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As one of the millions of Egyptians who took to the streets demanding Bread, Freedom, and Social Justice during the Arab Spring, I experienced firsthand the very best and the worst that Twitter has to offer.

When the government took control of the media, shut down the internet, and cracked down on dissent, we the people found refuge on Twitter to plan protests, notify protesters of changing routes and safe locations, and keep a record of people who were arrested or killed. But just as the government unleashed security forces to physically attack us in Tahrir Square, so too they came after us online, launching a coordinated wave of abuse and disinformation to intimidate and silence journalists and activists.

What we naively considered a safe space on Twitter turned into a nightmare of coordinated harassment and disinformation. The constant threat and the level of anxiety and fear dictatorial regimes inflict on anyone who opposes them lead many people to self-censor or leave the journalism profession.

Like so many journalists and human rights defenders, I am deeply concerned about Elon Musks potential takeover of Twitter. When Musk describes social media as a digital town square for public debate and asserts that Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, who could disagree? I have risked my life to freely express my demand for human rights and advocate for democracy. Today, as an exile in the United States, I work for the free speech advocacy organisation PEN America to keep writers and journalists safe online and off.

Musks understanding of free speech implies that the playing field is level and that we are all treated equally and safely online, which is why I can say with absolute certainty that getting rid of all guardrails on Twitter including meaningful content moderation policies and processes wilfully ignores the ways in which rampant online abuse chills free expression.

People are targeted not only for what they say online but often simply for being outspoken members of a particular group for their race, their faith, their gender identity, their sexual orientation, and their disability. If women and minorities, reporters and human rights defenders are pushed off digital platforms because of severe and constant abuse, then public debates are left to the most privileged few with the loudest voices. If Twitter is where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, the question is who matters in these debates.

If Elon Musk is serious about making Twitter a safe haven for free speech for all, he needs to remember that social media is a critical tool used by journalists, dissidents, and activists around the world to speak truth to power. And those in power cynically deploy coordinated harassment and disinformation campaigns to undermine the free press and de-platform dissent.

Over the course of its history, Twitter has prioritised American and English-speaking users over the safety of Black and brown people and others from marginalised communities globally. The platform has been exceedingly slow to put meaningful policies and features in place to better protect its most vulnerable users. After a decade of tireless advocacy from civil society and activists, Twitter has finally started to make progress in recent years to address abuse and disinformation. But there is still much work to be done, including: giving people the option to filter the abusive content they receive so they can review and address it later, with the help of trusted allied individuals; making it easier to document online abuse; making it easier for people to separate their personal and professional identities online and allow them to control their privacy settings accordingly.

When voices are silenced and speech is chilled, public discourse suffers. Freedom of expression and user agency do not exist without safety and protection online. By reducing the harmful effect of online harassment, platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can ensure that social media becomes more open and equitable for all users.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.

Excerpt from:
We need Twitter guardrails that protect lives and free speech - Al Jazeera English

April 30, 2022

By Jorge Aguirre

Tesla hacker and Twitter user @greentheonly has speculated that it wont be possible to retrofit current MCU 2 (Media Control Unit) Teslas employing Intel chips with the new and improved Ryzen-based processor that is used in MCU 3.

In an up-close inspection of a new Model Ys internals Green stated that retrofit for intel cars definitely looks impossible - totally different power and other harness and thickness of the unit.

The news hasnt been confirmed nor denied by Tesla or its CEO, Elon Musk, but if proven to be accurate it would most certainly disappoint a great number of MCU2 vehicles owners, who were expecting to be offered the possibility of an upgrade, in the same way current MCU1 owners are able to upgrade their chips for a $2,000 (plus tax) fee.

MCU (Media Control Unit) is the computer controlling Teslas touchscreen, processors, RAM (short term memory), non-volatile memory (long-term memory), the audio subsystem, 5 amplifiers, WiFi, Cellular, Bluetooth, GPS, the Ethernet bridge, multiple CAN bus communications, the LIN bus, USB ports and many more.

It handles every software operation, excluding Full Self-Driving/Autopilot, which are unaffected by which MCU version a Tesla is equipped with. All Teslas built after November 2016 are capable of Full Self-Driving.

MCU2 came out in the spring of 2018 (fall of 2017 for Model 3) as an upgrade to the NVIDIAs Tegra 3 processor found in MCU1. All cars delivered after that point benefited from the improved responsiveness and extra features that came with the Intels Atom E8000 Series CPU.

From a technical standpoint, the two chips possessed entirely different architectures. The release of software update V10 highlighted the differences, as MCU1 owners were excluded from both Tesla Theater and Tesla Arcade. Effectively, MCU1 doesnt support Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, or any other streaming services that may be added in the future. It also doesnt support any of the games Tesla added. Additionally, the web browser on MCU2 is much quicker and more capable as its built on Googles Chromium platform.

In summer of 2021 Tesla released the redesigned Model S with a more powerful infotainment processor MCU. At the time no one was sure whether this was Tesla's next generation MCU or whether it would trickle down to other models.

Then in late 2021 the first news of a new Tesla MCU chip generation started to flood the web, with reports coming from China of a new AMD Ryzen-based computer being present in newly delivered Model Ys.

The new MCU is faster and brings noticeable improvements in responsiveness in the web browser, as well as while using video streaming services, such as Netflix and YouTube.

By Gabe Rodriguez Morrison

It looks like the new Model 3 and Model Y may be getting a secondary display soon. In a recent tweet from @greentheonly, it was discovered that new Model 3 and Model Y models with AMD processors have the capacities for a second display.

Connectors on the circuit board of the AMD powered Model 3/Y show that it has a connector to power a "2nd display". It is possible that the second display will be in the back of the car like the new Model S and Model X.

New Model 3 and Model Y vehicles have a circuit board thats similar to the ones in the Model S and Model X, but theyre not the same, so this isnt just the case of Tesla sharing parts between the two cars and letting the 2nd display port go unused.

According to Green, a similar situation occurred before, where the Model Y PCB had unused USB3 ports which were then populated in later revisions.

Its possible that Tesla will add a rear display to the Model 3 and Model Y because it becomes a big selling point for Tesla.

The rear display gives you convenient features such as the ability to turn on rear seat heaters, and adjust the cabin temperature. It also allows you to manage music in the vehicle as well as some additional entertainment options such as play games and stream movies from Netflix, Disney+ and more.

And while games and movies on the vehicles main screen can only be used while parked, on the rear display your passengers are welcome to watch movies on the way to their destination.

This is a compelling feature and itd actually cost Tesla little to add since the 8 display is powered by the same hardware as the center display.

Alternatively, it is possible, but unlikely that the second connector will be used for an instrument cluster display including speedometer, temperature, GPS, and battery information behind the steering wheel.

By Jorge Aguirre

Tesla has reportedly started testing a new feature for its fleet: the ability to connect to ISP provided Wi-Fi networks.

Connectivity is an integral part of the Tesla experience, enabling vehicles to receive software and navigation updates periodically, access entertainment options, as well as allowing the company to receive valuable data collection from the fleet, used to improve features such as Autopilot.

Although Tesla initially provided a free internet connection, as the fleet developed, the company began to require a new paid Premium Connectivity package for a monthly subscription in order to access some of the most data-intensive services, such as streaming music and video. Tesla owners have had to pick whether they want to pay $10 per month for premium connectivity since then.

Regardless of whether you pay for Premium Connectivity, almost all features are available for free on Wi-Fi.

The automaker has also continued to look for alternative solutions for their customers, including a recent software update that allows owners to use their phones' as hotspots while driving as a substitute to the connectivity package.

Now Tesla is reportedly working on a new option that involves utilizing internet providers' Wi-Fi networks. Analytic_ETH, a Twitter user, successfully enabled the new option in their vehicle:

New Upcoming #Tesla feature: Free access to public hotspots from, AT&T, Comcast, Orange, and more! Since late last year, there have been hints in the firmware that @Tesla was looking to support "Public Hotspots". I've been able to enable this feature, and confirm it works!

