Traffic Congestion is Hazardous to Your Health

Published by glynch under infrastructure, safety, transportation

The Transportation Construction Coalition, of which ASCE is a member, recently released a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis on the public health cost of traffic congestion. The study, “The Public Health Costs of Traffic Congestion: A Health Risk Assessment”, found that emissions resulting from traffic congestion in the largest 83 metropolitan areas resulted in more than 2,200 premature deaths last year. Additionally, the public health cost was at least $18 billion.

Emissions from motor vehicles contain pollutants which add to air pollution. One pollutant specifically, PM_2.5 (fine particulate matter) is responsible for one third of observed PM_2.5 in urban areas as the result of vehicle emissions. While directly emitted from vehicles, PM_2.5  can form as nitrogen oxide (NO_X) or sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Several studies have shown strong evidence that PM_2.5 exposure has been associated with premature deaths and other health problems, specifically heart attack, strokes, asthma attacks and other respiratory issues. In the Center for Disease Control’s 2009 National Vital Statistics Report diseases of the heart was listed as the leading cause of death of death in the United States while, Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) was fourth.

This study is the first attempt to quantify the public health implications of growing traffic congestion. The public health toll was highest in the Los Angeles area, followed by New York/New Jersey, Chicago, and San Francisco/Oakland; areas that rank high in traffic congestion as well. To make matters worse the study forecasts that in 18 metropolitan areas congestion will rise more than 30 percent by 2030.

Potential strategies to combat congestion are defined in the report and range from better traffic management through congestion pricing, traffic light synchronization, more efficient response to traffic incidents, and adding new highway and public transit capacity. The report did note that the number of premature deaths is currently declining due to low emission vehicles, but without further action could be on the rise again by 2030.

ASCE’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, graded roads a D- citing that collectively, Americans spend 4.2 billion hours stuck in traffic annually. With this significant amount of time stuck in traffic, inhaling noxious fumes, we should pursue improvements to our roads to relieve congestion. 

Risky business: Report says act now to combat climate change

By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

By Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images

A report released Thursday by a National Research Councilcommittee cites "the pressing need for substantial action to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare to adapt to its impacts."

Since the effects of greenhouse gases can take decades to come about, and then persist for hundreds or even thousands of years, waiting for impacts to occur before taking action will likely be too late for meaningful mitigation, according to the report.

Beginning emissions reductions soon will also lower the pressure to make steeper and costlier cuts later. "It is our judgment that the most effective strategy is to begin ramping down emissions as soon as possible," said committee chairAlbert Carnesale of UCLA.

Substantial reductions of greenhouse gas emissions should be among the nation's highest priorities, the committee said.

"America's response to climate change is ultimately about making choices in the face of risk," says committee vice chairWilliam L. Chameides of Duke University.

The report, titled "America's Climate Choices," was commissioned by the U.S. Congress several years ago. It comes on the heels of a disastrous stretch of weather in the USA: The nation has been hit with five weather disasters costing more than a billion dollars each in 2011, setting a modern record for the most high-cost weather events so early in a year, according to insurance estimates and government records.

Is there a connection between these disasters and climate change?

"All extreme weather events are now subject to human influence," said Peter Gleick, a scientist at the Pacific Institute at a Capitol Hill briefing on Monday and reported by the National Resources Defense Council blog. "We are loading the dice and painting higher numbers on them," Glieck said.

The NRC committee deemed the risks of sticking to "business as usual" to be a much greater concern than the risks associated with a strong response.

The new report says that scientific evidence points to human activities -- primarily the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere -- as the "most likely cause for most of the global warming that has occurred over the last several decades."

It adds that the trend cannot be explained by natural factors such as internal climate variability or changes in incoming energy from the sun. The report also notes that the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems can generally be expected to intensify with warming.

Pick the Best Web Designer

By Karen E. Klein

First check credentials, gauge experience, and examine previous work. Then make sure the contract contains a few important elements

I'm looking for a Web designer but don't know what criteria I should use to evaluate candidates. Can you offer some advice? —M.E., Henderson, Nev.

The relatively young marketplace for Web design services can be difficult to navigate, particularly for small business owners who aren't sure exactly what they need in website development. "We found that a lot of companies are not very truthful. It's like the Wild West out there. Anyone can work out of their grandparents' house and say they design websites," says Gabriel Shaoolian, founder and chief executive of Blue Fountain Media, a Web design and online marketing business based in New York City.

Personal referrals are always a good start for professional services, but once you get a few, do background research on your own. Search on typical keywords and see where—or whether—the recommended companies come up: If they can't get their own sites optimized for search engines, they probably won't do a good job on yours, either.

