Surfing The Channel

Archive for June, 2010

Which one of the fifty states is commonly known as being the mother of presidents? That’s not a trick question, and with a little bit of consideration it can probably be figured out. Virginia has been the birthplace of more Presidents of the United States than any other state in the nation. Eight of the country’s presidents were born in Virginia, and the state is known for being an essential contributor to the early establishment and development of this great nation. So, who were the presidents? Our nation’s first president, George Washington, starts the list and is followed by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, John Taylor and Woodrow Wilson.

When you look at that list you notice there are some pretty major names on it, and while all presidents play an essential role in the country, names like James Monroe, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are major symbolic personalities. And while we have all learned about them and their contributions to this country, what about the others? How much do we know about John Taylor and Zachary Taylor and what all happened during the course of their presidencies?

John Taylor was president from 1841 to 1845 and was nicknamed the accidental president because he assumed the position after the death of the incumbent. He was born in Charles City and studied at William and Mary College . He served on the Virginia legislature earlier in his career. Zachary Taylor was president for only a little over a year, dieing from Cholera while still in office. He was born in Orange County and his father had served with George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The best hotels Virginia are full of enthusiastic tourists and many of them contain pictures and information on these early presidents. It frequently comes as a surprise to tourists that so many presidents were born here, though it’s definitely a point of pride for the state.

Seattle, Washington; surrounded by the snowy peak of mountains in the distance and by the sparkling water Elliott Bay , is a magnificent city to not only visit, but to live. With a modern skyline, the most friendliest people, coffeehouses in abundance, lakes, parks, great restaurants, and a hot club scene, Seattle has is all and so much more.

Today, Seattle attracts not only the high-techies whom work for Boeing and Microsoft , it also attracts the people with businesses like Starbucks and Amazon, also a more artistic crowd that want to be a part of the best music, the best theatre, performing arts and one of the best outdoor activities this side of the Mississippi. This unique and diverse combination of people is what makes Seattle great. Seattle’s solid economy has made this city an international destination for both tourists and companies wanting to conduct business.

When you arrive, you’ll immediately feel a ‘joy of living’ that permeates every space, and is felt by all the people living in and around this charming city. Even the best Seattle hotel will make your time in Seattle feel like they’ve let you in on a wonderful secret and that you’re a big part of what makes Seattle work. It’s also Seattle’s great outdoors, the trails, the lakes, and mountains that will make you feel like you’re a part of something more, of something grand.

Most people don’t understand how anyone could live in a place where it constantly rains and where the sun barely peaks out from under the cloud banks, but those are the people who have never been to Seattle, because once they do come for a visit, their attitude changes and they begin wonder why it took them so long to visit this spectacular city in the Northwest. The down-to-Earth ambiance, tweaked by innovative technology is irresistible. Ask any Seattleite and they’ll tell you that they moved here from another state and that it was the best move they’ve ever made.

The Staples Center in Los Angeles has been receiving a lot of attention most recently for being the place where the NBA Finals were played. And while the city of Los Angeles is as known for being the home of stars as it is for angels, a great number of them, stars that is, turned out to watch game seven of the Championship series. Jack Nicholson is well known for being a Lakers fan and has been a common figure at their games for decades. Meanwhile, younger generations of stars have joined the crowd and it is common to see celebrities in the stands during the games. Of course in Los Angeles, it is common to see celebrities almost everywhere.

So, what goes on at Staples Center now that the games have ended and basketball will not resume until October? Does it just sit quietly until Artest, Gasol , Brown and others return for next season? Will all of these and the rest of the team return for next season? Well, that’s a question that can’t be answered here, though of course the Staples Center will not remain quiet and it is full of sporting and entertainment events all year long. And there is always something going on there to entice the guests in one of the 5 star hotels Los Angeles .
Currently the WNBA is in full swing and the Los Angeles Sparks play their home games in the Center.

Other events that will occur there this summer include the popular Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, which take place during a large part of July. Meanwhile Rihanna will also be performing there next month and has a concert scheduled for July 21. In August, Lady Gaga will be performing two concerts in-between Sparks home games and the second of her two shows was recently added. She is scheduled to perform at the Center on August 11 and 12. As the year progresses and we plan to head back into basketball season Shakira and Justin Bieber are on the concert lineup schedule.

Like so many things in the world that are not what they seem, Miami is always vastly more complex than surfaces could ever reveal. The surfaces here are terrible appealing however, and the sights are often so spectacular that there isn’t necessarily pressing for a deeper look. A morning on the beach, time at a club, and then a pleasant sleep in a 5 star hotel, Miami doesn’t demand more than pure enjoyment.

But sometimes fate plays a part and reveals the truth even when one might not be looking. Ben Vereen , the extraordinary talent who’s graced stage and screen through a remarkable career, was born in Miami. Or maybe not. It wasn’t until he was applying for a passport when he was a young man that he discovered that he was actually adopted. This was after he’d graduated from New York’s performing arts high school, and already started to turn heads in theaters.

He wouldn’t meet his sister until 2006, long after he’d established himself as a major celebrity, having performed the role of Alex Haley’s ancestor Chicken George in Roots. One of his greatest roles, the entertainer in All That Jazz , is also a breathtaking study in slight of hand. Throughout the film, the audience sees him as a recurring television personality, thoroughly show business to the bone, and absolutely chronic in his inability to narrate reality without radical flourishes.

By the final scene, the long death sequence of the main character, we see him revealed as a kind of angel, welcoming the dying man to the other side. It’s performed with a kind of slickness and sly awareness that speaks of both healer and trickster characteristics.

And in another spin, where fate took a hand in his own personal life, when he was in an auto accident in 1992, he wandered from his car and was struck by another car. It could well have been fatal, but instead, he survived, and saw the accident as a chance to clean up his life, to work through his own grief, and to begin again. Inspiring millions in films and in life, he is a great humanitarian as well.

Is it the first time you have visited Amarillo Texas? One of the many reasons to visit a new place is to spend sometime doing something that you wouldn’t normally do in your own town. While in Amarillo get out and spend some time doing things the way the forefathers of the area did. This was land that was hard won by some real tough cowboys. If you don’t live in a cowboy state you may want to experiences a small part of what the cowboy life was all about. One of the ways to be a cowboy for the day is to get on horseback at the Old West Stables in Palo Duro Canyon State Park . The Native Americans and Cowboys have been riding horses in this canyon for hundreds of years and now it is your turn. While on your adventure you can learn about the famous Colonels of the U.S. Calvary who rode horses on some of the same trails. This is a great way to get out into the local landscape and enjoy the high desert views. You can get directions from your hotel. Amarillo is only twenty seven miles northwest of the canyon so it will be a day outing.  

If you are in town during the summer you may want a day to cool off a bit. One of the hot spots in town to get a thrill and a cool down is at Splash Amarillo+http://www.splashamarillo.com/ . Especially if you have the kids with you on a summer vacation. This will be a must stop for keeping them entertained. This water park has water slides and a large wave pool. Parents with little kids will find a special place to watch them play. The older kids may find a break from the water at the arcade. There snack bar is always full of enough food to keep the whole family going for a nice long day out in the sun.  

No matter what adventure you choose bring lots of sunscreen and drink lots of water.

Portland’s position in the music culture of the world has been solidly placed ever since “Louie, Louie,” came out of here. It was a perfect anthem for a perfect time, and Portland was the place to be declaring it. It was loud, bold, and absurd, and anyone listening close for hidden meanings would be missing the point entirely. It was just about fun.

As music in the NorthWest progressed through the years, it became more complex, and more deeply felt, up until the rain-soaked kids began playing an enormously emotional sound that signaled a sharp and direct ennui. The fun of earlier times had fallen out of favor to be overtaken by a dark posture that was angry and mysterious. So when a band like Helio Sequence comes around, it’s a refreshing thing.

Composed of two very skilled musicians, Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel , the sound is not light at all, and there’s nothing in it that suggests it’s pure fun. But it’s not dark and dismal either, and the anger here is a mature one, that comes from contemplation as well as the rough experience of life.

This is the kind of culture that brings people to the Portland boutique hotels , where they can enjoy all that the city has to offer. It’s deep and complex, and there’s something that resembles real thought behind the tunes. It’s an experiment that’s lasted for ten years now, and one that will continue to sound good in the future. The duo has been able to negotiate their talents to make a wall of sound with their technological brilliance.

The songs are also upbeat, even when the content and tempo are low and in the land of the lost, there is a kind of hum behind the sound that is nothing less than uplifting. And at certain moments, it almost feels like the audience is being part of the creation of another local anthem.

“Lights. Camera. Action.” A phrase that instantly brings to mind the glamor of Hollywood. Home to America’s biggest film studios, a ton of theme parks , the rich and famous, and the mecca of the star struck. Hundreds of young adults flock to Los Angeles to try to make it into film themselves, everywhere you look you’re going to see a beautiful person; whether you can argue they have any talent is a matter of opinion.

Most who travel to Los Angeles are tourists though there for a week or just a weekend to see the sites and get pampered like their favorite stars. There are many five star hotels Los Angeles has to offer along with spas, resorts, and whatever quirky health retreat being promoted this year to visit and let yourself relax between outings to shop or see sights. While your hotel may not have that mud bath and seaweed skin care treatment you’ve been hearing all about or your favorite starlet swears by, you can bet they know a spa nearby that does. The will however have a pool and if you look for it many of them will have a massage therapist on staff for a bit of random rest and relaxation if you’re not one for the pampering of a spa or feel you don’t have time to spend all day at one.

Of course the whole reason you come to Los Angeles, at least the first time, is to see the sites of places the stars have been or to try and catch a glimpse of someone. Starline Tours has been around as long as there has been star struck tourists. The offer tours of prominent neighborhoods and a detail of who lives or lived where, studio tours, and stops at prominent theaters. Most though want to go and catch an actor out of the studio for that there’s the see and be seen nightlife from nightclubs and bars owned by the stars to ones the tabloids have flagged as spots for an ideal sighting you have your pick of after hour places to have your own paparazzi moment.

Portland, Oregon is located at the northern edge of the state and is not far from the border of Washington. In fact, the Columbia River will take you from Longview, Washington, which is a small logging town in southern Washington, almost directly to Portland. Meanwhile, a short trip to Portland is an extremely popular day or weekend activity for many residents in southern Washington as well as many parts of Oregon. And of course many people from the rest of country are also interested in visiting this great city in the Pacific Northwest. As true for many great cities across the nation, there is a lot of hometown pride in the residents and while they are proud of their city they are also extremely friendly about sharing it with the numerous tourists that come through town every year.

As one of the leading cultural centers of Oregon, there are plenty of great entertainment attractions in Portland. Luxury hotels , bed and breakfasts and quaint resorts are all excellent information resources in addition to providing the finest accommodations you could hope for. And one of the places they are extremely like to refer you to is the Oregon Symphony and or the Portland Center Stage. The Oregon Symphony is one of the historic orchestras in the country was established in 1896. It is the oldest in the Western United States and is the sixth oldest in the country. It is housed in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, which is located in the downtown Portland Cultural District.

Portland Center Stage is one of the city’s prominent theatre companies. Its home is at the Gerding Theater in the historic Portland Armory building. It was established in 1988 and continues to present some of the best theatre productions on its stage. It has been at its current home since 2006, after a long campaign process that gave it access to the building. It was established as the northern sibling of the famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival and became an independent theatre in 1993. Throughout its existence the theatre has gained greater recognition and respect and has also increased its production span and various offerings.

Starting your own business can be a daunting prospect but is a very rewarding experience. Now is the best time to do it. If you need some help, there are a number of things that can make this a little easier.

Don’t worry about finding a new product or service that no one has ever heard of before, focus on your passion instead. This will make starting the new business easier and more fun.

You don’t have to do it alone. You can get friends or a spouse to help you. You can also find a company that employs independent contractors to hire you. There are a number of them out there such as Southwestern Company . These companies are happy to sell you product and let you keep track of the money and who it gets delivered to on top of being responsible for selling it.

Write up a business plan . Make it really simple. Put in how much it will cost you to make and deliver the product. Write down how much you can sell your product for and the size of your market.

Most businesses can get financing when they are first starting out. Look around and find out how you can get financing and who will give you money. Some of the options may require you to do something for them, or meet some minimum requirements, but these are usually reasonable. If you can help it find money that you won’t have to pay back. The government has a surprising number of these sorts of programs for new businesses.

Use social media. It is ok to use social media to advertise the fact that you are selling your product. Many larger companies do, many new companies do, and so can you. If you have a company that supplies your products like southwestern company you can connect to them using social media and announce to their fans and their followers that you are now selling their products and where you are. This will bring people from that area to you for the product.