(Source: CSPAN via Youtube)

It is amazing how passionate this man is.  While making a case for the Government to act swiftly, he took chastising the TSA to a new level for its latest nightmarish handling of the new security procedures. this easily qualifies as verbal beat down.  TSA has done a poor job handling this public backlash.  They ought to get a new PR/Social Media/Communications team to handle this boondoggle.  Poor Michael Chertoff – the former Secretary of the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS)  got a bad bruising in this verbal tirade.

Related articles

• Ron Paul Unleashes On TSA: “Enough Is Enough” (disquietreservations.blogspot.com)
• Ron Paul to Congress TSA: “Enough is Enough” (nyletterpress.wordpress.com)
• “Duncan Blasts TSA Pat-Downs, Body Scanners” and related posts (dprogram.net)
• Guest post: Washington’s “sweetheart” deals may have gone too far this time (bigbrotherwatch.org.uk)
• “VIDEO: Bombshell: Former Homeland Chief Got ‘Sweetheart Deal’ Selling Scanners To TSA” and related posts (theyeshivaworld.com)
• Ron Paul Introduces American Traveler Dignity Act, Encourages TSA Opt Out Day (fdlaction.firedoglake.com)
• TSA Administrator Acknowledges “Invasive” Pat-Downs, Screeners (news.firedoglake.com)
• When Rights Get Squeezed (online.wsj.com)
• Grope up: Enough is Enough edition (emergentchaos.com)
• California DA Vows to Prosecute Airport Screeners Who Touch Travelers Inappropriately (foxnews.com)

(Source: Washingtonexaminer.com; Slate.com)

After losing my mind reading/following all the mind-numbing accusations and chaos surrounding the issue of full body scanners/advance security pat down searches performed by TSA staff at airports, I was looking for something fun to read on this issue.  As if someone read my mind, The Washington Examiner had a piece, in fact a cartoon, that just captured the essence of the issue at hand.  Thank you, Nate Beeler, for giving me a good chuckle with this great cartoon. Loving it!

Image Courtesy: Nate Beeler - WashingtonExaminer.com

Also, I came across these other amazing cartoons this issue, courtesy of Slate.com.  FYI – this is just a sampling of the awesome collection Slate.com has made available on its website.  The website also has a ton of other amazing cartoons on various important topics, all neatly tagged and categorized.  Click here to access them all (those categorized on this topic).

Related articles

• Did you know airports can opt out of TSA screening? (riehlworldview.com)
• Investigate the TSA, Not Tyner (fdlaction.firedoglake.com)
• TSA Body Scanners: Do They Even Work? (cbsnews.com)
• “Investigate the TSA, Not John Tyner” and related posts (progressivealaska.blogspot.com)
• What’s the Real Radiation Risk of the TSA’s Full Body X-Ray Scans? | 80beats (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
• Body Scans: What You Need to Know About New TSA Security (newsfeed.time.com)
• Noah Shachtman: Has Airport Security Gone Too Far? (online.wsj.com)
• 100 body-scanner images leaked (bigbrotherwatch.org.uk)
• Gizmodo Joins The Internet War on TSA With 100 ‘Leaked’ Body Scans (blogs.forbes.com)
• TSA Administrator Acknowledges “Invasive” Pat-Downs, Screeners (news.firedoglake.com)

(Source: The Telegraph, UK)

Living under a flight path with noisy planes whizzing over your head could jeopardize your heart health, according to a new study from Switzerland.

Researchers found that dying from a heart attack was more common among people with increased exposure to aircraft noise.

The group of experts, led by Dr. Matthias Egger from Univ. of Bern (Switzerland) identified 15,532 heart attack deaths among 4.6 million Swiss residents between late 2000 and the end of 2005 using detailed information from an ongoing mortality study called the Swiss National Cohort.

Some of the study results include:

• People exposed to a daily average of at least 60 decibels of noise had a 30 per cent greater risk of dying from a heart attack compared with those exposed to less than 45 decibels, the researchers report in the journal Epidemiology.
• Among those exposed to the higher decibel levels for 15 or more years, the risk was actually 50 per cent higher.
• The average of 60 decibels is about what you would expect in a crowded, noisy bar.

Living within 300ft of a major road also increased the risk of heart attack but the researchers found no impact of particulate-matter air pollution on the heart.  Mr Egger said road and air traffic produce different noise patterns that might not be easily comparable as road traffic noise was more constant and arguably easier to get used to.

