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Newsflash

New airport body scanners are less intrusive

Stand still, dummy, while we scan you

Scanner images will now look less like a naked you, because only a virtual you will be on display that looks like a store dummy or undressed blow-up doll.

New and revised full-body airport scanners, created by OSI's Rapiscan Systems, will be a bit more considerate than previous scanners. They’ll just show security examiners a less human and more robotic image of you. If they suspect any item on your body image, the scanner will highlight it, and screeners may opt to take you aside for a more thorough personal search.

OSI, which calls the new generic images avatars, has replaced or updated 194 scanners at 51 airports to date. So, maybe when you go on your next flight, you won’t have to cringe at the near-naked image of the real you up on that scanner screen. You'll see only a digital dummy of about the same size and shape, but not shaking with embarassment.

 

London GB: Taking Steps To Reduce Air Pollution PDF Print E-mail


Consider the lyrics to a long-ago Frank Sinatra tune:
A foggy day in London town,
Had me low and had me down.

These days, it isn’t just the misty fog that has Londoners and visiting tourists feeling low. It’s the ever-increasing amounts of toxic gases emitted by the heavy vehicle traffic, factories and other oil-burning sources.

Recent news reports say the city’s mayor will be taking significant steps to reduce the choking pollution that causes more than discomfort. Many official vehicles, including buses and trucks, will go electric. Restrictions will be applied to home and factory heating systems that use petroleum products and coal. Medical studies reveal that heavy air pollution also is a source of lung diseases, and annually there are thousands of cases of deaths. The most vulnerable are children under the age of four and the elderly from age 60.

If visiting London is in your senior plans for this season, be sure to limit your exposure time in the local air. When you do go outside for any length of time on extremely smoggy days, wear a surgical face mask.

 
 
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