Chris Matthews Defends Michael Chertoff And The TSA
Benjamin Franklin wrote, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” I’m not sure Chris Matthews would agree.
Proud Patriot Beats TSA Using iPhone and the Constitution
Many of you will be traveling in the United States this week for the annual Thanksgiving celebrations. At this point no one can be unaware of the new government policy regarding Backscatter X-Ray machines and the option to suffer a humiliating full body pat down (or groping) by TSA agents. Thanks to Matt Kernan, it seems that those of you with sufficient patience and knowledge of the your constitutional rights may have a third option. It’s well worth reading his entire blog post — this is just a taste:
I said, “I am aware that it is policy, but I disagree with the policy, and I think that it is unconstitutional. As a U.S. citizen, I have the right to move freely within my country as long as I can demonstrate proof of citizenship and have demonstrated no reasonable cause to be detained.”
Policy restatement. “You have two options – the Backscatter or the…
Florida Airport Opting Out: Rejecting the TSA in Favor of A Private Company
Ken Tyndall reports on WDBO Local News:
The backlash continues over those new TSA screening measures, and now one Central Florida airport has decided to go with a private security screening firm. Orlando Sanford International Airport has decided to opt out from TSA screening.
“All of our due diligence shows it’s the way to go,” said Larry Dale, the director of the Sanford Airport Authority. “You’re going to get better service at a better price and more accountability and better customer service.”
Dale says he will be sending a letter requesting to opt out from TSA screening, and instead the airport will choose one of the five approved private screening companies to take over.
Congressman John Mica, who’s expected to lead the powerful Transportation Committee next year, says the TSA is crying out for reform. “I think TSA is overstepping its bounds,” said Mica.
Dale says, if all goes as planned, the private security firm…
One Hundred Naked Citizens: One Hundred Leaked Body Scans (Video)
Thanks to Joel Johnson for his story on Gizmodo:
At the heart of the controversy over “body scanners” is a promise: The images of our naked bodies will never be public. U.S. Marshals in a Florida Federal courthouse saved 35,000 images on their scanner. These are those images.
A Gizmodo investigation has revealed 100 of the photographs saved by the Gen 2 millimeter wave scanner from Brijot Imaging Systems, Inc., obtained by a FOIA request after it was recently revealed that U.S. Marshals operating the machine in the Orlando, Florida courthouse had improperly-perhaps illegally-saved images of the scans of public servants and private citizens.
We understand that it will be controversial to release these photographs. But identifying features have been eliminated. And fortunately for those who walked through the scanner in Florida last year, this mismanaged machine used the less embarrassing imaging technique.
How To Israel-ify America’s Airport Security
Security screening at North American airports is inconvenient and invasive, yet at times seems as if it’s all for show. How could it be done better? In Israel, they examine behavior rather than shoes or crotches. The Toronto Star enlightens us:
While North America’s airports groan under the weight of another sea-change in security protocols, one word keeps popping out of the mouths of experts: Israelification.
That is, how can we make our airports more like Israel’s, which deal with far greater terror threat with far less inconvenience. Despite facing dozens of potential threats each day, the security set-up at Israel’s largest hub, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, has not been breached since 2002. How do they manage that?
The first layer of actual security that greets travellers at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport is a roadside check. All drivers are stopped and asked two questions: How are you? Where are you coming…
TSA to Punish Passengers who Opt-Out of Virtual Strip Search with Non-Virtual Groping
Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic has published a piece on his experience opting-out of the back-scatter body scanners at Baltimore-Washington International:
At BWI, I told the officer who directed me to the back-scatter that I preferred a pat-down. I did this in order to see how effective the manual search would be. When I made this request, a number of TSA officers, to my surprise, began laughing. I asked why. One of them — the one who would eventually conduct my pat-down — said that the rules were changing shortly, and that I would soon understand why the back-scatter was preferable to the manual search. I asked him if the new guidelines included a cavity search. “No way. You think Congress would allow that?”
I answered, “If you’re a terrorist, you’re going to hide your weapons in your anus or your vagina.” He blushed when I said “vagina.”
“Yes, but starting tomorrow, we’re going…
How The JetBlue Flight Attendant Became An Internet Hero
Why we love the Internet! Story everywhere, but this is from the New York Post:
Move over Chesley Sullenberger, make room for Steven Slater.
The JetBlue flight attendant who went berserk has become an overnight Internet hero to workers everywhere after arguing with a passenger, then escaping down the plane’s inflatable emergency chute at JFK Airport clutching a beer.
