tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51348584782763677352024-03-18T09:47:10.473-07:00Prepare for ChangeAll things that will affect our future in an attempt to prevent dystopian tendencies.Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.comBlogger623125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-28078404319894016092024-03-18T09:46:00.000-07:002024-03-18T09:46:24.929-07:00Turning dry ground to fertile fields<p> <a href="https://youtu.be/79VUAFq2rbg?si=V-Uy6jK89nug5QT_">https://youtu.be/79VUAFq2rbg?si=V-Uy6jK89nug5QT_</a></p><p> </p><p>A community in India spent many years building a water-catchment system that keeps the monsoon waters in their area. Wouldn't turning desert and dry land into fertile fields help cool the planet? <br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-11411533634850039292024-02-24T09:40:00.000-08:002024-02-24T09:40:44.106-08:00The Great Green Wall of Africa stops the desert<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WCli0gyNwL0" width="320" youtube-src-id="WCli0gyNwL0"></iframe></div><p></p><p>One way to fight global warming is to replace desert land with agricultural land. And it's working!<br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-16485731377586627152024-02-18T05:54:00.000-08:002024-02-18T05:54:54.154-08:00Tiny homes catching on!<p> <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/great-compression-151806242.html">https://www.yahoo.com/news/great-compression-151806242.html</a></p><p> </p><p>A decade ago, Jesse Russell was a former reality TV producer looking
to get started in real estate. He had just moved back to Bend (his
hometown) from Los Angeles, and began with a plot of two dozen
500-square-foot cottages sprinkled around a pond and common gardens.
When he pitched it at community meetings, “the overwhelming sentiment
was, ‘Nobody is going to live in a house that small,’” he said.</p><p>Then the units sold out, and his investors nearly doubled their money in two years.</p><p>Russell’s
company, Hiatus Homes, has since built about three dozen more homes
that range from 400 square feet to 900 square feet, and he has 100 more
in development — a thriving business.</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>I lived 2 summers in a 400 square foot cabin with an outhouse. It was fine, but I did need to rent storage space for stuff I had accumulated living in a regular sized house. My home today is 864 square feet with a garage and for a single person that feels just right to me. I have a spare bedroom for guests and a small back yard. But most importantly, I can afford it.</p><p>Obviously families need larger homes. But more and more it's single people looking to buy. <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-28404444826326949072024-02-16T18:05:00.000-08:002024-02-16T18:05:05.728-08:00Now the entire world is stuck with plastic everywhere for thousands of years<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/15/recycling-plastics-producers-report">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/15/recycling-plastics-producers-report</a></p><p> </p><p>Plastic, which is made from oil and gas, is notoriously difficult to
recycle. Doing so requires meticulous sorting, since most of the
thousands of chemically distinct varieties of plastic cannot be recycled
together. That renders an already pricey process even more expensive.
Another challenge: the material degrades each time it is reused, meaning
it can generally only be reused once or twice.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2">The industry has known for decades about these
existential challenges, but obscured that information in its marketing
campaigns, <a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://climateintegrity.org/plastics-fraud">the report shows</a>.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2">The research draws on previous <a data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/plastic-wars/?">investigations</a> as well as newly revealed internal documents illustrating the extent of this decades-long campaign.</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2">* * * * *</p><p class="dcr-4cudl2">Every living thing on earth is affected by the lies of an industry that would rather make money than worry about the health of the planet. <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-29970203795357906272024-02-06T16:55:00.000-08:002024-02-06T16:55:49.190-08:00new style of windmill<p>
</p><p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://youtu.be/TX9tN7yFhcE?si=fdXSxYQNp5jzc8NC">https://youtu.be/TX9tN7yFhcE?si=fdXSxYQNp5jzc8NC</a></b></p><p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b> Blades on an oval racetrack instead of blades on top of a tower? Check it out.</b></p><p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b> </b></p>
Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-21371728583054435722024-01-22T18:57:00.000-08:002024-01-22T18:57:15.260-08:00People actually like reducing car dependency<p> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240122-from-london-to-new-york-can-quitting-cars-be-popular">https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240122-from-london-to-new-york-can-quitting-cars-be-popular</a></p><p> </p><p>Moreover, reforms elsewhere suggest that, despite initial resistance,
car reduction plans steadily gain public acceptance in the long run.