He continued to provide more information regarding the feature in subsequent tweets: First off - for this to work, Tesla needs to enable the feature on your car. Once enabled, your car generates a TPM-based private key for use on these Wi-Fi networks.

After that, you can just select the relevant network and the car will negotiate a connection! On the backend, the firmware refers to Tesla's Product Partners Issuing CA for authentication purposes, indicating that this feature stems from an upcoming partnership

According to Analytic, the current list of supported hotspot names includes XFINITY, xfinitywifi, CableWiFi, attwifi, att-wifi, AT&T Passpoint, ChinaUnicom, CMCC, ChinaNet, KPN, KPN Fon, Ziggo, Telekom, Telekom_FON, UPC Wi-Free, Upc, UPC WifiSpots, Orange, Orange_FunSpot, SFR, SFR WiFi, SFR WiFi FON, SFR WiFi Mobile and Telia wifi1x - all several popular providers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Although these networks are often open to the public, connecting to them usually requires the customer to be a subscribe to the particular ISP.

Tesla is partnering with the internet providers directly giving you the ability to seamlessly connect to these networks without having to provide credentials.

These networks can sometimes be fickle, but Tesla will have the ability to white-list or black-list individual networks based on the location of your car and whether the vehicle was able to sucessfully connect.

For owners without Premium Connectivity, this will them more locations to stream music and video while potentially waiting, while charging or waiting for someone near shopping areas.

Even more owners who subscribe to Premium Connectivity, this will give everyone more locations to download software updates, which are usually limited to Wi-Fi.

According to Elon, Superchargers will also receive Wi-Fi connectivity in the future, giving owners even more access.

The ability to connect to ISP provided Wi-Fi access points will be a very well received addition to the Tesla vehicles, as they receive even more internet-based entertainment features.

Read this article:
Tesla's MCU 2 will likely not be upgradeable to MCU 3 - Not a Tesla App

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

By The Associated Press undefined

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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Unexplained hepatitis cases not caused by COVID-19 vaccines

CLAIM: A recent outbreak of unexplained hepatitis cases among children is being caused by the adenovirus vector used in some COVID-19 vaccines, including the Johnson & Johnson shot.

THE FACTS: Medical experts say this isn't the case, mainly because the dead adenovirus used in the J&J vaccine is a different strain than the one linked to the recent hepatitis cases. British health authorities this month have documented more than 100 cases of unexplained hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, among young children, and some social media users are suggesting the cases could be linked to J&J's vaccine. While it isn't clear what's causing the illnesses, which have also been identified in the U.S., a leading suspect is adenovirus, a common group of viruses that can cause cold-like symptoms, fevers, sore throats and intestinal issues. Adenovirus was detected in 75% of the recent juvenile hepatitis cases tested, U.K. health officials have said. Viral vector vaccines, like the J&J vaccine, use dead, nonreplicable adenovirus to help trigger an immune response, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The AstraZeneca and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines also use viral vectors. Social media users are highlighting this connection to push the baseless claim that the adenovirus vector is causing the mysterious cases. But experts say that's not possible. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told The Associated Press that current evidence indicates these hepatitis cases could be caused by adenovirus type 41, which is associated with intestinal infections. The adenovirus used as a vector in the J&J vaccine is type 26. Offit added that the adenovirus used as a vector in the vaccine cannot reproduce itself in the body and spread. "The combination of the fact that it's not the type of adenovirus that's expected to cause hepatitis, nor is it a virus that reproduces itself, makes the claim ludicrous," Offit said. Dr. Mark Slifka, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Oregon Health & Science University, pointed to an April paper by researchers with Scotland's public health department describing their initial investigation into the first Scottish cases of the sudden liver disease. The investigation noted that none of the children had been vaccinated against COVID-19, nor were the other patients in the U.K. "What appears to be happening on social media, is that people are jumping to conclusions that are not based on current evidence," Slifka wrote in an email. A spokesperson for Public Health Scotland also told the AP that "there is no evidence to support the claims" linking the juvenile hepatitis cases to COVID-19 vaccines. Further, no increased risk of hepatitis was identified in clinical trials of the vaccines, or after emergency use authorization allowed many people to be vaccinated, Slifka noted. Adenovirus is currently circulating in children at higher than average levels after dropping during the pandemic. One theory being explored is that children who weren't exposed to adenovirus over the last two years as COVID-19 restrictions were in place may now be getting hit harder upon exposure.

