstantial three yuan (US$0.40), but I firmly drew the line at this show of generosity and insisted on paying my own fare.
At 9:25 a.m. I disembarked from the no. 131 commuter bus just after it crossed a bridge, not far before its final destination, and with the confluence lying 4.47 kilometres to the north. I headed north along a dirt road, with the waterway we'd just crossed to my left. Along the way, I saw several varieties of birds, including a magnificent kingfisher. The only two varieties that I could positively identify though were the Chinese bulbul and the black drongo, both of which are prevalent on Lamma Island in Hong Kong, where I live.
Also along the way I passed a number of farmhouses. In the yard of one, two women were busy threshing rice using a power-driven threshing-machine.
At 10:20 a.m. I left the dirt road and the waterway, and headed inland. The confluence was now 1.25 kilometres to the northeast. I found the NASA satellite image that I'd printed and brought with me to be quite helpful in tracking down the precise location of the confluence, which I achieved at 11 a.m. By now the sun was blisteringly hot, and the dead flat terrain offered no respite at all.
The confluence was near the western edge of a rice paddy, surrounded by yet more rice paddies on all sides as far as one could see. There were a few bushes growing between this rice paddy and the one immediately to the west, owing to the presence of a small irrigation ditch. I took photos to the north, south, east and west. The elevation was a mere 15 metres, and my GPS was achieving excellent 6-metre accuracy.
After recording the necessary data, I began making my way back to the dirt road. There were a number of peasants out in the rice paddies, some pulling up the plants from fields that had become too congested, and others replanting them with greater separation in freshly prepared paddies.
I also saw several small piles of odd-looking tubes made from woven bamboo. Curious to know what these were, I stopped to ask a local. I had a lot of difficulty understanding his thick accent though, so he took to writing in my notebook, which was also somewhat less than clear, because he had only one arm and this seemed to affect the legibility of his writing. In the end though, I understood that the bamboo tubes were somehow involved in the rearing and/or capture of freshwater eels, known to the Chinese as huangshan, literally "yellow eel".
Eventually I got back to the dirt road running alongside the waterway, and started heading back south towards the main road. After a short while a motorbike came by, and I was able to beg a ride, thus minimising slightly the length of my exposure to the sweltering sun. At the main road, while I sat consuming vast quantities of chilled bottled water and waiting for the next no. 131 commuter bus to come along, a truck driver stopped and offered me a lift back to Nanchang, because he said that was where he was going anyway.
The truck driver dropped me off in an unfamiliar part of Nanchang, but thanks to the city map I'd bought the night before, it was easy to work out that I needed to catch a no. 18 commuter bus back to the hotel. Once back in the comfort of my hotel room, I realised that the day's activities had left me a wee bit sunburnt. I also reflected upon how everyone I'd met during the day had been so kind and nice to me, and how I really liked Jiangxi.
I collected my laundry, ate a late lunch, including two mouth-wateringly delicious peaches I'd picked up at a nearby fruit stall, then had an afternoon nap. Late in the afternoon, when the sun was not quite so fierce, I ventured out again to buy a few necessities, and to do some more intelligence gathering, this time at the train station. On the way back I stopped off at an Internet bar, and then at a small restaurant for a bowl of wonton soup.
On the corner opposite to my hotel was another, slightly more up-market three-star hotel. Even though I made it clear I was not a guest of their hotel, the staff there were most eager to help me to download some photos from my camera. I wanted to send them to Peter, so that he could include whatever he wished in his submissions for 29°N 107°E and 30°N 106°E. (The ability to download photos from a camera is not available in Internet bars anywhere in China, presumably as part of a nationwide initiative to help prevent the spread of pornographic material.)
Downloading the photos onto the hotel computer proved the easy part. The difficult part came when trying to upload them to somewhere where Peter could access them. There were a number of compounding technical issues to overcome, made even worse by the fact that the hotel PC was connected to the Internet by only a very slow 56K dial-up modem. Because it was getting late, I eventually gave up after uploading only half the photos. I ate a very late dinner before returning to my own hotel after midnight.
Story continues at 28°N 116°E.


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|Llewellyn's 2019 Daily Planetary Guide
|Yoga for the Creative Soul
|The Pure Heart of Yoga
"If our personality survives death, then it is strictly logical or scientific to assume that it retains memory, intellect, other faculties, and knowledge that we acquire on this earth."—Thomas Edison
All Hallow's Eve is rapidly approaching. What better time to discuss ghosts, ghouls, and goblins; how they communicate with us; and, more importantly, why?
October 31st is a time when we celebrate Halloween with a mixture of anticipation and spine-tingling veneration. This is a time when the veil (vibrational frequency) between our dimensions and those of ghosts is at its thinnest. This is also a time when dimensional portals are opened to the fairy realms as well as to other realms of existence. Halloween is a magical night—a night of ghostly communications and spectral visitations! If one is seeking to establish contact with ghosts this is the perfect time to do so. It is also a good time to explore other worldly beings and how they communicate. Being a ghost hunter, a paranormal investigator, and also a parapsychologist, I am always excited at any opportunity to explore this amazing phenomenon.
Ghosts are disembodied entities who have retained the power to reason and communicate. However, our fear is the greatest barrier to first-hand communication. Without a doubt, when someone suddenly comes face to face with a ghost any chance of speaking to it, much less understanding it, is usually lost. Initial shock and fear render the person speechless, and then denial or disbelief totally alters their entire perception of the event.
