How have I missed the TSA? Immensely!
English: TSA insignia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
How have I missed the TSA? Immensely! “Can I see another ID? Ellie Johnson asked me when I showed her a perfectly valid ID? “Excuse me but what is wrong with this ID? “Nothing is wrong,” she told me. “So why do you need to see another ID? I inquired irritably. “It is my right to ask you for another ID”, she said with a straight face. I had just cleared Customs and Immigration and a pre-customs reception that went without any hitches. The pre-Customs guy couldn’t read my handwriting. I smiled because I thought I had printed all my information clearly. New York City. The Immigration Inspector welcomed me home and the Customs guy asked me where I was coming from, which he could perfectly read from Form 6059B. It seems the guys that welcome you into the United States of America have improved their customer service qualities and the Transportation Security Administration still needs more training. The more I fly the less I respect these TSA agents. When they were first hired in a rush after the incidents of 2001, they hired many thieves that were using the X-ray machines to look into baggage that they wanted to pilfer. Many were fired. It’s too bad a few TSA agents are making the flying public miserable with their actions. Welcome back to the US of A, where the din of CNN and Wolf Blitzer and the impending elections is all I hear.
Sent from my dumB iPad
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Agentes de EE.UU. fueron despedidos por indisciplina
A la par de la celebración en el fuerte de San Felipe,una docena de agentes
de la seguridad del presidente estadounidense Barack Obama fueron dados de baja y enviados a casa el viernes por supuestas conductas impropias, según funcionarios norteamericanos.
La Associated Press recibió una información de que las conductas impropias involucraron tratos con prostitutas en el balneario colombiano de Cartagena, sede de la cumbre. Un portavoz del Servicio Secreto ni confirmó ni negó la versión.
Un funcionario estadounidense, que pidió no ser identificado por no estar autorizado para comentar el asunto, dijo que se trató de 12 agentes, aunque el Servicio Secreto no confirmó el número.
El incidente amenazó con opacar la agenda de economía y comercio que Obama llevó al encuentro de gobernantes y causar una vergüenza para la delegación estadounidense. La Casa Blanca no comentó el asunto.
El vocero del Servicio Secreto, Ed Donovan, no confirmó que hubiera prostitutas involucradas y se limitó a decir que hubo “denuncias de conducta impropia” contra personal del Servicio Secreto en la ciudad colombiana.
Donovan dijo que las supuestas conductas impropias ocurrieron antes de la llegada de Obama a Cartagena, la tarde del viernes.
Sent from my dUmb iPad
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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
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Funeral home director works to save dog that changed his life
By Bill Stevens, Times Columnist
In Print: Sunday, March 25, 2012
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Funeral home director Tom Dobies and his fiancee, Pam Montana, with, from left, Rosie, Amber and Lucy, sit together as a family in their back yard in New Port Richey.
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[SKIP O’ROURKE | Times]
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Rain pounded the roof of the carport where the scrawny black dog sought shelter. She looked up, soaked and sad-eyed, toward the employees at Tom Dobies’ funeral home in Holiday.
“Looks like we got a new mascot,” one of them said to Dobies.
“Like hell we do,” he snapped.
Dobies had a dog when he was a boy many years earlier. It got hit by a car and died. Whether it was the pain of that loss or just that he got too busy building a thriving business, he never got another dog. He never wanted one.
And then he met this mutt, a Labrador mix with no tags, but with a gentleness that made her welcome. Okay, he said, maybe she can stick around until we can figure what to do with her.
A veterinarian checked her out. She was about eight years old and in pretty good shape. Somebody had cared for her, crafted a pleasant personality.
Dobies took her home. He named her Lucy.
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Stains at the Crowne Plaza
If these are the towels..? What about the linen and carpet?
Sent from my dUmb iPad! and using its duMb caMera, I have now noticed that I can’t see the stain clearly. If we’re using Cartesian coordinates using inches as the measuring unit…the stain is at (+5, +3).
This is not the first time I have found stained towels or linen at a hotel. Normally I call down to the front desk to have the dirty items removed, but this time I wasn’t in the mood to call them. I was about to dry myself after taking a comfortable shower early in the morning in Phoenix, AZ. when I noticed the soiled towel.
Oh, by the way, just in case you have not been awake and aware of the changes and challenges this state is facing with illegal immigrants—Arizona is the state with that sheriff named Arapaai. Joe Arpaio is the sheriff who believes prisoners should work to pay for their stay in his jails.
This is the state that will be challenged by the United States government in relation to the right of the states to circumvent or ignore federal laws. This is the state where children who were brought illegally to the United States of America are beginning to be arrested by the police who now think they work as Immigration and Naturalization Agents.
O.K., I’m digressing about the soiled items. These were the other items that were not up to standard at this mediocre chain.
Light bulb missing in tall lamp. Hair on phone handset. Public hairs on floor. Stains on the floor of the bathroom, which I cleaned using one of the clean hand towels. Dirty carpet, lounge chair and remote control. Crumbs in the crevices of the lounge chair. Windows that never seem to be cleaned at any hotel. Locks that don’t lock. Clogged up drains in tub and sink. Noisy guests… most seem to be oblivious to the fact that some have to sleep early and others are just too drunk and noisy to care about anyone else. Ice machines that are exposed to the halls. You can hear the constant noise of ice dropping. Noisy elevators. What is the need to have it ring when the door opens? Can’t the people see the door open?
Why do I stay at this hotel chain? The company pays for it and I will not be reimbursed if I chose a better one. So… I tolerate the dirty conditions, shake my head in frustration and give up that one day I’ll find a room that is completely up to standard.
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Islamic Activists get Media Pass
“Those hollering foul the loudest — Muslim college student groups, civil rights activists, pandering politicians who choose and confuse populism, have been gifted the most media attention — no questions asked.
That means the tough questions, which include the best questions, never had a shot.
For example, given that the radical Islamic world — and that now seems to stretch deep into countries that suffer from their enlightenments — has declared jihad — indiscriminate warfare and murder — against Western-style democracies, shouldn’t all Muslim-American groups be eager to do whatever it takes to help police, rather than demonstrating an eagerness to hinder them?
You see, protesting folks, it’s like this: The NYPD doesn’t want 9/11 to happen again, and neither do we, and, presumably, neither do you!” PHIL MUSHNICK
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Has the Sexual Revolution Been Good For Women?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304724404577297422171909202.html
NO
By MARY EBERSTADT
“Spring came early…this year, and with it,…,the usual crop of mixed truths, untruths, and wildly growing falsehoods. Let’s yank up one of those weeds for a little inspection: the idea that national ‘war on women’ is afoot.
Read more by clicking on the Wall Street Journal link.
YES
By ANN PATCHETT
“Here’s the things about revolutions,…there is no taking them back. You may review history and wish that it had gone the other way; perhaps you always longed…
Read more.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304724404577297391174489950.html
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