This week’s not so nasty news.
Item #1: Plastics
The Graduate, a 1967 movie, stared a 30 year old Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin, just graduating — aged 21 – from college. A character named Mr. Maguire whispered career advice to young Ben, and made famous a one word quote, namely “Plastics.”
Many took that advice and plastics proliferated.
Mountains of plastic waste have recently become a resource. There is opportunity, think $$$ (okay, $), in converting mixed plastics into diesel, gasoline and industrial chemicals. Heating plastic in a no-air reactor can yield 16 million gallons of useful products from 100,000 tons of waste available cheaply or at no cost.
What’s not to like?
Item #2: Looks like plastic
Not nasty – – just odd.
Locally, we see a Belted Kingfisher. He/she sits on wires over an irrigation canal about 4 miles south of our house. Pictures and information here Cornell Lab. Cute birds.
A related bird is known in Australia, commonly called a Laughing Koolaburra. Nice photo here: Photo, of the normal multi-colored bird. Larger than those found in Kittitas County.
A related, quite rare bird, is all black. Well, it is rare in Western Australia. Thus, this story: Link
So, what I found most interesting is that searching for Black Kookaburra yields as many hits for the black licorice as for birds. A candy of other colors may have the shape of traditional licorice candy but extract of the root therein, is rarer than the black bird with the Kookaburra name.
I find no special relationship between Licorice and Australia, or the rare black bird.
This reminds me of the non-existance between Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe area and the Pepperidge Farm ‘white chocolate macadamia’ cookie named Tahoe®.
Item #3: Looked like rain
I went to the wet (west) side of the Cascade Crest today to work on the Denny Creek Trail. The trail is a favorite of folks with young children because, when the water is not real high, wet rocks make for a big playground. The photo of summertime is at the “slide” several hundred yards up-trail from where we worked.
An air mass was moving off the Pacific Ocean toward Washington. If the weather folks had the timing wrong we all would have gotten exceedingly muddy.
The system arrived after our work, and the drive home was lightly sprinkled. Now, 6 hours later, there is light rain across the region. Not a lot, and it will pass in another couple of hours. We’ll fall asleep with sounds of drops falling from the roof.
What’s not to like?
Item #4: Breaking Cat News
My favorite cartoon made me smile today:
And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John