I just listened to this on WBUR in Boston. Apparantly there was a 60 year old woman who had to be restrained. She had a screwdriver and a note referencing "Al Queda". WTF?

She had a screwdriver...

Sounds like she had more than one. That's why they shouldn't serve alchohol on these flights...

geez. i'm waiting for more details to be released and am trying to keep an open mind, but i just keep thinking that this 'suspicion' is getting out of control. Next time my grandmother who's wearing a white sari says 'Al-hamdulilahi' or 'bismillah' because she enjoyed a good meal on a flight (we're hindu but have lived in arab lands all our lives so we often say this in our household), for all we know, her neighbor could report her for 'suspicious behavior' and the flight could be diverted.

Next time my grandmother who's wearing a white sari says 'Al-hamdulilahi' or 'bismillah' because she enjoyed a good meal on a flight (we're hindu but have lived in arab lands all our lives so we often say this in our household),

Not to worry. There are no good meals on airline flights ;)

Only terrorists and their sympathizers wear Shalwar Kameez.

I am in Boston right now, got here yesterday. Trains are the way to go in this crazy world.

ps if the train breaks down, it just stops moving...let that marinate

To dismay
"Next time my grandmother who's wearing a white sari says 'Al-hamdulilahi' or 'bismillah' because she enjoyed a good meal on a flight.... for all we know, her neighbor could report her for 'suspicious behavior' and the flight could be diverted"
My Mom just came from India to Toronto - she does Japuji saheb paath atleast twice a day - inflight she did on both legs of the journey, wearing a salwar kameez like any punjabi would. My dad right next to her. Throughout the flight and at the airports (in Europe) they had absolutely no problems and were treated no differently. If you treat others with dignity and respect that is what you get in return. If you try to be arrogant, rude and demeaning to others, then definitely dont complain to be ostracized.

They had absolutely no problems and were treated no differently. If you treat others with dignity and respect that is what you get in return. If you try to be arrogant, rude and demeaning to others, then definitely dont complain to be ostracized.

OK!

Claustrophobic she was that led to the bedlam. People - also we need to understand, this world is not ones personal fiefdom. ok!

People - also we need to understand, this world is not ones personal fiefdom. ok!

Macacas are like that only. Please don't complain to be ostracized. OK!

If you treat others with dignity and respect that is what you get in return. If you try to be arrogant, rude and demeaning to others, then definitely dont complain to be ostracized.

Yes, true. But part of the problem here is the misinterpretation of behavior and cultural [in]sensitivity. Another thought that just struck me is that South Asians, in general, tend to stare. That can certainly make people uncomfortable, but right now, in an atmosphere of "heightened alertness" ... maybe it could yield more extreme reactions from paranoid passengers and passerbys. when my in-laws were recently visiting from india, my husband had a talk with them about "why not to stare." i laughed at the time, but now it strikes me that even small cultural variances like this can be taken out of context. i don't suppose airlines could make a new video that addresses the 'old' airline safety (belts, life jackets) as well as 'new' airline safety - when it makes sense to panic vs. not, cultural sensitivity, etc. ... yeah i know, that's not happening ... but i can dream ...

OK just heard on NPR, even White House made a statement:
"No indication of terrorism"

You can post breaking news about airplanes, but not about Indra.

This is one of those (now constant) failures of the press. There were no matches, no vaseline, and no al Qaeda note, An older lady got claustrophobic and freaked out on the plane. Could have happened to anyone's auntie, what with standing in line for four hours trying to board a plane, being stripped of your lotions and shampoos, having to remove your shoes, having your bags and your person searched, not really knowing what's going on or why. Fighter jets scrambled to intercept an airliner because an old lady had a panic attack. This is the world we live in.

From the Huffington Post:

"BOSTON - Fighter jets escorted a London-to-Washington, D.C., flight to Boston's Logan airport Wednesday after the pilot declared an emergency because an apparently claustrophobic passenger caused a disturbance, a federal official said.

The federal security official said there was no indication of terrorism and denied reports that the woman had a screw driver, matches and a note referring to al-Qaida."

Okay, so what was the FREAKING SOURCE of the "matches, vaseline and Al-Qaida"? Silly me, after Judith Miller, I thought they'd ask before just writing shit down. Jokes on me.

Poor woman.

Reminds me of a friend's story: traveling once on an internal flight in TamilNad, one veshti-clad uncle on his first air flight ever had the seat next to him.

