Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[spinnaker2]

Yeah, we DVRed the ceremonies. We're both working this weekend so we were particularly annoyed at how long and late they milked the coverage of the ceremony. :mad: Wanted to get some sleep but stayed up until almost midnight...and they still didn't show the lighting of the flame! Woke up early and watched the DVR of it this morning before work.

 

The commercials were merciless. Would go crazy without DVR.

 

Nice one about the bilirubin! Guess I have to watch the wine intake...

 

May just be Gilbert's syndrome, or that I am looking at the portraits done by your niece (of you and your lovely wife) through a jaundiced eye, but there is a definite yellow hue to your faces...

[TLCOhio]

Yeah, we DVRed the ceremonies. We're both working this weekend so we were particularly annoyed at how long and late they milked the coverage of the ceremony. :mad: Wanted to get some sleep but stayed up until almost midnight...and they still didn't show the lighting of the flame! Woke up early and watched the DVR of it this morning before work. The commercials were merciless. Would go crazy without DVR.

 

Great enjoyable food, travel, London, etc., pictures. Keep 'em coming!! Loved J.P. talking about lag shields and other great "hardware" talk and tips.

 

Appreciate the anger with NBC and their loading up of the TV commercials and the way that this network delayed and dragged out the coverage for these opening ceremonies. Not encouraging. TV viewership was down significantly last night compared to the USA who tuned in four years ago for the London coverage. Cheers to DVR's!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 32,609 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good afternoon coolers, and nice food JP ..... nice piccies Catlover.

 

The opening at Rio was good to see that instead of spending cash they do not have and mortgaging the kids, they produced something low cost and decent value. I for one love the opening and closing ceremonies except the ever lasting march ... but to me I guess it reall showed how great the last opening ceremony was in London. It was in retrospect iconic.

 

It's a shame that the notion of the Olympics has lost it's way over the years and no longer simply a meeting together of nations for amateur sport. But that I guess is progress.

 

I'm interested to see again on one or two other threads the spontaneous combustion of what is the discussion about dress codes and I still find myself perplexed by the way that some of the comments are framed.

 

I do perfectly get that if there are dress codes basically they should be followed and that it is arguably selfish not to. But I am not speaking from a position of feeling particularly strongly about it. I guess my perplexion is not just about some saying that effectively it is the most important issue when choosing a line - a couple of people have said this - but more about people's attitude to others that do not fully comply to their satisfaction. It is the degree at which some seem to get really angry and stressed about what others wear. It is the comments like "they should go elsewhere" or "they shouldn't be allowed in" or "they should eat in their "cabin"". These comments seem to me to indicate a degree of excessive intolerance that I simply do not understand and seem to reflect more badly on those making the comments than those that simply see it as not that important. As an aside I'd put dress codes on ships lower down the scale than "speeding" in terms of rule breaking and most people speed. :D;)

 

The issue that interests me are not the rules per se, just how some react extremely to what others do that in the overall scheme of things really does not cause serious harm to others in our current world. I cannot believe that those that react are innocent of being the object of irritation to others in everything they do, because none of us are. I'm interested to hear others comments on the topic, and I'd particularly like to hear unemotive and logical argements for the strong reactions on this topic. I'd simply like to understand why. Not the feelings about the code, or the feelings about adherence, but comments on the lack of tolerance of those that have not fully seemingly complied. It is what seems to me to be "excessive force" for a fairly minor issue. If you get my drift! :)

 

Today daughter is coming for lunch and a long afternoon of drinking and eating to celebrate her new job. Casual wear obligatory. :D

 

Jeff

Edited August 7, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[lincslady]

Congrats to your daughter on what sounds like a fantastic new job - and to you on raising her (not to mention wifey!) We too felt a lot of pride when our young ones did well, and that includes the in law children as well; not our responsibility, but our kids, their spouses, have helped along the way.

 

Regarding dress codes, the only time I have felt a bit cross with people is when you know perfectly that they have deliberately flouted the rules just to annoy others. It annoys me because it makes life difficult for staff. Somehow you can always tell by their demeanour generally.

 

I had to admire the mother who practically hit her teenage son who came in to a formal with baseball cap on backwards once, after the rest of the family! We do now tend to dress to the minimum of the requirement, which on Seabourn is luckily jacket for men - DH does usually wear a tie which does look a bit smarter, just for 'formal optionals'. And only a few in dj, rather more in suits, about half in sports jacket.

[Mark_K]

Mysty - Don't forget that it's meteor shower time of year. After midnight's usually best.

[mysty]

Hi Mark! Thanks so much for thinking of me! If I can keep my eyelids from slamming shut at around 10:00 pm I'll check it out! :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

[ShotsnCruises]

I too am grateful for DVR during the Olympics. I never care to watch the opening ceremony, but enjoy that I can watch 5 hours of coverage in 30 minutes with my DVR. There are only a few things I enjoy watching, so the fast forward feature is a valuable time saver for me!

