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CNN 10
Canada in Aftermath of Shooting Attacks; Americans Taking Fewer Vacation Days; Massive Fraud at University of North Carolina; Crash Dummies Keeping Us Safe
Aired October 24, 2014 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Three things that are as awesome as Fridays. Chocolate chip cookies, the bulldogs and vacation. But as far as that last
one goes, American workers are taking less of it. The reasons why are minutes away.
First up, this October 24, a man being hailed as a hero.
This is Kevin Vickers. He is the sergeant-at-arms in Canada`s parliament. When a gunman entered that government building Wednesday and started
shooting, it was Vickers who stopped the attack by shooting and killing the gunman. Only ten people have been sergeant-at-arms since 1867. It`s a
ceremonial position, it`s also a law enforcement position. The 58-year old officer spent 28 years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His brother
believes this is the first time Vickers ever exchanged fire with anyone.
He extended his condolences to the family of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a guard whom the gunman killed near the National War Memorial. Canadian
officials now say they believe the gunman acted alone, but that he had connections to radical Islamists. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
says Canadians will not be intimated by terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN HARPER, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: We will be vigilant, but we will not run scared, we will be prudent but we will not panic. And as for the
business of government, well, here we are in our seats, in our chamber, in the very heart of our democracy and our world.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNC CHANCELLOR CAROL FOLT, ADDRESSES ALLEGED ACADEMIC FRAUD: It was an inexcusable betrayal of our values and our mission and our students` trust.
The length of time that this behavior went on and the number of people (INAUDIBLE) is really shocking.
It was a wrongdoing that could have and should have been stopped much earlier by individuals who are in positions of influence and oversight.
Many could have sounded the alarm more forcefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: OK, what`s that about? The University of North Carolina, a new report came out this week about alleged academic fraud at the school. This
scandal first came to light about five years ago, but Wednesday`s independent report gave new detail saying the fraud lasted for 18 years.
What happened? Students allegedly got high grades for classes that were never actually held.
How many students? The report says at least 3100, but likely much higher. Were athletes involved? The report says 47 percent of those who benefited
were athletes. Why? Fake grades for fake classes reportedly helped some stay eligible to play their sports.
The fallout - four employees were fired, five more were punished, all three UNC basketball championships could be in jeopardy, and the school`s
reputation is stained.
A new study says Americans are taking less vacation time than at any time in the last four decades. This comes from the U.S. Travel Association,
which supports Americans` vacation and travel time. It says that last year, Americans took an average of 16 days vacation. That average was more
than 20 days in the year 2000.
Factor s- a work life trainer says American workers are afraid of being laid off. They think working long hours and skipping vacation time will
help them keep their jobs.
But he says people who don`t take vacation time can get laid off just like anyone else.
Some Americans don`t vacation because they are afraid of work piling up when they are gone, and others see their worse based on their work, they
feel guilty for taking time off or unplugging from their devices.
It was time to take attendance. Hope you are ready to roll. Ridgeview High School in Orange Park, Florida is ready - the Panthers there aren`t
kitting around.
But they are not the only cats on the prow. How about the cougars - Lyons- Decatur Northeast High School in Lyons, Nebraska is on a roll. And on the Pacific Coast, it`s the Eagles of Lincoln Middle School who are watching in
Selma California.
As national teen driver safety week rolls on, some good news about car crashes: deadly accident in the U.S. are at historic lows, a big part of
the reason why: technology and testing have gotten better. A big reason for that - manufacturers have to prove their cars are safe using crash test
dummies.
The newest dummies can give incredibly smart lessons.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK GLASS: You`ve all seen the hot-hitting slow motion crashes, and the dummy in the driver`s seat absorbing blow after blow.
This is the story of one of the great unsung heroes of our time.
You can talk to a three year old, you can talk to an 80-year old, and everybody knows what a crash-test dummy is.
He first started sitting in for us in 1952 when a colonel in the U.S. Air Force was worried about the safety of his pilots.
CHRIS O`CONNOR, CEO, HUMANETICS: Back in that day, it was actually the testing was done by a colonel staff from the Air Force, and he was actually
very concerned, ironically, because he said the Air Force pilots, I`m losing more in car crashes coming to work than I`m losing in our pilots
being downed in an aircraft.
GLASS: To begin with, the dummies used in cars were rather crude, made of wood, rope and sandbags, but over the years, he`s evolved into a much more
sophisticated piece of technology and a family man.
O`CONNOR: So the population of dummies expended out from the basic male to a female to a very large male and then it included a child population,
because the injury rate of children in cars was dramatic.
GLASS: Their rollover has always been the same, thousands of crash tests, each one helping manufacturers design safer cars.
O`CONNOR: With the introduction of airbags from the initial crumple zones to steering wheel design, every part that`s in a vehicle has improved in
design over the years, and all bench-marked against the crash-test dummies.
GLASS: This was shown rather dramatically in 2009, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the U.S. tested a new Chevrolet against the 1950s
model.
Almost all the dummies in use today are made by the American company Humanetics. Here at the European hub in Germany, the dummies are put
through their paces. With each bone crunching hit, they are being prepared or rather trained for future customers, and there`s a new addition to the
family 20 years in the making.
(on camera): So, this is Tso (ph). What`s different about him?
CONRAD LOGAN, HUMANETICS: It`s our most advanced dummy. The neck has not just rubber. It has wires and dumping material that simulates the
ligaments in the neck. We have a very complicated measurement system in that chest, so you can see the complete movement of the ribs in three
dimensions. But most specialist, is more biofidelic (ph), it has - it`s more humanlike than it`s ever been before.
GLASS: We have a lot to thank the crash test dummy for: he`s helped save countless lives. And this is what makes life of creators of the dummy so
personally rewarding.
O`CONNOR: There`s not a presentation I do that doesn`t show the number of deaths have been reduced year over year as the result of our teat equipment
- and if we can continue to save lives, reduce the amount of deaths, that`s more important to me than anything else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: In a way, this looks like how a toy ship might be shoved into a bathtub. But this ship weighs 3500 tons and costs about $360 billion.
Splash. It`s the USS Detroit, brand new to the U.S. Navy, sideways launches like this aren`t just amazing to look at, they are pretty common.
They are usually done when there`s not enough space to launch the ship stern first. That`s in reverse for you, (INAUDIBLE).
That`s why we went to find out if it`s in ship shape - watch it roll head over hauls. It`s a test they had on deck, it certainly holds water and it
easily lets you know if the ship is seaworthy. And I don`t want to rock the boat with too many puns here, I tread too much on your weekend. Hope
you have a great and safe one with whatever floats your boat.
END
