Internet community rallies around detained student

UPDATE (AP): Aschenbach arrives in Boston, is resting comfortably in his Brookline home

"I'm just happy to be home. I can't wait to take a shower, change my clothes, take my exam, and. . . .hey, is that the bathroom over there? I really have to . . . . ". That was the immediate response of Bill Aschenbach upon finally arriving at Boston's Logan airport last night at approximately 5:30 pm. After missing several cancelled flights, he managed to valiantly fight his way on another route at 2:15 pm, but the nightmare was just beginning. "Man, we just sat there for like 45 minutes man, it really, really sucked. I'm like 'hey, get goin' flyboy!' but the dude (pilot) was like 'look pal, we ain't movin until these planes ahead of us take off, so why don't you shut yer trap?' and I'm like 'yeah, make me!' and he's like 'yeah, I will!', it was really messed up!" commented one frustrated passenger on the 2:15 pm flight being held on the runway prior to takeoff. Then, during an unusually slow, tumultuous flight, the plane was forced into a holding pattern over Providence, RI for what seemed like an eternity.

Fortunately, Web 2.0 technologies such as Blackberry and Blogspot, along with many cups of coffee and chewing on Pez allowed Aschenbach to maintain contact with Professor Jerry Kane of Boston College, and his MI703 classmates, througout the whole ordeal. "It definitely got me through in one piece. I just can't believe how great everyone's been through this whole thing, its humbling! I feel like Ferris Bueller" said Aschenbach in response to the numerous notes of well-wishing he received from his MI703 colleagues. Indeed, the incident sent ripples well beyond the Boston College classroom and blogosphere. Outrage over the flight delay resonated through traditional media sources as well, becoming fodder for radio and cable television talk-show hosts, who eviscerated the habitually tardy airline industry. In yet another of an embarrassing series of public appearances, USAir CEO Doug Parker, was forced to comment on the incident.



Aschenbach is currently home safe and sound, and plans to take a make-up examination with several of his classmates on Wednesday, 12/17. He sends his sincere gratitude to the many well-wishers who used Web 2.0 technologies to help him through the ordeal.

Courageous student wisely uses Web 2.0 to alert professor of emergency

BREAKING NEWS (AP)

Bill Aschenbach is currently detained at the Philadelphia International Airport

Boston College evening MBA student Bill Aschenbach had hoped to end his week-long trip across the country by landing safely in Boston, MA just after lunch on 12/10. However, his dreams of landing, showering, and getting a few hours of final preparation for his MI703 final examination appear to be slipping away faster than Rod Blagojevech's political career. When he arrived at the Philadelphia International airport after brief stints in San Francisco and Pittsburgh, he was informed that his USAir flight 1725 was cancelled. In fact, most flights between Philadelphia and Boston have been cancelled this day, so the chances of making it home in time to take the exam, and avoid a 30% black hole in his final grade, are starting to look slim.

However, after spending the last 4 months in MI703, Aschenbach realized that he could use Web 2.0 technologies to help him alert his professor of the situation. First, Aschenbach sprinted to a distant gate to catch another flight, and pulled a hamstring in the heroic effort.

Then, Aschenbach was able to (hopefully) secure a seat on a later route. Realizing the airport offered free WiFi access, he booted up his laptop and took to his blog to share this thrilling story with his professor and devoted readers. At the time of this release, many questions remain unanswered. Might "Twitter" have been better choice given the circumstances? Possibly (except he doesn't know how to use it). Will Aschenbach get on the flight and make it to Boston in time? Much like George Bush's legacy, historians will debate this one for years to come.

Social (Drag)networking: the legal avalanche continues to build

So in what must be the 4th or 5th major legal landmark in the last few weeks, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit against a high-school principal who suspended a former student for posting negative opinions about a teacher on Facebook.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/805585.html

In this case the ACLU, on behalf of the student, claims that the school suspension violated the student's First Amendment right to free speech. Now I may be a bit dated here, but this is basically the same thing I might have "allegedly" been suspended for writing something about a teacher on a bathroom wall.....except the element of vandalism doesn't apply since the "wall" in this case is virtual. Now I'm no lawyer (nor do I play one on TV, like this guy) but in my opinion, both parties in this case have their heads buried in some inferior/posterior location. In the case of the girl, she wasn't exactly prevented from exercising her right to free speech, but merely suffered consequences for what she wrote. In an analogy, could one not expect to be fired from a job if they were caught slamming their boss? Granted, she didn't exactly slander the teacher or post hate speech, but still. . . .in calling out a superior by name in a public forum, she had to do so knowing there was at least a risk of some consequence. And in the case of the principal. . . .the student was soliciting opinions, albeit not very nice, on an internet site that had no affiliation with the school whatsoever. It seems he's on somewhat shaky grounds as well.

For those of you keeping score, over the last month we've had a criminal conviction in federal court for "causing" a suicide online (where no legal precedent existed), civil charges in another for writing unflattering prose about an ex-spouse on Craigslist, and now an ACLU-spearheaded 1st Amendment suit over a high-school suspension. The legal avalanche is coming folks, get yer snowshoes ready!