An International Flight Attendant for a legacy US Carrier that loves his job. Often wishes he could have flown in the Golden Years with all the glam, but enjoys what he does.
Will blog about Drum & Bugle Corps' and Marching Bands too (especially in the summer and fall)
With all the hoopla surrounding the new TSA Pat-Down procedures, I laughed hard to see how much this angered a few people who have quickly forgotten Richard Reid, the alleged "Shoe Bomber" in February 2002, or just recently, the 2009 Christmas Day "Underwear Bomber" who tried to take down a Delta Air Lines jet when it approached the U.S. soil.
I can understand the inconsistencies we, as travelers, see from the TSA, however the public needs to understand that there are extremists from other countries are out to kill thousands of innocent U.S. individuals, just because we live here in the U.S..
These extreme groups don't just target the military, they target the innocent. In past wars, only those that wore the uniform of an opposing country would be targets. Now, it's a no-holes-barred. I am thankful that there haven't been any attacks over the U.S. soil, but this doesn't mean that the threat isn't there.
Many people try to say that the TSA isn't doing their jobs with these attempts, however, what these same people are forgetting, the "Shoe Bomber" and the "Underwear Bomber" originated OUTSIDE of the U.S.. Even British Airways boss rips the U.S. on our security (or lack of).
So this brings to question....What kind of security does the U.S. need? Do we need the National Guard roaming the airports with machine guns at the ready? Do we need a mirrored model of El Al security where they approach a passenger, is time-consuming, and is "racist": the profilers have a conversation with each passenger; as an Israeli Jew, they usually get the abbreviated treatment -- focusing more on where their bags have been since they packed them. As a foreigner, you get a much more in-depth grilling. As a Muslim? They want to know your shoe size, and then a whole 'nother screener comes over and asks you everything all over again, just to see that you keep your story straight. Like they say in the article above, the conversations they have are not so much about what you say as how you say it. The screeners are taught to iterate a few levels deep into your story and see that it doesn't break down under scrutiny.
I personally would LOVE to see security mirror what was shown in the 1990s movie 'Total Recall'. In the movie, where passengers were going to Mars, passengers walk through an X-Ray passageway. This system should make airport security quicker and more effective. Another point to make, you keep your luggage with you and don't have to put it onto an x-ray belt.
Another item that the news media fail to inform the flying public, is that the TSA Body Image Scanners do NOT store images. I can understand how the news can be misleading, allowing viewers to believe that the images view are stored, and are capable of being sold to a Third Party then your 'image' is plastered all over the internet. This statement is simply FALSE.
I can also understand the 'not knowing' how much radiation we are being exposed to. Sure, these machines are new, and they haven't been thoroughly tested, however according to the FDA, "Health risks are minuscule"
Maybe they should give radiation detection strips to airline crews, and/or the most frequent fliers to showcase how much radiation they're being exposed to.
One of the great aspects for working for a large corporation (American Airlines) with a huge diversity in employee's, they make great strides to be GLBT friendly, not only for it's employee's, but for it's customers too. American has been recognized by HRC as 2010's Best Places to Work for the GLBT Community 9th year running.
Over the years, AA.com has gone through many changes which does include the GLBT community. If you are an AAdvantage member, they recently introduced several new and customer-friendly enhancements to AA.com® that will provide all of AAdvantage® customers a more personalized experience. The enhancements have been added to the My Account section of AA.com and give customers the ability to select preferred Travel Destinations, Travel Products, and Travel Interests.
American Airlines site has a specific travel site for the GLBT community. If you would like to book your travel, you can visit American Airlines Gay and Lesbian Travel Rainbow.
We all know that in middle school, kids pick on each other because they are 'different'. It's always been a fact of life that when a boy acts more feminine, he is made fun of, or someone who is slow is called 'challenged', or even being part of the Boy or Girl Scouts is just lame. (Hey, I was a proud Star Scout and worked at an awesome Boy Scout Camp for 4 summers)
However, on 6 October 1998, Matthew Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming, met Aaron James McKinney and Russel Arthur Henderson in a bar. After Shepard admitted he was gay, they talked him into leaving with them, at which point they drove to a secluded location outside Laramie, stole his wallet, tied him to a fence, pistol-whipped him senseless, and left him for dead in freezing weather. He was discovered 18 hours later, his unconscious body initially mistaken for a scarecrow.
