College Football - if you Thought Sec Was the Toughest Ncaa Conference, Think Again

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

There is so much buzz and hype about the Southeast Conferencebetter known as the SECyou would think there are no other NCAA football conferences that can compare.

Even Jeff Sagarin in his Sagarin Ratings lists the SEC as the top conference with a central mean (that is Sagarin math talk) of 79.89 with the Pacific 10better known as the Pac 10second at 79.19. On a scale of 100 the difference is 70/100ths of 1, or close enough to not make a difference in my mind.

Ranked 11th among Division 1A conferences is Conference USA at 58.88. Three 1AA conferences are then rated above the last 1A conferencethe Sun Beltat 58.26.

Sagarin rates all of the 242 individual 1A and 1AA teams and then combines them among conferences to arrive at these figures.

I read other factors into his mathematical formula for deciding which conference is the toughest (best) conference.

Knowing that the SEC is legion for scheduling Division 1AA teams in its non-conference schedule, I suspect that the SEC's strength of schedule (the quality of its opponents) may not be as strong. Turns out that I am right.

The "tough" SEC played exactly 10 Division 1AA opponents this season, more than any other conference in the country. By comparison, the Big 12 played 10, the ACC and Big Ten played 7 games, the Big East 6, and the Pac 10 only 2.

When I add up the strength of schedule for the 12 SEC teams I get an average of 30 compared to an average strength of schedule of 14 for the Pac 10. Who plays the tougher schedule between the top two dogs? It is easily the Pac 10.

If you are wondering, the team that has played the toughest schedule during the first 12 weeks of the 2007 college football season is the Washington Huskies, and that is why they are ranked No. 1 among the 242 Division 1A and 1AA schools.

For the record, Nebraska is No. 2, Stanford No. 3, California No. 4 and Colorado No. 5, so 3 of Top 5 teams in strength of schedule are from the Pac 10.

Please, do not give me this garbage about the SEC playing the toughest schedule. The facts and statistics say otherwise.

Another interesting fact of note is this: Since the NCAA established the Division 1A and 1AA separation in 1978, only 5 Division 1A schools have not played a Division 1AA school: Washington, Southern California, UCLA, Michigan State and Notre Dame. Again 3 of the 5 teams come from the Pac 10.

The SEC already has 7 of its 12 teams with 7 or more wins and bowl eligible by NCCA standards, and now you know one of the reasons why.

It is the same reason why Hawaii is unbeaten at 10-0, having defeated two 1AA schools in fattening up its impressive win record while racking up the 153rd toughest schedule against the other 119 Division 1A schools.

Sometimes a 1AA school can beat a 1A school (like Appalachian State beating Michigan at home 34-32), not because they are necessarily better but because the 1A school did not take them seriously.

Internet Marketing Conferences

When you talk about internet marketing conferences, you will have to believe that this is one of the best ways to gather information about the online business. Many people consider this to be the second best way of learning about online marketing, having a mentor being the first. Now conferences can be of two types, it can first be online, or it can be at real locations. A lot of people prefer to conference online, as you would have videos as well. This makes viewing very easy, and will help a great deal when it comes to getting easy ways to be informed.

With these conferences, you can listen to internet marketing experts, as they discuss optimization in marketing, analysis of website and many more. This is also the right place to be if you want to network. You will find that there are plenty of people with the conference, all from various professions. Almost anyone can attend these, as this is a place where you can meet people who are looking for same information. This will allow you to not only exchange ideas, but also get better knowledge about what online marketing is all about. You might have to attend several days as well.

On various days you will have various pieces of information, which will allow you to keep yourself updated about what is going on. This will be related to all the latest methods about the online marketing, as you could talk about presentation, marketing and many more. This will prove to be very useful when it comes to anyone who is just launching their online business. They will be able to get plenty of content from these conferences, and they will be able to apply these methods online. There will be plenty of internet gurus who offer such conferences.

Attending a reputable one will be important; as you will most likely be able to get good mileage for the business that you are involved in. You will also need to work a lot if you want to see results, as you definitely will not get rich overnight. You will have to source all the good conferences, so that you get to meet all the right people, as there will be plenty of good tips that you can collect. You can talk to people who are dealing with business, and you can also talk to people whose only business is to deal with internet marketing.

