#why would we spend money on reliable public transport infrastructure

[abysskeeper]

Of course the day I'm actually on a timetable is when the bus connections lie to me

[felixsmarketingbcxq469-blog]

The 3 Biggest Disasters In Internet Marketing History

Internet marketing is the same as standard marketing, others are not. Below are seven points you require to understand your online marketing achieves success. When you create Xu copy, you must put in the time to recognize what jobs and what does not. There are 2 mistakes practically every amateur search engine copywriting.

Effective non-profit organizations make use of the Internet to market charitable program.

To help firms improve their electronic marketing results, I likewise had extensive, extensively praised and also won the AOP Award for best technique, publisher e-consultancy Guide.

Online marketing is really challenging, and also there will certainly be, you require a professional internet search engine marketing services to beat your competition in the web traffic battles. Please consider our seo business with the help of your task. Free quote solution search engine optimization, website design, pay per click advertising, seo and also PPC series, search engine optimization training courses and on-line brand name network evaluation.

Internet marketing is still necessary to any type of company's general marketing approach. Stated prior to with all the advantages of internet marketing, people still get magazines, signboards headed out to check to see their mail, enjoy TV, and also purchasing. Regardless of exactly how busy and also broad net of interaction, individuals go out together, discussing mosting likely to the health club. Therefore, while Internet marketing is definitely valid and crucial, demising certain worth of the price of typical marketing any type of company, several prospective clients. Another thing, when we say that web marketing, it is not only figures we choose to click ads. The listing likewise consists of protection, marketing, advertising social networks, groups, conversation boards as well as lots of others. Appropriately, the internet marketing tasks can impact the number of people exposed. However, one disadvantage is that individuals started to become one of the, and would certainly even review the marketing information marketing or understand (even people in the safety and security list), as well as erase without opening them. When somebody on the web, they want to review/ create e-mail, conversation with good friends, read and also upload/ reply comments, play enjoyable video games. As an internet marketing objective is to construct a top priority for Internet users. Likewise, try and spam and unwanted email and advertising, increasingly more individuals away from Internet advertising and marketing generally, unless they are some details material. A range of Internet marketing method is totally free and paid online marketing can make even more cash. 12-month Internet Millionaire Review - Russell Brunson is a 12-month millionaire fraudulence?. As the marketplace among the most questionable publications, and currently the Internet millionaire's 12 months still constitute a major buzz almost everywhere. A fantastic specialist online marketing make money online. Internet marketing can be a profitable sector, if some huge Internet-related skills and also knowledge growth to do so effectively. Have to also identify as well as develop the required techniques to generate income online. Pay per click marketing, online marketing and also link exchange programs, is marketing, can be utilized to make the Internet market to generate income online there are some crucial programs.

Internet marketing are not the outcome of a distinct, integrated net strategy; rather, they are a reaction to competitors activities or consumers demand. Through the website has actually existed for more than a year, marketing personnel and elderly monitoring will naturally examine its performance. This is generally the point in a meaningful Internet marketing strategy requires to emerge. As a result, starting in the sum of electronic marketing strategy, is when a firm's existing internet site, which is to examine the existing website as well as its objective is to improve the performance of the future. There is no evidence that the development and execution of a technique to be substantially various technique to digital marketing. Strategic planning for enterprise growth or strategic marketing to comply with the recognized framework needs to still be. The framework offers a logical order to follow up to ensure that the tactical emphasis of all development tasks consisted of. It can be claimed, however, with the e-market method for a highly sensitive procedure of quick action setting, the occasions out there demand. Soviet-style five-year preparation application does not seem to fit, the best method is a new procedure of electronic marketing strategy is a continuous enhancement. Examine charge (2002) mentioned that shopping or e-marketing method procedure versions often tend to agree with the following features:

There are many ways to market your item using a large number of online with Google AdWords or Yahoo's Overture marketing network, eBay, members network, cost per click marketing. Additionally, there are lots of 2nd rate expense of sales and also revenues per share network. You need to have a great network marketing approach, making use of the Internet to give internet marketing device. With Internet marketing company, will assist you to get your website in internet search engine advertising and marketing and also optimization services offered by a number of the outcomes, but at some point you need to establish what type of multi level marketing will certainly offer you the most effective of a line of product. It made use of to be you purchased CPM (cost per thousand) in large project Web site as well as hope that the good efficiency of these ads as well as get traffic to your internet site. Now, there are several choices, there is typically a for every occasion better than the other run. It shows up that the use of network marketing the most effective method to get roi expense per click online marketing tool, the strategic factor. Google AdWords as well as Yahoos Overture CPC programs have dominated the world of multi level marketing in the past two years, they only get bigger and more powerful. Multi level marketing business have actually sprung up to assist novices discover how to utilize AdWords and Overture to the best of their capability to rope. If you wish to develop a brand, after that the cost per click will not be internet marketing remedies. Instead of the online brand, you will certainly most likely to a CPM project, is a straight line costs. The targeted advertisements, and also now there's online advertising costs results from leave the television as well as radio have actually been gradually transferred to the Internet. Why do you desire, if you are marketing with the radio or TELEVISION, you can actually track the private results of the job online. We believe that lots of advertisement networks and affiliate program will gradually fade out in the next a number of years, while Google and also Yahoo Zhudao even with their very own, targeted search results and also even more per click marketing network. Internet modifications rapidly, any kind of business wish to optimize their online marketing existence requires to adjust as well as adjust to the most up to date technology.

Mlm is the three abilities: transport infrastructure, marketing, application advancement, marketing techniques and approvals. Practical capacity of the network in sports marketing when three comparable shift guidebook transmission, driving a vehicle, both in technicians.

Internet marketing coincides where you live, since it is a global market.

They do not have banner ads, because they are less costly than print. In Facebook, since their kids that they need to be. If you begin what you want for your website's business focus as well as you concentrate all power on helping to enhance the initial results of this objective, Name of the Dong Xi you Keyi try, to see if they are exactly how they work. Or you can take a look at things, said: "I do not see exactly how it can aid me attain my objective. Now, if you overlook something, it is possible that they will really end up being extremely crucial, as well as you 'regional employees recognize that you slipped up. however just the bigger error is ignored, since you are bypassing, or attempt to do every little thing hafway as well as accomplish nothing.

Network Marketing is not simply large spending plan or the whole company's IT division. We have established in Newfoundland and also Labrador web site, then who can appear in extra efficient rivals left out from the marketplace itself. We can do the same for you, to establish an on-line presence to support your various other. This allows you all the seamless combination of marketing tasks, you become a far better profit development in your site shooting. With full Internet marketing approach and also a solid web site design, your business has the potential to end up being a global player., Kok River, some in Newfoundland as well as Labrador, or any other parts of the globe area, asking them to do, they can assist your web site layout, as a profitable machines reliable. Our company believe that your answer in Lorne Park and also associated firms will seek to get you.

Internet marketing is clear, the next concern is generally, "Yes, yet where I begin?." For brand-new and also existing consumers a direct access factor. In the days passed, as well as when individuals intend to find a business, they turned to the yellow pages. Today, your clients will find you on the net, if you are not there, they will certainly look to the next point, they did locate: 1,

Network Marketing is your rival doing? How do your competitors in the residential major internet search engine rankings? What sort of web traffic from their very own website? Utilize the right devices, this important details can be located in your competitors.: What is it your product or service for the customer to settle or do not supply any kind of good? In what methods you can best illustrate this benefit? Clear and also consistent info on the positioning of your items on the market based upon a solid understanding is very crucial to all offline and online marketing efforts.: How much cash can you obtain clients and also still make a profit? What is each client, you obtain the value of life expectancy? This is the answer you require to establish the effectiveness of any kind of multi level marketing program running on crucial issues.

Online marketing is falling over themselves trying to shift dollars from offline to online marketing. I think the suggestion is that internet marketing will give them much better to reduce the U.S. dollar in a tight economic returns. While it is certainly a solid approach for mobile Internet, it pays to put it a little thought, the very first: Verify your facilities. Offline dollars in your relocate to online, to make certain that you can actually use all of the online customer service. Do you have in location of? You can swiftly readjust the landing web page and also web site duplicate? No sense, if you put in to send site visitors to a site, sucking cash from on-line marketing. If you are from offline to on the internet cash like 2 weeks to generate a 5:1 return, decreasing the Prozac as well as think twice to come back. The largest mistake I see their budget, the business's transformation, is that they believe this is a line 'run and also do' points. Marketing experts as well as their bosses think they can develop a touchdown web page or start a PPC campaign, and after that forget it for a month. As well as this cycle operates in print or television, it will not work online. Line is very, extremely recurring, as well as requires constant attention. So you save a great deal of advertising cash right into the workforce.

Attributes of network marketing is most definitely an excellent beginning in the Internet market, however if you do not know exactly how to drive web traffic to your website, these points will certainly be thrown away.

Search Engine Optimization Senior Account Manager candidates have to contend the very least the search engine optimization, web link building, PPC 3 years of experience, and also can hit the ground running. Intelligence as well as capability to work proactively without guidance is needed, you ought to have the ability to service task management. You also have to have the ability to interact with customers the highest degree of search engine optimization. Sales beneficial, however not essential, since this ability is the primary method and also client administration function. We are a small active Swiss institutions as well as roll up their sleeves and also complete the job is important. The method we work, we are really flexible, however this is a permanent placement at our head office in Bristol, England, Bristol in the UK so you need to be near or on, such as showering, Swindon, Chelten Burnham, Gloucester.

Net online marketing professionals located in the blog, webmaster online forums and online publications. com, where you can learn about the current Google updates the brand-new method can generate income web site. Acetylcholine maravilla is the President as well as Chief Executive Officer powerhomebiz. One on entrepreneurship, in order to detailed information.

Web marketing is just also many to state in this article. If you access the Internet value-added solutions, internet savvy, you will certainly see how much of this marketing can enhance your company kind.

Internet marketing is online marketing, multi level marketing, network marketing. Internet marketing is very crucial, yet the chaos of development with social media, I strongly recommend listening skills is to understand how to do twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Lots of marketing media, counting on the three to take home the bacon just. The building is a long listing of mlm, a needed element of success. Listing building merely indicates that a user list, you can interact consistently using email. In order to start building a listing, you first need to establish what is called a capture web page. Pages, your visitors will certainly be asked to provide some complimentary presents, to share their names as well as e-mail. It can be a cost-free record, e-books, video or presentation software. Many vendors also use complimentary digital can receive daily early bird ideas and also notifications.

[gamerszone2019-blog]

What Cyberpunk Red Can Teach Us About 2077: Johnny Silverhand, 4th Corporate War, And More

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/what-cyberpunk-red-can-teach-us-about-2077-johnny-silverhand-4th-corporate-war-and-more/

What Cyberpunk Red Can Teach Us About 2077: Johnny Silverhand, 4th Corporate War, And More

Cyberpunk 2077 can’t come soon enough. After years of waiting, the highly-anticipated first-person action-RPG’s release date was confirmed for April 16, 2020, at E3 2019. While that’s still a little while away, we’re fortunate in that he fine people at R. Talsorian Games have released the jump start kit for Cyberpunk Red–the latest edition of the tabletop RPG franchise that Cyberpunk 2077 is based on called Cyberpunk 2020.

Cyberpunk Red acts as a sequel to Cyberpunk 2020. It’s set in-between the events of the tabletop original and the upcoming game. If you do the math that’s 57 years unaccounted for, so that’s a lot of new details about the Cyberpunk universe being revealed here.

Below you can find all the biggest new lore, history, and character tidbits. You’re welcome to watch the video version above.

Table of Contents [hide]

Story Background

Before we really dig into Red, let’s dive into a bit of background from the Cyberpunk 2020 creator himself, Mike Pondsmith. In a previous interview we conducted with the famed creator, he described Cyberpunk’s world as such:

Cyberpunk 2077 is based in the world of tabletop RPG, Cyberpunk 2020.

“The 2020 world is a fusion of many types and elements of the overall genre. And it’s about a combination of technology gone wrong but being used by people in novel ways up against large megacorporations, powerful people, and powerful forces, governments, etc that are all conspiring to keep people oppressed and stomped on.”

While you can create any sort of Cyberpunk city or setting you’d like in the tabletop RPG, the books and the upcoming game focus on Night City, an urban sprawl between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

As Pondsmith said, corporations (are mostly) calling all the shots and doing what they can to keep the people oppressed. While governments still exist, they rarely pose much of a threat to the corporate overlords.

The lack of government regulation has left the megacorporations free to start conflicts on a whim with little repercussions. These wars have been dubbed the “Corporate Wars,” and typically end in lots of bloodshed.

The 4th Corporate War

Cyberpunk Red takes place in 2045 after the Fourth Corporate War, a bloody conflict started in 2021 by Aquacorps CINO and OTEC and later escalated by Militech and Arasaka. As different corporations aligned with either Arasaka or Militech, an all-out war was waged between different corporations across the planet. The megacorps rolled through countries, broke international laws, and hired private armies to do their bidding.

The 4th corporate war inevitably ended with the death of over half a million people.

In an attempt to put an end to the war, Johnny Silverhand aka Keanu Reeves and the Solo (hit-man) Morgan Blackhand led an attack on the Arasaka headquarters in Night City. During the raid, a small nuclear bomb was detonated and leveled most of Night City, killing over half a million people. Despite knowing that the bomb was supplied by Militech, the US president put the blame on Arasaka and nationalized Militech. The increased pressure reduced Arasaka to a Japan-only corporation for the next ten years.

Due to the combined efforts of Miltech and national armies, the 4th Corporate War was put to an end.

Welcome to the Time of the Red

The end of the 4th Corporate War ushered in the Time of the Red. So why is it called Cyberpunk Red? Well due to the mass destruction and radiation from the 4th Corporate War, a “red pall hangs over the skies worldwide.” However, the radiation isn’t that big of a threat because most people living in this universe already had radiation filters installed in their bodies.

Cyberpunk Red is named after the red skies that filled the world after the nuclear destruction at the end of the 4th corporate war.

With major cities in shambles, people have been reclaiming the once-abandoned towns and settlements throughout the country. As you’d expect, bandits and other questionable types roam the wilds. Most people who venture beyond the cities stick with armed nomad caravans.

Meanwhile, in 2030, sweeping reconstruction projects take place across the world. Especially in Night City which had its city center leveled. However, in the interim, the city outskirts and districts less affected by the bomb have become overcrowded.

