Prepárate. Llega la ciberguerra.
Desde que hace unas semanas el mundo supo de PRISM, un amplio programa secreto de vigilancia electrónica, los funcionarios rusos muestran una renovada preocupación sobre la posibilidad de que las redes sociales extranjeras representen una amenaza para la seguridad nacional. Al día siguiente de conocerse las noticias sobre el programa estadounidense, el 7 de junio de 2013, el viceprimer ministro Dmitri Rogozin dijo [ru] a los periodistas que sitios web como Facebook y Twitter son elementos de una gran campaña estadounidense contra Rusia:
Через них идет мощнейшая манипуляция общественным мнением, ведь всякие “лайки” и прочие кнопки, которые вы там нажимаете, моментально вводят вас в определенные группы, которые потом анализируются, систематизируются. […] Тем самым увеличивается количество тех людей, которые начинают получать специальную контентную информацию, подрывающую авторитет власти и ценности государства. […]
A través de ellas [las redes sociales estadounidenses] existe una poderosa manipulación de la opinión pública —efectivamente, cada «me gusta», cada «clic» te envía instantáneamente a cierto grupo que después se analiza y clasifica. (…) Al hacerlo, es creciente el número de personas que comienzan a recibir contenidos especiales que socavan la autoridad y el valor del estado. (…)
Dmitri Rogozin, como embajador ruso ante la OTAN y enviado especial para la defensa antimisiles, 29 de junio de 2011. Foto de Security & Defence Agenda, CC 2.0.
El 11 de junio, en una carta [ru] a Rogozin y otras figuras de la seguridad, Ilya Kostunov, diputado de la Duma, pidió una legislación más restrictiva para la actividad en Internet de los funcionarios, basándose en que habitualmente los burócratas discuten o mencionan secretos del gobierno en comunicaciones alojadas en sitios web estadounidenses (concretamente en Gmail, servicio de correo electrónico de Google). En una conversación [ru] en Twitter, Kostunov debatió la posible implementación de sus propuestas, mostrando cierto desacuerdo sobre la necesidad de leyes adicionales y sobre la forma adecuada de clasificar como delito la publicación de material secreto en un servidor web extranjero.
Petr Pervushkin, experto en comunicaciones, argumentó [ru] que durante siete años ya existió en el gobierno ruso una red virtual cerrada para las comunicaciones privadas, aunque otro usuario de Twitter redujo esa cifra [ru] a unos cuatro años. Aleksandr Luchin, funcionario del partido Rusia Justa, señaló que ya hay leyes que prohíben discutir secretos de estado en sitios web como Google y Facebook, pero reconoció [ru] que no han servido para imponer sanciones. Luchin propuso vincular estas infracciones al código penal que castiga la revelación de secretos de estado (aunque no especificó [ru] si estaba pensando en el artículo 283 o en el 284, que amenazan con penas de prisión de hasta cuatro y tres años, respectivamente), mientras que Kostinov defendía equiparar este comportamiento con la traición (artículo 275), que conlleva una pena de hasta veinte años de prisión (este intento de clasificar el delito como traición hizo que el periodista Leo Mirani, de <a href="http://qz.com" rel="nofollow">qz.com</a>, declarase [ru], quizás exageradamente, que Rusia «intensifica su guerra contra las redes sociales»).
A su vez, Anton Nosik, bloguero y gurú de la RuNet sostiene [ru] que la administración de la cadena rechazó emitir su reciente aparición en OTR, el nuevo canal público de televisión ruso, porque durante la grabación criticó los comentarios de Rogozin sobre la supuesta ciberguerra estadounidense contra Rusia. Nosik participó en un episodio del programa «La red social», respondiendo a una serie de preguntas relacionadas con la RuNet que comenzó con una sobre las afirmaciones de Rogozin. Tras cuatro días de silencio después de la visita al estudio, Nosik recurrió a LiveJournal por segunda vez para comentar [ru] la extraña ausencia de su intervención en la web oficial [ru] de OTR:
Как я и предполагал, моё интервью […] не попал ни в их загадочный эфир, ни даже на сайт. Потому что, как выясняется, для этого супернезависимого телеканала неприкасаемыми фигурами являются не только Путин и Собянин, но и вице-премьер Рогозин. Самое время Общественному телевидению открывать программы про кошечек, собачек и кулинарию.
