Yearly Archives: 2011

Paramedic Steals Foot

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/mar/07/former-st-lucie-paramedic-who-took-foot-from-by/

FORT PIERCE — A former St. Lucie County Fire District firefighter-paramedic who took a man’s foot and part of his leg from an Interstate 95 crash scene in 2008 has been sued by the foot’s owner.

Cynthia “Cindy” Economou has admitted she took the foot belonging to Karl Lambert of Brevard County, who was seriously injured in the Sept. 19, 2008, accident; but she said she did so to help train her body recovery dog.

A lawsuit filed late last week for Lambert by Melbourne attorney Jack L. Platt says Economou’s act was “outrageous and went beyond the bounds of decency … was odious and utterly intolerable in a civilized society.”

At a sentencing hearing in May 2009, Economou said the foot was trapped in the wreckage, and she found it about an hour after Lambert was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.

“It was an unrecognizable mass of flesh,” she said. “It wasn’t a clean cut. You couldn’t even recognize it as a foot. … If I had thought it was somehow reattachable and usable, I would have gone to my commander.”

Asked at the same hearing if the leg could have been reattached, Lambert said, “We’ll never know.” The lawsuit states Economou “removed the leg rather than delivering it to the hospital where it could have been reattached.”

The lawsuit also names the St. Lucie County Fire District as a defendant, claiming the district was “vicariously liable for any and all actions” by Economou.

Economou, who left her fire district job soon after the incident, pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree petit theft. County Judge Philip Yacucci sentenced her to six months probation and withheld adjudication, meaning Economou was not formally convicted of the crime; but if she violates terms of her probation, she could be adjudicated guilty.

“I never meant any malice,” Economou said at the sentencing hearing. “I never meant to cause (Lambert) any pain.”

Economou was named the district’s firefighter of the year in 2007 and is the founder of Fully Involved Farms, which trains physically, emotionally and mentally challenged residents how to ride horses and compete in equestrian events at the Special Olympics.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and has been assigned to Circuit Judge Dwight Geiger.

Catherine Chaney, spokeswoman for the fire district, declined comment, citing policy not to discuss pending litigation.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/mar/07/former-st-lucie-paramedic-who-took-foot-from-by/

Volkswagen’s North American Growth Plan: Mediocrity

Background

For decades, the only real mass-market players in the US were Honda, Toyota, GM, Ford, and Chrysler, with an honorable mention going to Nissan. The Germans successfully stuck to the high end of the market with BMW and Mercedes-Benz and remain America’s top two selling luxury car brands, dethroning Cadillac and Lexus.

[No one cares about Lincoln.]

Among all car brands available in America, Volkswagen has only 2% of the US market and has remained there for most of the last decade.

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Compare that to Hyundai coming out of nowhere at 9% for 2011 and its easy to see how Volkswagen is shocked and worried by the Korean invasion. Surprisingly well-made and attractively designed cars like the 2011 Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata offer 268hp and luxurious interiors for less than $26,000.

The 2010 Volkswagen Passat cost $30,000 and came with a 200hp 4-cylinder engine, questionable reliability, and a less spacious interior.

Look at this comparison between the Accord and Passat from last year and the difference is quite clear:
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Both vehicles have leather, automatic transmissions, 4-cylinder engines, navigation, and 31 mpg highway fuel economy. One has proven dependability, more room, and a lower sticker price (Accord).

Volkswagen reentered the minivan category too late, and with nothing suitable for North America, VW partnered with Chrysler to build the 2009 Routan. Routan was a rebadged Grand Caravan with a mildly improved interior and the glaring absence of Chrysler’s highly regarded convenience features like Stow-and-Go and Swivel-and-Go seating. The Routan was still powered by Chrysler’s 4.0L V6 and looked identical to the Chrysler van except for the headlights, grille, hood, and fenders. It also cost $1000 more.

It was missing important features and it cost more money. Gosh, I wonder why nobody bought one?

As a result, Routans piled up on dealer lots. Here’s some pictures from Dean Team Volkswagen in St Louis. where brand new Routans were stuffed under some trees in the back of the used car lot:

Then there was the Volkswagen Phaeton, a stunning $100,000 luxury sedan with absolutely no reason to exist, competing with Mercedes-Benz and Bentley on the upper echelon of high-end cars.

