Saturday, December 27, 2008

Fake Blue Rays Copy

DVD vendors in Quiapo have upgraded to new blue ray format. It can be bought at Php70.00 or $1.00 a piece . "Puro Blu-Ray format na yung binebenta nila. As in naka-plastic pa na may tatak na Blu-Ray and with hologram making it look like it is authentic blue ray. Sabi nung tindera, hindi na raw kailangang bumili ng Blu-Ray DVD Player and its true you can play it in ordinary dvd player." I have tested it and noticeable talagang very clear compared to standard dvd`s.

But the question is, Is it really a blue ray quality video?

Well, the pirates in china were apparently ripping high-def movies and able to crack Blu-ray's AACS and BD+ encryption in the process then re-encoding them using AVCHD, which offers a 720p picture. Because of the reduction in resolution, file sizes are smaller and can be burned to regular DVDs instead of the more costly Blu-ray discs.

So in lay man`s term, they're technically AVCHD DVDs, which is a high-definition format that's a grade lower than Blu-ray and cheaper to burn.


So, pirates are taking advantage of the fact that many viewers can't tell the difference between Hollywood's new high-definition, higher-priced Blu-ray movie format and a bootleg format -- called AVCHD -- that's a grade lower: AVCHD uses 720 horizontal lines of resolution instead of Blu-ray's 1,080, but still offers a sharper picture than an ordinary DVD on high-definition television sets.

Average consumers may not be able to determine whether he or she watches a true BD movie in 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution with high-quality audio, or a pirated movie in 720p with compressed moderate quality audio. Still, even 720p looks much sharper compared to usual DVD resolution.

Definitely piracy is here to stay.But it is illegal for obvious copyright thing but one thing is for sure,those who can`t afford for a blue ray disc and player (by the way blue ray player cost PHP Php 18,000- 35,000 or $400-700) would love these clone blue ray disc.

The Blu-ray disc format was designed in order to stop software pirates from creating and selling movies in high-definition resolution. But what appears right now was not what we expected.Anything is possible for the pirates irregardless what technology we have.

There are also sites that you can download Blue Ray Rip, like this one

http://www.rlslog.net/category/movies/hdrip/

Well as saying goes," technology has always has its way.."








The Road Warrior Forges On


If you’re Glen Johnson, you just keep your head down and keep on keepin’ on.

How else can he explain the fact that even though he’s the former IBF and The Ring magazine light heavyweight champion that he doesn’t get any respect from the powers that be in the sport of boxing?

He was the unanimous choice for the 2004 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, USA Today and The Ring. He’s faced and or beaten nine world champions and has been a professional fighter with a crowd-pleasing style for nearly 16 years. He’s even been good enough to have notched victories over both Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones, Jr.

But when the big fights are put together behind the closed doors of boardrooms by the promoters and the television networks, Glen Johnson is avoided by the ‘names’ in his division as though he were a contagious leper.

‘The Road Warrior’ says he will fight anyone, anywhere - hence the nickname. And he’s proved it, too, by traveling to England four times, Germany three times, the Bahamas twice, as well as Italy, Aruba, and the Virgin Islands. He’s been the victim of some shady scoring over the years by boxing judges from around the world and five of his 12 career losses are highly questionable.

He could easily have been tabbed the winner in his two career draws. Instead of a journeyman-like record of 48-12-2 (33)KO, he could rightly possess a more impressive ledger of 57-5 (33)KO.

Johnson has seen it all and he’s been on the wrong end of some questionable calls over the years. But it was the head scratching decision last April, when he fought Chad Dawson for the WBC title, that seems to bother Glen Johnson most of all.

In what was a close fight with plenty of back and forth action it was anyone’s guess at the end who had won. But when the official scoring was announced it was unanimous - for Chad Dawson.


Against Chad Dawson (left) Glen Johnson put on a career performance that the judges saw as a bit short. They awarded the victory to Dawson.

“We fought a brilliant fight,” says Johnson of the thirty-six minutes he spent between the ropes with Dawson. “The only three people in the world who believed it wasn’t a brilliant fight was the judges. It seems to me they are the only incompetent people that were in the audience. I thank you, all of the sportswriters, for all of the great things that you guys wrote about that particular fight. You made sure that everyone knows that this was a terrible decision and I can’t thank you enough for that assessment. It’s more than I can do on my own.”

Predictably, Johnson has been unable to secure a rematch with Dawson who is instead moving forward with plans to face the faded Antonio Tarver for a second time. As a result, Johnson has again been forced to the sidelines as he plots his next move, which will be a rematch against Daniel Judah on February 27th in Hollywood, Florida.

“I’m just sitting and waiting to see what the boxing world has in store for me,” says the always amiable Johnson who will turn 40 years-old next week. “Everywhere I go, trying to get a fight, I get turned down and put on the holding list.”

In a perfect world, Johnson would have no shortage of opposition. However, this is far from a perfect world and Johnson is quite well aware that the sport of boxing has all sorts of flaws.

The 175-pound division, where Johnson plies his trade, is chock full of talent from folks who are close to his own age like Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones, Jr. to younger fellows such as Dawson, Tavoris Cloud, Adrian Diaconu and Chris Henry.