Como esperaba, mi entrevista (…) no ha aparecido en ninguna parte del misterioso archivo [de la cadena], ni siquiera en su sitio web. Porque resulta que para esta cadena superindependiente, las figuras intocables no se limitan a Putin y Sobyanin, sino que también incluyen al viceprimer ministro Rogozin. Para eso, OTR podria emitir programas de gatitos, perritos y cocina.
Nosik no suele responder a los cientos de comentarios de los lectores que siguen sus publicaciones en el blog, pero uno de ellos provocó una reacción, al acusar [ru] a Nosik de adoptar una postura «poco apropiada para la televisión», argumentando que atacó a Rogozin muy al principio del programa, sin «matices» y sin establecer primero el contexto de sus críticas. Nosik contestó [ru] diciendo que nunca se ha encontrado esos problemas en los cientos de entrevistas que ha concedido a otros canales de televisión a lo largo de los últimos veinte años.
Aunque es cierto que ORT aún tiene que emitir o publicar en su sitio web la intervención de Nosik, su entrevista de 30 minutos puede verse en el canal oficial de ORT en YouTube (ver arriba). Los problemas de la cadena con Nosik coinciden en la misma semana con otro escándalo de censura [ru] que afecta a un episodio no emitidos de «La red social», en el que los presentadores Vladislav Sorokin y Ekaterina Voronina se mofaban del reciente divorcio de Vladimir Putin, haciendo público elfalso perfil para citas [en] en <a href="http://mashable.com" rel="nofollow">mashable.com</a> del ahora soltero jefe de estado ruso. Cuando la cadena declinó emitir el episodio «por razones técnicas» [ru], Sorokin y Voronina anunciaron en Facebook [ru] que dimitirían del programa a final del mes.
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Brace yourself. The cyberwar is coming.
Since last week, when the world learned about PRISM, a vast and secret American electronic surveillance program, Russian state officials have expressed renewed concerns about foreign social networks posing a national security threat. One day after news of the U.S. program broke, on June 7, 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told [ru] reporters that websites like Facebook and Twitter are elements of a larger American campaign against Russia:
Через них идет мощнейшая манипуляция общественным мнением, ведь всякие “лайки” и прочие кнопки, которые вы там нажимаете, моментально вводят вас в определенные группы, которые потом анализируются, систематизируются. […] Тем самым увеличивается количество тех людей, которые начинают получать специальную контентную информацию, подрывающую авторитет власти и ценности государства. […]
Through them [American social networks], there’s a powerful, ongoing manipulation of public opinion—indeed, every “like” and every click instantly lands you in a certain group, which is then analyzed and classified. […] In doing so, rising is the number of people, who start receiving special content that undermines the authority and value of the state. […]
Dmitry Rogozin, as Russian Ambassador to NATO and Special Envoy on missile defense, 29 June 2011, photo by Security & Defence Agenda, CC 2.0.
Just yesterday, June 11, in a letter [ru] to Rogozin and other security figures, Duma deputy Ilya Kostunov called for tighter regulations on state officials’ Internet activity, based on the worry that Russian bureaucrats commonly discuss or upload government secrets in communications hosted on American websites (namely, Google’s email service, Gmail). In an exchange [ru] on Twitter, Kostunov discussed the possible implementation of his proposed regulations, running into some disagreement about the need for additional legislation and the proper criminal classification of uploading secret materials to a foreign Web host.
