Gayfriendly M&S

This surprised me so much, I had to take a photograph! Cards available from our local Marks and Spencer. I always assumed that M&S was an old-school, conservative chainstore, but this goes to show that they are modernising faster than most shops.

The Dangerous Seas

I've been following the news of a ship's captain who was seriously injured during gale force 10 winds off the Isles of Scilly. Last night there was an attempt to rescue the man with a Seaking Helicopter, but it was too dangerous:

Rescue of ship captain abandoned

I can't imagine how bad it would be to be stuck on a reefer (refrigerated cargo vessel) with minimum power, floating like jetsom on 30-40 foot waves with your captain suffering from internal bleeding and little hope of rescue until at least the morning.

I can't help but notice that there have been a lot of ship-casualties lately. Mostly because I work in the industry, but I don't think I've seen so many in one year. The Napoli, The Ice Prince, The M/S Explorer; and the ones whose drama is still being played out: the stricken ferry "Riverdance", a trawler "Spinning Dale", The Portrush Lifeboat... These are just a few of the many and it should serve to remind us that the sea is, after all, just as dangerous as it always was.