Lifestyle
‘Shroom’ Pilot Opens Up About Insane Near Death Flight
![‘Shroom’ Pilot Opens Up About Insane Near Death Flight ‘Shroom’ Pilot Opens Up About Insane Near Death Flight](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/cf/16by9/2023/11/11/cfaa663a39ab4d308c8129060b4b41f5_xl.jpg)
The commercial airline pilot charged with nearly killing dozens of passengers is speaking out for first time, believing he could have snapped out of his terrifying hallucinogenic state if he destroyed the plane.
Joseph Emerson was interviewed Friday by the New York Times in Portland’s Multnomah County Jail, telling a reporter, “I thought it would stop both engines, the plane would start to head towards a crash, and I would wake up.”
FlightAware/LiveATC
Emerson was arrested for the bizarre October 22 incident aboard a flight from Washington state to San Francisco. He was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder — one for each passenger — and is currently being held without bond.
He told The Times his nightmare began two days earlier when he consumed magic mushrooms with friends while reminiscing about another buddy who had passed away in 2018.
He said the death had a traumatic impact on his life, falling into a deep funk and seeking out therapists to cope with the loss.
Fast forward to Oct. 22. Emerson said he was continuing to self-medicate and ingest the ‘shrooms with his friends, who he thought were mocking him and scheming to harm him.
He said feelings of fear and dread washed over him on his way to the airport, boarding the one-hour flight to San Francisco as a passenger — not a pilot — since he was off duty at the time.
Before the doors closed on the plane, Emerson said he texted a friend, claiming he was having a panic attack.
After the flight took off, Emerson said he went completely nuts, screaming, “I’m not OK,” before activating the plane’s two fire-suppression handles.
Alaska Airlines Audio, Pilot Went ‘Little Overboard’ in Attempt to Take Down Plane
According to a police report, the pilots flying the plane grabbed Emerson’s wrists and ripped him away from the control panel so he couldn’t cut the fuel supply or shut down the engines.
The report says Emerson then yelled, “You need to cuff me right now, or it’s going to be bad!” He also allegedly guzzled coffee from a pot, tried to open the emergency door and demanded to know if all this was real.
It certainly was because Emerson was arrested after the plane made an emergency landing. To top everything off, Emerson allegedly took off his clothes, attempted to dive out a window, peed on himself and masturbated.
Emerson told The Times, “I am horrified that those actions put myself at risk and others at risk.”
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Lifestyle
Tragedy feels all too familiar in these two international dramas
![Tragedy feels all too familiar in these two international dramas Tragedy feels all too familiar in these two international dramas](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3598x2024+33+0/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Feb%2Fa6%2F753c8cf240a182d191625172cbfd%2F1477463-125979-zoomed.jpg)
The Swedish series Quicksand and the Mexican drama The Accident offer a reminder that justice plays out differently around the world. Above, Hanna Ardéhn as Maja in Quicksand.
/Netflix
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/Netflix
When a show is called The Accident, you know something very bad is going to happen, and when it opens with a kids’ birthday party, you know it’s probably going to be extra bad.
While on vacation, I came across the 10-episode Spanish-language Netflix series The Accident, which is currently in the Netflix Top 10. I decided to give it a whirl, as much as anything because I wanted to know what the accident was. I had not watched the trailer, which gives it away, but because it does (and it’s revealed in the opening episode), I will tell you what the accident is: At the party, the bounce house where the kids are playing is picked up by a gust of wind, and tragedy ensues.
YouTube
Unfortunately, this can happen (there was a similar tragedy in Maryland not long ago), but this is only the inciting incident. As we follow the affected families, there is intrigue over a business deal, there is an affair, there is a very scary man, there is a teenage romance, and there is a tangled tale of who is responsible for this accident. The series is about the ways these people are changed by one day in their lives, but it also has a strong undercurrent of soapy drama.
![Clockwise from top left: Industry, My Lady Jane, The Bear, The Umbrella Academy, Clipped and House of the Dragon](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1351x1350+101+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2Fbe%2Fdd41899f4cdc8741c6f8af081988%2F6-images-1.jpg)
I’m not sure the show is terrific, but it’s very watchable, in that I watched all 10 episodes in a single day. (Vacation!) This is a Mexican drama, and it made me think about how, wherever a story comes from, the deepest anxieties often echo pretty effectively. A nightmare that involves kids, families that start placing blame, parents who are trying to balance career and family responsibilities with devastating costs for failure – it’s all pretty horrifying.