Inquire about designers' credentials and ask whether they belong to a professional association with membership standards. Investigate their Dun & Bradstreet (DNB) and Better Business Bureau ratings and ask whether they follow W3C international standards for computer coding. If they have done government contracts, those lend additional credibility; public agencies typically vet contractors thoroughly.

DON'T RELY ON REFERENCES

You want original, custom content (not templates or cut-and-paste copy) from professionals, so make sure that all staffers on your project have at least five years' experience. Take references with a grain of salt: "What's stopping them from giving you the names of their friends? Better to check out whether they are industry leaders who do speaking and are actively engaged in the community," Shaoolian says.

Once you have some good candidates, ask what specific results they have provided for their clients. You want a site that enhances brand loyalty (which means that customers return frequently) and that increases sales leads and lead conversion rates. "The beautiful thing about this industry is that you can directly measure the results through Google Analytics," Shaoolian says. "Designers should give you many case studies that show the positive results their clients have experienced."

Read any contract thoroughly before you sign it and do not rely on verbal promises. If an aspect of your project does not appear specifically in the contract's "scope of work" section, make sure the contract is rewritten so it does. "If you have negotiated special payment terms, make sure those are spelled out in the contract rather than verbally agreed upon," says Scott Sanfilippo, co-founder of Solid Cactus, an e-commerce website developer in Shavertown, Pa.

The same goes for copyrights, particularly to photographs, images, and licensed content. "Make sure the contract spells out who retains the ownership of those images and if ownership transfers to you once the site is finished and paid in full," Sanfilippo says.

The contract should also guarantee that you get official ownership of your site design and copies of the original computer files used to create your site. "These files are often needed down the road when you want to make changes to your site," he says. Have them in your possession, because "you never know when you will need them."

Karen E. Klein is a Los Angeles-based writer who covers entrepreneurship and small-business issues.

A Drop's Life

"A Drop's Life," produced by Free Range Studios, tells the story of DC Water's Clean Rivers Project from the perspective of a single water drop.

Learn more: http://www.dcwater.com/cleanrivers

Too many job openings, but no response ... what is wrong with HR?

by Gyaney

In recent job announcement in this group, I was not sure whether the announcement was genuine or this was a media stunt: to attact attention, because a UK based company wants to hire employees for .... in NZ. How would you know that it is a real authentic job opening? Why is there no URL link to the official website of the company? It might be a genuine announcement, but how would you confirm it to make sure that a desperate applicant is not fooled.

Well, there may be too many unemployed professional in this economically bad time. Thanks god, you don't have to spend penny to apply for the most of the jobs these days because everything is online, but you certainly lose your precious time, effort, and interest/motivation.

Why? 99% of the applications never get any response back by the HR people nor they ever receive phone calls, nor reply the emails. It is the trend not only in private companies (where time = money matters), but also in public organizations.

A week back, a HR personnel replied to my application, but disappointingly there was mass reply where all applicants (50+) email and name were disclosed to each other, and the HR personnel declared that the opening continues for another month ... tone was as if they there were no better fit in the list. By looking at the name in the list, I felt majority of them were from the same part of the world and new immigrants to US, and I believe their academic record can be ranked top 1%.

I watched one show on PBS, a few years back, that an engineer applied for job in 700+ openings, and got no response / no luck.

In this internet age, the new graduates around me are desperate in getting new job. Some tell how they got exploited by the so called employer. Some consulting companies in IT sector in US, hire desperate graduates, but it is a conditional employment. The employee has to return the salary in full in cash to the employer in exchanges for H1B with a legal min limit of US3,000/ month as salary. The employer, then asks for return of USD$ 4000/month in exchange of deposits of US$ 3000 - different deductions (Fedral/ State TAX + social security + medicaid + insurance if any) = Say, USD2250. The first 1000 USD goes to the employer's pocket off the record. Second month, the employee earns another 1750, and returns the 2250+1750 =4000 to the employer as cash, and cycle repeats. The so called employee does not work for that employer because the employer does not have any job, he does sponsors dozens of similar unemployed desperate young graduates, and makes living from such practices. When the market is so fluid, and young graduates are so desperate to maintain their immigration status, there are reasons why HR don't have to answer you and neglect your call. It is not surprising to me to not get any response to applications. The new graduates should know that they may or not get any response from the HR, but they should continue to dump (I do not call it a filing an application with a real hope that you will be hired) their applications in desperate hope of getting interviewed.

It is not only a problem with fresh graduates, it is also in teaching jobs. Recently, I got an email reply from one university that the search committee has had hard time screening the lucky or "usually preselected" applicant out of 150 applicants (PhD). The job market is terribly tough, and you want to be hooked no matter what is type of job you are asked to do.

What is the solution? Get a better reference. Without a good reference, you have almost no chance (99%) of getting job, no matter where did you get your degree (except the few league colleges), no matter what knowledge you have, no matter what GPA you secured. Some recruiters might give you a phone call, but your honey moon with the recruiters will soon fade away when they come to know that you are an immigrant. ... ... ...

