Cruise Ship News notes that by this date things were supposed to be in motion. Excitement had been generated that a second Titanic would be built. Money had been spent on testing models and contracts with various vendors to the outfitting of the ship were done. You had Clive Palmer doing Titanic themed meals around the world with the rich and famous. Ah but now it is all quiet on the Titanic 2 construction. No keel has been laid, no contract has been signed to formally build the ship. Clive Palmer has had a falling out with his Chinese partners and in litigation with Citic Pacific.
The most optimistic appraisal is that things are stalled but realists will say the chances of this ship being built went from probable, down to maybe, and now unlikely. Maybe Palmer ought to contact Premier Exhibitions about buying the Titanic artifact collection, which is still up for sale and no bidders at this time. At least that will not require a Chinese company to build a ship for you.
It has been a long while since I posted anything about the infamous Kitchen Nightmares visit to Amy’s Baking Company. According to the website TMZ, Samy The Hammer attempted to attack someone outside of their restaurant. Details are sketchy but it appears the man was a drunk patron that Samy was waving a knife at (this is being disputed as a pen). A video of the incident can be viewed here at TMZ. KPHO is reporting that police were called at approximately 5 pm local time to investigate a disturbance.
Witnesses said Samy Bouzaglo, who operates Amy’s Baking Company with wife Amy, was waving a knife and yelling as he chased a drunken man out of their business, according to a police report.
The man was gone when police arrived and no charges have been filed. However charges are pending if and when the other person is located and interviewed. My guess is that drunk guy is getting a lawyer and planning legal action in the next couple of days.
1. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be at Dubuque, Iowa, National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium from 23 May-7 Sep 2014. Details are still being finalized as to admission costs. Further information can be found at their website.
Source: Titanic Exhibit Coming To Dubuque’s River Museum(25 Sep 2014,Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Sir John Franklin Photo: public domain
2. Finding the Northwest Passage has been the dream of many explorers. At one time, some believed there was a navigable path between east and west just above Canada. In 1845 an expedition led by Captain Sir John Franklin with two ships–H.M.S. Erebus and the H.M.S. Terror–set off to traverse one of the last unnavigated sections. They were last seen in Greenland in late July, 1845 and later in Baffin Bay by whalers. After that they were never seen again. Later expeditions found relics and heard stories from the Inuit. It was learned thirty-five had died of starvation heading south. It was suspected some died of poisoning from eating from tinned cans. Darker talk of cannibalism also were said and much later confirmed by examining remains. Many of the remains confirmed that lead poisoning probably contributed to the death. Their ships though remained lost until recently when a Canadian search team appears to have found one. It is not known whether it is the Erebus or Terror that has been found. A great deal of mythology and popular storytelling has grown up around this ill-fated expedition. Perhaps this find will lay some of them too rest.
Sources:
1. The Franklin Ship Myth, Verified(24 Sep 2014,The New Yorker)
2. Franklin’s Lost Expedition (Wikipedia)
1. The Citizen reports that the Lancashire Titanic Museum now has opened at its new location in Eccleston, UK. The museum first started in Colne where Titanic bandleader Wallace Hartley had been born and then moved to Samlesbury Hall last year. However it could not stay there due to other commitments of that hall. The exhibition is now up and running according to its curator Nigel Hampson. Further information can be found at their website.
Source:Lancashire ‘Titanic’ Museum Finds New HQ(22 Sep 2014,The Citizen)
Photo: Public Domain (Library and Archives Canada / PA-122236)
2. Sitting out on a potato field in Sagaponack, New York is a building that was once was a Marconi wireless station that likely received messages about Titanic in 1912. It once stood near the beach but was moved sixty years ago to be used as storage. Now the current owner of the land plans to sell the three acres it sits on. According to Julie Green of the local Bridgehampton Historical Society, the Sagaponack Marconi station was likely one of the first to learn of Titanic sinking. The station used call letters MPA according to messages from Carpathia. The Sagaponack station was opened in 1902, the first on Long Island. However it was closed in 1915 due to diminishing traffic.
