Paloma Digs In

Hurricane Paloma came out of nowhere 72 hours ago, and suddenly it has built itself into an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm. Although as reported yesterday the eye of the storm passed East of Grand Cayman, Paloma slowed down dramatically and is now only moving about 6-7mph, heading towards Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Because of the slow speed of the storm, winds and rain will hang around much longer, potentially causing catastrophic damage on those islands. They are by far less-inhabited than Grand Cayman Island, but rest assured there are still locals there, and some number of tourists (particularly divers). The storm is still heading in a Northeast direction towards a direct hit with Cuba, then on to the Eastern Bahamas such as Exuma and San Salvador. As of 5am this morning, sustained winds at the core are 135mph with stronger gusts, so this storm is a sudden monster. Hopefully any affected areas will be outside the main population areas. One weird thing is that after the storm hits Cuba, the computer models are freaked out - some show it going straight, some veering north, some taking a major turn West and some showing a u-turn South. I've never seen such a crazy quilt map. Here's a link (although it's updated continuously, so it could change by the time you read this). Just scroll down the page to the projections:

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200817_model.html#a_topad

Jet Blue claimed a world record this past week, when one of its E190 aircraft flew from Anchorage Alaska to Buffalo NY non-stop. That's a distance of 2694 nautical miles. Why did they do that? It was the McCain/Palin campaign plane, and they were trying to keep up with Gov. Palin's hectic schedule. Jet Blue credited the feat to a "strong tailwind", and the fact that the aircraft was not weight down by extra passengers or luggage. Hmmmm. That's an interesting concept, but I have my own theory on what kept the plane aloft so long, and mine is based on a more exact scientific principle: Hot air rises.

Princess Cruises announced that their "Movies Under The Stars" concept, showing full-length films outside at night on a 300 sq. foot large-projection screen, is going fleet-wide by 2011. This has been a hit with passengers, and after seeing other lines copy the concept, Princess new they had a winner. Is everybody happy about it? In fact, no. Many people (including this-here old Sea Dog) enjoy going out on deck at night, finding the darkest place I can find, and watching the glory of God's creation in the stars above. No matter how many stars you see from your backyard, until you're out at sea in a pitch-black night, in a dark corner of the outer deck, laying on a lounge chair and seeing about a billion star winkin' at you, well - it ain't Heaven but it's standing on the front porch peeking in.

What was your favorite toy as a kid? Mine was probably a toss-up between army men, Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots (the greatest boy-toy of all time), and a plastic Navy boat that floated in the bathtub with me, attacking all enemy subs. Probably why I became a Cap'n in the first place. In Rochester, NY at the Strong National Museum, they've actually created a "TOY HALL OF FAME". Cool idea, if you ask me. Previous entries included all-time faves the bicycle, Mr. Potato head, Crayola crayons, a baby doll, and a skateboard. OK, that's a decent collection to start things off, but I'd question where's Barbie for goodness sake? How about Silly Putty, a Hoola Hoop, Cootie, Slinky, GI Joe (and Jane, don't send nasty letters), a yo-yo, Play Doh, Etch-a-Sketch, Teddy bears, wagons, cap pistols, water pistols, jump ropes, and on and on? Those somehow didn't make the grade yet, but there were two extremely unusual selections that made it in:

1) A cardboard box
2) A stick

Now, The Cap'n can see where some geniuses might look at these and say "Great choices! You're selecting imagined toys, allowing the children to use the full range of their minds, pretending the box is a castle or a secret cave, and the stick is a light-sabre, sword, or Davy Crockett's rifle." Yeah, that's what some geniuses would say. I'd say "Man, the Executives of the Strong National Museum in Rochester, New York are REALLY lonely adults, based on their deprived childhood."

Here's what you do, fellas. Get on your computer and find Ebay. Type in keywords Rock Em Robots, and get out your credit card. Once you receive the item, get one of your best buddies, or better yet one of your best enemies to line up across the plastic ring from you. Grab the controls. Go.

See what I'm talking about? Case closed: Cardboard boxes and sticks suck....

