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Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
‘Tourism was an affluent privilege — it's now becoming a working-class right'
Sasha D Pack Sasha D. Pack is Professor of History at the University of Buffalo . Speaking to Srijana Mitra Das at Times Evoke , he discusses how — and why — we travel: When did travel change from being largely pilgrimages to pleasure trips? Modern tourism has multiple origins — pilgrimage may be among the most important. But tourism as a phenomenon grew with the Industrial Revolution and the 18th-century culture of romanticism. A notion spread that the landscape was changing rapidly. Cities were expanding, and factories were beginning to dot the countryside. As industrialism grew, the word 'tourism' itself spread — there was a yearning to see what was authentic before it disappeared or contemplate the sublime infinity of mountains and seas. A good definition of 'modernity' is that this is a condition where people feel things are always changing — they're in a state of constant unsettlement. Tourism becomes one way to participate in that spectacle of unsettlement. Importantly, pilgrimage itself was, or is, about a transcendence, changing oneself through travel, that remains part of modern tourism. Of course, with the Industrial Revolution, cities also grew crowded — some, especially in the 19th century, saw cholera and tuberculosis outbreaks. So, there was an emphasis on hydrotherapy, sunlight and milder temperatures that drove people to travel. Ironically, some destinations they chose were earlier considered places of disease — the Mediterranean coast, for instance, was once thought to be somewhere you could get malaria. But those landscapes were transformed into places now considered healthy, therapeutic escapes from unpleasant modern industrial life. You've written of post-1945 tourism — what were some surprising research findings? The most surprising was how all the forms of tourism we know today, whether it's going to the beach, visiting museums or even ecotourism, have a very deep history — they all existed well before 1945. Post-WWII, tourism became organised like never before — it almost became a right rather than a privilege of the well-to-do. Affluent people always took holidays but after 1945, members of the working class also aspired to have this kind of escape from everyday life. That was organised to a great extent by governments and intergovernmental organisations like the European Union and the International Monetary Fund . An interesting example is how, in the late 1940s, Great Britain was facing a serious currency crisis with the pound sterling rapidly devaluing. One way the government convinced other countries to hold more pound sterling in their reserves and bolster its value, thus, was by restricting British tourist visits. They essentially offered, 'Well, we'll permit, say, 50,000 British tourists to visit France if France agrees to hold this much of our currency in reserve'. This was the first time tourism became an object of international negotiation — after WWII, it grew far more into an element of governmental attention. What have been some of tourism's ecological impacts? Like most modern economic endeavours, tourism has a major environmental impact — some studies put transportation alone as accounting for 13% of global carbon emissions. In developed economies, where more travel has occurred over the past, one-third of carbon emissions are estimated to come from transport, which includes tourism. There are other major impacts too — hotels entail constant lighting, huge water use, deploying new linens daily, discarding half-used products, wasting food and doing things we ordinarily don't do at home. Another extremely important impact is altered land use — when you make sprawling coastal resorts or mountain hotels, you are disrupting ecosystems in ways we can't even entirely comprehend. What links tourism and labour? Consider 'The Riviera, Exposed' by Stephen L. Harp, an excellent book about this cherished destination, visited since the 1800s by aristocrats and the well-to-do. After World War II, there was a desire to bring it to the masses, with a 'high volume-lower cost' model becoming profitable. To adapt, though, the Riviera needed more hotels, infrastructure, water systems, etc. Most of the labour recruited to build all this came from North Africa, particularly Algeria, while it was still a French territory. This was often presented as a reason why Algerians should stay in the French sphere, with all these labour opportunities for them. But Algeria gained independence in 1962, and many of these workers were then no longer considered French and given no rights. The very areas they had helped build became the birthplace of the National Front (now, the National Rally ) and French anti-immigrant parties. And there was a concerted effort to conceal these people, not let them establish any kind of permanent residence, herding them into camps while they were still beautifying this tourist destination. They were prevented from living in the cities where they worked, forced into shanties and when the work was finished, made to move on. This also happened in the United States, where so much infrastructure, particularly in the south that attracts a lot of tourism, was built by labour which came from Mexico, the Caribbean and South America . When you visit, you might imagine these things, being so gleaming and pristine, were always there, but we should recognise that the effort behind it was gruelling and often came from immigrant labour. As more people document their voyages on social media now, what does it mean to be a tourist today? Travel is a very important part of what makes us who we are — it is central to the human experience. People documenting their journeys on social media may look like a new occurrence but travel literature actually has a long pedigree. Earlier, people wrote about their pilgrimages or adventures in exotic countries in books that others read because this appealed to a desire. Such social media has a deep tradition. Obviously, it allows new bells and whistles but it retains the central point that it is deeply human to travel. Humans always journeyed — the agricultural revolution of the last 10,000 years makes us assume our natural state is sedentary and it is exceptional to travel. But we developed fire before agriculture — that allowed us to travel safely, keeping away predators and creating comfort. Neanderthals were as smart as us with similar tools and technologies — but they didn't travel. They are rarely found far from their ancestral homes while Homo sapiens had this uncanny ability to sustain the challenges of travel — those aren't just technical, related to safety and sustenance, but also the establishment of trust or durable emotional connections with people. This is how cultures developed their traditions of hospitality, deciding if they'd be welcoming or hostile to outsiders. If we stop travelling, we will lose an important part of who we have evolved to be, travel was a huge part of different civilisations from ancient Greece to China, many thinkers debating if it was alright to travel just to sightsee or if that was an extravagant impertinence. Many ancient travellers then decided curiosity was something that needed to be satisfied. Today, too, when we see places or meet people and other beings on our holidays, we are participating in something central to the human experience — and in this age of burgeoning artificial intelligence, it's increasingly important to remember what it is that sets us apart.