What a week. The emergence of the swine flu from Mexico is having major impact on the travel business, most notably in the number of calls and emails we're receiving with questions. Rather than give anyone wrong information, we are directing them to the CDC website and others for general questions, while still attending to our existing clients on a case-by-case basis. Some clients traveling in the next 7-10 days have been affected, and in many cases the airlines and certain hotels are working with the clients to allow them to alter their dates, or in some cases locations, with little or no penalty. People who booked with some of the large internet sellers report difficulty in getting help, since they never really had an "agent" or go-to person. With our Company, that's not the case. Each individual who books with us gets personalized service from his or her agent, and we're here to help. Just yesterday I had some clients booked to Cancun leaving in 3 days, and was able to re-route them to another island. The panic brought on by all the media attention has certainly made some people go a little crazy. We're fielding dozens of calls from people who aren't scheduled to leave for months. I even had a call from someone who is going to Aruba in August, concerned that the flu might spread by then and affect their travel. That's possible, but it is an influenza strain after all, and these things come and go, tending to burn out in a few weeks' time for the most part. Still, we understand the concerns and it's our pleasure to not only keep our clients informed, but to remind them they have us in their corner should things take a downturn. That gives a lot more peace of mind, than to someone who booked anonymously on the internet, who doesn't know where to turn or who to call.
Further to the piggy-flu situation, cruise lines have also had to adjust itineraries to skip Mexican ports, after severe passenger pressure. This is a double-edged sword, to be sure. Booked passengers screamed they didn't want to go to Mexico, so cruise lines complied and are switching. But they've already paid Mexico for docking fees, customs and immigration officials and so on, none of which they'll be able to re-coup. If they add Belize, Key West or another location, who is going to eat the new fees? The cruise lines - so we'll have to see if any of them are willing to absorb the loss, or if they'll be treating passengers to another Fun Day At Sea. That always brings howls and hoots as well, with a handful of people yelling "The only reason we BOOKED this cruise was for Mexico!" Talk about your no-win situation. Whew. Plus as I've mentioned in earlier blogs, the Jones Act prevents cruise lines from just making stops in the USA so there is that to contend with as well.
Deals still abound to Las Vegas over the next 90 days. There are signs the economy is picking up, and the stock market has rebounded pretty well recently, but Vegas hotels are still running low rates, and airfare is anywhere from 30-50% less than a year ago. So if you're all wound up and suddenly find yourself with the urge to throw something, make it dice! Call me and I'll get you rolling. Literally.
Last year, a group of doctors in Riga, Latvia opened a new, highly unusual restaurant. It's name is Hospitalis and as you might suspect, it's a medical-themed restaurant. The main dining room area is set up to resemble an Operating Room. The "nurses" (waitresses) dress in scrubs, and bring food to guests on gurneys, accessorized with syringes and forceps in addition to knives and forks. You can also try your favorite aperitif or cocktail, served in beakers and test tubes. Hospitalis has a signature dessert dish, a cake with edible toppings that resemble fingers, noses and tongues. As strange as it sounds, the place has been a big hit and it's only a matter of time before someone on this side of the Atlantic picks up the idea. George Clooney - are you listening?
The Burlington Vermont Free Press reports a recent incident, where a Dick Cheney-style hunter ran into some problems with the local game officials. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reported its first documented case of a deer hunter attempting to avoid detection, after shooting a doe. (Doe, a deer, a female deer - in case you forgot). Hunters are all told that only bucks (males) are available to hunt, but Marcel Fournier, age19, apparently forgot. After realizing he had shot a doe, he made an attempt to cover up his crime. He used Epoxy glue and lag bolts, said the Game Warden, to try to glue a set of antlers he had in his car to the head of the dead doe. However, the "finished product" looked awkward because of the angle of placement and mismatched size of the antlers. Apparently, they weren't even a pair. Fournier was jailed for 10 days and fined an undisclosed amount, and had his license revoked. Vive Le Lousie Eyesight, Monsieur Marcel Fournier! There you have it. A French toast.
Who's your Daddy?
Ah yes. I live and work in North Carolina, and sometimes an item concerning North Carolina law is just too good to pass up. Under state law, you have to place a pre-adoption notice in the newspaper, if you are giving a child up for adoption. Theoretically, it's so the other parent can read about it, and decide if they want to step in to take the child, or allow the little one to enter the Child Services System. Well, anyone who has ever driven to the beach has probably passed through the small town of Whiteville, N.C. A pre-adoption notice was placed by attorney C. Greg Williamson on Jan. 5, 2009 in the Whiteville News Reporter. The mother's memory apparently wasn't all it could have been, so the notice (in part) read: "The unknown father of the girl was about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a light brown complexion and 'funny' shaped eyes." The date and place of conception were listed as "during December 2002 at a house in Bolton, N.C., thought to be the second house on the left, after turning left on the street just past Bubba's Club, as you head East from Lake Waccamaw." The lucky father had 40 days from the placement of the ad to challenge the adoption of the child, now age 5, but amazingly no one stepped forward to claim the sweet package....
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Royal U.K.'nian?
This week, it was announced that Royal Caribbean's mega-ship Independence of the Seas will be home-based in Southampton, England in 2010. She had already spent a summer across the pond, but with the glut of Caribbean cruises and give-away pricing they have to do on TransAtlantic crossings, they decided to try to leave the ship there year-round. That'll be interesting during winter months, when the North Atlantic can be one of the roughest patches of water on Earth. In fact, the announcement about the 3,600 passenger Independence goes beyond 2010. They're calling this a permanent move (which in cruise line terms means "at least through next year until we can review profits"). There are a series of 11- to 18-night cruises planned, which will be heavily marketed to Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, creating the first-ever year 'round "drive market" for UK citizens. It also opens up some new vacation ideas for Americans, who will certainly be in the minority, but who may want to take advantage of hitting Europe by ship in the off-season, on a product they know and love. Interesting. We'll have to see how this plays out.
USAirways just announced a change to its baggage charges, in an effort to get people to check in for their flights on-line. Effective July 1st, anyone who shows up at the airport with luggage to check will pay the regular bag fees PLUS $5 per bag. To avoid this extra surcharge, all you have to do is go to the airline's website the night before and check-in, at which time you can pay for your checked bag fees and print your boarding passes. It's been something that people have just bypassed for the most part, but USAirways is hoping it allows them to use fewer humans at the airport (you know how expensive those humans can be!). Now that it will affect their wallets directly, my guess is there will be a lot more people logging on to check-in before departure.
A family visiting Seacrest Beach, Florida from Chicago got an unexpected visitor this week. They were lying on the beach, when a 3-legged, 1-eyed alligator walked up to them. The 5-foot long strange-ling definitely got their attention, and authorities were called. The rare animal was taken to a safe place, and released back into the wild. "At least now we can tell an alligator from a crocodile," said the family Patriarch. I'm not sure how much truth is in that statement, but after facing down the jaws of death, I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt.
Did you ever play "Operation?"
That was one of my favorite games as a kid, where you tried to remove internal organs with a tweezers, without touching the electrified sides of the patient and getting "buzzed out". Well, apparently a Minnesota surgeon should have tried that game instead of marbles or Monopoly. A state investigative report says a surgeon performed an appendectomy on the same patient twice recently, after he mistakenly removed a piece of fatty tissue the first time. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the surgeon realized his mistake two days after the first operation, when a hospital Pathologist reported that what was removed was "not an appendix." The patient had been complaining of continued pain and fever (I wonder why), and was ordered back for a second surgery. The now-ruptured appendix was removed, after which the unidentified patient spent 11 days in the hospital with complications from the second surgery. The Health Department and Board of Medical Practice are not commenting on the case.
"Yes, that's right. I said it is NOT an appendix. Repeat, NOT an appendix. Yes, I understand your patient doesn't seem to be improving. Maybe if you took his APPENDIX out that would help. What's that? No, it wasn't a liver either. No, a heart would be much bigger now wouldn't it, Doctor. Say what? Could it have been a baby? No, I'm pretty sure this was a 31-year old male you were butchering - I mean operating on - so you may want to ask him if he has an Owner's Manual before you go digging inside again. Or maybe go back to your other job as a Professional Hangman & Gas Chamber Attendant...."
USAirways just announced a change to its baggage charges, in an effort to get people to check in for their flights on-line. Effective July 1st, anyone who shows up at the airport with luggage to check will pay the regular bag fees PLUS $5 per bag. To avoid this extra surcharge, all you have to do is go to the airline's website the night before and check-in, at which time you can pay for your checked bag fees and print your boarding passes. It's been something that people have just bypassed for the most part, but USAirways is hoping it allows them to use fewer humans at the airport (you know how expensive those humans can be!). Now that it will affect their wallets directly, my guess is there will be a lot more people logging on to check-in before departure.
A family visiting Seacrest Beach, Florida from Chicago got an unexpected visitor this week. They were lying on the beach, when a 3-legged, 1-eyed alligator walked up to them. The 5-foot long strange-ling definitely got their attention, and authorities were called. The rare animal was taken to a safe place, and released back into the wild. "At least now we can tell an alligator from a crocodile," said the family Patriarch. I'm not sure how much truth is in that statement, but after facing down the jaws of death, I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt.