A day after the attendant-turned-wing-nut had a meltdown on a flight from Pittsburgh, eight Facebook fan pages have been created overnight in Slater’s name…
Feds Admit Storing Checkpoint Body Scan Images
TSA's X-ray backscatter scanning with "privacy filter"
Declan McCullagh reports on cnet News’ Privacy Inc:
For the last few years, federal agencies have defended body scanning by insisting that all images will be discarded as soon as they’re viewed. The Transportation Security Administration claimed last summer, for instance, that “scanned images cannot be stored or recorded.”
Now it turns out that some police agencies are storing the controversial images after all. The U.S. Marshals Service admitted this week that it had surreptitiously saved tens of thousands of images recorded with a millimeter wave system at the security checkpoint of a single Florida courthouse.
This follows an earlier disclosure (PDF) by the TSA that it requires all airport body scanners it purchases to be able to store and transmit images for “testing, training, and evaluation purposes.” The agency says, however, that those capabilities are not normally activated when the devices are installed at airports.
Body scanners penetrate…
Sketchy-Luggage Stickers For Your Suitcase
The next time you fly somewhere, spice up your journey by adorning your bag with one these questionable-contents suitcase stickers produced and sold by The Cheeky. Sadly, Canada has banned these, following some unfortunate incidents.
FAA Under Pressure to Open U.S. Skies to Unmanned Spyplanes
Photo: Ross D. Franklin
Joan Lowy writes on the AP via Yahoo News:
Unmanned aircraft have proved their usefulness and reliability in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now the pressure’s on to allow them in the skies over the United States.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been asked to issue flying rights for a range of pilotless planes to carry out civilian and law-enforcement functions but has been hesitant to act.
Officials are worried that they might plow into airliners, cargo planes and corporate jets that zoom around at high altitudes, or helicopters and hot air balloons that fly as low as a few hundred feet off the ground.
On top of that, these pilotless aircraft come in a variety of sizes. Some are as big as a small airliner, others the size of a backpack. The tiniest are small enough to fly through a house window.
The obvious risks have not deterred the…
A 26-Foot-Tall Anubis Statue Installed at Denver International Airport
Via Red Ice Creations:
Ever since it was first installed at Denver International Airport, the 32-foot-tall blue “Mustang” has been the talk of the town, but a new addition is sure to get plenty of attention.
A crew is installing a seven-ton, 26-foot-tall concrete sculpture of an Egyptian god at the airport. Anubis, a statue with a jackal-head, will be built south of the Jeppesen Terminal.
Although part of the lore of the 9,000-pound “Mustang” is that its creator, Luis Jiménez, was tragically killed while making the piece, Anubis may be even more notorious. He’s the Egyptian god of death and the afterlife.
It’s being put in to preview the Denver Art Museum’s King Tut exhibit. The exhibit runs June 29 through Jan. 9, 2011, and Anubis will be standing guard during that time…
Ash Cloud Disrupts Travel for 2nd Day
Just when you thought air traffic was back to normal … I’m headed for Europe this week, and I hope Vulcan will hold his wrath long enough for me to get across. CBC News Reports:
Air traffic to and from European destinations was disrupted by a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland for a second consecutive day Sunday.
The cloud is lingering over northwestern Scotland and a finger stretches into the airspace over northwestern Spain and Portugal.
An isolated cloud is affecting southern France and northern Switzerland, while another hangs over southern Switzerland, northern Italy, southern Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.
Roughly 1,000 fewer flights took place in European airspace on Sunday, a drop of four per cent from the usual number for this time of year.
Hundreds of flights were canceled Saturday as plumes of ash again blew toward western Europe.
Spain closed 19 airports, while dozens of flights were also canceled in Portugal.
Air traffic…
The Unfriendly Skies: Toxic Airlines And The Aerotoxic Syndrome
A documentary by Tim van Beveren investigating fume events, tricresyl phosphate (TCP) and talking to researchers and pilots affected by the fumes. First broadcast on the German TV program Markt on 9 March 2009. English language version.
Volcano Air Traffic Ban In Europe May Cause Higher Temperatures
Approximate drawing of estimated ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption as of 17 April 2010 at 18:00 UTC. Source: UK Met Office (CC)
Yes, you read that correctly. The volcanic ash cloud over Europe might be expected to block sunlight and lower continental temperatures in a sort of nuclear winter scenario à la The Road, but according to this report in the Daily Mail the opposite may be true:
Temperatures in Europe could rise as a result of planes being grounded across the continent, according to research.
A study conducted after commercial flights were grounded for three days following the September 11 terror attacks found the average daily temperature range in the U.S. rose markedly – exceeding the three-day periods before and after by 1.8c.