Johnson has fought (from left) Antonio Tarver twice, Chad Dawson once and Clinton Woods three times.

“I will definitely fight any one of those guys, any time. All I need is the opportunity,” says the plain-spoken Johnson. “I’m here to entertain the fans and to also try and make a buck or two to support myself. I stay in fighting shape. All they gotta’ do is give me the time and the place, man. I’m always ready, I stay ready. I keep boxing on my mind 24 hours a day.”

Johnson, who was born in Clarendon, Jamaica and made his way to Miami, Florida when he was a fifteen year-old kid, is a throwback fighter. He turned pro in 1993 and fought primarily in Florida while working full-time in the carpentry and construction trade. It wasn’t until he began to gain real notoriety, about five years ago, that he abandoned the hammer and nails and became a full-time prizefighter. It’s that blue collar work ethic and mindset that Johnson brings to the game that has enabled him to persevere through all of the decisions that he has seen go the wrong way in his boxing career.

But be that as it may, he still keeps coming back to the Chad Dawson fight.

“I’m definitely upset about that fight. They robbed me - of not just the fight - but they robbed me of millions of dollars and they probably robbed me of a year of my career,” says Johnson of the judges.

“It will probably take me a year to get back to where I was before the Dawson fight. I won the fight and I was supposed to get the decision. Had I got that decision I would be moving on to fight Tarver for millions of dollars. I would be in position to move onto other major fights and make the kind of money so I could close my career out. I’m 39 years old and I’m fighting the young and upcoming, ‘so-called’ future of the division. Now I’m on the outside looking in and I have to work all the way back to get back in the mix and that’s going to be two or three fights down the road before I get back in the mix with the real fighters where I can make any decent money, you know what I mean? That is the problem that I have.”


Johnson faced Clinton Woods three times, all in Woods' home country of England. 'The Road Warrior' came away with a win, a loss and a draw.

But the one thing you notice about Glen Johnson is that he doesn’t feel sorry for himself and he has the quiet confidence and attitude that all things worth having are also worth waiting and working for. He never seems in a rush and whether he is fighting or training he steadily presses forward. Like a carpenter constructing a house, it’s one piece of lumber and one nail at a time before the handiwork is done and the final product is ready.

“There are some of us that take pride in the work we do and I’m one of those guys,” says Johnson of his chosen profession. “Boxing is my job and I take serious pride in it and I take serious pride in myself. I fight for money, yes, but not just solely for money.”


December 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Michael Jennings is a Real Life Underdog


England's Michael Jennings will face Miguel Cotto on February 21st at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Two months from today, Michael Jennings will step through the ropes and into a boxing ring for what will be the biggest fight of his life. Staring back at him from the other corner will be Miguel Cotto, the Puerto Rican destroyer, who is attempting to make his way back from a devastating knockout loss at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

The fight was pegged for Atlantic City, New Jersey but it is now likely headed to Madison Square Garden in New York, which is practically Miguel Cotto's backyard and a venue where he has fought on several occasions.

For Jennings, the script of this fight reads like the original 'Rocky' movie for the likeable boxer who was born in Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom. Jennings has been hand-picked from virtual anonymity by Cotto's brain-trust to face one of the biggest names in the sport for the vacant WBO welterweight title.

You can almost see the scene from the original 'Rocky' film in which Apollo Creed, his promoter Mr. Jergens and his trainer Duke are all meeting in an office searching for a sellable, yet safe opponent for Apollo to face.

Except in this case - this is real life. So you can switch the names to Miguel Cotto, promoter Bob Arum and Top Rank, Inc. matchmaker Bruce Trampler.

Arum: "We've got to find someone for Cotto to come back against."

Trampler: "Yes, someone not too dangerous, but with a good record and a high ranking."

Cotto: "I don't care who it is, I'll fight anyone."

Trampler: "How about this kid Michael Jennings? He's got a record of 34-1 (16)KO's so the television people would buy him and the fans would like him because he only has one loss."

Arum: "Besides that, he doesn't have a lot of knockouts, so Miguel should be able to go right through him."


Jennings getting ready to go against Miguel Cotto, one of the best fighters in the world.

The fight between Cotto and Jennings was put together quickly and Jennings was plucked from relative obscurity and put into a shot against one of the biggest names in all of boxing in what will be a major pay-per-view event. Most people that follow the sport, even the ones that follow it closely, have never even seen Jennings fight before.

"It's going to be a mammoth task, fighting Miguel Cotto, but at the end of the day I'm going to go to America, go over, and do me best and try and win," says the handsome and soft-spoken Jennings, who is the longest of long shots.

Jennings knows the challenge he has in front of him is a colossal one fraught with danger, but he likes the style in which Cotto fights and is happy that he won't have to go looking for the fight or chase Cotto around the ring.

"I like it when a fighter comes forward and comes to me. That's the style I like, you know?" he asks in a matter-of-fact manner.

And with Cotto, Jennings should get his wish as Puerto Rico's favorite son is definitely a forward charging fighter.

"Cotto is a brilliant boxer and I know that," he says. "But he's not the biggest welterweight in the world either," rationalizes Jennings who has fought his entire career as a welterweight.

