OUR 50TH WEEKLY UPDATE REGARDING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC – THIS WEEK WE WILL TRY TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS “HERD IMMUNITY” AND WE WILL CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT WE ARE GETTING SO CLOSE TO THAT CRITICAL TIME. ALSO, WE WILL BE FEATURING ANOTHER MEMBER OF OUR STAFF AND THEN SHARING WITH YOU SOME VERY ENTERTAINING VIDEOS FOR YOU TO ENJOY.
FRIDAY, March 12
FROM CHRIS KRARAS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
“TO TRAVEL IS TO LIVE!”
– Hans Christian Andersen
My Dear Friends:
To start out this week, I want to be the first one to wish you a HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY! Even though many of us around our country are not of Irish descent, we all still like to celebrate this day in some way as it brings smiles and joy to all every year on March 17th. For most of us, it signifies the fact that we are coming out of the winter season and spring is only days away. Sometimes we also just need a reason to celebrate and enjoy each other. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of you!
Can you believe that this is my 50th Weekly Update to all of you Group Leaders? It has been quite a year and so much has transpired, but here we are now on the verge of putting it all behind us. This week has proven to give us even more great news than we have gotten over the past few weeks. I am sure most of you and most of your Group Members keep track of the statistics that are coming out from the CDC, from hospital experts, and from doctors around the country. They tell us that the positivity rate of the Coronavirus has dropped so dramatically that it is heading down now towards the low thousands, which is just very encouraging. In addition, the death rate has dropped so dramatically that it is at an all-time low since this whole thing began almost a year ago. Between the millions of people who are getting the vaccinations on a daily basis across the United States, and all those folks who already have had Covid 19, we are coming so very close to that all-important “Herd Immunity”. What exactly is “Herd Immunity”? The definition that comes from the CDC, and from most of the medical profession, states that “Herd Immunity is a condition acquired when most of a population becomes immune to an infectious disease, thus preventing the spread of the disease”. Most statistics tell us that when society gets close to 70% of the total population that has either gotten their vaccinations or have had the virus itself, we have, in fact, obtained “Herd Immunity”. Obtain this immunity eliminates the fear of the virus and the entire population is free from being infected. Therefore, with those statistics in place and with all the results coming in on a daily basis, most of the experts are now telling us that we are within one or two months from achieving “Herd Immunity”. This fact is a true reason for celebration!
In addition to the great news that I discussed above, our White Star Family is also excited because we now are seeing so many of our White Star Group Leaders taking their Groups on trips all over the United States. As a matter of fact, this very week, we have a group from Michigan enjoying a stay in Myrtle Beach, SC. In addition, over the next three or four weeks, we have groups going to places like the Finger Lakes of New York, Washington, DC, Asheville, NC, Cape Cod, MA, New York City, the Ark Encounter in Cincinnati, Chattanooga, TN, Yellowstone National Park & South Dakota, and several other places. We also received some good news recently indicating Cruises may start to be allowed to sail sometime during the month of May, which is something that so many people have been waiting for for a long period of time. All this creates much happiness and I hope that you will share some of this good news with your Group Members and get them excited about the trips that you are planning to take over the next few months, and throughout the rest of 2021.
This Week’s Staff Profile
Bernie Donahue
It is now time to feature another member of our White Star Family. This week we are featuring Bernie Donahue. Bernie is another one of my Family Members, as he is the husband of my sister, Tula (known as Pat here in the office). Bernie has been working with us for almost thirty years and has headed up much of our Air Flight Department in our Company. Bernie is also very involved in our large Group movements in which we take 400-500 people a year from various companies around the country on one-week trips into the Caribbean Islands. He is also very talented in technology and has been extremely helpful in keeping our company’s website first rate. I have always appreciated all of Bernie’s assistance, and I thank him for his many wonderful years of helping White Star Tours!
Now for a little bit of enjoyment! First, I have for you a very nostalgic video which compares life today versus life over the last 120 years. Sometimes we think that our times are tough today, but if you search back in history, you will realize that maybe today is not nearly as bad as what we thought. Take a walk back in time by clicking here.
Also, I have a very interesting video that I think you will find entertaining featuring a magician by the name of Mac King. He performs a trick that even the most famous magicians, including the well-known Penn and Teller, admitted that they could not figure out how he was able to accomplish it. I am sure you will be amazed just like me by clicking here.
The last bit of entertainment features some good old-fashioned comedy, which I always like show you to close my messages to you each week, just to put a smile on your face. This popular comedian’s name is Bill Engvall. Click here for some real enjoyable humor.
Another week has passed and I wish you, and all your Family, a wonderful weekend. Again, the weather looks like it is warming up in most parts of our country, and we hope you get a chance to go outside and get some fresh air. Don’t forget to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day next Wednesday and wear a little green! God Bless You All and have a great week!
“YEARS FROM NOW YOU WILL BE MORE
DISAPPOINTED BY THE THINGS YOU DIDN’T DO,
THAN BY THE ONES YOU DID DO!”
– H. Jackson Brown