In an effort to reduce the traffic flow over Maktoum Bridge and the Creek in Dubai, a floating bridge has been opened linking Omar Bin Al Khattab Road in Deira to Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road in Bur Dubai. This floating bridge has been a big success in relieving the stress of the traffic over Maktoum Bridge particularly at peak times.

This is a temporary structure and will be replaced by a permanent bridge in due course but Dubai is doing everything in its power to keep the traffic flowing around its ever increasingly populated road systems. This is a strong indicator of how Dubai is taking its responsibilities seriously towards its residents and visitors by putting expensive measures in place to support its populace.

One of the biggest criticisms of Dubai in recent times has been the traffic congestion as a result of the building expansion program so it is really encouraging to see new roads and bridges being opened up to ease the flow during rush hour. The floating bridge in Dubai is a great example of this in the fact that being a temporary structure, the RTA in Dubai is doing everything in its power to keep Dubai moving.

Dubai RTA is constantly monitoring the traffic and making plans to ease congestion and subsequent pollution. In order to support this, another major project is underway which the Monorail system is due to be operational by 2009. Already its infrastructure can be seen along the main routes along Sheik Zayed Road and will be a great bonus to ease traffic as it links all the major shopping malls, tourist attractions and the business areas from the City, Old Town and Financial District right the way down to Jebel Ali.

Dubai floating bridge is the 4th bridge to be built over the creek to ease the traffic congestion. It is a 6 lane bridge accommodating 6,000 vehicles during peak hours and stretches across from Deira City Centre and Dubai Golf and Yacht Club to Riyadh Street by Dubai Courts and Creek Park. Open from 6am to 10pm the bridge is aiming at peak flow traffic and when it is replaced by its permanent structure, it will be open on a 24 hour basis with the main aim to reduce the traffic over Maktoum Bridge by 37%.

Dubai’s RTA supports best practice when it comes to road expansion programs, studying all the international information available and bringing in consultants to advise them of the way forward. Dubai’s aggressive expansion program to receive 15 million tourists by 2010 means it has to keep the population moving in order to keep the place an attractive area to visit. Traffic congestion just adds to the frustration levels of visitors and residents alike and ruins the lifestyle-vision Dubai is aiming to offer its residents. Therefore it’s constant upgrading of the road and bridge systems provide a welcome relief to residents who would think seriously about staying should this not be addressed. The new floating bridge has gone a long way to support this and enforces Dubai’s commitment to making life in this fantastic Emirate more bearable whilst all the building is taking place.

Residents of Tigard, OR suggested in a poll by the Tigard News that they would rather widen 99W from 5 to 7 lanes than build parallel light rail, and they don’t really want growth via density. They want new developments.

I foresee a dustup.

The comments, as always, are interesting.

HT to Peter Gordon.

Residents of Tigard, OR suggested in a poll by the TIGARD News that they would rather widen 99W from 5 to 7 lanes than build parallel light rail, and they don’t really want growth via density. They want new developments.

I foresee a dustup.

The comments, as always, are interesting.

HT to Peter Gordon.

I really don’t understand this food at all.

Every other time, Mom and Dad put the food in my mouth and then I eat it.  But with Little Noses Saline Spray/Drops, Mom sprays the milk into my nose and then it runs down my face into my mouth. Why are you doing this to me?

It tastes awful!!!  Extra yucky!  Blech!  Don’t make me eat this again.  I’d much rather chew on the edge of my blanket.

General Accountability Office
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10121r.pdf

[From summary] State and local government agencies and private companies disseminate real-time traffic information to help travelers decide whether to use alternative, less congested routes. Legislation enacted in 2005 required the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish the Real-Time System Management Information Program, in order to provide states the capability to monitor traffic and travel conditions on major highways and share that information.  As requested, this GAO report addresses, among other things, (1) how the public and private sectors disseminate real-time traffic information to the public, (2) actions DOT has taken to establish the Real-Time System Management Information Program, and (3) experts’ views on the need for a nationwide real-time traffic information system and its potential characteristics.

To conduct this study, GAO visited sites in California and Florida, which have well-developed traffic information systems; reviewed and analyzed DOT reports and data; and interviewed transportation officials, experts, and other stakeholders. GAO is not making any recommendations at this time because DOT has not finalized the proposed rule it issued in January 2009, and there was no consensus from the experts GAO interviewed as to whether an increased federal role in this area is appropriate or what this role might be.

Westminster Councillor Danny Chalkley has made the grave mistake to impose a parking tax on motorcyclists in a pure attempt to boost parking revenue and sell the Verrus pay by phone parking infrastructure to other councils, through the Partners in Parking (PiP) scheme. We say grave mistake because the PiP scheme, lead by Councillor Danny Chalkley, Kevin Goad (Assistant Director of Parking) and Alastair Gilchrist (former Director of Parking) at Westminster City Council, seems to be the subject of severe violations of European law. These guys have just gone a step too far by stealth taxing bikers to park in their borough, and it is that step that has lead thousands of motorcyclists to campaign against the bike parking tax for the past sixteen months, and investigations to be carried out with regards to the implementation of the Verrus pay by phone parking system together with the PiP scheme. Should these three individuals not have made the decision to tax bikers for parking in the first place, no investigation would have been carried out and no public inquiry into the way the Verrus contract together with the PiP scheme have been set up would be demanded by thousands of bikers on 7th December 2009. These three bureaucrates have chosen to ignore thousands of bikers for months, who have expressed their complete opposition to being charged for parking, so they are now facing the consequences of their ignorance. Such is life!

We are glad to say that British bikers are not the only ones prepared to go out in the street to express their disgust at politicians who treat them like cash cows. Bikers in France have protested many times at parking conditions in Paris, Canadian bikers have been organising petitions to protect their parking rights in Vancouver, and it is now the turn of a good thousand of bikers in Latvia to demonstrate against a proposed increase in the annual road tax for motorcycles.

