i read this forum and enjoy reading the banter but then there are times when certain ominous posters high jack the thread, when this happens i always feel like there is a BIG BROTHER lurking in the background. what other BB behavior is a normal part of our daily life?

I am guessing that you can not be more specific.

I get a laugh out of people warning about privacy and surveillance but freely using debit and credit cards.

I get a laugh out of people warning about privacy and surveillance but freely using debit and credit cards.

My UK driving licence is still a bit of paper that unfolds to about A5 size.

However most of my European colleagues have licences that are plastic, credit-card size. These are a form of ID card also, with details of bank accounts, home address, previous convictions and a host of other detail in the chip/strip.

No one is overly concerned about such things. It is an accepted means of identification.

In the eighties, while in Sweden, I had to pick up a parcel at the post office. The woman behind the counter asked for my driving licence. I gave her my passport. No, driving licence. So I gave her my UK DL. No, no, not correct. The people behind me all started telling her that I was British, didn't have a Swedish DL. Her orders were clear - DL or no parcel. I'd never seen sober Swedes get so vociferous. Learnt a whole new vocabulary that day (but I eventually got my parcel).

I don't worry about Big Brother. Most countries I have worked in have had secret police attached to my office and it has never worked against me. Usually the guys have been helpful in solving situations caused by foreign worker stupidity (and that has to be seen to be believed - English, European, South Asia, Philippines, Thailand, etc., etc. - they are all stupid at times). In UK there are cameras on every street corner, others in between. BB is definitely watching you. And what has happened? Prisons are full, I understand street crime is down.

I don't mind Big Brother (or Big Sister) watching everyone at once, like via cameras on the streets. I'm not too comfortable with the idea of them taking people aside one by one and doing it.

Whenever I have a phone conversation with my brother overseas, I regularly say "Allah akbar", "bomb", and "Washington".....just to give the international eavesdroppers some keyword flags to excite them.

Whenever I have a phone conversation with my brother overseas, I regularly say "Allah akbar", "bomb", and "Washington".....just to give the international eavesdroppers some keyword flags to excite them.

Then don't complain if when you fly outside NZ the airport security take you aside for a thorough checking.

I always laugh when a comedian on the airline programs make a joke regarding machine guns, when asked regarding the content of their violin case, and are then bemused to find themselves on their face with real machine guns being pressed against the back of their head.

You would think they would realise despite anything else, these people lost a lot of colleagues over a period of time and are rather sensitive regarding the matter.

Here is a little blurb about the current operating procedures of the TSA.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=SNL+TSA&aq=f

I get a laugh out of people warning about privacy and surveillance but freely using debit and credit cards.

My UK driving licence is still a bit of paper that unfolds to about A5 size.

However most of my European colleagues have licences that are plastic, credit-card size. These are a form of ID card also, with details of bank accounts, home address, previous convictions and a host of other detail in the chip/strip.

I have an EU plastic credit-card sized driving license. It has neither a chip nor a strip on it so I'm not quite sure where it stores my bank account, previous convictions and a host of other details on it. It does have my home address but that's a legal requirement of all UK driving licences no matter whether they're made of paper or plastic.

I get a laugh out of people warning about privacy and surveillance but freely using debit and credit cards.

My UK driving licence is still a bit of paper that unfolds to about A5 size.

However most of my European colleagues have licences that are plastic, credit-card size. These are a form of ID card also, with details of bank accounts, home address, previous convictions and a host of other detail in the chip/strip.

I have an EU plastic credit-card sized driving license. It has neither a chip nor a strip on it so I'm not quite sure where it stores my bank account, previous convictions and a host of other details on it. It does have my home address but that's a legal requirement of all UK driving licences no matter whether they're made of paper or plastic.

I might be wrong but I think that's different to what other EU countries issue. It has the EU stars but it's a UK Driving Licence and if you want to hire a car with that in the UK it has to be accompanied with the paper licence also.

Whenever I have a phone conversation with my brother overseas, I regularly say "Allah akbar", "bomb", and "Washington".....just to give the international eavesdroppers some keyword flags to excite them.

Then don't complain if when you fly outside NZ the airport security take you aside for a thorough checking.

I most certainly will complain, loudly. Anything I say in private conversation with my brother should not be listened to by BB.

That's my whole point when I say what I imagine could be "key words". If key words can be flagged or singled out, where does the list of key words stop? You can say it's all about the global war on terrorism...ok, fine....but when will the eavesdropping develop into a tool for whoever is in power for their own political or financial gain? Where are the checks and balances? Who is to say that eavesdropping isn't already a tool for purposes outside of anti-terrorism?

