TSA Screening System Draws Criticism

Are the airlines getting a free ride on the taxpayers dime thanks to the Transportation Safety Administrations (TSA) new high-tech and high dollar system to detect fake boarding passes?In these days of print-at-home boarding passes and programs like Photoshop, the number of people illegally boarding planes and flying for free by using fake boarding passes and IDs has increased significantly. To the airlines, this is fraud that results in lost income. To honest, paying passengers, its an insult that results in higher ticket prices. To the TSA, its a gaping hole is security that could result in another terrorist attack.To the rescue comes the TSAs high-tech and high-cost CAT/BPSS -- Credential Authentication Technology and Boarding Pass Scanning System - now being tested at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, Luis Muà ±oz Marà ­n International in San Juan, and Washington, D.C. Dulles International at an initial combined cost of $3.2 million.In testimony before the House Committe e on Homeland Security, Stephen M. Lord, director of homeland security and justice issues at the Government Accountability Office, reported that the estimated 20-year life cycle cost of the CAT/BPSS system is approximately $130 million based on a nationwide deployment of 4,000 units.What CAT/BPSS DoesCosting $100,000 each, and with multiple systems to eventually be installed by the TSA at all U.S. airports serving commercial flights, the CAT/BPSS system automatically compares the passengers ID to an extensive set of security features. Most modern forms of state-issued identification include encoded data, such as barcodes, holograms, magnetic stripes, embedded electrical circuits, and computer-readable text.CAT/BPPS also validates the authenticity of the passengers boarding pass at the first TSA security checkpoint using bar code readers and encryption techniques. The system is compatible with any barcode and can be used with paper boarding passes printed on a home computer, boarding passes printed by the airlines, or a paperless boarding passes that are sent to passengers mobile devices.br/>The system temporarily captures and displays the photograph from the passengers ID for viewing only by TSA agents to help them compare the photo to the person carrying the ID.Finally, CAT/BPPS compares the encoded data on the passengers ID to data on the boarding pass. If they match, they fly.Encountering the CAT/BPSS SystemAccording to the TSA, actually using the CAT/BPSS system will work like this: At the first TSA checkpoint, passengers will hand their ID to the TSA Travel Document Checker (TDC). The TDC will scan the passengers ID, while the passenger scans his or her boarding pass using a built-in scanner. TSA says that testing has shown the CAT/BPSS process takes no longer than the current process in which the TDC visually compares the passengers ID to the boarding pass.In response to concerns about the CAT/BPSS system and personal privacy, the TSA assures that the CA T/BPSS system automatically and permanently deletes all information it has gathered from the ID and the boarding pass. TSA further states that the picture on the passengers ID can be viewed only by TSA agents.Also See: TSA Defends Boarding Gate Drink ChecksIn announcing the development of the CAT/BPSS system, TSA administrator John S. Pistole stated in a press release, This technology will help facilitate risk-based security, while making the process more effective and efficient.What the Critics SayCritics of the CAT/BPSS argue that if the TSA is effective at its primary job - screening for Weapons, Incendiaries, and Explosives - another computer system dedicated only to verifying passenger identity is an unnecessary waste of money. After all, they point out, once passengers have passed the TSA scanning checkpoints, they are allowed to board planes without showing their IDs.Also See: Congressman Takes On Rogue TSA Airport ScreenersWhen the LA Times on June 30, 2011, reported the sto ry of a Nigerian airline stowaway who succeeded in flying from New York to Los Angeles by presenting an expired boarding pass in another persons name and was found to be in possession of at last 10 similar boarding passes, the TSA issued the following statement:Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening at the checkpoint. TSAs review of this matter indicates that the passenger went through screening. It is important to note that this passenger was subject to the same physical screening at the checkpoint as other passengers.While the stowaway succeeded in stealing from the airline by flying free on a clearly fraudulent boarding pass, no evidence was ever found relating the incident to terrorism.In other words, say critics, the CAT/BPSS is another expensive taxpayer-funded solution to something that, if TSA is doing its job properly, should not be a problem in the first place.