Communications expert Petr Pervushkin argued [ru] that a closed virtual network for private communications has already existed in the Russian government for seven years, though another Twitter user put that figure [ru] closer to four years. Just Russia party functionary Aleksandr Luchin noted that rules are already in place to forbid discussing state secrets on Internet sites like Google and Facebook, but acknowledged [ru] that regulations fail to set penalties. Luchin proposed tying such infractions to the criminal codes against disclosing state secrets (though he didn't specify [ru] if he had in mind Article 283 or 284, which threaten maximum imprisonment up to four and three years, respectively), whereas Kostunov has advocated equating such behavior with treason (article 275), which carries a prison sentence up to twenty years. (This push for classifying the offense under treason prompted <a href="http://qz.com" rel="nofollow">qz.com</a> reporter Leo Mirani to declare, perhaps hyperbolically, that Russia is “stepping up its war on social networks.”)
Meanwhile, blogger and RuNet guru Anton Nosik claims [ru] that station management refused to air his recent appearance on OTR, Russia’s all-new public broadcasting television channel, when during the recording he criticized Rogozin’s comments about the supposed American cyberwar against Russia. Nosik took part in an episode of the show “The Social Network,” answering a series of RuNet-related questions that began with one about Rogozin's remarks. After four days of silence following his visit to the studio, Nosik took to LiveJournal for a second time to discuss [ru] the curious absence from OTR's official website [ru] of his appearance:
Как я и предполагал, моё интервью […] не попал ни в их загадочный эфир, ни даже на сайт. Потому что, как выясняется, для этого супернезависимого телеканала неприкасаемыми фигурами являются не только Путин и Собянин, но и вице-премьер Рогозин. Самое время Общественному телевидению открывать программы про кошечек, собачек и кулинарию.
As I expected, my interview […] has appeared nowhere in [the station’s] mysterious feed, or even on the website. Because, it turns out, for this super-independent TV channel, the untouchable figures aren’t limited to Putin and Sobyanin, but even include Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin. OTR might as well launch shows about kitties, doggies, and cooking.
Nosik doesn’t often respond to the hundreds of reader comments that follow his blog posts, but one audience member did provoke a reaction, when he accused [ru] Nosik of adopting an approach “inappropriate to television,” arguing that he attacked Rogozin too early in the broadcast, without “nuance” or first establishing the context of his criticism. Nosik wrote back [ru] to say that he’s never encountered such problems in the hundreds of interviews he’s granted to other TV channels over the past twenty years.
While it’s true that OTR has yet to air or even post to its website Nosik’s segment, his thirteen-minute interview is accessible on OTR’s official YouTube channel (see above). The station’s troubles with Nosik come the same week as another censorship scandal [ru] surrounding a different unaired episode of “The Social Network,” wherein hosts Vladislav Sorokin and Ekaterina Voronina poked fun at Vladimir Putin’s recent divorce, sharing mashable.com’s faux dating profile for Russia’s now-single head-of-state. When the station declined to telecast the episode “for technical reasons” [ru], Sorokin and Voronina announced on Facebook [ru] that they would resign from the show at the end of the month.
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WASHINGTON, May 31, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On June 18-20, 2013, Esperanza, one of the country's most prominent Hispanic organizations, will host its Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference featuring many of today's most renowned Evangelical musicians and celebrities.
This year's entertainers include:
- Marcos Witt (National Prayer Breakfast emcee) – Five-time Latin Grammy award-winning singer | Christian pastor
- Daniel Calveti – Singer | Latin Grammy Awards nominee | Two-time nominee for Best Songwriter of the Year by Premios Arpa
- Christine D'Clario – 2012 Dove Award nominated artist
- Myrka Dellanos – Author and journalist | Spokesperson to "Yo Soy Segundo"
- Jaime Jorge – Internationally acclaimed violinist
- Jessica – Gospel singer
- Julissa – Singer | Dove Awards nominee
- Tony Plana – Actor for hit TV series "24," "Ugly Betty," and "Desperate Housewives" | Spokesperson, Comprehensive Immigration Reform
- Others
Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr., president and CEO of Esperanza, said, "I believe that music brings people together and closer to their faith -- which is why I'm so pleased that our conference will feature so many of today's most popular Gospel artists. We will worship together, pray together, and act together."
