Here is the immigrant twist to Peter Dobkin Hall's laptop
warning. A few years ago as I was about to depart for Europe
traveling with a toddler, my handbag was stolen at O'Hare airport
in a similar incident. I lost my passport, green card, travel
money etc. The ensuing vacation proved to be an interesting
experience in re-gaining an identity in the eyes of German and
American authorities. Interstingly enough, the Germans bent just
about every rule to get me new id's fast , the Americans on the
other hand were hard to convince that I existed at all.
So: beware, even if you have a toddler instead of a computer, the
metal detectors are traps for all kinds of people.
Dorothee Schneider
University of Illinois