2012 Games costs out of control



Am I the only person on the planet who is outraged by the news this week out of London that security costs for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in the British capital will now reach $1.6 billion U.S.?

With this new extra amount being committed to security, the total budget for the Games will now surpass $15 billion U.S. - and counting- according to British officials.

Have we all gone mad?

Wasn't this the same Britain where people were rioting in the streets a few months ago because they could not find jobs?

How many jobs would $15 billion create, anyway?

When will people start rioting in the streets because of this wasteful spending by governments?

Less we forget, the 2004 Athens Summer Games started Greece on the road to bankruptcy, and Montreal just recently paid off its Olympic debt - from 1976.

We're all overcome with national pride when our countries are "awarded" Olympic Games and we spend like drunken sailors trying to make our Olympics better than the last. However, the financial hangover that always accompanies these sporting orgies can no longer be tolerated.

Politicians should not be allowed to cut schemes aimed at job creation or social programs - like the British government has been doing for the past few years - yet be allowed to spend wildly on a two-week party that in the end benefits no one except those at the top of the Olympic corruption heap.

 Stop the insanity!

Airfare to London just $235!

The great air deals from my "spies in the sky" keep crossing my desk - today I've just been handed a return airfare price from Toronto to London that's simply crazy good.

The Deal:

London return airfare

$235!

From Toronto

Airline: Lufthansa

Travel Period: Nov. 22 - Dec. 15, 2011

Ticketing Until: Dec. 7, 2011

Air Taxes: $614.48

Paolo's Air Deal Today: Brussels



Paolo digs up some great air deals!

 Brussels Airfare

$665

Return from Toronto

Airline: Jet Airways

Air Taxes: $430.75 (approx.)

Travel Period:

Aug. 10 - Oct. 10, 2011

Ticketing until:
Aug. 31, 2011

Call: 1.866.929.6688

Good Boy Paolo!

Cambridge enjoying a tourism revival thanks to the new Duke and Duchess

Our friends over at VisitBritain, the fine tourism arm of the British government, confirmed a few days ago what I predicted would happen the day Prince William and Kate Middleton were named the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - that historic Cambridge would quickly become a must visit for tourists.

You didn't have to be a Cambridge professor to figure that out.

And so, just after two months of their marriage, Cambridge's tourism officials say guided tours of the city are up 25 per cent over the same period last year.

And it's all because of two people who don't even live in Cambridge - Prince William is completing his training as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Coast Guard and the couple are living in a quaint Welsh village near his base.

However, that's not stopping the tourists from arriving.

“We’re delighted that Prince William and Kate Middleton were issued the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,” says Emma Thornton, Visit Cambridge's head of tourism. “William and Kate are a modern and dynamic couple who we believe have and will broaden the appeal of Cambridge as a visitor destination.”

A VisitBritain-commissioned report released earlier this year revealed that history and culture – particularly when linked to the monarchy – contribute significantly to the country’s unique appeal as a holiday destination. More than 10,000 foreign tourists were given a list of 18 things that can only be done in Britain and asked to pick the ones they’d like to do most. The top three choices were, in order of importance:
- To go on a tour of Welsh castles;

- Visit Buckingham Palace;

 - Stay the night in a Scottish castle.

Here's some royal facts you might like to know about Cambridge:

- Two years after his conquest of England, in 1068, William of Normandy built a castle on what is now Castle Hill, Cambridge.

- The city's famed King’s College was founded by Henry VI in 1441 and the college’s chapel, completed during the reign of Henry VIII in 1544 boasts an elaborate interior.

- Trinity College is considered a favoured place for successive generations of royals to be educated – including the late Edward VII and Prince Charles, the new Duke of Cambridge's father.

- The Queen’s mother received an honorary degree from the university in October 1948 making her the first woman to receive one from the University.

- The husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and a number of other royals have graced the University of Cambridge as its chancellor over the years. This honour is currently held by Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, who has been Chancellor of the University of Cambridge since 1976. He is due to step down from the role this year.