Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing.
Incredible aversion of what could have been a total disaster
We’ve been hearing for years that flying has become safer. Lessons learned from accidents of the past, the development of new materials and technology, fine tuning of communications systems, and crew training have all added up to less fatal accidents, or accidents with total loss of life.
The collision at Haneda Airport, Tokyo, a few days ago is testament to all of the advancements in aviation but it’s also a wonderful example of human beings working together to create something memorable. That nobody was killed on a wide body jet that was ablaze is incredible. That cabin crew worked quickly and communicated instructions to terrified passengers who followed directions is also fantastic.
Sometimes when I’m boarding a plane and watching other passengers fail to listen or comprehend basic instructions – when to board, keeping the aisles clear – I wonder what it would be like in an emergency and we had to quickly evacuate. I generally sit in a window seat in an exit row – normally as it’s got more legroom but also because, if there is an emergency, I’m closest to an exit. Still, nobody really knows how they will behave when it matters in a real emergency.
5 stars – truly inspiring crew work that undoubtedly saved many lives.
Taking the ‘dog ate my homework’ to the next level
If you’ve ever had a dog, then you’ve experienced them eating things they shouldn’t – generally food they can get to that you should have put elsewhere, or your favourite clothes and your kids toys when they’re puppies.
A family in the US had a different experience when their furry pal ate an envelope containing US$4,000 that was intended for a contractor who had been working on their house. Cecil the dog scoffed the whole lot without ever knowing its value, bless him.
“In early December, Clayton Law laid an envelope containing $4,000 on his kitchen counter at his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Carrie, needed to pay their contractor in cash for installing a fence. About 30 minutes later, to his surprise, he found his beloved dog enjoying the priciest meal of his life, leaving rough strips and scattered pieces of cash everywhere. ‘Suddenly Clayton yelled to me, ‘”Cecil’s eating $4,000!'” Carrie Law said in an interview with the Pittsburgh City Paper. ‘I thought, “‘I cannot be hearing that.'” I almost had a heart attack.”‘ (Source: ” Dog enjoys priciest meal of his life – $4,000 cash,” by Chloe Kim, 4th January, www.bbc.com).
There’s a happy ending, of sorts. It appears that paper money didn’t agree with Cecil’s stomach – he vomited some up and the Law’s took a hit for the team and sifted through the pooch’s doggy do. They managed to salvage all but US$500 and after a trip to the vet, Cecil was given a clean bill of health.
5 stars – a wonderful tale to kick of the new year.
Miracle on the briney
This story is close to home and frankly, awe inspiring. Will Fransen from Cambridge spent nearly 24 hours in the sea after his boat overturned during a solo fishing trip off the Coromandel coast.
Facing a very unsure outcome, Mr Fransen stayed calm and used his watch to create a reflection off the sun, hoping to draw potential rescuers to him.
“Whangamatā Police Sergeant Will Hamilton told the Times that as the hours ticked by, the boatie considered his chances of survival. ‘He did say while he was in the water watching the sun go down over Whangamatā, the gentleman had a bit of teary moment where he thought it was going to be his last sunset.’
“He endured a cold night in the ocean, too exhausted to keep swimming, visited by a shark which had ‘a sniff’ before taking off again. About 2pm on Wednesday, three fishermen on a boat spotted an unusual reflection near Mayor Island. Upon investigating, they found the hypothermic and exhausted man desperately trying to get their attention using the reflection of the sun on his watch. ‘The boaties did an absolute stellar job and without a doubt saved this man’s life,’ Hamilton said.” (Source: “Lost at sea, boatie thought it was his last sunset,” 4th January, www.stuff.co.nz).
5 stars – a happy ending and some survival smarts as well as three blokes coming to the rescue.
