Knickers in a twist

We fly back to Alberta on Sunday, and I’m disheartened though not surprised at new regulations that require we spend the entire flight from NYC to Toronto, and the last hour from Toronto to Edmonton, in our seats, without anything in our laps, not even a book; being allowed to go to the bathroom only with an escort; and with our one carry-on bag each in the overhead compartment unavailable to us for the duration of the flight. I plan to stuff my pockets with Tylenol (for adults and children — goodness knows we’ll need it) and lip balm. I don’t want to even think of my three children, ages nine, 10, and 12, being patted down. I suppose it would be too much to ask for the airports to quit patting down children and concentrate instead on lone adults with no luggage and one-way tickets paid for with cash. Just an idea.

Of course, given that previous would-be terrorists have used liquids and shoes, which are now allowed on-board only in limited quantity and after a security check, respectively, I suppose I should be happy that Air Canada and the Canadian Transportation Safety Board have, at least not yet, neither required checks of underpants nor limited solid substances.

However, given the latest updates from Transport Canada —

Passengers travelling to the US are advised that no carry-on baggage will be permitted, with the exception of a small purse, diaper bag, laptop bag. Roller bags and backpacks must now be checked in. Carriage of any carry-on item will result in lengthy security delays for the customer. To minimize inconvenience, airlines strongly recommend that customers travelling to the United States travel with no carry-on items whenever possible.

If travelling with a laptop bag, diaper bag, camera bag or other such item, the bag may only contain items confined to the bag’s original function. (For example, a laptop bag can only contain computer equipment, or a diaper bag can only contain infant necessities.) As a guideline for purse size, the footprint of the bag should be similar to that of a letter size sheet of paper (216mm x 279mm or 8.5″ x 11″).

— I can only imagine that more travellers will be inclined to stuff what they can in their pockets and underpants. Patented panty pockets, perhaps?

Two words

Today’s New York Times has an article about American fans of Stieg Larsson who are willing to shell out big bucks for the third and final volume of the author’s posthumous murder mystery trilogy:

At a time of price wars and pressure from electronic books, a group of independent bookstores has found at least one way to lure customers into paying premium prices for a hardcover title: import an eagerly awaited book from Britain several months before its release in the United States and then jack up the price. …

Kizmin Reeves, co-owner of Partners & Crime, said she has sold close to 80 copies of the book. She bought them, as anyone can, on Amazon.co.uk. After adding shipping costs and a profit margin, she has been charging $45 for the 602-page hardcover.

I have two words for any independent booksellers looking to increase the profit margin, or anyone without an enterprising local bookseller who’s looking for the book: Book Depository. Or two different words, free shipping.  Book Depository in the UK is selling the hardback version of The Girl Who Kicked a Hornet’s Nest for US $24.23, with free shipping (for all of its books to nearly 90 countries worldwide).  The cheaper paperback edition, which was just published in October, is currently out of stock.

(Another very good book not available in the US but available from Book Depository: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, a collection of Dr. Goldacre’s Guardian columns. Here’s the website, and here’s the missing chapter. An excellent stocking stuffer, and the cover is a appropriately seasonal shade of red.)

As for not irking Knopf, feh…