Click here to read more.

Transportgooru Musings:  This makes rail travel to/near urban hubs (relatively) more appealing over aviation.  Propulsion systems technology in the commercial aviation sector is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels and conventional engines.  On the other hand, many new train sets in today’s rail market are amazingly quiet and smooth. This could be a good marketing point for many pro-rail advocates and politicians lobbying for big investments in High-speed rail  connecting the big cities.

Related articles

• ‘Want to live long: Stay away from noisy plane’s path’ (topinews.com)
• Noise from aircraft is bad for your health (telegraph.co.uk)
• Is Living Under a Flight Path Bad for the Heart? (nlm.nih.gov)
• Living under a flight path ‘can increase your risk of heart attack’ (dailymail.co.uk)
• Study: Manhattan Street Noise May Be Deafening (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Study: Some NYC Street Noise Can Hurt Hearing (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• New York City noise may be deafening (msnbc.msn.com)
• Living under a flight path increases heart attack risk (physorg.com)
• Wind Power’s Foe: Wind Noise (247wallst.com)

The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) seek an Electronics Engineer/Engineering Project Manager (GS-0855-14) to join the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) and Traffic Management Center of Innovation (COI) at the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center). RITA coordinates the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) research programs and is charged with advancing rigorous analysis and the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to improve our Nation’s transportation system. This is one of eight COI’s at the Volpe Center whose function is to maintain and apply internationally recognized capabilities in communication, navigation, surveillance, operations management, and associated information technology disciplines to enhance the capacity, safety, and security of next-generation transportation systems. It serves as a focal point on Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems engineering for the civil community and fosters interagency coordination efforts. This position is located at the Volpe Center in Cambridge, MA.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Electronics Engineer/Engineering Project Manager (GS-0855-14) interested in joining the Operations Risk Assessment and Terminal Systems Division to lead projects that directly contribute to the evaluation and implementation of complex work areas affecting the users and operators of the National Airspace System (NAS).  As the Engineering Project Manager, you will lead aviation modeling and simulation development with emphasis on airborne and surface aircraft and air traffic management systems, and direct technical teams in the conceptualization, design, and application of simulation software, prototype, debugging and testing. You will work with other Volpe Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) national technical experts and senior program managers in the areas of aircraft wake vortex modeling; surveillance systems; navigation systems; pilot and air traffic controller behavior; air-ground communication systems; aerodynamics; aircraft control systems; and airspace design.  In this role, you will represent the Volpe Center before the FAA and other DOT organizations; other government departments and agencies; pilots’ and controllers’ unions; aircraft owners and operators; standards development organizations; and international aviation organizations.

If you have the scientific, technical and project management expertise to lead these challenging engineering projects, then this job is for you!  You must able to work in a collaborative and entrepreneurial environment, and have superb analytical, problem-solving and communication skills. (An Annual Financial Disclosure is required each year from the individual in this position. Some travel required.)

This announcement is posted under both Merit Promotion procedures and to the Public on www.usajobs.opm.gov. Applications will be accepted from current and former competitive service Federal employees, and people eligible under special hiring authorities.  Please know that Merit Promotion announcements are the vehicle through which Federal employees generally apply for Federal positions.

·  Merit Promotion (RITA.VOLPE-2010-00040): Status Candidates – http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=90809565

·  Public (RITA.VOLPE-2010-0041): US Citizens – http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=90810484

If you or someone you know has the experience and proven results, I encourage you or them to apply. We are looking for a diverse pool of qualified candidates.  Please contact Elizabeth León at elizabeth.leon@dot.gov or 617-494-2214 if you have any questions.

(Source: ABC)

Why doesn’t these things NEVER happen in my flights? Hmmm..  I am happy for these folks who had a bit of entertainment to cheer up during their long flight and a story to tell when they land. After battling the hassles of baggage check-ins and security checks, these folks probably appreciated this nice musical treat..

Note:  Silly me can’t help but think aloud about these questions: what would the reaction be if these guys were a bunch of middle-eastern musicians wearing traditional robes – how would the airline staff react to such a spontaneous request to play music?  Thank god, KLM staff were not so uptight about letting some musicians to get off their seats and play their gear..

