Via Scoop.it – Transportation Today
Gotta love this beautiful street art by artist Mark Jenkins.. Click here for more of his work: http://www.xmarkjenkinsx.com/ (via Reddit)
Via i.imgur.com
Via Scoop.it – Transportation Today
China plans to put laboratories in space, collect samples from the moon and prepare to build space stations over the next five years. China also plans to launch manned-vessels and freighters into space during the coming half-decade, according to a government white paper. The country’s eventual goal in the longer term is a manned lunar landing.
“With economic progress, also comes the need for scientific development and exploration,” said Jiao Weixin, a professor at the School of Earth and Space Sciences at Beijing University. “By investing in space exploration, China wants to contribute and be a major player in the world on more than one level.”
Via edition.cnn.com
Via Scoop.it – Transportation Today
Denmark plans to build a 20-kilometer tunnel under the Baltic Sea to Germany in what would be the largest infrastructure project in Europe and one of the world’s longest undersea tunnels. “It’s an enormous, groundbreaking project: nearly 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) long, 40 meters (130 feet) wide, nearly 10 meters high — and expected to cost at least €5.5 billion ($7.2 billion). Four tubes are planned: two for the highway, each with two lanes, and two for the railway, each with one track. The tunnel would consist of huge concrete elements assembled on land and lowered by boats into a colossal trench on the Baltic seafloor. It would be one of the longest immersed tunnels ever built.”
Via www.spiegel.de
Via Scoop.it – Transportation Today
Not sure how far imitating @WMATA will get you with Cheese sales. Well, at least we have to appreciate the creativity.. (Via Reddit)
Via Scoop.it – Transportation Today
Senate Democrats expect to pass a long-delayed surface transportation bill soon after they return to Washington next month. Senate Democrats expect to pass a long-delayed surface transportation bill soon after they return to Washington next month.
Via thehill.com
Via Scoop.it – Aviation
Good grief.. This beats the Red-Light enforcement racket. If you drive in the District, AAA Mid-Atlantic has some numbers that will crush your holiday spirits. • In the fiscal year of 2011, D.C. gave out 1.6 million parking tickets … an average of 126,720 a month, 31,680 a week, 5,280 a day, 352 an hour, and nearly six per minute. Jesus. This is far higher than what was granted in the previous year: 1.54 million tickets. • Since the fiscal year of 2012 began in September, D.C. has given out 315,000 tickets for the first quarter. • AAA predicts that the city will receive more than $80 million for all the tickets given in the fiscal year of 2011, higher than ever before. • Parking violations are legion and include distance from the curb to parking in a crosswalk to parking in an emergency route. With close to 17,200 parking meters, the District is ready to hit you with its fines. • Parking enforcement personnel are busy, according to AAA: “The average fleet-footed, eagle-eyed parking officer issu[es] around 26.5 parking tickets each day.”
Via www.tbd.com
Via Scoop.it – Aviation
New helicopter-style drones with 1.8 gigapixel colour cameras, capable of following 65 separate targets, are being developed by the US Army.
Via www.bbc.co.uk
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Thank you for a great support you showed for Transportgooru during the year and looking forward to serving you more interesting content in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. Now, let’s kick back and enjoy Jorian’s Santa stunts.. Isn’t he brilliant!
(Source: Reddit)
Here is a really beautiful time-lapse video capture of the crazy traffic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The creator, Rob Whitworth, this video says is a culmination of 10,000 RAW images and multiple shoots capturing some of the cities relentless energy and pace of change. check it out. Like in many Asian cities, the chaos of traffic continues to move without much disruption despite the lack of the usual traffic management infrastructure (i.e., traffic lights at intersections). Of course, it goes without saying – traffic accidents are a leading cause of death and injuries in Country. According to the World Health Organization, Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) reported more than 12,800 deaths and a further 10,546 injuries from road traffic crashes in 2007 which represents more than 35 deaths per day and a mortality rate of more than 15 per 100,000 population.
(Source: Telegraph, UK via Reddit)
Allowing women drivers in Saudi Arabia will tempt them into sex, promote pornography and create more homosexuals, according to some conservative Muslim scholars.
Saudi women will have to languish little longer in their plush,& palatial homes and continue their wait for tasting the freedom of driving that so many women around the world take it for granted. The following appeared in today’s Telegraph (and in many news sites on the web): “Academics at the Majlis al-Ifta’ al-A’ala, which is Saudi Arabia‘s highest religious council, said the relaxation of the rules would inevitably lead to “no more virgins”. The academics, working in conjunction with Kamal Subhi, a former professor at the conservative King Fahd University, produced the conclusions in a report for the country’s legislative assembly, the Shura Council.” Click here to read the full story.
Editor’s note: So, how is the world reacting to this news? As always, the brilliant global hive of Redditors made quite a few interesting comments/remarks on this women-no-drive policy shoved down the throats of Saudi women. Jokes apart, it brings up many serious questions. Many Islamic nations across the globe, such as Malaysia & Bahrain, are as staunchly religious as Saudi Arabia but have understood the value of freedom and enabled their women to drive. No Malaysian cleric will ever step up and utter such non-sense statements and get away with it easily. Heck, at this point one can go on the limb and say even the most oppressive of regimes such as Myanmar and North Korea don’t treat their women like some 2nd class citizens. What is up with the Saudi’s and their obsession with female virgins?
I pity the plight of the Saudi head of state. His situation is like someone caught between the devil and the deep sea. On one side, he must be nervously watching the revolutions sweeping across the Middle East and on the other side, he has to deal with these religious zealots stoking anti-regime sentiments with such recommendations, and ordering how others should live based on their own interpretation of a religious manual. If anything, Saudi monarchs have an ultimate decision to make here and determine if they will side with the rest of the world and treat their women as equals and not second class citizens. Let’s us sincerely hope that the women will ultimately win their freedom.
Here are a couple of related articles published over a period on Transportgooru.com:
