Re: Cruising
 

Very true Eric, we live in a blame culture world.
When accidents happen, very rarely is it one event, more likely several things contribute to it, 'the Swiss Cheese effect' when all the holes line up.....
Sad really

Re: Cruising
 

True Eric, I still believe in accidents and human falibility. We all make mistakes and even the most sophisticated technology can fail or be affected by outside agents.

People die every day in the strangest of circumstances - there isn't always a reason or a person to blame. Responsibility is hard to pin down at times and the genuine fatality through accident has become a rarity with the American "blame" culture.

For people in positions of responsibility it's a kind of lottery - bad day at the "office" - you could be the scapegoat.

Re: Cruising
 

I've been giving this issue a little thought ... maybe it's not only the blame culture. It could also have to do with the general trend to simplification ... dumbing things down .... that we find in the news. To go back to the Exxon Valdez: sure the skipper was drunk; but was there any in depth analysis of the wisdom of transporting oil through those waters? Any question of tanker design? Did any talking head wax poetic about a US economy dependent on fossil fuels? One finds a simple, yet dramatic story something the dumbest viewer can swallow ... then the media runs with this for a while until the next "tragic event." "Pilot error" and "careless, drunken navigators" are much more newsworthy than things which need a little thoughtful analyisis on the part of the viewer. Nothing turns folks off these days like being asked to think beyond the superficial.

Re: Cruising
 

That's because we've all got used to the "ready meal", pre-packed perfectly shaped fruit and veg etc, etc.

Life ain't perfect, people make mistakes and accidents happen.

Re: Cruising
 

We were going to book a Baltic cruise this week, to St. Petersburg, but my travelling companion doesn't fancy life on the high seas now.

Back to the drawing board, after weeks of planning.

Terrible, what's happened in Italy.

Still, there's one good thing, it didn't happen in British waters. The ship would have been stripped bare by scavengers by now.

As happened to the Napoli, when it got beached off Sidmouth, in 2007.

Re: Cruising
 

Thing is wi this un though,the ship aint sunk, agree wi Eric n B.G. about media n all that crap, but my reckoning is that the fact the ships accessible the cause must surely be easier to identify in the long run.?

Re: Cruising
 

Mummy thinks that table, hanging from the roof, won't take the weight of me...and Shelley Winters.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...04Ve-GmxC2_SUl

:eek::D:eek:

Re: Cruising
 

I don,t mind cruising, wife enjoys it and so long as I can stay away from all that food I'm O.K. My "ship" is a 16ft clipper and two paddles in the middle of "nowhere". Favourite cruise has to be Vancouver to Alaska, happening again in August, hope we have a good "driver" lots of rocks on the way.

Re: Cruising
 

Appears the Captain was showing off.

Cruise disaster: Captain 'neared Italian rocks to greet friend on shore’ - Telegraph

Re: Cruising
 

I don't suppose the friend was very impressed.

Re: Cruising
 

I actually think that allowing solicitors to advertise on TV was a big mistake, think it was the Major government that brought that in, since then we now have claims culture, their is no longer an accident, there is always somebody to blame. I think that Graham Swann has a lot to answer for in accidents are us society of today, if you do something stupid there's nobody to blame but yourself, well that's what it was but not anymore

Re: Cruising
 

No suppose he got that sinking feeling:rolleyes:

Re: Cruising
 

Oh please think again,You must go to St Petersburg ,That Hermatage Palace is so beautiful,,,,,That was such a fabulous cruise ,we had to go back there a second time,,x

Re: Cruising
 

I would suggest as an alternative that you look into going on the Orient Express - could be the trip of a lifetime -I know I'd love to do it. That's me thinking "Agatha Christie" adventure/murder mystery in an exotic location though:D

Re: Cruising
 

The Hermitage is the only major gallery I haven't been to. I think it'd be exciting to sail there.

Will go sometime, but by myself.

Back to the drawing board for now.

A restful summer holiday, that isn't as hot as the Med.

:confused: