Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Minnesota TSA agent snapped Native American woman’s braids, said ‘giddyup!’

A TSA agent whipped the braids of a Native American woman and yelled “Giddyup” during a security check at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to the woman and the federal Transportation Security Administration. “Going through @TSA at @mspairport, the agent said she needed to pat down my braids. She pulled them behind my shoulders, laughed & said ‘giddyup!’ as she snapped my braids like reins,” the woman wrote on Twitter. “When I informed the middle-aged blonde woman who had casually used her authority to dehumanize and disrespect me, she said ‘Well it was just in fun, I’m sorry. Your hair is lovely.’ <— that is NOT an apology and it is NOT okay”, she added. “My hair is part of my spirit. I am a Native woman. I am angry, humiliated. Your ‘fun’ hurt.” The TSA’s federal security director in Minnesota, confirmed in an email sent to TSA employees at the airport that the incident happened. The Director reached out to the woman and apologized. He said their conversation was pleasant and the woman said she didn’t want the employee to be disciplined, but that “she is hoping we’ll take the chance to continue to educate our staff about the many Native American Tribes/Bands in our state and region to better understand their culture.” He said she told him she was “surprised” by the situation, because she often travels for speaking engagements and TSA agents in Minnesota have always been “good at being respectful and recognizing sacred/religious items, Tribal IDs, etc.” (NBC News)

Disney dropping the ‘Fox’ from movie studio names

Disney is dropping the word “Fox” from the movie studios it acquired as part of last year’s $71 billion purchase of Fox’s entertainment business. Disney will still run them as separate studios within the company. 20th Century Fox will become 20th Century Studios, while Fox Searchlight Pictures will be Searchlight Pictures. The studios’ logos are largely unchanged except for the removal of the Fox name. The Fox name created brand confusion with Disney because Fox News and the Fox broadcast network are owned by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp., while the movie studios now belong to Disney. A decision has yet to be made on Disney’s Fox television production businesses, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studio. (Variety)

Woman says school district required her to pay $600 to see video of daughter being bullied on bus

A Texas woman who says her 5-year-old child was physically attacked on a school bus had to pay the school district to see the evidence. The mother said that her daughter complained about other students hurting her on the 45-minute bus ride home November 11th. The bus carries students from other schools, including older students. She followed up with the Dallas Independent School District. She was given a verbal account of the bullying incident, but was told that she’d have to pay $600 to have the surveillance video from the school bus redacted. In the video that she paid for, the woman’s daughter is seen being attacked by up to three older students. The girl is pushed, grabbed and put in a choke-hold by the other students. The girl calls out to the bus driver for assistance but is ignored, according to the video that she viewed. A Dallas Independent School District spokesperson claimed that the students involved in the bullying incident were disciplined and that the bus driver was moved to another route. However, the mother doesn’t feel that the school district did enough to address the incident. She wants the bus driver fired. She also wants the school district to overhaul its bullying policy. She said her daughter no longer rides the school bus. (WFAA)

Passenger takes over airport monitor, plays video game while waiting for flight

A passenger waiting for a flight at an Oregon airport needed a bit more screen space for his video game, which appears to be “Apex Legends,” so he plugged his Playstation 4 into a computer screen that had been displaying a map of the airport. A spokeswoman for the Port of Portland said that Portland International Airport staff asked the man to stop gaming on the public map display. He asked if he could finish his game. They said no, and the situation was resolved peacefully. “Apparently it was a very polite and cordial interaction,” the spokeswoman said, calling it “a good reminder of what not to do at the airport.” No word on whether the passenger made it to the next level. (US News)

Cows talk to each other, including about food, shocking new study says

The study notes that Holstein-Fresian heifer cattle are able to communicate with one another, using their own distinct moos. The researchers took 333 samples of cow vocalizations and analyzed them using acoustic analysis programs. They discovered the cows are able to give cues in certain situations and express different emotions, including excitement, arousal, engagement and distress. Positive signs were seen when the females were in heat and when there was anticipation of being fed. Negative contexts were spotted when they were denied access to food and during “physical and visual isolation from the rest of the herd.” Previous research had revealed cows and their calves are able to communicate by keeping individuality in their lowing (the vocal sounds made by cattle), but Green’s research indicates that the individuality is kept throughout their entire lives and spread across the herd. Researchers hopes that the research will be used by farmers and integrated into their routines to better understand their animals and improve their well being. (University of Sydney)

Male bonding may be partly responsible for pay discrepancies between men and women, says a new analysis

A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper suggests that the “male-to-male” advantage in promotions could be responsible for 39% of the gender pay gap, based on an examination of a multinational Asian bank. Male employees assigned to male managers were promoted faster than men assigned to female managers or women assigned to either gender manager, despite no observable difference in revenues or time worked, the report found. (UCLA Anderson Review)

