Fruit For Life

Christmastime is a time of year when friends and families gather together. Often it is a time when the different generations can reconnect and children can spend time with their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Keeping everyone occupied and entertained can sometimes be a challenge. If your family has a creative flair then a great idea is to do some craft projects together. Beads provide some great festive ideas for creative projects. Here are a few ideas for Christmas beading projects.

Christmas Tree Decorations

There are several holiday beading kits that can be adapted to create Christmas decorations. Beading kits that make up pendants such as snowmen, angels, toy soldiers and Christmas trees are ideal for decorations. Get several different beading kits and make up the individual pendants. To be able to hang the pendants on the tree, use some satin ribbon to create a loop which you can tie off on a branch. The crystal pendants will catch the light and turn your Christmas tree into a sparkling masterpiece. If you want, you can also buy individual beads and string them together to create your own unique decorations. With a bit of wire and creativity, you can put together a beautiful glittering beaded star for the top of your tree. You can form different shapes with the wire and add beads to them to form all kinds of creative Christmas tree decorations.

Christmas Stocking Fillers

Parents are always looking for new ideas to fill the childrens Christmas stockings. Beading kits are a great idea for girls. If you want to keep the festive theme going, get a kit where the person can make a holiday pendant or set of earrings featuring a snowman or Christmas angel. Alternatively, there is a wide variety of other kits that feature jewelry items for all occasions. If you know that your niece, for example, likes fairies and princesses then you can get her some beads so she can make her very own princess fairy necklace and bracelet set.

Table Decorations

A fun beading project to get the whole family involved is to create table decorations for Christmas dinner. Some ideas include making small individual trinkets to hang around the stem or handle of each glass. Often guests will put their glass down and then not be able to remember which one was theirs. By having an individual decorative marker on each glass, you can easily identify which glass is which. Make sure that each decorative beaded marker is distinctive so it is easy to tell them apart, even after a few glasses of eggnog. Another idea is to make serviette holders. String a few red and green beads together on some ribbon and tie it around napkins. This creates a stylish look for your table that doesn’t take too much time and effort to put together.

Fun Gifts for Guests

To add to the festive spirit, you can present each one of your guests with a gift as they arrive. Ladies can receive a pair of dangling Christmas tree, angel or snowman earrings. The men can receive a pendant that they can pin onto their shirt. The earrings or pendants are inexpensive and can be put together in no time at all. Get the kids to help out and choose who gets what. You can choose a different type of gift for each guest so each person gets something special to remember your Christmas celebrations.

Special Christmas Candles

Candles always add to the atmosphere of a room. Instead of using plain candles, you can decorate them with some sparkling beads. Choose colors that will suit your theme and beads that have a flat back so you can easily attach them to the candle. One idea is to create a colorful string of beads that you simply wrap around the base of the candle like a wreath. This idea is suitable for long thin candles as well as larger candles. If you want to get a little more creative, get a large candle and then create decorative patterns on the side of it. Remember to position the patterns near the base of the candle so the beads won’t get affected as it burns. This idea works well with a broad-based candle. You can also use beads to brighten up a plain glass candle holder. The beads will reflect the light of the burning candle and create a sparkling effect.

Looking for the best beads? Too Cute Beads was founded in 1998 based on one principal- giving everyone the opportunity to create beautiful and unique jewelry at a reasonable price. For more information on our wide selection of crystal beads, visit us online today!

The University of North Carolina used a 21 yard field goal on the final play of the game to pull a big college football upset over #13 Virginia Tech on Thursday night, winning by a final score of 20-17. The Tar Heels’ #8 ranked defense proved as tenacious as their high national status would suggest, and gave the Hokies fits throughout. North Carolina led for most of the game, but withstood a late game Virginia Tech comeback bid to take the win.

College football betting enthusiasts who took North Carolina as +16′ road underdogs were never in serious doubt about the eventual payday they’d receive as the Tar Heels never trailed by more than three points. The Tar Heels improved to 3-4 against the college football pointspread, while the Hokies dropped to 3-5 versus the money. The 37 combined points scored went UNDER the posted total of 43′. North Carolina has gone UNDER in four of six games this season, while Virginia Tech evened their college football totals record at 4-4.

Tar Heels’ QB T.J. Yates was in a state of disbelief after the narrow road victory:

“I’ve never really had this feeling before. Kicking it at the last second? It just sends chills down your spine.”

Running back Shaun Draughn spoke of the team’s priority to bounce back quickly after they blew a big lead in a loss to Florida State last week:

“We knew we had to get back to the drawing board. To come back and play the way we did definitely speaks volumes about our team.”

In the Hokies’ locker room, linebacker Cody Grimm spoke of his team’s need to regain their focus:

“I think the motivation is to come out here so you don’t feel like this again. Ten wins is one thing, but I don’t want to feel like this any more and the only way to do that is to win.”

Running back Ryan Williams felt doubly bad about the loss, as his late game fumble cemented the victory for North Carolina:

“As of right now, there probably isn’t really anything they can say to lift me up because regardless of what anybody says, personally I feel like I kind of took the game away from us today. It was on the line, it was in my hands and I fumbled.”

The Hokies will play against next Thursday night, heading to Greenville, NC to face the Skip Holtz coached East Carolina Pirates. They’ll play at Maryland on Saturday, November 15 before returning home a week later to host North Carolina State. North Carolina plays their next two at home, starting a week from Saturday against Duke. Miami will come in the following week before the Tar Heels hit the road to play at Boston College on November 21.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Trying to find for an affordable method to fly out of the country? If so, do you live in or around the Louisville, Kentucky location? If so, there is a fantastic opportunity that you will be flying out of the Louisville International Airport. The Louisville International Airport is identified as being one of the area’s finest airports, not only whenever it comes to providing support, however whenever it comes to offering low-cost travel options. For that reason, if you haven’t already picked an airport to fly out of, you will require to look at the Louisville International Airport as well as almost everything that it has to offer.

