Airport security screeners refused to let a cancer patient board a flight home to Denver because they said she no longer resembled her identification photos.
[Athena] LaPera spent most of Tuesday trying to resolve the issue only to be told during a conversation with a federal Transportation Security Administration employee in Washington that she needed new photos and a doctor’s note to explain her changed appearance.
something to keep in mind when you read a proposal for mandatory biometric id – the failure mode is hackable with nothing more than new pictures and a “note from your doctor.”
and there is no way to address the mysterious [not] matching consonant problem.
posted by roj at 9:09 pm
On April 10, when Van Chevrolet in Kansas City checked his credit, [Ryan] Allen’s Social Security number came up as belonging to Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, described by federal authorities as a senior al-Qaida operative suspected of helping to coordinate the Sept. 11 attacks.
“At one point (the Treasury Department) told me my name might have come up because the consonants are the same as this other guy,” Allen said Wednesday. “Come on, Little Bo Peep is closer to his name than mine.”
let’s investigate that a moment…
ryan allen -> rnlln
ramzi bin al-shibh -> rmzbnlshbh
matches: RNLln RmzbNLshbh
i got three. how many did you get? does your name match more than three? does that make you a terrorist?
wkmg has a story too.
posted by roj at 6:56 am
presented, for your consideration, a business mode of the hour…
i just heard a segment on cnn about researchers using mri scans of volunteers for political ads. basically, come sit in our machine and watch bush and/or kerry and/or nader, and let us see how your brain lights up.
ok, research is all good and such, but there’s an opportunity here….
you see, there are thousands of people in this country either waiting for backlogged access to mri facilities or who can’t afford the tests. so the model is… ad-research-sponsored-medical care.
come sit in our machine, and we’ll scan your brain tumor, but first let us show you a half hour of advertisements….
posted by roj at 8:01 pm
cruising for some rich friends?
#1 teton county, wyoming (average adjusted household gross income $107, 694 in 2002)
#2 fairfield county, connecticut
#3 marin county, california
#4 sommerset county, new jersey
#5 morris county, new jersey
#6 clear creek county, colorado
#7 douglas county, colorado
#8 hunterdon county, new jersey
#9 westchester county, new york
#10 new york, new york
update: since people either aren’t reading this in the comment, or just enjoy comparing the size of their income, this list is based on “average adjusted household gross income” as reported by the irs. you can find a newswire version of the story here. for now, fairfax is just going to have to learn to deal with their inadequacy issues.
update (2004.05.08): maybe these will help
posted by roj at 11:00 pm
vice president richard cheney, speaking to the national rifle association
John Kerry’s approach to the Second Amendment has been to regulate, regulate and regulate some more
vice president richard cheney, speaking to the national rifle association
Senator Kerry seems to have his own view of the Second Amendment
ok, yeah. thanks for the tip, mr. cheney. let’s review.
united states constitution, second amendment
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
posted by roj at 10:49 pm
i saw this on fox news on april 15 (tax day, of course) and it came with such a positive spin i almost spun myself right off the chair. now that i’m firmly back in a chair, it’s time to comment.
But 44 million people will pay no federal taxes at all — that’s the highest number in U.S. history and it translates to 33 percent of all tax filers.
Before the Bush cuts were implemented the number of filers who paid no federal taxes was 30 million, or 23 percent of all tax filers. These numbers are much larger than those from 1980 when the revolt against federal income tax rates began.
i’m not convinced that the tax cuts are the reason we’re setting records for the number of people who don’t owe income tax. i think it might have more to do with the economy.
In addition to these 44 million zero-tax filers there are another 14 million whose incomes are so low, $20,000 or less, they are off the tax roles entirely. Add to that the dependents, children, family members and those who aren’t taxed at all — it equals 122 million Americans who live completely outside the federal tax system.
maybe it’s just my twisted sense of taxation, but wouldn’t it be… i dunno… better… if more of these people with such low incomes actually made enough money to owe taxes?
according to the department of health and human services, the 2003 federal poverty level is $8,980 for an individual and $18,400 for a family of four.
posted by roj at 6:12 pm
i don’t think this counts as first-light, and the site needs a lot of work, but it’s a 14-foot mirror, and the potential end of hubble, this new science widget is probably worth noting. good luck down there.
posted by roj at 5:53 pm
it’s possible. this is an important follow up to my last post about christie key.
here’s the apoligy letter as posted to the gamma phi beta site.
Thursday, April 15, 2004
To Whom It May Concern:
In light of the recent events concerning the University of Missouri Greek Week 2004 Blood Drive, I am writing this to offer my most sincere apology. I failed to consider the consequences of my actions in suggesting that members lie about important health issues in order to earn points for our chapter.
I want to specifically apologize to the American Red Cross, an organization that is dedicated to saving lives. I am very sorry for the waste of resources that may have resulted from my irresponsible email remarks. I also regret that it created concern about the safety of donated blood and required the American Red Cross to defend their policies and procedures.
To the University of Missouri, I apologize for potentially jeopardizing our good relationship with the Red Cross, as well as our reputation. I ask the administration, faculty, staff, and my fellow students to forgive my error that put us in the public eye for such a negative act.
I realize that I have embarrassed the Greek community and tarnished a proud tradition. Greek Week competition is meant to serve the community and present a positive image of sororities and fraternities at the university. I do hope that this well-deserved image will soon be restored.
Finally, I want to express my profound regret for violating the high standards of my sorority, Gamma Phi Beta. For over 130 years, their mission and values have reflected a commitment to scholarship, service, sisterhood, and integrity. I will do my best to live up to those standards and pass them on to my sisters.
Sincerely,
Christie Key
posted by roj at 5:13 pm