Unlimited time off will burn you out

“Unlimited time off” may sound really nice, but it could lead you to work more. The amount of time employees can take off still depends on their workloads, managers and company culture. That’s why the practice may actually result in people taking fewer holidays. Instead, some companies have switched to “minimum leave” policies to prevent burnout. (BBC Worklife)

A Michigan man found more than $43,000 in a couch he bought at a thrift store and returned the cash to the family that donated the furniture

He sat on the couch he bought in December from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Owosso, Michigan, and realized it was uncomfortable. His daughter decided to look inside it and discovered $43,170 worth of cash in the ottoman cushion. He admitted that his house needs a new roof and could use the cash, but he felt a moral obligation to return it. So he reached out to the store to find out who donated the furniture. The couch originally belonged to a woman’s grandfather , who died last year. He met with the donator and gave her back all the money. “I always thought, ‘What would I do if that ever happened?’ And now I know, and it makes me feel good,” he said. (WNEM)

Teacher suing Delta for jet fuel dump says she worries about the health of her students

Four teachers from a California elementary school that was doused by fuel dumped from a Delta Air Lines plane making an emergency landing are suing the airline, alleging negligence, famed attorney Gloria Allred said. Two of the teachers told reporters about having to make trips to the emergency room or urgent care because the fuel got in their mouths and noses. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges pilots for Flight 89 failed to notify air traffic control they were going to dump fuel. The claim alleges the teachers at Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy, California suffered physical harm and severe emotional distress. “I’m scared of what can happen to my health, the health of my students, my friends and my colleagues,” said a teacher who has worked at the school for 21 years and, like the others, asked not to be identified. The lawsuit asks for damages “in an amount according to proof at trial.” Flight 89 was headed from Los Angeles to Shanghai last Tuesday (1/14) when it experienced an engine problem shortly after takeoff. On its return to Los Angeles International Airport, it dumped its fuel. Fire crews treated 60 people after the fuel fell over five elementary schools and one high school, said inspector Sean Ferguson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Some of the teachers suing Delta said they were concerned with taking care of their students first that day and went to the emergency room on their own later or the next day. The fumes were stifling, one teacher with 13 years’ experience said. The children were screaming and crying because their eyes and skin were burning, she added. She said the fuel falling felt like a drizzle and her students had looked up to see whether it was raining. The teacher said she and the others were having eye, nose and respiratory trouble. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident, the Delta pilots did not ask for approval to release the fuel. A pilot told an air traffic controller there was a problem with an engine shortly after takeoff, and though it was under control, he wanted to return to the airport. “Had the Delta pilot notified air traffic personnel of the need to dump fuel, the flight would have been directed to a location and altitude from which fuel could be released without danger to the plaintiffs and others,” the lawsuit says. The teachers contend the fuel, dropped at what they say was 2,000 feet, did not have time to dissipate. Further, the lawsuit claims, Delta failed to adequately train or supervise the flight personnel in regard to safe ways to dump fuel in emergencies. Air crews will typically notify air traffic control of an emergency and indicate they need to dump fuel, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Air traffic controllers direct the plane to the appropriate fuel-dumping area. (CBS News)

Woman arrested after ‘test-driving’ car for two months

A Michigan woman pulled over driving an unregistered vehicle told police she was on a test drive with it — for the past two months. The 32-year-old woman was pulled over after an officer noticed her license plate was just a yellow registration tab. Police said the officer asked why the vehicle was not registered and she replied that she was test-driving it. The officer then asked how long she had been trying out the vehicle and she said, “about two months.” The driver’s license had been suspended nine times. She had two convictions for driving with a suspended license in the last seven years. She also had multiple warrants. She was arrested and charged with driving with a license suspended as a repeat offender and driving an unregistered vehicle. (News-Herald)

Teen pushing for Super Bowl Sunday to be moved to Saturday

A 16-year-old High School student wants to do away with Super Bowl Sunday and he’s asking for your support. He’s actually thinking of others who actually love football. In fact, a video of him running for a touchdown playing for the Avon modified team in 7th grade went viral. He loves the game, and he loves watching the Super Bowl. But he’d rather watch the game on Saturday because he is concerned about the people who have to work the next day. He is hoping the Change.org petition he started will get the attention of the NFL. It already got the attention of his High School Principal, who signed the petition. He hopes to get “tons and millions” of signatures. Similar efforts in the past have been unsuccessful, largely because the NFL believes TV ratings and revenue will be stronger by keeping its big game on Sundays. However, the teen’s dad is still proud of his son and his High School Athletic Director says he’s not surprised the teen is taking this on,adding that “he comes with a creative idea and he takes that energy and finds a way to make it happen.” The teen knows he’s taken on a hard, uphill battle, but he’s hopeful. FYI: If you want to sign onto the petition, you can find it here. (WHAM)

Wednesday Squeaks By With:

• Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day
• Library Shelfie Day (4th Wednesday)
• Roe vs. Wade Day