When choosing an airport to travel out of, a person may end up being worried about the airlines that service it. Despite the fact that this is a reputable concern, you usually do not have to be anxious. You will find that the Louisville International Airport is serviced by a considerable amount of renowned airlines. Those airlines feature American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Express, and US Airways. In essence, this indicates that anywhere you are looking, you ought to be able to find the airline flight that you are looking for, no matter whether that flight be non-stop or not.

Whenever it arrives to traveling in or out of the Louisville International Airport, the airport security follows just about all policies put in place by the Department of Transportation (DOT), and also the Transporation Security Administration (TSA). This implies that on all domestic and international flights, pointed items and fluids are restricted from your carryon bags. On the other hand, most items, with the exception of flammable or explosive items, are authorized in your checked in luggage. Given that issues may occur, it is advised that you arrive at the airport, at least, one or one and half hours before hand. When you are scheduled to fly internationally, it is well-advised that you come also much earlier, in case.

Like with all other international airports, the Louisville International Airport requires that you have the suitable forms of identification. These items are required before you happen to be granted to enter your plane. It really is critical to realize that these documents have a tendency to differ from those required pertaining to domestic flights. Determined by which airline you are traveling with and where you are going, you might also require to provide your passport, your visa, your birth certificate, or a certificate of citizenship. You’re informed to assess with your airline to decide which documents are demanded.

Any time it comes to car parking at the Louisville International Airport, you can discover that you have numerous possibilities. If you will be leaving for an international destination, but you need to leave your vehicle behind, you can do so at the numerous long-term parking lots. In addition to long-term parking lots, there are also short-term lots accessible. In case you are being dropped off at the airport by a person that plans on aiding you get inside, they may make use of the short-term parking lots for an acceptable charge. When it comes to paying for parking, the Louisville International Airport will take, cash, most credit cards, and checks.

All these information should have been enough to provide you with exactly what you will need to know, however if you are exploring for much more information, you may do so online. You happen to be urged to examine the Louisville International Airport’s online website. That site may be identified through checking out www.flylouisville.com.

Are you a foreigner who would like to seek the services of a travel agency LA city area? A lot of LA travel agents are more than ready to assist you delight in your vacation far away from home.

After a summer of negotiational back and forth during which both sides indicated at various points that they were far apart and then making progress, the Portland Trailblazers have inked All Star shooting guard Brandon Roy to a five year contract extension. Roy will be in the final year of his rookie contract in the forthcoming NBA season, and securing the services of a player that did no less than turn around the franchise was the teams top summer priority.

The on court success and off court class of Brandon Roy may have saved the Portland NBA franchise. The Blazers slumped from their glory years of the 1970’s and 1980’s as the 1990’s progressed, eventually pulling together a roster consisting of character challenged reprobates that earned the moniker JailBlazers for their frequent legal transgressions.

With the Blazers fans staying away from the arena in droves, team owner Paul Allen had finally had enough. In the late 1990’s, he gutted the franchise management and cleaned house. The new management was given the charge to put together a roster that would not only win games, but win back the Rose City fans. The acquisition of Roy will likely be looked at as the turning point for this effort. The Blazers acquired Roy on draft day 2006 for Randy Foye, and would go on to win the NBAs rookie of the year award.

The Blazers”who were 21-61 the year before Roy arrived”posted a 54-28 record last season. Roy has become the centerpiece of a talented young team had has not only become a force in the NBAs Western Conference but has gone a long way to winning back the Portland fan base.

Roys agent Bob Myers strongly suggested that Roy wanted to remain with the Blazers for his entire career, noting that he “is one of the unique players to have a chance to have that sort of relationship with one team.”

The team will now turn its attention to signing a long term deal with forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is also in the final year of his rookie contract and a key component to the teams recent success. At last report, talks between the two sides are progressing.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

When golf legend Jack Nicklaus was still a young upstart in the sport and only starting to tear up PGA courses, legend Bobby Jones commented following ‘The Golden Bear’s”65 Masters win that “he plays a game with which I am not familiar”. Following Lyoto Machida’s absolute destruction of Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 98, there’s likely a few MMA fighters saying the same thing. Machida completely befuddled Evans en route to a 2nd round TKO victory after which ‘The Dragon’ looked as if he’d barely worked up a sweat.

The fight started slowly, with each man trying to get a feel for his opponent and wait him out to see who blinked first. Evans, who prefers to counter punch, quickly began to become uncomfortable with facing an adversary who didn’t come right at him. Late in the first round, Machida went on offense with frightening suddenness, flooring Evans with a nice straight right hand. Evans gamely tried to fight back, but a final right hand from the Shotokan Karate master left him out cold.

After the fight UFC announcer Joe Rogan proclaimed the start of the Machida era and this is not just mere hyperbole. Machida is unlike any fighter before him, rooted in mastery of traditional martial arts but with the versatility of a modern MMA competitor. He’s essentially a Mortal Kombat character come to life–in a more realistic cross disciplinary comparison he shares many of the same characteristics as boxing great Floyd Mayweather, Jr. as he combines insane handspeed, underrated stopping power and nearly impenetrable defense into an unorthodox and extremely lethal package. Like Mayweather, hes a tough opponent to prepare for as there’s simply no way to replicate his skill set in sparring.

The comparisons with the insanely talented but equally insanely arrogant Mayweather end when the final bell sounds. Outside of the cage, Machida is a modest and respectful gentleman who is quick to give credit to his father and his karate teachers for his MMA success. He spent most of his UFC 98 postfight interview not singing his own praises, but imploring others to strive to realize their dreams.