Bikers, wherever they are on the planet, constitute the most solid and united group of road users. We are always prepared to help each other, defend our rights all together, protest en masse when required. Why? Because motorbikes and scooters are the transport solution to congestion and pollution issues. Bikes don’t congest, pollute far less than cars and offer a reliable, quicker and cheaper mode of transport. So any attempt from politicians to attack the freedom that bikers have always enjoyed over the years make them get all together and fight all the way through, as one enormous single group, against those politicians, until they are brought into submission.

Some governments, whether local or central, have never dared to attack bikers, either because those governments recognise the benefits that bikes bring to the environment, or they are too scared of what the motorcyclist community may do against them. The three Westminster guys mentioned above must have been living a complete nightmare and have sleepless nights over the past year, with thousands of bikers demonstrating and blocking the streets of Central London every month against their parking policy, bombarding them with letters, emails and Freedom of Information requests on a daily basis, investigating the way their Verrus parking infrastructure has been implemented to finally find out that it may be in serious breach of European law. Not to mention the embarrassment that some Westminster Conservative Councillors, who have voted in favour of stealth taxing bikers to park, have caused themselves, by denying that they hold a free official parking permit (Councillor Jean-Paul Floru) when a Freedom of Information request revealed that they indeed had one, or by lying in the middle of a public scrutiny committee meeting saying that they had found a French report on the internet that proved that “motorcycles, even small ones, pollute more than hummers” (Councillor Susie Burbridge, who has never been able to provide a copy of the so-called report).

Anyway, we are glad that, in some parts of the world, some local authorities continue to encourage the use of bikes, like it is the case for instance in the city of Papeete (French Polynesia), where not only parking is offered free of charge, but also with individually delineated spaces and adequate security devices… a bit like in Paris.

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Please join and support the legal fight to get the bike parking tax in Westminster scrapped before it spreads all over the UK and the European Union. The next demonstration is on 7th December 2009, don’t miss it! For further details, visit  http://www.notobikeparkingtax.com/

Soutenez et participez au proces dont le but est de forcer la mairie de Westminster a supprimer la taxe de stationnement des deux-roues avant que le concept ne se propage a travers le Royaume-Uni et l’Union Europeenne. La prochaine manifestation aura lieu le 7 decembre 2009, ne la ratez pas! Pour plus d’informations, consultez http://www.notobikeparkingtax.com/

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Si vous avez une experience a partager et que vous souhaiteriez voir publiee sur UKFRANCE.org, n’hesitez pas a nous contacter en cliquant ici.

Before your sniffles morph into a nasty sinus, chest or ear infection, here’s how to fight back.

By Sari Harrar

Mugs of tea, a bottle of ibuprofen and a truckload of tissues won’t get you through every case of the sniffles. Too often, the common cold turns into something more serious, zeroing in on your personal weak point to become a sinus infection, a sore throat, a nonstop cough, an attack of bronchitis or an ear infection. And if you’re prone to a particular complication—thanks, perhaps, to an anatomical quirk (such as sinus obstructions), an underlying medical problem (early asthma, for example) or a history of a particular illness (childhood ear infections)—your odds of getting sicker, faster, can skyrocket.

But complications aren’t inevitable, new research shows. “With the right strategies, you can cut your risk significantly,” says Gailen D. Marshall, Ph.D., M.D., director of the division of clinical immunology and allergy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

The trick: Act quickly. “The problem isn’t the virus replicating in your respiratory tract. The congestion and thick, trapped mucus that lead to complications are caused by the immune system’s response to the infection,” says pioneering cold researcher Jack M. Gwaltney, M.D., professor emeritus in the department of internal medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “It all begins within 10 to 12 hours after infection starts. You should take action the minute you feel the first symptoms of a cold—the scratchy throat, runny nose and sneezing.”

If you’re prone to sinus infections

Once a cold virus latches on to cells in your respiratory tract, immune system responders cause blood vessels in your nasal passages to swell and leak fluid. They also boost mucus production and slow down cilia—the microscopic hairs that normally sweep secretions out of your sinuses, ears, and lungs. “This sets the stage for a sinus infection, because viruses and, to a lesser extent, bacteria thrive in trapped mucus,” says Dr. Marshall. The best approach is to keep your nose open. “I preach to my patients all the time: If you can breathe through your nose, the likelihood of developing secondary complications will be much, much lower.” Here’s how:

Use a decongestant. Sprays containing phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine) or oxymetazoline (Afrin) shrink swollen blood vessels in the lining of your nose, allowing mucus to drain. “Sprays work almost instantaneously,” says Dr. Marshall, “but you can’t use them long-term. After three to five days, they can cause rebound congestion—stuffiness returns just a few hours after each dose, tempting you to use the spray more and more frequently.” To avoid this, spray for no more than two or three days, then take two to three days off, he advises. “You’ll be able to use it safely for another two to three days if necessary.”

Try a pill. If you hate sprays, decongestant tablets can also clear your stuffiness, a recent Australian review of cold-remedy research has found. And they can work fast, reports a British study of 238 women and men with stuffy noses: Those who took 60 milligrams of pseudoephedrine (brand name: Sudafed) reported a 30 percent drop in congestion after just one dose. The downside is that decongestant pills make some people very jittery and they can keep you awake, so you shouldn’t take them late in the day. (Sprays don’t have these side effects because they’re topical—only a little is absorbed into the body.) Ask for pseudoephedrine at the counter: Because its ingredients can be used to make the street drug methamphetamine, federal law requires stores to keep pseudoephedrine-containing products behind the counter or locked in a cabinet. Choose one that’s just a decongestant to make sure you get the recommended 60-milligram dose—combination remedies may contain too little decongestant for maximum benefit.

Consider an antihistamine. In recent studies, antihistamines (the old-fashioned kind, like Chlor-Trimeton, not the new non-drowsy formulas) reduced nasal secretions by about 50 percent, says Dr. Gwaltney. The less gunk in your nose, the less there is to become trapped in your sinuses. He suggests taking antihistamines for up to a week; if these make you sleepy, be careful about driving and similar activities.

