American/US Airways

I will write about my flight to and from Colorado Springs on American/US Airways here. It won’t be in chronological order, but will show how much I dislike both American/US Airways and Dallas as I flew on/to both.

Towards CO: I flew US Airways/American to Colorado Springs (via Philadelphia and Dallas.) From the moment I bought my tickets last January until I got back last night I have had nothing but issues and problems with them. I have received several e-mails with “corrections” on my itinerary.  They kept changing my flight times, airlines, confirmation numbers and flight numbers. I understand that American Airlines took over US Airways and it is supposed to be one airline, but they still operate as two separate ones (ie different customer service numbers, different check-in counters, different planes, crews, etc.) The day before I left I had an issue checking-in online (the airport I was leaving from only has US Airways and not American so I used the US Airways site) and so I called the US Airways customer service number. A man answered and I explained everything and he told me he was putting me on hold to look into the matter. Fifteen minutes later a woman (with a thick Indian accent) came on and wanted me to explain everything to her. I told her I had been speaking to a guy and had told him everything, but she needed to know so I told her. It was very hard to understand her (I will never understand why Indians have such thick and unrecognizable accents  - even the ones that only speak English.) I told her I had been given three different confirmation numbers and she just kept asking me to get it to her (so I gave her all three.) She said she found my reservation on their system, but was of no help as to why I couldn’t check-in online. In the end it was a wasted call and so I hung-up. I was finally able to check-in and pay for my bag online several hours later.

The day I was leaving (a Thursday) we left my house around 1 am to go get something to eat at a McDonalds by the airport (the only things that are 24 hours in my state are: gas stations, hospitals and a few McDonald’s.) Since it was so early there weren’t many cars and so no delays in eating or getting to the airport. At the airport I had to wait for the US Airways ticket counter to open (even though I was told to be there 2 hours before my flight and it was already two hours.) The woman asked me if my final destination was Dallas   - because that was the last destination she could see on her computer screen. I told her I was going to Colorado Springs through Philly and Dallas and made sure the package slip she put on my luggage said COS.  After checking-in I went upstairs to go through security. Again, I had to wait about 25 minutes because the TSA wasn’t set-in that early. I had no issues going through security- everyone was doing their job correctly as far as I could see (one reason I chose my local airport that is small versus leaving from Logan and dealing with idiots.)

There also weren’t any issues waiting at my gate, boarding or on the flight to Philadelphia. It was a small plane and no one sat next to me. When I landed in Philly I had to walk from one terminal to another one (they don’t have an airport monorail, but you can walk to all the terminals except for F – more about that later.)  I had plenty of time until my next flight and so didn’t have to rush. Not much was open so early so I just sat by the gate.

The plane to Dallas was bigger than my earlier one to Philly and I was sitting in an aisle seat (actually all my seats were on the aisles even when I couldn’t choose them) but this plane had three seats in a row and someone was at the window which left the middle seat free between us. The only memorable thing on that flight was the strong turbulence. It was so bad that the seat-belt sign stayed on most of the time.

Then I landed in Dallas. I have been to Dallas once before and should have known better than ever go back. I had to take the airport monorail to another terminal for my next flight. The terminal I landed in had air conditioning and felt nice, but none of the other ones did. I found my next gate and waited. At first the sign at the gate had “Colorado Springs” on it – I usually check – but apparently they changed it to “San Antonio” shortly after I sat down. It was operated by American Airlines and when people flying to Colorado kept going up to the desk and asking about their flight the ticket agents were very rude and then made fun of them when they left the desk. They should have had the intelligence to make an announcement telling everyone that the flight to Colorado was still flying at that gate, but there was a flight to San Antonio - actually there were two flights to San Antonio  - one was cancelled and so they had to cram as many people onto the already packed flight as they could – I watched the chaos from my seat.)

It was very hot in the terminal (there was no ac) and right when we were supposed to board our flight to Colorado Springs – the San Antonio one had already left – they made an announcement that we had to change terminals (from terminal C to A) and that it was boarding in 15 minutes. After waiting so long at the one gate and terminal we now had to run to the monorail to get to the other gate and terminal. When I left the old gate I saw the American ticket agents leave the desk and there were still 2 people in wheelchairs waiting to go to CO. I felt bad for them and mentioned it at the new gate and terminal after I ran there. They didn’t seem to care – big surprise.  It turns out there was no need to run since our plane was still being fixed – something that was never mentioned to us until the plane was supposed to have taken off and wasn’t even at the gate. Eventually, the plane came and we were rushed on-board.

It was burning hot and very humid. A guy with a temperature app on his phone said it was 103 F inside the plane. Apparently, the plane was being worked on on the tarmac someplace and had the engine off so the ac wasn’t on in the hot Texas sun. I have flown many times, but this was the first time I ever experienced this extreme heat inside a plane. An hour and a half later when we landed in Colorado  - after some turbulence - it was 87 F inside the plane – still very hot. I was just so glad to be out the extreme heat and away from Dallas (and in Colorado Springs.) My sister was waiting in the airport, I got my bag and we left.

 

From CO:   I was able to check-in online the day before my flight, but wasn’t able to pay for my bag online – I would have to do that at the airport – I didn’t want to call their customer service and waste my time like before. I had to leave my sister’s house early (3 am) and we went to eat at McDonald’s. The first place we went to near her house didn’t accept credit cards and I didn’t want to waste my cash so we went to another one. The second McDonald’s was pretty creepy. The cashier even asked us if we were travelling (ie we were very white and out-of-place.) We quickly ate and left since we felt very uncomfortable there. Colorado Springs Airport is a nice airport (I have only been there once before to rent a car – usually I fly to/from Denver.) I had to use a self -check-in counter and then wait for the American employees to go to their counters. After that I went to the security line, said good-bye to my sister and then went through. There were no issues at security (COS is small like my airport), at my gate or on-board.

Then I landed in Dallas. It seems like infamous last words. Again I had to take the train to another terminal and was ready for a gate/terminal change – which didn’t happen this time. I did get a “show” while sitting at the gate as the ticket agents treated the customers badly – even ones asking simple questions. I wasn’t too surprised with American/US Airways since they have been unprofessional and unintelligent the whole trip. I got on my flight to Philly with no issues – other than a very crowded flight and having to sit next to two crying kid. I didn’t have a long layover in Philly and unlike when I first flew into the airport and could walk to the other terminal this time I had to take a bus to Terminal F and that took some time.

There was a very strange woman at the gate. I sat away from her and waited, but she kept walking over to me and talking to me. She was very butch and had an odd voice and told me (and others) that she had just flown in from Toronto and was going to our state. She also kept showing everyone her emergency Canadian passport. It was very annoying. She also had 4 carry-ones and was scared since our plane was small and she had to gate-check them. Luckily, I sat 5 rows away from her, but when I was boarding and had to wait for the person in front of me to move she continued talking to me. I just smiled and nodded and then went to my seat. There were no issues on the flight – it wasn’t crowded. When we landed I didn’t see my dad –who was waiting for me – and so got my bag, then found my dad and we left. Since I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since that creepy McDonalds back in CO we went to a Taco Bell/Long John Silver’s. The place was pretty chaotic and under-staffed, but the food was ok. I was glad when we finally made it home (only to see that one of my dogs had something wrong with his eye.) I have kept an eye on him since yesterday and will take him to the vet when they open tomorrow.

All-in-all I am not impressed with either American/US Airways or the Dallas Airport. I will do everything in my power to never have to fly that airline or that airport ever again as they are one of the worst airlines and airports I have ever used.

On The Go!

I am going on a trip and so won't be posting until I get back.

