Westin Resort in Aruba offers $300 for Babymoons … $300 “conception credit” … What Would They Offer if You lost a Child Like Natalee Holloway While on Vacation

How desperate have resorts become in Aruba to draw business to create ridiculous marketing campaigns?

How ironic is it that a resort on a Caribbean Island where Aruba is more known for the taking away of a child’s life with regards to Natalee Holloway, is actually promoting “conception” marketing.

The Westin Resort in Aruba is offering $300 for “babymoons”. Along comes the latest gimmick to get you to go to Aruba. With tourism down any gimmick will due. However, let’s think about what the Westin is offering. It’s a “conception credit” on your next stay, not a rebate from your current one. So one would tend to think that a couple would not be vacation while pregnant or in the distant future following the birth. Then the expenses of a new born and the constant care that is required, so when would one go back to the Westin and is there a time limit that they are not stating?

Come to Aruba and the Westin, It’s Safe … Your pals Satish, Joran Van der Sloot & Deepak

It would appear that some one else agrees with us that this is nothing more than a shameless “get knocked up” marketing ploy. Some how the vacation to the Aruba Westin is to be planned just perfectly in advance that the couple hits the conceiving window just perfectly. HUH?

Inspired by coral spawning season on the island, The Westin Resort on Aruba is offering twosomes a $300 “conception credit” toward their next stay if they conceive a child while staying Sept.1-Dec. 19.

How do you prove that the Westin was the site of the happy occurrence? With a note from a doctor saying the stay occurred around the likely conception date.

However, one needs to ask the Westin Resort and other Aruba Hotels, what tourism gimmick would they offer if a person is given a date rape drug, sexually assaulted, presumed murdered and goes missing forever while vacationing on Aruba?

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Surinam Airways … Oops, Wanna Get Away … Smoke in Cabin from Flight from Miami to Aruba

Doesn’t this story instill confidence in visiting “One Happy Island”? Airplane cabin fills with smoke as 90 passengers, including two babies had to evacuate the airplane, after having landed at Reina Beatrix airport  in Aruba.

The airplane, a MD-80 charter of Falcon Airways Express with a capacity for 172 passengers, flew from Miami to Aruba, and landed at the Reina Beatrix airport at 17.45 hours. During, or after the landing, the pilot switched on the APU too early, probably causing a short circuit, and smoke entered the cabin through the air conditioning system. The APU-system, which supplies electricity at the moment that an airplane is not flying, may only be switched on, after a complete standstill of the airplane, says a spokesperson of the airport authority AAA.

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Investigation to Take Place in Aruba for Corruption and Misgovernment … Go Figure … Corrupt or Safe, You Make the Call

CORRUPTION IN ARUBA … REALLY?

Say it isn’t so Joe, what a shocker … corruption in Aruba, who would have thunk it!

The corruption investigation will go on … As reported in Amigoe, an independent investigation will take place on possible corruption and “misgovernment” on Aruba.  Aruban Premier Nelson Oduber (MEP) announced earlier that there would be no investigation on corruption on the island. What else would one expect Oduber to say say seeing that it id his party in power and who will be scrutinized. For those that would claim that Aruba is “One Safe Island,” never mind the fact that such a notion would be lost on the family of missing and presumed dead Natalee Holloway. Can one really expect the truth when even the Netherlands states that there is corruption at the highest levels?

 Corruption in Aruba … Talk about going out on a limb

By that, she referred to the quoted abuses with governmental institutes of Aruba, in her letter to the Dutch parliament. “You will of course at least need investigation methods to determine this”, says the State Secretary.

However, Premier Oduber did not want to elaborate yesterday as to what the plan of approach should imply, except that it particularly should enervate ‘tall stories’.
On the question if the plan of approach also implies an investigation on possible corruption, he then responded with a ‘no’: “The plan of approach is not an investigation. The Kingdom has no right whatsoever to investigate internal affairs of Aruba.”

The Netherlands have long been worried and accused Aruba of corruption.

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Ocean Dream Cruise Ship Infected with Flu Quarantined in Aruba

Swine Flu in Aruba? According to Amigoe, a Mexican cruise ship which had up to 50 cases of flu contamination was quarantined in Aruba.

