Watercure USA - October/November 2020

IN THE KNOW FOR for Oct/Nov 2020

PART 2 OF THE TALES ON S.S. CONSTITUTION STATE After Fighting Pirates, Our Captain Killed Himself

In our last newsletter, I shared my experience back as a 23-year-old Merchant Marine, fighting pirates in the Strait of Malacca aboard the S.S. Constitution State in 1969. Our sudden engagement with these pirates didn’t come without injury to several crew members. Some had broken limbs, one had lost an eye, and a number of others were afflicted with lacerations. But after successfully repelling the attack, we continued without hesitation. The next destination in our voyage was Madras, India. Then, a few days later, our captain took his own life. He did it with the very same .38 caliber pistol that he had used rather ineffectively during the pirate attack. This immediately created a problem on board because the captain of an American ship is a considerably powerful position — not only because of his responsibility to the crew, but also because of his responsibility to represent the United States to other countries. In incidents where the captain of the ship is no longer alive, the chief officer is well aware that he must inform the U.S. government. Back in those days, we didn’t have GPS or satellite, so we did this through the ship’s communication center with high-speed telegraph and Morse code. A few days after the suicide, we received the following instructions from the chief officer: First, we could expect the two agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to greet us at the next port destination. They would investigate the ship and ensure there wasn’t any foul play involved in his death.

Second, the captain’s remaining immediate family — which was just his ex-wife — did not want his body returned to the States. So, the office further recommended that we cremate the body in India and put it to rest there. At that time, I had no idea what cremation was. It’s more common today for Christians to be cremated, but I was never exposed to cremation, despite being familiar with burials through my Christian background and having experienced both my father and brother’s deaths. This unfamiliarity with cremation will be important later in the story. I should also note that all of these events are kept in an official ship log. At the end of every ship’s voyage, the ship log is sent into the National Archives to serve as a permanent historical record of that vessel’s operation. This makes the accuracy and detail of such logs of the utmost priority. So, the steamship company agent (who worked at the Madras port) made arrangements for the particulars of the cremation, and the chief officer was to appoint a representative from the deck officers to oversee the cremation and record all of the important details like the location, time of the event, and any other pertinent information for the ship log. Upon reaching the shore, the chief mate, who was now the temporary captain, gave me the responsibility and instructions to escort Captain J.K.’s body to the cremation site with the company of the ship’s Indian shoreside agent, who acted as a local representative and translator. Once the FBI

concluded their investigation and agreed with our evidence, we were sent off to the countryside of Madras where the cremation was set to take place. The body was removed from the ship and placed on a small truck. Captain J.K. was a very large man at 6 feet, 8 inches tall and over 300 pounds. Ultimately, we needed additional locals and laborers to help us with the task. Once that was done, we proceeded to the cremation site.

“So, the office further recommended that we cremate the body in India and put it to rest there. At that time, I had no idea what cremation was.”

It was a dark, overcast day, and as we approached the area, there was a strange illumination in the distance. As we got closer, we started to see many different, lit funeral pyres. There were many different types of religious sects in India, so there are many different ways to perform a cremation, but, in this instance, Captain J.K.’s body would be burned over a 15-foot pile of timber. After his body was placed on top of the pyre, there was some delay. The local men did not want the fire to consume the captain’s body until certain traditional religious ceremonies

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Top 5 Healthy Life Hacks to Have an Awesome Morning

only one suited for the job. You might say that this was a pretty brutal introduction to cremation for a 23-year-old. Initially, I actually tried to reason my way out of it. The captain already had a hole in his head, I pointed out — that’d have the same effect, wouldn’t it? It proved to be a weak argument as I was persuaded that I needed to act in accordance with the community traditions so the local people wouldn’t have hard feelings toward us. So, I did the duty requested of me and returned the hatchet to the family, which they found even more greatly prized as it had been used on an American sea captain. Then, Captain J.K. had his final rest upon the top of a burning pyre. After the captain’s death, I learned much more about his home and family situation. I think those circumstances, as well as the confusion from the pirate attack, contributed to his suicide. Perhaps the reason for his suicide was that he Getting your day started with coffee isn’t always enough. Sometimes, you need to give yourself an extra boost, especially when you have little energy or trouble focusing. For an awesome start to your day, here are five tips to get you going right off the bat. WAKE UP 5 MINUTES EARLY. What’s the power of five minutes? It can be more than you think. Spend this time doing simple breathing exercises or a quick meditation so you can get focused for the rest of the day. If that’s not your style, you can prepare a quick to-do list for your day ahead. Either way, it’s always nice to have a little extra time for yourself without losing too much sleep. START WITH GREEN TEA, THEN COFFEE. A cup of coffee at 7 a.m. can leave you burned out by 10 a.m. Try swapping it with green tea for a more gentle wake-up call. After that, you can brew your favorite coffee to keep you going strong. This practice also might help you consume less caffeine overall! TAKE A QUICK MORNING WALK — AND HAVE YOUR MEETINGS ON THE GO. Morning meetings can make us want to fall asleep again. Don’t spend all of them sitting down if you

don’t have to! Not only will morning walks help you wake up, but they can also add some extra physical activity to your day. WRITE IN YOUR JOURNAL. Who says you have to journal at the end of the day when you’re tired and ready to sleep? You can journal in the morning about what happened yesterday and the things you’re looking forward to that day. Journaling can remind you of your daily goals and motivate you to stick to your commitments. PACK YOUR LUNCH (OR SNACKS!). Staying on track with your goals starts with having the energy to do them. Plan a healthy balance of fats, vegetables, carbohydrates, and proteins. This can be as simple as assembling dips, carrots, wraps, and salads each morning.

It’s time to try these tactics to jump-start your day!

