For those sober enough to be reading blogs on St. Patrick’s Day…

No luck of the Irish here.
Downgraded: Your seatmate
A real headline: “Woman files lawsuit against AMR because passenger next to her masturbated while she slept.” Isn’t air travel glamorous? You sit down for a flight, and you wake up with “a substantial amount of an extremely sticky substance in [your] hair.” Blechh. They arrested the guy, so why the lawsuit? “The suit alleges that the during the investigation, American Airlines employees told police they witnessed the man move from his assigned seat into the row where the woman was sleeping. The woman is seeking punitive damages and a jury trial.” Is changing seats, in and of itself, worthy of a civil action? Sue the wanker, not the airline! (Thanks, John!)

Is there a pot of gold at the end to this rainbow?
Downgraded: Poorism
Mixed feelings about this one: Renewed attention to the trend of slum tourism, or “poorism,” whereby relatively well-off tourists travel to poverty-stricken areas for the ostensible reason of gaining perspective on just how good they’ve got it, while getting an “authentic” experience. On the one hand, they’re pumping some money into the local economy. On the other hand, it’s self-serving and exploitative, like a human zoo. “Ooh, look how the poor people live!”

They’re Magically Delicious!
Downgraded: Already minimal airport lounge snacks in the US
Gary Leff links to a hilarious photo of American Airlines snack packs … in the United Airlines Red Carpet Club. Way to stick it to the competition, by stealing their pretzels! (Alternate interpretation: Begin merger speculation.)

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