It's no wonder that 80% of the Dallas households don't participate in household recycling. The program here has been described as "feel good recycling" and is a far cry from what could be done. Last night (in the middle of the thunderstorm) I attended a meeting about the recycling program in Dallas. The more I know, the more I just have to shake my head in disgust.
When the contract with Community Waste Disposal, Inc. [CWD] was signed years ago, it covered types 1 and 2 plastic (PETE and HDPE) but only if they were plastic bottles. Later, they added type 3 (PVC), and they still must be placed inside a translucent blue bag (any other color will be rejected). It's a good thing that I didn't read the fine print, since I've been merrily tossing any type 1,2 or 3 plastic into my blue bag .. not caring if it was a bottle (with a neck) or not. Apparently, CWD can also recycle plastic types 4,5 and 7 but that's not publicized.
Also, the blue bags are hard to find; most stores don't carry them because so few people buy them. And when you do find them, they're more expensive than clear bags.
CWD also accepts newspaper and glass, but rejects the whole bag (with a bright red sticker) if you include other items that could be recycled, including cardboard. I suspect part of the problem is a poorly educated consumer, and other is due to stupidity. Perhaps there's also a degree of stubbornness from Texas Good-Ole-Boys who'd rather just toss their beer can in my front yard.
The US average for waste generated is 4 pounds per person per day.
Some new things are being tested, including single stream recycling (where your trash is sorted into recyclables and non-recyclable). The city will begin a 12-month pilot program in September 2004, for four homeowners associations: Bryan Place Neighborhood Association; Claremont Addition Neighborhood Association; Lake Cliff Homeowners Association; and the Preston Citadel Club.
One option (instead of blue bags) is the use of 64 gallon rollcarts for recyclables only) versus the 95 gallon rollcarts (for all other trash) they're using now. This solution would replace the twice weekly collection (from the 95 gallon rollcarts) that is in effect now.
Thursday, July 29
Wednesday, July 28
come into my parlor ...
... said the spider to the fly.
It only a matter of time before someone (probably one of my easily-duped relatives from one of the red states) forwards one of the emails making the rounds, purporting to show John Kerry or John Edwards as someone who dines on small children during the new moon (or something equally awful). I plan to gleefully Reply-All showing that the information was a hoax.
I have yet to see one of these in my inbox, but since I subscribe to the RSS feed on Snopes' Urban Legends Reference Pages (Politics), I did get an advance warning of them.
I suppose the thing that bothers me more than anything else .. more than someone having been duped .. more than them forwarding blatant lies without ever bothering to check the facts .. is that they won't take responsibility once they've been shown to be wrong. I have yet to see anyone send a message to the original distribution which said "I was wrong, I was duped .. here's the truth ..."
It only a matter of time before someone (probably one of my easily-duped relatives from one of the red states) forwards one of the emails making the rounds, purporting to show John Kerry or John Edwards as someone who dines on small children during the new moon (or something equally awful). I plan to gleefully Reply-All showing that the information was a hoax.
I have yet to see one of these in my inbox, but since I subscribe to the RSS feed on Snopes' Urban Legends Reference Pages (Politics), I did get an advance warning of them.
I suppose the thing that bothers me more than anything else .. more than someone having been duped .. more than them forwarding blatant lies without ever bothering to check the facts .. is that they won't take responsibility once they've been shown to be wrong. I have yet to see anyone send a message to the original distribution which said "I was wrong, I was duped .. here's the truth ..."
Sunday, July 25
social experiment at 4am
A few weeks ago (during one of my extended bouts with insomnia) I visited the local Denny's at 4am, to determine if the crowd at that hour was coming or going (waking up, or still awake from the night before). I'd guess about 10 tables were full at that hour: one was full of Farmers Branch patrolmen (the 4 police cars outside were a clue); another had one of those awkward couples seated on the same side of the booth (he appeared 70, she appeared 20); then there were the two guys who rushed in, ate their breakfast and left before passing out in their eggs.