It’s hard to transition with the words “speaking of horrifying,” but I also watched the 2019 Swedish drama series Quicksand, adapted from the book of the same name, which begins with a school shooting. A young woman named Maja (Hanna Ardéhn) is discovered covered in blood after a shooting that kills several people (including her boyfriend), and over six episodes, the series explores what her role was and what culpability she has. While some of it is about what could possibly drive anyone to commit an act like this, a lot of it is also about the toxicity that can develop in relationships between teenagers, particularly ones who feel alienated from friends or family. Ardéhn is excellent, as is the rest of the cast, and the story walks a fine line between sensitivity and mystery as it provides more and more information about the events on the day.
YouTube
While both of these series are what you might call a “tough sit” because of the subject matter, it’s always interesting to look through a different lens at storytelling that touches on familiar things. For an American viewer like me, both series drive home the point that the justice system works differently in different places – and that criminal offenses can have wildly different penalties in other countries.
And as always, I do recommend watching these shows with subtitles, for the simple reason that you have to give them your attention. You can’t second-screen if you need to read along, and there’s much to be said for training yourself to let something hold your focus for, say, eight hours or so.
Netflix is now serving me recommendations for many, many, many dramas that were produced internationally. I’ll see you in a few years, when I’ve made a dent.
This piece also appeared in NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss the next one, plus get weekly recommendations about what’s making us happy.
Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Lifestyle
49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery
![49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery 49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot During Attempted Robbery](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/5d/16by9/2024/09/01/5d226ed4d3374571bdab45d442a28b6e_xl.jpg)
Ricky Pearsall, the 49ers 2024 first-round draft pick, was shot earlier today during an attempted burglary in San Francisco, the city’s mayor announced.
23-year-old Pearsall is in stable condition at a local hospital … after reportedly being shot in the arm around 3:30 PM.
San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall shot in Union Square. pic.twitter.com/tzsRctqSii
— VideoMixtape.com (@VideoMixtape_) September 1, 2024
@VideoMixtape_
The alleged shooter was caught at the scene and is currently in custody.
The harrowing incident went down Saturday afternoon in the Union Square area of downtown SF, according to SFPD.
Cops says they responded to call for a shooting … and when they arrived on the scene, they encountered two injured people. Video taken on the street appears to show Pearsall walkin to the ambulance.
Video of 49ers draft pick Ricky Pearsall walking to ambulance after police say he was shot near Union Square. Video from witness. @KTVU pic.twitter.com/luhulILUQ7
— Zak Sos (@ZakSNews) September 1, 2024
@ZakSNews
While investigating, it became clear one of the injured was Pearsall, and the other was the alleged burglar … who was injured while committing the alleged crime.
“This afternoon, there was an attempted robbery in Union Square involving San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and he was shot. SFPD was on scene immediately and an arrest of the shooter was made,” SF mayor London Breed said in a statement.
“My thoughts are with Ricky and his family at this time.”
The Niners drafted Pearsall, a wide receiver, 31st overall in the NFL Draft back in April after a senior season where he caught 65 passes for 965 yards and 4 TDs for the Florida Gators.
Pearsall wasn’t expected to play a major role within the Niners offense this year … with stars like like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk ahead of him on the depth chart.
Pearsall was also battling a shoulder injury this preseason, prior to Saturday’s shooting.
Story developing …
Lifestyle
'Wait Wait' for August 31, 2024: Live in Minnesota with Nate Berkus
!['Wait Wait' for August 31, 2024: Live in Minnesota with Nate Berkus 'Wait Wait' for August 31, 2024: Live in Minnesota with Nate Berkus](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x2268+0+0/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2F79%2F6c7afa6242ce9a53f9c10f64e374%2Fgettyimages-1436835915.jpg)
Nate Berkus speaks onstage during the Celebrity Cruises newest and most luxurious ship, Celebrity Beyond, makes north American debut in NYC on October 25, 2022 in Bayonne, New Jersey. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Celebrity Cruises)
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Celebrity Cruis/Getty Images North America
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This week’s show was recorded at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis with host Peter Sagal, judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Nate Berkus and panelists Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Josh Gondelman. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.
Who’s Bill This Time
Beware of Babies; Coffee Conundrum; Even Killer Whales Need Practice
Panel Questions
The Buddy System Fails
Bluff The Listener
Our panelists tell three stories about someone saying “I told you so,” only one of which is true.
Not My Job: We quiz celebrity designer Nate Berkus on tattoos
Interior Designer Nate Berkus plays our game called “Try Some Exterior Decorating.” Three questions about tattoos.
Panel Questions
A Suspicious Promotion; Chicken Fried Television; Out Of Office/Out of Patience
Limericks
Bill Kurtis reads three news-related limericks: Pizza Face; Eau de Crayola; Caffeinated Commerce
Lightning Fill In The Blank
All the news we couldn’t fit anywhere else
Predictions
Our panelists predict what surprising thing Starbucks will add to its menu next.
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