Associated Press writer Sophia Tulp in Atlanta contributed this report.

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Denmark still offering COVID-19 vaccinations

CLAIM: Denmark has become the first country to suspend COVID-19 vaccinations.

THE FACTS: Denmark is ending broad vaccination efforts, meaning it will no longer send out vaccination invitations or reminders, but people can still get vaccinated against COVID-19 as needed. Social media users shared posts that misinterpreted a statement from the Danish Health Authority about the country's mass vaccination program that began in December 2020, falsely suggesting Denmark would no longer be vaccinating citizens. "Denmark becomes first country to suspend COVID vaccinations," an Instagram user wrote. Similar claims were also shared on Facebook and Twitter. Denmark's health authority states on its website that starting May 15, electronic vaccine invitations will no longer be issued, but people can still receive their vaccine. Vaccine invitations notify people when they are eligible to receive a shot and provide information on the vaccine and time slots to book an appointment. Vaccines will still be recommended, especially among groups who are at risk of developing severe disease and people who have started the vaccine course but haven't completed it. The second booster shot is currently offered to people with weakened immune systems or other types of diseases. "Denmark has not suspended covid vaccinations," Signe Breitenstein, spokesperson for the Danish Health Authority, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "The vaccine coverage is high in the Danish population and the epidemic situation is favorable. We can therefore close the broad vaccination programme for the time being, which for instance means that electronic invitations to be vaccinated no longer are sent." Around 81% of Denmark's population of 5.8 million has received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while nearly 62% have received a booster. Bolette Sborg, Denmark's chief physician, also noted Tuesday in an update about the vaccine program that Denmark is "in a good place" with COVID-19. "Spring has arrived, vaccine coverage in the Danish population is high, and the epidemic has reversed. Therefore, the National Board of Health is now ending the broad vaccination efforts against covid-19 for this season," the update stated. Denmark's vaccine program is set to resume in the fall in anticipation of potential new variants or an increase in cases heading into winter. "Prior to this, a thorough professional assessment must be made of who and when to be vaccinated and with which vaccines," Sborg said. We expect to present a plan for the overall framework for the 2022/23 season before the summer holidays."

Associated Press writer Arijeta Lajka in New York contributed this report.

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Officials: Ukraine didn't send text warnings in Transnistria

CLAIM: Ukrainian authorities warned the people of Transnistria in a text message that Ukraine was planning an attack on the region.

THE FACTS: Two Ukrainian government sources said in public statements on Tuesday that the country is not responsible for the message, which did not display any evidence it came from a verified source. Recent explosions in Transnistria, a small strip of land under the control of separatists near Moldova's border with Ukraine, have raised concerns that the war between Russia and Ukraine could extend there. Following reports of another round of explosions on Tuesday morning, social media users posted that some residents in the breakaway region had received text message warnings claiming to be on behalf of Ukrainian agencies stating that the country's military was planning an attack. Some social media users shared a photo of a screen displaying the purported text message, which stated in Russian, "The Security Service of Ukraine strongly recommends that the civilian population be evacuated to safer regions. We assure you that the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not wish harm to civilians, however, the people remaining in the cities will be perceived as sabotage groups and will be liquidated without warning." The message urged residents to evacuate before 7 p.m., at which time the text said Ukrainian forces were set to launch an attack on military facilities. The photo of the message was shared widely on Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear on what day or at what time it was sent. Still, no such strike was reported in Transnistria around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and two Ukrainian government sources said in statements that the text messages were not sent by Ukrainian authorities. "The state of Ukraine has nothing to do with this and similar provocations," the military's main intelligence directorate wrote in a statement in Ukrainian. Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun tweeted an image of the text on a screen, with a statement saying, "Ukraine hasn't sent such text messages and has no plans to attack Transnistria." The photo of the purported text message did not include a phone number, signature or any identifying details and showed no indication it came from a verified source or official agency. The Security Council of Transnistria has said explosions believed to have been caused by rocket-propelled grenades hit the Ministry of State Security in the capital of Tiraspol on Monday, and explosions at a radio facility in Maiac as well as damage to a military unit in the village of Parcani, were reported on Tuesday morning. No injuries have been reported and no one has claimed responsibility for the blasts. Transnistria has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. Russia bases about 1,500 troops in the breakaway region, nominally as peacekeepers, The Associated Press has reported. Ukrainian officials have expressed concern about Moscow using those forces to invade Ukraine.