The ghost may be trying desperately to communicate a message to its unsuspecting host. However, if the person with whom it comes into contact is fearful, this usually negates the possibility of establishing contact. It's hard not to react fearfully, especially if this is a startling first encounter with a ghost. The person who is contacted is usually running in the opposite direction so fast that they lose any possibility of communicating with their unseen visitor. This, of course, is why there is so little reported communication between ghosts and humans.
Communication with "Ghost Worlds" is a fascinating area of study and research. Parapsychologists and paranormal investigators seek confirmation of spiritual voices in various ways, such as allowing the ghost to communicate when and where it is ready to do so. Although it isn't a two-way communication, it is at least a way of receiving their messages by the use of recording devices. This way the encounter will not be a total loss because of a natural human reaction to seeing a full apparition, ecto-mist, or by hearing a disembodied voice from beyond. From my perspective, before any assessment of communication can be established it must be acknowledged and accepted that ghosts contact us—not the other way around.
Ghosts may attempt to communicate their feelings in several different ways:
Ghosts communicate when and where they want to, and even then their contact may be very subtle. Sometimes a whispered voice or perhaps a silent game of charades is all that one may hear or see. They may point to something or indicate a direction for us to follow. They may lead us to doors, walls, staircases, or mirrors and pictures in an effort to relate their messages. These ghostly mannerisms and activities may be clues which will aid you in piecing together their cryptic communications.
Ghosts also contact us through our dreams. This is possibly the easiest and least threatening way for them to deliver messages. We are more receptive in our sleep and not usually aware of the fact that communication is actually taking place. When contact is established and messages from our loved ones are received, they are very often heart-warming and become treasured memories that never fade.
Ghosts may also manipulate electrical objects such as phones, appliances, clocks, and lights in an attempt to be noticed. If messages are received by phone, they are usually initiated to say a loving farewell, or issue a warning, and may take place on special occasions, especially if the messages are from family members. They will sound exactly like the deceased, leaving little doubt as to their ghostly identity.
Although no special skills or supernatural abilities are needed to make contact with a ghost, it must be remembered that communication is a two-way endeavor. The ghost must lower its vibrational frequency to find a receptive human who has perhaps raised their frequency through emotions such as fear, anger, excitement, or meditation. It takes a tremendous amount of energy on the ghosts' part, to convey messages through a swirling sea of vibrational frequencies and electromagnetic energy fields.
There are other ways to entice ghostly conversations and once again, Halloween is an opportune time to explore these avenues of expression because of the thinning of the veil.
Although I don't personally recommend using a Ouija board as a method to contact ghosts, some people do have success with it. If one's desire is to just have fun with few expectations for anything else, possibly no real harm will be done. However, there are always exceptions, and a seemingly harmless game of ghostly communication could turn into an eerie haunting experience. Be warned!
On a lighter note: there are other methods that are far less dangerous and much more exciting.
These are all very effective ways to communicate with ghosts, and Halloween offers the ambiance and atmosphere for tantalizing results.
So this Halloween, if you had the opportunity to talk to a ghost, what would you say? Or better yet, what would you hear?
Melba Goodwyn (Texas) is an experienced parapsychologist and shares her psychic impressions on ghost hunts with the Texarkana Paranormal Investigators. Blending clairvoyant wisdom with traditional psychology, she has ...


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About Us
Our MissionOur mission at Intelligent Instrumentation, LLC, is to work with manufacturing companies to help them achieve operational excellence – moving them forward, faster, with innovative solutions that help them simplify and automate their internal manufacturing processes, improve operational efficiency and eliminate waste and therefore reduce costs.
And, specifically, to provide high value, open system products for enterprise-wide capture and sharing of real time data.
Our networked solutions leverage the capabilities of automated data collection and data acquisition products to offer rapid and sustainable improvements with measurable results. We provide the most extensive and widely used set of data collection and data acquisition products anywhere.
By reducing operational costs and automating shop floor, warehousing and distribution operations, Intelligent Instrumentation Inc. helps companies stay competitive.
Our HistorySince 1984, thousands of engineers, system integrators and manufacturing OEM's have turned to Intelligent Instrumentation for high-quality, innovative solutions for their data acquisition and data collection needs. Systems have been installed in a wide variety of industries with special focus on industrial factory-floor requirements in process monitoring and control, test and measurement, time and attendance and access control application.
Intelligent Instrumentation was originally established by Burr Brown Corporation and has sold products and support in over 50 countries through a worldwide network of Regional Marketing centers, marketing representatives and system integrators, VAR's and other partner to meet your specific needs. Our products have always been designed and manufactured in Tucson, Arizona USA and we're ISO9001 certified.
In 2015, Intelligent Instrumentation joined the VIA Information Tools network as an LLC, and can now provide full-spectrum solutions of both software and hardware to manufacturers.


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Since its inception, Khandor's Sports Blog [KSB] has been located right here, as part of the wordpress.com community.
The wordpress.com platform has served its purpose and allowed the blog to get its feet wet, take its first baby steps and, recently, to begin to reach a slightly wider target group.
As the ride continues, however, the time is here to switch gears a bit and give the blog a fuller independence from the shared wordpress.com platform.
Hopefully, the benefits will out-weigh the risks and this shift will initiate the next step in the gradual evolution of KSB.
The blog's new location is:
Thanks to all for helping to make this possible.
Hope to see you there soon!
Keep On Truck'n 🙂


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Not Me Strikes Again
It wasn't me! I was just hanging out on my Ess, minding my own business.
