Daily Archives: December 17, 2024

Royal Caribbean passenger dies in detainment after assaulting crew members, threatening travelers in drunken rage: report

A Royal Caribbean passenger died after being detained for allegedly assaulting crew members and threatening other travelers in a drunken fit of rage, according to a report.

Michael Virgil, 35, died Friday onboard the Ensenada-bound cruise after his family claims security injected him with some kind of sedative, FOX 11 reported.

Virgil allegedly threatened to kill others and assaulted two crew members in the wild outburst that began not even an hour after the Navigator of the Seas set sail from San Pedro, according to the Los Angeles news station.

Royal Caribbean passenger Michael Virgil died after being detained for allegedly assaulting crew members and threatening other travelers. FOX 11 Los Angeles

Virgil allegedly threatened to kill others in the wild outburst that began not even an hour after the Navigator of the Seas set sail from San Pedro. FOX 11 Los Angeles

He allegedly kicked one Royal Caribbean staffer in the face and punched the other.

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“The gentleman that was drunk said that he was going to kill us,” fellow traveler Christifer Mikhail told the station. “He started chasing us down the hallway.”

Mikhail said he was running with the crew member who jumped into a towel closet and locked himself inside.

Virgil then repeatedly tried to kick open the door, a video of the altercation shot by Mikhail shows. He repeatedly kicks the door with steel-toed boots while spewing profanity before removing his shirt in a hallway of the ship, according to the clip.

He also allegedly went on a racial tirade, according to FOX 11.

“I was kind of scared,” Mikhail said. “I’m stuck in this hallway. He could of flicked me and thrown me like 30 feet because the guy he punched kinda flew a couple feet back.”

Several Royal Caribbean security team members were able to eventually detain a tired-out Virgil by using zip ties, handcuffs and either bear or pepper spray, according to the bystander and his video.

One Royal Caribbean staffer was kicked in the face while another was punched. Joseph Hendrickson – stock.adobe.com

The unruly traveler died within an hour, the station reported, after his family said he was injected with a sedative.

Virgil’s devastated family told FOX 11 that his shocking outburst was uncharacteristic of the dad, who was on the cruise with his 7-year-old autistic son and his fiancé.

“He didn’t deserve to die over it,” a relative told the station.

The cause of his death is pending an autopsy. The FBI is investigating the altercation and the death.

“We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement to FOX 11. “We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”

The cruise line didn’t immediately return a message sent by The Post.

