Several thousand transit riders in Miami were lucky to get their hands on special commemorative Super Bowl cards last week, good for trips on local-area buses and trains. The collectible cards work just like normal smart card transit passes, only with a colorful design featuring the official NFL and Super Bowl XLIV logos.

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential card (or TWIC) is something we've mentioned a few times in the past. This is the new, high-tech identification card that's slowly being phased into a number of U.S. ports. But this week, ports in New England will be the first to officially require all workers to carry the cards, which act as another layer of protection for areas considered to be vulnerable to terrorism.

Many cities and public transit bureaus offer free or discounted passes or tickets for senior citizens - and Washington D.C. is just one example. For a long time, though, getting a discount on DC's well-known Metro system has been a bit of a polka for seniors in the D.C. corridor.

Imagine flashing your employee ID in front of a vending machine. No, you're not confusing the vending machine with your office guard after a long day of work. Your ID card, equipped with RFID antenna, can buy you coffee or a snack. Office employees in Thailand are about to have this become a reality - with new RFID-enabled employee ID cards.

Currently, Chinese Customs staff members and officers have paper identification badges. Paper IDs work for some - but for officers who are constantly on the go, keeping China's booming ports safe - they can be a bit of a letdown (to say the least). That's why about 4,400 new smart ID cars were issued to Customs and Excise Department officers this Tuesday.

The idea of a smoking card might sound like a strange idea, but in Japan, where a whopping 53 percent of the male population smokes, it seems to make perfect sense. Tobacco makers, retailers, and vending machine operators across Japan now require all buyers to use a special smart card when purchasing cigarettes from machines. The card aims to prevent underage buyers - those under the age of 20 - from acquiring cigarettes.

At a conference to discuss school violence, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller told a group of educators around the state the straight truth - violence is curbed through being prepared.

A 500 year flood is currently flowing through Iowa and much of the upper Midwest, wreaking havoc in small towns and large cities alike. As families begin to piece their lives back together, it's inevitable that construction or utility workers will be present at the scene. Iowa's Attorney General, Tom Miller, has issued a press release warning Iowans to always check for ID when utility workers come to call, warning that impostors and identity thieves often prey on unknowing homeowners during emergency situations.

Recent security breaches, including a well-publicized incident involving ID fraud at the O'Hare Airport, have caused Congress, airports, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to push for biometric identification for airport employees nationwide. While airports have issued employee ID badges for years, the focus is now shifting towards biometrics, and the inclusion of fingerprints and iris recognition in all airport worker credentials.

Consumers all over the world have, almost overnight, become universal bearers of the debit card. A plastic card, usually with a magnetic stripe (and a smart chip in many parts of the world) is used like a credit card; but instead of paying the bill off at the end of every month, the money is drawn straight from the cardholder's bank account. This secure, easy way to pay for almost everything has made the debit payment card system wildly popular.

Laundry can be low on the priority list for many college students, with students quoting pressing food and video game issues that supersede clean clothes - but now Drury University students have no excuses for their dirty laundy. New ID card readers on the school's washing machines and dryers in their laundry facilities were recently installed to streamline the laundry payment process.

HID Global, a worldwide leader in ID card printers, announced yesterday at ISC West 2008 that it would be adding a line of ID card accessories to its current offerings.

HID Global, a world leader in identification solutions, announced last week that it has merged with ASSA ABLOY Identification Technologies - ASSA ABLOY will now operate as HID Global, and the merger promises many improvements in areas like technology development and identity solution in an age where ID cards and accurate identification is becoming more and more important.

The homeless citizens of Oklahoma City may have more efficient and helpful services in the near future, thanks to an ID card developed by the directory of the city's Homeless Alliance. The ID card program, called the Homeless Management Information System, will store the demographic information of homeless people who commonly use city services.

Students at Sioux City's West High School must now carry ID cards with them at school after administrators got tired of breaking up hallway fights. Assistant principal Jacque Wyant says the ID cards, along with several other security measures, has reduced the number of physical fights on school grounds. But the ID cards aren't just for security. The ID cards work in conjunction with the school's new freshman mentoring program and the transformation of a locker bay that was once a popular spot for altercations into a student lounge for upperclassmen.

