Reactions to story from http://cnn.com

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  Theres just one or two questions I have about nipple rings

  http://www.elliott.org/blog/theres-just-one-or-two-questions...
  42 days ago in elliott.org · Authority: 221

  Longtime readers of this blog know that I have a special interest in body piercings, especially as it relates to travel. One of the first Travel Troubleshooter columns took on the issue of security screening and various kinds of rings. So when airline
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  Terrorists Make Lady Rip Off Nipple Piercings to Board Plane [Run For Your Life]

  http://wonkette.com/373602/terrorists-make-lady-rip-off-nipp...
  42 days ago in Wonkette: The D.C. Gossip · Authority: 3,906

  Here's where we are: If you have any trace amount of "metal" on your person, or in your luggage, or anywhere in your life, you are a terrorist and cannot board airplanes. Did you forget, Average American? You are never supposed to do that.
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  America Is Afraid of Nipple Rings; Go Back to ESPN, Olbermann

  http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/012226.php
  42 days ago in The Left Coaster · Authority: 676

  by Jeff Dinelli How can anyone expect this country to hold a mature, issues-driven campaign for president, to stop an idiotic and illegal war in Iraq, to stop the corporate takeover of everything, to figure out what to do in Afghanistan, to come up with
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  More TSA Insanity

  http://belowthebeltway.com/2008/03/28/more-tsa-insanity/
  42 days ago in Below The Beltway · Authority: 323

  Apparently, they're saving us from terrorists with nipple rings: LOS ANGELES, California (AP) - A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security
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  Airport and Air Travel News - March 29, 2008 -- Rats in Orlando Airport, Open Skies for US and Europe, Nipple Ring Incident in Lubbock, Passenger Bill of Rights Rejected, TSA comes to New Orleans

  http://expectdelays.com/cblog/archives/29-Airport-and-Air-Tr...
  11 days ago in eXpect delaYs Travel Delay Blog · Authority: 1

