Travel Blog

We just read an article about tipping, which suggested that just about anyone who provides a service to you should be tipped. This is part of our research about, ” Do Americans tip enough?”. This includes the taxi driver, the person who delivers furniture to your home. Also the person who cuts your grass, the restaurant waitress, the bartender and on and on and on. There have been some acceptable norms in terms of tipping and most people will tip 15% for average service.

But it does not include everyone that provide services to the average consumer. For most people they will tip the waiter or the waitress, the bartender. People who generally provide service in the tourism industry.

Do Americans tip enough?

But recently barristers at coffee shops have tip jars out. Just about anyone who is providing service who didn’t traditionally collect a tip is now suggesting that they should be tipped for the job that they’re doing.

We strongly believe that people who are being paid for the job and doing a job and don’t do anything out of the ordinary in terms of providing service to you should not receive the tip.

For example the taxi driver who does not get out of his car to open the car door for you. Or help get your bags out of the trunk  does not deserve a tip. The coffee shop person who fills your coffee, makes change and get you your cup should not get a tip for just doing their job. Many people will disagree with us, but that is our thoughts on the question, “do Americans tip enough?”.

If any of these people do something special then obviously you should consider tipping. But this new trend of tipping everybody even if they don’t do anything special for you is just another way for people to get ripped off. They pay extra for the services that they should be getting free.

Examples

An example is worth talking about. We think it will illustrative of the kind of location and time that should be considered for tipping. A hotel that we go to quite often, approximately every two weeks provides coffee and drink service.

The waitress only sees us every two weeks among thousands of people that she provides coffee service and drink service for. Yet she remembers our faces. How we like our coffee including how much cream and sugar we take in our coffee without us having to tell her. When we order coffee it is delivered promptly and with a smile. A small conversation inquiring how we are with the coffee exactly how we like it. Consequently this is an example of great service and well worth the tips that we provide to her.

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Can you imagine that you are just about to unveil your latest designs at the Detroit auto show. Then the Feds announce that there is a recall associated with your flagship car! This Tesla recall came at the wrong time.

Yep that is what happened to Tesla today at the Detroit Auto Show. Above all poor timing and poor management by the marketing team regarding release of information. In addition someone in the Government is playing politics when they release information about a recall timed to coincide with the companies newest releases. Do it before or do it after. But not during the auto show. Sounds like someone is involved with the competitors of the Tesla Model S!

Tesla Recall Model S

Someone is playing with words. Here is the gist of the Government announcement, “federal safety regulators classified as a recall Tesla’s move to provide upgraded wall adapters and charging software for up to 29,222 owners of 2013 Model S vehicles, citing the risk of fire.”

That’s right Tesla had already announced an upgrade to the charging system in terms of hardware and software to deal with a potential over heating situation for their charging systems.

All of this taking place at the auto show where Tesla announced that they expect to double their foot print in 2014 and sales are booming. We are sure that more information will be coming out on this issue.

For more posts about electric cars, click here.

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Weekly exercise results as recorded by the jawbone wristband. The Jawbone wrist band can be tailored to the size of your wrist to ensure that it accurately records both your sleep patterns as well as the total number of steps that you take each day. Use the web sites wrist band sizing guideline to help you order the correct size of the wrist band.  You will need a small tape measure to measure your wrist. Compare the measurement to the table and select the proper wrist band. The newer models also have Bluetooth capability so just hold your iPhone close to the wrist band and it will auto connect and update the app with your latest results. You can also use the app to tell your wrist band that you are going to sleep for the night or just push the button on the end as usual.

Jawbone Results

Each week your account will send an email with your results as shown below. this can be useful to keep track and to take stock of how you are doing. Users should use these results as a guideline and a trigger to improve or increase your activity level to help meet objectives in losing weight or improving overall fitness.

The app on your smartphone can also be used to compare results and trends for the amount of sleep you get each night as well as the amount of exercise you also obtain. Set the objective of adding more steps each day to gradually increase your activity level and meet the 10,000 step goal.
Weekly Summary Jan 6 – Jan 12
Last sync: Jan 12, 6:56 pm
You’re getting UP there, Paul.
See how your daily sleep and step averages compare to the week of December 30.
– 10 m /night
+ 1,019 steps/day

You got the most sleep
Friday 7 h 54 m

This week’s average sleep 7 h 5 m

You hit your goal 0 times

Average bedtime 11:36 pm
Uninterrupted Sleep 5 nights
Average wake time 6:45 am

A good night’s sleep is like bad mood insurance…
Everyone gets a little down now and then. A good night’s sleep works wonders for your attitude and helps you snap back into a positive frame of mind.

Your best day of steps-Wednesday 5,267 steps
This week’s average steps 4,043 steps/day
You hit your goal 0 times

Idle watch
You were most idle at 9 am – 10 am

Total distance 12.8 miles

For information exercise issues and more, click here.

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Why is it that tractor-trailers pulling huge loads never slow down regardless of what the road conditions are? Trucks never slow down regardless of the conditions. We just came back from traveling between Ottawa and Montreal. It was a very rainy day with lots of spray and poor visibility. We were passed by several trucks all going over the speed limit without any regard to traffic around them.

It is almost as if they are trying to push you out of the way. The spray from their tires can almost blind you in terms of being able to see the road. All of the rest of the traffic was traveling at approximately 90 to 100 kilometers an hour however the tractor-trailers have to go at least 105 110 kilometers per hour. That means they pretty much pass everything in front of them.

