The Joy of Flying and a Happy Ending. Is the TSA Necessary?

What looked like a comfortable seat in 11F became a cramped space when the woman who had put her bag in the overhead compartment near the emergency exit was brought to sit between the unfriendly guy and I. The unfriendly guy, looked similar to all those who live in my neighborhood. He’s a big no personality schmuck who almost reaches the gargantuan Amazon’s shoulders.

The gargantuan is a friendly mom with a child at the doctor’s office. Maggie is an 18 month old baby. I’m glad when she receives a text just before ground personnel close the door. Her baby is fine. Now she has less worries while she does a Chipotle presentation in New York. “Ladies and gentlemen, the forward door has been closed.” No one is paying attention to the male flight attendant. “At this time all electronic devices must be…” I notice she doesn’t power down her RIM.

Today has been a wonderful day to travel. The first flight to DFW left without me. No problem since I was 21st on the standby list. The first flight of the day had already been cancelled. Yesterday, tornadoes hit the Dallas area, damaging about 100 planes at DFW. I knew my chances were slim that I would get a seat to Dallas. Incredibly, a tall big boned black woman, who could have flown, refused the jump seat. She ignored the gate agent’s remarks and took a few steps backing away from the podium with her fingers inside her nose.

I remained at the podium waiting to be acknowledged. The gate agent had already explained to the remaining passengers…well technically were not passengers since we were left standing outside the gate, that she would take care of us once she finished dispatching flight 1629. I watched the rude flight attendant as she dug deep inside her cavernous nostrils. She pulled a bugger out of her nose, she inspected it and I waited with anticipation to see if she found it tasty. Classy American Airlines flight attendant! She was rude to the gate agent who had explained professionally and clearly, the boarding process. I enjoyed listening her announcements while I called Jet Blue and checked other flights on this dUmb iPad. I hope the digger of buggers remembers to wash her hands before she serves another drink.

After being transferred to the New York standby list, I called Jet Blue to see if I could book a seat on flight 40. This flight would leave 20 minutes earlier than American Airlines 1786. I did this because the gate agent didn’t give me good vibes about the availability of seats on the flight to New York.

After confirming my reservation on Jet Blue using a public phone because I was unable to get a good connection using Verizon Wireless, I left the Airside Terminal to go to the Landside Terminal. Why is there no way to transfer between Airsides without having to be screened again? This is an inconvenience that I was ready to conquer, “but why would they build this airport with this defect?” I wondered.

Normally, I have no problem going through security, since I stopped bringing electronics like computers, DVD players, and CD players, and I also make sure I don’t step on dog feces on the way to the airport.

Well, today was going to be my day to get treated differently at the screening point. Within one airport with two Airsides ( Blue and Red ) the screening process is so different. I didn’t alarm through either check point, but the TSA agents decided I needed a massage before I was allowed to travel on Jet Blue.

I got the spiel of how his rubber gloved hands were going to touch my buttocks, chest, and groin. I told him to proceed and get it over. I don’t understand why the TSA wastes so much of their attention on an experienced traveller.

I’m now wondering why the TSA is needed. Has anyone seen a TSA agent on board an American jetliner assisting crew members, subdue “unruly” persons? Many incidents that made the news did not mention any government muscle assisting the crew.

“Sylvia…you want a bagel too?” the Thai asked the humpbacked lady. I’m at the bagel joint, (Hot Bialys Bagels) on the corner of Queens Boulevard and 78th Avenue, rewriting this for myself, while Mireille does the Sunday Crossword. I looked up when Sylvia was asked the question, and the attractive woman on the other side of the room also looked up. She smiled and I think I smiled back. She’s with a man who hasn’t yet shaved. They don’t seem a racial match. She’s Asian he’s Arabic.

I spoke to a few people after my testicles were felt up. According to the TSA there is only one policy concerning all passengers. Really? Why then am I treated differently at Delta and American. There I am allowed to go through a metal detector. At A12 in the Tampa International Airport, the experience is a bit more physical and sexual. A man watching me being felt up in public said he almost had a hard on seeing my screening. He makes a comment about how he enjoyed his last massage in Thailand. I guess he received a happy ending. I didn’t. I asked to speak to a supervisor.

Now I’m watching a free movie courtesy of the flight crew. Jet Blue has been great. I was given 11F, with an empty seat in the middle. Imagine all the room I had to spread out at the emergency exit? Now I feel cramped and the need to go to the bathroom is making me more uncomfortable. I shouldn’t drink those 8.5 fl. oz. bottles so quickly. We’re starting to fly in choppy air, again!

I can’t believe her thighs don’t quite fit in these seats. Every times she moves the armrest goes up. She’s not too comfortable in her middle emergency seat. When I went to the galley to ask for more bottles of water and to request a colder cabin, I stopped for a few seconds to speak to Mireille . The Amazon was seated next to her in the middle seat. She was supposed to sit in 15B. How does she manage to get such seats?

The reason I gave up on trying to visit my family in Texas was twofold. The first, a tornado hit the area yesterday. The second, Easter is only three days away. The hailstorm that hit the airport damaged 100 jets, a devastating blow to a great airline. American Airlines filed for bankruptcy a few months ago, and this is not what they needed. This airline is trying to negotiate with the unions without any success. The company is asking the court for permission to void all the contracts.

Just now the seat belt sign has been illuminated and the fellow who speaks without periods states the obvious. “ladies and gentlemen the seat belt sign…” and the pilot tells us we’re 65 miles from the airport, approximately 15 minutes away from landing at John F. Kennedy International airport.

Welcome back to the jungle. Two dings…the final descent! All electronic devices need to be powered down. I close my dUmb iPad and grab the camera. I’ll take a few shots as we descend.

Sent from my iPad

 

Delta Air Lines, Inc. names Paul A. Jacobsen as CFO

A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-323E landing on runway 18C at Schiphol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Delta Air Lines, Inc names Paul A. Jacobsen as CFO

Someone not authorized to speak publicly on the possible bid by Delta Air Lines, Inc. for AMR Corporation has informed us Delta has hired Blackstone Group to look into this matter.

Delta Names Paul A. Jacobson as Chief Financial Officer

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&tkr=DAL:US&sid=ayvCvWTsxpmY

Sent from my iPad

The War on Drugs and its Consequences.

Cocaine: The New Front Lines

Colombia’s success in curbing the drug trade has created more opportunities for countries hostile to the United States. What happens when coca farmers and their allies are in charge?  

A true war on crime would eradicate not only the crops but the dealers and users of these drugs in the countries who demand this recreational drug.

In New York state alone, the draconian laws passed under John D. Rockefellar in the late 60′s, incarcerated thousands of young businessmen, including one who just had a baby with a beautiful woman.

To my utter disgust, Beyonce’s husband was recently on the cover of Forbes Magazine.  Thankfully I hadn’t decided yet to extend my subscription when I saw this drug dealer.  The decision to cancel the subscription to Forbes Magazine was very easy.

The irony of spending $8 billion dollars on the war on drugs is that Colombia’s rank as the world’s biggest producer is now in jeopardy.

Peru may have passed Colombia in 2010, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, as the leading producer of Cocaine.

To make matters worse, Ecuador, Venezuela,and Bolivia have become important partners in the war on drugs. They have welcomed cartels to operate freely in their nations.

THE SATURDAY ESSAY JANUARY 14, 2012
Cocaine: The New Front Lines
Colombia’s success in curbing the drug trade has created more opportunities for countries hostile to the United States. What happens when coca farmers and their allies are in charge?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204331304577145101343740004.html

Related articles

• DEA helped Colombian drug trafficker launder cash, new report reveals (usapartisan.com)
• Analysts: Peru rebel capture won’t dent drug trade (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• El Narco, By Ioan Grillo (independent.co.uk)
• Peru has now overtaken Colombia as the largest cocaine exporter in the world (pikapvs.wordpress.com)

Springtime in Europe and the America’s

Springtime in Europe and the America's.

Springtime in Europe and the America’s

What do you think will happen to the Occupy Wall Street movement? So faraway from NYC the Occupy Fargo protest movement allowed the freezing weather defeat them.

David vs. Goliath

Le Cirque to Rockefeller Center

Le Cirque to Rockefeller Center, a set on Flickr.

Last hours of 2011

The Food Aboard Pan American World Airways

The Food Aboard Pan Am

By Satenig St. Marie on Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Once upon a time, about 50 years ago, travel by air was an elegant experience, a journey to be relished from start to finish.

The accommodations were luxurious, the service was superb, and the meals, served on fine china, were divine.

(To continue reading click above.)

After a Three Hour Delay at JFK

we finally took off for Pisa.  Flying to Pisa were Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker and their children.  The delay was caused by the thunderstorms that were rolling through New York all day.  Our plane had to divert to Philadelphia and when it finally took off from Philadelphia, I had already read half of  The Man From Beijing.  While we were boarding the captain informed us we were waiting for a group of fifteen passengers who had just landed from Atlanta.  ”Why are we waiting for these people?”  asked an Italian woman.  ”They never waited for me when my plane was delayed,”  she complained to a flight attendant.  I couldn’t believe she was complaining about waiting for a few more minutes after a three-hour delay.  ”Our flight time will be 7 hours and 45 minutes from takeoff to landing,” we’ve been told.  The complaining Italian woman can’t figure out what time it will be when we land in Pisa so she asks the same flight attendant who also can’t add the flight time to the local time to figure out our arrival time.

After reaching the coastline of Tuscany we start a holding pattern to wait for the airfield to be available for our plane.  There’s only one runway and right now it has traffic waiting to takeoff.

We clear Passport Control and Customs in a few minutes and we’re on our way to the NH Cavalieri by taxi.  Ten euros later and only a kilometer from the airport we’re by the train station that’s in front of the hotel.

During the 5 minute ride the driver tells us how bad the economy is in Italy,  he also tells us to visit Lucca, a town about 16 kilometers away by train.  Hungry because we haven’t eaten  on the flight over we head out looking for Osteria i Santi, a restaurant we liked when we were here last year.  I have a general idea of where it is located and we find it with no trouble, but unfortunately it’s closed and won’t open till 7 pm.  We walk a few steps and sit outside to eat anything.  The euros are bleeding away.  We didn’t order anything too special and 28 euros are gone.  We continue a few blocks to the Piazza dei Miracoli to begin our site seeing.

The Leaning Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistry  are surrounded by tourists.  On Sunday we spend the day in Lucca.  There are hundreds of antique vendors near the Duomo di San Martino.

Marching for the Right to Bare their Breasts.

On July 7, 1992  the case of the People of New York State v. Ramona Santorelli and Mary Lou Schloss,  Judge Titone of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York,  summarized that the PEOPLE “have offered nothing to justify a law that discriminates against women by prohibiting  them from removing their tops and exposing their bare chests in public as men are routinely permitted to do. The mere fact that the statute’s aim is the protection of “public sensibilities” is not sufficient to satisfy the state’s burden of showing an “exceedingly persuasive justification” for a classification that expressly discriminates on the basis of sex (see, Kirchberg v. Feenstra, 450 U.S. 455, 461, 101 S.Ct. 1195, 1998, 67 L.Ed.2d 428). Accordingly, the gender-based classification established by Penal Law § 245.01 violates appellants’ equal protection rights.”

See also these links:
htttp://www.naturisteducation.org/Toni_Egbert_Library/State_Supreme_Courts/NY_v_Santorelli/ny_v_santorelli.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/08/24/2009-08-24_halfnude_women_march_by_park_for_right_to_bare_breasts_ya_cant_top_this.html

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