So, I just landed in Georgia for the week. Visiting my folks for Thanksgiving.

South of Atlanta in a town called Peachtree City. It is a very interesting place.

I tell you what, airport security is no joke these days.

I was pulled and had my hands swabbed and tested for explosive residue, and I was pulled separately for a random search.

I was surprised that we were not required to go through the new 3D x-ray scanners. They have been all the rage in the news lately. But, I didn't even see one.

The security was extra thick. They were announcing a code Orange threat level and asking everyone to be extra vigilant. Even with the heightened level, the 3D scanners were not being used.

I dont know if they are only used in place of the wands or not, but I did not even notice them setup anywhere.

Like I said, I was pulled for extra interest "randomly", and they didn't wand me...Actually they didn't do much. They asked me to remove my shoes, but everyone had to remove their shoes.

It may have been a "psychological" exam. Just to see reaction. If I started to sweat or get too nervous, they could scrutinize further.

Anyway, I will have some time to get caught up on some coding I need to get done and optimized. Should be a nice relaxing trip.

I am going to visit some of the local watering holes while in town.

Anyone in the area want to lose on a pool table?

Actually, any stores or areas of interest, electronics related would be nice to know.

 

When you go through security on the way out, and a TSA agent runs his gloved hands all over you, just think about all the possible places those gloves could have been before.

Why do the agents wear gloves? Why don't they change them between passengers? Do they remove them when they go to the bathroom?

John

 

When you go through security on the way out, and a TSA agent runs his gloved hands all over you, just think about all the possible places those gloves could have been before.

Why do the agents wear gloves? Why don't they change them between passengers? Do they remove them when they go to the bathroom?

John

I smell a herpes or venereal wart lawsuit-a-brewin'

I guess it is all to possible for them to transmit such diseases if they do not wash, and or change gloves between people.

 

I managed to take an 8 oz tube of shaving gel to California 4 times and once to Europe before TSA noticed.

 

I smell a herpes or venereal wart lawsuit-a-brewin'

I guess it is all to possible for them to transmit such diseases if they do not wash, and or change gloves between people.

Hey, that is just starters. The infective dose for cholera is just one organism. Anyone from Haiti on board? There are numerous others. Remember, those gloves can go inside undergarments before touching you.

Phlebotomists and others in hospitals have been wearing gloves and changing them between patients for several years. I guess Homeland Security never heard of that.

John

 

Sorry, my error, old age, and new data. I think your source may be a little off too.

Here is a nice PowerPoint presentation that discusses difficulties in assessing the minimal infective dose (i.e., the minimal dose that causes infection in 50% of the subjects).

Years ago (circa 1970), the teaching was that organisms that were durable, e.g., Salmonella, seemed to have high infective doses; whereas, fragile organisms (Shigella and Vibrio) had lower infective doses. The logic was that a fragile organism with a high infective dose would not be able to propagate very well and cause pandemics. In volunteer studies with Campylobacter (another cause of diarrhea, but less serious than cholera or Shigella dysentery), the infective does was in the single digits.

New data has clearly revised those earlier minimal doses, but the numbers are still low. According to Greig, Todd, and Bartleson (loc. cit.), the infective dose for Vibrio cholerae, Camplyobacter, and Shigella is about 500 to 1000; E.coli O157:H7 is <10; and Salmonella covers a large range of from <10 to 10E9. For reference, a single colony on a petri dish will have 10E8 organisms or more.

Thanks for prompting me to look up these new data. Regardless of whether the infective dose is 10, a thousand, or a billion organisms, they are still bugs you don't want to mess with carelessly.

John

NB: I have equated CFU (colony forming unit) with viable organisms. They are not identical, but for the sake of this discussion, they are close enough.

 

NEWS FLASH: An entrepreneur has developed underwear that is opaque to back-scatter scanners. Now what? Will the TSA require us to wear only certain brands of jockey's? (Source: local ABC affiliate)

John

 

NEWS FLASH: An entrepreneur has developed underwear that is opaque to back-scatter scanners. Now what? Will the TSA require us to wear only certain brands of jockey's? (Source: local ABC affiliate)

John

I'm sure we will be hearing about them more soon.

After all, why would somebody wear them if not to hide contraband?? The war on drugs marches on.

It's already been shown that unauthorized electronic devices of "bomb size" can be put onto planes via cargo/baggage (the toner scare is an example), but they continually increase airport security on the people who have been historically "minimal risk".

My employer lets me drive to anything important, mostly since I stated it was that or I didn't want the job.

 

Regardless of what advances in undergarment technology the cat and mouse game played by the good guys and the bad guys will continue to march on.

Drugs, of any profitable quantity, can equal the size of an explosive device that can ruin the day of any airline passenger/owner/etc.

The guys moving the drugs have a harder time because they want to get farther than mid-air.

They are going to keep using mules to test the security, and when they find a happy hole in the wall, the ka-boom guys are going to follow suit.

