Scary Toothbrush Prompts Shutdown of World's Busiest Airport 284
McGruber writes "The big buzz for travelers today is the story of how a scary toothbrush prompted the closure of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport: 'Airport officials told Channel 2 Action News that an electric toothbrush began vibrating inside a bag checked onto an AirTran flight, causing workers to alert airport officials to the strange noise.' The terminal and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) subway were both temporary closed 'out of an abundance of caution.' ATL has been the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic since 1998, and by number of landings and take-offs since 2005."
Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's nice to see that we haven't let the terrorists win... oh wait.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Scaring Americans with their own toothbrushes in fact. Imagine if they hadn't killed them? He'd be releasing fear-inducing gas into the American homes via the media by now. Then unveiling a giant laser on the moon.
Do you have any idea how much bacteria there is on a typical toothbrush? You should be afraid.
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this is the first recorded case of toothbrush-icide from beyond the grave! and for extra evil, it was powered by sony batteries.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Well... (Score:5, Funny)
Does exploding count as vibrates?
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Re:Well... (Score:5, Funny)
-- Actually, throwers don't worry about ticking 'cause modern bombs don't tick.
- Sorry, throwers?
-- Baggage handlers. But when a suitcase vibrates, then the throwers gotta call the police.
- My suitcase was vibrating?
-- Nine times out of ten it's an electric razor. But every once in a while it's a dildo. Of course, it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a dildo. We have to use the indefinite article, "a dildo", never your dildo.
- But,I do not own a dildo!
- Alright, let's just call this a toothbrush, you can use it as you see fit after all why would I care ?
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Yes, they did say that.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Funny)
If you vibrator is chipping your teeth, you're using it wrong or its too deep!
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In real life, not a single one.
Of course to give you a comparison, hollywood has cars exploding all the time, but in real life, how many cars have you ever seen explode? (I'm betting it's close to, if not exactly Zero.)
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The fire was not however caused by a crash, but a cigerette in the back seat.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Interesting)
I got a chuckle out of the video when the reporter mentioned that the airport personnel were "concerned". It's more like they were scared out of their minds, running from their own shadows.
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They know better than you think. They are right in carefully evaluating your toothbrush in the X-ray.
They just shouldn't get more scared because it's vibrating and making noise. In fact, they should get less scared.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
Indeed. Nothing like seeing security forces have a spaz attack over an electric toothbrush to make me feel safe.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
Everyone who feels safer now please raise your hand.
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My thoughts exactly. I guess it's not just dildos and electric razors that get airport security in a tizzy. Bur hey, if you can't cause millions of dollars in mayhem with a $3.99 item from WalMart, then you aren't worth your salt (or water if you catch me). My guess is that the average TSA agent hasn't even heard of Fight Club, 'cuze the Bush admin goal was to replace minimum wage security guards with professionals, i.e. people looking for a pension to retire on in 10 years, not the crowd who would go to
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What's this Fight Club of which you spâ@
no carrier
The first rule... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The first rule... (Score:5, Interesting)
Came here to read that. Thank you for not disappointing!
Re:The first rule... (Score:4, Insightful)
Nine times out of ten it's an electric razor. But every once in a while it's a dildo. Of course, it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a dildo. We have to use the indefinite article, "a dildo", never "your dildo."
Parent is a Fight Club reference, for those who haven't seen it.
All-in-all, this is a step up if we didn't also arrest the person whose toothbrush it is.
Re:The first rule... (Score:5, Funny)
All-in-all, this is a step up if we didn't also arrest the person whose toothbrush it is.
They weren't arrested, just subjected to a cavity search.
(insert rimshot here)
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You forgot the part where they blew the bag to pieces with a water cannon just in case it had a bomb in it. And then detained the people for 8 hours questioning them.
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Rim.. Shot?.. I didn't know cavity searches featured a 'happy ending' nowadays ;-)
Re:The first rule... (Score:5, Funny)
The first rule of Cannabis club is, you don`t remember the first rule.
