Air Travelers Face High Risk of Runway Collisions
Alleged Racial Profiling Occurs at Airport
Baggage Handler Confessions
Protests Over Smoking Ban in French Cafes
Baby Powder Prevents Earthquakes?
AIR TRAVELERS FACE HIGH RISK OF RUNWAY COLLISIONS – Chicago Tribune
Although congressional investigators said the FAA reduced runway incidents from a peak in 2001, air travelers still face a high risk of a fatal collision due to faltering federal leadership, malfunctioning technology and overworked controllers. Currently, “no single office is taking charge of assessing the causes of runway safety problems and taking the steps needed to address those problems,” the Government Accountability Office said.
Link: Chicago Tribune
ALLEGED RACIAL PROFILING OCCURS AT AIRPORT - MSNBC
King Downing, the national coordinator of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Campaign Against Racial Profiling, alleges that he was a victim of profiling by police at Logan International Airport in Boston. He went to federal court and challenged a screening technique that targets “suspicious behavior patterns.” Downing was stopped “for no apparent reasons other than his appearance,” said Peter Krupp, one of his attorneys. Downing, who is black and wears a short beard, was stopped by a state trooper and asked to show identification. He declined, and was soon surrounded by four state troopers.
Link: MSNBC
BAGGAGE HANDLER CONFESSIONS – AOL Travel
Whether you use cheap or expensive luggage, it normally is treated equally. Most of the time, baggage is handled mechanically by computers and robots. You may have some hope when you adhere a “Fragile” sticker to your bags, but some baggage handlers won’t respect this alert—and some even may treat your bags worse.
Link: AOL Travel
PROTESTS OVER SMOKING BAN IN FRENCH CAFÉS – San Jose Mercury News
A smoking ban commencing January 1, 2008 for French cafés caused nearly 10,000 people—mostly tobacco sellers—to march through the city streets. The protestors wore Day-Glo vests and marched from Montparnasse train station to the National Assembly to the anti-smoking measure. They want to modify the ban so that smoking rooms with ventilation can be set up in the establishments.
Link: San Jose Mercury News
BABY POWDER PREVENTS EARTHQUAKES? – Lohdown.org
U.S. Geological Survey scientists recently drilled for core samples from the San Andreas Fault, which is 90 miles long. Near Monterey, California, the fault gently creeps at about one inch each year, but it does not unleash any major earthquakes—like the violent ones that occur in the northern and southern parts. About two miles down, scientists discovered the mineral talc. Made of magnesium, silicon and oxygen, talc is the softest mineral, and it acts as lubrication along the tectonic plates.
Link: Lohdown.org
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