Did you ever play "Operation?"
That was one of my favorite games as a kid, where you tried to remove internal organs with a tweezers, without touching the electrified sides of the patient and getting "buzzed out". Well, apparently a Minnesota surgeon should have tried that game instead of marbles or Monopoly. A state investigative report says a surgeon performed an appendectomy on the same patient twice recently, after he mistakenly removed a piece of fatty tissue the first time. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the surgeon realized his mistake two days after the first operation, when a hospital Pathologist reported that what was removed was "not an appendix." The patient had been complaining of continued pain and fever (I wonder why), and was ordered back for a second surgery. The now-ruptured appendix was removed, after which the unidentified patient spent 11 days in the hospital with complications from the second surgery. The Health Department and Board of Medical Practice are not commenting on the case.
"Yes, that's right. I said it is NOT an appendix. Repeat, NOT an appendix. Yes, I understand your patient doesn't seem to be improving. Maybe if you took his APPENDIX out that would help. What's that? No, it wasn't a liver either. No, a heart would be much bigger now wouldn't it, Doctor. Say what? Could it have been a baby? No, I'm pretty sure this was a 31-year old male you were butchering - I mean operating on - so you may want to ask him if he has an Owner's Manual before you go digging inside again. Or maybe go back to your other job as a Professional Hangman & Gas Chamber Attendant...."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Be Careful What You Eat!
Earlier today, I read a report about a new baggage charge from Delta Airlines. You'll recall that in recent months, Delta gobbled up Northwest Airlines in a highly-touted merger. So how's that working for them? For the 1st quarter of 2009 they reported a loss of $794Million dollars. US money. Greenbacks (or in this case, Redbacks). Their response to this was to announce that as of July 1st, there will be a new $50 fee for most passengers to check a 2nd bag on international flights. Delta already charges fees on 1st and 2nd bags for domestic travel, so this is new to their world-wide audience. The Atlanta-based airline was quoted as saying they expect to generate "$100Millon dollars annually" from the new fee. Hmmmm. It ain't been that long since Old Cappie was in High School, and I was always pretty adept at cyphering Math. Lemme see here...where's my crayon. OK so in the IN box we're putting $100Million dollars. In the OUT box, for the first quarter we put $794Million. Now for those of you not-so-good at fractions, the first "quarter" means you have to multiply by 4 to get an annual figure. So we take that $794Million X 4 and we have our OUT box chalk-full with 3Billion, 176Million in losses. But wait a minute - did you forget you have a "credit" in the IN box? Do your subtraction, and you'll get an OUT box leaking $3Billion, $76Million down the tubes. Man, these guys are good! You'd almost have to work for the US Congress to come up with those kinds of figures. Do you smell what the Cap'n is cooking? I'm thinking when it comes to my Schwab account, there won't be any Delta Airlines shares any time soon. I'm still thinking of investing in White Star Cruise Line - they have a big ship I heard about called Titanic...
It really hasn't been a good week for airlines. Continental had a mishap when they hit some severe turbulence over the weekend, and a woman who was in the plane's restroom was thrown around and paralyzed with a broken neck. The flight was from Houston to McAllen Texas, and at the time of the incident the FASTEN SEAT BELTS signs were illuminated. It was truly an accident, and maybe she couldn't wait, but those signs are there for a reason. Hopefully this is just temporary and she will make a full recovery. Same for the airlines!
One of our favorite suppliers, USAirways Vacations, just announced a new promotion (effective immediately and running ONLY through this Friday, April 24th). Trip insurance for .01cent. That's no misprint, folks. Normally to protect your travel investment, the "cancel-for-any-reason" insurance will run you $49.00 - $69.00 per person, but for all new bookings this week they are giving you the chance to protect your investment for a penny-a-person! Amazing opportunity, and the timeframe is extremely limited as you see. Trips must be booked and deposited this week, and travel dates are from June 1st to Dec. 16th. So C-A-L-L ME right now to take advantage of this. Don't procrastinate any longer!
Here's a YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK story.... The National Nuclear Security Administration has postponed a crucial program, to rejuvenate 25-year-old Trident missile warheads. Why? Because no one can remember how to make one of the key components, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. The GAO found that the NNSA could not replicate the manufacturing process because all personnel who had that knowledge have been fired, retired, or have left the agency one way or another. No written records were ever kept, due to its classified nature. Said one senior official, "This is like Mission Impossible, where the voice says 'this tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds' once good guy heard it, only this time it's not make-believe and the good guys are nowhere to be found."
Massachusetts officials have agreed to correct spelling errors in road signs, pointing to a lake that has a 45-letter name. Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster, Mass has one of the world's longest place names. It's been spelled many different ways over the years, but most locals have given up and simply call it "Lake Webster." After researching historical spelling combinations, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette said local Chamber of Commerce officials agreed that some of the signs were wrong. There was an "o" at letter 20 where a "u" should have been, and an "h" at letter 38 where an "n" should go. And you would know this because...?
If this is what print reporters have to write about, it's small wonder that so many newspapers are going under.
"Yeah, I'll have a Big Filibuster and some fries please"
A politician in northeastern Pennsylvania has been getting some ribbing from his colleagues for it, but he said having a drive-through window at his office is working great. State Representative Kevin Murphy created a drive-through window in his office in Scranton, to make it easier for his constituents to see him. He said senior citizens, the disabled and those who have children in the car especially like the convenience of not having to walk into the office. Murphy is a first-term Democrat, who personally staffs the drive-through most Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That's change I can believe in. I believe I'll have a large Diet Coke with that, too. And extra ketchup. And lots of napkins - I'm a slob.
It really hasn't been a good week for airlines. Continental had a mishap when they hit some severe turbulence over the weekend, and a woman who was in the plane's restroom was thrown around and paralyzed with a broken neck. The flight was from Houston to McAllen Texas, and at the time of the incident the FASTEN SEAT BELTS signs were illuminated. It was truly an accident, and maybe she couldn't wait, but those signs are there for a reason. Hopefully this is just temporary and she will make a full recovery. Same for the airlines!
One of our favorite suppliers, USAirways Vacations, just announced a new promotion (effective immediately and running ONLY through this Friday, April 24th). Trip insurance for .01cent. That's no misprint, folks. Normally to protect your travel investment, the "cancel-for-any-reason" insurance will run you $49.00 - $69.00 per person, but for all new bookings this week they are giving you the chance to protect your investment for a penny-a-person! Amazing opportunity, and the timeframe is extremely limited as you see. Trips must be booked and deposited this week, and travel dates are from June 1st to Dec. 16th. So C-A-L-L ME right now to take advantage of this. Don't procrastinate any longer!
Here's a YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK story.... The National Nuclear Security Administration has postponed a crucial program, to rejuvenate 25-year-old Trident missile warheads. Why? Because no one can remember how to make one of the key components, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. The GAO found that the NNSA could not replicate the manufacturing process because all personnel who had that knowledge have been fired, retired, or have left the agency one way or another. No written records were ever kept, due to its classified nature. Said one senior official, "This is like Mission Impossible, where the voice says 'this tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds' once good guy heard it, only this time it's not make-believe and the good guys are nowhere to be found."
Massachusetts officials have agreed to correct spelling errors in road signs, pointing to a lake that has a 45-letter name. Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster, Mass has one of the world's longest place names. It's been spelled many different ways over the years, but most locals have given up and simply call it "Lake Webster." After researching historical spelling combinations, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette said local Chamber of Commerce officials agreed that some of the signs were wrong. There was an "o" at letter 20 where a "u" should have been, and an "h" at letter 38 where an "n" should go. And you would know this because...?
If this is what print reporters have to write about, it's small wonder that so many newspapers are going under.
"Yeah, I'll have a Big Filibuster and some fries please"
A politician in northeastern Pennsylvania has been getting some ribbing from his colleagues for it, but he said having a drive-through window at his office is working great. State Representative Kevin Murphy created a drive-through window in his office in Scranton, to make it easier for his constituents to see him. He said senior citizens, the disabled and those who have children in the car especially like the convenience of not having to walk into the office. Murphy is a first-term Democrat, who personally staffs the drive-through most Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That's change I can believe in. I believe I'll have a large Diet Coke with that, too. And extra ketchup. And lots of napkins - I'm a slob.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Crossing the Finnish line?