Internet marketing conferences will be very useful, as it will be very interactive. You can enhance all your skills for the same, and you can also network with some of the most interesting individuals who will be part of such places. Online, you can plenty of details about conferences related to marketing online, and the venues where they are going to be held. For a small admission fee, you will be able to get plenty of information about the same. You will not be disappointed with this, as it could open many doors for you.

Advantages of Free Web Conference Room

Free web conference room enables businesses to communicate with clients and customers. Free web conference room are available with multimedia firms that specialize in Internet marketing and enable businesses to gain access to customers and clients around the world. In order to decide upon a convenient web conference room it is necessary that one should have technical feasibilities in terms of the web camera, visual display unit(VDU) and the audience that the web conference room can accommodate.

Web conferencing

Web conferencing enables people to communicate through the Internet about business objectives. It cuts through the barrier of time and space, and proves to be an innovative technology by bringing businesses together in the era of globalisation.

Web conferencing enables people to communicate over the Internet. At a particular broadband speed of at least 256kbps, a business can stroll through high speed streaming videos. The technology need in a free web conference room is a web camera, connection to the Internet and a visual display unit. Since the visual of the individuals that one is communicating to going to be displayed on a screen, a large screening is needed to enable individuals to view the contents on the screen.

Some of the advantages of web conferencing can be stated as follows
• Enhanced business processes: In a globalized world it is necessary to be in touch with associates and clients so as to facilitate business processes. This web conferencing saves businesses considerable amount and money.

• Market accessibility: Instead of sending business associates around the world, one business can update clients and customers through web conferencing.

Free web conference room enable businesses to cut the cost of management and communications. These web conference rooms are available by an agreement among business associates in a particular industry to share the resources. For example organizations specializing in IT can reach an agreement to share web conference rooms that will be available for free.

Picking the Best Real Estate Conferences

Going to conferences and meeting other Realtors is a great way to stay ahead of the industry learning curve, but not all events are created equally. Some will open your eyes to new marketing strategies and networking opportunities, and others will be a waste of time. It's common to see conferences billed as "The Real Estate Event of the Year," and necessarily some of these fall short.

So how do you ensure the next conference you go to is the event of the year? It's fairly straight forward, as long as you know what you want to learn, and who you want to meet.

Real estate conferences come in a wide variety of formats, from small weekly networking sessions to industry-wide events featuring a panel of the most successful brokers and marketing experts. Real Estate Connect, organized by Inman News once or twice per year, might be the industry's largest event. It takes place in major cities across the nation every eight months or so, and always covers a wide range of topics, such as search engine optimization, interactive marketing, and market forecasts. Real Estate Connect typically draws more than 1,200 industry professionals - it's so big that sub-conferences have been necessary in the past, so that attendees can network and share ideas exclusively on topics that interest them. The July 2007 edition of Real Estate Connect in San Francisco featured a sub-conference called Bloggers Connect, where the industry's top web-writers compared notes with each other and passed on skills to new bloggers for a couple days before the main event.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) also lends its name to regular high-profile conferences for industry professionals around the world. In Fall, 2007, NAR sponsored events in Hong Kong, Paris, Florida, Greece, Singapore, Sao Paulo, and Guateng, South Africa on topics as diverse as international trade, human rights, and global home market trends. The NAR events help some of the nation's brightest minds stay in touch with economic conditions abroad, and help put the domestic real estate market in perspective.

While Real Estate Connect and NAR events can usually be counted on for useful content, depending on what interests you, other high-profile conferences might not be as strong. Communicating on real estate forums and looking at previous events held by a particular company is a good way to find out which conferences will work best for you.

For Realtors based in large cities, trial and error might work for attending conferences, but for anyone who has to travel to an event, a little research can go a long way. Thankfully, most conferences produce extensive discussion before and after the fact, so there is usually a lot of information readily available.

Professional Conference Organisers

For any person, business or organisation that is planning to have a conference one of the major challenges faced is the proper planning of the event. From finding the right location, catering, audio visual equipment, to Information Technology resources it is easy to see that organising a conference is no cakewalk. Organising a conference requires a great deal of though and detailed planning and is not necessarily suited to any one person. The different elements involved make this a difficult task and this is where professional conference organisers come in. The task then becomes how to choose and what to expect from professional conference organisers. Before you go out and hire profession conference organisers you must know exactly what it is you require and the overall objectives you have for the event. This will involve knowing things like the level of hospitality you wish to afford the attendees, the location of the event, catering, time of day, and the number of attendees you expect to attend. These are things the organiser needs to know as they affect the whole planning process.

