Passports

[cailin maith]

I just had to get a new one from the consulate in Madrid, charged me 135 Euros the thieving bastards!

Just one question though, and forgive me for being so stupid, but what information exactly does that 'biometric chip' contain? My understanding of biometrics is that they describe attributes of your biological make up such as fingerprints, DNA, Iris scans etc. Given that I just filled in a form with the usual stuff, they have none of those details so how can it be a biometric passport?

I wondered that too

[Drewster]

I just had to get a new one from the consulate in Madrid, charged me 135 Euros the thieving bastards!

Just one question though, and forgive me for being so stupid, but what information exactly does that 'biometric chip' contain? My understanding of biometrics is that they describe attributes of your biological make up such as fingerprints, DNA, Iris scans etc. Given that I just filled in a form with the usual stuff, they have none of those details so how can it be a biometric passport?

I hope you are not suggesting that our esteemed Government and its media lackeys are using a trendy buzzword without actually knowing what they are talking about?

Didn't you notice the short sharp shock of the anal probe as it scraped off a DNA sample - you should be more wary!

[Mich the Tester]

What a bunch of muppets.

B) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or have been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or have been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities? *

C) Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved , in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies? *

So someone who survived the Holocaust would have to answer YES to both questions, i.e.

B) Yes, I was arrested for being Jewish (or left winged, a trade union representative, a Jehovah’s Witness, or disabled, or Russian as the case may be) while in Germany.

C) Yes, I was one of the people being persecuted/a member of the resistance.

What is it with the yanks? They're just clueless.

[Drewster]

What is it with the yanks? They're just clueless.

That pretty well sums it up!

[Mich the Tester]

That pretty well sums it up!

and what on earth is 'moral turpitude'? Is it a strange fetish?

[cailin maith]

What is it with the yanks? They're just clueless.

I tell you what really wound me up, on my way back last year... the bunch of muppets they had at JFK who had badges and uniforms - Homeland Security, they were a group of kids basically with a crib sheet and an inflated sense of authority

Of course, there is something untoward coming up from your swabs of the sole of my shoe... I have been walking your streets for days - **** knows whats on there

Can you tell that I am still bitter?

[Mich the Tester]

Of course, there is something untoward coming up from your swabs of the sole of my shoe... I have been walking your streets for days - flip knows whats on there

Can you tell that I am still bitter?

Maybe it was ‘turpitude’ on the soles of your shoes. People really should clear up after their dogs.


You're not bitter; you're sane.

[SizeZero]

Just one question though, and forgive me for being so stupid, but what information exactly does that 'biometric chip' contain?

I believe they take a set of facial measurements by scanning your photo.

[Drewster]

I believe they take a set of facial measurements by scanning your photo.

presumably so they can run various analysis and comparisons between "your picture" and "you" using a very expensive computer program.....

Its OK - (when/)if the expensive computer fails they have a fallback procedure.. its called "Look at the bl**ding Photo"

[Mich the Tester]

presumably so they can run various analysis and comparisons between "your picture" and "you" using a very expensive computer program.....

Its OK - (when/)if the expensive computer fails they have a fallback procedure.. its called "Look at the bl**ding Photo"

Clever stuff, but I bet that contingency won’t work. The sort of people employed at customs aren’t exactly the brightest bulbs in the lamp shop and they’ll probably follow the standard ‘computer says no’ procedure.