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Inner Circle acknowledges, Vijay S. Iyer, MD, Ph.D, FACC as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member
EAST AMHERST, N.Y., June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Vijay S. Iyer, MD, Ph.D, FACC is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member for his contributions to Complex Cardiac and Structural Interventions. Dr. Vijay S. Iyer, MD, Ph.D., FACC, is a distinguished interventional cardiologist specializing in complex cardiac and structural heart interventions. With a commitment to patient-centered care, Dr. Iyer focuses on advanced procedures such as mitral valve replacement, transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR), and left atrial appendage occlusion. He is dedicated to educating his patients about their conditions and utilizing cutting-edge technology to enhance cardiac care in Western New York. Dr. Iyer earned his MBBS from Grant Medical College/University of Bombay, India, and pursued a Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology at Drexel University. His extensive training includes internal medicine residency at Lincoln Medical Center and the University of Buffalo, fellowships in molecular mechanisms of signaling and cardiovascular study at the University of Buffalo, and an interventional cardiology fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology, and interventional cardiology. Affiliated with the American College of Cardiology, the Society of Coronary Artery Angiography and Intervention, and the American Heart Association, Dr. Iyer is also actively involved in fundraising and community health efforts. He serves as the Director of the Complex Valve Clinic at Buffalo General Medical Center and Gates Vascular Institute, where he oversees structural heart interventions and contributes to groundbreaking research. Dr. Iyer's career is marked by significant accomplishments, including his recognition with the Joel Gernsheimer Award in 2001 and the Best Research Poster Award at the MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting in 1999. His published work includes white papers and training manuals/materials. Mentored by John Canty, MD, and Timothy Henry, MD, Dr. Iyer's future projections include advancing cardiology through research into new devices and therapies, as well as ongoing participation in multicenter clinical trials. His philosophy, "It's always a team effort," reflects his focus on patient education and collaborative decision-making. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, editorialteam@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Inner Circle Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Chicago Tribune
04-06-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
How to protect yourself from the bad air caused by Canada's wildfires
Plumes of smoke are blanketing large swaths of the U.S. and parts of Europe, which presents risks for those breathing it. The Midwest, Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. have 'very unhealthy' air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and experts say people should take precautions. The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as 'healthy.' Fifty to 100 is 'moderate' while 100-150 is unhealthy for 'sensitive groups,' and anything above 150 is bad for everyone. The Air Quality Index was around 160 in many parts of the Upper Midwest on Wednesday. Sensitive groups include people with asthma, lung disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Dr. Sanjay Sethi, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Buffalo's medical school. 'If you have heart or lung problems, then you've got to be definitely more careful,' Sethi said. 'I would either avoid going outside or wear an N95 (mask) or at least a dust mask.' Canadian wildfire smoke causes 'very unhealthy' conditions in American Midwest and reaches EuropeSometimes the air is bad enough to see or smell the smoke. Even if you don't see the pollution, it can be unhealthy to breathe. The EPA maintains a website with up-to-date, regional air quality information. PurpleAir, a company that sells air quality sensors and publishes real-time air quality data, has a citizen scientist, air quality monitoring network with a more granular map of street-by-street air quality readings. The best way to get indoor air quality readings is to buy a monitor, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings Program. 'You can find these low-cost, indoor air quality monitors just about everywhere online now. They don't cost all that much anymore,' he said. For most people, going outside for just a short time won't have a negative long-term impact, said Sethi. Wearing an N95 mask, which became common during the coronavirus pandemic, will help filter out the pollution. 'N95 is going to get rid of 90-95% of the particles,' said Jennifer Stowell, a research scientist at Boston University's Center for Climate and Health. 'If you have access to a mask that has a respirator-type attachment to it, then that's the very best.' If you must be outside and you experience symptoms, experts say you should head indoors or somewhere else with better air quality. Even if you are healthy, it's good to take precautions. 'If you start wheezing, which is like this whistling sound of the chest, or if you're feeling short of breath, that's definitely more concerning,' Sethi said. Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, if you have one, setting it to circulate the indoor air. Use blankets to cover cracks that allow outside air into your home, such as under doors. Finally, swapping the air conditioner's filter for a MERV 13 filter can help, though you should make sure it's installed correctly. 'If you happen to have access to an air purifier, even if it's just a room air purifier, try to keep it running and in the room that you're doing most of your activities in,' said Stowell.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How to protect yourself from the bad air caused by Canada's wildfires