The biannual conference, one of the largest gatherings of Hispanic clergy, community leaders and activists in the nation, will focus on immigration reform, housing, hunger and nutrition, education, and other fundamental issues. Invited guests include the President of the United States, Democratic and Republican elected officials, national corporate, academic, and faith leaders from across the nation, and others.
Other confirmed speakers include: Chair of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus; Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Archbishop of San Juan,Robert Octavio Gonzalez Nieves; and many others.
The Conference will take place on Tues. and Wed., June 18-19 at the Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St NW, Washington, DC, 20036, beginning at 12:30 p.m. On Wed., June 19, check-in and breakfast will begin at 8 a.m., with Capitol Hill briefings and congressional visits to follow. The Esperanza Partners & Awards Dinner will take place on Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
On Thursday, June 20, the conference will move to the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20240, with check-in beginning at 6:00 a.m. and the official 2013 National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast beginning at 7:00 a.m. A prayer room will be open throughout the conference. For detailed scheduling information, visit:
To learn more or register, visit: esperanzanhpb.com. Full 3-day ticket price is $285. For the Prayer Breakfast only on Thursday, June 20, 2013, tickets are $165. Please note special registration directions at bottom of registration form.
SOURCE Esperanza
RELATED LINKS
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Click to enlarge. (Max Fisher/Washington Post)
The Supreme Court just issued two landmark rulings on rights for same-sex couples in the United States. First, it struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that denied federal benefits to same-sex couples. And, second, it declined to overrule the California state Supreme Court’s earlier decision upholding the state’s same-sex civil unions.
Both rulings are a big step forward for American same-sex couples and advocates of greater LGBT rights. But how does the United States compare with the rest of the world on gay rights? The short answer is that same-sex marriage rights are weaker in the United States than they are in much of the Western world. But the longer answer is more complicated and quite revealing.
The map at the top of this page shows where same-sex marriages and civil unions are legal. It also shows countries on the opposite end of the gay rights spectrum: where laws criminalize homosexuality or, in a few extreme cases, allow the state to sentence homosexuals to death.
Where gay marriage is legal: Mostly Europe, some interesting outliers
The list of countries that grant full gay marriage rights is pretty short: 14 countries in all.
Most of those are in Western Europe: France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Belgium and the Netherlands. They’re joined by two other Western countries: New Zealand and Canada. Also on the list is South Africa, famous for its progressive (but politically controversial) gay rights laws. And in South America, perhaps the most gay-friendly part of the world outside of Europe, both Argentina and Uruguay allow gay marriage. Brazil also looks like it might be on the verge.
Those countries are joined by 12 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. That’s actually pretty significant. It means that, even though most of the United States does not allow same-sex marriage, the country as a whole grants those rights to a relatively huge number of people. In all, 56.9 million Americans live in the states with same-sex marriage rights. That’s the population of Italy, which does not allow even same-sex unions.
Where civil unions are legal: Europe, South America, the U.S.
This legal middle-ground seems to be most popular in Central Europe and South America, as well as the United States. The rights granted to civil union partnerships vary widely between countries; they tend to be strongest in the United States and weakest in Central Europe.
Same-sex civil unions or some version are legal in 13 European countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom. Some of Europe’s civil union rights, such as in Slovenia and Hungary, are quite weak compared to those in other countries. It’s also permitted in three Latin countries: Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. That’s it; not a long list.
The eight U.S. states that permit civil unions have a combined population of 78.7 million people. That’s about as many people as live in Iran or Turkey.
The U.S. grants a huge number of people same-sex union rights
This is part of what makes today’s Supreme Court decisions such a big deal. The court appears to have affirmed the rights of some 135.6 million Americans, who live in states that have passed such measures, to access same-sex marriages or civil unions.
That’s a huge number, roughly the same as the populations of Japan or Russia, neither of which permits same-sex unions.
It’s a reminder that, even if the United States is in aggregate behind many Western European countries on gay-marriage rights, it still grants those rights to way more people than does any one Western European country.
