And more kid-friendly sites:
Yahooligans was the original name of Yahoo!'s web portal for children. All entries in its directory are screened by Yahoo employees for appropriate content. The site also hosts games, e-cards, movie schedules, a daily advice/information column, and educational resources for parents and teachers. As of late 2006, Yahoo has changed the Yahooligans! brand to Yahoo! Kids, which in April, 2007 underlay Quintura Kids.
Laurel Touby turned her popular cocktail parties into a high-traffic Web site for job-seeking media and creative professionals. Yesterday, she sold Mediabistro.com, the company that sprang from those mixers, for $23 million.
The Jupitermedia Corporation, an Internet research company that also sells photos and art, agreed to pay $20 million in cash and an additional $3 million over two years for the company, which is based in New York City.
“This company is a true Internet success story,” Ms. Touby said. “This started as an offline community, a cocktail party, that turned into this Web site that actually makes money.”
Employers pay to post jobs on the site, which also offers premium content to users who pay subscription fees. Last year, the site had 600,000 unique visitors, and many signed up for offerings like seminars and courses in freelance writing.
“Mediabistro provides our Jupiter- Online Media division with another diversified and fast-growing revenue stream through its vertical online job board,” said Alan M. Meckler, chairman and chief executive of Jupitermedia.
In 1993, Ms. Touby started arranging after-work mixers for editors, writers, television producers and graphic designers, inviting professionals as well as job seekers.
Ms. Touby compiled a list of job postings and, in 1996, opened Mediabistro.com. Four years later, Ms. Touby received investor financing, and the Web site was incorporated.
Jupitermedia, based in Darien, Conn., approached Ms. Touby in March about acquiring the company. Jupitermedia owns Internet.com and Graphics.com, which provide services similar to those of Mediabistro.com.
Ms. Touby will remain with the company as a senior vice president.
Myth One: Linking is Everything
Despite everything said about link farms, people actually engage in them without being truly aware of it. The fact is, linking IS important. Linking and content alone will probably do more work than rigorous scientific techniques and automated methods. But it can be dangerous to get overly attached to linking and not know that indiscriminately linking (reciprocally) to a link farm can get you grey listed and banished from Google's SERPs until you come humbly clean (give them a few months before you get relisted).
Link farms won't come up and tell you "hey, I am a link farm and just have thousands of links to totally unrelated sites." Instead, you'll get an offer from a third party site or via email. You have a responsibility to check that you are not linking to some link farm; you can't control who links to you. If you are linking to a banned site, your site may be penalized. Some people even network and set up link farms; a network of full-time housewives once linked to each other and unintentionally created a perfect link farm. Please note: SEO firms check all sites linking to you on a monthly basis; that's one reason why they collect a maintenance fee.
Myth Two: Multiple Domain Names Pointing to the Same Site Increase Rankings
If you have multiple domain names pointing to the same site, the search engines call them "mirrors" and will penalize you (the mirrors won't get listed). So if you have multiple domain names and you want to remain in the SERPs, build sites to correspond to each separate domain name.
If the sites look like doorways you can also get penalized. There is, however, an increasingly thin line between "micro sites" and "doorway" pages. If you create a mini-site to funnel traffic, endeavor to get some content on it.
If you insist on tying multiple URLs to a single location despite my educated opinion, strive to keep your multiple domain names to less than ten. You should ideally stay with subdomains to funnel traffic to your targeted pages (the rule on the Internet is that a page is a page is a page). You don't need multiple domains and they don't work, unless you have content-rich micro sites. Search engines are run by people, and people don't enjoy been manipulated.
Myth Three: Resubmitting Your URL Repeatedly to Search Engines
I don't submit URLs to major search engines; I only submit them to niche sites that would take forever to index a URL if it is not submitted. Sometimes when you submit a URL it takes a very long time before it is listed. It is okay to submit a URL once; resubmitting it does not make sense. In fact, according to some websites, it could even affect the submitted page adversely. That is hearsay; however, submitting a URL multiple times does not affect rankings positively. Submitting your site in itself is also totally useless if the site is not search engine friendly.
Joke Break
Here are a few myths that are truly hilarious (and hopefully are just jokes). I found them on various threads and discussion boards across the net, especially here.
Concluding
There are a few other myths, especially concerning professionals, the tools they use to optimize, and the search engines themselves. These myths are spread by pseudo experts and some other SEO "experts." Hopefully with time we will cover some more myths that have not been treated on SEO Chat before.
Myth One: Just Put Up Meta Tags to Get Your Ranking
I didn't want to put this one here at first because everybody else mentioned this in their articles, so I thought that it was an open secret. Then I met a businessman who optimizes his blog via writing key word meta tags and doesn't do much else as far as SEO. I told him to "try and read a bit more about SEO," then I cleaned up his tags for free and offered to help with linking (for a fee).
About Meta tags -- please DO write relevant keyword and description Meta tags into your code. It gives spiders something to cache in the database. Without them, you will be left with no description when listed in the search engines. If your key word Meta tags are irrelevant to your content you may get penalized. The search engines do not place any sort of premium on Meta tags for ranking; I have seen and ranked sites with absolutely NO META tags. This said, please add Meta tags, they make your site look neater in the SERPs.
Myth Two: Key Word Density is Everything
The idea that any one thing is everything is probably the most dangerous concept. Google's PageRank algorithm has over 200 factors it considers and MSN's Ranknet considers over 600 factors. Onsite factors on their own are just a start to SEO; off page factors are also important.
This said, content must be relevant; if you are optimizing for the right key words your key words appear more important when emboldened and in headers than when all over the place. Avoid key word stuffing and spamming, you will get penalized.
Myth Three: You Never Need to Redesign Your Site
I could summarize the above statement in one word: cheap! If you can't afford to redesign, say so. Don't say it's not necessary. Sometimes a site is just not search engine friendly; for example, you build an AJAX-powered site, and then call an SEO expert who tells you to move the text away from the AJAX windows. If you tell him that "that's not necessary" you just made his job a lot harder.
