The Impossible ... Happened:
Enjoy. I was seven going on eight at the time. I don’t remember seeing the game. I do remember everyone talking about it and the excitement and patriotism that swept through the nation.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry about this.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A San Francisco man claims he was high on a double dose of medical marijuana cookies when he screamed, dropped his pants and attacked crew members on a cross-country flight, forcing its diversion to Pittsburgh, the FBI said Wednesday. Kinman Chan, 30, was charged in a criminal complaint with interfering with the duties of a flight attendant on allegations that he fought with crew members of US Airways Flight 1447 from Philadelphia to Los Angeles on Sunday. His federal public defender, Jay Finkelstein, declined to comment. Crew members said Chan made odd gestures before he entered the plane’s rear restroom shortly after takeoff and began to scream, according to the complaint. Chan told the FBI that he “came back to reality” and exited the restroom, at which point the crew noticed his “pants were down, his shirt was untucked and all the compartments in the restroom were opened.”
A dude from San Fran, drugs, and pants being dropped on a plane. Go figure. At least he didn’t have explosive underwear.
I’ll have a post up at some point looking back over the year and the decade. But for now, use this thread to post any of your thoughts. We’re already getting some fun stuff. Here’s Reason:
Reason is, of course, being sarcastic. Cracked, continuing its push for the Third Best Magazine on the Planet, goes over the last century and concludes the 00’s were the 7th worst decade (they also review overlooked celebrity deaths).
My thinking is probably more in line with Gene Healy. It’s stupid to confuse government incompetence and media hysteria with well-being. The world is far wealthier, healthier and more peaceful than it was ten years ago. Crime has continued to fall as has teen pregnancy. We are living longer and healthier. It’s easy to lose site of that.
I’ll post up more decade look-backs as I find them.
Update: A fun series of nested posts starting with Ta-Nehisi argues that Crash was the worst movie of the decade. I wouldn’t go that far but it was very over-rated.
Dave Barry has his year in review up. It’s not as good as previous years, but has some choice quotes:
The big health story in April is the rapid spread of swine flu, a dangerous new virus strain developed by the makers of Purell. Public anxiety over the flu increases when Vice President Joe Biden, demonstrating his gift for emitting statements, declares on the Today show that he would not recommend traveling by commercial airplane or subway. A short while later, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs assures reporters that he is ``not aware of any `Vice President Joe Biden.’ ‘’
In another embarrassment for the White House, New York is temporarily thrown into a panic when Air Force One flies low over Manhattan for a publicity photo shoot. Responding to widespread criticism, Gibbs notes that President Obama inherited Air Force One from the Bush administration.
...
On the environmental front, Copenhagen hosts a massive international conference aimed at halting manmade global warming, attended by thousands of delegates who flew to Denmark on magical carbon-free unicorns.
Have fun. I hope to have an essay up soon reviewing the past year.
I’m off for business the next few days. I’ll be sure to spew some invective if something big happens or Obama screws up again (good odds on both). In the meantime, Ta-Nehisi earlier this week posted this particular piece of Richard Pryor genius (and near prescience):
No political point here although there is a part of me that would love to see Obama say “As-Salamu Alaykum” during a press conference just to see the Birthers completely lose their shit.
