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Cascading changes likely for cruise travelers {Gadling}
Jan 25th 2012 6:36AM I've been on many cruises, including several to Europe. Regarding the passport issue, the past 2 cruises to Europe I was able to keep my passport in my in-room safe. However, when I did a European cruise in 2000, my passport was taken from me at embarkation to be used to show to European port officials prior to approval to dock at a port, and then returned to me a day before disembarkation at the final port. Regarding safety, the past several cruises with RCI and Celebrity, we did the lifeboat drill sans lifejackets, but the ones for RCI were performed on the Boat Deck underneath the lifeboats themselves. However, on a more recent voyage on a Celebrity ship, the lifeboat drill was held indoors in various public assembly areas, along w/a live video feed of the Captain talking to us guests.
That all said, however, I have still have questions about what happens when a ship loses power, there are no lights to guide me down corridors to my cabin, and I can't enter my cabin because electricity powers the card key lock; there's also the problem on getting into my safe to get my passport if there's no power. Lastly, how exactly, would people get to their cabins when the stairwells are tilted the way this Costa ship was. How well would the emergency doors to the lifeboats work to give people access to the lifeboats?
One last point about teens: I agree that they need to be reined in, by both ship's security folks and their parents or group chaperones. They can't be allowed in the casinos unless they're of age, and security officers need to do a better job of patrolling the corridors to make sure the teens aren't running up and down the hallways, causing noise, smoking and drinking. The parents need to do a better job of reining in their teen kids, especially late at night: just because ships are floating resorts should not be an excuse to abdicate their parental responsibility. Parents: Before you swoop like helicopters in and attack me--and you will--, please know that as a single person, I don't have kids but I do have a pretty well-behaved niece and nephew who have been on cruises--albeit not with me--and they have shown little or no interest in playing casino slots or playing with elevator buttons.
I Broke Up With My Boyfriend Because He Refused to Dance {MyDaily}
Jan 17th 2011 9:05AM That's some sad story, Alison. There are a couple of lessons to be drawn from this story. One of them is having good communication with one's mate. For example, did you tell your man "Hunter" that you like to dance, especially slow dances? Did you tell you man about your expectations and did he tell you his? Did you ever get an explanation from him about why he refused to dance? The other lesson is than expecting guys to know how to dance or that they liked to do so is a step in a direction that Hunter didn't want to take.
Did you communicate that desire or expectation to him? Did he explain why he didn't like slow dancing? Maybe he doesn't know how. Maybe slow dancing goes against his religious beliefs. If the reason was the former, perhaps you could have suggested that you both take lessons from a dance studio, e.g., Arthur Murray's dance school? If the reason was the latter, could you have talked about those beliefs so that you could reach an understanding about what he believed and why? What I'm saying is that communication is important in a relationship, and if you're both not talking and just hanging out, then you failed to communicate your desires, wishes, dreams, etc., to a guy who failed to explain his dislike for slow dancing were most likely the reasons for your breakup. Next time, EXPLAIN what you expect in a guy, and ASK him what he expects in a woman. Then you can try to arrive at some kind of agreement about what kind of relationship you want to have instead of something that only takes place in dreams and dashed expectations.
Join us on our 'bank anger' tour across the blogosphere {WalletPop}
Jul 9th 2009 10:28AM One problem w/your post is that Goldman Sachs is NOT a retail bank, it's an investment bank. Investment bank are firms that help their clients do things like raise capital, do an initial public offering (IPO), borrow big from the bond markets, do private placements by borrowing from private investors, etc.
That said, I do agree w/some of the stuff you mentioned in your post. Other culprits include the folks who repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which prevented banks from owning brokerages and other institutions. Let's not forget the mortgage bankers and brokers who sold complicated "products" to people who probably did not understand what they were buying. Then there's folks who did mortgages based on little more than whether borrowers had a pulse, and subsequently sold those mortgages to the bond markets as securities. But let's not tar every bank with the same brush. I'm sure there are smaller banks who were not involved in this nonsense, such as community banks and S&Ls.
10 Things You Should Never Say to a Short Woman {Asylum}
Jun 27th 2009 12:31PM Other lists might include:
o What not to say to Jewish guys;
o What not to say to Jewish girls;
o What not to say to short guys;
o What not to say to Hispanic guys or girls;
o Etc.
What Do You Call a Carbonated Soft Drink? {Urlesque}
Feb 14th 2009 11:31AM Throughout my life, I never heard or used a word other than soda when I wanted to drink a carbonated beverage such as Coke, Pepsi, the Dew, and the diet varieties. The only times I ever heard soda called "pop" is when one of my friends asked me if wanted a soda, and he called it "pop." I'm amazed at the variety of names we give to this beverage, but I guess that's what happens in our melting pot country! Speaking of which, what do the Blacks, Chinese, Latinos, and other ethnic groups call soft beverages?
5 Guys You've Got to Date {Personal Articles}
Sep 6th 2008 11:22AM Does the "Shy Accountant" resemble a "Shy Bureaucrat?" How about dating somebody who doesn't drive because his hearing and coordination isn't that good, but who used money that could have been spent on car expenses and put it into saving and investing for things like vacations and retirement? And what if that guy had a great relationship w/his mom that's become a little closer because she is a widow? She also taught me how to balance my checkbook, use a bank, use credit cards smartly, how to use maps to navigate a car, and to tip well in restaurants (15% or better). You know what? I'm that guy!
Are you a PANK--Professional Aunt No Kids? {WalletPop}
Sep 6th 2008 10:34AM How about us uncles w/no kids? I'm not too fond of inevitable acronym, though: PUNK, or Professional Uncle No Kids, because of the tendency to think that PUNK in upper case will be confused with "punk" in lower case, and punks are usually associated with gang members. How about "PCUNK:" "Professional Cool Uncle No Kids, pronounced "Pee-Cunk?"
