On a two-hour layover at Heathrow Airport in London, I received a thorough lesson in global economics. Being hungry and tired, I entered a Sbarro's Restaurant at the food court, ordered two small dishes of pasta, a tiny green salad and a bottle of water. The damage - $31. Wow!

Gone are the days of an accessible British Pound (Lb.) at $1.20 or $1.30. Now it is two US dollars for one British pound. "Unmanageable!"

Elsewhere in Europe, the Euro, which once traded at one-to-one, is now one Euro to $1.40 US dollars. These events should make one think carefully about entering Europe or even leaving the country.

In my US Army days, in 1960, I remember four Deutsche marks for one US dollar, now it is about one-to-one.

In Japan, in 1960, you could get 360 yen for one US dollar. Today you can get about 100 yen for the same dollar.

Why do I mention these rates of exchange?

It was brought to my mind when I read an article by Dan Dorfman in The New York Sun. He quotes Paul Van Eeden, a precious metals expert, saying that "Gold is on the verge of a new and sharply rising trend that will catapult its price to more than $500 an ounce by year-end and to between $700-$800 in three years."

Again, "Wow!" He continues by saying that China and Japan will revalue their currencies upward against the dollar, causing the dollar to fall dramatically against Asian currencies and further deteriorate the dollar against the Euro. Also, China and Japan will reduce their purchases of US Treasuries and further deplete the US dollar.

Mr. Van Eeden recommends buying "gold" as a hedge. Gold is presently selling for about $438 an ounce. Some of us older statesmen remember January 1980 when gold sold for $850 an ounce. Mr. Van Eeden predicts $1,000 an ounce, soon. "For risk takers only and never for widows and orphans." Remember, this is only "One Man's Opinion." The bankruptcy courts have been littered by gold and silver "bugs" whose timing was poor and way off-target.

My $31 lunch woke me out of my lethargic thinking. Personally, all my next vacations will be stateside. Even with rising gas prices, America will be more reasonable and easier to pay for.

If Europe is your cup of tea, go to Las Vegas. The Venetian Hotel, The Paris Hotel and the Bellagio Hotel should satisfy your wanderlust!