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Paris: free public transport to battle worst smog; Sweden tax breaks on repairs: no waste
"Transport chiefs banned drivers with odd-numbered licence plates from entering the centre on Tuesday, with cars bearing even numbers barred yesterday (Photo: AFP)"
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Paris makes all public transport FREE to cut polluting traffic after worst smog in 10 years
The Metro underground system and overground rail in the French capital were tonight said to be buckling under the strain with thousands taking advantage of zero cost fares.
Authorities have clamped down on cars as a perfect storm of high vehicle emissions, soaring numbers of domestic wood fires and windless conditions have blanketed Paris in choking smog.
Transport chiefs banned drivers with odd-numbered licence plates from entering the centre on Tuesday, with cars bearing even numbers barred yesterday, reports the Independent.
Sweden's tax breaks on repairs to clothes, bicycles, fridges, and washing machines: No more waste
To combat its "throwaway consumer culture," Sweden has announced tax breaks on repairs to clothes, bicycles, fridges, and washing machines. On bikes and clothes, VAT has been reduced from 25% to 12% and on large household products (also known in Sweden as "white goods") consumers can claim back income tax due on the person doing the work.
The incentives are intended to reduce the environmental impact of the things Swedes buy. The country has ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but has found that the impact of consumer choices is actually increasing.
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"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain
"To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture."
- Thomas Paine
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."
- Mark Twain
"There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qualities. They will not bear discussion."
- Lord Acton
In seconds: How fast driver able to switch from relaxation to control driverless car when machine is unsure to make decisions
Brown was passionate about his driverless car which was speeding into truck trailer and killed its master
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Washington: Joshua Brown, 40, a former Navy SEAL is the first person to die at the wheel of his confidently-trusted self-driving car. His computer-guided Tesla Model S hit a tractor trailer on a freeway in Williston, Florida, in May.
And here's what the Model S owner's manual has to say about Autopilot: "...Always drive attentively and be prepared to take immediate action." (Note: How fast can you switch yourself from relax mode into controlling the wheel to avoid a fatal accident?)
"When machines unsure to make decisions
Where's the lane? Self-driving cars confused by shabby U.S. roadways
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Photo courtesy heavy.com, Reuters / Mario Anzuoni, and Ben Cawthra / Rex / Shutterstock
"There are two freedoms; The false, where man is free to do what he likes; The true, where man is free to do what he ought."
"There are two freedoms; The false, where man is free to do what he likes; The true, where man is free to do what he ought."
~ Charles Kingsley
"False happiness renders men stern and proud, and that happiness is never communicated. True happiness renders them kind and sensible, and that happiness is always shared."
~ Charles de Montesquieu
Photo: Crowded Railway Station in Mumbai, India
Churchgate Railway Station in Mumbai, India
Photograph by Randy Olson
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."US National Park Service turns 100(1st park,Yellowstone,signed into law in 1872)
Extended Preview of Ken Burns documentary series on PBS, THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICAS BEST IDEA. The 12-hour, six-part documentary series, directed by Burns and co-produced with his longtime colleague, Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script, is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.
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"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
- John Muir, Our National Parks
On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turned 100
The centennial celebrates the achievements of the past 100 years, but it is really about the future. It’s about kicking off a second century of stewardship for America’s national parks and for communities across the nation. Most importantly, it’s about inviting you to join us. We all have a role to play in ensuring that future generations of Americans will be able to enjoy the thrilling experiences of nature and wildlife, history and culture, and the spirit of adventure that is waiting at every national park. read more »
More plastic than fish by 2050: worldwide plastic use increased 20x in 50 yrs, 8 million tons dumped into oceans every minute
Only 5% of plastic waste is effectively recycled, at plants like this one in Indonesia.
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Washington Post - By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans, study says
If we keep producing (and failing to properly dispose of) plastics at predicted rates, plastics in the ocean will outweigh fish pound for pound in 2050, the nonprofit foundation said in a report Tuesday.
According to the report, worldwide use of plastic has increased 20-fold in the past 50 years, and it is expected to double again in the next 20 years. By 2050, we’ll be making more than three times as much plastic stuff as we did in 2014.
Guardian UK - One refuse truck’s-worth of plastic is dumped into the sea every minute, and the situation is getting worse
According to a new Ellen MacArthur Foundation report launched at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, new plastics will consume 20% of all oil production within 35 years, up from an estimated 5% today. read more »
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