When the city of Ljubljana in Slovenia pedestrianised its city centre in
2007, <a class="sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB" href="https://www.bigissue.com/news/environment/people-protested-when-this-capital-city-went-car-free-now-they-love-it/" target="_blank">opposition was considerable</a>, with residents fearing restricted access to their homes – yet a little over decade later, roughly <a class="sc-c9299ecf-0 bZUiKB" href="https://urban-mobility-observatory.transport.ec.europa.eu/resources/case-studies/pedestrianisation-ljubljana-city-centre_en" target="_blank">90% said they were against reintroducing cars</a>.</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>Yeah, more public transit! I like monorails myself. <br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-47017241823462971202023-12-28T18:40:00.000-08:002023-12-28T19:26:28.821-08:00the human flaw that prevents preparation for the whole project<p> </p><div><div dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1swvt13 xjkvuk6" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":r1bp:"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The early "deprogammers" would persuade someone to leave a cult, then consider their job done and go on to the next person. But in fact, that was only the beginning of the now ex-cult member's road to recovery. Similarly, many rebellions in countries would depose their lousy dictator, and think that's what needed to be done, so now we can rejoice and relax. Again, that was really only the beginning of repairing the country.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Humans seem to have this flaw where they think that once the <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>first step of something is done, they can sit back and relax. In fact, the task has really just begun.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"Revolution, once its makers pluck up the courage, is the easy part. It is what follows that is so hard... Overnight, people who weren't allowed to decide anything their whole lives have to decide everything. It is not a learning curve, it is a sheer cliff." [The New Middle East: The World After the Arab Spring, by Paul Danahar, p. 49]</span> <br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-32138332254438523912023-12-28T11:35:00.000-08:002023-12-28T11:35:04.191-08:00Does war require killing civilians, or is something else going on in Gaza?<p> "A secret US diplomatic cable sent in late 2008 said:<br />Israeli officials have confirmed to Embassy officials on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis... As part of their overall embargo plan against Gaza. Israeli officials have confirmed... on multiple occasions that they intend to keep the Gazan economy on the brink of collapse without quite pushing it over the edge." [The New Middle East: The World After The Arab Spring, by Paul Danahar, p. 161]</p><p> </p><p>Israel's modern army CAN avoid more civilian deaths and injuries. They just don't care. <br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-82678531356711904522023-12-24T06:48:00.000-08:002023-12-24T06:48:31.614-08:00More on universal income experiments<p><a href="https://alaskapublic.org/2023/12/07/key-findings-released-in-kenya-universal-basic-income-experiment/">https://alaskapublic.org/2023/12/07/key-findings-released-in-kenya-universal-basic-income-experiment/</a><br /></p><p> </p><p>"Their findings cover the first two years of the effort and compare the
outcomes for about 5,000 people who got the monthly payments to nearly
12,000 others in a control group who got no money. But, just as
significantly, the researchers also compared the recipients to people in
two other categories: nearly 9,000 who received the monthly income for
just two years, without the promise of another decade of payments
afterward; and another roughly 9,000 people who got that same two years’
worth of income but in a lump-sum payment."</p><p>Conclusions so far: </p><p><strong>1. Giving cash aid in a lump sum has some major advantages over parceling it out.</strong></p><p><strong>2. Lump sums are so useful that even those who didn’t get them have banded together to create their own version.</strong></p><p><strong>3. Making the benefit ‘universal’ – by paying every adult in the village – seems to have greatly increased the impact.</strong></p><p><strong>4. The grants did not seem to fuel inflation</strong></p><p><strong>5. The big remaining question is whether the benefits of lump-sum payments actually last.</strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong> </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-42281299493683993882023-08-07T06:48:00.002-07:002023-08-07T06:48:44.754-07:00Is the EPA actually protecting our environment, or corporations?<p> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/08/frackers-can-use-dangerous-chemicals-without-disclosure-due-to-haliburton-loophole/">https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/08/frackers-can-use-dangerous-chemicals-without-disclosure-due-to-haliburton-loophole/</a></p><p> </p><p>For almost 20 years, US public-health advocates have worried that
toxic chemicals are getting into ground water and harming human health
because of an exemption to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act that
allows operators of oil and gas fracking operations to use chemicals
that would be regulated if used for any other purpose.</p>
<p>The so-called Halliburton Loophole, named after the oil and gas
services company once headed by former Vice President Dick Cheney, means
that the industry can use fracking fluid containing chemicals linked to
negative health effects including kidney and liver disease, fertility
impairment, and reduced sperm counts without being subject to regulation
under the act.</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>So... what's the use of the EPA if the largest fracking company on earth can skirt rules? <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-24519134849295780182023-08-06T19:11:00.003-07:002023-08-06T19:11:20.220-07:00Finally changes in home zoning laws<p> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/05/business/single-family-zoning-laws/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/05/business/single-family-zoning-laws/index.html</a></p><p> </p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_07DF43E6-1C9D-687F-AF2F-BCE2B8E6F5E1@published">
More than a century after the first single-family zoning laws were passed, roughly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/18/upshot/cities-across-america-question-single-family-zoning.html" target="_blank">75% of land that is zoned for housing in American cities </a>is
for private, single-family homes, only. In some suburbs, zoning laws
make it illegal to build apartments in nearly all residential areas.