The loudest table were a group of Hispanics, one apparently a bit drunk as he was loud (not to mention calling most everyone in his cellphone's address book to ask how they're doing at 4am). He was hitting on one of the waitresses, who unwisely chose to be nice to them (he kept calling for her: Haaay Watamalllllan [Guatamalan]). My next adventure will be to see if the 4am crowd at IHOP is similar.
I forgot to mention last week's Culinary Delight of the Week: the (recently moved) Bagelstein's is now at Coit & Arapaho (NW corner) after a move from the increasingly Hispanic-only area where they'd been for many years. I guess it's hard to pitch a kosher deli when you're surrounded by taco stands.
While there for a breakfast meeting, I opted for the veggie omelet and then had to decide which Cheese To Choose (I opted for Swiss, dunno why). It was fresh and Yummy, and I'm happy to report the hash browns were prepared the way they're supposed to be: on the side (and not inside a burrito, as some places near Boyd, Texas seem to think is natural).
The loudest table were a group of Hispanics, one apparently a bit drunk as he was loud (not to mention calling most everyone in his cellphone's address book to ask how they're doing at 4am). He was hitting on one of the waitresses, who unwisely chose to be nice to them (he kept calling for her: Haaay Watamalllllan [Guatamalan]). My next adventure will be to see if the 4am crowd at IHOP is similar.
I forgot to mention last week's Culinary Delight of the Week: the (recently moved) Bagelstein's is now at Coit & Arapaho (NW corner) after a move from the increasingly Hispanic-only area where they'd been for many years. I guess it's hard to pitch a kosher deli when you're surrounded by taco stands.
While there for a breakfast meeting, I opted for the veggie omelet and then had to decide which Cheese To Choose (I opted for Swiss, dunno why). It was fresh and Yummy, and I'm happy to report the hash browns were prepared the way they're supposed to be: on the side (and not inside a burrito, as some places near Boyd, Texas seem to think is natural).
Saturday, July 24
discovered: large buildings full of books!
I didn't know that places like this still existed, but I found several large buildings in and around the Metroplex which contain - apparently - hundreds of thousands of books! And it appears that other people already knew about these places, since the parking lots were full.
I had assumed that all the world's knowledge (all those old books made of paper and bound with leather) was now online (including OCR scans where possible, and transcriptions where not). But nooo ...
I made this discovery quite by accident. I had Google'd for the history of a nearby undeveloped park, and wasn't finding the information I wanted. So (in desperation) I completed a web form (at 0'dark:30) which magically sent an email to the Dallas Parks & Recreation Department. Imagine my shock when, a few hours later, I received a reply with the answer! Wow .. this was very cool. In composing my Thank You Note (via email, natch) I asked about another park (overextending my welcome, pressing my luck - you name it).
I nearly fell off my chair when (just a few minutes later - mind you, this was between 9 and 5 on a weekday) I received a reply, including the citation of a probable best-seller entitled Centennial History of the Dallas, Texas Park System, 1876-1976 which is out of print and - dig this - Not On amazon.com. How is this possible??!
I decided to throw caution to wind, and Do The Unthinkable: get in my car and drive to a place called The Branch Library0, asking to see a copy. When I arrived, I noticed a lot of apparent theft taking place; people were leaving the building with books tucked under their arms. They all looked very suspicious to me.
Inside, the Nice Man™ at The Information Booth (a strange little place where a knowledgable person will answer your questions - in person) punched the title into his computer and informed me that while his branch didn't have the book, there were copies in the Central Library (12 miles and 22 minutes away) and at the Audelia Road (south of Royal) Branch, a mere 6 miles and 12 minutes away. Hmm. Trying to remember those Ancient Lessons of Arithmetic, I surmised that this Branch Library (the large building full of books) was closer (6<12 and 12<22) so I journeyed forthwith1.
