大象传媒

Matches, vaseline and a note about Al Qaeda. Three items that the on board security could not contain, obviously. Three F15 fighters called. Probably one to deal with the matches, one for the vaseline and one to read the note. Who's going to deal with the scredriver. Or was that a cocktail?

Last night I told my girlfriend we weren't flying anywhere, as they would not allow my hair gel on-board - I now see there is a lot of truth in that! And with BA losing 20,000 bags, there is not an option of checking it in either...

Seems to be a fuss over not a lot. The difference between a terrorist and a "jobsworth" air steward is you can actually negotiate with a terrorist. I agree with Jones (POST 1) - surely this could have been contained by on board security.

Mr. Mason, ladies and gentlemen at Newsnight, please be serious, the lady is obviously a terrorist, and here is why:

as many people feared, the terrorist threat is now using a different suicide bomber profile. However, since these terror cells are only loosely interconnected, and very secretive generally speaking, the members don't necessarily know each other, hence they have that Al Qaeda tab now to help them identify each other once they are all onboard and ready to start assembling a bomb (once again, thanx God, Bush and Blair for US air marshals).

Here is a tip for our security services:

if that note appears to be a quickly scribbled handnote, that would suggest the terror threat was taken by surprise recently, and now they are forced to improvise. If on the other hand it turns out to be a badge, a neatly printed card, or something even more sophisticated, that would suggest they anticipated profiling and have had this new routine ready to employ for some time already.

PS

Keep an eye on luggage.

We are living in a time of absent reason and extremes of dogma.

The former is evident in this flight's re-routing due to an unruly and grumpy smoker (haven't we all seen smokers on cigarette-free trans-atlantic flights get so very tetchy)I appreciate in areas of Christian fundamentalist America certain sexually un-reconstructed attitudes mean Vaseline might easily incite a mob to riot but really where is the reasoning in this? Unless of course, ulterior motives are at work...

And extremes of dogma will no doubt be propogated as the only way to deal with acts of possible (lubricant-based?) terrorism - lets tap the phones and watch all the people who think differently then storm their homes - you know the ones; the people who look 'a bit dodgy'. Oh,we're doing that are we?....

Am I going mad or is it 'them'?

Vaseline is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons, having a melting-point usually ranging from a little below to a few degrees above 100掳 F (37掳 C). It is colorless, or of a pale yellow color, translucent, and devoid of taste and smell. It does not oxidize on exposure to the air, and is not readily acted on by chemical reagents. It is insoluble in water. It is soluble in chloroform, benzene, carbon disulphide and oil of turpentine. It also dissolves in warm ether and in hot alcohol, but separates from the latter in flakes on cooling.

Not the sort of substance that a terrorist would use then!

The screwdriver and matches? Now there's a letal cocktail especially when in the hands of a 60 year old woman. What a farce.

Sounds like she had some kind of anxiety attack
and her behaviour became un-sound.

But why the heck are matches allowed on a plane ?
that sounds well loony toon !

Well dear dear me.
Vaseline, a screwdriver, (you don't say whether cross head or straight blade, or what size).
Plus matches and a note from whom?
Well I haven't a idea what that's all about, but I do know where I would insert the screwdriver, without the benefit of the Vaseline.
A clue, both names begin with 'B'

Did you see how the security guys were handling the luggage on the runway? Dropping suitcases from several feet above the ground, chucking them several yards from the cargo boxes to the tarmac, items that for all they knew could have contained bombs. Beggars belief.

Reports of matches, vaseline, screwdriver and al'Qaeda note are now being denied. Well, how about that.

Well observed, John @ 5; we live in "uncertain times," as 大象传媒 News 24 tells us, when the slightest scare is seized upon by the world's media as more evidence that we must accept intrusive "security" checks, wholesale psych-profiling, biometric passports, RFID cards, intelligent cameras that raise the alarm if you're walking in a suspicious way, the list goes on.

And yet the Home Office never acted against Abu Hamza and his Londonistan crew when he was clearly breaching legislation that already existed and was a dire threat to public safety, and based on evidence they had he could've been put away for a very long time, or deported. Go figure.