Thin that mucus. As a cold progresses, nasal secretions grow thicker and thicker because they are carrying away viral particles and sloughed-off respiratory and immune cells. To keep things moving, try an over-the-counter mucus thinner that contains guaifenesin (such as Mucinex), Dr. Marshall advises. “You’ll know within 48 to 72 hours whether it’s helping you,” he says. “Your mucus will be thinner, and it’ll be easier for you to blow your nose.” It’s OK to take one along with a decongestant.

Honk with finesse. Vigorous nose blowing propels nasal fluids up into your sinuses, which can actually cause an infection, Dr. Gwaltney’s studies have found. Hard blowing also triggers “reflex nasal congestion”—more nasal-passage swelling. It sounds silly, but “fewer than half the people we see know how to blow their noses the right way,” says Dr. Marshall. Here’s how: With a tissue over your nose, close one nostril and gently blow the other side for three to five seconds. Switch sides. “It may take several blows, but it works.”

Sip chicken soup. In one lab study from the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, researcher Stephen Rennard, M.D., discovered that his grandmother-in-law’s chicken soup recipe might help relieve some of the inflammation behind cold symptoms. In the test tube, the soup inhibited movement of white blood cells called neutrophils by 75 percent; researchers suspect that in your upper respiratory tract, this curtailed movement could translate into a reduction in cold symptoms.

Warm your sinuses. Placing a comfortably hot washcloth on your cheeks or drinking a cup of hot tea—or doing both—feels good if sinus pressure is building. Warmth may also nudge cilia, which become sluggish when you have a cold, so they sweep back and forth more briskly to whisk mucus along. Inhaling steam in a warm shower also helps, or drape a towel over your head and a basin of very hot water and breathe deeply.

Try andrographis paniculata. This herb is less well-known than other botanicals purported to fight colds, but in one Chilean study of 158 cold sufferers, nasal secretions dried up significantly for those who took 1,200 milligrams of andrographis extract daily for five days. It’s available at natural foods stores; if you try it, follow package dosing directions.

Call the doctor if you have a fever; your face or the area around your eyes is red, swollen or painful; you have a severe headache or neck pain; or your symptoms (sinus pain, pressure, yellowish discharge) haven’t improved after a week’s time.

If you’re prone to acute bronchitis

A few days after cold symptoms appear, you may notice trouble brewing in your lungs. “Upper respiratory tract infections develop in the—no surprise—upper airways and then spread to the lower,” notes Ron Eccles, Ph.D., director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University in Wales. That’s why you start coughing two or three days after a cold begins—a sign your windpipe and the tiny tubes in your lungs are becoming inflamed. These steps can help protect against infection:

Steer clear of cigarettes. Smoking and inhaling secondhand smoke weaken your ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. At the same time, dozens of nasty chemicals in tobacco smoke may cause inflammation in your airways, further slowing the cilia. The result: more coughing, as you try to clear globs of mucus.

Don’t curl up in front of the fire. Breathing in the tiny particles in wood smoke can be especially irritating to airways when you have a cold, says Melvin Pratter, M.D., head of pulmonary and critical-care medicine at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J. One report estimates that emissions from wood fires (as well as coal-fired power plants, cars, and other sources) cause 20,000 cases of acute bronchitis a year. If you use a wood stove for heat, be sure it burns efficiently; best is one certified by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Skip spray cleaners. Aerosol and pump-bottle products contain chemicals that can irritate lungs, says Dr. Pratter. “When you have a respiratory infection, take a brief holiday from cleaning.”

Try ivy-leaf extract. In a German study of 1,350 children and adults with chronic bronchitis, more than 85 percent of those who took this botanical remedy had less pain, coughing and mucus production. Several varieties of the extract are sold in natural foods stores.

Call the doctor if you have a fever, shortness of breath, or a severe cough; you have asthma, emphysema, or COPD; or you get bronchitis often.

If you’re prone to ear infections

They’re not just kid stuff: About a third of adults with colds wind up with negative air pressure in the middle ear caused by swelling or congestion of the eustachian tubes. These tubes normally let air into the middle ear and, if necessary, drain fluid from it. A blockage or swelling can create a vacuum so that when the tube opens up again it may suck in virus-packed secretions from your nose—and lead to an infection.

To prevent it: Start decongestants—stat! Sprays and pills that shrink swollen nasal passages can help keep your eustachian tubes open, says Dr. Marshall. Don’t waste any time: Those tiny tubes can become blocked quickly—within two to three days after a cold begins.

Don’t pop your ears. Taking a big breath, then forcing the air back into your ears while you close your mouth and hold your nose is a good trick to try when your ears need clearing on an airplane. But it’s best not to use that technique when you have a cold—you may push infected mucus into the ears.

Avoid smoke. In laboratory studies, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that repeated exposure to tobacco smoke (cigarettes, pipes, cigars) slowed down cilia in the eustachian tubes. “That’s not helpful if you’re trying to move mucus down the tubes and away from your middle ear,” says Birgit Winther, M.D., of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville.

Call the doctor if you have a fever, severe headache, dizziness, worsening pain or hearing, or there’s swelling around your ear.

Help your body heal

Give in to sleep. When you have a cold, high levels of immune system chemicals called cytokines make you sleepier than usual. Don’t fight it: Shorting your sleep for even one night blunts the body’s immune response. If a cough is keeping you up, try Advil, Aleve or another NSAID, says Dr. Gwaltney. These block prostaglandins, which experts suspect trigger the cough reflex.

Avoid intense workouts. They can make symptoms worse. But moderate activity like a 30- to 45-minute walk won’t hurt—and, by boosting immune function, could help you fend off your next cold.

Eat lightly. Your immune system dials back appetite during a cold, presumably to conserve energy and body heat for the big fight against viral invaders. Just be sure to drink plenty of fluids—they help thin mucus.