Increasing worries over homeland security and protection have spawned many debates about preventative measures. The upcoming presidential election and current events have made us familiar with some of the most popular ones - airline security measures like liquids bans and a fence along the US-Mexico border, for instance. But, Indiana representative Mark Souder says that one of the most important security measures the United States can have is the ability to track and record biometric information - not just for visitors into the country, but for normal ID cards like drivers licenses, and that security of our ID cards is intrinsically linked to the security of the country.

Those little rewards cards are everywhere - grocery stores and membership clubs pass them out and customers use them to get discounts and special deals when buying groceries and other everyday households.

A court employee in Cebu City, Philippines was reprimanded and gave a public apology recently. His crime? Not truancy, nor slacking off on the job, or supply theft - but forgetting to wear his ID badge. All workers in the Philippines are required to have a publicly displayed ID badge at all times, identifying who they are, who they work for, and why they are where they are at the time.

You've probably heard something about Hannah Montana in the past year - the Emmy-nominated Disney channel show and singing sensation Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana herself) were for a long time relegated to children, who gobbled up the snappy pop tunes and watched the show religiously. However, when the time came for Hannah Montana's first national tour, everyone else began to realize what a phenomenon the show had become.

El Paso, TX City Rep Rachel Quintana is in trouble - she's currently under investigation for forgery, using an old ID card from her previous employment at FedEx to purchase a discounted ticket on Southwest Airlines. Several El Paso city officials believe that Quintana's integrity has been severely challenged due to this incident - while some see it as a political stunt. Either way, Quintana used an ID card belonging to FedEx to purchase a ticket from Texas to California nearly one month after she left the company.

In many larger cities, commuting by bus or public transit is quite common. But in Des Moines, IA, most commuters still choose to drive to work and park in company lots. There are many reasons behind this; namely the planning involved in catching the bus to and from work and the pressure to have $1.25 in pocket change at all times. Employers in Des Moines like Principal Financial Group, ING and Allied/Nationwide Insurance,have introduced a program where employee ID cards also serve as bus passes for DART,the Des Moines Area Rapid Transit system. Principal's 8,000 employees and any of 1200 ING employees may board any DART bus simply by showing their ID card.

Colorado is evaluating a potential ID card system designed for volunteers and first responders in an effort to be better prepared for the next disaster situation. Hurricane Katrina proved that there’s significant room for improvement in this area. After the hurricane, a large number of evacuees entered Colorado. Many volunteers offered their services but were turned away because the state and federal emergency crews were overwhelmed. The state is hoping a new ID card system will prevent such a problem from happening again.

Parents, students and teachers are at odds over a new ID card program proposed for the Dover, PA school district. Dover high recently added a comprehensive series of video surveillance cameras - 26 in all - in and around the high school campus. But, school administrators say, that's just not enough.

It was announced last week that the Port of New York and New Jersey will be part of a pilot program involving new sophisticated ID card readers. The readers will work to enhance port security by verifying Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards. Each card will include biometric information so that only the card’s true owner can use it.

In an effort to ease the minds of parents, the National Recreation and Park Association has launched a new program that will help to ensure that youth coaches and volunteers are first rate individuals. The program, called Operation TLC2, uses background checks to screen candidates for criminal offenses, and then issues photo identification badges to those who are selected. Since its launch in the fall, the program has thwarted 4,500 prospective volunteers with records showing sex offenses, violent crimes, and a variety of other felonies.

Whether you notice or not, there are some major changes taking place in the ID card industry right now. New technologies, new laws and the continual push for maximum efficiency have created several new and important ID card developments in recent months. Here are some things to keep your eyes open for:

Years of warlords, civil strife and drug trafficking in Colombia have brought thousands of refugees into neighboring Venezuela - over 200,000 in the past eight years. While only 20 of these are recognized as legitimate refugees, Venezuela has recently instituted an ID card program to protect those who have requested asylum.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has made another push for the implementation of a national ID card system, saying that ID cards and biometric identification technology are one of the most important steps a country can take in preventing terrorism and terrorist attacks.