Making Progress

Well, it's been almost exactly two months since I had my stroke, and I'm feeling a lot better.

About half the days I don't nap anymore, but I still sleep at least eight or nine hours each night. I'm going to the Whitby Hospital for therapy once a week and making progress there, too. Mostly we work on problem-solving such as math or "executive-decision making". That's all about planning and organizing activities.

Two weeks ago, I had a very busy week: I saw six doctors in four days. I was pretty tired for several days afterwards. But what I found out was that (probably) the reason for my stroke was "atrial fibrillation". That means that, instead of pumping blood, the top two chambers in my heart were mixing it around, but only occasionally. This can lead to the formation of strokes. We discovered this in my cardiologist's office. He put me on a blood thinner right away. A neurologist that I saw in Toronto the following week confirmed this.

I still have to go for an MRI, and that's on August 10. Then it's back to my original neurologist in Oshawa the first week of September for a reading of it. But if everything is clear, I should be well on the mend by then.

One sad thing that I learned in all of my visits to the doctors was that I can no longer drive. This, believe it or not, is a result of the stroke that I had four and a half years ago. That one affected my vision and my eye doctor told me about it only then. He thought someone else would have mentioned it before now! So, he says, from now on, I'm a passenger.

But, I'm alive and well, and that's the main thing right now.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Having My Stroke

When I had my stroke, at first I didn't realize what was happening to me.

I woke up that morning and started to try to complete my exercises with my left foot, which I had hurt several months before and for which I had been receiving physiotherapy.

But I had serious trouble with those exercises and I woke up my wife. She could tell I was having trouble. She asked me some questions and called an ambulance.

When they arrived, they assessed me and decided to take me to the hospital.

The whole time, I remember feeling slightly out of phase. I was aware that I was in trouble, but not terribly concerned.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

A New Beginning

Three and a half weeks ago I had a stroke.

It wasn't as bad as it could have been, and with help and support I'll make it back.

For those of you who've offered me help and support, thank you.

Follow me at: Aeneas Lane

Who’s Really to Blame for Toronto G20?

Nearly two years after the G20 fiasco in Toronto, two reports issued last week by Ontario's Office of the Independent Police Review Director concluded that several senior officers of the Toronto Police Service acted unlawfully. Their preparations for the event and the orders they gave during the weekend are being blamed for the abuses committed by some rank and file officers, including beatings, kettling, mass arrests, and the horrific conditions at the detention centre.

But the police should not be left to bear the blame alone. They were only following orders. And those orders came right from the top. It was Stephen Harper who decreed that the downtown core of Canada's largest city be turned into a war zone, at the cost of over a billion dollars, all for the sake of a photo op lasting a few hours.

Or was there more to it? Did Harper intend to send a message to Toronto? To Canadians? We'll never know his real motivation. But we do know we couldn't count on our other elected leaders to protect us from his premeditated and cold-blooded show of force: Dalton McGuinty's provincial government secretly aided and abetted the illegal suspension of civil liberties, while Toronto mayor, David Miller, congratulated the police on a job well done.

In what was this generation's version of the October Crisis/War Measures Act, "… the G20 was a demonstration of just how stupid, arrogant, and brutish official Canada has become." And Christopher Hume has much more to say in this scathing indictment of the politicians ultimately responsible.

One can argue that Trudeau panicked and overreacted (certainly, no good reason has ever been provided for his decision). But at least the FLQ were real terrorists. They had carried out bombings. They had kidnapped a Québec cabinet minister and a British diplomat. They would later murder the cabinet minister.

By comparison, the so-called Black Bloc are hooligans, their vandalism the same as that seen after a Stanley Cup game. But while the hooligans were allowed to smash windows and burn a police car, unmolested, in front of the TV cameras, 5400 police were deployed to violate the civil rights of thousands of law-abiding Canadians.

Certainly any police officers guilty of crimes or misconduct should be held responsible and suffer the consequences. But so should the politicians.

As Catherine Porter points out, during the G20, politicians and police trampled our rights and most of us just sat back and let them do it.

Always thought it couldn't happen here? Think again: it already has.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Club Carlson Special Report

Just after I got through complaining in this month's Points and Miles post that I was disappointed by recent offers from the hotels, airlines, and credit card companies, along comes the best offer in quite a while. So good, it's worth a special post so you can take advantage of its time-sensitive registration.

Club Carlson is the loyalty program of Carlson Rezidor Hotels. Its brands include Radisson and Radisson Blu, upscale and luxury hotels in North America and Europe; Country Inn and Suites, mid-scale hotels in North America; as well as Park Plaza and Park Inn.

Carlson has been aggressively expanding and upgrading its properties the last few years and its points promotions have often been the most generous, as it seeks to become as well known as the major players such as Hilton, Starwood, and Marriott.

To take advantage of these offers, you first have to be a member of Club Carlson. It's simple to join, and if you use this link (courtesy of The Points Guy), you might even get a 4500 point sign-up bonus.

The following information comes courtesy of The Loyalty Traveler, who received advance information directly from Club Carlson:

• For the first 100 000 Club Carlson members who register for the offer, a stay at any Radisson or Radisson Blu between May 15 and July 15 will earn 50K bonus points.
  
• For the first 35 000 Club Carlson members who register for the offer, a stay at any Country Inn and Suites between May 15 and July 15 will earn 44K bonus points.
  
• For the first 20 000 Club Carlson members who register for the offer, a stay at any Park Inn between May 22 and July 22 will earn 44K bonus points.
  
• If you are not among the limited number of registrants, you will still receive 15K bonus points for registering and staying.
  
• Members can register and earn all three bonuses.
  
• Registration opens at 1:01 a.m. E.D.T. on May 15 for the Radisson and Country Inn offers, and on May 22 for the Park Inn offer.
  
• The registration pages with full terms and conditions are here: http://www.radissonbignightgiveaway.com/, http://www.sogocountry.com/, http://www.parkinnoneplusone.com/.
  

I plan to register for the Country Inn promotion first and then the Radisson. There are only two Park Inn locations in Canada, in Montréal and Vancouver, so achieving this bonus is not realistic for me. Since my wife is also a Club Carlson member, we will both register.

We will look for properties with rates less than $100 per night (I've already found a Radisson and Country Inn for under $80). This is called "mattress running". We're simply looking for the cheapest way to stay a night in order to get the points (if you actually need a hotel stay somewhere, all the better).

Staying one night at each brand will earn us a combined 200K points. That's assuming rates of $100 with taxes included, because Club Carlson awards 20 points per dollar and 1000 points for booking online.

So we've spent $400 to get 200K points; what will that get us?

