New Laser Device May Be A Drunk Driver's Worst Nightmare

Scientists in Poland may have come up with a powerful new deterrent to drunk driving. It's a laser-based device that can detect alcohol vapor--like that exhaled by someone who's been drinking--inside a car as it passes by.

The device works by detecting subtle changes in the laser beam as it passes through the alcohol vapor.
"We all are already familiar with laser instruments used by the police for speed-limit enforcement," Dr. Marco Gianinetto, a Polytechnic University of Milan researcher who has no connection to the Polish research, said in a written statement. "In the future, a similar technology may be developed to detect different chemical compounds, enabling the detection of drivers under the influence of other intoxicants."

When Will Texting And Driving Be As Taboo As Drunken Driving?

 

When it comes to texting and driving, the problem isn't a lack of awareness about the risk. Ninety-eight percent of people know that it's dangerous, yet three in four are offenders, according to a new survey that AT&T designed with Dr. David Greenfield, founder of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Texting while driving has been shown to be more dangerous than drunken driving, and it is the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S., according to a 2013 study. Greenfield talked with The Huffington Post about why people continue to text and drive, how they can make themselves stop, and what it will take for it to become as taboo as drinking and driving.

This study showed that nearly everyone knows texting while driving is dangerous, but most people do it anyway. Do people tend to think they are better at multitasking than everyone else?

11-year-old Brooklyn boy in drunk driving crash dies of injuries

Anthony Pollydore, 65, at Kings County Criminal Court, where he was ordered held without bail and his license was suspended after getting charged with aggravated vehicular assault and aggravated drunken driving with a child.

The 11-year-old Brooklyn boy who was hurt in a DWI accident has died, a prosecutor said Monday.

Little Dylan Perry succumbed to injuries suffered when his stepfather Anthony Pollydore, 65, crashed into a light post Sunday morning, authorities said.

Am I a Drug Addict or Just Really Fun? (VIDEO)

When I arrived in Los Angeles at 18, I had a strict "no drugs" policy. I was a product of a generation that had experienced fifth-grade D.A.R.E. and had been traumatized when Jessie Spano hat gotten addicted to caffeine pills on Saved by the Bell. No thanks, drugs! I will be taking care of my body and mind and simply drinking myself into a blackout.

However, when I got hired to work in a gay club as a go-go boy, I found that drugs were almost an integral aspect of the party scene. I caved and decided to just try them. At first it was innocent enough: a bump of cocaine before work, a harmless pill of E at an all-night rave, something called "Liquid X."

In episode 5 of Go-Go Boy Interrupted, Danny decides to clean up his act and get a real job (as a babysitter). However, the interview goes south when Danny's partying history catches up with him.

Detainees Protest at Australian Offshore Detention Center

Nauru, Australia

SYDNEY—
Rights groups say asylum seekers at an Australian-run detention center on the Pacific island of Nauru are continuing to protest against refugee policies. Activists say some inmates have sewn their lips together and drunk detergent, while one man reportedly cut his own throat in protest at Canberra’s plans to deny detainees resettlement visas in Australia.
Refugee campaigners say there is anger and dismay among asylum seekers detained on Nauru after Australia confirmed they would not be allowed to apply for Temporary Protection Visas, or TPVs.
The permits will only apply to asylum seekers currently held in immigration camps in Australia, or those who have been released on bridging visas into the community. Inmates in offshore processing centers on Nauru or Papua New Guinea will not be eligible.
Activists claim the ruling has triggered demonstrations on Nauru, with various cases of self-harm reported, including a young girl who has reportedly swallowed detergent, and a man who cut his own throat.  Others have apparently sewn their lips together.
Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition in Sydney, said tensions are high on Nauru.
“The mood is not good. I think you can only describe it as desperate and despairing.  So you have got protests that have been happening now for five days inside the detention center and amongst the people who have actually been released as refugees,” said Rintoul.
Minister for Immigration Scott Morrison has yet to respond publicly to allegations of self-harm on Nauru. It is standard government policy to refuse to divulge information about such incidents.
Canberra is seeking to reintroduce Temporary Protection Visas and is seeking support for its plans in the Australian parliament.
Critics say that TPVs will condemn asylum seekers, who mainly come from countries in South Asia and the Middle East, to an uncertain life in limbo.
But Morrison said the system will provide security for thousands of people.
“TPVs will be granted to for a maximum of three years and will provide access to Medicare, social security benefits and work rights as occurred under the Howard government. TPVs will provide refugees with stability and a chance to get on with their lives while at the same time guaranteeing that people smugglers do not have permanent protection visa product to sell to those who are travelling illegally to Australia,” said Morrison.
After three years, refugees must re-apply for the temporary visas, at which time officials will reassess the situation in their home countries before determining if they remain eligible for the program.
Last week, Canberra struck a multi-million deal with Cambodia to resettle refugees in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation. Other agreements have seen asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat transferred to offshore processing camps in the South Pacific.  Ministers say the policy is deterring other asylum seekers, while the military has also been brought in to turn refugee boats away from Australian waters.
Australia grants refugee visas to about 13,000 people annually under various international accords.

California Signs Sexual Consent Law

California Gov. Jerry Brown, speaking in this Sept. 4, 2014 during a gubernatorial debate in Sacramento, has signed a bill that makes California the first in the nation to define when "yes means yes." 
California has become the first U.S. state to adopt “yes means yes” rule that requires students on university campuses to have clear consent before engaging in sexual activity.
The law also prescribes requirements for colleges to follow in investigating sexual assault report.
Sunday, Governor Jerry Brown of California signed the bill, which advocates say it will change the understanding of students on what consent means.
UCLA student Savannah Badalich agrees, saying this is an "amazing" development.
“It is going to educate an entire new generation of students on what consent us and what consent is not ... that the absence of a 'no' is not a 'yes,'" she added.
But critics say the new law provides a broad, dangerous definition of sexual assault.
The bill stipulates silence or lack of resistance does not constitute consent. The rule further states that someone who is drunk, drugged, unconscious or asleep cannot grant consent.
States and universities across the United States are under pressure to better handle rape allegations.
President Obama launched a campaign last January to fight sexual assault, particularly on college and university campuses.
Some information was provided by AP, Reuters.

USA Swimming Suspends Phelps after Drunk Driving Arrest

FILE - United States' Michael Phelps swims in the men's 4 X 100-meter medley relay at the Aquatics Center in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The United States governing body for competitive swimming has banned Olympic superstar Michael Phelps from competing for six months after a drunk driving arrest.
Phelps, who has won the most Olympic medals in history, was pulled over in his hometown of Baltimore, in the eastern U.S. state of Maryland, last week, driving 135 kilometers per hour and crossing lanes inside a traffic tunnel.
USA Swimming says Phelps' actions are detrimental to the the sports' image, reputation and code of conduct.
He can still train with the team but cannot swim in any world events until March.
Phelps has apologized for his behavior and says he is seeking help.
This is the second time Phelps has been charged with driving while impaired. He was also banned from competition in 2009 when he was photographed smoking what appeared to be a marijuana pipe.
Phelps has won 22 Olympic swimming medals in the 2008 and 2012 games, including 18 golds - making him the most decorated athlete in modern Olympic history.
He has said he hopes to compete in the  2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

VOANews : 06 Oct 2014