Municipalities have also made minimum lot sizes bigger and added height
requirements. This has had the effect of encouraging ever-larger
single-family homes and limiting housing options, like smaller houses.
</p>
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_08787EFF-9B58-2DC1-DBEE-B6F6C718847D@published">
“Zoning has gotten more complicated and more restrictive,” said
Jenny Schuetz, a senior fellow at Brookings Metro who studies urban
economics and housing policy. “It’s getting harder to build stuff,
particularly in high-income areas that want to have a lot of control
over development.” </p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_08787EFF-9B58-2DC1-DBEE-B6F6C718847D@published">Policymakers and advocates are making several changes to increase the
housing stock: eliminating single-family zoning laws; legalizing
accessory dwelling units, commonly known as granny flats, on
single-family zoned areas; legalizing duplexes, triplexes and
fourplexes; and enacting reforms to create affordable housing
development near major transit lines. <br /></p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_08787EFF-9B58-2DC1-DBEE-B6F6C718847D@published">* * * * *</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_08787EFF-9B58-2DC1-DBEE-B6F6C718847D@published"> It's time for an upgrade to get us up to date! Cities are changing in bad ways, so the people who live there can't afford to live there! Speculators buy up properties and keep them out of reach for families. It obviously can't go on like it is.<br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-57736974508834734342023-07-26T17:40:00.001-07:002023-07-26T17:40:16.342-07:00A Baby Boomer's Lament<p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A Baby Boomer's Lament</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">by Jeff Jacobsen</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> I was born in the US in1955, ten
years after World War II, but smack in the middle of the Cold War. I
lived near an air force base that had B-52 bombers flying around
non-stop, ready to drop nukes on the Soviet Union should we be
attacked first. We didn't practice hiding under our desks at grade
school, but I'm sure that's just because everybody knew if the time
came we were all screwed anyway.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Us Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964)
lived through technological change never before seen. Looking back,
things seem so old. On my grandparents' farm on the other side of
the state was a phone on a community line. The other farmers in the
neighborhood were on the same line, so if you heard the phone ring
(certain rings for certain customers), you could surreptitiously
listen in on any phone call. Black and white TV had 3 channels
available. Drinking water was hauled in from the artesian well.
When it got hot, there was no air conditioned room to relax in. Life
in the city where I grew up was easier, but of course many things we
take for granted today just didn't exist yet there either. Still,
new inventions were always coming along, like color TV and portable
phones. It was assumed that life would just keep getting better.
Grownups would talk about how their main goal was that the next
generation would have things better than it was before.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> I remember mostly this optimism of
the times, thinking things could only get better. There were good
paying jobs. People owned their homes and had a car. Capitalism was
creating more and more comfort and ease for daily living. Science
was moving ever forward with better designed everything. We were
comfortable and reasonably happy, despite the underlying nuclear
fears of instant annihilation. This was the time before people
started becoming concerned about the long-term effects of our new
lifestyle.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> There was that underlying
nervousness at all times, though. The Cold War was ever present.
We'd see how horribly wrong we could be with the Vietnam War, which
we at first joined to prevent the spread of communism. We learned
how quickly hope can evaporate with the killings of Martin Luther
King and Robert F. Kennedy. So the optimism was saddled with fear
and uncertainty.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> After reaching adulthood, the first
concern I personally remember was that we were overspending on the
military. It took a lot of manpower, fuel, and money to keep those
B-52s in the air circling around waiting for the order to go destroy
another country. A lot of scientists were tied up making faster
jets, better bombs, more efficient ways to kill. A lot of our taxes
went to maintain ourselves as the most powerful country in the world.
And why did we have that burden? Was our great enemy really going
to attack us? Was all this just a huge mistake and waste? Outgoing
president Eisenhower warned us to beware of the Military Industrial
Complex.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> It was hard to break from the idea,
though, that things were continuously getting better for everybody.
