Seoul
Correspondent

Edited by: James M. Kelly
South Korea cyber attack, shows no sign of North Korea involvement

Photo courtesy of China Daily
According to the Seoul’s spy agency, the recent cyber attacks on South Korea came from 16 different countries, excluding North Korea. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated that the attacks were tracked to 86 Internet protocol addresses from 16 countries including the United States, Japan, China and Guatemala. The lawmakers from the NIS also stated that North Korea was not amongst the 16 other countries.

“The NIS suspects North Korea or its sympathizers are behind the attacks but it says it cannot be sure until the ongoing probe is completed,” said Park Young-Sun, a lawmaker of the opposition Democratic Party.

The lawmakers also disclosed that the suspicion was based on a statement issued by Pyongyang, warning of cyber warfare and the fact that many of the targets were websites operated by conservatives. The North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, beating Seoul over its plan to participate in the US-led exercise “Cyber Storm,” said on June 27 that Pyongyang was “fully ready for any form of high-tech war.”

The third wave of this attack blocked or impeded access to at least seven Web sites operated by the country’s largest lender Kookmin Bank, government and media organizations. Several Seoul-based portal sites also underwent temporary access disruptions. When the attack took off, it targeted a dozen websites in the US and another dozen in South Korea. The US State Department said its website also came under attack for a fourth day Thursday. The White House and Pentagon websites were among US government entities targeted earlier this week. US experts were divided on whether the communist state was behind the ongoing attacks, an assault that highlighted the vulnerabilities of the Internet.

Spokesman Ian Kelly said the State Department’s website, state.gov, continued to come under attack but not in “high volume”. He showed no knowledge about any North Korean involvement.

Osaka
Correspondent

Edited by: James M. Kelly
The banned balls bite the dust.

The funny green doll often found on Japanese key chains, has got its name Marimokkori by the combination of two words, marimo and mokkori. Marimo is a rare and beautiful type of algae which grows in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. Marimo forms soft green globes and sit in clusters on the lake bottom. Mokkori, on the other side, means an erection.
The green guy looks as if he’s carrying a large ball of algae in the front of his pants, justifying its nomenclature. Though the details may vary from one doll to the next, all Marimokkori have at least these two things in common: a big smile and a big bulge in their trousers.
This extremely popular figure in Japan got its manufacturer into big trouble with its new version. The little fellow in its new version is in a seated position, and like its counterparts, with the trademark big grin and big bump. However, his gold headdress and ancient robes give him a distinct resemblance to common statues of Lord Buddha. It’s hard to understand why in the first place they gave a big bulbous bulge to the Buddha statue.
Selling of this version was a little too much for the monks of the famous eighth-century Todaiji temple in Nara. The monks got furious and asked HN and Associates, its manufacturer, to take it off the market.
“It’s true that we didn’t have their approval beforehand,” said the company representative, who declined to be named. “We understand the view that giving a bulge to a Buddha statue is imprudent.” The company didn’t put much of an argument and promptly granted the monks’ wish, putting the version off sales. The new version of Marimokkori was hurting the religious sentiments of Buddhists and it didn’t seem wise to the manufacturer to offend the believers.

Reader
Contribution

Edited by – James M. Kelly
Remarkable discovery:
Smallest living whale-shark found in the Philippines.

Recently, a remarkable discovery was made by the international conservation organization, WWF, in the town of Donsol, eastern Philippines. It was the smallest known wild example of the world’s largest fish (15 inches). After taking all the necessary photographs and measurements, the shark was released.

This discovery will prove to be important for the survival of this species, as the genesis grounds of the whale shark still remains uncovered. The information will help in protecting the already vulnerable species from certain extinction. Whale sharks are gentle creatures and harmless to the mankind. They can grow to a size of about 40 feet in length, feeding mostly on planktons.

