The horrifying news from Newtown on a beautiful Friday morning when children were in school, parents were at work or at home, during a season that is to be filled with peace and joy, has shocked the country and the world.
We have been to Newtown, Connecticut many times as a drive-through town en route to visit relatives. We stop and eat at the Blue Colony Diner in Newtown. What we have enjoyed in the diner is not only the delicious food, but also the warm service, and the people that we see there -- very friendly, in groups, enjoying one another. This diner in this community has been a respite for my family on many trips.
What can only be viewed as a terrorist attack at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, with even President Obama delivering a very moving speech, as a loving father, signals, in an extremely painful way, that our society is losing some of its core foundations.
We can take some solace, as we grapple with this tragedy, that, as the events unfolded, there were so many heroes at the school -- including teachers who secured, sheltered, and protected the children.
When I saw the news I, as many others, was shell-shocked, and I immediately reached my husband, who is a faculty member at the University of Hartford.
He told me that he had been to Sandy Hook Elementary School in the late 1990s when he was the Connecticut Space Grant Director. He was there to give an award to the school's
kindergarten class, at that time, for their development of a "Magic Treehouse" type set of web pages on Space Exploration. When he visited the
school, he also brought with him a set of books on space for its library.
Reach out to one another, especially to the innocent children, and live each day to the fullest. Do what you can in and for your communities.
Our deepest sympathies to all those who suffered incalculable losses of loved ones. We are all thinking of you and have you in our hearts and prayers.
Showing posts with label Connecticut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connecticut. Show all posts
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
A Nightmare at my Local Airport on Jet Blue -- What a Difference a Day Makes
Last Friday night I flew back on Air Canada from Montreal, where I had given a research seminar at the Desautels Faculty of Management on perishable supply chains in health care.
My hosts there were fabulous and the day went by much too quickly.
The colleagues there in Management Science and Operations Management are trailblazers intellectually and professionally and I had a visit that I will long remember. Plus, I had excellent questions during and after my presentation.
On my flight to Montreal from Bradley airport in Hartford, Connecticut, the nearest airport to where I live, which sometimes feels like my home away from home, since I fly so much, the evening prior I had seat 1A on the Air Canada Beech aircraft and was responsible, if needed, to open the exit door.
On my flight from Montreal to Bradley, I, again, got seat 1A, and I enjoyed feeling almost as if I was in a car since I sat right behind the pilot and co-pilot, who made the announcements, and I could see all the instruments and out the front window. I had been told, when I checked in at the Montreal airport, that I would be the only passenger, which would have been quite the experience but then two gentlemen joined me.
We landed at Bradley at around 9PM on Friday to almost a deserted airport.
The day after, the scene was entirely different and my "hometown" "international" airport made national news when a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Newark, New Jersey got rerouted because of the freaky October snowstorm that walloped the Northeast and resulted in over 3 million without electric power.
As you may or may not know, Bradley is not an airport that handles JetBlue (whereas JetBlue is now the biggest carrier out of Boston Logan), so when the flight landed at 2PM on Saturday the passengers waited and waited and there was a parapalegic, a crying baby, and a diabetic on board.
The pilot was incredibly calm and professional and was begging to have the plane tugged in and the passengers let off.
My hosts there were fabulous and the day went by much too quickly.
The colleagues there in Management Science and Operations Management are trailblazers intellectually and professionally and I had a visit that I will long remember. Plus, I had excellent questions during and after my presentation.
On my flight to Montreal from Bradley airport in Hartford, Connecticut, the nearest airport to where I live, which sometimes feels like my home away from home, since I fly so much, the evening prior I had seat 1A on the Air Canada Beech aircraft and was responsible, if needed, to open the exit door.
On my flight from Montreal to Bradley, I, again, got seat 1A, and I enjoyed feeling almost as if I was in a car since I sat right behind the pilot and co-pilot, who made the announcements, and I could see all the instruments and out the front window. I had been told, when I checked in at the Montreal airport, that I would be the only passenger, which would have been quite the experience but then two gentlemen joined me.
We landed at Bradley at around 9PM on Friday to almost a deserted airport.
The day after, the scene was entirely different and my "hometown" "international" airport made national news when a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Newark, New Jersey got rerouted because of the freaky October snowstorm that walloped the Northeast and resulted in over 3 million without electric power.