Trucks never slow down – Driving too Close

We saw a couple of cars almost lose it because of the spray from the tractor trailer tires and the slush on the road. These people had to be pretty scared. The other thing we notice is that many drivers of trucks as well as cars tend to drive too close to the next person. They have no time at all to react to any kind of situation and break to avoid chain reaction accident.

Even if you allow space, adequate space between you and Tthe next car, they will always try to pass you and move in front. We try to drive defensively at all times. Avoid being involved in a chain reaction accident. However on many roads especially in bad conditions no one slows down and is pretty hard to avoid being involved in a chain reaction accident. Better off to stay home and wait for conditions to improve.

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One thing that we’ve noticed recently at the Rideau Carlton Casino is a lack of automation concerning comps and the slot card. The only way to really find out if you have enough points to cover a meal, cashback, or qualify for draws is to go to the winner’s desk. Find out if you qualify for any comps.

They do have machines throughout the floor where you can have coupons cashed. You can also find out how much cashback you’re entitled to. But if you want to have a meal and have it paid for by the casino you have to go to the winner’s desk. Find out if you have enough to qualify for a meal.

Rideau Carlton Casino Competition

Other casinos that we are going to have everything automated on the card. All you need to do is go to the restaurant of your choice to give them your slot card. They will automatically deduct the points that you need to pay for the meal.  You cannot use your points to cover drinks at any time. We find this much easier than having to stand in line and ask if you qualify for a meal.

It is about time that the Rideau Carlton Casino updated their slot card system and made it friendlier for their patrons. It is almost an attitude thing. You get the impression that big brother is watching over you. The other thing we really do not like is the two guards in uniform standing at the entrance. They check if everyone is of the proper age. It is not very friendly. All casinos have the same thing. However, the guards are dressed in suits. They show a little class. What is wrong with the Rideau Carleton Casino?

The CES show is on in Las Vegas every year in January. There are lots of new devices being shown at the CES show. Which grab the attention of all the computer geeks around the world. It also grabs the attention of many people who are just interested in the evolution of technology that is taking place in the industry. Whatever your motivation, this is one of the premiere conferences and shows to go to every year. Book early, room rates skyrocket during this period.

What to Look for at the CES show

Three major areas that consumers should watch over the next year are going to generate many new technologies and devices that will change our lives.

The cloud has been talked about for the past year and will continue to grow as more and more people place information in the cloud. This means that you store your files and information on a server somewhere, just not on your local PC.

Miniaturization of devices so that we can wear them on our person, on our clothes, and purses and wallets. Computers, hard drives, thumb drives etc are all getting smaller. Our phones are physically getting larger, but the capabilities are expanding exponentially.

Sensors that will keep track of our daily activities, exercise, heart rates, blood-pressure. Also how much we walk and on and on. There is less privacy due to sensors and reporting information to computers, but with huge amounts of information available to the individual

This is just a sample of what is available and will be shown at the CES show every year. Keep track of the evolution of technology by attending shows like this one.

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We just purchased our travel insurance for our next trip, actually travel health insurance. Each year it gets more expensive and this is generally due to age and related health issues. We have found that if you have any existing conditions that are stable you can still obtain health insurance, although the price will be higher than it would be if you did not have the health issue. It is all about the risk of a claim and how much money they will be able to make off of you. They may not insure existing conditions, but then you do not want to go anywhere without coverage.

Travel Insurance – Don’t take the Risk

If your particular health issue is not stable, your health insurance  is going to be really high and depending on what it is, you may not be able to obtain insurance at all. This is one of the things that you have to deal with if you leave the province to another province or to another country, particularly the United States.

Answer all of the questions carefully and accurately. You do not want the insurance declined because you made a mistake about something. It could be a very expensive mistake!

Travel Insurance and  health insurance are actually two different things. Travel insurance insures your travel expenses, while health insurance covers expenses associated with health claims if you need to go to the hospital or to a clinic. Having experienced major claims several times, we feel that health insurance is a definite must.

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The Mohawk Casino is by far one of the best casinos in the area, so much so that Canadians from Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, and other areas would rather go to this casino than go to one that is much closer to them. The value they get in terms of comps, free meals, free hotel rooms, and inexpensive drinks more than makes up for the travel time. Also the extra cost of traveling to this casino. Just cross the river at Cornwall. Turn left after you leave the customs area and drive for approximately 5 miles and you are there. It is worth it if you have not tried it.

Mohawk Casino

We also recommend that new members sign up for a slot card. If you bring a guest, then you will be given some added freeplay. Which you can use in the many slot machines. If it happens to be your birthday, they will also give you a free buffet. They award points based on your play which can be used towards meals at the restaurants and the tuck shop. You do not have to line up at the winner’s circle as you do at some places. No need to wonder if you are wasting your time to find out if you have enough points for a meal. Just present your slot card when you pay. They will deduct the points you have towards the cost of the meal and then let you know if you owe anything more.

We also like the idea of using your points to purchase bridge passes if you are heading back to Canada and need a bridge pass to pay for the toll. Pretty good deal overall from this casino which many others do not offer.

Usually it is only Canada that gets a bad rap for cold weather, snow and ice in the north, storms, this year. Most of the US has heard about the cold Artic air that is coming down from Canada. But this year,  Jan 2014,  we are well into our 3rd storm of the season. It is dropping snow by the foot on places like Buffalo and Syracuse. The roads are bad everywhere and it is just plain cold. This is the main reason we leave to head south and become what has been affectionately called “snowbirds”. There are literally millions of people who head south every year for a week to as long as six months to get away from the snow, the ice and the cold.

Snow and Ice in the North

There are snow storms all the way down to Mississippi and Louisiana and across to Texas. These areas are not usually used to snow and really suffer when they have to deal with icy roads and do not have the salt and gravel to spread on the roads.

