Wednesday is Fryday?

There is an internet Urban Legend floating around, that next Wednesday is the 60th anniversary of Wendy's (Oct. 22nd), and that all menu items will be sold at the original price from way-back-when (.25cent hamburgers, .10cent drinks, etc). As a big-time Wendy's guy, that got me ready to drop anchor and fill up the hold next Wednesday, until I got thinking about it. Although founder Dave Thomas has died, he seemed like a pretty young guy to me. So I dug around a bit on my computer and found that the 1st Wendy's opened in Columbus Ohio, in the SUMMER of 1969. I know things can happen with the calendar, leap year and all that kind of thing, but I've never known October to fall in the Summer. And being the math wizard that I am, I put me some #2 pencil to paper and figured out 2008 minus 1969 does not equal 60. They're 60th anniversary won't come for another 21 years, and it sure as heck isn't coming in October. So if any of my readers had canceled business meetings, family gatherings or funerals to attend the big shindig at Wendy's next Wednesday, The Cap'n is here to tell you "Go on now. Git on with your life." You can still use the Value Menu, or scrunch way down low, raise your voice a pitch or 2 higher and order a kids' meal (be sure to get one of those little action toys -- collect all four!).

After a 2-3 year absence from hurricane damage, the Costa Maya area is back up and running, to a round of applause from cruise passengers. That area has great beaches, and is a nice change of pace from the usual ports offered. On the popular island of Cozumel, Carnival Cruise Line has finally completed it's "Puerta Maya" double cruise ship pier. For people who have had to tender over the last couple of seasons, it'll be welcome relief to be able to just walk off the ship and head to town. This time, though, the key phrase for re-building is LESSON LEARNED. The old Cozumel pier was built more from practicality than with major storms in mind. In hindsight, whatever money they saved going that route was a mistake. The new double pier was built to withstand a category 5 hurricane (highest possible rank), and they added a 9-acre cruise center complete with shops, restaurants and bars, plus a 4-acre transportation hub for getting passengers in and out swiftly and with greater ease. Here is a link to check out the new facility: http://www.puertamaya.com/. There's even a live webcam - I'm always a sucker for that kind of thing. I'm thinking of installing one in the mess hall, so you can watch me eat.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean has announced it is expanding its operation into Dubai, United Arab Emirates starting in 2010. The Brilliance Of The Seas will be relocated to the Middle East for these 7-night sailings. Before you start looking to sign up, the itineraries have not been formally announced yet, and you should know it will not be your normal Royal Caribbean cruise experience! The likelihood is it will be marketed very little, if at all to the US. The food, entertainment, service and activities will all be geared towards a more local, Middle-Eastern audience. A small segment of Americans may choose to do this as an adventure cruise, but be sure to go in with eyes open, before writing a complaint letter "I couldn't understand the first word that guy was singing"...

News from the Toronto Globe & Mail newspaper (in case you can't locate your copy). Back in 2003, a worker named Yves Julian, who was employed by the Canada Border Services Agency, had worked an extended Holiday shift of 8 hours at premium pay, plus he agreed to work 3 additional hours at overtime-premium pay. During the shift, when asked to work the additional hours, he purchased a $9 sandwich which he said was a necessary business expense to keep him going. He wanted reimbursement for the sandwich, but the Agency said he was not entitled, since by contract he was already being handsomely rewarded for the extended service. Mr. Julian later took this to court, and after nearly 5 years of reviews, hair-splitting legal decisions and exhaustive appeals, his determination paid off and he was awarded $9. Unfortunately, the legal costs combined on both sides exceeded $78,000.