The La Brea Tar Pits, in the Heart of Los Angeles
When I was young I had a book about the La Brea Tar Pits. I have no idea why it intrigued me so much. Perhaps it was the life-like, completely rendered illustrations that went along with the information regarding the Pits that at the time, I really did not understand. Years later I was planning a move to the city, and had booked a room at the best Los Angeles hotel I had ever been to, mainly due to the hospitality and the decor, but also due to the fact that it was located very close to the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum which is located on the grounds.
Just a few blocks away, I began the walk to see in person, the Tar Pits of my one time favorite book. You can smell the Tar Pits from a block away, a relatively stinky smell that reminds one a bit of rotten eggs. I crossed the street I saw the sculptures that now illustrate the pits of Hancock Park, just as the paintings had illustrated my book. This is evidence in the modern city of Los Angeles, of the time when the animals of the Ice Age roamed the streets of the city. Many fossils are still being found today, and paleontologists clean and investigate the bones right there at the Page Museum. Their laboratory has windows, which allow the public to watch as amazing creatures from our past are literally unearthed, and their history is revealed. The Tar Pits are made of Asphalt, which is crude oil in its lowest grade.
This is as much a museum as it is a research facility, a live and continuing archaeological investigation right in the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world. It is kind of a strange experience, to be standing next to bubbling tar pits, on the shores of the oil pool, knowing that at one time, a saber tooth tiger may have been creeping up behind you. I spent all day in Hancock Park, just thinking of this idea, and as the sun began to set, I decided that it was time for a walk along the boardwalk of Santa Monica and Venice Beach. To clear my head a bit, and to clear my nose…to fill my lungs with the fresh ocean air.
Endorsed by Montel Williams
Many people are familiar with Montel Williams as the host of the nationally syndicated Emmy nominated The Montel Williams Show. But most of us are probably not familiar with his tremendous background. Being the son of the first African-American fire chief in Baltimore, Maryland, Montel learned at an early age to set his sights high. He was elected class president both his junior and senior years of high school. After graduation he spent 12 years in the military during which time he also became the first African-American enlistee to graduate from the United States Navy‘ s Academy Prep School and Annapolis. He earned a degree in international security affairs as well several medals for Humanitarian service, achievement and commendation.
After doing so much for his country it is not hard to imagine that would carry over into the rest of his life. When he began The Montel Williams Show in 1991, he made it about helping people from the very beginning. Helping families reunite with lost loved ones or reconnect after a falling out were common occurrences on the show. Even though the show ended in May 2008 after 17 years on the air that was not the last we would here from Montel.
After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, he began an infomercial Living Well with Montel that promotes the Living Well Healthmaster blender as well as healthy living. He is also the spokesperson for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, which helps those in low-income situations get the prescriptions that they need.
His other endorsements include www.moneymutual.com. He believes that this is one more way to help those in dire financial situations, especially in this tough economic time. Money Mutual Montel Williams commercials can be found throughout the Internet.
After doing so much for this country and its people, it is hard to imagine what he will do next.
Automata in Miami
A Day at the Boston Harbor
Taking some time and wandering around the Boston Harbor is a great way to unwind, to relax and enjoy a bit of this city’s history, a history that is not only indicative of the state of Massachusetts, but one that is relative to the entire history of the United States. One will find along the walkways, many restaurants offering the freshest of seafood, many pubs wherein there is always a tale being told, and many shops and markets offering much in the way of take-home souvenirs. Located at the harbor is the New England Aquarium.
This is a wonderful place to take the children, and is a wonderful place for the adults who have an interest not only in the underwater world, but of the conservation and protection of it as well. This is one of the many popular destinations for any visitor traveling through, with more than one million people walking through the doors each year. There are many hotels located close by, check here, which makes daily trips to the harbor convenient and easily accessible throughout your stay. The New England Aquarium is similar to other aquariums the world over, in that they provide not only hours of entertainment and enjoyment, but educational programs and seminars that are geared towards and dedicated to the public and the marine life that is in our hands.
They offer not only the challenges to the ocean and the life therein, but solutions to the better of marine environments and lowering the impact the modern world has on the ecosystems of the waters on the planet. The Aquarium opened just over forty years ago in 1969, and was intended at first, to simply provide entertainment, but over the years the reputation and the concept has grown to include the preservation efforts. This is one of the many views of the city of Boston, one that will provide a better understanding not only of the natural world of the city, but the natural world of all marine life, of all life on earth.
Historic Oakwood Neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina is an incredibly beautiful city with a rich history that is frequently evident in the city’s diverse architecture and various cultural elements. Tourists flock to North Carolina resorts and hotels for many of the historic attractions, landmarks and geographic elements that enhance the landscape and provide great opportunities for adventure and recreational activities just outside of the city. Within the city itself, there are a number of individual neighborhoods and areas that reflect a particular era, social perspective or architectural flavor. The Historic Oakwood neighborhood, located near the State Capital, is one of the more historically significant areas of the city.
The area is specifically designated as an historical region and is known for its beautiful Victorian architecture as well as the landmarks Mordecai Plantation Manor and the Historic Oakwood Cemetery. One of the most popular attractions associated with this neighborhood is an annual seasonal event. Every year this is a beautiful Christmas Candlelight Tour that puts on display the interiors of some of these beautiful homes and buildings as well as the garden designs of the Oakwood Gardening Club. This event is extremely popular with all generations of Raleigh residents and many of its guests come from outside of the city and even the state.
The Mordecai Plantation Manor has been registered as an historical landmark and now serves as a public museum. It was built in 1785 and is located on the edge of the neighborhood at Mordecai Square Historic Park. The house stands as the oldest residence in Raleigh that still exists on its original foundation. This is also the location of the birth of the United States President Andrew Johnson. St. Mark’s Chapel in the park is a common and popular location for weddings. Other popular attractions in the park are Allen Kitchen and the Ellen Mordecai Garden. It is definitely a popular destination on most tourists’ agenda.
Charlotte Bobcats NBA Basketball Team
The Bobcats are Charlotte’s professional basketball team and they have made quite an impact on the NBA since their establishment as a expansion team. They belong in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference and were first established in 2004, which makes them one of the NBA’s youngest teams. They were established two seasons after Charlotte’s previous team, the Hornets, were relocated to New Orleans. Tourists and basketball fans can be found at Charlotte luxury hotels and at the Time Warner Cable Arena where they play their home games. The arena is located in Charlotte’s uptown area.
A few of the major players on the Bobcat’s current team roster include Gerald Wallace, who has also served as the team captain, Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. However, the most famous person associated with the Bobcats is former player Michael Jordan. Jordan is a minority owner and also the head of basketball operations and has been reported as having shown interest in collecting a group to purchase the majority control of the team, which is currently for sale.
Jordan is considered to be one of the all time greatest players of professional basketball. He had an amazing career including the legacy of the famous phrase Air Jordan, which was due to his amazing depth of his jumps leading into lay ups. It appeared to many as though he had taken flight and was in the air through most of the inner court paint zone. He played for most of his professional career with the Chicago Bulls and was their star shooting guard for much of it. He was picked by the Bulls in Round One of the 1984 draft. His professional playing career lasted from 1984 to 2003. He played with the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003. Jordan scored over 32,000 points during his amazing career.
Mistakes are for the Best while in New York
After a relatively comfortable flight, we arrived in New York City. Our plane had left on time, which was an added pleasure for our trip. We hailed a taxi and wanted to take in the sights while heading to our hotel. We only travelled for about 10-minutes when we hit New York’s infamous gridlock, it was really a gridlock. What should’ve taken us only 25 minutes from La Guardia airport, took us a nightmarish hour of horns, fumes and heat. We finally arrive to our hotel and our spirits lifted as we could tell we were in an excellent location. After we paid off our taxi driver, we entered the lobby and proceeded to check-in, we were all ready anticipating a nice hot shower and room service. But, we were informed that we had no reservations and that the hotel was booked full! I even showed them the print out of my confirmation number from the Internet. This didn’t help a bit. The staff was attentive though and after about a half-an-hour wait as they searched on-line , found us a room on this site: http://www.nyhotels.net at the Plaza hotel, which was right by Central Park!
After another 45 minutes in heavy traffic, which later we found out was due to the UN has something going on and all the roads around it were closed and traffic was diverted, we arrived at our even better hotel, for the same price we were quoted at the other hotel. We had to admit that by them losing our reservation was a great benefit to us, because the hotel was gorgeous, comfortable and even more centrally located that the one we booked.
It was now time to explore New York! Of course we started with Times Square, Central Park, The Statue of Liberty (only from the Staten Island Ferry), a Broadway show, and we ate our way to everywhere we went. New York City was everything we imagined, but so much more. The noise, smells and all the people here seem so much more alive, so much more exciting. No wonder this town never sleeps, there’s to much to do.
Starstruck NYC
You never know what you’ll see when you’re in New York. People who’ve lived here all their lives claim that they’ve seen it all, and I really would like to believe them, but something tells me there’s more to anything than meets the eye. Nothing new under the sun, maybe, but there are possibilities for infinite variation in the replications, so when I did catch a glimpse of Yoko Ono standing outside of a limo, while on my way to my New York hotel suite, I knew I’d entered into an eternal moment. This sense of being star-struck, and by this particular star, was new to me, but dozens of people experience it at least every week, if not ever day.
It depends on how often she goes out, I suppose, and I’m not really sure, and not stalky enough to want to try to find out. So, I am only imagining that I’m not alone, and it really isn’t hard to do. The phenomenon of celebrity-ness in NYC is the same as everywhere else, and entirely different. I have run into the same famous people in Los Angeles as here, and the feeling the people give off is very much the same, but the crowds are entirely different. And the experience is packaged in a different way. In L.A., it becomes a major event, and people try to mark the occasion in ways that they can broadcast it later. Here, it’s more coincidental, and there’s something about New Yorkers where we try to keep it unremarkable.
We like to have lives outside of all this, and it’s an unspoken agreement to keep things in perspective. When people photograph stars here, there’s usually a sense that they’re only using the photos for themselves, for their own personal collection. This Yoko sighting was remarkable to me, because no one had a camera out. People wanted to talk to her, and she seemed to want to talk to them. It was a moment between real people. A few years ago, my friend showed me a candid he’d snapped of John and Yoko in Central Park. Again, there was a sense that it was no big deal, and the photo was only there to help the person remember later, and in that case, to poignantly mark the moment that those particularly enchanted cells were walking on the earth’s surface. His life was a variation on patterns that will never repeat.
A Beer Fest in Seattle
It was raining cats and dogs when we arrived in Seattle, but boy, is it ever beautiful here. I almost forgot what fall looks like; all the turning leaves and bright colors. Our flight was without incident, just the way we like it. We picked up the rental car and were able to check into one of the better Seattle luxury hotels and get a room with a great view. We were on the 25th floor, really nice, and we really appreciated the letter informing us about being up so high that the wind may cause noise.
Our first stop was to a pub, the Pike Seattle Brewing Company. I had the Pike’s Entire Wood Aged Stout and my mate had the Kilt Lifter Ruby Ale. Both beers were outstanding. Next I tried the Pike Tandem Double Ale and my mate tried the Red Barn Fire Ale, this beer came from using Washington State Apple cider. So far, we haven’t found a beer we don’t like. We went back to our room to watch the weather move by. That was our first experience of staying in a room so high up. We liked it so much that we decided from this moment on that we will only book hotel rooms that are on the 25th floor or higher.
Our 2nd day was totally awesome. We began at the Brouwers. It’s a renowned brewery featuring 60 different beers on tap, 3 cask conditioned beers and 3 nitro. I began with the Black Cherry Stout and it was supreme. My mate began with the Boundary Bay Oak Aged Cabin Fever. He said it was good. Next, I tried the Elysian Haleakala Sour, if you can’t tell by now, I love sour beer. Unfortunately, this sour beer left me not so sour, but I finished it anyway. Mate finished with the Red Hook Triple. Of course Seattle was having a Washington Beer Fest, so the bar, a medieval cave like place was pretty full of people from all over.
Needless to say, we didn’t get back to our lovely high-rise hotel room until the bars closed. Don’t worry though, we did eat tons of crab in-between our beer tasting.
A Career in SEO
There are those in industries relating to the internet who bash search engine optimization as a bad career with few prospects. Part of why people criticize SEO is that the actual practice of SEO has not had a very long lifespan. It just started recently obviously, as the Internet also just started recently. In fact, its most recent milestone occurred only in the nineties; there was a spam email sent out by a company for their SEO services (which mass emailing without any plan in mind and actually bad SEO).
Further, there are no hard and fast rules in SEO which bothers quite a few people. Even experts in SEO cannot agree about what makes for good SEO practices, and what specifically will ensure success. SEO is a kind of mutable art form, in a way; because search engines such as Google change the way they search out material and what they give prevalence to in their results, those in SEO must keep on their toes constantly adapting to such changes. More criticism comes from the fact that many people believe that SEO cannot simply be a solitary career move. It must be combined with something else, like reputation management.
However, SEO is actually a great career. Besides, SEO is actually quite prevalent? How prevalent? Search for it on Google and you will get over 40 million results. Yet like any job, you may not possess the necessary skill sets to thrive and be successful in SEO. There are a few things you ought to consider if you are thinking about SEO as a possible career move.
The way you create linkbait (which is content that possible surfers will find interesting enough to stop on by and look at on a web site, and more importantly link to it, causing you to get more “hit points” with Google) will be integral to your success: it is based upon Google’s algorithm for searching. Why Google? It is THE top search engine that everyone uses, and therefore the search engine of choice to try to manipulate results for. So not only will you need to know how to write, but also how to program, and how to read and define a demographic. SEO incorporates numerous skills, but if you have the potential to master these skills, it is a great career.