Untitled Document Home
Chef & Hotel Profile
Publisher's Page
Gift Guide
Travel Adventures
Epicurean Events
Health Minded
Spa Baby Secrets
Sips
Book Bites
Culinary Coup
Sense of Style
Kids Kaleidoscope
Tinsletown Tidbits
Wheels
Radio Show & Links
Contact Us


 VIBE Announces Partnership with Revolution Racing/NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program
 
Unprecedented Sponsorship Launches
at NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale CA on January 28th & 29th
 
 
VIBE Magazine today announced its entrée into motorsports with the launch of a partnership project with Revolution Racing in support of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program. The program kicks off at the 2011 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, the sport’s premier short-track racing showcase at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale CA on Jan. 28-29 and further represents NASCAR’s efforts to reach the urban demographic.  
 
The multi-platform partnership will include VIBE branded signage on the car to be driven by racing sensation Darrell Wallace Jr., a strong brand presence at the track as well as extensive editorial coverage in VIBE and on www.vibe.com.
 
Revolution Racing fields ten race teams in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, as well as a youth racing development program. Revolution Racing’s drivers are chosen from hundreds of applicants in a combined-style tryout camp in an effort to find the next female or minority racing sensation.
 
Darrell Wallace Jr. was the first race winner of the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East campaign and earned the NASCAR K&N Series East Rookie of the Year in his first season as a 16-year-old. Wallace will look to become just the second driver to win the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown following his rookie season.
 
With driver Sergio Pe?a behind the wheel, Revolution Racing qualified on the pole for the 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in its debut race as a team. Pe?a finished a close second to NASCAR Sprint Cup star Joey Logano after 225 hard-fought laps.
 
“Vibe is proud to support Revolution Racing’s initiatives in providing a platform for minority drivers to further their aspirations,” said Brett Wright, Chief Creative Officer of Vibe Lifestyle Network, the parent company of VIBE Magazine.  “Vibe Magazine’s involvement as a sponsor speaks volumes to growing presence of minorities in racing, not only as participants, but as fans,” said Max Siegel, Revolution Racing’s Chief Executive Officer. Both nights of racing will air live on SPEED.

A TALE OF TWO BUS RIDES ON GREYHOUND

Beware Bus Driver Abuse . . . Appreciate the Guy Who Gets You There Safe & Sound

by Rosalie Frances

 

At times beyond my control I have taken the Greyhound Bus to different destinations. I have taken busses, subways, metros, trains, planes and tour cars throughout the world, but this January I took a bus on 1/13/11 to Hollywood, California from Santa Barbara at 6:00 a.m. The driver was very helpful and assisted me in getting my small bag (a bag that I have taken on every European and US carrier during the past few years) on board. He also helped me off the bus in Hollywood and wished me a good day. This bus was new and very clean, and the trip was enjoyable and only ten minutes late on arrival.

 

My return trip from Hollywood to Santa Barbara on 1/14/11 at 1:40 p.m. was the trip from hell. As I approached the driver with my ticket and began lifting my bag on the bus he began to scream “no, get off the bus” and when I tried to explain that I had taken this bag on the bus coming he screamed and shoved my ticket in my face and said “shut up, I don’t want to hear it – take your ticket and don’t ride the bus”. I tried to explain that I was not feeling well and was going home. Again he began shouting “I don’t want to hear it – shut up and get on the bus” and ordered me to the back of the bus. He then took my bag and threw it under the bus, and I had a feeling if there were no witnesses he would have thrown me under the bus. I was truly terrified by this maniac.

 

The bus was delayed departing because a young woman who was a friend of his had to buy a ticket. He helped her put her bag on the bus and gave her a seat in front, which he denied me. This girl looked to be twenty-five – I am a grandmother – Perhaps if I was young hip and slick and not a grandmother this scenario would have played out differently.

 

To say I was angry would be an understatement. Never anywhere in the world have I experienced or witnessed any traveler being treated so horribly, so abusively and with such verbal violence. It was clear this man was dangerous and I just tried to stay calm.

 

As we were getting ready to depart North Hollywood the man sitting across the isle woke up and said “where are we” I said we are leaving North Hollywood. He said “What, I’m going to Long Beach – the driver saw my ticket why did he let me get on this bus?” Then a woman who was sitting near the front said “have we come to North Hollywood” and the driver began to scream at her and humiliated her in front of all the passengers by making the inference she was stupid and a nuisance.

 

In Oxnard, which was a ten minute stop, the driver went to another building with the young lady he had helped on the bus earlier, and the stop lasted nearly 20 minutes. We were quite late getting to Santa  Barbara. After I exited the bus and got my bag I saw the driver shaking his fist in the air in a power motion.  I am wondering where Greyhound gets these crazies to drive innocent and unsuspecting victims  on the LA freeways?

 

Greyhound needs to get this mess under control fast. This driver should be removed from any situation where he is dealing with the public. He is clearly a disturbed person and a potential danger to travelers. I doubt I will ever take this form of transportation again, and I am notifying Amtrak of the dangers of connecting innocent unsuspecting travelers to these Greyhound drivers who may have mental problems.  rf

_______________________________________________________

Cyclists on 28-Day ExperiencePlus! Italian Cycling Tour

Pedal Route of Garibaldi from Sicily to Turin

 

May 7-June 4 Program Honors 150th Anniversary of Unified Italy

 While "Viva VERDI" may apply to his La Traviata in this season’s new Metropolitan Opera production, 150 years ago this was a political acronym signifying a desire for a unified Italy by Garibaldi and his followers known as redshirts, some of whom in 1860 traveled the length of Italy to move things along.