Sophia Tulp

___

Elon Musk didn't get Bill Gates suspended from Twitter

CLAIM: Shortly after Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter on Monday, Bill Gates was suspended from the platform.

THE FACTS: A screenshot purporting to show a suspension notice on Bill Gates' Twitter account on Monday is fake. In the hours after the Tesla CEO reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion, the screenshot emerged on the platform with claims it showed Musk had already influenced the social media company to suspend billionaire philanthropist Gates, who he has publicly criticized in recent days. "Elon moves quick," said one Twitter user who posted the manipulated screenshot on Monday afternoon. "First thing," commented another user. The screenshot appeared to show Gates' Twitter profile, including his picture, follower count, bio, location and website, above a notice saying, "Account suspended." However, Gates' account has remained active throughout the week, and an archive of the web page documented on Monday at about 1:15 p.m. around the time news first broke that Twitter was poised to accept Musk's offer shows his account had not been taken down and no such notice had been posted. Gates also tweeted at 4:36 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. on Monday. There is other evidence that the image is fake. Twitter profiles that are suspended appear to users without profile pictures or bio sections. They no longer list details such as follower counts, locations or website links, either unlike what was shown in the altered screenshot. Those who visit a suspended profile only see the user's handle, and a gray background where the profile picture and header photo are usually displayed, along with an "account suspended" message. On Sunday, Musk called out Gates in a tweet, saying that he turned down a request from the Microsoft co-founder to discuss climate change philanthropy because he believed Gates was short-selling shares of Tesla stock. "I heard from multiple people at TED that Gates still had half billion short against Tesla," Musk also wrote in a Twitter reply to a user who had posted screenshots of an alleged text message conversation between the two business magnates. Still, Musk has also said he wants his "worst critics" to remain on Twitter because "that is what free speech means."

Sophia Tulp

___

Clip shows French TV error, not election fraud

CLAIM: The number of votes for French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen decreased from 14.4 million during a live count to 13.3 million when her defeat was declared.

THE FACTS: The discrepancy was caused by a computing error during an election night live count run by TV channel France 2, causing inaccurate figures to be displayed at one point during the show, according to a statement from the broadcaster. There is no record of France's Interior Ministry officially reporting the inaccurate figures. After Emmanuel Macron won a second term as president on Sunday, some social media users suggested without evidence that election fraud may have played a role in his victory. Some Twitter users pointed to a clip from a France 2 broadcast that showed a graphic displaying more than 14.4 million votes for Le Pen, seemingly beating Macron at that time, who was shown on screen to have about 14.2 million votes. The result shown during that point in the broadcast for Le Pen was higher than the final count later announced by the Interior Ministry. Official results show Macron received nearly 18.8 million votes, while almost 13.3 million votes were cast for Le Pen. "How is it possible that the number of votes counted for Marine le Pen went down from 14.4m during the live count to 13.3m at the declaration?" one Twitter user wrote Monday, sharing the clip. "It stinks of election fraud," commented another in French. The channel, however, said in a statement Monday that Le Pen never actually received 14.4 million votes. Instead, France 2 attributed that figure, aired about 9:10 p.m., to a technical error that caused the graphic to show "erroneous figures." A software glitch counted the votes of certain municipalities twice for both Macron and Le Pen, inflating their respective vote counts at the time, France 2 said. "That error, immediately noticed, has been subsequently corrected," the broadcaster added. Several versions of the Interior Ministry's election results page archived throughout Sunday do not show Le Pen's total votes surpassing 13.3 million.