(Source: Wall Street Journal)

It Can Cost More to Fly to Hartford Than Barcelona. What Airlines Consider in Setting Prices.  I have always wondered about this issue.  And am glad that someone is trying to answer this.

Image Courtesy: WSJ.com

Airline ticket prices often seem like a brain-teaser with little logic. From Chicago, a flight to Miami is more than twice as far as a flight to Memphis, but the shorter Memphis flight costs 25% more on average. Fly to Washington, D.C., from Hartford, Conn., and the average fare is nearly three times as high as if you flew to nearby Baltimore from Hartford, according to government data for the first quarter of this year.

The fares travelers pay typically have little relation to how far you fly, even though airline costs are largely dependent on the length of a flight. Long trips often cost less than short trips. Flights of the same time and distance can have radically different prices.

The price you pay for a ticket is driven by a number of variables: competition, types of passengers, the route and operating costs. But the biggest factor, by far, is whether discount airlines fly in a market. Low-cost carriers often set the price in markets because competitors feel compelled to match that price or risk losing customers and flying empty seats. And when they aren’t there, big airlines behave radically differently when setting prices.

Click here to read the entire article.

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• If you’re bumped from a flight, you may be stuck (usatoday.com)
• Airlines cash in with peak-day surcharges (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has released the latest issue of its annual statistical compendium designed to characterize transportation activity and explore data on other factors that influence transportation energy use.

Published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, this report is designed for use as a desk-top reference.  The Data Book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, andpresents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. The latest edition of the Data Book is available to a larger audience via the Internet (cta.ornl.gov/data).
This edition of the Data Book has 12 chapters which focus on various aspects of the transportation industry.  The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also three appendices which include detailed source information forsome tables, measures of conversion, and the definition of Census divisions and regions. A glossary of terms and a title index are also included for the reader’s convenience.

Information on ordering printed copies of the report is available online.

Remember those crazy storms that dumped loads of snow on the cities and towns along the Eastern seaboard and many mid-Western states across the US during February 2010?  Apart from the impact on the surface transportation modes, these storms wreaked havoc on the aviation sector, terribly disrupting the  performance of the whole sector.

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released a special report that explores how several February 2010 snowstorms in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast disrupted air travel at airports across the United States.  Quite an interesting read and for your reading pleasure it is provided below.

For those interested, you can click here to download the report.

The first flight of NASA‘s hurricane airborne research mission is scheduled to take off from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 17. NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft will be making a planned five-hour flight along the Gulf Coast from western Florida to Louisiana primarily as a practice run for the many scientific instruments aboard.

Image Courtesy: NASA.gov - The NASA DC-8 airplane on the tarmac at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Florida on Aug. 15 as preparations continue for its part in the GRIP hurricane experiment. Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers

The target for Tuesday’s “shakedown” flight is the remnants of Tropical Depression 5, a poorly organized storm system whose center is currently hugging the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana and moving westward. While forecasters do not expect this storm system to strengthen significantly before it reaches landfall in Louisiana, the system offers the DC-8’s seven instrument teams an opportunity to try out their equipment on possible convective storms. Rainfall rates, wind speed and direction below the airplane to the surface, cloud droplet sizes, and aerosol particle sizes are just some of the information that these instruments will collect.

Read more on  NASA’s GRIP mission website.

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The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) seeks a Transportation Industry Analyst to join our team.  RITA coordinates the U.S. Department of Transportation‘s (DOT) research programs and is charged with advancing rigorous analysis and the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to improve our Nation’s transportation system.

This position is located within the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS), Office of Airline Information which collects on-time performance, financial, and operational data from the airline industry.

BTS is responsible for leading the development of high quality transportation data and information.  As a federal statistical agency, BTS provides an objective source of statistical analysis for decision making at all levels.

RITA is looking for a motivated, self-reliant, dynamic professional who can apply their expertise in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of airline statistics. This includes managing large scale datasets, generating analysis, and applying the latest information technology to meet the Nation’s need for relevant, accurate, and timely airline statistics.

If you know someone interested this Washington, D.C. based position with relevant experience and proven results please encourage them to apply under the attached vacancy announcements.  We are looking for a diverse pool of qualified candidates.

The vacancy announcements can be found on:

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=89882174 – All Sources

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=89882141 – Merit Promotion

Open period:  Monday August 9, 2010 to Tuesday, August 24^th, 2010.