AS IT STANDS- Recycling is also affected by economy

Last Sunday there was no T-S Online link to this column, so I'm giving readers another opportunity to read it.

Tell me what you think? Here's the link.

It doesn't look good for Roland Burris as senate officer rejects paperwork to fill seat

By Mike Dorning
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON—Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson rejected Roland Burris's certificate of appointment to the Senate as invalid, said Beth Provenzano, a spokeswoman for Erickson.
"We received it this morning at 9 a.m.. The parliamentarian reviewed it and we've advised Mr. Burris' staff that it does not conform with Senate Rule 2," Provenzano said.

That rule requires that the certificate be signed both by the governor and the secretary of state. Provenzano said the certificate was signed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich but she declined to answer a question on whether the certificate was signed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, saying only that the certificate did not meet the requirements of the rule.
White has said publicly that he would not sign the certificate.
Senate leaders insist they will refuse to admit Burris on opening day Tuesday, having warned Blagojevich they will not accept any appointment from a governor accused by federal authorities of trying to sell the seat. The lack of a certificate for Burris' appointment provides them the grounds they will need to reject him as a matter of the rule book.

Getty Images/AP Photos

What are the odds that Madoff makes off with justice?

Illusion for the Day: How many deer and wolves do you see?

Images from Real Funny Photos

The Price is Right: Blago backs Burris as next state senator

  

It should be interesting to see Roland Burris come to the senate floor Wednesday. Thus far, the senate worthies have said he won't be allowed to do business with them, because they feel he is tainted by Blago's "senator for sale" controversy. Still, this morning I heard that there might be a shift in some of the senator's decision to let him play house with them. Burris was quick to pull out the race card and say that those senators who didn't want him there are racists. Here's what is amazing me...Blago may get away with this appointment despite the charges that are being filed against him. Burris is hot to get that senate seat because he knows once he's seated he's going to be bullet-proof when it comes to laying out Blago's bads, even if there is a link there. You gotta give them both a G for gall!

Lakers post best record in the NBA with win over the Jazz

After beating the Utak Jazz last night, 113-100, the Lakers have once again claimed the best record in the NBA.

The Celtics and the Cavs both lost last night to pave the way.

The interesting ting to me is that the Lakers are not playing that well, but they manage to win. Go Lakers!

Today in The Times-Standard: Recycling Woes

(Editor's Note: the Times-Standard didn't update their Online front page again this weekend so you won't be able to find my column. I've reprinted it here for readers who want to view it.

