A Christmas Special. Thanks Greg & Donny!

I've left the Christmas preparations to the last minute, which is a grand old Paris and Pittsburgh tradition. So let me share a holiday special from Greg & Donny, who produce a web series based in Johnston, a stone's throw from Pittsburgh. The Special is a send-up of one of our favorite holiday movies, "It's a Wonderful Life." Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Don't Breathe!

Paris veiled in pollution this week

The air has been so polluted this past week in Paris—a 10-year high—that officials restricted car travel, an extreme measure to reduce the toll on human health. Doctors are seeing more children with asthma and bronchial infections. Citizens were warned against exercising outdoors. Worried Parisians donned surgical masks, which offer no real protection.

Meanwhile, one of my brothers emailed me this week about the new U.S. administration, which intends to name a chief in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency who is not really interested in protecting it. My brother worried that Pittsburgh will again merit the nickname the Smoky City. For photos of Pittsburgh when smoke turned day into night, see my post here.

But just how clean is Pittsburgh now, compared to Paris?

I was shocked to find out that Pittsburgh is still one of America’s most polluted—ranking in the top six. The American Lung Association graded Allegheny county with an F for its overall air quality. The reason? Car traffic and industry, especially along the rivers, exactly where Pittsburghers like to play outdoors.

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In Paris, people are blaming the French love of diesel fuel, which powers most cars and trucks as well. This love affair is due in part to the government’s lower taxes on diesel, a break meant for the trucking industry. But it’s also due to a weather inversion that has put a lid over the city.

This week, PM10 particulates exceeded 80 micrograms per cubic meter. The EU has set a maximum daily average of 50. PM10 are particulates with a diameter of less than 10 microns, which include the most dangerous ones of less than 2.5 microns, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and the blood system and can cause cancer, according to this report.

In Pittsburgh and Paris, what you can’t see can hurt you. What's a person to do? I just downloaded an app called Plume (developed by Frenchies) that lets me know when it's safe to bike or exercise outdoors, whether the 'Burg or Paris. And I have my eye on on a designer mask that really does work! Sincerely, I hope the way forward is a future of clean fuel that powers our cities and jobs, and allows us to breathe easily.

Rose MarieBurke, an editor and journalist, writes a blog about her personal insights into life in Paris. After 20 years in the City of Light, she still calls her native Pittsburgh "home." Want to follow this blog? Enter your email address into the “Follow me” box. Or find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google+.

Teaching Dad French

My Pittsburgh dad—like many—is passionate about the hometown football team, the Steelers. But I’m not crazy about sports unless I’m doing them. That makes for difficult conversations with my dad during my weekly phone home, especially if The Game is on. I can't get a word in edgewise.

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But there’s no excuse for a Pittsburgh native to be sports-illiterate. So yesterday I did something about it: No, I didn’t join Steeler Nation, the official fan club. Instead, I fished out my Terrible Towel, and boned up on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website.

The good news is that the Steelers are doing well. They’re 6-5 with the Ravens, and tied for first place in the northern division of the American Football Conference. As this blog post puts it: “By the end of the day, you might have a pretty good idea if you’ll need money for a playoff ticket deposit.”

That day being Sunday, the day I usually call mom and dad! Ah-oh. I’ll have no chance of talking to dad. The Steelers are scheduled to play at 4:45 p.m., and the Ravens at 1 p.m.

ET phoning home
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So I put into a call into dad on Saturday, and had a nice chat. After conversing about the Steelers, I taught him a little French. When he said he wasn’t feeling “too bad,” I said that in France that means you’re doing really well. I hope the Steelers don’t do too badly today, and that the Ravens do a lot worse. 

Sometimes when you want to speak French to native Pittsburgher, it pays to learn a little of their lingo.

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Rose Marie Burke, an editor and journalist, writes a blog about her personal insights into life in Paris. After 20 years in the City of Light, she still calls her native Pittsburgh "home." Want to follow this blog? Enter your email address into the “Follow me” box. Or find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google+.