globalbriefs
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.
Bicycle Economy May is National Bike Month
Bikeway networks are emerging along urban, low-traffic streets as residents employ increasing pedal power in cities like Cambridge, Mas- sachusetts; New York City; Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco. Tourism and transportation trend watchers note that the amount of on-street bicycle parking provides a ready gauge to how rider-friendly a city is.
Still, according to the findings of a National Household Travel Survey that 40 percent of all trips we make are two miles or less, the International Bicycle Fund (IBF) reports that Americans choose a bike over a car for only 11 percent of these trips. In Europe, which favors walkable cities, Amsterdam commuters lead the way by choosing their bikes 28 percent of the time, followed by 20 percent in Denmark, 10 percent in Germany, 8 percent in the United Kingdom and 5 percent in both France and Italy (versus 1 percent by U.S. city commuters). According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, at least a quarter of Americans age 16 and older will likely ride a bicycle sometime this summer. The National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes notes that 26 percent of American bicyclists ride for recreation, and 24 percent for health. Additional rea- sons include getting home (14 percent), errands (14 percent), visiting (10 percent), commuting to school or work (5 percent) and “other.”
BikeLeague.org, the official website for Bike-to-Work Week, May 16-20, hosts a searchable database of bike clubs and ride resources.
Smile Factor Which States Have the Happiest People?
A telephone survey conducted from January 1 through December 31, 2010, ran- domly sampling the views of more than 350,000 U.S. adults, shows that Hawaii ranks in first place in terms of residents’ happiness, earning a rating of 71 on a 100-point scale. Other winners in the Top 10 happiness sweepstakes are Wyoming, North Dakota, Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota, Utah, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Even West Virginia, which ranked last, earned 61.7 points. The survey, conducted by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, looked at six categories of well-being. These included life evaluation (self-evaluation about one’s present life situation and what is anticipated in five years); emotional health; work environment (such as job satisfaction); physical health; healthy behavior; and basic ac- cess to services like health care, a safe place to walk and community. “When human beings give you an answer on a numerical scale about how satisfied they are with their lives, it is best to pay attention,” comments Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick, UK, based on his 2008 findings from a similar survey of 1.3 million Americans. “Their answers are reliable.”
For the rankings of all 50 states, see
tinyurl.com/ 4lre9tk. For the daily national happiness index, see
Well-BeingIndex.com.
22 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com Bundled
Deductibles Breast-feeding Benefits Now Recognized by the IRS
Until its 2011 decision for the 2010 tax year, the Internal Revenue Ser- vice did not classify breast-feeding supplies as tax deductible because it viewed them as nutritional benefits, instead of medical care expenses. Now, under a new ruling, nursing mothers can write off breast-feeding equipment if they have flexible spending accounts or if their total medical expenses exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin has issued a call to action to support breast-feeding, stating that it can protect babies from infections and illnesses, including pneumonia and diarrhea. Breast-fed babies are also less likely to develop asthma and to become obese, according to the report. First Lady Michelle Obama has declared her support for breast-feeding as part of her cam- paign against child obesity. The American Academy of Pediatrics has spent years trying to roll back the push for infant formula, trumpeting the benefits of breast- feeding exclusively for the first six months of life (the World Health Organization promotes breast-feed- ing for two years). A recent Harvard Medical School study published in the journal Pediatrics estimated that if 90 percent of American women breast-fed, 900 premature, infant deaths would be prevented and patients and hospitals would see sav- ings of $13 billion in lost wages and saved health care costs.
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