Drink Business Plan - 7631 Words

[pic] Student Names McGill ID BRILLANT, Aà ¯sha 260194236 CHENG, Chin-Yun 260014110 JOLIN LESSARD, Audrey 260180785 LEBLANC, Genevià ¨ve 260188501 MURCIA, Nicolas 260177704 NGUYEN, Jean-Louis 260078995 TIAN, Yu 260177360 Course Information Marketing Management I MCGR 352, Section 005 Professor: Constantina Kavadas Marketing Plan Part 1: Market and Consumer Profile Date of submission: Wednesday, March 29th, 2006 [pic] The following marketing plan forms the basis for the introduction of an innovative new product by the Coca-Cola Company. The analysis allows us to outline the best strategies to follow for the achievement of the company’s strategic goals. â€Å"Bubble Buzz† will be marketed†¦show more content†¦Today, while the soft drink industry’s value has increased in 2004, the volume sales of carbonated soft drinks has declined due to a large proportion of consumers who are opting for the trend towards healthier alternatives in the functional drink segment (energy drinks, smoothies, milk juice drinks, sports drinks) as well as bottled juices and water (ref.5). Companies have been actively engaged in new product developments in order to counter the growing concerns about negative health impacts of high-fructose drinks, but also to increase the demand in a market where product offerings are quickly maturing (ref.4). New flavor introductions and health-conscious form ulations have been launched in an attempt to offset the decline in carbonated soft drink sales (ref.6). The functional market is expected to show sustained growth and consumer interest in the future years as consumption shifts to trendier, healthier and more sophisticated products (ref.7). Profitability future growth potential: In 1993, Concentrate Producers earned 29% pretax profits on their sales, while bottlers earned 9% profits on their sales, for a total industry profitability of 14%. While the functional drinks sector only accounts for 3.7% of the total soft drinks sales in 2004 (Appendix B), estimates are forecasting a growth of 7.3% in sales and 11.0% in volume consumption by 2009 (ref.4). SWOT ANALYSIS (Strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats)Show MoreRelatedBusiness Plan for a New Energy Drink Company1053 Words   |  5 PagesOutline 1. Table of Contents 2. Introduction 3. Executive Summary: Write this last. It’s just a page or two of highlights. 4. Company Description: Legal establishment, history, start-up plans, etc. 5. Product: Describe what you’re selling. 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Themes †of Mice and Men Free Essays

Of Mice and Men, a novella written by John Steinbeck, is a tragedy incorporating a hero with a tragic flaw, a climax, and a tragic resolution. The title of the novella, â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, is the first clue to Steinbeck’s specific cultural issues. The title is a line taken from a poem called, â€Å"To a Mouse†, by Robert Burns. We will write a custom essay sample on Themes – of Mice and Men or any similar topic only for you Order Now This poem talks about man’s enslavement to forces of both elemental and human nature which cannot be controlled, destroying hopes and dreams. This stems into the theme of the loss of the American Dream. Along with alienation, the American Dream is a major theme explored throughout the course of the novel. Of Mice and Men is a story about the nature of human dreams and aspirations and the forces that work against them. Humans give meaning to their lives by creating dreams. George and Lennie’s dream — to own a little farm of their own — is so central to Of Mice and Men that it appears in some form in five of the six chapters. The telling of the story, which George has done so often, becomes a ritual between the two men: George provides the narrative, and Lennie, who has difficulty remembering even simple instructions, finishes George’s sentences. To George, this dream of having their own place means independence, security, being their own boss, and, most importantly, being â€Å"somebody. † To Lennie, the dream is like the soft animals he pets: It means security, the responsibility of tending to the rabbits, and a sanctuary where he won’t have to be afraid. This theme not only applies to George and Lennie, but also to Candy and Crooks. To Candy, who sees the farm as a place where he can assert a responsibility he didn’t take when he let Carlson kill his dog, it offers security for old age and a home where he will fit in. For Crooks, the little farm will be a place where he can have self-respect, acceptance, and security. Having and sharing the dream, however, are not enough to bring it to life. Each man must make a sacrifice or battle some other force that seeks to steal the dream away. Some of these obstacles are external – the threat from Curley’s wife, Curley’s violence, and the societal prejudices that plague each man; others are internal – Lennie’s strength and his need to touch soft things. For George, the greatest threat to the dream is Lennie himself; ironically, it is Lennie who also makes the dream worthwhile. In addition to dreams, humans crave contact with others to give life meaning. Alienation is present throughout this novel. On the most obvious level, we see this isolation when the ranch hands go into town on Saturday night to ease their loneliness with alcohol and women. Similarly, Lennie goes into Crook’s room to find someone with whom to talk, and later Curley’s wife comes for the same reason. Crooks says, â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. † Even Slim mentions, â€Å"I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. † George’s taking care of Lennie and the dream of the farm are attempts to break the pattern of loneliness that is part of the human condition. Similarly, Lennie’s desire to pet soft things comes from his need to feel safe and secure, to touch something that gives him that feeling of not being alone in the world. For Lennie, the dream of the farm parallels that security. George and Lennie, however, similarly to the American Dream, are not the only characters who struggle against loneliness. Although present in all the characters to some degree, the theme of loneliness is most notably present in Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. They all fight against their isolation in whatever way they can. Until its death, Candy’s dog stopped Candy from being alone in the world. After its death, Candy struggles against loneliness by sharing in George and Lennie’s dream. Curley’s wife is also lonely; she is the only female on the ranch, and her husband has forbidden anyone to talk with her. She combats her loneliness by flirting with the people on the ranch. Crooks is isolated because of his skin colour. As the only black man on the ranch, he is not allowed into the bunkhouse with the others, and he does not associate with them. Of Mice and Men is a novella that tries to explain what it means to be human. Man is a very small part of a very large universe; in the greater scheme of things, individuals come and go and leave very little, lasting marks. Yet deep inside all people is a longing for a place in nature — the desire for the land, roots, and a place to call â€Å"home. † Steinbeck explores the themes of the America Dream and alienation to portray the uncertainty of success. How to cite Themes – of Mice and Men, Essay examples