I imagine the sales pitch going something like this:
“Oh, you might enjoy this $30,000 Passat, but you can also step up to the Phaeton for only a hundred grand…”

Quality and reliability issues certainly didn’t help, with Volkswagen repeatedly pegging the bottom of JD Power’s dependability study:

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VW’s North American head, Stefan Jacoby, had big plans in 2007, intending to sell 600,000 vehicles per year in the United States by making Volkswagen appeal to mainstream Americans. Obviously, Volkswagen fell hundreds of thousands of vehicles short of that goal with its peak sales year in 2001 at 355,000 units. By 2009, sales were down to 213,000 and market share was dwindling away.

Stefan Jacoby is gone, now working for Volvo.

What now?

Despite all of this, Volkswagen rose to prominence as the world’s largest automaker by volume, with a brand portfolio that includes Porsche, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Seat, and Skoda. Most of its success has been in Europe, with only 4% of sales volume from North America.

Here in the states, VW is tired of being a niche with big plans for growth, including price reductions to position its products directly at Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Chevy, and Ford.

The new Passat is a whopping $8000 cheaper than the outgoing model, and with its cheap new interior, it certainly shows.

The new Jetta drops its price by nearly two grand and loses its upscale interior in the process, with cheap new furniture that looks more suitable in a Corolla. The Jetta also loses its independent rear suspension, replaced with a rear torsion beam that makes an ox cart look sophisticated. Entry-level models suffer with drum brakes — drum brakes!

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Styling could be summed up as inoffensive, again aiming squarely at the miserably bland top-selling Toyota Corolla.

It seems like Volkswagen’s master plan for conquering America is to abandon its niche and offer cheaply built, uninteresting mass-market cars at a reduced price.

Unfortunately for VW, The Koreans are already five steps ahead, building high-quality, desirable vehicles for the cost of a shoe shine. Even GM and Ford have stepped up with the new Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus, and Ford Fusion.

At this rate, Das Auto is doomed to failure.

Florida toll operators detain motorists for using $20 bills

http://www.wtsp.com/news/mostpop/story.aspx?storyid=178322&provider=top

There’s an ongoing joke on the internet — if a headline involves depravity or insanity, its comes from either Germany or Florida. This one comes from The Sunshine State.

The Florida Department of Transportation has instructed toll booth operators to detain motorists paying for tolls with bills larger than $10.

“Tampa, Florida — Meet Joel Chandler, who just paid his $1.00 toll on the Polk Parkway with a $100 bill, he is not allowed to leave unless he provides personal info to the toll taker. The toll taker tells Chandler this is what happens when they get large bills. She says this is what they have to do.Chandler says to the toll taker, “So I’m being detained?” She says yes sir.”

Supposedly, this is to go after counterfeiters which have cost FLDOT $16,000.

The cost to pursue this? $32,000.

“The department also says in e-mails, the program will help law enforcement catch counterfeiters.However, as Chandler discovered, in the 885 times the D.O.T. claims it received counterfeit money, not one time was it referred to any law enforcement agency of any description.”

I’ve always believed that too much sunshine tends to bake people’s brains. Good job, Florida.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/mostpop/story.aspx?storyid=178322&provider=top

TSA searching Amtrak passengers

Reposted from Trains Magazine

Newswire: Amtrak vs. TSA – Forums – Trains Magazine

WASHINGTON — In late February, the Transportation Security Administration took over the Amtrak station in Savannah, Ga., and thoroughly searched every person who entered. None of the passengers got into trouble, but the TSA certainly did — big time.

Amtrak Police Chief John O’Connor said he first thought a blog posting about the incident was a joke. When he discovered that the TSA’s VIPR team did at least some of what the blog said, he was livid. He ordered the VIPR teams off Amtrak property, at least until a firm agreement can be drawn up to prevent the TSA from taking actions that the chief said were illegal and clearly contrary to Amtrak policy.

“When I saw it, I didn’t believe it was real,” O’Connor said. When it developed that the posting on an anti-TSA blog was not a joke, “I hit the ceiling.”

Video of the screening is available at: www.liveleak.com.

