Staten Island Ferry Accident Leaves 10 Dead
At Least 34 People Are Injured
By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, AP


NEW YORK (Oct. 15) - A Staten Island ferry slammed into a pier as it was docking Wednesday, killing at least 10 people, tearing off some victims' limbs and reducing the front of the mighty vessel to a shattered mass of wood, glass and steel. At least 34 people were injured.

The ferry pilot, responsible for docking the vessel, fled the scene immediately after the crash, went to his Staten Island home and attempted suicide by slitting his wrists and shooting himself with a pellet gun, a police official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The pilot was rushed to the same hospital as many of the victims and underwent surgery.

After interviewing another crew member, authorities began investigating whether the pilot was asleep at the wheel as the boat approached land, a law enforcement source told the AP.

The 310-foot ferry, carrying about 1,500 passengers, plowed into the enormous wooden pilings on the Staten Island end of its run from Manhattan, ripping a giant hole in the three-level, bright-orange vessel.

from AOL news

Friendstering

Friendster is the new blog. Even Pisay is on friendster! Like any new trend, everyone in the Philippines is catching on fast to this online networking tool that was supposed to be some kind of dating service. It's fascinating to discover college, high school and even grade school friends. It's also quite addicting, hence the not updating blog and not answering emails.

Aside from friend-hopping, I've also been oscillating between semi-consciousness and consciousness this past week. Had a molar removed last Friday, called in sick, was greatly disappointed by cab-fetching failures so decided to take the train. Unfortunately, the nurse had removed the gauze I was chewing on and, oh yes, also absorbing the blood from the wound. So I may have freaked out a cab driver and a passenger or two. I truly tried to avoid meeting glances from tourists and the like but I thought it would be too weird and unkind not to answer questions or just hop in a cab without telling the driver my destination. You know how your mouth gets all blue or green or some other ridiculous color when you eat this particular kind of candy, it was kind of like that, only red, and it was real blood. The long week-end was spent partly in bed, partly over the sink. I did get to watch Y Tu Mama in between retching. When I went back to work on Tuesday, I stupidly took a damn painkiller (you know, just in case) on an empty stomach. I suppose I was still in some kind of daze or whatever excuse sounds best. (I swear, sometimes I can actually imagine my brain cells dying.) At 9:20, I started turning green. By 11:00, I just couldn't wing it anymore and went up to medical to lie down. My boss called an hour later, and I felt guilty so I went back to my desk only to feel worse. My co-worker brought me soup and ginger ale for lunch, and I tried to feel better to no avail. So I decided to tell my boss I'd like to go home, please. Apparently, I couldn't just leave during work hours without a note from the nurse, so I had to go back up. And oh boy, what a jolly little ride that was on the escalator. The nurse said she couldn't let me go home because I wasn't running a fever or anything like that. Obviously, it didn't matter that I literally felt the room spinning, or that I felt like puking my guts out. She gave me ginger tea and ginger candy and lectured me about the evils of barbiturates and the merits of the Bartt diet. She probably meant well, but I could barely make out what she was saying. I drank so much ginger tea that just as I looked around for the lavatory, I had to run towards it hand over mouth. Of course, afterwards, she called me and prepared to write a note. I said, "Oh you know what, I just threw up and anyway, it's already 3:30, I might as well finish the day."

{Stay Six, Hey Mercedes}