Jennings has been good enough to win the World Boxing Union title at 147-pounds as well as the British welterweight title and he's been fighting professionally since 1999. He's lost only once in 35 career fights (a split decision) and is a solid pro with nearly 200 rounds under his belt. And for what it's worth, he's rated #3 by the WBO.



He's also the drummer for a bourgeoning music band called 'The Shoks' who have been good enough to open for Ian Brown, former lead singer of the alternative, English rock band The Stone Roses.

"To be honest with you, I'm a much better fighter than I am a drummer," explains Jennings. His brother is also a member of the band and he got into the gig almost by accident, simply because he has always liked music. "It's not been easy to take to, but I do O.K." says the humble and honest 31 year-old.

Jennings will be training through the Christmas holiday season but says all of the effort and sacrifice will be worth it and that hopefully it will all pay off. He would like nothing more than to follow in the recent successful footsteps that fellow U.K. fighters like Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and David Haye have enjoyed. The fight with Cotto will be his first in America but he says he is readying himself for that, too.

"A lot of British fighters go over to America with the wrong attitude," says Jennings. "Me, I feel that I'm a mentally strong person and I'm not going to America to lose. As far as I'm concerned, and in my mind, I'm going over to win.

At the end of the day, I've not got a lot of pressure on me back because everybody is expectin' me to go over there and get chinned anyways. I'm a massive underdog and I don't mind that, I don't mind that one bit. I'm just going to train as hard as I can, go over and give it one-hundred percent. I'm just not going over there for the money or anything. I'm going to give it me all. I'm going over there for a fight."


Cotto (pictured above) training in Puerto Rico, is one of the best fighters in the world and will be the heavy favorite against Jennings.

But come the night of the fight when Jennings looks across the ring and sees Miguel Cotto standing there, is he going to be ready for what is going to come at him?

After all, Cotto has a fearsome reputation and is ranked as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.

"I'm going to have a lot of fear in me, from this fight, because of who he is and what have you," says Jennings. "So that will make my sharpness and you know, all my senses, it will make them stronger, you know what I mean? It will have to be my best performance. Otherwise he is going to win. I have to make sure I do things I've not done before."


December 2008

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Friendster Virus Alert

Have you ever received a friendster message from a friend that has a message of something like LOL, WOW etc..It look like this..This pic was to taken from my support PC just to make sure. A highschool friend send me this one but it was not actually from her. It was mimicking his friendster account.
If you open the link in the message, you were to be diverted to an philshing youtube account. It was actually fake and if you will notice the address it was also non existent, they are simply mimick. But it mimicking was done in random in such a way different IP`s was displayed for every message you received.
The harmful part of this message wasthe SETUP.EXE thing you could see once you open the address. Don`t save this file because if you do,it was a RAT of remote access Terminal controller. Meaning, the hacker could open your computer remotely. It was a virus with a purpose so be carefull.

Another version of this one is the win32.worm.its origin..Someone figured it out ito be in friendster also. See below for the info.

IF youreceive this kind of message simply deleted or else just simply say goodbye to your files.

Please tell the people who sent those to change their Passwords immediately and scan their PC for viruses.


Those are virus/worms generated messages that originated from myspace and facebook called... Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.a and Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.

For more info:

Win32.Worm.KoobFace.A

( Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.b; W32.Koobface.A )
Spreading: very high
Damage: very low
Size: 16652
Discovered: 2008 Aug 05

SYMPTOMS:

- Presence of "Systray" key in autorun locations of windows registry.
- Presence of next files on the system:
C:\Windows\mstre6.exe
C:\Windows\tmark2.dat
- Increased internet traffic.
- "Friend users" from myspace.com receives links with commentaries via Inbox messages from user with infected system.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION:
Once it is launched, it moves itself to C:\WIndows\mstre6.exe and then it executes itself from the specified location.
It finds the default explorer cookies folder and searches into it for files which contain "myspace.com".
If no appropriate files are found, it shows a MessageBox with the following text: "Error installing Codec. Please contact support", creates a file in C:\Windows\tmark2.dat and writes "1" into it. This way it marks the operating system for its presence, and then it terminates itself, subsequently deleting its file. So the worm infects only systems which use myspace.com.
If such cookies are found on the system, it adds an entry into the Registry autorun under the "Systray" key name.
The worm also deletes the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\Explorer\Navigating
Next, it gets from its server (zzzping.com) miscellaneous links and short captions to be sent via MySpace.com. The links it attempts to send to the Myspace.com contacts point users to a fake codec update, which proves to be an infected binary file containing a copy of the worm.
This technique is extremely efficient, especially given the fact that users are more likely to trust links sent by friends than by unknown contacts. The worm spreads from one system to another by using the Myspace contact lists.


So so much for now..Goodnight GodBless to all my readers.

Monday, December 15, 2008

What Makes An Excellent Salesperson

What Makes An Excellent Salesperson

An optometrist was instructing a new employee on how to charge a customer. “As you are fitting his glasses, if he asks how much they cost, you say P4,500.00.”

If his eyes don’t flutter, say, ‘For the frames. The lenses will be P3,500.00.’

If his eyes still don’t flutter, you add ‘Each.’

Boy… oh… boy. This is not customer service… this is a rip off.

This is no way to make a sale.

“Hi… how are you doing?”

“Do you need any help? Well if you do just call me… I’ll be around.”

These are the same words I hear from sales people every time I enter a shop or a boutique in America .

A lot of emphasis is given on customer service.

Businesses know that the only element that maintains business and carries the possibility to make it grow is not the brilliance of their finance people, not the charisma of their CEO and it’s not even the products and services they churn out everyday. The only element for business survival and growth is to create satisfied and loyal customers.

What does it take to be an excellent sales person?

This is the question.

Here is a list of things that make an excellent sales person. As customers we long to see this in our service providers no matter what the industry is. Now you will be amazed that all the sales people we admire exhibit most of the qualities I will be talking about. And you can use this list as a way to hire excellent salespeople–or as a way to improve your own skills:

1. An Excellent Salesperson Is A Sight For Sore Eyes.

Excellent sales people make good first impressions. They are genuine, pleasant, and easy to talk with and they take care of how they look. The best salespeople have a neat and well-groomed look about them. Their clothes and accessories may not have to be expensive but they must be appropriate for the occasion. Here’s a tip: their shoes are always a good indicator: ‘Not too new (with the price tag still on…) but freshly “shined” is what you want to look for.

An excellent salesperson knows that he never gets a second chance to create a first impression.

2. An Excellent Salesperson Loves To Be With People.

One indication you see is that excellent salespeople need to be liked.

They want to please their customers and prospects. They go the extra mile, learn customers’ preferences, and work to educate their customers and keep them informed. And so in relation to this…..

3. An Excellent Salesperson Is A Good Listener.

One thing I noticed with excellent sales people is that they gently probe with questions carefully listening to what their prospects are saying and then the brilliance is that they do not sell but they lead the customers to buy. They are patient with prospects–not pushy. They understand the most important key to successful selling: The sale today is not as important as the relationship tomorrow.

4. An Excellent Salesperson Behaves Professionally

I always admire sales people who do not bad mouth their competitors. They will always point to their product pluses and advantages they offer but they will not verbally tear down others.

Another thing is that excellent salespeople leave their problems at home. Everybody has problems – health, family, financial, personal but excellent sales people never bring these problems to work with them and let them affect their attitudes.

5. An Excellent Salesperson Is An Expert With His Products Or Services.

Great salespeople know their products inside and out. They are fanatical with details. They embrace non-stop learning. They can answer even the most complicated questions from customers without having to refer them to someone else at the company. This is why you will never see a great salesperson who is sloppy and careless.

6. An Excellent Salesperson Is Driven To Succeed.

There are 2 important qualities excellent sales people exhibit; their creativity and assertiveness. They are energetic and they have a very strong work ethic and you see them putting in more hours than their co-workers because they are extremely competitive. They do not compete against others but they compete against themselves. Learning more, doing more and producing more.

7. An Excellent Salesperson Has A Service Mentality.

One thing that distinguishes great sales people is that they are able to step outside of themselves and see things from the customer’s point of view. They do not focus on their benefits or commissions but they focus on meeting all the customer’s needs.

There is a great difference between sales people who are average and those who are excellent. Excellent salespeople never stop improving on themselves. They always strive to be better. They read books, they listen to tapes, they attend non-company sponsored seminars and they read columns just like this one. (Serious!)

But above all, they are good servants because they exhibit what Scriptures say…you know…the part that says something about “doing to others what you want others to do unto you…”

So happy selling.

Articles above re-posted with permission of course with Mr. Francis Kong.

Just for Fun

Just for fun lang po....

Barack Obama’s first accomplishment as elected president of the United States!

While George W. Bush is still the actual president of the United States, taking good care of the war in Iraq and of the actual recession, it does not mean that Barack Obama can’t take important decisions.

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, please see the picture below.


Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Fifty Dollar Prizefight


Sure, the economy is in the dumper. Millions are losing their homes and their jobs. Right now at least, there doesn’t seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a Christmas scene that Ebenezer Scrooge would have loved.

But Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer and Top Rank, Inc. Chairman, Bob Arum think they’ve got a cure for what ails the boxing fan. It’s coming on January 24th when WBA welterweight champion Antonio ‘The Tijuana Tornado’ Margarito and ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley lock horns at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

It’s a fight fans’ fight that matches up two aggressive boxers with marquee names and it’s a fight that is not going to be accompanied with a lofty pay-per-view asking price - it’s on HBO.

“I think when the country goes through a recession, the people also go through a recession,” said Schaefer of the world’s woes. “Everyone is going through a time of tightening their belts and we as promoters are obviously aware of that. What we wanted to do with this fight is ensure that we can do these kinds of fights, not just on pay-per-view, but on HBO.”

With the world in the vice-like grip of what some economists are predicting will be the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, the powerbrokers in boxing have been forced to be more frugal when it comes to their asking price. The recent pay-per-view flops of Bernard Hopkins vs. Kelly Pavlik in October and Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones in November caused the executives at HBO and the promoters associated with the bouts to re-evaluate their future strategy.

Boxing fans, like all consumers, have had to become much more discerning when it comes to letting go of their dollars. As a result, those involved with the business end of boxing have been forced to take a much more serious look at ticket prices and what actually is, or is not, a pay-per-view worthy attraction.


