A Brief History On April 5, 2007, Hellenic Cruise Lines ship MS Sea Diamond struck a reef in the Aegean Sea and sank, taking the lives of two passengers. The Sea Diamond was 469 feet long, displaced 21,000 tons, and could carry 1,500 passengers. Some other recent cruise ship disasters may make you leery of taking a cruise, and include the incidents described below. Digging Deeper In 2010, luxury cruiser Celebrity Mercury was hit with a norovirus outbreak that left hundreds of passengers with severe vomiting and abdominal ailments. In 2012, the Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy and sank, leaving…
Author: Major Dan
Major Dan
Major Daniel Zar is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.
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A Brief History On April 4, 2023, Finland became the 31st member of the NATO alliance, a pact originally meant to counter the threat from the USSR, consisting of 12 European and North American nations. NATO continued to grow after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, and several more nations are awaiting acceptance into the alliance, including Ukraine, with more nations considering applying for membership. Digging Deeper Back when the Cold War was still a thing, the communist bloc countered NATO with the Warsaw Pact, an alliance of the USSR and seven other communist states. The Warsaw Pact dissolved…
A Brief History On April 3, 2024, Americans celebrate National Walking Day, a day celebrated only since 2007 in spite of being an activity people have been doing since proto-humans came down from the trees. Digging Deeper People seem to walk as little as possible to travel from point A to point B, and yet all sorts of walking machines, treadmills, and elliptical machines, are sold every year. In honor of those blessed with the ability to perambulate, stroll, trudge, hike, amble, plod, march, tramp, stride, and tread, here are a few facts about walking. You burn about 5 calories…
A Brief History On April 2, 2021, a 25 year old African American “Black Nationalist,” Noah Green, murdered a US Capitol police officer and injured another when Green drove his car into the officer and a vehicle barricade at the US Capitol. Digging Deeper Green then attacked the police with a knife before being fatally shot by the police. This murderer’s aggression toward law enforcement officers was and is in no way unusual, as the police face such violence every day. In fact, there are many more ways police face danger than from violent attackers. In 2023, 123 US police…
A Brief History On April 1, 2024, there were some large white wading birds by our pond, but I Egret to say an Eagle-eyed Hawk spotted them and attacked. I am not one to Crow about it, but I am proud of our yard, as long as no Turkey tries to vandalize the property, because that really ruffles my Feathers. Digging Deeper Just yesterday an old Buzzard smoking a White Owl cigar turned his car around on our grass, and then tried to Duck away when I approached. He must have been Chicken! When I confronted him, he Quailed in…