For many of us cruisers of the Blue Marble, viewing 2009 from the fantail now falling away and disappearing over the horizon, we generally feel some sense of relief or comfort that we survived the "big one". For the most part we did! And it could have been a lot worse. Still, for a number of folks, the collateral damage continues to be real and I know all of you more fortunate cruisers of The Blue Marble hope they find some peace in all of this and maybe even join us on a voyage some day.
Looking forward, the cruise industry for all appearances, navigated some rough seas but appears to be emerging from the dark days with new vessels and itineraries and even more in 2011 and 2012. These will be exciting times for the industry.
As for the the theme of this blog in 2010, we will continue on with news from the cruise industry, it's relationship to the environment, some good old science to help us stay on course and a few opinions on occasion to poke fun at the "whiners outside the fence line".
Check back soon for new updates from the "Greenhouse Gas Zone" and shortly I'll begin the series, "The Cruise Industry And The Environment".
One final note. In the midst of the misery of 2009, when we were all wondering when "it" will bottom out, I passed on a quote I once saw to those seeking some comfort at the time: "It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black".
The photograph coined the Blue Marble was taken on 7 December 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17 on their way to the Moon on what turned out to be the last manned lunar mission. The iconic image was seen by many as a depiction of Earth's frailty and vulnerability. No humans since that mission have cruised that far out in space. For those of us earthbound denizens destined never set eye on it from above, we'll just have to see it up close, by exploring the Blue Marble.
The Blue Marble
Exploring the Blue Marble Mission
The cruise industry and it's partner cruise lines are tied indelibly to "things" environmental. It is where they make their living. Be it the seas they sail, the ports they visit or the passengers and crew they carry. This blog will be a brew of cruise business information, how our industry manages it's environmental obligations, information about the ports that are visited all sprinkled with bits of information from the "sciences". And yes, on occassion an opinion or two on various topics. I hope it will be informative, once in a while provocative and always entertaining. So please join me while we explore the Blue Marble.
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