Illinois is a myriad of sites and sounds, history and multiculturalism, all blended harmoniously into what is considered a perfect microcosm of the United States. The exploding diversity of the north and Chicagoland balances perfectly with the wilderness and historic sites of the south.
The major financial, cultural and commercial hub of Illinois, Chicago, is situated on the Great Lake Michigan. The rest of the state is largely bordered by major waterways, including the Mississippi River to the west and the Ohio River to the south. Due to its geographic location, Illinois has blossomed over the centuries to become the unofficial capital of the Midwest region of the United States. Get a true taste of America’s Heartland when you book your airfare to Illinois’ Interior Plains.
The Joy of Illinois: Chicago and Beyond
When you plan your itinerary, remember that Illinois is divided into six distinct regions that all offer a different flavor of the Midwest and are best explored by automobile. Southern Illinois is not short of parks, recreation and open spaces. The Shawnee National Forest, expanding between the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, is a 270,000 acre wilderness wonderland, complete with rock climbing, horseback riding and observation towers. If you love wine, travel Illinois’ wine region in the south. The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail provides an excellent tour of five wineries that are easily accessible by car.
Central Illinois is a notable mix of fantastic stops that will certainly round out your travel to Illinois. It also happens to be where President Abraham Lincoln’s former home and the state’s capital is located. In Springfield, take a stop at Looking for Lincoln, a collection of houses, buildings and countryside where the 16th president actually spent time. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is also located in the heart of Springfield. You can also get your kicks in Central Illinois where the Historic Route 66 passes through the state. Along the way, stop at the Amish Interpretive Center for a glimpse into the life and history of the Old Order Amish community. The fun is certainly not over yet; convince the kids that Santa does exist by visiting Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch where real Alaskan reindeer roam the grounds!
Chicagoland in Northern Illinois is another influential region. After you find cheap airfare to Illinois through O’Hare International Airport, you will find yourself in the true heart of the state. Stroll along the waterfront of Lake Michigan or enjoy world-class theater and dining. Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States and a historic center for America’s civil rights movements as well as the birth and growth of modern music, including jazz, blues and techno.
Witness the cultural melting pot that is the United States on a smaller scale. From hiking and fishing to historic sites and cosmopolitan exploits, travel to Illinois is certainly an all in one adventure!
Body By Matt
Weight training does more than put a bulge in your biceps; it’s also good for your heart
By Matt Dapolito, MS. Exercise Science
Jack La Lanne never did much for me. Sure, he introduced calisthenics to a generation of Americans. And, yes, at age 60 he swam from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, handcuffed and towing a 1,000-lb. boat. But basically the guy pumped iron, curling and pressing his way to an Atlas physique. For La Lanne, now 85, and for Americans still stuck in the 1950s, this was fitness. For the rest of us–thank you, Jane Fonda–working out means panting and sweating and doing anything that will increase the heart rate. Some people feel if they didn’t put in the obligatory 20 minutes of aerobics, they might as well not have worked out at all. Lifting weights, they thought, would bulge the biceps, but it wouldn’t do a thing for the most important muscle of all: the heart.
Last year the American Heart Association issued a scientific advisory declaring that weight lifting does in fact improve cardiovascular health and is “strongly recommended for…cardiovascular disease-prevention programs.” The report even suggests weight training for people who have had a heart attack–as long as they haven’t suffered major heart damage.
What can pumping iron do for the ticker? The expert panel concluded that the biggest benefit may be the creation of greater lean body mass, which burns calories more efficiently and keeps weight in check. Strength training also improves the efficiency with which the body uses sugar, decreasing the odds of developing diabetes, a major risk factor for heart disease. It also seems to reduce total cholesterol–especially the “bad” LDL cholesterol.