Russia's Ukraine Might

From Yahoo:
"Ukraine says rebels have army of 'mid-sized European state'"

Ukraine's defence minister on Monday accused pro-Russian rebels backed up by Moscow's forces of assembling a 40,000-strong army sufficient for a "mid-sized European state".  Stepan Poltorak's estimates fly in the face of Russia's denials that it either backs the separatist fighters or covertly sneaks troops across its southwestern border into the Ukrainian warzone. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko last week put the number of active Russian soldiers in his former Soviet republic's industrial east at more than 9,000. But President Vladimir Putin describes Russians fighting against Ukraine's pro-Western government troops as patriotic volunteers and off-duty soldiers who are answering "a call of the heart." Moscow has also distanced itself from two Russians captured last month who have told Ukrainian interrogators and Western reporters that they were active members of the Kremlin's special military reconnaissance force. The Ukrainian defence minister said the insurgent army -- in control of parts of the Russian-speaking Lugansk and Donetsk regions that are home to about four million people -- could muster more than 550 tanks and an arsenal of other heavy weapons. "The combined size of the Russian armed forces and illegal armed formations... stands at more than 42,500," Poltorak told a group of visiting lawmakers from NATO countries.  "This amount of weapons, as we all understand, would be sufficient for a mid-sized European state." Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Kiev's own eastern force had grown to more than 50,000 after being limited to 5,000 soldiers at the onset of the war 14 months ago. Ukraine's latest charges come against the backdrop of growing fears that the ceasefire that Germany and France helped forge in February is now falling apart. Clashes around the 10,000-strong town of Marinka -- straddling the twisting line separating Kiev's forces from the militants -- and other disputed villages claimed some 30 lives last week and threatened to escalate on Monday. "Our positions near Marinka came under small weapons and mortar fire this morning," Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told AFP by telephone.

A rebel defence spokesman denied the charges and called the situation around the heavily-damaged town "calm".  The international community had initially stopped short of formally accusing Putin of sending troops into Ukraine in what appears to be a bid to either break up the country or stamp out its budding alliance with the European Union and NATO. Washington and Brussels imposed their heaviest sanctions on Moscow in response to its March 2014 annexation of Crimea. The eastern campaign saw those measures toughened but never saw Russia accused of an outright "invasion". The International Committee of the Red Cross also intially labelled the conflict a "civil war". And monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) occasionally refer to "irregularly armed groups" but prefer to simply call the rebels by their self-proclaimed name -- armies of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Yet the West's tone appears to have recently hardened. NATO commanders and some EU leaders openly accuse Putin of sending out alarming war signals across eastern Europe. US President Barack Obama used the G7 summit on Sunday to condemn "Russian aggression in Ukraine". And the US State Department last week noted the presence in Ukraine of "Russian-separatist" forces -- a term it had avoided using for months. The West's verbal assault has so far produced only a muted response from Moscow. But Ukraine's defence minister said he had recently found all previous communication lines with the Moscow military being gradually cut off. "I personally have made several attempts to speak to the Russian defence minister, Mr (Sergei) Shoigu," Poltorak said. "But he always complained about a heavy workload and never agreed to talk."

^ If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck then it's a duck. If it looks like a Russian soldier, talks like a Russian soldier and uses weapons and tanks from the Russian military then it's the Russian military. ^


http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-says-rebels-army-mid-sized-european-state-001601006.html
 

Jerusalem Born

From Yahoo:
"Court strikes down 'born in Jerusalem' passport law"

 

The Supreme Court struck down a disputed law Monday that would have allowed Americans born in Jerusalem to list their birthplace as Israel on their U.S. passports in an important ruling that underscores the president's authority in foreign affairs. The court ruled 6-3 that Congress overstepped its bounds when it approved the law in 2002. It would have forced the State Department to alter its long-standing policy of not listing Israel as the birthplace for Jerusalem-born Americans. The policy is part of the government's refusal to recognize any nation's sovereignty over Jerusalem, until Israelis and Palestinians resolve its status through negotiations. Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his majority opinion that the president has the exclusive power to recognize foreign nations, and that the power to determine what a passport says is part of this power. The ruling ends a 12-year-old lawsuit by a Jerusalem-born American, Menachem Zivotofsky, and his U.S. citizen parents. In a separate dissent, Roberts cast the court's decision as dangerously ground-breaking. "The court takes the perilous step — for the first time in our history — of allowing the president to defy an act of Congress in the field of foreign affairs," Roberts wrote. The status of Jerusalem has for decades been among the most vexing issues in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Israel has controlled all of Jerusalem since the Six-Day War in 1967 and has proclaimed a united Jerusalem as its eternal capital. The Palestinians have declared that east Jerusalem will be the capital of their independent state. Indeed, Kennedy opened his opinion by noting the tensions that surround the status of Jerusalem. "A delicate subject lies in the background of this case. That subject is Jerusalem," he said. In the voting breakdown, the court's four liberals, including the three Jewish justices, joined Kennedy's opinion that sided with the administration and against the Zivotofskys. U.S. policy has long refrained from recognizing any nation's sovereignty over Jerusalem and has held that the city's status should be resolved through negotiations between the parties. Congress has for years tried to push administrations of both parties to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The U.S. has never enforced the passport law, on the books since 2002. Congress and the White House have argued for decades over support for Israel's position on Jerusalem. In 1995, Congress essentially adopted the Israeli position, saying the U.S. should recognize a united Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In 2002, lawmakers passed new provisions urging the president to take steps to move the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and allowing Americans born in Jerusalem to have their place of birth listed as Israel. President George W. Bush signed the 2002 provisions into law but noted that "U.S. policy regarding Jerusalem has not changed." Obama has taken the same stance. Israel's government declined to comment. Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israel does not comment on the rulings by foreign courts.

^ I'm not sure what I think about this ruling. In the past I would clearly say I was in favor of having "Israel" used for those born in Jerusalem, but in the past several years the Palestinians in the West Bank have changed from using missiles, bombs and terrorism to get their goal of a Palestinian state (the Palestinians in Gaza have openly embraced bombs, missiles and terrorism) and I think those in the West Bank should get something for moving away from terrorism. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/court-strikes-down-born-jerusalem-passport-law-140857993--politics.html
 

Comparing Communism

From the MT:
"Russian Communists Want Prison Terms for Comparing Soviets to Nazis"

 

Lawmakers from the Communist Party faction in the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, have drafted a bill that would introduce a 10-year prison sentence for comparing the Soviet regime to Nazi Germany, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday. The bill was a response to the "clearly emerging international tendency to change the post-war world order and rewrite the results of World War II," a note accompanying the bill said, RIA Novosti reported. Accusations of foreign or domestic foes' attempts to "change world order" by seeking to rob Russia of its supposedly rightful sphere of influence have become a common theme in Moscow's anti-Western rhetoric amid the Ukrainian crisis. Meanwhile, praise for Russia's Soviet past has enjoyed a revival. The latest bill — proposed by Duma deputies Valery Rashkin and Sergei Obukhov of the Communist Party — would add amendments to another law adopted last year that introduced five-year prison terms for "rehabilitating" Nazism, RIA Novosti reported. The bill would add a "ban on equating the political regimes of the U.S.S.R. and Nazi Germany, and also on asserting the superiority of the latter," the explanatory note was quoted as saying. Violations would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison, followed by a three-year period in which those convicted would be unable to hold certain types of employment, the report said. The bill followed bans in some former Soviet nations, including Ukraine and Estonia, to ban the use of both Soviet and Nazi symbols, and the toppling of scores of monuments to Bolshevik founder Vladimir Lenin across Ukraine during the past year.  The authors of the bill said their measure was also a response to a 2006 resolution by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, or PACE, that called for denouncing totalitarian communist regimes, RIA Novosti reported. "Documents like that consistently lay the groundwork for blaming the U.S.S.R. for unleashing World War II," the note to the bill said, RIA Novosti reported. Moscow's defensiveness about the Soviet Union's role in the war — including the country's Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with the Nazis that called for carving up Europe — has increased sharply after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who in 2009 denounced the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact as "unacceptable from the moral point of view," "harmful" and "dangerous," last month defended it as Moscow's response to being isolated by the West.