Plumes of smoke are blanketing large swaths of the U.S. and parts of Europe, which presents risks for those breathing it. The Midwest, Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. have 'very unhealthy' air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and experts say people should take precautions. What counts as bad air? The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as 'healthy.' Fifty to 100 is 'moderate" while 100-150 is unhealthy for 'sensitive groups,' and anything above 150 is bad for everyone. The Air Quality Index was around 160 in many parts of the Upper Midwest on Wednesday. Sensitive groups include people with asthma, lung disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Dr. Sanjay Sethi, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Buffalo's medical school. 'If you have heart or lung problems, then you've got to be definitely more careful," Sethi said. "I would either avoid going outside or wear an N95 (mask) or at least a dust mask.' Is my air unhealthy? Sometimes the air is bad enough to see or smell the smoke. Even if you don't see the pollution, it can be unhealthy to breathe. The EPA maintains a website with up-to-date, regional air quality information. PurpleAir, a company that sells air quality sensors and publishes real-time air quality data, has a citizen scientist, air quality monitoring network with a more granular map of street-by-street air quality readings. The best way to get indoor air quality readings is to buy a monitor, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings Program. 'You can find these low-cost, indoor air quality monitors just about everywhere online now. They don't cost all that much anymore,' he said. What if I have to go outside? For most people, going outside for just a short time won't have a negative long-term impact, said Sethi. Wearing an N95 mask, which became common during the coronavirus pandemic, will help filter out the pollution. 'N95 is going to get rid of 90-95% of the particles,' said Jennifer Stowell, a research scientist at Boston University's Center for Climate and Health. 'If you have access to a mask that has a respirator-type attachment to it, then that's the very best.' If you must be outside and you experience symptoms, experts say you should head indoors or somewhere else with better air quality. Even if you are healthy, it's good to take precautions. "If you start wheezing, which is like this whistling sound of the chest, or if you're feeling short of breath, that's definitely more concerning,' Sethi said. How do I make my air cleaner? Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, if you have one, setting it to circulate the indoor air. Use blankets to cover cracks that allow outside air into your home, such as under doors. Finally, swapping the air conditioner's filter for a MERV 13 filter can help, though you should make sure it's installed correctly. 'If you happen to have access to an air purifier, even if it's just a room air purifier, try to keep it running and in the room that you're doing most of your activities in,' said Stowell. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Winnipeg Free Press
04-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
How to protect yourself from the bad air caused by Canada's wildfires
Plumes of smoke are blanketing large swaths of the U.S. and parts of Europe, which presents risks for those breathing it. The Midwest, Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. have 'very unhealthy' air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and experts say people should take precautions. What counts as bad air? The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as 'healthy.' Fifty to 100 is 'moderate' while 100-150 is unhealthy for 'sensitive groups,' and anything above 150 is bad for everyone. The Air Quality Index was around 160 in many parts of the Upper Midwest on Wednesday. Sensitive groups include people with asthma, lung disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Dr. Sanjay Sethi, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Buffalo's medical school. 'If you have heart or lung problems, then you've got to be definitely more careful,' Sethi said. 'I would either avoid going outside or wear an N95 (mask) or at least a dust mask.' Is my air unhealthy? Sometimes the air is bad enough to see or smell the smoke. Even if you don't see the pollution, it can be unhealthy to breathe. The EPA maintains a website with up-to-date, regional air quality information. PurpleAir, a company that sells air quality sensors and publishes real-time air quality data, has a citizen scientist, air quality monitoring network with a more granular map of street-by-street air quality readings. The best way to get indoor air quality readings is to buy a monitor, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings Program. 'You can find these low-cost, indoor air quality monitors just about everywhere online now. They don't cost all that much anymore,' he said. What if I have to go outside? For most people, going outside for just a short time won't have a negative long-term impact, said Sethi. Wearing an N95 mask, which became common during the coronavirus pandemic, will help filter out the pollution. 'N95 is going to get rid of 90-95% of the particles,' said Jennifer Stowell, a research scientist at Boston University's Center for Climate and Health. 'If you have access to a mask that has a respirator-type attachment to it, then that's the very best.' If you must be outside and you experience symptoms, experts say you should head indoors or somewhere else with better air quality. Even if you are healthy, it's good to take precautions. 'If you start wheezing, which is like this whistling sound of the chest, or if you're feeling short of breath, that's definitely more concerning,' Sethi said. How do I make my air cleaner? Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, if you have one, setting it to circulate the indoor air. Use blankets to cover cracks that allow outside air into your home, such as under doors. Finally, swapping the air conditioner's filter for a MERV 13 filter can help, though you should make sure it's installed correctly. 'If you happen to have access to an air purifier, even if it's just a room air purifier, try to keep it running and in the room that you're doing most of your activities in,' said Stowell. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