  Here are summaries of some interesting air travel news stories from this past week. We have mainly selected articles that deal with air travel delays and air travel and airport issues, with a few additional interesting stories tossed in. You may follow the links if you would like to read the full stories. Topics include: Rats in Orlando Airport, Open Skies for US and Europe, Nipple Ring Incident in Lubbock, Passenger Bill of Rights Rejected, TSA comes to New Orleans, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey makes plans to relieve congestion, and American and Delta are back on schedule. Dreaded rats cause big airport stink TravelMole http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1127502.php?mpnlog=1 Rat stench has been a persistent problem at Orlando International Airport (OIA), top customs officials say. US Customs and Border Protection officials complained to Orlando International Airport officials that passengers and inspectors became "ill" earlier this month -- nearly a week before a satellite security checkpoint was shut down because workers were sickened again by dead-rat odors. The first-floor customs checkpoint for arriving foreign passengers at Airside 1 was shut down temporarily after some agency workers got sick. -- Historic Open Skies agreement has clear benefits for passengers TravelMole http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1127508.php?mpnlog=1 The much-publicized Open Skies Agreement between the US and the European Union starts this week, lifting bilateral restrictions on flights between the two areas. The agreement allows US airlines to expand nonstop service from their hubs to coveted destinations, particularly those favored by higher-paying business travelers. With Open Skies, we are removing the barriers and restrictions to transatlantic travel, and the consumer will be the real winner, with a greater choice of gateways to European destinations, said Jean-Philippe Perol, US Chairman of the European Travel Commission. European carriers, for now, seem to prefer to add more code share partnerships, according to International Travel Daily News. -- Port Authority To Tackle Airport Congestion Issue WCBSTV http://wcbstv.com/local/Airport.Congestion.Plan.2.685852.html The Port Authority Board of Commissioners is expected to take a major step toward dealing with airport congestion Thursday. To ease the problem the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is looking a new funding proposal and intends on construction of aircraft departure hold-pads, the extension of various taxiways to reduce bottlenecks and the construction of new taxiways and the reconfiguration of existing taxiways. -- Traveler says she was forced to remove nipple ring cnn.com http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/27/nipple.ring.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation. "My experience with TSA was a nightmare I had to endure. Hamlin, 37, said she was trying to board a flight from Lubbock to Dallas on February 24 when she was scanned by a Transportation Security Administration agent after passing through a larger metal detector without problems. Hamlin said she told the woman she was wearing nipple piercings. "Our security officers are well-trained to screen individuals with body piercings in sensitive areas with dignity and respect while ensuring a high level of security," the agency said in a statement. The TSA responds that Transportation Security Officers involved properly followed procedures in that incident. However, in the future TSA will inform passengers that they have the option to resolve the alarm through a visual inspection of the article in lieu of removing the item in question. (http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/press/happenings/lubbock.shtm) -- Airport travelers' IDs will get high-tech screening New tools used to tighten security The Times Picayune http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/money-0/1204698118267450.xml&coll=1 Passengers boarding flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport will notice a change at the airport's security checkpoint. Instead of being verified by a simple visual scan, passenger identification and boarding passes now will be given the once over by government employees carrying black lights and magnifying loops. The change is the result of the Transportation Security Administration's decision to take over the job of validating passenger identification at the nation's airports. The job had been performed by contract workers hired by the airlines, said Kevin McCarthy, federal security director for the TSA in New Orleans. TSA agents are trained in "detecting behavioral clues and interviewing techniques," he said. The TSA employees are trained to identify each state's holograms and detect attempts at copying them. Despite the additional steps, McCarthy said the change should not result in any long-term delays at the security check-in. -- Appeals court rejects passenger bill of rights Law required carriers to provide food, water, clean toilets to travelers MSNBC (Associated Press) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23795241/ A federal appeals court Tuesday struck down a state law requiring airlines to give food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers stuck in delayed planes, saying the measure was well-intentioned but stepped on federal authority. The law was passed after thousands of passengers were stranded aboard airplanes for up to 10 hours on several JetBlue Airways flights at Kennedy International Airport on Valentine's Day last year. The court said that while the goals of the law were "laudable" and the circumstances prompting its adoption "deplorable," only the federal government has the authority to pass such regulations. Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, the prime sponsor of New York Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, said in a statement that the ruling "is a disappointment to anyone who has suffered at the hands of airlines that care more about profits than their customers." In a statement, the air transport association said the ruling vindicates its position that airline services are regulated by the federal government and that a "patchwork" of state and local measures would not benefit customers. -- American, Delta schedules back to normal Airlines canceled hundreds of fights for inspections of MD-80s, MD-88s MSNBC (Associated Press) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23825547/ American Airlines canceled a handful of flights on Friday as it finished up its inspections of wiring bundles on some of its planes, while Delta Air Lines resumed normal service after completing its inspections. Delta Air Lines Inc. completed its inspections Thursday night. Delta said Thursday it would cancel 275 flights, affecting 3 percent of Delta's worldwide flight schedule, to make the re-inspections. At American, inspectors from the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration focused on fixing the spacing between cords used to secure bundles of wires in the auxiliary hydraulic systems of its MD-80 aircraft. The inspections came almost three weeks after the FAA ordered a check of maintenance records at all U.S. airlines following criticism of the agency's handling of missed fuselage inspections at Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. Southwest officials have said they repaired small cracks in the fuselages of six planes last year and four this month. -- Weary of lost luggage, airport headaches, travelers ship bags ahead from the Wisconsin State Journal http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/index.php?ntid=278648 As struggling airlines add extra-luggage fees and travelers worry about growing security restrictions, services like Luggage Forward and Luggage Free have emerged as ways to bypass the hassles of checking bags. While typically seen as a luxury, more Americans are using such options for run-of-the-mill trips. Others are simply mailing bags themselves, using the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx Corp. or UPS Inc. The idea behind the luggage delivery services is to make traveling as headache-free as possible. Customers load up their suitcases as usual, with no special packaging needed. A pickup time is scheduled, usually for a two-hour window. If the bags are being sent to a hotel, the concierge will typically call customers to let them know their belongings have arrived. Rates vary depending on the weight, distance and speed of the delivery. For example, sending a large bag (65 pounds) from New York City to San Francisco with a pickup date in five days would cost $149 through Luggage Forward. Last year, airlines lost seven bags for every 1,000 passengers, according to the Department of Transportation. Until next time - Happy Travels! -Gus
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  http://bitter-girl.com/?p=1590
  30 days ago in bitter-girl :: musings · Authority: 1

  Traveler said she was forced to remove nipple ring. From the CNN article: “The conduct of TSA was cruel and unnecessary,” Allred wrote. “The last time that I checked, a nipple was not a dangerous weapon.” I like Wonkette’s version better: If you have any trace amount of “metal” on your person, or in your luggage, or anywhere in your life, you are a terrorist and cannot board airplanes. Did you forget, Average American? You are never supposed to do that. Some lady did forget, however, and was forced to remove her nipple piercings with a pair of pliers at airport security. She is very upset, too! Nipple piercings can be melted into liquid metal and shaped into Terrorism. You know. Kind of like a Terminator or something. Having had a transvaginal ultrasound, let me tell you, I can’t WAIT until TSA starts handing those out at checkpoints. ‘Cause, you know… dangerous weapon and all, the human vagina. Share This
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  Losing The Global War On Terror

  http://www.playboy.com/blog/2008/04/losing-the-global-war-on...
  38 days ago in The Playboy Blog · Authority: 80

  When you see stories like this, you know that the terrorists have won.
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  Dating (Social Customs)

  http://kimberlykv.blogspot.com/2008/03/dating-social-customs...
  39 days ago in Foodie Stuffs · Authority: 1