Source:A Piece Of Titanic History Sits On A Potato Field In Sagaponack(22 Sep 2014,27east.com)
It is all over now as season five of MasterChef (US) has come to an end with Courtney declared the winner. This season possibly saw the two best matched contenders for the title. Both are exceptional in presentation and technique and rarely made mistakes. Elizabeth set a record for this season (and perhaps the entire series this far) as never being in a pressure test. Personally I think Elizabeth is the more talented of the two and in the long run it will be interesting to see who has a more successful culinary career. Both ought to do well but Elizabeth might very well surpass Courtney in the end. As for Courtney, no more dancing in a gentleman’s club for her. She can give those glamorous heels a rest for a while.
This season fared well for not having a real villain as in past seasons. Last year there was Krissi, an odious person who really ought never ought to have been there. Leslie might have been a villain considering how he grated on people early, especially Ahran. Instead of getting worse he managed to bring it under control. He and Ahran became friends later on. However he was not shy about those he really disliked: Cutter and Daniel. Daniel he saw as untrustworthy and a pretender. And Cutter was in his own zone often unable to do tasks asked of him. Leslie got rattled though when under pressure (like at Dinah’s) and goofed up as well. Leslie though was determined and never really gave up. And had he not screwed up substituting salt for sugar in the pressure test against Courtney, he likely would have been up against Elizabeth. Gordon is right: the culinary world is not just for the young but for the seasoned as well. Julia Child would concur on that sentiment
Missing this season were the preliminary rounds where we see them audition before the judges. We often saw what they cooked to impress the judges to give them the first apron. And we also saw a fair amount of those who brought dishes that fell well below the standards being sought. The reason was probably scheduling. So they did not show the preliminary rounds and went straight to the top thirty and the final cut for the MasterChef competition. It made the season move much quicker. The challenges were as usual though with the twists and turns we have come to accept. No big stars stopped by a lot of culinary stars did in the semifinal where fifty chefs showed up. Many of them had shows on Food Network like Cat Cora or Duff Goldman. Too bad Mario Batali did not make an appearance but then he likely still is on contract with Food Network. We also saw Gordon’s wife Tana in the Valentine’s Day episode. In both his UK and US Kitchen Nightmares show he often as to be away on that day or Mother’s Day.
The formula for the show has remained more or less the same. They start with a very large group then whittle it down to a manageable size (about twenty) for the final competition. Each episode has two challenges (mystery box and elimination challenge) or a field challenge in which the losing team faces the dreaded pressure test. Always someone goes home but on occasion it is two that go home. Judges are impressed with creativity, passion, flavor, and taste. They absolutely dislike dishes that are too simple, below MasterChef quality, completely disregard culinary rules, or are just absurd (like Tali’s crab dish that Graham called a horror show in season three). It infuriates them when someone they know is talented produces a bad dish.
They try to mix up the challenges but I humbly suggest they have used up the army and marines for food challenges! Head down to San Diego where the navy has ships and personnel. Believe me officers and crew on ships would love to be part of a Masterchef challenge. It is also likely that next year they will tie in (like the did with Glee) with another Fox show. I hope it is Sleepy Hollow! Make that a spooky themed episode with Headless delivering the winner. Okay that might be over the top but you get the point.
So we put this season into the done column with Courtney the winner for season five. Now we wait until next summer when we see a whole new crop of aspiring amateur chefs wanting to prove to Gordon, Graham, and Joe they are the best in the country. They just have to prove it with every dish they make. No pressure at all.
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I was highly critical of the pressure test required making truffles. I wrote that very few people make them at home and even doubted the Masterchef judges could cook them. Well I was wrong on that last part (somewhat). It appears Gordon Ramsay does know how to make them by hand. Here are two YouTube cooking lessons where he is showing his kids how to make chocolate mint truffles for Christmas Day.
NASDAQ recently sent a letter of non-compliance to Premier Exhibitions (NASDAQ:PRXI) regarding the recent director resignations. Specifically they are out of compliance with the audit committee requirements which require the audit committee be comprised of three independent directors. They have to resolve it either at the next annual shareholder’s meeting or by 27 Aug 2015. However if the annual shareholders meeting is held before 23 Feb 2015, then they must show compliance on that date. Four directors resigned on 25 Aug 2014 and were replaced by Jack H. Jacobs and Rick Kraniak on the same day.