Well here's something you don't see much of these days:
A bailout! Royal Caribbean Cruise Line made the news (and this blog) the other day, regarding it's Diamond Crown and Anchor cutbacks, but today is even more newsworthy. With the recession, people have been asking how in the world RCCL is going to pay for the biggest, baddest ship ever built, the "Oasis Of The Seas" set to premier this Fall. Profits simply haven't been there over the last few quarters to complete the project, but help has come from an unusual source. The ship is being built in Finland, and the Finnish government realized that if somehow this project got scrapped halfway through, there would be losers on top of losers, on both sides of the Atlantic. Royal Caribbean says three European banks - BNP Paribas, Nordea Bank and SEB - each have committed to provide 20% of the $1.05 billion needed to take delivery of the 5,400-passenger ship. The remaining 40% will come from a Finnish government agency, Finnish Export Credit Ltd. The agency is a subsidiary of Finnvera, the government agency that is providing the 95% guarantee of completion - an unusually high percentage. Royal Caribbean is scheduled to take delivery in November, and the sharp tightening of credit markets over the past year had raised concerns on Wall Street over the company's ability to fund the ship and a sister vessel scheduled to debut next year. "This is the first time we can recall a government agency not just guaranteeing a portion of the outstanding debt, but also providing actual financing," notes financial analyst Robin Farley of UBS in a report. The cruise line also noted each of the banks can opt-out of the loans after 6 years.
Finland has a dramatic interest in Royal Caribbean financing and completing Oasis Of The Seas, as the shipyard where the vessel is under construction is an important employer in the country. Not only that, but failure of the first project would surely have doomed the second sister-ship! So this was more an act of self-preservation than desperation from the Finns. Royal Caribbean has not offered details on the interest rate it expects to pay for these loans, but I'm sure it will be (pardon the pun) a boatload. They did say the terms of the loans fall within the company's financial projections. In it's announcement, Royal Caribbean noted the $1.05 billion in loans it is receiving amounts to 80% of the contract price for Oasis, putting the overall cost of the vessel at $1.31 billion. Personally, I have my reservations about whether ships can become too large, and this project will certainly be Test Case Numero Uno.
Oh - did I mention Royal Caribbean has been in the news? Here's yet another item, but I think this is excellent news for cruise passengers! As I've stated before, many lines are pulling ships from the Alaska market in 2010 and beyond, and rightfully so. It will serve to stabilize cruise pricing in the region, while sending a message to greedy Alaskans to wake up and smell the moose droppings. But if cruise lines are pulling the ships out of Alaska, they must be going somewhere else, right? You are a sharp one, dear reader! Yes, that's true and RCCL announced it's "Serenade Of The Seas" will be re-stationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2010, doing continuous Southern Caribbean 7-night sailings. I think that's outstanding. Serenade, Radiance and Brilliance Of The Seas are of a class of ship that I find the most beautiful ever produced, and it will give a new energy to San Juan sailings. The ship is only 5 years old, and still has a lot of good years to come. Not that Adventure Of The Seas is a slouch, a ship which has done a fine job on that itinerary the past few seasons. But Serenade is just the tweak needed to add a bit of fresh flavor. I like it!
Still being "in" on your way out?
A survey of 30,000 funerals last year revealed that TV theme tunes and pop songs are now more popular than traditional hymns at wakes and funerals. Standards like Abide With Me, Amazing Grace and Jerusalem have been eclipsed by more contemporary tunes. My Way by Frank Sinatra was the most popular, followed by Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings, and Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. Others in the Top 10 Downers category include Josh Grobin's You Raise Me Up and Angels by Robbie Williams. Priests and Ministers say they are forced to reject about one in 10 requests, particularly for AC/DC's Highway To Hell and Queen's former #1 hit Another One Bites The Dust.
Harry Stonebraker has been re-elected mayor of Winfield, Missouri. I like that name: Harry Stonebraker. Sounds like a Cave Man, doesn't it? Anyway you're probably wondering why I'm telling you about a mayoral election in small-town Missouri. Well, it's because the 69-year-old Stonebraker had died of a heart attack in March, a full month before the election, but ballots had already been printed and absentee voting had already begun. Turns out, he was an easy winner in Tuesday's election. Local officials say they weren't surprised by the result because "Harry was very popular." The town's current mayor, who has been acting-mayor since Stonebraker's death, will either continue in the position or someone new will be chosen to serve by the City Council until a new election can take place next year. My question is who was running AGAINST this guy? How bad a candidate must you be to lose to The Deceased?
Mayor Of Winfield, Missouri: So easy, a Cave Man can do it!
A bailout! Royal Caribbean Cruise Line made the news (and this blog) the other day, regarding it's Diamond Crown and Anchor cutbacks, but today is even more newsworthy. With the recession, people have been asking how in the world RCCL is going to pay for the biggest, baddest ship ever built, the "Oasis Of The Seas" set to premier this Fall. Profits simply haven't been there over the last few quarters to complete the project, but help has come from an unusual source. The ship is being built in Finland, and the Finnish government realized that if somehow this project got scrapped halfway through, there would be losers on top of losers, on both sides of the Atlantic. Royal Caribbean says three European banks - BNP Paribas, Nordea Bank and SEB - each have committed to provide 20% of the $1.05 billion needed to take delivery of the 5,400-passenger ship. The remaining 40% will come from a Finnish government agency, Finnish Export Credit Ltd. The agency is a subsidiary of Finnvera, the government agency that is providing the 95% guarantee of completion - an unusually high percentage. Royal Caribbean is scheduled to take delivery in November, and the sharp tightening of credit markets over the past year had raised concerns on Wall Street over the company's ability to fund the ship and a sister vessel scheduled to debut next year. "This is the first time we can recall a government agency not just guaranteeing a portion of the outstanding debt, but also providing actual financing," notes financial analyst Robin Farley of UBS in a report. The cruise line also noted each of the banks can opt-out of the loans after 6 years.
Finland has a dramatic interest in Royal Caribbean financing and completing Oasis Of The Seas, as the shipyard where the vessel is under construction is an important employer in the country. Not only that, but failure of the first project would surely have doomed the second sister-ship! So this was more an act of self-preservation than desperation from the Finns. Royal Caribbean has not offered details on the interest rate it expects to pay for these loans, but I'm sure it will be (pardon the pun) a boatload. They did say the terms of the loans fall within the company's financial projections. In it's announcement, Royal Caribbean noted the $1.05 billion in loans it is receiving amounts to 80% of the contract price for Oasis, putting the overall cost of the vessel at $1.31 billion. Personally, I have my reservations about whether ships can become too large, and this project will certainly be Test Case Numero Uno.
Oh - did I mention Royal Caribbean has been in the news? Here's yet another item, but I think this is excellent news for cruise passengers! As I've stated before, many lines are pulling ships from the Alaska market in 2010 and beyond, and rightfully so. It will serve to stabilize cruise pricing in the region, while sending a message to greedy Alaskans to wake up and smell the moose droppings. But if cruise lines are pulling the ships out of Alaska, they must be going somewhere else, right? You are a sharp one, dear reader! Yes, that's true and RCCL announced it's "Serenade Of The Seas" will be re-stationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2010, doing continuous Southern Caribbean 7-night sailings. I think that's outstanding. Serenade, Radiance and Brilliance Of The Seas are of a class of ship that I find the most beautiful ever produced, and it will give a new energy to San Juan sailings. The ship is only 5 years old, and still has a lot of good years to come. Not that Adventure Of The Seas is a slouch, a ship which has done a fine job on that itinerary the past few seasons. But Serenade is just the tweak needed to add a bit of fresh flavor. I like it!
Still being "in" on your way out?
A survey of 30,000 funerals last year revealed that TV theme tunes and pop songs are now more popular than traditional hymns at wakes and funerals. Standards like Abide With Me, Amazing Grace and Jerusalem have been eclipsed by more contemporary tunes. My Way by Frank Sinatra was the most popular, followed by Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings, and Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. Others in the Top 10 Downers category include Josh Grobin's You Raise Me Up and Angels by Robbie Williams. Priests and Ministers say they are forced to reject about one in 10 requests, particularly for AC/DC's Highway To Hell and Queen's former #1 hit Another One Bites The Dust.
Harry Stonebraker has been re-elected mayor of Winfield, Missouri. I like that name: Harry Stonebraker. Sounds like a Cave Man, doesn't it? Anyway you're probably wondering why I'm telling you about a mayoral election in small-town Missouri. Well, it's because the 69-year-old Stonebraker had died of a heart attack in March, a full month before the election, but ballots had already been printed and absentee voting had already begun. Turns out, he was an easy winner in Tuesday's election. Local officials say they weren't surprised by the result because "Harry was very popular." The town's current mayor, who has been acting-mayor since Stonebraker's death, will either continue in the position or someone new will be chosen to serve by the City Council until a new election can take place next year. My question is who was running AGAINST this guy? How bad a candidate must you be to lose to The Deceased?
Mayor Of Winfield, Missouri: So easy, a Cave Man can do it!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Brothers and Sisters, I wanna see a little REVOLUTION!
You probably think I'm talking about the incredibly lame "Tea Party" notion that Republican leaders have been tossing about willy-nilly, falling on tens of millions of deaf ears. Seems when your party's approval rating is hovering in the upper-teens, grasping at even the most ludicrous of straws sounds like an answer. If that's the answer, I ask what was the question!? I'm hoping today is a national flop for them, and that they at least make an attempt to support Prez O as he tries to lead us out of the mess his 8-year predecessor left.
No, today we're talking about people being pushed to the limit by cutbacks. Back in 1970, a garage band from Detroit called the Motor City Five (MC5) challenged the ideas of authority:
"Brothers and Sisters, let me see a sea of hands out there. You must choose, Brothers, you must choose. It takes 5 seconds of decision. 5 seconds to decide your purpose here on the planet. 5 Seconds to decide whether you are going to be part of the problem, or if you're going to be part of the solution."
Back then, it was inflammatory rhetoric, aimed at the government during the time of Richard Nixon. But looking at it now, it kind of looks like common sense, doesn't it? Every one of us has the option of being part of the problem, or working to make things better. Even if not better, many of us would crave the status quo at this point! Well, we all know that cruise lines have been somewhat depressed over the last couple of years. Stocks are down, fuel costs were up heavily last year, and it's become harder to fill mega-size ships in this economy. Part of the problem is the major cruise lines are publicly-traded on Wall Street, so investors and shareholders are screaming "make me profits - NOW!" while passengers are yelling "you'd better make sure I still get the same great food and service I'm accustomed to, and don't you dare pull any of my perks!" So what's a Mother to do? Personally, I have a different viewpoint than the investors. I think the all-inclusive hotel market has eaten into cruise lines' market share so severely, I'd settle for a few more meager profits now to make the long-term outlook better. That means if anything going MORE all-out to please customers. Look for ways to trim waste, while upgrading the food quality. Offer more incentives, not less. You have to maintain or win back your customer base in bad times. It's no time to scrimp!
Royal Caribbean found out the hard way. One of their most popular perks for "Diamond" Crown & Anchor guests (past passengers with 10 cruises or more - which is a lot if you think about it), has been a private Concierge Lounge on board. In the evenings, they can gather to discuss what a great time they're having, enjoy free wine, champagne and drinks, and plan their next Royal Caribbean getaway. Recently, though, the line made the decision that with the larger ships, and the lounge getting more and more crowded, they'd just do away with this extra perk and maybe nobody would notice. Or if they did, they'd just chalk it up to "Oh well." NOT! Diamond members went full-throttle-ballistic, and pulled a Tea Party of their own right in Royal Caribbean's grill. Response and threats were so overwhelming, CEO Adam Goldstein has retracted the cutback...at least to a point. He said they knew feedback would be negative, but not THIS negative, so they've decided to re-instate the program to a degree. Instead of a small concierge lounge, they'll choose a different public lounge each night to hold the gatherings. Wine and champagne will still be free, but mixed drinks will not - though they'll be 25% off. I guess when you're marking alcohol up 400% you can afford to rebate a quarter of that and live on 300%. In addition to giving back the social event atmosphere and free anything-from-a-grape, Goldstein announced the line would also offer Diamond members a private continental breakfast in the morning. This is to take place in a room where a crew member would be on hand, to also provide concierge-like services such as lining up ice show tickets. So all is not lost! Here's your bagel and a "concierge-like" crewmember! Good grief. And cruise lines wonder why people have turned more and more to all-inclusive vacations...it's a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Art For Art's Sake?
Whenever you want to find something out-of-the-ordinary in the news, you don't have to look much further than the Golden Gate Bridge. Artist Beth Grossman has created a wall exhibit, entitled "Seats of Power," to encourage citizens to greater activism in local affairs around Brisbane, California (just south of San Francisco Bay). The "Seats" are the actual, upholstered cushions of each of the 10 city council members, who allowed Grossman to photograph them from behind, clothed, through a sheet of Plexiglas pressed against their posteriors to simulate being seated. All 10 council members co-operated, including Mayor Sepi Richardson, who said she had been considering her long-term legacy anyway, "but never thought it would be my backside." Hopefully, the council members will not be the butt of jokes about this. I'm still wondering how the Seats of Power exhibit is supposed to "encourage citizens to greater activism in local affairs." Maybe the word "affairs" has a double meaning.....Hmmmmm.
A recent CNN report has me feeling safer already. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ruled in January that a post-9/11 Federal maritime law, which requires comprehensive background credentials for all mariners holding U.S. Coast Guard authorization on U.S. waters, applies to everyone, regardless of how obscure. Easton, Pennsylvania has a tourist area called the Hugh Moore Historical Park, and in tourist season they have two young men dress up in colonial costumes as "mule skinners." The park's lone mule-pulled boat operates in a 2-mile-long canal, back and forth. The mule skinners, who are mostly there to be photographed, represent the struggles of days-gone-by colonists for the enjoyment of visitors. Well, did you see the key word in there? Canal? Yes folks, that's water. RED-WHITE-AND-BLUE AMERICAN WATER, too! So as absurd as it sounds, the mule skinner duo was told in January they would also have to have a background check and receive maritime credentials, to live up to Federal law. I guess the Coast Guard will have to drive hundreds of miles inland to check up on these guys, to make sure our freedoms are not under further erosion. Insane.
Reminder: Don't break the law in Oklahoma!
Oklahoma career criminal Darron Bennalford Anderson received a severe prison sentence back in 1994: 2,200-years. The Tulsa court had tried him for aggravated armed battery, multiple assaults, kidnapping, and dozens of other charges. Through the appeals process, he won a new trial in 1996. Unfortunately for him, he was re-convicted and re-sentenced, to over 90 additional centuries behind bars (a total of 11,250 years, including 40 centuries each for the most serious assaults, 17 centuries for kidnapping, 10 centuries for burglary and robbery, and 5 centuries for grand larceny). The State Court of Criminal Appeals has now reviewed his case, and retrospectively dismissed the grand larceny charge, as double jeopardy on the robbery conviction. This has moved Anderson's release date up by 500 years to 12,744 A.D. I'd mention time off for good behavior, but it doesn't sound like this loser is capable of it.
No, today we're talking about people being pushed to the limit by cutbacks. Back in 1970, a garage band from Detroit called the Motor City Five (MC5) challenged the ideas of authority:
"Brothers and Sisters, let me see a sea of hands out there. You must choose, Brothers, you must choose. It takes 5 seconds of decision. 5 seconds to decide your purpose here on the planet. 5 Seconds to decide whether you are going to be part of the problem, or if you're going to be part of the solution."
Back then, it was inflammatory rhetoric, aimed at the government during the time of Richard Nixon. But looking at it now, it kind of looks like common sense, doesn't it? Every one of us has the option of being part of the problem, or working to make things better. Even if not better, many of us would crave the status quo at this point! Well, we all know that cruise lines have been somewhat depressed over the last couple of years. Stocks are down, fuel costs were up heavily last year, and it's become harder to fill mega-size ships in this economy. Part of the problem is the major cruise lines are publicly-traded on Wall Street, so investors and shareholders are screaming "make me profits - NOW!" while passengers are yelling "you'd better make sure I still get the same great food and service I'm accustomed to, and don't you dare pull any of my perks!" So what's a Mother to do? Personally, I have a different viewpoint than the investors. I think the all-inclusive hotel market has eaten into cruise lines' market share so severely, I'd settle for a few more meager profits now to make the long-term outlook better. That means if anything going MORE all-out to please customers. Look for ways to trim waste, while upgrading the food quality. Offer more incentives, not less. You have to maintain or win back your customer base in bad times. It's no time to scrimp!
Royal Caribbean found out the hard way. One of their most popular perks for "Diamond" Crown & Anchor guests (past passengers with 10 cruises or more - which is a lot if you think about it), has been a private Concierge Lounge on board. In the evenings, they can gather to discuss what a great time they're having, enjoy free wine, champagne and drinks, and plan their next Royal Caribbean getaway. Recently, though, the line made the decision that with the larger ships, and the lounge getting more and more crowded, they'd just do away with this extra perk and maybe nobody would notice. Or if they did, they'd just chalk it up to "Oh well." NOT! Diamond members went full-throttle-ballistic, and pulled a Tea Party of their own right in Royal Caribbean's grill. Response and threats were so overwhelming, CEO Adam Goldstein has retracted the cutback...at least to a point. He said they knew feedback would be negative, but not THIS negative, so they've decided to re-instate the program to a degree. Instead of a small concierge lounge, they'll choose a different public lounge each night to hold the gatherings. Wine and champagne will still be free, but mixed drinks will not - though they'll be 25% off. I guess when you're marking alcohol up 400% you can afford to rebate a quarter of that and live on 300%. In addition to giving back the social event atmosphere and free anything-from-a-grape, Goldstein announced the line would also offer Diamond members a private continental breakfast in the morning. This is to take place in a room where a crew member would be on hand, to also provide concierge-like services such as lining up ice show tickets. So all is not lost! Here's your bagel and a "concierge-like" crewmember! Good grief. And cruise lines wonder why people have turned more and more to all-inclusive vacations...it's a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Art For Art's Sake?
Whenever you want to find something out-of-the-ordinary in the news, you don't have to look much further than the Golden Gate Bridge. Artist Beth Grossman has created a wall exhibit, entitled "Seats of Power," to encourage citizens to greater activism in local affairs around Brisbane, California (just south of San Francisco Bay). The "Seats" are the actual, upholstered cushions of each of the 10 city council members, who allowed Grossman to photograph them from behind, clothed, through a sheet of Plexiglas pressed against their posteriors to simulate being seated. All 10 council members co-operated, including Mayor Sepi Richardson, who said she had been considering her long-term legacy anyway, "but never thought it would be my backside." Hopefully, the council members will not be the butt of jokes about this. I'm still wondering how the Seats of Power exhibit is supposed to "encourage citizens to greater activism in local affairs." Maybe the word "affairs" has a double meaning.....Hmmmmm.
A recent CNN report has me feeling safer already. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ruled in January that a post-9/11 Federal maritime law, which requires comprehensive background credentials for all mariners holding U.S. Coast Guard authorization on U.S. waters, applies to everyone, regardless of how obscure. Easton, Pennsylvania has a tourist area called the Hugh Moore Historical Park, and in tourist season they have two young men dress up in colonial costumes as "mule skinners." The park's lone mule-pulled boat operates in a 2-mile-long canal, back and forth. The mule skinners, who are mostly there to be photographed, represent the struggles of days-gone-by colonists for the enjoyment of visitors. Well, did you see the key word in there? Canal? Yes folks, that's water. RED-WHITE-AND-BLUE AMERICAN WATER, too! So as absurd as it sounds, the mule skinner duo was told in January they would also have to have a background check and receive maritime credentials, to live up to Federal law. I guess the Coast Guard will have to drive hundreds of miles inland to check up on these guys, to make sure our freedoms are not under further erosion. Insane.
Reminder: Don't break the law in Oklahoma!
Oklahoma career criminal Darron Bennalford Anderson received a severe prison sentence back in 1994: 2,200-years. The Tulsa court had tried him for aggravated armed battery, multiple assaults, kidnapping, and dozens of other charges. Through the appeals process, he won a new trial in 1996. Unfortunately for him, he was re-convicted and re-sentenced, to over 90 additional centuries behind bars (a total of 11,250 years, including 40 centuries each for the most serious assaults, 17 centuries for kidnapping, 10 centuries for burglary and robbery, and 5 centuries for grand larceny). The State Court of Criminal Appeals has now reviewed his case, and retrospectively dismissed the grand larceny charge, as double jeopardy on the robbery conviction. This has moved Anderson's release date up by 500 years to 12,744 A.D. I'd mention time off for good behavior, but it doesn't sound like this loser is capable of it.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Montana Tourism?
Over the weekend, I had a very strange question. It was well-intentioned I'm sure, but I was at a card game and someone who knew I was in the travel business asked "Do you think the success of the Hannah Montana movie will spark interest for people to visit Montana?" I waited, 2-3-4 thinking this person was going to bust out laughing, but apparently not. It was what he considered a legitimate question. That tells me there are a lot of people out there who enjoy travel, or think about travel, but who haven't the first CLUE about what makes things go. Then again, if you asked me what makes my car go, I'd say "the accelerator," so I have no room to be critical! Sometimes films can generate interest in a destination. Nicole Kidman's latest, Australia, has a story line attached but was actively pursued and aided by the Australian Tourism Board, seeking to publicize their country cinematically. A few years ago, Brooke Shields was a young-baby-mama in Blue Lagoon, which although never shown on a map in the movie, turned into a huge boom for tour operators in The Bahamas, where it was filmed. Famous movies in the past have also led to tourism breakouts: Three Coins In The Fountain, An American In Paris, Doctor Zhivago, and Tora! Tora! Tora! Other films, particularly fiction pieces not specifically linked to a destination, have seen tourism growth in the real-world setting, once people learn where the movie was filmed. Perfect example: Jurassic Park was supposed to have taken place in South America, but was actually filmed on Kauai in the Hawaiian islands. The original Doctor Dolittle (the 1967 Rex Harrison version, not the lame Eddie Murphy re-make) which supposedly took place in an enchanted land, was really filmed on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. So YES, films can lead to tourism - but not in all cases. After the bleak, black-and-white beginning of The Wizard Of Oz, I doubt people were flocking to Kansas all of a sudden. The fact that they had huge, house-eating tornadoes and witches living every other block didn't help, either! Midnight Express didn't leave people clamoring to visit Turkish prisons, and To Live And Die In L.A. was anything but a travelogue for Los Angeles. And most recently, Slumdog Millionaire won't have people stepping over one another to get to Mumbai, good film or not.
So will Hannah Montana The Movie lead to tourism in Big Sky country? Only among the less-educated would be my guess. Probably a similar number to those who saw Deliverance, and decided they needed to get in touch with their long-lost 3rd cousins living in the backwoods of rural Georgia....
I saw an interesting ski note today. There have been some high-profile people injured or killed in the last few years when skiing (Sonny Bono and Natasha Richardson come to mind first), and Vail Resorts of Colorado & California just announce that for the 2009-2010 season, all employees who ski or snowboard on the job will wear helmets. Mandatory. Furthermore, all children 12 and under will be required to wear helmets during group lessons through its schools, and a helmet will now be a part of the children's rental package, unless parents sign a waiver. Why would a parent sign such a waiver? "Heck no - I don't want my kid being a wimp, this is skiing!" Trust me, there are some who will sign the waiver. Most likely because Junior started crying and that's some parents' way of keeping the balance. But it should be required, and I think other sites and resorts will follow. Yes it's true I rode a bike in the 50's, and nobody had ever heard of a bicycle helmet and I survived. Big deal. There are more people on the slopes these days, and more people who watch and try to emulate the "extreme" side of the sport, so accidents are more prevalent. I say good rule. So it must be.
Did you ever live in a small town? I've been in a few that were 15,000 or so, but never anything really tiny. Nothing the size of say Ashland, N.H. (pop., 2,000). Apparently things work a little differently in small-town America. Take for example Tony Randall - not the actor - who was elected Chief of Police by Ashland's 12-member police force in March. A surveyor by trade, Randall promised he would know more about his job by September. That's when he's scheduled to finish police academy training. I wonder if Andy will let him carry the bullet by then (see Barney Fife, any episode).
Speaking of small-town thinking, there's still some small-state thinking out there. Laws that have been on the books so long, nobody bothers to take them off. In Kentucky, there are provisions which are not a-kin to normal Homeland-Security concerns. One of Kentucky's State statutes requires that anyone licensed as a first responder to disasters, must take an oath against dueling. Not like banjos or singing with a friend, dueling as in Aaron Burr! Candidates are supposed to raise their right hand and swear "I, being a citizen of Kentucky, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons ... nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to duel, nor have I acted as a second in carrying a challenge to duel, so help me God."
Who knows - Maybe Lionel Ritchie's song "Still" eventually led to Kentucky tourism. "Still" - Kentucky Tourism - 2-3-4.....
So will Hannah Montana The Movie lead to tourism in Big Sky country? Only among the less-educated would be my guess. Probably a similar number to those who saw Deliverance, and decided they needed to get in touch with their long-lost 3rd cousins living in the backwoods of rural Georgia....
I saw an interesting ski note today. There have been some high-profile people injured or killed in the last few years when skiing (Sonny Bono and Natasha Richardson come to mind first), and Vail Resorts of Colorado & California just announce that for the 2009-2010 season, all employees who ski or snowboard on the job will wear helmets. Mandatory. Furthermore, all children 12 and under will be required to wear helmets during group lessons through its schools, and a helmet will now be a part of the children's rental package, unless parents sign a waiver. Why would a parent sign such a waiver? "Heck no - I don't want my kid being a wimp, this is skiing!" Trust me, there are some who will sign the waiver. Most likely because Junior started crying and that's some parents' way of keeping the balance. But it should be required, and I think other sites and resorts will follow. Yes it's true I rode a bike in the 50's, and nobody had ever heard of a bicycle helmet and I survived. Big deal. There are more people on the slopes these days, and more people who watch and try to emulate the "extreme" side of the sport, so accidents are more prevalent. I say good rule. So it must be.
Did you ever live in a small town? I've been in a few that were 15,000 or so, but never anything really tiny. Nothing the size of say Ashland, N.H. (pop., 2,000). Apparently things work a little differently in small-town America. Take for example Tony Randall - not the actor - who was elected Chief of Police by Ashland's 12-member police force in March. A surveyor by trade, Randall promised he would know more about his job by September. That's when he's scheduled to finish police academy training. I wonder if Andy will let him carry the bullet by then (see Barney Fife, any episode).
Speaking of small-town thinking, there's still some small-state thinking out there. Laws that have been on the books so long, nobody bothers to take them off. In Kentucky, there are provisions which are not a-kin to normal Homeland-Security concerns. One of Kentucky's State statutes requires that anyone licensed as a first responder to disasters, must take an oath against dueling. Not like banjos or singing with a friend, dueling as in Aaron Burr! Candidates are supposed to raise their right hand and swear "I, being a citizen of Kentucky, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons ... nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to duel, nor have I acted as a second in carrying a challenge to duel, so help me God."
Who knows - Maybe Lionel Ritchie's song "Still" eventually led to Kentucky tourism. "Still" - Kentucky Tourism - 2-3-4.....
