Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Sick of Budgeting?


If you are sick of hearing about all this budgeting and wish you could raise your own personal debt ceiling, why not take a break and read this inspiring story of a NY man, his capsizing boat "Never Give Up" and the amazing technology from HTI (htiwater.com) from The National Herald.

Man Saved at Sea Thanks Greeks and Greece


Constantine S. Sirigos
 
NEW YORK – NEW YORK – At a time when the global news media seem to be in a contest to present Greece in the worst light possible, Queens, New York resident Victor Mooney called a press conference at New York’s city hall to show the world the face of the country that has gained his eternal gratitude. After a harrowing 14 days in a life raft in the middle of the Atlantic, the captain of the Greek-owned ship MV Norfolk plucked him from the dark and dangerous sea and saved his life.
Mooney’s boat, called “Never Give Up”, sank 250 miles west of the Cape Verde Island, just after he began to row to New York, but the name applied more to Mooney’s spirit than his vessel. The ordeal first called for immediate action. When he saw that he was taking on water, he had to act quickly. He knew he had five to eight minutes to deploy his life raft and gather everything he would need to survive at sea – most importantly his three electronic signaling devices - before the boat sank.
During moments of weakness, he prayed and thought of his wife and children and told himself he had to stay alive for their sake, and that of his mission: He works to call attention to the continuing need for research and assistance to overcome the disease AIDS, which took one away one of his brothers and has stricken another.
Saying he always had a love for the sea rooted in his growing up in Freeport, Long Island, he was inspired a few years ago to row boats across the Atlantic in order to call attention to endeavor in behalf of individuals and families who are suffering. Mooney said that although this experience has brought his seaborne activities to a close, he will continue to fight for his cause.
Victor Mooney holds the HydroPack that kept him alive by filtering seawater. He was stranded for 14 days in a life raft in the middle of the Atlantic.
At the moment, Mooney is focused on thanking those who saved his life. “It was not just a ship, but a country that rescued me,” he told the press on a chilly overcast day not far from what remains of the docks of the port of New York. Make no mistake about it he told reporters: it was a heroic effort that saved him. The ship could only approach his raft with difficulty and the captain and crew made several attempts before bringing him to safety. He said he would have understood if the captain had put the safety of his crew first and sailed away after the initial attempts failed.
No, the captain told him “we would have stayed one hour, or two, or two or three days, even weeks but we would have saved you,” explaining further, “In Greece, we believe there are humans, and there are humans,” and Mooney was thankful that all men are not alike. He deeply appreciate that the ship’s owner, Diana Shipping, also covered the costs repatriation to New York from Brazil.
That the ship remained was not an automatic response. At the beginning of his ordeal, which began on February 26, 2011, another ship came right beside the fragile emergency craft. Mooney even shined a light on a crewman and beckoned for help, but that ship sailed away, indifferent to his fate. But for the Norfolk, which flies a Cypriot flag, there was no question over what to do. The U.S. Coast Guard eventually picked up his signal and informed AMVER, which got in touch with the Norlfolk.
Within two hours of being contacted by AMVER, a member of the Norfolk crew saw Mooney’s flashlight and the rescue effort began.
Mooney thanked everyone for all who helped save him and for all the support he has received. He thanked the U.S. Coastguard whose AMVER service picked up his distress signal and contacted the Norfolk to tell the ship of his whereabouts.
AMVER, Amver is a global system based in New York, is part of the United States Coast Guard. They mainain a data base of of ships that volunteer to be a part of the program, which was begeun in 1958 and track their location. AMVER staff “identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship or ships to respond,” according to their Web site, amver.com. Marketing Officer Beverley Howard told TNH Beverly said, “No call for help goes unanswered,” and said they are always recruiting new ships to sign up for their program, which would geratly benefit from moors volunteers among the great Greek merchant fleets.
He said had nothing to eat but some herbs, ginseng power and some ginseng roots that his wife packed for him. But the greatest danger to people in his situation is dehydration, surrounded by undrinkable water. The question whether he caught any fish triggered a frightening flashback. “I’m not a fisherman, Mooney said, “even growing up in Freeport. I did try by casting a string with a hook in to the ocean, but it almost punctured the life raft, so no more fishing for me.”
So although he felt God was looking out for him, He didn’t send him any fish. A technological miracle, however, was part of his happy ending. A company called HTI – Hydration Technology Innovations – has a product called HydroPack. It is a self-hydrating drink pouch that has the ability to filter water – salt water at sea and dirty water on land. Mooney was able to scoop up sea water and after a couple of hours he had fresh water to drink so he could stay alive. He said it tastes like a slurpy but has some nutrients too. HTI is one of the world’s leading developers of water and wastewater filtration membrane technology. A company representative told TNH the devices are unlike earlier water purification produces that used a process called reverse osmosis. HydroPack, which has been on the market for only a few years, uses sugar to create osmotic pressure in a way similar to plant roots and the process is called forward osmosis.
With many to thank Mooney kept coming back to the Greeks. He said “I want to thank the people of Greece for their love of humanity and for being true seamen.” He was very happy to have the opportunity to express his appreciation to Greece’s representative in New York when Consul Evangelos Kyriakopoulos arrived. The Consul marveled at his “modern Odyssey and commitment to a noble cause,” and invoked Greece’s millennia old relationship with the sea when he said, “every day people in our country are thinking about and praying for sailors and people on ships all over the world.”

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