Posts Tagged "Travelapos"
Study Suggests We've Hit 'Peak Travel' – Wired News
Commuting sucks, no two ways about it. It’s a slog, and a lot of us are saying to hell with it. A study of eight industrialized countries shows passenger travel appears to have peaked in 2003.
The study suggests demand for travel and automobile ownership has reached a saturation point despite predictions, by the International Energy Agency, of 1.5 percent annual growth through 2030. The researchers concede the findings are not conclusive but say they could mean projections of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will be lower than previously believed.
“A major factor behind increasing energy use and carbon dioxide emissions since the 1970s has ceased its rise, at least for the time being,” Lee Schipper, one of the study’s two authors, told Miller-McCune. “If it is a truly permanent change, then future projections of carbon dioxide emissions and fuel demand should be scaled back.”
Schipper is a researcher at Global Metro Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center at Stanford University. He was joined in the research by Adam Millard-Ball, a doctoral candidate at Stanford. They analyzed travel trends between 1970 and 2008 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia. In each case they plotted the distance traveled per capita per year by car, pickup, bus, airplane, train, light rail, streetcar, and subway. Then they compared the data to the country’s gross domestic product per capita.
They found a correlation between rising prosperity and passenger travel from 1970 to 2003. But passenger travel stopped growing after 2003 even as GDP per capita continued to rise. Motorized travel has plateaued at about 16,155 miles per year per person in the United States, 6,213 miles in Japan and between 8,077 and 10,563 miles in the other countries.
“Since 2003, motorized travel demand has leveled out or even declined in most of the countries studied, and travel in private vehicles has declined,” the authors wrote in their study. “Car ownership has continued to rise, but these cars are being driven less.”
More than rising fuel prices are at work here, as the researchers say. They did not delve too deeply into the reasons why motorized travel has plateaued, but they speculate on several factors:
Saturation in vehicle ownership. There are about 700 cars per 1,000 people in the United States, which is more cars than licensed drivers. The figure is about 500 cars per 1,000 people in most of the other countries. Car ownership in the U.S. has declined since 2007 due to the recession.Rising fuel costs.An aging population that doesn’t commute as often or as far.Traffic congestion. People spend an average of 1.1 hours per day traveling. Schipper told Miller-McCune, “My basic thesis is, ‘There ain’t room on the road.’”The authors note that if passenger travel remains the same even as automobiles become more fuel efficient, reducing transportation emissions may not be as daunting as previously believed. They concede the findings are by no means conclusive and more research is needed but their findings should not be dismissed.
“The assumption of continued, steady growth in travel demand, which is inherent in many transport models and energy use projections, is one that planners and policy makers should treat with extreme caution,” they write.
Photo of Atlanta traffic: jandclindenbaum photos / Flickr
View the original article here
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Read MoreMovie Review: 'Gulliver's Travel' – The Epoch Times
Upon arriving in Lilliput, Gulliver (Jack Black) is restrained by the island’s residents. (hy*drau*lx) The tale of Gulliver stuck on an island as a giant in a country of miniature people is something of a childhood favorite. It’s a thrilling and imaginative idea—what would it be like? How would you act, and what could you accomplish as a giant? The story is a historic and famous piece of literature written by Jonathan Swift in the 1700s, popular among all ages. In this new, comedic version of “Gulliver’s Travels,” Jack Black, who plays Lemuel Gulliver, brings his love of classic rock and outrageous physical wrestling moves to the story. Director Rob Letterman, who also directed “Monsters vs. Aliens,” along with the screenwriters, took this classic story of English literature and transformed it into a decent holiday movie, which youngsters may like more than adults.
This is a contemporary adaptation of “Gulliver’s Travels” with the Jack Black twist. Gulliver is working as a common mail clerk not destined for anything exceptional, and too shy to ask out Darcy (Amanda Peet), the woman he fancies.
Through fumbling around his own lies due to fear of asking Darcy out on a date, Gulliver ends up on a writing assignment in the Bermuda Triangle and stumbles upon the island of Lilliput.
Without giving too much of the plot away, he becomes friendly with the people of Lilliput and tells tall tales of his greatness back home—for example, that he is President Awesome of the Island of Manhattan. However, things start getting dicey in the kingdom, and it all comes back to Gulliver’s having to face his real identity, his fears, and his desire for Darcy.
Children may appreciate this movie more than adults because Jack Black is like a big kid. That being said, Black has proven greatness as an actor for “fish out of water” portrayals. His part in “The School of Rock” proves that well, and his demonstration of that talent in ”Gulliver’s Travels” also works. It is excellent as a fun family movie for the holidays.
However, the plot is somewhat fast-paced, throwing off its development into a greater story. Character development is poor on some fronts, especially when it comes to the relationship between Darcy and Gulliver.
Chris O’Dowd plays a noteworthy role as the funny antagonist General Edward. And Emily Blunt from “The Devil Wears Prada,” who plays Princess Mary, is quite good as the conflicted princess in a love triangle; Blunt seems destined for greater acting roles. Also displaying good acting skill was Jason Segel in the role of Gulliver’s best friend, Horatio.
Making the movie 3-D did not upgrade the experience—it was just an extra enticement. The CGI effects are worthy but nothing over the top. However, the sight of Jack Black amid dollhouse-sized Lilliputian buildings was eye-catching.
Expect to be entertained, but not blown away. It’s fun, silly, creative, and a good one for the kids.
View the original article here
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Read More