Sure, there was pollution, but look what we gained from a bit of bad
air – cheap and speedy travel, lighting, air conditioning. The
trade-off seemed acceptable. And it wasn't like we knew where things
were heading. Who knew how many cars, trucks, planes and trains
there would eventually be? Growth was not planned for and sometimes
not expected. We weren't planning to burn so much coal and oil. It
just happened.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Eventually some scientists started
suggesting that by making things better for ourselves we might be
making things worse for others and even for our planet. The
government formed the Environmental Protection Agency after deadly
air and burning rivers made the problem obvious. Rapidly filling
city dumps suggested that perhaps we could recycle some of our
ever-growing waste instead of trying to just bury it all. Maybe our
headlong rush toward “progress” needed a step back to look for
long-term effects that would negate the “progress.” In Los
Angeles, for example, the freedom to drive wherever you wanted became
a desire to drive someplace out of town where the air was breathable.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> We gradually started to realize that
improvements in one area might have consequences in another that just
made things worse in general. Fossil fuels gave us so much toward
our race to the future, like cheap electricity and ubiquitous
transportation. But they also gave us lung cancer and started
warming the globe. Was this a good trade-off? Doubts were forming.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> But Baby Boomers are a stubborn lot,
so it took a lot of explaining and cajoling to get us to start
thinking about our freewheeling ways. It started to look like we
weren't really going to hand our children and grandchildren a better
world after all. Sure, they could watch movies on their smart
phones, but it might have to be in a storm cellar from the increasing
and stronger storms. Scientists had started to warn us. Mother
Nature started to teach us. But was it too late?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Now we come to the part, in our
twilight years, where we check and see how my generation did. Did we
leave our children a better life than we had? Or did we doom them to
spend their lives cleaning up after us?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> I'm going to give us an A for
Enthusiasm, but an F for Results. The explosion of knowledge,
invention, and attempts at improvements have surpassed any time
before us. But on the other hand, we never gave thought to the
side-effects of our incredible leaps. SHOULD we start using plastic
as a container for everything? SHOULD we go with individual cars and
trucks instead of mass transit? SHOULD we allow corporations to
decide what new products would come on the market without a check on
what any long-term results might be? I think our enthusiasm pushed
us forward haphazardly to bad results. And what did we spend our
money on? The military took a huge chunk, mainly because we feared
so much. We feared the Soviet Union. We feared the loss of access
to resources. We feared that democracy might actually be fragile and
susceptible to outside influence.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Legacy</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Now we are, one by one, leaving you.
You have huge student debt when we got almost free education. You
have no home-ownership when even lower-class Baby Boomers could
afford a home. We enjoyed the benefits and marvels of oil and coal,
while you now get to try to survive global warming. We made health
care almost impossible to afford or figure out. You don't have to
worry AS MUCH about being obliterated by an atomic bomb, but there's
still plenty to cause anxiety.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">* * * * *</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Humble recommendations</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Although I admit I'm part of the
problem, I don't think we've completely destroyed the world. Things
can be changed. Mistakes can be corrected. A toxic mindset can be
tossed. Despite all our errors, I am somewhat optimistic that those
who come after us can still set things right.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have been thinking about these things
and have a few recommendations. Most things, though, like global
warming, are beyond my little brain. But here goes:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">All aspects of human action should
begin with the phrase “first, do no harm.” This includes
businesses, governments, religions, associations, etc. If you feel
you have to harm somebody else or dirty up the planet to accomplish
your goal, start over.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We need to think about long-term
results. Sure, we CAN burn oil (for example), but what might happen
if we start burning a lot of it? It's great for everybody to have
their own private transport vehicle, but might that not mean that our
cities are overwhelmed with so many, and simpler methods like mass
transit can do just about as well? Science lets us do so many more
things that at first seem incredible and useful, but let's think
ahead a bit and try to prevent blowback in the future.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There should be a baseline below which
we don't allow any human to go. Everyone needs food, a roof over
their head, social interaction. Society needs to help those who
haven't been able to supply these things for themselves, or help them
up to where they can support themselves.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Nobody needs to be a billionaire.
Heck, nobody needs to be a hundred-millionaire. There's only so much
wealth in the world and we don't want to go back to the days when the
family in the castle held all the wealth and the rest of us just had
to rely on their good graces. And what if the billionaire is a
little bonkers? That much power can cause a lot of damage. Abolish
plutocracy.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The US spends more on defense than the
next 10 countries combined. What are we so afraid of? Now that
Russia has proven to have a much weaker military force than we
thought, that pretty much leaves China to fear. But we are starting
to see it has its own huge problems. Our decision to try to keep at
least a modicum of worldwide control over raw materials and countries
that don't want to go along with our ideas has left us much poorer
than we could have been. Defense should only be that, defense.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So now that us Baby Boomers have left a
world worse than how we found it, we're all getting old and dying.
