Wordless Wednesday~ Boston Marathon

My plan Monday was to start at the starting line in Hopkinton. I envisioned getting pictures of the crowd as the race started. Then I intended to drive to a few other places including Heartbreak Hill to collect more photos that show how runners were doing as the race progressed.

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I intended then to drive to Braintree and take the “T” into Boston so I could arrive for pictures of runners crossing the finish line. I planned to arrive between 2:30- 3:30 because the elite runners would have come in by then and I thought I’d have a better chance of getting a place where I could have an unobstructed view.

Once all the pictures were in camera I would edit it down to the best as a Wordless Wednesday post.

But fate had a different plan. First I overslept so I never got on the road until almost 11am. At that point I seriously wondered if I wanted to put up with the  crowds. I decided to go to the zoo and spend a quiet day with the animals. What I forgot to consider was that this is school vacation week so the zoo was packed. By now it was after lunch so I went back to the original game plan and turned the car toward Braintree.

I had just got on the highway when my phone went off. There was a message from the Outsource Service that is working on my resume. I pulled off at the first exit to see what they wanted.

They were returning my original resume with a number of suggested revisions. I thought about the race and I thought about my need for the resume and the resume won. I turned around and went home and that fateful decision may have literally been a life saver.

I finished the revisions about 4pm and turned on the TV. It was a shock! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and seeing. It was deja vu. I had the same feeling of disbelief when I watched the Twin Towers.

As I write this no one has come forward to claim responsibility for this atrocity. But to me it doesn’t matter if it’s a foreign terrorist group, a home-grown protest, or a deranged individual…it’s all terrorism. ” The dictionary defines terrorism as : the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce.

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In my mind terrorism is preying on the innocent to induce a state of fear. Certainly the events Monday at the marathon fit that description.

One of the best comments I’ve read was written by Bruce Schneier, an American cryptographer, computer security specialist, and writer. Mr. Schneier wrote an editorial piece on the bombing. Out of that article I chose to share this paragraph: Don’t glorify the terrorists and their actions by calling this part of a “war on terror.”  Wars involve two legitimate sides.  There’s only one legitimate side here; those on the other are criminals.  They should be found, arrested, and punished.  But we need to be vigilant not to weaken the very freedoms and liberties that make this country great, meanwhile, just because we’re scared.

In the aftermath of this tragedy there will be talk of making stricter rules and maybe laws. We will again be subjected to searches on the “T” and see bomb sniffing dogs and  swat teams everywhere. Some may welcome it as there is a false sense of safely in this show of force but we must not forget that we cannot trade away our freedoms or the terrorists win.

Mr. Rogers said “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’.”

We saw that in the frightening moments immediately following the blasts. People ran toward the explosion looking to help. Runners having just finished a grueling 26 miles continued to hospitals to give blood to help the wounded.

So stand tall. Don’t give up our rights in fear and look for the helpers. They will be there.

My thoughts, sympathies and prayers are with those who were injured or lost their lives in Monday’s horrific events. My the Good Lord give strength to the families and friends that are left to deal with the tragic aftermath. I pray that those responsible are identified and brought to justice. Amen

Mount St. John School

This building is Mount St. John in Deep River Connecticut. I have never seen the building up close but each time I take a trip down the river I see that dome gleaming in the sunlight. The building fascinated me but I heard different things about it. On the river cruise on the Becky Thatcher the guide pointed it out and said it was a convent. But on the Riverquest cruise that guide said it was a home for troubled boys.

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On my most recent trip down the river the captain mentioned that he thought the school had been sold and was being closed down this summer.

So here is the history as I have been able to dig it up.

Mount Saint John was founded as St. John’s Industrial School in 1904 in Hartford. This was a residential school for boys in need of care. The need rapidly outgrew the space in Hartford so in 1907 the cornerstone was laid for the beautiful building we see from the river today.

In 1908 the staff and residents moved from Hartford to the new property in Deep River. The  Xaverian Brothers, staffed the school from its opening until 1919. While much good work was done, the future of the institution as an Industrial School was very uncertain. At the same time, an orphanage for boys in Hartford, conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, was in dire need of more accommodations. It was agreed that the orphanage would move to the Deep River site. At that time the Sisters of St. Joseph administered the home and school until 1958.

Then in 1958, a large addition to the original building opened  to house new dormitories, classrooms, and a gymnasium/auditorium. The programs for the boys admitted are tailored for individual needs and have changed over the years as the types of problems presented has changed with society.

For more information on the history of Mount St John including photos I refer you to a great blog entry I ran across http://mountsaintjohnsschoolalumni.blogspot.com/

Although finding history on this building was easy, finding current news was not so I don’t know the current status of the building or it’s school. I can only hope that with its history of good works that the news our good captain shared is wrong and the legacy will continue.

Carnival Cruise Lines Woes Continue

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday I was blocked, stymied, brain-dead. Between being cooped up inside because of cold, sleet and freezing rain and fighting the bureaucracy that is the Mass. DUA (department of unemployment administration), All I could see was a blank screen when I tried to prepare a post for yesterday but today the news has dropped a topic right in my lap.  It seems that Carnival Cruise lines is still on the “sick list”.

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Just a couple of days ago Carnival Fascination received a surprise inspection from the CDC. According to the article in USA Today, all cruise ships that dock in American ports are subject to surprise inspections twice per year. The article states the ship failed due to cleanliness.  Citing live flies, dried food waste and even a “roach nymph,” inspectors for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fascination a failing health grade. (To read the whole article click here http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2013/04/11/carnival-fascination-cdc-health-inspection/2074175/

facination

But that wasn’t the only cruise ship mishap in the news this morning. The one that made me perk up my ears was the name PRINCESS. We will be traveling on a Princess Ship when we sail to Alaska.

So what now? What has plagued the Princess ship?

A news station in Houston is reporting that the Carnival-owned Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess experienced a blockage within the vacuum toilet system which affected some 410 staterooms in the aft part of the cruise ship. The news station quoted a passenger saying “by the bathroom, it was flooded, it was wet in the carpet.” Another passenger said the ship “smelled of backed-up sewer.” Many passengers couldn’t use the toilets in their cabins. Passengers had to get up in the night and take elevators to use the public restrooms.  One passenger told the Houston news station: “I will never, ever, ever, ever cruise with Princess again, ever.

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Carnival, especially since the Triumph disaster, has been dubbed the “poop” ships. Princess cruise lines is owned by Carnival but treated as a separate entity with its own management but this may be the first glimmer that the same problems that plague the parent company may be “trickling down”. (pun intended)

The Crown Princess has had problems before. About 2 months ago it made the news when a passenger went overboard. The article I found states it was the Coral Princess but Cruise Law News  reports it as the Crown Princess…typo error or multiple incidents? I don’t know. Just be sure to hang on to the rails! It was also the Crown Princess that was hit with the dreaded norovirus on a transatlantic trip from Venice, Italy.

So it appears the cruise ship industry continues to be plagued with problems. One thing is sure, get ready for deep discounts as the cruise lines attempt to lure back skittish travelers. Carnival has already introduced fares as low as $38.00/day for 4 day Caribbean  cruises. My guess would be to expect more to come on the heels of this negative publicity.

My limited experience so far has been positive. In about a month my sister and I will be off on our Alaska adventure which starts with a 7 day cruise on Princess Lines. It is my sister’s first cruise and the longest one I will have taken. Here’s hoping my positive experiences continue.