By 2045 the first Mega Building is erected. These are huge buildings designed to safely house as many people as possible. V’s apartment in the 2077 gameplay reveal demo is located in a Mega Building. As the narrator says in the video, these apartment buildings have everything one could possibly need and typically form micro-societies within Night City.

In 2045, Night City’s NCART subway system has also seen better days. While it’s still functional, flooding is a common occurrence and it gets delayed frequently. According to Red’s world book, “City planners are working to raise a majority of the track into a new monorail configuration, but that will take time and money the city doesn’t have.” Something tells us this monorail system will be completed by the time 2077 rolls around.

The NET

To kick off this new era, the NET as we know it, or rather as we’d know it from Cyberpunk 2020, has been wiped out. Originally you were able to travel the world and into space via the NET, but the infrastructure that allowed for that kind of freedom had been destroyed. After the 4th Corporate War, Netrunners had to physically jack in to local networks if they wanted access.

The Time of the Red introduced city-wide networks called DataPools.

Based on what we’ve seen of Cyberpunk 2077, We’d imagine this localized NET infrastructure is still present in the 2070s. As we saw in the 48-minute gameplay reveal, once V jacked into the Maelstrom gang’s network, she had access to the entire hideout.

However, in the Time of the Red, Netrunners had to own a set of fancy VR goggles called Cyberdecks if they wanted to jack in to a network. Based on what we’ve seen of Cyberpunk 2077, either you don’t need a cyberdeck to hack or they aren’t nearly as bulky as what’s described in Red.

Along with a series of localized networks, the Time of the Red introduced city-wide networks called DataPools. These can be accessed in one of two ways: Through a Data Term or cell phone-like device called an Agent. From what we can tell, local networks rarely interface with these DataPools.

Data Pools are essentially the internet if it was localized to a city. You can message people, share information, buy stuff, and research things, i.e. Facebook, forums, Amazon, and Wikipedia would all exist within the Data Pool. It’s also home to something called PopMedia, which is described as an “entertainment and news programming created by independent producers instead of MegaCorps.” According to the world book, it also boasts an “ungodly amount of trash.”

Chances are, your primary communication device in Cyberpunk 2077 will be your Agent. In Cyberpunk Red, Agents come in three forms: Basic, Expensive, and Luxury. Agents can do pretty much anything a modern phone can do. Though, it is possible to reprogram an agent to act as a surrogate lover and purchase other complementary cybernetic enhancements to suit various needs…This sounds like a Cyberpunk 2077 sidequest waiting to be written.

Living in Red

Life in the Time of the Red can be difficult. Wars break out over fresh food so most people’s diets consist of Kibble and other synthetic foods. Even then, those meals aren’t always cheap. It’s hard to say what meals will look like in 2077, but considering Night City seems to be a bit more stable in CD Projekt Red’s RPG, we bet the food options will be a bit more diverse. After all, we do see someone eating with chopsticks in the reveal trailer. However, it’s still unclear if you will need to manage your hunger or if it’s just a means to recoup a bit of health like in The Witcher 3.

With the public transportation system constantly on the fritz, cars were your most reliable way of getting around during the Time of the Red. And while fancy cybercars did exist, they were expensive and hard to drive unless you were cybered up. Fortunately, good old fuel-burning cars are still kicking during Red.

The AV-4 is described as “the closest thing to a science fiction jet-car.” One of these popped up in Cyberpunk 2077’s debut gameplay.

While cybercars might be rare, Cyberbikes aren’t. These things can run off alcohol or water and are definitely present in 2077. In fact, during this year’s behind closed doors demo at E3 we got a glimpse of V riding a Yaiba-Kusanagi cyberbike.

Two other vehicles Cyberpunk Red mentions are the F-152 Aerogyro, which is basically a one-man helicopter, and the McDonnell Douglas AV-4. The AV-4 is described as “the closest thing to a science fiction jet-car.” These can reach speeds of 350 miles an hour and are typically reserved for corporate big-wigs and trauma teams. We’d say that the aircraft we see at the beginning of the gameplay reveal is one of these. Considering CD Projekt Red has said that you probably won’t be able to pilot flying cars or vehicles, we think it’s safe to say that transportation technology won’t make too many advancements before 2077. However, we bet we’ll see more cybercars.

And of course, one of the most important things for any cyberpunk is their style. CD Projekt Red released a series of images teasing some of the various styles. However, clothing does more for a cyberpunk than net them clout on the street. Depending on how much you’re willing to spend you can find jackets with built-in portable chargers, clothing that adjusts to the temperature, bodysuits that can change colors and textures, and undershirts that can harden into body armor. Hopefully, when 2077 comes out you’ll be able to give your netrunning ninja assassin a bodysuit that lets her cloak herself as she breaks into a corporate headquarters.

The People of Red

But what about Johnny Silverhand and Morgan Blackhand? Well, they should be dead. But if you’ve seen the E3 2019 trailer, it’s clear that Johnny is alive…at least in some form.

According to the Cyberpunk Red timeline, there are rumors that Johnny Silverhand’s body was found in cold storage in a body bank under the wreckage. This is just wild speculation but we hope you get to recover Johnny Silverhand’s body at some point during 2077.

Is Johnny Silverhand still alive in Cyberpunk 2077?

Morgan Blackhand, on the other hand, is rumored to be covertly working for President Kress and the US Government. We’re not sure exactly how could play a role in 2077, but based on the gameplay reveal you can pick Morgan Blackhand to be one of your character’s role models.

Source : Gamesport

[jeroldlockettus]

Freakonomics Radio Live: “Would You Eat a Piece of Chocolate Shaped Like Dog Poop?”

Angela Duckworth and Stephen Dubner listen to Rossini’s “L’Italiana in Algeri,” an opera that may owe its remarkable creativity to Napoleon’s invasion of Italy. (Photo: Lucy Sutton)

What your disgust level says about your politics, how Napoleon influenced opera, why New York City’s subways may finally run on time, and more. Five compelling guests tell Stephen Dubner, co-host Angela Duckworth, and fact-checker Jody Avirgan lots of things they didn’t know.

Listen and subscribe to our podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, see the links at the bottom of this post.

*      *      *

Today’s episode is a special live installment of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll hear about New York City’s subway system and the man who’s trying to fix it. You’ll hear about the relationship between Napoleon and music — and the relationship between politics and disgust, which is not as obvious as you might think. If you’d like to attend a future taping of Freakonomics Radio Live, we’d love to have you. We have upcoming shows in San Francisco on May 16th, Los Angeles on May 18, Philadelphia on June 6, London on September 6, and in Chicago on September 26th. For details, visit freakonomics.com/live.

Stephen J. DUBNER: Good evening. I’m Stephen Dubner and this is Freakonomics Radio Live, coming to you tonight from City Winery in New York City. As you know, Freakonomics Radio is typically a studio show based on lots of forethought and research and extensive interviews. In this live show, we throw all that out the window. No forethought whatsoever. Joining me tonight as co-host, would you please welcome the University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Angela Duckworth. Angela, if you don’t know, is the author of the longtime bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. She’s also C.E.O. of Character Lab and one of the founders of Behavior Change For Good. Angela, what else are you up to?

Angela DUCKWORTH: Through Character Lab, I’m hoping to quadruple the amount of behavioral science that’s done on kids and how they grow up to thrive. So we’ve been doing okay, but I think we should have more science so that we can have more to talk about on Freakonomics.

DUBNER: Excellent. So as you know, we play here a game called “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know.” We bring guests onstage to tell us some interesting fact or idea or story. You and I will poke and prod them as much as we’d like. Then later on, our live audience will pick a winner. The criteria are very simple. No. 1, did they tell us something we truly did not know? No. 2, was it truly worth knowing? And No. 3, was it demonstrably true? Which is important. And to help with the demonstrably true part, would you please welcome our real-time fact checker. He’s the host and producer of ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcasts. Jody Avirgan. Hey, Jody.

Jody AVIRGAN: Hello, Stephen.

DUBNER: Something I learned about you very recently, Jody, is you have a young daughter who has become an Internet phenomenon.

AVIRGAN: Well, she had a moment as an Internet phenomenon, actually, a photo I took of my daughter went viral. It was a photo we took of her after she’d eaten pizza for the first time. The audience is seeing it right now. She went to this sort of blissful state with pizza sauce all over her face. And I put it out into the world, and it went nuts. I checked this morning. Fifteen million people have seen this photo off of my Twitter account, and then it got ripped on to all of the meme accounts, and people were sending us examples of it being used in random Czechoslovakian advertisements. And the morning shows were asking us to come on. And we kind of just laid low. But yeah, it was kind of wild ride.

DUBNER: All right, Jody, I’m glad to hear that your daughter is meme-worthy. I’m glad that you are here tonight to be our fact checker. Our first guest, would you please give a warm welcome. He is president of the New York City Transit Authority. Andy Byford. Andy, welcome to the show. Now, the audience — this puzzles me.

DUCKWORTH: They’re happy!

DUBNER: Here’s what we know about you so far. You are president of the Transit Authority, which means that you essentially run the subways and buses. Correct?

Andy BYFORD: That’s correct.

DUBNER: And most of these people, including myself — we ride your subways and buses. And yet, when you walked in, they applauded. Which to me, seems paradoxical. So by what magic has Andy Byford won over the transit riders of New York City?

BYFORD: A British accent goes a long way.

DUCKWORTH: It really does.

BYFORD: It’s British charm.

DUBNER: And I understand you come from a transit family. Correct? Third generation?

BYFORD: I do. My granddad drove a bus through the Blitz, actually, through the Blitz. I ride the subway or the bus into work every day. I have never owned a car in my life. I probably never will. I rely on public transit and I believe in it. I’ve also failed my driving test twice.

DUBNER: So, compared to the Blitz, and buildings being crumbled in the streets, I guess the New York City subways are easy.

BYFORD: Oh, piece of cake. Absolutely, yeah. We have a long way to go. But it is improving. And what I wanted to do tonight is just talk about what we’re doing to make it better.

DUBNER: Let’s start with a little history. Obviously, New York is one of the older subways — I guess London is the oldest in the world.

BYFORD: London dates back to 1863, our subway is 1904. Coming here, the challenge is the same, but it is exponentially bigger. Interestingly, I’d say 15 to 20 years ago, the London Underground was in a similar state to that in which we find ourselves here in New York today. Stations looking a bit shoddy, unreliable signaling, tired vehicles, lack of funding. Sustained funding has transformed the Tube. That’s what we need here today. And a focus on basics. That’s what I want to talk about.

DUBNER: I love that we’re getting applause for infrastructure funding. We’ve never had that before. So the New York City subway, as I understand it, has the worst on-time performance of any major transit system in the world. Is that accurate, first of all?

BYFORD: We certainly are nowhere near where we need to be. In January of 2018, our on-time performance — admittedly it was a bad month — but it was a woeful 58, just over 58 percent. Through relentless focus on basics and substantial investment, a year later we’ve got it up to just over 76 percent

DUBNER: Now, to be fair, New York’s subways generally get people where they’re going. They can be slow and crowded and unpleasant on occasion but they’re also transporting — how many million people a day?

BYFORD: Well, for the whole of transit, it’s 8 million people. It’s made up of 5.7 million people on the subway, 2.3 million on the buses. And on a good day, going from the Bronx down to Manhattan, where I work, southern tip of Manhattan, that train hammered down the express line. You try doing that in a cab, and you try doing that for $2.75, you’re not going to do it.

DUBNER: Right. When I think of New York, I think that one reason it was able to grow into the city it did was because it had subways early, and so it was able to move people around a lot, underground, without tying things up. The downside of that is it was an old system, and therefore I gather — like any old system — hard to retrofit, right? So can you just kind of set the scene for us, in terms of how good, I guess, the bones still are, and assuming they are good enough to upgrade as you’d like, what are the impediments to the higher speed, the fewer delays, etc.?

BYFORD: So, I think it’s fundamentally, the system does have good bones. And let’s look at the positives. We do have express tracks. We do have a lot of stations. We have the most stations in the world. We have 472 stations. So, we’re starting from a good basis. But on a less-positive side, for various reasons, primarily lack of investment — crippling lack of investment — over the past few decades, the subway has been allowed to degrade, to the point that now we really struggle with on-time performance, because of lack of two things: one, lack of service reliability; and two, a crippling lack of capacity.

DUBNER: Can you point some fingers, please? If your chief argument is that funding is necessary for maintenance of an expensive and complicated system — which seems obvious — where is it, has it been a lack of funding? Has it been poor spending? Is it the typical political hide-and-seek games, where the money is diverted? And I would like you to name some names, with email addresses, please.

BYFORD: So, I think one of the lessons that constantly gets learned in transit is, you cannot stop investing in maintenance and what’s called state of good repair. People point to the subway system in Washington, D.C., WMATA. That was built in, I believe it was 1976. It’s really groovy, it’s a very sort of nice system.

AVIRGAN: Usually on fire, though.

BYFORD: Well, that’s the thing. People in D.C. — it stands for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority — I’m told people say it stands for We Make A Town Afraid. That’s a bad place to be. Why? Because it was a new system, you can put it off. Politicians can put off the investment, because it works perfectly fine. So to your question, here, much the same. Politicians have lots of draws on their time. You’ve got to sort the roads out, you’ve got to sort out education, you’ve got to sort out hospitals. And for various reasons, this has snuck up on us. And you see this slow but incessant, relentless decline in terms of service reliability. The city’s population has grown. The infrastructure has got older, the pressure on it has got higher, the funding in real terms has dropped. And that’s why we’re in the state that we’re in.

If what Byford is saying here about infrastructure and maintenance warms your heart, check out Freakonomics Radio episode no. 263. It’s called “In Praise of Maintenance.” Okay, back to Andy Byford.

BYFORD: So, let me tell you what we’re doing about it. The city and the state have jointly funded what’s called the Subway Action Plan. So it’s installing what we call continuously welded rail — better rail that is less prone to rail defects. It’s about fixing leaks. It’s about renewing components. It’s about unblocking drains. So it’s really about fixing those elements that were allowed to degrade on the existing system.

To me on arrival, what was missing was the complementary part — which is, you must get your operational disciplines right. So when I came here, it drove me crazy, as a railway man of 30 years’ experience, that you see trains sit in the platform, you all see it, doors open, close, open, close, open, close. “Can we please get going?”

