Malaysian Jet

Quote: Pacomartin

One difficulty is that it could be difficult to determine that there are no survivors. Without the recorder box, there remains the possibility that the plane was stolen, some critical passengers were kidnapped, or that the hijackers survived and that this concept is a dry run.

I think for such a bet the one betting on survivors should pay up after a month or so. However, if a survivor ever bubbles up, the one betting the other way should refund the amount paid, plus honor the 200 to 1 odds, or whatever the bet is.

Regarding ransom, it is my understanding of US policy, at least since Reagan, that we don't bargain with terrorists. I think if the president were kidnapped we would attempt a rescue mission and if that failed, then that is why we have a vice president.

Quote: Wizard

Regarding ransom, it is my understanding of US policy, at least since Reagan, that we don't bargain with terrorists. I think if the president were kidnapped we would attempt a rescue mission and if that failed, then that is why we have a vice president.

Well, it is also pretty much US policy to spare no expense in safeguarding the first family and the 14 people who are in line for the presidency.

The UK is probably at the other end of the spectrum. The government owns no VIP fixed wing aircraft. They have a limited number of aging VIP military jets which are on their last legs. The upper levels of the government and the royals all travel on private aircraft, commercial scheduled jets and/or chartered private planes if necessary. They do own helicopters for VIP transport as a large percentage of the population lives within easy helicopter range of London.

But it doesn't have to be royals or government officials. It could be CEO's or even technical people. The twenty employees of an Austin-based technology company (Freescale Semiconductor) on board the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have been mentioned as possible kidnapping targets.

New Zealand has a policy on Ransom Payments.
NZ will not be involved in the payments of ransom.
NZ will be involved in the payments of expenses, up to the sum of (xxxxxx) provided only the term expenses is used and no other sums of money are mentioned so that the total involved at all times remains at or below the limit of the expenses being paid.
Consultants are available. Their services are of unknown value and their fees are similar to "the house edge",,,,they apply relentlessly to the sums raised by the extended family irrespective of lack of response by the kidnappers.

I bring up New Zealand because the nation owes so much of its population to the descendants of those who the US Ambassador declared to have "involuntarily subscribed articles of piracy" that I think its the only country with the right to comment upon our absurd ransom policies.

It appears the extreme limits of battery strength may have been reached by the various "Black boxes".

I read Malaysian Jet artifacts are popping up for
sale already in the Far East. People are so gullible.
Of course, enough real nails from the crucifixion
of Jesus have been sold in the last 2000 years that
you could have constructed the city of London
with them in 1850.

Proves what yachties have been saying for years, the oceans are filthy with debris.

they're hearing pings again, continuing to play it down

you'd think the sophistication they have would eliminate the false positives that seem to concern them. But what do I know?

They are now more optimistic that they are hearing the black box(es). One report says search area down to 46,000 square miles, another within a 12 mile radius or 500 square miles.
Soooo, somewhere in there.

The pulse could emanate from a deep canyon or it could travel laterally and then encounter a mountainside from which it echoes.
You want long wave lengths to travel under water greater distances, I think. Batteries are weak though. I was a bit suspicisous of how promptly that Chinese team found a signal.

I discounted the Chinese claim as soon as I heard it. Hydrophones not likely to be ready for prime time on this, and they were a few hundred miles away from where the recent signals captured. Triangulate THIS...