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Nine times out of ten it's an electric razor. But every once in a while it's a dildo. Of course, it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a dildo. We have to use the indefinite article, "a dildo", never "your dildo."
My electric razor was in fact responsible for delaying the takeoff of a plane once. Thankfully this was prior to 9/11. Aside from the delay, the only adverse impact was having to dissapoint the two bored baggage handlers who knew the Fight Club reference and were desperately hoping that I would produce something embarassing. Today, I'd expect that the bag would be destroyed and I would be held for questioning. I love to fly but airlines, airports, and the TSA have all convinced me to opt for the road trip f
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My electric razor was in fact responsible for delaying the takeoff of a plane once. Thankfully this was prior to 9/11.
Mine was similarly responsible, but ca. 2010-2011. I'm grateful that the local airport's baggage handlers had enough sense -- I think it was in the midwest, on a smaller airplane, if that matters -- that they just called me over to open my luggage, identify what it was and how to turn it off. Got me to be more careful, and to not bring it along on shorter trips.
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Re:The first rule... (Score:5, Informative)
I had my electric razor start in my bag in Guangzhou and they made me go back through check in and open my luggage and turn it off. Their was no tension, they were still smiling at my embarrassment all the way. The took me back air side afterwards but there was never any implication that it was a threat. They just wanted me to be there when the bag was opened and it was checked out. Why is that China is the one that is always pictured as the police state when I am always treated far better there?
I travelled a lot with my son and he caused enough scares to turn me grey. We were immediately surrounded by armed police in Thailand when they saw a gun in his carry on as it went through x-ray... It was a very realistic BB gun that he had bought in the market in Bangkok without telling me... and in China he tried to get 2 small swords on a plane and they would not let him...Thankfully he has now left home and gone to university.
Re:The first rule... (Score:5, Funny)
A friend of mine was in China 2-3 years ago. While traveling on a train he saw a police patrol to stop the train in the middle of nowhere because they caught a thief. They dragged the thief off the train and shot him on the spot.
Re:The first rule... (Score:4, Interesting)
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"I beg your pardon, sir. that is NOT a dildo! it is merely a penis-shaped electric handle to my toothbrush. and of course, a remotely controlled flossing plug."
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Think what you could do with a vibrating trident!
Simultaneously spear three servings of some REALLY juicy sushi?
(Try saying "juicy sushi" 5 times in a row as quickly as you can.)
Maybe pleasure kinky mermaid-triplets?
Strat
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Re:well done. (Score:5, Insightful)
No, people fly planes into buildings, people fly ships into space, and people do a great number of other things. What separates the ones flying planes into buildings from the ones flying spaceships is that the first group is crazy in a bad way, and being crazy in a bad way is wholly independent of religion.
For instance, Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, identified his religion as science and claimed to be agnostic, the crusaders identified as Christian, and the 9/11 terrorists identified as Islamic (quick note: I'm not suggesting that science is a religion; rather, I'm suggesting that crazy acts can be perpetuated by someone regardless of their claimed religion or lack thereof). The most you could say is that certain religions attract that sort of crazy more often than others.
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As has been effectively said by Harris and others: If the religious fundamentalists are extremists, wingnuts, and unpleasant individuals, then what does that say about the fundamentals of the religion.
Happened to my wife (Score:2, Interesting)
My wife was flying for work back in 2004-2005 time period and her electric toothbrush turned on inside her bag. Nobody freaked out, but one of her coworkers made some stupid "Haha is that your vibrator" comment.
Shutting down the whole thing probably cost them at least a million dollars. This is what the terrorists winning looks like.
Re:Happened to my wife (Score:5, Insightful)
Cost who a million dollars?
Did they have to hire additional TSA agents?
Did they pay compensation to anyone for the delay?
Why can't these stupid TSA agents realize that if you hear buzzing its not a bomb. You won't hear the bomb that kills you.
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Don't they have an LED count down timer and beep every second?
What I want to do... (Score:5, Funny)
I want to have a bright red LED countdown, strapped to some modeling clay, and leave in in a closet at home, continually going 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 5...
