Re: funny item from life after coffee ( oracle blog )

hpuxrac wrote:
> For anyone that hasn't found it already, there's a pretty good blog (
> sometimes oracle centric sometimes not ) called life after coffee.
>
> http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/
>
> An interesting and amusing incident described in the Airport Security.
>
> Is that a picture of the person described in the incident in the blog?
> I guess age catches up with all of us eventually.

Thanks for this. It has put images into my head that I'd really rather not have. I shall be billing you for any pschiatric care and/or hypnotherapy required, rest assured.

In all seriousness, just how agressive is airport security in the States these days? My girlfriend and I are plannning a holiday towards the end of the year and, as I have never been to the States, we were contemplating a trip over the pond. Having said that, the story of a guy I work with who was finger-printed as soon as he stepped onto US soil, as well as having his bag forcibly opened without him even being present was starting to put me off. Then, another friend of mine returning from Disney World with his kids told me how his fifteen year-old terrified son was "interviewed" for two hours away from his parents. It's kind of put me off...

We're contemplating going to Cuba instead. And I *definitely* won't be running the gauntlet with US Immigration with that stamp on my passport, I can tell you!

I can understand the need for security, but this seems to border (no pun intended) on the paranoid. It's a shame as I've always wanted to visit the States but with the amount of personal data they insist on harvesting off you, I'm not sure I want to. And before anyone pulls the "well, if you're innocent you've got no problems" argument, I just don't trust the relevant agencies involved not to misinterpret or inadvertently allow this data to be picked up by people who genuinely will you it for nefarious purposes.

Take this story, for example:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/airlines/story/0,,1766267,00.html Received on Fri Jun 23 2006 - 10:10:35 CDT