What are you looking at me for? It definitely wasn't me.
Pee ess - For those of you who'd like to hear Mom Paula singing her duet from yesterday, you can find it at this link - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2932387557659. Now to get prepared for her solo this week.
Remember we'll be celebrating Sweet Praline's life through the activity of "Show Your Diva" on April 25, 2012, which will be the year anniversary of her going to the Bridge.
We also want to wish a very happy birthday to Marg.
When there is an animal in need ~ it comes to Marg's door.
When there is an animal lost ~ it seeks out Marg.
When there is an animal wanting loving care ~ it will find that with Marg.
A special lady who never turns away any animal ~ the cats, the dogs, the goats, the donkeys, all are welcomed by her.
None are special ~ all are special.
Marg is always doing for others, organizing and running auctions to raise funds in support of others in need, never asking for anything in return. We want to wish Marg a very Happy Birthday.
Our mom was very lucky to meet Marg in person and she is as nice as everyone says.
Would you like to comment?
I think it was Ichiro...ReplyDelete
Uh, oh!ReplyDelete
Belated Happy Easter!!
Well, they are YOUR treats, aren't they??? MOL! You two look way too innocent fur such shenanigans!ReplyDelete
It was TOTALLY Hammy. I saw the WHOLE thing.ReplyDelete
You girls would NEVER do such a thing! Heh-heh.ReplyDelete
P.S. Your human has a beautiful voice!
Mum says that she leaves the treats out at night too, so she is always surprised that I don't dig into them like your phantom cat.ReplyDelete
Julie and Poppy Q
Oh!! That Not Me really gets around!! heeheeReplyDelete
Have a fun day girls!!!!!!!!!!!
Purrs Tillie and Georgia,
Tiger,Treasure and JJ
WE just know that neither one of you ate those treats. Must have been a ghost in the house. Thanks so much for the really nice birthday wishes for our Mom. She appreciates it a lot. Hope all of you have a great day.ReplyDelete
Now I think it could just be that Mr Nobody that visited. Happy Birthday to a special lady.. HUgs GJ xxReplyDelete
"Not Me" sure is busy, s/he visits us too! :-)ReplyDelete
Have a great week!
You both look so innocent and we know you would never dream of doing anything naughty. Tell your Mom you caught her sleep walking and it must have happened then!ReplyDelete
Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx
Great work girls! Mom Peggy doesn't dare leave out any treat bags out here or the same thing will happen.ReplyDelete
Mom says we get to listen to Mom Paula's duet today. We can't wait!
Not Me must be able to move at the speed of light 'cause he was here too!!ReplyDelete
We're going to listen to Mom Paula's duet right now!!
The Florida Furkids
Yep, looks like that sneaky Not Me was at your house last night!ReplyDelete
You little ones sure made short work of that package, didn't you?ReplyDelete
And you're giving yourself away--licking your chops like that!
Self-serve treats, how cool! Happy Birthday to the very special Marg!ReplyDelete
NOT ME is so very naughty!!!!!ReplyDelete
I think I saw some treat "dust" on Brulee's paw. Just sayin'. xxoo Uncle BhuReplyDelete
That naughty Not Me is always trying to get innocent kitties in trouble.ReplyDelete
We are wishing Marg a Happy Birthday too.
My Human and I were totally BLOWN AWAY by your Mom's singing! Wow! She should be on American Idol or sumfing!! Does she sing to you girls??ReplyDelete
Oh, and I think that it was your Mom that sleepwalked and ripped open that package cuz she wanted to taste your treats for herself. Yep, that's what must've happened all right..
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Ah, youth. Ready to take on the world, today's generation of dynamic, tech-immersed youngsters have grown up alongside the Internet. Firsthand, and sometimes single-handedly, they have advanced some of today's hottest technology trends, from peer-to-peer networking, to massively multiplayer online games, to social networks and instant messaging. And along the way, a small, sociopathic number of them have behaved very, very badly.
[ For further tales of bone-headed cyberschnookery, see the original "Stupid hacker tricks" story ]
Even the very definition of poor online behavior has been advanced by these cyberschnooks. Armed with broadband and lots of unsupervised free time in front of the computer, shielded by the relative anonymity of the Web, they've managed to transform themselves from Those Neighborhood Kids Who Set Fires and Torture Small Animals into international menaces who destroy online communities, damage the reputation and utility of online services, and steal anything worth taking from the Net -- all while mangling the English language as thoroughly as possible.
Fortunately for the rest of us, while using the Net's multiplier effect to their nefarious benefit, most are as sloppy and egotistical as we've come to expect from the young and delinquent, leaving a bread-crumb trail a mile wide for authorities to follow. And when they cross the line, as many of these tech-savvy Nelson Muntzes eventually do, it's with more than a little schadenfreude that white-hat vigilantes posse up to take them down.
It is to these ne'er-do-wells that this latest installment of "Stupid hacker tricks" is dedicated. Call it Portrait of the Stupid Hacker as a Young Man.
[ Stupid juvy hacker trick No. 1: You got Rbot in Mytob, you Zlob ]
You got Rbot in Mytob, you Zlob
Farid "Diab10" Essebar
Currently a guest of the Moroccan prison system. His prison sentence is scheduled to end later this year.
