customs

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3K+ Guitars Part of 'Massive Attempt to Con' US Consumers

They may have looked like real Gibsons worth $18M, but authorities say they're phonies

(Newser) - If they'd been actual Gibson guitars, the 3,000-plus musical instruments seized recently in California would've been worth around $18 million. They were phonies, however, and their interception at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport is now what the Los Angeles Times is calling "the largest counterfeit musical...

JLaw: I Was Held in 'Jail' for 5 Hours

Lawrence's fib didn't go over well with customs agents

(Newser) - Jennifer Lawrence tried to tell a lie—really she did. On The Graham Norton Show, the actress says she was traveling to London to audition for the role of Mystique in 2011's X-Men: First Class when colleagues told her to lie about her visit because her passport was set...

Buzz Aldrin's Moon Walk Cost Him $33

The former astronaut has been tweeting old documents

(Newser) - After the Apollo 11 crew got done taking their steps and leaps on the moon, they had a few hoops to jump through back on Earth—specifically, customs and a 21-day quarantine to be sure they weren't carrying any unknown pathogens. This and more is coming to light now...

US Officer Says We're Sorry With Sheep

Special Ops commander asks family of 5 dead for forgiveness

(Newser) - The most senior special operations commander in the American military begged a grieving Afghan father for forgiveness—by taking him two sheep. The man lost two sons, two daughters and a grandchild in a botched special forces operation in February. The peace offering seems to have worked: "We were...

Obama Bow: Right Idea, Wrong Bow
Obama Bow: Right Idea, Wrong Bow
etiquette lesson
Nov 16, 2009 11:52 AM CST

Obama Bow: Right Idea, Wrong Bow

Even Nixon bowed to the Japanese emperor —but he did it better

(Newser) - A friend of ABC’s Jake Tapper would like to clear up some misconceptions about President Obama’s bow to the Japanese emperor: First, “the right is wrong about Obama’s bow.” It’s not an “unprecedented” display of subservience from an American president—Richard Nixon bowed...

Iris Cards Let Travelers Skip Customs

US signs deal with Holland, and more are on the way

(Newser) - A new digital card will allow Americans to skip customs lines at a foreign airport for the first time, reports USA Today. In a deal between Homeland Security officials and the Netherlands, US travelers approved for the ID card will be able to speed through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, while...

Smuggler Caught With Pigeons in His Pants

(Newser) - A man was caught with his pants down at Melbourne Airport on Sunday—literally. When custom officers asked a suspicious-looking character who'd just flown in from Dubai to drop his trousers, they were shocked to find a live pigeon strapped to each leg, the Age reports. Each was wrapped in...

Sniffing for Coke Blamed in Police Dog's Death

Vet believes years of police work doomed dog to nasal cancer

(Newser) - A police dog's owner believes his years of sniffing drugs cost him his life, the New York Daily News reports. Max, a springer spaniel, spent 7 years helping British police bust drug offenders but had to be put down last week after developing an aggressive tumor in his nose. His...

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad
 Find Your Tipping Point Abroad 
TRAVEL
Nov 20, 2008 2:26 PM CST

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad

With gratuity varying by country, it's important not to offend

(Newser) - Knowing the appropriate level of gratuity can be tricky, and it gets even more difficult abroad, where tipping practices widely vary. Forbes offers some help, noting, for instance, that for a cab ride in South America, rounding up the fare to the next dollar is an acceptable tip, while in...

Pushy Waiters Should Put a Cork in It
 Pushy Waiters
 Should Put
 a Cork in It 
OPINION
May 28, 2008 3:08 PM CDT

Pushy Waiters Should Put a Cork in It

Overzealous waiters can kill an evening of good wine

(Newser) - Barbaric waiters are storming the dinner table, "butting in and pouring wine without being asked" and expecting diners to hurry up and pony up to replace the drained bottle, laments Christopher Hitchens in Slate. Leaving punchlines and evenings in tatters, their unsolicited interruptions aren't just a sign of bad...

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