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Category Archives: Commentary

Florida, Barb and I spend 6-months A Year-Guess Which 6-months!

 

Americanpresstravelnews.com-A fun look at FL.

Finally, a true map of  Florida that explains this weird, but wonderful state. Those of you who have lived in  Florida will recognize it, and those who don’t have been warned !!!

 

cid:1.289814310@web52201.mail.re2.yahoo.com

 

 

You know you’re a Floridian if….

Socks are only for bowling.

You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.

A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

Your winter coat is made of denim.

You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

You’re younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.

Anything under 70 degrees is chilly.

You’ve driven through Yeehaw Junction.

You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.

You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn’t worth waking up for.

 

You dread love bug season.

You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren’t Hurricane Charley or Hurricane Frances. You know them as Andrew, Charley, Frances , Ivan, Jeanne & Wilma

 

You know what a snowbird is and when they’ll leave.

 

You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

‘Down South’ means  Key West

 

Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church, but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before.

 

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

 

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

 

You know the four seasons really are: Hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer.

You’ve hosted a hurricane party.

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Withlacoochee, Thonotosassa and Micanopy.

 

You understand why it’s better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

 

You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn’t swim.

 

You’ve worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas and New Year’s.

 

You recognize Miami-Dade as ‘North Cuba’

 

You not only forward this but you understand it

We Are All Rich If We Have Good Health 1ST

Americanpresstravelnews-May 20th, Goose Holler’ Farm, TN.–We were sent this Healthstyle Guide and we (Bob & Barb, “Stopping to Smell the Roses”) want our readers to live healthy, 1st!!Thsg

Tip of the Day:

Do you think you have a Thyroid Problem?

The thyroid is the most metabolically active gland in your entire body.  If your thyroid is functioning at full capacity, weightloss becomes relatively easy.  If it’s not, however — which is the case for most — losing even a single pound can become seemingly impossible.

5 Foods Doctors Swear By – Cancer Fighters Thrive

Do you want to super-charge your diet with some of the most outstanding foods for your health … but you’re not sure where to start? Or have you grown tired of broccoli and almonds, and you’re looking for a nutritious change of pace? The Huffington Post featured five of the top foods to consider; these are so good (and so good for you) that they’re endorsed by some of the top nutrition experts around.

1. Greek Yogurt

Gerard Mullin, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Integrative GI Nutrition Services, recommends Greek yogurt for “palatability, satiation and protein content.” Plus, yogurt is an important source of probiotics, or beneficial bacteria that improve the health of your microbiome. He further explained:

“Organic, grass-fed yogurt is best because you are getting a better omega fatty acid profile. When animals are fed corn they produce dairy with more omega-6s, but grass-fed animals produce dairy with more healthy omega-3s.”

2. Chickpeas

David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.M., F.A.C.P., Director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, recommends chickpeas for their high protein content, which is especially useful if you’re trying to avoid or cut back on meat.

3. Dark, Leafy Greens

According to Donald D. Hensrud, M.D, M.P.H., chair of the Division of Preventive, Occupational, and Aerospace Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, dark leafy greens can’t be beat for their high nutritional content and low calories. He recommends arugula, spinach and lettuces prepared in a variety of ways – salads, pasta dishes, lasagna, pesto, soups and spinach pie.

4. Eggs

Robert Lustig, M.D., M.S.L., director of the Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Program at the University of California, San Francisco and president of the nonprofit Institute for Responsible Nutrition, recommends eggs for their high-quality protein, including tryptophan, which may help with weight management. He said:

“Eggs got a bad rap in the 1980s because of the cholesterol in the yolk. But it does not raise the small dense LDL, which is the atherogenic particle [the one that forms plaques in your arteries]. Eggs are great by themselves, with many different ways of preparation, or they can be added to foods easily.”

5. Avocados

Taz Bhatia, M.D., assistant professor at Emory University in Preventive/Integrative Medicine and director of the Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine, said she swears by avocados for their heart-healthy unsaturated fat. In addition to helping you feel full longer, avocados contain vitamins C, K and B6 along with pre- and probiotics for a healthy gut.

 

 

Review of a Foodies Norwegian Cruise, from David Epstein and Melissa Bartolomeo

The way it used to be! But, not so friendly or accomodating staff today!

 

Melissa and Nathan family friends of David and Elihana on the cruise.
Melissa and son Nathan with David and Elihana on the cruise. Image by Elihana Epstein.

APtravelnews-March 29th, -Norwegian Cruise Lines at the Port of Miami-Provided by David and Melissa-
Remember when the last time you took a cruise, the overall experience and service was at the very least, exceptional and made you “keeper”, pleasant memories. Well, Cruising good service then and now things are not as they used to be. If you were on a cruise more than 5 years ago, you remember your server/waiter/ busboy- where they were from and something about why they are on the ship, likely to support their family in a far away country. If you have recently gone cruising at least on a Norwegian Liner, then you probably have very little happy memories at least about their food services. The new super-ships are beautiful and offer many new restaurant options-but!. Part of my family memories with my parents brother and children were bonding over dinner, and the servers all were part of that experience to some important extent.

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Cuba Si, Yankee Si The Beginning of a Detente Between The U.S.A. & Cuba

Cuba just 90-miles from Key West!
Cuba just 90-miles from Key West!

APtravelnews-March 21st,-Havana, Cuba-“Bob & Barb On the Road Again.” Yes, as pundits claim; “this is an extraordinary day.” Indeed it is! Well, in the throes of a President getting ready to leave office, and him seeking to make a farewell statement by doing all he can to open up Cuba and American relations for his legacy, he took everyone he could including his mother-in-law, wife and daughters, 40-Congressional and Senate leaders and many others to the largest Caribbean Island with him, at a cost of 40-million bucks or so! I was invited by the Commodore of the sport fishing fleet in Havana Harbor, a long time friend.

Look, the Cuban people are great just as our people in the USA are great! This post is not going to be too controversial, as history will view the true events and out coming’s of this historic visit, that took 90-years for an American President to visit this (make no mistake) a full communist nation.  What I do know is that the average American tourist still cannot fly over there on vacation, and doing business with a country that has stolen 6-billion dollars of American lucre in real estate and businesses, home and properties, killed and jailed uncountable people, will be fraught with land-mines at least for the foreseeable future.

I do know there already is a strong jockeying going on for U.S. interests trying to get in and get first dibs on the possibly most lucrative invasion of Gold and silver diggers ever! The Keys business and real estate community is abuzz with anticipation of property values soaring, and the potential for cheap labor as well, always a big problem for tourism businesses in the Keys! I can see the ferries, ferrying and the sky’s a-buzz with jets, auto traffic in the Keys is going to become impossible as it already is on any holiday or weekend with PR types hyping and squeezing the last bit of visitors they can on to a mostly, single lane road. My prediction is lots of money to be made, but for every ying there is a yang! What goes up or out, much like a fly fishing line, must come back and it might not always come back with roses, but with thorns too! Stay tuned! This is big, at least I can’t wait for my real Media Noche sandwich!!!