Anyone breaking into my house might need to steal a new pair of pants.
I am much to lazy to ever actually build such a device, but it's amusing to think of scenarios. Maybe ThinkGeek can market them; next to the annoying beeping device (that would make a good combo deal actually...)
Re:Happened to my wife (Score:4, Informative)
Not sure if you're aware of how much parking fees are for commercial airliners, but they aren't cheap & are calculated to the minute. Add to this the reallocation of tickets for connecting flights, time on the clock for business people, etc.
A small delay can amount to millions in a busy airport.
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Can you charge parking fees for an airport enforced quarantine?
The business people are allowed to come and go, even when planes aren't moving.
They are still making money from trapped passengers.
Airlines never compensate passengers for any inconvenience caused by missed flights or connections due to security reasons.
I thing you are over stating the case.
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I don't know. But if I were a betting man, I'd say .. yeah.
As far as costs go.. those flight crews still get paid. Ticket counters are going to be *much* busier. and not just at Atlanta. Flights to Atlanta needed to divert, and those passengers need to be rebooked. Flights out of Atlanta are canceled. The passengers that would've gotten on those planes downstream, don't. *Those* passengers need to be rebooked. The passengers stuck in Atlanta pro
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Can you charge parking fees for an airport enforced quarantine?
Of course. Why not? Don't forget, a gate that has a plane parked at it cannot accept another incoming flight, so one in the gate may mean another sitting on the ramp, at least one engine running, and an entire flight crew on the clock. Or a closed terminal may trigger flow control and delay the departure of flights from other airports, where gate charges will certainly accrue.
The business people are allowed to come and go, even when planes aren't moving.
Huh? A business person waiting to board a flight can't go anywhere except a short distance from the gate or the flight may get call
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It costs the airLINEs plenty. It doesn't cost the airPORT much.
If we made that money come out of the TSA's hookersn'blow fund we might see less shutdowns.
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Billions of Fricken Dollars (Score:5, Interesting)
Billions of dollars to shutdown airports for no reason. They were thrown off the tracks by Amtrak Chief of Police for trying to encroach on American's 4th amendment rights outside of their "jurisdiction". http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/opinion/don-phillips-tsa-vipr-teams/ [cnn.com]
I wrote to my representatives about how I feel about the TSA. You can too: https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/tsa/ [downsizedc.org]
Re:Billions of Fricken Dollars (Score:5, Insightful)
A worker who is hired by the airline and reports to airline management is not going to overreact because an overreaction means that the airline loses money. On the other hand a TSA agent has no reason not to shut down an entire airport. I mean, what do they have to lose? It isn't their money, they'll get paid no matter what and the airline doesn't have a say in their hiring/firing decisions.
We really need to abolish the TSA and replace it with security guards who are hired by the airline itself and security policies decided by the airline itself. Thus allowing for passengers to choose where they feel safest, be it in an airplane where all the passengers are free to carry pistols if they so choose, or in an airplane where passengers are subjected to an intensive cavity search before boarding, or anywhere in between.
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except the moment the security hired and ran by the airline company is even slightly negligent in an attempt to save the airline money, you will come here and post this exact same post, only complaining that the airline security has to incentive for passenger safety.
It's been tried (Score:4, Insightful)
Screening by airline personnel was the standard prior to 9/11. It wasn't clearly better.
Re:It's been tried (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not aware of any TSA screening that found any terrorist suspect. But I'm aware of thousands of lost hours due to TSA screening for all travellers. I'm also aware of lost income from tourism who don't travel to USA any more, owing to the draconian processes at immigration. AFAICS, the changed screening process have done a lot of harm, and no good.
Thus, I severely doubt hat airline personnel screening really wasn't better.
But then, I'm European and I think we should not let the terrorists win by giving up our freedom, our civil liberties and our life style, as US folks often seems to believe to be necessary. I would have liked to say that this comes from much more terrorist attacks in Europe than in USA (albeight not such a big one as 9/11) -- but that's not true, KKK terrorism caused more deaths than 9/11 much earlier.