An odd trivia note about Machida serves as further repudiation for MMA neophytes who think that the sports kinship with pro wrestling began with Brock Lesnar: Machida was discovered by Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, and became something of his protege. He trained for some time at the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo in Tokyo.

Perhaps the most frightening thing about Machida is that hes only now reaching his full potential as an MMA fighter. In other words, hes only going to get better which is a scary prospect for opponents given the fact that hes never lost in MMA competition. Early in his UFC career he had a reputation as a boring fighter, but in his recent bouts hes shown a downright lethal ability to end fights. He stopped Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at UFC 79 with an arm triangle choke, and blitzed Evans and previous foe Thiago Alves with punishing punching combinations en route to TKO victories. The so called boring fighter has in the process earned two UFC knockout of the night bonuses by virtue of his evolving power punching skills.

Machida will very likely face Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at some point in the future and, with all due respect to the PRIDE/UFC veteran, its difficult to see him faring much differently than Evans did. One thing working in ‘Rampage’s’ favor is his greater experience and a resume filled with high level opponents of various fighting styles.

In the co-main event of the evening, Matt Hughes defeated Matt Serra by unanimous decision to gain the upperhand in their long running feud. It was a surprisingly entertaining fight, with Serra taking the first round with his power punching before Hughes used his takedown and ground control abilities to win rounds two and three. The two men embraced after the fight so, for now at least, their well known dislike for one another that began during their stint as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter may have ebbed.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

categories: UFC,mixed martial arts,sports,recreation,entertainment,hobbies

Rashad Evans didn’t scream about demanding respect in his prefight interviews because hes smart enough to know that respect must be earned. He earned it and then some with a devastating 2nd round TKO of Chuck Liddell in the main event of UFC 88.

If Evans needed any more validation of how little respect he was getting, he could have taken a look at the UFCs text message prediction poll of the main event which favored The Iceman by a whopping 81% to 19% margin. Or he could have listened to the UFC announcers, who had all but penciled Liddell in for a return to light heavyweight title contention after his inevitable victory. Instead of complain, Evans let his fists do the talking and with a perfectly placed overhand right will likely never have to worry about a lack of respect again.

From the opening horn, Evans showed no fear of Liddell’s once legendary power. Instead, he danced and moved (which was dumbly criticized as showboating by the UFC announce team), using his slick footwork and speed to dart in and out of range of Liddell’s punches. In the process, he was able to use his superior handspeed to get off first. His punches weren’t exactly highlight reel power shots at this point, but were nonetheless effective as evidenced by a cut opened under Liddell’s eye. For his part, Liddell scored with a few shots of his own, but was clearly frustrated by the evasiveness of his opponent.

Evans highlight reel power shot was to come in the 2nd round. Liddell backed Evans up near the cage wall and went to throw an uppercut. Simultaneously, Evans responded with an overhand right that landed quicker, harder and more accurately. The perfectly placed punch knocked Liddell out cold and referee Herb Dean jumped in to cover him up and wave off the fight without taking a second look. Evans’ KO was one of the most devastating in the history of the sport, and made all the more so by the status of the man on the receiving end.

Rashad Evans raised his record to 17-0-1, with the lone blemish a draw against Tito Ortiz at UFC 73. Liddell, meanwhile, saw his record drop to 21-6″with three of those six losses coming in his last 4 fights.

Liddells loss notwithstanding, it was a good night for UFC veterans as Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson won their fights in impressive fashion. Franklin looked particularly sharp in dismantling tough Matt Hamill, eventually prevailing by 3rd round TKO. Hamill had trouble getting inside for the takedown he needed to compete in the bout, and every time he closed the distance he was met with a barrage of Franklin punches and kicks.

This was the UFCs first trip to Atlanta and despite a good attendance the crowd itself was somewhat disappointing. In a marked contrast to the knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans at the Target Center in Minneapolis for UFC 87″arguably the best MMA crowd ever at a US venue”the live crowd at Phillips Arena often acted as if they were at a taping of Georgia Championship Wrestling.

More problematic was the crowds utter lack of respect for the fighters postfight. Poor Dong Hyun Kim was booed during his postfight interview like he was Professor Toru Takana cutting a heel promo on Mr. Wrestling 2 after winning the Georgia Heavyweight Title by throwing salt in his opponents eyes while the referee was distracted. Not quite the respect that a 4th degree judo black belt whod just won a very tough fight deserves. Kim’s treatment by the fans cant be written off as a reaction to a close split decision victory; Rashad Evans was booed after his victory over Liddell, and short of decapitating ‘The Iceman’ there was no way his win could have been more decisive.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory 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.

For your wrestling to be successful in MMA it’s important to have the ability to shoot in from both orthodox (left leg forward) and southpaw (right leg forward) stances. How you shoot in depends on your opponent’s stance and striking. You have to defend yourself accordingly while attacking the legs or upper body to get the take down in MMA.

These wrestling for mma take down drills will require you to take penetration steps with BOTH legs from either stance-that means practicing four separate ways. You will be executing these wrestling for mma penetration steps ONLY after first blocking/ducking a strike.

* Left leg penetration step from orthodox against an orthodox strikes * Right leg penetration step from orthodox against a southpaw’s strikes * Left leg penetration step from southpaw against an orthodox strikes * Right leg penetration step from southpaw against a southpaw’s strikes

Practice each one of these wrestling for MMA techniques solo at first, then with a partner and then with a partner in a given stance, throwing a strike, which you will be shooting on after blocking or dodging. The following are the wrestling for mma training techniques one should practice when you get to the stage of adding strikes. Make sure to use protective gear when practicing take downs for MMA.