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Greece Is The Word (or not)
I was reading today about how the Greek Tourism board is predicting a huge decrease in the number of tourists this year, particularly cruise passengers. "It probably means three million fewer tourists," said Nikos Angelopoulos, chairman of the SETE Greek tourism association. The impact on Greece, he predicted, will be at least $6.68 billion in lost revenue and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. So why are bookings down 20% and the luxury cruise market down 50%? The reasons are many, but it's not just the economy. Sometimes we Americans think we're the only ones out there cruising, but many European cruises are filled with (ready for the big surprise?) Europeans! For them, it's just a drive or train to the port, so many ships sell a huge number of "cruise only" guests who don't have to worry about international airfare. Kind of like how our ships fill up in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, New York or Los Angeles with mostly Americans on board. Yesterday, I did a bit of a rant (though well-warranted) against Alaska for being greedy and ungrateful for the tourist boom that enhanced and enriched their state over the last 50-60-70 years. Today, I'll tell you that some of the fault in Greek cruise tourism can be laid firmly at the feet of the Greek government, and their well-intentioned attempts at protectionism. It worked for years. Now technology is working against them.
(Mama - what the heck is he TALKING about???)
Pipe down, young 'un....I'm getting there! OK, time for a little-known fact. Would you want to do a cruise that started in Miami, and ended in Biloxi Mississippi? Or one from New York that ended in Baltimore? Why would you do that? You're virtually forced to buy more expensive airfare into one city and back from another. You certainly couldn't drive and leave your car, then wind up in another city! That makes no sense. Enter the Greek government. Think about this - if you really wanted to see Greece and the Greek islands, wouldn't you want to start and end your cruise in Athens, and be able to easily add on a land package tour if you wanted to explore Mount Olympus, Delphi or any of the surrounding countryside? Of course you would. But try doing it on a modern, competitive ship. Impossible. That's because years ago, the Greek government passed a protectionist law, in an effort to protect the jobs of Greek sailors, which in effect says if you are going to sail roundtrip from Athens, you have to have a Greek-flagged ship with Greek officers (and mostly, if not all Greek staff). That cuts out virtually every major brand name you can think of: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Cunard, Princess and on and on. Those lines are permitted to bring passengers into Athens for a day, and a few are even allowed to start or end their cruise in Athens (the actual seaport is called Piraeus). However, if they begin or end in Athens, they have to have a secondary start/finish point such as Istanbul, Venice, etc. which gets you back to the Miami to Biloxi argument. So if there are no major cruise lines in Greece, what do they offer? They offer smaller, older cruise ships - mostly those that have put in 20, 30 or more years of service elsewhere in the world. They then slap on a couple coats of paint, change the carpet, re-name them and voila! You now have a cruise ship ready to sail roundtrip from Athens. But how many of you cruisers out there want to sail on a ship with 30 years on it? 20? Most people cringe at ships that are 10 years old, and that's why those ships are often moved to the shorter 3-, 4- and 5-day cruise market, simply because they can't compete visually or on a technology basis with the shiny new products that come out every year. Looking for balconies on a 30 year old ship? Good luck with that. Atriums with glass elevators? Hardly. No, this practice worked through the 70's and 80's and even into the 90's to some degree for the Greeks, but as people have become more demanding and discerning, they are far less-likely to downgrade their accommodations to visit Greece in particular. Europe has a lot of history, and many people find it much easier to book cruises that are roundtrip Rome, roundtrip Barcelona, or roundtrip London. Those governments allow the nicest, newest, most expensive cruise lines to service their ports, and it pays great dividends in tourism to their countries. Maybe it's about time for the Greek Senate to consider the overall prosperity of their country, and not just the handful of sailors who fill their small, aging fleet.
All your money...Yes Ma'am that's right, and please and thank you.
An alleged bank robber in Stow, Ohio was recently arrested after a brief chase by police, who were summoned to National City Bank. Feliks Goldshtein is now in custody, but it may have been his politeness that got him where his is now. According to bank employees, Goldshtein entered the bank wearing a ski mask, but noticed a line of customers already in qeue. Rather than causing a commotion, he decided to wait patiently in the teller's line, and only displayed a gun when he finally reached the counter. That gave bank employees plenty of time to call, and police time to arrive, before the perpetrator was able to, well, perpetrate. At least he didn't try the drive-thru.
Here's a little story from the Madisonville, KY "Messenger". Police couldn't help but notice a man, who had a very unusual driving pattern. He was driving a truck, and he'd drive about 100 yards, stop, walk back to a second truck, drive it right up behind the first truck, stop, walk back to the first truck, drive it 100 yards beyond the second truck, and so on. This went on for some time, before officers decided they had to see what was going on. After identifying themselves and asking what was going on, the driver told police he was doing this because his brother was passed out drunk in one of the trucks. He was trying to drive both trucks home, at more or less the same time. Not surprisingly, a blood-alcohol test showed the driver to be nearly as impaired as bed-time brother.
Price check on aisle seven!
Yale University student Jesse Maiman, 21, filed a lawsuit against US Airways in March, claiming that someone stole the Xbox console from his luggage. His lawsuit is asking for damages. The request? $1 million. Yes, dollars. Yes, American. Yes he attends Yale. Yes, we appear to have an entire generation with difficulty distinguishing reality from the video game of life....
(Mama - what the heck is he TALKING about???)
Pipe down, young 'un....I'm getting there! OK, time for a little-known fact. Would you want to do a cruise that started in Miami, and ended in Biloxi Mississippi? Or one from New York that ended in Baltimore? Why would you do that? You're virtually forced to buy more expensive airfare into one city and back from another. You certainly couldn't drive and leave your car, then wind up in another city! That makes no sense. Enter the Greek government. Think about this - if you really wanted to see Greece and the Greek islands, wouldn't you want to start and end your cruise in Athens, and be able to easily add on a land package tour if you wanted to explore Mount Olympus, Delphi or any of the surrounding countryside? Of course you would. But try doing it on a modern, competitive ship. Impossible. That's because years ago, the Greek government passed a protectionist law, in an effort to protect the jobs of Greek sailors, which in effect says if you are going to sail roundtrip from Athens, you have to have a Greek-flagged ship with Greek officers (and mostly, if not all Greek staff). That cuts out virtually every major brand name you can think of: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Cunard, Princess and on and on. Those lines are permitted to bring passengers into Athens for a day, and a few are even allowed to start or end their cruise in Athens (the actual seaport is called Piraeus). However, if they begin or end in Athens, they have to have a secondary start/finish point such as Istanbul, Venice, etc. which gets you back to the Miami to Biloxi argument. So if there are no major cruise lines in Greece, what do they offer? They offer smaller, older cruise ships - mostly those that have put in 20, 30 or more years of service elsewhere in the world. They then slap on a couple coats of paint, change the carpet, re-name them and voila! You now have a cruise ship ready to sail roundtrip from Athens. But how many of you cruisers out there want to sail on a ship with 30 years on it? 20? Most people cringe at ships that are 10 years old, and that's why those ships are often moved to the shorter 3-, 4- and 5-day cruise market, simply because they can't compete visually or on a technology basis with the shiny new products that come out every year. Looking for balconies on a 30 year old ship? Good luck with that. Atriums with glass elevators? Hardly. No, this practice worked through the 70's and 80's and even into the 90's to some degree for the Greeks, but as people have become more demanding and discerning, they are far less-likely to downgrade their accommodations to visit Greece in particular. Europe has a lot of history, and many people find it much easier to book cruises that are roundtrip Rome, roundtrip Barcelona, or roundtrip London. Those governments allow the nicest, newest, most expensive cruise lines to service their ports, and it pays great dividends in tourism to their countries. Maybe it's about time for the Greek Senate to consider the overall prosperity of their country, and not just the handful of sailors who fill their small, aging fleet.
All your money...Yes Ma'am that's right, and please and thank you.
An alleged bank robber in Stow, Ohio was recently arrested after a brief chase by police, who were summoned to National City Bank. Feliks Goldshtein is now in custody, but it may have been his politeness that got him where his is now. According to bank employees, Goldshtein entered the bank wearing a ski mask, but noticed a line of customers already in qeue. Rather than causing a commotion, he decided to wait patiently in the teller's line, and only displayed a gun when he finally reached the counter. That gave bank employees plenty of time to call, and police time to arrive, before the perpetrator was able to, well, perpetrate. At least he didn't try the drive-thru.
Here's a little story from the Madisonville, KY "Messenger". Police couldn't help but notice a man, who had a very unusual driving pattern. He was driving a truck, and he'd drive about 100 yards, stop, walk back to a second truck, drive it right up behind the first truck, stop, walk back to the first truck, drive it 100 yards beyond the second truck, and so on. This went on for some time, before officers decided they had to see what was going on. After identifying themselves and asking what was going on, the driver told police he was doing this because his brother was passed out drunk in one of the trucks. He was trying to drive both trucks home, at more or less the same time. Not surprisingly, a blood-alcohol test showed the driver to be nearly as impaired as bed-time brother.
Price check on aisle seven!