For 9K points per night, 22 nights at the Radisson Hotel Orlando - International Drive in Orlando, FL. That works out to $18 per night.

Or the Country Inn and Suites in Scottsdale, AZ for 15K points. 13 nights at $30 per night. Breakfast included.

Some of the best value is found at the highest redemption level of 50K points. You can live like Bev Oda, staying at luxury hotels in New York, Paris, and London for $100 a night, and no taxes.

Offers like this don't come along all that often, so I'll be taking full advantage to build up my bank of Club Carlson points to use for stays in warm-weather locations next winter.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

From Canada, with Love

One of the features available to me as blog author is the ability to see who is reading me. Not on an individual level; just the countries where page views are coming from. And while over the lifetime of my blog (just over two years now) Canada is still ahead and the U.S. number two, for the last few months the largest share of my readership has been coming from Russia.

This curious situation has me puzzled. What is it that hundreds of Russians (or the same Russians hundreds of times) find so appealing about my blog? After all, I live in a small Canadian town and I generally write on subjects, that if not of interest primarily to Canadians, at least tend in that direction.

So I've been thinking: what is it about my blog that would interest Russian readers?

Of course the first thing that came to mind was hockey. Both Canadians and Russians are passionate about hockey. Every Canadian of my generation still remembers the series of games between our two countries in September 1972 and the 3-3 tie between Central Red Army and the Montréal Canadiens on December 31, 1975 – the greatest hockey game ever played. But I seldom mention hockey in my blog (except to poke fun at Don Cherry) because I find the state of today's game – as represented by the NHL – to be depressing.

So if not hockey, maybe travel? Like Canadians, Russians live in a cold country. I'm betting that, like Canadians, Russians revel in our all-too-brief summers and would like to get away to somewhere warm when the cold winter winds blow. But I've never mentioned Aeroflot and had never heard of its frequent flier plan, Aeroflot Bonus, until now (I just looked it up).

Ahem, beverages? Russians have a reputation for enjoying vodka. Well, why not, they invented the stuff. So maybe my Russian readers are looking for ways to add some variety to their diets. So here's a classic drink from the 1950's, when vodka was first becoming popular in North America, the Moscow Mule. Over ice in a short glass, combine 50 ml. of vodka, 25 ml. of lime juice, and 150 ml. of ginger beer (or use ginger ale for a milder taste). Stir gently.

But I've got an uncomfortable feeling that my Russian friends are not reading me because they're interested in hockey, travel, or cocktails. I suspect, rather, that they're laughing at me.

Now, I sometimes try to be funny, but that's not what I mean. As a university student, I read a lot of Russian literature – Tolstoy, Chekov, Dostoyevsky – and I know that Russians have a great sense of humour, but they're also a people with a long history, a history that has been hard, more often than not. So that sense of humour is sometimes dark, because it has often been needed to sustain them through difficult days and nights.

So when I complain about the greed of our business class, the unfairness of our government's policies; or the autocratic tendencies of Stephen Harper, I imagine Russians shaking their heads and chuckling, "You don't know what hard times are, приятель."

Thanks for reading.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Black is Back

Mr. 500 Words likes to think of himself as enlightened, socially progressive, compassionate. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm just a big softie.

So I can't tell you how delighted I am to see Conrad Black back in Toronto.

I mean, given all Stephen Harper's talk about being tough on crime and criminals, I was just floored when he rolled out the red and white welcome mat for the foreign felon before he was even released from his Florida prison cell.

And while I'm heaping praise on the P.M. for his big-heartedness, let me give a big shout out to the rich folks of Toronto's Bridle Path neighbourhood. No NIMBYism here: just a warm welcome for a humble ex-con to his Park Lane Circle halfway house.

Makes me proud to a Canadian. And I bet it makes you proud too, Con (I can call you "Con", right? Or do you prefer "Blackie"?).

So I, too, want to do my part and help you adjust to life on the outside.

They say prison changes a man, but Toronto has changed, too, in the five years you've been away, and if you're going to survive these mean streets, you're going to have to know the score.

First of all, there's a new mayor, guy named Ford, and he makes Mel Lastman look like Winston Churchill. I know you used to work for a newspaper, so the thing you need to know about Ford is, he hates reporters. But you have a car, so you should be OK. Oh, one more thing: if you're walking in the park and a big, angry guy runs up to you and tells you to drop your phone, just do it, OK?

Remember when your mom told you not to run with scissors? Well don't even walk with them in Toronto. The cops might shoot you. Seriously, man. And while you're at, get rid of the prison blues and orange jumpsuits; they look too much like hospital gowns.

And depending on who's in town, you might want to avoid large (or even small gatherings) downtown. Find other ways to occupy your time. And for heaven's sake, leave the bubble pipe at home. I'll explain later.

So, Con, even though you're down to your last $80 million and a handful of mansions, I want you to know you still have friends.

Good luck, dude.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Points and Miles: May

I don't know whether you've noticed or not, but it seems that over the last six months or so, points and miles offers, especially from hotel chains have become less lucrative.

One possible explanation for this is that the improving American economy (yes, it really is improving, at least for businesses) has resulted in lower hotel vacancy rates, and thus higher room rates, meaning less need for the chains to offer incentives to fill otherwise empty rooms.

As for airlines, competition has been reduced by mergers (Delta took over Northwest, United merged with Continental, Southwest bought AirTran), and the carriers have been cutting routes and retiring older, less fuel-efficient planes in response to high oil prices. This has meant fewer seats to fill, and combined with the improved business climate, less need to entice fliers.

On the credit card front, credit has gotten tighter, not just in the U.S., but in Canada as well; and reduced competition (BMO took over Citi's Canadian credit card portfolio and TD acquired MBNA's) has meant that rejections are more common, annual fees higher, and sign-up bonuses more meagre.

Throw in the fact that both Aeroplan and AirMiles, Canada's two most popular "loyalty" programs, recently devalued their programs and it looks like the glory days of point and mile travel bargains are behind us.

This may partly explain the current popularity of such "buy-a-deal" sites as WagJag and Groupon, but pitfalls abound with these deals, so buyer beware.

Anyway, points and miles programs aren't going away: they're hugely profitable for one thing. It just means we have to work harder and smarter to get the best value from them. So here are a few good offers for this month.

The Choice Privileges MasterCard usually offers a sign-up bonus of 8K points, but until June 13, you'll get 16K. That's enough for two free nights at many Choice Hotels. All the details are here.

Starwood Hotels (Sheraton, Westin, etc.) is offering CAA/AAA members a range of discounts and special offers at properties in the southern U.S. and Caribbean through the end of 2012. Check them out here.