MMA take down from an orthodox stance against an orthodox stance:

* Against a right-limbed attack practice using a full shield (forearm and lower leg brought together) by either raising your left lower leg or by lowering your level and execute a penetration step with your left leg forward. Obviously you lower your level on a punch and shield on a kick. * Against a left-limbed attack practice pinning your right arm against your body or lowering your level and execute a penetration step with your left leg forward. Obviously you lower your level on a punch and shield on a kick.

MMA take down from an orthodox stance against a southpaw stance:

* Against a left-limbed attack practice using a full shield (forearm and lower leg brought together) by either raising your right lower leg or by lowering your level and execute a penetration step with your right leg forward. Obviously you lower your level on a punch and shield on a kick. What may not be so obvious is the fact that since you are forced to block with your right leg (your rear leg) you need to think of and execute that right shin block more as a strike with your shin to his shin (or his inner knee/thigh ideally) in order to be able to be in a position to smoothly transition to this wrestling for mma take down. * Against a right-limbed attack practice pinning your left arm against your body or lowering your level and execute a penetration step with your right leg forward. Obviously you lower your level on a punch and shield on a kick.

MMA take down from a southpaw stance against an orthodox stance:

* Against a right-limbed attack practice using a full shield (forearm and lower leg brought together) by either raising your left lower leg or by lowering your level and execute a penetration step with your left leg forward. Obviously you lower your level on a punch and shield on a kick. What may not be so obvious is the fact that since you are forced to block with your left leg (your rear leg) you need to think of and execute that left shin block more as a strike with your shin to his shin (or his inner knee/thigh ideally) in order to be able to be in a position to smoothly transition to the take down. * Against a left-limbed attack practice pinning your right arm against your body or lowering your level and execute a penetration step with your left leg forward. Obviously you lower your level on a punch and shield on a kick.

If you are planning on taking up MMA then be sure to get the right equipment such as a pair of MMA Fight Shorts and quality MMA Glove. You needs these items to start with MMA.

It seems that many woodworkers don’t have an air compressor, simply because they sound difficult.

Some of the convenient terms that you should actually know about when keeping a lookout for a compressor include:

PSI – Pounds per square inch

CFM – Cubic feet per minute

Duty Cycle – how long a compressor can run compared to the quantity of rest time over a 30 minute period. Like it can operate for 10 minutes, then rest for 20 without making major head wear

Single Stage – where the compression piston compresses all the air in one stroke

Versus 2 Stage – where there are two pistons that work in cooperation to squeeze the air.

If you’re planning on running tools like sanders, buffers, grinders and so on you will need to think about something in the mid-size or maybe bigger shop size of compressors.

If you’re planning on employing grinders, sanders, buffers and the like, you will need to consider a giant fixed base compressor like Campbell – Hausfeld or Ingersoll-Rand. These will have around six hp and a storage tank of fifty gallons or more . If you’re a hobbyist woodworker, who is looking for a nailer or stapler, one of the tiny cartable compressors is excellent. Makers like Porter-Cable or Delta will work fine.

The real trick to getting a compressor is to realise beforehand what you’re going to use it for and what the air-tool rating is in PSI and CFM. This could give you a better indication of the duty cycle you will need. But this isn’t the end either, because you must look CLOSELY at the air tools you are considering because the same tool can vary seriously in the amount of compressed air it’ll consume. That’s’s hugely important, and it suggests the difference between getting a mid-size compressor or massive fixed compressor. A compressor and associated air powered tools may be a real time saver, even for the hobbyist’s work shop.

In the final research you’ll have to make that difficult call, but what ever you do, make sure you ensure you get a pleasing compressor for your choice of tools.

Next, discover more on Air Compressor varieties which you can access via the main website here at the Air Compressor Savings resource.

The often maligned Indianapolis Colts defense matched the ferocity of their Jacksonville Jaguars counterparts play for play, and one touchdown pass from Peyton Manning proved to be enough to earn victory by a 14-12 margin in the NFL season opener for both teams. The victory was Manning’s 118th in a Colts uniform, tying the legendary Johnny Unitas for the franchise lead. Unitas, of course, was the personification of the franchise during their years in Baltimore.

NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Jaguars as +6 road underdogs were rewarded with the pointspread cover. Indianapolis dropped to 11-16 ATS over the past three years when favored. The 26 combined points went well UNDER the posted total of 45. Despite their reputation as an offensive juggernaut, the Colts have actually trended to the UNDER over the past three seasons, with 19 UNDERs in their past 35 lined games. The Jaguars, conversely, have a slight edge to the OVER in that span with a 19-14 mark over the past three years.

After the contest, Manning displayed his characteristic humility when asked about tying the mark held by the iconic Unitas:

“I’ve never felt comfortable with comparisons with him. I think he’s kind of in his own category. But I am proud of those wins.”

Manning was more concerned about the welfare of receiver Anthony Gonzalez:

“I asked Rashean Matthis what happened and he said, ‘I didn’t even touch him . He has worked so hard in the offseason, I just hope it’s not a season-ending injury.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell won his first game at the helm of an NFL team, and was pleased with the effort of the defense:

“Obviously, the defense played well and came up big at the end. We thought it would be a grind, and it was. I think our team certainly played tough, played hard, played with a lot of energy.”

Jacksonville wasnt overly discouraged after the contest either. Maurice Jones-Drew gave props to the Indy defense after the game:

“They just did a great job in the red zone stifling our offense. My hat’s off to them. But we have to learn how to finish.”

Quarterback David Garrard also gave credit to the tenacity of the Indy pass rush:

“I thought, ‘Here we go again, we have a great chance. You love to be in that situation. We were trying to get the ball to Maurice, but you’ve got to slow those pass rushers down. We did what we could do.”

The Jaguars will open their 2009 NFL home slate on Sunday as they host the Arizona Cardinals. Theyll travel to Houston for a game against the Texans the following week. The Colts will head to south Florida for a game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected 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 energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Fedor Emelianenko will make his debut for the Strikeforce MMA promotion this fall, facing undefeated prospect Brett Grim Rogers. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker made the announcement at a Showtime promoted Fedor open workout in New York City. The promotion has yet to announce a date or a venue.

