On January 31, 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The destruction of the Mapes put an end to years of efforts to preserve the building via lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots action. The National Trust for Historic Preservation took up the cause of the Mapes, and challenged the destruction in a suit that eventually reached the Nevada Supreme Court.

While the logic and necessity of demolishing the Mapes is very questionable, one thing that is certain is that the hotel was an important part of Northern Nevada history. The opening of the Mapes in’47 ushered in a new era in casino gambling, and changed the economy and way of life in Nevada forever. The Mapes was actually the first property in the country to combine a hotel, casino and live entertainment under the same roof. It also became the hotel of choice for celebrities staying in Northern Nevada. Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe stayed at The Mapes during the filming of ‘The Misfits’. Joseph McCarthy, America’s famed anti-Communist crusader, admitted to a reporter over cocktails in the Mapes Lounge that he really didn’t have a list of Communists in the US despite his frequent and vitriolic insistence to the contrary.

During the ‘Rat Pack’ era of the 50′s and 60′s it became along with the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The 11th floor, window walled Sky Room Lounge hosted performances by a roster of entertainment legends including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Milton Berle and Mae West. Downtown Reno struggled during the’60′s and 70′s but the Mapes continued to prosper. The hotel finally closed in’82, due to financial problems experienced by the Mapes Family brought about by their other Northern Nevada casino holdings.

Reno has yet to experience the sort of growth that has been seen in Southern Nevada, and for that reason the destruction of the Mapes is more open to debate than the hotel demolitions to the south. Even the demolition of The Sands–perhaps the most historically significant casino in the state–is hard to argue against given the inability of such a small property to compete in the current Las Vegas marketplace and in light of the value of the mid-strip real estate.

This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The official reason that the Mapes had to come down was that the city needed the land–which sits along the banks of the Truckee River–to expand its riverside district of art galleries, restaurants and shops. The revitalization of downtown Reno is definitely needed and a legitimate goal, but at the same time it is hard to think that the Mapes was a barrier to this. Indeed, a number of proposals for redevelopment including office space, artists lofts and upscale senior housing would have probably served to enhance the livability of the downtown area. For whatever reason, the City Redevelopment Authority wouldn’t approve any of the proposals and the fate of the Mapes was sealed.

The behavior of the City Redevelopment Authority throughout the process has come into question. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was perfectly placed between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. In’96, the city purchased the htoel and began accepting proposals for redevelopment. Despite receiving a number of proposals that made sense both in terms of their financial workability and positive impact on the downtown area, the City Redevelopment Authority nixed all of them and insisted that the hotel be razed.

Following the 2000 demolition, the lot remained vacant for over a year until a temporary ice skating rink was hastily constructed the following winter. The site now houses a permanent ice skating rink which, while not a bad use for the land, isn’t the sort of game changing improvement suggested by the City Redevelopment Agency and their adamant insistence that the building be demolished. To the contrary, it appears they had no specific plan or even general idea of what to do with the land but for some reason wanted to see the hotel come down. This has led to all manner of speculation, ranging from financial self interest to a rumor that the structure was ‘haunted’ and needed to be destroyed to forestall future paranormal activity in Washoe County. Whatever the reason, the city of Reno lost a valuable landmark that played a significant part in the economic growth of the entire state.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Tags : Business, destinations, entertainment, hobbies, hotels, marketing, recreation, Travel

Decades before mixed martial arts became popular in the United States, events matching fighters of different fighting disciplines were very common in Japan. They weren’t called “mixed martial arts” at the time, but that’s essentially what they were.There’s an entire history of pro wrestlers fighting specialists from other martial arts (particularly judo) that were leaving out, but during the’70′s Antonio Inoki began to put the concept of “mixed martial arts” on the map with his matches against fighters from other disciplines.

Before and after his matchup against Muhammad Ali, Inoki would frequently compete against other martial artists in what are widely accepted to be “worked” (ie: having a predetermined outcome) matches. Inoki fought boxer Chuck Wepner, judo Gold Medalist Wilhelm Ruska and world karate champion Willie Williams among others. His most famous match internationally, however, was against Ali.

There’s still much speculation about how Muhammad Ali came to fight Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, and even more uncertainty about what happened immediately before and during the fight. Ali took the booking because he thought it was to be a big paycheck for little work. Most accounts suggest that his handlers agreed to the ‘worked’ finish without his knowledge, and once he found out that he was to ‘take a dive’ he refused.

Many conspiracy theorists have noted that these rules were never announced to the crowd on fight night, leaving many with the impression that they were being made up as they went along. Action in the fight would further validate this view, but there actually were rules that both camps agreed to heading into the fight. Not surprisingly, most of these were designed to protect Ali. In fact, they were so one-sided that if Inoki hadn’t been so concerned about preserving his big payday he would have been justified in not fighting. Inoki was prohibited from punching with a closed fist or striking Ali in the head (ostensibly since he wasn’t wearing gloves). Inoki was prohibited from using any sort of submission maneuver. The most absurd limitation was that Inoki was prohibited from “grappling or trying to take Ali to the ground”. A few observers noted that this was like not letting Ali throw a jab.

The result was an absolutely horrible fight. Neither man showed much interest in engaging the other, with Inoki spending most of the time on the ground doing what he could under the one sided rules. Inoki threw kicks at Ali’s legs, Ali threw an occasional jab and tried to protect himself from his opponent’s leg strikes. The fight ended a 74-74 draw, with the real losers being the fans.

An interesting postscript to the fight is that the referee was former pro wrestler “Judo” Gene Labell, a legit tough guy whom some have suggested could have beaten up both Ali and Inoki at the same time despite his advanced age. Had he chosen to do so, it would certainly have been welcomed by those watching the fight live and on closed circuit.

In the aftermath of the fight, Inoki’s popularity was greater than ever–in a perverse way he was something of a hero due to his trying to fight despite the rules being stacked so soundly against him. He remained one of the country’s most popular professional wrestlers and even enjoyed a career in Japan’s parliament. Without missing a beat, he quickly resumed his series of fights against other martial artists who were apparently all more comfortable with the “worked” environment of pro wrestling. Among his “victims” was none other than Leon Spinks, presumably serving as some sort of vindication for his draw with Ali. The popularity of these matches led to a number of promotions that were essentially hybrids of martial arts and pro wrestling, and these led to the big Japanese MMA promotions of today.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Tags : boxing, celebrities, entertainment, history, hobbies, leisure, mixed martial arts, MMA, recreation, Sports, Travel, UFC

Traffic accidents that have the highest rate of severe injuries are usually caused by someone who was perpetrating some speeding offences. This and driving while under the influence are some of the higher causes of traffic deaths on the roads today. Just because your car can go faster does not mean you have to do it.

Going too fast and not adhering to the posted speed limit is not cool it is unsafe. You could cause a very serious car wreck and be killed or injured yourself or the worse thing you cold cause the death of an innocent person due o your recklessness and then their would not be only speeding fines to contend with but also vehicular manslaughter charges as well.

You will get a citation either as you are pulled over by the officer or within a set amount of time for a date at court to be set. Sometimes if the law was not broken by a certain mileage rate then you may be able to give the officer the money for the fine on the spot.

Speeding excessively over the limit posted on the motorway or streets can give you jail time and suspension from driving or just the license suspension for a cited period of time. This all is according to exactly how much over the speed limit you were traveling when you were caught.

You will then face a judge and they will determine whether you can keep your driving license or whether it should be suspended at that time for a certain amount of time. They may also make you take a driving course for safety and you will have to pay a larger fine as well.

Being a safe driver is important not only for teens just starting out but for us adults too. Why put yourself in a position to potentially lose your license or worse your own life or that of loved ones in the vehicle with you or cause serious harm to someone who was abiding the posted limits and obeying all traffic laws?

Speeding offences are not worth the problems they could cause even if you think no one will see you or no one will get hurt.

Do you have many Speeding Offences on your record? If you do you may have to locate some Driving Legal Advice. Make sure you aren’t required to pay more than you really should with the best help today!

Tags : advice, Auto, autos, education, law, legal, leisure, misc, motoring, outdoors, outside, reference, Society, Travel, vehicles

While football in the United States is associated with crisp autumn days and cool nights, in Canada professional football begins in the summer time. While NFL training camps won’t open until mid-summer by then the Canadian Football League (CFL) will be well into their regular season schedule.

Most Americans dont realize that the CFL has a lengthy and storied history. The league itself has been around since’30, and the Canadian Football championship–known as the Grey Cup–has been contended since’09. More recently, American fans are aware that a number of NFL stars got their start in the CFL including Doug Flutie, Jim Kelly, and Jeff Garcia.

The CFL is very high level professional football, but there are some significant differences between it and the NFL game:

The most obvious difference is the football itself–the CFL football is longer and fatter than the NFL ball. The CFL still has their goal posts on the goal line, which the NFL moved to the back of the end zone years ago. The field is 10 yards longer and 12 yards wider than the NFL field, and the CFL end zones are 20 yards deep instead of the NFL’s 10 yards.

Teams have 12 players on the field at once as opposed to 11 in the NFL. On offense, the extra player is a receiver, on defense a defensive back. And unlike the American game, where teams have 4 downs to move the ball ten yards the CFL has only 3. Maybe the hardest thing to get used to when listening to CFL broadcasts is the frequently references to teams going two and out. There are a few other subtle differences as well”teams only have 1 time out per half, only 20 seconds between plays, and all backfield players can be in motion prior to the snap (as opposed to only one in the NFL).

A major difference in the scoring is the ‘single’ which awards CFL teams one point for a kick–usually a punt or missed field goal–that lands in the end zone. This will frequently produce partial game scores of 1-0 or 1-1 that are impossible in the US game.

The rule differences don’t end there–CFL teams are required to maintain a certain percentage of Canadian born players on their roster. The idea is that this will protect the unique identity of the game, as well as prevent it from becoming little more than a farm system for the NFL. Currently’ of the 40 players on a CFL roster must be Canadian natives.

Perhaps the greatest misunderstanding is that the average NFL fan looks at the rules of the Canadian game with more players, a wider field, and fewer downs and concludes that the game is a wide open shootout similar to Arena Football. Thats not really the case–you’ll see some offensive battles but most games end up with final score totals in the mid to high 40s. In Arena Football, youll frequently see teams with potent offenses enforcing their will over and over again against teams with porous defenses. You don’t see that too often in the CFL. The rules may be different, but as is the case in American pro football you need a solid rushing game and a stout defense to win games and championships.

Furthermore, the parity that you see in the NFL where on any given Sunday any team can beat any other team is magnified in the CFL. The primary reason is the rules mandating Canadian native players. I dont think itll offend any Canadians if I suggest that football is played at a higher level in American high schools and colleges. That means that at least 50% of each team is of essentially equal level of talents. Now that may be a bit of an oversimplification”certainly there are differing levels of talent among Canadian players”but the Canadian native rules do serve to further codify the inherent tendency toward parity that you see in most professional sports.

The CFL isn’t in a financial position to draw the top level US players away from the NFL or, in most cases, even a NFL practice or developmental squad. While some US players are uniquely suited to the CFL style of play, most of the US players that end up there are of a similar talent level as to that seen in Arena Football.

Despite the differences between the CFL and American football, at the end of the day its still high level, professional football. Once you understand the unique aspects of the CFL, it’ll become second nature much as NFL viewers quickly assimilate rule changes there.

Before the Internet became ubiquitous, it wasn’t easy for an American fan to keep up with the CFL. While they still don’t receive coverage on ESPN, the Internet affords access to the sports media of every CFL city along with the national Canadian sports media at sites like Slam! Sports. The CFL’s official site is also a great source of news, stats and information on Canadian football.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Tags : Canadian Football League, entertainment, football, hobbies, marketing, recreation, Sports, Travel

Enjoy all the comforts of home on your next family vacation. Stay in a vacation rental home or cabin instead of a hotel. Vacation rental homes are in every destination: your favorite river, near Disneyland and Disney World, on Lake Tahoe, the beaches of Hawaii and beyond. These properties offer all the amenities to make them your second home, but the amenities aren’t the whole story: the cost-savings can be incredible.

Need a vacation from your vacation? It’s no wonder if you’ve just spent that precious week or two crammed into a hotel room, sleeping in a rollaway bed, sharing one bathroom, and craving even 5 minutes of peace and quiet. Your typical hotel room offers 400 square feet. Total. Your typical vacation rental home offers 2500 glorious square feet of space – living space, sleeping space, relaxing space. The kitchen alone might just be bigger than the entire hotel room.

More bang for the buck – Booking that perfect vacation rental for a few nights, a week or perhaps a month will be so much cheaper than even a mid-grade hotel room. Hotels make a large portion of their money from the restaurants on the premises. How much was your last room service bill? I recall spending $85 for a continental breakfast for two in Hawaii…yep, that’s right, 85 bucks for coffee, juice and a couple of danishes! Private vacation rentals come with fully equipped kitchens ready for home cooked meals on the cheap. Or, how about a drive to the local restaurant everyone has been talking to you about for a night out – one or two nights out instead of every night? The versatility that comes built in with these homes for family vacations is often overlooked by travelers. Rental owners don’t have the cost and expenses associated with property tax, large loan payments, restaurants, upkeep and advertising; therefore the savings is passed along to the renter. In terms of size, comfort, luxury, amenities and location, your bucks go a lot further when spent on a vacation rental.

Peace and quiet – It’s 7:30am…knock, knock, knock “Housekeeping, housekeeping!” followed by the key in the door. Does this sound familiar? Most hotels rooms are surrounded by other rooms with other people. While sleep is important on vacation, no hotel I’ve ever stayed in has a curfew. “Bang, boom, thump,” sound familiar? We all know the irritation of noisy neighbors in the room next door or up above yours. A vacation home is as quiet as you make it or as loud as you want it to be. It’s your choice. Vacation homes come with space around them and insulation to buffer you from the outside world when it’s your time to rest and relax.

Have a party and where does everyone end up? All together now: THE KITCHEN! The most important part of any home, it’s where home cooked meals are created and eaten. We can’t say enough about the kitchen. From a “these are the moments life is made of” perspective, having your own kitchen on vacation is priceless. From a hard cash perspective, having your own kitchen on vacation can save you bundles. Eat out two nights instead of every night. Pack picnic lunches instead of dining out. Enjoy breakfast in bed, and not for those exorbitant room service rates. Put leftovers away to enjoy the next day. That extra money? Sock it away and save it. Or spend it on one more day of lift tickets, Sea Doo rentals, a Mickey hat, or one last fabulous meal at a fabulous restaurant.

Book your travel fun on your own time! Eat the leftovers instead of paying $50.00 for lunch at the hotel. How about the silverware and refer stocked with great snacks at 75% off. Book a vacation rental clearly has its little benefits that add up to huge savings. The amenities found throughout vacation rentals, well those are FREE!

Vacation rentals near Disney World and Disneyland are popular for family accommodations in these travel destinations which offer homes, cabins, condos and beach house rentals. The gulf shores has some amazing deals on ocean front beach houses. Vacation rentals, cabins, condos, villas are becoming so popular around the world owners are turning their second homes in to vacation rentals and making money to help cover the mortgage.

Here are some of the more popular areas for vacation rentals. Cape Coral, Myrtle Beach, Indian Shores, Orlando, Destin, Breckenridge, Vail, Keystone, Telluride, Steamboat, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes, Big Bear Lake, Table Rock, Shawnigan Lake, Davenport, Hilton Head, Fripp Island, Scottsdale, Cancun, Palm Desert, San Diego, Las Vegas, Oregon, the Virgin Islands…just about any destination you can think of, you will find a vacation rental, not just hotels. Beach rentals in The Gulf Shores, Orlando, Florida or any beach house travel destination and ski cabins where you as a kid grew up still exist and make great family trips for you and your new family. Areas like Lake Tahoe and Breckenridge, Colorado make for some great ski adventures. The Gulf shores and Santa Cruz, California offer beach rentals that will have the kids filled with enjoyment throughout the entire day. It doesn’t get any better than vacation rentals in Maui, Hawaii for a completely relaxing vacation. In no time you will be on the phone extending your stay with the owner of the beach home or condo.

NEVER BOOK VACATION RENTALS THAT ARE NOT VERIFIED! LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN, NEVER BOOK VACATION RENTALS THAT ARE NOT VERIFIED! Why? The internet is a breeding ground for scams. Anyone can list a handful of vacation rentals in Orlando, Florida or New York City and throw some competitive prices into the advertisement. The next thing you know you arrive at an empty lot after a long day of travel only to find out you were scammed.

ONLY BOOK VERIFIED VACATION RENTALS! – Finding a verified vacation rental means that what you see is what you get, guaranteed, without you doing the legwork beforehand, or worse, arriving at your destination only to find the property is not what you signed up for (and spent your money on). Most websites that display vacation rentals do not verify the listings. This means that you must do a little homework before plunking down several hundred dollars for your accommodations.

You may pay a few extra bucks for verified vacation vacation rentals in The Gulf Shores rental but it is well worth every penny. Most advertising websites for vacation rentals from Lake Tahoe to the Caribbean do not verify any of their listings. It is always worth looking for reviews of the rental you are interested in and reading all of the different comments. Then take the middle ground and at least you will have a pretty good starting point in to your investigation. Property management companies are usually the best resource from verification purposes as many of these managers have viewed the rental home or cabin first hand. Vacation rental sites that accept credit cards are also a great solution as many credit card companies offer insurance. Scams are out there and the last thing you and your family need is to end up at a parking garage.

You are all ready to book your next Lake Tahoe Vacation, family get-together in San Diego or a Maui, Hawaii adventure. Finding a vacation rental is as easy as search, find and book. Simply type in “BOOK VACATION RENTALS IN TAHOE” or “BOOK VACATION RENTALS in Maui, Hawaii” or “BOOK VACATION RENTALS IN THE GULF SHORES” OR where ever you desire and away you go!

Learn more about Gulf Shores Rentals. Stop by Mandy Morris’s site where you can find out all about Gulf shores Beach Homes for your next family Gulf coast family holiday.

Tags : accommodations, cabin rentals, lodging, Real Estate, Travel, vacation rental, vacation rentals, vacations