Less for a room: A survey of what guests paid per hotel room, as opposed to the advertised rate, found that prices were down 12% in North America during the fourth quarter 2008, compared with the last three months of 2007. The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index says that was the biggest drop in any region. Room rates for European hotels were down 10%, while Asia held up the best, with prices dropping by 2% from the fourth quarter 2007 to fourth quarter 2008.
Processed meat intake: The largest study of its kind finds that older Americans who eat large amounts of red meat and processed meats face a greater risk of death from heart disease and cancer. The federal study of more than half a million men and women bolsters prior evidence of the health risks of diets laden with red meat like hamburger and processed meats like hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts. Calling the increased risk modest, lead author Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute said the findings support the advice of several health groups to limit red and processed meat intake to decrease cancer risk. Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, told HealthDay News the study’s findings were provocative. “The question is how much of it is the meat and how much is the extra calories,” Brooks told the news service. “Calories per se are a strong determinant for death from cancer and heart disease. This should make us think about our calorie intake.”