Wildcats Travel to SoCal for Three Games Over the Holiday Break

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ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University Women’s Basketball Team (7-0, 1-0 GNAC) will head once again into nonconference action with a trifecta of games in southern California over the holiday break to conclude the 2024 portion of the season. GAME INFORMATION Wednesday, December 182:00 p.m.RV Central Washington @ #9 Cal State Dominguez HillsTorodomeCarson, Calif.WATCH LIVE STATS TICKETS Thursday, December 195:30 p.m.RV Central Washington @ RV Cal State Los AngelesUniversity GymLos Angeles, Calif.WATCH LIVE STATS TICKETS Saturday, December 212:30 p.m.RV Central Washington @ BiolaChase GymnasiumLa Mirada, Calif.WATCH LIVE STATS TICKETS QUOTING CWU HEAD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH RANDI RICHARDSON”We are excited to hit the road for three great west region games. We will be challenged in ways vs DH and LA that will be really good tests for us heading into conference after break with their pressure, athleticism, and physicality on the boards. This will also be the second time we’ve seen Biola and I’m excited to see how we can adjust and improve from the first game. We look forward to the challenge and continuing on our journey of continued growth as a group.”LAST OUTING The Wildcats opened GNAC-play hosting Northwest Nazarene back on December 7 with CWU coming out on top 74-60. The crimson and black had four different athletes finish in double-digits, led by Shelby Blodgett who had arguably her best game in a Central jersey with 15 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Annalee Coronado tacked on 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one block while both Sunny Huerta and Asher Cai finished with 11 points. Huerta added three rebounds, five assists, and two steals while Cai tacked on nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Capri Sims led the ‘Cats with 11 rebounds while adding eight points, three assists, and five steals. CWU finished the game shooting 41 percent from the floor, 32 percent from three-point range, and 80 percent at the free-throw line. The ‘Cats outrebounded NNU 47-38. LAST MEETINGS CWU and CSUDH last met on December 17, 2018, when the Toros squeaked out an 86-83 victory inside the Torodome. CWU had five different players finish in double-figures led by Kaelie Flores with 19 points while JonNae Richardson had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Wildcats and Golden Eagles met last season in Ellensburg with LA coming out victorious 90-77 on November 14, 2023. Cai balled out with 28 points while Huerta and Malia Smith each tacked on 17 points. Biola came to Ellensburg for the CWU Thanksgiving Tournament last month and the Wildcats prevailed with a second half surge to win 59-48. Huerta finished with 21 points while Cai wasn’t far behind with 18. SCOUTING THE #9 TOROS Cal State Dominguez Hills is also undefeated on their season at 10-0 and 3-0 in CCAA play. They earned a pair of victories over GNAC foes Western Washington and Seattle Pacific in the CCAA/GNAC Crossover. They then earned home victories over Point Loma, Bethesda, and Dominican before taking down Cal State LA in their CCAA-opener and first road game. They then traveled to Hawaii and earned a pair of victories over Western Oregon and Northern State before heading back to SoCal and taking down Cal State Monterey Bay and Stanislaus State in CCAA action. Last Saturday they defeated Hope International in exhibition play. The Toros are outscoring their opponents 78 points per game to the 51.3 points their opponents are scoring. As a collective, DH is shooting 41.7 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from three, and 67.2 percent at the free-throw line. The Toros are outrebounding their opponents 43.3 rebounds per game to the 34.7 rebounds their opponents are earning. CSUDH is averaging 16.6 assists per game, 15.2 turnovers per game, 16.1 steals per game, and 2.5 blocks per game. Nala Williams and Asia Jordan have been a two-headed monster for the Toros so far this season averaging 16.2 and 15.4 points per game, respectively. Williams leads the Toros with 37 assists and 44 steals while Jordan leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game. Kya Pearson is the leader in blocks with six on the season. SCOUTING THE RV GOLDEN EAGLES LA is currently 6-1 on the season and 2-1 in CCAA play. They fell in their three exhibition matches at NCAA Division I schools Arizona, Stanford, and Long Beach State. In their regular season opening weekend, they defeated fellow GNAC members Seattle Pacific and Western Washington in the CCAA/GNAC Crossover. They then defeated Concordia Irvine and nationally ranked Azusa Pacific at home before suffering their sole defeat of the year in their CCAA-opener against Cal State Dominguez Hills. They bounced back to take down Stanislaus State and Cal State Monterey Bay at home to earn their first two CCAA victories. The Golden Eagles are currently outscoring their opponents 70.7 points per game to the 61.4 points their opponents are averaging. They’re currently shooting 40.5 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from three, and 77.7 percent at the free-throw line. LA is slightly outrebounding their opponents 40.6 to 39.4 rebounds per game. They’re averaging 13.9 assists per game, 18.9 turnovers per game, 6.9 steals per game, and 7.1 blocks per game. There are three Golden Eagles averaging in double-figures led by Lily Buggs with 13.1 points per game. Gabriella Rones and Olivia Hodges are averaging 11.3 and 11.1 points per game, respectfully, with Hodges leading LA with 10 rebounds per game. Buggs has dished out the most assists and swatted the most blocks for LA this season with 20 assists and 10 blocks. Nevaeh Asiasi has earned the most steals for CSULA with 12 on the year.  SCOUTING THE EAGLES Biola is currently 1-10 on the season and 1-3 in PacWest play. They opened their season getting swept against Saint Martin’s and at Cal State San Bernardino before dropping three home contests, first to Cal Poly Pomona, then to Alaska Anchorage, and finally to Regis. The Eagles traveled up to Ellensburg for the CWU Thanksgiving Tournament where they fell first to Western Washington, then to CWU. They bounced back for their first win of the year over Concordia Irvine in their PacWest opener before dropping three road conference games, first at Fresno Pacific, then at Point Loma, and finally at Vanguard. The Eagles are currently getting outscored by their opponents 62.4 to the Eagles 50.2 points per game. Collectively, BU is shooting 36.7 percent from the floor, 25.4 percent from three, and 73.3 percent at the free-throw line. They’re getting outrebounded 37.7 to 32.5 rebounds per game. BU is averaging 11.7 assists per game, 18.7 turnovers per game, 7.2 steals per game, and 1.6 blocks per game. BU is led by Sammie Henley and Jessa Thurman who are the only Eagles in double-figures at 11.7 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Thurman also serves as the leader in the rebounding category at 6.4 rebounds per game. Laila Walker has contributed the most assists at 38 on the season while Henley has the most steals at 22 and Jaycee Goldsmith has the most blocks with six. UP NEXT The Wildcats will dive into the holiday break and return in 2025 when they host Alaska Fairbanks (5-4, 0-2 GNAC) and Alaska Anchorage (10-1, 2-0 GNAC) to resume GNAC play. UAF comes to Ellensburg first on Thursday, January 2 with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. The Wildcats will wrap up the weekend hosting UAA on Saturday, January 4 with tip-off set for 4:00 p.m. with all the action happening inside Nicholson Arena. Print Friendly Version

Sabah’s Tourism Sector Expands 3.0 Pct In 2023 – DOSM

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 18 (Bernama) — Sabah’s tourism industry grew at 3.0 per cent in 2023, contributing 11.7 per cent to the state’s economy, according to the Regional Tourism Satellite Account (RTSA) Sabah statistics issued by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

DOSM chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the Gross Value Added of Tourism Industries (GVATI) in Sabah recorded RM13.1 billion in 2023 (2022: RM12.7 billion) with the favourable performance of Sabah’s tourism industry was supported by retail trade activity, and accommodation, food and beverage serving services.