Our time is about over. The next generations get to deal with the
result of our greed and short-sightedness. Please don't throw up
your hands in despair. There are tools and ideas out there that can
work to right our wrongs. It's your planet now. Learn from our
mistakes.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-65715686021673135752023-07-25T14:53:00.003-07:002023-07-25T14:53:45.169-07:00do we really need to make all this plastic?<p> <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-microplastic-crisis-is-getting-exponentially-worse/">https://www.wired.com/story/the-microplastic-crisis-is-getting-exponentially-worse/</a></p><p> </p><p class="paywall">Overall, the team found that microplastic levels have been doubling in Arctic Ocean sediments every 23 years. That mirrors a <a data-uri="d15ee0de785df875d788ea11191c210d" href="https://www.wired.com/story/microplastic-core-samples/">previous study</a>
of ocean sediments off the coast of Southern California, which found
concentrations to be doubling every 15 years. Other researchers have
found an exponential rise in contamination in <a data-ml-dynamic-type="sl" data-ml-dynamic="true" data-ml-id="0" data-ml="true" data-orig-url="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-57933-8" data-skimlinks-tracking="xid:fr1690321579732eai" data-uri="ebaaf29a681b7ba48b9b2f5948328830" data-xid="fr1690321579732eai" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-57933-8" rel="nofollow">urban lake sediments</a>. </p><div class="Container-bkChBi byNLHx" data-event-boundary="click" data-event-click="{"pattern":"CNEInterludeEmbed"}" data-in-view="{"pattern":"CNEInterludeEmbed"}" data-include-experiments="true"></div><p class="paywall">The
problem is likely to keep getting worse, lead author Seung-Kyu Kim, a
marine scientist at Incheon National University, told WIRED by email.
“The input of microplastics into the Arctic has increased exponentially
over the past decades, with an annual increase rate of 3 percent,” Kim
writes. “The mass production of plastic at an 8.4 percent annual
increase—coupled with inefficient waste management systems—is projected
to further increase loads of plastic entering the ocean for the next
several decades, and thus plastic entering the Arctic will increase
proportionally.”</p><p class="paywall">* * * * *</p><p class="paywall">So, can we talk to management and see about 1) replacements for plastic, and 2) minimising the current use? Do the products I get in the mail that are essentially triple-bagged in plastic really need that? Or is the plastic lobby just too strong to break? <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-11649439384786802302023-07-21T16:16:00.001-07:002023-07-21T16:16:30.834-07:00Using invasive seaweed to make bricks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2fXiboAGQvM" width="320" youtube-src-id="T5Q-2jY-9OQ"></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"<span class="yt-core-attributed-string yt-core-attributed-string--white-space-pre-wrap"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" style="color: #131313;">Millions of tons of sargassum wash up on beaches across North America every year. Exposure can lead to breathing problems, and it costs millions to clean it up. Now, one Mexican entrepreneur is building houses out of bricks made from the invasive species."</span></span> </div><br /><p></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-78080525883968163482023-07-17T06:26:00.002-07:002023-07-17T06:26:28.659-07:00Should billionaires exist?<p> <a href="https://digg.com/digg-vids/link/guy-succinctly-explains-why-all-billionaires-are-evil-GSG72n6kBe?utm_source=digg">https://digg.com/digg-vids/link/guy-succinctly-explains-why-all-billionaires-are-evil-GSG72n6kBe?utm_source=digg</a></p><p> </p><p>We see now that Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, not as an investment, but as a toy.</p><p>We see now from the time of the pandemic who really are the "essential workers" and it's not billionaires.</p><p>We see now that billionaires are hoarders who simply keep money like Smaug because they are addicted to it, not because they do anything incredible with it. <br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-314537848209013542023-07-02T08:20:00.003-07:002023-07-02T08:20:35.851-07:00public transit has not recovered from the pandemic<p> <a href="https://digg.com/data-viz/link/public-transit-national-usa-decline-data-lockdown-graph-vMCJsvimdx?utm_source=digg">https://digg.com/data-viz/link/public-transit-national-usa-decline-data-lockdown-graph-vMCJsvimdx?utm_source=digg</a></p><p> </p><p>"Before the initial pandemic lockdowns of early 2020, average ridership
for these transit systems was around 100 million daily. That plummeted
to less than 25 million after March 2020's lockdowns. After staggered
openings since mid-2020, ridership has slowly started to rise, but is
still nowhere close to pre-2020 levels."</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>Mass transit is the best way to fight global warming. It's cheaper than owning a car. It helps take cities back from the cars to the people. <br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-82794489892007381052023-06-25T12:35:00.004-07:002023-06-25T12:35:49.877-07:00Drive-thrus causing too much trouble?<p> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/24/business/drive-thru-fast-food-chick-fil-a-urban-planning/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/24/business/drive-thru-fast-food-chick-fil-a-urban-planning/index.html</a></p><p> </p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_DC628428-7171-989E-8CC1-E8D93CC03FF9@published">
Magnets of traffic and congestion, drive-thrus discourage walking,
public transit use and visits to neighboring businesses. They also lead
to accidents with pedestrians, cyclists and other cars, and contradict
the environmental and livability goals of many communities.