There were speed restrictions that were not necessary — speed restrictions went in initially, for a valid reason, that either the track had a defect years ago, or because we had trains that were made of wood years ago, or didn’t have such strong brakes. Those speed restrictions are no longer necessary. We had what are called signal-grade timers that were put in for a safety reason, but they’ve been allowed to fall out of calibration.

DUBNER: So you’re saying, even when the equipment is capable and the tracks are fine—

BYFORD: It’s not properly calibrated. So that was my suspicion. Obviously, you listen to the customers, but you also look at data. What was it about 2012, suddenly the delays went exponentially up? That’s when we started putting in those signal-grade timers. They were wrongly calibrated. So we have set up a team called the SPEED Team. It stands for Subway Performance Evaluation and Education Development, because we love acronyms, right? We subscribe to the PUMA initiative at New York City Transit Authority. You know what PUMA stands for?

DUCKWORTH: I don’t.

BYFORD: Please Use More Acronyms. So we set this team up to cover, on a specialized train, every inch of New York City Transit’s 600 track miles. They drive at the signal at the speed that it should be set for. And if the train gets automatically stopped, then the signal is wrongly calibrated. So, so far, we have identified 320 such signals that are wrongly calibrated, and we’re working our way through correcting them.

AVIRGAN: Can I just clarify one thing? You’re saying that the only way to test a signal is to take a train and drive it as fast as possible at the signal and see what happens?

BYFORD: Well, just for the benefit of everyone listening on the radio — this fact checker is actually on his third bottle of beer.  But just to clarify, to put everyone’s mind to rest — when I say drive the train at it, obviously it’s for the speed limit that should be, the signal should clear at that speed.

AVIRGAN: But you need a full train to test that one signal?

BYFORD: No, this is an empty train. This is an empty train. These are qualified people.

DUBNER: I believe Jody’s question is, isn’t there software or something that does that?

BYFORD: No, I want to test the reality. So, these people, qualified people—

DUCKWORTH: Oh, you definitely want to test it with an actual train.

BYFORD: —and if that signal, the signal plate, says that signal should clear at 15 miles per hour, but it’s actually what we call tripping the station, stopping it at a lesser speed, then it’s wrongly calibrated.

DUBNER: Can I can I ask a funding question? So there is — as I understand it, a relatively new congestion surcharge on taxis and car services. And now, there is talk of another congestion fee for vehicles entering certain parts of Manhattan, which is what we more typically think of as a congestion fee. That money, we’re told, is directed to “the subways.” So: how much money will there be? Is it really coming to you? What is the money going toward? Etc.

BYFORD: First of all, the for-hire vehicle surcharge, the one that you just described, and that will now start to see a flow of funding come towards — dedicated funding — coming towards transit, which I very much welcome, because the one thing, working in transit, that really cripples you, is stop-start funding. You can’t plan unless every year you’re thinking, well, what are we going to get this year? That’s no way to run a business. I need to be able to plan with certainty.

The real game changer will be made major, sustainable, affordable, long-term sources of funding. And one of those suggested is a congestion charge. Because it does two things. One, it cuts congestion. And the other half of my focus is of course buses, which have the lowest speed of any North American bus system. Why? It’s nothing to do with my operators, the buses can’t levitate. They’re stuck in traffic.

DUCKWORTH: Not yet.

BYFORD: We’re working on that, by the way. But they’re hopelessly stuck in traffic. So what it gives you is, less traffic, but the traffic that does come in, pay a fee, and that fee must be lock-boxed, ring-fenced, cannot be siphoned off anywhere else, guaranteed go into funding.

DUBNER: What’s your annual budget now, and what do you want, let’s say, two, five years from now?

BYFORD: So, at the moment, the operating budget of New York City Transit is around $8 billion. So it’s a big chunk of cash, but bear in mind this is a huge system, in that we run thousands of services 24/7, which is another reason this is a tricky system to upgrade, because no one wants their lines shut down while we upgrade.

DUBNER: It’s like the 24-hour diner, and you always wonder, when do they clean out the fryer? That’s what I wonder about you.

DUCKWORTH: Never.

BYFORD: I’ve often wondered that. That’s my next challenge. I’ve often wondered that. So, what we really need is to bite the bullet. And I’m saying, with the right funding, sustainable funding, we can turn this system around. No more tweaking. Let’s totally re-signal the network. Let’s make the system fully accessible. We can’t be proud of this system unless and until it is fully accessible to all New Yorkers. Let’s sort out the bus network. Let’s modernize the prevailing mindset, the bureaucracy of the transit network.

So, some specifics: within the first five years, properly funded, we can re-signal five lines. In the next five years, for a total of 10, we can modernize 11 of the lines. In that 10 years, completely modernize 300 stations. We can make 180 stations accessible within that time frame. I’d need, we’ve calculated, $40 billion over those 10 years. Can we really not afford $4 billion a year, maybe two from the state, one from the city, $500 million from Washington, D.C., $500 million — maybe we could find it in Transit.

We can move from state of emergency to state of the art within just 10 years. If we don’t do this plan, all that will happen is, the infrastructure will get even older, the population will grow even bigger, and the pressure on it will grow harder. But guess what? The price will go up. So now’s the time to bite the bullet.

DUBNER: Jody Avirgan, we heard a lot of interesting ideas, some statistics, massive optimism, and, I would say, energy, which I admire.

DUCKWORTH: Charm and charisma. And grit.

DUBNER: A lot of grit.

AVIRGAN: I want to talk specifically about one thing, which is, you said there is a lack of capacity. Are you running, at any given time, the maximum number of trains that could be on the system at that time?

BYFORD: No, we’re not. No. And that is, again, something that we are in the process of addressing. A classic example of that would be the L line, because that line is one of the two that has communications-based train-control, modern signaling, that currently runs 20 trains per hour. After the upgrade, we’ll be able to run more trains because we’re providing more power. The signaling system can handle it. There’s not enough power. Which is ridiculous. So we’re addressing that.

DUBNER: Andy Byford, thank you so much for coming on our show. Would you please welcome our next guest. She is an economic historian at N.Y.U. She studies creativity and innovation. Her name is Petra Moser. Petra. How are you?

Petra MOSER: Great.

DUBNER: Good. You teach quite nearby at N.Y.U. How did you get here tonight?

MOSER: Subway.

DUBNER: And it worked.

MOSER: It did.

DUBNER: What do you have for us tonight, Petra?

MOSER: So, I wanted to ask you whether you might know: how did Napoleon influence music?

DUBNER: How did Napoleon influence music? Angie Duckworth, do you have any thoughts?

DUCKWORTH: Did he commission a special piece for Josephine?

MOSER: I don’t know that.

DUCKWORTH: That’s not the answer then.

MOSER: No, that’s not the answer. You got to be a little bit more creative. You got to think a little bit out of the box.

DUBNER: Did it have to do with war-making?

MOSER: Yes.

DUCKWORTH: Did he conquer a nation and then have the musical traditions blend together—

MOSER: No.

DUCKWORTH: I was so close.

MOSER: It was good. If we put the two of you together, we’re actually getting somewhere.

DUBNER: Since we’re not going to get there on our own, why don’t you tell us?

MOSER: So, Napoleon started his Italian campaign at the end of the 18th century. And he won Lombardy and Venetia, which are two states in Italy. These states, by 1801 were under French control, and they got all the French laws, including copyright. But Italy did not have copyrights. So now in Italy, you have two sets of states. They have the same language, they have similar culture. They both get flooded with Napoleon, with the soldiers, with everything, with the gambling, all of that. But only two states have copyrights for the next 20 years.

So now we can actually look what that does to music. Because now we have these two states where composers own what they produce, what they create, and what we wanted to see is whether, once you give an artist an intellectual property right, whether that actually makes them produce more and whether it makes them produce better stuff.

DUBNER: What was your measure for quality?

MOSER: Opera is really great. You can quantify both quantity and quality. So quantity is fairly easy. It’s really helpful that opera is a public art form.

DUCKWORTH: You can count the number of operas.

MOSER: Exactly. So, it’s public. So you can count it. But then, the other thing is that lots of people really love opera and they write everything about opera. So we have lots of people who just say, “Oh, this was a really notable performance, there are tons of people at this performance. People were streaming at the doors.” And there’s a record of that. So we know which were the hits. Then another measure of quality is whether we still play something today. So if something still plays at the Met today, or whether it’s still available on Amazon today, whether people want to buy it.

DUBNER: But wouldn’t that be directly following on from whether they were popular or not, is that not the same thing?

MOSER: There’s some endogeneity there. So, if something is popular now, then it may be more—

DUCKWORTH: How about how many stars it gets on Amazon? Is that part of the academic scholarship?

MOSER: Not in this paper.

DUBNER: So I’m not surprised that an economic historian would want to understand the innovation impact of copyright, because copyright and patent — we know there’s a lot of debate over how strong it needs to be to encourage the right amount of innovation, without overprotecting, etc. Did you go looking for opera first? Did you go looking for Napoleon? Did you go looking for old copyright law?

MOSER: No. So, I’ve done a lot of work on patents. And when you do the same thing over and over and over again, you just get bored. And I sang a lot as a kid, and I was trying to sing opera in college, and then I took economics at the same time, and I liked that better.

DUBNER: Do you have an example for us of an opera that was composed during that era, in one of those states — that you said — Lombardy and Venetia, you said?

MOSER: Yeah, so we have a Rossini opera, L’Italiana in Algeri, which I think would be a nice one.

DUBNER: Let’s hear some. Petra, you’re welcome to join in, if you’d like.

MOSER: If you will, I will too.

Let me break in here to say I chose not to sing that night, because I wasn’t warmed up.

DUBNER: Okay, so tell us a bit about this Rossini piece, and how it’s an example of the phenomenon that you’ve measured.

MOSER: Rossini was a very peculiar character, as many of these composers. He was also poor. And so he is a good example of the way in which copyright influences composers. So, he really responded to what people paid him. So, we have records of him saying to the theater managers, “Look, you are not paying me enough, so I’m just going to give you the same stuff over and over and over again. I just take this aria, and I’ve changed a little bit, and that’s it.” And that’s precisely what we think is not novelty — what we think is not creativity. But when he actually got enough money, then he would really make something that was better.

DUCKWORTH: So what’s really interesting about that is that creativity, most people think of as being intrinsically rewarding, right? And in fact, people think that when you pay, you actually decrease the intrinsic amount of it. No?

MOSER: This completely fits economics. He is poor. His mother and father were itinerant musicians. So he didn’t come in saying, “Oh, I’m just gonna do this for fun.” So he did it, in part, to make money. So, suppose, say, a composer today needs $2,000 to live. And say before copyright, you get like just $1,000 per opera. And now with copyright, because they have to pay you for repeat performances, you get $2,000. So now he only has to write one opera instead of two. That gives him the freedom to do precisely what he wants to do. So we actually see this in Rossini and other people, that they make things more complicated, they play around with things and he now has more time and he has more freedom. So it’s a wealth effect.

DUBNER: I’m curious where you land on issues of copyright and patent ownership, in a world that’s obviously gotten a lot more complicated. And what your position is on the optimal copyright policy.

MOSER: Having basic copyright protection is important for two reasons. The first one is that it gives people an incentive to produce better work, but then the other one is if you actually make art something that people can make money off, you also change the type of person who can become an artist.

So we see this actually with 19th-century novelists. Before copyrights were really a thing, the only people who would write were people who, when we matched them with their parents’ wealth records, they were actually just wealthy — there’d be men and women, but they would both be wealthy. Once you have stronger copyrights in England, then, when you look again at the parents of the people who would become writers and become novelists, now all of a sudden we have people from humbler backgrounds.

DUBNER: Petra, thank you so much for playing with us. Our next guest is a psychology professor at Cornell who studies how people make moral and ethical judgments. Would you please welcome David Pizarro. Hi David, what do you have for us tonight?

David PIZARRO: Suppose that you walked into a public restroom, and there’s—

DUBNER: Whatever comes next is not good.

PIZARRO: And there’s just a mess, an un-flushed toilet. How disgusted would you be? Say, 10, really, really, really disgusted. Zero, wouldn’t bother you.

DUBNER: This one goes to 11, I’m gonna say.

DUCKWORTH: Depends on what’s in the toilet. As low as 5, as high as 10.

AVIRGAN: I’d probably be in the 3 to 6 range.

DUBNER: Really?

AVIRGAN: I’ve seen some stuff.

PIZARRO: My follow-up is, what do you think this has to do with who you voted for in the last election, say the Presidential election?

DUBNER: And do you study disgust?

PIZARRO: I do study disgust. I’m really easily disgusted. So it’s a difficult thing to do, but that’s what grad students are for.

DUBNER: All right. So the the example you’re using is an unflushed toilet. Could you use a different example?

PIZARRO: One of my favorite examples, actually: how disgusted would you be if you took a sip of a soda can and realized it wasn’t yours? It was a stranger’s?

DUCKWORTH: Zero. I ate food backstage that literally—

DUBNER: My plate, actually.

DUCKWORTH: Yes, and I didn’t even know whose it was.

DUBNER: I’m glad you brought that up, because I thought that was really strange. So you’re looking at how the emotion — is disgust an emotion, by the way?

PIZARRO: Yeah, most people call it an emotion. I mean, there’s some debate, because it seems a little different from the other emotions, because it’s so reflexive. But I think most people who study disgust would call it an emotion.

DUBNER: But what you’re getting at is, your research is about the relationship between disgust and political affiliation?

PIZARRO: That’s right, political orientation. So, how conservative or liberal are you on the spectrum? And what we’ve found — the more disgusted you were, the more likely you were to say you were conservative. We’ve now looked at this across different countries, in different languages. We keep finding this relationship. The more easily disgusted people say they are, the more likely they are to be toward the right of the scale, less easily disgusted, toward the left.

DUBNER: Let me ask you: so there’s a question we came across in a series we’ve been doing on creativity, and especially if you’re in the creative arts, the political orientation is way, way left. That led to conversations about, is there something about creativity in the arts that is correlated with liberalism? Because if you think of liberalism as essentially wanting to change the state of the thing, and conservatism as an attitude toward traditionalism, I’m curious whether you have anything to say about the mechanism by which that kind of relationship may exist.

PIZARRO: Yeah, that’s been the most interesting question to us, because if you just demonstrate a relationship, that doesn’t get at the heart of the question. The question was what is the nature of this relationship? So one way to ask that is, what part of conservatism is really being captured by this? And so in looking at various measures, what we see is exactly what you said, Stephen. It’s the traditionalism aspect. Keeping things the way they are. So the old ways of doing things are good, don’t do the new things.

