Re: [Leica] was Italy.now Brits x-raying film..

[Dave Yoder <leica@home.com>]

LAX is certainly not an exception. Once I had some film to hand check but they
were just goofing around behind the machine, playing tag or something like
that, and I easily passed it hand-to-hand around the outside of the frame of
the metal detector.

In Japan I had a different experience that surprised me--returning from a week
covering the Kobe earthquake, there was a media rumor of a bombing threat
against a U.S. airline. The security for American-bound flights at the Osaka
airport was pretty extreme--they pulled up all the seat cushions in the planes,
sniffed them with bomb dogs, and had a long table of inspectors the boarders
had to disclose everything to. They were having old ladies uncap and
demonstrate their lipstick really was lipstick, etc. I had three large bags of
photographic, transmitting and portable lab equipment hanging from me and I
thought I'd be there forever. When I got to the line, they just waved me
through without inspection. I think I was the only one to get on the plane
without every precaution short of a strip-search.

Yoder

Guido Soprano wrote:

> This really gets me going.
>
> Well what can I say about the security retards at the airports. I'm amazed
> at the poor quality - in my USA experience:
>
> 1. They can hardly speak the country's offical language.
>
> 2. We poor travellers get in the way of their 'jiving around' with each
> other by asking them to stop that, and examine us and our possessions so we
> can pass on to the departure gate. They seem to have a problem performing
> the simple tasks for which they are employed, as this distracts them from
> their social interaction.
>
> 3. They ask to check things in ways that make no sense ( I travel with my
> laptop, two spare battery packs, and a mains adapter.They never check that
> the spare packs/charger aren't semtex, but do want to see my computer boot
> up, pager turn on, etc.)
>
> 4. They 'confiscate' laser-pointers for presentations, and refuse to hand
> inspect film in a timely manner.
>
> Back on topic. Recently, at Chicago's O'Hare International Apology For An
> Airport, one of the obese, minimum wage mutants was able, after several
> unintelligible, rudely shouted commands to me, able to convey that its
> requirement was for me to TURN ON my screw-mount cameras! Upon being
> informed that they were alway on, it peered through the bright line finders,
> and pronounced them safe to pass through!
>
> Guido the apoplectic air-traveller.
>
> >From: "Frank Filippone" <red735i@earthlink.net>
> >Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> >To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> >Subject: RE: [Leica] was Italy.now Brits x-raying film..
> >Date: Wed, 4 Aug 1999 06:58:18 -0700
> >
> >...... have made very effective bombs inside items the size of a roll of
> >film.......
> >
> >Ted, us "civilians" probably suspected this but it is the first time I have
> >ever seen it stated.  Is there a similar reason to looking down into a
> >camera to see if the lens is there?  It appears that is what the camera
> >inpsection does at the airports.
> >
> >Frank
> >
>
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