If your site is not search engine friendly, you can still optimize, but it makes the whole process just that much more difficult. Your navigation structure must be navigation friendly to spiders. Your copy MUST be changed if it is not relevant to your target audience. If you insist on unfriendly design then you should include a Pay Per Click program; you will need it.
Apart from SEO, redesign is necessary to improve your users' experience on your site. Forms, layout, interactivity, aesthetics and more all need to be updated as web standards and usability change and improve. You can't afford to assume it's all about SEO when your users get to your site and flee at the quickest opportunity.
Now that we have finished with the On Page Myths, let's look at some Off Page Myths in SEO.
Now I don't intend to answer the question in detail, but some people do wonder what hocus pocus an SEO professional does when he claims to be optimizing the site, and when they post this question, some "pseudo experts" spring up and say "nothing much, they just add tags and get a bunch of links and take your entire advertising budget." Some SEO professionals don't help because they get mysterious and go cloak-and-dagger about the whole thing. That's pretty absurd when everybody over here at SEO Chat is willing to blab SEO state secrets. Obviously some people think if you tell the client what you do, they would do it themselves. I sometimes wish it was that easy.
I addressed this question first because it is the foundation of all SEO myths. It comes from the idea that "SEO is easy, just submit your site to so and so directory and so and so search engine and you are on a roll." Do-it-yourself SEO gets its processes crossed. Now I use the term "professional" loosely, but let's just say a professional really has the knowledge and skill to get high rankings in specified key words. The idea that an SEO professional is not needed, and that by doing A, B and C you can reduce costs and optimize your site, is the root of SEO myths. We will come back to common myths that exist about SEO professionals (although some have been discussed in previous articles on SEO professionals).
Search Engine Optimization Can Be Done By Anybody
Now the fact is you can optimize your site yourself, and it's not very hard, depending on your key words and competition, but hopefully with this article you won't be presumptuous in your efforts to get that top ranking for your site. Yes, "anybody" can do SEO; interestingly enough, stay-at-home moms seem ideally suited for the work since they have time and write great copy. Like everything else in life, however, it's not as easy as the pros make it look.
Some things annoy me and some things amuse me. I seriously wonder about things that leave me unmoved. For example, hidden charges annoy me, and so does poor customer service. A site that is always selling me stuff while pretending that its sales pitch is content annoys me (though I am guilty of doing the same sometimes). Domain name resellers annoy me (growl, gnash, need I say more). Bloggers can be amusing, and forums moreso.
Strangely, people who spread myths about SEO professionals and search engines leave me relatively unmoved. I feel no need to defend myself against anyone who believes that hiring an SEO is totally unnecessary. Still, some myths can be harmful, and those are the ones I hope to address here.
This article deals with "myths," "fallacies" and "pseudo experts" on search engine optimization professionals and search engines themselves. First I will address the popular sentiment that "search engine optimization can be done by anybody," then I will look at varying myths that exist about search engine optimization. You will be surprised at what people believe about SEO to this day. But first, let's get the heavy stuff out of the way before we start talking about the common myths.
Paid keyword tools are services you pay for that allow you to delve deeper into the keyword statistics. Most get information from their own database of billions of search queries from a number of different search engines around the world. You can use this information to find what people are searching for, which search terms generate the most traffic, and which search terms to target in order to grow your online business.
Two of the more popular keyword research services are Word Tracker and Keyword Discovery. The two services have some unique features that make them different but they both revolve around the same process of starting with a generalized keyword and then searching their databases for terms which are related to your initial keyword. The major difference between the two tools is probably the different "keyword spinners" they have available.
Once these tools find all the keywords that they think are related to your initial keyword, you are presented with a list of keywords from which to choose. In most cases, the first dozen keywords returned are the keywords you will select. The keywords that are lower on the list usually have a low number of searches performed.
A really good feature of the keyword tools is the "keyword spinner" tool. It is used to help you find alternative keywords which you may not think of right away. These tools help you find terms with plural endings, present tense or "ing" at the end, and even misspellings. Now the idea behind spinning the keyword is to give you ideas. You still must find out whether or not people are typing that term into the search box! Many people make the mistake of assuming it is good to use different forms of the word without doing the research first.
After you determine your keywords the tool then applies the Keyword Effectiveness Indicator, or KEI. KEI is a logarithmic scale that aims to quantify the effectiveness of any search term. It is similar in principle to the Richter scale, commonly used to measure earthquakes. The very best keywords have high popularity (as in a large number of searches), but are not very competitive, that is they do not appear on a large number of pages.
So, are keyword tools worth it? In my opinion they are. These tools help you find keywords faster than it would take you to do manually as shown above. That alone is worth the price of admission. There are some really excellent tools and keyword spinners that the paid tools have available but the free tools just don't. So if you're a DIY SEO, invest in a keyword tool subscription.
Once you have your list of keywords, it's time to start preparing to put the words on your Web site. Start reviewing your keyword list and begin to logically break your keywords up into groups of 2 or 3 key phrases. By logically, I mean start thinking about incorporating those words onto one page in ways that make sense to your readers.
In part two, I will show you how to put those keywords to good use within the content of your Web site.
The most popular free keyword selector tool is Overture's Keyword Selector Tool. To use Overture go to http://inventory.overture.com/
When you get there you will see a search box, similar to the picture below.
Enter the phrase you want to learn more about and click the button. You will then be presented with a list of terms that are closely related to your term as well as the number of times that your term was searched for in the previous month. Check out the results for my key phrase -- "Colorado ski resorts."
While there are more results returned by the tool than shown here we can see that my example key phrase was searched for 4583 times. I can also start to build my list and try different combinations of words using the suggestions given by the Overture Keyword Selector Tool.
Now I want to check to see how many competitors I am going to have to go up against for the term "Colorado ski resort".
As you can see there are over 1.5 million Web sites already indexed for the term "Colorado ski resorts." This term would be considered highly competitive and more than likely a very tough keyword to use to get into the top 10 results. While I wouldn't shy away from targeting this keyword in the long term, finding alternative key phrases to target would be much smarter for getting traffic in the short term.