In 2005, at the ripe old age of 18, Farid Essebar probably thought he was untouchable. Working with accomplices in his home country of Morocco and in Turkey, the Russian-born Essebar wrote and distributed the Mytob, Rbot, and Zotob botnet Trojans. The malware infected thousands of computers at large corporations, U.S. government departments, and media companies and was built to log keystrokes and steal financial and personal data.
[ For more IT-related idiocy, check out "Stupid user tricks" and "More stupider user tricks redux" ]
Among the targets reported to have major outbreaks on Aug. 15, 2005, were Daimler Chrysler, ABC News, CNN, The New York Times, the U.S. Senate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Affected computers typically got into a cycle where they rebooted constantly, spread the malware to other computers on the network, then provided remote access to infected computers to a bot herder. The Zotob variant spread rapidly, taking advantage of unpatched Windows computers using a vulnerability disclosed only days earlier.
Essebar also fell prey to the braggadocio bug, a common ailment. When University of Pennsylvania security researcher David Taylor deliberately infected a computer with Zotob, and stumbled into one of Essebar's botnet IRC channels, he struck up a conversation with him. Surprisingly, Essebar responded, gloating that he earned substantial sums using his bot to install adware on infected computers.
But within seven days, the FBI, working in concert with local law enforcement and Microsoft employees, sent teams of computer experts to Rabat, Morocco, and Ankara, Turkey. On Aug. 25, less than two weeks after the outbreak began, authorities arrested Essebar, as well as then-20-year-old Achraf Bahloul in Rabat. The team in Ankara paid a visit to, and arrested, then-21-year-old Atilla "Coder" Ekici, alleging that he paid Essebar to write the Zotob variant. A bit more than a year after the initial arrest, Moroccan authorities convicted Essebar of illegal access to computer systems, theft, credit card fraud, and conspiracy, and sentenced him to two years in prison.
Authorities were able to clearly identify Essebar as the author of the worm; not only had he signed it with the words "by Diabl0" buried in the source code, but he'd written the worm using Microsoft's Visual Studio, which embeds information about the computer on which the code is written into the compiled program -- in this case, the directory path "C:\Documents and Settings\Farid." D'oh!
When Moroccan cops seized his computer, Essebar had formatted the hard drive. Forensic specialists helped recover the source code, which had not been completely wiped clean from the drive. In contrast, Turkish authorities had a more difficult time establishing evidence against Ekici because he'd physically removed and thrown out his hard drive days earlier.
Lessons learned
If you don't want to draw attention to yourself, avoid targeting major media organizations with your poorly designed malware attacks. Always throw out your hard drive that contains all the source code and evidence of your criminal malware creations before the cops arrive. Name your account on your malware creation computer something innocuous, like "user." Also, neither Turkish nor Moroccan prisons are places you want to be. Ever.
[ Stupid juvy hacker home | Stupid juvy hacker trick No. 2: When the DDoS ain't stoppin' expect the cops to come knockin' ]
When the DDoS ain't stoppin' expect the cops to come knockin'
Ivan Maksakov, Alexander Petrov, and Denis Stepanov
All three are guests of the Russian penal system, sentenced to eight years at hard labor and a 100,000 ruble fine
Looking to make a little extra money while at college in 2003, Ivan Maksakov, then 22, devised an inventive, entrepreneurial scheme that probably sounded good at the time: He created a botnet to engage in DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks and then blackmailed online gambling sites based in the U.K., threatening to take the sites down during major sporting events.
[ Don't think you're a security sieve? Prove it by mastering our Security IQ test ]
However, Maksakov -- a student at the Balakov Institute of Engineering, Technology, and Management -- couldn't anticipate that the Russian government, looking to demonstrate its resolve in dealing with cybercriminals, would make an example of him.
The botnet, based in Houston, was directed to launch DDoS attacks against the U.K.-based bookmaking Web sites and online casinos only if Maksakov's demands weren't met. According to Russian news reports, Maksakov, along with co-conspirators Alexander Petrov and Denis Stepanov, attacked nine Web sites from the fall of 2003 until spring 2004. The sites were initially attacked for a short time, before a ransom demand was e-mailed.
In one example, the attacks crippled a site run by Canbet Sports Bookmakers during the Breeders' Cup horse races, costing the firm $200,000 for each day it was offline. But even when the firm paid a $40,000 ransom to a Western Union account in Riga, Latvia, the attacks continued.
Authorities allege that the attacks for which the trio were convicted cost the U.K.-based Web site operators upward of $4 million, not including an additional $80 million the companies paid out for additional bandwidth and security hardware designed to thwart DDoS attacks. Charges weren't filed for 54 similar attacks the group is alleged to have engaged in, affecting companies in 30 other countries.
Britain's intelligence services tracked the IP address used to send commands to the botnet to Maksakov's home computer. When the British government provided the information to the Russian Federation's Interior Ministry, the three were arrested. Authorities say at least 13 others who have not been arrested were involved in the scheme, including 10 people working as "money mules" in Riga, two other cyberattackers in Kazakhstan, and one more in Russia.
Lessons learned
Russia's a terrible place to base your operations for a criminal enterprise, unless you like taking long vacations in Siberia. Kazakhstan and Latvia seem to be much more agreeable. Also, if someone sends you 40 large, don't wait: Turn off the damn DDoS before MI-5 gets involved.
[ Stupid juvy hacker home | Stupid juvy hacker trick No. 3: Punked over a prank ]
Punked over a prank
Shawn Nematbakhsh
Currently employed as a software engineer with a medical data company.