And for Aeroplan members, earn either a 1500 mile or 16 500 mile bonus when you complete a range of partner activities during the month of May. You have a head start if you have an Aeroplan-branded credit card and/or are flying Air Canada during the month. This page will tell you what you need to know. I love this one, because it's a challenge to see how I can maximize my activities with a minimum of spending.

I'll let you know how I did when the points post.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Show Bev Oda Some Love

Living in Port Perry, I have the great good fortune to be a constituent of International Development Minister Bev Oda.

In case you've never had the pleasure of meeting Bev, let me assure you she's of a sunny disposition, a real salt of the earth, "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" kinda gal. In other words, just like us little folk.

So I was as surprised as anyone at these reports of her turning her nose up at the lowly 5-star hotel where her conference was being held, opting instead for the Savoy, favoured haunt of royalty and owned by a Saudi prince. Apparently, we were still on the hook for $287 for one night at the original hotel, as well as the three nights at the Savoy (at $685 a night) and nearly $3,000 for a limo to drive her back and forth for 3 days.

Like you, I figured this must be all some kind of misunderstanding. Perhaps her original room wasn't ready, or they lost her reservation. Maybe every taxi in London was in for service those three days. You know, the kind of thing we've all encountered while on holiday, the kind of thing that can really blow a hole in the old budget.

Speaking of budgets, we've just seen Stephen Harper's and we know austerity is the watchword of his government: old folks forced to wait 'til 67 to get a pension, food inspectors and border guards being fired, aid to the world's poorest people being slashed.

So I just knew that Bev wouldn't have wasted a nickel of our money; that would be just plain wrong. There had to be some reasonable explanation.

And then it hit me: Bev hasn't been reading my blog.

I can't really blame her. She's a busy person. She has a lot on her plate. Conferences to attend. Expense claims to fill out. And those $380 million in cuts at the Canadian International Development Agency that were in the budget? Well, they aren't gonna cut themselves.

But here's the thing: if Bev had been reading my blog on the first Thursday of each month, she would have known all about where to get the best deals on airfares, hotels, and car rentals. And how to maximize loyalty points and miles.

So whadya say, faithful blog readers, should we help Bev out?

If you'd like to show Bev some love, just copy this link to my latest post on points and miles: http://giveme5hundredwords.blogspot.ca/2012/01/points-and-miles-january.html and email it to Bev at: Oda.B@parl.gc.ca

You'll be doing us all a favour.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Plans for the Pen

The federal government announced yesterday that it was closing the 177-year old Kingston Penitentiary. Dating to 1835, the limestone fortress on the shores of Lake Ontario harkens back to the days of stone cells, the rule of silence, and the lash. And if the government wants to splash out billons on new prisons, closing the Kingston Pen is probably one of the better reasons for doing so.

But the Pen is also a major employer in the eastern Ontario city, and with Stephen Harper's government threatening to slash 20,000 workers from its payroll, prison staff are understandably anxious about their futures. However, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has promised there will be no job cuts, and if you can't believe Vic Toews, well who can you believe?

Still, 500 Words was curious, so I reached out to my sources deep inside the government who spoke on condition of anonymity and here are some of the future uses being considered by the Conservatives for Kingston's "little castle", situated on a scenic four hectares, a stone's throw from downtown.

The Tony Clement Palace of Porcelain. With the addition of a $500 million gazebo-like entrance, the old jail will be transformed into the world's largest (pay) toilet. And thanks to the new "streamlined" environmental approval process, the Peter Kent Big Poop Chute will carry the raw sewage straight to Lake Ontario. Bring the kiddies to see the seagulls flock right after lunch! Destined to become a top attraction.

The Jim Flaherty (Work)Home for the Aged. Concerned that you be won't be able to make ends meet while you wait until 67 to get your Old Age Security? You can stop worrying elderly Canadians! Choose from one of our luxurious NDP or Liberal suites. Rates will be reasonable. And the best part? The government won't have to spend a dime updating or renovating: the Pen is in move-in condition.

The Peter MacKay Four Seasons Vacation Resort. Boasting spectacular views of Lake Ontario, this upscale property offers the ultimate in luxurious relaxation for the busy cabinet minister looking to escape the challenges of basic arithmetic. And with CFB Kingston just across the water, you'll have VIP transportation at your fingertips 24/7.

Other uses under consideration include the Bev Oda Museum of Calligraphy ("not" to be missed), and the Lisa Raitt School of (Hard) Labour Relations (union leaders will find themselves comfortably "accommodated" under the watchful eyes of Queen's University MBA students).

But my sources confide that the Pen will likely be sold. Wal-Mart and Tim Horton's are said to be interested.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Points and Miles: April

I held off publishing the monthly points and miles post last week because, with the first quarter just ended and Easter weekend approaching, most of the major chains and airlines had yet to announce their second quarter promotions.

While that's still partly true, here are the best offers to surface so far. I've listed the name of the hotel chain, its loyalty program and principal brands, followed by the current bonus offers. Click on the name of the loyalty program to sign up if you're not already a member, and click on the links to register for the offers.

Best Western Best Western Rewards:

• Stay three separate times before June 3, and get a $50 Best Western gift card. Aeroplan members also earn 4X Aeroplan miles. Register here.
  

Choice Hotels Choice Privileges: Comfort Inn, Quality, EconoLodge, Clarion, Rodeway.

• Until May 8, earn enough points with two stays for a free night at any of more than 1,500 hotels in the Choice chain. If you're not a Choice Privileges member, you can join at the same time you register for the promotion.
  

Hilton, Hilton HHonors: Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites.

• Register to earn double points or double miles for stays before June 30.
  

Intercontinental Hotels Group, Priority Club Rewards: Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites.

• Buy or give Priority Club Rewards points by April 30 and receive up to 50% bonus points. Canadian residents must pay HST on purchases. See this post by The Loyalty Traveler for where the "sweet spots" are for getting the best value.
  

Petro-Canada Petro-Points

• You can donate your Petro-Points to the Canadian Cancer Society to help fight cancer.
  

VIA Rail VIA Préférence

• Seat Sale until April 17. 50% off economy class. Good for travel until August 29.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Go West, Old Man

Hey there. Yeah, you. Angry old white guy.

Had it up to here with Premier Dad?

Tired of paying a hundred bucks just to put gas in yer SUV?

Sick of supporting a losing hockey team?

Looking for a place you can be free to fondle your firearms in peace?

We feel your pain.

We're Citizens for a Conservative-Free Ontario, and we can help.