 

Food looks amazing Jeff!

[jpalbny]

Jeff, that food does look tasty, and I bet that it will stick to your ribs. Ingredients?

 

Just got our final updated itinerary for the Madagascar trip. Set up the final payment and bought insurance (we never do, but the agency insists on all of us having medical coverage given the location). Our accommodations look pretty nice - will see!

 

ShotsnCruises, the fast-forward on our DVR is the best for all the volleyball games. You can watch the score and stop when it gets close to match point.

[Fletcher]

As someone who has absolutely no interest in the Olympics, I seriously resent switching on the BBC news and having to snooze through 15 minutes of Olympic coverage which leads the bulletins every day.

 

My take on the whole Olympic thing derives from the movie Independence Day in which an alien species, having exhausted their own planet, descend on other planets and suck them dry of valuable resources and leave them in ruins. That's what the IOC does - it descends on unsuspecting nations, bearing a bogus gift called Legacy, and demands they empty their coffers and build this insane 'park.' After four weeks they move on to the next victim, leaving behind a site no one wants or has any use for.

 

Ah, I hear you say, what about the sport? What about the money, the corruption, the sponsorship by global purveyors of junk food that makes people obsese, the cheating, the drugs . . . it's a concept that, like religion, should have run its course.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Fletcher

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi JP,

 

Your trip gets ever closer!

 

They are pork meatballs in a beefy piquant ragu with sautéed new season Welsh potatoes.

 

Today I have completed my power outage kit, We seem to get regular outages and so I have made up a kit with some leisure batteries, and a few inverters. They power up our broadband wireless router so we can stay connected and watch TV on the ipad and also keep some lights on. Now we will certainly have no outages!

 

Also did the wife's annual pension arbitrage! A good time to remind anyone in the UK over 55 who have spare income tax allowance that they can "make" around £720 every year by simply putting £2880 into a personal pension. and with the £720 tax relief added you can then cash it in immediately and you can do this every year. Not bad for ten minutes or so's work every year. Less attractive for tax payers but still easy cash. Every little helps!

 

Specially now there is no interest on saving!

 

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

My take on the whole Olympic thing derives from the movie Independence Day in which an alien species, having exhausted their own planet, descend on other planets and suck them dry of valuable resources and leave them in ruins. That's what the IOC does - it descends on unsuspecting nations, bearing a bogus gift called Legacy, and demands they empty their coffers and build this insane 'park.' After four weeks they move on to the next victim, leaving behind a site no one wants or has any use for. Ah, I hear you say, what about the sport? What about the money, the corruption, the sponsorship by global purveyors of junk food that makes people obsese, the cheating, the drugs . . . it's a concept that, like religion, should have run its course.

 

Appreciate this interesting analysis from Fletcher on what has happened to the Olympics, especially when "staged" in less-developed and somewhat economically challenged communities such as Rio in Brazil.

 

There have been many, many sorry chapters in the history of the Olympic staging in many cities that have caused terrible financial chaos and huge pain for local residents, especially the poor.

 

Last night, HBO had a comprehensive look at what happened after Olympics in Athens/Greece after 2004, how costly facilities sit now sit totally unused and empty in Russia after the Winter Olympics in 2014, etc., etc. The International Olympic Committee seems to be bloated, corrupt operation looking only out for their ego's and what will line their pockets, etc. Promises are made to help the locals gain benefits from hosting the Olympics, but the opposite happens. Sad. The HBO documentary was very good and detailed.

 

Some cities and nations, such as in 2012 in London, could better afford the "luxuries" of staging of these massive games, especially with their generally good existing infrastructure. China got high marks in 2008 for many aspects of their staging, but as this HBO program detailed, it was done in a totalitarian nation with many of the "sins" hidden from the world and media.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 152,014 views for this posting.

[jpalbny]

I agree that there needs to be a better way than wasting resources to build huge facilities for one-time use. What that is...don't know.

[UKCruiseJeff]

I agree that there needs to be a better way than wasting resources to build huge facilities for one-time use. What that is...don't know.

 

The solution would be that it is based permanently in Athens.

 

This would revert the games to it's home country and utilise the mothballed facilities that Greece borrowed and wasted so much cash on building. It should reverse backwards to a more genuine and honest experience with a simpler organisation, less commercial, more honest.

 

Because the facility is already built, and static there would be no need for it to be every four years ... it could be annual. Greece could build a whole new industry around it, and the facilities could be available for practice all year around.

 

Brazil couldn't afford the Olympics ... and it would have been a great thing to boost Greece.