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took place. Out of respect, and since I was equally responsible to represent the United States and record these events, I agreed. About 65 yards away, there was a family that was in the process of cremating their own loved one. During the short delay in which we were sorting out the rituals to be performed, the family was invited to participate in the cremation. They thought it was a very high honor to be part of the cremation of an American sea captain and offered their family ceremonial hatchet to help complete the ritual.

didn’t want to face any more failure in life than he might’ve already had.

When I think about how I’ve gotten through seeing and experiencing such terrible, evil things in life — and how I’ve coped with the sadness and terror that can arise from those experiences — I realize that, personally, my Christian faith played a big role in my ability to process the painful, crazy events of my life. At the time of the captain’s death, I had already lost my father and brother, but my mother was also diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I didn’t return in time to say goodbye before she passed. How do you explain things like that? Maybe no one can explain it clearly. It can be difficult to have faith. Sometimes, things don’t go right in our lives, and that can go on for a very long time. But, as long as you have breath, you’ll always have the opportunity to shake off the bad and find the good.

Wait, a hatchet ?

As I soon found out, it’s the eldest son’s responsibility to use the hatchet to crush the skull of the soon-to-be burned family member. This tradition has both spiritual and practical aspects: During cremation, the human skull needs to be fractured in order to prevent the untimely explosion of the skull. Since Captain J.K. had no family present, it was understood that I was the

–Captain Lance

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DREW: 716-946-3598

LANCE: 716-912-9939

ZESTY ORANGE CRANBERRY SAUCE

What’s a Reverse Osmosis System?

Skip the can-shaped cranberry sauce this year and bring a jar of homemade sauce to Thanksgiving instead. This easy recipe can be made ahead of the big event and keeps for 10 days in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed • 1/2 cup water • 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar • 12 oz fresh cranberries • 2 tsp orange zest • Salt to taste

In honor of Veterans Day this year, we thought we’d share an important breakthrough for both our American military and providing clean water worldwide: the reverse osmosis system. On sea voyages, it was always a problem to have enough drinking water. For many centuries, ships had to carry massive barrels in their hull for drinkable fluids, and going back to shore for more fluid wasn’t an uncommon emergency. And we say “fluids” because fresh water often went bad when stagnant, so sailors relied on wine and weak beer to stay hydrated. The first scientist to discover osmosis was Jean-Antoine Nollet, who used a pig’s bladder as a membrane in 1748. Osmosis is the tendency for solvents to pass through a semipermeable membrane to create a highly concentrated solvent on the other side, which equalizes the fluids on both sides. In less scientific terms, the semipermeable membrane is a filter, and fluids will often naturally stack themselves tighter once they can leave behind other particles through the filter. In the late 1940s, researchers only began to consider osmosis as a potential solution for hydration on voyages because the Kennedy administration set a goal to help develop water shortage solutions — not to mention our Navy was about to become very important in foreign affairs. Researchers from both the University of California and University of Florida finally successfully produced fresh water from seawater in the mid 1950s, thanks to the reverse osmosis system. So what is a reverse osmosis system? Osmosis usually allows a low- concentration solvent to become a high-concentration solvent, but reverse osmosis allows a high-concentration fluid, such as seawater, to become a low-concentration fluid, like drinking water. It sounds simple, but it took a significant amount of research and experimentation before we finally designed the proper system to make it work! This invention was crucial to the well-being of many American military members, especially aboard ships, like our own Captain Lance. If you’d like a high-tech, military-grade reverse osmosis system for your own home, give us a call!

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the orange juice, water, and sugar to a boil. Add other ingredients, then bring mixture back to boiling. 2. Reduce the heat to medium and cook gently for 10–12 minutes, until the cranberries burst. 3. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate until serving.

Inspired by OnceUponAChef.com

The Good News

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Philippians 4:13

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INSIDE This Issue

1

After Fighting Pirates, Our Captain Killed Himself

2

Top 5 Healthy Life Hacks to Have an Awesome Morning

3

What’s a Reverse Osmosis System? Zesty Orange Cranberry Sauce

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What Really Happened the Night Martians Invaded New Jersey?

The Night Martians Invaded New Jersey

ORSON WELLES RECOUNTS ‘THE WAR OF THE WORLDS’

On the evening of Oct. 30, 1938, an eloquent voice graced the airwaves in New Jersey:

Some listeners, who had missed the fact that this was a retelling of “The War of the Worlds,” assumed the news bulletins were the real thing. Frenzied, they called local police, newspapers, and radio stations hoping for more information about the invasion. What were they supposed to do? Higher-ups at the CBS radio studio where Welles delivered the live reading called and told him he needed to stop and remind listeners that this was a work of fiction. The panic, it seemed, was growing as the Martians “approached” New York. A little later that night, police showed up at the studio with the intent of shutting the whole thing down. The next day, the story broke across the country. Newspapers reported on mass hysteria and stories poured out that the nation

“We now know in the early years of the 20th century, this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s, and yet as mortal as his own. We now know as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns, they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water …” And so began Orson Welles’ classic radio broadcast, a retelling of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds.” Peppered in the retelling were fictional news bulletins informing the public of an alien invasion. Martians had arrived in New Jersey!

had erupted in panic. However, as we now know, the extent of the panic was exaggerated. In fact, the program didn’t even have very many listeners that night, and most who had tuned in were aware they were listening to a radio play rather than a news broadcast. American University media historian W. Joseph Campbell, who researched the broadcast in the 2000s, found that while there had been some panic, most listeners simply enjoyed the show. It turns out the person who was the most frightened was Welles himself who thought his career had come to an end.

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DREW: 716-946-3598

LANCE: 716-912-9939