We're offering tax-free (the best kind, am I right?) grants of up to $1,000* to those willing to move to Alberta and promise never to return.

Alberta, where they have not one, but two right-wing parties. Where there's no provincial sales tax. Where Earth Hour is only 30 minutes long. Where petroleum literally oozes out of the ground.

OK, so maybe they don't play hockey in April there either, but at least they don't have to stay up as late to watch the Vancouver games.

Does it get any better?

What's in for us you might wonder? Just cleaner air, cheaper gas, more jobs, better government, and fewer women's shelters. Whatcha call a "win-win".

Whadya say, big guy, can I sign ya up?

*Terms and conditions apply. Valid only on April 1.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

The Harper Games

It's an annual ritual: a privileged elite in a distant capital exacts a terrible tribute from the oppressed citizens living in the far-flung districts of the nation. While the pretence of democracy is maintained, the majority seethes with discontent, but any opposition is dealt with harshly and swiftly. Resistance is futile.

Yes, it's the blockbuster everyone's talking about: The Harper Games.

• Tune in to see if Games Master Jim Flaherty can hit a deficit target on his eighth attempt!
  
• Thrill to the spectacle of starving seniors battling it out over tins of cat food in the arena!
  
• Watch in horror as environmental regulations are gutted!
  
• See rivers of blood flow at the CBC!
  
• Witness the axe fall on thousands of civil servants!
  

And every year, some fortunate group is selected for partial exemption from tribute: the buyers of bus passes, skating lessons, or cordless drills are just of few of the past winners. A favoured few may even have the Games Master or Harper himself come to their kitchen and appear on the video screens of the nation. Who will it be this year?

And this just in…

No surprise here really: it looks like the oil companies! Again! Let's hear it for the lucky winners!

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

We're Like Mike

Somewhere today, Mike Harris is smiling.

The vicious thug who believed it was the job of government to destroy what previous generations had built and to terrorize the weak and powerless has achieved his goal of permanently transforming Ontario into a mean-spirited, economic backwater.

When Harris cut taxes by 30%, economists (at least those who didn't butt-smooch for banks or right-wing "think" tanks) warned that he was destroying Ontario's "fiscal capacity". That was a fancy way of saying we wouldn't have enough money to pay our bills. Like me or you saying, "To hell with it; I'm cutting back to three days a week."

They were right. Harris skipped town on ballooning government debt and a huge deficit.

A newly-elected Dalton McGuinty caused an uproar when he tried to disguise the tax increase that was necessary to balance the books as a "health premium". But he learned his lesson: tax cuts are popular; tax increases are not.

So when he did the right thing fiscally by harmonizing the GST and PST, he also did the irresponsible, but popular, thing politically: he simultaneously cut personal and corporate income taxes. You hadn't noticed? That's because, just like Harris' cuts, the benefits of such cuts go mainly to the wealthy. That's the point.

And then the Great Recession hit Ontario, and the grateful corporations closed their factories and fired their workers, and Ontario was a few billions short -- $17 billion to be precise.

You didn't hear about that during last fall's election – from any of the parties. It's what's called "an inconvenient truth". But McGuinty had already appointed a former bank economist called Drummond to "study" the situation. He wasn't allowed to consider tax increases; he was to find "efficiencies". And buy time until after the election. And to soften us up. And to provide political cover.

In fact, as part of the softening up process, McGuinty himself criss-crossed the province telling us we would all have to make sacrifices. And boasting how his government had cut our taxes by $18 billion a year. Remember that $17 billion annual deficit? In other words, a deficit entirely of his making, Entirely unnecessary. Completely avoidable.

Restore taxes on the wealthy and corporations making record profits to the level they were just a few years ago. Do that, and the deficit disappears. No need to sacrifice children, the disabled, the poor, the elderly, the sick, and all those who are going to lose their livelihoods and homes with the budget proposed yesterday.

The Liberals will say they made "hard" choices; that they're being "tough". They always say that when they pick on the powerless and the unpopular, like public sector workers.

Want to show me how tough you are McGuinty? Raise taxes on the rich. But that really would be hard.

And that's why Mike Harris is smiling. Because he succeeded in changing us. He remade us in his own image: a province of selfish, small-minded bullies, unwilling to pay a few bucks a week – the price of a large double-double – to preserve the Ontario our parents bequeathed to us.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Just Remember, You Read it Here First

Now that the NDP has chosen Thomas Mulcair as its new leader, it won't be long before the Conservatives unleash the full shock and awe of their smear campaign to define him in the vilest terms possible.

Recently 500 Words obtained an inside look at just how the Conservative machine operates. Donning a plaid sportscoat and a "Just Give 'er" ballcap, and clutching a large double-double, I concealed myself among a group of Conservative loyalists being given a tour of party headquarters.

When our hoods were removed, I noticed we appeared to be in a vast, subterranean complex. We were greeted by our tour guide, a cheerful woman, who said her name was Bev. As she led us down a dimly lit corridor, we could hear the distant sounds of rattling chains, painful whimpering, and the occasional anguished cry. "Pay no attention," said Bev, "That's just the weekly caucus meeting." My group nodded in unison.

She led us to a room, marked "The Peter Van Loan Free Speech Institute". Once our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we could see rows of gnome-like creatures hunched over banks of telephones: "Are you aware your Liberal MP is resigning?", "Have you heard the rumour your NDP member is quitting?"

Bev explained that this very room had been ground zero for the free speech campaign to help liberate the people of Irwin Cottler's riding. Several women moaned. A lady from Red Deer fainted and had to be supported by her husband.

Next we were led to the Sun Media Video Centre. "Or as we like to call it, our National Broadcaster," joked Bev. Everyone gave a knowing chuckle. "You've probably seen our latest effort? It wasn't easy finding twenty-year old footage of Bob Rae giggling, but these guys are the best. Take a bow, boys." Several pale geeks rose from their monitors, embarrassed, accompanied by a cloud of Cheetos dust. Our group applauded vigourously. "OK, folks, let's let them get back to work."

"I've saved the best 'til last last," said Bev, as she led us back into the hallway and down to a large conference room marked "Preston Manning Centre for Building Democracy". At the far end sat a group of hollow-eyed twenty-somethings, empty coffee cups and Red Bull cans scattered about.

Bev introduced us, "Got some fine folks here that help pay your salary." She winked. "Can you give us a hint as to what kinda welcome the commie socialists' new boss can expect?" She winked again.

