- published: 20 Feb 2016
- views: 891
Kobe (神戸市, Kōbe-shi?, Japanese pronunciation: [koːbe]), is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately 30 km (19 mi) west of Osaka. With a population of about 1.5 million, the city is part of the Keihanshin (Keihanshin) metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto.
The earliest written records regarding the region come from the Nihon Shoki, which describes the founding of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in AD 201. For most of its history the area was never a single political entity, even during the Tokugawa Period, when the port was controlled directly by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kobe did not exist in its current form until its founding in 1889. Its name comes from "kanbe" (神戸?), an archaic title for supporters of the city's Ikuta Shrine. Kobe became one of Japan's 17 designated cities in 1956.
Kobe was one of the cities to open for trade with the West following the end of the policy of seclusion and has since been known as a cosmopolitan port city. While the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake diminished much of Kobe's prominence as a port city, it remains Japan's fourth busiest container port. Companies headquartered in Kobe include ASICS, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Kobe Steel, as well as over 100 international corporations with Asia or Japan headquarters in the city such as Procter & Gamble, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Nestlé. The city is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe beef as well as the site of one of Japan's most famous hot spring resorts, Arima Onsen.
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6-foot 11-inch (2.11 m), 255-pound (116 kg)power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year. The Spurs' team captain, he is a 13 time NBA All-Star and the only player in NBA history to be selected to both All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams during each of his first 13 seasons.
Duncan started out as a swimmer and only began playing basketball in ninth grade after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool on his home of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He soon became a standout for St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School, and had an illustrious college career with the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, winning the Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA College Player of the Year and John Wooden awards in his final year. Duncan graduated from college before entering the 1997 NBA Draft as the number one pick. His list of accomplishments, remarkable consistency, and leadership in the Spurs' NBA championship runs in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007 have led basketball experts to consider him to be one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
Actors: Stefan Gärtner (producer), Shashawnee Hall (actor), Quirin Berg (producer), Simon Verhoeven (writer), Simon Verhoeven (director), Max Wiedemann (producer), Giselher Venzke (producer), David Vogt (miscellaneous crew), Philip Koch (writer), Connor Paolo (actor), Mark Popp (producer), Wolfgang Ender (costume designer), Nina John (miscellaneous crew), Reza Levy (costume designer), Matthew Ballen (writer),
Genres: Thriller,Actors: Németh Károly (actor), Németh Károly (editor), Gál Sarolta Anna (actor), Németh Dorottya (actor), Németh Dániel (actor),
Genres: Reality-TV,Actors: Michael Karacic (producer), Michael Karacic (editor), Michael Karacic (director), Michael Karacic (writer), David Karacic (actor), David Karacic (writer), David Karacic (director), Jonathan Bruno (composer), Kristy Best (actress), Elizabeth McLean (actress), Victoria Dunsford (miscellaneous crew), Victoria Dunsford (producer), Kobe The Dog (actor), Linnet Diamond (miscellaneous crew),
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Short,Actors: Harvey Kahn (producer), April Telek (actress), James Gelfand (composer), Marnie Young (producer), Terry O'Quinn (actor), Brynn Kinnee (miscellaneous crew), Crystal Lowe (actress), Alvin Sanders (actor), Taraji P. Henson (actress), Peter Benson (actor), Marnie Young (miscellaneous crew), Anne Carlucci (producer), Jennifer Copping (actress), Dan Carr (miscellaneous crew), David A. Rosemont (producer),
Plot: This fact-based Lifetime drama follows one mother's,(Tiffany Rubin played by Taraji P. Henson) nightmarish struggle to retrieve the 7-year-old son,(Kobe played by Drew Davis)her ex-husband whisked out of her life when he abducted the boy and took him back to his native South Korea.
Keywords: airplane, airport, american-embassy, asian-man, bare-chested-male, biracial, biracial-child, boy, bully, cell-phoneActors: Carson Grant (actor), Maria Rusolo (producer), Catherine Curtin (actress), Alexis Suarez (actor), Jay Ferraro (actor), Bobby Guarino (actor), Elizabeth Page (editor), Elizabeth Page (producer), Elizabeth Page (director), Lori Martini (producer), Lori Martini (writer), Lori Martini (writer), Lori Martini (actress), Rolando Gori (composer), Bruce Kronenberg (actor),
Genres: Drama, Family, Short, Sport,Actors: Noah Baron (actor), Chris Jackson (actor), Anthony B. Phillips (actor), Niki McElroy (actress), Michelle Wicklas (actress), Jeremy Gerard Preimesberger (actor), Tucker Bryan (actor), Chaliss Robinson (actor), Mario Kenyon (actor), Tye White (actor), Jeremy David Munter (actor), James Adam Lim (actor), Brandon Batain (actor), Jeremy David Munter (producer), Angela Bray (actress),
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Musical,Actors: Herman Beeftink (composer), Mark S. Thomas (miscellaneous crew), Lisa Boyle (actress), Allen Wong (miscellaneous crew), Eric P. Steckler (miscellaneous crew), Eddie Hargitay (actor), David Keith Miller (writer), Nick Zuvic (producer), Jennifer Burton (actress), Toshiya Agata (actor), Jordan Thau (miscellaneous crew), Ken Steadman (actor), Pamela Dickerson (actress), Cheryl Rixon (actress), Vivian Mayhew (producer),
Genres: Drama,Actors: Harriet Medin (actress), Paul Guilfoyle (actor), Mare Winningham (actress), Blair Brown (actress), Arliss Howard (actor), Thomas Newman (composer), Louis Giambalvo (actor), Rob LaBelle (actor), Judianna Makovsky (costume designer), Freda Foh Shen (actress), David Manson (director), David Manson (producer), Anndi McAfee (actress), Timothy Marx (producer), Paul Perri (actor),
Genres: Drama,Actors: Gella Allaert (actress), Robert Marcel (actor), Luc Philips (actor), François Bernard (actor), Dora van der Groen (actress), Frans Van den Brande (actor), Cary Fontyn (actress), Hendrik Conscience (writer), Werner Degan (actor), Jean Nergal (actor), Charles Mahieu (actor), Toontje Janssens (actor), J. Antoon Zwijsen (composer), Franz Joubert (actor), Marcel Verwest (editor),
Genres: Comedy,Actors: Hendrik Conscience (writer), Germain Baert (actor), Germain Baert (producer), Germain Baert (director), Germain Baert (editor), Daniel Claeys (actor), Edmond Laverge (actor), Jef Verplancke (actor), Elise Dormand (actress),
Genres: Drama,