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Submission + - Feds order Amtrak to turn on system that would've prevented crash that killed 8 (trains.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Last Tuesday evening, northbound Amtrak Northeast Regional train No. 188 derailed on a curve in Philadelphia, killing eight passengers. The train was traveling in excess of 100 mph, while the curve had a passenger-train speed limit of 50 mph.

In response, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is issuing formal emergency orders that will require Amtrak to make sure automatic train control systems work *NORTHBOUND* through Philadelphia at and near the site of the derailment. The FRA is also requiring that Amtrak assess the risk of all curves along the NEC and increase the amount and frequency of speed limit signs along the railroad.
(http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2015/05/fra-to-issue-emergency-orders-for-amtrak-operations-in-northeast-corridor)

FRA's emergency order is newsworthy because Amtrak's existing signal system could have been configured to prevent a train from exceeding speed limits, according to the Wall Street Journal (http://www.wsj.com/articles/amtrak-crash-might-have-been-avoided-by-tweak-to-signal-system-1431622980). The newspaper reports that people familiar with Amtrak’s signal system said speed-control measures used elsewhere by the railroad could have prevented Tuesday’s crash. Amtrak officials said they were concerned enough about the curve to install the added protection on the two *SOUTHBOUND* tracks. But it wasn’t installed on the *NORTHBOUND* side because officials didn’t believe the tracks leading to the curve would allow trains to build up enough speed to topple over.

“It would have prevented the accident if it was operational,” National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said Thursday in an interview.

Interestingly, Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph H. Boardman was head of the FRA before taking the reins at Amtrak. (http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1251623383973)

Submission + - Baton Bob receives $20,000 settlement for Coerced Facebook Post (clatl.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: After arresting him during a June 2013 street performance, Atlanta Police Officers forced costumed street performer "Baton Bob" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_Bob) to make a pro-police statement on his Facebook page before they would allow him to be released on bond. (http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/07/01/1538226/baton-bob-strikes-back-against-police-that-coerced-facebook-post-from-him)

Social media coverage of the incident triggered a six-month internal police investigation into the arrest. Atlanta Police Officer H.J. Davis was given a one-day suspension, then resigned from the Atlanta Police department a few weeks later. Atlanta Police Lt. Jeffrey Cantin received a five-day suspension for "violating responsibilities of a supervisor".

Baton Bob also filed a federal lawsuit against the city, arguing that officers made a wrongful arrest that violated, well, nearly every constitutional right you can name. Those included Jamerson's "right to free speech, his right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, his right to remain silent while in custody, his right to be free from compelled speech, his right to counsel, and his right to privacy."

The City of Atlanta's legal department reviewed the case and determined that a $20,000 settlement would "be in the best interest of the city" rather than fighting the claims in court.

Comment Re:8 years to earn a B.S. in Psychology? (Score 1) 29

I wonder how this is relevant when it concerns a baseline credential earned 20 years ago and you seemingly have no issue with the MS, MA, and PhD earned from 1996-03, much less her positions at Brown and UC Boulder.

You don't find it strange that a person who needed eight years to earn a B.S. in Psychology was also able to earn three advanced degrees (MS, MA and PhD) in Psychology in just seven years?

In other words, it's none of your damn business.

I disagree. When someone asks for crowdfunding, the crowd has every right to ask questions about the person(s) seeking the crowds' funds!

Submission + - Goatse.cx on a Digital Billboard offends local assholes (ajc.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Atlanta, Georgia police are investigating how Goatse.cx (Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G...), "an image of an impossible-to-fig-leaf potential member of the pornography community", was posted on a digital billboard at the corner of Peachtree and East Paces Ferry roads. The Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper described a "digital picture of a bent over man, mooning, and he was also exposing other parts that usually remain more private...is impossible to adequately describe or show the enormity of the offense without possibly violating laws and certainly the boundaries of good taste."

The scene drew a lot of attention Saturday after Atlanta Police Officer T. Martin rolled up at 5:50 p.m. after getting complaints. Atlanta's Department of Homeland Security, Georgia Power and Atlanta Fire also sent units to the scene. The building landlord and the billboard’s owner Monumedia also responded, cut the power, deleting the images, Officer Martin reported.

Billboard owner Monumedia and the City of Atlanta are currently involved in a legal dispute over whether the digital billboard violates Atlanta's outdoor advertising law.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/a...

Submission + - Defense Dept paid millions to NFL teams for "heartfelt" salutes to troops (nj.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The U.S. Department of Defense has paid $5.4 million in taxpayer money to 14 National Football League (NFL) teams across the country, including $377,500 to the Jets, with the bulk spent by the National Guard. They payments were first revealed by U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz)., who said most in the general public believe the segments were heartfelt salutes by their hometown football team, not an advertising campaign paid for with their money. The senator explained: "Those of us go to sporting events and see them honoring the heroes. You get a good feeling in your heart. Then to find out they're doing it because they're compensated for it, it leaves you underwhelmed. It seems a little unseemly."