Chris @ 8, matches are allowed (as were lighters until Richard Reid, Shoe Bomber) because of pressure from the tobacco industry lobby and passengers desperate for a smoke from the moment they step off the plane.

More theatrics from the Yanks. What were the 2 fighter planes for?

This is crazier than the BA pilot who, despite assurances from his company, turned his aircaft back to Heathrow because his passengers weren't happy with the mysterious mobile phone that none of them were owning up to.

This is a link to a very interesting "theory" and some of the points occurred to me last Thursday as the Home Secretary was trying to scare the living daylights out of, sorry, reassuring the British public:

Is the world going mad, or is it just me? The world's media agitate the population until its actions become a parody of the news on the screen.

Yes a 12 year old boy walked through security at an airport - Why ? Because he was a kid... just think about it!

Yes a man looking for his wallet on the airport apron rushed aboard the wrong aeroplane to try and recover his wallet - Why? Because he had lost his wallet. Just think about it.

However, if it was the USA no doubt they would have both been surrounded by gun toting police ,handcuffed and held for hours being questioned as to 'Why they did it'

Please TV, Radio and newspapers - Can you not see that through your style of reporting you are starting to 'drive the news to the point that you are making the news, not just reporting on it.

To be honest, it makes me feel ill.

Excellent programme tonight.

Mr Baum, the security man, made some good observations that should be developed.

It seems obvious that DC is not the man to build an effective Opposition to NuLabour unless he finds a way to swing the Dirty Digger around. The panellists did him a lot of favours by way of steers towards what's required but tonight's Tory mouthpiece was as wet as winter.

The Beeb ploughs a difficult furrow in a (media) world where big money calls the shots.

Keep up the outstanding work, people! Thank you.

Kirsty put her finger on the issue by saying that the airport security measures are now causing hysteria, but came really short in getting to the heart of the issue. Starting from hysterical "mass murder on unimaginable scale" comments from the home secretary, used also by the police later, when scale was rather specific relating to may be 10 aircraft, if legal process supports it; to today's home secretary comments that lost buggage is ok, delayed flights are ok, lost lives are not - I disagree, none of these are acceptable - the hysterical reaction to the alleged plot has been a disappointment. The "no hand luggage" approach already seems like a hysterical unthoughtfull reaction stemming from a home seretary whose abuse of adjectives and understanding of aviation seem to be on the same unacceptably low level. The likely result of such unprofessional handling of travel matters is going to be damage to the UK and in particular to London economy. Business travelers, who never had nor will have hold luggage, will take up netjets or simply not go. The impact will be felt by the travellers on the cheapest airlines, on employment figures and other economic activity. Moving to today's diversion of a United flight because a woman proves a difficut passenger - shame on the crew and the captain. Incompetence is what springs to mind. Why is that when a football referee loosses control of the match, as seen recently in the World Cup, he is criticised and later dismissed, but a captain who causes a hysterical diversion is complimented, at least by the linear thinking Americam authorities? The answer in part seems that John Reid's lack of clarity and propensity to exegerate is to blame as is his use of scary adjectives rather than focus on facts and consequences. Seems that this should be "unimaginable" in today's world of easy and good information.

Tovarisch @ 12, I sympathise with what you're saying, but the fact is that if a pilot declares an emergency like this, or if a plane loses radio contact or deviates from its flight plan, the Air Force must scramble jets to intercept and ascertain the situation. The same is true in this country; this role is filled primarily by Tornados of 111 Squadron RAF based in Scotland. You should be asking why fighters were not scrambled until 1 hour 45 minutes after planes were known to have been hijacked on September 11th.

And I commend the BA pilot for deciding to turn back when there was something suspect going on on the plane, contrary to strange advice from his company; how did they know there was no bomb? If he went all the way to the US it would simply have been more of a media hysteria, and we'd be asking why he didn't turn back when they were only a short way away from the UK. Actually we wouldn't, because we probably wouldn't even have been told at what point they were aware of a possible threat.

