From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V10 #356 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Sunday, September 16 2001 Volume 10 : Number 356 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Oops! CNN did it again (no Britney content) [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: rat race [grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan)] Hungry Feg. ["Maximilian Lang" ] Re: conspiracies'r'us [Christopher Gross ] Re: rat race [Jon Fetter (by way of Jon Fett] Re: hmm... [Jim Davies ] Michael Moore, Michael Moore, dum da dum dum.... [Christopher Gross ] Re: Candles, candles, candles [] Airport security ["Randy R." ] cleaning ["Andrew D. Simchik" ] Re: conspiracies'r'us [Viv Lyon ] Re: Airport security ["victorian squid" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 05:32:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Oops! CNN did it again (no Britney content) http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=1081 CNN apologises over suspected terrorists 16-09-2001 CNN earlier reported that the brothers were the suspected hijackers. It even splashed their photographs on its website. Now it gives a completely different story. Shows how "credible" CNN reports are! This notice was pasted on one of its news story. www.inin.net CORRECTION We would like to correct a report that appeared on CNN. Based on information from multiple law enforcement sources, CNN reported that Adnan Bukhari and Ameer Bukhari of Vero Beach, Florida, were suspected to be two of the pilots who crashed planes into the World Trade Center. CNN later learned that Adnan Bukhari is still in Florida, where he was questioned by the FBI. We are sorry for the misinformation. A federal law enforcement source now tells CNN that Bukhari passed an FBI polygraph and is not considered a suspect. Through his attorney, Bukhari says that he is helping authorities. Ameer Bukhari died in a small plane crash last year. np: lots of Richard Thompson, since afaik he's the only Muslim I have albums by. ===== "Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul." -- Mark Twain "The divinity of Jesus has been made a convenient cover for every absurdity." -- John Adams "The jury is the last line of defense against corporate misconduct." -- Craig McDonald, Texans for Public Justice __________________________________________________ Terrorist Attacks on U.S. - How can you help? Donate cash, emergency relief information http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/Emergency_Information/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 22:04:05 +0930 From: minister of misinformation Subject: Theyre coming out of the woodwork Its been nice to see on this list that , in the main, people have been pretty civilized in discussing the terrorism in the states ( which is to be expected , as most fegs are nice folks ) but this cropped up on the Richard Thompson list , from a so called fan , who has now been expelled from the list >Noticed on the list that Richard is going to play as scheduled this week. >Well...why not? He was probably dancing in the streets with all the other >Muslims. The only place Richard should be playing right now is in an >internment camp with all of the other Islamic garbage in this country. >Didn't Mohammed Thompson utter some support of the Ayatollah's warrant on >Rushdie? A good Muslim=the ultimate oxymoron. Kenneth Wexler Richard Thompson is a muslim. Of course , I think that the terrorists were hoping to encourage this sort of attitude ,they don't give a shit about their fellow muslims, part of their aim is to encourage racial and religious hatred in the hope that more Muslims will follow them because they too are being abused and ill treated. Its precisely because of this that we should go out of our way to make it clear to muslims in our communities that we do not collectively blame them for the despicable acts of a tiny minority. Firstly , let me say that I don't dislike Americans as a race ( I'm Australian , if you are not aware of it ) All of the Americans I have met have been really hospitable and friendly , although I found many want the visitor to admire the country without any reservations, whereas Americans who are resident in Australia don't seem to have this attitude. Overall I would say I like most Americans as individuals but not unreservedly in the collective sense , rather the same way I feel about the denizens of OZ and the UK ( I've lived in both places ) America has many admirable qualities , too many to list here, its an amazing country and I do not ( unlike some) see it as being evil, but it is occasionally misguided and tragically , far too insular for its own good. The current administration has increased this sense of isolation and snubbed the rest of the world in many ways and that has not gone down well either . I don't think any Americans deserved to suffer what happened earlier this week , it was despicable. The event has brought out many admirable qualities and has no doubt brought the nation together , but after the shock has initially subsided there's also the chance that the dark side of the nation could come to dominate events in the near future. Its so hard to discuss the issue of US foreign policy and its role in the creation of certain strands of world terrorism without hurting the feelings of US citizens . especially after what has happened this week . its natural for those in the US to feel differently about the whole issue compared to those of us who are resident in other western countries and who perhaps can be more objective and feel less directly involved . So far I have not met one Australian who does not deplore the attacks , however, its also fair to say that about 50% of the people I've talked to over the past week subscribe to the the , "well it was bound to happen " ,( not the , "they deserved it camp, " I hasten to state, no one hates those who died, or thinks they deserved it ) , but it was inevitable , given the way the US ( and us to a lesser extent ) have treated certain groups over the past years . For whatever reason , people do not like the way the US has sometimes intervened in events when it has suited its own ends, and has also chosen to stay out of other issues because of electoral or other factors . I think we would accept this with better grace ( because we also have been guilty of this, ) if at the same time we did not get this continual rhetoric about the US being " the world champion of human rights "and "the land of the free " and also US citizens telling us that its the best place in the world when we know that in many ways ( social security benefits, possibly education and definitely public health care ) that we are ahead of you guys - although when it comes to the treatment of people of other colours we are very bit as bad as you are in dealing with the issue . It grates to hear people being ultra smug about these things when they haven't lived in other countries and know very little about them ( we had US citizens actually wondering if we had toilets at our airports when they were coming over here for the Olympics , some of them expected to see tin sheds at Sydney airport ) and yes, I have visited the states and have relatives over there, so I do know what I am talking about to some extent , more so than many US citizens would about Australia or Europe . In general many Americans appear to be far more patriotic and admire their system of government than most Western nations and this also causes resentment to some extent .We do not salute the flag, sing the national anthem in schools ( most of us don't know the words) or even know our constitution very much . Although we love our country we very rarely big note it or praise it, in fact we tend to knock it if anything. We find it difficult to appreciate the degree of admiration Americans collectively appear to have of their homeland. However, the degree of sympathy extended to the states in OZ is great and we had a day of mourning today, minutes of silence etc and other marks of respect. Overall , I think we do like you guys, we are allied to you and would rather be than with most other peoples. but we are also afraid of what you are capable off when roused , many of us don't respect your president ( I 've yet to meet anyone with a good word to say about him ) and we would like to see changes in US foreign policy that would see more dialogue and less pushing the little guys around and also less preaching of how you are best in the world , frankly , it rankles . I expect we will support sensible action taken against countries that are definitely proven to have taken part in this act , but a lot of us doubt that will happen with this administration , we also wonder just how the leader in world security and with all that military power and intelligence could actually be so ill prepared for such an event , especially since there have been scenarios that have foreshadowed this event - one in Jordan at the present on trial as it happens , where Bin Laden followers tried to kill 1000 US citizens on holiday in Annam on the first day of 2000. They intended to do a simultaneous mass bombing of many hotels. It was fortunately found out, but after that the fat that major terrorist actions could not come as a surprise to any administration . I guess they've been too busy giving tax cuts to the rich to bother about middle eastern intelligence ( apparently the CIA has virtually no agents in the field anymore in this arena ) as well as concentrating on the space shield which would be useless in combating this sort of terrorism . I was listening to the radio today and a British correspondent said " America has been wide open to terrorism for the past 20 to thirty years, I have travelled on american airlines and have been scared half to death by the lax security I