Posted on 09/22/2011 2:07:03 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
AH!! So his brother replaced the original SB mod.
Years ago there was a series of exposes about rape at sea. Foreign flagged ships, crew members with access to cabin keys, no forced entry into the cabin, rape followed by beaurocratic runaround and listless, disinterested behavior of officials on the ship followed by blame shifting and a follow-up disinterested interview with some form of police once ashore. People didn’t realize they are subject to the laws relevant to the ship (Liberian flag = Liberian rape report) or at least that is how it was portrayed in the news about 10 years ago. The TV interviews showed passengers shocked that violent crime against passengers was of no real interest to anyone to whom they reported it other than to give passengers the appearance that ‘everything was being done’ to find the rapist etc. and to keep it quiet.
Crews come from all over the world and many earn very little money and are relatively undocumented and move ship to ship freely. So I do not take accounts of missing people lightly - it would be a simple venue - rape and throw over the side, rob and throw over the side, be discovered stealing from passengers by another passenger ‘witness’ and throw them over the side.
Neutrinos. I just read about them here on FR. Millions of them zip through your body every day. I’m just saying, you’re sitting on the rail outside your cabin and a neutrino hits you but it hits the steel plate in your head, and splash, over you go. Neutrinos - they explain a lot of mysteries.
The last cruise ship drowning I heard about was a drunken lady who fell overboard. It was all captured on cameras. I can’t imagine large cruise ship companies don’t have video surveillance of most convenient jumping or falling off points.
Been on four cruises, each one a balcony cabin. They have cameras, shown on shibboard TV, that monitor the sides. These lines are not rookies and have thought of most of the ways to go overboard. Most are “hold mu beer” types as they walk along the railings.
A lot of these cruises have magicians who entertain in one of the many onboard lounges. It’s quite possible they are practicing their black art on unwary passengers late at night when no one else is around. My next door neighbor was on cruise when one of these guys pulled a string of multi colored handkerchiefs out of his sports coat pocket, so they do dabble in some satanic oriented stuff.
Life insurance: cannot collect if the suicide is in first two years of the coverage being issued. Only premiums will be refunded, no death benefit paid, regardless of whether or not there is a body. Otherwise, have to wait until they are declared legally dead by courts, which in most places is a 7-year wait for someone who is “missing”.
Joe McGinniss said she's the one doing it in his new fantasy novel "Rogue."
It is very true that in international waters, there are very few laws. I enjoyed this at 17 by being able to go to the bar and order a drink with my older fellow passengers, but there is a dark side to this too.
I don’t know who “cares” much about this problem as the cruise ships, even ones with mysterious disappearances, are not hurting for passengers. Me, I think I’d rather be thrown overboard than be stuck on a big tub with one of those stomach viruses spreading through it.
As the article notes, it is extremely difficult to “fall off” a cruise ship. The railings are high. The decks are high. If you jump over a railing, you would be likely to hit the side of the ship on a lower deck. Remember the honeymooners a few years ago? Blood all over the awnings on the deck below where the groom disappeared.
The cruise ships I’ve been on do not allow passengers access to any parts of the ship that have access to the water. However, there are many places on a ship that are accessible only to the crew. If a passenger, or a crew member, is intent on mischief there are plenty of places to hide. And there are lots of lonely hallways and nooks and crannies where someone could be waylayed and “snatched”.
It’s interesting that of the cases that this article discusses, most of the disappearances happened on the last night of the cruise.
How did she fall with the railings? Did she climb or jump?
She climbed on top then lost her balance.
Wait two years versus seven. Seems like a no brainer to me. Which is why I have trouble believing these are insurance related suicides. Surely, one would check out the laws if they were contemplating something that awful.
I mention last night of the cruise because I was on a cruise ship once (China) where 25 of us left the cruise for a week to take a side trip to Xian. We returned and embarked again from Shanghai to HOng Kong. I figured that I was not required to pay the cabin steward for the time we were gone. WRONG decision. On the last morning (after the luggage had been picked up and the “tips” had been paid) our cabin steward was especially nasty to me at breakfast — almost threw my food at me. He figured I owed him for the time I was gone, even though he did nothing. The look in his eye was almost muderous. It was lucky that I was with my mother, or I might have disappeared along with all these other vanished folks.
Its Bond...James Bond.
well at least obama can quit blaming Bush...
I think you are probably on the right track. Most of the personnel on the Carnival cruise were young Americans - but I imagine there is a huge ‘floating’ employee pool for foreign flagged ships.
And as noted - the disappearances occured on the last day! Which means the ship is in a hurry to disembark, clean up and rotate the staff. Not convenient to question other passengers or crew members.
Apparently, there are cameras on the rail/access to water - and only a criminal employee would be aware of ‘windows of opportunity’. Scary stuff.
'Nuff said.
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