Shepard died from his injuries six days later, and was promptly made an example of by the idiot Reverend Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, who claimed divine retribution had killed Shepard for the sin of being a homosexual. Phelps and his flock picketed Shepard's funeral on 17 October 1998, holding signs proclaiming "GOD HATES FAGS" and similar slogans, later installing a "memorial" on the church website which proclaims: Matthew Shepard has been in hell for 2102 days. Eternity - 2102 days = Eternity.
There have been many great strides in the GLBT community since the horrible death of Matthew Shepard. Of course, during my short life span, this was the most important event that I can remember where there had been a horrible, senseless beating of a gay individual.
Sure we can look over time and see many senseless killings, but none outraged the GLBT community since the horrible death of San Francisco Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. I was only six years old then, but I do remember seeing the candle light vigil being aired on the nightly news. I didn't know what it was for, just that someone had died, and people were protesting. Now I know. It's tied to hatred. It's tied to jealously. It's tied to not being educated. It's tied to bigotry. It's tied to people like Phelps spreading hatred. Isn't he a man of 'God'? Isn't he suppose to spread what's in the Bible...Love Thy Neighbor? Where is Phelps when married people commit adultery? Where is Phelps when individuals murder innocent people for money, alcohol, or drugs?
Here we are, over 32yrs later from Milk's senseless murder, we still have hatred towards the Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Transgendered people. WHY? Why is it that so many people hate the GLBT community? Why is it that parents can't properly educate their kids that being GAY is O-K?
Many people like to quote the Bible on what God thinks of Gays...well, let's look at those who commit Adultery....
The seventh of the Ten Commandments, which God spake in the long ago, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" Exodus 20:14. This has always been God's law. We are told in I John 3:4, that sin is the transgression of God's law, therefore, to commit adultery is to transgress God's law, and therefore, sin. Not only has God forbidden adultery, but the son of God himself said, "Whoso looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" Matthew 5:28. If the adulterous thought is sin, surely the adulterous act is sin. The Holy Spirit through the inspired apostle has told us plainly that adultery is a sin. Peter described some sinners of his day as having "eyes full of adultery, that cannot cease from sin" II Peter 2:14. Paul warned the Corinthians to "flee fornication" I Corinthians 6:18.
We are living in an age where sin is portrayed as a mere illness of the body or mind; when sin is denied or laughed off, when sin is rationalized as merely doing one's own thing, or doing what comes naturally. But a belief in the Holy God and respect for the authority of his word demands that adultery be recognized and acknowledged for what it is . . . sin.
The seriousness of the sin of adultery can be seen in several ways. Under the law of Moses the penalty was death by stoning. (Deuteronomy 22:21 ff, John 8:4,5). Again, the only ground that God gave for divorcing one's mate was sexual immorality. He said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery. And whosoever marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery" Matthew 5:32. But the seriousness of adultery is seen most clearly in the eternal punishment of those who commit the sin. An impenitent adulterer cannot go to heaven. Ephesians 5:5 says: " "No whoremonger, no unclean person hath an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God." And in Colossians 3:6, we are told that because fornication, uncleanness, and inordinate affection, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.
So, with so many people who commit adultery, why aren't they stoned to death? How many political figures have been 'caught' red-handed with someone other than their spouse, yet they only get a slap on the hand, and continue with their lives.
Fast forward to September, 2010. There were six teen suicides across the country due to hate crimes. Why?
Asher Brown took his own life with his stepfather's 9 mm Beretta, after being bullied. There was no suicide note. Seth Walsh died 10 days after trying to hang himself for being tormented by classmates. Justin Aaberg hanged himself after suffering the torment of high school bullying, and after breaking up with his boyfriend. This one is a bit more close to home since it was here in Minnesota. Yet, Anoka High has seen five students kill themselves in the past year; three of those suicides are believed to be tied to struggles with sexual identities. And yet the Anoka-Hennepin School District continues to rail against specifically calling out LGBT bullying. Billy Lucas hung himself in his families barn after being called "FAG" one too many times. Tyler Clementi who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in NY after two dormmates broadcast live on the Internet him getting intimate with another guy in his dorm room. Raymond Chase hung himself in his dorm room Wednesday night.
As if this wasn't enough bullying, I find out today that the Assistant Attorney General of Michigan, Andrew Shirvell, is bullying and harassing University of Michigan's Student Body President with homophobic and other horrible slurs. This idiot even tries to go onto Anderson Cooper 360 to talk about it. I'm sorry, but if you are a public official, then truly, you have no 'personal' time, let alone any time to harass ANYONE about their sexual orientation.