witnessed, we in the UK are far more stringent in our security." So lets continue to discuss this if we can not be too insulting to each other , and I hope I have not alienated most of the list by describing how many Aussies feel. We have to question both our governments handling of the situation ,we must find out why these events happened and we must try to avoid creating scenarios where we recruit more people prepared to lay down their lives for these fucked up causes . Security screwed up, for sure and in a major way . I don't believe its a foul plot by the right wing to increase their powers, but , sure as hell, it does give them a BIG chance to do so unless we all are prepared to create fair checks and balances against creating a police state in order to combat terrorism . I can see state identity cards, compulsory fingerprinting and DNA testing of all citizens, invasive phone taps and a host of other impositions , coming soon ,which might have to be a trade off that is made , but we have to avoid creating an invasive big brother scenario or we become as bad as the societies that we deride for their impositions on their citizens . Its going to be a trying few years for all of us in the western world. apologies for the diatribe , Commander Lang ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 05:45:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: conspiracies'r'us James Dignan wrote: > Sorry to inflict this on ya folks, but I just heard a doozy of a > conspiracy theory today - and worryingly enough it's believable. > Hopefully someone on this list will be able to break the logic for > me... > > 1) Bin Laden has now twice denied responsibility for the WTC, and the > Taliban don't think he has the capability of carrying it out. So who > does? Well, Saddam Hussein for one. Only - as much as he would love > to hit the US - he wouldn't want it to be known it was him. He'd want > someone he could pin the blame on. So, when it is clear that a > terrorist leader has a grudge against the US (and has attacked the > WTC in the past), he has the perfect patsy to set up. ObL gets the > blame, maybe even becomes a martyr to the cause. Hussein gets to > strike the US where it hurts and lives to fight another day. > > 2) so... what if the CIA or US military see through this. What would > be their best strategy? Claim they know for a fact it is Bin Laden, > that they have evidence (but keep quiet about what this non-existent > evidence is). Then get their troops into positions where they can > easily make a strike on anywhere in the middle east. Only it isn't > Afghanistan they hit... > > an intriguing theory and, as I say, one that I haven't been able to > punch any holes in (which I leave up to you). I suppose the second > part will become clear soon enough, but the first part? Hmm. the biggest flaw i see in it is that i'm not sure at this time Hussein has the resources to pull it off. my grandfather's been saying this somewhat for the past few days, but that really doesn't mean much one way or the other. ===== "Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul." -- Mark Twain "The divinity of Jesus has been made a convenient cover for every absurdity." -- John Adams "The jury is the last line of defense against corporate misconduct." -- Craig McDonald, Texans for Public Justice __________________________________________________ Terrorist Attacks on U.S. - How can you help? Donate cash, emergency relief information http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/Emergency_Information/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 01:41:27 +1200 From: grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan) Subject: Re: rat race >> p.s. Seen on a movie marquee today: >> GOD BLESS AMERICA >> RAT RACE > >That's really great. > >This isn't in the same spirit, but I have photos of two marquees here: >ERIN BROKOVICH >SCREWED >MY DOG SKIP > >and > >SPY KIDS >BLOW >POKEMON heh. While on holiday last year I saw three shops in a row: a sex shop, a second-hand book store and an infantswear shop. Their three names together read ADULT CONNECTIONS/THE SURPRISE/THE BABY FACTORY. Hmm. James now not playing - XTC, War Dance (shudder) James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand. =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= -=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- You talk to me as if from a distance -.-=-.- And I reply with impressions chosen from another time =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 10:43:04 -0400 From: "Maximilian Lang" Subject: Hungry Feg. Hi all, I am looking for a specific Egyptians show. Washington D.C. March 28 1986. I have this show on noisy vinyl as THE HOODED ONE. I have scanned the cover and remade it into a jewel case format. I would love to get this show from a nice low generation tape source. If you have this and are willing to trade I would also include a copy of the artwork. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 10:57:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Christopher Gross Subject: Re: conspiracies'r'us On Mon, 17 Sep 2001, James Dignan wrote: > 1) Bin Laden has now twice denied responsibility for the WTC, and the > Taliban don't think he has the capability of carrying it out. So who does? > Well, Saddam Hussein for one. Only - as much as he would love to hit the US > - he wouldn't want it to be known it was him. He'd want someone he could Interesting theory. The biggest problem I have with it is that I doubt Saddam Hussein, as opposed to real religious fanatics, could inspire 19 men to go on a suicide mission. It would be more believable if the Iraqi government provided aid to bin Laden's group (or some other radical Islamicist group). Of course a lot of people in the US government would like to get rid of Saddam Hussein regardless of whether he's guilty in this case or not. If we do wind up attacking Iraq, it'll be interesting to see how much hard evidence of Iraqi involvement there actually is. If there's a lot of evidence, the reason for attacking Iraq is obvious. If there isn't much evidence, I'll wonder -- to what extent is Bush II trying to compensate for Bush I fucking up the end of the Gulf War? - --Chris, off to pick up Bayard's weekly milk supply ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 12:02:21 -0400 From: Jon Fetter (by way of Jon Fetter) Subject: Re: rat race A marquee in Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania has proclaimed for the past few weeks: FOR REN Whoever on this list has a dog named Ren (gNat?) apparently may show up and claim the theater. This week's ironic bumper sticker: "Relax...God is in control." Jon >>> p.s. Seen on a movie marquee today: >>> GOD BLESS AMERICA >>> RAT RACE >> >>That's really great. >> >>This isn't in the same spirit, but I have photos of two marquees here: >>ERIN BROKOVICH >>SCREWED >>MY DOG SKIP >> >>and >> >>SPY KIDS >>BLOW >>POKEMON > >heh. While on holiday last year I saw three shops in a row: a sex shop, a >second-hand book store and an infantswear shop. Their three names together >read >ADULT CONNECTIONS/THE SURPRISE/THE BABY FACTORY. Hmm. > >James > >now not playing - XTC, War Dance (shudder) > > James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand. =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= > -=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- > .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- You talk to me as if from a distance > -.-=-.- And I reply with impressions chosen from another time > =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 11:52:32 +0100 (BST) From: Jim Davies Subject: Re: hmm... Eb... >microcosm (p.s. that sinclair drivel was genuinely offensive, first >thing that's pissed me off in ages, nearly unsubscribed on the spot) Go ahead and unsubscribe then! So, you are incensed that someone on a call-in show was shouted down for saying that the US brought this attack on itself, and you express hope that those with divergent views will be allowed to express their opinions, but you are "offended" and "pissed off" by the circulation of pro-American sentiment? Nope. Wasn't incensed with that. Didn't say I was. You got it wrong. Maybe I didn't phrase it quite right. Or maybe you didn't read it right. Either way. Come round and throw a rock through my window, why don't you? Wouldn't expect you to understand, necessarily, but didn't stop me sending the message. Not incensed. Just a little disappointed with the world. I'm not offended by `pro-American' sentiment; I'm offended by nationalistic language and propaganda that builds up one nation by telling lies and partial truths about its relationship with others. It's lies and misrepresentation. It's misinformation. _That_ offends and frightens me more than anything. { I'm a little pro-American, myself - in fact, if you want the truth, I love America and I'm in love with an American. I love this country, too, but I'm rarely in accord with the mass of public opinion, particularly when it's heavily influenced by the personal and corporate prejudices of Rupert Murdoch } If you want to rationalise it, I don't feel like I'm part of the mob, and when the mob starts howling, I get scared. I also hate to see people killed and things destroyed. I, for one, have expressed my revulsion with the inappropriately-timed, and unfairly damning of the victims, expression of the "you got what was coming to you" viewpoints. Hey ho. What's an appropriate time? Wait 'til everybody's finished the `kill-them-all' outpouring of emotion. That sounds like cowardice to me. The slagging of Michael Moore's post was a little hasty, as far as I can see. He had some points to make; he made them; only part of the story; not the biggest part, perhaps, but he had something to say; people just started howling at him. However, anyone who has the