You should develop your content by focusing on phrases instead of single keywords. When you do this you will be driving people to your Web site who are looking for precisely what you have to offer and you will be avoiding people who are not looking to buy your product or service. Now if you provide your new visitor with exactly what they want, you have a highly motivated potential customer right on your Web site.
I must stress, do not waste a single second of your time optimizing your Web site for keywords for which no one searches. You must perform keyword research on all of your keywords. Your keyword research is going to provide you with important data that will help you decide which keywords you should target. The two most important factors you want to analyze when choosing keywords are the number of times that term has been searched for and the number of competing Web sites that show up in the search engine results for your keyword.
Finding the number of competing Web sites is fairly simple. Just go to your favorite search engine, type in your keyword and see how many sites are returned in the results. Unfortunately, figuring out what the majority of the people are typing into the search box is not as easy to figure out.
Thankfully there are a number of tools, free and paid, available to aid in keyword research. Let's take a look at those now.....
Keyword Tools - The Keyhole To Free Traffic
Keyword tools allow us to peek into the world of search engine traffic. The greatest benefit keyword tools provide those of us who are searching for the "perfect" keyword is the popularity of the search term. You REALLY need to know if people are searching for the terms you are going to spend a lot of time promoting over the next, oh, three to twelve months (give or take). So how do we go about finding out how many times a keyword has been searched for?
Let's start with some of the free tools available to us. It goes without saying, but the free tools are quite limited compared to some of the more popular paid keyword tools. But hey, it's a cost effective way to tell us what we need to know.
Whether you plan to do it yourself or hire a professional, I'm sure you will find that once you are done reading the series you will have a better understanding of how to better target search engines while keeping your visitors happy.
The Importance of Keyword Selection
A common question many people ask is "What keywords should I be targeting for my site?" It is an excellent question to ask because choosing the keywords that you put on your Web site should not be taken lightly. Keyword selection should be considered a major part of your total marketing strategy.
The words that you put on your Web site are eventually going to be indexed by the search engines, unless there is something preventing a spider from crawling your Web site. The textual content on your Web pages is how search engines will classify your Web site and how people will find your Web site when using a search engine.
The most basic idea behind selecting the right keyword is choosing keywords for which people are actually searching. It is important to think like your target audience and not to think like an expert or someone well versed in your profession. Let's say I have a Web site for a ski resort. Now, I would not target the keywords "ski" or "snowboard." These terms are far too generalized and will have a ton of competing sites.
We are targeting people who want to go skiing. If a term is too general then you will have visitors who are looking for anything related to skiing and snowboarding, not visitors specifically looking to go skiing. People who are looking to go skiing are not typing those keywords in the search box. The type of people who are likely to come to your resort will be searching with keywords that look more like these: "ski resorts," "discount ski vacations" or even select localized terms like "Colorado ski resorts."
You also would not optimize a Web page for a single keyword like "doctor." With all the specialized areas in the medical industry you want to target people searching for specific doctors or specific health problems.
You can apply this idea to any business if you derive your keyword list from the various products or services you offer. If you sell a specific line of a product, or sell a particular manufacturer's product you may find that people are searching for those terms more than generalized terms. Some specific examples of choosing keywords from a specific line or manufacturer are "Dell laptop computers" or "Harry Winston jewelry."
Filter spam tingkat 1 adalah filter dengan menggunakan SpamAssassin. Dengan spam filter tingkat 1 anda dapat menggunakan filter spam tanpa membutuhkan banyak usaha. Anda tinggal mengaktifkannya dan sistem kami akan memfilter email-email yang dicurigai sebagai spam. Kekurangan: tingkat efektivitasnya tidak sebaik tingkat lainnya. Kelebihan: tidak membutuhkan banyak usaha dari pemakai.
Filter Spam tingkat 2 adalah filter statistis dengan metoda bayes. Dengan filter ini, anda harus mengajari sistem kami untuk dapat membedakan mana spam dan mana yang bukan spam. Anda dapat mengajari sistem kami untuk membedakan spam dan bukan spam melalui webmail. Semakin banyak email yang dipelajari maka efektifitasnya akan semakin baik. Kekurangan: anda harus mengajari filter ini sebelum dapat dengan baik membedakan mana spam dan mana yang bukan spam. Kelebihan: efektivitasnya sangat baik setelah mempelajari cukup banyak email spam dan bukan spam.
Filter spam tingkat 3 adalah filter challenge and response. Filter ini berdasarkan konsep whitelisting (daftar putih) dan blacklisting (daftar hitam). Jika seseorang yang tidak masuk daftar putih mengirimkan email kepada anda, maka sistem email kami akan mengirimkan email konfirmasi ke pengirim. Jika pengirim melakukan konfirmasi maka ia akan dimasukkan ke daftar putih dan email yang dikirimkan baru anda terima. Selanjutnya ia tidak perlu melakukan konfirmasi kembali karena sudah masuk ke dalam daftar putih anda. Email yang dikirim dari alamat email yang masuk dalam daftar hitam anda akan selalu ditolak oleh sistem kami. Anda dapat mengedit daftar hitam dan putih anda melalui fasilitas webmail. Filter ini pun dilengkapi dengan fasilitas untuk memperlancar komunikasi dengan bukan manusia misalnya mailing list atau isian email pada form HTML. Kekurangan: rekan anda yang mengirim email kepada anda harus melakukan konfirmasi pada pengiriman pertama, perlakuan khusus harus dilakukan pada mailing list dan form HTML. Kelebihan: Efektivitasnya hampir sempurna, untuk dapat mengirimkan spam kepada anda, spammer harus terlebih dahulu melakukan konfirmasi.
Setiap email yang berhasil diidentifikasi sebagai spam akan dikirim oleh sistem kami ke folder "Junk Mail" pada account anda. Anda dapat mencari email-email yang salah diidentifikasi sebagai spam dalam folder ini. Untuk mencegah folder ini menjadi terlalu besar, anda dapat set sistem kami untuk menghapus email-email lama dalam folder ini secara otomatis.
>>>id.indoglobal.com
Mungkin bagi sebagian orang yang masih awam dalam dunia internet seperti
saya sekarang ini tidak mengerti apa sie sebenernya email SPAM dan apa itu HOAx,
gimana ngebedain antara keduanya dengan email yang bener2 pesan buat kita.
Untuk itu, bisa sedikit kita pelajari dari sedikit uraian di bawah ini. Ini memang out off topic (OOT), tapi kayaknya
penting banget deh.
Bayangkan, dalam beberapa minggu ini saja, ratusan
email yang berkategori hoax (maupun spam) memenuhi
box kita. Berita tsunami yang nggak jelas
asal-usulnya, paranoid awan gempa yang disertai data asal-asalan, dll.
Jadi, baca aja deh sampai tuntas, nggak rugi koq !
----------------------
Beberapa orang masih bingung membedakan antara
spam dan hoax. Gampangnya, spam adalah email yang
berisi iklan suatu produk/website tertentu dimana
kita tidak menginginkan menerima email tersebut,
(keterangan lengkap bisa dilihat di wikipedia).
Sementara itu, hoax adalah berita bohong atau
berita
palsu (untuk yang satu ini, belakangan ini banyak
beredar di milist, seperti isue Tsunami, Awan
Aneh,
Gempa Tektonik, dll).
Hoax beredar di mana saja: email, buletin
Friendster, Yahoo Messenger, bahkan SMS. Sebelum
dapat membedakan hoax dan bukan, mari kita belajar
membuat hoax.
Langkah-Langkah Membuat HOAX
( sumber : www.sahabat-hoax.cjb.net )- Pilih topik yang unik
Tidak harus berhubungan dengan dunia komputer,
boleh kesehatan, keuangan, kemanusiaan, atau
bahkan
tentang cuaca. Coba yang sepele dulu, tapi setiap
hari digunakan orang, misalnya "mouse".
- Cari 'masalah'
Carilah yang kira-kira akan membuat orang
mengernyitkan dahi dan berupaya untuk
memberitahukan
teman-temannya. Misalnya: "Penggunaan optical
mouse dapat menimbulkan Kanker"
- Gunakan istilah-istilah ilmiah
Usahakan yang sudah diketahui oleh banyak orang.
Jangan lupa berikan data-data berupa angka.
Misalnya
: "Kenyamanan optical mouse ternyata mempunyai
efek
samping yang berbahaya. Tiga tahun semenjak
peluncuran pertama optical mouse oleh microsoft,
telah ditemukan ribuan kasus kelainan pada
jaringan
tangan akibat radiasi yang dipancarkan mouse.
Optical mouse bekerja dengan memancarkan gelombang
elektromagnetik frekuensi tinggi ke permukaan di
bawahnya. Frekuensi yang digunakan jauh lebih
tinggi
dari pada pada handphone. Telah diketahui secara
luas bahwa telapak tangan dan kaki merupakan pusat
ujung-ujung syaraf tubuh. Radiasi yang dirasakan
oleh telapak tangan bisa berpengaruh fatal pada
kesehatan, karena menurut laporan WHO radiasi dari
mouse setara 5 kali radiasi handphone. Akan tetapi
radiasi mouse menjadi berbahaya karena dipegang
terus menerus oleh pemakai komputer. Pengaruh
radiasi dari mouse lebih terasa pada produk-produk
berkualitas rendah, karena produk-produk
yang bagus memiliki shield (pelindung) untuk
melindungi pergelangan tangan."
- Tambahkan alamat kantor berita di internet
"WHO, GreenPeace, dan CNN sudah menghentikan
penggunaan optical mouse untuk seluruh kegiatan di
kantornya, sementara Microsoft dan IBM mengucurkan
dana sekitar 2 milyar dolar untuk kerjasama
pembuatan pointing device yang lebih aman.
Industri-industri hardware terbesar di Cina dan
Taiwan berusaha menutup-nutupi hal ini. Jika
diperhatikan, mouse-mouse optical yang beredar di
pasaran saat ini diproduksi oleh merk-merk yang
tidak terkenal, padahal itu hanyalah sisa produksi
industri besar yang sudah menghentikan penjualan."
- Berikan solusi yang tidak kalah “geblekâ€nya
"Untuk itu, cobalah memegang mouse hanya di saat
diperlukan saja. Berlatihlah menggunakan Hotkey
(Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V untuk copy-paste). Kembalilah
menggunakan mouse model lama (bola)".
- Tambahkan kata-kata ajaib
"Sekedar untuk berjaga-jaga, seorang temanku sudah
kena 2 hari yang lalu. Tolong teruskan ke
orang-orang yang anda sayangi".
- Berikan efek forward
Agar seolah-olah email ini didapat dari kalangan
eksklusif, atau dari milis yang berkaitan, beri
efek
forward pada judul email "Fwd: [milis-kesehatan]
Mouse Optical dapat menyebabkan kanker
(PENTING!!!)".
Gampang ? Tentu Saja
Dari uraian diatas semoga bisa terlihat betapa
mudahnya orang membuat hoax di internet. Oleh
karena
itu, setelah dapat membuat hoax sendiri seperti di
atas, kita dapat membedakan mana berita hoax dan
mana berita yang benar. Semakin banyak orang yang
bisa mengerti ciri-ciri hoax, semakin sedikit
sampah
yang akan beredar di internet.
Bagaimana memeriksa apakah suatu berita itu Hoax
atau bukan?
1. Gunakan logika saja.
Misalnya "forward berita ini sebagai tanda bahwa
account anda aktif, karena friendster terlalu
penuh
dan akan menutup account yang tidak aktif". Yang
benar saja gitu loh, dengan satu query di database
saja sudah kelihatan kapan suatu account terakhir
login, lagipula mana ada online industry yang
menutup kliennya dengan semena-mena.
2. Jika ada link, coba cari di link tersebut
3. Tanyakan pada rekan yang lebih memahami hal ini
4. Tanya “paman†google.com
Dalam urutan 'sampah email', hoax berada setingkat
lebih tinggi daripada spam. Orang membuat spam
untuk
sekedar mencari makan, mungkin untuk anak-anaknya
atau istri-istrinya. Sedangkan orang membuat hoax
tak lain hanyalah untuk kepuasan pribadi :
berhasil
membohongi orang banyak. (Junk mail tergolong
sampah
jinak)
Membuat hoax tidak menjadikan seseorang
mendapatkan keuntungan apapun, kecuali kesenangan
semu karena 'hasil karya'nya beredar luas di
internet.
