Category Archives: Titanic

Titanic, Titanic 2012

Titanic Memorial Cruises Bothers The Guardian

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Disaster tourism. The Guardian  believes the cruise tours planned next year to commemorate Titanic’s sinking fall into this category. These tours are following Titanic’s route in 1912 to where it all ended in the mid-Atlantic. It is hard to say what offends the newspaper most, the tours themselves or that people are actually paying big dollars. Considering their criticism is included with other odd and strange tours, I am leaning to the second. Today the cruise business is no longer about transporting passengers as in 1912 but essentially floating hotels taking passengers to interesting, even exotic destinations.

I understand why many are upset with such tours. But really is it that different from people who travel to famous battle sites, meet with distinguished lecturers and historians, and then have meals? The only difference I see is that people are aboard a ship where they will likely have Titanic themed events and lectures, movies, meals like those served aboard Titanic, and likely a memorial service for those that perished. Of course being a cruise ship of today it will have the latest safety features, a benefit of the very tragedy they are aboard to commemorate.

Belfast is using Titanic 2012 to show the world the city is worth more than battles between Catholics and Protestants. They are busy making things ready for the many tourists coming to see where Titanic was built. For Belfast the Titanic legacy has been mixed. They did not want to talk about it much believing that it tainted them. Much of Titanic was handmade by craftsman who took pride in their work. Its sinking was a terrible blow to all those who had made the dream come true. Yet they ought not to be ashamed. Titanic was a magnificent ship built by workers in Belfast. Its sinking was a terrible catastrophe but ought not to take away the fine work done to build her.

Critics see the cruises as bad since they commercialize the catastrophe. Except that this has been going on ever since 1912 from books, to movies, to exhibits, and feature movies. You can split hairs as to what was done for the right and wrong reasons, but lots of people have made money from Titanic. James Cameron made buckets of money for himself and the studio by commercializing the catastrophe (albeit with a fictional story) with his movie. The movie was spectacular and probably the most close in depicting how the ship looked ever done on screen. Of course now there is a television miniseries coming next year. What will the critics say-a cynical cashing in on Titanic or the retelling of a well known story?

The memorial cruises are no more and no less that what has gone on before. People are free, unless it has changed, to spend money as they see fit. If they want to take a Titanic Memorial Cruise, get a sense of what it was like in 1912, and get dressed up for it, that is their decision. Many will go to Belfast to connect with Titanic, soak up the sights, and get a taste of Ireland as well.

The Guardian notes many other strange and oddball places for people to stay at:
*A comfortable place that requires you to remove shoes upon entry (barefoot, socks, or slippers only)

*A hotel that imposes a Day of Silence on its guests.

*And the best of all-camping with pigs. Not just staying nearby but actually sleeping with them in the pig houses (fresh straw included) so you really get up close and personal with your future ham, bacon, and sausage while still on the hoof.  Of course those who are religiously averse to pigs (or vegans) ought to stay away.

I wonder what James Herriot would think of that. 🙂

Source:
The Guardian,Would You Go On This Holiday?, 20 Aug 2011


Titanic

Major Decision: Federal Judge Awards Title To Titanic Artifacts

The long awaited decision of Federal Judge Beach regarding title to Titanic artifacts has been rendered. Judge Beach granted RMS Titanic, Inc. title to fine china, ship fittings, and other artifacts recovered from the ship by the company. The condition is that the artifacts be preserved so the court will have to approve sales.

Sources:

1. The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk Judge Awards Rights To Titanic Artifacts, 16 August 2011

2. Associated Press, Judge: Salvage Firm Has Title To Titanic Artifacts, 15 Aug 2011

 

Titanic, Titanic Exhibitions

Winnipeg Titanic Exhibit Leaves With High Numbers

The Titanic Exhibition, twice held over in Winnipeg, has finally left town. But in a good way! According to Winnipeg Free Press , 87,243 attended the exhibit that ran from 11 Feb until last Sunday. Those are impressive numbers indeed. It will be interesting to see the numbers for the next exhibition, Da Vinci: The Genius, which runs from 19 Aug-23 Oct.

