Okay, no more entries. We will get this going right away.


For those who don't know, I work as a Pre-Board Screener at Edmonton International Airport. I thought it would be interesting to base a game on people's knowledge of the screening process. The questions below are based on CATSA and TSA rules. The rules from most other developed countries should be the same or very close.

The questions refer to screening passengers and their carry-on bags. "Oversize" here means more than 100ml/100g.

Standard EMU rules apply. There are four questions. The responses are scored as in standard SHEEP. Your score is the sum of the scores for your answers. The difference in an EMU is that if you provide the most popular answer for all four questions, your score will be reduced to zero, and you will be locked in a suitcase and flown to Vladivostok for the winter.

One other important rule for this game is NO RESEARCH.

The questions are:

• What is an item you are not allowed to have in your carry-on?
• A reason you would be allowed to bring an oversize icepack/gelpack.
• How many spare Lithium-ion batteries (between 100Watt-hours and 160Watt-hours) are you allowed in your carry-on?
• Name a currently living person who is exempt from screening.

We have 16 fliers for the reveal.

ArcticKnight
bolt2112
Viggorous
eleanor60
MCS
Jmurder3
True North
xander biscuits
Bob Dobelina
Booker Wolfbox
housenuts
aaronk56
eyebooger
Carl_Spackler
nails
Precept24

As for interesting contraband, I don't have any really good stories. The biggest offenses tend to be women with huge quantities of liquids/creams/etc. Occasional pot, nothing harder. Some personal devices, one of which was very lifelike, but these are perfectly permissable.

There was a kid travelling with his family. They had gone to a shooting range, and he kept all his spent shell casings as souveniers. Of course, any gun related are not permitted, so we had to confiscate them. The only guns I have come across are either toys (also not allowed - mostly), or tests by CATSA or Transport Canada.

I have had toy brass knuckles, as well as a purse handle made from brass knuckles. Not allowed.

An I wish I didn't have to moment, was when I had to search a guy, and he had a bullet on a necklace which contained the ashes of a buddy. It ended well, though; he called a friend to hold onto it until he got back.

My supper's ready. I'll be back in a bit.

On to the first question. No pictures, I'm afraid.

What is an item you are not allowed to have in your carry-on?



Gun/AK-15 - 12
nails
aaronk56
ArcticKnight
bolt2112
Booker Wolfbox
Carl_Spackler
eleanor60
eyebooger
housenuts
Jmurder3
Precept24
Viggorous

Knife - 2
Bob Dobelina
True North

Bomb - 1
MCS

Water - 1
xander biscuits


Gun and bomb are unequivocally prohibited.

I'm not 100% sure about the TSA regs on knives, but I think it is the same as in Canada: under 6 cm from handle to tip is permitted in carry on luggage for domestic flights, longer ones are not. You cannot fly into the U.S. with any size of knife. Of course, switchblades, butterfly knives, and razor blades are not allowed (includes box cutters and exacto knives).

Water is allowed in quantities less than 100ml and all containers must fit in a 1 litre bag. If it is medically necessary or if it is for a baby (2 years old or under), then the restriction is lifted.

So, 12 people in the EMU zone. It's about what I expected.

Good lord, I suck.

Worried about zeroing

A reason you would be allowed to bring an oversize icepack/gelpack.

This one required some grouping decisions. There are several different medical reasons for bringing large icepacks in your carry on, and I felt I couldn't group them. And I didn't feel like doing all the aces seperately.


Medical reasons - 4
Jmurder3
eyebooger
ArcticKnight
eleanor60

Injury - 3
Bob Dobelina
Booker Wolfbox
Carl_Spackler

Keep medicine cold - 3
True North
aaronk56
MCS

Aces - 1
housenuts frozen solid
Viggorous If you're the designated Whisky Sour provider on your flight
nails Keeping an organ for transplant cold
Precept24 Pass out
bolt2112 Surgery
xander biscuits You're Disabled


The top three are valid.

In Canada, at least, it doesn't matter if a liquid is frozen solid, it is considered a liquid (because that is what it will be at room temperature), so is subject to the standard restrictions.

LOL Viggo and Precept.

nails is correct.

Surgery and disability are not, in and of themselves, sufficient reason for an exception to the liquid rules.