Relax. In a study of 55 people experimentally exposed to a flu virus, those who reported more stress developed more severe symptoms and released more of the immune system chemicals that cause inflammation. The same happens with cold viruses, say the researchers.

At-home Rx: Sinus Trouble: The Saline Solution

A daily saline rinse may reduce sinus symptoms by as much as 72 percent and even cut the number of infections for those with chronic sinus problems, researchers from England’s Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital concluded after reviewing a series of studies. This ancient remedy softens and removes crusty mucus, thins nasal secretions, and helps wash away viral particles, bacteria, and irritating immune system compounds. You can purchase a sinus-rinsing tool called a neti pot at a natural foods store, get a special attachment for electric water-jet irrigators (like Water Pik), use a squeeze-bottle sinus rinse (such as NeilMed rinse), or simply cup your hand to deliver the saline solution to your nose.

The recipe: Mix 1/2 teaspoon non-iodized salt, plus 1 pinch baking soda, with 8 ounces warm water.

Rinsing directions: Lean over the sink with your head down (some neti-pot instructions advise tilting your head to the side slightly). Gently squirt the saline into each nostril (or inhale, one nostril at a time, from your palm). Breathing through your mouth at the same time will help keep the solution from entering your mouth. (If it does get in, spit it out.) Gently blow your nose. Repeat until you’ve used the 8 ounces of salt water.

The NY Times had his annual article about air travel and airport congestions on the week leading to Thanksgiving. (“Seeking Deals, Holiday Fliers Get Early Start”, NY Times, November 2009).

The day before Thanksgiving is “known” to be the busiest day in air travel. The article reports that this year, the delays started even before

But the long lines and frayed nerves actually started last week, as many penny-pinching travelers booked earlier, and less expensive, flights.  As a result, what used to be a quick holiday trip home is now stretching to a week or more.

The article claims that due to the economic situation people are willing to travel early (or late) in order to avoid congestion in the airports during the busiest days of the year.  But is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving really the busiest day… or has it even been the busiest day in recent history. According the CBS News’s article (“Holiday Travel Myths Exposed”, November 2009), it is not. It is not even close to being the busiest

In reality, the day before Thanksgiving is not the busiest day of the year,” said Roger Dow of the U.S. Travel Association., In fact, according to official government data, when it comes to the number of airline flights, today doesn’t even rank among the top 25 busiest days.

Last year, there were 220 days with more flights than the day before Thanksgiving.  Basically, it’s a myth, which is fostered by multiple parties: the media (who else – otherwise what will the NY Times do with their annual article about airport congestion before Thanksgiving), the airlines (who can charge a premium for flights on a day with no unusual demand), and us (who still have memories of long delays).

The simple explanation for the diminishing number of flights is that customers are strategic in choosing when to travel, and given that everybody “knows” these are the busiest days, a smart customer will avoid them (and thus airlines reduce the number of flights). My colleagues Prof. Marty Lariviere  (who blogs here), and Prof. Jan Van Mieghem have a very interesting paper about customers choosing, strategically, when to be served (Strategically Seeking Service: How Competition Can Generate Poisson Arrivals). The fact that the “busiest” day of the year is only the 220^th busiest of a specific year, is very much in line with their predictions.  The good news is that, we all benefit from that:

Mr. Dillman said the bargain-hunting Thanksgiving travelers actually increased the airline’s chances of running a smoother operation.

Via BBC:

China says it will cut the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product in 2020 by 40- 45% from 2005 levels, says state media.

The “carbon intensity” measurement is unique to China and analysts say it will not necessarily cut emissions.

It came ahead of December’s UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, which Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend.

Vous avez remarqué que dans mon dernier billet, j’utilise par 2 fois le terme de congestion rénale, de quoi s’agit-il?

Le concept d’un afflux anormal de sang dans les vaisseaux du rein ou congestion rénale entraînant une insuffisance rénale est connu depuis 1930. Plusieurs mécanismes sont évoqués:

• Un modèle expérimental provoquant une hypovolémie et augmentant la pression de la veine rénale va causer une insuffisance rénale indépendamment du débit cardiaque.
• Une compression temporaire de la veine rénale va occasionner une diminution d’excrétion de sodium, une diminution du GFR et une diminution du débit sanguin rénal.
• Une augmentation de la pression veineuse centrale (PVC) peut engendrer une augmentation de la pression interstitielle rénale qui donne lieu à un état hypoxique du parenchyme rénal. Cet état est similaire aux mécanismes par lesquels une congestion hépatique déclenche une insuffisance hépatique en cas d’insuffisance cardiaque.
• Des données suggèrent qu’une augmentation de la pression intra-abdominale (définit comme > 8 mmHg) engendrée par un oedème viscéral ou de l’ascite participe à ce tableau.
• Une augmentation chronique du volume circulant ou de la PVC va atténuer un certain nombre de réflexes vasculaires, donnant lieu à une baisse encore plus importante du débit sanguin rénal.
• Une augmentation de la PVC participe à  la baisse du GFR chez des patients souffrant d’hypertension artérielle pulmonaire avec un débit cardiaque conservé.
• Une récente sous-analyse de l’étude ESCAPE suggère que la péjoration de la fonction rénale est le fait d’une augmentation de la PVC.
• Une étude sur 145 patients souffrant d’une insuffisance cardiaque décompensée (NYHA III-IV – FEVG < 30%) a montré que la PVC était le facteur hémodynamique prédictif  le plus important d’une péjoration de la fonction rénale.
• Enfin, une équipe hollandaise a revu ses données de cathétérisme cardiaque droit chez 2′557 patients et montré que l’augmentation de la PVC est associée à une insuffisance rénale et est une cause indépendante de mortalité.

Tous ces éléments pour dire que dans l’atteinte rénale en cas d’insuffisance cardiaque , il se peut que ce ne soit pas que la baisse du débit cardiaque qui soit en cause.