Homosexuality criminalized in 76 countries
A 2011 United Nations report found that dozens of countries have and enforce laws that criminalize private homosexual acts, a staggering number. That’s far, far more countries than allow same-sex unions (although many of those countries are quite small so the number of people effected is not as disproportionate). Most of them are in Africa and the Middle East, although they’re joined by some Caribbean and Southeast Asian nations.
Five of those 76 countries include laws permitting the state to hand out the death penalty for homosexuality: Mauritania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iran.
I’ve included this information on the above map to convey that, even as some parts of the world are progressing rapidly on a key area of gay rights, other parts are still so hostile to the issue that simply being a member of this social class is considered a serious crime.
Popular attitudes toward homosexuality tend to be overwhelmingly negative in these regions.
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Passengers on any cruise that travels outside the U.S. (including the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico) are required to have a valid passport.(Photo: Patrick Semansky AP)
A cruise ship is akin to a secure building open 24 hours a day. So naturally, there are security rules and regulations that need to be followed. You can't get aboard a cruise ship these days without proper documentation, especially in a post-9/11 environment where the possibility of a terrorist attack is something cruise lines take very seriously and have even planned for. Once you're onboard, as a passenger you'll be briefed on what to do in the event of an emergency — even one not quite as serious as the Costa Concordia disaster in 2012. There are also requirements when you go ashore in foreign countries and rules that need to be followed when you're welcomed back to the U.S. Ignoring any of this can mean hassles, if not danger.
Cruise Documents:
No more than a week before your cruise (typically a month before) you'll either receive your printed cruise documents in the mail —including your air ticket and transfers if you booked through the cruise line — or be directed to print all that online. The number of documents you will receive varies; consult your line's website to make sure you got everything you need. If you're missing anything, contact your line or travel agent immediately. You'll run into major delays at the pier if you don't have your boarding documents — don't forget them!
Note: To comply with Department of Homeland Security regulations that require them to submit passenger manifests, most lines are now requiring passengers to complete a form online (name, address, and passport information) at least 3 days prior to sailing. If you don't do this you'll not only encounter hassles at the pier, but may be denied boarding.
Required ID, Passports & Visas:
To board any cruise that travels outside the U.S. (including to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Canada) passengers are required to have proof of citizenship. The easiest form of ID is a passport; if you don't have one, get one. For information on obtaining one in the U.S., consult the U.S. State Department. If you already have a passport, note that most lines require that it have 6 months of validity left on it after you complete your trip (some ports of call require that as well in order for you to disembark).
That said, if you're sailing out of a U.S. port and your cruise begins and ends in the same port — and you are cruising to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexican Riviera, or Bermuda — you can get away with just a government-issued birth certificate or original Naturalization Certificate, plus a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license). Passengers who are not U.S. citizens, but live in the U.S. also need to bring their alien card.
Read the rules for your specific sailing carefully and well in advance so you can obtain the necessary papers. For any trips involving international air travel, you will definitely need a passport and, in some cases, a visa as well. Some places that require Americans to have a visa include Australia, Turkey, China, India, and many countries in the Middle East (be aware that some of the latter will deny visas to anyone who has an Israeli stamp of entry on their passport). If you have any questions about needing a visa when visiting a specific overseas port, consult your cruise line and/or travel agent well in advance, as it can take time to apply for one. To eliminate hassle, it's a good idea to work with a visa service such as VisaHQ. Yes, they charge a fee, but it's worth it when you're dealing with an application that's downright complicated (such as that for Russia or Brazil) and that won't be approved if you mess anything up.
If you are traveling with kids there may be additional documentation requirements, depending on the region you're sailing in. For instance, if one parent brings a child into Canada, they need to have a notarized letter from the other parent saying that's okay.
Security Details:
All the cruise lines have dedicated security forces that function as police on the ship. They monitor everything that comes onboard (passengers, crew, luggage, supplies), searching for banned items such as weapons and drugs. But their job goes beyond that. They are called on to do everything from break up fights to investigate robberies and even more serious crimes, and are trained in counter-?terrorism measures too.