Score after 2 rounds. Four left in the EMU zone.

ArcticKnight	16
eleanor60	16
eyebooger	16
Jmurder3	16
aaronk56	15
Booker Wolfbox	15
Carl_Spackler	15
bolt2112	13
housenuts	13
nails	13
Precept24	13
Viggorous	13
Bob Dobelina	5
True North	5
MCS	4
xander biscuits	2

Carl doesn't have to worry, anymore.

Tough grouping kept me off the sheep. We'll see if it works out.

How many spare Lithium-ion batteries (between 100Watt-hours and 160Watt-hours) are you allowed in your carry-on?

Correct answer up front: you can bring up to 2 spare Li-ion batteries in the range given. Smaller than 100Wh, you can bring as many as you want. You cannot bring any that are larger than 160Wh. An exception: you can bring a spare battery for a motorized mobility device, subject to airline approval. So get a sticker at the airline counter.


Two - 5
aaronk56
Bob Dobelina
bolt2112
Carl_Spackler
True North

One - 4
Booker Wolfbox
MCS
nails
xander biscuits

Zero - 2
eyebooger
housenuts

Four - 2
eleanor60
Viggorous

Aces - 1
ArcticKnight 3
Jmurder3 10
Precept24 69

After round three. No one in danger.

aaronk56	20
Carl_Spackler	20
Booker Wolfbox	19
eleanor60	18
eyebooger	18
bolt2112	18
ArcticKnight	17
Jmurder3	17
nails	17
housenuts	15
Viggorous	15
Precept24	14
Bob Dobelina	10
True North	10
MCS	8
xander biscuits	6

Last one. I'll talk about it before revealing the responses.

Name a currently living person who is exempt from screening.


Basically, any head of state or head of government does not have to go through the screening process. I'm not sure how far down that goes, in terms of deputy heads and so on. Essentially, if you are the one that people want to take out, you don't need to be screened. Your entourage - police, secret service, aides, other flunkies - have to be screened.

Hmm, 1 or 2 would have kept me in the danger zone, & would never have said 0 or 4, so oh well.

What you would expect.

Donald Trump - 9
Bob Dobelina
eleanor60
Viggorous
housenuts
aaronk56
Carl_Spackler
eyebooger
Jmurder3
xander biscuits

Justin Trudeau - 3
True North
ArcticKnight
bolt2112

Barack Obama - 2 Not sure if former heads get a pass. I don't think they do in Canada.
Booker Wolfbox
nails

Mike Pence - 1
MCS

That doctor that got yanked off the Delta plane - 1
Precept24



So we have:

First Class
aaronk56 29
Carl_Spackler 29


Business Class
eleanor60 27
eyebooger 27

Economy Class
Jmurder3 26
housenuts 24
Viggorous 24
Booker Wolfbox 21
bolt2112 21
ArcticKnight 20
nails 19
Bob Dobelina 19
Precept24 15
xander biscuits 15
True North 13
MCS 9


Thanks for playing, everyone. Congrats to the winners. I hope everyone learned something.

Remember, be nice to your screeners, they don't like having to do what they are doing to you, any more than you do. Check the rules before you pack (TSA and CATSA websites), and you should have no problems on your flights.

What do you do when you find pot?

What do you do when you find harder drugs?

oh hey that worked out

gg podium pals, thanks Eric

Cheers Eric. Congrats winners.

Ty for hosting and Grats winners

Pot - domestically, not a big deal as long as it isn't a lot.
Pot - internationally, we tell them that it is illegal to cross national borders with cannabis, medical or otherwise. We have places for them to dump what they have.
Harder drugs - if we find it and know/suspect what it is, we call the police. I don't know of anyone being caught with cocaine in their carry on luggage, for example. We aren't looking for drugs, all we care about is the safety of the aircraft and passengers.

It happened 3+ years before I started there, so you probably know more than I do, since I had to Google it. I have heard a rumor about a pipe bomb that staff didn't think was real, and it may be that one. Reading the CBC report, it sounds as if proper procedures weren't followed, or the procedures changed before I started. Right now, if I saw something like that on x-ray or just looking in the bag, I'm calling the police, ASAP, and letting them deal with it.

Thanks for the game and congrats to Carl and the rest of the podium.

FYP