That is the sort of feeling I get when reading silly newspaper articles full of sensationalist speculation as to the motives and failings of the Captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino. Of more interest is the article (not yet online) entitled “Making a Monster of Human Frailty” by Theodore Dalrymple. Dr. Dalrymple starts: Courage is a [...]

100 years ago this year the Titanic struck and iceberg and, despite the claims for her being unsinkable, sank in arctic waters taking 1517 souls with her. In an uncanny (but fortunately less deadly) replay, the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a reef and sank, listing sharply to one side. Although the passengers are likening [...]