That's a very good link you provided, though.

The present ongoing terrorists alerts, presentation & general frenzy... smell of over hype.. JR & EU team gave a press conference with a backdrop emulating the USA,though very amateurish, & recycled policies i thought were already in place ...didn't mention "profiling"!That plane diversion was pure dramatics...crews do know how to deal with drunken fighting machines..but could not handle a hysterical 60+ woman from the States...methinks the crew had orders to follow a practice so beloved by the Bush Neo-Cons..Pure Hollywood.If i hear anymore media news about those 2 lapses in security & see people trying to stuff hand luggage into THAT BOX... will scream. The Home office have a good excuse for any lapse in NORMAL domestic affairs... like the prisons are full..."Don't tell me.. will be heard from Reid..i've got my hands full".. Why not have a Minister for Homeland security?... no the Tories thought of that!Why do we go from critical to secure o/nite when Reid says they are still out there?... maybe their head honcho included, just beggars belief!! could go on & on ... but to no avail!

This blog is great. The posts so far have been :D

I agree with everything said. I'd like to add that what I find odd is the presence of so many so called US 'experts' giving us advice on dealing with the terrorist threats- like they've had much success? I'd rather have our intelligence bods providing their educated thoughts any day!

Why on earth would anyone carry a screwdriver in their handluggage and why on earth was it not picked up by the X-ray machine. A combination of matches, vaseline, a screwdriver and al qaida note (i wonder what it said), a rondom collection of things not allowed in handluggage. Maybe she was hysterical to find these things she did'nt have. Definately sounds like she was set up to create yet another panic for the public.

Why on earth would anyone carry a screwdriver in their handluggage and why on earth was it not picked up by the X-ray machine. A combination of matches, vaseline, a screwdriver and al qaida note (i wonder what it said), a rondom collection of things not allowed in handluggage. Maybe she was hysterical to find these things she did'nt have. Definately sounds like she was set up to create yet another panic for the public.

I THINK WE ALL HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BIGGER PROBLEM, DONT TAKE TV REPORTING FOR GRANTED SEARCH FOR THE THRUTH AND READ BETEEN THE LINES FROM THE POEPLE THAT ARE CONTROLING OUR LIVES.WHY IS THERE SO MUCH OF HATRED BETWEEN PEOPLE NOT BECAUSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL THAT IS INVOLVED BUT BECAUSE OF THE GOVERMENTS THAT RULE.
THINK FOR YOUR SELF DONT MAKE OTHER PEOPLE THINK FOR YOU.
THANKS AND HAVE A NICE DAY

Three "incidents" in three days - all beggar belief.

The hand-baggage restrictions are only being applied in the UK and USA and are not viable in the medium term. No vaseline, shaving cream, toothpaste or water???

O'Leary has a point that the terrorists have won when such Draconian measures are applied in such a mindless way.

It's just to make John Reid look like a "contender" and to puff up the government. The airlines are right to be livid.

I think O'Leary should prevail with his seven day deadline.

I fly in eight!

In the summer of 2004 there were a litany of terror scares leading up the bin Laden video that was released on 1st November. The next day Bush won re-election and the terror scares completely stopped. Two years later and it's election season again in America. Let's keep an eye out and see if the terror scares subside after Novemner 7th.

What has happened to the 'pack of cards' all the most wanted Iraqis? Has it disappeared, and only remembered as he title of a song?

How is it that dictatorship Pakistan is 'best friends' with the US and the UK, yet every 'terrorist plot' seem to include visits to Pakistan which has the strange policy of allowing extremist groups to flourish and militarily train openly? Could it be that these groups support the dictatorship?

What has happened to the 'pack of cards' all the most wanted Iraqis? Has it disappeared, and only remembered as he title of a song?

How is it that dictatorship Pakistan is 'best friends' with the US and the UK, yet every 'terrorist plot' seem to include visits to Pakistan which has the strange policy of allowing extremist groups to flourish and militarily train openly? Could it be that these groups support the dictatorship?