Noise pollution doesn’t just rattle your body – it makes people unkind to each other

I heard something yesterday that I have NEVER heard before: backup "beep beep beeps" coming from a private vehicle -- a gianormous Escalade SUV in the Trader Joe's parking lot. Ugh!

Julie, That is one of the reasons that we should not give category of exemption to anyone on acoustics until they can prove that they are not going to abuse people or invade the environment with excessive noise. I have been whispering to Congress to Fix these ethical mistakes on the Local and National Levels for while now but looks like they won't respond if we do not open a formal litigation process to catch their attention. You know, I always give people the benefit of doubt first but if they do not comply, the next escalation action step is to be civil enforced. Please, I am calling Lawyers and Attorneys to the table for an acoustic environment litigation action process. Thanks!

Wow Julie, I feel like you are talking about the Trader Joe's I shop at!
I have noticed alot of noise in our world and at times we tune it out but when it is silent we question it.
We have to start to enjoy the silence (a take off of a Depeche Mode song!)
Take your Ipods and cell phones out of your ears and really listen to the world around us! Then again, some of us might want to put them back in!

Chris, I also love that Depeche Mode Song- Enjoy The Silence. Sure He spoke that more towards a figurative form that can somehow be applied to reality. However in our earthly environment "silence" does not exit. What is there is quietness that translates by very low frequencies that are (not) perceptible to humans to the point of causing distress and stress, using the common word referred as annoyance.

It is true that silence does not really exist~~can you imagine what some animals think??
Anyway it still makes you think about all the noise we exposed to out in our world.

indeed Chris! They; (The Animals); are the first ones to be abused, we are next on line. The real fact is that the key to safety in traffic always going to be planning, "attention to detail" and personal responsibility. Using noise to direct and drive less than 1% of the population and in the process acoustically abuse 99.9% of the universe of this population it is a very selfish proposition in my views. Noise signals never been an ethical form to direct traffic from the beginning of this unethical story. That wrong psychopath idea came from a "dinosaur culture" mentality that somehow got taken by our City Transportation Agencies since or before 2001.

I am doing this pod project for kids where The San Francisco Electric Muni Bus is coming down the street shooting noise all over the road and its perimeter, invading everyone's habitat, as it does every single day since 2001. All of the sudden this kid put a special tech glass given by his Spiritual Friend and Angel. This special tech glass able him to see who is behind of the mechanical and electrical structure of the bus. For his surprise there it was, "Dilbo," the Dinosaur. Then this kid started to talk to "Dilbo" and... Ha! You [] gonna have to wait for the pod now to know the rest of the story. It is coming soon!

Sounds really good!
Let me know when it comes out!

This does sound interesting...I am with the medical profession and have seen the effects of noise pollution.So,I have dealt with it for a very long time and have seen the long term progression to hearing loss. It's all around us and steps to ensure in a reduction should be made!

Hi "Cibalin,"
Hearing loss are the advanced stages from being exposed to noise pollution but there are other factors as an example, annoyances and interruptions from the act of trespassing ones habitat. That by itself causes suffering, despair and frustration because the victim can not defend himself or herself from the abuse or the abuser. The person becomes hostage and captive of someone's acoustic abusive action. In addition to that comes the demoralization of one's habitat airspace. This is pure and simple "passive aggressive behavior." If you start to take this with an open, ethical mind and spirit you will realize that it is a crime done under everyones apathetic ears and eyes.

I fhtis is happening to your own enviroment and talking does no good...formal litigation is the only recourse. It can wear down the soul and cause a range of emotions, not toexclude depression and other psychoses.

Interesting, you just expressed my feelings in relation to it. I am an environmentalist by birth or better say, since I am aware of The Universe, My Life and The Life of others around me. I believe that nothing happens without a specific reason. The Spirit of G-O-D that also communicates with everyone on Earth has its own purpose and if we take a little time to listen and communicate with it, many solutions to common problems can be resolved from there. The first time I understood that noise it is in reality; (a weapon of abuse and distress); was when I was walking behind this couple with three children in a beautiful sunny afternoon and a harley davidson driver zipped by acoustically blasting our entire air space with that "cracky" noise. The children immediately and instinctively raised their little hands towards their ears covering it for protection. Well, I already had an aversion towards individuals that invade our environment with noise for long, long time. My aversion comes from the fact that I am Spiritually and Mentally Aware that these people are violating not only my rights but everyone's acoustic rights. When I saw that scene on the side walk in this beautiful sunny afternoon, I raised my eyes brows to this beautiful blue sky and I pray to GOD and made a personal wish to be an activist in the cause of noise pollution to save other people lives. That is one of my Mission purpose. To bring Salvation to those that are living in a Spiritual and Mental darkness. By seen the suffering of the children it gave such a straight in the Spirit to respond to these group of immature social distorted minds, running out there in the environment with their latest machines acoustically shooting everybody. I do not want to see that scene anymore!!! The fact is that time has ran out for these individuals and it is time for all of us to take our acoustic environmental power back. No spoofed compromising this time around folks!