The World Bank, Development Research Group, Environment and Energy Team / by Ian W.H. Parry and Govinda R. Timilsina
http://tinyurl.com/ykodyna

[Abstract] The Mexico City Metropolitan Area has been suffering severely from transportation externalities such as accidents, air pollution, and traffic congestion. This study examines pricing instruments to reduce these externalities using an analytical and numerical model. The study shows that the optimal levels of a gasoline tax and a congestion toll on automobiles could generate social  benefits, measured in terms of welfare gain, of US$132 and US$109 per capita, respectively, through the reduction of externalities. The largest component of the welfare gains comes from reduced congestion, followed by local air pollution reduction. The optimal toll and tax would, however, double the cost of driving and could be politically sensitive. Still, more than half of those welfare gains could be obtained through a more modest tax or toll, equivalent to $1 per gallon of gasoline. The welfare gains from reforming the pricing of public transportation are small relative to those from reforming the taxation of automobiles. Although the choice among travel modes depends on specific circumstances, in the absence of road travel pricing that accounts for externalities, there will be potential for higher investment in roads relative to mass transit. Given the rapidly increasing demand for transportation infrastructure in Mexico City, careful efforts should be made to include the full social costs of travel in evaluating alternative infrastructure investments.

Via AHN:

New Delhi, India (AHN) – The Ministry of Environment and Forests announced on Wednesday the revised national ambient air quality standards. The revision came after 15 years and will provide a legal framework for the control of air pollution and subsequently improve public health.

According to a ministry statement, “The review of the previous NAAQS and inclusion of new parameters was undertaken by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. The Proposal for revision in NAAQS was deliberated upon extensively and has been notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 on 16.11.2009 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.”

These revised standards are in line with the latest advancement in technology and research and is at par with global best practices, the release informed.

Living in the moderately priced Windsor Parkk neighborhood in Charlotte, NC can help you build personal wealth. Check out the following article by financial writer, Liz Pulliam Weston that highlights how among the most important decisions you can make on your way to real wealth is choosing the right neighborhood — but it’s not the neighborhood you might think.

The neighborhood you choose can have a powerful impact on how rich you become and how wealthy your children will be.

But the link between where you live and how much you’re worth may be different than you expect.
So says wealth myth buster Thomas J. Stanley in his new book, “Stop Acting Rich . . . and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire.” Stanley is on a mission to change how Americans view money, starting with the blockbuster he co-authored in 1996, “The Millionaire Next Door.”
Too many Americans are what Stanley calls “aspirational spenders” — people who spend money to make themselves look richer or more successful than they are.
But their “hyperconsumption” effectively torpedoes any chances they would have at accumulating real wealth, which typically requires spending significantly less than you earn and investing the difference.
In his latest survey of millionaire and nonmillionaire households, Stanley ranked more than 200,000 U.S. neighborhoods for wealth, then followed up by surveying select households, more than half of which were millionaires, which Stanley defines as having $1 million in investments, excluding their homes.
Here’s what Stanley found:
The neighborhood in which we live influences a lot of our spending. The more expensive the house, the bigger the mortgage tends to be, and the more we’ll spend on heating, cooling, insuring and maintaining the place.
But we also feel pressure to match our neighbors’ spending on cars, vacations, furnishings and other trappings.
The “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality means the fancier the neighborhood, the less wealth we may accumulate, Stanley said. The opposite is also true: When our surroundings are more modest, we tend to spend less, regardless of our incomes.
“The propensity to spend,” Stanley said, “is directly related to the typical home price in that neighborhood and to the price you paid for the house.”
Interestingly, most of the people Stanley surveyed who lived in $1 million-plus homes weren’t millionaires.
“They may have a big mortgage,” Stanley said. “They don’t have a lot of money.”
In fact, Stanley found that three times as many millionaires live in homes worth $300,000 or less than live in homes worth $1 million or more.
“People who have a tendency to accumulate wealth live in neighborhoods that are easy to live in,” Stanley said. “That’s a hallmark of an accumulator.”
Whom you hang out with matters. The ideal neighborhood, Stanley said, would be populated with engineers and teachers, two professions he found were associated with higher-than-expected levels of wealth accumulation.
Educators were especially good at turning sometimes below-average incomes into above-average wealth, something Stanley — a university professor for 20 years — credited to the culture in which they work. Frugality and saving for the future are valued in many teaching settings, he said, and that culture can have a profound effect.
“Work with frugal people, and you may become frugal,” he writes. “Associate with colleagues who are astute investors, and you may become wealthy one day.”
Our neighborhoods influence our kids’ future wealth accumulation, too. Stanley asked his survey respondents a simple question: Growing up, were they better off or worse off financially than most of their neighbors?
People who perceived their childhood family’s income as below the average for their neighborhood tended to become aspirational spenders and below-average wealth accumulators, Stanley said. They spent more to compensate for childhood feelings of somehow being “less than” their neighbors.
“They said things like, ‘I went to high school with kids who had a lot more money,’” Stanley said. “They’re making up for that scar.”
By contrast, those who felt their families were in the upper half of their neighborhood’s wealth hierarchy were more likely to be accumulators, rather than spenders.
“They’re not looking for ways to consume to make up for the past,” Stanley said.
Most millionaires have just one house. Many people associate a second or vacation home with having arrived. In Stanley’s surveys, though, 64% of millionaires had never owned a second home. The net worth of second-home buyers at the height of the real-estate boom was actually considerably lower: a median of about $380,000, Stanley estimated.
Houses cost a lot to run and maintain. Stanley postulates that money-savvy millionaires find one home to be enough and prefer not to pour money into a property they may not use often — or might feel pressured to use more often than they want to.
A mere recession won’t change Americans’ spending habits. Actually, this wasn’t a survey finding but is Stanley’s own assessment of the long-term impact of the Great Recession on our likelihood of accumulating wealth.
Yes, people have cut back their spending because of job losses, less access to credit and the desire to build up savings, Stanley said. But that cutback is likely to be reversed as the economy improves, he said.
“It’s not going to change the fabric of people,” Stanley said. “Our whole (economic) structure is based on hyperconsumption.”

by Dr. Brent Lipke DC

Do you wake up with a stuffy head and mucus in your throat or nose ?  Do you feel as if you always have a cold ?  If so you  probably suffer from sinus trouble.