^ The fact that the Communist Party of Russia took 9 years to think of a response to the 2006 is just one recent example of why Communism will and has always failed. If you need another example you can look at the 74 year reign of Communists in the Soviet Union. It took a handful of years from the Soviet Communist Government allowing people to openly discuss the Communist Party of the USSR for the whole system to collapse. It seems the Russian Communist Party is trying to get its name in the headlines so people (especially ordinary Russians) will take a second to remember they even exist in modern-Russia. If this law is passed then there needs to be another one created alongside it to punish and imprison the Communist officials and all the crimes they committed during their reign. Nazi Germany lasted 12 years and killed millions of innocent men, women and children. They started another World War. They were nationalistic and believed the German was superior (despite the fact that their leader wasn't German) to everyone else and that they would take over the world. They used the Secret Police to enforce their aims. They imprisoned and killed homosexuals and Jews. They imposed their will on Europe and the world as a whole. In the end Nazi Germany collapsed. The Communists in the Soviet Union lasted 74 years and killed millions of innocent men, women and children. They started the Cold War. They were nationalistic and believed the Russian (despite the fact that several of their leaders weren't Russian) was superior to everyone else and that they would take over the world. They used the Secret Police to enforce their aims. They imprisoned homosexuals and Jews (ie the Jewish Doctor's Plot.) They imposed their will on Eastern Europe and the world as a whole. In the end Communist Soviet Union collapsed. With that said I'll let you decide if they used similar methods or not. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-communists-want-prison-terms-for-comparing-soviets-to-nazis/523224.html

G 7 Meeting

From the BBC:
"G7 summit: Obama and Merkel firm on Russia sanctions"

The US and German leaders say sanctions on Russia must stay until it implements a deal to end fighting in Ukraine. President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks as the G7 summit of economic powers began in southern Germany. Moscow is the target of European Union and US sanctions over its role in support of Ukrainian rebels. Russia has been excluded from what was previously known as the G8, since the annexation of Crimea last year.  The West accuses Russia of sending military forces into eastern Ukraine to help the rebels - a charge echoed by analysts. Moscow denies this, saying any Russian soldiers there are volunteers.  As he arrived in the Bavarian Alps, Mr Obama said G7 leaders would discuss "standing up to Russian aggression" in Ukraine.   The White House issued a statement after Mr Obama's talks with Mrs Merkel, saying: "The duration of sanctions should be clearly linked to Russia's full implementation of the Minsk agreements and respect for Ukraine's sovereignty." Germany, Britain and the US want an agreement to offer support to any EU member state tempted to withdraw backing for the sanctions on Moscow, which are hurting the Russian economy. The European Union's President of the Council of Ministers, Donald Tusk, signalled a toughening of sanctions in a statement at the G7. "If anyone wants to start a debate about changing the sanctions regime, the discussion could only be about strengthening it."   UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he was hopeful that there would be a united front to ensure that sanctions were "rolled over" despite admitting that "sanctions are having an impact on all of us". EU sanctions are due to expire at the end of July. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia was not a threat and had "other things to worry about". He told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "Only an insane person and only in a dream can imagine that Russia would suddenly attack Nato.  The other leaders at the summit are Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, French President Francois Hollande, Canada's PM Stephen Harper and Italian PM Matteo Renzi.  On Monday, the summit is also due to discuss militant threats from groups like Islamic State and Boko Haram with the leaders of Nigeria, Tunisia and Iraq, who form part of an "outreach" group of non-G7 countries.

^ Several EU member countries have been starting to go against the sanctions (mostly because they are being offered economic deals with Russia to do so) and the sanctions shouldn't be lifted until the Crimea is back in Kyiv's control and Russia stops giving soldiers and weapons to the ethnic Russian terrorists in eastern Ukraine. Putin has said only an "insane" person would think that Russia would attack NATO (ie NATO considers an attack on any member country an attack on itself.) Those are funny words considering only an insane person would do something they know is wrong and invade, occupy and annex territory that doesn't belong to them  - - - and they clearly knew they were in the wrong as they lied openly about having any involvement until their control was firm. Usually if you believe you are in the right you make sure everyone knows about from the very beginning and don't try to hide your involvement. The G 7 countries need to work together to make sure major issues like the Ukraine, Russia and ISIS are addressed. Hopefully, what the G 7 does will be productive and not merely words as sometimes happens. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-33038788
 

Guam Marriage

From the DW:
"Guam becomes first US territory to approve same-sex marriage"

A court in Guam has confirmed the legality of same-sex marriage, making it the first US territory to allow such unions. Same-sex couples in Guam can begin applying for marriage licenses next week. In Friday's ruling, US District Court Chief Judge Frances M. Tydingco-Gatewood said the territory's longtime ban on same-sex marriages violated a gay couple's consitutional right to equal protection under the law. He handed down an order that from Tuesday, June 9, same-sex couples could begin submitting applications for marriage licenses to the relevant authorities. Although Guam's attorney-general said in April that the territory's ban on gay marriage had been overturned, Governor Eddie Calvo, who has long opposed same-sex marriage, said at the time that some legal issues needed clarifying before applications were processed. After Friday's decision, however, Calvo called for unity on the issue. "Now that the court has ruled and the law has changed, let us move forward," he said in a statement. The ruling came after two 28-year-old women in a long-term relationship, Loretta M. Pangelinan (L. in photo) and Kathleen M. Aguero sued in April after being denied a marriage license on the grounds that Guam allowed matrimony only between a man and a woman. In a news release after the ruling was handed down, Aguero said: "We are delighted with the news. Actually we've been waiting for nearly eight years to marry. We're so happy that the time has finally come." Their lawyer, R. Todd Thompson, said the couple planned to marry June 20. Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron was less happy with the decision, however, saying in a statement that the change in the law was "not only a defeat for Christian principles, but a defeat for our island and the whole of humanity." Currently, gay couples in the US can marry in over 30 states, the District of Columbia and, now, Guam.

^ It's nice to see that gay rights is moving to the territories. The Supreme Court will soon decide about gay marriage and hopefully it will allow everyone in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, US  Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Northern Marianas to marry. ^

http://www.dw.de/guam-becomes-first-us-territory-to-approve-same-sex-marriage/a-18498994

Ottawa's Collection

From the G & M:
"Foreign traveller data collection to expand"

Canada is vastly expanding the collecting of fingerprints and digital photos from foreigners seeking to enter this country under a security crackdown aimed at broadening Ottawa’s ability to catch terrorists, fraudulent immigrants and jihadis returning from battles overseas. Sources say Prime Minister Stephen Harper will announce Thursday that Canada will start gathering biometric information from all foreign travellers entering on a visa and arriving at this country’s biggest airports. This will cover the majority of foreign arrivals. Ottawa currently collects fingerprints and photographs from travellers hailing from 29 countries, including Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan. This new measure will expand the number of targeted countries to about 150, or every jurisdiction where citizens are obliged to obtain a visa before they visit Canada. This includes those applying for a work or study permit, as well as applicants for temporary visitor visas or permanent residency. Foreigners are charged for the cost of this biometric data gathering and the current fee is $85 per person or $170 per family. The Harper government is expected to frame this big increase in the scope of biometric screening as necessary because the security risks faced by Canada are greater now. Canada is bombing Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria and lending its special forces soldiers to assist Kurds trying to beat back the extremist group that seized control of significant territory in the region last year. In response, Islamic State forces have called on adherents to attack Canadians. Two soldiers in Canada were killed in October by self-professed jihadis. Ottawa is also concerned about the threat posed by people who have travelled overseas to fight jihad and then return, having become even more radicalized and posing a threat here at home. Last fall, security officials estimated about 80 individuals have travelled abroad to participate in terrorist activity in the Middle East and North Africa and have since returned to Canada. Mr. Harper is expected to unveil the measure at a hotel in North York in the Greater Toronto Area – a venue that falls within the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence. This seat is held by Joe Oliver, the federal Finance Minister. It’s possible Mr. Oliver may face a challenge during the federal election this fall from floor-crosser Eve Adams, an MP who left the Conservatives and is seeking the Liberal nomination in Eglinton-Lawrence. The fingerprints and photos will give Canadian authorities more tools to verify the identity of those entering the country and to detect forged passports or other documents. Applicants must allow their fingerprints and photos to be taken at overseas visa application centres, and when they arrive in Canada a Border Services officer will verify they are same people who applied for the visa. A source said the government is concerned the existing biometric screening requirements for 29 countries are not sufficient because would-be fraudsters may be avoiding identity documents from those nations and instead trying to enter Canada through countries not already on the target list. The biometic screening measures are also aimed at foreigners convicted of crimes in Canada who have been deported but try to return here. In 2012, Ottawa dubbed one duo convicted of armed robbery and forcible confinement the “Yo-yo bandits” because they had each been deported three times and returned. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Border Services Agency and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration are jointly managing the screening. The government is keeping this biometric information on a database that may be shared with the RCMP and other law enforcement agencies. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration says the biometric screening measures in place since 2013 flagged 300 individuals seeking asylum in Canada who had already claimed asylum in the United States, 750 individuals who were fingerprinted by U.S. authorities for law-enforcement reasons and almost 600 people who had “significant discrepancies in their identity information.” It also said it was able to identify about 60 per cent of those applicants who had a criminal record but who did not indicate they had been previously convicted or charged with an offence on their visa application.

