I've
seen a few of these posters hanging around; at the restaurant where I
have breakfast, on the pedestrian overpass on the highway and at the
entrance at my nephew's school. They're all different in design but
they have the same basic message. Pray for MH370. And for the
families of those on that flight there is little more that they can
do.
Last
week a friend suggested that I write a post about the missing
Malaysia Airlines plane. I decided against it at first because Flight
MH370 was still missing at the time. I didn't think that we would be
where we are today. It was/still is a pretty depressing
story. And almost two weeks later the news hasn't improved much.
After
all the press conferences, we still haven't been left with much
useful information. So far the only useful piece of advice has been
“not to speculate”. And of course that's the first thing
everyone does. The ever hungry 24 hours news media has managed to
contribute even less and have only added to the speculation.
There
have been numerous theories put forward as to where the plane crashed
and to how it may have crashed. Various “experts” have come up
with many opinions explaining the disappearance of Flight MH370. The
first theory that I saw said that the plane might have crashed due to
a explosive decompression. Later a different “expert” said that
the plane may have experienced a slow decompression instead. And then
someone said that the passengers with the stolen passports may have
been involved and that was quickly ruled out.
The
most elaborate theory I've come across so far was put forward by “a
self-identified hobby pilot and aviation enthusiast” (that
right there should have raised a few red flags.) Keith Ledgerwood
claims that Flight MH370 could have hidden itself by flying really
close to another Boeing 777, thereby masking its radar signature and
was able to fly over India and Pakistan.
Sigh..seriously
Slate.com..I expected better from you. Even I'm embarrassed to have
repeated this stor..“theory.” A spokesperson for the
Taliban in Pakistan told Reuters that they weren't responsible for
the missing flight and he also added “We wish we had an
opportunity to hijack such a plane.” I'd never thought that I would
trust the words of a member of the Taliban over anyone else's. Sorry
Keith....
The
Daily Mail published a story about a flight that took place several
years ago when the co-pilot of Flight MH370 had invited her and her
friend into to the cockpit and according to the story published in
the Daily Mail they had “smoked, chatted, and took photos with the
young women.” The woman also claimed that the pilots weren't
even facing the front of the plane; I'm even less of an aviation
enthusiast compared to Keith Ledgerwood but I'm pretty sure that's
what autopilot is for. What does this story prove? That men tend to
use poor judgement when dealing with women? Maybe..but it's not news.
And neither is the Daily Mail as some might say..
You'd
think CNN might have some better material. But you'd be wrong. On one
particular news bulletin they spent a few minutes talking about
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's Youtube page. He had uploaded a few
videos explaining DIY projects. And that proves what exactly? Other
than the fact that he seems to be a really nice person like his
friends and family have said. What did it have to do with the missing
flight? I can't answer that, you'd have to ask CNN. Seems like
they're grasping at straws, in an attempt to stay ahead of the
competition. And according to the New York Times it's working.
Besides,
how much can you tell about a person just by looking at their social
media? If you went through my Tumblr or blog all you'd see is that I
am a fan of Luclyn, Animals wearing clothes and funny Gifs. Hard to
even judge the cover of a book with just that..
Lately
the news has been focused on the home “flight simulator” found in
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's house. So he liked to play Microsoft
Flight Simulator X? (Other flight simulators are avialable.) I hope
the investigators realize that you can buy most of the parts to
create home flight simulator on Amazon.com. A pilot who likes to
spend his time on a flight simulator doesn't seem so strange, at
least to me. I happen to be spending most of my free time playing a
“combat simulator” a.k.a “Planetside 2.” It doesn't mean I'll to be going to war any time soon. But we'll just have to wait
to see where this investigation by the police leads.
I've
seen a few comments on Facebook and news websites where people have
said that “they're embarrassed to be Malaysian” which seems a bit
over dramatic. They're entitled to their opinions of course. I'm by
no means a patriot or a nationalist but there are numerous things
that embarrass me; like the time I walked around a shopping mall not
realizing my fly was open. But being a Malaysian hasn't been one of
those things.
Plus
it's not like you can really do much with your nationality, at least
when you're born. I guess when you were in the womb they missed the
memo about wanting to be born in a different country; to avoid future
potential embarrassment. Your parents just happen to be where they
are when they had you. Don't be too hard on yourselves guys..
It
WAS slightly
embarrassing/funny when that shaman turned up at KLIA to “help”
find the missing plane. I'm no expert on such things so I'll just say
that his methods were very..interesting. He did tell a local online
newspaper that “he
thought MH370 was either still in the air or had crashed into the
ocean.” Well, that helps narrows it down...to
Earth.
The
Malaysian government has come under heavy criticism from U.S. And
Chinese officials for not being secretive and not transparent in
communicating with both countries. Again they're entitled to their
opinions and I happen to share a few of them myself. But isn't this
the pot calling the kettle black?
Sure,
we all remember that time when President Obama called Chancellor
Merkel to tell her to watch what she said over her phone because it
was being bugged. As for China? Well, it's so transparent it's like
looking through a glass menagerie. Governments make mistakes, not
everything is a slam dunk.
Can't we all just get along? Seems the only person in government
who's not good at keeping secrets is Mayor Rob Ford.
Sadly
this blog and blogger is guilty of the same thing as the news
organisations mentioned above. Apart from some sass and snarky
opinions it doesn't add anything to the fact that the Flight MH370 is
still missing.
I
guess all we can really do is..
Here
are some links to check out:
