I Can See For Miles ...

Interesting blog post "I Can See For Miles"

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles

I Can See For Miles (Pete Townshend), The Who, 1967

170 souls. All but forgotten.


Except for the families of the victims. They remembered. They will never forget.
And so they built a memorial to the victims, a memorial that deserves to be seen. Go see it now.

Thanks to http://confusedofcalcutta.com

India lunch deaths children buried in Bihar school

Heart goes out to parents of innocent children who died in Bihar school tragedy! Grief of loosing a child is not something any parent should endure!

Nineteen of the 23 children who died after eating a tainted free school meal in India's Bihar state have been buried in and around the school grounds.

Angry parents say they want the graves to serve as a reminder that the children died due to state negligence.

Two days after Dharmasati Gandaman lost so many of its children, the villagers have yet to be visited by any senior police or administration official.  I visited at lunch time and found more than 100 villagers gathered at the school, waiting for someone official to come and speak to them, and offer them some solace.

Even while government officials turn a blind eye, at least the media continues to stay focused on this issue.  BBC reports: India lunch deaths children buried in Bihar school

With 125 children on its rolls, the school has just two teachers, including the headmistress who is nowhere to be found.

"People must not ever forget that our children died inside the school because of the government's negligence," Rangeela Prasad Yadav, whose 11-year-old grand-daughter Mamata was among the dead, told the BBC.

Asiana flight attendants hailed as heroes

It is fascinating to read accounts of heroism of Asiana flight attendants! CNN link
We are glad to have Veteran flight attendants like Lee Yoon Hye who can step up under pressure and ensure safety of passengers.

“According to the airline, flight attendants helped passengers get off the plane safely. They opened doors, deployed slides and helped passengers escape, according to JoongAng Daily, a South Korean newspaper. As soon as the plane stopped, Lee knocked on the cockpit door to make sure the pilots were OK.” Once evacuation began, Lee said she had a plan. "I was not thinking, but acting," she said. "As soon as I heard 'emergency escape,' I conducted the evacuation." "When there was a fire, I was just thinking to extinguish it, not thinking that it's too dangerous or 'What am I going to do?'"

Recent articles in media suggest that “Asiana flight attendants undergo three months of training including emergencies and terrorist training before their first flight.” Perhaps all global airlines do. However, the difference when it comes to life-and-death in emergency situations is the maturity. Passengers on this Asiana flight had the benefit of Lee Yoon Hye’s years of experience in the industry.

I only wish we had similar experienced and perceptive and well-grounded flight attendants on all international flights.

Reaction of air-crew is perhaps one aspect of Jet Airways flight 229 that I continue to reflect on, even five years after the incident. Would the presence of a super-hero flight attendant would have saved the life of little Aditya?

Hard to second guess.

Bottomline, it is heartening to see good training, presence of mind coming to play in saving dozens of lives during trying times!