Hold the plastic

Go to the grocery store and you may hear “paper or plastic?”, but mostly the bagger just stuffs everything into lots and lots of plastic bags. Go to any store and purchase something, even if it is only one small item what do they do? They stuff it in a plastic bag. Do we really need all those bags? In one word, NO!

Here are some interesting facts for you from a company called ChicoBag, which sells a reusable alternative to the plastic bag:

• The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year.
• If everyone in the United States tied their annual consumption of plastic bags together in a giant chain, the chain would reach around the Earth not once, but 760 times!
• Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade—breaking down into small toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food-chain when mistaken for zooplankton or jellyfish.

Here are a couple of other things to think about before you grab that bag:

• Plastic bags are made from petroleum – something that has gotten VERY expensive lately. It is also a limited resource, one that we will run out of in the not too distant future (less than 30 years according to some sources).
• Because the bags are so light weight they wind-up all over the place. Many animals and endangered wildlife are killed or injured because they get tangled in the bags or ingest them.
• Check out this from the Earth Resource Foundation or this one from Californians Against Waste.
  

One easy alternative is to ask for paper bags in the grocery store. The bags are already made from recycled materials and many stores accept empty bags in recycle bins. My local Publix takes plastic bags, paper bags, and Styrofoam products. Another idea when shopping for just one or two items is to pass on the bag altogether. Most products are already in packaging, so just carry them without the bag. You might also consider a re-usable bag. There are many types and sizes available.

In January of this year, New York City passed a bill requiring large stores to collect and recycle their bags. China, India, and Australia are all considering bans on the bags. Clearly we need to change our habits. We need a new bag.

Spring Fling

I've been out of town on a vacation with some friends, so I'm a bit late in my usual postings. Also, I didn't want to post on All Fool's Day - or April Fool's Day as it is more commonly called. Did you know that the tradition of April Fool's Day goes back to the sixteenth century? The generally accepted theory is that its origins go back to the creation of the Gregorian calendar. Want more info? Check out this short article or this longer one here (although their page background makes it a little hard to read - just highlight the text with your mouse to solve the problem).

My friends and I stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast in Matlacha, Florida. This was the view from our porch:
We also had the opportunity to watch a pair of osprey raising their three chicks:
I had lots of time for picture taking and caught this pelican as it floated by:

We went to Sanibel Island and enjoyed the beach and later toured the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge:
And then there was the big event on Saturday, March 29th, at the 17th annual Mullet Toss on Matlacha:
The idea is to see how far you can throw a dead mullet fish. You are not allowed to stuff it with rocks or other objects to make it heavier (and easier) to toss; however, you can roll it in the dirt to get a better grip on it. If you go, be careful where you stand as sometimes the fish fly off course and land amid the spectators. Personally, I tried to be very careful!

Fair Tax

Having recently completed my yearly ritual visit to my tax accountant with my big bundle of paperwork I’ve been thinking about tax options. A good friend of mine keeps telling me about the Fair Tax – actually it was her mantra as I was helping her complete her on-line taxes last week. So, I’ve been taking a look at it and I like what I see.

What are some of the advantages? Well, for one I wouldn’t have to spend so much time preparing my paperwork, going to a tax accountant, and paying him a lot of money just to do my taxes. How much work is it to do your taxes? Think about it. Then there are all the tax loopholes that big corporations crawl through to avoid paying taxes. Check out this article and this other one.

But what is the Fair Tax? Well, instead of a Federal Income Tax, there would be a national retail sales tax. Ugh you say, but wait, there will also be a monthly prebate sent to everyone to ensure no American pays federal taxes on incomes up to the poverty level. The amount will vary, but a single person could get as much as $190 a month. Wikipedia has a very informative article.

There is a lot out on the Internet both pro and con about the Fair Tax, so I'm not going to fill up this page with links. Personally, I doubt if our present system will change (that's the pessimist in me talking). However, this is the best alternative I’ve seen so far. It would be fair to everyone and raise the same amount of revenue for the federal government.

Something to think about.

Passing on the Thanks

My Blog has been awarded an Excellent Blog Award by Frances Ellen Speaks . Wow. Thanks Frances!

I’ve done some checking around about this award and have found that it originated at ProjectMommy. I’ve also discovered that this is something that you should pass on to other deserving Blogs. Here’s what ProjectMomy said: “By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people who’s blog’s you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…”

Thinking about this award got me to thinking about Blogging, and the Internet, in general. The Internet has come a long way in a relatively short time. In the mid-90’s I found it incredible that I was able to take a college course (on networking) over the Internet. Now I have several friends who’ve gotten their masters degree completely over the Internet. Once having a Web site was something unusual, now if a company DOESN’T have a Web site I wonder if their legitimate. Blogs are going the same route. How many are out there? Check out this little Blog article on the subject.

As to that list of deserving Blogs:
Story of Nadia
My View of “IT”
Stuff I Like
Strange Maps
i shot the chef
Mission Blog
Delta Daily Photo
Pet Bird
A Little Bit Interesting
Science News Blog

Happy Blogging everyone!

Childhood's End - Addendum

Well, just when you're expecting one thing the universe throws you a curve ball. My boyfriend - who doesn't remember dates - actually remembered my birthday (or did he read my Blog?) and sent flowers and a balloon. He's also taking me out for a nice dinner. I also got a phone call from an old friend that I haven't spoken to (although we sometimes trade e-mails) in years. She called just to with me a "Happy Birthday". So, all total I got two phone calls, one e-mail, flowers, a balloon, and dinner. Not bad.

Just remember, when you think you know what's going to happen, expect the unexpected.

Childhood’s End

Tomorrow is my birthday and I’m in a rather down mood. No, I’m not hung up on the age thing. I feel that age has three categories: chronological, mental, and physical -- as long as the mental and physical are less than the chronological then you are doing OK. My problem is that I’ve no one left to celebrate with, or maybe I should say that there is no one who cares to celebrate with me.

Birthday celebrations are a thing for family and some friends. It’s generally a youth oriented activity with exceptions for special family members. Unfortunately, I’ve run out of family (no, I didn’t bump them off: cancer and heart attacks did it). I do have a friend who usually calls me and sends a card, but there is enough of the child in me still to want a cake and some balloons, maybe a party with fun activities. Oh well.

So tomorrow I will put a candle in a cupcake and sing “Happy Birthday to me”. I’ll probably treat myself to lunch out somewhere and maybe buy a book or music CD. Life is what you make of it. Even if there is no one else to party with, have a party with yourself. After all, you spend a lot of time together, might as well make the best of it.

When You Turn 75

The Beatles did a song called “When I’m 64” asking if that certain someone would still love them and care for them at that age. Well, I’m not to that age yet, but I am planning on doing something on my 75th birthday -- and you might want to consider it as well. Give me a minute to explain a few things and then I’ll fill you in.

Hopefully most of you know about the North Star. It is in a constellation called The Little Dipper. Do you know how to locate the North Star? First you locate the constellation The Big Dipper (it looks like a pot with a handle). You follow an imaginary line from the two stars on the far side of the pot up and you will find the North Star. The Astronomy Picture of the Day Web site has a great picture showing this. If you roll you mouse over the image then you’ll see what I’m trying to explain.

The Big Dipper is part of a much larger constellation called Ursa Major (the Great Bear). If you want to see what Ursa Major looks like, go to this Web site. The stars that make up much of the Big Dipper are 75 light years from Earth. Therefore, if you look at the Big Dipper on your 75th birthday, you will see what those stars really looked like on the day that you were born.

Everybody needs something nice to look forward to.