They finally let me come back to work. And contrary to rumors, they had not cleaned out my office. I put a couple of surgical masks on the edge of my desk, just in case anyone was nervous about talking to me, but so far, no takers.

Strangely enough, it was nice to get back into the routine. Although deciding what to wear is more difficult, especially with the temperatures now in the 80's - quite a change from the *SNOW* of last week.

How awesome. US Forces Capture Abu Abbas.

U.S. led forces in Baghdad have captured wanted Palestinian terrorist Abu Abbas.

He was sought for the 1985 hijacking of the Italian passenger ship the Achille Lauro, during which terrorists shot and killed elderly wheelchair-bound U.S. passenger Leon Klinghoffer, throwing his body overboard.

[This war on terror is producing unanticipated - tremendous - results.]

On a brighter cruise ship note, I saw an interesting headline on the CNN screencrawl: Norwegian Cruise Lines has purchased the SS United States, with plans to restore it to its former glory.

The Miami-based company said it will convert the ship to a "state-of-the-art, modern cruise ship, creating 1,000 maritime jobs and 5,000 shoreside jobs.

Norwegian plans to use the ships for mainland U.S. stops. The cruise line converted another fabled ocean liner, the SS France to the SS Norway, which is used as a Caribbean cruise ship.

The 51-year-old ship, designed by Philadelphia-born naval architect William Francis Gibbs, still holds the record for the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing -- three days, 10 hours and 42 minutes. Its service speed is 35 knots. At 990 feet, it is the longest passenger vessel ever built in the United States.

Why is this interesting? Because the SS United States has been a rusting hulk docked about two miles south of my pier, a shabby retirement for a once grand lady.

The 51-year-old ship, designed by Philadelphia-born naval architect William Francis Gibbs, still holds the record for the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing -- three days, 10 hours and 42 minutes. Its service speed is 35 knots. At 990 feet, it is the longest passenger vessel ever built in the United States.

It was brought to Philadelphia in 1996 and has gone through several ownership changes -- and failed refurbishment plans. Last fall, there had been speculation that it would be sold for scrap.

"When we discovered this American icon was in jeopardy, we saw a unique opportunity and acted immediately. The ship is a classic, she was built in America and is eligible to operate in domestic service under existing law and regulation," said Colin Veitch, Norwegian Cruise Line's president and CEO. "The SS United States would be a phenomenal addition to our U.S. flag operation down the road."

There is also a terrific website that provides more information than you can imagine about the ship and her history.

I think this is very cool. I've never been one to go for cruise ships - dive boats, yes, but not cruise ships. But when the refit of this ship is completed, I would consider taking a voyage on her. After all, I'm sure she'll be making stops in Philadelphia.

What the heck - let's stick with the cruise ship theme. Here's a sneak preview from the upcoming "PNG 2003 Trip Report." We spent one evening in Cairns, on the Northeast "Gold Coast" of Australia. As our cab headed down the road towards the port, we saw this:

This is the "Residence Sea" ship "The World", which I wrote about last year. There are both resident units and guest units and the ship moves continuously around the globe, allowing those people that can afford it to stay at "home" and have their vacation destinations come to them, so to speak.

And in a stroke of strange coincidence - the Travel Channel tonight had an entire show on.....The World of Residence Sea.

Quote du jour:

"A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for."

-- Grace Murray Hopper

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