They attract thousands of tourists, as they travel along the shores of the Phillipines annually from December to May. Contrary to their availability, very little is known about them. Whale sharks have also been listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“One key to safeguarding the species is finding their birthing grounds, which remain a mystery. This find is very exciting, as it suggests the Donsol area may be such a place,” said marine conservationist, Brad Norman of the National Geographic Society.
This species can be a subject of study for as long as it lives, as the profile and photographs are now a part of Brad Norman’s ECOCEAN Whale-Shark Photo-Identification Library.

This species shares its enormity of size with its brethren, but poses no danger to the mankind. It is also cited as an example while educating the public about the popular misconceptions of all sharks as “man-eaters”. They are known to be very playful with the divers who swim freely amongst them and also scrape parasites and other organisms from their torsos.

This species can be found in many places, like the Philippines, South Africa, West Malaysia, Sri Lanka and in Puerto Rico, etc.
It is, so far, the smallest living whale shark in recorded history.

Bangkok
Correspondent

Edited by James M. Kelly
Luxurious Radisson Plaza Resort, now officially open.

Situated on the Southeastern coastline of Phuket Island, The Radisson Plaza Resort offers an accommodation to a whopping number of 211 guests. The resort comes under the management of Carlson Hotels, Thailand and is at a short distance of an 80 minute flight from Bankok.

“This resort is an important addition to our fast expanding Asia Pacific property portfolio and marks a significant milestone for the Radisson brand. I’m confident it will quickly become a leisure destination of choice,” said Jean-Marc Busato, managing director – Asia Pacific, Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

Guests will be treated luxuriously with the availability of facilities like kayaking, windsurfing, yoga and meditation. The services can be enjoyed in one of the nine ocean villas and 15 pool villas. Also, authentic Mediterranean cuisine is served at its restaurant, Azur.

“As a premium extension of the Radisson brand, and the first Radisson Plaza property to be launched in Southeast Asia, the Radisson Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach is destined to be a signature holiday destination,” said Greg Maloney, general manager of the Radisson Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach.

“The beauty of the resort lies in its direct beachfront access, Sino-Portuguese influenced architectural design elements plus the choice of three large free-form swimming pools and authentic Mediterranean dining at Azur, our signature restaurant.”

The hotel has three meeting rooms and a ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, which can accommodate up to 120 people. Other resort amenities include Talay Spa, a wellness spa offering six treatment rooms; Form, a life-style fitness centre; Sapparot Club, a dedicated zone for children four to 12 years old along with a children’s only pool and waterslide; Edge, a swim-up pool bar, and Octo, a lobby lounge showcasing spectacular panoramic views over the emerald Andaman Sea.

Osaka
Correspondent

Edited by: James M. Kelly
Government and Calamities: Metaphors for Japan’s lethargy.

Nearly a fifth of the world’s supply of earthquakes is accounted to Japan. Tokyo, sitting above a fault line, surpasses every city in the world for its seismic actions. The Philippine Sea tectonic plate dives down under the Eurasian continental plate and bends the plate down. The 8.3-magnitude Great Kanto earthquake originated with the plate’s springing back killing 140,000 and devastating Tokyo and the great port city of Yokohoma. An acceptance to natural disasters has psyched into Japanese brains, especially after witnessing the tsunamis and typhoons.

The Pacific plate also descends under the Eurasian plate on which Tokyo sits. New work suggests that a chunk of 60 miles long and 15 miles thick has broken and got lodged between the two ocean slabs. This change might result into the most deep-thrust earthquake in Tokyo’s history since 1855, turning the city upside down.
An estimated 7.3-magnitude earthquake will prove to be the most expensive calamity in the world history. Measures are being taken to lessen the losses by conducting annual disaster drills, tightening building standards, widening the roads to serve as firebreaks and emergency routes, etc. But according to a poll, one-third of the Tokyo residents aren’t even aware of the earthquake warning system’s existence.

