“Cansada, mas não o tipo de cansaço que o sono conserta.”
- Deixe a Neve Cair.
(via a-interrogada)
via @notiun
sexta-feira, agosto 05, 2016
Transit Elevated Bus: The First Test Drive Of China’s Futuristic Bus Was A Success (6 pics)
China’s Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) was nothing but a model back in May
And this is what it looks like just three months later!
Transit Elevated Bus (TEB-1) is a guided bus that will run along a fixed route. Its passenger compartment will take the width of two traffic lanes. Its overall height is 4 to 4.5 m (13 ft 1 in to 14 ft 9 in). Vehicles lower than 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high will be able to pass underneath the bus, reducing the number of traffic jams caused by ordinary buses loading and unloading at bus stops. It can travel at up to 60 km/h (37.2 mph). The inaugural test of the bus was carried out on a 300 meter track in the city of Qinhuangdao, Hebei in August 2016.
And this is what it looks like just three months later!
Transit Elevated Bus (TEB-1) is a guided bus that will run along a fixed route. Its passenger compartment will take the width of two traffic lanes. Its overall height is 4 to 4.5 m (13 ft 1 in to 14 ft 9 in). Vehicles lower than 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high will be able to pass underneath the bus, reducing the number of traffic jams caused by ordinary buses loading and unloading at bus stops. It can travel at up to 60 km/h (37.2 mph). The inaugural test of the bus was carried out on a 300 meter track in the city of Qinhuangdao, Hebei in August 2016.
Pokémon GO Isn’t Destroying Society, It’s Bringing People Together
Pokémon GO has quickly become the staple of mobile gaming. It’s brought together gamers of all ages, from as young as seven years old to as old as sixty. I’ve seen parents playing it with their kids and grandparents playing it to feel like they’ve still got it. However, Pokémon GO has also gotten a bad rap with all the negative news surrounding it. I’m here to tell you Pokémon GO isn’t destroying society, as the media would allegedly have you believe — it’s bringing people together!
Pokémon Go is Bringing Life Back to Cities
I occasionally go into the downtown area of my city. I don’t go very often because it’s usually boring and not many people are out walking around (except the teenagers). The past two weeks, however, I went downtown both Friday nights in a row. Why? To play Pokémon GO, of course! Here’s what’s so special about it: It was packed! There were people playing everywhere. You couldn’t turn a street corner without hearing, “Oh, look, a Mankey!”
One guy I met was particularly awesome. He was walking around the square wearing a Pokémon t-shirt, blasting Pokémon theme music everywhere he walked. I asked him his story and, apparently, he comes downtown every night now rather than staying in his apartment because he loves Pokémon and everyone stops him to talk to him. He’s met dozens, if not hundreds, of people just by being a little different and playing a game he loves. Here’s the real kicker: he lost 15 pounds because he was walking around so much! And he isn’t alone — people all over the world are leaving their apartments, making friends, and losing weight, all thanks to Pokémon.
In Fact, Pokémon Go is Fighting Depression
In fact, this game is fighting depression. All the walking around and exercise helps by itself, but the social aspect is a totally different game changer. It’s backed by science and the players themselves.
Reddit user Forexal posted on the Pokémon GO subreddit about how the game helped his severe depression:
“I’m a twenty three year old in Australia with some serious problems with mental health, which translates to not caring about anything at all…I don’t look for sympathy, as I find that to be a weak quality in someone but… for a while I’ve been incredibly weak, so weak that my three goals each day are starving myself, regret and trying not to think about suicide. When I’m out in public the few times I am, I put on a happy face to let everyone know I’m ok but in reality, I just wanted to die.
NOW, Pokemon GO releases on the 6th of July in Australia and a friend of mine tells me to give it a go because I’m such an avid pokemon fan, so I go finally buy some phone credit and download the app…
In the past 4 days, I have walked over 50km, I’ve met some cool people, I didn’t cry once, I’ve gotten rid of some semi-permanent artist block and photoshopped some things, I got a date with a girl for Saturday and I walked into a bar and got an interview for Monday.”
If this game is able to change lives to such an extreme extent, how can anyone say it’s “destroying society”? Yes, there are some stupid people doing stupid things. Yes, it can be played too much and affect other parts of people’s lives.
However, stupid people doing stupid things is nothing new. Anyone with half a brain will look before they cross the road or think twice before breaking into a church. The people doing these things would have done them anyway with some other reason as an excuse. Just use your head, play smart, and don’t play it too much. You’ll probably find some friends and get some great exercise while you play!
Featured photo credit: Chicago Tribune via trbimg.com
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Stranded Killer Whale Cries For Help, People Do Something Priceless To It
Every year thousands of whales, dolphins and porpoises become trapped along rocky coastal shorelines and beaches as they search for food or are simply caught off guard when the tide rolls out. What a group of volunteers recently did in Hartley Bay, British Columbia is truly amazing. The group dedicated eight consecutive hours tending to a trapped orca until the tide could set her free.