Schaefer (left) and his business partner Oscar De La Hoya, have turned Golden Boy Promotions into one of the most significant boxing promotional companies in the world.

Even the recent Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya “Dream Match’ affair fell well short of initial expectations and served as a bellwether for the health of boxing fans’ wallets.

Incredibly, stories abound of spectators that showed up in Las Vegas the very day of the Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight and were able to procure fight tickets at below face value for seats on the floor of the MGM Grand Garden. And even more eye-opening was the fact that they were able to book a room, too.

While somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.25 million households purchased the Pacquiao-De La Hoya event (keeping it from being the financial disasters that the aforementioned Hopkins-Pavlik and Calzaghe-Jones productions were) the buy number was well short of the record of 2.4 million that purchased Floyd Mayweather, Jr.-De La Hoya in May 2007. While the $70 million in pay-per revenue that Pacquiao-De La Hoya produced is nothing to sneeze at, it’s still $60 million short of what Mayweather, Jr.-De La Hoya churned out only a year-and-a-half ago.

So, those that call the shots in boxing, from the suits at HBO, to the promoters, to fighter managers and even the boxers themselves were forced to look around. And what they saw was the face of reality.

“For this fight, Mosley-Margarito, from a price point-of-view, this is their fight,” said Schaefer sounding like a carnival barker trying to lure in skeptical passers by. “For all of those people that complain that they can’t get tickets for these fights, well, you know what? Go and get your fifty dollar seats.”

It was somewhat difficult to determine whether Schaefer was happy or sad when he said that. (My observation is that he was the latter). But for fight fans that have long complained about ticket brokers and casinos buying up all of the seats for big fights, this fight is the answer to their criticisms.


Mosley (left) and Margarito, with Bernard Hopkins looking on, are set to meet again on January 24th in Los Angeles.

“To be able to go and see a fight of this caliber for fifty dollars is just unheard of,” said Schaefer, as he shook his head from side-to-side in wonderment, while practically kicking his foot at the dirt.

For his part, Arum is guardedly optimistic about the match-up on January 24th and he’s hopeful for the prospects of boxing fans that are on the prowl for affordable entertainment.

“Look, you’ve never seen Antonio Margarito in a bad fight and you’ve never seen Shane Mosley in a bad fight either,” said the no-nonsense, gravelly-voiced 77 year-old promoter who routinely talks himself hoarse.

“These two guys are fighters and they have different styles. Mosley is obviously the boxer of the pair, he’s the better technician and Margarito is the ‘Tornado’ who just overwhelms guys, as he did with Cotto, so this should be an outstanding fight.”

Margarito-Mosley, which Arum refers to as “the battle for Los Angeles” is a fight that almost wasn't signed as the money initially being offered to both guys was not enough for either of them to get motivated or take the risk.

HBO eventually stepped up to the plate with some bail-out funds and suddenly Margarito vs. Mosley was pasted together and rescued at the eleventh hour. But just last week the venue was changed from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to the Staples Center in L.A. because the state of affairs in Las Vegas are such that it couldn’t support this fight as well as the NFL Super Bowl crowd that would have shown up in ‘Sin City’ the next weekend.


Bob Arum has been involved with boxing for nearly 40 years and has seen good times and bad.

While the economic meltdown has been bad for the planet, one possible good outcome for boxing fans is that 2009 is going to see less HBO pay-per-view events and more high caliber fights televised on regular HBO. The word within the industry is that 2009 will see fully half the number of pay-per-views on HBO compared to 2008, when pay-per-views were stacked up month-after-month like cord wood next to a fireplace.

With the ‘Golden Goose’ of boxing pay-per-view likely headed to a retirement village in Puerto Rico and with the heavyweight division in tatters, the number of truly well-known and marketable fighters worthy of pay-per-view is as shallow as the kiddy pool at Waterworld.

So with that, Schaefer and Arum forge ahead with their sales coupons in this frugal new world of boxing that is more like Wal Mart than Saks Fifth Avenue.

“Look, this is a terrific fight,” said Arum, who sometimes sees the glass as half empty. “We’ve made it affordable for the fans and we’re hoping for a big crowd at the live event.”

And for fifty bucks…step right up! You’re in the door!


December 2008

Sunday, December 7, 2008

BALCO and EPO Sour ‘Sugar’ Shane’s Sweet Image


Shane Mosley has come under fire in recent days for his involvement in the BALCO steroids scandal.

‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley is boxer that has won championships in three weight divisions and is a likely first ballot hall of fame inductee. During the course of the past decade he has faced and beaten a virtual who’s who of the boxing world.

By all accounts, Mr. Mosley is a devoted family-man, lives honestly and works hard. He is quick to smile, gives his time and money to the less fortunate, is a charming individual and he is as unpretentious a prizefighter as you will meet.

But Shane Mosley, according to his own recently unsealed Grand Jury testimony in the Bay Area Laboratories Co-Operative (BALCO) steroids scandal, utilized a potent concoction of designer drugs and the oxygen-booster Erythropoietin (EPO) prior to his September 2003 world title bout against Oscar De La Hoya. It was a bout that Mr. Mosley was deemed to have won, although the decision rendered by the official judges was close and controversial.

