By Laurie Baron
SAN DIEGO-A teenage boy from San Jose stowed away in the wheel-well of a Hawaiian Airline jet flying to Maui and survived. When asked why he did this, he replied that there was more legroom there than in the economy seats. Since he nearly died from hypothermia and lack of oxygen, Hawaiian Airlines plans to install space heaters and oxygen masks in the wheel-wells and charge passengers a budget fare to ride there or in the luggage compartment.
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After the Whitehouse Easter Egg Roll, President Obama read Where the Wild Things Are to the children who participated. His version set the story in the House of Representatives.
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A New Jersey woman’s request for a personalized license plate reading 8Theist was denied by the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission on the grounds that it was offensive. To test whether the Commission was discriminating against atheists, she successfully applied for a license reading BAPTIST. Not only has she lodged a lawsuit against the state; she has asked for a license plate reading Bill Maher.
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Jews in the city of Donetsk have received leaflets ordering them to register as Jews or face the revocation of their citizenship and deportation. They also were given DVDs of Fiddler on the Roof with a note informing them that Russian separatists love how it ends.
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A gathering of Al Qaeda militants in Yemen triggered a joint American-Yemeni bombing strike which killed 55 of the organization’s members. The United States called the measure a preemptive attack to prevent a wave of terrorism in Yemen. The Yemenite government downplayed the assault claiming it was merely cracking down on a Spring Break party that had gotten out of hand.
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Baron is professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University. He may be contacted via lawrence.baron@sdjewishworld.com