This shows up in other ways that you could ask the question. So one of the big findings in personality psychology is the dimension called “openness to experience” — people who are more liberal are very high in openness to experience. They may want to try out new things. People who are more conservative are very low in openness to experience. So you can see disgust as one of those emotions that’s kind of like, “Well, I have a set level. How risky do I want to behave for a reward? So do I try a new food?”

DUCKWORTH: So is it true, then, that picky eaters and hypochondriacs are more likely to be politically conservative?

PIZARRO: I don’t know the answer to picky eaters. That’s a very good question.

DUCKWORTH: That would be your prediction maybe, right?

PIZARRO: It would be the prediction. Although, whenever I talk about this stuff, I always want to point out that this isn’t — it’s not as if how grossed out you are is 100 percent predictive. About between 3 and 10 percent of why you might be liberal or conservative seems to be captured by disgust measures.

DUBNER: Hey, something I’ve wondered about a long time is, the people who care for sick people, let’s say, I’m astonished that they’re able to do it so well and regularly, et cetera. And I often wonder, is that acclimation, or is it a trait?

PIZARRO: That’s a really good question, And in fact, Angela’s colleague at Pennsylvania, Paul Rozin, one of the pioneers who studied this, did a study looking at first-year med students asking this question, trying to see, if you ask a bunch of questions like the ones I asked you, in general how easily disgusted are you in everyday life, and you get a score — so if we asked everybody here, there’d be a nice normal distribution. Some people are really easily, some people are not.

He was asking those questions of incoming med students, and what he found was that most students were like the rest of the population coming in. After a year of medical school, when — as you might know, you have to poke into bodies, and you get used to bodily fluids and all that stuff — they were less disgusted when it came to that stuff. But not in general — they were still disgusted by all the other stuff, but they acclimated. So the answer to your question is, we’re really good at acclimating to specific things. Anybody who’s a parent knows you get used to certain things.

DUBNER: Jody Avirgan, David Pizarro has been telling us about the politics of disgust, which are really interesting, and lead to a lot of interesting thoughts and questions. Anything factual we should know?

AVIRGAN: This isn’t exactly a fact check. But I do want to go back to how you actually measure disgust. You ask people about hypothetical scenarios, and ask them to rate how disgusted they were. Do you trust that?

PIZARRO: That’s one way. Other people have done the work of correlating—

AVIRGAN: Of actually disgusting people in real time — love it.

PIZARRO: Of actually disgusting people. So they’ve brought people into the lab and they’ve asked them to do really gross but safe things. So, would you eat a piece of chocolate shaped like dog poop?

DUCKWORTH: Yes.

DUBNER: I think Angela’s answer says less about her liberalism than about her chocolate attitude.

PIZARRO: That may be right. And that’s why it’s a noisy measure.

DUBNER: Exactly. David Pizarro, thank you so much. I really enjoyed having you here.

*      *      *

DUBNER: Our next guest is the commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation. Please welcome Polly Trottenberg. Polly, nice to have you here.

Polly TROTTENBERG: Thanks for having me.

DUBNER: First of all, tell us what the New York City Department of Transportation is and does, and how it differs from Andy Byford’s New York City Transit Authority please.

TROTTENBERG: It’s a good question. Andy and I work together a lot, but New York City Department of Transportation, we’re responsible for roads, bridges, bike lanes, ferries, bike share, car share.

DUBNER: Before we get into what you’re working on and what you’re going to tell us, Andy began by describing the general state of transit. What about your overall view — what are the big problems, and how many different dimensions do they exist on?

TROTTENBERG: We actually have a different kind of challenge for a lot of my infrastructure, which is, it’s kind of a fun challenge. The city is growing in leaps and bounds. New York City now, population 8.6 million people, the highest it has been in the city’s history. Sixty-two million tourists last year. Incredible economic activity. Construction. And then of course, we have things like Uber and Lyft and Amazon, and Fresh Direct, which have just filled our streets, and made an incredible competition for space.

Side note: Fresh Direct is an online grocery-delivery company in New York. They’re famous for having their trucks idle on the streets for hours. But one other thing they do is they rate their fruit on a five-star scale. So whatever fruit has five stars this week — maybe it’s pixie tangerines or red plumcots — you know it’ll be at peak flavor. It’s a smart system, and I wish this practice would spread; just thought you might like to know.

TROTTENBERG: Meanwhile, a new generation that’s not so car-centric. They like transit, they want to ride bikes. They maybe want to ride scooters. There’s a big competition now, at least in my world, for street space.

DUBNER: So, what do you have for us tonight specifically, then?

TROTTENBERG: Well, when you build a bike lane on an avenue in New York City, what happens?

DUBNER: You’re asking about safety? Are you asking about congestion? Are you asking about density, speed, or whatnot?

TROTTENBERG: So, I mean all of the above. There’s a traditional view, when people who maybe aren’t cyclists think about bike lanes, they focus on the traffic elements of it. But there are actually a whole lot of other elements that come in when you put in a bike lane.

DUBNER: So, I do know that when you add a lane to a highway, let’s say, it actually doesn’t ease congestion because it draws demand, right?

TROTTENBERG: Induced demand is the phrase you’re looking for.

DUBNER: Right. So is it the case that when you subtract a lane of car traffic and replace it with a bike lane, that actually it does not cause car congestion problems?

TROTTENBERG: I’m happy to say, if you take out that lane but you redesign the street at the same time, you make the traffic move in a more orderly way, you put in turn lanes, and you change the signaling, you can keep the traffic speed some cases better, and a lot of cases sort of the same, while also adding in a safe space for cyclists. And just one of the statistics, where we put in bike lanes, we see huge safety improvements, not only for cyclists, who we consider a vulnerable population on the street, but for pedestrians and for motorists too, because it calms the traffic and it organizes it better.

DUBNER: I love the way that you frame the problem, which is that there’s a competition for a resource, and the resource is space — street space, lane space, and so on. One thing that I’m curious on your position — in terms of congestion in New York City, I believe that 97 percent of New York street parking is free. Transportation scholars have found that an enormous amount of congestion in New York, and other places that offer free parking, is caused by cars cruising around looking for a parking spot. So economists think this is idiotic, that you’ve got something of value — this parking space — that you’re charging zero for, especially when it has so many negative externalities — causing congestion for everybody else, pollution, etc. So, have you thought about eliminating or severely limiting free street parking, as a means to address congestion generally in New York City?

TROTTENBERG: Obviously from the economist’s point of view, it’s the same problem, both the parking and the road space, which is, it’s a scarce resource and demand greatly exceeds supply. We should price it. It’s a perfectly logical economic place to be. It is an impossible political place to be.

DUCKWORTH: Nobody wants to give up their free parking.

TROTTENBERG: The politics of parking has been, certainly for me, one of the most eye-opening parts of my job. It is something that is very intensely debated. We have, over the time that I’ve been in this job for five years, we have modestly raised parking rates. We have added in, in some places, bike share and car share, we’ve taken some of those spaces and repurposed them for uses that are more shared. But it’s certainly been a slow process.

DUCKWORTH: Is that because of the endowment effect, that now that people already have their free parking. I mean, hard to get, but free parking. You just can’t take it away.

TROTTENBERG: Yes. It’s not complicated.

DUCKWORTH: Can I ask — you are somebody who has a really hard job—

TROTTENBERG: And a lot of grit.

DUCKWORTH: Well, that is where I was going. A lot of grit. And I wanted to know how you got into this. I mean, I don’t know if you were a little girl and said, “I’m going to be the commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.”

TROTTENBERG: No.

DUCKWORTH: So could you just share a little bit of the story? How did you get into this calling?

TROTTENBERG: I went to college here in New York, back in what we would say were the bad old days, when the city was experiencing a lot of difficulties, a lot of crime, a lot of disinvestment. And I just got very interested in urban policy and transportation policy. And one of the great success stories of New York — again, why my streets are so full, why Andy’s subways are so full — we took a city where there had been disinvestment, and we really turned it around. At one time, the Williamsburg Bridge was shut down because it was coming to pieces. Now we really invest in our bridges and our roads. So I think being part of that process — and now, today we have bikes and scooters, and Uber and Lyft, and all these other really exciting changes.

DUCKWORTH: Does the bike lane innovation actually improve physical health? Because one of the other major trends over the last 50 years is that we just sit around all the time.

TROTTENBERG: If you think about cycling as a mode, it is an inexpensive mode to own and operate. And for us to provide for. I mean, basically it’s paint. It emits no carbon, burns no fuel. It gets you moving, it’s physical exercise. It connects you to your city. Of course, it is terrific for general individual health, public health, and the health of the city.

DUCKWORTH: Is there any evidence of that? I’m wondering whether when you put in a new bike lane, there is any measure that the physical health of, I don’t know, that community, that neighborhood has — that might be very difficult to quantify, but it would be very exciting if you could.

TROTTENBERG: Well, we’re going to be looking at the long term health statistics. Anecdotally, we see evidence that it is getting people moving, particularly kids. But I don’t know, maybe Jody will dig up some some better numbers than I have.

DUBNER: If you were able to start from scratch, would you have streets on a grid system? Because one thing that a grid does is it encourages speed, because it’s wide open, straight.

TROTTENBERG: There’s a wonderful book written just recently about how the grid came about in New York City. And it was sort of a bunch of half-drunken foreign guys who threw it together a little haphazardly, when you read the book, it’s very surprising. When I’m in other cities where they have less of a grid — and for example, they have alleyways. I like to joke, I have alley envy. Because here in New York without those alleys, there are no places for the garbage trucks and the deliveries and the utility poles. Everything has to happen on those same streets where the cars are traveling, the buses are traveling, the bikes are traveling, and the pedestrians are traveling. So no, I think there are places where a grid is very efficient, but I would design it very differently.

DUBNER: Jody Avirgan, Polly Trottenberg has been telling us about the roads primarily, and other things in her purview. Did you find anything that needs flagging?

AVIRGAN: Angela, to your question about effects on public health, there was one study from the Mailman School here at Columbia University. It tries to measure the effect of a bike lane on an increase in the probability of riding a bike, and then quantify the effect on health, and reduced pollution, and then measures that against other public-health measures. And the conclusion is that investments in bike lanes are more cost-effective than the majority of preventative approaches used today, so we’ll see. That’s one study.

DUBNER: Polly Trottenberg, thank you so much for joining us tonight. It is time — I’m so sad to say — for tonight’s final guest. She is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Would you please welcome Katherine Hornbostel. Katherine, it is nice to have you. You are our last guest tonight, so make it good. What do you have for us?

Katherine HORNBOSTEL: All right. No pressure. So, if I handed you a bucket filled with water and laundry detergent, and asked you to tackle global warming, what would you do?

DUBNER: Oh, that’s so easy.

DUCKWORTH: You would wash something.

DUBNER: I would make a giant bubble bath and I would invite—

DUCKWORTH: With laundry detergent.

DUBNER: Hey, don’t yuck my yum. I would make a giant bubble bath, and I would invite the climate lions and the climate lambs to lie down together in the bubble bath and relax, and proceed to have an empirical, sane conversation about the best ways to address climate change. That’s what I would do with a big bucket of soapy water.

HORNBOSTEL: I really like that approach.

DUBNER: Are we done here? Is that the answer?

DUCKWORTH: That’s exactly what she was gonna recommend.

HORNBOSTEL: I can’t say I wrote about that approach in my paper. Do you have any other suggestions?

DUCKWORTH: I don’t really know what’s in laundry detergent — can you give me a hint?

HORNBOSTEL: Yes, so I’m actually talking about the active ingredient sodium carbonate. I don’t know if that helps.

DUCKWORTH: Sodium carbonate. Is that baking soda?

HORNBOSTEL: Very similar.

DUBNER: Would you wash the sky?

HORNBOSTEL: Not quite — what would I be wash— are you saying, like, throw a bubble bath in the air?

DUBNER: Like one of those geo-engineering schemes that run a giant hose into the stratosphere and spray out some benign material that refracts sunlight, that kind of thing?

HORNBOSTEL: Not quite. That is a very creative approach. So, I’ll give you guys a little bit of a hint: I’m going to send you to a coal power plant with this bucket of water and detergent.

DUCKWORTH: So, what is the specific, I guess, byproduct or whatever, of coal burning, that’s bad — and then maybe we’ll be a little closer.

HORNBOSTEL: There are a lot of things that come off of coal that are bad. Some of them, thankfully, we already have regulations against — things like SOx and NOx. They already scrub a lot of the crap that comes off of coal plants.

DUBNER: Can you give the full name of SOx and NOx, please?

HORNBOSTEL: So, sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides. Gaseous compounds that are bad for the environment.

DUBNER: Because we all thought it was a Dr. Seuss story.

DUCKWORTH: I was like, “That is so cute! Why would we want to legislate against them?”

HORNBOSTEL: So, carbon dioxide is the other obvious one, that there are no regulations for, currently, for coal plants.

DUBNER: Are some of the emissions in a coal plant, do they react in some way, negatively, I guess, with sodium carbonate? Is that the idea?

HORNBOSTEL: You’re on the right track, you’re getting very close.

DUBNER: So I don’t think we’re going to get closer without a mechanical engineering degree, which you do have.

HORNBOSTEL: So, this particular combination — water and sodium carbonate — if you dissolve it in water, can react with carbon dioxide and extract it from a gas stream coming off a coal plant. And the really interesting thing that I’ve studied is that if you put these chemicals into little capsules that look like caviar, you can actually pack them into a reactor, attach it to a power plant, and selectively take out the carbon dioxide that’s being released from the exhaust.

DUBNER: So you’re describing a form of carbon capture, correct?

HORNBOSTEL: Yes. It is a carbon-capture technology.

DUBNER: What stage is it in? Are you one of the inventors of said technology?

HORNBOSTEL: Yes, I was on a team at a national lab from the D.O.E. that invented and studied this technology. It’s been demonstrated at a lab scale. Currently we’re looking for partners to adopt it. Not at a power-plant scale yet, but at smaller scales to test out and figure out the kinks and try to scale it up.

DUBNER: And what you’re describing, there is obviously chemical reactions here. But is it essentially a filter?

HORNBOSTEL: It’s a good question. It’s not exactly a filter — I guess you could think of it from a big picture standpoint as a filter, though. So you’re sending the nasty gas from a power plant through it, it selectively takes out carbon dioxide. At some point it reaches capacity. And then you have to de-sorb or remove the CO2 from the full solution.