An over-caffeinated woman filled us in: "We've been spit-balling messages based on the NDP's initials; you know 'No Donations Party' or 'Not Dependable Party' – explosive stuff! But we think we're going to go with 'No Depends Party'; it just works on so many emotional levels! We just have to get the nerds down in Sun Centre to come up with some old video of Mulcair farting or scratching his ass! The ads will be ready to go in time for the playoffs! Just have to run them before and after Coach's Corner and the next election is as good as won!"

Around me people were crying, speaking in tongues, and whipping out their cheque books.

****************************************************************************

There's a good reason you haven't heard from me for a while. I've recently become a grandfather for the first time. Welcome to this wonderful, beautiful, crazy world, Tristen. You give me the best reason of all to want to make it a better place.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

The Descendants

In The Descendants, George Clooney plays Matt King, a Honolulu lawyer whose wife Elizabeth lies in an irreversible coma as a result of a boating accident. As Matt struggles to carry out the terms of her living will, which stipulate that she be removed from life support, he must also cope with the reactions of his two daughters, ten and seventeen, a task his role as "backup parent" has ill-equipped him for. Additionally, as the head of the family trust, he must decide the fate of a huge tract of land worth half a billion dollars to developers.

And then he learns his wife had been having an affair.

A less mature or intelligent director than Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways), who also co-wrote the screenplay, might have treated Matt 's story as melodrama or farce, or perhaps tragedy, but The Descendants never defaults to cliché or stereotype.

For while Matt may be slightly pompous, with an over-developed work ethic, qualities which no doubt made him an unexciting husband, he is a decent man and a sense of responsibility is his bedrock virtue. Despite the pain and anger he feels in the face of Elizabeth's impending death and the discovery of her unfaithfulness, he nevertheless carries out her wishes, and shields those who would be hurt by the knowledge of her infidelity.

Matt also never wavers in facing up to the daunting challenges of coping with the behaviour of his daughters. And though he is not the most emotionally demonstrative of fathers, there is no doubt he loves them and will do anything for them. Pay close attention to the movie the three of them are watching in the final "ice-cream eating" scene.

The performances by Clooney as Matt and by Shailene Woodley as elder daughter Alexandra and Amara Miller as younger daughter Scottie are natural and moving. Just as memorable a character is Hawaii itself, for Matt King is descended from Hawaiian royalty and his sense of responsibility asserts itself powerfully in the decision he must make about his family's patrimony. Hawaii, its people, and its culture are treated with affection and respect, but not, most emphatically, as a tropical paradise.

And although this is a serious film, there are moments of comedy. Some of them arise from Matt's pomposity, but most of them are provided by Sid, Alexandra's boyfriend, a young slacker who has more to him than at first appears.

North American culture is adolescent and that is reflected in the shallow way men are generally depicted on screen. Whether as comic book superhero or cop/soldier who can kill without qualm, loutish man-child or inept parent, men's lives are viewed through the twin lenses of teenage male wish fulfillment and rebellion.

Matt King – husband, father, son of Hawaii – is portrayed, not as heroic, idiotic, or incompetent, but as a good man. The Descendants is that rarest of films: one that asks us to take a middle-aged man seriously.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Points and Miles: March

I didn't post anything on points and miles for February. The middle month of a quarter generally doesn't have much new happening and I had just returned from Florida and was posting about that. But things are beginning to heat up as we head into spring, so here are some offers you can use if you have a March break coming up.

Aeroplan

• Until April 30, when you link your Costco and Aeroplan numbers, you'll earn 50 bonus Aeroplan miles.
• Earn double Aeroplan miles at Esso stations. Until April 9.

Best Western Rewards: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier.

• Stay three separate times before April 8 and earn a free night plus 1000 Aeroplan miles. Register here.

Club Carlson: Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza.

• Until March 16, earn triple Club Carlson points on every stay, including food and beverage charges.
• Save up to 25% and earn 1500 bonus Club Carlson points per day with this offer from National Car Rental. Until June 15.

Hilton HHonors: Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites.

• Register to earn a bonus of 1000 points per night or 5000 points per weekend. Valid until March 31.
• Hilton HHonors is unique in that you can set your earning preference to "double-dip": points plus points, or points plus miles in the airline program of your choice. Choose Delta SkyMiles and get 2012 bonus miles with any two-night stay. Choose American Airlines AAdvantage and earn double miles for any stay or US Airways and get triple Dividend Miles. All offers expire March 31.

Priority Club Rewards: Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites.

• See the lists of bonus codes at these sites: Priority Club Insider,Rewards Canada, and flyertalk.
• Get up to 35% off a Hertz rental and earn double Priority Club points with these codes. Valid until June 30.
• Until April 30, earn double points on every qualifying stay, beginning with the second one. See the tip at the bottom of this post for a strategy to maximize this offer.

Starwood Preferred Guest: Sheraton, Four Points, Westin, W, Le Meridien, Aloft, Element, St. Regis.

• Through April 8, register here to earn a bonus of twice the Starpoints for stays of two nights, triple points for stays of three nights and longer.

Tip: If you'll be staying several nights at an IHG property (Holiday Inn, etc.) on your vacation, you'll want to earn the double points for that. So make that first stay a one-nighter. If you're flying, book a "Stay and Park" package at an airport location. If you're driving, make Holiday Inn your choice for an overnight stop on the road south. The same strategy will work with the "Stay three times, get a free night" offer from Best Western, if your third stay is at a Best Western on your return drive north.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

It's Their Nature

If you're like me, you too may be puzzled by the Conservatives' latest attack on ordinary Canadians. I'm referring of course to their intention to make us wait until we're 67 to receive Old Age Security.

As we get older, our brains shrink, we spend our evenings watching Law and Order, and we vote Conservative. So there hardly seems to be a lot of electoral upside in compelling millions of wrinklies to labour deeper into their dotage.

But it's unlikely that the Cons would actually alienate many members of their base. Any changes will probably be phased in over a number of years so as to leave anyone currently over 55 unscathed. And raising the OAS eligibility age will hurt mainly poorer Canadians, who tend not to vote Conservative, or vote at all, for that matter.

On the other hand, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley has made a bizarre attempt to frame the move as intended to help younger Canadians: apparently working longer is supposed to make them more self-reliant. Presuming they can ever get jobs that is, what with the fogies hanging in there 'til nearly all their allotted three score and ten is exhausted.

The Cons have had success with wedge issues before, and perhaps they hope to whip up some intergenerational hostility, but punishing younger voters seems like a risky strategy if they want to attract their support.

According to Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, OAS is affordable as is. And as most economists have pointed out, a few years after any changes were to come into effect, Boomers will start dropping off the twig at such a rate that the cost of providing OAS will begin to decline anyway.

