Mr.Bill - Ohhh NOOOoooo!

Don't worry, the lovable Play-Doh character from Saturday Night Live isn't in any danger. Neither is the US mainland, except for serious tides and rip-currents emanating from Mr. Bill's namesake Hurricane Bill, twisting away in the Atlantic. The little dot on your map that is Bermuda is also breathing a sigh of relief, as the storm is going to pass at least a couple of hundred miles away. No direct hit, and that's a good thing. Hurricanes and tropical storms are a way of life on this island nation, though they are no more immune than anywhere else to property damage, should they take a direct hit. Fortunately for them, it's been a while since they've seen and lived a monster. But in the dog days of August, with the Caribbean and Atlantic churning into action, it reminds you of WHY a good travel agent will recommend vacations or cruises outside the "hurricane belt" whenever possible. At least when it's the height of storm seasonality. For my clients whose vacation falls in that cross-hairs time of year, particularly July through October, I try to offer safe choices. Realistically speaking, nothing is 100% safe or weatherproof. Not Aruba, not Costa Rica, not Southwest Mexico. Nothing is perfect, but you should play your best odds. It's like when you're in Vegas playing blackjack: You've got 19, and the dealer has a King showing. Would you really say "hit me" trying to pull an ace or deuce, to theoretically tie or win against his supposed-20? Trust me, the House hopes you do just that! That's bucking the odds big-time. There's an old saying "How do you make money in a Casino? BUY one!" I'm more a believer in sticking to a plan where the odds are in my favor, and those of my clients. That's particularly true if you're one of those people who only gets one week a year for vacation, and this is it. It's imperative to get the most for your money, with the least amount of risk. That kind of knowledge is my specialty, and it's what I do every day. Contact me any time for travel advice or pricing.

If you follow this blog, you know I've been all over the people and politicians of Alaska, who allowed greed and ignorance to ruin their cash-cow cruise and tourism business. This morning's USAToday has some rather startling figures, which completely back up what I have been ranting about (I mean discussing). The new 2010 projections, based on the number of cruise ships NOT returning next season, is 140,000 fewer passengers than 2009, and 2009 was a bad year. The economic impact? Let's look at just ONE ITEM: the $50 per person Alaska Tax (head tax on visitors brought to Alaska by ship). If you don't have your handy-dandy pocket calculator around, just the head tax by itself means $7-million less for the Great White North. Each cruise ship passenger averages about $400 per person in shore excursions, too. That's another $56-million. How much do cruise passengers buy in souvenirs, gifts, and need purchases? There's no dollar figure here, but it's a bunch! And then there's meals. And drinks. And all the service personnel whose businesses rely on supplying all these various things. It wouldn't surprise me to see Alaska tank about 1/4 of a BILLION dollars when it's all said and done. That'll put a lot more Alaskans out of work, and onto the welfare lines. So Mr. and Mrs. Alaska, if you're looking to place blame somewhere as your state tips belly-up, my suggestion is go to the store and buy a mirror. There should be some whopping-good sales coming, just around the corner....

6-PACK ABS?

The results of a beer study from Spain were recently released, and they show that of nearly 1,700 women who participated, the bone density in regular drinkers improved, over that of the non-drinkers. The collected data seems to imply that plant hormones in the beer, rather than the alcohol, may be responsible for the increase in bone density. Experts still urge caution, warning that drinking more than two units of alcohol a day can potentially harm bone health.
"Hey bartender - can we get a couple more units over here? Yeah, my wife is trying to kick the once-a-month Boniva habit."

Bone Appetit (part II)?

The University of Edinburgh (Scotland UK) has also been doing osteoporosis research. New results show that Cannabis may strengthen bones in older people, despite research which suggests it does the opposite in younger users. That's Cannabis as in Marijuana, Grass, Ganja, Loco Weed, Whacky Tobbacky, Woodstock Wheeze or whatever name you know it by. It's important to note that this study was not performed by your typical group of aging hippies, looking to find Karma and a legitimate reason to hit the bong on a regular basis. This was a highly-respected Scottish University research team. They found that in older people, the Cannabis activates a molecule found naturally in the body, which when dormant is key to the development of osteoporosis. CB1 is a type of "Cannabinoid Receptor" molecule (whatever that is - cool name, though), and when CB1 comes in contact with Cannabis ingredients, it appears to trigger bone regeneration in people of mid-life to retirement age. The theory goes that as people get into their 60's, 70's and beyond, the effects of a bit of MJ may actually increase bone density, giving them back a more youthful vitality and strength. The downside of the study indicates that while people's bones became more dense, which in turn makes the Cannabis user more upwardly-mobile, they tend to use their new-found leg strength more often to walk to the store, for a pan of brownies and a few dozen bags of Doritos. It's kind of funny that they use the terms "60's", "70's" and "Marijuana" throughout the study. Maybe for similar reasons, I'm starting to hum Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane tunes as I'm typing. One thing is for sure: The results of this study will surely require another study.

WHERE DO I SIGN UP?!