DUBNER: And how do you do that?

HORNBOSTEL: So, usually you have to heat up steam and send it through these capsules, and it’ll take the carbon dioxide back out. And then you pressurize it and put it underground.

DUBNER: Okay. So, it’s carbon capture, you bury the carbon underground, which some people have big concerns about there. What’s your level of concern on that?

HORNBOSTEL: I think that’s very safe, if you — it’s actually being done already in a lot of places — it’s fairly safe and there’s a lot of science to back up the fact that it’s not going to leak out or cause problems, if you—

DUCKWORTH: Does it just stay there forever?

HORNBOSTEL: Really, if you find the right formations — that’s kind of beyond my research area, but the scientists on that side are pretty confident you can store a lot of carbon dioxide underground. Just the sheer magnitude of carbon dioxide emissions requires that we put it underground at this point.

DUBNER: So the unit or machine that you’re talking about, what do you call it?

HORNBOSTEL: So I guess I would call it a reactor. So, it’s basically a giant vat filled with this solution that will react with carbon dioxide to hold it, until you need to release it and store it.

DUBNER: So, I can’t tell whether it’s because you cleverly began the conversation by talking about laundry detergent. Was it as simple, really, as just getting something kind of like laundry detergent and figuring out how that responded to these carbon emissions?

HORNBOSTEL: Yeah I mean, so it is simple compared to other technologies for carbon capture. By putting them in small capsules, what you’re essentially doing is raising the surface area. So imagine a big vat filled with caviar. You have a very large surface area of contact between the liquid in those capsules and then the gas flowing through, which really allows you to use these very simple ingredients, instead of a very tricky or corrosive solvent instead.

DUCKWORTH: So you said laundry detergent is a lot like baking soda. Now, this might be a digression, Stephen, but since I have a mechanical engineering professor — is that little box of baking soda that I have in my refrigerator, is it really absorbing the odors?

DUBNER: I love how she can tell us about carbon capture, and this is the tough question for her.

DUCKWORTH: This is the most important question of the evening.

HORNBOSTEL: The more degrees you get, the farther removed you are from practical solutions to things like that. So, sodium carbonate reacts with carbon dioxide. It actually forms baking soda. So that is the reaction — that is the product of this reaction. I guess to emphasize here is that both the initial chemical and the final product are both very safe, very cheap, very abundant.

DUCKWORTH: I have to ask this question: this is such a simple, elegant, commonsense, straightforward, hiding-in-plain sight — was your team composed mostly of women?

HORNBOSTEL: We had a very good proportion of women on my team.

DUCKWORTH: Just a hypothesis.

DUBNER: So, when I hear the words “safe, cheap, and abundant,” it does sound literally too good to be true. So let’s pretend that you were not involved with this project at all. But you knew about it, and you knew all the other competing carbon-capture systems that are being developed and funded and so on. What would you put the odds of this project succeeding — I’m not saying as the only carbon capture solution, but as a significant one?

HORNBOSTEL: So, I’m very confident that it could work if we invested and did it. Confidence in terms of whether or not this will be the winning technology — lower, much lower, just because there are a lot of technologies out there for carbon capture, there’s a lot of competition, there are some others that are much more mature than ours.

DUBNER: Does it have a name?

HORNBOSTEL: We call it M.E.C.S. It’s an acronym — so, Micro-Encapsulated Carbonate Solution.

DUBNER: Do you think we could crowdsource a better—

HORNBOSTEL: I just call them capsules, but I’m open to suggestions.

DUBNER: I like the caviar idea.

HORNBOSTEL: Carbon-Capture Caviar.

DUBNER: Carbon-Capture Caviar.

DUCKWORTH: Oh, I like that.

DUBNER: It says here you invented something else a few years back called the Pump2Baby Bottle.

HORNBOSTEL: I didn’t expect you to bring that little curveball up. Yes. So I had twins when I was in grad school. I was pumping for them. And they did not nurse well, and so I invented this little hack where you can actually feed your babies breast milk as you’re pumping it. So you attach it to any breast pump, as you’re pumping the milk, the baby starts drinking it.

DUCKWORTH: That is genius. Did you patent it? Did you make a lot of money?

HORNBOSTEL: In the process of patent prosecution right now. Filed for patent, working on it.

DUBNER: Congratulations.

DUCKWORTH: If you are not jumping up and down with excitement about it, then you have not nursed a child or pumped.

DUBNER: Yes, I haven’t. I’m gonna confess right now. Hey, Katherine Hornbostel, thank you so much for telling us something we didn’t know. And can we get one more hand here for all our guests please. It is time now for our live audience to pick a winner. Obviously, all our guests have come here in the spirit of inquiry and information-sharing so we shouldn’t reduce this thing to a horse race but — well, this is America, and we really like to know who wins. Who’s it going to be?

Andy Byford, with “How to Fix New York City’s Subways,”

Petra Moser, with “Napoleon’s Copyright Legacy,”

David Pizarro, with “The Politics of Disgust,”

Polly Trottenberg, with “How to Fix New York City’s Roads,” or

Katherine Hornbostel, with “How to Launder Your Carbon.”

DUBNER: Our grand prize winner tonight — we had a dead tie. So thank you so much to both Andy Byford and Petra Moser, for telling us about fixing New York City subways and Napoleon’s copyright legacy. To commemorate your victories, you will each receive this Certificate of Impressive Knowledge. And it reads, “I, Stephen Dubner, in consultation with Angela Duckworth and Jody Avirgan, do solemnly swear that both Andy Byford and Petra Moser told us something we did not know. And for that we are eternally grateful.” Thank you so much. That’s our show for tonight. I hope we told you something you did not know. Huge thanks to Jody and Angela, to our guests, and thanks especially to you for coming to play “Tell Me Something—

AUDIENCE: I Don’t Know!”

DUBNER: Thank you very much.

Freakonomics Radio is produced by Stitcher and Dubner Productions. Our staff includes Alison Craiglow, Greg Rippin, Harry Huggins, Zack Lapinski, and Corinne Wallace; we had help this week from Morgan Levey, David Herman, and Dan Dzula. Our theme song is “Mr. Fortune,” by the Hitchhikers; all the other music was composed by Luis Guerra. You can subscribe to Freakonomics Radio on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode:

SOURCES

Angela Duckworth, University of Pennsylvania psychologist and author of Grit.

Jody Avirgan, host of ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcasts.

Andy Byford, president of the New York City Transit Authority.

Petra Moser, economic historian at New York University.

David Pizarro, psychologist at Cornell University.

Polly Trottenberg, commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.

Katherine Hornbostel, mechanical engineering professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

RESOURCES

“Copyrights and Creativity: Evidence from Italian Operas,” by Michela Giorcelli and Petra Moser (Journal of Political Economy, 2016).

“Disgust Sensitivity, Political Conservatism, and Voting,” by Yoel Inbar, David Pizarro, Ravi Iyer, and Jonathan Haidt (Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2011).

“The cost-effectiveness of bike lanes in New York City,” by Jing Gu, Babak Mohit, Peter Alexander Muennig (Injury Prevention, 2017).

“Packed and fluidized bed absorber modeling for carbon capture with micro-encapsulated sodium carbonate solution,” by Katherine Hornbostel, et. al. (Applied Energy, 2019).

EXTRA

“In Praise of Maintenance,” Freakonomics Radio Ep. 263 (2016).

Fresh Direct’s top-rated page.

The post Freakonomics Radio Live: “Would You Eat a Piece of Chocolate Shaped Like Dog Poop?” appeared first on Freakonomics.

from Dental Care Tips http://freakonomics.com/podcast/freak-live-chocolate/

[tw-trend-blog]

【Yahoo論壇／Anna】Henrik Fisker’s Second Act

Henrik Fisker

By Anna Shen

Henrik Fisker says the world is changing and he plans to be part of it. One of the world’s top auto designers, Fisker is referring to what he calls “a giant turn” in the discussion around electric vehicles (EV) over the past year or so.

“What is interesting is that if you look just a year or so back, there was not much talk about banning autos, and nobody was talking about all electric,” he said, noting that now six countries have proposed getting rid of all cars that run on gas and fossil fuels. The cause will be helped by companies such as General Motors – which will produce electric vehicles only.

There is one small hurdle though – currently, less than one percent of all cars are EV, and the real question is the appetite of the consumer is to buy them. Fisker is optimistic, and said that if all car companies have an offering in the next two or three years, the appetite of the consumer will follow.

He plans to be a part of satisfying consumer appetite: he is currently working actively on a China manufacturing strategy and is in discussion with several unnamed potential partners. The models that will be manufactured in China include a range of affordable premium all-electric vehicles, not the luxury Emotion.

Appetite or not, Fisker has a lot to say about his passion that sprang from childhood: EV and its timelines, the future of transportation, and his latest car, the Fisker EMotion, which will have a battery pack that will go as far as 466 miles.  Below, are a few of his thoughts.

Q. What is the actual timeline to see EV become a reality for most consumers?

A. There will be some period of time — around seven years where the traditional consumers will slowly adopt the EV. It will take some time before the general population will become fully committed to it. Think about organic food, which became popular over time. The thing is that EV is dependent on the growth of an infrastructure around it, but that infrastructure is not fully there yet. Compare this to a company such as Apple. When it came out with the iPhone, there was already a service provider.

Q. What will it take for the true adoption of EV?

A.The only way to get mass consumers into EV is if its infrastructure is good, or superior to the gasoline infrastructure. Today, it takes 45 to 60 minutes at the battery charging points for an EV, which is too much time – and there is too much congestion anyhow. What we need is to get to ultra-charging, which means you should have a significant charge in nine minutes. This is the same amount of time you would spend in the gas station. The real estate is already there. We are working on an ultra-charger that will charge in nine minutes or less, and we are building a prototype. This is a whole new way of charging in a consumer vehicle.

Q. Why did you create the Fisker EMotion?

A. I am taking the lessons learned with my last venture and applying them here. I truly believe that if we want to have freedom of the individual vehicle, we need to clean up the air and environment, and the only way is to go electric, there is no doubt about it.

Q. What obstacles are in front of you?

Actually, I am fortunate to have the experience from my past venture. There are a lot of lessons learned, and I understand the big roadblocks in starting a car company and the fact that you are developing expensive products with no revenue at first.

This is a capital-intensive industry with a big barrier to entry.

For us, the best way to deal with it was by locking down the design and concept. We have a clear process because time is money, and we have a 10-year plan that is laid out. In addition, we are picking good partners who are reliable. Finally, it is important to be disruptive and look at the industry with an eye to improve it. The big opportunity is to streamline and increase profit margins by changing the way to develop cars and sell them. We are attacking every single aspect of the auto industry, to shape a unique car company for the future.

Q. Why are you so passionate about cars?

Without people thinking about it, a car is the only product today where you have so much power within your foot – it is a complex product that you are fully in charge of. Car engineering will go far beyond anything imagined. It is still an unusual product that many people are using every day. I find it exciting that I can create these products and figure out what the next new vehicle will be. It is an emotional attachment. 

I love cars and I feel that there is no other product on the planet earth that even comes close to a car that has so many variations and that show s me that people have a fascination with cars – despite doomsday predictions – amount of choice, it is immense. There are thousands of models. The most famous or successful product is a smartphone, and there are not that many choices. 

I couldn’t imagine a world without cars; the personal transport, the car, will live with us for a long time. But what we call “average transportation” – utilitarian transport, get from a to b, will change. What is going to be the biggest dramatic change? The boring sedan of today will disappear in the future because that boring utilitarian thing will be replaced with better proportions.

Everywhere, around the world, there is some little kid dreaming about a car. Eventually he is interested how it looks, how he would sit in and how it drives. It. Nobody just orders a car like a can of coke. With a car you pick your car color, and there is an emotional energy beyond.

Q. Can you tell me about your new EV?

At Fisker, we create unique cars and now we have the Fisker EMotion. I always want to be in on the latest technology and design. Now, we are in the middle of a shift, due to technology, we are able to design differently.  Now we have solid state LIDAR (remote sensing for self-driving cars). Integration has given me design inspiration. Due to the design of EV, we can change the proportions of the car.

 The Fisker Emotion is a four-door luxury vehicle. We are designing a car that is fast charging in nine minutes. But what I am really looking at how to create a luxury feel and redefine it for the future. The vehicle is about defining the Fisker brand. I want to design a cool vehicle that a lot more people can afford, and bring an affordable Fisker into the market. A car that costs $35,000 can be very cool and super well designed.

Q. What is the future of the industry?

A. New car startups will come out of the woodwork. One of the things that I am happy about is that I grew up in the car industry; I had experience firsthand. Building a car — what a gigantic task. Sometimes I can’t believe I am doing it again.

New startups are a bit too naïve. This is a capital-intensive industry that is very complicated, with a lot of rules and regulation. It involves buying, building and selling, and that is not easy to grasp, not even in a few years. How many of the new companies will survive? In the next seven years, maybe we will see the demise of a few car companies. We will not be sure if they will all make the transition to EV.

Q. What about autonomous cars?

A. Autonomous cars are very important, but they are a long way away – past 2025. There is a trust factor needed. For example if they car gets hacked, it is very dangerous. However, eventually we will overcome the technical issues – knowing what we know in the car industry, there is always a level of failure. The question is, how do we deal with it when it happens?

  Q. What do you see as the future of transportation?

Of course, we are still going to see a huge amount of individual vehicles in the future, but the vehicle will be an end in and of itself, and the luxury will be to have you own the vehicle.

Then there is mass transportation. For example, buses are inconvenient. In the future, people might be sharing a vehicle but there is a need to get quicker to a place. Maybe ride hailing will replace buses and maybe there will be one stop with a handful of people — public transportation repackaged, which might be called personal public transportation. There needs to be a catering to user needs on a bus route.  

Youth and cars: In your 20s you may not want a car, but maybe when you are 30, maybe you have kids and a better job. Maybe you want to leave a soccer gear in a car, and at that point you are buying a car.  

When people get older they may not feel comfortable, depending on the affordability, they may own a self-driving vehicle or they may rely on ride hailing service. There will become a point, when you may prefer to be in your own car.