Typically decongestants, antibiotics, or antihistamines are given to treat the symptoms of sinus congestion but these may have unwanted side effects; such as insomnia, nervousness or high blood pressure.

Chiropractic works to relieve stress on the nerve system which controls your immune system, allowing it to function normally.  This proper function opens the sinuses up allowing them to drain, handling the cause of the congestion and pressure.

To learn more about how a safe, gentle and scientific, Chiropractic adjustment could TRANSFORM your health contact your chiropractor.  If you are interested in a complimentary consultation, CALL  The Family Chiropractic Centre, 519-837-1234. 

I’m Dr. Brent Lipke, educating you to help you educate others !

We have made quite a few contacts with Canadian bikers recently, based in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. We absolutely love Canada, it’s such a beautiful and very friendly country, with great cities and a real awareness of environmental issues.

We have been in touch with a few bikers based in Toronto, where motorcycle parking is entirely free of charge. And this, according to our contacts, is the result of on-going fighting to protect the rights of and the benefits brought by motorcyclists to the environment. A Canadian motorcyclist, whether from Ontario, Quebec or British Columbia will always tell you that bikes not only are the solution to congestion issues, but also have an inmense positive impact on the environment. Motorcycles, unlike what Westminster Councillor Susie Burbridge believes (who, by the way, has horrified our readers in Canada), pollute far less than cars, lorries, coaches, trains and buses, and this is exactly why the City of Toronto decided a few years ago to not only make motorcycle parking free of charge everywhere, but also increase the number of parking spaces to meet demand.

Here are a few words from Toronto City Council, which show a great degree of common sense and awareness of the many benefits that motorcycles can bring to the environment:-

“Toronto City Council passed legislation to make motorcycle and scooter parking free. The legislation also called for increasing the amount of parking space available for two-wheeled vehicles. Toronto obviously realized that it did more harm than good to punish those who reduced congestion and emissions in the city”.

This is to be compared with Westminster City Council (London, England) who have failed to recognise the environmental benefits brought by motorcycles, and more importantly, who consider motorcyclists as cash cows, in a pure view to boosting parking revenue to make the Verrus appalling pay by phone parking system more attractive to other councils.

So, our dear Canadian friends, English and French speakers, here are a couple of quotes from Westminster Conservative Councillor Susie Burbridge, which we are sure you will find absolutely shocking:-

“Motorcycles, even small ones, pollute more than Hummers”.

“Who ever said going green would be free. Motorbikes as other vehicles with engines cause pollution, take up road space, have a cost implication, pro rata I believe a higher level of accidents also in town. Being environmentally friendly would be to encourage motorbikers to use more public transport.”

It should be noted that Councillor Burbridge, not only hasn’t got the slightest idea about the benefits of motorcycling, but also, has a Westminster wide free official parking permit to park her polluting Hummer, while she encourages others, including her own residents, to use public transport, as a more environmentally friendly way of moving around London.

We now leave you with another quote from Toronto City Council, which to us, sounds like an example to follow by every single local authority in the world with regards to the use of motorcycles:-

“The City is demonstrating real leadership on this issue. Motorcycles use less space on the road, less space in parking, consume less fuel and produce less emissions. With motorcycle and scooter sales increasing steadily, this decision clearly indicates the City is committed to reducing congestion and pollution. We will work to persuade other jurisdictions to follow Toronto’s lead.”

If only these marvellous Toronto Councillors could fly over to London and persuade these idiots at Westminster City Council, who are treating innocent and peaceful motorcyclists like cash cows! Instead, Westminster Councillor Danny Chalkley is keen to spread his poison everywhere he possibly can.

Sources (click to view):-

http://www.ipopper.net/petition/default.asp

http://insidemotorcycles.blogspot.com/2005/10/free-parking-in-toronto.html

Please join and support the legal fight to get the bike parking tax in Westminster scrapped before it spreads all over the UK and the European Union. The next demonstration is on 7th December 2009, don’t miss it! For further details, visit http://www.notobikeparkingtax.com/

Soutenez et participez au proces dont le but est de forcer la mairie de Westminster a supprimer la taxe de stationnement des deux-roues avant que le concept ne se propage a travers le Royaume-Uni et l’Union Europeenne. La prochaine manifestation aura lieu le 7 decembre 2009, ne la ratez pas! Pour plus d’informations, consultez http://www.notobikeparkingtax.com/

If you have a story you would like to see published on UKFRANCE.org, please contact us here.

Si vous avez une experience a partager et que vous souhaiteriez voir publiee sur UKFRANCE.org, n’hesitez pas a nous contacter en cliquant ici.

By Dom Nozzi

The origins of meaningful transit ridership in a community are largely based on motorist discontent. When motorists face high costs for driving or parking a car, or face traffic congestion, political will emerges to create ways to escape such travel pain: higher residential densities, mixed use, and better transit.

High transit ridership is almost never the result of foresighted planners, high-quality transit, educated activists or elected officials. Discontented motorists facing higher costs are the inducement.

Yes, there are certainly quite a large percentage of Americans who do not have good access to transit. Such an unfortunate circumstance is unsustainable. The inevitable adjustment to a transit-friendly, oil-scarce society will not be painless.

But it is clear that the sooner we create a nation rich in transportation choices, the less pain will be experienced.

We must therefore adopt effective policies and pricing that will more quickly induce the creation of transportation choices. I know of nothing that is anywhere near as equitable and effective as increasing the cost of driving a car — including such tactics as gas tax increases, traffic congestion and parking congestion.

Other essential tactics – many of which arise as an inevitable result of increasing car costs – include increasing residential and commercial densities, and embedding offices and retail in residential areas. Both of these tactics are important ways to achieve the crucial objective of creating proximity to transit.