For those that know him, casually or otherwise, Mr. Mosley’s testimony is a shocking piece of news. The information is contrary to the image and persona he is known for.

Like U.S. Women’s Sprinter Marion Jones and the home run king of baseball, Barry Bonds, who have also been caught up in Victor Conte’s BALCO scandal, Mr. Mosley, despite representations to the contrary, is now viewed as another in the long list of tainted, world-class athletes that are judged to have a win at all costs mindset.

For the likeable Mr. Mosley, who has built his reputation as that of a tireless worker in the gym and a dutiful student to the nuances of his chosen profession, it is not yet clear what effect his unsealed testimony will have on his career and reputation. Some have already quietly called for Mr. Mosley’s “victory” in the aforementioned 2003 De La Hoya match to be changed to a “no-decision” result.


It was for this bout against Oscar De La Hoya in September 2003 that Mosley admits to using EPO from Victor Conte's BALCO.

But the larger question for those that follow the sport of boxing and those that count themselves as fans of Mr. Mosley, is whether this was the first and only time he was a user of illegal drugs. They wonder whether it is a long term pattern of behavior and whether all that he has been able to accomplish over the years is real - or manufactured.

An examination of his success within the sport of boxing and with his adherence to the disciplined principles that make athletes and businessman successful, is a look at a boxer that was once lowly regarded, lived with his parents and worked at a local K-Mart when he first turned professional in 1993. However, in the ensuing 15 years, Mr. Mosley, by any measure, has had a stunning reversal of fortune.

Mr. Mosley has always been viewed as a marvelous physical specimen. His skills are awe-inspiring and when he is in the ring he is capable of brilliant performances. He has a potent blend of quickness, speed and athleticism that any athlete would covet. And specific to boxing, Mr. Mosley has the ability to both absorb and mete out punishment in equal parts. His bouts are usually crowd-pleasing affairs contested in Las Vegas casinos or similar high-profile venues. Over the years he has won world championships at 135, 147 and 154 pounds.

Mr. Mosley is known as a physical fitness fanatic that often trains at high altitude in the mountainous area where he owns property in Big Bear, California. He has never appeared in anything except outstanding physical condition and has never tested positive for drugs.

As he has aged and even with the gradual weight gain as he moved up through weight divisions, Mr. Mosley has never displayed a scintilla of body-fat, nor did he appear to lose quickness or speed.


Mosley is an outstanding fighter with a great attitude who has always had a love for the sport of boxing.

Over the years, Mr. Mosley, a native of Pomona, California along with his father, Jack, as his trainer, became one of boxing’s most well-known personalities. Both father and son basked in adulation as one championship after another was won and the senior Mosley was recognized as “trainer of the year” and Shane as “fighter of the year”.

Mr. Mosley’s bouts are still televised exclusively on the Home Box Office network (HBO) and since the year 2000 he has graduated to an income level that has seen him be paid at least a million dollars for most, if not all of his bouts.

On September 27th he stopped former world champion Ricardo Mayorga with one second left in the twelfth and final round of their match. On January 24th Mr. Mosley will face welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, in a greatly anticipated bout, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Despite his in the ring rivalry with Mr. De La Hoya, one that emanated from a childhood spent in the California amateur boxing circuit and a victory in their first fight in 2000, Mr. Mosley has become an equity partner in Mr. De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. Together, the pair, along with other high-profile boxers and former banker, Richard Schaefer, promote some of the most lucrative boxing events in the world.

In 2003, as the BALCO scandal enveloped one high-profile athlete after another, Mr. Mosley managed to stay above the fray. He repeatedly declared that he would never use drugs or cheat in order to win. His defense over the past five years has been that he thought he was taking vitamins or other nutritional supplements. He sharply attacked stories in the press that pointed to his use of the steroids or EPO and even filed a defamation suit against Mr. Conte, which is a case that continues to meander its way through the legal process.


Shane and his father Jack, pictured when they were a strong father and son team.

Even after the grand jury testimony was unsealed last week, Mr. Mosley still maintained that he was an unknowing participant in what turned out to be the one of the largest steroid sports scandals to date.

Mr. Mosley said last year his use of Mr. Conte’s designer steroids, known as ‘The Clear’ which was judged to be ten times more potent than other steroids with similar chemistry, and ‘The Cream’ (testosterone) were not knowingly taken by him in an effort to avoid detection or gain an unfair advantage.

“I'm disappointed that this is coming out again, four years after I’ve been to the Grand Jury and gave my truthful testimony,” Mr. Mosley said in a 2007 press release. “I even took a lie detector test back then to let everyone know that I wasn't trying to be an unfair fighter.”

And to Mr. Mosley’s credit, it was a polygraph that he was estimated to have passed.

However, doping calendars kept by BALCO that were seized in a raid of Mr. Conte’s headquarters detail a myriad of dates, times, drugs, vitamins, blood tests and exchanges of money for the drugs by Mr. Mosley.

Five years after the fact, Mr. Conte, 58, holds steadfast to his argument that Mr. Mosley knew full well the drugs that he was purchasing and using. Mr. Mosley, however, has said he believed he was using “flaxseed oil.”