Another ignorant fool who posted an ill timed message on his twitter page, 50 Cent tweeted that
"If you a man and your over 25 and you don’t eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol.”
As I saw from another posted, maybe Fiddy-Cent and Kenya should get together and make babies...I'm sure they would come out perfect.
This has got to stop. Please, in order for this country to become the great nation it once was, we have got to stop this bullying, grow up, and educate. We have extremist groups out there that are attacking innocent people, yet, we are attacking each other here at home.
Lastly, I have to applaud Ellen Degeneres. She said it best in her show:
Just like years before, these Championships were destined to be a major event for the Marching Music's Major League. As a previous marcher in a top drum corps, and an avid follower of drum corps, I knew that these Finals were going to be an exciting one all the way to the end, and boy was it ever exciting!
I was only able to watch one live drum corps show this summer, and that was at the TCF Stadium at the University of Minnesota on July 17th. I was able to buy tickets for a few of my friends, and the day started out to be an outstanding day, with an outstanding event for Minnesota, however it soon became very trying for the fans as storms kept delaying the event, and eventually canceling the event prior to the last nine corps performing. It even was concluded with tornado sirens and continuous lightening after the torrential rain soaked the awesome field at TCF Stadium.
I was disappointed, however I watched a live broadcast on DCI'sThe Fant Network. It was a spectacular event watching the top 23 World Class Drum Corps fighting it to the Nth degree. All of the hard work the young kids have been working on drill design, music, and visual pageantry were pouring out of their hearts like nothing before. It was a sight not to be missed, and I thankfully was part of it.
The next two weeks were going to show how much endurance the thousands of kids marching the various drum corps had. Final drill changes, musical changes, wardrobe changes and non-stop hard work. Long practice days, long road trips, a bus break down here and there, but it all came to a conclusion on Saturday the 14th, where anything could happen. Many historical firsts came from corps who never scored so high in their entire corps history, or placements that were separated by mere tenths of a point.
Following are the results of the Top 6 World Class drum corps that placed on Saturday the 14th.
This program had been capturing the imagination of fans and judges alike all summer. Blue Devils powered their way to the top by sweeping all captions, and took 8 of the 10 judges in the finals along with... scoring 3 perfect 20's!
The Cavaliers came back strong with a show that blended what everyone loves best about Cavies, with some new and innovative effect moments that brought the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd to their feet multiple times. The Cavaliers were 2nd in all captions, and held a definitive spread of 1.35 from the 3rd place spot.
3rd 96.400Bluecoats"Metropolis: The Future is Now"
Throughout the season, Metropolis: The Future is Now was a fan favorite that drew cheers, laughter, and standing ovations at each performance. Capturing the bronze medal was once again one of the most competitive seasons in DCI history, and with record high scores and placement the most successful season in the history of this corps.
Once again a crowd favorite, and for the second straight year won the "DCI Fan Network Fan Favorite" award. Their entire presentation of had a sepia tone look and feel that added to their dramatic performance. Crown placed 4th in all captions, with highlights being a 1st place from one GE Music Judge and 2nd place in Music Ensemble.
Didn’t move up on Crown even though the corps scored 0.40 higher than the night before. Visual Effect took 3rd, but all other captions finished in 5th.
Added 0.60 from Quarterfinals and once again won Percussion. The next highest caption was 6th in Music Effect, with all other captions (other than 8th in Visual Effect) finishing in 7th.
So as you can see, it was an exciting evening of great drum corps. The other finalists of the evening were:
Santa Clara Vanguard (7th place – 91.90) added 0.55 to the total score, with the Percussion moving up from 10th to 7th. Brass and Music Ensemble took 8th, with all other captions either 6th or 7th.
Blue Stars (8th place – 92.05) added 0.40 from Quarterfinals, but since SCV and Regiment had similar advances, there was no movement between 6th, 7th and 8th overall. Lowest placement was 10th in Percussion and 9th in Color Guard, with other captions between 6th and 8th.
Boston Crusaders (9th place – 89.60) slipped 0.05 from Quarterfinals and was 9th or 10th in every caption except for 8th place in Percussion.
Madison Scouts (10th place – 89.20) went up 0.05 and was also 9th or 10th in all captions but Percussion, which took 12th, 0.60 under Crusaders’ line.
Blue Knights (11th place – 87.85) fell 0.55, took 12th in Color Guard and 11th in all other captions.
Glassmen (12th place – 86.50) fell 0.65, with Percussion in 9th and Brass in 14th. Other than that Brass placement and 13th in Visual Performance, all other captions were 11th or 12th.