They also do not know how to drive their cars in icy conditions and there are many accidents as a result. We have had snow since the beginning of November in eastern Ontario and there is more coming.

In fact it is not likely to go away until well into late spring. What an awful winter to endure. It is time to head south and become a snow bird.

For more posts about Canadian politics and other stores about Canada, click here.

Both the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 have seen a terribly cold winter so far. A new term has been brought into our understanding of the weather: a cold vortex encircling North America all the way down to Florida. It has bypassed the western states, with places like LA and Palm Springs staying relatively warm. The cold weather is being felt as far west as Texas and Arizona, especially in the south. We have had more snow this year. It began falling in early November and has never left.

Cold vortex in the North East

This will probably be one of the longest winters on record and break most temperature records. Most people just have to endure this cold and the snow that comes with it. Some of us head south for the winter to find warm weather and to get away from any hint of snow.

Well, this year is turning out to be more of a problem for many snowbirds because of the cold vortex that seems to be circulating around us. Many snowbirds heading to Florida and west to Mississippi and Louisiana are finding it very cold still. They may not have snow, but they are finding that there are still freezing temperatures. In fact, it has been reported that pipes are freezing in places that have not seen this before.

These poor people just do not know what to do. The best thing is stay warm, wear lots of clothes and make sure you heat your home safely.

For more travel-related topics, click here.

UP Weekly : Weekly Summary for Dec 23 – Dec 29
Last sync: Dec 30, 8:12am
Let’s start strong, Paul.
See how your daily sleep and step averages compare to the week of December 16.

This is a report that is sent to the user’s email account that summarizes all of the activity for the week.  It is nice to receive this report as a reminder of what your activity has been and also the areas that you need to focus on to improve your overall health and activity levels. The jawbone is easy to wear and in fact, after a while you do not even notice that you have it on. It is easy to take on and off and also to recharge the battery. In fact, you just use the USB adapter that comes with it and plug it into your computer to recharge it. Within an hour it is fully charged and can be used for the next 10 days without needing another charge.

We are not sure but we think that the number of times you update the application on the iPhone will impact the battery life and maybe shorten it by day if you update the report once a day or more often. Other than that it works really great and gives me much more information about activity levels and sleep patterns that I never had before.

UP Weekly : Report for the Week

– 39 m /night
– 510 steps/day
You got the most sleep
Saturday
7 h 9 m
This week’s average sleep
6 h 13 m
You hit your goal
0 times
Average bedtime
12:02 am
Uninterrupted Sleep
3 nights
Average wake time
6:49 am
Your best day of steps
Saturday
9,624 steps
This week’s average steps
4,407 steps/day
You hit your goal
0 times
Idle watch

UP Weekly : You were most idle

8 pm – 9 pm
Total distance
14.2 miles
Exercising consistently can make you happier…
Exercise releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in your brain. People
who work out regularly are happier, so get after it!
Having trouble reading this email? View it in your
browser.

For more exercise ideas, click here.

We just added a new app onto our iPhone 5, which takes advantage of the A7 chip in the iPhone to keep track of our activity during the day. It tracks your steps every day using a combination of motion, GPS if turned on, WiFi readings and tower connections for data service. There is a free version of the app as well as a paid version with more features.

We found that with the GPS turned on, it really used the battery power and I needed to charge the phone more often. We are still testing to see how accurate this new app is from Pacer. I turned the GPS off and also the location service feature on the iPhone for this app off as well. The battery is lasting much longer and the app seems to be reporting the steps I take accurately. I also recently upgraded to an iPhone 6 from the 5 model. These apps work much better on this version of iPhone and seemed to be more optimized for to maintain battery life.

Pacer App

I have been using the Pacer app for about a month and I am very satisfied with it. I carry my iPhone everywhere so it tracks all of my steps quite well. It also does not seem to matter where I have it. It tracks just as well when it is in my pants pocket as well as in a shirt or coat pocket. This is a great app if you want to get an idea of how far you are walking each day.

Note that it is not 100% accurate. But it is good enough to provide an indication of how active you are each day. You can also record your blood pressure and weight each day to provide a record of these areas. The app can also provide a graph going back 30 days of all of these areas. Or much longer if you pay for the upgrade. So far we are pretty happy with the free version. But may upgrade to gain access to the historical information that is saved within the app.

Track Blood Pressure with Pacer App

While the Pacer App will not take your blood pressure, it can record your blood pressure results and provide a graph of them over time. Use a separate blood pressure monitor and record the results in the app so that you have a record of the results to show your doctor the next time you visit. It is an excellent way of keeping track of blood pressure, your heart rate and also your weight. While having these results saved, you can only look at the graphs for the past 30 days. you will need to pay for an upgrade to see 6 month graphs and also one year graphs.

For more information about exercise and how to get started, click here.

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I’ve walked 2116 steps with Pacer today! #Pacerstats http://t.co/02Oc7HeZcK. This is a great app that runs in the background on your smart phone.

The App called Pacer is installed on my iPhone and apparently makes use of a chip on the iPhone called the A7. it is geared to measuring motion and also using GPS data to help measure how many steps are taken by the person carrying the iPhone. This is a little known feature that seems to work quite well based on several months of use.

It is not totally accurate. But it is certainly within the proper level of accuracy for users to feel confident about tracking  the amount of activity each day. I noticed that when I am biking, pacer keeps track of how far I have traveled although I have no idea if it is accurate or not. The results for the day tend to skew the results for the week and all trends. Bottom line though is that it is recording activity which is really what I am after with it.