Titanic

A Timely Titanic Reminder

The lessons from Titanic echo to this day but sometimes forgotten by people they are supposed to protect. Take the life vest. This simple floatation device will save lives when the unfortunate happens. And the rule is you have enough for everyone aboard (crew and passengers included). Another rule is not to exceed the recommended passenger capacity to avoid not having enough for everyone. Unfortunately that recently happened on Lake Michigan.

ABC 7 in Chicago reported “A suburban woman says she thought of the movie “Titanic” when the boat she and 21 others were on sank in Lake Michigan. It happened Saturday evening near Burnham Harbor. Deetria Cannon of Lisle says they were headed back to shore when something happened and the boat began taking on water.”

The report indicates there were not enough life vests aboard for everyone and that some could not swim. Fortunately nearby boats came to the rescue and everyone was saved. Chicago police are reported as saying theere were likely too many people on board. No citations were issued but one assumes some legal action will be forthcoming against the boat owner and captain.

In this case, all ended well. But a recent event down in Mexico shows what happens when things go very bad ending up with loss of life. A timely reminder indeed.

Source: ABC7Chicago.com, 22 Rescued From Sinking Boat In Lake Michigan, 1 Aug 2011

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Titanic

Captain Smith’s Telescope Auction-No Sale

The BBC News headline Titanic Captain’s Telescope Auctioned In Liverpool implies it was sold, but the slug just above the story is Titanic Captain’s Telescope Fails To Sell At Auction. Perhaps the editor thought no one would read the article otherwise. Saying it was auctioned would draw the curious to read the article.

The item, a telescope once owned by Captain Smith, was put up for auction recently and expected to fetch £20,000. It is not clear from the article how many bids were submitted or what the highest bid was. Clearly it was not high enough as the telescope did not sell. The BBC reports that auctioneer John Crane was disappointed and noted:

“It might be Titanic but at the end of the day it is still a little bit of metal and if you put a very high reserve you’re not going to sell it.”

Or to quote that famous wizard Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

Fame’s a fickle friend, Harry. Celebrity is as celebrity does, remember that.

About sums it up but of course Lockhart turned out a phony. He stole memories from those who did heroic deeds, claimed them as his own, and used memory charms to make them forget.

Source: BBC News, Titanic Captain’s Telescope Auctioned In Liverpool, 28 Jul 2011

 

 

Titanic, Titanic Miscellaneous

Ice Carving Competition in 2012 at Branson Titanic Museum

From the press release:

The Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Missouri is the site chosen to host the 2012 National Ice Carving Competition, a preliminary for competitors to end up in the city of Sochi, Russia, the host city for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. The two-day event will beheld on Sat., Feb. 4, and Sun., Feb. 5, 2012.

I must admit I have never given ice carving a serious thought. I know that people do carve fantastic shapes in ice but never knew it had its had its own national and even international competitions (other than reading about the occasional ice carving contests). This event has a nice purse of $25,000 for the winner (minus taxes of course, never forget the outstretched hand of the revenue collector). According to the release:

The Master Division will carve three blocks of ice on Saturday and one block of ice on Sunday. The Professional Division will carve one block of ice on Saturday and two blocks of ice on Sunday. Dimensions of each block of ice are 40x20x10inches and each ice block weighs in at 300 pounds. Carvers will use a large array of tools such as chainsaws, chisels, blowtorches, hot irons, knives, drills, and much more.

These obviously are not your ordinary ice blocks but giant slabs made at an industrial ice plant and trucked in. I will not be surprised if some creative mixologist (the fancy name for bartender these days), comes up with some special drink for the event. With ice, of course! 🙂

Source:
PR Newswire, Branson, Missouri to Host 2012 National Ice Carving Competition, 12 Jul 2011

Titanic

AMC Blog:Top Ten Reasons We Can’t Get Enough of Titanic

What are the ten top reasons for liking Titanic? I have never really given it a thought (though Dave Letterman might). Over at AMC, Corey Abbey has given it some thought and lists the top ten reasons we cannot get enough of Titanic.

Here are just a few of them:

10. The Death of an Evil Billy Zane?
“Yet you’d be hard-pressed to find a character more loathsome than his Cal, the arrogant fiancé of Rose (Kate Winslet). This guy’s a first-class jerk, a spousal abuser, and an all-around bully.”

