Manhattan Miracle

Today there was a near-tragedy in New York, when USAirways flight 1549 was leaving LaGuardia airport headed towards my hometown, Charlotte NC. Apparently a flock of geese hit the plane's engines on takeoff, and somehow this TRUE HERO of a pilot managed to guide the aircraft into the Hudson river, after losing complete power. There were 150 people on board, and by the time the Coast Guard and other vessels in the area arrived, passengers were climbing out of the exits. They did so in as orderly a manner as possible, seeming to avoid the chaos and panic that could have made matters dramatically worse.
Final tally: Hudson river 0, God 150. Congratulations to the excellent pilot and crew, and although I'm sure the passengers had some devastating moments, congratulations to those very fortunate people as well. You can always replace your clothing and suitcases. Survival of all on board was truly a miracle.

Royal Caribbean has had a Vitality At Sea program for years, where passengers sign up for strenuous exercise and fitness programs, earning onboard "rewards" and freebies. The economy is the BIGGEST LOSER as we all know, and the cruise line just announced it is discontinuing the heart-healthy program, looking for more ways to create onboard revenue and reduce freebies such as this. It's a sign of our times, but as a long-time cruiser I have to say it's a sad sign. People miss the perks they used to get on cruise ships. For free. It's human nature, and I miss them too. I find it disappointing that senior executives of most cruise lines seem to have forgotten their heritage, and what made cruising popular in the first place. The fact is, people see bottles of liquor sold in St. Thomas for $6 a quart, and when they get back to the ship and order a cocktail, they're charged $7 an ounce. Hmmm. Any PROFIT built in there? Attention non-math-majors: 32 ounces in a quart. Go ahead, get your calculator....I'll wait.

Procrastination. You probably know someone who excels at it. Maybe it's even you! Well, here's a procrastinator's nightmare. The Lexington Kentucky Herald-Leader newspaper reports that a man recently walked into a particular building, showed a gun and demanded money in an attempt to rob a bank. Only problem was, he had waited too long. The robber yelled to the employees to hurry up and fill sacks with money. Then one of the employees attempted to explain to him they didn't have any. The confused would-be robber said "Don't mess with me - I KNOW you have money. This is a bank for heaven's sake!" The workers had to correct him. It seems the Jessamine South Elkhorn Water District had moved its offices into what was formerly a branch of the Farmers Bank. City police spokesman Scott Harvey explained that the exasperated felon finally put his gun away, and left with nothing. Note to self: once you case a joint, you may want to pull your caper within, oh I don't know....a year to two.