Fedor is considered by most experts to be the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world, if not the best of all time. He snubbed the UFC following Afflictions exit from the MMA promotion business, choosing to sign with the up-and-coming Strikeforce promotion.

After signing with Strikeforce, Fedor was typically low key:

I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level. STRIKEFORCE is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world. I am prepared to fight any of them.

Emelianenkos manager, Vadim Finkelchtein commented:

I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce. We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker concurred:

We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor. Fedor has been the reigning king of MMAs heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.

Fedor will put his 26 fight winning streak on the line against Brett Grim Rogers, who himself will enter the fray with an unblemished 10-0 record. The Minnesota native was originally being groomed by Elite XC as an opponent for street fighting phenom Kimbo Slice. After the demise of that promotion, Kimbo ended up on the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter while Rogers went to Strikeforce.

Fedor vs. Rogers Strikeforce betting lines have not been posted as of yet, but the Russian fighting god will clearly by a huge favorite. Considering that Emelianenko was a -500 choice at many books in the ill fated Affliction matchup against Josh Barnett(ranked the #2 heavyweight in the world at the time), he could be a -750 chalk or higher against the tough but inexperienced Rogers.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory 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.

The New York Jets and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez found a sure fire cure to their recent struggles-a game against the lowly Oakland Raiders. Sanchez passed for–3 yards and a touchdown, plus added a rushing touchdown as New York thumped Oakland 38-0 in the largest regular season shutout win in franchise history. The Jets improved their record to 4-3 while the Raiders dropped to 2-5.

NFL football betting enthusiasts who took the Jets as -6 road favorites had smooth sailing throughout the game for an easy pointspread cover. The Jets improved to 4-3 against the spread while the Raiders fell to 3-5 against the number. The 38 points scored went OVER the posted total of 34. Both teams have gone UNDER in four of seven games this season. Oakland failed to score a touchdown for the 15th game in the past four seasons.

It was such an effortless game that the only thing that Sanchez had to apologize for was surreptitiously eating a hot dog near the end of the contest:

“I want to apologize for that. I wasn’t feeling very good and didn’t eat much before the game, so I was feeling a little queasy. Toward the end of the game, I probably should have eaten one of those bars or something, but someone offered a hot dog, so I grabbed it and tried to be discreet about it, but obviously not discreet enough. So I shouldn’t have done that, and it won’t happen again.”

The Jets capitalized on three early Raiders’ turnovers and started two of their first three drives inside the five yardline. Sanchez praised the defense for making his job easy:

“It makes it so easy on the offense when your defense is playing like that. Hats off to them, they had a heck of a game to shut that team out. I don’t care who we’re playing, that’s a big-time accomplishment for our team.”

Jets’ coach Rex Ryan was very pleased with Sanchez’s performance:

“Sanchez was great. He was just smart with the football. I think sometimes he could have put the ball on a receiver, but he was making sure the ball wasn’t intercepted. It was great to see him respond.”

Raiders’ defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who boldly predicted the team would make the playoffs despite their slow start, was singing a different tune after the rout:

“I don’t think we could have beaten an Oakland high school team today.”

Despite Russell’s struggles, Oakland coach Tom Cable remains committed to him as the team’s starter:

“I thought he was really out of sorts early in the game. I just did not feel like at that point he gave us the best chance to have the success we needed to have offensively and made the move. JaMarcus will continue to be our starter. There is no issue there.”

The Raiders will try to bounce back this weekend in a big rivalry game on the road against the San Diego Chargers. Oakland is +16′ road underdogs with the total set at 42′. They’ll then enjoy a bye week before back to back home games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. The Jets host Miami this Sunday, with New York a -3′ home favorite and the total set at 40′. They’ll also have a bye week to look forward to before returning to action at home on November 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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 sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Roller Derby was never really a big deal in the US, but has been around forever and was a staple of the early days of television. It was similar in its promotional format to its better known “sports entertainment” cousin, professional wrestling. It was frequently seen in the same bad timeslots on the same low powered UHF TV stations, and it was run by the same loose confederation of promoters and businessmen that characterized the regional territory era of pro wrestling. That’s where the similarity to wrestling ends–it’s storylines made pro wrestling angles look like high drama. While there is a definite history to the sport–great teams like the LA T-Birds and Bay Bombers, and legendary skaters like Ann Calvello it never really stuck in the public consciousness like the pre-Hulk Hogan era of pro wrestling.

When the original purveyors of the sport quit promoting in the early’80s most thought it was dead and gone until a ‘new school’ of roller derby surfaced on cable TV via the A&E reality series Roller Girls. It featured a local, all-girl roller derby league in Austin, Texas and followed the lives of the players on and off the track. While much of the show dwelled in Lifetime style drama about binge drinking and bad relationships, it was the first clue that many had that roller derby had risen from the dead. A sport that had faded into the lowest level of obscurity had been rediscovered and embraced by an eclectic group of young women. They had kept the same essential format, thrown in a healthy dose of burlesque camp and Varga pin-up inspired glamour and made it into their own vibrant subculture. They changed the competitive format and renamed the competitions “bouts” a la MMA or boxing. The result was a compelling mixture of glamour, toughness and athleticism driven by a healthy dose of punk rock “do it yourself” mentality.