Sementara itu, ribuan bahkan jutaan orang yang
bekerja pada industri yang berkaitan mengalami
kerugian karena produknya tiba-tiba saja tidak
laku.
Sementara ribuan orang yang lain mengalami
kecemasan (fraud) akibat membaca hoax tersebut
(masalah tsunami atau gempa misalnya).
Ketahuilah, hanya "chiken" yang membuat hoax dan
menyebarkannya, dan hanya "idiot" yang
mem-forward-nya. Selamatkan internet dari sampah
berbahaya. Perangi HOAX mulai sekarang !
Selengkapnya, klik dan baca :
www.sahabat-hoax.cjb.net By : Ira Yustina
Synopsis:
The amazing prequel series to Rurouni Kenshin is collected into a feature-length motion picture enhanced with new animated sequences. Desiring to bring peace to the land, Kenshin disobeys the will of his master and joins the Chosu clan in the fight against the Shogunate. The gentle Kenshin soon becomes drenched in blood as the Hitokiri Battousai, the rebellion's most feared assassin. While all-out war between the Chosu and the Shinsengumi looms on the horizon, Kenshin meets a mysterious young girl whose fate is intertwined with his. The beautiful Tomoe redeems Kenshin's soul but at a terrible price. Before the revolution is over, Kenshin will learn more than he bargained for about love and sacrifice, get his distinctive x-shaped scar, and cross swords for the first time with Saito Hajime.
Review:
Known in America as Samurai X, the four-episode OVA prequel to Rurouni Kenshin is widely acknowledged as one of anime's crowning achievements. A gripping story heavily rooted in historical fact, the episodes feature dynamic characters, incredible animation, and an impressive musical score; the 1999 direct-to-video series has a noble theatrical quality often likened to Akira Kurosawa's cinematic masterpieces. Simply put, it deserved to be made as a movie. Eventually the four episodes were cut together, supplemented with new animation, and released theatrically in Japan as “Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence.” It makes its US debut on DVD as “Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal Director's Cut,” but short of seeing this in a theater, there is little reason for American fans to pick up this version over the OVAs.
In any incarnation the sheer brilliance of the production is obvious. Set ten years before the events of the Rurouni Kenshin television series, it trades up the cartoonish look and tone of its forerunner for harsh, uncompromising, realistic tragedy. The stylistic gap between the two series is immense; yet there is no feeling of inconsistency, as viewers of the TV series already know Kenshin's past was dark and violent. Not only does the prequel perfectly illuminate the history of an established protagonist, it is a fascinating and emotional character study in its own right. Kenshin goes from an idealistic youth to a cold-hearted killer, only to be redeemed through love lost and the realization that swinging his sword is destroying his own life as well as the lives of the people on the receiving end. His journey is at once tragic, uplifting, and totally convincing.
And the sword fights kick ass. Terribly bloody, they do not glamorize violence and portray the horror of warfare and murder for what it is. Yet they are beautiful works of art nonetheless. Fully-animated with an attention to detail to rival Disney, such a level of realism is seldom attained in animation. The gorgeous animation fuses with the equally beautiful storytelling in one of the few truly unforgettable anime viewing experiences.
But the new “director's cut” footage is a different story. The sequences made for the theatrical version are few and fleeting; most consist merely of an extra line of dialogue tacked onto a scene or an extra sword thrust in battle. Casual viewers of the OVA version will probably not notice any of them, and most will slip by even seasoned Kenshin fans. There are only two noteworthy additions. Kenshin's first fight against a member of the Shinsengumi has been fleshed out quite a bit; it is of course beautifully animated and adds even more power to an already dramatic scene. But an addendum to the closing moments of the film is less successful. Impressive as it is, Kenshin's lone charge over a heavily fortified bridge comes well past the emotional climax of the picture and slows down the ending. The new sequences are an exciting prospect, but much like the special editions of Star Wars or Beauty & the Beast they are ultimately extraneous. It's hard to improve upon perfection.
There are a few omissions as well--some of them necessary, some of them not. The picture of course had to be cropped to a theatrical aspect ratio, which often results in the tops of character's heads being cut out of the picture. The four individual episodes flow together quite nicely as they are, and only one new bridging sequence was needed; however the dramatic music from the closing moments of the first episode has been lost. This is an unfortunate but acceptable sacrifice for continuity's sake, but there are several other inexplicable musical omissions throughout the film. Taku Iwasaki's original score for the OVAs is just amazing and lends the productions much of its emotional impact. In the theatrical cut the menacing Battousai theme which sets the stage for Kenshin's fatal attack on Kiyosato is gone; the scene is not nearly as effective sans music and will leave a sour taste in the mouths of fans familiar with the original version.
Both the original Japanese and English cast members return to dub what precious few new lines of dialogue their characters have. J. Shannon Weaver does a good job with Kenshin and actually sounds very similar to Richard Hayworth, who performs Kenshin in Media Blasters' dub of the TV show. But ADV's dub of Samurai X plays loose with the translation, and the meanings of some crucial lines of dialogue are blurred. For example, in the Japanese version Kenshin explains his final mission to kill as something he simply must do; in English he specifically implies it is an act of vengeance. As series followers know, the word revenge is not in Kenshin's vocabulary, and diehard fans should stick to the subtitled version.
For a “director's cut” release, the DVD itself is pretty bare-bones. The picture quality is good enough but extra features are nonexistent. Even the historical notes, which provide valuable background information on the era for us gaijin, have been left off of this release. Just one more reason for fans to spend the extra money on picking up the two separate volumes of the OVA release versus the theatrical version.
Casual fans of Rurouni Kenshin, samurai action, or just plain good animation might as well save a few bucks and grab the Director's Cut. More serious devotees of Kenshin or specifically Samurai X will do better to pick up the individual installments of the OVA; you get the whole picture and all of that great music--much more valuable commodities than a few new snippets of animation. And if you already own the OVAs and just have to see the movie version. Trust me, a rental will do. Only the most anal-retentive fanboy need worry about owning both versions.
