Please excuse my absence from this blog.  I've been on active duty with the Coast Guard Reserve in Washington and between snow, sleet, and a full email inbox, I've been busy.

Someone forwarded me this video and, although I don't speak Italian, I do understand the international language of military "get-your-butt-in-gear" – speak.

This incident reminds me of United States v. Holmes which is a very, very old case.  It stands for the proposition that all mariners owe a special duty to passengers.  That special duty, if breached, can give rise to manslaughter charges.