As you may or may not know, Bradley is not an airport that handles JetBlue (whereas JetBlue is now the biggest carrier out of Boston Logan), so when the flight landed at 2PM on Saturday the passengers waited and waited and there was a parapalegic, a crying baby, and a diabetic on board.
The pilot was incredibly calm and professional and was begging to have the plane tugged in and the passengers let off.
According to CNN:
The pilot, though frustrated, offered thanks to Bradley International officials.
"Listen, I just want to put in my two cents worth in for whatever it is worth. Thank you very much," he said. "It's Capt. Thompson over here on (Flight) 504 ... I think we've got more help from you guys than our own people."
The passengers broke into applause when the door finally opened at 9PM, saying "Let us out! Let us out! Let us out!"
JetBlue apologized for the situation and blamed it on a "confluence of events," including intermittent power outages that complicated matters.
"We worked with the airport to secure services, but our flights were six of the 23 reported diversions into Hartford, including international flights (picture big jets carrying hundreds of people), the airline said on its website. "Getting all the flights deplaned at the same time
in a small airport is not unlike trying to get an elephant into a smart car; it's not an easy fit."
And just in, this was not the only horror story at Bradley on Saturday night!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Getting the Gold When It's Not Expected
To all those who work so hard at their craft, sport, studies, jobs, and even research -- if you hang in there long enough and work hard enough, the recognition will come -- although it may come when you don't even expect it.
What is important is that you stay with your passion, despite the obstacles that may block your way, and that you never stop believing in yourself.
Last weekend, we were at the ISI (Ice Skating Institute) district / regional figure skating competition in Norwich, Connecticut, which covers all of the New England States. Our daughter was competing in three different events. The Norwich skating rink is located right next to a golf course and is in a lovely location in southeastern Connecticut. The competition took place June 23-26, 2011.
Our daughter was very much looking forward to skating at this competition and her events were scheduled over two different days. She had her dresses/costumes packed up and had been training for months, while holding down a heavy set of academic subjects in school and also being on the varsity track team.
Interestingly, there were decorations throughout the rink with a Chinese theme (consisting of lanterns, Chinese sayings, and graphics of what the various Chinese years mean, i.e., the year of the dog, horse, etc.), so we interpreted these as good luck signs.
She had a wonderful time, as did we, and earned gold medals in Freestyle Gold, Artistic Freestyle, and Light Entertainment Freestyle, as well as the Freestyle trophy. (When the incorrect music was played initially for one of her events, she did not panic, gracefully skated to the judges, and provided a backup copy of the correct music and back on the ice she went.)
The organizers of this competition did a superb job of making the events run in a timely manner (something that I very much care about) and created a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The results are posted here.
Behind every achiever, there stand the coaches and the support network (family members, friends, and the community at-large) and special thanks go to them! The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a nice feature article recognizing the accomplishments and notes our daughter's truly exceptional figure skating coach, who makes skating, learning, growing, and doing one's best, such fun.
What is important is that you stay with your passion, despite the obstacles that may block your way, and that you never stop believing in yourself.
Last weekend, we were at the ISI (Ice Skating Institute) district / regional figure skating competition in Norwich, Connecticut, which covers all of the New England States. Our daughter was competing in three different events. The Norwich skating rink is located right next to a golf course and is in a lovely location in southeastern Connecticut. The competition took place June 23-26, 2011.
Our daughter was very much looking forward to skating at this competition and her events were scheduled over two different days. She had her dresses/costumes packed up and had been training for months, while holding down a heavy set of academic subjects in school and also being on the varsity track team.
Interestingly, there were decorations throughout the rink with a Chinese theme (consisting of lanterns, Chinese sayings, and graphics of what the various Chinese years mean, i.e., the year of the dog, horse, etc.), so we interpreted these as good luck signs.
She had a wonderful time, as did we, and earned gold medals in Freestyle Gold, Artistic Freestyle, and Light Entertainment Freestyle, as well as the Freestyle trophy. (When the incorrect music was played initially for one of her events, she did not panic, gracefully skated to the judges, and provided a backup copy of the correct music and back on the ice she went.)
The organizers of this competition did a superb job of making the events run in a timely manner (something that I very much care about) and created a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The results are posted here.
Behind every achiever, there stand the coaches and the support network (family members, friends, and the community at-large) and special thanks go to them! The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a nice feature article recognizing the accomplishments and notes our daughter's truly exceptional figure skating coach, who makes skating, learning, growing, and doing one's best, such fun.
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