How a high-school dropout found his way in the restaurant world

How a Famous Foodie Got His Start

By COLLEEN DEBAISE

 

Since stumbling upon cooking at age 17, Bobby Flay has opened a cadre of restaurants—from New York's venerable Mesa Grill to Bobby's Burger Palaces, a chain of casual-dining eateries. And he's become a cookbook author, Food Network star and Iron Chef along the way. Mr. Flay, 46 years old, credits much of his prolific career to timing, powerful mentors and a good deal of chance. As a judge and investor on NBC's "America's Next Great Restaurant," he plans to fund an aspiring restaurateur's dreams when the show wraps May 1.  

 

Edited interview excerpts follow.

Ben Fink

Bobby Flay 

Q. How did you get your start at such a young age?
A. I dropped out of high school. I really had no interest in doing any school work whatsoever. My father, who is very much a scholarly guy, said: "Well, you're going to have to get a job then." Two days later, he called and said the bus boy at a restaurant where he was a partner [Joe Allen, in New York's Theatre District] needed two weeks off to visit his sick grandmother. I was told to fill in.

Q. What happened after two weeks, when the bus boy came back?
A. I was literally walking out of the restaurant and the chef said, "Do you want to work in the kitchen?" And I said, "Sure." It was because I had nothing else to do that day. If I had plans with friends, I probably would have said no. I wasn't desperate to work in the kitchen.

Q. So you didn't have dreams as a kid of becoming a chef?
A. No! This was 1981—food and America hadn't had its renaissance yet.

Q. When did you take a liking to cooking?
A. I remember waking up one morning, staring at the ceiling, and thinking: "Wait, I really want to do this today." Something clicked. I had been so disinterested in doing school work. I finally found something I could do with my hands that was productive.

Q. You did go back to school a short time later, enrolling in the French Culinary Institute's six-month program at age 18.
A. It was not my favorite thing. But I knew this was my last chance without my father killing me. It gave me a foundation forever. I utilize things I learned in FCI every day.

Q. What was your first job, post-FCI?
A. I was hired as a sous-chef at a restaurant on the Upper East Side. The chef liked to drink—some mornings we would find him sleeping [on the floor]. Two weeks after its opening, I became the chef. I was 20 years old, and way over my head. I had to hire the cooks and do the menus. I did it for a year, but I thought, I need to know how to cook better.

Q. You went to work for Jonathan Waxman, then one of New York's hottest chefs. How did that happen?
A. I was at a cocktail party at the French Culinary Institute. This woman Gail Arnold met me—she was the chef at Bud's (a Waxman restaurant) and I said: "I would love to work there." And she said OK.

Q. Just like that?
A. It's easier than you think it is to get a job. I said to her: "I will promise you this, I will give you 120%. Just tell me what to do." Today, when I hire, I look for people who want to be trained and molded.

Q. You wound up working at three of Waxman's restaurants—what did you learn?
A. That was the first time I had seen Southwestern ingredients, like blue corn meal and chile peppers. I fell in love with the flavors, the colors, the textures. It became the palette that I reach for always.

Q. You solidified your reputation when you opened Mesa Grill in New York, in 1991 at age 26—how did that opportunity arise?
A. Jerry Kretchmer [the New York restaurateur] had just come back from a trip to the Southwest, probably because he wants to be a cowboy. And he asked around—who cooks really good Southwest food? So he heard about me, and he asked if I wanted to open a restaurant with him and I said yes.

Q. Did you have to come up with the start-up capital?
A. No—he and another partner, Jeff Bliss, took responsibility for raising the money. I think it was a bank loan. I didn't have to sign it. I was bringing sweat equity.

Q. A few years later, you started to appear on TV—what drew you to that?
A. The Food Network was just starting in New York, and I was getting lots of attention from Mesa Grill. They had no money, so if you couldn't get there by subway, you couldn't be on. It wasn't like TV was something I really wanted to do—but I knew it would be great publicity for my restaurants.

Q. Which has been your most successful restaurant?
A. In terms of revenue, it's between Bar Americain in New York, Mesa Grill in Vegas and and Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City. But they're also the biggest restaurants.

Q. If you had to streamline everything you do—and pick just one thing—what would it be?
A. Standing in a kitchen in my whites, cooking. Period. No question.

Q. How is "America's Next Great Restaurant" doing?
A. The ratings are moderate, but they're not off the charts. It's in a bad time spot. But I'm definitely happy with the show.

Q. What advice would you give an aspiring restaurateur?
A. Have twice as much capital as you think you need. If you think it's going to take eight months to build the restaurant, know that it's twice that. Expect the unexpected. It will ultimately happen, whether it's the health department [coming in], or the chef quits, or the gas line doesn't work. And go slow. Don't try to feed 300 people the first night. You want to be a good restaurant for 20 years, not 20 weeks.