One of the hottest technology topics of 2003 was how election systems were vulnerable. With the first presidential election since the Bush v. Gore fiasco coming up the following year, technologists were up in arms about the unreliability and untrustworthiness of electronic balloting systems, and were eager to prove their point.
[ Learn how to guard your network against social engineering hacks by thinking like an online con-artist ]
Enter Shawn Nematbakhsh, computer science undergraduate at the University of California, Riverside. Was he eager -- perhaps a bit too eager -- to make a point about the electronic balloting system that the university employed to hold student council elections, when he cast 800 votes for a fictitious candidate named American Ninja? Sadly, no.
"I really wasn't making any point at all," Nematbakhsh admits, debunking news reports to the contrary. "It was a senior prank, a silly thing."
The student council elections were held over the Web. Students could log in to a special page and cast their ballots for student council members and student body president. Unfortunately, the election system suffered from a serious internal weakness: "There was some input that was not bounds-checked, so using certain input you could vote as anyone," Nematbakhsh explains. "I wrote a script that would log in, cast a vote, log out, then log in again, cast another vote, and so on."
But seriously, American Ninja? "That year I remember watching that really stupid movie and talking about it with my friends, and it was the first thing that came [to mind]," he said.
Nematbakhsh says the jig was up when campus police called him in to discuss the incident. He'd told some friends about the vulnerability he had discovered in the voting system, and his name had eventually surfaced in the investigation. When asked, Nematbakhsh immediately admitted his involvement in the prank.
"I confessed to doing it, thinking it wasn't such a big deal. I thought they might fine me, or suspend me for a quarter or something," he says. That did happen, but a month later, he also faced criminal charges that could have landed him prison time.
In the end, he arranged a deal to accept a misdemeanor charge. His sentence: "I had to pick up trash on the weekends for three or four months, and pay back the cost of the election -- a couple thousand dollars."
Lessons learned
"Getting caught was kind of a wake-up call, that the Internet was not some kind of playground and I couldn't do what I wanted to all the time. I had to obey the law. The prank was not well received by a lot of people at the school."
Nematbakhsh's advice to potential election pranksters: "Things like that seem funny when you're doing them, but when you get caught, it's not much fun. I'd caution against silly pranks like the one I did."
[ Stupid juvy hacker home | Stupid juvy hacker trick No. 4: The worst paid cybercriminal in federal prison ]
The worst paid cybercriminal in federal prison
Robert Moore
Moore is currently a guest of the federal prison system and will remain so until 2009.
As one of the oldest members of this youthful brigade of miscreants, Robert Moore, 23, was involved in crimes that caused among the greatest financial losses to his victims of anyone featured in this rogue roundup -- though he didn't reap many financial rewards himself.
[ Prove your tech chops by acing our fun-filled IT IQ test ]
Federal agents claim in court papers that Moore, and the ringleader of the scheme Edwin Pena, defrauded at least 15 VoIP phone companies to the tune of more than $300,000 each in broadband service charges by hacking into the VoIP companies' networks and then reselling stolen phone call minutes at a deep discount.
Pena, who lacked the technical skills to pull off the scam alone, recruited Moore to do his hacker thing, which he accomplished with aplomb. But while Moore did manage to pull off the scam for nearly two years before getting caught, his success wasn't due to any superior hacking skills on his part.
In an interview Moore gave just before his incarceration began, he explained that his job was made all the easier by system administrators who never changed the passwords on their Cisco routers and Quintum Tenor VoIP gateways from the default factory settings. Moore threw together an application that scanned IP address ranges for vulnerable boxes and then used those routers to send the call traffic through the busiest hacked networks, which masked the large amounts of data.
Pena made well over $1 million reselling the more than 10 million stolen minutes; Moore was reported to have been paid just $20,000 by Pena for his part in the scheme. With his ill-gotten proceeds, Pena bought houses in six states, luxury cars (including two BMWs and a Cadillac Escalade), and a 40-foot Sea Ray MerCruiser yacht. Moore reportedly is more annoyed that he cannot use a computer than the fact that he was sentenced to two years in federal pokey.


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Who would have ever thought I might have my own national TV talk show? Stranger things have happened… I believe little men with big heads from a galaxy far, far away, may have landed in the desert outside Roswell, New Mexico, and that Sasquatch, the furry ape-like creature with big feet may exist or, he's just a hairy guy in desperate need of an understanding woman and a good body waxing. But me… a national talk show host?
While I can't tell you about it, or even the name, I can say the focus is not breast cancer. However, you can be assured that all things "breast cancer" will be discussed as frequently as possible. As a matter of fact, my first guest is Dr. Susan Love. Among other things, we're going to talk about the difficulty in finding "the cure" and why she thinks the Army of Women have a better shot at preventing breast cancer from happening in the first place. We're going to learn lots of new things about her as well, like did you know she speaks fluent Spanish, like it's her native language? Actually, she does everything well, and she's funny, and those are things I want people to know about her.
One of the reasons this opportunity has come my way is because of this blog and all of the conversations I've had with you. We talk about intimate, life and death issues, online and off, and we cheer each other on in good times and bad. You've been here for me since James died, and I can't begin to tell you how much your support and friendship has strengthened me. You've prayed for me when I'm down–and when Goldie ate 20 square feet of lace–and you've allowed me to get to know you and for that, I'm grateful.
So, who knows if this talk show will actually make it on the air? A lot of things, I have no control over, have to happen. In many ways, the stars need to align before I have a close encounter of the television kind. Either way, the fact that I have a shot at something like this is remarkable, and I'm grateful and excited.
