Tip-Top Tips!

I never thought I'd see the day I actually AGREED with a travel section article completely, but USAToday.com's "Tips For Cruising On A Budget" is the closest thing to right-on I've seen. Here's a link: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/2009-01-23-cruising-on-a-budget_N.htm . Loyal readers know I have a pet peeve about people who use more than 2 names, or feel the need to use middle initials, but I'm going to give a pass to Ms. Beth J. Harpaz on this one. I still don't get the reason or perceived advantage of using the J., but Ms. Beth: you did a very nice job in covering the bases in your column.

For the 4th year in a row, the FAA has proclaimed Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport as the Nation's busiest. That's certainly because it is Delta's main hub, and Delta continues to get bigger even as it's losing money. Yeah, that's the same fuzzy math that allows us bailer-outers to give billions to lousy banks, who then use a line from "Oliver": May I have some more? It amazes me how scientists have been talking about theoretical-black-holes in Space for years, when in fact we have a black hole are right here in the USA (ask your Congressman). It's where money goes to die. Anyway, this past week, Delta has threatened Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson with pulling out entirely, if plans to raise taxes and fees continue unabated. Delta feels they are being gouged on their runway fees, docking charges etc., and in effect they're saying "Hey airport - remember you got this big in the first place thanks almost solely to Delta Airlines. You may want to take out a Thesaurus and look up the term BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU!"

Price check on Aisle 6!

A Wal-Mart employee in Mississippi has been charged with embezzlement, after allegedly ringing up a sale just a tad below the actual merchandise price. Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said a 20-year-old cashier was arrested Thursday, along with a 22-year-old customer who happened to be a friend of the girl. Chief Mullins said the cashier charged the customer a total of $5.25 for seven pairs of jeans, a baby crib, a pair of scrubs, a picture frame, sweat suit, laundry detergent, a bra, four pairs of pants, diapers, pizza, coffee, four 12-packs of drinks, canned goods, air freshener, nachos, noodles, frozen goods, chips and a family pack of beef. The total for the merchandise SHOULD have been $547.50. Mullins said the two women were being held Friday without bond, pending an initial court appearance. You know, I'm an honest 'ol Seafarer, but if I were going to pull some kind of shenanigans like this, it would have gone a little differently. I may have left off the air freshener, noodles, laundry detergent and chips, and had my pal ring up 5 High Def TV's, a couple dozen computers, 3 or 4 hot tubs, a cartful of GPS devices and MP3 players, that kind of thing. If I'm gonna do the time, I'm gonna do the crime!

Gimme that 'Ol Black Magic.... One of Nigeria's largest daily newspapers reported that police have an unusual suspect in an attempted automobile theft there. Friday, there was a front-page article in The Vanguard newspaper, saying that two men tried to steal a Mazda car this past Wednesday in Kwara State, a nearby township area. After vigilantes thought they had cornered the pair, it became evident that one suspect had escaped, but the other had cleverly transformed himself into a goat! The Vanguard quoted Police Detective Tunde Mohammed as acknowledging that one individual had escaped, but the man/goat had been apprehended. Police even paraded the goat before journalists, and published a picture of the alleged suspect-turned-animal. Belief in black magic is widespread in Nigeria, particularly in far-flung rural areas. And you thought WE had open-minded cops. These guys are good...