🔗 Articles: Wednesday 31.Jul.2024


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NYT: Teenager Accused of Derailing Train and Posting Crash Video on YouTube

The teenager approached an investigator at the crash scene and asked what had happened, according to the affidavit. The investigator said the cause of the derailment had not been identified, to which the teenager replied, “Obviously, a switch was flipped the wrong way.”

The investigator also asked the teenager about railroad switches and the teenager was able to describe how they work.

A few days later, investigators reviewed security footage from the area and saw a person walking toward the railroad switch and out of view of the camera, according to the affidavit.

A few minutes later, the person can be seen “running and walking back” to a car. A security video taken from a different angle showed the same car, with the teenager seen parking the car and then setting up a tripod.


Guardian: Boeing names Robert ‘Kelly’ Ortberg as new president and CEO

Boeing has named the aerospace industry veteran Robert “Kelly” Ortberg as its new president and CEO as the struggling planemaker fights to repair its reputation and shore up its business.

A terrifying cabin panel blowout in January sparked the company’s biggest safety crisis since two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people.

Unveiling its new boss on Wednesday, Boeing posted a $1.4bn loss for the second quarter. It has spent months scrambling to reassure regulators, airlines and passengers.

Ortberg, 64, led the aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins before it became part of the aerospace and defence giant RTX. He will assume his duties on 8 August, Boeing said. He will replace Dave Calhoun, the current CEO, who announced he would step down earlier this year.


SdTv (YouTube): Graham Norton Show: 31.May.2019

Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Chris Helmsley (& Donald Trump)

The usual pleasant banter.


Verge: Arc’teryx’s new powered pants could make hikers feel 30 pounds lighter

Strength-boosting exoskeleton suits can help make jobs with physical labor feel less strenuous, but Arc’teryx has partnered with Skip, a spinoff of Google’s X Labs, to bring the technology to leisure time. The powered MO/GO pants feature a lightweight electric motor at the knee that can boost a hiker’s leg strength when going uphill while also absorbing the impact of steps during a descent.

The MO/GO (which is short for mountain goat) pants weigh around seven pounds with the power-boosting module and three-hour rechargeable batteries attached. That module snaps onto the hiker using a pair of carbon fiber braces for each leg hidden beneath a pair of Arc’teryx Gamma hiking pants to make the apparatus easy to get on and off.

It does take some time to get used to walking with an extra pair of mechanical muscles, according to Fast Company, which spent some time testing the MO/GO pants. For consumers who’d also rather test them first, Skip and Arc’teryx are offering eight-hour rentals of the exoskeleton on select trails in the Western US and Canada for $80.


NYT: Heavy Metals, Including Lead, Found in Many Dark Chocolate Products

New research published Wednesday found heavy metals in dark chocolate, the latest in a string of studies to raise concerns about toxins in cocoa products.

The researchers tested 72 dark chocolate bars, cocoa powders and nibs to see if they were contaminated with heavy metals in concentrations higher than those deemed safe by California’s Proposition 65, one of the nation’s strictest chemical regulations.

Among the products tested, 43 percent contained higher levels of lead than the law considers safe, and 35 percent had higher concentrations of cadmium. Both metals are considered toxic and have been associated with a range of health issues. The study did not name specific brands, but found that organic products were more likely to have higher concentrations. Products certified as “fair trade” did not have lower levels of heavy metals.

But on the whole, the levels were not so high that the average consumer should be concerned about eating dark chocolate in moderation, said Jacob Hands, the lead author on the paper and a medical student at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.


NYT: Opinion: The Mystery of JD Vance Is Unraveling

But, Nichols continued, “what makes Vance so awful is that he knows better. His intentional distancing from his earlier views shows that he is fully cognizant of what a gigantic fraud he’s become.”


TorStar: This homeowner ended his natural gas service. Months later, Enbridge charged him hundreds of dollars in surprise fees

After receiving the surprise bill, he called Enbridge to follow up. Dowsett said the company agent asked if he had specifically requested to “lock-off” his meter or have it removed when he closed his account.

Not only was this the first time he’d heard of either procedure, Dowsett said he was surprised that a customer would be expected to ask for such things unprompted when closing their account.

“The onus should be on Enbridge, not on the customer, to know the secret code that they need to say to get this done,” he said.

The agent then explained that Enbridge opened an account for his property because it still had a meter and no one had taken over the account.


TorStar: Blood glucose tool recalled over faulty measurement readings

Health Canada has issued a recall for some Accu-Chek Guide devices due to inaccurate blood glucose readings.

Certain units of the medical measurement device incorrectly display blood glucose levels, according to a safety alert from the federal organization.

Four lot and serial numbers associated with the medical device are affected by the recall and include lot number 406670, and serial numbers 93040301566, 93040300107 and 93040304746.

Consumers who have one of the faulty devices can contact Accu-Chek at 1-800-363-7949 or fill out an online form (https://www.accu-chek.ca/en/contact-us) to arrange for a replacement device.


Last Updated: 31.Jul.2024 23:58 EDT

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