When they hit bad turbulence (something which freaks me out too), the poor guy stood up and said "This is awful. I'm getting off."

ps if the train breaks down, it just stops moving...let that marinate

Uh, yeah, unless it gets derailed, in which case you're fu**ed.

You can post breaking news about airplanes, but not about Indra.

I do what I can, in what little time I have. Thanks for your understanding.

Their reaction was a little OTT, but frankly I can't blame them considering 9/1l, Bali, London, Madrid, Mumbai and recently the foiled plot again in the UK.

Is news about Indra being blacked out because she is a FOB?

Is news about Indra being blacked out because she is a FOB?

Nice name there - "FOBini" :-)

Uh, yeah, unless it gets derailed, in which case you're fu**ed.

still better than falling 15000 feet or whatever the altitude is

Is news about Indra being blacked out because she is a FOB?

no, it's because she's a macaca!

Is news about Indra being blacked out because she is a FOB?

I ask this in all sincerity...what would you rather have: a truly shitty post about Indira "just so we get to it" as if we're checking it off some list (?!) or a bit of a lag before we cover it, which, truthfully might mean that it gets eclipsed by other stories, since there are only so many of us and so much time? WE DO NOT BLOG FULL-TIME. If something doesn't get covered, it has nothing to do with wrongly perceived anti-fob proclivities or ANYTHING else nefarious that your imagination can contrive, it has to do with us having jobs, other responsibilities and a pathetically human need for sleep.

This is exactly why we created our news tab-- so stories could get the visibility they deserve, regardless of our schedules. Considering that the Nooyi story has been posted no less than a dozen times, I think people are paying attention.

it's because she's a macaca!

dude, this is going to be as overused as "show me the money" in brown cirkles.

dude, this is going to be as overused as "show me the money" in brown cirkles.

show me the monkey!

:P

Is news about Indra being blacked out because she is a FOB?

Blacked out? I keep seeing bulletins posted on the "news" section referencing a different newspaper articles ever since the story initially broke. I was wondering if people even use the "search" function before posting...

dude, this is going to be as overused as "show me the money" in brown cirkles.

And let the world forever know that it was all because of good "ole Johnny Reb" Allen...

Since I'm in the mood to share...micaca es sucaca.

micaca es sucaca.

Pure genius. If I didn't already have one of my own, I'd ask you to be macaca.

p.s. You're a bunch of self-hating macacas. I can't believe you haven't covered the Dhorasoo story yet.

Blacked out? I keep seeing bulletins posted on the "news" section referencing a different newspaper articles ever since the story initially broke. I was wondering if people even use the "search" function before posting...

THANK YOU.

remember the one-hit wonders Macaca Daddy and Daddy Macaca? they used to wear their dhotis backwards... too bad no one could tell the difference.

show me the monkey!

That was a good one.

For all the Indira fans check out this post and look for the related reading link.

::: That was a good one.
::: For all the Indira fans check out this post and look for the related reading link.

She has the same wonderful smile today.

There was an old lady from Delhi
Who wanted some chai in her belly
She started to run when the plane had none
And soon she was all over the telly

OK, i tried (badly, yaar) and could not work macaca into it! ;-)))

PS - It's Indra, not Indira. I wonder what she makes of the Pepsi-cide claims in the Des?

remember the one-hit wonders Macaca Daddy and Daddy Macaca? they used to wear their dhotis backwards... too bad no one could tell the difference.

dude, this is going to be as overused as "show me the money" in brown cirkles.

It doesnt matter because it's still funny! Siddhartha's 'no, it's because she's a macaca!' has me laughing out loud!

tamasha, red snapper, y'all are too kind. we aim to entertain here at the mutiny. or as emma goldman famously said, "if i can't dance, i won't be part of your revolution!"

Perhaps one of you can clarify...if a passenger has a psychotic episode, say caused by an acute metabolic problem or another medical problem, and goes somewhat haywire, or plain just gets sick on a flight [and let's make this "passenger" brown], does that mean there's a good chance he/she will get charged with interfering in a flight, even though perhaps the flight crew overreact to a "medical" situation?

Maybe you want to update the blog with this news link fits more with "south asian" connections..

Catherine Mayo, of Braintree, Vt., muttered incoherently, occasionally saying "Pakistan," as she paced up and down the aisle of United Flight 923 on Wednesday, passengers said. She was eventually tackled by two plainclothes men and flight attendants, who threw her to the ground and handcuffed her, passengers said.