Teams that received taxpayer funds include the Baltimore Ravens ($799,000), Cincinnati Bengals ($138,960) Cleveland Browns ($22,500), the Green Bay Packers ($600,000), Pittsburgh Steelers, ($36,000) Minnesota Vikings ($605,000), Atlanta Falcons ($1,049,500) Indianapolis Colts ($620,000), Buffalo Bills ($679,000), Dallas Cowboys ($62,500), Miami Dolphins ($20,000), Kansas City Chiefs ($250,000), St. Louis Rams ($60,000), and the Jets ($377,000). (http://www.scout.com/story/1545004-nfl-teams-paid-to-thank-troops-at-games)

Submission + - Verizon Wireless gives Grandmother a heart attack (hamptonroads.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: On November 19, Angela Hawkins called Verizon Wireless about their earlier promise of a $60 account credit made several weeks before. Hawkins spoke to a customer service representative for at least 20 minutes. Hawkins, a 4-foot, 10-inch tall grandmother of four, said she never raised her voice or threatened the rep because she's "not that type of person."

The Verizon Wireless rep eventually suggested Hawkins speak with her supervisor. After waiting on hold for several more minutes, the supervisor came on the line sand said that Hawkins had threatened his employee and that he was calling the police. Hawkins felt lightheaded and quickly got off the phone and sat on her couch. She talked to her husband about what happened and checked her blinds several times in anticipation of police cars.

The day after the call, Hawkins went to her doctor, where an EKG revealed she'd had a heart attack. Her doctor personally drove her to a hospital, where she underwent surgery to place a stent in one of her arteries. The hospital trip cost more than $60,000 and the grandmother will require special medication for the rest of her life at a cost of about $120,000.

Hawkins had high cholesterol but no history of heart problems before the call. "She was in good health," her attorney said, noting that she took a stress test in 2013 and passed. "It was all found to be in good working order."

Submission + - Surveymonkey CEO Dave Goldberg's death highlights treadmill dangers (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The tragic death of Dave Goldberg, Surveymonkey CEO and husband of Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, (http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/05/03/1943245/surveymonkeys-ceo-dies-while-vacationing-with-wife-sheryl-sandberg) is bringing attention to the dangers of high-powered treadmills and digital distractions that make the machines even more dangerous.

According to CNN, Goldberg fell and hit his head while using a treadmill. He was found shortly thereafter, still alive. He was then transported to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Goldberg suffered from traumatic brain injury and hypovolemic shock, a condition tied to severe blood and fluid loss. [http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/04/technology/dave-goldberg-cause-of-death/index.html?iid=Lead]

The freakish accident actually isn’t that rare. Treadmills account for the majority of such exercise equipment injuries, according to Janessa M. Graves, a professor at the College of Nursing at Washington State University. In a study of 1,782 injury reports from 2007 to 2011, she found that “treadmill machines comprise 66% of injuries but constitute approximately only one-fourth the market share of such equipment.”

Graves says she was shocked not only by the proportion of injuries caused by treadmills but also by the victims. “We were surprised by the number of pediatric injuries that we saw,” she says. “There was a pretty high incidence among kids, especially 0 to 4 years old, also 5 to 9 years old.” In many cases, kids turned on their parents’ treadmills, only to burn their hands on the fast-moving tracks or, worse, get their fingers caught in the powerful machines.

According to data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) [http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Guides/General-Information/National-Electronic-Injury-Surveillance-System-NEISS/], roughly 19,000 people went to emergency rooms in 2009 because of treadmill injuries, including nearly 6,000 children.

Submission + - SurveyMonkey's CEO dies while vacationing with wife Susan Sanberg (nytimes.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Dave Goldberg, the chief executive of SurveyMonkey (https://www.surveymonkey.com) and spouse of Facebook COO Sheryl K. Sandberg, died on Friday night. He was 47.

“We are heartbroken by this news,” Facebook said in a statement. Mark Zuckerberg, a friend of the family, said that Mr. Goldberg died while on vacation abroad with Ms. Sandberg.

Goldberg built Surveymonkey into a provider of web surveys on almost every topic imaginable, with 500 employees and 25 million surveys created. News reports said it was valued at nearly $2 billion when it raised a round of funding last year.

Submission + - Student torches computer lab after he is unable to hack into grading system (cbs46.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: A 15 year-old Douglas County, Georgia high school student has been charged with five felonies, including burglary and arson, after sheriff's deputies caught him while responding to a 1 AM fire at Alexander High School.

The boy admitted to investigators that he set fire to a computer after trying, unsuccessfully, to hack into the school computer system to change his grade on a failed test.

“It's very sad and tragic. He could have very easily come to one of his counselors and asked for help,” said Lt. Glenn Daniel with the Douglas County Sheriff's Department. “From what we can tell, (the student) was mad and frustrated because he could not hack into the system.” Lt. Daniel said the charges could land the young man in prison for several years.

The computer lab was cleaned up and re-opened in time for the start of that day's classes.

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