Yale University student Jesse Maiman, 21, filed a lawsuit against US Airways in March, claiming that someone stole the Xbox console from his luggage. His lawsuit is asking for damages. The request? $1 million. Yes, dollars. Yes, American. Yes he attends Yale. Yes, we appear to have an entire generation with difficulty distinguishing reality from the video game of life....
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Free Grub at Mouse House!
NOT A NEWS FLASH: Disney is a smart company. They have figured out how to get people addicted to their product, and maximize every penny from the marketplace. They're also smart enough to know that once schools and colleges start back up in the middle of August, it's next to impossible to fill up the Disney World hotels and theme parks. Not only are families affected, but teachers, administrators, professors or any staff involved with schools or servicing schools. So they've devised a scheme to actually GIVE you something, if you can commit to a limited timeframe when they're slow. From Aug. 16 to Oct. 3 (subject to availability at the time of booking) they are offering their basic meal plan FREE with a minimum 5-night stay at one of their hotels, plus the purchase of park passes. That works out to be about a 20-25% savings, and when it comes to Disney that is a whopper of a sale! The basic meal plan allows every person in your family to enjoy one full sit-down meal, one "counter meal" (which is like a burger and fries), and one snack which would be an ice cream bar, bag of popcorn, Coke, that sort of thing. If you're staying at the resort, you're going to be eating in the parks anyway. So this is a giant savings. You can also upgrade to the full 3-meals-a-day plan, Park Hopper passes, nicer hotel and so on, if you are used to more than the basic package at Disney World. This offer is extremely limited and will disappear before the summer comes. In fact some dates are already getting tight even now. So CALL ME if you're interested in booking, and I'll supply all the details you need.
Arrrrrrrrrrr, Mateys! Great news has just hit CNN today. The tanker that was pirated yesterday with 20 Americans onboard is now back in business. Details aren't complete, but it sounds like the US crew was able to overpower their captors and take back control of the ship, while taking one of the pirates prisoner. Touche! I guess they didn't realize our guys have watched every episode of 24 and MacGyver.
Did Juneau that cruise lines traveling to Alaska are saying "Nome more?"
It's true. In 2007, after legislative approval in 2006, the citizens of Alaska pooled their collective greed and decided to pass a law, adding a $50 per person head tax on cruise ship passengers. Their theory? "We'll get richer than rich from all these rich old people who can afford to enrich our richness!" That may not be verbatim, but you get the idea. Cruise lines, who had already committed to the Alaska season in print, TV and other media, had to add the extra money on top of the already ludicrous port charges and taxes and the people of Alaska rejoiced. Ever hear the saying "what goes around, comes around?" Nobody knows exactly what that means...probably some moonshine-induced saying from Appalachia, but the bottom line is there's nothing sweeter than revenge. The cruise lines have had a difficult year selling an expensive destination such as Alaska, so for 2010 many of the major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess and others are going to reduce the number of ships they send to the Great State by an average of around 20%. Don't worry about doing math....that's what The Cap'n is here for....let's take 1 Carnival ship. Just ONE. With passenger capacity of about 2400 people. 2400 X $50 = $120,000 "head tax" on that single ship, on 1 single voyage. In 2009 this ship did 19 Alaska cruises. $120,000 per cruise X 19 = a loss to the citizens of Alaska of $2,280,000.00 on this ship alone, and that's only the head tax. Imagine monies lost from shore excursions, tourism businesses, hotel operators who do tours in association with cruises, and so on. It's exponential. By passing their GREED TAX, they risk turning much of civilized Alaska back into wilderness, driving businesses under. Originally, this tax was explained as going towards the upkeep of ports and the essential service required for ships. Again, that was the theory. Ketchikan officials recently approved a half-million dollars of their cut to build a new Performing Arts Center. Nothing to do with cruise ships, just upgrading the town's concert hall if the truth be told. Over the last 6 months or so, we've heard a lot about Alaska in the news and this is just another in a long litany of decision disasters. Stay tuned.
Peek-a-boo, I see you! University of California researchers, fulfilling a Pentagon contract, announced recently they have succeeded in rigging a live flower beetle with electrodes and a radio receiver, which enables scientists to control the insect's flight remotely. Pulses sent to the bug's muscles or optic lobes can command it to take off, turn left, right, or hover. This according to a report in the MIT Technology Review. The insect's large size, up to a 4 inches, would also enable it to carry a camera, giving the beetle military uses in surveillance or search & rescue. Researchers admired the native flight-control ability of the beetle so much that they abandoned their original concept of developing robot beetles. Absolutely! Why try to mimic nature, when you can torture a living organism? Didn't we learn anything during the Bush years? I'm sure Dick Cheney has suggested trying to mount wee-little lasers or mini-machine guns on these bugs, to truly realize their potential.
Dateline: Kassel, Germany. There is a new way for men to frolic in Deutschland. It's called the Mannerspielplatz, which in English translates into "Men's Playground." No, you THINK you know where this is headed, but trust me...keep reading. The Mannerspielplatz was built so that energy-fueled office workers could get in touch with their "Inner Manliness", according to the January edition of Wired Magazine. So what constitutes Inner Manliness you ask? For a mere $280.00 a day (in US dollars), German men can frolic all day on 29-ton backhoes, 32-ton front-end loaders, they can carve up pavement with jackhammers, or play with other various big, loud, sweaty-type vehicles and things to make a man feel like a man. "At the Men's Playground," the owner said, "We fulfill all men's dreams." Just call me Bob The Builder. But please - if you need me, I'll be up on the Bridge with a beer, feeling plenty manly I assure you.
OOOOOOOOOOOO-klahoma! OK!!
In January London's "The Sun" reported about a practitioner of a new art form in which a design is inked, with a tattoo needle, into the sclera - the white part of the eyeball. A Canadian citizen was the first (and possibly only) daredevil to attempt the procedure. However, when Senators from Oklahoma heard the report, they were alarmed enough that they passed legislation out of committee to ban the practice in their state. "If we can stop even one person from doing it in this tattoo-happy society, we've been successful," said Sen. Cliff Branan. An Oklahoma City tattoo artist told KSBI-TV that the law is actually useless, because people who have a desire for uniqueness will do what they have to do anyway. He indicated a little something called "common sense" will prevent the problem from becoming wide-spread. So far, only the Senators from the state of Oklahoma seem to believe they have constituents who might ink-up their eyeballs, but stranger things have happened.
Not many, but a few...
Arrrrrrrrrrr, Mateys! Great news has just hit CNN today. The tanker that was pirated yesterday with 20 Americans onboard is now back in business. Details aren't complete, but it sounds like the US crew was able to overpower their captors and take back control of the ship, while taking one of the pirates prisoner. Touche! I guess they didn't realize our guys have watched every episode of 24 and MacGyver.
Did Juneau that cruise lines traveling to Alaska are saying "Nome more?"
It's true. In 2007, after legislative approval in 2006, the citizens of Alaska pooled their collective greed and decided to pass a law, adding a $50 per person head tax on cruise ship passengers. Their theory? "We'll get richer than rich from all these rich old people who can afford to enrich our richness!" That may not be verbatim, but you get the idea. Cruise lines, who had already committed to the Alaska season in print, TV and other media, had to add the extra money on top of the already ludicrous port charges and taxes and the people of Alaska rejoiced. Ever hear the saying "what goes around, comes around?" Nobody knows exactly what that means...probably some moonshine-induced saying from Appalachia, but the bottom line is there's nothing sweeter than revenge. The cruise lines have had a difficult year selling an expensive destination such as Alaska, so for 2010 many of the major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess and others are going to reduce the number of ships they send to the Great State by an average of around 20%. Don't worry about doing math....that's what The Cap'n is here for....let's take 1 Carnival ship. Just ONE. With passenger capacity of about 2400 people. 2400 X $50 = $120,000 "head tax" on that single ship, on 1 single voyage. In 2009 this ship did 19 Alaska cruises. $120,000 per cruise X 19 = a loss to the citizens of Alaska of $2,280,000.00 on this ship alone, and that's only the head tax. Imagine monies lost from shore excursions, tourism businesses, hotel operators who do tours in association with cruises, and so on. It's exponential. By passing their GREED TAX, they risk turning much of civilized Alaska back into wilderness, driving businesses under. Originally, this tax was explained as going towards the upkeep of ports and the essential service required for ships. Again, that was the theory. Ketchikan officials recently approved a half-million dollars of their cut to build a new Performing Arts Center. Nothing to do with cruise ships, just upgrading the town's concert hall if the truth be told. Over the last 6 months or so, we've heard a lot about Alaska in the news and this is just another in a long litany of decision disasters. Stay tuned.
Peek-a-boo, I see you! University of California researchers, fulfilling a Pentagon contract, announced recently they have succeeded in rigging a live flower beetle with electrodes and a radio receiver, which enables scientists to control the insect's flight remotely. Pulses sent to the bug's muscles or optic lobes can command it to take off, turn left, right, or hover. This according to a report in the MIT Technology Review. The insect's large size, up to a 4 inches, would also enable it to carry a camera, giving the beetle military uses in surveillance or search & rescue. Researchers admired the native flight-control ability of the beetle so much that they abandoned their original concept of developing robot beetles. Absolutely! Why try to mimic nature, when you can torture a living organism? Didn't we learn anything during the Bush years? I'm sure Dick Cheney has suggested trying to mount wee-little lasers or mini-machine guns on these bugs, to truly realize their potential.