East of Eden

Some people consider the Cayman Islands the perfect, Idyllic setting in the Caribbean, with beautiful, unspoiled white sand beaches and near-heavenly temperature year-round. Today, Grand Cayman Island caught a lucky break, as Hurricane Paloma skirted just to the East instead of hitting them with what appear to be nearly Category 2 strength winds and tides. The Caymans are so flat, they don't do well when a storm surge comes upon them, so all the residents and tourists can breath a tentative sigh of relief for now. They're getting rain and 20 mph winds, but that can happen any time between June and December. Missing a Hurricane by less than 100 miles is something to be thankful for, particularly as hard-hit as the Caymans were back in 2004 by deadly Hurricane Ivan. That storm nearly cleared the decks.

From the "Well isn't that special?" desk comes a story that Ryan and Trista, the famous Bachelor/Bachelorette couple from TV, presided over the christening of the Ruby Princess this week. Everyone was decked out in ruby-red gowns, ruby-red bow ties, and all were surrounded by ruby-red roses. Maybe I'm a bit JADED, but as of this writing the name Jade Princess or Malachite Princess might have been a bit more appropriate, given the circumstances. The people on the Inaugural cruise will be sailing directly into the outer bands of Hurricane Paloma, and I have a feeling they'll be sporting many more shades of green than flushed-ruby-red, over the next couple of days. Still, it's at least a bit of a break seeing these younger "TV stars", as opposed to Captain Steubing, Doc and Isaac (all of whom are approaching their late 120's these days).

Our new Prez, "O" (instead of "W") is laying out a case for getting the US back on its financial feet again, and not a moment too soon. We all need a break from the piles of bad economic news that have been flying around, don't we? At least there is light at the end of the tunnel now, with a new Administration of hope, and America is gaining confidence. Rightfully so, in my opinion. We'll still see job losses and other factors for a while. I'm hoping Congress looks at the kind of unsupervised chaos that led up to this, with traders and lenders not living by the same set of rules as you and I. I hope they CRIMINALIZE those kind of actions moving forward. There are a whole bunch of incredibly wealthy pups out there, who got their gold by stepping on the backs of innocent citizens with these bogus trades and "junk finances". There is still some comfort in watching evil-doers get their come-uppance here on Earth, don't you think? Maybe that's just me. Thinking like that is a sin I'm sure, but I'll take my chances.

The Associated Press is reporting that Central Illinois amateur golfer Curt Hocker, age 22, has been on a serious roll at the El Paso Golf club. In the last week, he's had 5 holes in one (including two on Saturday), making a career total of 7. Amazingly, 5 of them have come on short Par 4's where the ball just kept going and going, eventually trickling into the hole. Sounds absurd, right? Well, there have been 15 people who have witnessed these events. People began questioning if the holes on the golf course were regulation size, but that has been confirmed, and no one has a real explanation for it. He did write a check for $50,000 to someone named "Beelzebub" recently, but it may just be a coincidence.....

Kind of reminds me of a joke. And DON'T GO GETTIN' ALL UPSET HERE, this is just your basic religious-based comedic golfing moment, so save yer stinkin' hate-mail:

God asked Moses were celebrating a beautiful, bright day in Heaven, and God asked Moses if he'd like to grab his clubs, and play a quick 18-holes. Moses agreed that would be lovely, and he was even given the "honors" (hitting first). The first hole was 468-yard Par 4, with a large lake on the left that skirted the green, and a row of thick trees on the right. Moses took his time, checked the wind, slowly took his backswing, and Ka-RACK! He pounded one right down the middle, rolling well past 350 yards, in absolutely perfect position for his second shot. Not a word was said, he just smiled and walked back behind the tee. God was up next. He didn't need to check the wind (since he created it), so he just stepped right up and Ka-RANNNG! His shot was shanked way off to the right, heading straight for the top of a very thick tree. The ball lodged in some thick greenery, about 40 feet in the air. Moses snickered just a little, but he wasn't going to rub it in. Suddenly, the thick greenery at the top of the tree started rustling, and a moment later a large bird emerged, holding the golf ball in its mouth. It flew over the lake, and dropped it right in the center, Ker-PLUNNK. Moses and God made eye contact, and God just shrugged. Not 10 seconds later a fish jumped up out of the lake, with the ball in its mouth, and spit it out onto a grassy area just left of the green. A nearby squirrel ran over, picked up the ball, scampered onto the green and proceeded to drop it into the hole for an "Ace". Moses, obviously perturbed, turned to God and said "HEY -- Are you just gonna mess around like that, or are you gonna play golf?!"

Michael Myers is back

Not the star of Wayne's World, Austin Powers or the Love Guru. No, the Michael Myers that won't stay dead from the movie "Halloween". That guy. Here we are nearing the middle of November, and tropical storm Paloma formed in the last 24 hours off the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras. The storm currently packs sustained winds of 65mph, and is predicted to grow all the way into a category 2 hurricane by Friday afternoon. Paloma has her sights set on the center of Cuba late Sunday, moving into The Bahamas by late Monday. Because of her proximity to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, she'll affect cruise passengers returning this weekend, and ones setting sail next week - including the Inaugural sailing of Ruby Princess. It's rare to see these storms in November and December, but it happens. Hopefully any landfall areas will be lightly populated, and people on ships will only get a thrill-ride.

And you thought duct tape was just for fixing pipes and such.....some flight attendants found a new use for the product yesterday: crowd control. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-11-05-unruly-passenger_N.htm

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Police say a teenage boy had a closer shave than he bargained for, when attempting to run away from home. The 14-year-old had been attending a boot-camp-style school for troubled teens last Monday, when he figured he'd had enough and was going to run off to start a new life for himself. He had no money and no visible means of transportation, but he happened to see a Waste Management truck coming, and decided to hide in a recycling bin filled with cardboard. The bin was picked up by the truck, and dumped into the vehicle's rear trash compactor. Waste Management spokeswoman Lynn Morgan says the truck continued on its collection route, not knowing the boy was attempting a getaway. On its scheduled course, the Waste Management truck compacted the cardboard several times. No one heard anything over the rumbling of the truck, and the boy wasn't discovered until the truck dumped its load at a recycling processing center. Even after numerous pressings, he was still semi-conscious, and was taken to a local hospital, where police say his injuries were not life-threatening.

Rumors that the boy is now 3'4" cannot be confirmed or denied. Do they not have trains with open boxcars in Milwaukee these days? Maybe his parents need to check him into stupid camp, instead of boot-camp...

My "O" My!

What a day, what a night, what a Country! Last night was truly something special, and having grown up in the deep South, remembering the "whites only" pools, restrooms and water fountains from my days as a young skipper, it made me proud to see we've come full-circle as a Nation. Whether you wore red or blue yesterday, it's all red-white-and-blue today. My biggest surprise with respect to this election has nothing to do with you or me, our friends, co-workers or fellow Americans. It was world reaction. As Americans, we can sometimes be a bit self-centered, thinking we're better, richer, we're right and everyone else is wrong. But just for a moment, put yourself in the other guy's shoes. That holier-than-thou attitude, coined years ago as the "Ugly American" syndrome, takes a toll on the psyche of everyone outside our borders. Friends, foes, allies, neutral countries, nobody likes being talked down to or treated like 2nd-class citizens of the human community.

These statistics from our allies startled me when I read them this morning: In Spain, only 8% of the people were hoping for a McCain victory. In Germany, 5%. And in France, a mere 1% were McCain supporters while the balance were all Obama. What does that tell you about how we're viewed by our neighbors? Here is a link to the entire article on USAToday, and I think you'll be amazed and saddened by how far we as a Nation have fallen in the eyes of the world:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-11-05-election-worldview_N.htm

This was not so much an election as a birth. You could call it a re-birth, but it's so new I prefer to think of this as its own new direction for the USA. Just like with a new birth, there will be stumbles, diapers to clean and plenty of spit-ups to deal with. But We The People have an opportunity to galvanize and move forward, responding to and re-joining the world community with the prestige and eloquence we've been missing for a long time. Congratulations, President Obama. Now, get to work.

We got a welcome show of humanity from Celebrity Cruise Line this week. The Mercury was on an extended cruise to Hawaii, that was scheduled to come back to Ensenada Mexico, before returning to its home port of San Diego. However, a couple of days out from Hawaii on the return, there were 2 separate passengers with totally unrelated conditions, who fell so ill that it was deemed life-threatening for both. The Captain called back to Hawaii asking for a Coast Guard helicopter to rescue the people, but he was told they were out of range. Celebrity had a decision to make. They could keep going on schedule, and there was a likelihood that one or both of the passengers might not make it back alive. Instead, they chose to turn the ship around, and sail back towards Hawaii until they were within Coast Guard range, losing 2 days of their schedule. Both passengers were airlifted off the next day. However, the Mercury was now hopelessly behind schedule. Cruise ships can crank up the boilers to go faster - a LITTLE faster - but they're still limited on top speed potential. Celebrity realized they could no longer make a call in Ensenada before proceeding to San Diego. They had to go full-speed direct to California, and even then everyone would miss their flights, and the next passengers would arrive at the pier without a ship. Pretty upsetting, but remember WHY they did this. It was a remarkable decision to bypass Ensenada and go directly to San Diego. You're probably thinking "what's so remarkable about skipping a port - it happens?" Theoretically you'd be right. But you're not taking into effect The Jones Act. That's an antiquated statute that still sits on the books, supposedly to protect US shipping companies (of which there are just about none left). The crux of The Jones Act says that any non-US-flagged passenger ship cannot operate solely within US territorial waters, without going to a foreign port before returning to the USA. Probably made a lot of sense decades ago, but now it's just a crummy law that no one has bothered removing from the system. That's why cruise ships in Southern California have to go to Ensenada....it's close, it's Mexico, and it beats The Jones Act. Wouldn't it be nice to take a cruise from LA that stopped in San Francisco for a wine tour, maybe another couple of stops down the coast, Catalina Island and San Diego, back to LA? Or on the East Coast, how about a cruise from New York that hits Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Charleston and Savannah? Can't do it! Gotta go to Bermuda or the Bahamas or the Caribbean, to cover the stinkin' Jones Act. Never mind it's a waste of fuel, taking people hundreds or thousands of miles out of the way form other interesting ports of call, leaving a large number of days at sea. It's the Law. Yeesh. Don't get me started, I've hated The Jones Act for years and will continue to until it's eliminated. You can bet the cruise lines hate it even more!

In this particular case, since the Mercury had gone from San Diego to Hawaii, and come back to San Diego without going to a foreign port, they are going to have to pay massive fines to the government, for a Jones Act violation. All because they wanted to save two peoples' lives. Does that sound fair to anyone out there? I didn't think so.

On a lighter note, the Macomb Michigan Daily newspaper reports there was recently a strong-arm street robbery in Warren, Michigan. That in itself isn't particularly newsworthy, but in this case the events were a little bizarre. The perpetrator was trying to wrestle money away from an unsuspecting "victim". However, the victim turned out to be much stronger than the perp, and he was able to retrieve his money from the would-be mugger. Not only that, when the perp realized he was losing the battle, he tried to flee but as he did $30 of his own money fell out of his jacket pocket. He decided to keep on running. So although the victim was obviously upset with being mugged, he wound up making a tidy profit of $30 for 15 seconds work. I know, I know, you're doing the math in your head. I'll save ya the trouble, Mate. $30 profit for 15 seconds equates to $7,200 an hour, being a mugg-ee instead of a mugger. Nice work, if you can get it...

Goodbye, Norma Jean (hopefully)

The polls are just a few hours from closing on the East Coast, and people are starting to twitch in their seats. Maybe it's just chafing, but I'd like to think it's anticipation, preparing for tonight's "results show." Who will get voted off the island? Will people be using The O Word in politics for the next 4 years, or are they driving through right now, ordering up a 72-year old Big Mac? Either way it'll be historic, and something many felt they'd never live to see. You know what I'm talking about. Something so mind-blowing that just a few short years ago, people would have scoffed at the possibilities. Think about it. If the Democrats win, we'll finally have something this country has NEVER HAD before -- a vice president from Delaware with a serious case of Hair Club For Men scalp plugs....which by the way didn't make a heck of a lot of difference, truth be told. On the other hand, if the Republicans win, we'll have a VP who couldn't pass the Jeopardy contestant quiz, or likely make it past Round 2 on "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" Yes, it's history in the making folks, and you can now tell your grandkids "I was there!"

In Florida, there was a rumor earlier today about Hanging Chads. I don't think it's a coincidence that over 200 people named Chad have fled the State for their personal safety, until after the election when an ALL CLEAR comes out.

I think it's a shame that anyone on Planet Earth is having to hear the names William Ayers or Jeremiah Wright today. Saturday Night Live actually coined a phrase for that kind of politicking: Strategery. In a perfect world, Karma and all that, negative ads will feed themselves with negative results. We should be so lucky as for the American Electorate to see through the shadows. Of course, the last-minute attack ads never feature the candidates' names on them. No, it's groups like Freedom-Loving-Patriots-For-Bigotry-And-Fear, or The-Society-For-The-Opposition-Candidate-Will-Eat-Your-Children. Imagine how innocent Swift Boat sounds compared to the fine-print sleaze that's filled our TV screens recently. Oh well, it'll be over and done before the bell tolls Midnight tonight.