Pacer results – Location of the iPhone

According to the APP documentation, there is no right or wrong place to wear or carry the iPhone. What we have found over the past week or so is that it does seem to make a difference regarding where you wear it. Although I have yet to find the sweet spot in terms of where to carry the iPhone, it is working and seems to measure about 90% of the steps. You can also track blood pressure, heart rate and keep track of all of these measures to help manage your over all health. I tend ot just carry the iPhone in my pocket and it seems to work just fine. The battery does seem to go down fairly quickly because I have the GPS turned on which apparently not necessary for the chip to work and deliver results of my days activity.

If you have used this app and have comments, let us know what you think and any hints you might have regarding how to improve accuracy of the APP. Apple products are getting better and better all of the time. For more information about pacer results and getting exercise, click here.

Cacino or casino – The word “Cacino”, is an obvious mis-spelling of the word casino, Cacino or casino, however many people appear to be searching for this word when they are looking for casinos in their area.

This website is discussing casino promotions and Casino complimentary meals, rooms, and show tickets along with the companion website Las Vegas casino reviews.

Cacino or casino – Getting Comp’s

We tend to go to casinos once or twice a month for entertainment and enjoyment. They often have really great restaurants to eat at reasonable prices, and the drinks are much cheaper than comparable restaurants. In addition, they will have a variety of shows that you can take in along with your dining experience. Many people do not gamble however the casino is one place that you can go to enjoy an evening, have a few drinks, have a nice meal, and enjoy some entertainment.

The following are examples of casino promotions that are routinely provided by some of the better casinos. For example, free play is the offer of money by the casino that you can play in a slot machine. You cannot withdraw it but you can play with that money. Any winnings you get from the free play is yours to keep.

Cacino or casino – More comp’s

Another example of promotion is free rooms at a hotel attached to the casino. The rooms are usually priced around a hundred to $230 a night. However, depending on your play at the casino these rooms can be yours for free during the week or even on weekends at some point.

Most casinos have two or three or sometimes as many as 10 restaurants for the larger locations. All of your meals can be paid for based on how much you play at the slot machines. Some casinos will allow you to add points to your slot card as your play. These points can be used to pay for any meals that you may have. At other locations, they will ask you to charge only videos to your hotel room. Then the casino host will review your play and write off some food and possibly your room.

Some people prefer to go golfing or to see entertainment. these people can also receive these things for free based on the casino play.

What an interesting idea! Spending your honeymoon in palm springs! Many of the movie stars as well as the average Joe will plan a Palm Springs Honeymoon in the Palm Springs area. For example, Elvis and Priscilla even spent their honeymoon in Palm Springs enjoying the warm weather the beautiful sites and just hanging around a great place.

With most hotels and motels having pools to spend your day at, hundreds of restaurants to try out, tennis courts, golf courses, hiking, and bicycling there is many things to do in Palm Springs on your honeymoon.

Palm Springs Honeymoon – Weather

Palm Springs receives approximately 350 days of sunshine every year. This makes this location a great place to spend time by the pool. There are over 115 golf courses to try out. Some are private, while many are public. They’re all really great places to try your hand at golf. There are public tennis courts as well as private tennis courts.

There are all kinds of restaurants in Palm Springs as well as the other desert cities in the Coachella Valley. Everything from fast food all the way up to fine dining, you can have your choice of special places to spend an evening or dinner with your new bride.

For those of you who are more active and would like to go bicycling, hiking, or even horse riding along mountain trails there are over 200 miles of hiking trails as well as many bicycling trails along the valley.

This is a great place to spend your honeymoon as well as a vacation for you and the family.

For a lot more information about Palm Springs, click here.

Several years ago the writer of this post decided to cancel his dental insurance. Recently we saw an article on one of the news TV stations talking about whether it is worthwhile to have dental insurance or not. This is article triggered the following post about, “is dental insurance worth it?”.

The writers dental insurance was costing approximately $2100 per year for both him and his wife. It covered all of the normal dental procedures, with special procedures included but only at a rate of 50%. This seemed rather expensive to us and after looking at the past expenses that we had from a dental perspective we decided to become self funding insurers for our own dental expenses.

Is dental insurance worth it – Cost

The average cost of our dental expenses for the year was approximately $500. This included two cleanings per year for both people and also x-rays every two years. The insurance we were paying at the time was $2100 as previously mentioned. It seem like a no-brainer to stop paying for dental insurance, which is exactly what we did.

The following year wouldn’t you know it, we had a special dental expense, a root canal in addition to our normal dental checkups. The total cost of the root canal plus the dental checkups came to approximately $2500.

Fortunately we had the $2000 that we saved from not paying our dental insurance and this also coupled with the dental cleaning put us $500 in the hole. The following year we only had our dental checkups and cleaning for total of $500. at the end of the second year we were $1000 ahead at the end of the third year we were $2500 ahead!

During the first year we wondered if we’ve made the right decision, it turns out that from a purely cash flow perspective we in fact have made the right decision to self fund our own dental expenses. Even if we had still had dental insurance, they would only have paid 50% of the root canal cost so we where still having to pay a significant amount of money in addition to the regular annual premium for dental insurance.

Conclusion

Paying for our own dental expenses, in other words self insuring ourselves has been the right decision for our family.

The savings that we capture year after year will more than pay for many of the expenses that we expect to have for dental cleaning, and other emergency dental requirements over the coming years. It is the right decision for our family.

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There is the convenience of playing your favorite poker game or slot machine at home using an On Line Casino. You don’t need to get dressed. All you need to do is get your favorite beverage. Whether it is a coffee or a drink of some kind, sit down at your computer and play your favorite online Casino.