According to a senior Tokyo official, the recent earthquake drill in Shinjuku railway station was, “a perfect-sounding drill, in a perfect world, but still a failure.” The absence of the government staff and coordination between the present staff was the main reason for the failure of the operation. If a natural disaster occurs, it will expose the government’s various shortcomings including its lack of preparation, the quarrelling and rivalry in its different departments, its tendency to stress duty over flexibility, etc.
Looking at Japan’s paternalism in surviving the cold war and an economic boom and bust, it seems quite possible for the country to survive in the coming election.

Hong Kong
Staff Writer

Edited by: James M. Kelly
Bangladesh to ban begging
The government of Bangladesh is in the process of setting a ban on begging. With the resolution regarding the same already being passed, the government is all set to implement this law. This law was proposed after the cities of Sylhet and Barisal were inducted in the category of metropolis; and with this new status begging was automatically banned there. Along with these two cities and Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi will also come under the purview of this law.

According to this law, any person found begging for charity in public, or displays handicaps or mutilations in order to obtain money; will be punished with a maximum term of three months in prison. The government aims to completely eradicate the practice of begging from Bangladesh within the next five years.

The rationale for proposing such a law is to eradicate professional begging from the country. According to Law Minister Shafique Ahmed, professional begging has become a menace and most of the beggars on the street are able bodied people posing as blind or dumb. He said that according to the law, if a beggar is found to be genuine, then he will be taken to rehabilitation and provided with alternate ways to earn an income. However, if a beggar is found to be a professional, then appropriate action will be taken against him.

On the other hand, the social and welfare team is not approving of this bill saying that this law completely ignores the root cause of begging in the country. According to them, these beggars should be provided incentive not to become beggars in the first place. Activists are opposing this law on the grounds that it was passed arbitrarily and there was no formal public discussion before passing such a law.

An approximate 40% people in Bangladesh live below the poverty line, and according to economists they are stuck in a vicious circle of poverty. Each year they become poorer and poorer and are finally forced to beg. Nonetheless, it remains to be clarified how the authorities intend to guarantee the practical implementation of this new directive.

Einsteinz
Communications

Posted by: James M. Kelly Editor
mcm media reshapes online music landscape with launch of Digital Entertainment Network
Yahoo!7 Music partnership announced
3 July 2009: Online music streaming is taking a significant step forward in Australia with mcm media today announcing the launch of the Digital Entertainment Network (DEN). The DEN is a high quality music audio and video player that is distributed across some of the nation’s leading entertainment sites and it will reshape the online music streaming landscape by offering consumers the world’s largest legal high quality free to stream music audio and video on demand.

Key distribution partners include News.com.au, The Daily Telegraph, APN’s regional sites and Yahoo!7 Music, which was relaunched yesterday. mcm media’s own Take 40, The Hot Hits and movideo will also form part of the DEN.

Consumers have been quick to embrace DEN, with 500,000 users streaming more than 4.5 million audio and videos from mcm media’s websites, thehothits.com and take40.com, during June 2009. DEN is also proving very engaging, with consumers averaging seven videos per session.

According to Simon Joyce, mcm media CEO, the appetite for music streaming has never been greater.

“Music is more accessible than ever and consumers have never been more passionate about it. The DEN plays to this passion point, allowing consumers to legally stream high resolution online music audio and videos for free. In fact the DEN’s proprietary media player is widely recognised as best practice for high quality music audio and video streaming and it allows consumers to build and view their own playlists from DEN’s huge catalogue of more than 6500 videos on demand without leaving their favourite site.

“We believe the DEN will radically change consumers, publishers, advertisers, and music label perceptions about online music video,” said Joyce.

Publishers benefit from editorial playlist control, access to the world’s largest catalogue of legal high quality music videos with rights from the four major record labels; and best practice audio and video music delivery, allowing the publishers to use this content to grow their respective sites.

The DEN operates on an advertiser funded basis and offers advertisers a new way to buy online video advertising reaching a potential audience of more than 2.8 million music lovers each month. The advertising model is very simple, with the consumer viewing an initial track before seeing one targeted TVC followed by another three tracks. This equates to approximately ten minutes of content to 30 seconds of advertising. The DEN offers advertisers a number of ways to effectively target their audience online through music including music genre, geographic location, time-of-day, or by specific content.

