Tag Archive for burn

K-Cups: Love and Hate

September 19, 2020 Comments Off on K-Cups: Love and Hate

K-cup coffee pods are very easy, very convenient.  Which is why we buy 10 billion of them every year, enough to encircle our planet 10 – 12 times. The package says “recycleable” (at least the plastic portion), but the problem is that they often are not. That’s because the machines in recycling plants can’t process items that small.  So they go into the landfill instead, which the Earth hates.

One bright note is the small program in Canada that turns them into cement. They dry out the K-cups, shred them, then burn them up at 2000 degrees Celsius. The ashes are turned into cement.

Although this is a small program, it offers hope.  We aren’t going to give up our K-cups, except those of us who can handle reusable ones.  We must, therefore, find a way to recycle them.  Come on, scientists—Get with it!

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Fireworks & Your Insurance

July 1, 2020 Comments Off on Fireworks & Your Insurance

Independence Day is this weekend. Traditionally, we celebrate the 4th of July by setting off fireworks in our yard or maybe in the middle of our court. Add a bit of alcohol to the participants, and carelessness can lead to injury and property damage. That’s why fireworks of all kinds, even the “Safe and Sane” variety, are banned in many places.

Here’s the thing. If they are banned, that means they’re illegal. If you set off illegal fireworks and they hurt someone or burn down your house, your homeowner’s insurance (or any insurance) will NOT cover you. You’ll be left to bear the financial burden totally yourself. (This, of course, is on top of the fine you’ll get.) If you burn down someone else’s house (or nearby business), their insurance company will pay to rebuild their home–then sue you to get their money back.

So, take this into consideration when those fireworks look so tempting. I hope you’ve learned what most of us have, that the idea that “it won’t happen to me” is totally untrue and a dangerous premise to base your actions on.

Please have a safe holiday without fireworks. My property and my dog will thank you.

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A Day to Celebrate Being Human

December 10, 2018 Comments Off on A Day to Celebrate Being Human

Seventy years ago today, in 1948, the U.N. adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That’s pretty good–that many countries agreeing on something. With all the burnings and shootings of people in various houses of worship, with all the greed reflected on corporations taking naturally occurring water to bottle or polluting it, all for profit , leaving the local inhabitants to go to war over what’s left, with the inequities in justice systems ensuring that the poor will live in jail and the rich will buy their way out, with human slavery and degradation–what this declaration means should be taken to heart:

  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights empowers us all.
  • Human rights are relevant to all of us, every day.
  • Our shared humanity is rooted in these universal values.
  • Equality, justice and freedom prevent violence and sustain peace.
  • Whenever and wherever humanity’s values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk.
  • We need to stand up for our rights and those of others.

Something worth thinking about today and practicing every day.

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