Reputation and experience

Depending on what your needs are it is important that you hire a company or an individual that is reputable and has vast experience in conference organising and management. They must be able to deliver a service that is among the best in the business as the success of your conference may depend on it. It is important that they have a history of producing great events and that their clients are satisfied. It will be a good idea to ask to speak to a few of their clients and get feedback from them. Do they have a good reputation? Find out how long they have been in business and how many conferences have they organised over the last couple of years. Also find out what problems they encountered organising and running these conferences and how they solved them.

Organisation

Any professional conference organiser must have the ability to organise an event from beginning to end. This will involve designing, planning, and managing the event based on what the client desires. They must possess the ability to acquire the necessary equipment and facilities for an event to be a success. This includes communication devices, recording devices, logistics and support. They should be able to give you a details list as to what is needed and where the process is at.

Creative Ideas

Some conferences need to be beyond the ordinary for its participants to feel as if they have had an experience. With this in mind a conference organiser should be able to come up with some unique ideas that will compliment your own thoughts as to what the event should be like. This will encompass things like the location and how it is decorated, the entertainment provided and the type of food served and how it is served. You should ascertain whether or not they can create a theme or a feel for an event in an effort to project an atmosphere.

Cost

The cost of planning a conference can be exorbitant if you do it yourself. Professional conference organisers should be able to supply you with a detailed cost estimate of putting on an event based on your specifications. The cost estimate should include that of holding the event at a particular location, catering, and technical services needed. Most if not all professional conference organisers have contacts in industry and business and are able to rely on them to get fairly good prices on equipment and other resources needed to plan and put on an event. It is advisable that you get a number of quotes from different individuals or companies before you make your decision.

Accommodation

When you are holding a conference one of the main considerations has to be that of accommodations. If your event is a two day or more kind of event them you will have to either provide accommodation or procure deals on accommodations. Most conferences generally secure accommodations for attendees and this has to be done well in advance of the event itself. Your professional conference organisers should be able to do this task for you and also negotiate a good deal for you. They will usually check out all the available hotels in the area and choose the suitable ones for you to make your decisions on. Once a decision has been made the organiser should be able to send this information to all the attendees including rates and registration procedures. Professional conference organisers are a necessity as they are able to do easily what the rest of us may find very difficult. It is therefore important that you choose one that knows exactly what they are doing and will provide you with excellent service and a good conference.

Conference Provides Opportunity Program Dedicated Theme Network Resources

This special Conference provides that opportunity with a program dedicated to the theme of promoting the effective organization of networked resources. DUX2005 Program The full DUX2005 conference spans three event-filled days with reflection, discussion, and debate on designing for user experiences. Bookmark this site, and return often for updated details of the conference and program. An important part of the conference is the Workshops program which focuses on timely research challenges and initiatives. For details on the conference program, go here.

IEEE sponsors more than 300 conferences and meetings and is involved in the technical program development of an additional 200 events around the world. The Conference program evolved as the IT revolution changed the way government and industry conducted business. The UbiComp conference has traditionally had a strong workshop program. There is a charge to listen to this conference, the seventh program in the 2006 cycle.

By partnering with research organizations and universities, the ConferenceXP project combines the academic community expertise in the learning sciences with Microsoft expertise in technology. Leaving aside low-level hardware and transmission technology topics as well as peripheral socio-economic aspects, the conference focuses on technical infrastructure and application issues. Topics on the conference agenda spanned a broad range of technology expertise. The conference will create an remarkable environment to indulge all the delegates in the frontier of science and technology in robotics and automation.

We will continue to include conferences with both a strong technology track and participation by those who influence the use of technology. The conference exhibition will provide a showcase for state-of-the-art information technology products and services. This annual conference serves as a major training venue for professionals around the world involved in the field of disability and technology. No matter what your role is in creating the technology of tomorrow, the Embedded Systems Conference is the place to start.

