The Flagg Agency

Jammed up in Traffic

Greetings from Northern Florida as we make our way south on I-95 toward Cocoa beach. I am typing this while Laura is driving and the first thing I noticed is the amount of construction on the roadways. There have been several near miss and close call accidents on our drive from Canton.

My daughter stands by the rock wall

As a cruise consultant who helps families choose the cruise of their dreams, I have had some questions of late about cruise ship safety. Current and prospective clients have been asking me “Are cruise ships safe for children?” With the image of Costa Concordia still fresh in their minds, I fully understand their concern.

One of the biggest appeals of a cruise vacation, especially for families, is the ability to spend time together. So much of our life is spent apart, or in traffic, or driving from one activity to the next. A cruise allows your family to spend special time together, splashing in the onboard pools, playing games on deck, enjoying delicious food in the dining room and exploring on shore.

I have some thoughts to share about the news media and the cruise industry. Before I begin, I want to stress that my thoughts go out to the families of those who are missing and who lost their lives as a result of the tragic accident of Costa Concordia on Friday January 13, 2012. I am reserving judgment and speculation on what actually happened and the aftermath until all the FACTS are released. With that said, I think what has been written and broadcast about the cruise industry in the weeks since the accident shows a lack of integrity by many of those in the media

While speaking in Attkinson, IL, President Obama was taking part in a Q&A session. As part of his answer to one particular question, the president made the following statement )at about 44:33 on the video):

…when was the last time somebody went to a bank teller instead of using the ATM, or used a travel agent instead of just going online?  A lot of jobs that used to be out there requiring people now have become automated. (This is viewed in the video above which goes on for about 30 seconds)