Dateline: Kassel, Germany. There is a new way for men to frolic in Deutschland. It's called the Mannerspielplatz, which in English translates into "Men's Playground." No, you THINK you know where this is headed, but trust me...keep reading. The Mannerspielplatz was built so that energy-fueled office workers could get in touch with their "Inner Manliness", according to the January edition of Wired Magazine. So what constitutes Inner Manliness you ask? For a mere $280.00 a day (in US dollars), German men can frolic all day on 29-ton backhoes, 32-ton front-end loaders, they can carve up pavement with jackhammers, or play with other various big, loud, sweaty-type vehicles and things to make a man feel like a man. "At the Men's Playground," the owner said, "We fulfill all men's dreams." Just call me Bob The Builder. But please - if you need me, I'll be up on the Bridge with a beer, feeling plenty manly I assure you.
OOOOOOOOOOOO-klahoma! OK!!
In January London's "The Sun" reported about a practitioner of a new art form in which a design is inked, with a tattoo needle, into the sclera - the white part of the eyeball. A Canadian citizen was the first (and possibly only) daredevil to attempt the procedure. However, when Senators from Oklahoma heard the report, they were alarmed enough that they passed legislation out of committee to ban the practice in their state. "If we can stop even one person from doing it in this tattoo-happy society, we've been successful," said Sen. Cliff Branan. An Oklahoma City tattoo artist told KSBI-TV that the law is actually useless, because people who have a desire for uniqueness will do what they have to do anyway. He indicated a little something called "common sense" will prevent the problem from becoming wide-spread. So far, only the Senators from the state of Oklahoma seem to believe they have constituents who might ink-up their eyeballs, but stranger things have happened.
Not many, but a few...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
No, I ain't dead yet!
People have been wondering where I've gotten off to recently, so I guess I have to thank you for your concern. I'M JUST FINE! It's been too busy to find time to write, and I guess in the grand scheme of things, that's a good thing. I did manage to make time to get out to my second home (Las Vegas), just to check on my money. It's still there! Actually, I'm a pretty tight ol' varmint and my last 4 trips to V-Town have been wins or break-evens. I'm going back again sometime this fall, once those NFL boys pad-up and start smacking each other around. There's no time like football season to be in Vegas. But there's never a bad time, as far as I'm concerned! Right now, the airfares to Las Vegas from the East coast are insanely low, and you can get a nice package on The Strip for 30-40% less than last year.
There's plenty of talk in the cruise industry about new ships still to come. Celebrity's got the Equinox & Eclipse, Disney's got the Dream and Fantasy (hey- aren't those Carnival names? Did you lose your originality?) Carnival has the Dream and Magic (hey - aren't those Disney names???), NCL has the Epic, Holland America has the Nieuw Amsterdam (not to be confused with the old Nieuw Amsterdam - this is a Nieuw one!), Royal Caribbean has the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, and there's a bunch of other ones too but I'm tired of typing about 'em. The bottom line is that even though the economy has seen better days, the cruise industry is moving ahead with ships that are better than sliced bread...in theory. I've seen some of the deckplans and diagrams, and I'm excited about some, appalled by others. But you won't see me putting the particulars in writing here. I know my rights (and my wrongs), and I'll be darned if I'm going to let some lawyer hunt me down on the Bridge to serve me papers. No, if you want my opinion on these new ships, you gotta call me directly. Or email me. Depends on whether you like the personal touch of speaking with your mouth or your fingers. Don't worry, I'll know about how old you are by whichever one you choose....
So what's in the news these days? Hmmmm. Well, there's a mighty strange custody battle going on in the state of New York. As part of a highly contentious divorce, surgeon Richard Batista, who in good times had donated a kidney to his then loving wife, has now brought a lawsuit against her for said body part. He is asking the courts to demand that she either give back the kidney, or compensate him with $1.5 million in consideration of the rarity of his kidney match. No word yet who gets that pale green lamp in the corner - the one with the broken fake-bamboo shade. I'll keep you posted.
Not such a G'Day, Mate?
Seems Australian authorities have a different way of thinking about what constitutes a bad trip than we do. Australia's Queensland Rail Agency said it would offer full refunds to passengers on a Cairns-to-Brisbane Southbound train that crashed just outside Cairns in January. At the same time, they reiterated they would NOT pay refunds to survivors of a November 2008 Brisbane-to-Cairns Northbound train crash, that killed 2 and injured 9. The difference, according to a Queensland Rail General Manager, was the 2009 trip was just getting underway from Cairns when it crashed, so the people never got to experience the cross-Aussie trip. But for those that traveled in 2008, whose trip also came to an abrupt and tragic end near Cairns, "the trip was 95% over" by the time the crash occurred. That's like saying "we didn't get you there, but be thankful we got you dang close!" (at least those of you who made it). Another reason to always purchase travel insurance.
For those of you who thought New Hampshire was filled with sensible folk, which may be true for the most part, there's still one or two worth blogging about. The Manchester Union Leader reports that golfer Paul Sanchez, 67, has filed a lawsuit in Brentwood against the Candia Woods Golf Links. This dated back to an "incident" in 2006, where Mr. Sanchez's approach shot hit a yard marker in the fairway, bounced back, and struck him in the eye. Mr. Sanchez claimed the course owners were negligent in placing the yard marker in the fairway, and furthermore should have taken steps to warn all guests that balls could potentially bounce off of the sign. I guess in another physics-related issue, the golf course should put up hundreds of other signs, explaining that golf balls - once airborne - are extremely likely to fall to Earth again. Then again, if they did put up signs, there would be more golfers hitting them and filing charges. Poor golf course owners. They just can't win.
There's plenty of talk in the cruise industry about new ships still to come. Celebrity's got the Equinox & Eclipse, Disney's got the Dream and Fantasy (hey- aren't those Carnival names? Did you lose your originality?) Carnival has the Dream and Magic (hey - aren't those Disney names???), NCL has the Epic, Holland America has the Nieuw Amsterdam (not to be confused with the old Nieuw Amsterdam - this is a Nieuw one!), Royal Caribbean has the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, and there's a bunch of other ones too but I'm tired of typing about 'em. The bottom line is that even though the economy has seen better days, the cruise industry is moving ahead with ships that are better than sliced bread...in theory. I've seen some of the deckplans and diagrams, and I'm excited about some, appalled by others. But you won't see me putting the particulars in writing here. I know my rights (and my wrongs), and I'll be darned if I'm going to let some lawyer hunt me down on the Bridge to serve me papers. No, if you want my opinion on these new ships, you gotta call me directly. Or email me. Depends on whether you like the personal touch of speaking with your mouth or your fingers. Don't worry, I'll know about how old you are by whichever one you choose....
So what's in the news these days? Hmmmm. Well, there's a mighty strange custody battle going on in the state of New York. As part of a highly contentious divorce, surgeon Richard Batista, who in good times had donated a kidney to his then loving wife, has now brought a lawsuit against her for said body part. He is asking the courts to demand that she either give back the kidney, or compensate him with $1.5 million in consideration of the rarity of his kidney match. No word yet who gets that pale green lamp in the corner - the one with the broken fake-bamboo shade. I'll keep you posted.
Not such a G'Day, Mate?
Seems Australian authorities have a different way of thinking about what constitutes a bad trip than we do. Australia's Queensland Rail Agency said it would offer full refunds to passengers on a Cairns-to-Brisbane Southbound train that crashed just outside Cairns in January. At the same time, they reiterated they would NOT pay refunds to survivors of a November 2008 Brisbane-to-Cairns Northbound train crash, that killed 2 and injured 9. The difference, according to a Queensland Rail General Manager, was the 2009 trip was just getting underway from Cairns when it crashed, so the people never got to experience the cross-Aussie trip. But for those that traveled in 2008, whose trip also came to an abrupt and tragic end near Cairns, "the trip was 95% over" by the time the crash occurred. That's like saying "we didn't get you there, but be thankful we got you dang close!" (at least those of you who made it). Another reason to always purchase travel insurance.
For those of you who thought New Hampshire was filled with sensible folk, which may be true for the most part, there's still one or two worth blogging about. The Manchester Union Leader reports that golfer Paul Sanchez, 67, has filed a lawsuit in Brentwood against the Candia Woods Golf Links. This dated back to an "incident" in 2006, where Mr. Sanchez's approach shot hit a yard marker in the fairway, bounced back, and struck him in the eye. Mr. Sanchez claimed the course owners were negligent in placing the yard marker in the fairway, and furthermore should have taken steps to warn all guests that balls could potentially bounce off of the sign. I guess in another physics-related issue, the golf course should put up hundreds of other signs, explaining that golf balls - once airborne - are extremely likely to fall to Earth again. Then again, if they did put up signs, there would be more golfers hitting them and filing charges. Poor golf course owners. They just can't win.
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