The boxer, however, has acknowledged that he did inject himself in the abdomen and that he did purchase BALCO products. Mr. Conte claims the bill for his consultative input and the designer steroids was in the vicinity of $2,500 and his crude record keeping is also part of the evidence in the case.


Victor Conte pictured with some of his product developed for sale through his BALCO organization.

Mr. Conte questions why any person would pay that much money for what Mr. Mosley at one time claimed were vitamins. Mr. Conte maintains that his calendars show Mr. Mosley received EPO and several doses of both ‘The Clear’ and ‘The Cream’ leading up to his bout with Mr. De La Hoya.

While Mr. Mosley’s reputation has taken an undeniable hit with the news of his testimony, it is clear that in his high stakes game to prove victorious over Mr. De La Hoya, that he was also gambling with his life.

According to Mark Jenkins of Rice University, the reason EPO is dangerous is because it can cause increased blood viscosity. In other words, it can cause a person’s blood to become thicker than it should otherwise be. If blood becomes too thick, it can result in a heart attack or stroke. Over the years, this very event has befallen numerous athletes from various sports who have used EPO.

Mr. Jenkins says that the use of EPO, for numerous medical reasons, is especially dangerous to athletes who exercise over prolonged periods of time and he says that “it is a short trip” to what he terms the critical “sludge zone”- and death. An additional danger of EPO includes sudden death during sleep, which has been the culprit in numerous deaths of world-class cyclists.

For Mr. Mosley, however, life goes on. Now 37, he will fight in less than seven weeks in Los Angeles. It has been reported that he will receive in excess of $2 million to face Antonio Margarito, currently rated as one of the top professional boxers in the world.

The bout was to have taken place at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, but the site was suddenly switched to the Staples Center in Los Angeles not long after Mr. Mosley’s Grand Jury testimony was revealed.


Mr. Conte pictured at his former office in San Francisco. He worked with many of the most well known athletes in the world.

It has been rumored that Mr. Mosley would have had to endure a rigorous question and answer hearing with members that make up the Nevada State Athletic Commission in order for his boxing license to be re-issued in that state.

Some have said that the thinking on behalf of the promoters of Mr. Margarito and Mr. Mosley, is rather than endure what could become an embarrassing and painful process in Nevada, it would simply be easier to hold the bout elsewhere. However, Bob Arum, the Chairman of Top Rank, Inc. and the promoter of Mr. Margarito says the reasons for the relocation of the bout were purely monetary.

In the years since Mr. Mosley and Mr. Conte teamed up, their lives have taken drastically different paths. Mr. Conte was sentenced to four months in prison for conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and money laundering in connection to his role in the BALCO scandal. He has become a much-maligned figure.

On the other hand, Mr. Mosley has gone on to maintain his innocence and keep his otherwise good name. He recently fired his father as his trainer and since 2003 he has engaged in many high-profile bouts and raked in millions of dollars in a life that has mostly been business as usual for him.

In an e-mail to the New York Daily News, Mr. Conte has held to his stance that Mr. Mosley was a willing participant in their mutual arrangement :

“Mosley asked me about the positive effects of using EPO and how he would benefit from using it as a boxer,” Mr. Conte wrote. “He certainly knew that it was EPO and there are three witnesses that were there that day when he was told about it and did his first EPO injection in front of us. I also told him that 'the clear' and 'the cream' were undetectable steroids that would not create a positive test. Shane Mosley has been lying publicly about his use of performance enhancing drugs and there is plenty of evidence to prove that fact. It is despicable that he continues to abuse the judicial system for his own financial gain by telling lies.”


November 2009

Finest Fighter in the World


My sister Myra re edited my piece. I`m not that well kc in english. ahehe..Thanks sis ,eto na ung version mo..

Well, Our very own Manny Pacquiao won in a lopsided fight. De la Hoya could not even deliver the expected blows and strategy he used when he beat other fighters long time ago. Maybe De La Hoya has nothing to lose in this fight, and acted more of a businessman rather than a fighter. He tried to protect the legend that he was and even thought of a rematch in his after fight interviews. But i think it will not sell anymore.
Today's fight made him and Manny millions of bucks richer. Wow, hundred thousands of dollars for every punch! De la Hoya does not have to prove anything in this fight. He has been in the limelight for sometime, a former gold olympian and have 10 belts in different divisions. The bottom line, well, it's business as usual (HBO pay per view, product endorsements, million of dollars guaranteed, "the ring magazine thing" among others).
Well for Manny, there are too many things to gain in this fight. For honor and country bundled with millions of dollar. Hoping Manny will share these millions with our needy and poor countryman. That 's the only time I could say he is " the greatest filipino fighter of all time".

Let's just wait for Manny's return and we'll see again the "political vultures" flying and circling around Manny for publicity.Expect caravans, speeches, endorsement, Malacanang visits, etc. 2010 election is coming near and Manny is a walking publicity.
Mabuhay ka Manny!!
You make us proud !

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Pacquiao De La Hoya Live Stream




Monitor of live feed at the left side for this wonderfull fight..Enjoy

Friday, December 5, 2008

P-26 Peashooter



The American Boeing P-26, nicknamed the "Peashooter", was the first all-metal production fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane used by the United States Army Air Corps. The prototype first flew in 1932, and were used by the Air Corps as late as 1941 in the Philippines.