The DEN is made possible through a partnership with the four major record labels – Universal Music, Sony music, Warner Music and EMI.

Joyce went on to comment: “The DEN offers the music labels the easiest way to deliver music videos to the audiences of leading entertainment sites whilst ensuring that the artists are being remunerated accordingly. It also offers a premium promotional platform to expose new artists.”

The Digital Entertainment Network is already set for further growth with additional publishers in the pipeline and current publisher partners indicating their intention to leverage the new content provided by the DEN to grow their online audiences.

Partner Comments

Bruno Fiorentini, Chief Operating Officer, Yahoo!7

“One of our key goals is to ensure the stickiness of our site and to do this we have to always focus on delivering the best user experience. We’ve selected DEN as a partner for our new Yahoo!7 Music site as it delivers premium music content, uses the best possible technology and will ensure our audience can enjoy all the music content they love without leaving our site.”

Julian Lai, Product Marketing Manager, Twentieth Century Fox

“DEN’s music content provides our clients with an excellent opportunity to target a highly relevant audience and it will enable us to become more efficient in both our media buying and tracking which will allow us to allocate our spend more efficiently.”

Gavin Parry, General Manager – Digital, Sony Music Entertainment Australia

“The quality of the audio and video ensures that the music is consumed as it was meant to be with great sound, high resolution and most importantly the music creators are being remunerated. Through DEN consumers get free access to a licensed music service and if the consumer wants to purchase, they are only one click away.”

About mcm media

mcm media is a leading producer of national radio, online, television and mobile content and delivers innovative marketing solutions to its advertiser clients. It is renowned for its nationally syndicated radio brands including Take 40 Australia®, The Hot Hits®, Planet Rock®, My Generation®, The Jonathan Coleman Experience and Better Homes and Gardens® Radio Show.

mcm media also publishes several of the nation’s top rating music entertainment websites, including take40.com, thehothits.com and movideo.com. The company has developed and produced several television series, including Live at The Chapel® and Take 40 Live Lounge® and is a growing supplier of online audio and audio visual entertainment content

mcm media is one of three operating subsidiaries of the mcm entertainment group, one of Australia’s most progressive media entertainment, digital solution and new media technical innovation organisations. Floated on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2007, mcm entertainment trades under the ASX code MEG.

mcm media reshapes online music

Dhaka
Correspondent

Edited by: James M. Kelly

The infrastructural structure of Bangladesh was last in news in the year 1998, when the Jamuna Bridge was successfully completed. Before this bridge was opened, ferry was the only mode of transport across the Jamuna River, but they too were plagued by long waiting hours and unmanageable rush. Now nearly 2 million vehicles use this bridge and enjoy low transport cost and express transport time.

Its 2009 now and Bangladesh is again in the news for embarking upon another ambitious infrastructural project – The Padma Multipurpose Bridge. This project is even more complex and expensive than the earlier one, but the positive impact this project could make is much more significant. The southwest region of the country, which is comparatively underdeveloped than the rest of the country, will get a developmental boost from this bridge. It will improve telecommunications, railway links, power and gas transmissions and road links to that area, thus making it more integrated with the rest of Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi government is leaving no stone unturned to make this project a success. They have hired an international consultant firm to handle all the major issues related to this project. In case of the Jamuna Bridge project, World Bank was a major contributor, both in terms of financial and project related expertise. This time also, the World Bank is designated to play a crucial role in project planning and implementation. One area of concern for the government would be to adequately compensate the people affected by the construction of this bridge. These people should be resettled in a proper and systematic manner.

The Padma Bridge, when completed, will be a great boost for Bangladesh. After having successfully completing two enormous projects like the Jamuna Bridge and the Padma Bridge, Bangladesh will be able to take forward the knowledge from these two projects and use it in further projects to improve the overall condition of the country.