Aesop told a fable about a scorpion who convinced a frog to carry him across a river by promising not to sting the frog, pointing out that if he did, both of them would perish. Halfway across, the scorpion stung the frog anyway. Before they both died, the frog asked the scorpion why he had done such a foolhardy thing. The scorpion replied, "It's my nature."

So if there aren't any votes in it, it hurts both young and old, and it's unnecessary to boot, why are the Conservatives considering such a capricious, mean-spirited, and wrong-headed move? I guess it's just their nature.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

In Praise of Family Day

Here in Ontario, as in most other Canadian provinces, we've just celebrated the Family Day long weekend.

Held on the third Monday in February, the holiday originated in Alberta about twenty years ago and goes by different names in some provinces. It's a provincial holiday, meaning that federally-regulated employees (such as postal workers) do not enjoy the day off.

Canadians, slogging through the wearying weeks of winter, have long called for a February holiday, and a day to mark the adoption of our national flag on February 15, seems appropriate, but successive federal governments have failed to act. Instead, the provinces, in piecemeal fashion, have stepped in.

Ontario adopted the holiday in 2008 and it's been a hit from the outset. Some employers have complained about having to provide workers with the day off, but others, such as restaurants, movie theatres, hotels, and ski resorts, have seen a boom in business.

Our own extended family gets together at a restaurant for a long, leisurely lunch, and that, I think is the secret to Family Day's success: time off with no demands.

We're all too familiar with the unrealistic expectations and financial burdens of Christmas. The proscribed jollity and next-day aching head of New Year's. The demands of preparing a huge meal and hosting a crowd on Thanksgiving. The back-to-school anxiety of Labour Day (or the performance anxiety of Valentine's Day). The fact that Hallowe'en has become a decorating season.

Even Victoria Day, the May 2-4 weekend which marks the start of summer in these parts, can't be properly enjoyed until the cottage is opened or all the yard work is done. Only Canada Day, which comes with no greater demands than that one show a little patriotism and watch some fireworks, comes close to the freedom offered by Family Day.

Because it sprang upon us suddenly with no preconceived expectations, Family Day is the one holiday truly worthy of the name. You don't have to buy anything or do anything in particular. So let's keep it that way.

I worry that the forces of commerce will get hold of Family Day and turn into something tawdry. That next year, Wal-Mart will have piles of plastic merchandise made in China that I'll be expected to purchase for Family Day "gifting".

Don't let it happen, friends. Keep Family Day pure and simple. Spend it with your family or avoid them entirely; I don't care. But spend nothing but time off. And spend it wisely.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Ask Mr. 500 Words

Faithful Blog Reader: Gee, Mr. 500 Words, there sure seems to be a lot of news coming from our government these days, and some of it's got me real confused. Can you help?

Mr. 500 Words: Specify the parameters of your mystification.

FBR: Well, for starters, there's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. He's been pretty busy the past week and he has me a little worried. He says if we object to Conservative plans to let police snoop on our computers we're on the side of child pornographers, but then he kills off the long gun registry because he says it invades the privacy of law-abiding gun owners. Oh, and he says he's in favour of torture, too.

Mr. 500 Words: First, despite what various ex-wives and mistresses may think, I say Vic is a swell guy and damn good looking, too (I also want to say, in case you're listening, that Mr. 500 Words has a very low pain threshold). See, what you have to understand is that guns don't kill people, computers do. To sum up: rubber fetish, bad; gun fetish, good. Next question.

FBR: Well, then, what about Stephen Harper and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver saying environmentalists who oppose the tar sands pipeline through the Rockies are controlled by "foreign special interests"? Aren't most of the oil companies in the tar sands foreign? Isn't the oil going to China, which is a foreign country?

Mr. 500 Words: Environmentalists aren't Conservatives and are therefore child pornographers. You can ask Vic Toews.

FBR: Um, yeah. So, what's with all this talk coming from Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty about making folks wait for their Old Age Pensions until they're 67. That's got me worried.

Mr. 500 Words: You can stop worrying: Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty will get gold-plated MP pensions worth hundreds of thousands a year as soon as they leave politics and start flying to board meetings in corporate jets. And they'll still probably be only in their 50's.

FBR: That's not what I meant. What about ordinary Canadians? Say the person who loses his job when he's 62 or whose health means he has to stop working before he's 67.

Mr. 500 Words: 60% of these people didn't vote Conservative. So he's probably a child pornographer.

FBR: Well, thanks, Mr. 500 Words. I think.

Mr. 500 Words: No need to thank me. It's what I do.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Fort Lauderdale

After five nights in Key West, we pointed our Mustang convertible northeast toward the mainland, leaving hordes of weeping bartenders in our wake, and headed to Fort Lauderdale.

We'd rented the Mustang from Thrifty upon arrival at the Fort Lauderdale airport, but indirectly, through a site called AutoSlash. Tell AutoSlash where and when you want to rent and it provides rates for various kinds of vehicles from a variety of companies. Make your choice, and AutoSlash makes the reservation for you and emails you confirmation and tracking numbers. But what sets AutoSlash apart is that it continues to seek discounts and coupons to apply to your rate and will rebook your reservation if it finds a lower rate.

In our case, the original rate was US$273 a week, all in. Within a few hours, AutoSlash had rebooked us at US$253. The next morning, we received a third email saying we were rebooked again at US$233. I was a little dubious, but everything worked out fine, and I would use AutoSlash again. Just be aware, that, as at many rental car counters, the rep will try to upsell you insurance coverage you already have with your own insurance policy and/or credit card.

We did purchase the full tank option so we wouldn't have to hunt for a gas station near the airport when we returned the car, and paid an additional $10 a day so Mrs. 500 Words could drive the car. She loved it: it brought out her inner Thelma (or Louise).

Fort Lauderdale is "where the boys are", the original home of spring break. Also known as the "Venice of America", it is built on land reclaimed from the Everglades in the early 20^th century and is crisscrossed with canals. It claims to be the yachting capital of the world, and yachting repair and servicing actually contributes more to the local economy than does tourism.

Certainly we saw thousands of yachts on a trip on the local water taxi and on a short cruise along the New River. Belonging to the .01% in the sports and entertainment industries, and the plutocracy of corporate America, a common sight was a $90 million yacht moored in front of a $50 million house. There were literally hundreds of billions on ostentatious display. Mind boggling.

The Water Taxi costs $20 for an all-day adult pass and is well worth it. It stops at many of the major hotels and shopping and dining areas. The crews also provide an entertaining description of local history and celebrity lore.

Las Olas Boulevard is the main shopping and dining street. Unfortunately, a banged-up foot limited my mobility and we didn't get the chance to check it out. Same for the white sand beach with the promenade. But lounging by the infinity edge pool of our beachfront hotel wasn't a bad way to console myself.