 

^ I see no issue with any country taking the biometrics (ie fingerprints and/or pictures) of anyone wishing to enter that country - with or without a visa. Places like the US, South Korea, Japan, etc do the same - only the US requires a personal interview in an embassy or consulate for those that need a visa so they can give their biometrics beforehand and then require biometrics  - from everyone (visa and non-visa holders) when they enter the US. South Korea and Japan take the biometrics at the border - at least for tourists. As far as I can tell Canada is going to start doing what the US has in place - biometrics at embassies and consulates beforehand. The main issue with that is the lack of Canadian Embassies and Consulates around the world. Even with all the American Embassies and Consulates it is often costly and difficult for a foreigner to travel from their town to the nearest Embassy to give their biometrics and take the interview. If it is that hard with the US - which has the most extensive embassies and consulates of any country - then it will be even more difficult for those wishing to visit Canada - and needing a visa. There has to be a way that a country can get the biometrics they require as well as make it just a little easier for the foreigner. ^

 

 

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-to-expand-biometric-data-collection-on-incoming-foreigners/article24793480/

 

Disabled Signals

From the MT:
"Moscow to Set Up Street Crossing Signals for People With Disabilities"

Moscow is set to equip some 30 traffic lights with sound and vibration modules to help people with visual and hearing impairments safely cross the street, Moscow's Traffic Management Center said in a statement Thursday. The modules will also play a distinct melody to warn pedestrians that they have seven seconds left to make it to the opposite sidewalk before the light turns red. “Moscow's transportation infrastructure should be adapted to all residents,” the statement quoted Vadim Yuryev, the head of the Traffic Management Center, as saying. “We are actively working on programs that will allow transportation to become more comfortable for people with limited mobility. The use of such modules at traffic lights in Moscow will help people with impaired sight and hearing to cross the street easily.” The statement did not provide a specific timeline for the installation of the modules but said they would be set up by the end of the year. The cost of the undertaking was not disclosed. In 2011, Russia launched a five-year, multibillion-ruble Accessible Environment Program to make city infrastructure more accessible for people with disabilities. The program's measures include building inclusive and accessible schools, sports facilities and transportation infrastructure. The program states that 45 percent of major public and transportation facilities should be made accessible by 2016.

^ This sounds like a great idea, but as someone who has crossed Russian (including Moscow) streets I don't think this will really do any good. The driver has the right-of-way even when someone is in a crosswalk. Moscow, as in most Russian towns and cities  - has extremely wide streets (that seem to be 4 lanes each side) and the only way a person - disabled or not - can cross it  - even in a crosswalk with a crossing signal telling you to - is to weave in and out of the cars or to walk part-way, stop for cars and then walk some more. I can't even imagine how difficult that must be for a disabled person, but I know how hard it was for me  - especially in winter with snow and ice everywhere. Walking in Russia is almost as dangerous as driving in Russia. Russian drivers (many I know paid to not have to take the official classes or tests to learn how to drive) make their own lanes and the roads throughout the country are not kept in great shape. Walking in Russia you have to be careful of potholes in the sidewalks, ice and snow on the sidewalks or falling ice from buildings. The last part is really scary and I have personally seen it nearly hit many people walking. You hear the distinctive sound of ice breaking and then maybe someone shout and then people run. Unlike many countries, falling ice or slippery sidewalks don't mean much to the Russians as the government or owners of that area aren't held responsible. It is the person walking that has to watch out for everything. If these new signals are to work to help the disabled safely cross the streets in a crosswalk then more needs to be done to make sure the drivers follow the rules of the road. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/moscow-to-set-up-street-crossing-signals-for-people-with-disabilities/523069.html

Auschwitz Redone

From DW:
"New permanent exhibition at Auschwitz-Birkenau to open"

The Auschwitz Museum has long relied on the belongings of those murdered in the camp's gas chambers to depict Nazi atrocities. Now, 70 years after liberation, a new permanent exhibition is in the works. A new exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp will be divided into three parts: One will focus on the mass murder of Europe's Jews, another looks at the perpetrators, and the third presents the lives of the prisoners. As such, the exhibition will offer insights into areas that the museum had thus far only touched upon - if it looked at them at all. The main exhibition, which was initially mounted in 1947, was given an overhaul in 1955. Since then, display cabinets containing the hair, shoes, glasses and suitcases of those murdered have served as powerful reminders of Nazi cruelty. The walls of some of the camp's huts are hung with photographs of those held in "Auschwitz I," which was primarily used to house political prisoners, and there is a model of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazis' extermination camps, in its entirety. At least 1.1 million people were killed there. Attached to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau - a sprawling area housing huts, gas chambers and crematoria - was Auschwitz III Monowitz, an industrial area where the Nazis helped companies such as I.G. Farben turn a profit. Clothing and gold were extracted from the teeth of murdered Jews, Sinti and Roma, and political prisoners, and even their hair was used to generate money that would eventually land in Germany's coffers. The Majdanek, Treblinka, Belzec and Sobibor camps also adopted a conveyor belt approach to murder. Elsewhere, in concentration camps such as Ravensbrück, Dachau, Buchenwald and Mauthausen, people were systematically killed by hard labor, torture, starvation and other means. And then there were the mass-shootings. Babi Yar near Kyiv and the Ponary massacres near Vilnius, to name but two. Although the Nazi murder machine was active across Europe, Auschwitz has become symbolic. Nowhere else were so many people killed in such a horrific way in such a short space of time. To date, the museum at Auschwitz has explained these facts on info panels mounted on the walls. More modern approaches such as film, computers and original audio recordings of victims are yet to become a feature of the main exhibition at the former camp. Since 1960, several huts in the sprawling complex have housed "national exhibitions" serving as reminders of victims from different countries. They have been extended over the past years, and are, in part, highly modern. The museum's Facebook page, active since 2009, has more than 185,000 fans. Equally, more than 1.5 million people visited the concentration camp last year. Yet the main exhibition had not been changed for 60 years. Located 3 kilometers (2 miles), the Nazi death factory Auschwitz-Birkenau is at risk of crumbling. The ruins of the crematoria and gas chambers, which the Nazis blew up before the end of the war, are exposed to the elements, and money for their upkeep is scarce. In 2009, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was set up to collect international donations to help finance necessary maintenance and restoration work. The charity has received pledges of 120 million euros from EU states, the US, Turkey, and Germany - which promised 60 million. But years have passed without any sign of the money. Now, though, thanks to a pledge from Poland's Culture Ministry, the funding for a new exhibition at the museum appears to be in place. It will cost about 25 million euros ($28 million) to pull off, and it won't be going up overnight. Preservation guidelines governing the camp mean that construction work on the former inmates' huts will be a slow process. The exhibition is not expected to be finished for 11 years.

