The USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently published these two documents (Dec 2011) and I thought some of you might find it useful.

NHTSA – National Dist. Driving Telephone Survey – Tt407

NHTSA – Driver Electronic Device Use in 2010 – 811517

(Source: via Reddit)

The owner of a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport decided to get creative when his vehicle got stolen from his work parking lot and put together this awesome poster and placed it around the town. Thanks to fellow redditor hottest_man_alive, we now got to see this on the web.. Hope the owner gets his truck back soon! I like the message at the bottom right hand corner “Really? At Christmas Time? Not Cool Man, Not Cool.”   Whoever that Grinch is, please return this man’s Cherokee. Oh, the sweet irony is the license plate – OHHSNAP!

Image Courtesy: via Reddit

(Source: Reddit via YouTube)

Gotta love the Japanese Hooligans fans for their incredible politeness. Amazing how well behaved and orderly they are even celebrating their national’ team’s success on a global stage. Hmmm.. if only the Canadians, Americans and British behaved like this!!!

Seen below is an old video clip from June 201o that surfaced again on Reddit.  Shot in Tokyo during the early morning hours (video owner says 6AM)  on June 24, the Japanese soccer fans went crazy after their national team won a soccer game against Denmark during the 2010 World Cup.  They poured into the streets,  jumping around with unbridled excitement in the middle of a street.  But wait! Why are they retreat to the sidewalk from the middle of the street every few minutes? Every time the traffic light turned green for cars, they politely went back to the sidewalk, but once the traffic light turned red, they made a run for the middle of the road crossing.  I’m yet to see such a euphoric celebration by the Japanese folk in person.  Would be a sight to behold!

Note: I spotted a fan holding a beer bottle in this video.  Drinking at 6AM? Damn, son! What the heck.. It is after all a Friday and your national team has earned a glorious win in a World Cup soccer game.  Celebrate the heck out! Oh, anyone notice how friendly the traffic policemen were interacting with the fans. That would be unimaginable sight in the continental United States.

(Source: Reddit)

This is not just another episode of racist English woman spewing nasty words in a public transit system caught on camera.. This one features an interesting twist.. Yes! A loud potty mouth riding a bus in London on Tuesday night starts abusing her fellow passenger calling him racial slurs. The situation quickly escalates into a physical altercation. Too bad she underestimated her opponent before putting her hands on him, which swiftly earns her a good beating. Apart from the self-humiliation she inflicted on herself, she gets thrown out of the bus as the melee ends.  As usual, the funny Redditors have made some awesome comments.Recommend reading them for a good laugh.

FYI – The video upload date reveals that it is an older incident (June 2011) but somehow found its way to the limelight after living in the dark depths of YouTube.

Here is an earlier article that discussed the issue of racist rants caught in public:

Are Britain’s Public Transit Systems Fast Becoming Social/Cultural Flash Points For Racists?

(Source: YouTube via Reddit)

Some poor bloke on ScotRail gets into an argument with the Ticket checker after getting caught for riding free on the train and doesn’t heed the call to get off the train. Repeatedly. Boom! There comes a fellow-rider who didn’t bat an eye and proceeds to gets involved.. What unfolded next can only be described as the “Scottish treatment” ..

(Source: Ridus)

Courtesy of Google Translate, I managed to learn from Ridus.ru this innovative design is deployed at “Tsarina” station on Moscow subway. As pointed out on Ridus, this triangular metal structure, apart from being effective in stopping fare jumpers, is a hassle for riders moving through the gates with luggage.  It will be nice to know the before vs. after comparisions to find out how effective these systems are in stopping the fare gate violations.

Image Courtesy: Ridus.ru

Image Courtesy: Ridus

(Source: Jalopnik)

Aahh.. The highway hackers have struck again.  This time in a suburban Washington, DC neighborhood and they hit (a private sign and not one owned by the local government) with a funnier & slightly smutty message.  The hackers tweaked the portable VMS (for the uninitiated VMS = Variable Message Sign) signage and made it read: “Honk if you are wearing a thong”.   The local FOX news reporter covering the scene reported hearing a lot of honking.  Hmmm.. The not so enthused county officials have reportedly shut down the sign.  LOL. You can check out the signage for yourself in the video below  (H/T to Jalopnik for the awesome scoop).

 Hacked Road Sign Prompts Underwear Disclosure About Thongs: MyFoxDC.com

(Source: Times of India)

If you crib about American politicians breaking the rule of law, you have to meet Mr. Najot Sidhu, a colorful politician in India and a current Member of Parliament. He was also one of the celebrated cricketers from a decade ago.  Though he has been involved in a series of egregious violations over his colorful career, he somehow managed to get away. Until now.  But what he did today deserves serious jail punishment.  Let’s see what he did.