After three nights, we headed back to February in Ontario. But Fort Lauderdale and area is a place I'd like to go back to.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Valentine’s Cocktails

Light some candles, put on some music, and shake up a little romance. Here are a couple of cocktails, specially for Valentine's Day.

The Valentine is a beautiful, deep garnet colour. It has a pleasing sweet/tart balance. The pomegranate juice it contains is loaded with antioxidants which may help lower both bad cholesterol and blood pressure. What better drink for Valentine's Day?

• 1½ oz. gin
  
• 1 oz. pomegranate juice
  
• 1 oz. grenadine
  
• ½ oz. lemon juice
  
• Ice
  

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake sharply for 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass.

The Sweetheart makes an ideal dessert, or is simply for those who like sweet or creamy cocktails. Chocolate and raspberry are perfect partners.

• 1 oz. chocolate-flavoured liqueur (Bailey's, for example)
  
• 1 oz. raspberry liqueur (Southbrook Framboise or Chambord)
  
• 1 oz. vodka, preferably from the freezer
  
• Ice
  

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake sharply for 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass.

To all lovers, Happy Valentine's Day.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Key West

You can fly to Key West – all the major U.S. carriers serve the island – but I suggest you do what we’ve done both times we’ve been there: fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale, rent a convertible, and drive there.

It’s about 250 km. from Miami, three or four hours along US 1, crossing 42 bridges, the longest being over 10 km. long. The Atlantic Ocean on your left, the Gulf of Mexico on your right, it’s one of the great drives. Stop at the Islamorada Fish Company in (where else?) Islamorada, about half-way. Walk across the white sand, look out at the blue waters of the Gulf, try the conch fritters.

Conch is a marine mollusc (that’s a polite way of saying water snail). White, firm, and flavourful, it’s turned into chowder, salad, fritters, and sandwiches by the locals. You have to try it.

In fact, Key West calls itself the Conch Republic. In 1982, in response to a U.S. Customs closure of US 1 (they were searching for drugs, among other contraband that was widely smuggled into the U.S. via the Keys at the time), Key West declared its independence, promptly surrendered, and asked for foreign aid. They didn’t get the foreign aid, but the resulting publicly got the blockade lifted, and Key West’s motto remains: “We seceded where others failed”. It’s emblematic of the pirate spirit that animates the place.

Harry Truman made Key West the location of the little White House and writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams have lived and written here.

Trolley and train tours (actually a bus and tractor-pulled cars) do a good job of explaining local history, and there are attractions ranging from an aquarium to a butterfly conservatory to a museum describing the recovery of sunken Spanish treasure in the local waters. You can also take a trip out to snorkel on the nearby reefs or watch the sunset.

Watching the sunset from Mallory Square is a daily ritual and the square attracts not only hundreds of visitors, but also dozens of hawkers and buskers. It’s a must do.

Duval Street is the main street where you’ll find most of the bars, restaurants, and shopping. You can read about some of those in my previous post.

Key West is only about 3 km. by 6 km. Given its small size and idyllic winter weather (daytime highs in the mid-20's), it's popular, and thus expensive. Hotels tend to start at US$300 per day, but you may find lower rates at one of the many B&B's. The weather is hot and humid in the summer and hurricane season lasts into November, but rates are lower then.

There are many good places to eat, especially if you enjoy fresh seafood or Cuban, and plenty of bars. Beer is reasonably priced, but cocktails, at US$10-12 are big-city priced.

Public transit really isn't an option for visitors, but taxis are plentiful, and the drivers are friendly and knowledgeable. The hotels that aren't right downtown offer free shuttles.

Change your latitude; change your attitude. Key West embodies that laid-back Jimmy Buffet spirit. Don't pack dinner clothes; you won't need them. You're always over-dressed in Key West.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Sipping in the Sunshine State

Just back from a week in Florida, split between Key West and Fort Lauderdale. More on those two towns in upcoming posts, but I promised a special drinks post a while back and here it is.

Key West is a slightly less crazy version of New Orleans. Old Town is its French Quarter and Duval its Bourbon Street. Most of the shopping, bars, and restaurants are here, though some gems are tucked away elsewhere.

Camille's (1202 Simonton) serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the menu changes daily. The food is terrific and so are the drinks. "Denise's Medication", named for the owner, is a vodka martini with three olives that delivers fast-acting relief. The designated drinker (a.k.a. Mrs. 500 Words) assures me the Lemon Drop martini is also top-notch.

We stopped at Jimmy Buffet's Original Margaritaville (500 Duval) for some souvenirs. We had tried the Margaritas here when we were in Key West five years ago. Made with a commercial sour mix, they were disappointing.

Instead, go across the street to Willie T's (525 Duval), which has more than 30 kinds of Mojitos on the menu. The food is better than you'd expect.

A great place to catch the daily sunset celebration at Mallory Square is from Sunset Pier at the foot of Duval Street. Service is spotty, though. Best go up to the bar to order drinks or food. Begin the evening here and you can say you started your crawl at 1 Duval.

Another terrific spot for sunset viewing is the rooftop bar of the Crowne Plaza La Concha Hotel (430 Duval), Key West's tallest building. Get your drinks from the bar inside before going outside to the patio, which is undergoing some sprucing up. Enter through the Starbucks at street level and take the elevator to the roof. Get there early if you want a seat.

The Rum Barrel (528 Front at Simonton) proved irresistible to the designated drinker. A confirmed rum fanatic, it took her quite a while to decide from among the more than 180 rums on offer (alas, none from Cuba). Good selection of micro beers too. Try the Capn' Kidd's Crock, a shrimp, crab, and spinach dip served with tortilla chips. Good service.

We were slowing down a bit by the time we hit Fort Lauderdale. Riding the water taxi along its entire route to stop 1, we had lunch at Shooters on the Intracoastal Waterway. The food was OK, but I suspect there was a problem with their draft lines, as both beers I sampled had the same musty odour and taste. I didn't finish them. Service was slow too.

The real highlight of our trip came on the final night when we stopped for a drink in the Wreck Bar at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. This is the former Yankee Clipper Hotel, an iconic 1950's era Fort Lauderdale landmark built in the shape of an ocean liner. The bar itself is constructed to resemble the hold of a wooden sailing ship, and windows behind the bar offer a view into the deep end of the hotel pool. They still have an underwater "mermaid" swim show Friday night. A scene from the Robert De Niro/Billy Crystal movie Analyze This was filmed here, and Tim Dorsey sets a scene from his novel Nuclear Jellyfish here as well. Pure nostalgia.