On TV: Thursday 28 June, 7pm BBC One
I'd only been in the Falklands for a couple of days, but I could see the problem for the albatross straight away. It flies huge distances looking for food and frequently comes into contact with humans. And when that happens, it’s the same old story. Humans one, albatross nil.
Fishing boats from Brazil head 500 miles out to sea, muscling in on fishing grounds the albatross once had to themselves.
Over the last ten years the Falkland Islands bird population has gone from 468,000 breeding pairs to 399,000, a drop of over 70,000 breeding pairs.
The cause is simple – birds caught by the fishing hooks drown. The hooks that are used to catch our food, unfortunately, do not discriminate between fish and hungry birds.
In just 20 years, the albatross population here has declined by 20%. That's a catastrophic loss and all because of our appetite for fish.
But there are some amazing organisations helping the albatross, including the RSPB and their Albatross Task Force, who could really benefit from all our support.
How you can help
You can help conservation projects protect the albatross by donating to the BBC Wildlife Fund.
Find out more about where your money goes.
In the UK similar problems caused by fishing affect marine mammals. If you want to do more to help you can make a promise.
| MotoGP: 2007 MotoGP Schedule - Calendar |
| World Superbike: 2007 World Superbike Schedule - Calendar |
| Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup: 2007 Information and Race Schedule |
| AMA Superbike: 2007 AMA Superbike Racing Schedule |
| AMA Flat Track: 2007 AMA Flat Track Racing Schedule - Calendar |
| World Speedway: 2007 World Speedway Championship |
| British Superbike - Supersport: 2007 British Superbike - Supersport Schedule |
| AHRMA Historic Racing: 2007 AHRMA Historic Racing Schedule |
| World Supermoto: 2007 World Supermoto Racing Schedule |
| AMA Supermoto: 2007 AMA Supermoto Racing Schedule |
| Canada Superbike Championship: 2007 Canada Superbike Championship Schedule |
| Triumph Thruxton Cup: 2007 Triumph Thruxton Cup Racing Schedule |
| FIM World Endurance: 2006 World Endurance Championship |
This is the race schedule for the MotoGP 2007 Motorcycle Road Racing Grand Prix World Championship. There will be 18 races in 2007, including a race at the revised Misano circuit, run clockwise. The season starts 9 days earlier on March 17. Here's the 2006 MotoGP Schedule (Note: Updated October 18, 2006 with revised dates).
| DATE | CIRCUIT | GRAND PRIX | RESULTS | RACE REPORTS |
| March 10** | Losail | Qatar | Stoner | Results |
| March 25 | Jerez | Spain | Rossi | Results |
| April 22 | Istanbul | Turkey | Stoner | Results |
| May 6 | China | Shanghai | Stoner | Results |
| May 20 | Le Mans | France | Vermeulen | Results |
| June 3 | Mugello | Italy | Rossi | Results |
| June 10 | Catalunya | Catalunya | Stoner | Results |
| June 24 | Donington | Great Britain | Stoner | Results |
| June 30* | Assen | Holland | Rossi | Results |
| July 15 | Sachsenring | Germany | ||
| July 22** | Laguna Seca | USA | ||
| August 19 | Brno | Czech Republic | ||
| September 2 | Misano | San Marino & Riviera di Rimini | ||
| September 16 | Estoril | Portugal | ||
| September 23 | Motegi | Japan | ||
| October 14 | Phillip Island | Australia | ||
| October 21 | Sepang | Malaysia | ||
| October 28 | Estoril | Portugal | ||
| November 4 | Ricardo Torma | Valencia | ||
| * Saturday | ** MotoGP only | ||||
AFC Asian Cup Day 1 - 8 Jul 2007
Indonesia's preparations for the AFC Asian Cup may have been somewhat chaotic but the co-hosts remain positive about their chances of upsetting the odds.
Just six months before the start of the tournament Ivan Kolev was re-appointed as coach and he will be hoping to pick up where he left off three years ago.
Under Kolev, Indonesia broke new ground at the Asian Cup in 2004 when they picked up their first victory in the finals with a 2-1 win in the opening match against Qatar, thanks to a stunning strike by Ponaryo Astaman and a heroic display in goal by Hendro Kartiko.
However, as had been the case in their two previous appearances in 1996 and 2000, the Indonesians failed to make it past the group stage as they were overrun 5-0 by hosts China before slipping to an unfortunate 3-1 defeat to Bahrain in their final game.
It was a valiant performance by Kolev's side but with Englishman Peter Withe having already signed a contract with the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to take charge after the Asian Cup, it was clear that the Bulgarian was already on borrowed time from the outset of the tournament.
The PSSI were hoping that the appointment of former Thailand coach Withe could turn their national team into the dominant force in South East Asian football following consecutive runner-up finishes in the Asean Football Championship in 2000 and 2002. But despite reaching the final for a third consecutive time in January 2005, they were left with silver medals once again after crashing to a 5-2 aggregate defeat against Singapore.
Hopes were high that Indonesia would finally claim the elusive Asean crown earlier this year but despite not losing a match they failed to even make it past the group stage, going out on goal difference after only defeating minnows Laos 3-1 and being held to draws by Vietnam and Singapore.
Withe may not have been far off the mark with the view that his side had just been unlucky, but he paid for their failure with his job as Kolev was brought back to take charge of preparations for the Asian Cup.
The advantage of re-appointing the Bulgarian was his familiarity with the players in the squad from his two years as national coach and spells in charge of league sides Persija Jakarta, Mitra Kukar and Persipura Jayapura.
For leadership on the pitch, Kolev will look to stalwart Ponaryo, who is likely to anchor a three-man midfield alongside Firman Utima and Mahyadi Panggabean.
With veteran goalkeeper Hendro falling out of favour after his poor performance in the Asean Football Championship, Yandri Christian Pitoy is expected to take over between the posts, playing behind a defence that includes full backs Erol Iba and Supardi, and central defenders Charis Yulianto and Maman Abdurrahman.
