'Mind Your Own Business' - how the airline industry and DHS are carrying people away

So I was flying home last night on Horizon Air (regional part of Alaska Air, whom previously I was a fan) from PDX to OAK (Flight QX2629). Up and back same day 'work' trip for me (8/5/09)

As usual, we were a few minutes behind schedule for boarding. A family of six - Mom, Dad, son (approx 9), daughter (7?) and young'un (say 4) along with grandma were boarding just ahead of me.

Grandma says to grandson: "This is the smallest plane I have ever flown". You know - general chitchat for a grandmother to strike up convo with a grandson who would be interested in such things. I did not hear the retort from the Stewardess but I presume it was taking umbrage with the small plane comment. So Grandma says 'mind your own business' to the Stewardess. In other words: butt out, I made a comment to my grandson that needs no chime in from you.

They proceeded to their seat but the stewardess was clearly not happy. She calls security. We all (some 60 of us) are now basically getting settled in our seats when Alaska Air rep comes on board and asks Grandma to 'deplane'. What? Why?

Apparently her 'mind your own business' was not acknowledging the air stewards 'commands' (usurping her authority??!) and felt that the plane was not 'safe' with this woman on board.

Ok, really - WHAT?!

Mom now gets involved and says 'my mother apologized - and I recognize it was 'rude' for her to say 'mind your own business' but what law has she broken that she cannot fly to the family funeral we are heading to?'

AA Rep: My hands are tied and your mother needs to get off the plane.
Mom: Can you get someone who doesn't have their hands tied? She is not getting off the plane, none of us are going to get off the plane. This is ridiculous.
AA Rep: Now I have to charge you with AIR PIRACY...

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE? Did I just hear the AA rep charge the Mom with "Air Piracy"? Presume this was because the flight was now held up from taking off due to the Air Stewardess's over reaction and wanting this family (or at least grandma) thrown off the plane and their refusal made them 'pirates'.

I was in the second row and had the full on ear shot and saw and heard most of this go down. This family of 6 was not unruly and I have seen FAR WORSE behavior on almost any given flight (I have flown ~300,000 miles in the last three years), so you are saying that 'mind your own business' is the reason someone should be thrown off a flight? At no time did the grandmother not follow an order (except the one to deplane), she didn't smoke in the lavatory, she was not drunk or disorderly, she went directly to her seat...

A couple of passengers where conferring, some complaining ("let's GO already") but as I sat there - I thought, am I witnessing another Selma Alabama moment? Because this is an outrage that someone in the service industry doesn't have 'thick enough' skin to handle that mild a comment. Did this spiral out of control so quickly due to a power tripping stewardess? All I knew was I wanted to join this family - leave the plane with them as it was incredulous to me what I was witnessing.

The passenger in seat 1B, just in front of me, turns to say behind him - "I feel for this family and this is outrageous but I don't want to say anything for fear of being booted off with them".

Then it really did click for me - this IS a 21st Century version of 1984 (big brother controlling) meets 'the bus incident' in Selma. I did want to stand up - get off the plane (I have since found out that legally the airline CANNOT keep you from leaving a plane that is at a gate with its door open. They can urge you to stay by saying 'Sir, you must sit down' but cannot physically keep you on the plane - file this info for future reference) but I was struck by fear as well.

If I showed support, would I make it worse for the family with the DHS police (who just pulled up to the plane in their car, lights flashing on the tarmac) who are now involved and 'handling' the situation?

The family oddly enough remained calm through this ordeal. DHS person who rolled up listened to their side and had the Father and kids back on the plane with Mom and Grandma left behind to somehow join them later - simply not on this flight. Ok, so not arrested afaik, but denied their service for this flight all because of the phrase 'mind your own business' and some power tripping, small minded, going to pay it forward for my elementary school days where I was picked on for my braces and pig-tails and now I have some power so I am going to abuse it stewardess (or whatever the currently correct term is - purser? Steward... Airline Host personnel)

Father and kids boarded without incident (I think this also happened because the airline couldn't find the families luggage and the clock was ticking on our already much delayed takeoff) and the flight resumed but I will NEVER fly Alaska Air/Horizon again - nor will any of my 90 employees and I will spread the word to anyone who will listen to this egregious display of intolerance over mere words.

Shame on Alaska/Horizon for allowing this person to abuse this power, shame on the folks who felt inconvenienced by our late departure and showing no compassion for the family and shame on me for not leaving then and there and flying home via Southwest (who had identical flight times as this day trip I booked and both of the SWA flights left/arrived ontime and neither of my flights were with in 30 minutes of scheduled arrival times).

Outside of the retort from the air stewardess to the original 'small plane' comment from grandma that caused grandma to say 'mind your own business' and the DHS conversation with the family on the tarmac, the quotes here are as I remember hearing them.

Assumptions on my part are that once the 'process' of booting someone off the plane is started - there is nothing the supervisor could do to keep this from happening given 9/11 DHS laws that have been passed ("my hands are tied here" - but to escalate to 'Air Piracy'??!), but if Horizon doesn't take some training action or better punishment towards this employee for this mild comment - we are living in a different world than I would expect from a civilized society 21 centuries Anno Domini.

To Russia, with my love

A weekend in Moscow - most people think I am strange for doing this, but I grabbed Maddie and tore off for a 'quick weekend' in Moscow. The problem with this statement is - it takes 36+ hours to get to Moscow and we only have 48 (exactly) on the ground *in* Moscow...

You have to have some dedication to the cause to want to go to Moscow this badly. First - the trip to the Embassy to get the visa is a trip unto itself. They wanted 5 (five!) pages of history, schooling and a listing of the last countries visited in the past 10 years - in no more than 4 little boxes no less. I resorted to country codes and 2 digit year abbreviations (IE - '06-'09 for example). Maddie was freaking out as I waited til 5 days before going to get the visa. Paid an extra $180 (combined) for both of our visas and the guy flipped through the pages faster than I pull away from a stop sign.

Then asked for the check. Get's 'em every time - they wanted the money and 5 pages seemed reasonable to them for the high fee for the visa. They don't care about the info (unless you show some nuclear post-graduate work :-P).

Anyway, we went because United was running a mileage booster (2X eqms) AND this was a fare launch so they had a round trip for under $600 (we were a little late but it was still under $700). So for flying 36+ hours, staying in Moscow for 48 - we rec'd almost 32000 miles and had an experience of a lifetime.
The rain started clearing no sooner we got to our hotel (Hilton Leningrad, in one of the Seven Sisters in Moscow. Recently 'renovated', but really opened recently as the Hilton). We spent the first day (Saturday) roaming around.

We went to Red Square, near the Kremlin. To the left here is St. Basils Cathedral. Yes, those colors are not enhanced, yes this is the quintessential picture to take in Moscow. I was a tourist - what do you want from me?!?

The Metro is something to behold -while the system is a normal metro - many of the stations are a sight - well worth 'touring' them. Here is a picture:


For the rest of the shots, and all there was to behold - visit my picasa web page.

Let me say this - I have yet to find any liquor that is famous from a place (Guinness in Ireland or here, vodka - Russian Standard is the 'brand' of choice) - that doesn't taste soooo much better in its home place. Vodka here was awesome and cheap - but tasted great. They also have Russian Premium - but the standard was alright by me.

Also a quick recommendation - Cafe Pushkin and order the Beef Stroganoff. Its out of this world good. As are the homemade pickles. We had a great time - and every Russian I know says to really visit Russia you have to go to St. Petersburg. Maybe next time - or when United has another special deal - I wouldn't miss the adventure!

Very interesting 'social experiment'

So I have never played 'The Sims' game. Jill had played it originally several years back so I am familiar with the concept anyway. Flash forward a few years to 'The Sims 3' and you have 'Alice and Kev' come about.

This site chronicles the simulated life of a homeless man who is slightly crazy and his daughter. I have to say the blog is fascinating to read so I thought I would post something to see if it resonates with any of you.

I find it is much like a serial soap opera told in 4 frames a day. It is almost enough to tempt me into trying out Sims and seeing what can be done.