“In terms of growth, retail trade posted a growth of 2.2 per cent and accommodation, food and beverage serving services grew at 2.7 per cent.

“Furthermore, travel agencies, culture, sports and recreational and other tourism services; and passenger transport services and retail sale of automotive fuel, was also further expanded 4.4 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively in 2023,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Uzir further added that the internal tourism consumption in Sabah amounted to RM8.2 billion, and was supported by inbound tourism expenditure in 2023.

The inbound tourism expenditure contributed 50.9 per cent (2022: 45.5 per cent) to the internal tourism consumption, in line with a significant resurgence of tourism activities globally in 2023 after the pandemic COVID-19.

“Nevertheless, the contribution of domestic tourism expenditure reduced to 49.1 per cent in 2023 compared to 54.5 per cent of internal tourism consumption in Sabah,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said domestic tourism expenditure in Sabah posted RM4.0 billion (2022: RM3.2 billion) and grew at 26.7 per cent in 2023.

Mohd Uzir added that the tourism industry in Sabah has also provided employment to 362,700 persons, with a growth of 7.1 per cent.

“Hence, employment in Sabah’s tourism industry has contributed 22.4 per cent to the overall employment in Sabah. The retail trade, accommodation and food and beverage serving services were the main contributors to employment in Sabah’s tourism industry with a combination share of 86.0 per cent in 2023,” he added.

— BERNAMA

Sabah’s Tourism Sector Expands 3.0 Pct In 2023 – DOSM

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 18 (Bernama) — Sabah’s tourism industry grew at 3.0 per cent in 2023, contributing 11.7 per cent to the state’s economy, according to the Regional Tourism Satellite Account (RTSA) Sabah statistics issued by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

DOSM chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the Gross Value Added of Tourism Industries (GVATI) in Sabah recorded RM13.1 billion in 2023 (2022: RM12.7 billion) with the favourable performance of Sabah’s tourism industry was supported by retail trade activity, and accommodation, food and beverage serving services.

“In terms of growth, retail trade posted a growth of 2.2 per cent and accommodation, food and beverage serving services grew at 2.7 per cent.

“Furthermore, travel agencies, culture, sports and recreational and other tourism services; and passenger transport services and retail sale of automotive fuel, was also further expanded 4.4 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively in 2023,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Uzir further added that the internal tourism consumption in Sabah amounted to RM8.2 billion, and was supported by inbound tourism expenditure in 2023.

The inbound tourism expenditure contributed 50.9 per cent (2022: 45.5 per cent) to the internal tourism consumption, in line with a significant resurgence of tourism activities globally in 2023 after the pandemic COVID-19.

“Nevertheless, the contribution of domestic tourism expenditure reduced to 49.1 per cent in 2023 compared to 54.5 per cent of internal tourism consumption in Sabah,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said domestic tourism expenditure in Sabah posted RM4.0 billion (2022: RM3.2 billion) and grew at 26.7 per cent in 2023.

Mohd Uzir added that the tourism industry in Sabah has also provided employment to 362,700 persons, with a growth of 7.1 per cent.

“Hence, employment in Sabah’s tourism industry has contributed 22.4 per cent to the overall employment in Sabah. The retail trade, accommodation and food and beverage serving services were the main contributors to employment in Sabah’s tourism industry with a combination share of 86.0 per cent in 2023,” he added.

— BERNAMA

Ormana, the authentic mountain village on the Turkish Riviera selected among UN Tourism’s 2024 Best Tourism Villages

Ormana village, set at the foot of the Taurus Mountains in Antalya, the heart of the Turkish Riviera, has been named among the “2024 World’s Best Tourism Villages” list by The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism). With this recognition, the village’s historical texture, unique natural beauty, and contribution to sustainable tourism and rural development have now been internationally acknowledged. Ormana became Türkiye’s 5th village on the list following Mustafapaşa and Taraklı (2021), Birgi (2022) and Şirince (2023).

