"Vado a Bordo Cazzo" -- How the Sinking of the Costa Concordia Inspired a Fashion Statement

Hi everyone!

Before I get into the subject of today's blog, I wanted to let all of you know about a guest column I am currently writing for a friend of mine: the Top Ten Mistakes Authors Make. Having worked in the publishing industry for fifteen years both as an acquisitions editor and a literary agent, I've seen all manner  of mistakes committed--often with the best of intentions--by first-time authors. Over the next few weeks, my top ten list of these mistakes will be featured on Melissa G. Wilson's Networlding blog.

Mistake Numero Uno: Do Not Assume Your Work is Done Once You've Turned in the Final Draft of Your Manuscript. Click on the following link to read more: www.networldingblog.com. This is the first of a series that will be featured over the course of the next few weeks. If you're an author--either experienced or first-time--please check it out!

Now...on to what's top of mind. I'm sure by now you've all read about the Costa Concordia, the mega cruise ship that went down off the coast of Italy last Friday with 4,200 passengers aboard. The story is undeniably tragic, what with the confirmed loss of eleven lives and, as of this afternoon, twenty-six still unaccounted for, but there is (unfortunately) an element of humor to the story which has prompted another round of soul-searching on the part of the Italian public.

The ship's much-maligned--and rightfully so--captain, Francesco Schettino, has today said that he didn't intentionally end up in a lifeboat trying to save himself at the expense of his passengers, but rather he "accidentally fell" into the lifeboat amidst the chaos of those first tragic minutes. Come on! Did he really think anyone would actually believe this...or if credibility wasn't what he was after, then doesn't he just realize what an idiot this makes him sound? I mean seriously, of all the places he could possibly fall while a ship is sinking, a lifeboat just strikes me as little too convenient.

What doesn't help Mr. Schettino's case is that his ship's crew and other passengers have criticized him in the press for behavior that reeks of stereotypical Italian machismo. Remember, this is a country that is still struggling to overcome the ridiculous, not to mention criminal, behavior of Silvio Berlusconi. "Bunga bunga" anyone? According to an article in today's Daily Telegraph, one of the ship's officers claimed that Mr. Schettino drove the ship "like a Ferrari" and was in the midst of trying to give a salute to an "old friend" before it hit a reef that apparently hadn't appeared on any the ship's maps. The first thing Mr. Schettino did when he realized he was in trouble? He called his "Mamma."

If it weren't for the quick-thinking of Gregorio De Falco, an Italian Coast Guard official, who reportedly told Mr. Schettino "Vado a Bordo Cazzo" or in other words, "Get back on board, for f***k's sake!" there's no telling how many more lives would have been lost.

What I love though is that Mr. De Falco's directive 'Vado a Bordo Cazzo' has now become a fashion statement. Tee-shirts have been designed featuring these words and are now apparently all the rage in Italy. I might have to get one. I'm not planning on going on a cruise anytime soon--though my parents are--but I'd dare anyone who is to order one of these tee-shirts (I'm sure they're available for purchase online) and wear it with pride, especially if they happen to be dining at the Captain's Table.

Ciao.