WOW - now this is a universe I can dig...

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

A happy anniversary for these two...

One year ago today - Papa went home to Marney. Who clearly had to go home first to make sure everything was just so. Then - after some rest, she called home her husband of 70+ years to entertain the heavens.

So today I honor their memory - without them, I wouldn't exist. Thanks for making me a part of your incredible lives.

To my Dad - or the outer layer of the onion now - you have to hang in there, your job isn't done. Know that the rest of the Pod Society is counting on you for your wisdom, guidance and love, and Lord knows we need that (some Podees more than others :-P)

Celebrating my 40th in style

Airship Eureka lands in Oakland

So for my 40th Birthday, Maddie and I put together a host of things to do. Starting with a Zeppelin ride. There are only 3 Zeppelins in the world, 1 each in Japan, Germany and the Bay area. We chose locally :-P and what a flight it was. Don't call this a blimp - it has a semi-rigid frame that blimps do not. This allows for the engines to be mounted on the sides of the 'balloon' and makes for a much quieter ride than a blimp.

Technicalities aside - the ride is fast (30+ knots) and only 1000ft or so - which makes for great viewing. Here are some of the shots I got while we flew around the Bay on Mar. 20th, three days before I popped 40.

As there are so many wonderful shots of both Oakland and San Francisco - I had to upload them to their own web album. Click here to go see all the lovely sights and see why you have to take this trip yourself.

After the Zeppelin ride, we went up to Napa the following day and ate at a place I have been wanting to go to for a loooong time - Taylor's Automatic Refresher. Featured both on 'Diners, Drive Ins and Dives' (as you know one of my favorite shows) and awarded a James Beard dining award - this place normally has an incredibly long line. Today was shorter than I had ever seen it.

I highly recommend that whatever you order from Taylor's - you get the fries. Lots of them - don't bother sharing - as everyone will want their own.

After the day of Napa, we stayed at the Carneros Inn - again, highly recommend this place - the price is steep but worth it. The luxury of the cottage and the serenity of the surroundings make you wish you lived there. Another big tip - eat breakfast (everyday) at Boon Fly Cafe - well worth the calories.

A few more pics of the cottage, out door shower (yes, I started my 40th by showering outside - and it was AWESOME) and the grounds of the Carneros Inn.

Thanks for the lovely beggining to the second half of my life.

The little metal structure just to the right of the open glass door is the outdoor shower. It has a door that leads directly into the shower inside the cottage (frosted door). Don't worry - the patio area is completely private as well.

Tilt Shift video (I LOVE this effect)

Fire (Jimmy Edgar Remix) from Erik West on Vimeo.

For those of you who don't know - tilt shift photography is a recent 'rage' - its simply taking a picture (those from 'afar' work best) and processing with a simple algorithm that 'fuzzes' the more forward items and makes distant ones appear more ...distant. That is why there is always a 'fuzzy' part of the picture. For how to make your own on the web, go here. This is also being used in the title opening for 'Dollhouse' - Joss Whedon's new show on fox.

LA trip over holiday break -

as promised, here is a follow up from the previous post of our 4 day trip down to LA to get some dumplings. Yes, we went for dumplings and made a trip around it for the rest.

First off - this being a 'quest trip' (Definition: a quest trip is a trip with a sole purpose to find/see/do a specific thing and not to be confused with a leisure trip or a destination trip.) - we wrapped everything around going to Din Tai Fung. After we accomplished that, it was a matter of following our desires.

We stayed at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica. Not in LA but in a more relaxing setting to be sure. We had a cute bungalow which helped emphasis the relaxing part. Well worth the stay - near 3rd street promenade shopping area which is great for walking around and of course the Pacific Ocean sitting right outside our window. Picture above is the 110+ year old fig tree from the entrance to the hotel and of course the one here is the Santa Monica board walk.