Play anytime at On Line Casino

There’s the convenience of playing at any time of the day. Some people like to play in the middle of the night while others have their favorite time in the afternoon. Regardless of when you like to play there’s the convenience of being able to sit down at your computer at any time of the day. Even play on your smartphone from any location. Many people prefer this kind of gambling to have to visit a regular casino. Which means getting in the car and driving to wherever you need to be.

Cash in Your Account

There is the convenience of receiving cash in your bank account when you make a big win. When you’re playing online patrons can transfer cash from their bank account to their online casino account and vice versa. If you win a big jackpot the best thing for most people to do is to transfer the cash from the online casino back to their bank account. This is one way to ensure that your winnings will stay in your bank account. The cash will not be spent on further gambling.

Gambling Addiction

Some people are addicted and this can be a problem. If you are susceptible to being addicted to gambling, online casino gambling can be a problem for some people. There’s no getting away from the online slot machine, or the online poker table. If you suspect that you may be addicted to gambling, it is a good idea to call one of the hotlines that provide support for addicted gamblers.

Personally, the writer would prefer to play in a brick-and-mortar casino instead of playing online for the social aspect of the casino. We enjoy visiting the casino, getting away from the house, and being around people in general. For us, this is a social activity and we control how much we gamble. It is always a pleasant bonus when we win a jackpot. Or receive a free complimentary meal, a free complimentary room, or free complimentary tickets to an entertainment show.

Going for dinner, having a drink, and playing with your favorite slot machines is a bonus or an advantage that many people would prefer to playing online.

UP App for iPhone –  Weekly Summary Dec 30 – Jan 5 Last sync: Jan 6, 7:23am You’re a stellar sleeper, Paul. See how your daily sleep and step averages compare to the week of December 23. [image: Sleep] + 1 h 2 m /night [image: Move] – 1,383 steps/day. I do not use the UP App for iPhone any longer. The jawbone stopped working and I really would not recommend it to anyone. Do not buy the jawbone or install the UP App for iPhone.

You got the most sleep Monday 9 h 27 m This week’s average sleep 7 h 15 m You hit your goal 2 times Average bedtime 11:28 pm Uninterrupted Sleep 2 nights Average wake time 6:56 am Give your immune system a big old shot in the arm… Your body releases infection fighting proteins while you slumber. Sleep deprivation means fewer of these bug busting bad boys.

Your best day of steps Sunday 5,671 steps This week’s average steps 3,024 steps/day You hit your goal 0 times Idle watch You were most idle 2 pm – 3 pm Total distance 9.7 miles Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser.

UP App for iPhone

Unfortunately my UP band stopped working and I no longer get any updates. This is the second time that the band has stopped working for me. Both times it was the battery that would not recharge properly. I decided to not purchase another one. The band itself is not very sturdy and easily damaged. The UP App for iPhone works really well and I am quite happy with the app itself.

I also recently heard that Jawbone is going out of business or at least being sold. Who wants to invest in something that may not be around very long. There are lots of devices around that can be considered. I guess I will wait until there is a clear leader before purchasing another one.

They cost quite a bit of money, over $100. While that may not seem like much to some people it is more than I want to spend. It only lasts less than a year so it is not worth it. I have had my watch for over 10 years. This is what consumers are looking for.

For more travel related topics, click here.

I’ve walked 2116 steps with Pacer today! #Pacerstats http://t.co/02Oc7HeZcK. Although we have shown a jawbone product on the picture, which is a competitor of the iphone pacer product, we find that pacer is really a great app. Otherwise you may want to consider the jawbone instead of relying on pacer results only. Pacer does not track your sleep patterns for example which might be something that many consumers are interested in.

Pacer Results – the App

For those of you who may not be aware, Pacer is an App that can be downloaded for free from Apple to Iphones and Ipods. The free app comes with basic functionality. Users who like the app can pay to have an upgrade which gives you additional features. The basic app counts and displays your steps in a graph for you to review each day and over a month or year.

All you have to do is carry your iPhone with you all of the time in a pocket or even in your hand . It will count your steps. the objective is to hit 10,000 steps per day. This is all about spending money on your personal health. Pacer will only give you 3 months of history in the trends section unless you purchase the upgrade from Apple.

The  typical screen from the Pacer Results screen page showing the number of steps taken so far today. It also shows what your active time was and how many calories have been burned as a result is very informative. You can also switch to other screens that demonstrate trends. How far you have walked over the past, your blood pressure, your weight, your active time and so on.

This is a neat app to help manage and track your active time. Personally I track blood pressure and can show my doctor a graph of my blood pressure over the past 3 months. This helps in the decision about what medicine I should take along with how much medicine I should take. This is a great little app to have on your iPhone.

For more health related topics, click here.

Do you know what constitutes good heart health? Health professionals and dietitians indicate there are five indicators of Good heart health. It is so important to maintain your health especially as you get older. There will be less chance of having heart and other health related issues if you follow the suggestions listed below.

These indicators are the following:

• Being a non-smoker or someone who is quit smoking for more than 12 months
• Having a body mass index of less than 25
• Doing the equivalent of thirty minutes of walking each day
• Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables everyday
• No diabetes or high blood pressure.

A friend of ours was only 60 years old and just had a very serious stroke. She had high blood pressure, she was overweight, she had diabetes, she did not eat properly and she did not exercise. She actually was a nurse and should’ve known better based on all of the information that she is provided with and the patients that she sees. Unfortunately she did not follow the advice of her peers in the industry in general. Unfortunately she is also paying for this lack of personal health in a very serious way. No one wants to have to live in the manner that she is at the moment.