 

^ It is good that this change is being done after so many years - especially if the exhibits were tilted towards Communist propaganda rather than historical truth. The fact that so many countries promised money to help keep Auschwitz open for more generations and haven't kept those promises is just plain wrong. If you promise something then you should always keep that promise whether you are a government official or an ordinary person. ^

http://www.dw.de/new-permanent-exhibition-at-auschwitz-birkenau-to-open/a-18494130
 

Exiting Russia

From the BBC:
"Russians looking for the exit"

If Russia is alarming its neighbours with its actions in Ukraine and its anti-Western rhetoric, many of its own people are also uncomfortable with the prevailing atmosphere of bellicose nationalism. Some are preparing to leave, discovers the BBC's Caroline Wyatt, a former Moscow correspondent - and some have already left. Moscow is at its loveliest in May, when the usually forbidding expanse of Red Square is bathed in sunshine, and the delicate scent of lilac fills the air around the crazy ice-cream spirals of St Basil's Cathedral. Tourists from across the Russian Federation take smiling family photographs in front of the church built to mark Ivan the Terrible's military conquests.  The rocket launchers and martial might on display to celebrate Victory Day in Europe have all gone. And instead of marching bands, the ethereal sounds of an Orthodox church choir fill the square, and visitors stop to listen. The only reminder that all is not quite as sunny as it seems is the shrine of flowers on the bridge, the fresh summer bunches left with handwritten notes - in memory of the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, shot dead on this same spot just a few months ago.   I meet an old friend for coffee on the terrace of what was once the empty Soviet department store GUM. Now it's a temple to consumerism that wouldn't feel out of place in Paris, London or Milan. The shop windows bloom with pastel-coloured dresses from all the luxury brands. I can hardly conceal my surprise when the waiter wishes me a good day with a smile that even looks as though he means it.  I hardly know this place, it feels so different. The streets are no longer pot-holed, nor choked with traffic. There's a new confidence visible in the way people walk. And despite Western sanctions over Ukraine, the supermarket shelves are still full, and the cafes too.  Yet as we sit over coffee, reminiscing about the Moscow of old, I'm suddenly reminded of the past as my friend looks around to make sure that nobody can hear.  "I've sent my family to live abroad," he tells me. "It's better that way. I've sold everything, and now I commute. The health service here is crumbling, and so are schools. Sanctions have started to bite, but it's not that - it's the political atmosphere. It's stifling and it's getting worse. Nobody knows what will happen next, but it doesn't feel like a good place for the liberals." I resist the temptation to make a joke, to lighten the mood... Liberals on the run, worries about the health service? Why, it sounds just like the UK. But my friend isn't laughing - and nor am I, as I remember his optimism about his country's future 15 long years ago. For this highly educated man to send his family abroad was not a step taken lightly.  Later, I meet Olya in a park, and we sit on a bench dappled by the early summer sunshine. It's warm, but getting muggier. The wisps of cloud carry the ominous grey tinge of an oncoming storm. Olya, too, has a sadness in her eyes as she talks about preparing to emigrate - if she can. She's also eminently well-qualified, another middle-class Muscovite with a decent job and good prospects. For Olya, it's not economic fears that make her want to leave, but a gathering sense of  "I don't know if you in England know the story about the frog, who sits in a pan of warm water on the top of the stove. He's happy. And then someone lights the stove beneath, and gradually, the water gets hotter. The frog is happy, he's comfortable. But soon the water will boil - and he probably won't get out in time because he doesn't realise what's happening. I'm scared of being that frog - trapped in a boiling pot, unable to get out."  Olya's fears grew as the troubles in Ukraine spiralled into conflict, causing blazing rows that split her family - and many others too. "Some believe America will use what's happening in Ukraine to attack Russia - and they say that we should attack first because that's the best defence," she tells me.  "All I want is to find a place on earth where everyone knows the law and abides by it, and where there isn't corruption. I'm so sick of it. And I'm tired of arguing about Ukraine. What's happening there is insane, and it's terrifying that it could lead to a full-scale war. All I want is a small patch of land where there's peace and quiet."  I'm reminded of those conversations when I hear President Putin respond to the corruption allegations against Fifa. He blames America for what he seems to see as politically motivated arrests aimed at taking the World Cup away from Russia in 2018.  I ask another friend, Tanya, what she makes of it all. "That bellicose form of patriotism is everywhere in Russia today," she says, speaking softly as she drags deeply on her cigarette.   "You hear it all the time on the news. Everything is interpreted as being aimed against Russia. It's absurd. Americans don't spend their lives scheming against us, but the authorities here think and talk as though they do. And many believe it. The rhetoric today is like something from another era - the Soviet era. I feel as though we're asked every day to make a choice between being true patriots or leaving Russia. "I'm not leaving. I'm Russian and I love my country. But sometimes my country is hard to love." Tanya and her husband are putting money aside for their daughters so in a few years time the girls can travel and perhaps study abroad.  "If our borders are still open then," adds Tanya, with a sigh. "I remember the Soviet Union - we were trapped and we couldn't escape. That's how I grew up. I just hope it doesn't happen again."

^ This is the kind of spirit from the ordinary Russian that I have met first-hand. It's nice to see that not everyone has drank the Kool-Aid. ^


http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32976294
 

Remorseful Emperor

From Yahoo:
"Japan emperor's WWII 'remorse' a prod to Abe: commentator"

Japan's Emperor Akihito has told Philippine President Benigno Aquino his country feels "remorse" for its actions during World War II, in what one commentator said was a prod to nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Akihito's role is narrowly defined and he is expected to stay above the fray, so any remarks he makes that stray into the political -- however obliquely -- are parsed for possible meaning. In a speech welcoming Aquino to a palace banquet late Wednesday, Akihito noted there were active ties between Tokyo and Manila by the beginning of the 20th century. "During World War II, however, fierce battles between Japan and the United States took place on Philippine soil, resulting in the loss of many Filipino lives. "This is something we Japanese must long remember with a profound sense of remorse," he said, according to the official English translation provided by the Imperial Household Agency. "In particular, in this year of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, I offer my deepest condolences to all those who lost their lives then," he said.  His remark comes as Abe prepares a statement he is expected to deliver in August, which is being closely watched for any sign of what critics say is backsliding on previous Japanese apologies. Abe's predecessors offered apologies for colonial rule and aggression on the 50th and 60th anniversaries, but he has hinted he is unlikely to repeat that, saying instead he wants to issue a "forward-looking" statement. That sentiment has caused disquiet among Japanese liberals and anger in Beijing and Seoul, which insist Tokyo needs to say sorry for its war history. Akira Hashimoto, a veteran journalist on royal matters and a former schoolmate of the emperor, said Aquino's visit had given the nominal head of state "an opportunity to express his opinion" that Japan should squarely admit its past wrongdoing. The emperor "is striving to have the message heard," Hashimoto said.  "I believe his Majesty wanted Prime Minister Abe, rather than the Japanese people or people in other countries, to hear," he told AFP. The mass-selling Yomiuri Shimbun noted that Wednesday's palace banquet was the third for Philippine guests since Akihito ascended to the throne, but was the first at which he had touched on the human cost of the conflict there. The emperor "has always recognised Japan took wrongful actions during WWII and has felt deep remorse over the tragedies it brought about... His view has never wavered," the pundit said.

 

^ I am impressed with what the Japanese Emperor continues to do and say regarding his country's role in World War 2. He was a child during the war and despite what his father (who was Emperor at the time) did or did not know his country was doing and the decades of silence after the war the current Emperor shows that it is never too late to admit your mistakes and to work to fix them. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/japan-emperors-wwii-remorse-prod-abe-commentator-050232566.html
 

Putin: Rise And Repeat

From Yahoo:
"Putin Threatens Fight Over More Sanctions in Ukraine"

Following the worst fighting in Ukraine in months, the Russian legislature on Wednesday warned its members of the potential need for an emergency session. At the same time, the Kremlin warned that it would retaliate if European leaders later this summer vote to increase sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and its continued support of rebels in the east of the troubled country.  Journalists and monitors on the scene reported heavy shelling in and around the city of Donetsk, which is currently controlled by separatists hoping to unite the Donbas region of Ukraine with Russia. Authorities in Kiev said the shelling was accompanied by an attack by up to 1,000 rebel troops, with tanks, on a key crossroads west of the city. The rebels denied any such attack.   Russian officials took the opportunity to bemoan the state of security in Ukraine – a refrain that was often heard in the days and weeks leading up to the invasion of Crimea.  “It's true that the situation, in the sphere of security, has deteriorated there recently,” Andrei Kelin, Russia's permanent representative at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said on Wednesday, according to the government-run news service TASS. “This puts the brakes, to a certain degree, on the operations of monitors since peaceful civilians are suffering from the falling shells and the rules of communications with them are more stringent than with the military.”  In a potentially ominous sign, Speaker Valentina Matviyenko of the Federation Council told lawmakers that they needed to stay in Moscow, according to the government-run Interfax News Service.  “I don’t exclude that the need might arise to hold another emergency session of the Federation Council, and so I ask everyone not to wander too far, and to remain in contact,” she said. “If a decision is made to hold such a session, you will be informed at the appropriate time.”   Technically, Russian President Vladimir Putin would require the permission of the Council to send Russian troops abroad, and such a request was granted prior to the official deployment of Russian armed forces into Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula last year, also in an emergency session.  The fighting and talk of emergency legislation comes after days of heightened tension in the region. On Monday Mikhail Ulyanov, director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms control at the Russian Foreign Ministry reasserted Russia’s claim that it has the right to deploy nuclear weapons to Crimea if it sees fit.  “Russia obviously retains the right if needed to deploy its nuclear weapons anywhere on its national territory, including on the Crimean Peninsula,” he told state-run news organization, Ulyanov was responding to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin’s statement earlier this year that such a deployment would be in violation of Russia’s non-proliferation obligations. On Tuesday, according to TASS, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned European leaders that if they seek to intensify sanctions against Russia when they meet later this year, Moscow would retaliate in kind.  “Our partners from the European Union will gather in July to discuss a number of decisions. And if they pass decisions concerning new sanctions against Russia we would give a symmetrical reply. If they won’t, we are going to remain on the positions that we currently have,” he said.  The sanctions have, by most accounts, severely damaged the Russian economy, though not as much as last year’s sudden drop in oil prices did. In recent weeks, the Russian economy has been showing signs of improvement, though it is still expected to suffer a significant recession this year. 