 

Just an opinion ....:)

 

Jeff

[jpalbny]

It sure would be great for Greece... Not sure how far the "less commercial, more honest" part would fly though! Everyone wants to make their $, €, £, etc... So everyone aside from Greece would cry foul over their lost opportunity to host future games - though the lost opportunity would really be a blessing.

[ShotsnCruises]

Jeff, that food does look tasty, and I bet that it will stick to your ribs. Ingredients?

 

Just got our final updated itinerary for the Madagascar trip. Set up the final payment and bought insurance (we never do, but the agency insists on all of us having medical coverage given the location). Our accommodations look pretty nice - will see!

 

ShotsnCruises, the fast-forward on our DVR is the best for all the volleyball games. You can watch the score and stop when it gets close to match point.

 

Exactly!!!

There was a commercial for a documentary about all the abandoned Olympic Villages from past Olympics. It looked sad and interesting at the same time. Not sure when it will (or if it has) air or the network....

[UKCruiseJeff]

By making Athens the Olympic center, a whole full time world focus on sports could be created. I also feel that although the Olympics is owned by all nations, it has got far too fat and bloated and lost it's way. If a center with world class training was built it would be more of a benefit for visiting youngsters etc.

 

Jeff

 

ps Hapy 51st Birthday Singapore ...... wish I was there for the fireworks!

[TLCOhio]

It sure would be great for Greece... Not sure how far the "less commercial, more honest" part would fly though! Everyone wants to make their $, €, £, etc... So everyone aside from Greece would cry foul over their lost opportunity to host future games - though the lost opportunity would really be a blessing.

 

UKCruiseJeff: Because the facility is already built' date=' and static there would be no need for it to be every four years ... it could be annual. Greece could build a whole new industry around it, and the facilities could be available for practice all year around. [b']Brazil couldn't afford the Olympics[/b] ... and it would have been a great thing to boost Greece. Just an opinion .... Jeff

 

Appreciate Jeff's nice idea, in theory, but I come down more on the side of J.P. The Greek people and history are wonderful. BUT for honesty and good management, the Greeks are not exactly in first or second place in the world. We loved our three days in Athens, but much of the town is "third world". AND, sadly, that was in 2006 before things have really slid backwards during the past three or four years. It's sad for Greece. Maybe this idea could help, but there are many other issues to consider. This includes for when the next bail-out of Greece is needed by the other nations of Europe.

 

Agree that Brazil and most other countries cannot afford this "toy" of hosting the Olympics and dealing with the out-of-control demands from the crooks running the International Olympic Committee.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 201,774 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[UKCruiseJeff]

Appreciate Jeff's nice idea, in theory, but I come down more on the side of J.P. The Greek people and history are wonderful. BUT for honesty and good management, the Greeks are not exactly in first or second place in the world. We loved our three days in Athens, but much of the town is "third world". AND, sadly, that was in 2006 before things have really slid backwards during the past three or four years. It's sad for Greece. Maybe this idea could help, but there are many other issues to consider. This includes for when the next bail-out of Greece is needed by the other nations of Europe.

 

Agree that Brazil and most other countries cannot afford this "toy" of hosting the Olympics and dealing with the out-of-control demands from the crooks running the International Olympic Committee.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 201,774 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

I cannot believe you posted that. Your comments about all Greeks and Athens are ill-informed and regrettable Terry. Three days in Athens clearly gave you no insight into either the Greeks or their capital. The origins of much of the world's culture resides in Greece and in particular Athens. Athenian culture predated Roman, and they gave us all democracy.

 

Sorry, Terry ... not a good set of opinions to think, let alone express imho. :(

 

Jeff

Edited August 9, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[TLCOhio]

I cannot believe you posted that. Your comments about all Greeks and Athens are ill-informed and regrettable Terry. Three days in Athens clearly gave you no insight into either the Greeks or their capital. The origins of much of the world's culture resides in Greece and in particular Athens. Athenian culture predated Roman, and they gave us all democracy. Sorry, Terry ... not a good set of opinions to think, let alone express imho. Jeff

 

Totally and absolutely agree about the past greatness of the Greek culture, history, design, etc., etc. In fact, many of the great things in architecture and design were not as much by the Romans as "borrowed" from the Greeks. BUT, most of what I mentioned reflect their economic and financial situations TODAY, especially as shaped by many comments and sharing with me by a number of Greek friends who have followed these most-recent issues very closely.

 

Overall, it has been a sad situation and there much blame to go in several directions. This includes the Germans loaning them too much money for the 2004 Olympics and creating some of these challenges. The lack of honest government leadership, tax cheating, bloated government bureaucracies, etc., have all been added factors. As one of my Greek friends put it, long-range planning for some in that nation is just deciding in the morning where to go for lunch that day. Greece lacks many natural resources and their industrial/manufacturing system is fairly limited.

