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Category: News

Cruise Ship Calamity

I read an article today on CNN about a Carnival Cruise that got stuck at sea off the coast of Mexico after a fire in the ships engine room took out most of the power.

Based off the article, it sounds like it’s been a pretty rough few days for the passengers and crew – no hot food, no hot showers, no lights, etc. It’s an awful way to spend a vacation, and I sympathize for the guests on the cruise. It’s also a nightmare for the crew, who is trying to do everything they can to make these guests as comfortable as they can, while enduring the conditions themselves.

All in all, it sounds like a place I’m glad I’m not.

However, because I like to have opinions about things that have no bearing on me, I’d like to say that this part kind of  annoyed me:

And while Carnival Cruise Lines said Wednesday that most passengers knew that the Carnival Splendor’s crew was doing the best it could, there were reports of passengers pledging not to take up the company’s offer of a free replacement trip.

Carnival has offered to refund the original cruise cost to everybody, give them a free replacement trip, and pay for people’s travel arrangements since the boat is docking in San Diego instead of Long Beach like it was planned, and yet people still have a fit about it. Bad things happen sometimes. Yes, it’s a bad few days, but this is pretty much the epitome of a First World Problem. You think that was a bad three days? There are people that LIVE like that, all the time.

I’m not saying that I wouldn’t be unhappy about what happened if I was there. I’d do my fair share of grumbling for sure; it’s the people saying “You’ve ruined cruises for me forever!!! I’m never going to have a good vacation or take a cruise again!” that I think need to relax. It’s not the end of the world, especially since it sounds like nobody got injured or seriously ill, just inconvenienced. This is the first time something like this has happened in Carnivals 35 years, and it’s not likely to happen again. Take the money back, go on your free replacement cruise, and have a great time then. Chalk this one up to “one hell of a ride!”

What do you think? Are you “OMG never going on a cruise” because of this? Do you think I should shut my big mouth cause I wasn’t there (of course you do)?

3 Comments

UPS Virus Warning

There’s usually a lot of hoax virus warnings going around, but since this one is actually posted on the UPS website, I’d say this one is probably pretty legit. So, if you get an email from UPS saying that your package could not be delivered, and comes with an attachment for an invoice, you should probably delete it.

Attention Virus Warning
Service Update

We have become aware there is a fraudulent email being sent that says it is coming from UPS and leads the reader to believe that a UPS shipment could not be delivered.  The reader is advised to open an attachment reportedly containing a waybill for the shipment to be picked up.

This email attachment contains a virus.  We recommend that you do not open the attachment, but delete the email immediately.

UPS may send official notification messages on occasion, but they rarely include attachments.  If you receive a notification message that includes an attachment and are in doubt about its authenticity, please contact customerservice@ups.com.

Please note that UPS takes its customer relationships very seriously, but cannot take responsibility for the unauthorized actions of third parties.

Thank you for your attention.

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Woah, Fire

BEAVERTON, Ore. – Over 40 people were displaced early Friday morning in Beaverton when a 3-alarm fire heavily damaged an apartment complex.

The blaze broke out at the Birch Pointe Apartments on Southwest Cornell Road at about 1:15 a.m. Friday morning.

The Red Cross is assisting those left homeless after 18 units in the complex were damaged.

While there were no injuries to people from the fire, one dog died despite efforts to resuscitate it.

Five apartments were damaged by the fire while 13 more suffered smoke and water damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Red Cross has set up services for the displaced tenants at the Oak Hills Christian Church on NW 153rd Street in Beaverton.

source

This is the apartment complex right next door to the one I just moved out of. I have friends that live in this complex (though luckily they were not affected by the fires). This is crazy though! Those poor people :(  I know my apartment required all the tenants to have renter’s insurance.. I hope for the sake of these people that this complex does too, so that these people can at least get some of their stuff replaced.

I must be bad luck to my neighbors or something. One time in L.A., a tree fell on my neighbors house. Srsly? I am now half expecting a tornado to land on Mle’s condo.

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Oregon Chili’s Closed With No Warning

BEAVERTON, Ore. – Hundreds of restaurant workers started looking for new jobs Tuesday after national restaurant chain “Chili’s” closed several of its Portland-area restaurants.

At the Beaverton location, the parking lot sat empty Tuesday except for former employees showing up for work and discovering they were out of a job.

A sign on the front door said the restaurant was “closed for repairs,” but that is not true, according to managers and the corporate office.

The Hillsboro location also closed; The Lake Oswego and Wilsonville restaurants may be shut down after Tuesday night.

Workers were stunned.

“I was on the schedule for this morning, and I walked up and (the manager) was here and said, ‘Nope, they’re closed,’ ” said Jimbo Purcell, a cook.

The Clackamas and Eugene locations will stay open and be run by the corporate office.

A manager predicted the closings will cost 300 Oregonians their jobs.

source

I was a big fan of the enchilada soup and the boneless buffalo chicken salad. The Beaverton location is was in the same parking lot as where I used to work, pretty much up the street from my house.  But man, what a terrible way to find out that you’re out of a job… that’s very sad. Terrible business practice.

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