</p><p>
A host of cities and regions want the sprawl to stop: Atlanta
lawmakers will vote this summer on whether to ban new drive-thrus in the
popular Beltline area.<strong> </strong>Minneapolis; Fair Haven, New Jersey; Creve Coeur, Missouri; Orchard Park, New York, and other cities have <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/10/765789694/why-u-s-cities-are-banning-new-fast-food-drive-throughs" target="_blank">banned new drive-thrus in recent years</a>. </p><p> * * * * *</p><p>If we want to prevent urban sprawl and turning our cities over to cars instead of people, we need to take steps to make local access more reliable. <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-65359583258181698672023-06-10T16:38:00.002-07:002023-06-10T16:38:13.128-07:00Houston tackles the homeless problem<p> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/08/opinions/homelessness-solutions-houston-model-eichenbaum-nichols/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/08/opinions/homelessness-solutions-houston-model-eichenbaum-nichols/index.html</a></p><p> </p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/clin9ksfz002o3b6d0ekdg7ix@published">
Then we made three crucial decisions. First, we decided to work
together as a collaborative system, aligned around a standardized set of
goals, processes and strategies, rather than as individual
organizations and government entities each trying to chip away at the
problem. Today, more than 100 entities in the Houston area are working
together and combining their efforts and resources to move the needle on
reducing homelessness. Our collaboration includes using a centralized
database to capture information and track the service needs of people
experiencing homelessness and using a standardized assessment to
determine which housing and/or service interventions best suit each
household.
</p>
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/clin9ksfz002p3b6d55a42cyi@published">
Second, we embraced the data-proven best practices of <a href="https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/" target="_blank">Housing First</a>,
a strategy focused on getting individuals and families out of
homelessness and into permanent housing before helping them address any
other problems. We do this via voluntary wraparound support services,
e.g., mental health or substance abuse counseling, health care, job
training and so on. The services help keep the person housed, and the
housing is what makes the services effective.
</p>
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/clin9ksfz002q3b6drt20ofew@published">
Third, we housed the most vulnerable people first. When the
average person sees someone experiencing homelessness and struggling
with mental illness, they assume that individual is dangerous or needs
hospitalization. Our experience is that most of these folks <a href="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/hsgfirst.pdf" target="_blank">stabilize</a> in housing with the appropriate level of services. </p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/clin9ksfz002q3b6drt20ofew@published">* * * * *</p><p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-analytics-observe="off" data-component-name="paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/clin9ksfz002q3b6drt20ofew@published">Treating people with dignity and respect, just that goes a long way. Houston is looking like a good test case for holistic solutions. <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-39437691808691321472023-06-06T10:37:00.006-07:002023-06-06T10:37:57.371-07:00You can have a city that is human-centric instead of car-centric<p><a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/06/europes-richest-country-made-public-transport-free-could-other-countries-do-the-same">https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/06/europes-richest-country-made-public-transport-free-could-other-countries-do-the-same</a></p><p> </p><p>The tram has exclusive right of way and has priority at crossings so
is never stuck in traffic jams. This combined with the fact that it’s
free encourages more people to use it. Bausch sees it as a measure of
the success of Luxembourg’s transport transformation.</p><div class="advertising advertising--no-label advertising--sharethrough js-adzone advertising--called advertising--rendered" data-ad-id="adzone-sharethrough_01" data-ad-index="1" data-ad-key-value="1G96EdRgcHV6pyWWMGCR7SB7" data-ad-key="strnativekey" data-ad-name="adzone-sharethrough" data-google-query-id="COrD46KXr_8CFQyRAAAddPoIEw" id="adzone-sharethrough_01"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/6458/en_euronews_new/green/green-living/green-living_5__container__" style="border: 0pt none; margin: auto; text-align: center;"></div></div><p><a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/04/24/no-flying-or-less-meat-the-sacrifices-europeans-will-and-wont-make-to-help-the-climate"><strong>Cars</strong></a>
haven’t completely disappeared and the country still has the highest
car ownership per household in Europe. Around 230,000 people cross the
border into Luxembourg each day for work and 75 per cent of these