I saw a husband and wife getting questioned in public because the man had a tube of lubricating jelly that was larger than the size of which is allowed.

The woman was trying to run cover so 'we' couldn't see the tube while the officer asked if the 'product' could be tested.

I would have said "Sure, take the lube and go screw yourself."

No, I wouldn't say that.

AND, I would have waited until I got to my destination to get my personal lubricant.

Still. A tube of lube is a potential bomb in the eyes of the "boom-stoppers". Especially during a code orange time.

Ugg. Instead of seperate rooms, they inspect your stuff in a half cubicle-like area.
In plain view of the surrounding public.

Many people, like myself, are not checking bags. I only take what I can fit in a carry-on.

I am guessing this is where Mr. and Mrs. Lubejob's plans went awry. If they would have had their large Tube-o-Lube in a checked bag, no problem.

But why would you need access to a Tube-o-Lube in-flight?

 

Maybe they were being inducted into the mile high club? J

 

Maybe they were being inducted into the mile high club? J

Anythings possible.

 

they continually increase airport security on the people who have been historically "minimal risk".

You wouldn't want the government to profile would you?

[/sarcasm]

 

You wouldn't want the government to profile would you?

[/sarcasm]

Police in the US as well as Airline security in a few countries fully believe in profiling, because it works. It works for the same reasons stereotypes exist.

Lots of us here probably have had a slide rule or know what one is, for example. I won't even go into pocket protectors and a love of RPN calculators and stuff.

 

I know profiling works. Everyone profiles everyday.

 

You know, this is why the US has a bad rep in my country, and mostly everyone think ill of them.

If you have cultivated a state of permanent fear (through alerts and news flashes) and use that fear to harass (because that's what airport controls are about) and manipulate citizens on a daily basis, then I guess you have it coming...

And don't tell me that US runs a greater risk of beign attacked. They were perfectly safe a couple of decades back. The present state is the result of a handful of wars for power.

It isn't a coincidence that none of the European Countries have such high security measurees on the airports. They just have nothing to fear of. Internationaly at least. I predict the homeland "action" groups to multiply in the next few years, given the economical state of things.

 

Interesting theory, guess the multiple WTC attacks were just a figment of our imagination, along with the 3K+ dead.

I have stated my opinion, the War on Terror is misplaced at best, but don't redefine history.

 

Guess what airline I took?

Delta.

Did you see the 2 airlines that had to emergency land last night?

Both Delta.

One scraped its tail during the landing.

The other lost an engine DURING takeoff. <400ft off the ground.

And now guess what airline I DONT want to fly back?

However, now there will be super scrutiny on Delta planes so they should be repaired an in good working order before I return to Baltimore. ugg.

Statistically, im better than good. 2 "accidents" on the same airline in ONE DAY, the chances of a 3rd are out there.

But, hey... There is always a chance for a first.

So, now I get my personal parts jiggled, and I get to be scared to death on the flight.

Sounds very 'S and M'

I had to carry my programmer and a UBS cable so I can get some work done while Im down here, but they were not even removed from my pocket.

I didn't think about this before, I just realized they were still in my jacket pocket.

But after the increased scrutiny of me, they still didnt check my jacket.

What is odd, is I didn't send my jacket through the x-ray, and when I was pulled to the side, I took my jacket off and set it to the side.

They never looked in it.

I just saw a report of a man with a urine-bag that was ruptured because the TSA pat-down man didn't care to hear about the mans medical condition.

As the man was being patted down, the man requested the patter slow and lighten his touch so the urine bag not be yanked from his body.

The patter replied, I dont even know what a urostomy is, and he continued to speed through the patdown and ruptured the mans bag. He left the room to have his gloves tested, returned saying "you can go", and left the urine soaked man to board the plane. soaked.

Never asked if they could offer any sort of help, or apology.

 

That is a very disturbing anecdote, but not surprising. Those actions were nothing short of an assault. We can look forward to going through the same process to access any public building, even a courthouse.

John

 

Agreed.

Going to jail, it is expected to be treated like that. After all, you "lost" some of your rights after commiting and being convicted of the crime.

You are embarrassed semi-publicly by being stripsearched in front of other "residents".

I suppose they figure that you will be showering with the "public" so whats the difference?

But to be treated like that while RETAINING all of your rights (supposedly) is criminal.

Also, attempting to avoid further hatred from other countries and avoid lawsuits, profiling has been yanked from the to-do list.

 

Look, Bill, don't get me wrong. I don't generalize to every american citizen and I do and always will judge new acquaintances on personal contact facts, not rumors.

But it seems that the US governement tries extra hard to appear unappealing and unfriendly to the rest of the world.

Maybe that's actually the goal. Maybe that's just the collective subconsious of an american-controlled country population (I 'm talking about my country).

Of course I don't demand my opinion to be accepted on such a delicate matter. I just state it.