This is an extreme case considering all of the areas that she has bad heart health. However many of us baby boomers are succumbing to being overweight, being less active, and having high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol. This should be a wake up call for many people.

Good Heart Health

The fact that 10% or less of North Americans have bad heart health is an extreme health issue. The amount of suffering, the cost of looking after people who have had strokes and heart attacks, and the many other health issues is staggering.

The government is finding ways to try and provide healthcare to cover these extreme situations. Much of the support has the cost born by the individual. Consumers would be far better if they look after their part. Maintain good heart health to avoid the suffering and misery that goes along with having a stroke, or a heart attack. The lion share of support for individuals who succumb to some of these health issues, belongs to family, close friends and children.

As part of your New Year’s resolution for January 2014 take steps to increasing your activity and focusing on your health to avoid being part of the 90% group of North Americans who have bad heart health. For information about heart health and other health issues, click here.

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Many people in the northern part of North America dream about becoming a Snowbird when they retire. The fact of the matter is that the majority of these people do not follow through with heading south when the winter arrives.

27% of not yet retired North Americans report that they expect to become snowbirds once they retire. The definition of a snowbird is someone who regularly is going somewhere warm for the winter. In actual fact, only 16% of North Americans actually follow through and become snowbirds.

Becoming a Snowbird

It appears that both men and women are almost equally interested in becoming snowbirds. And over one third of North American pre-retired couples have not talked about what they want to do when they retire with their spouse or partners.

First of all it is very important to discuss your expectations and plans for retirement years with your spouse. This can be a particularly stressful time for some couples. Many are not used to spending a lot of time together. Once they retire they will be spending 100% of their time with each other. Discussing your plans to become snowbirds or to travel in general is very important.

Since many people do not really know what they were want to do in retirement, the best plan of action is to begin saving for retirement and make sure that they have sufficient funds available to allow them to do whatever they would prefer.

Traveling south to keep warm in the winter, traveling to other countries or staying at home all requires that you have the quality of life that you prefer. Plan now and save for retirement.

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There are more and more online casinos becoming available all around the world. Whether it is a brick-and-mortar casino or an online version casinos can be exciting. Governments are also getting into the act because they want a proportion of the gambling revenue. There are sites that are offered from other countries to people who enjoy gambling online from the comfort of their homes.

There are so many opportunities to gamble online that the subject of online casino real money is an important one. Clients who plan to gamble online can do so with free money. Or they can actually send money from their bank account to the casino. They can gamble with actual real online casino money.

Online Casino Real Money – Gambling with Free Credit

In the case of gambling for free, people are playing with Casino credit. This is play money and does not in any way harm them from a financial perspective. They can play for as long as they wish with no worry about how much they lose or win. If you win a big jackpot it just pretends money and not something that you can actually spend on anything.

In situations where your gambling with real money, this is money that you’ve transferred from your bank account or credit card to the online casino and it is a much more serious thing. There’s a very real possibility that you could lose money and in fact, lose a great deal of money if you plan on transferring additional funds from your bank account. This is a huge concern for many consumers as well as governments who are concerned about people losing their life savings and all of their assets.

Consumers need to be really careful about gambling with online real money at a casino.

Social Element of Gambling

The other thing that we wonder about is what is the social element of gambling online at home all about. The writer loves to go to casinos and experience everything that a casino has to offer. This includes the shows, the restaurants, the various people who are in the casino, and when you win something other people celebrating with you that you’ve won a jackpot. It is much more interesting and much better entertainment value in a situation such as this. Online casino gambling is not something that we would encourage anyone to pursue other than when you’re gambling with play money.

There’s no harm in gambling with play money since there is no impact on you personally or your family. Keep everything in perspective when your family whether it is online or in a brick-and-mortar casino.

Canadians, based on a report from their statistics arm of the government were expected to have a life expectancy of 79 years for men and 83 years for women. This data came from a report developed in 2007 to 2009.  They are further forecasting that by 2031, the average man will live to 82 and women will live to 86. Not only is the gap narrowing  a bit, both sexes are living longer as our health generally improves. Their health care gets better as well. Does this mean we are just kept alive longer. Do we also get to enjoy those extra years as well?  The ability to live long and healthy depends on many issues.

The key to living longer is not just in how many years you live but also experiencing a better quality of life as well. No one wants to be in a wheel chair for the last 10 years of their life and they do not want to be so forgetful, that they are really not living a normal life. While none of us can predict what will happen to us, there are some things we can do to improve the odds and maybe our quality of life as we get older.

What Steps Should We Take to Live Long and Healthy

There are a number of steps that we can all take to try to improve the odds that we will live long and also have a healthy life with a decent level of quality as well. There are no guarantees, but by following these steps or suggestions we can at least improve the odds. Here they are:

• Do not smoke, this is a well known health issue. Strokes, heart attacks and general declining health
• Review your blood pressure, cholesterol level, weight and waist circumference regularly. Take action if they are out of line
• If you need to lose weight, aim for 5% to 10% to improve your numbers and get down to your proper BMI level.
• Belt size should be less than 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men
• Eat 7 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. they have a lot less calories and are healthy for you as well
• Walk 10,000 steps every day, they can be added up easily if you focus on walking when you can ride or take the elevator
• Wear a pedometer to monitor your steps
• Take time to relax, to laugh a bit and socialize with family and friends
• Limit your alcohol content to 2 servings per day
• Understand your family heart history and monitor. Take precautions if there is a history of health issues
• Eliminate salt from your diet as much as possible to help control your blood pressure

Improve Your Health

All of these items will help to improve your health and to maintain your health. If you can stay healthy well into your older years you will have an excellent chance of not only hitting the average age for men and for women, there is a good chance that you will also have a good quality of life as well. You will be able to enjoy the grandchildren, travel, play or even work if that is what you want to do much later in life than you might have been able to otherwise. The main thing is to be able to enjoy our health and have a good quality of life.