Colts (13th – 84.65) dropped 0.05 and ended up in 13th for the fourth time since 2005. Only Visual Performance placed in the top-12 at 12th, and Percussion ended in 16th. Other captions were 13th or 14th.
The Academy (14th – 84.05) dropped 0.20, with Brass placing 12th and all other captions 13th through 15th, except Color Guard, which ended in 16th.
Troopers (15th – 83.35) slipped 0.85, the most of any corps. All captions finished 14th through 16th.
Spirit (16th – 81.45) fell 0.80 and was 15th through 17th in all captions.
Crossmen (17th – 80.90) added 0.10 to its score and took 16th or 17th in every caption except for Color Guard, which placed 15th.
Sure, we all know that air travel is getting more and more frustrating over the last few years. We can look back and see where the trend started when airlines started to charge for checked luggage. Being over the required weight by one pound the airlines will charge you more, or having more than one or two bags will cost more too. This often starts at the ticket counter when checking in.
After forking over more money than expected, then you have to go through the TSA security checkpoint where you can see them frisking little old grandmothers with walkers, or find them now keeping the photos from the new body image scanners, so it's only fair to understand why passengers are getting more and more frustrated before they even get to the plane.
Planes are becoming more full. No more extended leg room, cramped seats, no free food, blankets, pillows, or magazines that use to be included in the cost of the ticket. However, getting onto the plane is becoming a nightmare due to the airlines charging for the checked bags. So it's a hassle to find space for your carry-on since everyone is bringing everything onto the plane. Small bags that should be placed under the seat are being placed into the over-head, making it difficult for the last group of passengers to find space for their bags. Even some arguments that come about with stowage of items in seatback pockets. (Stowage of items in seatbacks)
Once everyone is situated, now we have to worry about those electronic devices being turned off at time of departure. I've written about these U.S. regulations before (Why don't airlines allow cell phone use after aircraft door is closed), yet passengers ignore the regulations and the flight attendants now have to become policemen telling people to turn off their devices. When those passengers don't listen, then it becomes a very frustrating situation for both flight attendant and passenger.
Depending on where you are sitting, your first choice of food may not be available, or the limited Buy On Board snacks are gone and you are really hungry. It's cold on the airplane, but the airlines have remove the pillows & blankets, or they have started to charge for them. So your family vacation or trip hasn't really started, but it's starting off very rough, and the plane hasn't even left the gate. Hopefully, there isn't a maintenance delay, or weather delay, but if you know anything about flying, hope that you aren't flying out of JFK at "Rush-Hour" where you could be taxiing for over an hour before take-off!
Finally the plane is in the air, and the you then find out your personal TV isn't working, or the entertainment device given to you in-flight is inoperable, or the kid sitting behind you constantly kicks the back of your seat. How about that screaming child, or the overly loud and obnoxious passengers sitting across the aisle hitting on the flight attendants or buying more and more alcohol and getting drunker as the flight goes on.
Finally, you arrive at your destination and you just want to get off the plane, but now everything is happening in reverse. You are now waiting for your gate to open up and the flight has just been long and tiring and you just want to get off the plane. While the plane is sitting there, in the 'penalty box' you decide to get your bag out of the over-head bin (which you are not allowed to do because you don't know when the plane is going to move) yet, you get up to retrieve your bag. The flight attendant informs you to leave your carry-on stowed, and to remain seated as you are still on an 'active taxi-way'. Yet, you ignore the request, so the flight attendant comes to you and again asks you to take your seat, but this time, you don't like their demeanor as they have now singled you out in front of everyone and you yelled expletives at the flight attendant.
With all the other things that have happened in-flight (or even prior flights) the flight attendant finally breaks, gets on the P.A. and continues to berate you using the same expletives to the entire plane. Now, the flight attendant decides that he is through working as a flight attendant, pulls the emergency slide, grabs a couple of beers and jumps.
Many people see someone who has just cracked under pressure and couldn't deal with the stress, others hail him as a hero because he finally did what so many other flight attendants have wanted to do, but didn't, or is this someone who has flown under the radar far too long and should have never been given a flight attendant job.
For me personally, I find the whole thing an embarrassment to the flight attendant profession, but others find him a true Saint. Showing what flight attendants have to go through on an almost daily ritual of being berated by passengers over the smallest of things that are out of their personal control. Showing that not only airlines, but passengers often don't see the role of a flight attendant as a true Safety Professional.