With concerted effort, people saved a stranded orca
The five-to-six ton orca was caught on a rocky shoreline in low tide. The orca called out for help and a passerby heard it, discovered the stranded animal, and phoned volunteer rescue groups who help in these types of situations. Members of The Guardians from Hartley Bay and Whale Point spent the day keeping the orca wet and cool. It was covered in thin sheets to shield its delicate skin from the sun and was regularly bathed with water from a hose attached to a tank until the tide returned more than eight hours later. Volunteers stated on social media that the orca kept “crying” while they were trying to help it. The rising water eventually lifted the orca off the rocks and it swam away, reuniting with its pod.
Lamentably, similar stories can have a different ending…
However, a baby whale stranded on the beach in the coastal town of Bolshoy Kamen, Russia, wasn’t so lucky. When locals discovered the poor baby had washed ashore and was stranded, they chose not to help it. Instead, they cut it up and ate it. The baby whale was still alive when it became stranded. Footage has been floating around social media showing a group of men hacking into the mammal. One photo shows a man standing on it, while the group and cameraman can be heard laughing throughout the video.
In a world where animal abuse and neglect unfortunately occurs, have humans become immune to stepping up and saving animals when they desperately need it?
Why should we care?
Today, six out of the thirteen great whale species are classified as endangered, even after humans have spent decades trying to protect them. Whales sit at the top of the food chain and play a key role in the marine environment. There also is a moratorium on commercial whaling and a ban on the international trade of whale products. However, there are still people who hunt whales and utilize them for profit or personal gain. In fact, several international wildlife groups will train the people who live in areas where these strandings tend to occur to teach them how to save these endangered species.
Featured photo credit: YouTube/TheGlobeandMail via youtube.com
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If You Find Urban Life Stressful, Study Says You Should Try Bathing In The Forest
Feeling overwhelmed or a bit stressed lately? Good news! There is a new type of therapy (technically not new — it’s been used in Japan for years) sweeping the globe that provides free and all-natural stress relief. It’s called Forest Therapy.
Wait!
Before you close this article, understand that this is a real, scientifically based and researched method that is gaining popularity in therapeutic circles. Yoshifumi Miyazaki, Japan’s leading scholar on forest medicine and director of the Center for Environment Health and Field Sciences at Chiba University, has been conducting physiological experiments to examine whether forests can make people feel at ease. He has concluded that what conventional wisdom knew all along was accurate. The forest, through its aromas, sounds of babbling brooks and creatures stirring, coupled with the feeling of sunshine through forest leaves, can have a soothing effect on the human body.
The Association of Nature and Forrest Therapy defines forest therapy as:
“…a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments. In Japan it is called shinrin yoku, which translates to “taking in the forest atmosphere” or “forest bathing.” Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition.”
Forest bathing provides natural stress relief
Japanese research shows there are physiological impacts of spending time in the woods. Research findings indicate that it does have measurable health benefits, such as:
- Boosted immune system functioning, with an increase in the count of the body’s Natural Killer (NK) cells
- Reduced blood pressure
- Reduced stress
- Improved mood
- Increased ability to focus, even in children with ADHD
- Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness
- Increased energy levels
- Improved sleep
How it works
Practicing shinrin yoku is very simple. You go to a forest or heavily wooded area and walk slowly and calmly. Breathe deeply. Allow your senses to become open and engaged. Pretty soon, you will begin to experience the calming, rejuvenating, and restorative benefits of bathing in the forest.
That’s it.
Now, I am sure to some this sounds like a tree-hugging, Eastern religious pseudoscience. However, there is a growing body of evidence that supports the theory that spending time in wooded areas really does have tangible effects on our bodies by boosting energy, combatting depression and anxiety, and providing natural stress relief.
And if you really think about it, research aside, it actually makes sense. Consider the surroundings of a peacefully wooded area. Crisp clean air fills your nostrils, providing your body with clean oxygen. While breathing in the fresh air, you are also getting a healthy dose of natural aroma therapy.
Aromatherapy is a type of alternative medicine that uses essential oils and other aromatic plant compounds aimed at improving a person’s mental state and mood. Medical News Today describes the science behind aromatherapy as:
“… the inhalation of essential oils stimulates the part of the brain connected to smell — the olfactory system; a signal is sent to the limbic system of the brain that controls emotions and retrieves learned memories. This causes chemicals to be released which make the person feel relaxed, calm, or even stimulated.”
The difference between forest bathing and other outdoor activities
Forest bathing is different from other activities people associate with the forest such as hiking, jogging, biking, or fishing in that it is a contemplative exercise rather than an active one. Other forest activities can actually raise stress levels, elevating your heart rate and blood pressure. This process slows down all of the body’s systems, allows the mind to relax, and purposefully engages all of the senses. With other activities, the woods merely serve as a backdrop and the main activities take center stage.
The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy is just one organization of many that is providing therapeutic services to individuals, groups, and organizations by arranging guided tours by trained and certified forest therapy guides. These services and tours are perfect for those interested in reaping the benefits of all-natural stress relief but are unsure how to get started.
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