The theme of the conference will be explored by the plenary speakers as well as through the contributed papers and posters. Panelists will also contribute papers that they will summarize at the Conference. The conference featured original, refereed papers, which were published as a supplementary issue of Bioinformatics and indexed in the Medline database. The conference encourages the submission of high quality research papers reporting original, previously unpublished results. Some of the conference's most significant papers are now available online.

Additionally, an extended version of selected papers will be published in a special issue of the Journal of Web Engineering after the conference. The conference welcomes papers and sessions on any topic and any historical period. The archives of the AOSD conference also provide a collection of high quality research papers and practioner reports. The conference will include a range of participatory events such as papers, workshops, tutorials, panel discussions and more. http://www.conference-teleconferencing.info/

Nhl 2008-09 Western Conference Preview

The Detroit Red Wings ran away from the pack last season to again win the President's trophy and followed up with a Cup win. The power is clearly in the West in the NHL. Here is how the West shapes up heading into the 2008-09 campaign

The Division Winners:

1. Detroit Red Wings - The defending cup champions win the Central, the West, and the Presidents Trophy again. As hard as it is to believe, the Wings actually got better this summer acquiring prize free agent Marian Hossa. Ty Conklin was also added to back up starting goalie Chris Osgood. The only notable loss from the Cup winning team is future hall of famer Dominik Hasek, who was relegated to back up duty last season. The Wings will be led by Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk with Nicklas Lidstrom providing support from the blue line. The supporting cast is as good as any team in history. The Stanley Cup hangover, the Pacific powerhouses and aging stars are what stand between the Wings and a second straight Cup.

2. Dallas Stars – The Stars made two key acquisitions this summer, most notably Sean Avery. Avery is a super pest that drives opponents and team mates crazy with his tactics. He can be an effective player, but sometimes goes overboard. He was acquired with a rematch with the Red Wings in mind. The other player signed this summer is a bit of a wild card: Fabian Brunnstrom was a highly sought after free agent out of Sweden. The Stars are banking on Brunnstrom being able to live up to the hype that surrounded the auction for his services last spring. Long time Star Stu Barnes retired and Free agent Niklas Hagman left for Toronto and were the only two losses of note from last year’s roster that pushed the Wings in the Conference final. The Stars are led by Brenden Morrow who battles courageously each shift and are backed by Marty Turco who has shed his playoff flop reputation the past two springs. Time is running out on the Stars if they want to make a charge at the Cup as Sergei Zubov and Mike Modano are closing in on 40.

3. Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers were extremely active in the summer on the trade market. They acquired sniper Erik Cole from the Carolina Hurricanes for under achiever Joni Pitkanen. Jarret Stoll failed to live up to his potential last season and was sent to Los Angeles for power play Quarter back Lubomir Visnovsky. Finally Raffi Torres was sent to Columbus for young Gilbert Brule, who has struggled to stick in the league since being a first round selection by the Blue Jackets. The Oilers have plenty of young talented players to build around, led by Ales Hemsky, 2007 first rounder Sam Gagner and sophomore player Andrew Cogliano. The core veterans like Shawn Horcoff Dustin Penner, and Steve Staios are mostly a young core but with plenty of experience. Behind Visnovsky and Staios on the blue line is a mostly unknown group who played above expectations last season. Mathieu Garon was cut loose by Los Angeles and arrived in Edmonton with little fanfare. By November he had taken the #1 goalie job from incumbent Dwayne Roloson and put in an all star performance. The Oilers are clearly a team on the rise.

Playoff teams:

4. San Jose Sharks – The Sharks are looking to dispel the theory that they are a regular season team only and enjoy playoff success. They fired head coach Ron Wilson after another failed cup run and replaced him with former Red Wings assistant coach Todd McLellan who is getting his first opportunity as bench boss. The Sharks saw trade deadline acquisition Brian Campbell bolt via free agency, but acquired defensemen Dan Boyle (an upgrade over Campbell) in a trade for inconsistent youngster Matt Carle. Free agent blue liner Rob Blake will bring winning experience to the Sharks replacing Craig Rivet who was dispatched for a draft pick. No significant changes were made to the forward core and improvement must come from within. Patrick Marleau needs to rebound from a season that saw his production drop by 13 goals and 30 points.

5. Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks got off to a rough start last season coming off a Stanley Cup win, short summer, and a trip to Europe to start the season. Scott Niedermayer returned to the line up after contemplating retirement in December and the Ducks went on a tear, only to fall to Dallas in the first round when a lack of discipline sunk them. Niedermayer and Selanne who also didn’t play until part way through the season are both on board for the beginning of this season. Brendan Morrison was added via free agency and will fill the 2nd line center hole left by the trade of Andy McDonald. Todd Bertuzzi was disappointing last year after being signed as a free agent and was bought out this summer. Last year’s other acquisition Mathieu Schneider was traded away to make cap. The Ducks are counting on having all their ducks in a row to start the season getting them into better playoff positioning.

6. Chicago Black Hawks – As morbid as this sounds life was breathed into this franchise when long time owner Bill Wirtz passed away and son Rocky took over. The Hawks had fallen on hard times, but solid drafting by GM Dale Tallon is now being complemented by key free agent signings in an attempt to propel the once proud franchise back towards cup contending. Dynamic rookies Jon Toews and Pat Kane stepped into the Windy City spotlight and became stars. Patrick Sharp acquired for a bag of pucks from the Flyers emerged as a 36 goal scorer. Duncan Keith became one of the league’s most under rated blue liners. Only injuries to Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin kept Chicago from making the playoffs. Brian Campbell and Christobal Huet were signed to lucrative contracts. Jason Williams is the only player of consequence leaving Chicago. Look for continued development from Cam Barker and Brent Seabrook as they join Campbell and Keith to form one of the most formidable top 4 blue lines in the league – all under 30 years old. There are plenty of talented youngsters coming up through the system, like David Bolland, Jack Skille, Kyle Beach, Corey Crawford, and Akim Aliu who will fill out the roster over the next couple seasons as the Hawks look to end the longest Stanley Cup drought in the league (48 years).

7. Calgary Flames – This team was extremely disappointing last season. The team had the talent to win the Northwest but barely squeaked into the playoffs, clearly not responding to the coaching of Mike Keenan. Look for Keenan to be fired and replaced by the only coach this team seems to respond to, GM Darryl Sutter. Soft players Alex Tanguay (traded to Montreal) and Kristian Huselius (exited as free agent) are gone and replaced by Mike Cammalleri (trade) and Todd Bertuzzi (highly unpopular free agent signing in Calgary) 2007 1st rounder Mikael Backlund is expected to jump into the top 6 forwards. The biggest concern for Calgary last season was the erratic play of goalie Miikka Kiprusoff who seemed to falter after another 70+ game season. Finding a dependable back up to spot the Finn and keep him fresh for the playoffs is imperative to success.

8. Phoenix Coyotes – Another young team that has accumulated young talent and will make a playoff push in 2009. The Yotes made a splash at the draft when they acquired gifted Center Olli Jokinen from the Florida Panthers for defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton. The Coyotes also signed unheralded but steady rear guard Kurt Sauer, formerly of the Colorado Avalanche. Kyle Turris, 1st round pick in 2007 made his debut after the college season and appears ready for prime time. Look for coach Gretzky to promote him to the 2nd line by Christmas and for the youngster to thrive. The Coyotes had 2 first round picks in 2008, Mikkel Boedker and Viktor Tikhonov and they both have a chance to make an impact this season. The Coyotes will again count on Shane Doan for leadership and goals, while Peter Mueller will look to improve on his outstanding 22 goal, 54 point rookie season. The Coyotes season turned around last year with the acquisition on waivers of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and the former Ducks back up will be key in their push for post season participation.

On the outside looking in:

9. Minnesota Wild – The wild got hot at the right time last year and were able to win the Northwest division. They were promptly thrashed in the 1st playoff round by the Avalanche. The Wild signed re-treads Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan (the World’s oldest 36 year old) to replace Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra who bolted via free agency.Marek Zidlicky (trade) and Marc-Andre Bergeron (free agency) were added to provide offense from the blue line. The time is now for Benoit Pouliot to step up and contribute and if he isn’t ready James Sheppard will get a shot. The defence first Wild risk losing Marian Gaborik as a free agent next season because he is tired of playing in a offensive stifling environment and may be forced to trade him if the season is going south at the deadline.