UPDATE I: Passengers may leave Ocean Dream

ORANJESTAD — Most of the passengers of the cruise ship Ocean Dream were allowed to leave the ship this morning, except for the three crewmembers that contracted the Mexican influenza. Passengers with influenza symptoms must remain in quarantine aboard the ship for at least seven days. If these passengers actually are infected with the AH1N1-virus, then the ship will be held under arrest for a longer period. The first to leave the ship, were the four Arubans upon explicit request of the authorities.

50 Year Old Alabama Woman Michelle Vilborg Reported Overboard the Cruise Ship Carnival Holiday

Another passenger has been reported as having gone overboard on a cruise ship. This time it is 50 year old Michelle Vilborg who was reported overboard on the cruise ship Carnival Holiday at approximately 12 am CDT. A passenger had reported hearing a splash in the water at 11 pm CDT as the cruise ship was about 70 miles southwest of Pensacola, Florida.

Efforts were made by crew members to find the woman who had gone overboard; however, attempts were unsuccessful.

 Search on for woman missing from cruise ship

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Man Overboard & Missing … 18 Year Old Bruce O’Krepki Goes Overboard on the Cruise Ship Carnival Fantasy

Not again? If its a cruise ship, then someone must have gone overboard, again. This time the incident happened aboard the Carnival Fantasy. At some point they are either going to have to put plexi-glass up around the perimeter of a ship like a Hockey Arena or a safety net around these ships.

18 year old Bruce O’Krepki has gone overboard on the cruise ship Carnival Fantasy Sunday night. O’Krepki is a recent high school graduate and was aboard the Carnival Fantasy with 35 other classmates. The US Coast Guard is searching for the missing 18 year old who went overboard about 150 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida.

Bruce O’Krepki went overboard from the Carnival Fantasy at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, about 150 miles southwest of Tampa, the Coast Guard said.

O’Krepki is from Hammond, La., where The Daily Star newspaper reported that he recently graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He was with about 35 classmates on the ship.

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Aruba Tourism Down Again Due to Global Economy and Why Does Aruba Check Tourists and Not Underage Teens?

TOURISM DOWN AND TOURISTS CHECKED FOR SWINE FLU WHILE JORAN VAN DER SLOOT NEVER CARDED AT A CASINO OR BAR

It would appear according to the Centrale Bank of Aruba that tourism is once again down on “One Happy Island”. This time they are feeling the effects of the global economy and individuals not having the money to spend abroad to vacation.

Once again Aruba finds itself with a decline in tourism, first due to the disappearance and cover up of Natalee Holloway and now due to the global economy.

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The Aruba Tourism Authority’s stay-over visitor statistics indicated declines of 2.3 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively, in the months January and February, compared to the corresponding months a year earlier. In addition, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the average occupancy rate of hotels and timeshare resorts registered a 4.4 percentage points fall to 78.5 percent in January 2009, compared to a year earlier. The contraction in stay-over tourism may be an indication that the global economic crisis is affecting Aruba. The Cruise Tourism Authority’s data reveal that the number of cruise passengers increased by 8.7 percent in January 2009, compared to the corresponding month of 2008, despite a 10.9 percent drop in total ship calls, signaling an increase in the size of the ships and/or the occupancy rates of the ships visiting Aruba.

However, isn’t this an interesting way to treat tourists as compared to, oh let’s say Arubans, Dutch and Surinamese individuals who are underage. Aruba is checking disembarking passengers as a Precautionary measures regarding swine influenza according to Amigoe.

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Italian Cruise Ship Msc Melody Fends off a Pirate Attack off Somalia Coast

The Somalia pirates are at it again, this time they attack the Italian Cruise ship Msc Melody. Private security guards on board an Italian cruise ship fired shots and used water hoses to fend off Somalia pirates late Saturday.

An Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board fended off a pirate attack far off the coast of Somalia when its Israeli private security forces exchanged fire with the bandits.

Six men in a small, white Zodiac-type boat approached the Msc Melody at about 1730 GMT Saturday and opened fire with automatic weapons, Msc Cruises director Domenico Pellegrino said. They retreated after the security officers returned fire and sprayed them with water hoses. The ship continued its journey with its windows darkened.

