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This from the Toronto Star web site this evening... Trudeau wants 'nobility' back in politics For my American readers, Justin Trudeau is the 35 year-old son of Pierre Trudeau, probably Canada's most iconic (and often controversial) Prime Minister. Pierre Trudeau was a witty and urbane intellectual, a cosmopolitan playboy, a philosopher king. Justin's announcement is as close as Canada comes to a thirty-something Kennedy kid announcing a bid for the Senate. There will be inevitable comparisons to his father, the nagging apprehension that he's only there because of his last name and he'll never quite outgrow being Pierre's kid. The reason I bring this up? Check out the picture the Star posted with the story...
Heh. Baggage Storage. Heh. In a totally unrelated story (though it does have an element of baggage), the other day I stopped at the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread. There was a couple in front of me in line, buying a bag of potato chips. The clerk scanned the bag and...put it into a plastic bag. And out they walked. I've seen similar things happen at convenience stores. People buy a chocolate bar or a pack of cigarettes and they get...or ask for...a bag. Really? Can't lug that Snickers back to the car without a bag, eh? Now, call me OCD (you wouldn't be the first, nor would you be all that far off) but every time I see that, or see over-packaged food or whatnot, I can't help thinking of that plastic landing in the landfill. Some of it is recyclable and ought to be diverted, but a lot of it can't yet be reclaimed. Ever since I learned how much garbage Toronto sends to landfills - 125 tractor trailers carrying 4200 tonnes every day - I mentally trace the path of my trash from the garbage can into the ground, where the plastic cheese wrappers and soda cup lids and bubble wrap and CD packaging and styrofoam take-out containers will all remain...for thousands of years. So when someone buys a bag of chips (note, already in a bag) and either they or the cashier think a plastic bag is necessary, it's like nails on a chalkboard. Really, when you buy one or two things...carry them in your hands, please. Heck, use your coat pockets! If a Twix and a bag of Funions is all you're buying, you don't need a bag, eh? Now don't get me started about the snow. OK, I'll get myself started. I was waiting for the streetcar today and a mom came past pushing her little kid in a stroller. The kid looked at a grey snow bank and asked, "Why is the snow dirty?" Her mom said that it was melting and the ground was dirty. No. It's dirty from the cars belching exhaust on a regular basis. It's not dirt, it's toxic soot from tailpipes. And if it's on the snow...it's in your lungs. Probably best not to scare the two year old kid with that, eh? Though maybe having to explain it to a kid, and seeing how they reacted, would inspire us to try and change things. I bet Justin Trudeau doesn't take a bag when he buys his ketchup chips. |
