Apex Trips Carves Out Successful Niche

In today's ultra competitive travel market Apex Trips, of Turlock California, has carved out a successful niche in the community they serve by providing personalized customer service to their loyal customers. Mary Couto Lewis brings thirty two years of travel industry experience to the table, which is rare in a business where bookings are done more and more online. "Customers appreciate the personal touch only a seasoned travel agent can provide," Lewis said. "By speaking with and listening to my clients I can tailor a package to fit their schedule and budget," she added.

  Cruising has become one of the bright segments of the travel industry in a down economy according to experts. Apex Trips has steadily increased the number of cruise packages they offer their clients: These include cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe. Couto Lewis is excited about the upcoming five day Carnival Cruise to Ensenada aboard the Inspiration: with a capacity of over 4,000 passengers there are plenty of activities and entertainment planned by Carnival's excellent shipboard staff. In addition to Carnival's excellent onboard entertainment popular Portuguese artist Erminio Lemos will also participate in the musical portion of the festivities.

  Heritage tours to Portugal, Spain,Italy,France,Greece and Brazil are a specialty of Apex Trips. Heritage tours are organized especially for second and third generation non native speakers that wish to explore their ancestral homeland. These tours are normally all inclusive and are accompanied by a native speaker. Religious tours to Fatima and Lourdes are also popular throughout the year. These customized packages are often much more economical and convenient for the first time visitor who can relax without having to worry about finding a hotel or getting to and from the various attractions. Having an experienced agent and an expert guide makes for a much more enjoyable trip for all.

   Apex Trips is currently planning a tour of Brazil scheduled for early spring of next year: to include Rio de Janeiro, Iguacu Falls, Belo Horizonte and Manaus. Rio de Janeiro has something for everyone: from beautiful beaches to the exciting nightlife no wonder they call Rio "A Cidade Maravilhosa" (The Marvelous City). Belo Horizonte is located in the State of Minas Gerais and has a population of just over 5 million. In spite of barely being one hundred years old, this modern city has all the comforts of home. Manaus is the Amazon's largest city and serves as a major departure point for tours of the Amazon Rainforest. Iguacu Falls is one of the Seven Wonders of Nature and is located on the border between Brazil and Argentina. Some say that it takes several trips to Brazil to fully appreciate this natural wonder of the world. This tour will be guided by agent Angela Pereira, formerly of the Portuguese Tourism Office in San Francisco.

  Mary Couto Lewis has no plans to retire anytime soon, which is good news for the traveling public. For further information on Apex Trips and their various travel packages visit their website at www.apextrips.com. They may also be reached by phone at (209) 632-3935.

 

"No Easy Day"

September 11th will forever be remembered for the solemn resolve made by a wounded nation to get Bin Laden. With the release of "No Easy Day" we are able to follow Seal Team Six into the compound in Abbottad and up to the third floor bed room and finally to Bin Laden himself. We have included amazon.com's review of "No Easy Day" below, which also includes links for anyone who would like to purchase a copy of this outstanding book.

 For the first time anywhere, the first-person account of the planning and execution of the Bin Laden raid from a Navy Seal who confronted the terrorist mastermind and witnessed his final moments.

 From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden’s compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group--commonly known as SEAL Team Six-- has been a part of some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never made headlines.

 "No Easy Day" puts readers alongside Owen and the other handpicked members of the twenty-four-man team as they train for the biggest mission of their lives. The blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the helicopter crash that could have ended Owen’s life straight through to the radio call confirming Bin Laden’s death, is an essential piece of modern history.

 In "No Easy Day", Owen also takes readers onto the field of battle in America’s ongoing War on Terror and details the selection and training process for one of the most elite units in the military. Owen’s story draws on his youth in Alaska and describes the SEALs’ quest to challenge themselves at the highest levels of physical and mental endurance. With boots-on-the-ground detail, Owen describes numerous previously unreported missions that illustrate the life and work of a SEAL and the evolution of the team after the events of September 11. In telling the true story of the SEALs whose talents, skills, experiences, and exceptional sacrifices led to one of the greatest victories in the War on Terror, Mark Owen honors the men who risk everything for our country, and he leaves readers with a deep understanding of the warriors who keep America safe.

Carolina Attractions: The Reasons Why You Must Move To The Carolinas Immediately
by: Robert Bencivenga

 Charlotte North Carolina Sky

In case you are perusing this, you most likely know by now why you should move to the Carolinas. Well, it’s our opportunity to inform you some of the reasons we like the Carolinas. A few of our finest Carolina attractions are given below.