Established among the streams feeding the Manavgat River, Ormana is an old Yörük (old nomadic) village in İbradı district, just 2,5 hours drive from Antalya city centre. The picturesque town has long been a hidden gem, promising peaceful holidays in the heart of nature. As it has been a settlement since the Hellenistic era, the village also stands out with its cultural and historical wonders. Nowadays, Ormana, with a population of 600, attracts travellers seeking authentic experiences, especially with its well-preserved vernacular architecture and a grape festival celebrated for 57 years.
350-Year-Old Architectural Marvel: Button Houses
Ormana combines centuries-old history, culture, and nature. The town’s button houses, built without masonry mortar and using only stones and cedar wood, are among the most sustainable examples of local architecture in Türkiye. In these houses, timbers from the cedar and tar trees in the region form a wooden frame, and the stones are held in place by such timbers. The structures are called “button houses “as the visible parts of the wooden frame look like buttons.

While the houses’ building method is so unique, what is more interesting about them is their resilience. Their stones can move flexibly during any fluctuation in the soil, and their thick walls ensure the interior stays warm in winter and cool in summer. In recent years, Ormana has gained attention as a sustainable travel route in the Taurus Mountains by restoring these unique houses. Some restored button houses have even been turned into boutique hotels, offering visitors authentic stays to absorb the region’s spirit and experience the unique local lifestyle.
Sustainable Adventures
In addition to its unique architecture, Ormana has many historical and natural riches and offers many activities, from wildlife observation and photo safaris to caving and trekking. These experiences make the village a top destination for those interested in exploring Türkiye’s rural landscapes and traditional way of life. As visitors arrive, they are greeted by the stunning landscape of the village, showcasing a beautiful palette of blue and green from the observation terraces. After booking a button house hotel, they can listen to the daily conversations of the villagers at the local coffee houses or savour the peace and calmness by wandering the narrow streets.

Among the must-see locales in and around Ormana are Altınbeşik Cave and Eynif Plain. Discover the wonders of Altınbeşik Cave, home to Türkiye’s largest underground lake and the third largest in Europe. Marvel at the stunning travertine, stalactite, and stalagmite formations that create a breathtaking subterranean landscape.
Adjacent to the Altınbeşik Cave National Park, the first and only cave national park in Türkiye, is the 90,000-decare Eynif Plain. Located on the historical Silk Road route, it is now home to hundreds of wild yılkı horses, which offer a breathtaking sight. On the Plain, the Seljuk-era Tol Inn (Tol Han) and Erymna Ancient City, dating to the Roman era, await visitors.

Moreover, Ormana is also the most famous for its vineyards. Travellers can visit the vineyards and discover the incredible combination of local goat cheese and grapes. In September, the village also hosts an annual grape festival to celebrate the village’s “çavuş” grapes. Those visiting Ormana in September can attend the festival, taste its renowned grapes, and learn about grape growing in the region. ///nCa, 18 December 2024 (in cooperation with the Embassy of Türkiye to Turkmenistan)

JR Tourist Train Makes 1st Visits to Local Stations in Akita, Iwate; Performances Welcome Tourist Train to Stations

The Yomiuri ShimbunHinabi Hachimantai, a tourist train, arrives at Odate Station in Akita Prefecture on Nov. 30.

The Yomiuri Shimbun
14:57 JST, December 18, 2024

AKITA — Hinabi Hachimantai, a tourist train operated by East Japan Railway Co. (JR East), ran on the Hanawa Line in Iwate and Akita prefectures for the first time on Nov. 30.
The train departed on the early winter day from Morioka and moved through the highlands and valleys that border both prefectures. It was welcomed at Kazuno-Hanawa Station in Akita Prefecture with a Hanawa-bayashi local traditional music performance. At Odate Station, also in the prefecture, the train was greeted by Sora, an Akita dog assigned the duty of tourism stationmaster.
The train has two cars: a first-class car with 25 seats and a regular-class car with 34 seats, all of which are reserved. Both cars were full for its debut. A performance of local drum music rang out when the train, white with a red line, arrived at Odate Station shortly after noon.
“The view [from the train] gave me a nostalgic feeling,” said Shuichiro Ogaki, who used to travel on the Hanawa Line when he went to elementary school. “A snow-capped Mt. Iwate on a sunny day looks fantastic, and the Yuze valley was amazing, too.”
Company employee Makoto Aoki came from Tokyo to ride the train.
“I had fun buying many bottles of local sake while the train stopped at the stations,” he said.
The train ran for two days.

When Tourism Dreams Depend on Unjust Employment

The government of Alberta has a plan to diversify its resource extraction-tilted economy: double its tourism industry by 2035. Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners CONTEST: Win Tickets to PuSh Festival One lucky Tyee reader will receive a pair of tickets to a show of their choice, plus a Modo gift certificate.…

When Tourism Dreams Depend on Unjust Employment

The government of Alberta has a plan to diversify its resource extraction-tilted economy: double its tourism industry by 2035. Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners CONTEST: Win Tickets to PuSh Festival One lucky Tyee reader will receive a pair of tickets to a show of their choice, plus a Modo gift certificate.…