***Any Lawyer, Attorney or member of the public that wish to start an educative litigation process to acoustically clean up our environment, just get in contact with me! Let us talk about it and move this process forward. I am from the enforcement division and I have no problem with any of these issues. It is a piece of cake ok!

wish i had some practical input here. i do agree that noise is a terrible problem in our world. the most peaceful and untwitchy i have ever felt was during a hike in the eastern sierras. at the time i was a smoker, and coffee drinker, constantly had the radio on, but while i was in the mountain air i had no desire for any of my noisy addictions.

today, i live next to the freeway. everyday bombarded with the sounds of cars and trucks speeding by. it makes me twitch.

i have thought of making a film about the noise and what it's like to live in this constant barrage; thought of going to neighbors' homes and asking them, on film, what it is like to live this way. we will be standing outside in our yards talking with the freeway in the background. then i would send it to our governor who wants to build more freeways. she has no idea. or maybe she has blocked out the sound. anyway, at the very least we should have sound walls.

i am also interested in ways that we can soundproof our own environments.

Me too! I had done an entire research on sound proof materials and the best one I found it is the same material used on interior of aircrafts to sound proof their walls. But now we are stepping on that side of social acoustics that deals with unethical issues. This is one of my Acoustic Thesis geared towards abate criminal intent by understanding that man created noise does; (unfair and mischievously); over accelerates the developing of Construction! This is a mentality of environmental wars. Pounding through the way and not respecting anyone along the perimeter. It is a type of Hitlerism manner of action.

But now we are stepping in that side of social acoustics that deals with unethical issues. This is one of my Acoustic Thesis geared towards abate criminal intent by understanding that man created noise; (unfair and mischievously); accelerates the developing of Construction! This is aggressive corruption from those that are imposing this noise on you without haven mitigated in the past the environmental impact; (EIR); around of the perimeter of your building "Ig." - Igfreeland, looks like you are also a victim of your City brutal planning development program. You have my peer to peer support if you would like to pursue a social environmental issue where you will build your own acoustic litigation process against your Planning Department at City Hall. We can talk about that if you have the drive for it!

Living in a city is tough enough without noise pollution making it more difficult. And in a small city such as Paris where I live, the compact organisation of urban spaces and rising prices of accommodation mean that there is a lot of promiscuity within residences. By that I mean that people who cannot afford larger apartments must live in smaller ones, with less privacy from their neighbours who live just the other side of the wall.

I myself have problems everyday from my neighours' selfish habits. Across the hall live the noisiest children I've ever known. Granted, children will be children, but the parents do nothing to even calm the children down or discipline them, meaning that twice a day I hear them stomp up and down the stairs, screaming and shouting. One one side of me I have a young couple who often have gatherings which last way into the night. It's not like I'm an old fuddy-duddy - I'm 21 - but a little respect would not go amiss.

And on the other side, don't even get me started. A mentally unstable man in his fifties whose incapacity does not allow him to work, so instead he sits at home all day, listening to the radio at almost 90db (he has a decibel meter to prove he is within his limits; I doubt 90db is within the limits). This guy lives the other side of a thin wall that separates my bedroom from his apartment.

It's very unfair and distressing to have to live like this, when you can't afford an unsurrounded apartment, and you can't afford double glazing, so ambulance sirens, raucous drunks and general city hubbub keep you awake or distract you from work.

Unnecessarily loud car or motorbike enginges should be BANNED, as they are not cool and they are totally ridiculous. Thugs who play music from their mobile phone loudspeaker should, frankly, just be shot; they are the ultimate example of noisy selfishness. If you can afford a fancy phone that does that, you can afford some freakin' earphones.

Noise pollution from necessary things like ambulances, roadworks, aeroplanes or motorways are obviously annoying and any measures we can take to reduce the pollution caused by these things would of course be welcomed. But I think these things have to be approached at grass roots level, with the smaller things. If people change their attitude and are less selfish, then perhaps city life would become less individualist, and people would actually smile in the street and help each other out rather than keeping to themselves and creating barriers by surrounding themselves with noise.