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"Gate rape" is Urban Dictionary's Word of the Year. Thanks TSA!

Dec 24th, 2010 at 10:30AM: TSA patdowns have gotten a lot of coverage here on Gadling. The tragicomic lengths TSA officials go through to grab some booty keep us safe have created a whole Internet subculture of jokes and rage. There's even a blog called The Daily Patdown to showcase pictures of security officials looking for the next underwear bomber. Now the fine folks at Urban Dictionary have named "Gate Rape" as the ...

Galley Gossip: Snow globes, gifts, packing - just a few tips for travelers this Christmas

Galley Gossip: Snow globes, gifts, packing - just a few tips for travelers this Christmas Dec 22nd, 2010 at 9:00AM: 1. LEAVE THE SNOW GLOBE AT HOME: This time last year I asked a TSA agent in Dallas about the craziest thing he'd ever seen. I won't lie, the answer shocked me, which is why I won't repeat it here. Then he then went on to complain about the number of snow globes he'd collected. For the last few years snow globes have been on the list of banned carry-on items due to the fact that they contain an ...

TSA your holiday ... or, "What Santa Claus looks like under the scanner"

TSA your holiday ... or, Dec 20th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Ever wonder what Santa Claus is really hiding under that big red suit, or what he "sees" in Mrs. Claus? Thanks to new website TSA Your Holiday, now you can. Mr. & Mrs. Claus, Frosty, Scrooge, and even Ruldolph take to the scanners (no opt-outs here!) for their big reveals. Says the site: In a scoop of WikiLeak-ian proportions, Curley & Pynn has secured highly confidential images of ...

The 10 easiest ways to improve air travel this holiday season

The 10 easiest ways to improve air travel this holiday season Dec 16th, 2010 at 3:00PM: It's time for you to drag your screaming kids, annoying spouse and endless amounts of overstuffed bags through the airport, as you find your way over the river and through the woods. Thanksgiving is behind us, and that's the really ugly time to travel, but Christmas is no picnic either. The gate areas and bars will be crowded, and it's going to be awfully hard for you to be happy while darting ...

Get your daily dose of TSA patdown pictures at thedailypatdown

Get your daily dose of TSA patdown pictures at thedailypatdown Dec 16th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Every once in a while it's fun to take a step back from the whole TSA security discussion and take a look at how far we've come as a society in the past ten years. We really to have our entire bodies patted down to fly on an airplane? The bamboo sandals that I had to take off at the checkpoint are really a security threat? Venti caramel macchiatos are actual beverages that can be purchased at ...

TSA causes two international incidents by searching Indian diplomats

TSA causes two international incidents by searching Indian diplomats Dec 13th, 2010 at 8:45AM: It seems we common folk aren't the only ones who find TSA's security checks intrusive. Transportation Security Administration officials have recently caused not one but two international incidents with India by searching diplomats. India's ambassador to the U.S. Meera Shankar got frisked at an airport on December 4. She was pulled out of the line because she had brown skin and was wearing a ...

Baywatch hottie Donna D'Errico told to strip down for TSA body scan

Baywatch hottie Donna D'Errico told to strip down for TSA body scan Dec 9th, 2010 at 12:30PM: She might not have been the biggest name on the show, but former Baywatch actress Donna D'Errico seems to think someone remembers her. She believes she was singled out by the TSA for a full body scan because of ... well ... her body. She was the Playboy centerfold once upon a time, after all. According to SlateV, D'Errico is "outraged" over this and follows Khloe Kardashian's televised ...

Don't touch my junk, bro - FourSquare launches new "Baggage Handler" badge

Don't touch my junk, bro - FourSquare launches new Nov 29th, 2010 at 2:45PM: If you're a fan of location-based social networking site FourSquare, chances are you're already a recipient of the "Jetsetter" badge, which you can obtain by checking into five different airport locations. But did you unlock their newest trave-themed badge yet? It's called the Baggage Handler, which can be unlocked at any airport by using the words "TSA," "Grope" or "Don't touch my junk, bro!" ...

The Miss TSA Pinup Calendar - *UPDATED*

The Miss TSA Pinup Calendar - *UPDATED* Nov 29th, 2010 at 12:45PM: Check out Miss March! Email lists across the world are tittering at the Miss TSA Pinup Calendar. We aren't sure where these came from, but they do appear to be real x-rays (says a medical expert friend of mine), and were probably done by a radiologist -- that's why they'd be hitting the medical community first. My medical expert friend (who wishes to remain anonymous) is the one who forwarded me ...

TSA to impede travel market recovery? Not buyin' it

TSA to impede travel market recovery? Not buyin' it Nov 29th, 2010 at 8:00AM: When I finally crawled out of bed and caffeinated Saturday morning, I made the rounds on Twitter and found a bold statement by travel journalist Christopher Elliott: "Thanks to TSA, 2011 could be a flat year for travel". Despite the digging he did, I'm just not buying it. Passenger inconvenience, especially when it comes to leisure trips, isn't likely to have a major effect on the travel ...

