Flight 188

"The pilots in command of Northwest Flight 188 remain suspended until the conclusion of the investigations into this incident." That’s the clear message from their bosses. Grounded till further notice! Pilot licences revoked for now!

It was an amazing story when it happened. That Northwest flight overshot its destination by 240 km. Anybody on board watching where this plane is going? Amazing. The 2 pilots said they were busy on their personal laptops – both at the same time – instead of keeping an eye on the control panel and all the other stuff you have to watch out for while you are flying a commercial airline high in the sky. Autopilot or not, you have an important and serious job to do. There were 144 passengers on board whose lives are in the hands of the pilots. The airmen said that as they were busy with their personal stuff they lost track of time and destination - which was Minneapolis. Isn’t there also a sound alarm from the automatic pilot if you overshot your destination? Or maybe the pilots were on their laptops as well as having an ipod on?

It’s pretty crazy stuff. Flight 188 was out of communication for more than an hour. The air traffic controllers kept trying to contact the Airbus, but no luck. Silence on the airwaves.

From high in the sky down to earth. And face reality.

Some NATO official said that time is not on the Allies’ side in Afghanistan. Wow, that official must be promoted right away. Give him/her an extra star on the shoulder and a pay rise. Such a ‘clever’ statement! What an insight! Time is not on NATO’s side for sure. It is running out fast. Really fast. If it’s not too late already.

Run-off presidential elections on November 7th after an imploded 1st round when mounting evidence of election fraud forced the election commission to call for a 2nd round. And the international community is red-faced about it all. They are there to build a democratic society but the exercise has been torpedoed from within. It weren’t the bearded cavemen of the Taliban that disrupted the poll. It was the system itself. The system managed by sitting president Karzai. The rot came from within, not from the mountains. The Taliban are probably having the best laugh of their lives. They are just looking on from the hilltops and getting ready to let the harsh winter pass and start a new offensive next spring. There should not be any doubt about that. And how solid in place any new government will be by then remains to be seen. And how real its legitimacy will be is certainly also another question. It’s all a bit shaky in Afghanistan for now. Sadly so.

And how will the looser, Karzai or Abdullah Abdullah, react? Tricky question. Political alliances never work long in Afghanistan. Its history is overloaded with betrayal. So where does the looser go? Back to the rural areas and become a warlord? Remaining in Kabul and undermining the new president through verbal attacks on a daily basis? And how does the winner reacts? Reaching out? Defensive because unsure of his real powerbase, or aggressive like a wounded animal? We haven’t seen the end of it. That at least is guaranteed.

Human behaviour in Afghanistan remains a minefield of hope and failure.

Sliding deeper into despair. Into madness. A bloody pool of insanity.

A mother in South Africa killed her 2 small kids to ‘destroy’ evidence of child rape by her husband.

Wait! Read that line above once again and slowly. It’s beyond acceptance. It’s beyond reality. It’s madder than mad.

It is alleged that her husband raped her 5 year old daughter. And to avoid his conviction the mother/wife goes and stabs, hacks and cut the throats of her 2 kids. It is just beyond belief.

At least the (alleged) rapist has been arrested, and also the butchering mother/wife. What a sour conciliation. Justice needs to be done fast and firm. And then they need to be locked up for life. Both of them. Animals like that do not belong in society. And the poor kids,... may they rest in peace.

In urgent need of lighter notes.

Interesting perspective. North Korea is qualified for next year soccer/football worldcup in South Africa. I think this might be the first time it reaches the final stages.

And also qualified are its southern brothers and the USA. A North vs South game is like a clash of brothers. A fight for national proud. A struggle for supremacy. A US – North Korea game will be headlined in the North Korean state media as a fight against the evil imperialists. An atomic struggle on the soccer/football pitch. Should be fun.

Throw out. Tuned in to the latest release by Chicago’s punkrockers The Lawrence Arms. It’s a 5 track, mini-cd called “Buttsweet and tears”. Good stuff. These lads have been going for a long time and pretty constant in their deliveries. Check out track 2 “The slowest drink at the saddest bar on the snowiest day in the greatest city”. With a title like that.....

C-Ya

collateral – as October 2009 reaches its end