 To honor everything Italy such as opera, pasta, wines, art, landscape and most of all people, ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours is hosting a nearly 1,400-mile, 28-day Italy 150 Expedition that pedals from Sicily to Rome, north along the Tyrrhenian coast to Tuscany and across the Apennine Mountains to conclude in Turin in the north where in 1861 a document-driven effort began unifying disparate entities that comprise today’s Italy.

 Cyclists will experience enroute nine of Italy’s 20 regions in the north and south that culturally, politically and economically even today are worlds apart.  Milan and Turin are aligned more to industrial northwest Europe than to the impoverished Campania, Puglia and Calabria in the deep south.  Rome and the surrounding Latium, which divides and attempts to unite the two regions, remains a transition zone. Two 20th century writers with the same surname came from Turin: Carlo Levi who exposed the poverty of Italy’s south to the government, and Primo Levi who wrote about his Holocaust experiences when taken north out of Italy.

 Maria Elena Price, ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours Co-Owner and Manager, said this legacy bike ride http://www.experienceplus.com/tours/itinerary.html?tid=2288 may be repeated by popular request.  This year’s dates are May 7 to June 4. The per person, double occupancy rate is $8,850 and includes use of a 24 - 27 speed high-tech bicycle; 28 nights in comfortable 3 and 4 star hotels and country estates; 28 breakfasts, 17 dinners, some lunches; van support; bilingual tour leaders; and cultural activities. Cyclists will average 60 miles a day, with three rest days factored in.

 About ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours

No North American company has been running European cycling tours longer than ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours (http://www.experienceplus.com/). Launched in Italy in 1972 the Colorado-based company now offers global cycling tours immersed in local character to 20 countries on five continents. Throughout the years as the business and industry has evolved ExperiencePlus!’s roots as a family business have remained strong. Authentic, experienced, self-paced and engaging were the ethos of parents Rick and Paola Malpezzi Price which have now been passed down to their daughters and current directors Monica and Maria Elena Price.

 Standing behind their beliefs, ExperiencePlus! is the only adventure cycling company that issues a 10-point Customer’s Bill of Rights outlining what clients can and should expect while pedaling on a company tour. Their cultural cycling programs engage tour leaders who are expert cyclists and trained cultural interpreters, guiding guests on innovative routes and immersing them in off-the-beaten-path experiences. Tours in 2011 go to Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA and Vietnam.

 ExperiencePlus! pays it forward each year with donations to select charities and social initiatives. In 2011 the company will donate a portion of client trip fees to the Adventure Cycling Association for their work on the United States Bicycle Route System and the Federazione Italian Amici dell Bicicletta that influences the Italian government on promoting bicycle safety in Italy.

 A company division, BikeRentalsPlus!, a partnership with BikesPlus! SAS in Italy offers bicycle rentals in over 100 locations in Italy and France along with competitively priced self-guided tours and customized options for a variety of cycling vacations.

 ExperiencePlus! is a 2010 recipient of National Geographic Traveler magazine’s 50 Tours of a Lifetime for its Cycling the Camino de Santiago: Roncesvalles to Santiago adventure. Recognized for her visionary work within the industry, Monica Price has been named to the Adventure Travel Trade Association Advisory Committee for the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit to be held October 17-20 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

 


2008
March 08 | April 08 | May 08 | June 08 | July 08 | August 08 | September 08 | October 08 | November 08 | December 08 | January 09 | March 09 | February 09 | April 09 | May 09 | June 09 | July 09 | August 09 | September 09 | October 09 | October 10 | November 09 | December 09 | January 10 | February 10 | March 10 | April 10 | May 10 | June 10 | July 10 | August 10 | September 10 | November 10 | December 10 | January 11 | February 11 | March 11 | April 11 | May 11 | June 11 | July 11 | August 11 | September 11 | October 11 | November 11 | December 11 | January 12 | February 12 | March 12 | March 12 | April 12 | May 12 | June 12 | July 12 | August 12 | September 12 | October 12 | November 12 | December 12 | January 13 | February 13 | March 13 | April 13 | May 13 | June 13 | July 13 | August 13 | September 13 | October 13 | October | November 13 | December 13 | January 14 | February 14 | July 14 | March 14 | April 14 | May 14 | June 14 | August 14 | September 14 | October 14 | November 14 | December 14 | January 15 | February 15 | March 15 | April 15 | May 15 | June 15 | July 15 | August 15 | September 15 | October 15 | November 15 | December 15 | January 16 | February 16 | March 16 | April 16 | May 16 | June 16 | July 16 | August 16 | September 16 | October 16 | November 16 | December 16 | January 17 | February 17 | March 17 | April 17 | May 17 | June 17 | July 17 | August 17 | September 17 | October 17 | December 17 | January 18 | September 18 | February 18 | March 18 | April 18 | May 18 | June 18 | July 18 | August 18 | October 18 | November 18 | December 18 | January 19 | February 19 | July 20 | February 19 | March 19 | March | April 19 | May 19 | June 19 | July 19 | August 19 | September 19 | October 19 | November 19 | December 19 | January 20 | February 20 | March 20 | April 20 | May 20 | June 20 | August 20 | September 20 | October 20 | November 20 | December 20 | January 21 | February 21 | March 21 | April 21 | May 21 | June 21 | July 21 | August 21 | September 21 | October 21 | November 21 | December 21 | January 22 | February 22 | March 22 | April 22 | May 22 | June 22 | July 22 | August 22 | September 22 | October 22 | November 22 | December 22 | January 23 | February 23 | March 23 | April 23 | May 23 | June 23 | July 23 | September 23 | October 23 | November 23 | December 23 | January 24 | February 24 | March 24 | April 24 | May 24 | June 24 | July 24 | August 24 | September 24 | October 24 | November 24 | February 08

© 2008 Bonnie Carroll, All Rights Reserved