"Flying in the USA"
or:
"Back in the USSR"
M. Reichman tells about flying now.
But, then when we got to the gate area we encountered a new and separate security area. Here each passenger received a complete body pat down, and we were also ask extensive questions, such as when had we bought our tickets, from whom, had we made any changes to our travel plans, etc. [...] My camera bag had every camera body and lens removed and closely examined.
I have a few friends in the US I'm wanting to visite, and I've been waiting patiently since you-know-when for the security hysteria of the USA to calm down, but it seems it may not do so in our lifetimes. I'm not going, in that atmosphere.
(Mike's article also has tips for packing for flights, for photographers.)
Flying in the US now is how it used to be flying from Heathrow in the early 90's.
ReplyDeleteMy travel tips became
* Get a hair cut
* Don't have an Irish last name
* Don't have a Saudi entry visa
* Don't have a beaten up well travelled passport.
In 95 (Heathrow) I had a GPS antenna stripped down as far as it would go! even to taking the BNC's apart, for cripes sake.
In 97 (SFO) I had a cam-corder with me, it took AA batteries in a convenient little battery box. I grabbed a couple of packages of AA's from radio shack before travelling. Boy, do those things look like magazines of cartridges in the x-ray. Everyone was relieved to see what they were.
I used to laugh at how little security they had within the US.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/flying-jan-10.shtml
ReplyDeleteFrom Europe to Europe, on low cost, you can have only 1 hand luggage. Only ONE. Even it the second one is a purse, even if the first one is not big, you have to be able to put the whole thing into one bag. So you have to carry a heavier bag just to have a bag where you can put your laptop AND your camera.
BTW, I've always assumed that putting your camera in a bag that rolls is probably a bad idea, because it will shake it. Do traveler photographers agree ?
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeleteNever take your older camera in a Sikorsky S-61 for 100 miles. I was on assignment to the British/Norwegian border, and just as we got to our accommodation my winder failed.
Hey, Eo, I'm back online.
ReplyDelete(And don't worry, while I *am* checking back the archives, I'm not zinzin-meshuggenah enough to comment on every post!)
So, something you might find interesting related to this old post:
Like many young people disgruntled by this here country's complete absence of a proper future for an honest and/or apolitical person, my brother emigrated to the US some 11 years ago. You-know-when's events (and I don't mean the return of Voldemort!) taxed his patience something christ-like. Front seats to the madness circus.
Because his Green Card formalities weren't "completely complete" (namely, his application wasn't approved yet) when he came home to visit us after a few years, he had to wait for their bureaucracy to leisurely check his "harmlessness file" before being allowed back into the States, which made him lose 6 weeks' work and salary.
He eventually saw his file accepted, and after a few more years for the frozen mammoth to walk one further step forward, the administration even ultimately sent him the GC he had officially been granted. So he finally coud provide said document, instead of the approval certificate. Yay, how exciting. The keys to my car, instead of having to legally jump-start my own vehicle every morning.
In 2 years' time from now, he will (finally) be eligible for citizenship. But guess what? Courtesy of the same shmendrick-powered mentality, I heard just a few days ago that he's dumping the USA, quitting his job, and selling his house to go live elsewhere. See, he met this very nice woman, who wasn't born in the West, and they got married. But under current genius US system, it takes THREE YEARS before his wife is allowed to join him there and live with him. I kid you not! Their other option was for her to stay with him as an illegal alien. Not very tempting...
Ergo, HE is moving to the country where SHE has a job. In the Gulf, but one of the countries where no popular revolution is to be expected. ;-)
He got himself a job there too. The neat pay is less, but again, guess what? He'll still be making more money! In the Gulf, they're smart enough to WELCOME competent workers instead of making them feel as loved as doggie-doo. Therefore, with virtually zero taxes, and all necessities provided on top of his salary (health care, housing, car, gas...), he's getting nothing but benefits from the change. So he's moving, bye-bye stupid xenophobic arrogant exploitative America. Plus, he'll be way closer to visit us, instead of half a world away.
And, since he's neither a political activist nor a producer of pornography or christian proselytism material, he doesn't give a damn about the slight democratic downsides of living in a Gulf country. He doesn't even have a DOMAI subscription! ;-)
I heard last night on the news that it's now official: China has become the world's #2 economy, ahead of Japan. I expect them to pass the USA in the foreseeable future.
Hmmm... Maybe I should find me a Chinese girl to marry? Chinese are pretty AND well-behaved. And at least, THEY don't start a silicone addiction at age 16!!!
Anyway... there goes one good reason for me to visit the States... But I might cast a glance there as a mere tourist. :-)
They still have a beautiful country. Too bad it's filled with Americans. ;-p
(Yo, Barack, bro', you KNOW that was a joke, right?)
"while I *am* checking back the archives, I'm not zinzin-meshuggenah enough to comment on every post!"
ReplyDeleteGood good. That would make for heart attacks for both you and your fans.
Ah, I've got to many fans anyway. ;-P
ReplyDeleteZinzin is french slang.
Meshuggenah, as you may know, is yiddish slang.
I think the two of them work well together, nu?