The abundance of nature, history and diverse lifestyles is one of our principal reasons for loving South and North Carolina. In the span of four hours you can go from the Smoky Mountains in Asheville, to the limpid waters of the Atlantic Ocean beyond Charleston.

 From the avenues of Charleston to the historic sand dunes of the Outer Banks, the past tends to envelop you in the Carolinas. One of the most excellent ways to come into contact with the legacy of both states is to discover the Heritage Trails.

 These two states make the most of the mild weather conditions and crowd their schedules full of activities throughout the year. Some of the more famous Carolina attractions comprise the Beaufort Water Festival, in Beaufort, SC, the Bele Chere music festival in Asheville, and the performing arts festival of Spoleto, in Charleston.

North Carolina (NC) is famous for the Research Triangle Park in the vicinity of Raleigh and Durham (the most extensive research park in the world), the Piedmont Triad Research Park, close to Winston-Salem, and University City, near Charlotte (the 2nd biggest banking center in U.S.) Numerous other Carolina attractions comprise cities like Columbia and Charleston, which include thriving business centers. The Carolinas are woven together via 6 main interstates and in excess of hundred thousand miles of state highways. The maximum amount of progress is occurring along the I-85 corridor and should you need to travel a long distance, the Carolinas possess half a dozen important airports in suitable locations.

Hot jobs in the Carolinas cover medical, technology, banking, education, and manufacturing industries. Once known as a textiles center, in the last two decades a number of manufacturers have shifted abroad. Many corporations have noted the qualified workers and tax benefits and shifted in.

Carolina attractions in cuisine rank high on our reasons why you have to relocate to the Carolinas. The attractions concern comfort, family and food. North Carolina is particularly noted for its barbecue. There are 2 types of barbecue: Eastern, with its red pepper and vinegar based sauce, and Western, which uses tomatoes and brown sugar in addition to the red pepper and vinegar.

The Carolinas are noted for their great seafood as well (particularly in South Carolina). South Carolina’s individual way of cooking seafood is described as “Calabash.” Originating in the town with a similar name, Calabash style cooking dips the seafood in evaporated milk, after that a breading mixture and then it’s deep-fried. Western North Carolina’s mountains focus on river trout.

Irrespective of whether you choose to shift to North Carolina or South Carolina, both states have top notch medical services. North Carolina houses four medical universities and South Carolina contains a medical college in Charleston, and large hospitals in Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg.

Everyone has their own reasons why they ought to move to the Carolinas. What are yours?

To get a FREE REPORT on “Affordable Best Places In The Carolinas”, and find the best place for you visit: http://www.PlacesOfValue.com/page/best_places.php

         

One September Morning....

          

     One September morning I rubbed the sleep from my eyes in time to see the unimaginable come across my T.V. screen. While smoke was still billowing from the first tower, what looks like a 747 plows into one of the second tower, live on NBC's Today Show. With a quick call into work and a shower I got into my car and ventured out into a very different world.

          Winding my out of the cul de sac and out to the freeway, the scene was a surreal. At the top of the off-ramp I looked out onto a deserted Highway 99. Driving past Livingston and Atwater there was no traffic coming in the opposite direction. Merced was nearly deserted with the exception of a couple of police vehicles parked in front of  1810 “K” Street. Fire Chief Ken Mitten came rolling by to make sure all was well and then he was off.

      My office mate Lesa Rasmussen opened the door and then locked it behind me. She and Cathy Paskin immediately confirmed my worst fears, we were under complete lock down until further notice. The Assembly member was at an undisclosed location with the other members of the Legislature. At the time, no one knew if we were dealing with homegrown terrorists or something even worse. The three of us spent the next few hours watching the news coverage on a small television in the relative safety of the inner office. Word finally came around two o'clock that we could go home.  Our world that had been turned inside out in a matter of minutes would never be the same again.

          It felt so good to be home even though I couldn't shake the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. A call went out to check on mom and the grandparents who were relieved to know that at least we were home and safe. Grandma had already checked in to make sure that  all seven grand kids and their extended families were safe and sound.

         I expected the wall to wall coverage on television, but the realization of what had happened set in when all non essential channels went off the air until further notice. My wife and I spent the rest of that day flipping back and forth between CNN and RTPI  international ( Radio Television Portugal International).  RTPI's coverage proved to be very graphic, much more so than its' American counterpart.

