Did Juneau? Nome, but Alaska!

The State that gave us bears, glaciers, Eskimos, Palins, and a poorly-thought-out cruise passenger head tax, is starting to squirm a little in its seat. Now that Alaska has raised taxes to exorbitant levels on visitors, and the ships that bring them, the gouging has had a whiplash effect on future plans by the cruise lines. Even this year there are fewer ships than in the past, as cruise operators are looking for destinations where they can earn a tidy profit without the additional operating expenses. Now the 2010 plans and itineraries are starting to emerge, and the capacity continues to dwindle. Royal Caribbean announced they are pulling the Serenade Of The Seas out of the Alaska market next year, reducing their capacity to just 2 ships. So what does that mean to the local economies? It's impossible to get an exact figure, but suffice it to say there will be 42,000 people NOT coming to Alaska on board Royal Caribbean ships next year. The people of Alaska had their voice, and now the cruise lines are responding with a very loud:
"Oh really?!" Be careful what you wish for, citizens of the Great White North. In what could be a related article, Alaska Air Group, Inc. posted a 4th quarter loss of more than $75 million dollars, citing fuel costs and "slower sales" among the reasons. Removing another 40K passengers from the mix by eliminating a ship adds to the bleak prospects moving forward.

Furthermore, Alaska cruise pricing could be facing another whammy. If the demand is still there, but the supply continues to be pulled (other cruise lines may follow suit), that can only mean one thing from an Economics 101 standpoint: higher prices. So higher taxes create higher prices that feed reduced capacity that feeds higher prices that....well, I think you get it. Alaska may have, to quote a hunting phrase, shot itself in the backside. Having said all that, what does that mean for people wanting to go to Alaska? Guess what - it's not 2010 yet! The booking season for 2009 Alaska cruises is in full-swing, and because we can see the handwriting on the wall, you need to get up from your computer and call us today, to book yourself on an Alaska cruise for this year. There are still some excellent values available, but they won't last long and it sounds like they may not be back in the future.

A 24-yr. old man from Everett Washington, who was already on probation for a robbery conviction, is facing new legal troubles. He's accused of using his cell phone in a restroom stall yesterday, trying to complete a sale of Oxycodone, a prescription painkiller, and other drugs. The problem is, this conversation was overheard and when the suspect emerged from the stall, he was face-to-face with a plainclothes Detective who flashed his shield and gun, before placing the man under arrest. Police Sergeant Robert Goetz says the perp "admitted trying to deal drugs and turned over his stash to the arresting officer. He was jailed for investigation of illegal drug possession, with intent to sell." So was this guy just unlucky? Not really. Wrong place at the wrong time? OH YEAH! As it turns out, the drug-deal-gone-bad was performed from a restroom stall in an Everett Washington Police Station. Talk about flushing away your future...

Carr Car - Cowabunga!

In London, the relatives of Dr. Harold Carr found an extremely rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, as they were going through his belongings after his death. The dusty two-seater car, unused since 1960, didn't look like much sitting in the garage in Gosforth, northern England.
Bugatti once represented the height of motoring achievement. The supercar was so ahead of its time it could go up to 130 mph when most other cars topped out about 50 mph. This particular car is even more valuable, because it was originally owned by Earl Howe, a prominent British race car driver, and because its original equipment is intact, so it can restored without relying on replacement parts. Dr. Carr, an orthopedic surgeon who died at age 89, was described by relatives as an eccentric hoarder who never threw anything out. He also left behind a beat-up Aston Martin, which was sold, and a Jaguar that was scrapped because it was in such poor condition. But the Bugatti, though dusty, was held close to original condition.

Dr. Carr's relatives figured it's an old car, it would probably clean-up pretty nicely, and they might even be able to get $50,000 for it. Upon further investigation, they found that only 17 of these cars were ever made, and this is considered the Holy Grail for car collectors. The 57S-Atalante is to be auctioned off at an event in Paris, and experts estimate the car could go for as much as $4.3 million, and possibly much more!

Drivers in Austin, Texas were in for a surprise during their morning commute, when two road signs on a busy stretch of road were taken over by hackers. The signs near the intersection of Lamar & MLK Blvd. normally warn drivers about upcoming construction, but Monday morning they said something completely unexpected:

"Zombies ahead! Run for your lives"

"I thought it was pretty funny," said University of Texas sophomore Jane Shin, who saw the signs while driving with friends Sunday night. "We wondered who did it." The City of Austin does not own the signs, but they are responsible for the message. A contractor on the construction project owns the signs. A city spokesperson said the hacked messages were only up for a few hours, until the construction project manager saw them during his morning commute and immediately ordered them to be changed back. "Even though this may seem amusing to a lot of people, this is really serious, and it is a crime," said spokesperson Sara Hartley. This crime is a class C misdemeanor in Texas, and Hartley said it endangers the public.

In a possibly-related incident, 3 people in the Austin area were eaten by Zombies yesterday, in an outlying area of the city devoid of road signs...