How did I not know this?

More about Flight 93 in today's Salon.

How did I not know until just now that Flight 93 took off after one of the flight attendents on Flight 11 reported a hijacking?

Did you know this? Did you know that nearly 20 minutes passed before Betty Ong called the flight ops office and reported the hijacking of Flight 11? Did you know that the FAA's policy was not - and it's implied, still is not - to ground all planes during a hijacking?

This is utterly mad. How did it never occur to anyone at the FAA that hijackings might be a multi-site tandem assault, such that they would create a workable plan to deal with such things?

And I still have a question - does anyone know the answer? - why wasn't Bush told that a hijacking had taken place? Why wasn't he told anything until the first plane slammed into the tower and hundreds of people had been killed?

I haven't read the full report yet; I plan to, but I haven't yet. Systematic failures at every level of intelligence and government - that's pretty bloody obvious - but I want to know, what is the current stand? If there's been a hijacking, and it's been reported by an airline staffer, will the government still allow planes to take off?

And if so, why?

If the end is right, it justifies the beans!

This is the first fic I've written since about March, so I will dedicate it to tea_and_toast, on the occasion of her birthday, which she shares with FictionAlley...

( For Scribbulus_Ink's Candy is Dandy challenge (Sirius + Bertie Botts' Beans) )

(no subject)

"Madam, without you, life was like a broken pencil...it was pointless."

Melissa just posted on TLC that Miranda Richardson is set to play Rita Skeeter.

I am just over the moon with this announcement - I adore her completely and think she's absolutely perfect for the role, mostly because she does Evil Vampy Bitch better than anyone (except possibly Joanna Lumley, and she'd probably be better as Narcissa, who I'm not sure is even going to be in the film anyway, alas).

Oh, now I need to go watch me some Blackadder. And oh, it is just such a pity that any interaction she has with Lucius is offscreen.


(On a related note, if this brings any of the younger fans to see The Crying Game in the way that Cuaron's directing may've led some of them to see Y Tu Mama, I will laugh at the anti-smut crusaders. Oh yes, I will.)