         

        The days quickly turned into weeks and the months into years. Christmas that year was a quiet affair given that everyone of us were still numb from the events of September 11^th. We all learned to watch for suspicious activity in our neighborhoods that might be dangerous. Although suspects were hauled in, they never did find those responsible for sending Anthrax laced letters to state and federal offices. It felt good when the bombs fell on Afghanistan and the Taliban was run out of town. I can remember thinking “they aren't done yet, why the hell are we invading Iraq?”

          An intern's disappearance in Washington brought down a once invincible valley congressman. Loyalties were tested and long held cannons shattered in the wreckage that followed. Jobs started to get scarce even though the housing market continued its' climb to the stratosphere. The valley's death spiral had begun in earnest with the  consequences to come by the truck load.

          The war in Iraq turned into a killing field and we couldn't get any straight answers from Washington. When the bodies started coming home the questions from everyday Americans only got louder. Then came reports of secret prisons and enhanced interrogations that included something called water boarding. 

          The attempts to bring down planes and the United States with them didn't end on that clear September morning. Thankfully none succeeded, but that old familiar feeling of fear and apprehension always return ever so briefly. Bin Laden lies at the bottom of the Indian Ocean and Khalid Sheik Mohamed will never see the light of day, but how many more are lying in wait for the opportunity to be the next martyr for the cause. 

          A small band of zealots managed to leave their mark on the mightiest nation in the world that lasts to this day. I'm not so sure we will ever shake that feeling every time we  take off our shoes at an airport check point. Eleven years on now we will mark the anniversary with solemn reverence for the lost and their families.  Memorials will be held and bells will toll at Ground Zero, lest we ever forget that September morning....

         

“Fearless”

Fearless takes you deep into SEAL Team SIX, straight to the heart of one of its most legendary operators.

“Fearless” is the must read story of redemption and tragedy told through the prism of bestselling author Eric Blehm. Although he is careful to blot out some specifics so as not to unnecessarily put members of SEAL Team SIX in harm’s way, Blehm does a masterful job of telling us the story of their fallen comrade Adam Brown. “Fearless” comes along at a time in our history when we are want ant for heroes that do the right thing regardless of the consequences. Adam Brown was such a hero that made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of his country. We hope that you enjoy reading Amazon’s excellent review of “Fearless” below and will be inspired to read the book in its entirety.

 When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready: In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”

Long before Adam Brown became a member of the elite SEAL Team SIX—the counterterrorism unit that took down Osama bin Laden—he was a fun-loving country boy from Hot Springs, Arkansas, whose greatest goal had been to wear his high school’s football jersey. An undersized daredevil, prone to jumping off roofs into trees and off bridges into lakes, Adam was a kid who broke his own bones but would never break a promise to his parents.

But after high school, Adam fell in with the wrong crowd and his family watched as his appetite for risk dragged him into a downward spiral that eventually landed him in jail. Battling his inner demons on a last-chance road to redemption, Adam had one goal: to become the best of the best—a US Navy SEAL. 

An absorbing chronicle of heroism and humanity, Fearless presents an indelible portrait of a highly trained warrior who would enter a village with weapons in hand to hunt terrorists, only to come back the next day with an armload of shoes and meals for local children. It is a deeply personal, revealing glimpse inside the SEAL Team SIX brotherhood that also shows how these elite operators live out the rest of their lives, away from danger, as husbands, fathers and friends.

Fearless is the story of a man of extremes, whose courage and determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the US military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.

Adam Brown was a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior, described by all who knew him as fearless.

“Mobley Questions Adam Gray’s Evolving Job Title At U.C. Merced"

Unemployed Californian

 The Mobley campaign recently raised the specter of whether Adam Gray, candidate for the 21st Assembly District, had falsified his ballot designation on the June 5th Primary Ballot.  The various job titles that candidate Gray has given himself during the course of the campaign have raised eyebrows, and a lot of questions, from people within the District.

 “Adam Gray is posing as a University Lecturer at UC Merced, apparently in an attempt to appear established locally in the 21st Assembly District, and to create an aura of prestige,” said Mobley.  “His recent financial disclosure forms tell a different story.  His Form 700 filing indicates that the bulk of his income is derived from a business called Adam Gray Consulting.”