No argument here. Zane’s character is pretty vile and knowing he ended up badly in the end is pretty good.

8. The Most Anti-Nostalgic Moment in a Nostalgic Film
” But after telling her story, Rose, it turns out, has the necklace and rather than give it up secretly throws it — nostalgia be damned! — right into the ocean, in the movie’s most triumphant scene. The act seems to free her, once and for all, to enjoy her memories of Jack (DiCaprio).”

Not sure if that is a reason but possibly a factor. Not much nostalgia though when the story is about a tragedy like Titanic.

7. “My Heart Will Go On”
” The song kept the soundtrack at No. 1 on the charts for a whopping sixteen weeks and proved inescapable for anyone who listened to radio, went on an elevator, or attended a drag show. As ubiquitous theme songs go, this track has few rivals.”

Originally, as I recall, there was not going to be song for the movie, just theme music and background vocals. Dion was called into test a possible song and voila! The rest of course is history.

5. “I’m the King of the World!”
That is one line that now has entered the common use and will be with us for a long time.

3. Young Kate Winslet & 2. Younger Leonardo DiCaprio?
It certainly made them more famous and able to demand higher fees for future movies. Not sure which has really come out better, Winslet or DiCaprio.

1. The Blockbuster, Redefined
“Yet really all Cameron was doing was returning to the days of epic romances like Gone With the Wind and Lawrence of Arabia. They ruled the box office; Titanic did, too.” No argument here. The film broke records and dvd sales went through the roof.

You can view the whole list by clicking here.

Titanic, Titanic Exhibitions

Titanic Images To View

The BBC has images of the Titanic exhibition opening in Chatham Historic Dockyard. You can view them at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13980375.

At a recent court hearing on the salvage matter in Virginia, images from the recent exploration were viewed. They are pretty neat to look at it. You can view them at http://www.news.com.au/technology/never-before-seen-3d-images-of-titanic-surface-in-courtroom-salvage-battle/story-e6frfro0-1226085392468.

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Titanic, Titanic Miscellaneous

Las Vegas Chef Does Titanic

Eric Bernard Tordjman’s father and grandfather once participated in a lavish Titanic dinner in 1952 at the Trianon Palace Hotel in Versailles, France. Now the grandson plans to offer a Titanic dinner at his Bistro Restaurant at Lake Las Vegas. The Henderson Press reports:

Chef E. Bernard is committed to recreating that experience – without adjusting for inflation. Starting at seven bells shipboard time (7 p.m. for others), those booking passage will be greeted, given a White Star Line “Boarding Pass” and seated for an unhurried evening of sumptuous epicurean dining. Music of the day will be played on piano, violin and guitar – recreating the same make-up of musicians that played aboard the Titanic. Various special decorative touches will help complete this bygone shipboard ambience and elegant dining experience.

The first menu being served includes meals served about Titanic. Subsequent weekly dinners every Thursday offer either three or five course meal that includes champagne, an unhurried pace, and pastries prepared from recipes served on Titanic.

Be prepared to fork (no pun intended) over lots of buckzoids. The three course meal is $45 per person, the five course $65.

Source: The Henderson Press, “Titanic” Dining At Lake Las Vegas, 16 June 2011

Titanic, Titanic Miscellaneous

A Cat Named Molly Brown

Governors Island in New York recently had a visitor wash up on its molly brown catshores, a calico cat. Her fur was matted and had seaweed on it. A weekend of storms had preceded her arrival leading many to speculate the feline had been swept into the harbor and then either swam or floated ashore on a piece of debris. It caused a sensation and a name had to be given to this cat (whose owners have not been found). So after a contest where names were submitted—where such names as Mary Ann, Ginger, Salty and Buttermilk were considered—the name that won out was Molly Brown.

That’s right. She is named after the “Unsinkable Molly Brown” of Titanic fame. Well you have to admire the selection. From all reports the cat is doing quite well having the island mostly to her itself for the moment. It opens up to tourists on 27 May. No doubt many will ask about the feline Molly Brown, who likely will become a permanent fixture on the island.

Source: DNAinfo, The Stray Cat Was Named After “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,”13 May 2011