Israeli Airport Security Expert: Full-Body Scanners Are Waste of Money

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A security officer examines a computer screen showing a scan from a full-body scanner. (Reuters)

A leading Israeli airport security expert says the Canadian government has wasted millions of dollars to install “useless” imaging machines at airports across the country.

“I don’t know why everybody is running to buy these expensive and useless machines. I can overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to bring down a Boeing 747,” Rafi Sela told parliamentarians probing the state of aviation safety in Canada.

“That’s why we haven’t put them in our airport,” Sela said, referring to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, which has some of the toughest security in the world.

Sela, former chief security officer of the Israel Airport Authority and a 30-year veteran in airport security and defence technology, helped design the security at Ben Gurion.

Read moreIsraeli Airport Security Expert: Full-Body Scanners Are Waste of Money

8-Year-Old Can’t Get Off TSA Watch List, Gets Always Treated Like A Terror Suspect


Date: 20th Jan 10

Maggie Rodriguez spoke to 8-year-old Mikey Hicks and his mother Nahjlah about sharing a name with a suspected terrorist on a government watch list and how he’s treated by airport security.

The Full Body Scanner Invasion; New Scanners Break Child Porn Laws

Here comes the body scanner invasion:

Invasion of the Body Scanners (BusinessWeek):

Digital security scans are coming to more airports. They’ll increase aggravation, but won’t help security much

“If we use full body scans, [terrorists] are going to do something else. This is a stupid game, and it’s time we stop playing it.”

Italy to install body scanners in Rome, Milan (Toronto Sun)

France to Introduce Body Scanners At Airports (New York Times)

Controversial body scanners to be installed in Canada’s airports (The Canadian Press)

Britain to start full-body scans at Heathrow Airport (Los Angeles Times)

Who benefits?

Former homeland security chief Michael Chertoff puts his mouth where his money is and argues for whole-body imaging (Washington Post):

What he has made little mention of is that the Chertoff Group, his security consulting agency, includes a client that manufactures the machines. The relationship drew attention after Chertoff disclosed it on a CNN program Wednesday, in response to a question.

An airport passengers’ rights group on Thursday criticized Chertoff, who left office less than a year ago, for using his former government credentials to advocate for a product that benefits his clients.

“Mr. Chertoff should not be allowed to abuse the trust the public has placed in him as a former public servant to privately gain from the sale of full-body scanners under the pretense that the scanners would have detected this particular type of explosive,” said Kate Hanni, founder of FlyersRights.org, which opposes the use of the scanners.

Full Body Scanner Lobby: Michael Chertoff & Rapiscan (Now Public)

Full body scanners are another attack on your health, freedom and of course your money, because you will pay for them destroying your health and take away your freedom:

Full-Body Scanners Emitting ‘High-Energy’ Radiation Increase Cancer Risk (NoWorldSystem):

There is just no “safe” dose of radiation, 50% of America’s cancers are radiation-induced.

How Terahertz Waves Tear Apart DNA (Technology Review – MIT):

Alexandrov and co have created a model to investigate how THz fields interact with double-stranded DNA and what they’ve found is remarkable. They say that although the forces generated are tiny, resonant effects allow THz waves to unzip double-stranded DNA, creating bubbles in the double strand that could significantly interfere with processes such as gene expression and DNA replication. That’s a jaw dropping conclusion.

Continuing Its Path of Health Destruction: Canada Approves Harmful Airport Scanners (Prevent Disease):

“Anything that interferes with DNA replication can cause cell death,” said geneticist Andrew Lau. “Cell mutations and chromosomal aberrations would likely be more common once such scanners are implemented.” Lau stated that the cumulative radiation would likely affect passengers in the long-term.

The Germans still ‘pretend’ to use their brains before they will ‘eventually’ give in and install the scanners:

Europe Debates Use of Full-Body Scanners at Airports (New York Times):

Germany’s position, he said, is that the scanners cannot be deployed until it has been shown that they will improve security, that they are not a health hazard and that they will not be so invasive that they harm individuals’ rights.

