Trash talking

Our vigilant useless media were more than delighted to jump on an unknown comic for comments he made about Puerto Rico and trash. Then Biden got in the game and called Trump supporters garbage, then had to walk that back. But the fact remains, Puerto Rico has a terrible trash problem and that's what the comic was referring to. It's a bi-partisan problem, but who has been in office the last 4 years? Kamala Harris.

 
"The Puerto Rico trash problem has been growing for decades. With a population of around 3.2 million, the island generates about 3.7 million tons of waste yearly. Despite being small, the island’s landfills are full and there’s no proper recycling infrastructure. This trash crisis affects everything from health to the economy so solutions are crucial for Puerto Rico’s future."

 
Someone should have investigated before they pointed fingers. At least this year, it's her problem, and the comic did the island a favor by bringing it to the public's attention, like nothing else would (i.e., blaming Trump)

https://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2024/10/puerto-rico-trash-problem/?

Trash talking in Lakeside

A strike for equality. Bob watched the "sanitation engineers" in the giant blue garbage truck doing the north south route deftly tossing sacks and cans Tuesday. "Hey," he said, "There's a woman on that truck, and she's really good--moving fast." Knowing that she was probably earning a higher hourly wage than a librarian or an RN, I thought, "YES! You go girl." Then later when I was walking to the Farmer's Market, I saw the truck doing the east west streets, and the same worker jumped down to grab the garbage. It was just a guy with a "man bun" and a slender build. So disappointed.

NIMFY--Not in my front yard

It seems I’m destined to be the lone voice shouting into the wind that highly visible trash cans and recycling containers intended to improve the environment cause ugly visual pollution. I got absolutely nowhere complaining that our large suburban church put its Abitibi Consolidated Paper Bins (bright green and yellow) virtually in the front yard of the Mill Run Church, and is almost as obvious at the Lytham Road campus.

This year Lakeside has started a recyclable program with each cottage owner being charged $60 a year to have an extremely large, bright blue rolling container --where? Our properties in some areas are small--about 30’ wide, with driveways, set backs, landscaping, and garden sheds or garages which hold boats, bicycles, and junk. So guess where the trash and recyclable containers are? Either at the street for several days between pick-ups, or sitting in the front or side yard. At one place I stopped today I counted at least 10 trash cans from where I stood and Thursday isn‘t a pick up day. Sometimes it’s a renter problem. The renter checks out on Saturday, puts the trash at the street (we don’t have curbs), and it is not picked up until Tuesday morning. If the cottage isn’t occupied the next week, the trash cans may sit there for days, or until a neighbor drags it to the side of the house, where it’s only slightly less obvious. If I were to replace every trash can I see on my morning walks, I'd be gone 4 hours instead of 30 minutes. Some containers have a permanent home in the front yard. Since writing about garages, I’ve seen plenty of garages and sheds that could be used to hold the containers, but no one thinks of it. It would also keep the raccoons and skunks under control. Our shed is tiny, and so is our lot, but I've seen cottages with 3 sheds, a garage, and the trash cans in front. Our "big blue" is just as obvious as everyone elses, but it's not at the street.

One of the oldest streets, lots of room in the rear

One of the newest streets, beautiful paving and landscaping; no plan for trash

President Hayes once stayed here; the trash can never moves

Not a good first impression for a potential buyer

This is a park, so even the Association is careless

This is a parody--I hope

You just never know--the faux wackos are being out-wacko’d by the real wackos. I don’t know about you but drippy meat blood in a canvas bag has little appeal to me. And I'd hate to start buying bags for the kitty litter, book returns, garbage, shoes in the suitcase, etc.--do you think this is all a battle between the name brands and the unbrands? I prefer paper bags, but 25 years ago we were told to save the trees. Now what are we saving? China’s canvas bag crop?

Trash and the Environment

Back in the 1970s when the USA really got serious about cleaning up the environment we worried about things like the tons of diapers in landfills, junk cars and dead fish in Lake Erie. That was before the day of the ubiquitous water bottle and tons of plastic packaging for every imaginable food item. Now all we hear is "eco-friendly," energy saving light bulbs, global responsibility, ethanol, and "cap and trade" or "carbon tax." Stop! Before you guys put one more business-ugly, recession-causing regulation in place, please take a trip to Turkey, Israel and Egypt and get a peek at the mounds and mounds of trash everywhere. Turkey and Egypt I can almost understand--they are developing countries, but Israel is only 60 years old and was settled and controlled in the early and mid-20th century by Europeans, not middle easterners. With all the knowledge and technology we have available today, this is completely NOT eco-friendly. We saw trash in poor neighborhoods and rich neighborhoods alike. Mounds and mounds of plastic bags and bottles; construction materials; old appliances; toilets; clothing. On road sides. In trees. In culverts. On sand dunes. In ruins. Only our ship and the docks seemed free of trash. Obviously, socialist governments and planned economies don't pick up trash, or if they do, they have no plan to bury, recycle or burn it. It's probably an "extra" like a decent teacher-to-student ratio classrooms or timely operations for health.

This is the roof of a home seen in Israel, Arab I think. The lower part of the roof is stacked with trash--including broken furniture and pieces of a toilet. The upper part is just bedding and clothing airing. The father and son are raking dirt over rocks and trash, maybe to plant something. The hillside was littered also. We're looking down, but the same view was curb side, especially where there was construction. In Egypt, they are enclosing the canals because the people used them to throw trash.

Meanwhile, American business has a gun pointed at the head to clean up or else. If this really is just a big marble in space where we're all in it together, what going on in the middle east?

Obama's people create jobs

"Washington trash trucks hauled away at least 130 tons of garbage after the inauguration of President Obama, with more to go. National Park Service workers picked up almost 100 tons on the Mall and near the White House. "

Yes, right on the heels of that inspiring rhetoric on the 20th, Obama's followers were busy creating jobs . . . for sanitary engineers. No volunteers, please. Pros (i.e., union jobs and civil service) were needed for this massive clean up on the mall after the inauguration. I don't know what happened to all the global goodness-me people who could have handed out canvas tote bags with the Obama logo in order for his fans to take their trash home to their own neighborhoods--or at least to the nearest trash container. One hundred and thirty tons!

Today's Obama Prayer
Father God, in the name
of your Son Jesus,
I pray for President Obama.
Increase his faith,
Help him remember his charge
and his heritage.
Pull him into Your Word
where he will find truth and righteousness.
Amen