I'm not afraid to standup in front of people and speak, or be on camera, but in all of this, my biggest fear is that I will get emotional, over relatively nothing, cry on camera and look like an idiot. You, more than anyone, know how easily I cry at simple things like dogfood commercials or the mere thought of what we, and our families, havebeen through with breast cancer. I'm told a certain vulnerability is appealing, but what if the powers that be say, "What kind of a nut job is she?" If asked that question, my response will be, "Just your average nut job, I guess."
So dear ones, think of me this week, as I stand in front of a live studio audience. Once again, I will appreciate any prayers and hugs you send my way. I'll keep you posted. Have a great week, and take care of yourselves……. I wish James were here to share this with me…. That made me cry.


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Amid ongoing central government curbs, China's property market is cooling off dramatically despite the onset of the sector's traditionally "hot season," as both land sales and transaction values plunged in May across 300 major Chinese cities.
Total land sales fell to 1,767 transactions in May in 300 Chinese cities, down 45% from a year ago and 19% lower than in the previous month, according to a survey published Friday on China's leading real estate website Soufun.com.
In the same month, the total transaction value for land sales dropped 38% year-on-year, marking a 30% drop from April, to 13.75 billion yuan ($2.2 billion).
"May is traditionally the hot season, but China's property market has cooled further, " Soufun said, adding that property developers remain in "wait-and-see" mode.
Several Chinese cities even recorded no land sales at all. Hangzhou, the affluent capital of the eastern province of Zhejiang, has offered no land for sale in its main city zone to residential developers since March, possibly under pressure from the central government to reduce real-estate inventories, according to Soufun.
Jinan, the capital of the eastern province of Shandong, also saw no land sales during May, as developers turn cautious amid tougher market conditions, according to a report by Jinan-based Life Daily, a local-government-run newspaper.
Overall property prices in China could push lower this year, as developers with large real-estate inventory are under great pressure to generate cash flow and meet ambitious sales targets, Standard & Poor's said in a report published on Monday.
In particular, sales and financing prospects are likely to be "gloomy" for smaller Chinese developers, especially the unrated ones, some of which may default or be acquired by others, the rating agency warned.
"We believe most developers that we rate have the ability and resources to weather the tough market conditions. But many small unrated developers will feel the heat the most because their sales and financing capacities are substantially weaker than their larger peers'," Bei Fu, credit analyst for S&P, said. "Some lower-tier cities with limited demand and abundant supply could see deeper downward price adjustments."
On Monday, stocks of most Chinese developers suffered losses in Hong Kong, as Poly Property Group sank 8.2%, Shimao Property Holdings fell 4.7%, Fantasia Holdings Group lost 2.3%, and Sunac China Holdings dropped 1.5%.


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Posted by Editoress on 04/5/08
Cape Epic Final
Report courtesy organization
Alison Sydor and Pia Sundstedt win Ladies category
First to cross the finish line in the Ladies category was Pia Sundstedt (FIN) and Alison Sydor (CAN) - the Rocky Mountain team - at 3:23:45, their sixth stage win during this year's event. This secured them the overall win as well (43:05:51). With this impressive overall time the victorious Ladies place among the top 25 overall in the Men's category! In second place during the final stage as well as second overall was Trek/VW Wsd Susan Haywood (USA) and Jennifer Smith (NZL) (3:28:16 for stage 8 and 44:41:33 overall). In third place overall was the Scott Contessa team, Jane Seggie (RSA) and Ischen Stopforth (RSA), with a time of 48:00:03.
Crossing the final finish line in Lourensford, Sydor and Sundstedt were overwhelmed with joy and hugged each other while rolling over the last timing mat of this year's race. Unexpectedly, their handlebars caught, resulting in a crash in front of the astonished crowd. Sundstedt hurt her shoulder when they fell on top of each other, but was back on her feet quickly to celebrate their victory.
Sydor and Sundstedt both commented that the 2008 Absa Cape Epic was a hard race in a beautiful environment. I can truly say that the Absa Cape Epic is the toughest sporting event I've ever done in my life. Everything about this race is extraordinary - the scenery, the organisation, the people. It is long ride, but it is a great ride and I can't imagine a more fantastic way to explore this beautiful country, says Sydor.
Cannondale Vredestein overall winners, Bulls Team wins final stage
The final stage of this year's Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas saw Cannondale Vredestein, Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) and Roel Paulissen (BEL), walk away as overall winners for this year's event. With a nine minute time advantage built up of over the last couple of stages, they solidified their position as winners once again when they crossed the finish line within the leading bunch of riders who sprinted the last couple of metres of the Magical and Untamed African Mountain Bike Race. They were welcomed by thousands of enthusiastic spectators who lined the impressive finish at Lourensford in Somerset-West.
However, first to cross the finish line of the final stage was the Bulls team, Karl Platt (GER) and Stefan Sahm (GER), at a time of 2:42:21. This secured them the second place overall (36:10:49). Following the Bulls was Alb-Gold Mountainbike, Hannes Genze (GER) and Jochen Kaess (GER) in second place, at a time of 2:42:25 (they ranked fourth overall at 36:28:35). One second later was the Cannondale Vredestein team (2:42:26), who took top honours this year thanks to their time advantage from the previous stages (36:01:45). The best performers from South Africa, MTN Energade (1), Kevin Evans (RSA) and David George (RSA), claimed their overall third place win (36:18:34) when they crossed the finish line fourth (2:42:29). They also won the African category overall.