So we will see body scanners everywhere because of another inside job:

US government lies about Flight 253 ‘crotch bomber’ patsy: Summary of the evidence; Yemen attack implication (Examiner)

Evidence Mounts for US Complicity in Terrorism (Veterans Today)

———–

“The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al Qaeda. And any informed intelligence officer knows this. But there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity representing the ‘devil’ only in order to drive the TV watcher to accept a unified international leadership for a war against terrorism. The country behind this propaganda is the US.”
– Robin Cook, Former British Foreign Secretary

“Terrorism is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death.”
– Adolf Hitler

“The easiest way to gain control of the population is to carry out acts of terror. The public will clamor for such laws if their personal security is threatened.
– Joseph Stalin


New scanners break child porn laws

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A 12-month trial at Manchester airport of full body scanners only went ahead last month after under-18s were exempted. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

The rapid introduction of full body scanners at British airports threatens to breach child protection laws which ban the creation of indecent images of children, the Guardian has learned.

Privacy campaigners claim the images created by the machines are so graphic they amount to “virtual strip-searching” and have called for safeguards to protect the privacy of passengers involved.

Ministers now face having to exempt under 18s from the scans or face the delays of introducing new legislation to ensure airport security staff do not commit offences under child pornography laws.

They also face demands from civil liberties groups for safeguards to ensure that images from the £80,000 scanners, including those of celebrities, do not end up on the internet. The Department for Transport confirmed that the “child porn” problem was among the “legal and operational issues” now under discussion in Whitehall after Gordon Brown’s announcement on Sunday that he wanted to see their “gradual” introduction at British airports.

A 12-month trial at Manchester airport of scanners which reveal naked images of passengers including their genitalia and breast enlargements, only went ahead last month after under-18s were exempted.

Read moreThe Full Body Scanner Invasion; New Scanners Break Child Porn Laws

Full-Body Scanners Emitting ‘High-Energy’ Radiation Increase Cancer Risk

Now they will force this very harmful technology unto the public, thanks to the dangerous underwear bomber:

US government lies about Flight 253 ‘crotch bomber’ patsy: Summary of the evidence; Yemen attack implication (Examiner)

Evidence Mounts for US Complicity in Terrorism (Veterans Today)


full-body-scanner

There are two types of scanners we will have to endure at the airport; the millimeter-wave scanner and the ‘backscatter’ X-ray scanner. Both emit ‘high-energy’ radiation and are dangerous.

Body scanners have revolutionized the practice of medicine and has saved many lives, but we must question the government’s mandate to have people endure high-energy radiation in a non-life-threatening situation. We must protest the use of full-body scanners on children and young adults as they are at greater-risk of developing brain tumors and cancer from these machines. Cancer and tumors especially in the young will likely increase as more body scanners are being installed on a nationwide scale. There is just no “safe” dose of radiation, 50% of America’s cancers are radiation-induced.

People with medical implants such as pace-makers should also avoid electromagnetic pulse generating body scanners as they can significantly alter the waveform of the pacemaker pulse.

The millimeter wave scanners emit a wavelength of ten to one millimeter called a millimeter wave, these waves are considered Extremely High Frequency (EHF), the highest radio frequency wave produced. EHF runs a range of frequencies from 30 to 300 gigahertz, they are also abbreviated mmW. These waves are also known as terahertz (THz) radiation. The force generated from terahertz waves is small but the waves can ‘unzip’ or tear apart double-stranded DNA, creating bubbles in the DNA that could interfere with processes such as gene expression and DNA replication.

Clothing and organic materials are translucent in most millimeter-wave bands. Perfect for detecting metal objects on subjects at airports, but not so great at picking up low-density materials such as plastic, chemicals or liquid which were some of the items used by the underwear bomber.

Full Body X-ray Scanners provide exceptionally clear views of subjects by combining data from multiple images, but increased exposure to X-rays can also cause mutation in DNA, leading to cancer. X-rays are considered ionizing (penetrating) radiation, ionizing radiation in any dose causes genetic mutations, which set all living cells exposed on the path to cancer. Cancers associated with high dose exposure include leukemia, breast, bladder, colon, liver, lung, esophagus, ovarian, multiple myeloma, prostate, nasal cavity/sinuses, pharyngeal, laryngeal, pancreatic and stomach cancers.

