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§ January 31st, 2012 § Filed under Headlines § Tagged Headlines Comments Off
Nashville police officer, Oscar Pacheco was assaulted Wednesday night by Marquez Easley after asking him to leave the Citgo on the corner of Main Street and James Robertson Parkway. Another officer had asked him to leave the store about 30 minutes prior to the assault on Pacheco. The store employees had also asked Easley to leave the store earlier in the week due to his behavior.
Investigators say after Pacheco asked him to leave, Easley suddenly punched the officer in the face. Pacheco was knocked to the ground where witnesses said Easley jumped on top of Pacheco, put his arms around his neck, and began to strangle him.
Police Sergeant Cy Hill arrived at the scene in time to knock Easley off of the officer. Upon being pulled off of Pacheco, Easley kicked Sgt. Hill in the face. Several officers reported to the scene and were able to restrain Easley and send him to jail. Easley is charged with attempted criminal homicide, assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct, attempted escape, resisting arrest, and two counts of vandalism. He is now on a $233,000 bond.
Officer Pacheco was transported to Vanderbilt Hospital to be treated for head wounds, scratches, and bruises. He is now recovering at home and should be back on the job shortly.
Right now a lot of us sports fanatics are thinking about vacation.
The Super Bowl is a short time away, and after that its on to the next sport. Where can one person go that can tie in some fun along with getting in some type of sports fixation?
I have the answer and that mixes in with mixed martial arts. After the Super Bowl, things will get back to normal. But, the adrenaline junkie will still want to get his fix in the sports entertainment industry. Getting involved in the sport of MMA is not only very entertaining, but also a great way to see that battle that we all will long for once football season is gone.
Mixing in a short vacation with MMA is a sure-fire way to learn a lot about the sport and get actively involved while getting recharged to come back to your hometown. I have come up with some places that I think are tops around the US
When I was on vacation in San Diego, Calif., a few years ago, I came across the crew of Tap Out. They were setting up grappling classes at a Golds Gym, and I had the opportunity to discuss a lot of the sport of MMA with Punkass. After talking with him, he gave me a few tips on where to go to be able to get involved with the sport a little more. Coming from a background of wrestlers, it was easy to talk with him, and tally up some good ideas. First of all, the Golds Gym in San Diego off Arena Boulevard is a great area to meet some fighters. They work out there in the gym, and also teach some grappling to interested
§ January 30th, 2012 § Filed under Headlines § Tagged Headlines Comments Off
How to attend
Run 4 Cover and The Sons of the San Joaquin will perform at 7 pm Monday at the LJ Williams Theater.Ticket prices are $30 for VIP, General Admission is $20, students and seniors are $15.
§ January 25th, 2012 § Filed under Take A Trip § Tagged Take A Trip Comments Off
Lupus is a chronic, auto-immune disease that can damage any part of the body such as the skin, joints and/or organs. Auto-immune means the immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign invaders and healthy tissues, and creates auto-antibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue, causing inflammation, pain and damage.
After this diagnosis, Soloway began to transform Chin from the pin cushion he had become to a lupus patient.
Most of his medications were stopped cold turkey, but a few needed to be weaned off, Soloway said.
Chin said it took about six months to get him off the medications that were making him sick before beginning the process of determining what was actually making him sick.
Once Soloway could determine what Chins natural symptoms were as opposed to the side effects of all the medications, he diagnosed the patient with lupus.
Soloway started Chin on the drug IVIg which immediately began to improve his health, and now, he is taking Benlysta the first new lupus drug since 1955.
Dr. Soloway got me back on track and got me back to my normal lifestyle, Chin said gratefully. Im able to have a normal life, work 40 to 50 hours a week, and I got married and have two kids and I can keep up with them.
Now that Soloway has Chin on the right path, he continues to treat his patient.
Hell be on these medications for the rest of his life, Soloway said. Lupus is a chronic disease. It can go into remission, but it cant be cured. Its just like blood pressure. If you take your blood pressure medicine and go get your blood pressure checked, it will be normal. But you will still always have hypertension. If you dont take your medicine, it will be high again.
Now that Chin has been diagnosed correctly and is on a set medical regimen, he takes his treatments very seriously.
He clearly has the disease, but he is very strict with his treatments, Soloway said. His recovery was very fast. When he came to me, he had had symptoms for 10 years. This guy was being tortured by his own body.
Since the day Chin walked into Soloways office, the two men have bonded and become friends.
We used to joke around, saying when I was better we were going to climb the Great Wall of China together, Chin said.