Today, roller derby is a full blown worldwide phenomenon. There are hundreds of local roller derby leagues not only in the United States, but Canada, Australia and Europe. Most of the local groups similarly play up the campy retro pin-up/hot rod iconography and everyone involved sure looks like they’re having a good time. Between teams there’s a vibe of good natured competitiveness and camaraderie. In the US, these groups exist under the auspices of a national organization called the Womens Flat Track Derby Association. Las Vegas has the ‘Sin City Roller Girls’, Portland, Oregon the ‘Rose City Rollers” and Seattle the ‘Rat City Rollers’. There are now groups in not only the larger and traditionally “hipper” cities but also smaller communities such as Birmingham, Alabama and Omaha, Nebraska.

This organic rebirth and growth of roller derby is a result of young women taking what essentially was TV time filler and made it into their own distaff ‘action sport’. The roller derby circa 2009 is a matriarchal success story. No one is in it for the money, as these local groups are typically run as non-profit organization. The women involved have recreated this sport, and run it, promote it and compete in it on their own terms.

The new generation rollergirls also pay homage to their sports’ pioneers much in the same way that skateboarders give props to Duane Peters and Tony Alva. Many of the individual group websites have sections devoted to the history of roller derby, and the late Ann Calvello–regarded as the Queen of the original Roller Derby–is revered as something of a patron saint. The Texas Rollergirl group featured in the A&E series has renamed their championship the Calvello Cup.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhomme struggled on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was fortunate that his running backs bailed him out. Delhomme threw for only 65 yards with two interceptions, but D’Angelo Williams (152 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (110 yards) kept the chains moving as the Panthers won their second straight game defeating the Bucs 28-21. Tampa Bay has now lost ten straight dating back to last season and are 0-6 for the first time since’85. The fact that they ended up starting that year 0-9 on their way to a 1-15 record doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season. Carolina improved to 2-3 with the victory.

NFL sports bettors were faced with a choice between two teams with dismal ATS records in this game, and those who had the guts to take a 1-3 team as a -3 road favorite were rewarded with the cover. It was Carolina’s first NFL pointspread cover of the season and left them with a 1-4 record against the number. Tampa Bay has covered one of their six games this year.

Delhomme attempted only seven passes in the second half, but the way Williams and Stewart were running there was no reason to put the ball in the air. Williams said that even though Tampa Bay knew what was coming they couldn’t stop the Panthers’ running game:

“I’m sure everybody in the stadium knew what we were going to do. There were times they had nine in the box and we were still getting 7 or 8 yards.”

There’s been little impatience locally with Bucs’ rookie head coach Raheem Morris, but his weekly habit of explaining the obvious to rationalize yet another loss is starting to wear thin:

“We got overpowered at the end, and really throughout the game.”

Carolina safety Dante Wesley was ejected after clobbering Bucs’ return man Clifton Smith after a fair catch call. After the game, Wesley gave this defense for his actions:

“I was just trying to make a play. You can check my record. I’ve never really tried to hurt anybody. I’ve never tried to take a cheap shot on anybody.”

Wesley could face a possible fine or suspension from the NFL but, in all fairness, it did appear to be a momentary mental lapse as he was trying to make a big play and not a deliberate attempt to injure Smith.

Tampa’s schedule has the look of them going from ‘the frying pan into the fire’ as they host the New England Patriots next Sunday-fresh off of their 57 point drubbing of Tennessee. Carolina has an easier draw, hosting the Buffalo Bills next Sunday. The game is currently off the board pending the status of Bills’ QB Trent Edwards who suffered a concussion in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets. The Panthers will then play on the road the following two Sundays, traveling to Arizona and New Orleans.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory 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.

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. In the end, Virginia Tech prevailed for a 34-26 road victory but not without some anxious moments.

Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread. The 60 combined points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48.

The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:

“I know we have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just my job to get the ball to them.”

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer noted:

“I don’t think that’s the old Duke football team.

Blue Devils coach David Cuttcliffe said his team is reaching the point where moral victories dont mean much any more:

“We got close enough in the fourth quarter to go beat a great team. Once you taste that, you like it. I wouldn’t say we spit it out — it wasn’t a choke — but we just didn’t finish.”

Despite getting the win, Hokies coach Beamer was critical of his teams performance:

“Too many penalties and too many long plays. We weren’t as sharp as we would like, but I don’t think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke, and part of it was us. … Sometimes I think you’ve just got to win some games that’s not real pretty on the road, and this is probably one of those.”

Still, he praised his team for doing what they needed to do to preserve the victory:

“When we needed to run the football, and we did, and got points, that was critical to this ball game. They were going to take the run away, so you’ve got to be able to throw the ball.”

Virginia Tech will host Boston College next Saturday before traveling to Atlanta the following weekend for a game against Georgia Tech. Theyll enjoy a bye week before a nationally televised Thursday night game at home against North Carolina on October 29th. Duke will play at North Carolina State next Saturday before a bye week. Theyll return to action at home on October 24th against the University of Maryland and play on the road at Virginia the following week.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and highly respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds 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.

Tony Romo passed for a NFL career best 353 yards and threw three touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys got their 2009 season off to a good start with a 34-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raheem Morris went down in defeat in his debut as Bucs head coach, while the Cowboys answered a lot of questions about how their receiving corps would respond to the absence of Terrell Owens, now with the Buffalo Bills.

The Cowboys easily covered the pointspread as -4 road favorites, and improved to 16-12 over the last three years when laying points. Tampa Bay dropped to 17-17 over the same timeframe as an underdog. The 55 combined points went OVER the posted total of 39. Dallas has gone OVER in 20 of their last 34 lined games.

After the game Roy Williams couldn’t resist a wisecrack about T.O.:

“Career-high passing yards? Without T.O? “No, it’s good. It’s good for him. It’s good for this team. It was a team effort. Everybody contributed.”

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he wasnt surprised at the effort turned in by his wide receivers:

“They are playmakers, and we knew that going in. But until you do it, the naysayers are going to say: ‘Hey. You don’t have this or that.’ But I think we do.”