 Gray’s website biography states that he is a “course assistant/lecturer” at UC Merced.  One of his campaign flyers identifies his as “UC Merced Teacher.”  Another piece of campaign literature, in the form of a letter from his mother and step father, contains this quote:  “We were both proud when our son Adam started teaching at UC Merced.”  Another flyer intimates that he “teaches and mentors” students at both UC Merced and California State University Stanislaus.

 For his ballot job designation, Gray chose “University Lecturer/Advisor.” He lists two references to substantiate that claim-Nathan Monroe, who teaches a Political Science course at UC Merced, and Adam’s uncle, Robin Adam, long time Merced County political operative, who has no direct affiliation with the University.  This raised suspicions because Gray, who only holds a two-year college degree, does not qualify as a “Lecturer” according to standards set by UC, which specify a Master’s Degree or Ph.D. for that position.

 A citizen query to the UC Merced Chancellor’s Office received the following May 17 email response:  “Adam Gray is a course tutor, not a faculty member or a lecturer.”  There was no clarification as to whether “course tutor” is a paid position.

 It has become clear that neither Adam Gray nor his campaign seem anxious to answer these and other questions that have recently surfaced regarding the candidates credibility. Calls to the Gray campaign were not returned by press time. 

 With term limits: the voters have increasingly been left with an ever decreasing pool of experienced candidates to choose from. Jack Mobley has at least served several terms on the Merced County Planning Commission whereas: Adam Gray can only cite his time in Sacramento, which speaks volumes to the level of experience he brings to the table. Both candidates would be well served to focus on bringing jobs and some measure of sanity to the long suffering voters of what is presently known as the 21st Assembly District.

 The voters don’t escape blame in all of this. After all, they keep electing candidates that have a hard time keeping promises and seem to be married to the special interests in Sacramento. The Valley certainly deserves an independent voice that speaks for them whether in Sacramento or Washington. Maybe someday we can find another Ken Maddy or a Gary Condit to send up there, until then everyone needs to keep looking….

"The Gloves Come Off In California's 21st Assembly District Race"

 The primary race for California’s newly drawn 21st Assembly District has recently taken on a much sharper edge. The field of four Democrats and One Republican are seeking to have their voices heard in this crowded field, which certainly takes money and name recognition. The diverse field of candidates ranges from a present and a former Assembly staffer, a licensed contractor, a former city councilman, and a local business man. The two top vote getters will face off in the general election, which promises to be a hard fought affair. Voters can expect a campaign waged on television, radio, and social media between now and November that promises to test the metal of both candidates.
   
 The first real salvo of the young campaign season was launched recently with the release of a curious web ad titled “Adam Gray, Trojan Horse Candidate.” The sixty second spot opens with the announcer telling voters: “Folks, a Trojan Horse just road into your neighborhood,” to the sound of stampeding wild horses. The ad also calls into question the amount of outside money and influence brought into the district by Gray’s campaign contributors. Presstrain contacted several of the candidates running in the 21st Assembly District race for comment; since the ad is attracting considerable attention on social media and other outlets. At press time: Only the Mobley campaign had responded to our request for comment. To this point, the ad has generated over one hundred hits in three days, and counting, on You Tube.

 Republican Assembly candidate Jack Mobley’s spokesman, Ted Hilliard, recently shared his campaigns’ reaction to the “Adam Gray, Trojan Horse Candidate” web ad. “The ad is spot on since Adam has lived in Sacramento for over ten years: It stands to reason that his friends in Sacramento would be among the biggest contributors to his campaign,” Hilliard said. “The voters of the 21st Assembly District deserve a candidate that doesn’t have difficulty with telling the truth,” Hilliard added. To back up his statement, Hilliard pointed to Grays’ evolving job title with U.C. Merced that went from lecturer to tutor seemingly overnight when questions were raised regarding his actual status.

 Jack Mobley has given several interviews in recent days questioning the accuracy of Adam Grays’ California Fair Political Practices Commission Form 700 filing. “The voters of California’s 21st Assembly District deserve an explanation of Adam Grays’ sworn statements on such an important document.” Mobley said. “Voters expect and deserve an Assembly Member that will tell the truth in Sacramento,” Mobley added.
 The Gray campaign, for its part, is not directly responding to these questions. Gray recently told Athens Abell that it was a shame that the other candidates had to resort to negative campaigning, but did not address the specific questions Mobley had raised.
 The coming weeks and months are certain to bring more questions as the campaign for the 21st Assembly District heats up. The two top vote getters will meet in November to decide who goes to Sacramento for two years on behalf of a populace that has been beaten down by the economy and forgotten in a sea of special interest money….