For the final stage of the 2008 Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas, riders enjoyed a stage half the length of the longest one, but the climbs were amongst the steepest. Through the vineyards and orchards of Oak Valley there were several short, jagged hills. Then came the long, steep climbs over Nuweberg, which forced many of the riders into their 'granny gear'. As slow as they had to ride up, the opposite was true of the next downhill sections. Hair-raising descents forced riders to stay alert in order to avoid a tragic exit to the race at such a late stage. This took them to the flat section nearing the bottom of Gamtou Pass where, like last year, they had a compulsory portage section through this National Heritage Site. The Absa Cape Epic participants followed in the Voortrekkers' footsteps down to the railway line, through more vineyards taking them to the finish line at Lourensford.
Roel Paulissen of the overall winning team (Cannondale Vredestein) says that they were prepared to ride the final stage at a very relaxed pace, as they felt they didn't need to fight too much thanks to their time advantage. But in the beginning, Brandon Stewart of USN/adidas broke away to set the pace for the first twenty kilometres. Once he shot off to attack, our race instincts kicked in and we immediately stayed with him. Paulissen then decided to take over in terms of leading the teams, which he did for most of the race.
All of the leading teams said that it was a really great final stage. For most of the way, the five leading teams (Bulls, Alb-Gold Mountainbike, Cannondale Vredestein, MTN Energade and USN/adidas) rode together and broke away from the rest of the bunch. But the USN/adidas team encountered some problems when Brandon Stewart had a chain suck one kilometre from the finish line, and had to fix it. After that I was out of the sprint and I am really sad about it. We felt so good today that I believe we could have stepped on the podium in the last stage.
The MTN Energade (1) team is thrilled about their third place ranking overall. David had very good legs today so he could have performed well in the sprint. I ended up in the back of the leading bunch and once I tried to get to the front, it was too late and I was not in a good enough position to compete in the final sprint. However, we are really proud of our overall third place and our African category overall win, says Kevin Evans.
He added that after winning the Prologue of the 2008 Absa Cape Epic, they thought that they might be able to take top honours in this year's event. But after Stage 2 and 3, we thought absolutely not. Then our confidence grew after Stage 4 and we thought that maybe if we fight and with Lady Luck's help, we can climb the overall podium, which we did!
David George adds: What impressed me most about the Absa Cape Epic is the camaraderie between the pro riders. The mutual respect and the relaxed atmosphere amongst the top riders is something I have never experienced before in road racing, that's why it stood out for me.
In second place overall for the 2008 Absa Cape Epic, the German Bulls team returned this year to defend their overall win from the 2007 event. Asked on whether they thought prior to the race that they could win again this year, Karl Platt said absolutely yes. I have never felt this good before during any Absa Cape Epic as I did this year. Stefan had a few weak days in the beginning and I had to pull him on occasion, but we grew from strength to strength together. It was really hard work to at least claim the second place.
Champions of the 2008 Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas, the Cannondale Vredestein team, embraced each other as they completed their race. It is a very sweet victory for us, especially after last year when we were confident that we might be able to win. But it was taken from us, partially due to bad luck. But we returned this year to finish unfinished business, and our goal was to make it happen. And we did!
Doug Brown and Barti Bucher win Masters category
In the Masters category it was no surprise that the Absa Masters, Doug Brown (RSA) and Barti Bucher (SUI), walked away as overall winners (40:22:38). But today they completed their stage race in second place at 3:06:21. First to cross the finish line of Stage 8 was Adidas William Simpson, Shan Wilson (RSA) and Walter Platzgummer (IRE), with a time of 3:05:19. They ranked second overall (40:39:07). Third overall was the Pragma Masters, M. C. Franken (RSA) and Peter Buggle (ITA) (41:55:27), who came in fourth today (3:20:33).
Brown says that at the Absa Cape Epic you go through all the emotions a human being can experience in a very short period of time. It's an exceptional challenge and in a few years time I won't be able to believe that I've finished it three times. His riding partner Bucher added: I imagined the Absa Cape Epic to be a scenic ride through some game reserves where I can see giraffes and elephants. To be honest, during the first two stages I couldn't see a thing around me. All I saw was the route that went up and down and up and down. Big lungs and good legs are not enough for this race. You have to be an all-rounder who can cope with loose gravel, sand, steep climbs, single-track, wind and endless flat stretches to win the Absa Cape Epic. Simply finishing it is a real accomplishment.
Ivonne Kraft and Nico Pfitzenmaier win Mixed category
Joybike-Maloja Express walked away with top honours in the Mixed category when Ivonne Kraft (GER) and Nico Pfitzenmaier (GER) won their sixth stage with a time of 3:17:07. They also won the Prologue. Their overall time was 43:31:32. Second overall was Cyclelab Toyota, Johan Labuschagne (RSA) and Yolandè de Villiers (RSA), at 44:15:58. Third overall was Absa Mixed, Kobus Barnard (RSA) and Fienie Barnard (RSA), at 45:50:21.
Pfitzenmaier commented about his experience the last ten days: During the Absa Cape Epic you go through all stages in life. You experience emotional highs and lows, joy and happiness as well as frustration and anger. It is a true life experience. His riding partner Kraft added: It is fun, pain, exhaustion, but happiness at the end.
