Tidbits
According to recent sports drink commercials, black men are born Alien-style from basketballs and white women, similarly, come from volleyballs.
What's hilarious is that the company in question could never have used a white man for the basketball commercial. That wouldn't have any street cred with the consumer. When we think basketball player, the social conscious has turned to the archetype of a tall, black man. Likewise, volleyball instantly means white Ambercrombie & Fitch polo shirt model who, from time to time, likes to sweat in the pursuit of athletic excellence.
Ridiculous.
In other news, there's three men in Jackson who are claiming they're not in a gang. Of course, they have 55 arrests among them and formed their rap group after meeting in jail. Surely anyone who thinks they are in a gang is simply nuts. (Methinks they do protest too much.)
A few days ago a guy was killed after running a railroad track in south Jackson. People who live in the city are blaming the fact that the lights at the intersection that were being installed hadn't started working yet. While a tragedy, I can't help but rationally think that it was a train. Lights or not, they don't exactly sneak up on you.
The news I'm watching just showed the inside of a strip club. Somehow I can't see how upholstered furniture in such a setting could ever be a good idea.
Lastly, there's been a hullabaloo over a coach who was fired at Jackson Public Schools. In case you're unfamiliar with the city, let's just say the only way you can get fired at JPS is to fornicate with and/or sell drugs to a student in front of the principal, superintendent, and three news cameras. Of course, since basketball is the most important thing, the parents are yelling to get him reinstated immediately. Because he won a lot. And winning is, well, more important that how you play (or coach) the game. He was just quoted on TV as saying that the "ends justify the means if these kids get to go to college." So if he beats them to make them train harder, it's justified if they pick up their Bachelor's? Hmmm...
So that's the daily news from CrazyTown. Hope things are saner in your neck of the woods.
What's hilarious is that the company in question could never have used a white man for the basketball commercial. That wouldn't have any street cred with the consumer. When we think basketball player, the social conscious has turned to the archetype of a tall, black man. Likewise, volleyball instantly means white Ambercrombie & Fitch polo shirt model who, from time to time, likes to sweat in the pursuit of athletic excellence.
Ridiculous.
In other news, there's three men in Jackson who are claiming they're not in a gang. Of course, they have 55 arrests among them and formed their rap group after meeting in jail. Surely anyone who thinks they are in a gang is simply nuts. (Methinks they do protest too much.)
A few days ago a guy was killed after running a railroad track in south Jackson. People who live in the city are blaming the fact that the lights at the intersection that were being installed hadn't started working yet. While a tragedy, I can't help but rationally think that it was a train. Lights or not, they don't exactly sneak up on you.
The news I'm watching just showed the inside of a strip club. Somehow I can't see how upholstered furniture in such a setting could ever be a good idea.
Lastly, there's been a hullabaloo over a coach who was fired at Jackson Public Schools. In case you're unfamiliar with the city, let's just say the only way you can get fired at JPS is to fornicate with and/or sell drugs to a student in front of the principal, superintendent, and three news cameras. Of course, since basketball is the most important thing, the parents are yelling to get him reinstated immediately. Because he won a lot. And winning is, well, more important that how you play (or coach) the game. He was just quoted on TV as saying that the "ends justify the means if these kids get to go to college." So if he beats them to make them train harder, it's justified if they pick up their Bachelor's? Hmmm...
So that's the daily news from CrazyTown. Hope things are saner in your neck of the woods.
posted by Yorick at 7:53 PM
4 Comments:
The train accident actually happened in Terry. Obviously there was a need for crossing lights and guards since they were installed, but for some reason they were never turned on. Someone truly screwed up there, and certainly someone will pay for that mistake. Honestly, when I cross railroad tracks I trust the lights and guards. I've also seen some pretty fast trains pass nearby. There should have been something there to signify to drivers that the lights were not yet hooked up and to proceed with extreme caution. I don't know if it will be the city, the county, the state, or all three that are held responsible for this death, but someone will end up having to pay a lot of money to the family of the victim. Perhaps even the railroad company will end up being responsible. - Stacey.
You're right- it was in Terry. My bad.
However, read the following portions of the pertinent statute I pulled up and see if you don't agree that it would be a plaintiff's nightmare. Summary judgment for the defendant seems to be a distinct possibility.
Of course, there's another statute that says a train is supposed to blow its whistle at intersections, but you can't escape the fact that he was supposed to be driving at a reasonable speed- meaning slow enough to stop in time. Your habit of trusting the signal is, according to the legislature, not reasonable.
Miss. Code Ann. § 77-9-249 (2006)
§ 77-9-249. Obedience to signal indicating approach of train; penalties
(4) At any railroad grade crossing provided with visible railroad crossbuck signs without automatic electric or mechanical signal devices, crossing gates or a human flagman giving a signal of the approach or passage of a train, the driver of a vehicle shall, in obedience to such railroad crossbuck sign, yield the right-of-way and slow to a speed reasonable for the existing conditions, and shall stop if required for safety at a clearly marked stop line, or if no stop line, within fifty (50) feet, but not less than fifteen (15) feet, from the nearest rail of the railroad, and shall not proceed until he can do so safely.
“At any railroad grade crossing provided with visible railroad crossbuck signs without automatic electric or mechanical signal devices, crossing gates or a human flagman giving a signal”
That only applies to crossings without automatic electric or mechanical devices or a crossing gate. It was my understanding that there was am automatic electric or mechanical signal device installed, but it wasn’t yet powered. I think there may have also been crossing gates installed. How would a driver know that it wasn’t powered? At the very least, there should have been some type of covering over the signs at least implying that the signs weren’t on, but I worry that they might have also implied that a train no longer crossed there.
When I come to a railroad crossing with these devices, I rely on the devices. That’s why they were put there. If I ever come to a crossing without these signals I proceed with great caution. But on my commute to work everyday I cross over both railroad tracks on State Street without a second thought if the lights aren’t flashing and the gates aren’t down.
Do you remember how the bus drivers in elementary school and middle school would actually stop on the railroad tracks and open the door to look for a train? I don’t think they were supposed to stop on the tracks, but it always seemed to me like they did.
- Stacey
There were electrical devices, but they weren't giving signals- thus, the crossbuck is the traffic sign.
Virtually all railroad crossings have crossbucks.
Your crossing of State Street may be reasonable, given that you know those lights work in the past (and that if they didn't, they would be fixed quickly.)
This was a new set of lights, so the courts would have to determine if it is reasonable for a driver who doesn't know if the lights work to cross the tracks without slowing down to a reasonable speed. I have a hard time believing they would go along with that theory.
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