 

Must Haves for Spring

By TINA GAUDOIN

Having written that title, I am going to contradict myself. There's nothing really "must have" about fashion or style. Where clothes are concerned, "must haves" really are for children in third-world countries or for the Libyan refugees streaming across the Egyptian and Tunisian borders, without any of their worldly belongings.  

 

I haven't come over all worthy—well, all right, I have, but I'm just making the point that in my business, the idea of "need" is a marketing-created imperative, rather than an economic, social or personal necessity.
All of that being said, I'm about to tell you to spend a lot of money on a few items—and I'm assuming that if you have the means to do this, you will almost certainly have donated to one of the aforementioned causes already.

Why the money? Well, sometimes—just occasionally, if you have the means, I believe in buying "the best of" for a particular season. These are pieces that you will have forever, that came down the runway and were destined for the fashion archives (and the pages of magazines).
What I'm saying is, if you can, spend on the original; don't waste money on High Street looky-likeys, because the pieces I'm about to recommend will never be bettered and you will always look and feel good in them.

Stella's fruitopia

I love Stella McCartney for her humor and for the way she cuts her clothes. She's short on irony and big on celebration, both of life and of a woman's body—this is a very good thing for a women's designer, and it's rare. I'm not saying that you should go all out and wear her Citrus print from top to toe, but I am recommending her silk maxi dress with the oversized print on the bodice and a fine, almost Liberty-like print on the pleated skirt (£1,665). Flattering, feminine and on trend.

White

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana created the prettiest white dresses this season, in embroidered silk-chiffon.

There are a number of ways to go with white this season, but beware parties and social occasions (everyone is going to go in this direction, so unless you want to join the mass ranks of women who appear to be nursing orderlies, then steer clear). One perfect white piece is the answer. Chanel inevitably has the crème de la crème of boucle jackets, with feather trim (from £21,926). Dolce & Gabbana created the prettiest white dresses this season, in embroidered silk-chiffon (£2,045). They sell the satin bra (£255) and briefs (£200) to go with it, explaining at the shows that their collection was "for a bride's trousseau." Well, Kate Middleton did ensnare the future king of England by flashing her knickers and bra from the runway. Meanwhile, the most sensible and classic white piece this spring is the YSL trench in cotton gabardine (£1,880).

Prada's bonkers graphics

Prada

Prada's bonkers graphics

Here's another Miuccia Prada classic—her crazy cherub meets fruit and stripes graphics. Buy the cotton skirt (£540) in the muted grays, browns and blacks, and wear it with a simple top in black, white or navy. It's going to look incredible during the autumn, too, with a cashmere rollneck, boots and woolly tights. 

Christopher Kane's acid trip

net-a-porter.com.

Christopher Kane's laser-cut skirt (£1,610)

Kane's laser-cut acid leather caused a storm when he sent it down the runway last September, calling the look Princess Margaret on acid. These are collector's pieces because they broke the mold by standing British-style conservatism on its head and making it sexy (something designers have been trying to do for years). Buy the laser-cut skirt (£1,610) and top (£1,200) in neon yellow. Or pair the skirt with Kane's henna argyle cardigan (£820).

D&G's floral maxi

D&G

Dolce & Gabbana's floral maxi dresses

No apologies for two Dolce & Gabbana mentions, because this season, the designers got it entirely right. D&G trends "younger" than the Dolce line, but their sexy, simple, floral maxi dresses (£1,565) would look great at almost any age (as a rule of thumb, past 50, wear with flats or barefoot). Cinch with a leather belt from Lanvin in tan (£410).

Jil Sander's stripes

Jil Sander

Jil Sander's stripes

Yes, I know. Stripes again. But these are the seminal stripes and shapes of the season. Voluminous bubble skirts worn with simple tees and shells; bold, almost garish colors; and huge florals. Buy the stripes. The horizontal, baby pink or blue and white long skirt (£1,370), and the ribbon stripe top in black or cerise (£720) are stunning.

The wedge

net-a-porter.com

The extreme version of the wedge

The extreme version of the wedge, which tapers to nothing at the ball of the foot—incredibly sexy, somewhat precarious and possibly uncomfortable for more than a few hours (limo service required). These elongate the front of the foot and the leg, and will come in very handy with the new maxi. The best are from Lanvin in snakeskin (£640) or Christian Louboutin in canvas and raffia (£345).

The brogue

 

Prada

The brogue

The alternative to the wedge and best worn with the new cropped pants or the balloon skirt. The ultimate are from Prada, with their über Teddy-Boy burlap, striped soles (£510). For the less adventurous, Pierre Hardy's white leather brogues (£288).

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page W4