Galley Gossip: Four year-old kid discusses airport security & TSA pat downs

Galley Gossip: Four year-old kid discusses airport security & TSA pat downs Nov 26th, 2010 at 9:30AM: The following video was created for parents traveling with small kids who might be a little nervous about subjecting their children to the new TSA procedures. Regardless of how you may feel about the new enhanced security measures, there's no need for children to be scared. My son will explain to them what a pat down is and even share a few tips. But first a few things the TSA would like you ...

Photo of the day (11.25.10)

Photo of the day (11.25.10) Nov 25th, 2010 at 5:00PM: The busiest travel day in America has come and gone, was it really that bad?! After all the hype and hubbub, I figured we could all used a nice zen picture of an empty airport and this shot by jrodmanjr was a perfect palate cleanser. By this time on Thanksgiving Day, you're either stuffed full of turkey in front of the tv, or putting on your stretchy waistband pants in anticipation of an ...

Pilot body scans and counter-terror operations: distant consideration for special forces

Pilot body scans and counter-terror operations: distant consideration for special forces Nov 24th, 2010 at 3:00PM: The uproar over TSA body scanners and pat-downs has hit every corner of the aviation world, from passengers to pilots. The vocal consensus, at least, is that nobody likes them, even though 64 percent of Americans support the practice and 70 percent don't expect it to impact their travel. A friend of mine, flying today, tweeted that he made it through security at New York's JFK airport in a mere ...

It's national opt-out day. Will you participate?

It's national opt-out day. Will you participate? Nov 24th, 2010 at 9:00AM: Early yesterday afternoon I passed through O'Hare airport on the far end of terminal 3, approached the security checkpoint and was selected for scanning with a backscatter detector. With a boarding pass in my back pocket I was also selected for a pat down. In this case, the TSA officer used the back of his hands to check my entire back side – and sent me on my way (without the computer that ...

Bullets found on Southwest flight by CNN photographer going to cover Sarah Palin

Bullets found on Southwest flight by CNN photographer going to cover Sarah Palin Nov 24th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Let your kids kick the seats in front of them: it could save your life. If you're the passenger being inconvenienced, it may behoove you to find a way to cope. A kid who would otherwise be branded a royal pain found a loaded gun magazine ... that should have been in the hands of a law enforcement official ... on a Southwest Airlines flight. To make matters worse, the media was actually on the ...

Atlanta TSA employee allegedly abducts, assaults woman and attempts suicide

Atlanta TSA employee allegedly abducts, assaults woman and attempts suicide Nov 23rd, 2010 at 5:30PM: As if the TSA didn't have enough to worry about this week ... Only hours before the busiest travel day of the year, news has gotten out that a TSA employee working at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta – the busiest airport in the country – attempted to commit suicide. It was a particularly grotesque situation, as he allegedly abducted a young woman, sexually ...

TSA bumper stickers: The year's hottest holiday gift

TSA bumper stickers: The year's hottest holiday gift Nov 23rd, 2010 at 3:30PM: In honor of tomorrow's planned National Opt-Out Day, we offer you this year's hottest holiday gift: the TSA bumper sticker. Warning: It's probably best not to post these on your luggage. We all know how the TSA feels about bumper stickers. [via the FlyerTalk forum] ...

Five reasons why you'll be miserable during Thanksgiving travel

Five reasons why you'll be miserable during Thanksgiving travel Nov 23rd, 2010 at 2:00PM: We've all heard that the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest of the year for air travel. And, the roads tend to get clogged up with people going to visit friends and family – not to mention stuff their faces with turkey, potatoes and other traditional holiday fare. Travel isn't going to be fun tomorrow, but you already know that. But, do you know why? Personally, of course, I have ...

TSA pees on Tom Sawyer

TSA pees on Tom Sawyer Nov 20th, 2010 at 8:15PM: Start with three key ingredients: Detroit, a bag of urine, and the TSA. Add an agressive pat-down at security and what do you get? A disgruntled man on a plane, soaked in his own warm pee and a national news headline! On Nov. 7th, a male passenger flying from DTW to Orlando, Florida was selected for additional security screening. A bladder cancer survivor, the passenger carried an urostomy ...

Ron Paul proposes the "American Traveler Dignity Act"

Nov 18th, 2010 at 5:00PM: Yesterday, Texas Representative Ron Paul introduced H.R. 6416, the American Traveler Dignity Act. Said Paul in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday: "My legislation is simple. It establishes that airport security screeners are not immune from any US law regarding physical contact with another person, making images of another person, or causing physical harm ...

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