Today, Mr. Sidhu kidnapped a security guard at a Toll Plaza! Yep.  You heard me right.  According to reports seen on leading Indian newspaper Times of India, it all began when the guard, Chenchu Ramaiah, allegedly hurled a stick at Sidhu’s car which whizzed past the Venkatachalam toll plaza at Tallampadu village in Doravarisatram mandal without showing any ID proof or payment of toll fee. This led to a crack in the windshield. An enraged Sidhu came back to the plaza, overpowered Ramaiah and another guard and bundled them into his vehicle.  If that is not enough, Mr. Sidhu and his entourage drove to a meeting with the two kidnapped toll plaza staff. Local police who were alerted about the situation, intervened and tried to pacify the politician. Click here to read the entire article.

Wait a minute!  Did I hear the word pacify? Is this how police in India are now expected to treat a kidnapper?  Isn’t the role of police to arrest such offenders and take them to court? I may be wrong here but I see the actions of Mr. Sidhu are plain breach of law and it can be summarized as a kidnapping and he should be dealt with accordingly.  Would the police be “pacifying” a kidnapper had the roles been reversed here – i.e., if the toll plaza guards kidnapped Sidhu and drove him away, and held him against his will for a couple of hours? Would the police be treating the Toll Plaza guards the same way they did with Mr. Sidhu?  Arrest his ass and throw him in JAIL! Let him stand in-front of a judge and explain his actions (oh, also don’t forget to prosecute the guards for damaging the vehicle too). If I’m a multinational firm interested in investing in India’s infrastructure such a situation would make me think twice. Incidents of this kind simply undermine investor confidence and erode any faith in the rule of law for citizens and foreigners alike.

For one, this is not what people expect from their elected leadership.  India’s Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and the opposition party leader (BJP party, to which Mr. Sidhu belongs), should come out strongly and condemn this action publicly If anything, reprimand Mr. Sidhu for his actions and set an example.  What’s more appalling are the actions of his party man, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, who is another prominent opposition politician.  Mr. Naidu, knowing all well what Sidhu did, intervened to broker peace between the police and Mr. Sidhu instead of letting the police carry out their duty.  Press reports say that Mr. Naidu requested the police not to register case against anyone, including Mr. Sidhu.  Whattt!  Mr. Naidu should apologize to the people of his state for his actions and offer all assistance to the police to investigate this case.  That is the least these politicians and government officials can do to show the citizens of India that the law is the same for everyone – be it a minister or a commoner on the street. Anyone who breaches the law should/will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.  Failure to prosecute Mr. Sidhu would only reinforce the current sentiment among the public – if an offender is powerful or a wealthy politician he can get away with anything.

Note to Sidhu: Mr. Sidhu, you are not definitely the type of leader that India deserves.  Your actions are shameful and your theatrics are even more offensive.  Stop behaving like a petulant child and behave like a political leader that people want.  After all, there are many young kids who grow up aspiring to be you and I hope you don’t lead them astray with such questionable behavior. Next time you approach a toll plaza, make sure to slow down and pay your toll. I’m positive the Indian taxpayers are paying you a handsome salary for your services as a Member of Parliament and you can definitely afford to pay a couple of hundred rupees for a service that everyone else pays.  If you do not like slowing down or paying tolls, try catching a bus or even better a train. Oh, and above all don’t forget to render an apology to the poor workers at the Toll Plaza who toil in the baking hot weather all day long just to make ends meet.

Note to the Toll Plaza operators: For crying out loud, install barricades or some other measures to prevent such toll booth violations. If anything, use electronic surveillance equipment to capture the offenders and collect the money electronically.  But don’t encourage your staff to throw a stick or a stone at a fast moving vehicle. It’s not only dangerous to the occupants of the vehicle but can also result in such situations where the offenders can get into a quarrel with the enforcers. Work with the police to resolve such violations and please do not encourage your staff to take matters in their own hands.

(Source: CBS 60 Minutes)

Came across this below story that aired on CBS this past Sunday (Nov 27) and felt compelled to share it with my readers.

Click here to read the entire story.

Editor’s Note: Shame on us, as a society, for letting these Americans and their kids live this way.  After watching this gut wrenching video, no amount of explanation is going to convince an American with a conscience. What did these poor kids do to deserve this way of life? Maybe their parents did not make the best of choices or handle their finances smartly but that does not justify such a punishing life. It is UNAMERICAN and we cannot raise our next generation this way. While our political system in Washington is grinding itself into a shameless existence, we are once again left to fend for ourselves.  I sincerely hope this documentary kicks off a national dialogue where we work together a nation towards solving this huge mess. SHAME ON US!  A note of thanks to CBS 60 Minutes producers for bringing this compelling story to the nation’s attention. Kudos to the 60 minutes team for the great commentary (an incredible social service in its own merit).

(Source: Huffington Post)