Green cell phone released, criminals give back, credit card reform law in effect, BART strike averted and the governor calls for more school accountability.
1. Wash up, doc
ID chip sounds alarm when doctors and nurses don’t wash hands
The details: A 2004 study found that only 57 percent of doctors always washed their hands between visiting patients. Now the University of Miami-Jackson Health System in Florida is experimenting with radio frequency identification chips to solve the problem. The RFID chips in ID badges sense when medical workers press a soap dispenser, and then trigger noises whenever the doctor or nurse approaches the patient’s bed without having recently washed up.
2. Biodegradable cell phone
Sprint, Samsung launch $50 ‘eco-conscious’ phone
The details: The new $50 Samsung Reclaim has a slide-out standard-layout keyboard, e-mail and Web access, a camera and GPS navigation. The cell phone also boasts a plastic casing that is 40 percent corn-based. And the phone’s charger lights up when the phone is fully charged, reminding the owner to unplug it and save electricity. The price of the phone, which is now on sale, applies after a $50 mail-in rebate.
3. S.F. freebie
California Academy of Sciences offers free admission to locals
The details: The California Academy of Sciences will give The City’s residents free admission in September. Each San Francisco neighborhood, defined by Zip codes, will have two opportunities to visit free over a three-day weekend beginning Sept. 11. Visitors are required to prove residency by showing a driver’s license or a utility bill. A schedule of the Neighborhood Free Days is available online at www.calacademy.org or by calling (415) 379-8000. Nonresidents get free admission on the third Wednesday of each month.
4. Bank naming names
UBS to divulge 4,450 account names, more expected
The details: After a legal battle and fierce negotiations with the I.R.S., Swiss banking giant UBS has agreed to hand over the details of 4,450 bank accounts suspected of holding undeclared assets belonging to Americans trying to avoid paying U.S. taxes. The move has reportedly prompted a greater than usual number of people to turn themselves in to the IRS this year for tax evasion under an amnesty program, and many of the offending accounts have been closed or voluntarily disclosed since the legal battle began, officials said.
5. Giving instead of taking
‘Putpockets’ storm London with extra cash
The details: Need some extra cash? Head to London. A new initiative by a broadband network has turned 20 former pickpockets into what they call “putpockets,” people who slip money into people’s pockets and purses undetected. The money ranges from 5 pounds ($8) to 20 pounds, and is an intiative by TalkTalk to brighten up people’s lives in unusual ways. The program has started in London but will expand countrywide.
6. Rightful return
UC should not keep Japanese World War II remains
The details: Reports have surfaced that bones of World War II Japanese soldiers are within the collection of the University of California’s anthropology museum. Some California state lawmakers say UC should immediately return the remains.
7. Thanks, but no thanks
School rejects health club gunman’s $225K gift
The details: The University of Pittsburgh said it wouldn’t accept an estimated $225,000 bequest from the gunman who killed three women and wounded nine others at a Pittsburgh-area health club and subsequently committed suicide. Court papers of the intended estate gift were filed by the brother and executor for 48-year-old George Sodini. Sodini graduated from Pitt in 1992 and named the school as beneficiary in a 2007 will.
8. Reform school
Governor calls for merit pay
The details: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for a special session of the Legislature to ensure the state qualified to compete for $4.3 billion in federal stimulus funds tied to education reform. The governor said he wants the legislature to abolish a state law that bars the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations, which unions have said will discourage teachers from taking on the most challenging students. The governor also proposed legislation that would increase the focus on school accountability, link teacher pay to student achievement and repeal the state’s charter school cap.
9. Consumer protection
New credit card rules kick in
The details: Credit card industry reforms requiring issuers to give consumers 45 days notice before raising interest rates or fees, and to send bills at least 21 days before payments are due took effect this week. The changes have a downside, in that card companies have been rushing through some interest-rate increases and credit-limit cuts in recent months to beat the new deadline, but ultimately the hope is that the changes will make the business more transparent for consumers. Further reforms are coming next year
10. Trains kept a rollin’
BART strike called off — at least for now
The details: A potential traffic nightmare was averted last Sunday night when BART and a holdout union announced hours before a strike was to begin that they reached a tentative agreement. The last-minute twist in the negotiations between BART management and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, which represents station agents and train operators, came as the region was bracing for a strike scheduled to begin at midnight Sunday. The work stoppage threatened to snarl traffic across the Bay Area and strangle travel plans for BART’s approximately 325,000 daily commuters. Members of Local 1555 will vote Tuesday whether to ratify the contact.
Bright light of the week: Tom Barrett
Who: Mayor of Milwaukee
Why: Barrett was leaving the Wisconsin State Fair with his family when he suddenly heard a woman screaming for help. The woman was trying to protect her 1-year-old granddaughter from a 20-year-old man who was attacking her in what authorities classified as a domestic dispute. The mayor tried to intervene and calm the man down, but the suspect turned and attacked Barrett with a metal pipe, hitting him in the head and torso. The suspect fled but was later arrested. Barrett was hospitalized in stable condition. The woman and baby were uninjured.
