The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede

Our book club (I joined in 2000 when I retired, but I think the group has been meeting about 35 years) met via Zoom yesterday for a discussion of "The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland." by Jim DeFede. It's worth a read just to be reminded of what fine, wonderful qualities and skills appear when a tragedy happens. We saw this in the weeks following 9/11 in the U.S., although you'd never know Americans pull together in crisis these days.

Book Review: The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland - Redd Reads = Book reviews (reddspace.com)

Our group benefitted greatly because we had an eyewitness share her experiences, and she's been back to Newfoundland 29 times! Her plane load went to Lewisporte. Her enthusiasm for the people and especially the story of creating a scholarship fund for the local children was infectious. When I looked up Lewsporte, I found a photo of Shirley and the 2002 class that received scholarships to go to college. We heard about the captain of her Delta flight, the fireman, the bus drivers, the local Lion's club, the bonobos, one of which came to Columbus and had a baby named "Gander," the Broadway musical "Come from Away," based on the events, the CEO who refused a free trip back to the U.S. so he could stay with his fellow passengers, the rabbi who wouldn't travel on Sunday, the tiny towns and islands, the love story and marriage of 2 stranded passengers, Shirley's meeting with Prince Charles and Camilla, Walmart and the other businesses giving all the passengers free items because their luggage had to stay on the planes (38 jumbo jets). It was just a nice, warm tale of the goodness of people.

Special scholarships for Lewisporte students a lasting legacy of 9/11 attacks | CBC News

Touched by Canadians' 9/11 kindness, Dublin woman continues scholarship efforts - News - The Columbus Dispatch - Columbus, OH

Monday Memories--Letter from Dad, June 18, 2001

A letter from Dad.  He always left the correspondence up to Mom, but I did have a few notes from him after her death in January 2000, and found this one recently.  I had been writing him frequently, maybe once a week.

Monday, June 18, 2001
Dear Norma,
As I promised I’m going to write you a letter, so you can tell all your friends.  I’m going to go from Sunday backwards, instead of starting a week ago and go forward like you do.

Church 9 a.m.   June 17
Home at 10:45
Over to 408 Sunset at 12 noon.  Drove to Byron, but before getting out of the car, Ruth said, “This is on me.  I’m filling in for Norma and Joanne.  They would pay if they were here.” Back to Mt. Morris by 2 p.m.
At 3:00 Ruth and I went to the Baptist Church dedication.  The old one burned 2 years ago and they have been worshiping in the Leaf River Grade School since.  I don’t know why the Baptists have all the good speakers and we have none.
Back at 408 by 6 p.m.  Home by 7:30.

Saturday June 16
Went to Rockford to see J. Groenewold. Then to K’s Merchandise to buy electric razor 10 a.m. Home by 12. Nothing except weeds and napping rest of the day.

Friday, June 15
Took Gene and Betty to VFW in Oregon for Fish Fry. I’m sure they liked it.  They have a meal every Friday night as a fund raiser.
Tomorrow night Ruth and I are going to “Good Samaritan” supper as a fund raiser for Pinecrest.  Tickets on Ruth $100.00.

Thanks for all you and Bob have done to make my life at 11 West 1st the joy that it has become. You two were a great help in my adjusting to life without Olive.  I still miss her every day.
Love, Dad

Is man made global warming to blame for glacier melt and retreat?

"In 1908, National Geographic reported that Alaskan glaciers at Glacier Bay retreated eleven feet per day from 1894 to 1907, during the coldest years on record.

USGS reports that Glacier Bay glaciers retreated four feet per day from 1760 to 1907. I annotated the map to show which periods of melting are considered natural by scientists, and which periods are caused by man.
In 1911, it was reported that glaciers in the Alps were disappearing.

In 1932 it was reported that the glaciers of west Antarctica had been rapidly retreating for at least a century."
 http://realclimatescience.com/glacial-retreat-before-1950/

GRAVE NEWS ABOUT GLACIERS (from May 18, 1911 before my parents were born). http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105017649

Glaciers are part of the romance of mountains; the very name gives the thrill of the lonely and high and awful even to those who are not quite sure what a glacier may be. There is grave news about glaciers; they are disappearing, it would seem. Swiss peasants who are not yet quite all modernised enough to think toy railways in harmony with the eternal hills, declare that the tourists who go to see the glaciers are the cause of the ruin. Wherever the mountain cars run the glaciers flee.

It's a good thing we visited Alaska in 2001, 250 years after the glaciers were reported retreating.

Oh my goodness--I still wear this sweatshirt!