Look for more on Key West and Fort Lauderdale in the next few days.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Blog Hop for World Rare Disease Day

Back in November, during Marfan Syndrome Awareness Week, I told you about this rare genetic condition of connective tissue that affects me and many members of my extended family.

Now, today, January 30, I'm joining bloggers around the world in a "blog hop" to mark 30 days until the upcoming World Rare Disease Day on February 29.

More than 350 million people, or about 5% of the world's population, have a rare disease. Some 7000 of these diseases are so rare, they affect fewer than 100 people. Eighty percent of these disorders are genetic. These are chronic, life-threatening, and fatal conditions. Only 5% have any type of treatment. More than half of these disorders have no research, advocacy, or support groups for those affected by them.

When I was a boy and young man, there were virtually no diagnostic or treatment options for Marfan Syndrome. I watched as my mother's sister and brothers succumbed to this "silent killer" and I felt sure that, like them, I would die young.

But that began to change about twenty-five years ago. New diagnostic tools made effective surgical intervention possible. And some medications have had some benefits for some people. Groups like the Canadian Marfan Association came together to foster research and offer support and information to patients and their families. Today, a large-scale clinical trial is underway, involving researchers from around the world, that is investigating the effectiveness of the most promising medication to date.

We have been lucky: Marfan Syndrome diagnosis and treatment has come a long way. Today, my brother and three of my cousins are alive thanks to life-saving surgery that wasn't available to my aunt and uncles.

It's time millions of others with rare disorders and diseases got the same chance.

So, what's a "blog hop"? At the bottom of this post, you'll find a list of other bloggers participating in this project. By clicking on their blogs, you can "hop" from blog to blog to read their stories.

And there are other ways you can get involved. World Rare Disease Day is a campaign of R.A.R.E. – the Rare disease Advocacy Research Education Project. It is trying to unite 1 Million for RARE on the Global Genes Project Facebook page. Wear jeans (genes) on February 29, or donate a bracelet to the 7000 Bracelets for Hope campaign. You can find out more at http://www.globalgenes.org/ and http://www.rareproject.org/

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

AirMiles and Priority Club Devalue Their Programs

InterContinental Hotels Group's Priority Club Rewards program was the first hotel loyalty program I joined. That was about eight years ago, during a stay at a Holiday Inn in Montréal. Seeing that handful of points in my account made me wonder how I could earn enough for a free night, and that was the beginning of this little obsession of mine.

Like any loyalty program, Priority Club certainly has its flaws, but it also has two major strengths. The first is that with over 4,500 properties worldwide, including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Hotel Indigo, there is almost always a hotel where you want to stay, whether to earn or redeem points. The second is that, in addition to the ten points earned per dollar spent on stays, bonus points are insanely easy to get.

In fact, there are several websites that list bonus codes: Priority Club Insider, this section of Rewards Canada, and this thread on flyertalk. The best strategy to follow is to register for as many bonuses as you think you might qualify for prior to your stay. You probably won't get them all, but you're likely to get some.

What this means is that a $150 stay at a Holiday Inn, instead of yielding 1,500 points, could earn 5-10K points. There's even a MasterCard available from Capital One that let's you earn Priority Club points for all your credit card spending.

But the bad news is that, effective January 18, Priority Club is increasing the number of points required to redeem for a free night. For example, previously, most Holiday Inns were 15K points; some will now cost 5-10K points more. Not all properties are going up; some are actually decreasing, but the increase amounts to a 40% jump in many cases, and that seriously devalues both the program and the credit card.

Which brings me to AirMiles.

I'm not a collector of AirMiles. Because there are few participating merchants where I live, there just isn't significant earning opportunity for me. In addition, miles are expensive to earn and have little value. I've also had difficulties with its customer service centre in the past. Recently, AirMiles announced it would confiscate members' unused points five years after they've been earned (you can read what I think about such policies here). There are other changes to the program that are explained here.

Basically, these changes highlight an essential truth about loyalty programs, especially free-standing ones like Aeroplan and AirMiles: they are loyal to their shareholders and merchant partners, not their members.

And that raises another truth: just because a points program and/or its credit card was right for you in the past, doesn't mean it is still the best program/card for you today. Programs change, and so do your spending patterns, so you need to monitor them both and be prepared to change if necessary.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane

Getting the Most (Points) from Your Winter Vacation

A faithful blog reader recently gave me some feedback about my monthly posts of hotel and airline points and miles offers. Basically, she told me she found a long list of deals too daunting to be useful.

And that got me to thinking. So, look for January's roundup next week; today I'll offer some advice on how to find the best offers for your winter holiday.

Start your vacation planning by deciding where to go. And base your decision on your desire to go there. Our blog reader is correct: unless you're looking for a last-minute weekend getaway, it's too confusing to begin making travel plans based on this month's offers. For today, I'm going to ignore airlines and focus on hotels, mainly because airlines offer few incentives on flights to vacation hotspots during peak seasons.

Say you want to spend a week in the Orlando area. All the major hotel chains are represented there, so start by going to an online travel agency site like Expedia or Hotels.ca to see which hotels are available and what rates they are charging. These sites are also useful because they provide traveler ratings as well. All things being equal, the best price is your best deal.

However, sites like Expedia and Hotels.ca also have two major disadvantages: they don't list all hotels in an area, and you won't earn points if you book your hotel through them. No problem: you can always get the same rates at the hotel chains' websites. So earning points won't cost you extra and you'll also see all the properties the chains have in the area.

Once you've found a few hotels in the right location and price range, check this month's list of offers. An offer for bonus points, or a stay X nights, get Y nights free deal, could not only help you decide in favour of one hotel over another, but also earn points toward your next holiday.

Even if you don't think you'll ever use those hotel points, you can always elect to earn airline miles instead (if you belong to a frequent flyer plan). I explain how that works in this blog post.

And don't forget to double-dip by using a credit card that earns points or miles. Many cards even offer double points for travel-related charges, so check to see which of your cards offers you the biggest bang when you pay for your hotel, airfare, and car rental.

One final point: the major hotel chains have many brands in their portfolios. You may not know that you can earn Hilton HHonors points at a Hampton Inn or Doubletree, Wyndham Rewards at a Travelodge or Howard Johnson, Priority Club Rewards at a Crowne Plaza or Staybridge Suites. Check out your hotel's corporate website to see which chain and loyalty program it belongs to.

Next Thursday, I'll tell you about the offers the major hotel chains have for January-March, all specially geared to reward the winter leisure traveler.

Follow me on Twitter: @AeneasLane