  Anna Shen is a journalist, ecosystem builder, and startup advisor. She writes about global entrepreneurship, start-ups, venture capital and disruptive technology. She is an active advisor to many incubators and accelerators around the world. Her other experience includes the United Nations and the World Bank. She is a graduate of the Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA), and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

●本文由作者投書Yahoo論壇

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【Yahoo論壇】係Yahoo奇摩提供給網友、專家的意見交流平台，本文章內容僅反映作者個人意見，不代表Yahoo奇摩立場。有話想說？不吐不快！>>> 快投稿Yahoo論壇

[batumivillas-blog]

Buy apartment in Batumi

In Article 5 reasons why Batumi is better than Moscow (or other big city), I specified the low cost of living as the first reason why I have been killed Swim from Moscow to Batumi. Let's take a closer look at this subject. Then, closer to the summer, fixed rents increase and become extremely high (starting at $ 500 for the same apartment). In this way, every apartment owner tries to make more money for three months of vacation. Utilities If you rent a long-term apartment, you must pay for electricity, internet, water and gas. The sum depends on how much you spend on heating during the cold season (3-4 months). If you use a hot air conditioner or underfloor heating, you will have to pay from 250 GEL ($ 90) only for electricity. If you use the central gas heater, it would be 100 GEL ($ 40) for gas. So I advise you to look for an apartment with gas central heating, it would be more bouncing to the ounce. 

The water bill is low, about 20 GEL (less than $ 10). Resume living alone I pay for utilities around 150-200 GEL per month (55-75 $). Transport. In this city, I only use the taxi because it is extremely inexpensive. The hack of life - use the mobile taxi app Maxim and never ask drivers for the price. In the app you can see the price before a taxi driver sees you. If a taxi driver notices that you are a foreigner, the price will go up twice or even more. Taxi costs Maxim: You can also use public transport - buses or microbuses. A bus ticket is 0.40 GEL ($ 0.1), on microbus - 0.60 GEL ($ 0.2). But be prepared to wait 10-15-20 minutes on the bus stop Food and drinks. As a solo feast who does not cook much, I spend about $ 100 a month in the supermarket and $ 50 in restaurants and coffee shops. So the cost of my food and drinks is about $ 150. The average prices for some products in Georgia: Entertainment. Honestly, from September to June, there is less entertainment in batumivillas- no parties, no clubs, no theaters or concerts. So I go to the cinema once a month, it's 8 GEL ($ 3) for the ticket, 3.5 GEL ($ 1.5) for popcorn and drinks. And the second activity is to play games with friends in a bar. 

There, I spend 20 GEL ($ 8) for drinks or food per night. Two evenings with games per week is 160 GEL or $ 64 a month in health care. Batumi is where I do not have any health problems. Usually, I spend in a pharmacy about 40 GEL ($ 15) a month, just for common reasons. Prepare for all doctors for foreigners to be paid. But anyway, geriatric health care (doctors, tests, medications) are cheaper than Europe.  Beauties. The column for girls. I spend about $ 100 a month in beauty. It includes: Sport. Racing fans might feel good in Batumi, as there is a long boulevard to run around the city. The same thing for bicycles. I like to swim and in cold weather need to pay for the pool - it's about 180 GEL ($ 70) per month Summary I spend $ 800 a month living alone, having fun, taking care of my beauty and my health. And it's the high quality of life, not stressful and enjoyable. Freelancer in the IT sphere, traveler, researcher of human lives and traditions, mad woman red. Native to Belarus, every 5 years moving to a new city. Was living in St. Petersburg and Moscow, now living in Batumi, Georgia. Batumi is a true jewel of Europe today, yes it is! This wording illustrates the situation at best. 

Today, it is very difficult to find better conditions for the purchase of real estate in the Black Sea resort area. day Batumi is a city in dynamic development, which putsin commission some  high-rise  every month. The apartments in Batumi meet all the modern requirements - of course, they can be considered as a good marketing phrase that can be read in the brochure of an apartment complex, but in the case new buildings in Batumi, this is a very important aspect. Each house that is built in the city is a unique architectural structure, an original individual project, standard projects virtually do not exist. The Black Sea is one of the most enjoyable benefits in this region, taking into account the warm climate and many sandy beaches. Batumi is a beautiful seaside resort in one of the most beautiful natural regions of the Black Sea, and the most surprising is that the price of an apartment in Batumi today is kept around 650-950 dollars per square meter, and in the new buildings, which have not yet been put, 350-800 dollars. However, real estate prices in Batumi are growing at a fairly high dynamic, but they remain at a very reasonable level. Now, why is it profitable to buy an apartment in Batumi? Nature - it is one of the most beautiful and warmest natural areas in Europe, this paradise among mountains and big cities. 

Sea - Black Sea is always beautiful, but especially here, where it is almost always warm, calm, and is there with the beautiful beaches. Real estate - real estate in Batumi is a real diamond, most apartments are new, realized by special projects, and the prices are very, very attractive! The Domaine de Fontanelle is a beautiful 17th century country house in 20 acres of beauty .. We are pleased to present for sale this superb 4 star hotel, 117 rooms, located in Ibiza, with 35 .. Here we present a luxurious 4 Star Hotel with stunning panoramic sea views, located in a beautiful sea .. Boutique Hotel in Valderrobres Teruel Aragon SpainEuroresales Property ID  9823931 about t .. Just a short flight from Nassau (20 minutes) or Miami (60 minutes) takes you to We are pleased to introduce you to this luxurious 5 star hotel at Stars, located in the Gulf of Mononaftis, in a quiet area .. Restaurant, Caf, 4Bed Hotel and Private Residence in Le Beugnon Poitou-Charentes FranceE. Here we present you the magnificent 5 star luxury hotel in a setting overlooking the desert and the mountain, just .. Superb Anker Hotel in Rhodos GreeceEuroresales property ID - 9823862This 20 room hotel .. Superb 6 bedroom house in Bull Savannah St. Elizabeth JamaicaEuroresales Property ID 9824538Property .. Superb hotel in Serrejon Caceres SpainThe Casadelmazo Estate is located 2 hours from Madrid. Two beachfront 5 star hotels with casino in Batumi, GeorgiaPrice advertised for a hotel, both .. The Euro Resale's Network has been designed by some of Europe's leading commercial agents ens. 

Years of experience to find the best way to get your property found and especially sold. We aim to cover all angles to give you the best selling chances. Contact one of our teams today to find out more ... Very professional company in the field of agricultural real estate. It was a pleasure to do business with Orbis Realty during our property search in Georgia. They always provided us with accurate and complete information that really helped us make the right decision. . I would recommend Orbis Realty to anyone looking for agricultural properties in Georgia. Their knowledge, professionalism and integrity are truly commendable. . Orbis Realty Ltd, one of the main and fastestGeoGroupe's real estate growth, provides an advanced internet platform for connecting local property sellers with foreign buyers. Since 2012, the company offers a reliable and verified database of a diverse range of properties to discerning investors who are considering investing in georgia. We are the privileged direct choice for savvy foreign investors looking to enter the real estate georgian space. 

Orbis Realty is committed to providing unrivaled real estate services that meet the highest standards of quality, professionalism and transparency. We are also committed to placing the interests of our customers and their concerns before ours in every transaction. We will always consider our relationship with our customers as a long-term partnership. The company's vision is to continually strive to improve the quality of its real estate services. The company's goal is to expand its reach and presence in Georgia by opening more regional offices in the next 3 years. The economy sector of Georgia is growing rapidly. Although each critic finds shortcomings, but the government has chosen the right economic strategy. Georgia has embarked on a series of progressive reforms, including anti-corruption efforts, reform of labor codes and taxes, and improvements in the global infrastructure. The country. Georgian politicians have learned how to communicate on an equal footing with their Western colleagues and how to sell their country in a positive light.

[kevingbakeruk]

'It will never be solved': Readers have their say on transport plans for Cambridge

Strategies to get Cambridge from cars and trucks and onto bikes and public transport have actually been consulted with mixed reactions.Lib Dem councillor Tim Bick has spoken up about roads ending up being"overwhelmed “unless the Greater Cambridge Collaboration (previously City Offer)can get individuals onto public transport.At a meeting

on Wednesday (November 22), board members of the GCP agreed to progress with a variety of procedures to alleviate blockage in the city.They consisted of a

possible directed busway along the A1307 route, more cycling and pedestrian access on Histon Roadway and a brand-new park and trip to the west of Cambridge.Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Bick said none of these jobs addressed the "elephant in the room "of "need management”-getting people out of their cars.Read More ‘We require a publicly-owned bus service'For some the response is basic-let the city own its own bus services.Opaque wrote on the Cambridge News website:“Individuals simply miss out on the point. Stagecoach

is a company, they will only provide services for which they generate income. With all the OAPs and their passes lots of routes end up being less rewarding or actually perform at a loss as they do not get the complete ticket cost back from that scheme."The law has to alter to allow Cambridge to basically run its own bus services. Then it can be well balanced correctly. At the exact same time individuals require to realise that things cost cash. You cannot be circumnavigating on a ha’ cent anymore. And you want to park and P&R? Why shouldn’t you pay for that? You are free to go and try and find something cheaper. Even if your office has cars and truck parking areas you’ll be spending for them soon as well. You ’d think the GCP and the councils and of course the Mayor would be in a position&to push for these modifications. As without total control of the bus system to run on a non-profit making(possibly debt causing )system no plans will work in Cambridge."Learn more Petersfieldian included:” Spot on. Numerous cities in Europe either own or partly own their transport systems-this then can be subsidised if need be to produce levels of performance and coverage SERVING the public. The key remains in the word PUBLIC. If it’s private company set up to make profit then it’s PRIVATE transportation for the

public. Transportation should

lie within remit of local authorities. They need to ensure that individuals and organisations can run, make earnings and pay taxes- public transportation must become part of infrastructure, simply like roads, health centers, schools etc. It just works well, I’ve observed, if it is not run for earnings.“'Too expensive'Some were less than pleased with the strategy for public transport because the charges are prohibitive.Juliet Grey on Facebook stated:” We need more buses and cheaper. While it costs more to bring your family into town on the busway than it costs to park throughout the day people will opt to drive.“Check out More Simon Tompkins stated:"The buses and trains just have to be more affordable. It’s that easy.” Sabrina C wrote:“

Is anyone else believing that if buses were cheap, then more people would use them? Possibly they would even get the exact same loan they get now.

No. They are still thinking of how they can get more money. Disgusting. And absolutely useless. "No alternatives marlessherbes stated:"History has shown you can’t require commuters out of their

cars unless you

have a more appealing alternative in terms of reliability, comfort, expense & frequency. Do councils really think high-paid workers, as Cambridge wants to draw in, will sacrifice their automobiles? "Check out More A lot of people Others believe there is no wish for resolving Cambridge’s blockage problem as the city continues to grow.Xenophanes commented:"There is a lot home building going on in the Cambridge

area, that the blockage problem will just worsen. It will never ever be fixed.”

Source

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/readers-cambridge-transport-problems-13957803

from TAXI NEAR ME http://taxi.nearme.host/it-will-never-be-solved-readers-have-their-say-on-transport-plans-for-cambridge/

from NOVACAB https://novacabtaxi.tumblr.com/post/173438626756

[cynthiabryanuk]

'It will never be solved': Readers have their say on transport plans for Cambridge

Strategies to get Cambridge from cars and trucks and onto bikes and public transport have actually been consulted with mixed reactions.Lib Dem councillor Tim Bick has spoken up about roads ending up being"overwhelmed "unless the Greater Cambridge Collaboration (previously City Offer)can get individuals onto public transport.At a meeting

on Wednesday (November 22), board members of the GCP agreed to progress with a variety of procedures to alleviate blockage in the city.They consisted of a

possible directed busway along the A1307 route, more cycling and pedestrian access on Histon Roadway and a brand-new park and trip to the west of Cambridge.Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Bick said none of these jobs addressed the "elephant in the room "of "need management"-getting people out of their cars.Read More 'We require a publicly-owned bus service'For some the response is basic-let the city own its own bus services.Opaque wrote on the Cambridge News website:"Individuals simply miss out on the point. Stagecoach

is a company, they will only provide services for which they generate income. With all the OAPs and their passes lots of routes end up being less rewarding or actually perform at a loss as they do not get the complete ticket cost back from that scheme."The law has to alter to allow Cambridge to basically run its own bus services. Then it can be well balanced correctly. At the exact same time individuals require to realise that things cost cash. You cannot be circumnavigating on a ha' cent anymore. And you want to park and P&R? Why shouldn't you pay for that? You are free to go and try and find something cheaper. Even if your office has cars and truck parking areas you'll be spending for them soon as well. You 'd think the GCP and the councils and of course the Mayor would be in a position&to push for these modifications. As without total control of the bus system to run on a non-profit making(possibly debt causing )system no plans will work in Cambridge."Learn more Petersfieldian included:" Spot on. Numerous cities in Europe either own or partly own their transport systems-this then can be subsidised if need be to produce levels of performance and coverage SERVING the public. The key remains in the word PUBLIC. If it's private company set up to make profit then it's PRIVATE transportation for the

public. Transportation should

lie within remit of local authorities. They need to ensure that individuals and organisations can run, make earnings and pay taxes- public transportation must become part of infrastructure, simply like roads, health centers, schools etc. It just works well, I've observed, if it is not run for earnings."'Too expensive'Some were less than pleased with the strategy for public transport because the charges are prohibitive.Juliet Grey on Facebook stated:" We need more buses and cheaper. While it costs more to bring your family into town on the busway than it costs to park throughout the day people will opt to drive."Check out More Simon Tompkins stated:"The buses and trains just have to be more affordable. It's that easy." Sabrina C wrote:"

Is anyone else believing that if buses were cheap, then more people would use them? Possibly they would even get the exact same loan they get now.

No. They are still thinking of how they can get more money. Disgusting. And absolutely useless. "No alternatives marlessherbes stated:"History has shown you can't require commuters out of their

cars unless you

have a more appealing alternative in terms of reliability, comfort, expense & frequency. Do councils really think high-paid workers, as Cambridge wants to draw in, will sacrifice their automobiles? "Check out More A lot of people Others believe there is no wish for resolving Cambridge's blockage problem as the city continues to grow.Xenophanes commented:"There is a lot home building going on in the Cambridge

area, that the blockage problem will just worsen. It will never ever be fixed."