Re:It's been tried (Score:5, Interesting)
Screening by airline personnel was the standard prior to 9/11. It wasn't clearly better.
I know the Internet helps to spread stories around a lot more today than they would've been pre-9/11, but I don't remember horror stories about airport screening being the everyday sort of thing that they are today. I never remember hearing a story about rape victims being sent to the ER after going through airport screening [rt.com] or security agents helping to disperse the ashes of dead relatives all over the security checkpoint [theindychannel.com]. I find it utterly sad that I am in no way surprised that there are currently over 9000 (humor not intended) results in Google for "colostomy bag tsa [google.com]", with a good number of them reporting on unique incidents spread out across a number of years. In fact, if anything, I'm surprised there are only that many.
And yet you think that the old screening wasn't clearly better than what we have today? I'll take a little more risk if it means getting my dignity back.
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A similar thing can be said about security hired by the airlines.Where Government security had no reason not to overreact airline security has every reason to under react. Every time they decide to shut something down airline security would have to prove they were right or they will lose their jobs. That is something that is impossible to do unless they actually caught someone. Overreaction causes delays and lost revenue. Under reaction could cause death. I choose what some call overreaction.
To implement yo
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Maybe (Score:2)
...it was an electric ear cleaner
What happens... (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, logic and common sense seem to go out of the window whenever air travel is involved. The conversation should have gone something like this:
Security Officer: Err, what's that buzzing noise
Passenger: Whoops, looks like my toothbrush turned on, I'll just turn it off
Note the distinct lack of mass panic and knee-jerk reactions.
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Except that the passenger was not present -- the offending article was in a checked bag.
an electric toothbrush began vibrating inside a bag checked onto an AirTran flight
You think baggage handlers are authorized to do anything but hit the panic button?
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If it was a bomb, do you think it wouldn't have exploded instead of vibrated? Really?
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Re:What happens... (Score:4, Interesting)
You think baggage handlers are authorized to do anything but hit the panic button?
Given the number of iPads, computers, etc that get stolen EVERY DAY from someone's checked baggage I don't think there's anything baggage handlers aren't authorised to do. Between the thefts, the policy of having a specific lock that is easily opened by airport security, and the general lack of integrity in the industry I wouldn't be surprised if they spend their spare lunch hour wearing travelers dresses and scratching their balls with your toothbrush.
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Re:What happens... (Score:4, Insightful)
My 2c to that: Security and freedom are divergent goals. If we want to be completely safe, we'll have to be locked up in our homes. We risk death or injury every time we step out into the world. I thought this is what the "land of the free and home of the brave" in your national anthem meant. If you want to be free, you just have to be brave.
They should really change the anthem "land of the trapped, home of the cowards". As it is whenever people around the world hear it today they just laugh at America.
This isn't news (Score:2, Insightful)
Please add a TSA section so that I can ignore it.
Who's responsible... (Score:5, Insightful)
...for the hundreds of thousands of dollars it must cost to close the world's busiest airport? Is anyone held responsible? Who eats the losses? Do the good citizens of Atlanta? Or is the cost passed on to the airlines, which in turn pass them on to their customers?
Maybe this is why my $600 flight overseas this spring comes with $800 in taxes and fees...because of electric toothbrushes.
Modern bombs don't tick... (Score:3)
We never imply ownership of a toothbrush...
My experience at ATL (Score:5, Interesting)
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Your common sense explains why you are forced to be an AC. Pretty sad.
"Abundance of caution" Man, that covers a lot of idiocracy!
That does it! (Score:2)
Cost Benefit Lunacy (Score:3, Insightful)
We have devolved into a Country of lunatics who cannot do any kind of cost benefits analysis. It is just plain sad to see the Country go from a leader of the free world to a bunch of cowards willing to give up their freedoms for an illusion of security.
There have been more deaths in the last decade from drownings and household fires each than from terrorists. Many more people a year take their own life than died in 9/11. Nearly 15 times as many people die PER year in car accidents than died in 9/11. Approximately 3 times as many 15-34 year olds are murdered EACH year than died in 9/11.