journeys are made by car.</p><p>“You shouldn’t argue against something, but for something,” Bausch says.</p><p>“I do not make policies against cars, but for another mobility system in which the car has its place.”</p><p>* * * * *</p><p> Luxembourg has spent years working on making their cities more livable by turning away from cars as the major mode of transport. It's working!</p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-47267753498624340672023-04-25T17:52:00.001-07:002023-04-25T17:52:09.997-07:00Will electric bikes save the world?<p> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-bikes-popularity-sustainability-evs-2023-4">https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-bikes-popularity-sustainability-evs-2023-4</a></p><p> </p><p> "According to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, <a data-analytics-post-depth="40" data-analytics-product-module="body_link" data-uri="5251efc95d08769f580b9f2de44b86e3" href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fotw-1230-march-21-2022-more-half-all-daily-trips-were-less-three-miles-2021" rel="noopener" target="_blank">more than half of all trips in the US are under 3 miles</a>. A <a data-analytics-post-depth="40" data-analytics-product-module="body_link" data-uri="dabba2f0b1d14abbf9bb8c91037a938c" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920921000687?via%3Dihub" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">University of Oxford study</a> found that swapping a car for a bike just once a day slashed an individual's transportation emissions by a whopping 67%. <a data-analytics-post-depth="40" data-analytics-product-module="body_link" data-uri="c322b9da1464ead6594b611f83d0e45c" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1361920920306696?via%3Dihub" rel=" nofollow">Another study</a> found choosing an e-bike for 15% of one's miles traveled cut their transportation emissions by 12%. Fast, fun, and convenient, e-bikes are already helping people make that kind of shift in their daily lives. "</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>While many cities in the US don't have good bicycle infrasctructure, e-bikes should make that somewhat easier as they gain popularity, since travel distance for the average rider will substantially increase. This will make a larger part of the city available to any plan to ride a bike rather than a car. E-bikes don't need special charging stations, plus they can contribute to better health by exercise and less pollution. It's a win-win so long as we design our cities so there's not a fight between motorized vehicles and bikes.<br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-19738883200837250652023-04-22T06:24:00.001-07:002023-04-22T06:24:05.437-07:00silicon batteries next step from lithium ion?<p> <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/22/why-porsche-mercedes-and-gm-are-betting-on-silicon-anode-batteries.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/22/why-porsche-mercedes-and-gm-are-betting-on-silicon-anode-batteries.html</a></p><p> </p><p>Batteries made with silicon instead of graphite — the commonly used
material in battery anodes today — have been shown to enable
significantly higher energy density and faster charging. </p><span class="transition-fade-appear-done transition-fade-enter-done"><div class="BoxInline-container "><div class="BoxInline-container" data-module="mps-slot" id="BoxInline-ArticleBody-5"></div></div></span><p>“Silicon anode has 10 times higher energy density than graphite,” according to CEO Kang Sun of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/AMPX">Amprius Technologies</a>, one of the companies working on the technology. </p><p>“We’ve
demonstrated that we can charge to 80 percent in under six minutes,”
added Jon Bornstein, the company’s chief operating officer. Amprius is
already working with <span class="QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer" data-test="QuoteInBody" id="RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-2"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/AIR-FR/">Airbus</a></span>, the U.S. Army, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/AVAV">AeroVironment</a> and <span class="QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer" data-test="QuoteInBody" id="RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-4"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/BA.-GB/">BAE Systems</a><span class="QuoteInBody-inlineButton"><span class="AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer" data-analytics-id="-WatchlistDropdown" id="-WatchlistDropdown"></span></span></span> on early iterations of its silicon-anode batteries. </p><p>* * * * *<br /></p><p> Is it easy to switch battery production plants to a new method easily? I certainly hope so.<br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-57873378219223856182023-04-12T17:15:00.001-07:002023-04-12T17:15:11.619-07:00How many people ride their bike to work?<p> "Despite all of the recreational opportunities for bicyclists within the Black Hills region, bicycling is<br />the least utilized method of commuting to work in the Rapid City Area. According to American<br />Community Survey (ACS) data for 2017, only 0.4% of residents commute to work via bicycling.<br />Pedestrians made up 3.7% of work commuters, and transit riders made up 0.6% of work<br />commuters."</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>At least here in South Dakota, not many people bike to work. While Rapid City has a very nice bike trail that winds along the creek, much of the city has no real bike trail, so you're fighting cars in many places. Hopefully bikes can be given a higher transportation status so more people will choose that method, weather permitting, of course. <br /></p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-66807856846644858152023-04-10T07:07:00.004-07:002023-04-10T07:07:49.318-07:00We can live without cars!<p> <a href="https://www.salon.com/2023/04/09/is-a-post-car-future-actually-possible-experts-say-yes-heres-how-we-could-get-there/">https://www.salon.com/2023/04/09/is-a-post-car-future-actually-possible-experts-say-yes-heres-how-we-could-get-there/</a></p><p> </p><p>"If there was efficient mass transit so that everyone can sort of