3d Pursuit Squadron, Clark Field, Philippine Islands.

Combat service

By December 1941, U.S. fighter strength in the Philippines included 28 P-26s, most in the service of the Philippine Army Air Corps. Most of these were destroyed on the ground in the first Japanese attacks following Pearl Harbor, but two flown by Filipino pilots scored victories over Japanese airplanes. In 1942, in a desperate defense of their homeland, the few surviving P-26s which the Filipino 6th Fighter Squadron still had at its disposal were completely overwhelmed by Japanese Zero fighters.

Capt. Jesus Villamor
1st Lt. Cesar Basa


Overmatched in number, firepower, speed and quality of aircraft, Villamor's gallant squadron - flying six obsolete Boeing P-26 fighters - managed to stall the Japanese air offensive in two famous dogfights over Manila and Batangas, shooting down two enemy fighters and one bomber. All but one of the amazing Filipino pilots, 1st Lt. Cesar Basa, survived the epic aerial battle.


General characteristics
Crew: 1
Performance
Maximum speed: 234 mph (203 knots, 377 km/h) at 6,000 ft (1,800 m)
Armament
Guns: 2× .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns
Bombs: 1× 200 lb (90 kg) bomb

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

F-105 Thunderchief











was a supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. The Mach 2 capable F-105 bore the brunt of strike bombing over North Vietnam during the early years of the Vietnam War.



General characteristics

Crew: 1
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.08 (1,372 mph, 2,208 km/h) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan cannon, 1,028 rounds
Hardpoints: 5 plus bomb bay with a capacity of Up to 14,000 lb (6350 kg) of ordnance, including conventional and nuclear bombs, and AIM-9 Sidewinder and AGM-12 Bullpup missiles.,
Avionics
NASARR R-14A radar
AN/ASG-19 Thunderstick fire control system
AN/ARN-85 LORAN (AN/ARN-92 in Thunderstick II-modified aircraft)

F-4 Phantom









is a two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft.

It was used extensively by all three of these services during the Vietnam War, serving as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force.














General characteristics
Crew: 2
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.23 (1,472 mph, 2,370 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)

Armament

Up to 18,650 lb (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including general purpose bombs, cluster bombs, TV- and laser-guided bombs, rocket pods (UK Phantoms 4× Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each), air-to-ground missiles, anti-runway weapons, anti-ship missiles, targeting pods, reconnaissance pods, and nuclear weapons. Baggage pods may also be carried. External fuel tanks of 370 US gal (1,420 L) capacity for the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or 610 US gal (2,310 or 2,345 L) fuel tank for the centerline station can be fitted to extend the range.
4x AIM-7 Sparrow in fuselage recesses plus 4x AIM-9 Sidewinders on wing pylons; upgraded Hellenic F-4E and German F-4F ICE carry AIM-120 AMRAAM, Japanese F-4EJ Kai carry AAM-3, Hellenic F-4E will carry IRIS-T in future. Iranian F-4s could potentially carry Russian and Chinese missiles. UK Phantoms Skyflash missiles[107]
1x M61 Vulcan 20 mm gatling cannon, 640 rounds
4x AIM-9 Sidewinder, Python-3 (F-4 Kurnass 2000), IRIS-T (F-4E Hellenic Air Force)
4x AIM-7 Sparrow, AAM-3(F-4EJ Kai)
8x AIM-120 AMRAAM for F-4F ICE, Turkish F-4 2020 Terminator, F-4E ICE Hellenic Air Force, F-4 Kurnass 2000[citation needed]
8x AGM-65 Maverick
4x AGM-62 Walleye
4x AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-78 Standard ARM
4x GBU-15
18x Mk.82, GBU-12
5x Mk.84, GBU-10, GBU-14
18x CBU-87, CBU-89, CBU-58
SUU-23/A 23 mm Gunpod
AGM-142 (Popeye 1) for Turkish Air Force F-4 2020 Terminator

F-86 Sabre



F-86 Sabre (sometimes called the Sabrejet) was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. The Sabre is best known for its Korean War role where it was pitted against the Soviet MiG-15 and obtained UN air superiority.












General characteristics

Crew: 1
Performance
Maximum speed: 687 mph at sea level at 14,212 lb (6,447 kg) combat weight
also reported 678 mph (1,091 km/h) and 599 at 35,000 feet (11,000 m) at 15,352 pounds (6,960 kg). (597 knots, 1,105 km/h at 6446 m, 1,091 and 964 km/h at 6,960 m.)

Armament
Guns: 6× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (1,602 rounds in total)
Rockets: variety of rocket launchers; e.g: 2× Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each
Missiles: 2× AIM-9 Sidewinders
Bombs: 5,300 lb (2,400 kg) of payload on four external hardpoints, bombs are usually mounted on outer two pylons as the inner pairs are wet-plumbed pylons for 2× 200 gallons drop tanks to give the Sabre a useful range. A wide variety of bombs can be carried (max standard loadout being 2 x 1,000 lb bombs plus 2 drop tanks), napalm bomb canisters and can include a tactical nuclear weapon