Lets Talk Trash

 As we pulled off I-75 today we were behind a very large garbage truck, the ones that empty large trash cans with a mechanical assist. On the back of the truck was the Company's motto: "Lets talk trash". What an appropriate and comical way to advertise, I thought.

These specialized trucks are able to carry a great load of trash because they are able to compact it before a trip to the dump. Further, it is a two man operation, one driver and one loader with the driver helping out from time-to-time.

Abut five years ago, in GCS, it was common to see two loaders and one driver. The loaders ran from one house to the other while the truck rarely stopped. My belief then was that the truck was more efficient (getting to more houses in the least possible time) and there was a cost saving. Recently, in GCS the truck was using only one loader because the trip to a dump was increased to a much further destination. It now made sense to me that three people taking the ride was more expensive than two people riding, even if it did take longer to fully load the truck.

In a book I read some time ago, a statement was made that all civilizations have been bothered with what to do with the produced trash. Our dumps are monitored, are scientifically engineered, and eventually closed. Even then, there is still monitoring for contents of leaking fluids, especially if anywhere near ground water. We see the small mountains from the road, nicely shaped and well manicured. If it is still operational the flocks of birds let us know.

As a civilization, we still need to resolve what to do about our nuclear trash.

Smells

During the "Laverne and Shirley Show", Shirley received a bouquet of fresh flowers. She thanked the giver with: "Oh thank you so much they smell just wonderful...like air freshener." The fragrance industry has made great strides with their offerings of perfume, home fragrance, auto fragrance, soaps, lotions, hair spray, even bug spray. Some of them I like a great deal and they are like a breath of fresh air...so to speak.

Some stores have a unique smell and I just love Bed, Bath & Beyond. Yankee Candle is another favorite as are: Kirkland's and Bath & Body. Today, Pat and I walked through each and it was a pleasure. When I told her my feelings about these stores and how each has a distinct smell, she agreed and said other stores have distinct smells. After a while I inquired which ones? She said Pet Smart and offered to immediately go there to get that experience, I declined.

However, there are some fragrances that I detest. Eucalyptus for example is offensive, and the Yankee Candle "Christmas" is just bad. Working with plastics, I enjoyed the sweet smells of polyethylene and polypropylene, but, Celcon was offensive and gave me a headache.

As a kid my favorite store was Western Auto. I would tour the U shaped isle each time I passed the store. That rubber smell of tires was enough to swoon for and it is not present in the auto stores of today. Auto stores should make every effort to get that "new car smell."

Gun Purchases

For those who may not know, last year gun purchases went up much higher than previous years. Why was that? The government has signaled that they are anti-gun and do what they can to discourage gun ownership. Exactly why does this government lean toward restriction of gun ownership? And, does that restriction drive up gun sales?

To truly understand what is happening it is necessary to have a good understanding of  the history of the 20th Century. During the 20th Century we were able to see what happens to a disarmed citizenry. Russia passed a law making it a crime to own a gun, guns were subsequently turned in to the authorities. Shortly after that millions of citizens were exterminated. Mussolini had a similar law passed in Italy and the Fascists took over the government. Hitler had a similar law passed in Germany, again, millions of citizens were exterminated. China passed the same laws and  millions of Chineese were exterminated. Cambodia did the same, North Vietnam did the same for South Vietnam and people were rounded up for re-education camps in which it was necessary to learn that the State controlled everything and religion was worthless, or else. Castro outlawed guns and turned Cuba into a communist state, many died. Hugo Chavez has outlawed guns in Venezuela to ensure there is no threat to his regime. Everywhere the Socialists and Communists take power they move to outlaw guns.

Not everyone reads or understands history. Those who do read and understand apply the lessons they learned from it. The citizenry is in peril if it disarms. Those who read the writing on the wall are the ones buying guns, along with as much ammunition as they can get. Yes, ammunition is scarce.

I have never owned a gun and do not plan to do so. However, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 as "no interest" and 10  as "I am buying one" I have moved up to about a 3.