Octopus Overlords

A New Zealand woman died Wednesday after being hit with an airplane's jet blast at a Caribbean beach known for its close-up views of aircraft arriving and departing a nearby airport, police said.

The 57-year-old was seriously injured after being knocked over by the blast from a plane departing Sint Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport. She later died at the Sint Maarten Medical Center as a result of her injuries.

Tourists frequent the location, called Maho Beach, for unique views of low-flying planes as they land and take off from the airport, despite officials' warnings about the potential dangers.

Before the incident, the woman and several others were holding on to a fence that separates the airport and the beach, police said. The fence has signs reading "Do not stand. Danger. Jet Blast" warning of the harm that can result from standing in the area.

Police did not say whether other deaths have occurred at Maho Beach. But Forbes reported that this week's incident was the first to result in a fatality. In 2012, a woman was injured there when the jet blast threw her against concrete.
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Police are now urging visitors to adhere to the warning signs posted at the destination to ensure no future deaths or injuries occur.

“Please Help. I’m stuck in here, and I don’t have my phone. Please call my boss,” he wrote on one of the notes, giving the boss’s phone number.

Daehawk wrote:Seen videos of that place. The sand must have been extra hard that day. Usually people just roll away. 54 is pretty old though.

Smoove_B wrote:I think it was the slime eel episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe found a surprise octopus in the holding tank and I almost blacked out on the couch.

Daehawk wrote:Brings a tear to your eye.

Holman wrote:Nightmare Tales of Air Travel, Volume XXIV:

A two-leg flight had me in Atlanta ready for a 2:00pm flight back to Philadelphia. Heavy weather up and down the East Coast delayed us to a 3:00 boarding, and then we sat in the plane waiting our turn. The weather worsened and our status was unclear, so we briefly deplaned. They re-planed us almost immediately, and we taxied out to await our takeoff. And awaited. And awaited. Eventually the pilots timed out (having used up their allowed on-duty hours) and we returned to the gate. New pilots were called and we started over. Finally we took off a little after 8:30 pm, having spent nearly all of that time in a hot airplane cabin on the tarmac in July in Georgia.

Probably we've all sat on a hot plane for hours. It certainly wasn't my first time.

The worst part, though, was that my aisle-mate the entire time was a horror. Airplane seats are small, and this guy was 350 pounds, much of it spilling over into my seat. Naturally he was sweating like you would expect, but he also had some sort of neurological or mental condition that required him to continually shift and quiver and shake and bounce up and down in his chair. Nearly the entire time he compulsively crossed and recrossed his arms on his chest in a move that required me to stay alert for flying elbows. He muttered. He grunted. He wrung out his t-shirt onto himself.

I'm sympathetic to people living with pain and discomfort. I'm sure the day was worse for him than for me. When we got in the air, though, he decided to tell me his story.

Such as it was. A lot of it wasn't clear. I really think he was more of a liar than a lunatic, and apparently he thought tales of violence and daring would impress his traveling companion. He made sure that I knew he was a veteran and a warrior, although it was never clear which war. (He was too old and out of shape for the GWOT, too young for Vietnam.) He told me about winning $100,000 in Vegas, buying a tricked-out Jeep with cash, and wrecking it that very day when the cops ran him off the road. He told me about the three years he did in jail for beating the shit out of some guy, and how much he hated the Bleeding Hearts on the jury who put him away. Etc.

The day was such an ordeal that by the end I was punch-drunk enough to achieve a kind of serenity. I felt compassion for the (probably sad, probably lonely) weirdo sitting next to me. I wished him the best, but my spine still hurts from spending all day leaning out of his way.

People say those wine bottles they sell on the plane are overpriced. I say they're worth every penny.

Daehawk wrote:So what it boils down to is that fat guy had $30 worth of fat on him...or on your side of the seat.

I wonder how long until airline charge passengers by their weight? Or ban fat folk?

Holman wrote:

Daehawk wrote:So what it boils down to is that fat guy had $30 worth of fat on him...or on your side of the seat.

I wonder how long until airline charge passengers by their weight? Or ban fat folk?

Sorry--I didn't provide enough context. My post is a reference to the Ann Coulter twitter controversy where the Witch of the Fascist Right declared herself a snowflake victim of persecution because of a seat mixup on her plane. She proceeded to try to shame a fellow passenger who had done no wrong, and she did it way out of proportion because she's a world-class asshole.

LordMortis wrote:As someone who enjoys Game of Thrones but does not have HBO and has to wait to see the show, I need to learn to stay away from Facebook on Monday mornings.

Skinypupy wrote:I usually have to wait a few months until it's out on DVD.

Holman wrote:Nightmare Tales of Air Travel, Volume XXIV

Paingod wrote:

Holman wrote:Nightmare Tales of Air Travel, Volume XXIV

I want to invent an "Airspace Ensurer" - a simple 2' high plastic divider that clips to the armrest of a airplane seat and keeps small children, overweight passengers, elbows, and unwanted conversation firmly out of your seat.

Isgrimnur wrote:

Paingod wrote:

Holman wrote:Nightmare Tales of Air Travel, Volume XXIV

I want to invent an "Airspace Ensurer" - a simple 2' high plastic divider that clips to the armrest of a airplane seat and keeps small children, overweight passengers, elbows, and unwanted conversation firmly out of your seat.

Too late

Paingod wrote:That's very small. I imagine heavier passengers would spill right over it. I have issues with strangers touching me. When I walk through a crowd, if they don't part before me, I perform a kind of broken ballet and dance around them, avoiding contact by millimeters.

Isgrimnur wrote:

Paingod wrote:

Holman wrote:Nightmare Tales of Air Travel, Volume XXIV

I want to invent an "Airspace Ensurer" - a simple 2' high plastic divider that clips to the armrest of a airplane seat and keeps small children, overweight passengers, elbows, and unwanted conversation firmly out of your seat.

Too late