Writing the security plans are highly trained experts, including former Navy SEALs and former FBI officials. As you board your ship, the person checking your ID likely has a police or military security background — some ships even employ Nepalese Gurkha fighters as security personnel. In addition, ship officers are trained to react to takeover attempts. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a safety zone around the ship while dock and as it's leaving port.
In response to some highly publicized cases of missing persons on ships, the Cruise Vessel Security & Safety Act (link launches PDF) signed by President Obama in 2010 requires cruise lines operating in the U.S. to take various safety measures shipboard, including immediately reporting serious crimes (including rapes) and missing persons to U.S. authorities and properly collecting evidence. The United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) is developing similar guidelines.
Security at the Pier:
All passengers go through security before getting onboard the ship and again when boarding at each port of call. This includes putting your hand luggage on a belt to be x-rayed and walking through a metal detector (like you'd find at the airport, though you don't have to take off your shoes).
Most lines digitally photograph passengers as part of the check-in process, so they can ID you every time you get on or off the ship — the system also allows them to know who is onboard at any given time.
In the terminal, you may notice dogs, and they are there mostly to screen luggage for drugs (there have been isolated incidents of cruise ships used for drug smuggling). Naturally, the cruise lines don't like to reveal too many details of their security methods.
Many cruise lines ban passengers from bringing their own alcohol onboard and will remove bottles from your hand or checked luggage (you'll get them back at the end of the cruise). This includes any booze you might buy at a port of call. Screeners are also looking for weapons and any other banned items (check the cruise line's website for specifics).
U.S. Customs:
Customs regulations vary wildly among countries. Those flying to and cruising out of international destinations will have all sorts of customs and immigration rigmarole to go through; check your destination's Customs website for specifics. For those cruising out of the U.S. and returning to the U.S. (including San Juan, Puerto Rico), you'll need to clear Customs at the end of your cruise.
Here's the skinny: The cruise lines usually distribute Customs forms towards the end of your trip. You need to fill out a form ID-ing yourself (one form per family), declaring how much you spent abroad on stuff that you're bringing back into the U.S. Do keep receipts for anything you declare on your form to be on the safe side.
The process of clearing Customs at ports is typically easy and painless — you hand off your form and walk through. But there are restrictions on what you can bring in:
The standard duty-free allowance is $800 per person ($1,600 for goods bought in the U.S. Virgin Islands). If you spend more you need to declare it and pay duty. Alcohol is limited to 1 liter per adult. Cigarettes are limited to 1 carton per adult. Cigars are limited to 100 total (no Cubans, or you face stiff fines if you're caught with them). Fresh fruit and vegetables (including those from the ship), plants, and most meat and meat products are banned.
Don't try to pull a fast one on Customs. You can get into all sorts of trouble, including sizeable fines, if you break the rules. For specific restrictions consult the U.S. Customs Service.
Cruise Safety Tips:
Traditionally safety-at-sea issues have included an occasional hurricane, fire, gastrointestinal illness, and theft. But 2012's deadly Costa Concordia accident off the coast of Italy has been embedded in many brains — the image of the 3,780-passenger Italian ship on its side shown on TV screens everywhere. Modern cruise ships are not supposed to hit rocks and sink.
A fire aboard the Carnival Triumph this year that knocked out power – and left passengers and crew stranded at sea without such basic services as toilets – has led to a number of changes at that cruise line, including the addition of back-up generators on all of that line's two dozen ships. But the fact that Carnival had to spend $300 million to make improvements has some people shaking their heads – including Washington lawmakers pushing for tougher standards.
Does the incident mean cruising isn't safe? The reality is between the time the Titanic went down in the Atlantic in 1912, causing the deaths of more than 1,500 people, and the Concordia incident, in which 32 passengers and crew perished, very few people have died or been injured on cruise ships. In fact, accidents of any kind on cruise ships are extremely rare. No one was injured on Triumph.
That said, one of your friends or relatives or co-workers will likely ask as you plan your cruise if cruising is safe. You can reassure them by citing the statistic that 17.2 million people safely cruised on North American cruise lines in 2012. And you might mention that the industry, after the Concordia incident, promptly adopted new safety measures — including requiring passenger safety drills before every ship leaves port.
