Flying is no joking matter

The most welcome news yesterday was that the rocket launched by North Korea was a dud. That is, NoKor actually fired it about 6:39 a.m. Philippine time, but it exploded and crashed into the sea 90 seconds later. The day before, it could not be launched because of bad weather, but, despite such omen, and despite the protests and concerns of several countries, North Korea still went on with its show of force yesterday.

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I agree with Filipinos who claim that it was because of the prayers of our people and of other countries that the launch did not succeed. Indeed, prayer can work wonders, and this could be another proof of that. However, I still have some reservations about that “failed” launching. Could the explosion have been staged as a sort of decoy so we will no longer be aware or alerted when they try the real thing? I think we should all continue praying that if this project has some sinister purpose, it should also continue to fail.

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Have you noticed how Koreans have been getting into the news – negative ones, at that – lately? Aside from the rocket business that had caused so much panic in the country, and even made planes and boats divert their flights and trips, we also had the recent report of eight Koreans, now in the country, who had been mistreating dogs by making them engage in fights on which bets are placed. The appalling thing about the dogfights is that the Koreans who run them do not treat the poor animals well, and those discovered and seized by the authorities showed signs of maltreatment.

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The latest I read about that case is that the men responsible for that cruel use of dogs, have already been arrested and jailed. Indeed, they should be made to face the full of force of the law. The 200 or more dogs found in their compound were either ill, wounded and scarred, and also very thin, indicating that they were not fed properly. In fact, the reports also said some of them had to be “put down” or killed because they could no longer be saved. And their owners were just neglecting them, leaving them to suffer and die. How beastly!

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By the way, be careful of the jokes you make while on a plane, or even when about to board one. Airport officials do not have a sense of humor when it comes to kidding about people's security and safety. I recall that there have been quite a lot of people who had been barred from boarding, or even detained, because of trying to be funny and cracking jokes about bombs and explosives as prospective passengers.

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Only the other day, passengers had to deplane while the aircraft was checked because of a passenger, who got mad when a man would not yield his seat to him so he could be near his friends. So he loudly announced that something would explode in the plane. An alert stewardess heard that and promptly notified the pilot, who went into their SOP, that is to unload passengers and check the plane before going on.

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The man, obviously a first-time flyer, insisted he was only joking, but he will find it to be a very expensive joke as it caused the plane to be delayed, and affected several other incoming and outgoing flights. I also wonder if the one who cause all the trouble could read, because almost all airports have signs prominently, warning against such “jokes”. In Los Angeles, California there is even a sign saying “IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING”. The joker also didn't know that plane seats are strictly assigned and observed.

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The Philippine-Mexican “idol”, Jessica Sanchez, almost got booted out of the American Idol contest yesterday when the American voters did not include her among the finalists chosen. Luckily for Jessica, the three judges had all been so impressed with her that they struck their necks out and used their privilege to back one, by themselves deciding to include her. If you want Jessica to win, try telling your friends and kin in the U.S. not to forget to vote for her. She has a very good chance, you know. And she may have been passed over by some voters for openly declaring that she is banking on Filipinos.*

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