temerity to say anything pro-American is labeled a warmongering jingoist. Context, think of the context. Think of the contexts in which other people think and act. Why does nationalistic propaganda scare people? Because that kind of language is often associated with lies, bigotry, exclusion, hatred, and warfare. Often associated. Not equated. I'm not saying that it's equivalent, because it isn't. I'm sickened by the 100% negative reaction that my country receives around the world (and also within its own borders, by many). Whatever flaws this country has -- and there are many, as there is anywhere -- there is also generosity, compassion, respect for human rights, and civic virtue. Yup. Agreed, and admired. I don't like the present rulers of Afghanistan at all. Pakistan is pretty bad. In fact, heck, a fair proportion of the region is hell on earth. If you're a woman, anyhow. But while some groups in the U.S. (and the U.K., and...) are doing their best to improve the situation, and help move these countries, and thus the world, into a sane future, other, more powerful lobbies, acting out of short-term self-interest, coupled with a great deal of ignorance, make things even worse, whether through action or inaction. And then, assuming that this posting (from Michael) isn't just a piss-take: Most of the free world will be united with us when we hunt down and exterminate with extreme prejudice the terrorists and their supporters. The world will be a better place without them, and I justify my beliefs because I don't consider them to be human. Why say `terminate with extreme prejudice'. Why not say `kill'. Kill their families. Kill their children. Kill their friends. Kill their co-workers. Poison their water. Blow up their buildings. Fire rockets at their cars. Don't hide behind sly euphemisms. Go for it. Say what you mean. And then notice that this is what they are doing. Go on. Please. Hello? Don't let me break into your alternative reality or anything, but they are human beings, and they believe that they have God on their side. Actually, most people who believe in God think that way, otherwise it would be kind of depressing, wouldn't it? We are in a total war with them, they will not stop and therefore we can't either until they are no more. My hope is that the nations that support the terrorists quickly give up all the terrorists after the initial strikes. Ask your leaders to stop creating and funding terrorists. Seems like we've finally got the right idea on Northern Ireland (cross your fingers). It's no good interning and torturing people. It's no good turning the countryside into a militarised zone. Start a dialogue, look for a political solution, work towards disarmament, work towards freeing the people from gangsters, educate the people out of bigotry, let self-interest and a fresh belief in the future lead people out of violence. Sometimes you need to stop kicking the door and start turning the handle. x Jim ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 12:33:27 -0400 (EDT) From: Christopher Gross Subject: Michael Moore, Michael Moore, dum da dum dum.... On Sat, 15 Sep 2001, Jim Davies wrote: > The slagging of Michael Moore's post was a little hasty, as far as I > can see. He had some points to make; he made them; only part of the > story; not the biggest part, perhaps, but he had something to say; > people just started howling at him. I'm naturally curious if you're thinking of *my* response to the Michael Moore letter. (I think mine was the first, and thus hastiest, of the slaggings.) If so, I'm also curious what I said that you disagree with. I seem to remember being sarcastic and a little angry, but not actually howling.... Arooooooooo, Chris ps: I think Jim and some other people have been calling Ed Eb, and vice versa. ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 09:40:02 -0700 (PDT) From: Subject: Re: rewards in heaven > BTW, the phrase "tactical nuclear weapons" has started to pop up > relating to the pending military action in Afghanistan. > A coworker of mine keeps saying "flat sheet of glass", as in "that's what happens when you nuke the desert." yikes. - -tc ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 09:58:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Subject: Re: Candles, candles, candles Eb: > Just curious...what sorts of "displays" did folks find in their > immediate neighborhoods, last night? > I saw a few displays on my way home from work. All week there have been flags hanging on the highway overpasses. Then last night a woman was walking back and forth across one of the overpasses with a huge flag on a pole. One of the nicest displays I saw was a guy sitting at a table outside a sandwich shop, all alone, staring at his candle. This was sincerity. > > Speaking of CNN and religion, a couple of days ago, I saw anchor Judy > Woodruff slip in a personal word of advice about turning to God in this > dire time, and