We went to the Getty Museum (highly recommended) at night - some great views of LA along the way and from the garden at the Getty. Took in 2 movies - 7Lbs with Will Smith and Revolutionary Road with Leo and Kate. The latter being a preview screening of the film - and we saw both in the newer theaters with assigned seating (pick them at tix purchase time). Prefer seeing movies this way. But the upshot is neither of these films are 'pick me ups' so they were a bit of a downer for the trip - worth seeing just not on top of each other.

Spent a great day out in Pasadena at the Hunting Gardens and then checking out the Greene and Greene style of craftsman houses. Absolutely a favorite of mine.

So the main quest was to go to get some dumplings but we also had a minor quest add - to visit the home of the originator of the French Dip sandwhich - Phillippes. This place was old school and PACKED. Just how many people can you cram into a single place to get cheap eats at 2pm on a Saturday you ask?

LOTS! Yes, all these people are waiting in a line for a simple french loaf, split in the middle to host a small selection of sliced beef (or lamb) and a ton of au jus. It was simple but fantastic. And cheap indeed - the sandwhich was about $4 bucks and the coffee is .09 cents! Well worth the 50 minutes wait (yes, almost one hour in side waiting just to order).

The last portion of this quest trip was to go and see the Bradbury building - a sight to behold when crafstmanship and pride went into things people built. For more pictures, head over to picassa and take a look at the LA trip folder. Its all there for you to enjoy.

Grammy's (not the post you expected I bet)

So I don't normally care for awards shows - I watch them, I just don't find they carry much weight and typically get so mad at who was even nominated (or really NOT nominated) that I find myself not thrilled.

Then they go on and on with some self-important montage of the top 5 in whatever the top category is (Film of the year, Album of the Year, Short Story turned into a Live Musical/Comedy or animated feature, you get the jibe). Followed by a tribute to those who have passed on since the last awards gathering - which makes me say the following: Who was that? Oh yeah, I forgot they died. Oh man - they were still alive, I thought they died a long time ago? And of course, Who was that?

Well the Grammy's stood out in one way - the good way. At least they attempted to entertain by show casing the MUSIC. Again, not thrilled with all the noms or the missed nominations but I did appreciate more of the performances than ever before.

By far the stand out for me was Radiohead and the USC Trojan Marching band. Here is were I would normally show a clip from some grammys.com web site but alas, the real reason the music industry is dying is due to the fact they don't understand this 'internets' thing and aren't using it appropriately.

CASE IN POINT: Radiohead gave away their album - the very same album up for alternative album of the year (it won) - in a move that sent shudders through the industry. Well, those in the industry who even knew about Radiohead.

What happened? They sold more than 120,000 copies in the first week of release of the physical album almost 5 months after it was available for free on the web. Free - or actually 'pay what you want' - directly from Radiohead's website. They aren't saying how many people paid but millions downloaded the album.

So here I sit typing this up and would love to show you the clip - hell, directly point to it from the Grammy site, but alas it isn't online. And if it were on Youtube, they would only demand it get pulled down anyway. Instead of increasing attention and getting people to pay for a copy once they find it.

Turns out it works for video too. Check out this Monty Python experiment that is similar to what Radiohead tried. Sales climbed 23000%. No, that is not a typo. C'mon industry - realize people want to buy your stuff, *IF* its quality. Show them it is and BLAMO, instant sales!

So long and thanks for all the fish ....smell

Before we forget and start blaming Obama in a few months for the flaming bag of turd left on the white house front porch, here are a few things to recall Obama inherited:

# National Debt Increase: $4.9 trillion.

National Debt as of Jan. 15, 2009: $10.6 trillion
Debt when Mr. Bush took office: $5.7 trillion
(Source: U.S. Treasury Dept.)

# Number Of Political Fund-Raisers Attended By President Bush: 338

# Amount Or Money Raised At These Fund-Raisers: $802,586,070
(Some campaigns refused to disclose the amounts)

# Number Of Baseball Games Attended: 12
(Including Game 3 of the World Series in Yankee Stadium on Oct. 30, 2001)

# Number Of All Sporting Events Attended: 98
(Counting the Beijing Olympics as one)

# Number of Cabinet Meetings: 49

# Number Of Times President Bush Had Dinner Out At A Restaurant: 21

# U.S. Military Deaths In Iraq: 4,228
(Source: Dept of Defense as of Jan. 16, 2009)

# U.S. Military Deaths In Afghanistan: 634
(Source: Dept. of Defense as of Jan. 16, 2009)

# Medals Of Honor Bestowed By Pres. Bush: 12
(Nine were awarded posthumously. Four were for service in Iraq, 1 for Afghanistan.)