Romo, meanwhile, preferred to focus on the victory instead of his individual accomplishments:

“You don’t think about yards. You’re not judged off of yards. You’re judged off of winning and losing at this position.”

Raheem Morris spoke of the defeat in his regular season NFL coaching debut:

“Obviously, we’re disappointed. But there were a lot of good things on offense.”

Perhaps the brightest silver lining in the dark cloud of the loss was the performance of Cadillac Williams. Williams appeared fully recovered from serious knee surgery and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber suggested that the final score masked the fact that the team played well:

“We had our chances. The final score is definitely not indicative of how good we played at times. Those big plays absolutely destroy you football team.

The Cowboys will open their season at their plush new $1 billion plus stadium this Sunday, hosting the New York Giants. The Bucs will head to upstate New York to face T.O and his new team, the Buffalo Bills. Theyll return to Florida the following week to take their turn hosting the New York Giants.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

The Edmonton Eskimos survived a wild back and forth CFL shootout against the Calgary Stampeders before prevailing 38-35 to take over sole possession of first place in the CFL West. Ricky Ray hit Fred Stamps with a 23 yard touchdown pass with just nine seconds to play to earn the victory, erasing the lead that Calgary had earned with their own TD pass less than a half minute earlier.

After the game, winning QB Ricky Ray said that he enjoyed playing in the shootout:

“That was a ton of fun. In the CFL you get to play in a lot of games like this, especially against a guy like (Calgary quarterback Henry) Burris, who has done this to us. It’s great to come out on the winning end of a shoot-out like that. It’s a great uplift for the team. It’s a huge win for us.”

Eskimos head coach Richie Hall said that the outcome couldnt have been timed any better:

“Regardless of what happens, we are coming back in first place. Now we have one up on Calgary. It’s going to be a dogfight for all the teams in the West and any chance you get to win, especially a win like this, it’s a real bonus. It’s great for our confidence.”

Calgarys Burris remembered a very similar game last year where Edmonton won by the same margin on a last play touchdown:

“They got us last year in this situation and of course you didn’t think it was going to happen again or even could happen again. It felt so great to get that late touchdown and with 38 seconds on the clock nobody was even thinking about last year. We had to stop Jackson and we didn’t. And we had to stop Ray and we didn’t. Kudos to Edmonton.”

Calgary returns to action on Aug. 28 in Toronto while the Eskimos will next play on Aug. 29 when they host Hamilton. The two CFL provincial rivals from Alberta will face each other twice more this season.

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

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing the Cleveland Browns for longer than any other team in the National Football League, dating back to’50. And while it hasn’t been quite that long since the Cleveland Browns won a game against the Steelers it may be starting to feel like it. On Sunday, Pittsburgh won for the twelfth straight time dating back to 2003 as they topped Cleveland by a final score of 27-13.

The good news for NFL betting enthusiasts who took the +13′ with the Browns as a road underdog is that they managed to cover the pointspread by the slimmest of possible margins. Betting against the defending Superbowl champion is a long standing handicapping concept, and this season at least its worked like a charm-the Steelers have only covered one of their first six games. Cleveland, meanwhile, evened their NFL pointspread record at 3-3 on the season. The Browns have covered three straight after dropping their first three both straight up and against the spread.

Pittsburgh dominated the game in virtually every statistical category. They amassed 28 first downs to 12 for Cleveland, held a 543 to’7 total yardage advantage and a 36:46 to 23:14 time of possession advantage. Most of the post game talk from both sides was about a controversial spot in the first half where the Steelers were given a first down on a short yardage play when it appeared that they didn’t make the required yardage.

After the contest, Derek Anderson spoke of the frustration of continually coming up short against the Steelers. The Browns have only one once in ten games since Pittsburgh moved into their new home at Heinz Field:

“We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here. We put tons of hours in and … it’s frustrating. Every single week, it’s frustrating.”

Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller said the team is happy to be where they are at this point despite not playing up to their standards:

“I think we haven’t played our best ball yet and that’s pretty comforting. We’ve gotten a few wins here without playing our best.”

The Steelers will host Brett Favre and the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. The Steelers are a -4 home favorite with the total set at 45. After a bye week, the Steelers will hit the road to play another undefeated team as they take on the Denver Broncos on Monday, November 9. Cleveland will host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, with the Browns a +7 home underdog and the total set at 42′. They’ll head to ‘The Windy City’ to face the Chicago Bears the following Sunday and then have a bye week.

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 sportsbooks 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.

The introduction of the inscription profession into Warcraft was a godsend for enchanters, saving them a lot of time in the marketplace.

Up until this, you had to ply the trade channel and enchant other players items directly using the trade GUI between characters. Selling one high end enchant might involve spending hours spamming the trade channel for a buyer.

But Inscription, and more specifically “vellums” changed all this. You could enchant the vellum directly, and it would store it until it was required. Therefore meaning that you could market your wares like any other profession using the “media” of vellums. More changes as Enchanting and other professions reach level 525 Illustrious should be expected.

Because of this, it might seem that inscription would make an ideal co-profession for enchanters. And while this does seem to offer benefits, levelling up your first character with two crafting professions can be a very expensive and time consuming process.. Perhaps best left for an alt once your main character can bankroll the process.

One word of warning though. Two crafting professions will cost you a fortune to run, this is not really an option for a first or only character, it’s more an option for alts of wealthy main characters.

It is best to analyse the market before making a decision on which enchants to make. Checking which particular items are in demand and which are overstocked.

Next I compare this with the materials I have at hand and the cost of some of the ingredients and reagents currently also at the auction house.

I have, in the past, been able to buy nearly all the items I need to make my ‘chant, and sell at a healthy profit. But most of the time I need to farm or source some things for myself.