Whenever I have a phone conversation with my brother overseas, I regularly say "Allah akbar", "bomb", and "Washington".....just to give the international eavesdroppers some keyword flags to excite them.

Then don't complain if when you fly outside NZ the airport security take you aside for a thorough checking.

I most certainly will complain, loudly. Anything I say in private conversation with my brother should not be listened to by BB.

That's my whole point when I say what I imagine could be "key words". If key words can be flagged or singled out, where does the list of key words stop? You can say it's all about the global war on terrorism...ok, fine....but when will the eavesdropping develop into a tool for whoever is in power for their own political or financial gain? Where are the checks and balances? Who is to say that eavesdropping isn't already a tool for purposes outside of anti-terrorism?

If you really want to have fun, say "Allah Akhbar !" and "bomb" when the security guys pull you aside for checking.

Whenever I have a phone conversation with my brother overseas, I regularly say "Allah akbar", "bomb", and "Washington".....just to give the international eavesdroppers some keyword flags to excite them.

Then don't complain if when you fly outside NZ the airport security take you aside for a thorough checking.

I most certainly will complain, loudly. Anything I say in private conversation with my brother should not be listened to by BB.

That's my whole point when I say what I imagine could be "key words". If key words can be flagged or singled out, where does the list of key words stop? You can say it's all about the global war on terrorism...ok, fine....but when will the eavesdropping develop into a tool for whoever is in power for their own political or financial gain? Where are the checks and balances? Who is to say that eavesdropping isn't already a tool for purposes outside of anti-terrorism?

If you really want to have fun, say "Allah Akhbar !" and "bomb" when the security guys pull you aside for checking.

:D Great idea. Say it while struggling with a button on my shirt.

:D Great idea. Say it while struggling with a button on my shirt.

Nah

Wait till your seated on plane...

1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.

2. Remove your laptop.

3. Boot it.

4. Make sure the person seated next to you can see the screen.

5. Open this which you have already saved to your computer link

6. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.

It has the EU stars but it's a UK Driving Licence and if you want to hire a car with that in the UK it has to be accompanied with the paper licence also.

You are quite right, plasic card OK must be accompanied by the old paper copy to hire a car, because plastic doesn't show any convictions, but you can draw large amounts of money on the plastic type.

Now some clever arse is going to tell me ' it aint plastic guvner, honest'.

Whenever I have a phone conversation with my brother overseas, I regularly say "Allah akbar", "bomb", and "Washington".....just to give the international eavesdroppers some keyword flags to excite them.

Then don't complain if when you fly outside NZ the airport security take you aside for a thorough checking.

I most certainly will complain, loudly. Anything I say in private conversation with my brother should not be listened to by BB.

That's my whole point when I say what I imagine could be "key words". If key words can be flagged or singled out, where does the list of key words stop? You can say it's all about the global war on terrorism...ok, fine....but when will the eavesdropping develop into a tool for whoever is in power for their own political or financial gain? Where are the checks and balances? Who is to say that eavesdropping isn't already a tool for purposes outside of anti-terrorism?

wonder what the odds are that you have already been profiled?

Whenever I have a phone conversation with my brother overseas, I regularly say "Allah akbar", "bomb", and "Washington".....just to give the international eavesdroppers some keyword flags to excite them.

Then don't complain if when you fly outside NZ the airport security take you aside for a thorough checking.

I most certainly will complain, loudly. Anything I say in private conversation with my brother should not be listened to by BB.

That's my whole point when I say what I imagine could be "key words". If key words can be flagged or singled out, where does the list of key words stop? You can say it's all about the global war on terrorism...ok, fine....but when will the eavesdropping develop into a tool for whoever is in power for their own political or financial gain? Where are the checks and balances? Who is to say that eavesdropping isn't already a tool for purposes outside of anti-terrorism?

wonder what the odds are that you have already been profiled?

I wouldn't know. I wouldn't care. Neither would anyone else in this forum.

wonder what the odds are that you have already been profiled?

I wouldn't know. I wouldn't care. Neither would anyone else in this forum.

You may claim to speak for "the rest of the world" but you don't speak for the rest of the forum. I'd be interested to know if you were already on a list for saying those words over int'l calls.

I don't want to freak you all out but there is an agency of the US government that flies aircraft all over the place that monitor cell phone calls. They have been doing this for quite some time. The Brits do it too. I think if you read about the British special forces that boarded one of Bout's aircraft when it landed in Greece to arrest him they got the information from a cell phone call.

wonder what the odds are that you have already been profiled?