O’Connor said the TSA VIPR teams have no right to do more than what Amtrak police do occasionally, which has produced few if any protests and which O’Connor said is clearly within the law and the Constitution. More than a thousand times, Amtrak teams (sometimes including VIPR) have performed security screenings at Amtrak stations. These screenings are only occasional and random, and inspect the bags of only about one in 10 passengers. There is no wanding of passengers and no sterile area. O’Connor said the TSA violated every one of these rules.

A posting in late February to the Transportation Security Administration’s blog, which serves as a public relations tool of the TSA, tried to explain why TSA agents took over the Amtrak station in Savannah. But O’Connor said the “facts” as posted on the TSA blog were incorrect. He said the blog indicated that Amtrak had approved of the operation, but it had not. He called the TSA’s posting on blog.tsa.gov “inaccurate and insensitive.” As of the time this story was filed, the same posting remained on the blog.

A TSA spokesman said he could not elaborate on the blog posting.

O’Connor said he must take some of the blame because he did not more carefully observe what the VIPR teams were doing. He said the TSA had apologized repeatedly to him, but they must agree to firm restrictions before he will consider allowing them back on Amtrak property.

The search was first revealed on the blog gizmodo.com.

However, that blog got it at least half wrong. The TSA did not, as the blog said, funnel people who arrived by train into the station for a search. Instead, the TSA took over the station and posted notes outside saying that anyone who entered would be “subject to mandatory screening.” Those who know the Savannah station realize that it generally is not necessary for anyone arriving or departing by train to go into the station. It is much easier to park the car or be dropped off near the platform.

Therefore, why was the TSA searching only anyone entering the station? It might even be easier to explain why they might have searched everyone. For instance, such questions as, did they have a tip someone was carrying a small atomic bomb? In the end, it is not even possible to discern a reason for what they actually did. Why search only people unfortunate enough to need to enter the station – people who needed to buy tickets, an elderly person who was dropped off and needed a place to sit while waiting, a mom whose infant badly needed a diaper change?

The group involved is TSA’s VIPR operation, which deals with surface transportation. VIPR is short for “visible intermodal protection and response.” It turns out that VIPR has been far more active than imagined. Teams have searched bus passengers all over the country, have done similar things at train stations, and have even blocked traffic on bridges to search trucks and cars. That even included the busy Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Washington.

The VIPR teams were rolled out on Dec. 12, 2005, then promptly pulled back two days later when it turned out that no one had informed numerous local governments. It was a fiasco. Several local jurisdictions said they had no interest and opted out, including the Washington Metro system. But teams, moving slowly, have apparently re-infiltrated surface transportation facilities. Unlike the TSA at airports, these teams have access to firepower. Although the TSA is not allowed to carry weapons, some armed Federal Air Marshals have been switched to ground duty.

One major unanswered question is: why? What purpose is being served other than to justify employment? You will certainly hear more about this in Trains.

References:

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/188504/2059127.aspx

http://trn.trains.com/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/03/Amtrak%20police%20chief%20bars%20Transportation%20Security%20Administration%20from%20some%20security%20operations.aspx

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/03/02/docs-reveal-tsa-plan-to-body-scan-pedestrians-train-passengers/

One outstanding car commercial


Fast Tube by Casper

There’s even the bold insinuation that if you drive a Saab off a cliff, you’ll sprout wings and take flight, and your turbo-4 magically turns into a jet engine. Noteworthy are the absence of music as well as the massive understeer.

Mercedes-Benz gets an honorable mention for mocking fine print:


Fast Tube by Casper

Anna Faris and her FJ Cruiser

You know Anna Faris from roles in films like Scary Movie and House Bunny, and television programs like Friends, King of the Hill, and Entourage. She pushes the envelope of comedy by blending filthy slapstick with girl-next-door approachability. This mix of affability and talent placed her on Maxim’s Hot 100 list in 2004, 2009, and 2010 and earned comparisons to Lucille Ball.

Honestly, I’m at a loss for what else to write about her. I admit, I’m only putting this article together as an excuse to look at pictures of her under the guise of productivity. Can you blame me?

Her vehicle of choice, the Toyota FJ Cruiser, combines practicality and capability with a bubbly retro look. The FJ Cruiser hit the market at an unfortunate time. Just a year after its appearance in 2007, gas prices soared to $4/gallon, putting a dent in the sales of focused off-road vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler, Nissan XTerra, and Hummer H3. The fuel crisis put and end to the entire Hummer brand.