In September, scientists at Emory University's Primate Research Center reported that chimps seem to remember other chimps through "whole body" integration. Don't know what that means? Let The Cap'n simplify it for you: If a chimp sees a body part from another chimp, it causes them to envision the entire body. The researchers came to this conclusion because chimps who were shown photos of an acquaintance-chimp's backside could, more often than random chance allows, identify the face of the other chimp that sported said backside. Yes, they recognize each other by their booty. And here you thought Darwinian Theory was a joke. It's obvious they've got the same cognitive powers as us lowly humans....

Vote Early, Vote Often!

Kidding about the last part, but if you haven't voted yet you need to prioritize everything else on your schedule and make it happen between today and tomorrow. CNN had reports this morning about people seeing 6 hour lines in some states, and turning away without participating saying "oh well". At this point in our history "oh well" is not an option! The 2 parties (and I say 2 because Ralph Nader and other hangers-on are truly not accomplishing anything more than an ego swab at this point) have vastly different courses for America, and no one can think that their life will be the same, regardless of the outcome. It matters. It matters a lot this time, so please vote.

Any of you loyal readers know I like Vegas. This year, with the economy being soft and fuel prices coming down, there are some extreme deals if you can travel in December! I have some repeat clients who went to Las Vegas in May of this year, staying 5 nights at Flamingo, and for their room, taxes, roundtrip transfers, and roundtrip flights from Charlotte, they paid $687 per person. I just priced Dec. 13th for them - same hotel, same flights, same inclusions across the board, and it came in $499 per person. That's a savings of almost $200 each! So even though you might think times are tight, if you have a little flexibility and a few dollars laying around, there are some outstanding values out there. In fact, I told my client he could upgrade to Treasure Island for only $5, or to Mirage for $40. If you like Vegas but have never tried any of the higher-end hotels because they've been too darned expensive, December might be just the ticket you've been waiting for.

Trick or TreaAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH! In Chapel Hill, NC a 9-year old boy went to his neighbor's house, and was going to replace the McCain/Palin yard sign with an Obama/Biden sign. I guess because, as we all know, 9-year olds have a definitive political ideology and activist tendencies. Anyway, when the tyke grabbed the McCain/Palin sign he screamed in pain, as an electrical shock coursed through his system. It turns out Shawn Turschak, the sign's owner and front-yard depositor, was tired of having people rip off his sign, so he took matters into his own hands, creating an electrified sign to ward off (or potentially hurt or maim) any would-be pranksters. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Turschak had visits from the boy's father and an Orange County Sherriff's Deputy. The Sherriff decided not to bring "charges", suggesting maybe each party should just go vote the way they want, and leave it at that. Message to 9-year old boys everywhere: you'll have plenty of time to get political later. If you must fight a political battle, use the American Male Weapon Of Choice for over 50 years....rolls of toilet paper. Not that I'm advocating anarchy, just that trees can look a bit barren at this time of year.

Here's a take on politics from the Orlando Sentinel Oct. 14th. Donna and Joel Brinkle of Deltona, Fla., raised a family and held respectable jobs until the mid-'90s, when they came up with a brilliant idea for their future and retirement. Or not. They decided to forego the normal channels of growing old gracefully, instead declaring themselves a sovereign nation. At that time, they stopped paying taxes altogether. How's that working for them you ask? Well, Deltona County has since taken their home, and the couple appear to be living on handouts from their son and their church. They've tried filing property liens against government officials, including former President Bill Clinton, who to no one's surprise fail to recognize the Brinkles as an independent authority or country. They even tried to buy a $700,000 house with a "money order" drawn on their own home-made currency, which looked suspiciously like Monopoly money re-printed and re-worded on a color copier. Even though the Brinkles' game plan has failed miserably, and Joel has even done jail time, the couple remain chipper, thinking at some point a "higher official" (emphasis on the word "high") will vindicate them, and allow them to be their own, happy-go-lucky country again. Kind of reminds me of the original Christopher Reeve Superman movie, where Lex Luthor is laying out his map of the New World Order according to Lex, and finding his sidekick Otis had written in a little piece of land for himself called Otisburg.

Gene Hackman railed: Otisburg? OTISBURG???!!
It's time again, Gene. Let 'em have it:

Brinkleville? BRINKLEVILLE????!!

Joe The Biden?

You know, sometimes when you are listening to political candidates talk to you, it's like they're right there in the living room with you. Maybe it's the years of smooth delivery, or maybe just a natural gift of making you feel "that person is just like me, with the same dreams and values". And then there's listening to John McCain. Whether you love him or hate him, the man is not a public speaker. I always get the feeling he's trying really hard to recite a script that would sound cheesy in a B-movie, and over the last couple of days he's made the same error twice. Apparently he's become so enamored with saying the words Joe The Plumber, he's referred to Obama's running mate as Joe The Biden. Maybe he's getting Medieval on us, like calling someone William The Conqueror, or Robert The Bruce (never quite got that one). But "Biden" is neither a noun nor any other type of word, other than Senator Joe's last name. Try to work on that before Tuesday.

Are you scheduled for an upcoming cruise, but live too far away to drive to the port? In other words, are you gonna fly? With Winter soon approaching, it's not a bad idea to consider flying in a day or 2 early, particularly from cold-weather areas that could face inclement weather. Before you try to piece that together on your own, I can often put together a "donut" for you that will save you money. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? Actually a "donut package" is where you have something on one end (such as a flight and 1 or 2 nights at a hotel), plus something on the other end (like a return flight home), leaving a hole in the middle. Oh, you smart cookie - you just figured out why I call it a donut! Many times if you try to be a do-it-yourselfer, you'll pay the rack rate on the flight, and rack rate on the hotel as well. Why not potentially save on one or both? If you've never checked it out, it's certainly worth giving me a call to price something for you.

Martha McCabe Jarrett recently made headlines in Tulsa, OK. Not that she lives there. No, she lives in Venice, Florida but she used to live in Tulsa back in 1947. She was recently cleaning out a back room in her second home in Rome, Ohio when she made a long-lost find. By the way, that strikes me as incredibly odd, that someone could say "I have 2 houses, one in Rome and one in Venice", and not be talking about Italy. Back to the story -- while cleaning her Rome house, she stumbled across a book she had checked out from a high school in Tulsa in 1947. At that time, it was known as the Holland Hall School For Girls, while nowadays it's just the Holland Hall School. Librarian Betty Niver said she was stunned to open up a package, which contained a book that had been checked out 61 years ago, plus a check for $250.00 to cover any late fees. Back then, they had no late fees established, so they're not sure what to do with the $250.00, but are leaning towards putting it towards student scholarships. You're probably asking yourself the same thing I was, "What kind of book would be so important you'd stow it away for safekeeping, only to forget it for 6 decades". Honest to Pete, here's the title:

New Word Analysis: Or School Etymology of English Derivative Words

Hmmmmm. Number one, why in the world would anyone check out a book with such a horrid title in the first place? Number two, why would they want to keep it? Number three: Dear Martha McCabe Jarrett, maybe it's time you got a hobby or something. Your choice of elective reading materials pretty much rules you out of the Popular Club.

Our Frugal Times: 40-year old Dan Linscomb from Texas was visiting Atlanta last week with his girlfriend, and they stopped in to enjoy the Iron Skillet "All-you-can-eat" buffet, which comes with a price tag of $7.00. Not bad. Even if the food is so-so, that's a workable amount to deal with in this economy. Unfortunately for Mr. Linscomb, it was discovered by the restaurant's Manager that he had paid only $7.00 for the two of them, and was allowing his girlfriend to eat off his plate, refilling it numerous times. The Manager confronted him, and eventually called police who charged Mr. Linscomb with theft-of-service. Fulton County Sheriff's Sgt. Nikita Hightower said the pair was released after spending 2 nights in jail, pleading guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct. Now Mr. Linscomb, I've been called a miser and a few other things in my time for being cheap, but going to jail for 2 nights to save $7.00? The two of you could have grabbed something off the Wendy's Value Menu and gotten change back from your $7.00 for heaven's sake. Wait a minute. It just hit me. 2 nights in jail, with taxpayers footing the tab. DUDE - this was all about saving money on your hotel, wasn't it? And just when I was starting to think you were an absolute moron.....