I wouldn't know. I wouldn't care. Neither would anyone else in this forum.

You may claim to speak for "the rest of the world" but you don't speak for the rest of the forum. I'd be interested to know if you were already on a list for saying those words over int'l calls.

When did I ever claim to speak for the rest of the world? A stupid and baiting allegation.

You may be interested, and you may care about whether or not that sort of thing happens in fact, but you wouldn't really care, in the context of what I am saying, ie if I personally have been profiled. And I daresay that I do speak for the forum on that.

ie if I personally have been profiled.

Competing in IPSC & High powered rifle, I know I have been

*looked* at.

Due to FBI/Federal NICS records,numerous checks have been done on me.

As such I'm guessing that gains you a profile

I wouldn't know. I wouldn't care. Neither would anyone else in this forum.

You may claim to speak for "the rest of the world" but you don't speak for the rest of the forum. I'd be interested to know if you were already on a list for saying those words over int'l calls.

When did I ever claim to speak for the rest of the world? A stupid and baiting allegation.

You may be interested, and you may care about whether or not that sort of thing happens in fact, but you wouldn't really care, in the context of what I am saying, ie if I personally have been profiled. And I daresay that I do speak for the forum on that.

It isn't a stupid allegation, you have claimed as much more than once in the past. A search on OTB for "the rest of the world" is all that is needed to prove me right. Anyway, it's just one of my pet peeves, people claiming to speak for a larger group to make their opinion seem more valid.

i may be wrong but i believe that even though expats complete many documents for visa status, we are harder to quietly put a complete portfolio together on than say a forum member living in their home country. expats are somewhat invisable.

.... And I daresay that I do speak for the forum on that.

You are not speaking on my behalf. Who died and left you in charge?

I don't want to freak you all out but there is an agency of the US government that flies aircraft all over the place that monitor cell phone calls. They have been doing this for quite some time. The Brits do it too. I think if you read about the British special forces that boarded one of Bout's aircraft when it landed in Greece to arrest him they got the information from a cell phone call.

http://www.gchq.gov.uk/

.... And I daresay that I do speak for the forum on that.

You are not speaking on my behalf. Who died and left you in charge?

So you're saying that you DO care about my personal life and whether or not I personally have been profiled. I didn't know you cared. Touching. It softens my heart somewhat toward you chuck my old pal.

I wouldn't know. I wouldn't care. Neither would anyone else in this forum.

You may claim to speak for "the rest of the world" but you don't speak for the rest of the forum. I'd be interested to know if you were already on a list for saying those words over int'l calls.

When did I ever claim to speak for the rest of the world? A stupid and baiting allegation.

You may be interested, and you may care about whether or not that sort of thing happens in fact, but you wouldn't really care, in the context of what I am saying, ie if I personally have been profiled. And I daresay that I do speak for the forum on that.

It isn't a stupid allegation, you have claimed as much more than once in the past. A search on OTB for "the rest of the world" is all that is needed to prove me right. Anyway, it's just one of my pet peeves, people claiming to speak for a larger group to make their opinion seem more valid.

It' was a very stupid allegation. My "opinion" was hardly one that need strengthening because it was not so much an opinion as a throw away comment. "Nobody in this forum would care if I was profiled" (or words to that effect). It DID seem highly unlikely....but now it seems that chucky DOES care. Who would have guessed?

Sheesh!

.... And I daresay that I do speak for the forum on that.

You are not speaking on my behalf. Who died and left you in charge?

So you're saying that you DO care about my personal life and whether or not I personally have been profiled. I didn't know you cared. Touching. It softens my heart somewhat toward you chuck my old pal.

Don't get all misty eyed here. I am only saying don't speak on my behalf.

I expect you have already been profiled if, in fact, you are as vociferous as you claim to be.

Having said that, I also expect they have simply written you off as a harmless nut with little intent to do any harm.

Personally?? I couldn't care less.

.... And I daresay that I do speak for the forum on that.

You are not speaking on my behalf. Who died and left you in charge?

So you're saying that you DO care about my personal life and whether or not I personally have been profiled. I didn't know you cared. Touching. It softens my heart somewhat toward you chuck my old pal.

Don't get all misty eyed here. I am only saying don't speak on my behalf.

I expect you have already been profiled if, in fact, you are as vociferous as you claim to be.

Having said that, I also expect they have simply written you off as a harmless nut with little intent to do any harm.

Personally?? I couldn't care less.

Then I DID speak for you!!