10. Vancouver Canucks - Injuries took the Canucks out of the playoff picture last season and failing to make a splash in free agency will keep them there. The Canucks stunned the league offering Toronto Captain Mats Sundin $20 million over two seasons and Sundin upped the ante by not taking it. Captain Markus Naslund and his center Brendan Morrison left as free agents leaving a gap in the team’s top 6 forwards. The Canucks were an offensively challenged team already and will look to free agent signee Pavol Demitra, Toronto Maple Leafs cast off Kyle Wellwood (who has superb talent but no work ethic), and former Sharks 1st rounder Steve Bernier to take some of the offensive burden off of the Sedin twins. The Canucks have a solid 6 blue line led by Kevin Bieksa and Mattias Ohlund, but it is not a deep unit and when injuries struck the Nucks were strapped to fill out the line up card. The strength of the Canucks is between the pipes where Roberto Luongo keeps the Canucks in games most nights.

11. Columbus Blue jackets - The Hummers are the only team to never make the playoffs and don’t expect that to change in 2009 despite a shake up that should see the team improving on last season’s performance. The team rid itself of disappointing Nikolia Zherdev, traded along with frequently hurt Dan Fritsche to the Rangers for solid defensemen Fedor Tyutin and journeyman Christian Backman. They also traded first round flop Gilbert Brule to Edmonton for character winger Raffi Torres. Free agent Kristian Huselius will add goals for the BJs and Mike Commodore was overpaid to add depth to the blue line, but overall the blue line is thin. Youngsters Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek and Nikita Filatov, all recent 1st rounder picks will be given every chance to make the team and contribute. Pascal Leclaire had an outstanding campaign in 2007-08 but again was slowed by injuries. Any chance the Jackets have of making a playoff run rests on Leclaire’s healthy shoulders.

12. Nashville Predators – Despite getting gutted in the summer of 2007 the Predators were able to surprise and make the playoffs last season, giving eventual cup winner Detroit a run for their money (and driving Dom Hasek into retirement). Again not much is expected of the Predators. No key acquisitions were made, and Chris Mason and Marek Zidlicky were dealt away. The Predators have drafted well and have started to re-stock the cupboard after trading for Peter Forsberg two seasons ago. They will fill holes from within. Ville Koistinen is expected to fill the void created by the Zidlicky trade and Pekka Rinne will be promoted to back up Dan Ellis, and possibly challenge for the starter spot. The Preds are well coached by Barry Trotz who doesn’t get the accolades he deserves for the job he has done making the Predators competitive despite the turmoil around the franchise (ownership issues and cutting payroll)

13. Colorado Avalanche – How the mighty have fallen. The Avs last hurrah ended with a whimper last spring as they were beaten like rented mules by hated rival the Detroit Red Wings in the Conference Semi Final. That might be the last meaningful games of Joe Sakic’s hall of fame career. The Avs lost supporting role players Jeff Finger, Andrew Brunette, and Kurt Sauer to free agency, but the key loss was starting goalie Jose Theodore. The team responded by signing Toronto cast offs Andrew Raycroft and Darcy Tucker. This is akin to bringing a butter knife to a gun fight. The starting goalie spot now falls on the wobbly shoulders of Petr Budaj who struggled before losing the job back to Theodore. This will be the bleakest winter since the Avalanche arrived from Quebec City in 1995.

The Tavares Sweepstakes:

14. Los Angeles Kings – The Los Angeles Kings are on the verge of starting their climb out of hockey abyss. GM Dean Lombardi has done a magnificent job of stockpiling draft picks and young talent. Unfortunately for Kings’ fans this season won’t be the year they return to the playoffs, but will demonstrate reason for hope. Up front Jarrett Stoll was acquired and replaces Mike Cammalleri (traded) in the team’s top 6. Rob Blake (free agency) and Lubomir Visnovsky (trade) to mainstays on the blue line exited the team and will be replaced by high draft choices Drew Doughty and Thomas Hickey. Youngsters Jack Johnson, Teddy Purcell, Colten Teubert will be called upon to play more significant roles with the team. Anze Kopitar is becoming a superstar and he is supported by dynamic Alex Frolov and future captain Dustin Brown. In goal Jonathan Bernier will be given every opportunity to win the number 1 spot, with Erik Ersberg being called upon if the top prospect isn’t ready. Jason LaBarbera will back up whoever wins the job. There won’t be hockey at the Staples Center in April, but the possibility of future cup runs will give fans hope.