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Armed Mentally Challenged Man Takes Hostages as he Hijacks Canadian Airline CanJet in Jamaica

Jamaican Airport Security … No Problem Mon.

Mentally Challenged man with gun takes hostages aboard CanJet Flight 918 in Jamaica. Um, what happened to airport security?

A 20 year old man armed with a gun, described as mentally challenged, boarded a CanJet plane in Jamaica and is holding hostages. The incident took place on the tarmac in Montego Bay, Jamaica at the Sangster International Airport. The CanJet Flight 918 that was hijacked was destined for Halifax, Canada. According to reports, the passengers have been freed; however, 6 crew members are still being held hostage and the gun man claimed he wanted to be flown to Cuba. It is being reported that the gunman fired a shot as he entered the plane. Negotiations are presently ongoing to resolve the standoff.

The man reportedly robbed several travelers before setting them free. At least one shot was fired, but there were no fatalities, officials said.

The gunman, described by Jamaican Information Minister Daryl Vaz as a “mentally challenged youngster,” is about 20 years old and Jamaican. The young man’s father is said to be assisting with negotiations.

Television Jamaica reports Prime Minister Bruce Golding, along with national security ministers, have flown in by helicopter to oversee negotiations with the gunman.

Comments from CanJet: (from the CanJet website)

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Lifetime Movie Network: Natalee Holloway story … Missing in Aruba Since May 2005

The Lifetime Movie Network will be airing the Natalee Holloway story on Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 8 pm ET and 9 pm PT. Encores April 20 at 12 pm ET/PT.

LMN – Lifetime Movie Network

Scared Monkeys has followed the disappearance of Natalee Holloway from the beginning. The very first post regarding the disappearance of Natalee was entitled, This Can’t Be Good For Tourism, Where’s Natalee Holloway. The reason for this title was because from the outset of this crime we knew that Aruba would do everything to preserve their tourism as opposed to provide a competent investigations, answers and “Justice for Natalee.” Sadly, we were correct in our presumption as to this day Aruba has not tried any of the suspects, who were last seen with Natalee Holloway leaving Carlos N’ Charlie’s.

The Lifetime movie is based on Beth Holloway’s book, “Loving Natalee: A Mother’s Testament of Hope and Faith.”

Satish Kalpoe, Joran Van der Sloot and Deepak Kalpoe; last people ever seen with Natalee Holloway leaving Carlos N’ Charlie’s

Teenager Natalee Holloway vanished in 2005 while visiting Aruba on a senior class trip. In a passionate and relentless effort to discover the truth behind her daughter’s disappearance, Beth Holloway captured the nation’s attention by working tirelessly to solve the mystery that shattered her family’s life. Today, Holloway continues to speak publicly about the potential dangers of international travel. Her resolve and unwavering strength are at the center of this emotional story that takes viewers behind the headlines and into the heart of an extraordinary woman.

From the outset of Natalee’s disappearance Beth Holloway has embodied the strength, will and determination of mom’s across America who fight to the end when someone messes with their child. Never in a million years did Aruba, the government officials, the police or those responsible ever think that Beth would persevere.

In July 2005 when Beth Holloway and the family had met so many obstacles, we wrote the following inspirational post to Beth, ‘A Note to Beth: Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever Give Up’. The continued stone walling efforts by the suspects, tourism and government officials and investigators were constant. It would have been easy and understandable to give up. Instead, Beth Holloway had only just begun.

All one needs to do is look at Natalee’s mom to understand and know what true courage is in the face of adversity. The strength that Beth has shown even when times were more difficult than others can only make one admire her as a mother and a person. I have never met Beth nor ever spoken to her although I wish I did have the privilege and opportunity. I would just like to take the moment to say that Tom, I and the many Scared Monkeys that have never met you are solidly behind you in support and hope.

When Natalee Holloway went missing and became the face of missing persons, she became everyone’s sister, daughter, grand daughter and cousin. In the process Beth Holloway became everyone’s mom and Aruba was permanently branded as corrupt and the face of missing persons crime.

Movie Trailer …