Kolev had hoped to partner the in-form Boaz Salossa alongside Bambang Pamungkas up front but the 20-year-old Persipura Jayapura striker suffered a broken ankle during a 3-0 friendly win over Hong Kong in early June, ruling him out of the tournament.
Despite that blow, Kolev remains upbeat. He said: "We are sorry for Boaz. Once again, we have our 23 best players who are ready to give everything they can for Indonesia. That is the important thing."
With Boaz out, prolific Persika striker Bambang will likely team up with Arema Malang forward Elie Aiboy and Budi Sudarsono, who made his mark with goals for Persik Kediri against Sydney FC and Urawa Reds in the AFC Champions League this season.
Song Lam Nghe An striker Cong Vinh struck the crucial second goal with 17 minute remaining as last season’s V-League MVP expertly lobbed advancing UAE goalkeeper Majed Naser after perfectly timing his run to collect Nguyen Vu Phong's lofted pass.
Huynh Quang Thanh had earlier stunned the UAE and sent a packed My Dinh National Stadium into raptures three minutes after the hour with a powerful close range finish from Nguyen Minh Phuong's chipped pass.
"It was a very interesting match and it will go down in the history of Vietnamese football," said Cong Vinh, who is one of 12 players from the under-23 Olympic side named in Riedl's squad.
"This is the biggest result in the history of Vietnamese football. I was delighted when I scored the second goal."
Cong Vinh, who has a prolific scoring rate for club and country, is seen as the best Vietnamese player since veteran Le Huynh Duc hung up his boots and made his mark with three goals in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers earlier this year.
Vietnam can now look forward to Thursday's meeting with Asian Games gold medal winners Qatar and the Group B finale against three-time champions Japan next Monday with realistic thoughts of reaching the last eight of Asia’s premier football tournament.
"We now have an excellent chance of progressing to the next round after starting the tournament with a win," Cong Vinh added.
"The team is very confident and we believe we can make it to the quarter-finals. It is now an open group and Vietnam have an excellent chance.
"Vietnam are the smallest team in the group, but after this victory the image Qatar and Japan have of our team will change. The fans were very important; they made the team feel stronger."
Cong Vinh hailed the contribution of Austrian coach Riedl, who is in his third spell in charge of Vietnam.
"The coach has had a great affect on the team, not only is he the coach he is also a friend," he said.
Vietnam underwent a light training session at Hanoi Stadium on Monday morning before sitting down to watch the evening's match between Qatar and Japan to plot a route to another historic triumph.
"Qatar are the Asian Games champions; they are a very strong team," he added. "We will watch the game against Japan tonight and try to find the best and most appropriate solution."
Cong Vinh and his Vietnam team-mates were also celebrating after the match as AFC Asian Cup sponsors Samsung, who also sponsor the Vietnamese team, handed the team a cheque for US$50,000 to mark the achievement.
The Vietnamese Football Association also added US$18,750 to the pot, while the Vietnamese Sports Commission and BITV also contributed US$3,100 each.
Cong Vinh, fellow goalscorer Huynh Quang Thanh and goalkeeper Hong Son Duong were also handed cheques for US$2,000 each from The Hoa Sen Corporation following their starring roles in the victory.
BANGKOK - Australia's goal-scoring hero Tim Cahill insists he is happy to play any role for his country as he echoed his World Cup heroics to step off the bench and rescue a 1-1 draw in their opening AFC Asian Cup game against Oman.Last year, the Everton star helped Australia to victory against Japan when his late brace after coming on as a substitute turned potential defeat into a 3-1 win.
This time, he climbed off the bench to score his side’s first ever goal in the Asian Cup finals, sparing the Socceroos’ blushes as they rescued a 1-1 draw against the Middle Eastern side.
Australia, making their debut in the competition, clearly struggled to adapt to the Bangkok humidity and were frustrated by a determined Oman, who took the lead in the first half through a Badar Mubarak strike.
It could have been a different story but for goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer pulling off a number of superb saves late on.
And it paid off as Cahill, who came off the bench midway through the second period, shot past Ali Al Habsi after pouncing on a spilled Mark Bresciano shot.
"I have got a lot of respect for this first goal in this competition because the Asian nation is magic, there are millions of people here and it is a massively watched tournament.," said the 27-year-old midfielder, whose side are now level on points and goal difference in Group A with Oman, Thailand and Iraq.
"I am pretty lucky, I said to myself if I got the chance I would take it and it came against Oman and it is another big moment in my career."
Another good performance for Cahill suggests he is close to full fitness after breaking his fifth metatarsal against Sheffield United in the Premier League in March.
A place in the starting line-up cannot be far off but Cahill insists he is happy to play any part for his country, be it from the bench or not.
He added: "I am happy being a part of this squad, I said that from day one and as long as you can play in any shape or form on the pitch and make something happen I am happy.
"What happened for me (against Oman) is priceless, you can't take that away, and you can't take away the first World Cup goal."
After torrential rain had dominated the tournament's opening game between Thailand and Iraq on Saturday, the skies cleared to give way to bright sunshine on Sunday.
Consequently, the humidity was fierce and clearly affected the Australian players and Cahill admitted that the stifling conditions are proving difficult to adapt to.
"It will most probably be like this throughout the whole tournament, hopefully we can go grow stronger but when you play in conditions like this, it is so hard," he said.
"You can't warm up in the humidity, it didn't affect them at all, they kept going to the end and Schwarzer had to pull off saves and it could have been a different story."
JAKARTA - Bahrain coach Milan Macala has confirmed that key midfielder Mohammed Salmeen will miss this year's AFC Asian Cup due to an ankle injury.
Salmeen suffered the injury while playing for Al Arabi in the Qatar league and while he is on the road to recovery, it was felt that he needed more time to regain his fitness, much to the disappointment of the Czech coach.
"It's really a pity that we will miss him in the tournament as he needs nearly six months to recover," said Macala who turned 64 five days ago.
"Salmeen has a lot of experience that we need but we can't do anything now. He is at the moment with the team in Jakarta but he cannot play.”
