ˆ Drive-thru X-Ray machine made for cars, bomb-sniffing dogs upset

tags : backscatter , border , contraband , crossing , drugs , illegal , san ysidro , sanysidro , vehicle scan , vehiclescan , x-ray

The U.S./Mexican border at San Ysidro, California, is one busy place. In 2005 alone, more than 17 million cars and 50 million people passed through -- making it the world's busiest land border crossing. In an effort to speed things up, officials have unveiled a drive-through X-ray machine. From outward appearances, it looks like a simple car wash. In fact, the device is a huge "backscatter" X-ray imaging machine called a Z Portal. Car owners (or a border agent) drive through the device while the vehicle is screened for contraband. Downplaying any safety concerns, Custom and Border Patrol officials say a couple thousand trips through the Z Portal is equal the radiation exposure from a single traditional medical X-ray. The imaging machine was unveiled just last week, and San Diego officials claim it has already helped them seize more than 3,000 pounds of drugs.

posted : 10/22/2008 @10:49:35 PM

ˆ 10-year-old crashes van while driving drunk parents home

tags : arrests , drugs , drunk driving , drunkdriving , dui , humor

Reality shows and the Internet have not created a more ridiculous world, they have only promoted the outrageous things that are already going on. You're a dad in Tennessee who's had 15 brewskies and an unknown quantity of other liquor, your female company is under the influence of something and has a pocket full of pills, and you need to get home. Thankfully there are three kids in the group, and the 10-year-old is probably straight up enough to drive the van. But who knew the kid would think 90 mph was an appropriate cruising speed and then flip the van over? A few police later – after the woman has tried "to swallow as many pills as she could" – the adults got a much more relaxed ride to the pokey and the kids got passport into state care. It's a good thing the proud papa was wearing his lucky beer T-shirt, or things really could have gone wrong.

posted : 10/15/2008 @7:33:02 PM

ˆ NASCAR to "crack" down on drugs with random testing in 2009

tags : aaron fike drugs , aaronfikedrugs , craftsman truck drugs , craftsmantruckdrugs , drugs , narcotics , nascar , nascar drug screening , nascar drug testing , nascar drugs , nascardrugs , nascardrugscreening , nascardrugtesting , ron hornaday steroids , ronhornadaysteroids

Moonshine may be the poison historically associated with NASCAR, but when Craftsman Truck Series racing driver Aaron Fike was arrested for heroin possession over a year ago, it opened a whole new can of worms for the racing league. After getting himself suspended from racing, Fike admitted he had been high on smack during several races and that he had been addicted to painkillers for six years. The incident was only one of seven such suspensions from NASCAR since 2000, but the ripples are still being felt as organizers have announced that random drug testing for drivers, crew and officials in all three NASCAR series will begin next season. In addition to the spot checks, everyone will get a pre-season screening, and officials will reserve the right already in place to test on grounds of suspicion. Failing to pass a drug test could result in a lifetime ban from racing, while failing a third time means an automatic expulsion. Craftsman series champion Ron Hornaday recently confessed to using a doctor-prescribed topical steroid cream to treat a thyroid condition, which series organizers did not view as an infraction.

posted : 10/2/2008 @3:37:07 PM

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