Sophia Tulp and Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report with additional reporting from Sylvie Corbet in Paris.

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Not real news: A look at what didn't happen this week - MPR News

A new billboard in East New York shows a pedestrian thrown into the air after bouncing off the front of a car, as his coffee splashes everywhere. Speeding ruins lives, it says. Slow down.

The goal of the campaign is to scare speeding drivers in this Brooklyn neighborhood, where 35 people have been killed in traffic crashes since 2017.

It is part of New York Citys latest effort to battle rampant speeding, which has turned neighborhood streets into raceways and propelled traffic deaths to the highest level in eight years.

Its getting out of control every day cars are speeding, said William Candelario, 64, whose auto repair shop in the neighborhood was slammed into by a van last year.

On Monday, the citys transportation commissioner, Ydanis Rodrguez, will unveil a new safety campaign in three dozen neighborhoods like East New York, where traffic fatalities and injuries are among the highest in the city.

Targeted areas include Bushwick and Canarsie in Brooklyn, Jamaica in Queens, Harlem and Washington Heights in Manhattan and Hunts Point in the South Bronx. City officials said these neighborhoods were selected based on elevated crash data.

We have seen just too many people dying on our streets, with crashes disproportionately concentrated in certain New York City communities, Mr. Rodrguez said.

The campaign will feature 18 high-profile billboards along high-crash roads and highways, as well as posters on the back end of public buses and at gas station pumps. City workers will be dispatched to hand out postcards, brochures and fliers.

In New York City, traffic deaths have risen to 64 this year through April 26, from 61 for the same period last year largely because of a spike in deaths among drivers and passengers, which nearly doubled to 23 this year from 13 last year.

Pedestrian deaths though still the largest share of traffic deaths fell to 30 this year from 39 last year.

Two cyclists were also killed, the same as last year, as well as four riders of motorized devices, which was two more than the year before, amid a pandemic boom in cycling and electric bikes, scooters and skateboards.

Just over one-quarter of the 64 deaths this year were on highways including three deaths each on Henry Hudson Parkway and Grand Central Parkway while the rest were on local streets throughout the city.

The traffic deaths have reversed some of the hard-won gains of the citys eight-year-old transportation policy, called Vision Zero, which once aimed to eliminate all traffic deaths and had become a national model. Under the policy, the city won state approval to lower the speed limit to 25 m.p.h. from 30 m.p.h. on most streets, built a sprawling network of nearly 2,000 automated speed cameras, and redesigned many streets to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Mayor Eric Adams, who took office in January, has promised to expand on Vision Zero efforts. He recently pledged $904 million to the citys streets plan over the next five years, which will include redesigning dangerous intersections and adding more protected bike lanes and pedestrian areas. He has said police officials will also increase enforcement of traffic laws.

In addition, city officials are lobbying state lawmakers for local control of city streets, which would give them authority to set speed limits, expand red light cameras, and extend hours for speed cameras in school zones to nights and weekends when the cameras are off and speeding has soared. The city needs to be able to control its own destiny, so that we can quickly make changes that meet the current crisis, Mr. Rodrguez said.

The new billboard and media campaign, which will cost $4 million, aims to reinforce those other traffic safety efforts by trying to change driver behavior.

This is a crisis and we need to use every tool possible to make our streets safer, said Danny Harris, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group, which has pushed the city to address the traffic violence.

There has been an epidemic of speeding and reckless driving around the country during the pandemic in part as some drivers have become emboldened by emptier roads and lax police enforcement, according to transportation experts. New York City has also seen a rise in car ownership as many people have avoided public transit.