But while Bahrain will not have the services of Salmeen, they have received some positive news with the Nigerian-born duo of Jaycee John Akwani and Abdulla Fatadi cleared to play for them in the tournament.
"Both Jaycee and Abdulla are players for the future. They have great talent and skills but what they lack is international experience and we have to be patient to get the best out of them," Macala said.
The veteran coach is hoping that his previous Asian Cup experience will prove useful to the team at this year's tournament.
"It is my fourth Asian Cup competition," he said at the end of the team’s official training session at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Sunday.
“My first Asian Cup was in 1996 with Kuwait and we lost to Iran on penalties. The Asian Cup is an excellent event and I hope that the experience I had will be good for the team.
"The tournament is very important for us as it will help us a lot. Even if we don't have good results it will be good for us to prepare the team for the World Cup qualifiers which will start after the tournament.
"We came here with a good team but the problem is that our preparations were not ideal. Just like in Oman's case, Bahrain have a lot of players who play abroad so it was hard to prepare the team and group them together. There were some players who joined the team on June 25 as they were still playing in Kuwait Emir's Cup.
"I just hope that the players will be prepared and everyone knows their responsibilities," he concluded.
Bahrain will begin their Asian Cup against co-hosts Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday before taking on Korea Republic on July 15 and Saudi Arabia three days later.
BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR: Thai pop diva Tata Young’s hit number ‘I Believe’ was confirmed today as the Official Song of the AFC Asian Cup 2007™.
Tata, who started her singing career after winning a nationwide talent contest in Thailand at the age of 11, has seen her ‘I Believe’ number sell millions of copies to fans across Asia.
Tata, an avid football fan, is part of the new wave of Asian talent which has made its mark internationally with appearances at the famed Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Boulevard, a top-rated Australian television show and the Hong Kong Handover Ceremony in 1997 alongside chart-toppers like Lisa Stansfield and Wet Wet Wet.
Equally comfortable in Thai and English, she has featured on the cover of Time magazine in a study of successful Eurasians and has been named the sexiest entertainer in Thailand by FHM in 2007.
The 15-year music veteran has already sold more than 12 million albums and continues to be a symbol of energy and change for the Asian music industry.
The 26-year-old Thai singing sensation will also perform ahead of the opening match of the AFC Asian Cup™ between Thailand and Iraq at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on July 7.
Tata’s fans and football lovers will also have the opportunity to meet her at the AFC Asian Cup 2007™ Football Festival in Future Park Rangsit, Bangkok on July 1.
| Asian Cup 2007 Final tournament schedule | ||||
| Date | KO (Local Time) | Match | Tickets | Venue |
| Sat 7 July | 19.35 | Thailand v Iraq | Buy Tickets | Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok |
| Sun 8 July | 17.20 | Australia v Oman | Buy Tickets | Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok |
| Sun 8 July | 19.35 | Vietnam v UAE | Buy Tickets | My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi |
| Mon 9 July | 17.20 | Japan v Qatar | Buy Tickets | My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi |
| Tues 10 July | 17.20 | Indonesia v Bahrain | Buy Tickets | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |
| Tues 10 July | 20:35 | Malaysia v China | Buy Tickets | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur |
| Wed 11 July | 18.20 | Iran v Uzbekistan | Buy Tickets | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur |
| Wed 11 July | 19.35 | Korea v Saudi Arabia | Buy Tickets | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |
| Thurs 12 July | 17.20 | Oman v Thailand | Buy Tickets | Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok |
| Thurs 12 July | 19.35 | Qatar v Vietnam | Buy Tickets | My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi |
| Fri 13 July | 17.20 | Iraq v Australia | Buy Tickets | Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok |
| Fri 13 July | 20.35 | UAE v Japan | Buy Tickets | My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi |
| Sat 14 July | 18.20 | Uzbekistan v Malaysia | Buy Tickets | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur |
| Sat 14 July | 19.35 | Saudi Arabia v Indonesia | Buy Tickets | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |
| Sun 15 July | 18.20 | China v Iran | Buy Tickets | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur |
| Sun 15 July | 19.35 | Bahrain v Korea | Buy Tickets | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |
| Mon 16 July | 17.20 | Qatar v UAE | Buy Tickets | Army Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City |
| Mon 16 July | 17.20 | Vietnam v Japan | Buy Tickets | My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi |
| Mon 16 July | 19.35 | Thailand v Australia | Buy Tickets | Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok |
| Mon 16 July | 19.35 | Iraq v Oman | Buy Tickets | Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok |
| Wed 18 July | 17.20 | Indonesia v Korea | Buy Tickets | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |
| Wed 18 July | 17.20 | Saudi Arabia v Bahrain | Buy Tickets | Jaka Baring Stadium, Palembang |
| Wed 18 July | 20.35 | Malaysia v Iran | Buy Tickets | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur |
| Wed 18 July | 20.35 | Uzbekistan v China | Buy Tickets | Shah Alam Stadium, Kuala Lumpur |
| Quarter Finals | ||||
| Date | KO (Local Time) | Match | Venue | |
| Sat 21 July | 17.20 | Quarterfinal B1 vs A2 | Buy Tickets | My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi |
| Sat 21 July | 20.20 | Quarterfinal A1 vs B2 | Buy Tickets | Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok |
| Sun 22 July | 18.20 | Quarterfinal C1 vs D2 | Buy Tickets | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur |
| Sun 22 July | 20.20 | Quarterfinal D1 vs C2 | Buy Tickets | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |
| Semi Finals | ||||
| Date | KO (Local Time) | Match | Venue | |
| Wed 25 July | 18.20 | Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 | Buy Tickets | National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur |
| Wed 25 July | 20.20 | Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 | Buy Tickets | My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi |
| Third/Fourth Place Play-off | ||||
| Date | KO (Local Time) | Match | Venue | |
| Sat 28 July | 19.35 | Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 | Buy Tickets | Jaka Baring Stadium, Palembang |
| Final | ||||
| Date | KO (Local Time) | Match | Venue | |
| Sun 29 July | 19.35 | Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 | Buy Tickets | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta |