The Aztecs reached colder pastures in an afternoon, a stark
contrast to a trip to Laramie, Wyo., earlier this week, one that
took roughly 20 hours to travel an extra 60 miles.

San Diego State took a charter flight to play Wyoming on Tuesday
in hopes of expediting the travel process to ensure the
student-athletes would be home as much as possible during a week
with two crucial road games.

The concept was sound. Weather decimated the execution. The
Aztecs, forced to take a puddle-jumper of a plane because the
original wasnt ready to fly, had to refuel before reaching
Wyoming. They planned on landing in St. George, Utah, but were
forced to circle for an hour before landing in nearby Cedar
Springs.

Snow prevented takeoff, stranding San Diego State in the wrong
state on the eve of an important Mountain West Conference showdown.
They made it to Laramie six hours before tipoff, and were forced to
forgo a shoot-around in favor of a walk-through practice in a hotel
ballroom.

They had to stop in Arizona on the way back, and players claim
they could see their breath while the plane was airborne.

This craziness led to one obvious change of heart.

Charter flights can be nice, forward Jamaal Franklin said,
But, as of right now, Id prefer to fly commercial.

The Aztecs did exactly that getting to Fort Collins, part of a
road trip that was refreshingly uneventful. While No. 13 ranked
SDSU tallied a win over Wyoming, theyd appreciate a win over the
Rams without the headache.

Its in our minds that we have to go right back to the cold
weather, but our focus remains on coming back with a victory just
like we did against Wyoming, guard Chase Tapley said on Thursday
afternoon. Winning takes care of all the negatives.

Last year, a win in Fort Collins wasnt so easy to come by, with
graduated point guard DJ Gay scoring the game-winner on a
last-second jump shot.

This time, the Aztecs expect a similar game. Coach Steve Fisher
says the Rams (13-6, 2-2) are the best perimeter shooting team in
the conference. The Aztecs, however, excel at forcing difficult
shots with stout defense.

The Aztecs believe theyre a tighter unit after this weeks
travel escapades and several considered the trial a character
builder. They also say it will help them retain focus against a
Rams team that has lost two straight by 21 points or more.

(Were) playing a Colorado State team that has gotten pounded
pretty good the past couple games, but they are a very good
basketball team, Fisher said. I know that, they know that and
hopefully our players will understand that. … Well have our
hands full, but were ready to go.

Los Angeles Times Travel editor

January 28, 2012, 3:09 pm

Exercise

Ronald Windsor exercises recently at the Fort Payne Senior
Center. The center offers a fully equipped exercise room with
various equipment.

It hasn’t even been a year since the Rivers Casino had its grand opening. If you remember, Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan cut the ribbon last July by exclaiming “Cha-ching,” Rivers Casino’s advertising catch phrase.

Until last year, the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin was the place to hang out for great gambling, entertainment and restaurants. Should anyone be surprised that Elgin’s very own riverboat has been sent down river with a lot less cash for the Fox Valley? Of course not, because we all knew that when Des Plaines got the go-ahead for another riverboat casino, the cash was only going to go so far.

So as Des Plaines celebrates its “Cha-ching,” Elgin already is feeling the crunch. One thing already determined is that this will be the final year for those $200 senior tax rebates. Eligible Elgin residents had to be 65 or older, live in Elgin, of course, have a Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption, and own a home or mobile home for the 12 months the rebate became available.

Two hundred dollars might not sound like a big hunk of change, but to a senior living on a fixed income, it most likely was a welcomed windfall. That $200 or so could pay some utilities, help pay for a month’s worth of groceries, or provide some extra cash for an evening out to dinner followed by some entertainment at the Hemmens Cultural Center.

Luckily, the owners of the Grand Victoria and the city of Elgin are not quite ready to throw in the towel. Presently on the table is a proposal to conduct a partnership study to delve into the possibility of building a multipurpose entertainment building that would bring people back to the Grand Victoria by providing better competition for the Rivers Casino, and recoup revenues back to the Fox Valley.

We already know that the Hemmens Cultural Center, with its 1,200 seats, is becoming antiquated with its outdated heating and air conditioning systems, lack of first-floor restrooms, poor acoustics, and not enough aisles. A new, 2,000-seat facility could be home to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra as well as special events.

Like most progress, a study must be conducted before the work can get started. If the planned study shows that a new cultural center is worth the money to put up and a boost to the lagging attendance at the Grand Victoria, why not take the plunge?

If the study shows a new cultural center is way too costly for what revenues it can bring to the city, then it should be back to the old drawing board. After all, there is a lot more at stake here than a $200 senior tax rebate.

Linda McDaniel-Hale is a Sleepy Hollow resident.

One of the most effective exercises for increasing the strength and appearance of the back of the legs is the squat. The squat involves placing a bar either on the back of the shoulders, or in some cases holding it on the front of the arms; sometimes referred to as a front squat. The person doing a squat goes down into a seated position while keeping the back straight or slightly arched, but not curved or rounded off. This exercise is not only one of the best hamstring strengthening exercises, but it also works the quadriceps and glute muscles as well.

Another great exercise that targets the hamstring muscles is the seated leg curl. There are typically three main methods by which these machines operate. The first involves sitting in a chair like machine, curling weight down and back. The second method involves lying in the prone position on a machine and curling the legs up and back toward the buttocks. The third method involves standing and using a machine to curl weight up and back toward the buttocks area. All of these exercises target the muscles down the back of the legs and help to tone and firm those areas.

The hamstring muscles can be worked with numerous exercises. Many gyms offer machines that specifically target this muscle group. If you have any questions about how to do an exercise, make sure to ask a good personal trainer. The cost of a personal trainer session or two will likely be well worth the expense with regard to what you learn. Good luck in your workouts.

This entry was posted Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 3:36 am and is filed under Exercise.

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Even when buying airline tickets, timing is everything.

Passengers can get the lowest airfares if they buy six weeks before their flight, according to a study by Airlines Reporting Corp., an Arlington, Va., company that handles ticketing transactions between the nations airlines and travel agents.

The study looked at millions of transactions for airline tickets over the last four years and found that passengers pay the lowest price, nearly 6 percent below the overall average fare, if they buy six weeks before their flight.

The study also showed that ticket prices begin to soar dramatically about a week before the day of travel, and can rise nearly 40 percent above the average price if passengers buy the ticket on the day of the flight.

Were not advising people to purchase tickets only at this time during the cycle as there is no guarantee they will receive the lowest price of the year, said Chuck Thackston, managing director of data and analytics for the firm. It is just that the data indicates we have seen this pattern over the last four years.

Wi-Fi helps lift airlines revenue

There is a good reason why the nations airlines are moving quickly to make wireless Internet an increasingly common onboard service, along with drinks, food and movies: It generates more revenue from fees.

Onboard Wi-Fi use grew from 4 percent in 2010 to 7 percent last year, and is expected to generate up to $1.5 billion annually by 2015, according to a study by In-Stat, an Arizona market analysis company.

About 45 percent of the nations commercial air fleet is equipped with in-flight wireless Internet, with several airlines, including Virgin America and AirTran, offering the service fleetwide, according to In-Stat.

The nations airlines collected about $155 million in 2011 from charges to use onboard Internet and are expected to collect $225 million this year, said Amy Cravens, a senior analyst for In-Stat.

As onboard Wi-Fi spreads throughout the industry, the study suggests, airlines will find more ways to make money from it, including new fees for Internet phone calls and video chatting from 35,000 feet in the air.

The future of in-flight Wi-Fi will be less about convincing airlines of the merit and more about leveraging the network to provide a broader breadth of services, Cravens said.

Scanners may get more testing

The full-body scanners used at more than 100 airports nationwide have been tested for safety by federal agencies, but the Transportation Security Administration says it is willing to conduct additional tests to address ongoing safety fears about the radiation emitted by the machines.

In the last three months, TSA chief John Pistole has changed his position — twice — on whether new tests are needed.

But TSA spokesman Greg Soule said Pistole is now open to conducting new tests.

TSA is committed to working with Congress to explore options for an additional study to further prove these machines are safe for all passengers, Soule said. There was no word from the TSA on when or who would conduct such tests if they are performed.

The safety of the scanners came up when the TSA recently issued a request for information from government vendors about the purchase of wearable dosimeters — devices that can measure radiation exposure.

To ensure that its employees are provided safe and healthful working environments, the document said, the TSA is planning to perform radiation measurement using personal and area dosimeters at selected federalized airports.

British skier treks across Antarctica

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina –British adventurer Felicity Aston completed her crossing of Antarctica on Monday, becoming the first woman to ski across the icy continent alone.

She did it in 59 days, pulling two sledges for 1,084 miles from her starting point on the Leverett Glacier on Nov. 25.

!!!Congratulations to the 1st female to traverse Antarctica SOLO.V proud, her Twitter message said.

She announced her achievement from Hercules Inlet on Antarcticas Ronne Ice Shelf, where she waited alone in her tent for bad weather to clear so that a small plane could pick her up and take her to a base camp. Other expeditions also have gathered there, preparing for the summers last flight off the continent.

Aston also set another record: the first human to ski solo, across Antarctica, using only her own muscle power. A male-female team already combined to ski across Antarctica without kites or machines to pull them across, but Aston is the first to do this alone.

Australia sees third shark attack of 2012

SYDNEY –A snorkeling guide was attacked by a 10-foot tiger shark off a remote beach in Australias third attack this month. Thats as many attacks as the country generally sees in an entire year.

David Pickering, 26, was leading a group of snorkelers through a lagoon at Western Australias Coral Bay when the shark swam up to him and sunk its teeth into his arm.

I turned around and boom, there he was, Pickering told reporters. (The force) was enough to actually bring me forward and under him because I scraped my knee on his belly.

Pickering said he punched the shark with his other arm and it backed off. He then yelled at the other snorkelers — a couple and their two children — to get out of the water before swimming the 300 feet back to shore.

Im pretty stoked that it happened to me and not one of those kids, he said.

Pickering was taken to a hospital in Perth with severe lacerations to his arm. His injuries were not life-threatening and he was in stable condition, Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman Joanne Hill said.

The attack came one day after a surfer was bitten by a shark at a beach off Australias east coast. Another surfer was attacked at a beach north of Sydney on Jan. 3.

Wire services

The deal became mired in negotiations after Republican legislative leaders expressed significant concerns about the constitutionality of provisions that directed gambling revenue and granted the tribe exclusive regional rights.

But the governors office said this week it is close to a resolution – and expects to have the compact ready for state lawmakers when they return to Raleigh for a mini-session in February.

Now, the bigger obstacle is whether Republican legislative leaders can muster the votes to enable the new games. They hope to win over skeptical rank-and-file lawmakers by casting it as a jobs issue.

Unlike most legislative issues, gambling defies partisan labels with liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans uniting in opposition to the compact. In recent years, the legislature has moved to limit gambling and the compacts passage is far from certain.

I dont think its good for the state, said state Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat, echoing moral concerns raised by some Republicans. I think it preys on those that are most vulnerable and can least afford it.

The 30-year agreement, as written, would sanction Las Vegas-style card games and send a percentage of the money from Harrahs Cherokee Casino to the state education department, starting at 4 percent and moving eventually to 8 percent.

In signing the agreement in November, Perdue, a Democrat, touted it as a way to raise an estimated $2.5 million initially for school districts and create 400 projected jobs in the local economy. The state receives no revenue from existing casino games under the current accord, reached in 1994 under Gov. Jim Hunt.

Gov. Perdue is focused on finalizing the compact with the Cherokee because it will create jobs and inject much-needed funding into our classrooms, said spokeswoman Chris Mackey.

The legislature didnt directly participate in the compact negotiations and doesnt need to approve the specific terms of the deal. But lawmakers still hold sway because they would need to amend a state law to allow live table games. The federal government also must approve the compact.

Perdues office scrambled to complete the compact during the Thanksgiving weekend and sent it to the legislature for approval amid its November mini-session. House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate leader Phil Berger, both Republicans, support a compact. But they declined to consider it saying the agreement was riddled with errors – including the wrong address for the governors office – and needed further consideration before it came to a vote.

In a December letter, attorneys for Tillis and Berger told Perdues office that the state constitution only allows the legislature to appropriate money and the agreement with the tribe infringes on lawmakers authority. The compact sends North Carolinas portion of revenues directly to the state education department, which could create a constitutional deficiency that will likely be subjected to a robust legal challenge, the attorneys argued.

The legislative attorneys also suggested a clause granting the tribe exclusivity to live table games west of Interstate 26 contradicts a constitutional ban on the creation of monopolies making it possibly susceptible to a constitutional challenge.

The revenue and exclusivity provisions were major sticking points in the negotiations. But the governors office dismisses the suggestion of a monopoly and believes the funding issue will get resolved in the accompanying legislation without much trouble.

Critics suggest larger obstacles exist. I think (the current language) is a problem, said Bill Brooks, the NC Family Policy Council president and a gambling opponent.

Brooks believes the legal issues will require a change in the constitution to authorize the compact or it will prompt a legal challenge.

Residents of the sprawling city observed a Black Hawk helicopter and four OH-6 choppers flying over Los Angeles, with the fleet hovering above the US Bank building downtown and flying low over the Staples
Center. ??

Meanwhile, LA news station CBS KCAL9 managed to identify a Black Hawk making what appeared to be a practice drop off in a local park before flying off.??

The LAPD issued an official statement explaining that the training exercises would help ensure the militarys ability to safely and effectively operate within urban environments.??

Chief Warrant Officer David Duran told KCAL9 the Los Angeles training exercises could be a dry run for a future mission.

They do a lot of mockup training… But its always best to get the closest terrain layout to what the objective is, he explained.

If its a mountainous terrain, they go to the mountains; if its a desert terrain, they use the desert; if theyre in a coastal terrain, they use the coast. If its an urban terrain, you know, whatevers needed.

Similar exercises – which were held in NYC, Miami and Boston – have prompted concern over what appears to be the rapid militarization of local police departments. Indeed, since 9/11, the DHS has shelled out more than $34 billion in federal grants arming precincts with military grade equipment and advanced tech.

For example, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and US Department of Defense (DoD) are currently testing a new system that uses terahertz imaging to detect hidden weapons.
?
Unsurprisingly, the use of such invasive technology has prompted a slew of concerned statements from privacy advocates who believe the arbitrary use of terahertz imaging violates human rights. To be sure, the system is capable of measuring energy radiating from an individual up to 16-feet away, while detecting anomalies like a firearm.??

However, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly insisted he will only authorize the use of the system in reasonably suspicious circumstances where terahertz imaging would cut down on the number of instances which police stop and frisk a subject.

The NYPD is also apparently mulling over the idea of deploying drones to assist officials with various law enforcement tasks. Of course, drones are already flying above the skies of a number of US states, including Miami and Texas. The craft are typically equipped with high-resolution cameras capable of capturing a high-level of detail in real time, such as faces and license plates numbers.??

Former NYPD officer Gary Weksler said he believes the deployment of drones over the skies of the Big Apple makes perfect sense and is probably somewhat inevitable.

Not only would it be a form of intelligence gathering to protect the public, it also in many respects removes the officers, who might be attempting to identify issues, from harms way, he added.

The UFC returns to FOX this Saturday with a three-fight main card that could produce the next title contenders in two different divisions. Its also packed with betting opportunities that will generously reward the risk-takers. And youre not a chicken, are you? Huh? Bawk bawk bawwwwwk?? Yeah, thats what we thought. So consider our UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis gambling advice after the jump, and be sure to come back for our liveblog, which kicks off at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. But first, the complete odds lineup, via BestFightOdds.com:

MAIN CARD (FOX)
Rashad Evans (-165) vs. Phil Davis (+175)
Chael Sonnen (-400) vs. Michael Bisping (+394)
Chris Weidman (-140) vs. Demian Maia (+128)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV)
Evan Dunham (-314) vs. Nik Lentz (+300)
Shane Roller (-218) vs. Michael Johnson (+200)
Mike Russow (-150) vs. Jon Olav Einemo (+152)
Cub Swanson (-136) vs. George Roop (+125)
Charles Oliveira (-458) vs. Eric Wisely (+400)
Joey Beltran (-204) vs. Lavar Johnson (+183)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK.com/UFC)
Chris Camozzi (-170) vs. Dustin Jacoby (+160)

Lets get started

The Main Event: This is Rashads fight to lose. His striking is better than Daviss, and hes not going to allow Mr. Wonderful to outwrestle him for five rounds. I say Evans keeps the fight standing and takes a win on the scorecards. Now, if you consider the intangibles — Rashads streak of bad luck, his high emotions coming into this fight, the rocky start of the Blackzilians camp (see: Anthony Johnson, Melvin Guillard) — then an upset starts to seem possible. But on paper, Suga holds more advantages, and you can bet comfortably on him.

The Good Dogs: For starters, the two other fights on the main card are worth looking at. Chael Sonnen certainly deserves to be the favorite against Michael Bisping, but 4-1 odds is pushing it. (You have to think that Bisping has spent the last week drilling triangle chokes off his back nonstop.) A small wager on Bisping for the upset is smart, simply because the payoff is so inflated. As for Demian Maia, slating him as the underdog is close to insulting. Weidman may be the newest hot-shit wrestler/grappler prospect in the middleweight division, but hes also coming into the fight on very short notice, against a veteran whose biggest strengths are on the mat. Weidman could be in trouble here. I also like the occasionally-brilliant George Roop at +125 against the generally-inconsistent Cub Swanson.

Prelim Steal: How is Mike Russow, whos 3-0 in the UFC and hasnt lost a fight in almost five years, only a -150 favorite against Jon Olav Einemo, whos 0-1 in the UFC and hasnt won a fight in over five years? Just because Einemo briefly had Dave Herman on the ropes in his UFC debut, were supposed to think that this fight isnt a squash match? Forget that — this is free money. Bet big on Russow.

Official CagePotato Parlay: Sonnen + Russow + Oliveira + Beltran

Suggested wager for a $50 stake
- $10 on Evans
- $5 on Bisping
- $5 on Maia
- $5 on Roop
- $20 on Russow
- $5 on the parlay