Simply finishing is a victory
Mike De Beer (RSA) and Casper van Wyk (RSA) of team River Group were the last riders to cross the finish line before the cut-off time in an emotional finale of the Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas. Overwhelmed by emotion they rolled in to the tune of 'Heroes Live Forever', a song that captures the spirit of the event: simply finishing this gruelling stage race is a victory in itself.
Out of 1198 riders who embarked on their gruelling journey on two wheels nine days ago, 968 cycled all the 966km from Knysna to Lourensford (Somerset-West). During the prologue and the 8 stages they climbed a total of 18 529m on their bikes, which is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest twice. 435 teams managed to arrive at the final destination whereas 98 riders had to complete the 2008 Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas on their own. Only those who have completed all 8 stages of Magical and Untamed African Mountain Bike Race are awarded with the prestigious title of Absa Cape Epic finisher.
29 riders have completed the Absa Cape Epic an astonishing five times (since the inaugural event was started in 2004).
Preliminary results
|1. Rocky Mountain (Pia Sundstedt/Alison Sydor)
|2. Trek/VW WSD (Susan Haywood/Jennifer Smith)
|3. Absa Ladies (Erica Green (RSA) & Hanlie Booyens (RSA)
|1. Bulls (Karl Platt/Stefan Sahm)
|2. Alb-Gold Mountainbike (Hannes Genze/Jochen Kaess)
|3. Cannondale Vredestein (Roel Paulissen/Jakob Fuglsang)
|4. MTN Energade 1 (Kevin Evans/David George)
|5. USN (Brandon Stewart/ Max Knox)
|1. Adidas William Simpson (Shan Wilson/Walter Platzgummer )
|2. Absa Masters (Doug Brown/Barti Bucher)
|3. ORACLA (Claudio Pellegrini/Orazio Casaccio)
|1. Joybike Guided by VMT and Maloja (Ivonne Kraft/Nico Pfitzenmaier)
|2. Novatec - CK MTB Dohnany (Janka Stevkova/Tomas Legnavsky)
|3. Cyclelab Toyota (Johan Labuschagne/Yolande de Villiers )
|1. Rocky Mountain (Pia Sundstedt/Alison Sydor)
|2. Trek/VW WSD (Susan Haywood/Jennifer Smith)
|3. Scott Contessa (Jane Seggie (RSA) & Ischen Stopforth (RSA)
|1. Cannondale Vredestein (Roel Paulissen/Jakob Fuglsang)
|2. Bulls (Karl Platt/Stefan Sahm)
|3. MTN Energade 1 (Kevin Evans/David George)
|4. Alb-Gold Mountainbike (Hannes Genze/Jochen Kaess)
|5. Full-Dynamix Rsm (Fredrik Kessiakoff/Massimo Debertolis)
|6. Dolphin (Bart Brentjens/Alban Lakata)
|7. USN (Brandon Stewart/ Max Knox)
|8. Etto Hoydahl (3) - Martin Bratland/Kristian Torgersen)
|9. Etto Hoydahl (2) (Rune Hoydahl/Ola Kjoren)
|10. MTN Energade (2) (Mannie Heymans/Melt Swanepoel)
|1. Absa Masters (Doug Brown/Barti Bucher)
|2. Adidas William Simpson (Shan Wilson/Walter Platzgummer )
|3. Pragma Masters (M.C. Franken /Peter Buggle)
|1. Joybike Guided by VMT and Maloja (Ivonne Kraft/Nico Pfitzenmaier)
|2. Cyclelab Toyota (Johan Labuschagne/Yolande de Villiers )
|3. Absa Mixed (Kobus Barnard/Fienie Barnard)
|Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top


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This column by Tim Carney in the Washington Examiner should make every honest person nauseous. It explains how the big pharmaceutical companies are Obama's biggest allies. This is well know inside the beltway, but average Americans don't understand that Obamacare is largely a giveaway to powerful interest groups. Two observations are worth making. First, the pharmaceutical companies are going to get screwed over once the bill passes. The budget numbers will look terrible and the White House, under pressure to do something (besides just higher taxes), will stab the companies in the back by imposing price controls. Second, even though this will be bad for healthcare since it will undermine research on new drugs, I will take a certain perverse satisfaction in that result. Heck, I think opponents of government-run healthcare should have offered amendments to tax and regulate the industry during debate on the healthcare bills. Companies that climb into bed with government deserve all the bad things that happen to them:
As they whip for the health care bill, Democratic leaders pack a mean one-two punch of populist rhetoric and the hefty financial backing of the drug industry. …drug industry lobbyists, according to Politico, spent the weekend "huddled with Democratic staffers" who needed the drug lobby to "sign off" on proposals before moving ahead. Meanwhile, we learn that the drug lobby is buying millions of dollars of ads in 43 districts where a Democratic candidate stands to suffer for supporting the bill. The doctors' lobby and the hospitals' lobby are also on board with the Senate bill. …Of all the single-industry lobbies in Washington, the largest is the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America. PhRMA spent $26.2 million on lobbying last year — that's nearly three times as much as the insurance lobby, America's Health Insurance Plans, which spent $8.9 million. If you include individual companies' lobbying, pharmaceuticals blow away the competition, beating all other industries by 50 percent, according to data at the Center for Responsive Politics. Given this Big Pharma clout, it's unsurprising that the bill Obama's whipping for — Senate bill — has nearly everything the drug companies wanted: prohibiting reimportation of drugs, preserving Medicare's overpayment for drugs, lengthy exclusivity for biotech drugs, a mandate that states subsidize drugs under Medicaid, hundreds of billions in subsidies for drugs, and more.


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