The legendary Land Cruiser lends the FJ its suspension components as well as its global 4.0L 236hp/266lb-ft V6. To further satisfy purists, the FJ Cruiser is by every measure a real truck, built in Japan with durable body on frame construction and the ability to tow 5000lbs.

Automatic 4×4 FJs will see 21mpg on the highway, slightly better than the Wrangler Unlimited at 19mpg.

The FJ comes dressed in bright primary colors including Jeep-inspired bright blue and sunshine yellow with a retro-styled white roof that pays homage to the classic FJ40. Supposedly, the white roof on the original FJ kept them cooler; they did not have air conditioning. The FJ Cruiser’s eye-popping looks come with a major downside: terrible visibility. The C-pillar is big enough to cause a solar eclipse, and trying to park or change lanes is like driving with a blindfold on. The sharp-looking suicide doors are unfortunately too small to be useful.

Despite the FJ’s advantages on paper, especially in terms of price, power output, and fuel economy, the Wrangler Unlimited seems preferred among off-road enthusiasts for its maneuverability and tighter dimensions.

US sales peaked in 2007 at 55,000 units and slowed to a trickle with 11,000 in 2009. This caused widespread rumors of the FJ Cruiser’s discontinuation two years ago, with Toyota coming out and flatly denying it, explaining that the truck was intended as a specialty vehicle for a specific demographic, not the mainstream. Oil prices are on the rise again, and rumors of the FJ’s demise are once again in circulation.

Fortunately, Anna Faris will be around for a long, long time. She’s in a new movie, something about the 1980s, shoulder pads, and Topher Grace:


Fast Tube by Casper

GMC uses song about sadness to sell pickups

Collective Soul’s 1995 hit “World I Know” was used in GMC’s latest ad for the Sierra, “Commitment.” What GM may have failed to realize is that the song and its music video convey a sense of sadness. The song’s theme revolves around lost hope in a world of misery and selfishness. How that applies to a pickup truck, I do not know.


Fast Tube by Casper

On the plus side, the song’s uplifting strings and beautiful harmonies work well with the slow-motion footage of the Sierra doing man-type things.

I’ve been playing this song regularly since 8th grade, so the meaning and the images of the music video haven’t escaped me.


Fast Tube by Casper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7TLTjqUyog

First Time On Amtrak, Crossing the Country

From 2005

I make the trip from Missouri to Washington state quite frequently, usually a couple times each year. With my StudentAdvantage discount, Amtrak ended up being cheaper than flying or driving.

Its been a while since then, so I’ll recall what I can. I know it was winter or late fall. It was cool outside but warm enough to walk around outdoors without a jacket. I booked a route from St Louis to Chicago in business class ($14 extra) and then transferred to the Empire Builder from Chicago to Spokane, Washington.

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When I boarded in St Louis at “Amshack” (a crude little station underneath highway 40) I arrived an hour early. The station had me board on the earlier train, but the conductor checking tickets was displeased. I shrugged and told him they made me do it.

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Seated in business class, which included larger seats, free beverages, power outlets, and less annoying children.

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Brought a clip-style antenna for my satellite radio, the grey thing hanging on the side of the seat.

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I made sure to get a seat facing XM’s satellites located southwest.

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Not much to see in Illinois. At least I could doze off.

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South of Chicago

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Approaching Chicago

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Chicago’s union station combines Amtrak and local mass transit.

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Deboarded the train at Union Station and had five hours to kill, so I did a walking tour of Chicago.

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Sears Tower was nice and quiet. I was traveling during the work week.

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With my backpack and suitcase, I walked several miles around town.

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Sears Tower up close.

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A video on the Sears Tower being played in the lobby.

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Got to the top.

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A dreary day but the view was wide enough. If I recall correctly, the trip to the top was about $12.

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Union Station

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Got hungry and wandered around looking for food.

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I wanted to try something uniquely Chicago, so I walked into a place selling Italian beef. At the time, I had no idea what I was ordering, but I loved it.

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Slices of beef are placed on a dense roll which soaks up all the juices. Its really quite amazing.

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After several miles of walking, I sat down on my suitcase to rest my feet.

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I managed to kill over four hours just wandering around, looking at people, staring at buildings. I headed back to Union Station to catch my train to Washington.