So, when Soloway decided to take a trip to China, he wanted to include Chin in his plans.
Hes a Chinese patient, I saved his life and we became friends, Soloway said. I was discussing that I wanted to go to China and mentioned to him that he must love China. He said he did, so I said, Great, then youre going with me.
In spring 2011, Chin accompanied Soloway to his native land for 10 days of exploring, learning and celebrating life.
It was awesome, Chin said. Looking at the culture was awesome and the food was tremendous. The one thing we wanted to do was eat Peking duck in Beijing, and we did.
They also kept their promise to Chinas Great Wall.
He climbed the Great Wall of China which would have been completely impossible before his diagnosis and treatment, Soloway said.
In addition to large cities, Chin was also exposed to the poorer areas of the country.
We were able to see a whole different part of the world where the people live in a village near a stream where they fish, he said. They also wash their clothes and bathe in the same stream. It really put everything in perspective.
Now, Chin is a quality director for a pharmaceutical company, has rekindled his love of sports and enjoys time with his family.
Im just looking forward to spending more time with my family, he said.
§ January 24th, 2012 § Filed under Take A Trip § Tagged Take A Trip Comments Off
Gwen Stefani and her family take a trip down to Underwood Family Farms on Saturday (December 31) in Los Angeles.
The 42-year-old rocker went out with the whole crew hubby Gavin Rossdale and their two boys, Kingston and Zuma.
3-year-old Zuma played with his parents in a big wooden truck and got an up-close look at some of the farms goats. Gwen and Gavin watched the boys and snuggled on a nearby bench.
10+ pics inside of Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale, and Kingston and Zuma at Underwood Family Farms
§ January 24th, 2012 § Filed under Take A Trip § Tagged Take A Trip Comments Off
In the dead of winter, the air outside swings past zero on the Fahrenheit scale around the Anchorage area. Further north around Fairbanks, it gets even colder. But none of this dissuades tourists who see this as a time to take in some of the attractions that have built Alaskas tourism reputation.
Deb Hickok, president of the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Fairbanks remains a big draw to visitors in the winter despite subarctic temperatures. She said the big attraction there is the Aurora borealis, while other Alaskan-style activities like dog-mushing and ice fishing also draw tourists into the cold.
Such attractions have been packing the customers into the Chena Hot Springs Resort in Fairbanks for years. The resorts Marketing Director Denise Ferree said the top draw is the hot springs themselves. Of course, Aurora borealis viewing is also at the top of the list, flowed by the Aurora Ice Museum, sled dog rides, flying snow machine tours and cross country skiing.
Free geothermal renewable energy tours are also bringing in a lot of interested groups, including students.
The northern lights in Alaska have still remained a unique business boost for much of the state. Hickok said Japanese tourists are coming in with really strong charter flight numbers to see the northern lights.
The proprietor of the resort, Bernie Karl, always says about viewing the Aurora — you cant see them if you are not here, Ferree said.
Alaskas terrain is also keeping visitors coming to the rest of the state. For example, skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding and snow machine tours, not to mention the Spring Carnival in April and the Roundhouse Museum, have helped build Alyeska Resort into a staple of Girdwood.
Anchorage also holds popular tourist attractions in the winter, namely with the Iditarod, Tour of Anchorage and Fur Rendezvous.
Many resorts are gearing up for an anticipated busy winter. Their personnel contend that customers keep coming in during these months. A majority of these customers are domestic but the resorts are seeing more and more customers from overseas.
Ferree said a lot of visitors from Japan, Taiwan, Korea and China come between December and March to see the aurora borealis. The resort is also seeing increased visitors from Australia and Germany. Domestically, Chenas largest visitor groups are from California, Arizona, Florida and Texas.
International tourism has grown so much that the resort has a designated vice president of Japanese marketing who partners with Japanese wholesalers and visits the country twice a year to set up groups.
We are fortunate to have our Asian visitors sustain us during our busy season which is winter from mid December to the first part of April. We are an anomaly for the state of Alaska in that summer is our slow season from May to mid-August and winter is our busiest season, Ferree said.
Alyeska Resort spokeswoman Sandy Choi said theyre getting strong visitation from both the east and west American coasts as well as Europe. She said there are definitely more domestic visitors but that guests from predominant ski countries like the United Kingdom and Germany are up. She said there are more people from Switzerland and France in recent years too.
They come to us because of the skiing, she said.
Girdwood has a new addition this ski season: a season-wide itinerary of skiing and snowboarding professionals, courtesy of the adventure company EpicQuest, which operates out of Alyeska Resort. Customers will be accompanied by reigning free-skiing world champion Jess McMillan one week or ski film regular Ian McIntosh another.