 

Personally, I super loved the Greek history, culture, people, etc. BUT, their current situation is bad and will not get fixed for some time.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

ForAthens and nearby, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples from this city that is so great for seeing its great history, style and architecture. This posting is now at 14,007 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

[UKCruiseJeff]

The Greek people and history are wonderful. BUT for honesty and good management, the Greeks are not exactly in first or second place in the world. We loved our three days in Athens, but much of the town is "third world".

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 201,774 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Totally and absolutely agree about the past greatness of the Greek culture, history, design, etc., etc. In fact, many of the great things in architecture and design were not as much by the Romans as "borrowed" from the Greeks. BUT, most of what I mentioned reflect their economic and financial situations TODAY, especially as shaped by many comments and sharing with me by a number of Greek friends who have followed these most-recent issues very closely.

 

Overall, it has been a sad situation and there much blame to go in several directions. This includes the Germans loaning them too much money for the 2004 Olympics and creating some of these challenges. The lack of honest government leadership, tax cheating, bloated government bureaucracies, etc., have all been added factors. As one of my Greek friends put it, long-range planning for some in that nation is just deciding in the morning where to go for lunch that day. Greece lacks many natural resources and their industrial/manufacturing system is fairly limited.

 

Personally, I super loved the Greek history, culture, people, etc. BUT, their current situation is bad and will not get fixed for some time.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

ForAthens and nearby, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples from this city that is so great for seeing its great history, style and architecture. This posting is now at 14,007 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

Terry,

 

The population of the whole of Greece is less than that of Ohio, a place you know well. Greece's total population is around one quarter of California's. You have posted that the population of Greece is both dishonest and are poor managers because the country's politicians have accepted cheap loans that they could not possibly pay back and much of which has been frittered away. The people of Greece deserve our sympathy, empathy and support and frankly not your type of comment.

 

You have, I gather spent one whole day there bookended by a day travelling in and a departure day. From this you have descrtibed Athens as third world city, a city you cannot possibly know. I know Athens far better, and I promise you that it is nothing of the sort.

 

I'd hoped you might reconsider your comments and accept the hint that the comments you made can be taken as racist and ill-considered and even in The Cooler too far. Instead you justify your comment based on the position that the Greek people hve been placed in by the EU and Greek's political classes and use your post to publicise another one of your threads with a zillion views where based on your day in Athens you give "Tips, Suggestions, Examples to Enjoy!."

 

Iwill be honest and say that I remain dissapointed, but I tried. :(

 

Let's push on.

 

Jeff

[tgh]

Hm .. I really enjoyed Athens,wonderful place ; perhaps Terry needs to go back for a second look.

Otoh , I didn't find Terry's opinions particularly offensive and suggest that Jeff is being a tad sensitive .. :-)

 

More importantly , Greece as a functioning democracy , allowed itself to be where it is.

Blaming management isn't fair comment. People living in democracies get the government (and the consequences thereof) they deserve.

 

The brits are living with some consequences atm, the US will have quite an adjustment if the people do actually rise up and elect a populist president. Here in'Oz we are all strapped in to the slippery slide ride as we spend our way into poverty.

 

Enjoy today.. tomorrow may not be so much fun.. :-)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hm .. I really enjoyed Athens,wonderful place ; perhaps Terry needs to go back for a second look.

Otoh , I didn't find Terry's opinions particularly offensive and suggest that Jeff is being a tad sensitive .. :-)

 

More importantly , Greece as a functioning democracy , allowed itself to be where it is.

Blaming management isn't fair comment. People living in democracies get the government (and the consequences thereof) they deserve.

 

The brits are living with some consequences atm, the US will have quite an adjustment if the people do actually rise up and elect a populist president. Here in'Oz we are all strapped in to the slippery slide ride as we spend our way into poverty.

 

Enjoy today.. tomorrow may not be so much fun.. :-)

 

I take your point. But describing Greeks as dishonest is simply wrong and I felt unable to leave that comment unchallenged.

 

The EU vote in the UK was decided by 0.7% of the population voting to leave rather than remain. 0.7% is a very small number.

 

There were many reasons why the EU is in the first or perhaps middle of implosion, and the Greeks situation is a part of that melting pot.

 

Yes ... I agree ... we should push on.

[lincslady]

Calm down, dears!

 

However, it is good that contentious posts do not get removed from this thread, unlike on Regent, where if you dare to say too much which certain people do not like a whole series of posts by various people can suddenly disappear as if by magic.

[specialcruisegirl]

Sometimes things ain't worth arguing over......life is too short with more important stuff to worry about.....

 

Weekend in our capital went quite well......it's just not the same.....

 

Happy Day

S[emoji4]

 

 

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