Re:Cost Benefit Lunacy (Score:4, Insightful)
We have devolved into a Country of lunatics who cannot do any kind of cost benefits analysis.
No, we have devolved into a country of lawyers, and politicians who can do cost-benefit analysis.
If something bad happened to that plane, then the lawyers would be lining up to sue someone/anyone, and that includes ATL, the airline, and any other government deep-pockets that were in any way involved. And the politicians know how bad it would look for them to be connected to this in any way, so their cost-benefit analysis goes something like this: "I cost a lost of money to a lot of people, the benefit is 1) a lawsuit won't stick to me, and 2) I can use it as an example of how I care about the public when it comes time to be re-elected."
I think people are missing part of the story (Score:3, Interesting)
Dear old people: (Score:4, Insightful)
Bombs neither tick nor vibrate anymore (that's if they ever did)...
Re:Dear old people: (Score:5, Informative)
I've seen lots of the bombs (non explosive duplicates for training purposes) used by real terrorists in a little museum EOD had.
Every one of them was a real item that had been used against Americans.
Every one of them was indistinguishable from the item it was intended to duplicate, and often had full functionality.
My favorite is still the telephone the detonated when you hung up.
If you don't know, EOD is Explosives Ordinance Disposal. They are the people that deal with various bombs and booby-traps that aren't supposed to be there.
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As everyone through out the world that works with explosives knows very well, you'll never hear the bomb that kills you.
This is preferable (Score:2)
Furthermore, identifying and responding to these anomalies is exactly what we should be doing. With current security, all we are doing is preventing copycat terrorism. Talkin off shoes to respond to shoe bombers, naked scanner to respond to underwear bom
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no water to respond to, whatever it is responding to.
Probably someone chugging nitroglycerin and throwing themselves against the lavatory wall. Apparently, someone didn't get the memo that that doesn't actually work.
What sort of idiot... (Score:5, Insightful)
What sort of idiot bombmaker would make a bomb that vibrated, ticked or had a big freaking waste of money LED showing a countdown? It's right up there with literally having a red wire and a blue wire. The extension of this, then, is what sort of idiot "airport official" closes an airport because he saw something vibrate?
Mooninite toothbrush (Score:3)
Good thing it wasn't a Mooninite toothbrush with blinking LEDs flipping them off. Then they would have had to nuke it from orbit just to be sure. Because, you know, protect teh children.
So, are we secure enough yet?
Misleading headline, airport wasn't shut down (Score:5, Informative)
Talk about exaggerating the truth, jeez.
Re:Misleading headline, airport wasn't shut down (Score:4, Informative)
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1000 Airport Evacuations (Score:3)
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Possible Terrorist Attack Vector (Score:2)
Could this not in of itself be used as a possible terrorist attack vector.
Load a vibrating toothbrush (or dildo), with a timer switch, into the checked in luggage of at airports across the US. While the devices themselves are perfectly harmless, you could effectively shut down the entire US air transportation network for hours, and cause massive secondary economic damage (due to missed flights and delayed schedules).
You don't even need to buy plane tickets, just sneak a time delayed dildo into unsuspecting
'an abundance of caution' (Score:4, Interesting)
A euphemism for panic. These people are cowards.
My stupid story (Score:3)
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You Gotta Watch Out For Those Toothbrushes! (Score:2)
Funnily enough I taught myself lock picking with the sole intent of breaking into my manager's car on the day of a business trip and adding a stainless steel revenge dildo to his luggage. Never did get a chance to do that. I'm pretty sure 4 D cells would keep it vibrating for hours, plenty long enough for him to get into airport security...
Yeah... I'm a bad person.
Laugh (Score:2)
I'm reminded of a Fight Club scene "Of course it's company policy never to, imply ownership in the event of a dildo... always use the indefinite article a dildo, never your dildo. "
Making dentists happy everywhere since 2013 (Score:2)