newsonaut
Turning inner space into outer space
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Hello? Texting while driving is hazardous to your health
The letter to the editor calling for tougher laws against people who text while driving is right on.
My theory is that when you’re texting or talking on a cellphone, your brain is reacting to the conversation rather than what’s going on around you. Try this: next time you’re on the phone (anywhere — not just in the car), try to be aware of your surroundings. Chances are that it will take an effort, because for the most part our phone conversations consume us. The rest of the world is blotted out.
In fact, you might find that your actions while on the phone are directly related to what you’re saying. I was once a passenger in a car being driven on the Coquihalla highway, while the driver was having an animated chat on his cellphone. The louder he spoke, the faster he drove. When the talk became disjointed, he started swerving. In other words, it was the phone that was in the driver’s seat.
This is, of course, exactly the opposite of what should be happening in a car. You are, after all, in the care and control of two tonnes of metal. But will tougher laws change people’s habits? I say yes. The law is routinely ignored because people figure it’s too hard for police to catch them, and because they figure they’ll get away with a slap on the wrist on the off chance they do get caught.
This is the same attitude that used to prevail among drunk drivers. It’s sad but true, but only by cranking up the penalties have we been able to get people’s attention.
More posts in the Crime category
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Drug lords? Yes, even here in River City
It must have been scary for a Kamloops-based helicopter firm to find out that two helicopters he leased might be owned by a Mexican drug lord. The owner denies any connection, and I have no reason not to believe him. But here’s something that bears repeating: you don’t have to lease helicopters to link up with Mexican drug lords.
Anyone who buys illegal drugs is likely connected to drug lords of one kind or another. You might think you’re just buying from some local guy growing pot on the sly, but it’s improbable that anyone can sell illegal drugs in isolation. That guy could easily get a visit from an area gang member demanding money in return for being allowed to continue his operation. And that money would likely go up the food chain to help finance riskier and more violent operations, which are, of course, orchestrated by the the people who run the gangs — a.k.a. drug lords.
It’s something to think about.
More posts in the Crime category
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Forced to live in fear
There’s no doubt police acted correctly when they suspected equipment found downtown was a bomb — evacuation was the safe and reasonable thing to do. What’s interesting, though, is that they suspected a bomb at all.
The reason I say this is because the police live in the same society as the rest of us, one in which we’ve become much more frightened. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t hear about a bomb going off in Iraq or Afghanistan. It happens less frequently outside of these war zones, but it’s not unheard of. Stockholm, for example, recently suffered a bomb attack. The perpetrator was apparently upset over Sweden’s role (as part of NATO) in Afghanistan. In some minds, NATO’s presence is an attack on Muslims, and they see terrorism as a way of fighting back.
Canada, of course, has been playing a major role in the fighting overseas, so it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that some individual or group would target a Canadian city as a sort of revenge. Would they pick on Kamloops? It seems unlikely. But who can say for sure. The airport here, after all, has strict security measures to guard against terrorism, so it certainly raises the possibility.
Even aside from terrorism, there is the possibility of homegrown violence. Police in Nanaimo are investigating a pipe bomb that exploded next to a home. The resident’s tires were also slashed, so it appears to have been a targeted attack. Or maybe it was just vandals picking on a random victim.
The point is that they used a bomb. Instructions for making one can easily be found on the Internet.
But let’s get back to Kamloops. In the good old days, I can imagine the police finding something similar downtown and simply placing it in storage so the rightful owner could eventually claim it. The idea of it being a bomb would not have entered their minds.
Unfortunately, the increase in violence as a way of solving real or perceived problems, or even as a form of entertainment, means we’re losing more and more of our innocence. If it could happen in Iraq or Stockholm or Nanaimo, it could happen here.
More posts in the Crime category
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The only explanation that makes sense
After you’ve wracked your brains trying to figure out why someone would steal a Christmas display, the thief himself provides the only logical explanation: ‘I was drunk and I got stupid.’
That’s what was written in a note along with the returned lights and reindeer wire-frames in Danny Watt’s yard. We can only assume the thief sobered up long enough to see the error of his ways.
Next time there’s a bizarre crime in Kamloops, we’ll have a ready answer — must have been a drunken idiot.
More posts in the Crime category