15. St. Louis Blues – The Blues showed a lot of promise last season before falling back in the pack. Any chance they had to build momentum in 2008-09 went out the window when stud blue liner Erik Johnson had an accident with a golf cart. This may force 2008 first round pick Alex Pietrangelo into the line up sooner than he is ready. Chris Mason was acquired via trade, Ryan Johnson left as a free agent and Jamal Mayers was traded but these were hardly impact moves. The Blues are counting on continued development of promising youngsters David Backes, TJ Oshie, David Perron, and Patrik Berglund. The Blues are a blue liner short of a competent top 6 though without Johnson and will struggleto protect Mason and Manny Legace. Brad Boyes stepped up last season and another super human effort will be required to keep the Blues in the race.

Xvii International Aids Conference: 4 Precious Initiatives

The XVII International AIDS Conference held at the Mexico City, from Aug. 3 through Aug. 8 days was an exquisite forum for sharing and showcasing of ideas from international experts. It also saw the launch of various invaluable initiatives by different organizations. Of which, the following four seemed to be quite striking.

1. The Release of "Blueprint 2008," for AIDS Vaccine Development by The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)

Despite the fact that this year's IAC conference was devoid of a plenary session on AIDS vaccine, like the previous ones, many researchers intensely reemphasized the need for a vaccine to make the world AIDS-free. 

The  IAVI announced the release of "Blueprint 2008." I think AIDS vaccines are positively the ultimate answer, but till that time HIV drugs should be made available to all those who need them.

The Blueprint 2008 stresses on three key areas:

The mission to develop a vaccine should be divided up into a set of intermediate milestones, as this would enable measurement of progress as well as hold people accountable.

There's a need to trim and improve the pipeline by a big measure. The number of 30-or so candidates in the pipeline need to be reduced based on the "probability of success."

The final recommendation calls for a sustained effort with an ample supply of new cader of young researchers coupled with stable financing for flexibility.  

2. The YWCA Report: 'Nothing About Us Without Us: a report from the HIV-Positive Women's Forum

This insightful report comes in the wake of the unique challenges that women living with HIV face, and the special needs that they have. It is an analysis and evaluation of the "Positive Women's Forum," coupled with the feedback gathered back then. The Positive Women's Forum was an unprecedented meeting conducted on July 2007 as a segment of the International Women's Summit on HIV and AIDS.

The report offers insight, and stresses that for epidemic control programs to be effective women living with HIV must come forward and lead the AIDS response. Also that HIV positive women must become involved equal partners to shape AIDS programs and policies.

3. The Plan: "Global Alliance on HIV"

The program is the brain child of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and was launched in the Americas just before the conference.

The initiative, expected to benefit over 7 million would be prevalent in Latin America and the Caribbean. The objective is to raise about 22.3 million Swiss francs, which translate into US$ 21.4 million, in order to give an impetus to HIV and AIDS programs in the Americas. It is slated to begin with the following ten nations, Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica. However, in a couple of years a larger number of countries would be included.

Of the 33.6 million people infected with HIV around the world, 1.6 million live in Latin America. And this program seeks to adapt an approach that's based on the prevention, treatment, care  and reduction of stigma and discrimination. Furthermore, of the 7,300,000 people estimated to benefit, groups of special focus would include children with HIV, children orphaned due to HIV, sex workers and of course all those living with HIV.

4. Open Society Institute Report: "Our Lives Matter: Sex Workers Unite for Health and Rights"

The report "Our Lives Matter:.." published in August by the Open Society Institute provides coverage of how sex workers in eight countries have organized themselves to protect their health and human rights. It delves deep into the many ways by which sex workers have battled, violence, extortion and incarceration in their fight against securing equal health opportunities. The eight groups from different countries profiled in the report include Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (South Africa), Davida (Brazil), Durjoy Nari Shongho (Bangladesh), Humanitarian Action (Russia), Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (India), Odyseus (Slovakia), Urban Justice Center's Sex Workers Project (United States) and Stella (Canada).

While HIV is indeed a tough challenge for the world, but it's heartening that so much effort is being put in by every one from international organizations to the medical industry, to find a solution. And I'm sure the humans would win over the virus one day.