Scientists claimed this showed that clouds formed by the water vapour in the exhaust from jet planes have a small but significant effect on daily temperatures. The unprecedented study suggests the…
Amazing Northern Lights Show Over Erupting Iceland Volcano (Photo)
Major props to “ice,” an Icelandic photographer with one very cool collection of photos of the current volcanic eruption in Iceland. Not so cool is that the volcanic ash in the air over northern Europe has stopped all UK air traffic, so for anyone planning to meet the disinformation crew at the London Book Fair next week, stay tuned…
Here’s the pick of the crop of photos, showing the Northern Lights a/k/a Aurora Borealis:
(c) 2010 "Ice" – shown here in reduced size as fair use.
Mega Shark Attack on Airplane Explained by Physics
Now this is entertainment. But here’s the real life physics behind it (click here). Stephen Tauban writes on his blog:
Last year, I discovered the wonderfully cheezy and sharky movie: Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus. While it certainly appealed to a more straight-to-DVD niche market of creature-feature enthusiasts, it wasn’t half bad. Pretty laughable in parts … well actually, in most parts when you consider the wooden acting and crap computer animation. However the most ridiculous scene has to be when Mega Shark takes down a commercial jetliner that is cruising over the middle of the ocean. It was this moment that took the movie from being a little ho-hum to “holy shit, did that shark just eat a plane!?” Check out the clip:
It’s pretty incredible when you think about it. I mean, how the hell did it do that? What would it require for a shark the size of a plane to launch itself out of the water and take down a moving aircraft? After reviewing some of my basic physics calculations I came up with some pretty startling figures. However, it didn’t feel like I would be doing such an epic event justice with just a basic blog post, which meant it was time to do what I love most: an infographic! I had been itching to do one for a while now, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. So with all that said, check out the resulting design below. Oh, and just click on the image to download the full size PDF version for the smaller details.
Pregnant Woman Kicked Off Airplane For Asking For Water
There’s no justice for famous chubby directors, or it seems now, the thirsty on airplanes. Huffington Post reports:
It’s not just famous directors who are getting kicked off planes for bizarre reasons.
A New York doctor claims that he was booted from a Spirit Airlines flight for asking for water for his pregnant wife on Sunday.
Mitchell Roslin, the Chief of Obesity Surgery at Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital, says that after being grounded at LaGuardia Airport for two hours in a hot plane his attempts to get water for his 7-month pregnant wife were repeatedly refused.
Roslin informed the New York Post that flight attendants told him that it was “against corporate policy” to give him water before the plane was in the air.
Where’s Your Flying Car (and Your Jetpack)? (Video)
Via h+ magazine:
This article lists three real flying cars that are already in development — and provides video of each one!
MIT engineers are already taking deposits for next year’s roll-out of a “Roadable Aircraft” that can fold and stow its wings in less than 30 seconds — and then drive like a regular car.
And NASA’s electric-powered flying suit will even take off vertically like a helicopter before converting into a propeller-driven airplane. Though it accelerates up to 300 mph, one NASA engineer reports it has zero emissions, and “It’s a 10 times reduction in noise from the quietest helicopters today.”
Director Kevin Smith Thrown Off Oakland Flight Over Weight
Reports CBS13:
OAKLAND, Calif. ― A cult-favorite movie director has claimed that he was thrown off a Southwest Airlines flight out of Oakland due to a dispute over his weight.
Kevin Smith, the creator of movies like Clerks, Dogma, and the upcoming Cop Out, posted a series of angry, sarcastic messages on his Twitter feed (@ThatKevinSmith) blasting Southwest Airlines for allegedly throwing him off a flight at Oakland International Airport after he had already been seated and buckled in.
According to Smith, a flight attendant told him the flight captain had deemed him a safety risk and requested that he leave the flight.
“I broke no regulation, offered no ’safety risk,’ (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?),” he wrote. “I’m way fat … But I’m not THERE just yet.”
Smith’s followers (numbering more than 1.6 million) flooded Twitter with support for the filmmaker and insults for Southwest Airlines’ official Twitter page.
Read More: CBS13
…
How to Fall 35,000 Feet — And Survive
Dan Koeppel writes in Popular Mechanics:
You’re six miles up, alone and falling without a parachute. Though the odds are long, a small number of people have found themselves in similar situations — and lived to tell the tale.
6:59:00 AM, 35,000 Feet: You have a late night and an early flight. Not long after takeoff, you drift to sleep. Suddenly, you’re wide awake. There’s cold air rushing everywhere, and sound. Intense, horrible sound. Where am I?, you think. Where’s the plane?
You’re 6 miles up. You’re alone. You’re falling.
Things are bad. But now’s the time to focus on the good news. (Yes, it goes beyond surviving the destruction of your aircraft.) Although gravity is against you, another force is working in your favor: time. Believe it or not, you’re better off up here than if you’d slipped from the balcony of your high-rise hotel room after one too many drinks last night.
Or…