^ It does seem like Russia is following the exact handbook it used when it invaded, occupied and annexed the Crimea  - only this time in eastern Ukraine. You can't tell your lawmakers to stay close to Moscow "just in case" and then expect the world to not suspect you are going to do more in the Ukraine. Of course Putin and other government officials will deny everything  - even as it happens - and then admit it later (again like they did in the Crimea.) I actually feel sorry for Russia and the Russians. They had so much promise since 1991 and yet they have slipped even further into war and isolation - which they created for themselves. The Russian people have a lot to offer the world and the world has a lot to offer them, but you can't threaten, attack and occupy other countries and still expect other people and countries to trust you. The idea that the Russian Government is covering up its own involvement (including denying the families of the Russian soldiers who have died in the Ukraine the right to know what happened really happened to their loved ones) is wrong. It did the same thing during its 10 year war in Afghanistan from 1979-1989 and it appears they are doing the same thing here. I hold great respect for the ordinary Russian person and culture, but these constant actions that destabilize the world and get people killed makes that hard. ^

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/putin-threatens-fight-over-more-142700851.html
 

Pay Minimum

 I got this from a friend on Facebook. If you just look at the hourly amounts then you can see the US is much lower. Most places in Europe give you a higher minimum wage and then take out most in taxes (for healthcare coverage, pensions, etc.) The US, on the other hand, forces people to buy their own healthcare coverage. No money is taken out for that (except to help pay for those on Medicaid and for their Social Security.) Do I think the minimum wage in the US should be raised? That's hard to say. On the one-hand I say "Yes" because it will help those people with jobs to make more. On the other hand, I say "No" because it will hurt someone who is looking for a job the same way Obamacare has. With Obamacare there have been more jobs added, but mostly only part-time jobs so benefits don't have to be provided. If we have a higher minimum wage then many employers may not even make those part-time jobs available and so someone who desperately needs work won't be able to get something.

Kicked Scout

From Disability Scoop:
"Boy Scouts Accused Of Kicking Out Teen With Asperger’s"

The parents of a Hanover Park, Ill. boy who has an autism spectrum disorder are suing the Boy Scouts of America Northwest Suburban Council for what the lawsuit calls the “improper and illegal” revocation of the child’s membership. Brian and Deborah Smith say in the lawsuit, filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, that their teenage son has Asperger’s syndrome, a disorder that affects language and behavioral development in children. According to the suit, their son was a member for more than seven years and a patrol leader in the Northwestern Suburban Council Troop 399, but last July, the family received a vague notice from the council revoking his membership. “Without warning or any effort to complete the steps set forth in the BSA publications, on July 22, 2014 Plaintiffs received a notice from Boys Scouts of America that (the boy’s) membership in BSA was revoked effective immediately,” the lawsuit said. “The notice did not articulate any reason why the termination was made other than that ‘information was received which ‘compelled us to revoke your son.'” Boy Scouts of America spokesman Deron Smith issued the following statement: “We were only recently made aware of this suit, but we will closely review this matter and respond appropriately. While we can’t immediately discuss this matter, I can tell you that the BSA works to accommodate the needs of Scouts.” In a phone interview Monday, the boy’s parents described feeling surprised upon receiving the letter. “Our family has been very involved in Scouts for years,” Brian Smith said. “They talk about how to deal with discipline, policy and procedures; they don’t just send letters completely out of the blue.” According to the lawsuit, the boy, identified therein as “P.S.,” suffered from “severe emotional distress” and needed counseling services. “He was completely devastated,” Deborah Smith said. “It took a long while to get over the hurt. It was a huge hole in who he was. All of his goals were around Scouts. He had been doing it since first grade.” The boy, “who loves the outdoors and scouting,” is currently working on a farm, his father said. The suit cites the Boy Scouts of America’s “Guide to Working with Scouts with Special Needs and Disabilities,” which states that there must be “preestablished consequences for misbehavior for all Scouts.” The guide also requires that “the discipline fits the offense and is not unduly harsh.” The Smiths are seeking further explanation on the circumstances that led the council to strip their son’s membership and that the decision be overturned.

^ I really hope the Boy Scouts didn't do this as it would tarnish their already hurt reputation. I was a Boy Scout and see no reason why the disabled and gays can't  be a Scout and learn the same values as everyone else. ^

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/06/02/boy-scouts-aspergers/20348/

Improved Boarding

From Yahoo:
"Airlines try to save time with speedier boarding process"

Airlines are trying to save time by speeding up a part of flying that creates delays even before the plane leaves the gate: the boarding process. This summer travel season, Delta plans to preload carry-on bags above passengers' seats on some flights. Southwest wants to get families seated together more quickly. Airlines have tinkered with different boarding systems almost since the days of Orville and Wilbur Wright, who tossed a coin to decide who would fly first aboard their biplane. Plenty of people have offered ideas for improvement, but no perfect method has ever emerged. Most airlines let first-class and other elite customers board first. After that, some carriers fill the rear rows and work toward the front. Others fill window seats and work toward the aisle. Some use a combination of the two. Airlines have also tried other tricks, like letting people board early if they do not have aisle-clogging carry-on bags. It's not trivial stuff. With many flights full, anxious passengers know that boarding late means there might not be any room left in the overhead bin. And it matters to the airlines. Slow boarding creates delays, which mean missed connections, unhappy customers and extra costs.  Researchers from Northern Illinois University once figured that every extra minute that a plane stands idle at the gate adds $30 in costs. About 1 in 4 U.S. flights runs at least 15 minutes late. Multiply that by thousands of flights each day, and it quickly adds up for the industry. Delta's Early Valet service will offer to have airline employees take carry-on bags at the gate and put them in the bins above assigned seats. The airline wants to see if its own workers can load the bins faster than passengers. The service began Monday on about two dozen flights, and that number is expected to rise steadily during June, Delta spokeswoman Morgan Durrant said. Early Valet will be offered through August on some departures from Delta's busiest airports — Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Seattle. It will be available only on flights that typically have a high number of vacationers. Presumably, business travelers know how to board a plane efficiently. Specially tagged bags will be stowed on the plane before boarding begins, Durrant said.

Delta tested the process last summer in Atlanta and Los Angeles and saw some reduction in boarding time, Durrant said. Gary Leff, co-founder of frequent-flier website MilePoint, said the service will be the biggest help to passengers in the final boarding groups — the ones most likely to find the overhead bins full. Their bags will go in the cabin instead of being gate-checked as cargo. "This has the potential to come across as a nice, high-end service," Leff said, "but I'm skeptical that it will go mainstream" because of labor costs. Southwest Airlines wants to reduce complaints that families can't find seats together because flights are so crowded. Unlike most airlines, Southwest does not offer assigned seats. Instead, passengers line up at the gate by group — first "A," then "B'' and finally "C'' — and pick their seat once they are on the plane. The system lets families board together after the "A'' group, but only with children up to 4. Some families pay extra for priority boarding to improve their odds. Flight attendants often have to ask other passengers to move to accommodate older children or families that don't get to the gate on time. That usually works, said Teresa Laraba, a senior vice president who oversees customer service, but Southwest recently tested expanding family boarding to include children up to 6, 8 or 11. "We've always tried to finesse it," Laraba said, but the test is designed to see "if there is a tweak that would improve the overall experience for everyone."