Eat healthy and look after yourself to live long and stay healthy! For more information about how to live long and healthy, click here.

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The recent controversy surrounding the patriarch of the Robertson clan, host of the reality show Duck Dynasty, has created a firestorm of comments across the country. In one interview he managed to alienate many segments of society based on his religious views. We are wondering if this is the end of Duck Dynasty?

While there is freedom of speech and freedom of religion in the country, there is also a civil way to living in our society where we don’t have to alienate many people. Apparently he made comments against blacks as well as gays which are really uncalled for in the writer’s mind and totally unnecessary. At the same time A&E host of the duck dynasty reality show had to know about this interview and had to know what this client stands for when they signed up to do this reality show.

The End of Duck Dynasty – Share the Blame

They are as much to blame as the patriarch of the Robertson clan and all of the rednecks that support his comments.

What is even more unsettling, is the number of people who I stepped up to support him and his comments. They are doing so standing behind free speech and free religious views but not really taking into account the specifics of what he said. This is the trouble with many reality shows in that it demonstrates the worst of our society.

If you have an opinion on this blog, leave your comments as long as they are constructive and civil we will be glad to post them on this blog.

For more thoughts on reality shows, click here.

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There are many motels and hotels in Palm Springs Centered within a few blocks of downtown. We find that these locations are by far the best. You can walk to most  restaurants, bars and activities held in the Palm Springs area.

Some hotels are located at casinos and golf courses. These properties are very nice. If you’re a golfing enthusiast then you probably want to be near the golf course. However you must get in your car and drive anytime you want to go anywhere. Drinking and driving issues comes to mind in a situation like this.

Hotels in Palm Springs – Check Location

Check your location first based on what you like to do most. Book hotel or motel within walking distance or near a resort or by a golf course that you can go golf at.

There is a Hard rock hotel in downtown Palm Springs , which is one of three hotels in the downtown area of Palm Springs. There are also a number of luxury motels in the area which are very comfortable, have pools, and parking and are very  convenient to downtown.

At events that are held in the Palm Springs area, parking is usually at a premium. On Thursday night for example they have the Palm Springs Street fair which brings thousands of people into the downtown area. If you’re staying at a motel or hotel close by and can walk this is a major convenience compared to driving and then trying to find a place to park.

Book your hotel, or motel early so that you can find a place that you prefer. During January February and March there is a major snow bird surge in the population. Rooms are always at a premium and everyone is trying to find a place that meets their needs.

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White Water Rafting in Maine is over for the season, winter has set in with a vengeance at the end of 2013 and early 2014 with  very cold weather and lots of snow. Many people look forward to snow skiing and other winter sports. However the white water rafting enthusiasts  are sad that the season is done. It is time to get ready for the next season!

Time for companies to switch over to other activities. Such as guiding in the winter, maintaining ski hills and looking after equipment. This is an annual activity for all white water companies. They also move on to preparing for winter sports activities that they may be involved in.

Water Rafting in Maine

Repair and replacing gear for the coming season is one of the main activities. But then so is marketing and signing up guides. Also promoting deals with other local venders to help entice people to come to the are for white water rafting.

Skiing, hiking, winter sports are also part of the scene for many small B&B’s, hotels and restaurants. There is always a sports activity of some kind going on in outdoor Maine.

Preparing for the next season really picks up in the spring. this is the time to get a jump on the competition, update web sites, launch new offers and beginning to sign up customers for the coming season.

Setting up programs during the summer is also part of the spring activities. You want to get families thinking about going white water rafting and planning their summer vacation.

Developing advertising, whether it is a web site, send material to newspapers, emailing customers etc, there is a lot of work to be done. Advertising is a must if you are going to attract customers at the start of the white water rafting season.

Catalogs for Water Rafting in Maine

Consumers planning for the coming year can of course search the internet. They can also order catalogs from various government agencies and local chamber of commerce offices. Tourists can learn more about what the state has to offer as well as specific local areas. These resources are invaluable to help get started in planning a vacation regardless of where you are planning to spend your valuable vacation time. If you would like to go white water rafting in the early spring there are a couple of things to take into account. First the weather needs to cooperate i.e. the ice needs to be off the rivers and the rafting companies need to be ready. In addition, there is usually a rush to be first on the rivers, so you may want to book early!

The best way to receive a casino bonus online is to sign up for a casino slot card at the casino of your choice and also arrange for online access to your new account so that you can see what bonuses you may become eligible for as you play the slots or tables in the casino. If they do not offer online access to your account, the next best thing is to provide your email address. The casino can send emails with your casino bonuses attached to the email. The last resort of course is to receive your casino bonus by the traditional post office. This can take time and cost the casino more money to print and send the coupons etc.

Step By Step Approach to Casino Bonus Online

Open a slot card account with your favorite casino. Provide them with your address, email address and open an account with them. You may even be able to select a password at the time you open the account. If not make sure you have the instructions regarding how to open the online account later on.

Receive email casino bonuses by email which you may need to print. Take them with you when you go to the casino to take advantage of your casino bonus.

Log onto your account by signing on to your online casino account to view your bonuses and special offers that the casino will make available to you from time to time. You may also need to print these coupons and take them with you when you go to the casino to claim them.