Even before the pandemic, a growing number of cities sought to lower speed limits and design safer roads over concerns that higher speeds and larger vehicles like S.U.V.s led to more severe injuries and fatalities.

The risk of death exponentially increases as speed increases, said Alex Engel, a spokesman for the National Association of City Transportation Officials. This is especially important as the vehicles on the streets have gotten larger.

The eight-week, citywide campaign will also include television ads showing a pedestrian or cyclist being thrown backward in slow motion. And it will target drivers on social media, based on their online searches, and run in certain print publications.

Erick Guerra, an associate professor of city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania, said that while media campaigns are important, they do not have the same immediate effect on slowing down drivers as, say, expanding the use of automated speed cameras. I think it takes a long time to change a culture of driving in the same way it took a long way to change a culture of smoking, he said.

Some transportation advocates have called on cities to focus more on redesigning dangerous streets, saying that it is not enough to come into a neighborhood and tell drivers not to speed when its streets were essentially built to move traffic as fast as possible.

Its a vicious cycle, said Leah Shahum, the executive director of the Vision Zero Network, a non-profit campaign. Why is there speeding here? Its because of the environment we built.

In East New York, the billboard there will be seen by drivers going through a particularly dangerous intersection at Atlantic and Pennsylvania Avenues, where 167 people including 154 motor vehicle occupants were injured in crashes from 2015 to 2019, according to the latest data available.

Laura Remigio, 35, a makeup artist and stylist who said she was almost hit by a car while visiting a client in East New York, said that drivers go too fast and have cut her off in the crosswalk. Its supposed to be people first and the cars wait and they dont wait, she said. Im running because the cars dont stop.

But Ian Johnson, 67, a driver from New Jersey, said that some pedestrians also need to pay more attention. He said he often has to honk at people who dont look as they cross or are on their phones when they almost walk into my vehicle.

Mr. Candelario, whose auto repair shop is steps away from the billboard, said he hoped the billboard would finally get the attention of drivers.

Its an eye opener and it makes you think, he said. Youve got to be hard. Youve got to put a little fear in it.

The rest is here:
How to Stop Speeding Drivers in N.Y.C.? Scare Them - The New York Times

27 April 2022, 12:0013:00 Central European Summer Time (virtual event)

Cancer is a major health, social and public policy challenge and successfully tackling it requires an understanding of all its determinants. Although commercial determinants are a relatively new field of study, there are emerging themes which are very important for cancer policy along the cancer control continuum.

Commercial determinants are those private-sector activities that affect the health of populations. They can have a negative impact, as commercial interests can trump nobler health goals.

So, how do commercial determinants affect cancer control policies in Europe? What are the challenges and opportunities for governing them along the cancer control continuum? Join our webinar to learn more.

Cancer is responsible for a high burden of disease within the WHO European Region. In 2020 alone, 4.8 million people in the Region were diagnosed with cancer, of whom a staggering 2.2 million people lost their lives.

By 2030, these numbers are estimated to reach 5.4 million new diagnoses annually and 2.5 million deaths each year. Additionally, these numbers will most likely be an under estimate given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delayed diagnosis and treatments. If efficient prevention and early detection strategies are in place, 3040% of cancers are preventable. This is not being achieved due to cancer policy-making remaining quite far from what evidence and costeffectiveness recommends, with treatment often being prioritized over prevention and early detection strategies, for example.

Cancer policy-making also differs significantly across the European Region, contributing to the widening of health inequalities within and between countries. Action on cancer prevention and control is a key priority to curb the burden of disease within the population of the European Region and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target to reduce by one third premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by 2030.

This event is intended for policy-makers, advisors, national experts, medical and health-care professionals, members of professional societies, researchers, advocates and representatives of nongovernmental organizations.

The rest is here:
What are the commercial determinants of cancer control policy? Launch of Eurohealth special edition and webinar discussion - WHO/Europe