Wow, there is a lot of talk about sunscreens these days, don’t you think?
It seems there is report after report showing that most current sunscreens on the market today are not blocking the rays that they say they are and therefore, are putting us all at risk of unwanted skin cancer.
I saw an article the other day called “84% of Sunscreens Unsafe or Ineffective…” (click here to to read it) and so I thought I would delve a little bit deeper since it’s pretty important to those of us who live in Florida and deal with more sun than most other states.
What I found was quite a bit of misinformation out there… it seems that there are those that claim (as the article does above) that Retin A-derivitives found in the majority of sunscreen products on the market today actually CAUSE our skin cells to be more susceptible to skin cancer (click here for the article)… Yikes! And then there are those that say that this research is flawed (see the video below, yes it’s a video from Detroit, but the sun is the sun, right?) and that these products are not dangerous at all, but rather prevent skin cancer from occurring… Oh boy! Who to believe?
But, the truth of the matter is that the FDA does NOT regulate, or “police”, sunscreen products… which leaves them off the hook, so to speak, if these sunscreen manufacturers are actually putting us in danger… Ugh!
I also found a couple of articles on more “natural” products just to balance it all out…
TripAdvisor.com is one of the most active travel sites on the web with the basis of its service being real customer reviews based on real experiences of travelers to a particular location.
This year, 2011, is the first time that they have put out a list of the “Best U.S. Beaches” and “Best World Beaches” based on the thousands and thousands of customer reviews on their site.
And guess what? We did pretty darn well!
Sanibel Island Beaches ranked #5 and Captiva Island Beaches ranked #8 on the Top U.S. Beaches List… Now, THAT is impressive considering the hundreds of beaches to choose from in the entire U.S.!
Be proud of your beaches, they literally ARE some of the best beaches in the world…
I copied the list for you below, but if you want to read the entire article, you can simply check it out here: Travelers’ Choice Beaches Award
Woo Hoo! I’m feeling pretty proud right now!
Have a great weekend,
Sandy and Rob
p.s. Come on over to the office and let us show you the great new Sanibel and Captiva listings that we have… it will be well worth it!
Below are some screenshots of a very informative document put out by Lee County Parks and Recreation detailing 6 different dog parks just ready and waiting for you and your pet to visit!
Also, here’s some general information on all Lee County Dog Parks as an FYI reference:
Enjoy!
Until next week… have a good one,
Sandy and Rob
p.s. The home buying season is picking up… ask us about some really great homes on the market before it’s too late and they’re gone!
Yes, it’s true, this month “The Beaches of Ft Myers-Sanibel” was awarded one of only 7 Platinum Adrian Awards given out globally per year for its “Destination Advertising Campaign of 2010″.
The Adrian Awards are “the Oscars” of the Tourism industry!
As you can see the TV ad above, it really was well done. The entire campaign covered print, outdoor, rich media banners and mobile/social marketing components and beat out over 1000 entries globally for this prestigious recognition.
No one can say that we here in SW Florida are not trying to beat this recession!
The Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau have just finished taping 9 straight days of a different section of beach for people around the United States to see that our beaches have not been affected and that they should not cancel their Florida vacation… one of the days was filmed in front of ‘Tween Waters Inn on Captiva Island.
We have to get the word out there somehow because if people just watch the news, we are getting a really bad wrap!
‘Tis the season when we all need to be on extra high alert for our most sacred island treasures…. the sea turtle nests hiding in the sand!
Easy to spot when you’re looking for the mother’s tracks coming up from the beach, these nests need to be identified and well-marked so as to prevent any unforeseen mishaps.
So, lights off at night and careful attention when walking on the beaches with a special note to the picking up of any litter or beach chairs that you see. Also, extra vigilance with any extra noise or romping from your pet pooches will make this a happy and safe nesting season.
Our turtle guests have enough to worry about these days (sigh), so let’s do our part and make their stay as welcoming and comfortable as possible!
Wow, there is a lot of talk about sunscreens these days, don’t you think?