Nine different experts from around the world plus Chugach powder guides will lead guests through their week-long, heli-skiing expeditions.
Famed ski photographer Scott Markewitz will also return to EpicQuest for a week this year to teach skiers how to capture their best moments.
EpicQuest has brought in renowned professionals before but this will be the first time they will be on-board continuously throughout the season from February through April.
Its something we always wanted to do, said Chris Owens, EpicQuest co-founder and vice president of marketing and brand development. He said it can take quite a bit of time to build a roster of professionals.
Youre not going to find another program like this in heli-skiing, Owens said.
The ski business itself for the area is expected to increase. Choi said business has been increasing and the resort sees just more than 200,000 skier visits in the winter.
Owens said the ski business went down several years ago, estimating the economy discouraged such trips. He said it took a while for people to get back out there but business has been slowly increasing.
At the same time tourists explore what a last frontier winter is about, many Alaskans themselves decide its the season to take a trip out of the cold and the dark. Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Marianne Lindsey said California and Mexico are also popular winter destinations for Alaskans. Still, Hawaii is leading the pack here, particularly Honolulu.
During the first 2011 quarter Alaska Air had roughly 160 passengers flying daily between Alaska and Hawaii.
Alaska Airlines started flying between Alaska and Hawaii Dec. 9, 2007. Now, the airline has seven weekly nonstop roundtrip flights between Anchorage and Honolulu and three weekly nonstop roundtrip flights between Anchorage and Maui.
Alaska Air also has flights to Honolulu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai via connections in Seattle.
Alaska Airlines acquired the customer base for Anchorage-based Hawaiian Vacations in 2008. Since then, it started offering its own packages via Alaska Airlines Vacations. There are still other carrier options between Alaska and Hawaii.
Hawaii has had 59,700 visitors from Alaska between January and November 2011, a 17 percent increase over the same period in 2010, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Some Alaska residents do choose to see more of their home state while on vacation. But this is not what such resorts bank on.
Although we do have a good in-state business, and provided an Alaska Resident Rate year-round, our larger groups and visitors are from outside the state either domestically or internationally, Ferree said.
Jonathan Grass can be reached at jonathan.grass@alaskajournal.com.
§ January 23rd, 2012 § Filed under Take A Trip § Tagged Take A Trip Comments Off
We make em, often we break em, but resolutions are as much a part of the New Year as confetti in your champagne. So here we go, one more year of big plans to change our lives for the better.
Heres a list of resolutions submitted by members of the Social Circle, but we want to hear what you have in store for 2012, which you can tell us via the Talkback feature. More exercise? A new line of work? Less worry?
Whatever it is, OnMilwaukee.com believes in your ability to achieve your goals and wishes you a safe, healthy, very happy New Year. Cheers, Milwaukee.
Jill Albers: Im going to give brussels sprouts another try.
Margaret Bacik: Staying calm.
Karen Block: Dont take it personal.
Matthew P. Eells: Save $1,000. Im embarrassed to say Ive never done that. And read more Raymond Carver.
Allie Good-Gadziemski: Continue the same awesome that already is.
Brian Gregor: Read more OnMilwaukee.com articles.
Catherine Koons Hubbard: Write more. But not in Facebook.
Natali Heuss: Finally beat cancer.
Matthew Knuth: Whittle a car seat for baby, fashion diapers out of birch bark. Or get a second job.
Kyla Lahaie: To find my thing.
Heidi Meyer Moussa: Thinking positive thoughts daily and enjoying every moment in the moment.
David Reichert: Play more music and take a trip somewhere (one that doesnt involve Irish dancing).
Ross Salchow: Drink Scotch.
Amy Schubert: Purge my life of toxic people 
Kim Surma: Give more … and not to myself! LOL!
Jordan Christopher Wall: To quit smoking for the 20th year in a row. Its gotta be this time, right?
Scott Walter: Survive.
§ January 22nd, 2012 § Filed under Gambling § Tagged Gambling Comments Off
London: The integrity of the London 2012 Olympics could be shattered by the enormous threat of illegal gambling rings trying to fix results, Britains Olympics minister said on Sunday.
Event fixing could play a very real part at the Olympics, Hugh Robertson said, adding that he was trying to convince other governments to take the threat seriously to avoid a scandal which could scar the reputation of the Games.
We know that there are enormous illegal betting syndicates in both the Indian subcontinent and across the far east, Robertson told Sky News.