# Number Of Commencement Speeches Delivered: 23
(The last one was Dec 12, 2008, at Texas A&M)

# Number Of Visits To Camp David: 149, totaling all or part of 487 days.

# Number Of Foreign Leader Visits To Camp David: 19, including 3 by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and 2 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, UAE.

# Number Of Visits To His Texas Ranch: 77, totaling all or part of 490 days.

# Number Of Foreign Leader Visits To His Texas Ranch: 20, including 2 by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (Crown Prince at the time) and 2 by President Vicente Fox of Mexico.

# Number Of Visits To His Parents’ Home In Kennebunkport, Maine: 11, totaling all or part of 43 days.

# Number Of Out Of Town Domestic Trips: 609
(That's not counting Camp David visits or bike riding outings)

# Number Of Foreign Trips: 49

# Number Of Foreign Nations Visited: 75

# Foreign Nations Visited Most: Mexico, Italy and Russia, 6 times each.

# Number Of Rounds Of Golf Played As President: 24
(The last one on Oct. 13, 2003. President Bush has since explained that he stopped playing golf out of respect for the families of Americans killed in the war in Iraq.)

# Number Of Katrina-Related Visits To The Gulf Coast: 18

# Number Of Formal, Solo, White House News Conferences: 44

# Total Number Of News Conferences: 212
(Including many joint sessions with foreign leaders at home and abroad)

# Number Of News Conferences At Which Shoes Were Thrown At Him: 1

# Number Of Presidential Pardons: 189

By Comparison:

Bill Clinton: 396
George H.W. Bush: 74
Ronald Reagan: 393
Jimmy Carter: 534
Gerald Ford: 382
Richard Nixon: 863
Lyndon Johnson: 960
John Kennedy: 472
Dwight Eisenhower: 1110
Harry S. Truman: 1913

# Number Of Commutations Of Sentence: 11

# Number Of Recess Appointments: 165
(Source: Senate Historian)

Democrats blocked the practice in the fall of 2007 by keeping the Senate in session even during holiday periods.

# Addresses To The Nation: 23
(The last was his Farewell Address on Jan. 15, 2009)

# Addresses To Joint Sessions Of Congress: 9
(Of which 7 were State of the Union speeches)

# State Dinners For Foreign Leaders: 6

Pres. Vicente Fox of Mexico
Pres. Alexander Krasniewski of Poland
Pres. Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines
Pres. Mwai Kibaki of Kenya
Queen Elizabeth II of UK
Pres. John Kufuor of Ghana

# States Not Visited As President: 1, Vermont.
(Last of the other 49 to be visited: Rhode Island, June 28, 2007.)

# Vetoes: 12, including 1 pocket veto.
(President Bush did not cast his first veto until his sixth year in office - a measure to extend federal funding of stem cell research.)

By comparison:

Bill Clinton cast 37 (not counting line item vetoes)
George H.W. Bush: 44
Reagan: 78
Carter: 31
Ford: 66
FDR: 635

# Vetoes Overridden By Congress: 4

H.R. 1495 - the Water Resources Development Act of 2007
H.R. 2419 - the $289-billion "Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008”
H.R. 6124 - The “Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.”
H.R. 6331 - the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.”

# Number Of Flights On Air Force One: 1,674
(Source: Presidential Airlift Group)

# Number Of Miles Flown On Air Force One: 1,490,698
(Presidential Airlift Group)

# Number Of Chiefs Of Staff: 2, Andrew Card and Josh Bolten.

# Number Of Press Secretaries: 4, Ari Fleischer, Scott McClellan, Tony Snow and Dana Perino.