Source

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/readers-cambridge-transport-problems-13957803

from http://taxi.nearme.host/it-will-never-be-solved-readers-have-their-say-on-transport-plans-for-cambridge/

from NOVACAB - Blog http://novacabtaxi.weebly.com/blog/it-will-never-be-solved-readers-have-their-say-on-transport-plans-for-cambridge

[shirlleycoyle]

PG&E’s Customers Should Stop Paying Their Bills

California is on fire, and yet again it’s partly the fault of Pacific Gas & Electric, a company that has decided to shut off power to millions of people rather than upgrade its aging and failing infrastructure. PG&E has failed the people of California; its customers should stop paying their bills.

We are in this situation partly because PG&E is a private company focused on maximizing profits for shareholders, not upgrading its infrastructure, serving people, or protecting the environment. It should be publicly owned.

When a privately-owned utility is not busy with maximizing profits, its burning money on lobbying and campaign contributions. In PG&E’s case, that meant spending billions on PR and lobbyists instead of safety upgrades, but also funding climate denialism to maximize profits from fossil fuels.

As shareholders and bondholders battle over who will own the utility company and its assets, organized collective action in the form of utility bill strikes could be one way to make a public takeover a reality. It’s a theory raised by economist Yanis Varoufakis, the former Finance Minister of Greece, at a talk last year.

“Today you have millions of people who are being exploited by public utility companies that have been privatized and financialized,” Varoufakis said. “They have already sold to financiers the next 20 years of the electricity bills that you will be paying. And as a result of this financialization is your bill is going up and up and up, completely disproportionate to the cost of producing electricity, water, whatever.”

“What if we could work out which financial derivatives […]are packaging the bills in a particular neighborhood and another neighborhood and another neighborhood,” he continued. “And we organize through the internet so we can have an electricity bill payment strike that is timed in such a way as to explode those [derivatives] and make them bankrupt.”

There is a precedent for this type of action.

The Autonomism movement in Italy used a strategy called "autoreduction" where a group of people forced prices down via collective shoplifting, fare evasion, or continuing to pay at lower, older rates. When this strategy was deployed in Turin in the late 60s and 70s, workers, students, and trade unions were able to fight against rent, electricity, and transportation price hikes.

What Varoufakis is talking about here are municipal revenue bonds, which allow local and state governments to fund public projects and operations by asking investors to pay upfront for a piece of revenues across some specified time period. They can get packaged up as municipal collateralized debt obligations—nearly identical to the CDOs that allowed the housing crisis to become a global recession.

Essentially, investors are putting in money up-front in order to secure a share of consumers’ utility bills for decades to come. This helps drive energy bills up as investors try to maximize profits. If large enough utility bill strikes were organized, it’s not clear PG&E would be able to withstand both pressure from striking consumers and investors holding its bonds. But which way would the company bend?

Varoufakis’ suggestion then raises all sorts of questions. The act of discovering which homes and neighborhoods are in which CDOs, along with figuring out how to convince each to sign up for a utility bill strike, are all big question marks as to how to actually make this happen. Even if all this were answered, there’s still the question of what actually happens when the CDOs go to zero. Right now, PG&E’s bondholders are not letting bankruptcy interrupt their payday. But how would they react if the public killed the value of those securities?

Varoufakis has reason to believe that this would allow consumers to press collective power and demand concessions lest they go about destroying every bond. But since cities have increasingly restructured their budgets around these types of bonds and the debt schemes surrounding them, what may follow are cuts to social programs and government operations. Bondholders could force cities to sell their assets to pay up missing revenues or losses. t could even enrich other investors who were betting on the bonds to fail in the first place (see: credit default swaps).

PG&E is already doing a good job of making its stock worthless on its own. Its stock price has fallen from a high of $25 at the beginning of the year to just $5 on Tuesday. A Citigroup research note warns the recent Kincade fire, which the utility's neglected equipment may have helped start, "increases the probability of a zero share price."

The bottom line is that PG&E doesn’t have to be private, and that its stock price doesn’t matter at all to its customers. But PG&E cannot magically be taken over on its own. We should look into collective action options—after all, why should you pay your bills when your utility provider is failing to provide reliable service?

PG&E’s Customers Should Stop Paying Their Bills syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[novacabtaxi]

'It will never be solved': Readers have their say on transport plans for Cambridge

Strategies to get Cambridge from cars and trucks and onto bikes and public transport have actually been consulted with mixed reactions.Lib Dem councillor Tim Bick has spoken up about roads ending up being"overwhelmed "unless the Greater Cambridge Collaboration (previously City Offer)can get individuals onto public transport.At a meeting

on Wednesday (November 22), board members of the GCP agreed to progress with a variety of procedures to alleviate blockage in the city.They consisted of a

possible directed busway along the A1307 route, more cycling and pedestrian access on Histon Roadway and a brand-new park and trip to the west of Cambridge.Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Bick said none of these jobs addressed the "elephant in the room "of "need management"-getting people out of their cars.Read More 'We require a publicly-owned bus service'For some the response is basic-let the city own its own bus services.Opaque wrote on the Cambridge News website:"Individuals simply miss out on the point. Stagecoach

is a company, they will only provide services for which they generate income. With all the OAPs and their passes lots of routes end up being less rewarding or actually perform at a loss as they do not get the complete ticket cost back from that scheme."The law has to alter to allow Cambridge to basically run its own bus services. Then it can be well balanced correctly. At the exact same time individuals require to realise that things cost cash. You cannot be circumnavigating on a ha' cent anymore. And you want to park and P&R? Why shouldn't you pay for that? You are free to go and try and find something cheaper. Even if your office has cars and truck parking areas you'll be spending for them soon as well. You 'd think the GCP and the councils and of course the Mayor would be in a position&to push for these modifications. As without total control of the bus system to run on a non-profit making(possibly debt causing )system no plans will work in Cambridge."Learn more Petersfieldian included:" Spot on. Numerous cities in Europe either own or partly own their transport systems-this then can be subsidised if need be to produce levels of performance and coverage SERVING the public. The key remains in the word PUBLIC. If it's private company set up to make profit then it's PRIVATE transportation for the

public. Transportation should

lie within remit of local authorities. They need to ensure that individuals and organisations can run, make earnings and pay taxes- public transportation must become part of infrastructure, simply like roads, health centers, schools etc. It just works well, I've observed, if it is not run for earnings."'Too expensive'Some were less than pleased with the strategy for public transport because the charges are prohibitive.Juliet Grey on Facebook stated:" We need more buses and cheaper. While it costs more to bring your family into town on the busway than it costs to park throughout the day people will opt to drive."Check out More Simon Tompkins stated:"The buses and trains just have to be more affordable. It's that easy." Sabrina C wrote:"

Is anyone else believing that if buses were cheap, then more people would use them? Possibly they would even get the exact same loan they get now.

No. They are still thinking of how they can get more money. Disgusting. And absolutely useless. "No alternatives marlessherbes stated:"History has shown you can't require commuters out of their

cars unless you

have a more appealing alternative in terms of reliability, comfort, expense & frequency. Do councils really think high-paid workers, as Cambridge wants to draw in, will sacrifice their automobiles? "Check out More A lot of people Others believe there is no wish for resolving Cambridge's blockage problem as the city continues to grow.Xenophanes commented:"There is a lot home building going on in the Cambridge

area, that the blockage problem will just worsen. It will never ever be fixed."

Source

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/readers-cambridge-transport-problems-13957803

from TAXI NEAR ME http://taxi.nearme.host/it-will-never-be-solved-readers-have-their-say-on-transport-plans-for-cambridge/

[healthfitness04]

Everything You Need To Know To Start Cycling To Work

Nick Harris-Fry

28 Mar 2018

All the advice and gear required to get on your bike and start the day off on a natural high

According the National Travel Survey two-thirds of people in Great Britain aged over five never cycle or cycle less than once a year on average, and a European Commission survey found that only 4% of people in the UK cycle daily. These aren’t impressive numbers – in the EU, only Cyprus (2%) and Malta (1%) have a lower percentage of daily cyclists.

If the numbers increased to nearer the 43% of people in the Netherlands who cycle daily, the benefits would be incredible, both individually and for society as a whole – think reduced air pollution and a healthier population reducing the pressure on health services. And as more people start to cycle, the infrastructure will continue to improve, which in turn leads to more cyclists cycling in safer environments.

So ask yourself, why aren’t you cycling to work? And hopefully whatever reasons you come up with will be covered below. Unless the reason is you work at home. You’re off the hook.

Why should you cycle to work?

“Cycling to work is a great way to include exercise in your weekly routine, without the need for expensive gym memberships or personal trainers,” says Luke Harper, head of British Cycling partnership at HSBC UK. “You get to work feeling invigorated, endorphins are flowing around your body and you start the day off on a natural high.

“A bike is also cheap to buy compared with a car, particularly with sos many employers taking part in the Cycle to Work scheme, and it is much cheaper to run. In many UK cities there are also bike sharing schemes which make using a bike easy and affordable.

“There are numerous benefits to cycling but, perhaps most of all, cycling is fun. Most of us learned to cycle as a child when it was an activity which provided a sense of freedom.”

So you’ll get fitter, save money and have a blast. We’d also suggest that for most people in cities cycling to work will be at least as fast as taking public transport, even if you’re pootling along at an easy pace, because you can pick a more direct route and the only unexpected delay you might experience is a flat tyre.

Is cycling to work dangerous?

A common fear, especially in London, but the dangers of cycling are overplayed. Take it slow and your confidence will quickly build.

“Our perceptions of the dangers to cycling far outstrip reality. For many of us, these are mental barriers which prevent us from getting on two wheels,” says Harper.

“You don’t have to be a cyclist to ride a bike. If you’re nervous about riding to work, there are ways to build your confidence including doing practice runs during the weekends when there’s usually less traffic, which will help you to familiarise yourself with the route. We often think about cycling as a means of commuting but, in fact, riding a bike recreationally around your local park or on national cycling routes can help you re-learn the skills or techniques that may be rusty after not being on a bike for a while, and help to boost your confidence before using the roads.”

A few stats from Cycling UK drive home the point that cycling is safe. Only one cyclist is killed for every 29 million miles covered by bike on British roads, and mile for mile the risk of death is about the same as walking. Furthermore, cycling is so good for your health that statistically, the years of life gained outweigh the years lost through injuries by around 20:1.

Do cyclists need to worry about air pollution?

Only on extremely rare occasions. In London TfL will issue alerts when the air pollution is very high and it’s worth considering not cycling outdoors (you can sign up for text alerts or download an app via airText). However, in general the health benefits of cycling far, far outweigh the possible risks of air pollution. And the more people ride, the less risk there will be.

“Cycling can be a solution to many of the issues facing cities and towns across the UK, whether that is obesity, depression or pollution,” says Harper. “Ultimately, more people cycling can reduce the number of cars on the road, reducing pollution and helping towards a greener, fitter, healthier Britain.”

How fit do I need to be?

This depends on how far you live from your work and whether there are any massive hills en route, but we’ll let you into a little secret – not that fit at all. City cycling tends to involve short bursts of mild effort that are curtailed by traffic lights frequently enough that you don’t get all that out of breath. You can of course put the hammer down and up the intensity of your exercise while cycling, but if you’re looking to tick off your 30 minutes of daily moderate activity, cycling is ideal.

You also don’t have to cycle to work every day – if you get tired at first, do alternate days until your fitness and confidence increase and you feel like doing more. And if you live too far from your work to cycle the whole way a folding bike could be a nifty solution for part of the journey, and they’re easier to stash at home or at work than regular bikes.

Am I going to get sweaty?

Take it easy on your ride and you won’t need a shower when you arrive at work. And if you are getting sweaty, buying yourself a cycling top will help because lightweight, sweat-wicking materials really make a difference. You don’t have to go for Lycra all over – a top and a jacket for winter will see you right, and they’re usually odour-resistant so you can wear them all week without having to wash them. There is also plenty of stylish cycling gear available that has the technical details you need to stay cool and sweat-free while being fashionable enough to wear off the bike.

If you really don’t want to get sweaty on your commute, there’s always the option of an e-bike. Riding with a little assistance is still good exercise, but it’s only at the intensity of walking, so you won’t sweat. If e-bikes are entirely new to you, check out our e-bike buyer’s guide for all the info you need.

Do you need to wear a helmet?

There is no law saying you have to wear a helmet in the UK, and cycling campaign groups are very active in opposing any attempt to introduce such a law. The argument is simple – enforced helmet wearing leads to fewer people cycling and the best way to make cycling safer is to have more people doing it.

Regardless of the legal requirements you might well choose to wear a helmet – they can save your life in a certain type of accident, although you shouldn’t expect them to do a great deal if you’re hit by a motor vehicle. If you’re keen on lugging a helmet with you at the end of your ride, then a folding helmet you can slip into a bag might be what you need.

What lights do I need?

The minimum requirement under UK law is that you have one front light, one rear light, one rear reflector and reflectors on your pedals. The lights can be flashing, but have to flash between 60 and 240 times per minute. There are some more detailed regulations about the amount of light emitted, but in practice you don’t really need to worry about that. Just buy some lights, and put them on your bike from sunset to sunrise.

If you want to go above and beyond with your bike lights there are many great options. Lights that project laser images onto the ground several metres in front of your bike, wheel lights, reflective clothing and ankle bands are all things to try if you want to make absolutely certain that you’re visible on the road.

Do you need any special gear?

In short, no. Aside from bike lights and a bike, there is nothing essential you need to buy, though you probably will want a helmet and a cycling top too. Beyond that the next purchase you might consider is mudguards if your bike doesn’t come with them – if you cycle in your work clothes, you don’t want them splashed on the way in to the office. Also, the people cycling around you don’t want to be splashed either.

Once you get into the swing of commuting you might also want to buy a cycling rucksack. This will be lightweight and have some kind of airflow system to help avoid your back getting too sweaty while you ride. Or, if you want to have no such concerns, you can invest in panniers and stash all your gear by your wheels.

Other gear you might want to get is some kind of route planner. This could be a cycling app that plots the best routes – whether you want the fastest or quietest roads – or a full-on bike computer that attaches to your handlebars and tracks your ride as well as guiding you.

How much will I have to spend on a commuter bike?

The good news is that there’s something out there for every budget. Ollie Glover, adult bikes expert at Halfords, says, “generally, £300-£700 will get you something reliable, sturdy and hopefully less of a target for thieves if you’re locking it outside.”

When working out how much you want to spend, give some thought to how much you want to spend on repairs. “Simply put, the more you spend, the better the ride will be but the more expensive the repair work,” says Glover. “A £100-£200 bike will be fine for commuting one or two days a week, and repair work over a year won’t add up to any more than the cost of the bike. Bikes that cost upwards of £1,000 will be fast, light and designed perfectly for the terrain, but repair work will be costly and you may find them more of a target for thieves.”