theoretically get around, I would say [that] is pretty close to what is
in place in Europe," Fulton told Salon, where Europeans have managed to
maintain a functioning society despite using cars far less often than
Americans.</p>
<p>Yet Europe is still an imperfect example because even there,
automobiles are so ubiquitous that they still consume a large chunk of
transportation time. The key difference is that while Americans
overwhelmingly rely on cars to get around, Europeans have an
infrastructure that mixes cars more robustly with alternatives like
buses, trains, bicycling and even walking. Fulton noted that the
environmental situation in Europe is better than that in America because
Europeans rely less on cars, which suggests that there are lessons from
their experience.</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>This is a good article that goes into many advantages of reducing our reliance on cars, such as the environment, job advancement, etc. It can be done as other countries have already shown. <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-73889441321452681592023-03-16T12:42:00.001-07:002023-03-16T12:42:38.098-07:00Will cities give land back to humans from cars?<p> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/pedestrian-safety-covid-pandemic/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f004">https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/pedestrian-safety-covid-pandemic/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f004</a></p><p> </p><p class="wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-iPJLV-css mw-md pb-md font--article-body font-copy ma-auto pl-sm pr-sm">"But
a reliance on cars for work and life is ingrained in the DNA of most
American environments, and there has been vigorous pushback. Newly
proposed bike lanes have become politically <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/berkeley-bike-lanes-17526276.php?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">explosive</a> and cities have <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-streetery-restaurants-law-regulations-20221222.html?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">struggled</a>
to formalize once-popular streeteries. Business owners worry that fewer
parking spaces means fewer customers. Some warn of gentrification,
others of gridlock.</p><p class="wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-iPJLV-css mw-md pb-md font--article-body font-copy ma-auto pl-sm pr-sm">With traffic <a href="https://www.nsc.org/newsroom/nsc-analysis-traffic-is-back-to-prepandemic-levels?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">returning</a> to pre-virus levels — and bringing with it an <a href="https://www.ghsa.org/resources/news-releases/GHSA-Pedestrian-Spotlight23?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template" target="_blank">alarming rise</a> in pedestrian deaths — the future of America’s streets still hangs in the balance."</p><p class="wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-iPJLV-css mw-md pb-md font--article-body font-copy ma-auto pl-sm pr-sm">* * * * *</p><p class="wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-iPJLV-css mw-md pb-md font--article-body font-copy ma-auto pl-sm pr-sm">The United States has long ago given over its cities to cars. We need to look to Europe to see how to make cities human-centric again.</p><p class="wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-iPJLV-css mw-md pb-md font--article-body font-copy ma-auto pl-sm pr-sm"> </p><p class="wpds-c-hcZlgz wpds-c-hcZlgz-bkfjoi-font-georgia wpds-c-hcZlgz-jDmrXh-width-mdCenter wpds-c-hcZlgz-iPJLV-css mw-md pb-md font--article-body font-copy ma-auto pl-sm pr-sm"> <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5134858478276367735.post-38499261127882835572023-03-13T11:55:00.000-07:002023-03-13T11:55:00.905-07:00City buses will save the day<p> <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-humble-city-bus-is-the-key-to-improving-us-public-transit-199052?utm_source=pocket-newtab">https://theconversation.com/why-the-humble-city-bus-is-the-key-to-improving-us-public-transit-199052?utm_source=pocket-newtab</a></p><p> </p><p>Today, there’s renewed interest in improving bus service in the U.S., inspired by innovations around the globe. The Brazilian <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJR9uCSyGKM">city of Curitiba</a>, which is well known for its innovations in urban planning, set a model in the 1970s when it adopted <a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/research-innovation/bus-rapid-transit">bus rapid transit</a> – buses that run in dedicated lanes, with streamlined boarding systems and priority at traffic signals. </p>
<p>Curitiba helped popularize <a href="https://www.busworldlatinamerica.org/en/news/30-years-have-passed-appearance-bi-articulated-buses">bi-articulated buses</a>,
which are extra-long with flexible connectors that let the buses bend
around corners. These buses, which can carry large numbers of
passengers, now are in wide use in Europe, Latin America and Asia. </p><p>Cities across the globe, led by London, have also aggressively expanded
contactless payment systems, which speed up the boarding process.
Advanced bus systems and new technologies like these flourish in regions
where politicians strongly support transit as a public service.</p><p>* * * * *</p><p>Buses do not replace cars, they reduce the number of cars needed in a city. They are cheaper for the rider than owning a car. If the city sets up a useable system, cities can reduce the severe impact cars have on the air, and the areas dedicated to vehicles.</p><p> <br /></p><p> </p>Jeff Jacobsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469389986416419064noreply@blogger.com0