globalbriefs
Smog Begone Dramatic Decline in Los Angeles Air Pollution
Legendary late-night TV host Johnny Carson made the thick, automobile-generated smog that covered Los Angeles the butt of jokes for decades, but times have changed. In the past 50 years, California’s Los Angeles Basin has shown a 98 percent decrease in levels of some vehicle-related air pollutants even as area denizens now burn three times as much gasoline and diesel fuel.
Between 2002 and 2010 alone, the concentration of
volatile organic com- pounds (VOC) dropped by half, according to a new study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and published in the Journal of Geophysical Research- Atmospheres. “The reason is simple. Cars are get- ting cleaner,” says Carsten Warneke, a NOAA-funded scientist with the Coopera- tive Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Primarily emitted from the vehicle tailpipes, VOCs are a key ingredient in formation of ground-level ozone, which at high levels can harm people’s lungs and damage crops and other plants. The magnitude of the drop in VOC levels was surprising, although it doesn’t mean that ozone levels have dropped as steeply, because the air chemistry is complex. Levels of ozone pollution in the basin are down, but don’t yet meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. Warneke expects the decrease in VOC emissions by cars to continue, given that engine efficiency continues to improve and older, higher polluting vehicles will be taken off the roads.
Source: American Geophysical Union (
Tinyurl.com/SmogBegone)
Good News Kwanzaa Celebration Spreads
The 46th annual Kwanzaa, an African- American holiday celebrated from December 26 to January 1, may be observed by as many as 18 million people this year. Kwanzaa is not a reli- gious holiday, nor is it meant to replace Christmas. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of black studies, as a celebration to honor the values of ancient African cultures and inspire African Ameri- cans working for social progress. The name comes from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya
kwanza,” which means, “first fruits of the harvest.” Its seven principles are believed to have been key in building strong, productive families and communities in Africa: unity, self- determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, a sense of purpose, creativity and faith.
Source:
InfoPlease.com
Many Tongues Human Rights Day is December 10
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations Gen- eral Assembly on December 10, 1948. Now, the office of the high commissioner for human rights has been awarded the Guinness World Record for hav- ing collected, translated and disseminated the declaration into more than 380 languages and dialects, from Abkhaz to Zulu, making it the world’s most universal communication. The work sets out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all men and women everywhere are entitled, without distinction. It was drafted by representa- tives from all regions and legal traditions, and has over time been accepted as a contract between governments and their peoples.
Visit
Tinyurl.com/UN-HumanRightsDeclaration.
Be nice to people on your way up
because you’ll
meet them on your way down.
2 Year certification program starting in Minneapolis Seminar 1 February 13-17, 2013
Contact Guy at 612-859-7709 or
www.bodyintelligence.com natural awakenings December 2012 11 ~ Wilson Mizner
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