The Calusa Indians of Southwest Florida

Long before Ponce De Leon and the Spanish conquisidors visited Florida in the sixteenth century, the Calusa Indians had a well-developed civilization in the coastal areas of Southwest Florida. Today, you can still visit the remnants of that civilization in Pineland, Florida, located on Pine Island.

Pine Island is the largest coastal island off the coast of Southwest Florida. For 1500 years, the Calusas occupied a site near Fort Myers on Pine Island. Today, at the Randell Research Center run by the University of Florida, just off Pine Island Road,you can see some of the huge shell mounds that they created..  The Calusa were not farmers but rather subsisted on the abundant fish and shellfish in the rich estuaries in the area.  They lacked any stone or metal and used shell and bone for tools. They did painting and sculpting which is considered to be among the most renowned created byNative Americans in North America.

The Calusa Indians died out in the late 1700s due to the diseases brought to America by the Spanish and French explorers in the area such as measles and small pox. In addition, neighboring tribes in Georgia and South Carolina invaded the Calusa villages and sold some of the Calusas they captured into slavery.

The Calusa Heritage Trail entrance is located on 13810 Waterfront Drive, Pineland, Florida 33945,and is well wroth a visit. Phone number is 239-283-2157.  There is a small gift shop and guided tours are offered.

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Bert's Bar and Grill on Matlacha

If you find yourself in Southwest Florida this winter, make sure you have lunch at Bert's Bar and Grill. Bert's is located on Pine Island in the fishing town of Matlacha. Pine Island is just a few miles from Cape Coral and Ft. Myers. It has been a draw for fishermen and those who love to eat fish since the 1930's, some seventy years ago.  It has had various owners during that period, including a Lee County bar owner named Bert Clubb, who gave his name to the bar. The bar is located just before the Matlacha bridge which was made famous in the Elvis Presley movie, "Follow That Dream."

Located directly on the water, you can sit out on the specious deck or dine inside.  We opted for a table outside with a view of Cape Coral  in the distance.


 The food is wonderful.  Both my wife and I had the fried oyster and chips basket for $11.99 (market price).  The oysters were perfectly fried and incredibly sweet. They were some of the best oysters I have ever eaten. I asked the waiter where they obtained them and he said they got them off of the Louisiana coast. The chips (real potato chips) were just right, not greasy and not overly salted. The meal also came with a small cup of cole slaw that was excellent.

Bert's Bar and Grill is located at 4271 Pine Island Road, Matlacha, FL. Phone number is 239-282-3232.

ABC's 20//20 on Dealing when Buying at the Mall

The ABC news magazine 20/20 featured a segment today on haggling at the mall featuring Mark Ellwood, the author of the book on haggling referred to in my December 4, 2013 post "How to Get the Best Deal and Service."

How to Get the Best Deal and Service

Today's USA Today has two articles which touch upon two interests that I have written about on several occasions: getting the best deal and the best service. In the USA Snapshots sidebar on the first page of the Money section, the results of a survey of over 1000 adults determined that the industry with the worst customer service is the cable and internet industry.

The second article, also in the Money section is entitled "Never ever pay full price." The article quotes  the so-called "bargain king", Mark Ellwood, on the best way to get the best deal when making a purchase. One of his tips is to engage the sales person so they will help you get that best deal. I have written about that same approach on this blog and in my Ebook, "How to Get the Best Deal Every Time." (Available at Amazon for $1.99--a real bargain itself). The way to engage the sales person or the customer service rep at the cable company is really quite simple: just ask them how they are doing. You will be surprised how much those few words will save you in money and aggravation.

Sources: USA Today, December 4, 2013, Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World by Mark Ellwood

Stair Climbing to Good Health

Those of you who regularly read this blog know that I am always looking for ways to maximize the health benefits of exercise with the minimum of effort. I have written a number of times about interval training as a means of doing so in just a few minutes several times a week."High Intensity Interval Training for Fitness and Lowering Blood Sugar."http://notjustforboomers.blogspot.com/2013/04/high-intensity-interval-training.html Today, on his website, Dr.Andrew Weil, the holistic physician and guru, referred to a recent British study that showed that climbing stairs for as little as seven minutes a day can reduce your risk of developing heart disease by as much as 60%.

The best thing about this finding is that no special equipment or club membership is required. Walking up your steps at home or office can be an easy way to achieve that goal. Or, if you prefer, walking the steps at your local high school stadium also is an excellent way to get in your seven minutes.

A study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has shown that stair climbing burns 400 percent more calories than walking at two miles per hour. Those who are overweight can lose up to 12 pounds a year (one pound a month) by just climbing two flights of stairs every day. This assumes that the person does not increase his or her food intake.

Stair climbing, as we all know, is not easy.  But these studies make clear that the health benefits may be worth it.

Sources: www.drweil.com, www.thirdage.com/heart

Do You Want to Play the Lottery and Never Lose?

Who doesn't like to play the lottery?  But how often do you actually win something? Oh, maybe you win a few dollars here and there.  And don't you just hate it when you lose  What if I told you that there is a lottery that you can enter that you never lose?

The answer lies in something called Prize-Linked Savings Accounts. What, you have never heard of them? You are not alone, neither have most people.I discovered them recently when I came across a reference to them in the editor's note to the December 2013 Money Magazine.  Intrigued, I did a little research and was quite astonished how simple and useful they are as savings mechanisms and as a means of satisfying that inner voice that insists that the next time I play the lottery, despite all the evidence to the contrary, I will win big.

Prize linked savings accounts are savings accounts offered by banks, credit unions and local and national governments which pay little or no interest, but which are eligible for participation in a lottery, where the   proceeds of the lottery are paid from earnings on the deposits. In other words, the savings portion of the account is never touched, but if lucky enough, you may win money with absolutely no risk of losing any of your savings. Sound too good to be true?  Well, in Europe and elsewhere, they have been offered since at least the mid 1950s.

In Great Britain, which was one of the first countries to adopt the accounts, it has been shown to have substantially increased the amount people have saved. It is estimated that more than 25 billion pounds have been saved by people in Great Britain since the program was initiated there.

While many states in the US consider these accounts to be a form of illegal gambling, four states, Michigan, Nebraska, Washington and North Carolina permit these types of win-win lotteries.Consideration is being given in other states as well to allow these accounts including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Mississippi and Maryland.

I don't know about you, but it seems to make a lot of sense to permit these types of accounts. After all, most states now permit certain types of lotteries and many allow casinos. With the personal savings rate in the US an  abysmal 2 to 3 percent, the Prize-linked savings account may just be the motivation needed to improve that rate. This step not only gives the state's residents a chance to win money, it guarantees that none of the money deposited will be lost.

Sources:  Money Magazine, The Financial Brand