Check your bonus status often since it may be updated as often as you visit the casino or at least every month. Certainly login to your online account each time prior to visiting the casino t find out what may be available to you when you visit the casino.

Print casino bonuses and take them with you. Not every casino will require them since they can look up your account online at the slot card desk, however, it just makes it easier for everyone if you have your copy with you.

Types of Casino Bonus Online

Online casino bonuses sometimes include free play. It can be played just like real money that you might insert into a slot machine. Not all slot machines accept free to play so you may have to play a machine that is not always your first choice.

In addition to free play, online casino bonuses can also include the following depending on the level of your play and the frequency of your visits to the casino.

• Free hotel rooms
• Meal comps
• Even free travel coupons
• Free show tickets

Check your casino bonus online often to confirm what is being offered. Make sure that you do not miss out on any bonuses that might be available to you.

The cost of parking in downtown areas in most cities in North America has become the incredibly expensive.  For example if you are parking using parking meters it can be as much as three or four dollars an hour.  If you use a parking lot that is maintained by a parking authority is not uncommon to pay $20-$30 a day.  Whether you are going to work or a tourist visiting the city it makes sense to plan your parking so that you can save money and reduce your overall cost for your vacation.

Parking meters

if you have to use a and one of the passengers is staying with the car you can often wait until you see the reader coming down the street before putting money in the parking meter.  Often people leave their parking spot with the meter still running and if you’re lucky you can score an empty spot with a running parking meter and save a few dollars.  Parking meters are suitable for short term parking, however if you need more than a couple of hours it makes sense to just use a parking lot or find some other alternative.

Paid parking lots

The hotel we’re staying they charge a fee for parking and if you have not negotiated the parking is part of your hotel bill when you made your reservation you will pay the full fee.  Some hotels upon negotiation will offer up a discount on parking or in some cases free parking if it is a slow period for them.  If you are driving into the city many parking lots offered early bird rates which are 20 to 25% lower than rates offered later on in the day.

In many parking lots you’ll have to arrive prior to 9 AM to get the early bird rate.  Another approach is to park at a free parking lot at the mall somewhere in the urban areas of the city and then take the mass transit into the downtown area that you are visiting.  Usually the cost of mass transit is lower than a parking brake at a downtown parking lot plus the cost of gas it used to get there.

Airport parking rates

Airports are notoriously expensive for parking overnight, by the week or even longer by the month.  There are a lot of alternatives to parking at the airport.  A friend can drive you to the airport, you can take a taxi to the airport, or in many cities you can even take mass transit and save a bundle on parking.  If you are going to need parking for a week or a month, usually the long term parking lots are a better place to park your car at lower rates.  For most people the best approach is to have someone driving to the airport and pick them up when they return home.  Even if you have to pay the person and the cost of gas is still would be cheaper than paying for parking.

Plan your trips carefully taking into account your accommodations, the cost of accommodations and the parking at the hotel where you will be staying.  Many hotels on the outskirts of the city will offer free parking and shuttle service to downtown areas as well as to airports.  This is another excellent way to reduce the overall cost of parking.

If you know of other ways to reduce the cost of parking, please leave a comment and we’ll be glad to add them to our list.

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Ottawa Canada Winter Wonderland is already here and it is only November. We have not had this much snow in a few years so early.

While New York City is basking in springlike temperatures, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is enduring freezing temperatures with lots of snow. The Christmas lights look beautiful reflecting on the snow and the skiing is wonderful. However the snow began falling in November and never melted. It is now April and we still have all of this snow to deal with. It looks nice until you have to shovel the stuff. Fortunately I have a snow blower, but I feel sorry for the folks who must shovel it.

Winter Wonderland – Too Much Snow Already

Most of the snow showing on this picture and the previous one has fallen before winter even started. We have at least 3 feet of snow on the lawn, with some snowbanks pushed up by the snowplow by at least 8 feet high. If this keeps up it is going to be truly a long winter. Which is exactly what happened this year 2013/2014. It is early April now and we still have lots and lots of snow. The Canadian polar vortex stayed with us for a long time this year.

For more posts about Canada and Ottawa, click here.

A few years ago we might have thought a story about drones delivering parcels  for Amazon would be pure science fiction! It turns out though that Amazon believes that by 2015 it will be doing just that. They will be delivering parcels within a 50 mile range of their major distribution centers. There’s a lot of development work to take place between now and then. But this is the stuff of pure science fiction becoming reality.

We read the story about Amazon intending to use drones to deliver parcels in December 2013. It is only two years away at the time of writing this article. We anticipate that the initial wave in 2015 will be just the beginning.  They are still working to perfect the system. There will be many drones delivering as well as monitoring our services and our lives in the future.

Drones delivering parcels for Amazon

Can you imagine ordering a diamond ring through Amazon in the morning. A few hours later the package is dropped on your front doorstep by a buzzing drone with eight rotating blades! This is the current plan of Amazon to be able to arrange for same-day delivery of small packages and parcels to their customers.

The drone may be controlled by an operator back at the plant or even at a central control agency. It will be equipped with video cameras. As well as microphones and speakers to communicate  with customers.  This is to ensure that the packages are delivered to the correct person at the address it is to be delivered to. We may even have to provide a thumbprint to ensure that we are the right person that the package should be delivered today.

There are lots of processes to be worked out. There are rules and regulations to be developed to ensure that the public is safe from buzzing drones over our heads. As well as the lighting or avoiding collusion with low-flying aircraft. A lot of work will need to be done over the next few years to develop this into a full-blown service delivery opportunity.

We can’t wait for FedEx and UPS to also become interested in this type of service delivery. More to come.

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