found this remarkably unprofessional and inappropriate > for someone in her position. > Did you send her an email about this? I would have. - -tc ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 10:39:32 -0700 From: "Randy R." Subject: Airport security Around 3 years ago I went to Sea-Tac airport to pick up some family members and I bought my "biking" bag with me. It contained various utensils for fixing a flat and other odds n ends that somehow ended up inside, including my butterfly knife. To those not familiar with one, it has 2 handles that fold upon itself, encasing the blade inside and enabling the user (with some practice) to swiftly open, flash and switch, and then close it in a swift motion. I consider it a defensive weapon as it can appear much more intimidating than a mere switchblade. So I completely forget it's in there and make my way to the gate. My bag passes safely thru the security but my boots (steel toed) had to be scanned. The flight was delayed so I head back outside for a smoke and then back thru security where my bag makes it thru again. The flights delayed. Out for another smoke, and this time, an elderly security officer detects my knife. I kick myself for my absentmindedness and wait patiently thru a variety of questions before they let me go. And they confiscated my knife. Bah!!! (by the way, it was nice greeting my family while I was sitting in a chair surrounded by police and security. Typical) I mention this because on the news there was a gentlemen who was appalled that he was able to bring a steak knife on board several years ago. I might be asking the wrong group, but has anyone else been able to bring questionable items on board (pocket protecters don't count ) ? And I agree with Jeme, that many many items when used correctly can be used as a weapon. A box cutter is such a dangerous and yet easily hidden item. Anyone who has ever worked with one will tell you. Vince ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 10:50:30 -0700 From: "Andrew D. Simchik" Subject: cleaning > From: "victorian squid" > > Say, am I the only person who has spent much of today cleaning and doing > laundry? I have this weird but -undeniable- compulsion to "prepare" for > something, tho I don't know what good scrubbing my kitchen sink does anyone > really, particularly if we all get nuked tomorrow. Funny you should say this. I had planned to do it anyway, but I spent most of yesterday doing laundry and cleaning my apartment as well. The original motivator was my parents' upcoming visit on the 30th (and I'm wondering if they are still going to come, now), but it did cross my mind as I was doing it yesterday that there was something preparatory or compensatory about it. Strange. - -- Andrew D. Simchik, drew at stormgreen dot com http://www.stormgreen.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 11:10:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Viv Lyon Subject: Re: conspiracies'r'us On Mon, 17 Sep 2001, James Dignan wrote: > 1) Bin Laden has now twice denied responsibility for the WTC, and the > Taliban don't think he has the capability of carrying it out. So who does? > Well, Saddam Hussein for one. I actually think this more _acceptable_ than finding out it's Bin Laden. Hey, at least Hussein has an understandable grudge against us, whereas Bin Laden is mostivated by a (to most Americans) totally incomprehensible religious conviction. In fact, I've long been wondering when Iraq might strike back against us. Vivien ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 11:34:26 -0700 From: "victorian squid" Subject: Re: Airport security On Sun, 16 Sep 2001 10:39:32 Randy R. wrote: >be asking the wrong group, but has anyone else been able to bring >questionable items on board (pocket protecters don't count ) ? I usually carry a Swiss Army knife in my backpack when travelling. I've even had it in my pocket and thrown it into the bucket before going through the metal detectors, and no one said a thing to me. Then there is my "spy girl" knife. It's a small blade (2 inches?) that twists up from a lipstick tube. This is one of my favorite possessions. If I am carrying a handbag then this will be in it. This has gone through before, I guess because it's small. Must make a mental note to remember to take it out of my bag before flying now, as I don't know where to get another if it's confiscated. Something tells me that in the current climate people won't think it's cute anymore. I've also travelled with a moderately real-looking (until you look at it closely) plastic "switchblade" comb. This isn't in the least dangerous but I can see it being mistaken for a blade from far off, especially if someone's feeling jumpy. loveonya, susan Join 18 million Eudora users by signing up for a free Eudora Web-Mail account at http://www.eudoramail.com ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V10 #356 ********************************