The Case for Bottled Water

Do you keep one case of bottled water for each person at home?  There are lots of ways to store water for an emergency, but start off easy with one case for each person.

• Bottled water is ready to go when you are - no prep, no mess, no hassle. It doesn't require additional preparation, no filter, no container, no worries.  And when it's gone, you have refillable bottles left to reuse until trouble subsides.  (Then you can recycle them.)
• A case of single serve containers are affordable ($3-6 dollars).  That's your 72 hour supply.

Titanic's Lost - How shall we remember?

In Halifax, hearses wait to receive bodies from recovery operations.

An alphabetical list of the passengers and crew of the Titanic follows.   Names in bold indicate survivors.

Abbing, Anthony
Abbott, Eugene
Abbott, Rosa
Abbott, Rossmore
Abelseth, Karen
Abelseth, Olaus
Abelson, Mr. Samson
Abelson, Mrs. Hanna

Titanic's Story Remembered - How do Titanic's many cities remember her?

Statue on street in Belfast

The cities closely linked to the Titanic still offer a front row seat to tourists and scholars interested in the mystery, drama and history of Titanic's demise.  Each city's museums, exhibits, and memorials share perspective and details of the events that shocked the world.  Whether you travel many miles or research with the click of a button, these links will help immerse you in the majesty and misfortune that was and is Titanic.

•  City of Registry - Liverpool, England -

Titanic Still Teaches Us - What can you do to stay safe at sea?

Safety on the water is always a concern.  I've enjoyed three Caribbean cruises, two house boats, many passenger and car ferries, and several city tour boats without incident, but I prefer to be overly prepared in any situation.  I searched for some good "Staying Safe on a Cruise" websites and blogs, but I came up surprisingly short.  Most information provided helps you steer clear of crime (pickpockets, abductions, etc.) on larger boats or cover basic physical safety on smaller craft.  Those are paramount to be sure, but when I step onto a boat, especially a big one, I want to think of the other things that might go wrong and be prepared to avoid or endure them.

• Food and water - On both of my most recent cruises, I took some snacks and bottled water, just in case.  They mostly sat there until the last day of the cruise.  But if there was a food contamination scare or if we had drifted for days at sea with no power, I was ready.

Echoes of Titanic - Do modern sea accidents compare?

Collision of the Costs Concordia
Photo: Rvongher

On January 13, 2012, the MS Costa Concordia took an unscheduled pass very close to Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the western coast of Italy. The ship ran onto a reef that gashed the side of the ship, flooding and partially sinking the ship which drifted at sea until it ran aground. Thirty of the 4252 passengers and crew were confirmed dead with two still missing.

Titanic's Tragedy - How did we try to prevent a repeat?

Photographic Print of the Iceberg
Believed to have Sunk the Titanic

The Titanic disaster inspired an unprecedented number of safety regulations and organizations to help minimize future losses.

Titanic Sets Sail - What went wrong?

Lifeboats Recovered from the Titanic
From 'The Pageant of the Century'
Published by Odhams Press Limited 1912

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, for her maiden voyage. On April 15, the Titanic sank.  With her, 1,517 people perished.  She was one of the the largest, most lavish, and safest ships on the seas.  How could this have happened? 

• On Sunday, the day of the crash, the ship's lifeboat drill was cancelled for unknown reasons.  During the evacuation, the lifeboats were not filled to capacity, and many believe this is due to the crew and passengers' lack of familiarity with the equipment and procedures.

One Day Without Shoes

On Tuesday, April 10, join others worldwide for One Day Without Shoes, an event that promotes awareness that millions of children worldwide risk injury and disease because they don't have even one pair of shoes to protect their feet.  Most of us enjoy blessings that keep more than one pair (...more than five? ... more than ten?) of shoes in a pile by our front door, in our closets, under our beds.  And you and I also have the means to bless others with our time, energy and finances.

The Facts:

• Some children are not allowed to attend school because shoes are required and they do not own a pair.