Read moreFull-Body Scanners Emitting ‘High-Energy’ Radiation Increase Cancer Risk

Gordon Brown Orders Full-Body Scanners to Boost UK Airport Security

Another inside job:

US government lies about Flight 253 ‘crotch bomber’ patsy: Summary of the evidence; Yemen attack implication (Examiner)

Evidence Mounts for US Complicity in Terrorism (Veterans Today)

Here is one of many reasons what that non-existent terrorist threat was all about:

Taking away more of your freedom and destroy your health:

Airline passengers face body scanners and double searches (Telegraph)

Gordon Brown promises full body scanners at UK airports (BBC News)

Full-Body Scanners to Be Put in British Airports (ABC News)

Full body scanners being ordered for airports says Gordon Brown (The Guardian)

Those full-body scanners will soon be installed everywhere!


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An employee at Schiphol airport, Amsterdam, tests the new body scanners. Photograph: Cynthia Boll/AP

Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) — U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said British airports will introduce full-body scanners to prevent terrorists smuggling explosives on board planes.

“This is a new type of threat,” Brown told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show today. “We recognize there are new weapons being used by al-Qaeda and we need to respond.”

The prime minister said the machines are part of a response to “a new form of explosive that was not being detected by ordinary machines.” The body scanners will be introduced gradually and other new technology will employed that can detect explosives directly, he said.

Extra body searches, extended restriction on leaving seats, and a greater use of explosive-sniffing dogs are additional measures being considered, Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said in a separate interview with the Sunday Times.

Governments around the world are reviewing airport security after an attempt to blow up a passenger airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day. In the U.S., President Barack Obama ordered a review of terrorist intelligence gathering and aviation security after the accused attacker, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23- year-old Nigerian, allegedly smuggled explosives onboard the airliner even after being on a U.S. government list of people with suspected ties to terrorism.

Read moreGordon Brown Orders Full-Body Scanners to Boost UK Airport Security

All US-bound passengers to face full body search


Security chiefs last night threw a ring of steel around every airport serving America – amid growing fears of a new al-Qaeda onslaught.

And experts warn all US-bound passengers could face full body searches in a bid to thwart future bomb outrages.

Body-searches have already been introduced at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport following a plea from American officials.

Judith Sluiter, a spokeswoman for the Dutch National Co-ordinator for Counter-terrorism, said: “The extra measures apply on all flights to the US for an indefinite period.”

Schiphol is one of Europe’s busiest airports with a heavy load of transit passengers from Africa and Asia to North America.

It strictly enforces EU security rules that only allow small amounts of liquid in hand-luggage if it is in a clear plastic container.

Scanners Bosses at Schiphol have spent the past year testing full-body scanners that allow security staff to see the outline of a passenger’s body beneath their clothes.

Read moreAll US-bound passengers to face full body search

Bollywood star held in US airport, fans outraged

Bob Dylan picked up by police after officer fails to recognise him (Telegraph):

The 22-year-old officer was dispatched after residents in the New Jersey town of Long Branch had phoned to complain that a man in the Latin quarter was acting suspiciously.

When the officer asked the man for identification papers, he did not have a driving licence or other form of ID to prove his identity.


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Bollywood star and owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team, Shah Rukh Khan, addresses a news conference of the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket tournament in Cape Town, April 16, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings


MUMBAI (Reuters) – Indian Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan said he felt angry and humiliated after he was detained and questioned at a U.S. airport, sparking an uproar in India among his fans.

Khan, 43, one of India’s best known actors, was enroute to Chicago for a parade to mark the Indian independence day on Saturday when he was pulled aside at Newark airport Friday, he said.

“I was really hassled perhaps because of my name being Khan. These guys just wouldn’t let me through,” he said in a text message to reporters in India.

After a couple of hours’ interrogation, he was allowed to make a call, he said, and he got in touch with the Indian consulate who vouched for him and secured his release.

“Absolutely uncalled for, I think. I felt angry and humiliated,” said Khan, who had just finished a month-long shoot in the United States for his upcoming film “My Name is Khan,” which is about a Muslim man’s experience with racial profiling.