§ January 21st, 2012 § Filed under Gambling § Tagged Gambling Comments Off
2011 was by and large a good year for online gambling. We
have witnessed:
- Several gambling brands turn 10 years old, marking a decade
and change for the industry;
- Casinos expand their games selection on mobile devices,
particularly iPhones and iPads, while others have gives the fancied devices as
prizes;
- High volume gambling on the Royal Wedding and other Reality TV
shows…;
- Beach Life progressive jackpot slot has reached $6 million (and counting!);
- And many more.
Naturally, there were also unfortunate events, primarily the
Full Tilt Poker debacle following the Black Friday crackdown on online poker.
And now, as we face the New Year 2012, headlines call for a
sweep of the US and other optimistic scenarios. Here are a few that
we will all likely be happy to see in 2012:
Winnings
Someone will hit that elusive progressive jackpot! Will it
be you? Visit our site and find progressive jackpots
that are due a big payout, and other promotions as we list them daily.
New Games
Marvel slots are all the hype at Playtech casinos, so we hear. Likewise movie-based slots have made waves this year, such as The Lord of the Rings. New games will come out in 2012, and we cant wait to try
them out and review them for you. Will The Hobbit be the next big thing?
The Ultimate Payment Method
What are Moneybookers up
to in 2012, with their new Skrill
service? Is the ultimate payment solution in the making, one that you can use
for deposits and withdrawals, in your local currency, while protecting your
privacy, and throwing in a deposit bonus as well?
USA
And of course, no discussion of online gambling goes without
mentioning the United States, where online gambling might be banned, but then
again, might not be in the near future.
And a Happy New Year to Everyone!
§ January 20th, 2012 § Filed under Friendships § Tagged Friendships Comments Off
All of us have certain confines, if not limitations, as regards the extent to which we can back and extend support — in times of dilemma. A friend in need is a friend indeed, all right. Yet, one cannot, as a token of camaraderie, always seek a ‘supportive’ hand, as a given, while being incessantly bogged down with problems. When such a state of catch-22 ensues, it is nothing short of an unwanted invite — for one to wince and keep distance. In other words, activating, or playing, the role of a ‘victim’ is a ‘ticket’ to forestall one’s ubiquitous plea for ‘help’ — a conditioned, but wobbly petition.
Friendships are great. They are complex too. Picture this. It is all right to say, “Let’s be friends.” However, it is uncommon for one to say, in the same breath, “I have a problem, so can we be friends?” Yet, friendships are possible, even when there are a plethora of issues, other than common interests and values, hope and mutual respect. While the mosaic that represents a cardinal rule of friendship — ‘give and take,’ or vice versa — galvanises friendships to the next level, what makes true friendship tick is the power of unmotivated wisdom. Friendships for life are built on ideals that have no expectations — this is not connected to ‘making’ friends, because they are someone with a certain clout.
Good friendships are just as much an outcome of need as validation of life’s innumerable relationship dynamics. What is important for friendships to blossom and last is simplicity in your aspirations when seeking friendships. Despair loves company, or ‘company’ loves ‘despair,’ is a time-honoured idiom — with certain limitations. Remember, despair cannot mend. It can also not take us the distance we may be looking for in the long-term. You need to look at people who corroborate your feelings — only then will intent propel the friendship ‘engine’ for growth. In addition, what makes true friendships last is positivity, or empathising with people who teach and learn from each other, no matter one’s monetary backdrop. When you recognise each other’s unique gifts, which are as distinctive as one’s fingerprints, you attract friends to your fold and vice versa. The less the anticipation, the greater are the returns from robust friendships. It lends solid support in a manner born, too — something, which is just not cultivated with ‘nutrients’ called trust and faith, but also spiritual prudence.
Good friendships are an enormous support network, based on mutual encouragement — the ability to stand on your own in good and bad times. If belief in friendship is a valuable portent, it is also the cornerstone of self-reliance. It ushers in a newfound confidence — of being able to take care of oneself. When you reach such a level, which each one of us should aim for, one can confer support unselfishly. This leads to what is called as the aptitude to be your own best friend. It is like the music of the spheres — with harmonious rhythms.
Friendship is also a challenge — it is a quest to discover what talents and interests you have and what others bring to you in several baskets. Yet, it has its precincts — especially during times when you don’t reach out, or get into a quagmire. Or, when you become lonely in a crisis you deem as insurmountable. Nothing in life is impossible. All it takes is courage to accept and learn to move through tough times, realising that, in everything, there are ups and downs. Remember, a friend is just waiting round the corner — willing to assist you to turn things around.
(The writer is a physician and a
doctorate in philosophical literature)
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