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DepartmentofHomelandSecurity posts
Video: Happy Halloween From The Department Of Homeland Security
Oct 21st, 2012 at 1:00PM: So it's Saturday night, and I'm sitting here surfing the interweb looking for a scary, travel-themed video to post. You know, because it's almost Halloween (and my social life is a bit lacking, apparently). Here's what popped up on Google, courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security. It certainly scared the crap out of me.
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Is the United States a booming travel market for North Korea?!
Aug 6th, 2011 at 3:00PM: International relations may be strained, but that's not stopping the tourists. According to Yonhap News Agency, the number of North Koreans visiting the United States in the first half of 2011 surged more than 50 percent from the same period in 2010. The report cites data from the Department of Homeland Security, which puts the number of visitors in the first six months of the year at 139. In the ...Terrorist threat goes after veggies in hotels
Dec 21st, 2010 at 2:00PM: Should you really eat your vegetables? It's a fair question, according to the latest from CBS News. The latest terrorist threat, it seems, is to poison food in hotels and restaurants at several locations in a coordinated, single-weekend attack. The threat has been called "credible," according to CBS News' sources, and the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture and the FDA ...Full body scanners arrive at JFK - TSA head doesn't want to use them
Oct 23rd, 2010 at 5:00PM:
Earlier this week, JFK Airport in New York plugged in their first batch of full body imaging machines. The director of the Department of Homeland Security had many good things to say about them, but when the time came to actually show them off to the media, she handed the floor to some brave volunteers. In a real case of "do as I say, not as I do", Janet Napolitano really only wanted to talk ...Travel lobbying: Cuba, medical leave cost $305,000
Jun 1st, 2010 at 3:00PM: Money may be tight in the travel business, but there's always some pocket change hanging around for lobbyists. In the first quarter of 2010, the American Hotel & Lodging Association shelled out $305,000 on federal lobbying. Cuba was one of the top items, along with labor issues such as family medical leave and health insurance for small businesses in the industry.
Shocked at the number? I ...Government department in charge of airport security can't stop losing their own stuff
Feb 25th, 2010 at 11:30AM: How upset would you be if you lost your laptop computer? How upset do you think your boss would be if your company lost not one, but one thousand of them?
The loss of 1000 computers within a single government department is apparently not much of an issue, because that is how many went missing at the Department of Homeland Security in 2008.
The department is in charge of the TSA as well as ...Feds are tired of making you wait in security line
Nov 21st, 2009 at 12:00PM: The government doesn't want to make you miserable! Seriously. The Department of Homeland Security wants faster airport screening just as much as you do. That's why it supports a program for screening approved, low-risk travelers coming to the United States to most international airports. The new approach has been tested for more than a year at seven airports, and screening time dropped from 10 ...Europeans complain about U.S. travel fees
Nov 8th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Extra fees charged by airlines, the "new normal," are so popular that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has gotten into the game. And, bitching about these fees is equally popular, prompting the European Parliament to sound off like its members are Ryanair passengers with full bladders and no coin for the slot.
At issue is a planned $10 charge for Europeans coming to the United States. ...Gun-toting pilot gets gig back
Oct 10th, 2009 at 12:00PM: A gun was fired in the cockpit and so was the pilot. In March 2008, on a flight from Denver to Charlotte, US Airways pilot Jim Langenhahn's gun discharged, an action taken by his employer shortly after. Now that his 18-month disciplinary suspension is over, he's back in training and getting ready to take to the friendly skies. The Associated Press didn't mention whether the current program ...No room at the inn: hotels used to house illegal immigrants
Oct 7th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Immigrants awaiting deportation may find themselves in a hotel – provided they are not violent and don't have any sort of criminal history. The check-in program is intended to cut the cost of holding immigrants before they are deported. Last year, the United States spent $2 billion on sheltering immigrants that would eventually be sent out of the country.
So, will it work?
The cost to ...Airport security checks your luggage, carry-on and... penis size?
May 24th, 2009 at 1:30PM: Airport security never ceases to amaze me, every time I think things are getting a little wacky, I'm shown something new that makes everything I saw in the past suddenly seem logical. Urinals at the Southwest airlines terminal at Houston's Hobby airport have a sign warning peeing passengers that: "Automatic infrared flush sensors also provide video monitoring for security purposes" Seriously, the ...Airport puffer program scrapped - millions wasted
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:30AM: It is no secret that the government can be a huge source of wasteful spending, but seldom is money wasted as swiftly as when it comes to purchases for our "national security". In 2004, the Department of Homeland Security purchased 207 "puffer machines" to deploy around the various airports. These machines cost $160,000 each, and despite this insane price, they would break down quite regularly. ...Visting the US? Remember to register with ESTA before you leave!
Jan 14th, 2009 at 12:30PM: If you live in one of the countries participating in the US Visa Waiver program, pay attention, as things just got a little more complicated for you. As of January 12th 2009, all visitors to the US who are eligible for the visa waiver program will have to apply for travel authorization at least 72 hours prior to their trip. There are 35 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), ...Green card holder? Be prepared for fingerprinting at the airport!
Dec 20th, 2008 at 12:00PM: As part of the US-VISIT program, designed to protect the country from terrorism and other threats, US Permanent Residents will soon have to subject to fingerprinting when they enter the country through an immigration checkpoint. The new rules go into effect on January 18th 2009. The scheme is already in place for non permanent residents and other visitors, but it is the first time it has been ...Update: Dept. of Homeland Security weighs forcing passengers to wear stun gun bracelets on airplanes
Jul 7th, 2008 at 3:00PM: Back in March, Gadling blogged about a firearm training system, Lamperd, which had patented a bracelet that worked like a stun gun when activated. At the time, Lamperd was lobbying the Transportation Security Administration to make it mandatory for all airline passengers to wear one, with the thinking that it was the best way to thwart a terrorist. Well, here's an update. The Department of ...Department of Homeland Security: More changes coming for visa-free travelers to U.S.
Jun 3rd, 2008 at 12:30PM: The Department of Homeland Security was expected to announce today strict new regulations for nationals of countries that do not need visas to enter the United State.
Starting next January, nations of so-called visa waiver countries must register with the U.S. government 72 hours prior to traveling in order to be let in the country. Starting in August, they'll be able to do this on airline Web ...Cool or Lame: Get Your Passport for Canada?
Jun 18th, 2006 at 3:41PM: It might be a good time to get yourself a passport, if you are one of those tens of millions of Americans who doesn't already have one. Sure, you may not be planning a trip anytime soon to Europe or another continent, but beginning on December 31, the United States, which now requires only a drivers license to visit the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and Mexico, will be requiring passports for travel ...