Read moreBollywood star held in US airport, fans outraged

Lehman Credit-Swap Auction: Biggest-ever payout in the $55 trillion market.


A woman speaks on a cell phone inside the headquarters of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., in New York, on Sept. 15, 2008. Photographer: Jeremy Bales/Bloomberg News

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) — Sellers of credit-default protection on bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. will have to pay 91.375 cents on the dollar to settle the contracts, setting up the biggest-ever payout in the $55 trillion market.

An auction to determine the size of the settlement on Lehman credit-default swaps set a value of 8.625 cents on the dollar for the debt, according to Creditfixings.com, a Web site run by auction administrators Creditex Group Inc. and Markit Group Ltd. The auction may lead to payments of more than $270 billion, BNP Paribas SA strategist Andrea Cicione in London said.

While the potential payout is higher than 87 cents on the dollar suggested by trading in Lehman’s bonds yesterday, sellers of protection have probably written down their positions and put up most of the collateral required, said Robert Pickel, head of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. More than 350 banks and investors signed up to settle credit-default swaps tied to Lehman. No one knows exactly who has what at stake because there’s no central exchange or system for reporting trades.

Read moreLehman Credit-Swap Auction: Biggest-ever payout in the $55 trillion market.

Raytheon: Directed Energy Weapons Set To Go

FARNBOROUGH, Britain – Work on laser, infrared and microwave defensive systems has reached a high level of readiness, with the possibility of deployment close at hand, a Raytheon executive said at the Farnborough Airshow.

Development has advanced on products that can protect troops against mortar rounds, guard against shoulder-launched missiles fired at helicopters and airliners taking off at airports, and dissuade without killing – a non-lethal laser weapon for civil security, Michael Booen, Raytheon vice president of directed energy weapons, told journalists at the show.

Read moreRaytheon: Directed Energy Weapons Set To Go

Want some torture with your peanuts?

Just when you thought you’ve heard it all…

A senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser®. According to this promotional video found at the Lamperd Less Lethal website, the bracelet would be worn by all airline passengers.

This bracelet would:

  • take the place of an airline boarding pass
  • contain personal information about the traveler
  • be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage
  • shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing him/her for several minutes

The Electronic ID Bracelet, as it’s referred to as, would be worn by every traveler “until they disembark the flight at their destination.” Yes, you read that correctly. Every airline passenger would be tracked by a government-funded GPS, containing personal, private and confidential information, and that it would shock the customer worse than an electronic dog collar if he/she got out of line?

Clearly the Electronic ID Bracelet is an euphuism for the EMD Safety Bracelet, or at least it has a nefarious hidden ability, thus the term ID Bracelet is ambiguous at best. EMD stands for Electro-Musclar Disruption. Again, according to the promotional video the bracelet can completely immobilize the wearer for several minutes.

So is the government really that interested in this bracelet? Yes!

Read moreWant some torture with your peanuts?

Airport Security is a joke

Tacoma runaway arrested again boarding flight



Runaway gets through airport security again

SEATTLE – A Tacoma, Wash.10-year-old who made national headlines last year by stealing a car, getting caught, then hopping a flight from Seattle to Phoenix and then San Antonio without a ticket was arrested again Tuesday after trying to hop another flight, apparently to trying again to get to Texas.

The Transportation Security Administration confirms to KING 5 News that Semaj Booker was captured at Concourse B at Sea-Tac Airport. A Southwest Airlines flight attendant called police around 6:30 a.m. to say Booker tried to follow a man onto a Sacramento, Calif.-bound flight.

“An employee reported a minor was trying to board an aircraft without a ticket,” said Sea-Tac Airport spokesman Perry Cooper, who says Booker was trying to get to Dallas.

However, the TSA says there was no breach of security. Surveillance video shows Booker passed through the central checkpoint security area without any problems, but it’s still not clear how he managed to get through without a boarding pass.

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it became a requirement to have a ticket when passing through security.

Booker is back in his mother’s custody, but neither he nor his family would comment at their Tacoma home.

A Tacoma Police spokesperson says Booker’s mother initially reported him missing at 3 a.m. It’s not clear how he got to the airport.

Booker could face trespassing charges.

Read moreAirport Security is a joke