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Its amazing how busy and active Union Station is compared to the glorified shed used for rail service in St Louis.

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On the platform approaching the Empire Builder.

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My seat. Seating on Amtrak isn’t assigned unless a tag overhead with the destination written on it designates that someone has claimed the seat. The black knob to the left allows a foot rest to pop up and the silver button reclines. Its surprisingly comfortable for sleeping. I feel badly for anyone who had to tolerate my snoring.

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Made sure to pick a seat on the left to get a southern XM signal as the train headed west.

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Souvenirs from the Sears Tower

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Well, the bathrooms were functional. Empire Builder has been updated since 2005 with power outlets at every seat and newer facilities.

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The snack bar was well stocked, though beer selection was limited.

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Sitting in the observation deck.

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Somewhere in North Dakota

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North Dakota

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Evening lighting. I slept well. At night, some people choose to bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor in the observation car.
I don’t recall how much more a sleeping room cost, but I remember it being not worth the expense — its priced to be a luxury, and it is.

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Lots of small towns along the route are served by Amtrak.

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Several mennonites boarded the train.

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Beer, a hot dog, and XM radio.

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Stanley ND
The train broke down quite a few times, leaving us stuck for 30 minutes to an hour while they worked on the problem. Fortunately, heating and plumbing worked fine during the breakdown.

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Watching some TV shows saved to the computer.

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The power situation was a bit of a pain. At this time, the Empire Builder didn’t yet have outlets at every seat, so people shared an outlet and surge protector located in the observation car. Lots of cell phones were piled up in one place.

I didn’t get any pictures of the dining car, but Empire Builder is the only Amtrak train in the country with a full kitchen staffed with chefs. They asked me what time I preferred to eat, and I went in and was seated across from two guys covered from top to bottom in tattoos. They were great company, clearly quite drunk. At one point the server asked them to tone down the language. I chuckled a bit.

I told them I was a student and asked them what they did for a living. They looked at each other for a moment and said “We’re in… production.” I said “Cool” and left it at that. One of them pulled out a wad of cash the size of a toilet paper roll and generously offered to pay for my meal.

Great conversation, excellent food. I ordered an omelette that was cooked perfectly and recall prices being quite reasonable, but the details escape me.

The Empire Builder passes through Glacier National Park, but this time it was during the evening. In the daylight, you get a spectacular view and a park volunteer announces the sights in the observation lounge.

Eventually I made it to Spokane where Bo and Tyler picked me up. I hadn’t bathed in 36 hours and felt a bit greasy.

Mazda Recall: Spiders

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/03/spider-infestation-recall-web-mazda6-mazda/1

I’m sure there’s a Zoom-Zoom joke in there somewhere. I’m actually a big fan of the Mazda 6. Of all the copycat sedans on the market, the 6 offers the most steering and chassis feedback, though this current generation got fatter and heavier to appeal to Camcordaltimabu buyers.

Under the heading of strangest recalls ever, Mazda today is weaving the most bizarre of all: 52,000 Mazda6 in the U.S. are being recalled because of possible spider webs. The fear is that they can lead to blockages that will eventually cause fuel tanks to leak.

The recall of 2009 and 2010 Mazda6s is due to “a certain type of spider” that “may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent line and this may cause a restriction in the line,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website. Another 13,000 of the cars sold in Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico are also being recalled.

Chris Bangle being a douchebag.


Fast Tube by Casper

Chris Bangle, the designer from Ohio who receives justified blame for destroying BMW’s handsome looks challenged Saab’s Jason Castriota in a design discussion at the Geneva Auto Show.

The Saab Phoenix is a teardrop-shaped concept, not intended to be a production car, that draws from Saab’s design heritage.

Specifically mentioned in the discussion is the 1945 Ursaab, an experimental design that influenced every Saab since.

Castriota explains to Bangle how the teardrop shape is classic Saab. Bangle asks how Saab can claim aerodynamics as its design language.

Bangle: “So you’re going to own that now. You’re going to own aero.”

Castriota:  “I think I’ve been doing it for a while, actually. Everybody needs a sign. You own the flame. Or the butt.”

I chuckled heartily.

Castriota worked for Pininfarina and designed the stunning Maserati Granturismo:

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