What about blood pressure? After analyzing 30 years of data, researchers reported last week in the A.H.A.’s journal, Hypertension, that strength training does indeed take pressure off the circulatory system. “This was controversial for years,” says the study’s lead author, George Kelley, associate professor of exercise science at Northern Illinois University. “People thought weight training could actually increase blood pressure. Not so.” Kelley found that after three months of moderate weight training by people with normal and slightly elevated readings, systolic blood pressure (the bigger number) decreased 2% and diastolic levels dropped 4%. While these changes may not sound dramatic, past research confirms that even such modest reductions lower the risk for stroke and coronary heart disease.
Matt Dapolito, MS
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As the head of corporate security for telecommunication giant Nokia’s North American operations, Brad Unz had a pretty good gig going. Then he learned of L&W Investigations , a private investigations firm specializing in insurance cases and claims. The rest, as they say, is history.
With offices nationwide, including Canada, Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands, L&W provides investigative service to more than 50 local markets, supported by a national network or investigations offices. That rare combination, in addition to an impressive list of more than 100 existing clients, made the decision for Unz to come on board as leader of L&W’s Northern California territory a relatively simple one.
“At Nokia, we used private investigations / security firms all the time and, to be quite honest, the thought of creating a national network of investigations offices never really occurred to me because I didn’t know if it would be possible to duplicate the systems, processes and procedures on a national level,” said Unz. “I believe Neal Lyons [L&W’s CEO and Chairman] is a visionary in that regard and that the L & W concept is the future of investigations because we are able to successfully duplicate our model nationally without diminishing our strength in the local market.”
Looking to the future has always been the signature of Unz’ career, starting as early as the age of 15 when he started his own business.
“I come from a long line of achievers and entrepreneurs. Both of my parents were extremely well educated, each holding degrees from Northwestern University. My father was a land developer and my grandfather was one of the first 150 Illinois State Policemen when the agency first formed in 1922 and later became a the chief of police in Dwight, Illinois,” said Unz.
It was that connection between public and private sector that led to Unz’ start in business. After the untimely passing of his parents at age 15, he opened a police uniform supply shop in 1978 in Kankakee, Illinois, with the assistance of his grandmother. So while most kids that age were still a year away from getting their learner’s permit, Unz ran a business grossing more than $100,000 per year.
That close connection to the police, particularly after his parents’ deaths, also led Unz to a career in law enforcement. Starting out as a police officer in Groveland, Florida and later Bradley, Illinois, he rose to become the chief of police in Grant Park, Illinois by the age of 25.
“My time as a police chief was an incredible experience from many perspectives—being an administrator, managing people and, of course, law enforcement,” said Unz. “After nine years, the politics that went along with the position eventually made me ready for the next challenge.”
Unz embarked on a career in corporate security. Starting out as retail investigator / security agent for Walt Disney Company, he eventually landed in a similar role with Nokia, the global communications giant. In his almost 11 years with Nokia, Unz rose through the ranks to eventually become the company’s head of corporate security for North America, based in White Plains, New York. During that time, he also earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology and a master’s in security management from Stafford University. Still, the entrepreneurial spirit that inspired a 15-year-old to open his own business was now calling.
“After being in corporate management for that long, I was looking to take on something new that would enable me to live in California. I looked into several opportunities but it was L&W that got my attention. Basically, the opportunity to take over L&W’s Northern California territory encapsulated every experience from every phase of my career, starting with running a store at 15 to heading security for a billion-dollar, international organization, said Unz.”
L&W’s Northern California base will be located in the Sacramento area and Unz foresees satellite offices in the Bay Area and Fresno area over the next several months and into early 2009. In addition, Unz has recruited a management team of respected industry professionals, accountants, attorneys and military veterans to manage the operations, administrations and sales divisions of the new L & W Investigations’ Northern California offices.
“From the very first minute I began researching L & W, I knew that this was an exciting opportunity that I could put all of my passion and many years of industry experience to work,” said Unz. “As far as I’m concerned the sky is truly the limit for L&W and, in Northern California, we’re happy to do our part to take it there.
For more information on L&W Investigations or to contact an L&W office near you, please visit www.lwinvestigations.com.