Imagine my stunned shock and awe when this Branch Library had a similar (to my nearby branch) Information Booth with a similar (yet different) Nice Man™ who initially mused "this is surely downtown" but then wiggled with delight when he discovered that Yes! Indeed! They Had A Copy! but no one has asked to see it in probably 25 years! He wrote down some numbers (apparently a secret code called the Dewey Decimal Classification System) and moseyed to a nearby rack, fetching the 900-page book. At this stage, I was effervescing with delight, but still perplexed about it not being online.
There's always a catch. This book was something called a "Reference Book", meaning I couldn't take it home (as I noticed others were doing, when I walked in) but that I could take it to a nice, quiet table and read and make notes and even photocopy it, if that was my pleasure. The Nice Man™ confessed that the photocopier was a Smudger and only took 25c coins (of which I had none in my possession). Knowing that this tactic would produce a smudged piece of paper, which I would need to subsequently OCR, I decided to scribble the pertinent passages into my PDA and HotSync™ it when I returned home. Naturally, I took a digital photo of the exterior of This Book, to prove to others that I wasn't fibbing about these prehistoric artifacts.
So, the culled information is now available electronically, and The World Is A Happier Place. Tonight, there is Frabjous Joy here in Dallas.
0) I have no idea why it is called a Branch, since it was neither attached to a tree, nor made of wood. I didn't ask.
1) "journey forthwith" is an English phrase first used in Medieval Times (not the restaurant) meaning "go now". In the past, words were longer and had more syllables than are needed today. Got dat?
I had assumed that all the world's knowledge (all those old books made of paper and bound with leather) was now online (including OCR scans where possible, and transcriptions where not). But nooo ...
I made this discovery quite by accident. I had Google'd for the history of a nearby undeveloped park, and wasn't finding the information I wanted. So (in desperation) I completed a web form (at 0'dark:30) which magically sent an email to the Dallas Parks & Recreation Department. Imagine my shock when, a few hours later, I received a reply with the answer! Wow .. this was very cool. In composing my Thank You Note (via email, natch) I asked about another park (overextending my welcome, pressing my luck - you name it).
I nearly fell off my chair when (just a few minutes later - mind you, this was between 9 and 5 on a weekday) I received a reply, including the citation of a probable best-seller entitled Centennial History of the Dallas, Texas Park System, 1876-1976 which is out of print and - dig this - Not On amazon.com. How is this possible??!
I decided to throw caution to wind, and Do The Unthinkable: get in my car and drive to a place called The Branch Library0, asking to see a copy. When I arrived, I noticed a lot of apparent theft taking place; people were leaving the building with books tucked under their arms. They all looked very suspicious to me.
Inside, the Nice Man™ at The Information Booth (a strange little place where a knowledgable person will answer your questions - in person) punched the title into his computer and informed me that while his branch didn't have the book, there were copies in the Central Library (12 miles and 22 minutes away) and at the Audelia Road (south of Royal) Branch, a mere 6 miles and 12 minutes away. Hmm. Trying to remember those Ancient Lessons of Arithmetic, I surmised that this Branch Library (the large building full of books) was closer (6<12 and 12<22) so I journeyed forthwith1.
Imagine my stunned shock and awe when this Branch Library had a similar (to my nearby branch) Information Booth with a similar (yet different) Nice Man™ who initially mused "this is surely downtown" but then wiggled with delight when he discovered that Yes! Indeed! They Had A Copy! but no one has asked to see it in probably 25 years! He wrote down some numbers (apparently a secret code called the Dewey Decimal Classification System) and moseyed to a nearby rack, fetching the 900-page book. At this stage, I was effervescing with delight, but still perplexed about it not being online.
There's always a catch. This book was something called a "Reference Book", meaning I couldn't take it home (as I noticed others were doing, when I walked in) but that I could take it to a nice, quiet table and read and make notes and even photocopy it, if that was my pleasure. The Nice Man™ confessed that the photocopier was a Smudger and only took 25c coins (of which I had none in my possession). Knowing that this tactic would produce a smudged piece of paper, which I would need to subsequently OCR, I decided to scribble the pertinent passages into my PDA and HotSync™ it when I returned home. Naturally, I took a digital photo of the exterior of This Book, to prove to others that I wasn't fibbing about these prehistoric artifacts.
So, the culled information is now available electronically, and The World Is A Happier Place. Tonight, there is Frabjous Joy here in Dallas.
0) I have no idea why it is called a Branch, since it was neither attached to a tree, nor made of wood. I didn't ask.
1) "journey forthwith" is an English phrase first used in Medieval Times (not the restaurant) meaning "go now". In the past, words were longer and had more syllables than are needed today. Got dat?
Friday, July 23
perpetual motion machine
I knew I hadn't dreamed this. I first saw it 3 days ago on one of the international news channels that's on my DirecTV satellite feed. It seems that we are creating a self-perpetuating situation in Iraq, so that our soldiers can stay there indefinitely.
First: invade and destroy Iraq's weapons.
Next: sell Iraq replacement weapons (so they can kill the Coalition Forces who remain). Sound crazy? Then read this about the lifting of the arms embargo: Arms suppliers scramble into Iraq
This comes months after the US complained about handguns being sold to Iraq; mind you, it's only the fact that (December 2003) a non-US company was awarded the contract, so (presumably) our soldiers will be killed by Smith & Wesson instead of (Austrian) Glock. This is just too bizarre. What am I missing?
First: invade and destroy Iraq's weapons.
Next: sell Iraq replacement weapons (so they can kill the Coalition Forces who remain). Sound crazy? Then read this about the lifting of the arms embargo: Arms suppliers scramble into Iraq
This comes months after the US complained about handguns being sold to Iraq; mind you, it's only the fact that (December 2003) a non-US company was awarded the contract, so (presumably) our soldiers will be killed by Smith & Wesson instead of (Austrian) Glock. This is just too bizarre. What am I missing?
Thursday, July 22
How Others See You
For some reason, I started thinking about How Others See You, when I got the results of the avatars from Erik the Redneck and Trish-Bob. So, I took a few minutes and created their avatars, so that I could complete the Avatar Matrix (using dookyweb).
There are no entries in 2 of the boxes, because Erik and Trish-Bob have never met (even though they're both Planites).
Unrelated: I have posted week 7 of my Sundry on Thursday blog. Try to avoid hyperventilation as you read it.
Wednesday, July 21
beware of thoughts not spewed by Rush and Ann
Yesterday, I went to the "Getting Started" meeting at Right Management (the outsourcing company that Sun contracted with). I have up to 4 months of their services, but I'm hoping not to require that much help. A fresh set of eyes won't hurt as I begin my first real job search in a long time. Although I was RIF'd in May, I needed some time off (for nearly 15 years of good behavior). Now, I'm starting to get a bit bored, so it's time to start The Process.
Unrelated: every once in awhile, I nose around publications that i don't usually nose around. Today, it was The Village Voice. Two items amused me: 1) Big Number Two, by John Powers (about "the spookiest VP in American history") and 2) The Church of Bush, by Rick Perlstein. Both are entertaining, sometimes thought provoking. Neither will kill you. They'll both serve as conditioning to all the pontificating, positioning and persuasion we'll all face as the conventions take place. Personally, I'll watch The Daily Show each night to find out what happened.
Deep Thought #40: You owe it to yourself to read opposing views; this builds strong character.
Unrelated: every once in awhile, I nose around publications that i don't usually nose around. Today, it was The Village Voice. Two items amused me: 1) Big Number Two, by John Powers (about "the spookiest VP in American history") and 2) The Church of Bush, by Rick Perlstein. Both are entertaining, sometimes thought provoking. Neither will kill you. They'll both serve as conditioning to all the pontificating, positioning and persuasion we'll all face as the conventions take place. Personally, I'll watch The Daily Show each night to find out what happened.
Deep Thought #40: You owe it to yourself to read opposing views; this builds strong character.
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