How much maintenance does a bike need? What’s the absolute minimum someone can get away with?

“Keep the bike clean and lubricated and you will find that parts last longer,” says Glover. “As an absolute minimum, repair things when they break, but repairs are more costly when you are replacing parts rather than servicing them. If you commute approximately 30 miles a week, every six months (or when something doesn’t feel or sound right), get your bike checked out. Regular assessment of the bike can help spot a problem before it happens. The wheels and drivetrain can take a beating during the daily grind, and servicing or replacing parts before they break prevents further damage.

Won’t my bike get stolen?

A fair question. Ultimately there is no surefire way to ensure your bike never gets nicked, but you can massively reduce the chances. The most effective strategy is to make stealing your bike more hassle than it’s worth, or at least more hassle than the bike parked next to it. With almost 400,000 bikes stolen in the UK every year, it’s every cyclist for themselves out there.

Before you head out the door register your ride at bikeregister.com, record your frame number and any other key details like your bike make, colour and any unique identifiers. You can also attach a coded label to your bike to help identify it and deter thieves – the police often have events where they’ll do this for you for free. Try searching your local force’s website.

When it comes to your lock, don’t skimp. Locking a £1,000 bike with a £10 lock is not a savvy move. In an ideal world you’ll always have a secure indoor location to park your bike, at least at work and at home, but you also need at least one lock when you do have to store it outside.

Sold Secure, a not-for-profit company run by the Master Locksmiths Association, rates locks as gold, silver or bronze, with the standards relating to how long they will stop a thief for – gold is five minutes, silver three, and bronze one. It might sound depressing that even the best locks only buy you five minutes, but if you park in a well-lit, public spot five minutes of work will hopefully deter would-be thieves. Getting two gold-rated locks of different types – a chain and a D-lock – will give you the best level of security, because a thief will need different tools to tackle each.

Always make sure you’re locking your bike to something solid and fixed – and make sure it’s not a short pole that a thief can lift your bike, lock and all, over, and carry it away! Lock your frame as the first priority (it’s the most expensive part of your bike), then the back wheel (ideally the frame and back wheel can be locked in one go), then the front wheel. If you have quick-release wheels, a lock for each is needed, as thieves can pop off the wheel in a matter of seconds. The less space between the lock and your bike the better, because that means there is less room for thieves to manoeuvre against the lock.

I’m not sure I can still cycle

If you’ve ever ridden a bike, it will probably only take you a short ride to get back in the swing of it. If you are worried about it, don’t make your commute the first time you ride – head out on the trails of Sustrans’ National Cycle Network, such as the short rides recommended for people living in London, Manchester and Newcastle.

If you want some formal coaching, you may well be able to get it for free. Cycle Confident puts on sessions in most London boroughs – check its website or your local council’s for more information. Cycle Confident occasionally ventures outside London for sessions, so it’s worth checking your your local council’s website for opportunities to learn to cycle again with Cycle Confident, or indeed any other organisation.

from http://www.coachmag.co.uk/cycling/7427/cycling-to-work-guide

[alienation2016-blog]

New Post has been published on Alienation

New Post has been published on https://alienation.biz/maximizing-the-value-of-your-industrial-equipment/

Maximizing The Value of Your Industrial Equipment

In getting commenced with an industrial business what you ought to great be organized for is the high-priced value of the suitable system for industry. It may be very essential which you purchase the fine gadget to apply on your enterprise because the consequences of your merchandise significantly depend upon them and it’s going to additionally most possibly determine the profit that you may be getting from your business.

In a commercial enterprise, there’s never simply one set of equipment or facility for entire business length. There is always a want to have the equipment upgraded or modified into a more recent version in order in order to come up with better or up to date merchandise.

Having used your commercial system from the date of its purchase up until its end of life does not always suggest which you have already maximized its value. It may nonetheless be able to come up with plenty more. If your device has already reached its cease of lifestyles or you have got truly decided to upgrade them to more recent models do now not simply set them apart and watch them deteriorate. Doing that might be like watching a big amount of cash slip your palms.

You can nonetheless maximize the price of your equipment although they’ve already reached they’re giving up of lifestyles or maybe in case you already find them vain to your enterprise. You could have them sold to business surplus stores that buy used equipment from the industry at very affordable costs.

You can sell some thing kind of commercial gadget you have. You can promote engineering automobiles, band saws, grinders, drills, comparators, uninteresting generators, and so on. The cause that most commercial surplus stores choose to buy used equipment to sell is due to the fact it’s miles very an awful lot in demand particularly among those starting businessmen who would really like to keep on their preliminary capital.

You can promote single industrial gadget or an entire facility; either way would no longer be a hassle. Businessmen who are very a great deal in want of that system, however, do now not have an awful lot to spend would, in reality, purchase them loads earlier than you’ll be looking ahead to.

If you can not maintain the identical industrial gadget for the complete enterprise period, do now not simply watch them go to pot. Instead, maximize their cost by using having them bought in commercial surplus stores and permit the ones new businessmen experience the use of dependable equipment that has already been tried and examined by you while not having to spend a huge sum of money.

Industrial equipment may be very pricey and might no longer permit you to earn lots despite the fact that they give you appropriate product results. But in case you know a way to maximize their value, they are truly plenty inexpensive and may even double your earnings. You just need to discover a reliable industrial surplus keep to promote your antique equipment too.

  Investing In Industrial Development Zones

Industrial improvement zones, or IDZs, are a growing phenomenon in many nations of the arena. With masses of vacant land newly zoned for commercial use, for the ones searching for making an investment in commercial assets they’re attractive possibilities. Let’s look at them in extra detail.

What exactly are Industrial improvement zones? In South Africa, IDZs are an initiative by using the Department of Trade and Industry to inspire monetary increase by attracting foreign funding. They are positioned in particular chosen geographical areas which have suitable to get admission to a primary port or airport and purpose to enhance exports and jobs in these areas by using attracting new industries. South Africa has several operational IDZ’s and some more proposed ones with approval coming near.

Why are industrial development zones really worth making an investment in? Because they’re aimed at attracting main foreign investors, IDZs are designed with international-elegance infrastructure, accurate transport and offerings and masses of support industries all designed to feed off every other.

There are good sized areas of vacant land available in new commercial development zones with opportunities to develop it for your specific requirements.

There are exceptional centers for any export-driven business, which includes customs facilities, and because the authorities are selling the world over aggressive manufacture and exports, there could be incentives that make the area even more appealing.

Looking at the proposed IDZ at Saldanha Bay in South Africa as an instance, we discover that essential funding in new public transport systems linking it with Cape Town is part of the general plan. Energy necessities are deliberate in the element, the new infrastructure backing up conventional strength components with a significant funding in renewable energies so that the IDZ could be self-sufficient as soon as it’s miles completely operational. The port centers that are already of a excessive widespread could be prolonged, so that every one the industries located there’ll have good get entry to shipping for exports and imports, and the sectors of industry proposed for this commercial improvement region are complementary to each different, presenting a sustainable version of improvement for the destiny.

There are numerous different commercial development zones within South Africa that are already running efficaciously: The East London IDZ changed into the primary in 2003 and this version has been shown to paintings successfully, attracting both foreign investment and presenting local buyers with global-magnificence possibilities of developing the new enterprise. The benefits unfold out into the wider local network boosting economic system and providing employment in a few of the smaller carrier industries.

  Preventing Industrial Injuries

  Recent statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) display that commercial accidents continuously account for the highest number of workplace injuries of any career.

Industrial accidents are administrative center accidents that take area within a ‘commercial’ environment together with factories and manufacturing plant life wherein there is the full-size use of heavy equipment.

In 2009/10, there have been 5,468 non-fatal principal injuries to ‘Process, Plant and Machine Operatives’ stated. This determines bills for around 21% of all non-deadly predominant injuries reported. Preventing injuries any place feasible is absolutely in all and sundry’s hobbies; amongst different implications for a commercial enterprise, accidents often cause a success business damage claims if it may be proved that the enterprise has not done everything they could to save you injuries taking vicinity.

This article outlines three effective methods in which accidents can be avoided, as well as what employees can do if they’ve been injured as a result of company negligence.

1. Make preventing industrial injuries part of all of us’s activity

Comprehensive schooling forms a critical part of preventing business injuries. A thorough induction is a superb vicinity to start, making sure everybody who’s new to the place of business is made aware of any hazards they may come across, or fitness and protection methods in the region. Training must be obligatory and refreshed often.

The HSE report ‘Your health, your safety: A guide for employees’ states that everybody has sure responsibilities when it comes to preventing injuries at work. Employees’ duties encompass co-operating with others on subjects of health and safety and now not interfering with any safety gadget furnished.

2. Take safety device severely

This is perhaps the maximum crucial issue in warding off useless accidents. Even the most finance focused corporation need to admire that the fast-term fee of buying system is outweighed by means of the financial implications of an employee being injured as a result of no longer having the correct protection system available to them. The equipment wanted will depend on the sort of paintings being accomplished, as an example, welders ought to constantly put on gloves and goggles or a face mask to shield from sparks, while scaffolders are required by way of law to put on a safety harness whilst working more than 4 metres above the ground with out a safe platform with edge safety.

3. Take a proactive method to renovation

Again, this is a cheaper however highly effective way of lowering the number of injuries sustained. Taking a proactive method approach robotically checking system, in addition to the homes themselves for faults or signs of damage and tear. Taking measures consisting of converting non-functioning light bulbs, or making sure walkways are stored unfastened from barriers, are critical in maintaining the place of the business safe. Acting as soon as a hassle is recognized is vital to this technique.

[uncommonprophet]

National Priorities

FYI: Okay, so I read the budget trump has proposed and did the math. This is going to seem like alot of number but bear with me.           In total, after gutting a ton of important social welfare programs and general infrastructure Trumps budget cuts a tentative 19 billion 621 million dollars. A few of the proposed cut programs dont have a number attached, so the aforementioned figure is a total based on the amounts labled within the budget.                      Cutsjustice department - 710 millionhousing and urban development- 4.1 billiondepartment of labor-505 millionNASA- 115 millionSmall business administration- 12 millionTransportation- 350 millionTreasury(community development- 210 millionAgriculture- 593 millionCommerce- 345 millionEducation- 4.3 billionEnergy- 2 billionEPA- 774 millionHealth and Human services- 4.6 billionHomeland security- 937 million       Actual total- 19,621,000,000 The military will be receiving a budget increase of 54 billion, making their projected alottment for 2017 roughly 580 billion dollars. taking into consideration the total number of actual soldiers in the active, reserve and national guard (2,083,100) and the money set asidde in the budget to pay them and to house them and their families (139.9 billion) as well as the procurrment and maintenance of equipment ranging from land, sea, air, space, and nuclear arms and materials (55.95 billion, of which 32 billion is going to nukes) and assuming that these alottments are non negotiable. There is also an allotment of 118.9 billion set aside for recruitment, as well as 112.1 billion set aside for research into new technologies for future warfare. SO, i know that is a ton of information, and feel free to fact check it, all of the facts can be found on the department of defense website, and the budget plan is public information available at a ton of sources. But here is my point, if they chose to cut 12 billion from the technological research, and 18 billion from the recruitment, that would free up 30 billion dollars. It would still leave the recruiters and the researchers with 100 billion each to spend frugally. That is still a 24 billion dollar budget increase for the nations defense. As well as the 20 billion dollars needed to finance all of the programs Trumps idiotic administration claims they need to cut, leaving 10 billion to spend on increasing aid to veterans, meals on wheels, and hungry children. In addition to all of that, the projected increase in military manpower intended to result from the recruitment expenditure is a little over 1.5 million new soldiers, which would cost even more to sustain and support in 2018, which sort of makes the entire plan unsustainable considering we are supposed to be decreasing our military presence overseas and not increasing it. If that doesnt rub you the right way, and for some reason you are avidly against cutting military spending in any capacity, fine. I have an alternative. Remember when the banks knowingly bankrupted the entire planet in 2008? Well they demanded 700 billion dollars in tax payer money three days later, which they have failed to pay back. And which they spent a portion of lobbying congress for the past nine years to push back the enactment of various regulations set out in Dodd Frank until 2018. They used some more of it to tie up the justice department in litigation for the past nine years, costing the taxpayers even more money and ultimately avoiding accountability altogether. That isn't even the worst of it. In addition to that 700 billion the government has committed to a subsidization of their screw up to the tune of 16.8 trillion dollars in total, of which to date 4.6 trillion has been paid out. Not to mention they were also found guilty of laundering roughly 881 billion dollars for various drug cartels, a crime for which the justice department punished them with a 1.9 billion dollar fine (laughable). Oh and they also managed to profit off of the mess they made by betting against their investors during the actual crash, and caused 8 million citizens to lose their jobs, and even more to lose their homes. Considering all of that, id say the least they could do is shell out 30 billion dollars to cover the costs accrued as a result of their crimes. So why dont we squeeze them for money before we decide to gut the already squalid infrastructure that Trump has targeted? Trump wants to starve the elderly, defund the environment, education, justice department, and communities, while unecessarily bolstering an already healthy military and start 1.4 billion dollars worth of production on a pointless border wall ( which will cost more than the expense resultant of illegal immigration). Why? It isnt even necessary. It makes more sense to apply pressure to the military industrial complex, forcing their suppliers to become competitive in order to secure contracts. It makes more sense to force the banks to pay back a tiny percentage of what they cost us. I thought he was going to clear the swamp? I conclude with this, a quote from Trump when asked about the insane increase to the already over funded military. " A budget that puts America first must make the saftey of our people its number one priority- because without safety there can be no prosperity." What he fails to realize in this quote is that danger isnt exclusive to warzones, and cannot be addressed by a strong military alone. Safety is having enough food to eat, being able to rely on your community, having access to health and human services, having access to a proper education, protecting the environment, safeguarding against financial ruin, being able to count on FEMA and other homeland security based operations when disasters arise, having access to reliable transportation and receiving help when you're in danger of losing your home. Military strength is not synonymous with prosperity, just look at north Korea, or the former USSR. The former starves its people to bolster its army, the latter collapsed it's economy in a fit of fear fueled military spending. At the end of the day Trump is not manufacturing safety, he is selling fear and using it to justify abandoning the people in favor of corporate entities and the wealthiest individuals. This isnt an opinion, or my personal perspective. These are unavoidable facts.