You can also reassure yourself by climbing aboard ship knowing some important safety considerations.
Steps for Staying Safe:
- Read the back of your cabin door. Here you'll find the route to your assigned muster station (the place you go if there's a ship-wide emergency and you may need to abandon ship).
- Memorize your muster station, indicated by a big letter (A, B, etc.) on the back of your cabin door and also printed on the lifejackets in your closet (and sometimes on your keycard too).
- Watch the safety video on your in-cabin TV. Attend the mandatory safety drill and actually listen (this is not the time to joke around and snap photos of your pals in their orange lifejackets).
- If you're not required to bring your lifejacket to the drill, try it on in your cabin and make sure it fits.
- If you have kids, make sure your cabin is equipped with an appropriate infant or child lifejacket.
- If there is an emergency, stay calm. Listen carefully to instructions and act accordingly.
Register your name:
If you are traveling overseas, before you leave home register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a free and service operated by the U.S. State Department. This will allow government officials to assist you in the event of an emergency.
Follow Fire Safety Rules:
The biggest concern on cruise ships is not crashing into rocks or icebergs, but fire. Rules established by the International Maritime Organization require smoke detectors, sprinklers, and other fire safety measures on cruise ships.
If you smell smoke, alert a crew member immediately. In the rare cases when there is a fire it's typically isolated to the engine room. Thanks to onboard fire squads (three to five firefighting teams on large ships) and advanced firefighting equipment, fires rarely pose a threat to passengers. But if a ship's engines get knocked out — again a rare occurrence — it could disrupt your itinerary. The Concordia's sister ship Allegra, for example, suffered a fire that left it dead in the water off the Seychelles in February 2012.
Passengers need to play their part too, smoking only in designated areas, disposing of cigarettes properly (fires have been caused by passengers throwing butts over the side of ships), and not doing things like trying to make your cabin look sexy by lighting candles.
Stay Vigilant:
You're on vacation — woohoo! But just because you're in the mood for some R&R doesn't mean you can totally let your guard down. Cruise ships, especially the larger ones, are essentially floating towns. As at home, you'll want to avoid risky behavior such as consuming large amounts of alcohol or letting strangers into your cabin. Be mindful of your own safety. Always lock your cabin door. If you have valuables, keep them in the safe. If you are the victim of a crime, alert the ship's security officer immediately.
Brief the Kids:
Make sure to review safety procedures with your kids. Talk to younger kids about the danger of climbing on railing. Talk to both younger and older kids about strangers. Again, they need to use the same caution they would at home.
Be Aware in Rough Seas:
Modern cruise ships are fast enough to outrun hurricanes, but occasionally ships encounter rough seas, sometimes for no visible reason whatsoever. If your ship is rockin' and rollin', you can do yourself a favor — and avoid injury — by not wearing high heels, holding on to handrails, and avoiding open deck areas. If your captain comes on the ships PA system with additional advice, you're wise to listen. Very occasionally that advice will be to stay in your cabin — in which case your crew will deliver meals (for those with iron stomachs who still feel like eating). Oh, and don't even think about re-enacting the famous "hang over the railing" scene from Titanic, even in the best of weather.
Stay Healthy:
Cruise ships are often unfairly blamed for the gastrointestinal disease norovirus. The reality is, you can also get the stomach bug — which causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea—in many large-scale settings, from hotels to schools. Ships are often associated with it because cruise lines are uniquely required to report outbreaks to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as part of a Vessel Sanitation Program.
The virus is spread through hand-to-hand contact and by touching surfaces handled by someone who hasn't washed their hands. To avoid noro, become best friends with the convenient stations dispensing antibacterial gel near food areas shipboard, and be sure to wash your hands every chance you get, especially before you eat.
-- Fran Golden is a former travel editor of the Boston Herald. She's lived in both Boston and the 'burbs, and even though she's since moved on from the Hub she keeps close ties to her favorite city. Follow Fran at getawaywithfran.com.
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