Airport security

Apparently, the "full body" scanners will soon be making an appearance at Canadian airports (and popping up more frequently in other airports around the world). But, what do you know, it seems that they (and likewise the "pat-down" approach) likely wouldn't have worked to stop this attempt on Christmas:

Since the attack was foiled, body-scanners, using "millimetre-wave" technology and revealing a naked image of a passenger, have been touted as a solution to the problem of detecting explosive devices that are not picked up by traditional metal detectors – such as those containing liquids, chemicals or plastic explosive.

But Ben Wallace, the Conservative MP, who was formerly involved in a project by a leading British defence research firm to develop the scanners for airport use, said trials had shown that such low-density materials went undetected. Tests by scientists in the team at Qinetiq, which Mr Wallace advised before he became an MP in 2005, showed the millimetre-wave scanners picked up shrapnel and heavy wax and metal, but plastic, chemicals and liquids were missed.

- Excerpted from The Independent

The idea of Israeli-ifying airport security is grabbing more attention as well though (e.g. a Toronto Star article). Seems the only sane way to address the problem.