Mustang Daily 05-27-09

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MUSTANG DAILY TOMORROW: Partly cloudy High 76˚/Low 55˚

CA L I F O R N I A P O LY T E C H N I C S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

Find out who the Cal Poly baseball team will play in the playoffs. IN SPORTS, 12

Go online to see video of this weekend’s Rise and Run architecture show.

Famous Chicano activist Luis Valdez speaks on campus.

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IN ARTS, 6

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Volume LXXIII, Number 152

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‘Power Wheels guy’ takes senior project to the streets Cassandra J. Carlson and Lauren Rabaino mustang daily

A picture of a student sitting in what appeared to be a children’s Power Wheels vehicle being ticketed by three San Luis Obispo Police Department motorcycles and one University Police Department SUV gained viral popularity

on Twitter last week and was plastered on the front page of the Mustang Daily with a headline that read “Little wheels cause a big deal.” So what’s the real story behind this fourwheeled spectacle? It’s more than just a toy. Rashed Talukder, a computer engineering junior, revamped a Power Wheels car as part of the first stages of his senior

lauren rabaino mustang daily

Computer engineering senior Rashed Talukder was ticketed on campus May 19 for driving a modified Power Wheels vehicle in the bike lane.

project. Talukder was ticketed the afternoon of May 19 at South Perimeter Street for violation of Vehicle Code 21716: Golf Cart Operation. The state motor vehicle code states that “No person shall operate a golf cart on any highway except in a speed zone of 25 miles per hour or less.” University Police Chief Bill Watton said Talukder was ticketed for riding on California Boulevard’s bike lane, causing numerous complaints from drivers who couldn’t see the car, which is low to the ground. “It would scare the hell out of me to be in that thing in a traffic lane,”Watton said. “There’s no way in the world I’d do that with the drivers and the cell phones and all the things going on.” The California Department of Motor Vehicles Web site defines a golf cart as a “motor vehicle having not less than three wheels in contact with the ground, having an unladen weight less than 1,300 pounds, which is designed to be and is operated at not more than 15 miles per hour and designed to carry golf equipment and not more than two persons, including the driver.” Although Talukder’s vehicle wasn’t designed to carry golf equipment, San Luis Obispo Police Department and University Police Department officials say the real issue deals with the student’s safety. “SLOPD was just doing its job,” Talukder said. “They got a lot of calls so they had to respond.”

Taluker said he had no ill intent for his revamped Power Wheels. Standing at about three feet above the ground, Talukder modified the plastic vehicle to include a solid frame, headlights and taillights, a horn, iPod connection and speakers, 500-watt motor, rubber wheels and an ignition. In addition to creating an autonomous vehicle for his senior project — which will implement safety sensors for children’s vehicles and potentially full-sized cars — the car is a cheap and green way of getting to school. “I made this thing for really two reasons. It costs me like 10 cents each day that I drive it,” Talukder said. “And there’s no maintenance. I don’t have to drive my car around, it’s green, I can park it wherever really, it’s really convenient for me, especially with my chronic asthma,” Talukder said. Another reason Talukder enjoys riding in the car is the response he gets from the campus community. “It puts smiles on people’s faces. It literally does,” Talukder said. “I go around and I think that’s one of the best things — one of the highs in life where you can do something for someone and not really expect something back in return.” Before Tuesday’s incident,Talukder was pulled over twice — once by the San Luis Obispo Police Department and once by the California Highway Patrol — and was warned by University Police. He said he was advised to stay on the see Wheels, page 2

UN Security Council condemns N. Korea nuke test Edith M. Lederer associated press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council swiftly condemned North Korea’s nuclear test on Monday as “a clear violation” of a 2006 resolution and said it will start work immediately on another one that could result in new sanctions against the reclusive nation. Hours after North Korea defiantly conducted its second test, its closest allies China and Russia joined Western powers and representatives from the rest of the world on the council to voice strong opposition to the underground explosion. After a brief emergency meeting held at Japan’s request, the council demanded that North Korea abide by two previous resolutions, which among other things called for Pyongyang to abandon all nuclear weapons

and return to six-party talks aimed at eliminating its nuclear program. It also called on all other U.N. member states to abide by sanctions imposed on the North, including embargoes on arms and material that could be used in its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and ship searches for banned weapons. In an AP interview in Copenhagen, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon deplored the test as a “grave violation” of council resolutions and called on the council in a statement to send “a strong and unified message” aimed at achieving the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and peace and security in the region. Ban urged the North “to refrain from taking any actions which will deteriorate the situation.” Leaders in the United States, European Union and Russia also offered quick and pointed criticism. Even

China’s foreign ministry joined the chorus of disapproval, saying it “resolutely opposed” the test. “North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “North Korea’s behavior increases tensions and undermines stability in Northeast Asia.” In Brussels, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, denounced the test as a flagrant violation of Security Council resolutions. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, the current Security Council president, made clear in a statement that the council’s condemnation was only an initial response, and that more will follow. He said it was too early to give any specifics. “The members of the Security Council have decided to start work see Korea, page 2

andy wong associated press

A Chinese paramilitary police officer stands guard in front of North Korean Embassy in Beijing, China. Leaders around the world strongly condemned North Korea’s announcement it conducted a nuclear test.


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Mustang Daily 05-27-09 by Mustang News - Issuu