Having a high level character with two gathering professions is a great idea here. Questing or instancing with this character to get the materials you need for your enchanter.So it’s a good idea to have all characters up to Level 525 Illustrious with their professions, not just your enchanter.

At the end however, you may still need to disenchant blue or even epic “purple” items for the ingredients you need. So having a guild mate who can make disenchant-able items with a crafting profession – can save a lot of time and effort.

Does this sound harder than most professions? Well it probably is, but it also one of the most rewarding and profitable ways to play, especially end game. I wish you good luck on getting to Enchanting 525 Illustrious.

Can you get your Enchanter ready to get to level 525 and Illustrious when Cataclysm hits? Get our Free Enchanting Guide Add your own thoughts on our Warcraft News Page

A day after failing to make weight for his fight against Matt Hughes, Thiago Alves dominated the former UFC welterweight champion en route to a 2nd round TKO victory. The main event at UFC 85 in London was somewhat anticlimactic to the fans at the O2 Arena who considered the semifinal matchup between Manchester’s Michael Bisping and Jason Day the biggest fight on the card.

Hughes didn’t make any excuses following his one sided loss, saying simply that hes a good fighter and he got me. The longtime king of the UFCs welterweight division also gave notice that his career as an active fighter was drawing to a close, suggesting that he had one fight left and challenging Matt Serra in what presumably would be his retirement match. Hughes had no answer for Alves from the opening horn, as he was stuffed on several takedown attempts early on. When he did finally get his opponent to the ground he was unable to do much damage. Alves, conversely, scored effectively with his striking including several damaging knee strikes. He also did considerable work on the ground, with an elbow strike opening up a large cut on Hughes forehead. Though he didnt get to his knees a la Georges St. Pierre, Alves did make a plea to Dana White for a title shot. His failure to make weight wont help his cause, however, and judging from the UFC Presidents incredulous smirk in response that opportunity wont be immediately forthcoming.

The end came early in the 2nd round as Hughes was caught coming in by a devastating knee strike. He fell to the canvas in a heap and referee Herb Dean was jumping in to stop the contest before Alves could follow up with any punches. As the ringside physician entered the ring to check on the fallen fighter, Hughes gave an indication that his knee was injured. Replays showed that his knee buckled under him in a very awkward fashion as he fell and while the extent of the damage is yet to be determined Hughes indicated in the postfight interview that it was messed up.

Michael Bisping simply overwhelmed Jason Day en route to a lopsided TKO victory. Bisping built upon the improved boxing skills he demonstrated at UFC 83 by unveiling an impressive ground and pound attack. Day never really got anything going and by the last minute of the fight was simply trying to cover up to prevent damage from Bispings elbows and hammer fists. Between his move down to the middleweight division and his improved technical striking skills, Bisping looks like a different fighter. His post UFC 83 suggestion that he wanted a fight with Anderson Silva seemed premature at the time, but following another devastating performance its starting to look much more realistic.

In other action, Mike Swick used an array of high kicks and a 7 reach advantage to coast to a unanimous decision over Marcus Davis. Davis, a former professional boxer, was unable to get inside against his lanky opponent and was never really in the fight. Like Bisping, Swick may have made an excellent career choice by moving down in weight. His height and reach, combined with a well rounded striking game, makes him a particularly different matchup at the lower weight.

A controversial point deduction for a strike to the back of the head cost Nate Marquardt his match against Thales Leites. Marquardt was solidly in charge for the entire fight, but suffered a point deduction for an illegal knee strike in round one. While that infraction was valid, replays of the 2nd round deduction for the strike to the back of the head gave the impression that he was penalized for a legal strike to the side of the head. The 2 point deduction changed the outcome of the fight, with Leites winning a split decision by the scores of 28-27, 28-27, 27-28.

In the opening PPV match, another controversial ending saw Fabrico Werdum defeat Brandon Vera by 1st round KO. The fight had been evenly contested up until the stoppage, with Werdum scoring a couple of takedown and Vera countering with some effective punching. Late in the first round, Werdum got a full mount and began to fire a series of punches. Vera was clearly defending himself and didnt appear to be hurt at all when the referee jumped in to stop the fight.

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 sportsbooks and sportsbook directory 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.

On a cold, gray morning in late January 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The controlled demolition came despite years of effort by a number of groups within the community and nationally to preserve the building with lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots lobbying efforts.

While the efficacy and justification of demolishing the Mapes is debatable, one thing that is not is the glorious history of the hotel. It was built in’47, and signaled the start of the modern era of casino gambling. Despite the notoriety of Bugsy Siegel and the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was the Mapes that became the first building in the nation to have a hotel, casino and live entertainment under one 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 city argued that the land on which the Mapes stood was necessary for their redevelopment efforts–a somewhat absurd position given the realities of downtown Reno and the lack of any real development on the property since the demolition. Despite receiving a number of viable concepts for the Mapes Building, the City Redevelopment Authority rejected all of them and the Mapes was destined for demolition.

The role of the City Redevelopment Authority was questioned throughout the process. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was on a prime location between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. A number of sound financial proposals were presented that would preserve the integrity of the structure including condominiums, office space, and perhaps most viable, upscale senior apartments. Oddly, all of these proposals were turned down by the citys Redevelopment Agency which continued to maintain that demolition was the only viable option despite copious evidence to the contrary.

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 property has been improved and the rink is now permanent which, while not in itself a bad use for the land, further calls into question the efficacy of demolishing the structure. It would appear that the city had no clue what to do with the land, but for whatever reason wanted the building brought down. This has led to all sorts of conspiracy theories, from the City Development Agency having financial incentive to raze the hotel to rumors that the building was haunted and was destroyed to keep the Reno area from being overrun with paranormal activity. Whatever the reason for the decision, the city of Reno has lost a beautiful art deco treasure that played a significant part in the economic growth of the state.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance 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 Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.