                          By Dave Stancliff
       I talked with a small businessman in Arcata the other day and the subject of recycling came up. Linn, who owns a muffler shop, pointed to a stack of catalytic convertors in one corner, and shook his head in disgust.
       “Their value is dropping through the floor,” he said. “A year ago I could have sold that bunch for $2,000. I’ll be lucky to get $500 for them now.” Linn isn’t alone. Small businesses and  municipalities across the country face this year’s decline in prices and demand for recycled material. 
        In recent years, recycling has been profitable and a win-win situation for all involved. Municipalities, the recycling companies that serve them, and the manufacturers that process the paper, cans and plastics into everything from packaging to fabric have found profit in the practice.
        Those profits are disappearing as consumers buy fewer goods and factories need less raw material. In a recent report from the Association of Municipal Recycling Coordinators - a non profit organization of management professionals - the alarm was sounded.
        According to this report, the “recycling market is in turmoil.” It points out that there is now a glut of recyclables, but they expect that to level off over the coming months as generation of this material slows down.
         The report stated, “the overseas market appears to have pretty much dried up and recycling programs in Europe are also facing the same oversupply challenges.” Allen Herschkowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, recently told the press that he was concerned that the recycling infrastructure in America might not survive without government help.
           I’m not sure I agree with Herschkowitz. Any kind of bailout is viewed very critically right now. However, the government should prioritize normal funding for programs that are ecologically healing - like recycling. My biggest concern is that people will stop recycling if they get less money for their efforts.
          The slow down in the recycling industry, has a few good side effects. There’s less copper theft in Lansing, MI., according to The Lansing State Journal. It’s report declared that is the good news when markets for metals and other recyclables have tumbled.
           Lt. Noel Garcia, a spokesman for the Lansing Police Department, told the Journal “the decrease in crime is, of course, welcome.” He said t theft of copper from vacant homes and other properties is down.
           I’ve also read that recycling thieves who were stealing manhole covers have moved onto other pursuits, due to plunging profits.
           According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash last year. Bob Garino, director of commodities at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, a Washington, D.C. based trade association, told the press that about 150 million tons of material were recycled - roughly 80 million of that in iron and steel - supporting an industry that employs 85,000 workers and has $70 billion in sales.
           Experts say  most of the recyclables Americans generate are shipped to Asian countries to make products that are shipped back to the United States.
         Prices and profits are down right according to the industry gurus, but many of them think that is a temporary situation. Mike Schedler, the technical director of NAPCOR, the trade organization for the North American PET plastics industry, told the press “there should be as much of a focus on the end use of recyclables as on their collection.”
            There’s a sense of hope in the recycling industry, despite it’s sudden hard times. I suspect that’s because anyone with a brain understands that recycling is absolutely necessary. Imagine what would happen to the country’s landfills if we stopped recycling? Not a pretty picture.
           Changes are coming this year. The new administration will be more environmentally conscious. Most Americans appreciate the fact that recycling is necessary, and hopefully will not  change their habits during this rough stretch in the economy.
           I’d like to see more American manufacturers like “Terracycle” in Trenton, New Jersey (http://www.terracycle.net ), that make things out of recycled material instead of shipping it overseas. More businessmen need to look to the good old USA again and the potential our own recycled materials have.
           As It Stands, there will always be trash, and the need to ecologically dispose of it is tied into the need to make a profit while we do it.    

Economic Recovery Plan: Obama urges congress to move fast

President-elect Barack Obama urged congressional leaders today to move quickly on an economic recovery plan, even as some Republicans are saying they want more time to review the details.

Obama said Congress should pass an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan designed to create 3 million jobs. The Democratic president-elect hasn't announced a final price tag on it, but aides said the cost could be as high as $775 billion.

There's always an eye-in-the-sky watching you...

Some people call the Eye Google. It's satellite shows every niche and cranny on the planet.

Now consider how easy it is for the government, under the auspices of the Patriot Act, to watch your every move with the thousands of satellites available to it.

It's George Orwell's greatest fear. He wrote about Big Brother as a warning to society. It didn't make any difference under the Bush regime which has methodically stripped us of our Constitutional rights.

Will the Eye still be as intrusive when Obama takes office? I wonder. What do you think?

More Meandering On Millie My Pug...

This is not my Millie. She's blog-shy (actually she thinks someone will dog-nab her!). This is a reasonable likeness of her, and I wanted to put some art in this post to get you to stop and read it. Talk about brazen eh?

We just got back from our daily walk, between soft showers that have been cleansing the land. We stopped to say hi! to the donkeys and miniature ponies who were also enjoying the outbreak of sunlight and frisking around. I know for sure what happened to a cluster of fake cranberries that disappeared yesterday. Poop patrol revealed funny white round pellets that I'm sure were once cranberry-colored.

For a small dog she sure sets a brutal pace. After a mile, I have to slow her down before I collapse! We've got an interesting little route that is uphill one way and down the other. I'm hoping to shed some of the pounds I put on during the holidays. We may have to add some more distance to our current route for awhile.

If you already have a pug then I don't have to tell you what a great friend they are. Thinking about getting a dog? Pug's have a lot of good qualities and are awful cute if you dress them up. Millie is not one for flash so I don't bother her with silly costumes, but I admit to making her wear a yellow and purple Laker collar in honor of my favorite basketball team.

Millie is my constant companion, but the minute my wife comes home she drops me like a bad date! She loves Shirley and makes sure to get a lot of snuggle time in with her. Peace is a snug pug!

What do you tell your children about why we're in Iraq?