Page 24 - aruba-today-20190817

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 17 auguSt 2019
Gov't wants a new 911-like

number just for suicide hotline

By TALI ARBEL
AP Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — With
suicides on the rise , the
U.S. government wants to
make the national crisis ho-
tline easier to reach.
Once implemented, peo-
ple will just need to dial 988 In this May 1, 2019, file photo, a person walks past a Google
to seek help. Currently, the sign in San Francisco.
National Suicide Prevention Google employees call for
Lifeline uses a 10-digit num-
ber, 800-273-TALK (8255). pledge not to work with ICE
Callers are routed to one
of 163 crisis centers, where
counselors answered 2.2 BY RACHEL LERMAN Google expressed inter-
million calls last year. In this Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, photo, a man uses a cell phone in SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — est. The company did not
A law passed last year re- New Orleans. With suicides on the rise, the government wants to Hundreds of Google em- return a request for com-
quired the Federal Com- make the national crisis hotline easier to reach. ployees are calling on ment.
munications Commission Associated Press the company to pledge More than 800 Google
to study assigning a three- it won't work with U.S. Cus- employees had signed
digit number for suicide Dr. Lynn Bufka, an associ- The new, shorter number toms and Border Protec- the petition by Friday
prevention, like 911 for ate executive director at would likely lead to more tion or Immigration and morning. Citing a "system
emergencies or 311 for city the American Psychologi- calls, which in turn would Customs Enforcement. It's of abuse" and "malign ne-
services. The FCC said in cal Association. "There's mean more expenses the latest in a year full of glect" by the agencies,
a Wednesday report that no way most of them are for crisis centers already political and social push- the petition demands that
there is "overwhelming sup- going to remember the struggling to keep up . If back from the tech giant's Google not provide any
port" for a three-digit num- 800 numbers. 988 makes it the number of calls to the workforce. technical services to CBP,
ber because it would be much easier to remember." hotline doubled, centers A group of employees ICE or the Office of Refu-
easier for distressed people The government's action would need an extra $50 called Googlers for Hu- gee Resettlement (ORR),
to get help. comes as suicide rates million a year to handle the man Rights posted a which provides services
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai have increased across the increase, the FCC said, cit- public petition urging the for refugees, until the
said he intends to start the U.S. over the past two de- ing the federal agency that company not to bid on agencies "stop engaging
months-long process to cades, and dramatically funds the hotline, the Sub- a cloud computing con- in human rights abuses."
make that happen. so — by more than 30% stance Abuse and Mental tract for CBP, the federal "In working with CBP, ICE,
Anything that makes it eas- — in half of U.S. states, ac- Health Services Administra- agency that oversees or ORR, Google would be
ier for people having sui- cording to the Centers for tion. "These kinds of hotlines law enforcement for the trading its integrity for a
cidal thoughts — and their Disease Control and Pre- need to be well supported country's borders. Bids for bit of profit, and joining a
loved ones — to reach out vention. There were 45,000 and well-funded," Bufka the contract were due shameful lineage," the or-
for assistance is good, said deaths in 2016. said. q Aug. 1. It is not clear if ganizers wrote. q

California sound system tries

to keep whales and ships apart

is connected by cable to ta Barbara, which is spon- 2018, 11 whales in Califor-
a buoy floating above that soring the $1.5 million proj- nia died in ship collisions,
transmits data by satellite ect. “That hotspot happens the highest number NO-
to scientists on shore. to be right on the marine AA’s National Marine Fish-
From there, captains can highway, kind of like the eries Service has on record
be alerted to slow their offshore version of the 101 and a surge from the aver-
ships down or reroute. (freeway) that connects age 3.8 annual deaths over
It’s the latest attempt to Santa Barbara to the ports the previous five years. This
prevent ships from running of LA/Long Beach.” year, at least 11 whales are
In this Aug. 8, 2019 photo, Jeff Pietro, left, and Kris Newhall, cen- into whales in the chan- In 2007, five blue whales known to have died, ac-
ter, both of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachu- nel, where cargo vessels in were found dead in the cording to the Times.
setts, help move the anchoring system for a microphone, as it and out of the ports of Los channel. Efforts to reduce Deaths often go unre-
is being lowered over the side of the ship in the Santa Barbara
Channel off Southern California. Angeles and Long Beach deaths have included shift- ported because whales
Associated Press cross feeding grounds of ing the ship traffic lanes typically sink when they die
endangered blue, fin and and offering financial in- and are hit in remote areas.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) California. humpback whales. centives to companies that A 2017 study found that
— Scientists have installed A listening station on the “The Santa Barbara Chan- follow the National Ocean- ship strikes kill more than 80
an underwater sound sys- channel floor is able to cap- nel is like a buffet for a lot ic and Atmospheric Admin- whales off the West Coast
tem they hope will reduce ture whale calls as far away of whales,” said Douglas istration’s request that ships annually.
collisions between whales as 30 miles (48 kilometers), McCauley, director of the slow down during whale The sound system is being
and ships in the Santa Bar- the Los Angeles Times re- Benioff Ocean Initiative at season. tested and will fully launch
bara Channel off Southern ported Friday. That device University of California, San- It hasn’t been enough. In in early 2020.q