  Dating (Social Customs) is an approved Library of Congress structured subject heading. I am trying to do some fun spinster librarian cataloging homework and if I've learned nothing else in the last two hours, that little tidbit of information is burned into my brain. And speaking of dating, I saw a hilarious essay in the New York Times that had my dating style perfectly pegged - It's Not You, It's Your Books - proving that spinster librarian is so the right career choice for me! The essay is short and I think worth a read, but to sum up, it talks about people who discriminate in their dating selection based on literary preferences. "...reading habits can be a rough indicator of other qualities. 'It tells something about ... their level of intellectual curiosity, what their style is. It speaks to class, educational level.'" The essay goes on to talk about literary deal breakers, how "Naming a favorite book or author can be fraught. Go too low, and you risk looking dumb. Go too high, and you risk looking like a bore — or a phony." It's funny that on the first few dates, people usually trot out the lists of books they've recently read to their suitor, eloquently monologuing on the literary virtues of this work or that. By the time you're in the relationship phase, it becomes increasingly hard to form a complete sentence in conversation with your significant other."Wanna go eat?" "Yeah."Stimulating conversation indeed! I often remember something Nora Ephron said in the director's commentary of You've Got Mail about how when we make lists of qualities we want in a partner, we essentially make lists describing ourselves. We also go on to make statements like "I could never be with anyone who..." I've finished that sentence withisn't a musician.doesn't speak Spanish.liked that movie.wants to be a doctor.wants to go back to the days of slavery. (Darned magnanimous of me!)That is like me to demand my personal perception of perfection from a date, when I am oh so lacking myself. I noticed this sign at an airport security point on my trip last week showing how one should and should not pack. I couldn't help but muse aloud that the picture on the left represented Chet and the picture on the right was me. He agreed. Ouch. And it's pretty much a microcosm of my life and not just my luggage. Related: Leave your nipple rings at homeIn purely happy dating news, little sister went and caught herself a man and is gettin' hitched. I'm glad you two are around to show us how this social custom of dating is successfully done. I'll be happy to pull all the books on weddings from the stacks for you. Coming soon: stories and pictures from my voyage to the Orient.
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  Piercing Airport Security

  http://www.planebuzz.com/2008/03/piercing_airport_security.h...
  40 days ago in PlaneBuzz · Authority: 174

  A few days ago CNN.com reported a story about a woman who was forced to remove her nipple rings before being allowed to board a flight from Lubbock to Dallas on February 24th. Wait, did I just write that? The TSA Blog, called "Evolution of Security", said that the 4 agents involved (2 male, 2 female) followed the proper procedures, but upon further review those procedures will be modified. Ya think? If you want to have a chuckle you should check out the comments, which as of this writing totaled 171. I'd say the sentiment runs pretty strongly against the TSA in this case. In response to the comments the TSA came out with an official Statement on the incident, which in part says - "TSA has reviewed the procedures themselves and agrees that they need to be changed. In the future TSA will inform passengers that they have the option to resolve the alarm through a visual inspection of the article in lieu of removing the item in question. TSA acknowledges that our procedures caused difficulty for the passenger involved and regrets the situation in which she found herself. We appreciate her raising awareness on this issue and we are changing the procedures to ensure that this does not happen again." I recall a story a couple of years ago about a woman who was arrested for taking her top off at an airport security checkpoint after she set off the magnetometer. I guess it's OK now as long as it is done during a "private" security screening. Perhaps that's what the TSA means when it says "The Evolution of Security". Let's just cut to the chase and have all passengers completely disrobe and follow their carry on bags through the x-ray machine. I'm joking of course, because treating physical security like this is a joke, but it's not funny to those of us who must endure it when we travel. It isn't the hard metal objects that are a danger to our safety on airplanes, it is those who would use these objects to harm us or others. Richard Reid tries to light a fuse on his Nike's and we subsequently all take our shoes off for screening. The London crew decides to use liquid explosives in their failed endeavor, and subsequently all liquids must be a certain size and fit into a small baggie. This isn't evolution; this is reactive, not proactive. In the wrong hands a pencil is a lethal weapon, and it's not even metal. Cell phones can be used to set off explosive devices. Following the premise that physical security must keep all dangerous objects off of commercial airplanes to it's illogical conclusion, it becomes apparent that the safest alternative is to just ban all objects. It isn't necessary to invade privacy in order for the TSA to know the airline passengers a little better. The information provided to the airline in their reservation is sufficient. But until we get over the aversion to mingling airline reservations together and utilizing the simple information contained in the airline reservation to help focus the physical security more effectively, we will continue to read stories like the nipple ring incident.
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  Points of Interest

  http://www.orthocomics.com/wordpress/2008/03/28/points-of-in...
  41 days ago in News of the Right · Authority: 3

  “of course im (sic) a super nice guy!!!” says 22 year-old under investigation arms dealer on his Myspace page. “The last time that I checked, a nipple was not a dangerous weapon.” Earth Hour will see 26 cities give up electricity. Kids made of awesome: 1; loser cops: 0

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