Howard Berkes

U.S. Olympic Skater's Sabotage Gets Day In 'Court'

Howard Berkes — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:53:00 +0000

Months of claims and counterclaims come to a head in a hotel conference room in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, when the International Skating Union considers the deliberate sabotage of a speed skate involving an American Olympic medalist and, allegedly, his former coach.

The ISU's disciplinary commission is scheduled to hear testimony behind closed doors from Simon Cho, a Vancouver Olympic bronze medalist in short track speedskating, former American short track coach Jae Su Chun, and at least two witnesses.

Uzbek national charged with aiding a terrorist group and training others in how to build and use a weapon of mass destruction.

The reason?

Hands-Free Gadgets In Car Don't Mean Driving Is Risk-Free

Howard Berkes — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:40:00 +0000

If you've felt smug and safe using built-in, voice-controlled technology for text messages, email and phone calls while driving, forget it. There are some sobering findings about the risk of distraction from the American Automobile Association and the University of Utah.

The proliferation of hands-free technology "is a looming public safety crisis," AAA CEO Robert Darbelnet says.

Amid Data Controversy, NSA Builds Its Biggest Data Farm

Howard Berkes — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:58:00 +0000

As privacy advocates and security experts debate the validity of the National Security Agency's massive data gathering operations, the agency is putting the finishing touches on its biggest data farm yet.

The gargantuan $1.2 billion complex at a National Guard base 26 miles south of Salt Lake City features 1.5 million square feet of top secret space.

The Iceman Swimmeth, Chanting 'F Cancer'

Howard Berkes — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:03:00 +0000

Goody Tyler isn't just any hard-core Great Salt Lake swimmer. He's a certified "ice swimmer." In December, Tyler swam 1 mile in the lake when the water temperature was only 41 degrees, the maximum temperature for an official "ice swim."

"You're only allowed to wear one cap, one pair of goggles and a Speedo," Tyler says. "And that's it."

It took 40 minutes in the snow-fringed lake, and the 36-year-old schoolteacher, husband and father of two girls had more to prove than his own wacky toughness.