Parking for cars must be scarce, inconvenient and costly (as is the case in any city with high transit ridership).

Car speeds need to be reduced in most locations, as higher-speed motor vehicles substantially increase safety threats for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as creating an extremely uncomfortable ambience. Both of these factors discourage walking and bicycling to transit.

Low-cost methods of reducing car speeds include, where appropriate, roundabouts, road diets, on-street parking, and the conversion of one-way streets to two-way operation.

This is one of the many reasons I support a much higher gas tax. I remain concerned, however, that increased gas tax revenue is likely to counterproductively be used to widen roads. Despite this, on balance I believe that a significantly higher gas tax must be established. And soon.

Visit my urban design website read more about what I have to say on those topics. You can also schedule me to give a speech in your community about transportation and congestion, land use development and sprawl, and improving quality of life.

Visit: www.walkablestreets.com Or email me at: dom@walkablestreets.com

La cohabitation des moyens de transport bouleverse la ville

Couloirs de bus et de tramways, pistes cyclables, bornes de véhicules en partage : l’espace urbain doit faire de la place à ces nouveaux aménagements.

Le Monde.fr

L’auto-partage

• Historique
  • 1948 : la première société d’auto-partage est créée à Zurich.
  • 1970 : lancement d’expériences pilotes aux Etats-Unis (Philadelphie et San Francisco), en France (Montpellier) et aux Pays-Bas (Amsterdam).
  • 1997 : déploiement d’initiatives pilotes ou commerciales en Asie (à Singapour et au Japon).
  • 1998 : lancement de la première organisation d’auto-partage en France (Caisse commune à Paris), suivie en 1999 d’Auto’trement à Strasbourg.
• Répartition des membres dans le monde
  En 2006, 61 % des utilisateurs étaient en Europe, 34 % en Amérique du Nord, 5 % en Asie.
• Répartition des membres en Europe
  Allemagne : 28 %, Suisse : 25 %, Pays-Bas : 18 %, Royaume-Uni : 11 %, Autriche : 5 %, Italie : 4 %, France : 3 %, Belgique : 2 %.
• Principaux acteurs en France
  Selon l’Observatoire du véhicule d’entreprises de septembre 2009, Caisse commune (rachetée par Transdev en septembre 2008) compte environ 3 100 membres et exploite 130 voitures dans 35 stations à Paris. Mobizen (filiale de Veolia Transport), créée en 2007 à Paris, compte 1 800 adhérents, 70 véhicules et 65 stations. Auto’trement, créée en 2001 à Strasbourg, recense 1 200 membres, 26 stations et 6 en projets, pour 59 véhicules. Carbox (2008) exploite 40 voitures dans cinq stations et compte 700 adhérents à Paris. Okigo (partenariat Avis-Vinci), créée en 2007, exploite 28 stations pour 89 voitures et 550 clients à Paris. Okigo existe aussi à Rouen.

Voir aussi

• Le Monde.fr – Covoiturage
• Le Monde.fr – Voiture : la révolution des usages
• Le Monde.fr – Aux États-Unis, Zipcar réinvente la voiture
• Le Monde.fr – Sans la technologie, pas de nouveaux services
• Le Monde.fr – Les motivations et les inconvénients à utiliser une voiture
• Le Monde.fr – “La voiture propre ne représente qu’une petite partie de la solution pour demain”

The Netherlands government are getting serious about abolishing road tax and a current 25% sales tax on cars and replacing them with a per kilometer fee in an effort to cut car congestion and carbon dioxide emissions.

If the law is passed then it would come into effect in 2012 for Netherlands drivers and implemented for foreign motorists in 2018.

The proposed system would rely on each car being fitted with a GPS device that would send data regarding distances travelled to an appropriate revenue collection agency.

Initially a charge of 3 Euro cents per kilometer would be charged rising to 6.7 Euro cents by 2018.

If successfully introduced then the rest of Europe will be watching closely as to how effective a measure it is in achieving its stated objectives.

Photo lbsterling under this creative commons license

You can read very similar information about this new legislation at either Associated Press or Deutsche Welle (in English)

The Dutch government approved a bill on Friday that will implement a new per-kilometer-tax on drivers. Beginning in 2012 the law will abolish current road taxes and sales taxes for automobiles, cutting the cost of a new car by 25 percent, in favor of the pro-rated distance tax.

Drivers will be charged 0.03 euros per kilometer (7 cents US per mile) in an attempt to reduce traffic jams fatal accidents and carbon emissions.

The tax will increase every year until 2018, when it will cost 6.7 cents per kilometer to drive in Holland.

The government says the tax will benefit 6 out of 10 drivers, with those who drive the most and at peak hours with the most burden to bear.

The system is based on GPS which will track every vehicle. These short pieces say nothing about how the civil liberties groups responded to this.

The system is expected to cut carbon emissions from driving by half and increase cycling and use of public transport. And, of course, the Dutch already have very high rates of use of both of those alternatives to driving  and very good provision of services and facilities. Once again the policy, like carbon tax and U Pass trots out the old “revenue neutral” line, but at least in this case there is a commitment to steadily increase the cost of driving and a note that if the mode shift is not as great as anticipated, there will be greater increases.

Such a system will be instantly dismissed here as politically untenable. Unfortunately, the physics of climate change do not understand that concept. Canada – and also the United States – is increasingly out of step with the rest of the “developed” world. Countries like Denmark, Sweden and Norway all saw that something needed to be done about an oil dependent life style back in the 1970s with the first great oil shock. The Dutch had significant reserves of North Sea gas but that has been rapidly depleted. The wiseacres said at the time that they “wasted the opportunity” because they continued to provide a decent level of social services when so many other countries fell into the grip of the Chicago school and slashed public spending and instead gave the rich tax breaks.  The Dutch felt that if anyone deserved a break it was poor people, not the rich or the corporate behemoths.

Our present system is clearly not working well. Not only do we have traffic congestion and an appalling toll on the lives of road users, we also have wasteful land use, unhealthy lifestyles and a carbon footprint greater than nearly anyone else on the planet – and one that is growing. We distribute a very scare resource – peak hour road space – the way they used to distribute everything in the former Soviet Union. It is essentially given away to anyone willing to line up to use it. And we have failed to provide any realistic alternative in most places.

There are similar ideas like distance based car insurance, which is now becoming increasingly available  just tot he south of us, but which we steadfastly refuse to even discuss. If the main stream media do pick up this story I imagine we will see the spin trotted out once again about “punishing drivers” and “social engineering” as if the present system did not punish pedestrians, cyclists and transit users and also socially engineered widespread obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Plus of course social isolation for those who cannot drive, loss of farmland, pollution of watercourses and all the rest.

Come winter… we frequently encounter many cases of cough congestion in the clinics. Talisaadi Choorna… is a very important compound preparation mentioned in Ayurvedic classics which helps avoid the cough congestion when taken in conditions of a possible exposure as prophylaxis and also effectively combats the condition even when it gets established. Thus it is used as an effective medicament for preventive and curative aspects of cold and cough related problems. It is specially recomended where patients end up coughing up phlegm in due course. It facilitates expectoration and easens breath, thus relieving the congestion as well as cough. Generally it is prescribed in coughs of varied etiology.

Indications: Talisaadi Choornam can be prescribed in conditions wherein the cough congestion is associated with tastelessness and indigestion, anaemia, cardiac conditions, gastro intestinal upsets, sluggish liver, debility and fever and vice versa i.e when these conditions are associated with cough congestion. It is also said to increase the appetite and brings down fever. Thus it is an ideal prescription in fever cough.

Composition and method of preparation of Talisadi Choornam:

The below mentioned are the ingredients of Talisaadi Choornam-

*Talisa patra- Leaves of Talisa(Abies Webbiana) – 1 part

*Maricha- Pepper(Piper Nigrum) – 2 parts

*Shunti- Dry Ginger(Zingiber Officinale) – 3 parts

*Pippali- Long pepper(Piper Longum) – 4 parts

*Vamshalochana- (Bambusa Arundinacea) – 5 parts

*Twak- Cinnamon(Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) – 1/2 part

*Ela- Cardomom(Elletaria Cardomom) – 1/2 part

*Sita Sharkara- Red variety of sugar candy – 8 times that of Pippali i.e – 32 parts

The above said ingredients are individually crushed into nice powder in a morter and sieved. All the powders are again mixed and grounded to form a homogenous mixture. The resultant mixture is Talisaadi Choornam.

Dose: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon or a per the prescreption of the doctor, 1 to 2 times a day.

Anupanam or Vehicle: Honey, Hot water, Ginger juice etc…as prescribed by the physician.

The classical Taalisaadi Choornam is available in the name of Talispatradi Choornam….a quality product from the house of Arya Vaidya Nilayam.

Order for quality medicines at: http://www.avnpharmacy.com or contact hebbarjv@gmail.com

For details contact:

Dr Raghuram Y.S

Consultant Physician

Arogya Ayurvedic Centre

12th cross, 7th block Jayanagar(Off K.R.Road),Behind Shastry’s Bakery

Bangalore-82

Ph: 080-26766291(Land) or +91-9480071422

Mailing id: drraghuramys@gmail.com and drraghuram@avnarogya.in

web: www.arogyabangalore.com and www.avnarogya.in

A short postto share this picture taken on my iphone today on the way to work, of a giant (8 foot?) traffic cone. Apparently something to do with Panasonic advertising a new, wide angle compact camera, and the fun you can have with playing with perspective.

By Dom Nozzi

The Wednesday, January 28, 2009 Washington Post reports that there is some congressional disappointment that Obama’s $800 billion stimulus bill has only a “small amount devoted to long-lasting infrastructure investments in favor of spending on a long list of government programs…[these government programs] fall far short of the transformative New Deal-like vision many of them had entertained…Obama, with a public mandate to do something big, is missing a rare opportunity to rebuild the country.”

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) stated that “every penny of the $825 billion is borrowed against the future of our kids and grandkids, and so the question is: What benefit are we providing them?…It’s the difference between real investment that will serve the nation for 30, 50 years and tax cuts, and that’s a very poor tradeoff.” Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said that the money proposed for infrastructure is “almost miniscule” and expressed regret that Obama was not proposing a transformative project such as building high-speed rail in 11 corridors around the nation (which Mica says would cost $165 billion).

“They keep comparing this to Eisenhower, but he proposed a $500 billion highway system, and they’re going to put $30 billion” in roads and bridges, said Mica. “How farcical can you be? Give me a break.”

According to some in the House, “…Obama may never again have as good a chance as this to act boldly.”

Frankly, I am deeply disappointed. Obama had, at the time, perhaps more political capital than he will ever have in his term as president, and might have the most political capital of any president in recent history (or in the future). Given the fact that America has no “Plan B” in transportation to face the inevitable, exponential increase in gasoline prices, it is a breath-taking squandering of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform America’s transportation system towards one that is sustainable (not to mention the fact that a healthy rail system powerfully supports healthy city agglomeration and strongly discourages costly sprawl).

The Senate and the Obama administration should have delayed approval of this historic bill until it contains a visionary, long-term, sustainable, transformative plan. Creating high-speed rail, as Mica points out, is a fantastic way to start on that desperately needed path.

American may never have this chance again.

I am sorry to say that much of this federal stimulus money was instead and unconscionably used to widen roadways around the nation. Given the crises we face today, why on earth would we spend public dollars to further harm cities (wider roads drain the lifeblood from cities), increase auto dependence, delay the need to wean ourselves from such dependence, and worsen traffic congestion (due to induced demand)?

Visit my urban design website read more about what I have to say on those topics. You can also schedule me to give a speech in your community about transportation and congestion, land use development and sprawl, and improving quality of life.

Visit: www.walkablestreets.com Or email me at: dom@walkablestreets.com