The airline is now surveying customers and expects to make a decision in a few weeks, she said.

^ I have boarded planes in many different ways. One of the worst ways was when I flew Lufthansa last December from Munich. We had to take a bus to the trans-Atlantic plane and then people randomly went either to the front or back and walked-up the stairs. There was no Lufthansa crews telling us what to do. The result was people boarding in the back and having to walk to the front of the plane for their seats and vice versa. It was complete chaos. In planes that only have one boarding entrance in the front the best way to board is to have people in the back go on first and then work your way to the front. On planes that have two boarding entrances (front and back) the best way to board is to have those sitting in the back  board from the back and those sitting in the front board from the front. It seems like common-sense, but not many people have or use that anymore. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/airlines-try-save-time-speedier-boarding-process-201152323--finance.html
 

Historic Stonewall

From Yahoo:
"New York's Stonewall Inn, gay landmark, poised for historical status"

The Stonewall Inn, the bar considered the birthplace of the U.S. gay rights movement, could move a step closer to historical status on Tuesday after a meeting of New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission. The commission will decide whether to add the Greenwich Village gay bar, the site of 1969 riots in response to a police raid, to its calendar of public hearings. That typically is the first step to a property securing landmark status, said Damaris Olivo, a spokeswoman for the commission. "The agency has been working on this for some time and LGBT Pride Month is an ideal occasion to recommend this iconic cultural landmark," said commission chair Meenakshi Srinivasan.

The move follows years of campaigning by gay rights activists including The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Its executive director, Glennda Testone, said if the vote puts Stonewall on its way to landmark status, the gay community would feel "relief that our history will be protected."  "The Stonewall Inn is really an irreplaceable historic location," Testone said. "A site that is so meaningful and represents a time when our community came together and stood up and fought for our right to exist - that's something we never want to lose," she said. The building started as stables in the 1840s and was remodeled in the 1930s. If it gets landmark status, it would be a first for a site primarily in recognition of its significance to gay history, Olivo said. Located at 53 Christopher Street, the modest tavern now adorned with a red neon sign and flapping rainbow gay-pride flags was the epicenter of the "Stonewall Rebellion," days of protests after the bar raid. At a time when few establishments welcomed openly homosexual people, the Stonewall Inn in the 1960s was known to cater to a wide array of gay patrons. Police raided it on June 28, 1969, looking for liquor violations, and met with unexpectedly strong resistance that became a nearly weeklong series of sometimes violent demonstrations against police harassment and was later known as a pivotal moment of the gay-rights movement. The Stonewall Inn is already part of the Greenwich Village Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 but the city landmark designation would apply more stringent standards on alterations to the property. "It ensures that our place in history will always be recognized, that there will be a free-standing building that will memorialize all the LGBT people that came before us," said Kevin Nadal, executive director of the Center for LGBTQ Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

^ It's important to remember Stonewall the same way we remember Black Civil Rights, Disabled Civil Rights, Female Civil Rights, etc. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/yorks-stonewall-inn-gay-landmark-poised-historical-status-223452060.html

S.A's Children

From Yahoo:
"Tourism industry alarmed over new S.African visa policy"

 

South Africa on Monday rolled out tough new visa regulations requiring children travelling into the country to carry unabridged birth certificates, a move that industry experts predict will badly damage the tourism sector. The revised regulations dictate that children of all nationals and foreigners must be accompanied by unabridged birth certificates in addition to their passports when entering or leaving the country. The new regulations apply only to children travelling with one parent and those arriving from visa-exempt countries.  Government says the measure is aimed at curbing international child trafficking. But the tourism industry, which contributes nine percent to the country's GDP and employs around 1.5 million people, said the regulations were too cumbersome and would drive tourists away from South Africa. The chamber of commerce said airlines were "doing all they can" to prepare travellers "but their efforts have been frustrated by bureaucratic bungling." Citing official ticketing data, the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) said flight bookings to South Africa this June plunged 20 percent compared to the same period last year, a fall blamed partially on the new rules. "Who is going to go to all this trouble to come on holiday to South Africa?" asked David Frost, the head of SATSA. "They would rather say let's go to New Zealand, Mauritius or Puerto Rico, where they are more welcome."

 

^ This new requirement goes along the same lines as being required to have 2 blank passport-pages when entering South Africa. For someone that travels a lot 2 blank pages is a big deal. I have had to have extra passport pages added to my passports the last two times (20 years as each passport is valid for 10 years.) Most countries in the world only make their passports valid for 5 years and don't allow you to add more pages to it so having 2 blank pages is harder for them. South Africa needs to do more to promote tourism in their country rather than doing things to make people go elsewhere (especially with the recent anti-foreigner riots throughout the country.) ^

http://news.yahoo.com/tourism-industry-alarmed-over-african-visa-policy-153204510.html

TSA Fails

From USA Today:
"Homeland Security to beef up airport security screening after report"

 

Random covert testing, intensive training and equipment checks are among several changes Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced Monday after an internal investigation found flaws in the nation's airport security screening system. Johnson said he is not at liberty to reveal details of an inspector general report on the effectiveness of the nation's airport security screening system, but he did make reference in a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security to "vulnerabilities" mentioned in the report.  Johnson also announced Monday that, effective immediately, Transportation Security Administration acting administrator Melvin Carraway is being reassigned to serve as head of the DHS Office of State and Local Law Enforcement. Acting deputy director Mark Hatfield will head up TSA until someone is selected to replace Carraway, Johnson said. "I thank Melvin Carraway for his 11 years of service to TSA and his 36 years of public service to this nation," Johnson said.

 

Among the TSA changes Johnson is ordering

• Directing Transportation Security Administration to revise procedures so that they address vulnerabilities mentioned in report;
• That TSA share the results of testing with airport officials across the country;
• Training for all transportation security officers at every airport;
• Directing testing and retesting of equipment used at airports;
• Asking inspector general and the TSA to conduct "random covert testing" of security practices;
• Appointing a team of TSA and DHS leaders to make sure changes are implemented.

ABC News first reported Monday that undercover agents were able to smuggle prohibited items, such as mock explosives or weapons, through TSA checkpoints in 67 out of 70 attempts. ABC cited anonymous officials who had been briefed on the inspector general's report. In at least one test, agents failed to detect a bomb, even after an undercover agent set off a magnetometer, according to The Hill. The undercover agent was allowed to pass through screening with the fake bomb attached to his back -- and after a pat down, The Hill reported. The problems vulnerabilities were detected by a group of undercover agents known as the Red Team who have publicly exposed previous screening vulnerabilities, according to The Hill.

 

^ Anyone who has flown in the past 14 years shouldn't be surprised or shocked at this report. The TSA was created in 2001 to replace the different security contractors at the airports, but the only  difference between the TSA and the contractors are: job security (because they are Federal employees.) We are not any safer now than we were in 2001. That has been proven time and again over the years. The TSA merely bark orders to passengers and do nothing more than check a monitor and occasionally pat someone down. Passengers, on the other hand, have had to step-up. We have to take off our shoes, belts and coats  - even though we have to stand in full body scanners that can see through our clothes - we have to deal with long lines, paying extra for everything (bags, food, etc) and it is even the passengers that have to stop would-be attackers on planes while the sky marshals and flight attendants stand-by and watch. The No-Fly List is a joke and kicks off the elderly and babies while letting on known terrorists. I took all the tests required to join the TSA several years ago and was even offered a job with them, but luckily I had just received a better position and took that one. The TSA, as a whole, is failing and this report shows that fact. As someone who has travelled around the country and around the world pre-9/11 and post-9/11 I have experienced first-hand the different TSA operations around the country as well as the different airport security operations overseas and, to me, the TSA gets a F-. Their customer service is a joke. Their handling of the disabled often borders on criminal. Their professionalism is questionable. I have had friendlier security people in Munich, Dubai, Heathrow, Edinburgh, Shannon, Toronto, Stansted, Paris, Glasgow, Kyiv, Gatwick, Dortmund, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Larnaca, Aruba, San Jose, Frankfurt and Nassau (to name a few places) and they were not only friendly, but also very professional and helpful - especially when dealing with the disabled.) The foreign airports that weren't up to par were Moscow (mainly because no one spoke anything other than Russian) and Kuwait. The TSA, on the other hand, does very little to interact with people - even the disabled - except for barking orders. I have experienced that personally (whether it was directed at me or someone else in line) at numerous US airports: JFK, Newark, Logan, Midway, San Francisco, Dulles, Miami, O:Hare, Anchorage, Dallas, Reagan, San Antonio, Albany, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Denver and Charlotte  (to name a few.) Out of those the worst US airports are Logan and Denver. The TSA needs to be completely over-hauled in both detecting bombs and terrorists as well as customer service. You can do both jobs (looking for threats as well as be professional)  -  - it has been proven in dozens of other countries - including ones that are high-risk terrorist targets  like London.  ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/06/01/homeland-security-tsa-screening/28331991/

Disabled Google

From Disability Scoop:
"Google Putting Up Millions For Disability Initiative"

Google is looking to address the needs of a billion people with disabilities worldwide and it’s putting big bucks behind the effort. The Internet search giant said this week that Google.org — the company’s charitable arm — is offering up $20 million to nonprofits “using emerging technologies to increase independence for people living with disabilities.” As part of the initiative dubbed “The Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities,” the company is also asking people with disabilities to suggest problems that they would like to see addressed with the grant money. Google has already committed funding to two groups — the Enable Community Foundation which links people needing prosthetics with volunteers who use 3D printers to create them at no cost and World Wide Hearing which will use the funds to develop a low-cost kit to detect hearing loss using smartphone technology. “The Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities will seek out nonprofits and help them find new solutions to some serious ‘what ifs’ for the disabled community. We will choose the best of these ideas and help them to scale by investing in their vision, by rallying our people and by mobilizing our resources in support of their missions,” Jacquelline Fuller, director of Google.org, said in a blog post. Alongside the monetary commitment, Google said it will work to ensure accessibility of its own products and add new offerings that benefit people with disabilities. The company cited its work developing self-driving cars as well as Liftware, a utensil designed to help people with hand tremors eat more easily, as examples of its existing work in this space. “Historically, people living with disabilities have relied on technologies that were often bulky, expensive and limited to assisting with one or two specific tasks. But that’s beginning to change,” Fuller wrote. “Together, we can create a better world, faster.” Advisers for the new project include autism self-advocate Temple Grandin and Catalina Devandas Aguilar, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities.

^ It is one thing to talk about helping the disabled and another to actually take action and put money behind those words. It's great to see Google is doing just that. ^

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/05/27/google-millions-disability/20337/

Toll Discrimination

From DW:
"EU commission 'planning to sue Germany over road toll': report"

A German newspaper has reported that the European Commission will take legal action against Germany over its planned road toll. The report says the toll is considered to discriminate against foreigners In the report in its Saturday edition,, the "Welt" newspaper quoted sources from the Commission as saying that it would "initiate infringement proceedings against Germany because of the road toll, as it discriminates against foreign drivers and thus against EU law." The sources said the proceedings at the European Court of Justice could begin before the summer break at the start of August, according to the report. Germany's road toll, which was approved by the upper house of parliament, or Bundesrat, early this month, is scheduled to go into force next year. The toll, known in German as the "Maut," would apply to German drivers on both highways ("Autobahnen") and major roads, and to foreign motorists only on the Autobahn. However, German drivers would effectively pay nothing, as their regular motor vehicle tax would be reduced to compensate the toll. This aspect has drawn criticism from Brussels, which says that the toll could contravene laws regarding the equal treatment of citizens of all EU countries. German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt from the Christian Social Union party, the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, has been the main driving force behind the planned toll, which he claims could raise as much as 500 million euros ($545.4 million) in added annual revenue for the government.

This figure has, however, been questioned by many experts.

 

^ It is discrimination to make foreigners pay something that a native doesn't have to pay. Russia has used double-pricing for 2 decades (where a Russian could pay $0.10 for something a foreigner would have to pay $10.00 - I've experienced it first-hand.) It is wrong in Russia and this toll is wrong in Germany. The only example I can see of not making a person pay the toll is for a resident in the area that needs to travel that road everyday, but then only the people registered in that area would get the discount and other Germans would still have to pay along with foreigners. I have lived in Germany a couple of times and have since visited often and have seen first-hand how Germans tend to dislike auslanders (foreigners) even to the point of attacking them. This seems like another way for the Germans to show their hatred of non-Germans without violence. It is still wrong. ^

http://www.dw.de/eu-commission-planning-to-sue-germany-over-road-toll-report/a-18487157

Free To Threaten

From USA Today:
"Violent threats on Facebook may be OK, justices rule"

 

The Supreme Court struck another blow for free speech Monday, ruling that threats made over the Internet are protected unless they are intentionally malevolent. The decision was a temporary victory for Anthony Elonis and those like him whose threatening words on Facebook or similar social media sites may instill fear in their targets. It was a defeat for the government and groups that defend victims of domestic violence. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision for a near-unanimous court. It was based on the court's interpretation of a federal statute, rather than under the First Amendment. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, and Justice Samuel Alito dissented in part. Elonis was 27 and recently unemployed in Pennsylvania five years ago when he began posting threats against his estranged wife and others, from a generic kindergarten class to the FBI agents who came to his door. He was convicted on four counts of transmitting threats and sentenced to 44 months in prison. He completed his term a year ago. The question that has split federal appeals courts is whether the threats must be intentional, or whether they are illegal just because a "reasonable person" -- such as those on the receiving end -- takes them seriously. Elonis was convicted under the latter standard; a majority of justices ruled that's not sufficient. "Federal criminal liability generally does not turn solely on the results of an act without considering the defendant's mental state," Roberts wrote. Elonis might not be off the hook, however. The high court's ruling means his case will be sent back to a lower court to determine whether he meant what he posted or was at least reckless in posting it. If the court rules that his posts were intentionally or recklessly threatening, his conviction would stand. The case represents a critical test of free speech in the Internet age, when words that seem threatening emanate from violent spouses and video game-players alike. The justices were seeking a rule that could result in locking up the former and letting the latter off the hook. The current Supreme Court has been a strong defender of free speech rights, going so far as to permit distasteful protests at military funerals and online videos depicting animal torture. But it also has drawn lines, ruling last term against the free speech rights of a previously convicted military protester and opponents of then-President George W. Bush who were moved from their protest site by the Secret Service.

^ I used to think it was illegal for anyone to say or write a threat of violence, but I guess the Supreme Court decided that you can threatened someone and get away with it. I am all for free speech except when it calls for physical violence against someone. This Supreme Court doesn't seem that capable of making the important decisions they have had to make. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/01/supreme-court-facebook-threat/23901307/
 

Odessa's New Gov.

From the BBC:
"Georgian ex-President Saakashvili named Ukraine regional governor"

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been appointed governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region. Announcing the surprise move in the Black Sea port of Odessa, President Petro Poroshenko said Mr Saakashvili had been granted Ukrainian citizenship. Mr Saakashvili is widely credited with carrying out radical reforms in Georgia during his terms in office in 2004-13. However, current Georgian authorities accuse him of abuse of power and have demanded his extradition. Mr Saakashvili left Georgia after his term as president ended in 2013. He denies the charges against him, which he says are politically motivated.   The complete surprise of Mikheil Saakashvili's appointment as Odessa governor has left a large number of political observers at a loss for an explanation. President Petro Poroshenko's reasons will be come clearer with time, but at the moment, many are struggling to see the strategy behind naming a former leader of another country to run a provincial government. Saakashvili is a political outsider, with few ties to the Odessa region, and comes with a reputation for divisiveness and a high level of self-involvement. But he is also pro-Western, pro-reform and apparently very loyal to Mr Poroshenko - which will come in handy if he takes on local corruption and vested interests, as Mr Poroshenko apparently wants. The move could be a stroke of genius on Mr Poroshenko's part - or a blunder of breathtaking magnitude. At the very least, it points to his lack of choices among home-grown candidates.

 

 

^ This does seem a bit odd. I am curious to see how this all pans out. ^

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32943701