Holiday tree recycling program
You can recycle your tree for free at one of Sacramento County’s six drop off locations. Recycling your holiday tree is a lot easier then dumping it in an alley or trying to stuff it in your green waste recycling bin at home. You can even score free ground cover and do some weekend landscaping with the mulch made from your tree.
Here is how it works. You can take your tree to any of the six locations and the tree will be recycled typically in two different ways. One way is making mulch. The tree is pushed through a grinder and comes out the other side as woodchips. Those woodchips can be given back to you on request or the facility will use if for ground cover for other county projects.
The second method of recycling commonly used is burning the trees. The burning process has proven to be very beneficial because of the energy created from the green tree.
“Holiday trees have a high lever of BTU (British thermal unit) and when burned they produce a large amount of energy, which can later be used to make electricity,” said the recycling coordinator with Sacramento County’s Department of Waste Management and Recycling(WM&R) Doug Eubanks.
Although energy can be created from recycling holiday trees the department of WM&R strongly encourages people to buy live trees and plant them after the holiday season. This cut back on the cutting down of trees and adds to the tree population, which is always a good thing for the environment.
Apparently the two recycling methods above are not the only ones every used by the department of WM&R. Unique recycling requests have been made and carried out by the department.
“Years ago a man who was in charge of natural habitat at the Nimbus Damn wanted a large number of trees that were going to be recycled. He strung the trees together and dropped them in the lake to create fish habitats. This request was defiantly s first for me,” Eubanks said.
The six different drop-off locations are:
In Sacramento:
Elder Creek Recovery & Transfer Station
8642 Elder Creek Road (Jackson Hwy, south on Florin Perkins Road, left on Elder Creek Road)
8 am - 3 pm, Dec. 29 and Jan. 5
Also accepting trees Dec. 26 - Jan 31, Monday - Friday, 6 am—5 pm; Saturday 6 am - 3 pm; closed Sundays
Kiefer Landfill
12701 Kiefer Blvd (Jackson Hwy, north on Grant Line Road, right on Kiefer Blvd)
8 am - 4 pm, Dec. 29 and Jan. 5
North Area Recovery Station
4450 Roseville Road (Hwy 80, north on Watt Ave, left on Roseville Road, inside Recovery Station)
8 am - 4 pm, Dec. 29 and Jan. 5
SMUD Corporation Yard
1708 59th Street (just off Hwy 50)
8 am - 3:30 pm, Jan. 5 only
Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station
8491 Fruitridge Road (Jackson Hwy., south Florin Perkins Road, right on Fruitridge Road)
8 am - 5 pm, Dec. 29 and Jan. 5
Also accepting trees Dec. 26 - Jan. 31, Monday - Saturday, 8 am - 5 pm; closed Sundays
In Folsom:
Dan Russell Rodeo Arena
Folsom City Park (corner of Natoma and Stafford Streets)
8 am - 4 pm, Dec. 29, Dec. 30 and Jan. 5
The free dates are only on December 29th and January 5th, but the fee is small on all other dates.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
TRS
Therapeutic Recreation Services (TRS) is a service provided by Sacramento County that provides award-winning opportunities, for children, teens and adults with developmental and physical disabilities, mental and sensory impairments and special needs, to explore learn and have fun through recreation. The programs and events that are offered provide training in leisure, social, community and independent skills. This program was started in 1975 and is still growing with an annual attendance of more then 15,000 people.
TRS’ goal is for their participants to acquire the highest level of independence possible through leisure activities and community action. Events and activities teach cooking, sports, movies, kite flying, exploring the city by bus and confidence building through fun.
The TRS center is located on Florin road, but for people outside of that area additional services are provided at community centers, schools, parks and community sites.
Programs and services include:
• Social Clubs
• Travel Excursions
• Sports, Fitness, & Outdoor Adventures
• Vocational Training
• Classes -cooking, drafts, drama and more
• Special Events
• Community Outreach
• Therapeutic Recreation Internships
• Information & Referral
By attending activities and events TRS participants learn skills such as: communication, decision making, organization of time, money management, and community resources. This program is inexpensive and kept to the minimum amount of money needed for each event.
Recent events included a night at the drive in, second Saturday art walk, Elk Grove giant pumpkin harvest festival, jewelry making workshop, weekend trip to Santa Cruz and a cooking class.
TRS also has a Special Olympics team named The Chargers and have participated for over 20 years in the Special Olympics. The sports that are included are swimming, track and field, floor hockey, soccer and basketball. Practice for each sport is once per week to prepare athletes for qualifiers and tournaments.
Dances are also on the entertainment list of things to do. The dances are held at La Sierra Community Center and at the North Highlands Community Center and are an important part of the socializing and communications skill building. These dances also provide a comfortable environment for TRS participants to cut loose and enjoy the company of each other.
TRS is staffed by therapeutic recreation specialists, recreation leaders, support staff and many volunteers who assist in all aspect of recreational adventures and camaraderie with participants. TRS is another example of a great service Sacramento County has to offer. To learn more about TRS visit the county website www.sacparks.net/therapeutic-services/index.html.
TRS’ goal is for their participants to acquire the highest level of independence possible through leisure activities and community action. Events and activities teach cooking, sports, movies, kite flying, exploring the city by bus and confidence building through fun.
The TRS center is located on Florin road, but for people outside of that area additional services are provided at community centers, schools, parks and community sites.
Programs and services include:
• Social Clubs
• Travel Excursions
• Sports, Fitness, & Outdoor Adventures
• Vocational Training
• Classes -cooking, drafts, drama and more
• Special Events
• Community Outreach
• Therapeutic Recreation Internships
• Information & Referral
By attending activities and events TRS participants learn skills such as: communication, decision making, organization of time, money management, and community resources. This program is inexpensive and kept to the minimum amount of money needed for each event.
Recent events included a night at the drive in, second Saturday art walk, Elk Grove giant pumpkin harvest festival, jewelry making workshop, weekend trip to Santa Cruz and a cooking class.
TRS also has a Special Olympics team named The Chargers and have participated for over 20 years in the Special Olympics. The sports that are included are swimming, track and field, floor hockey, soccer and basketball. Practice for each sport is once per week to prepare athletes for qualifiers and tournaments.
Dances are also on the entertainment list of things to do. The dances are held at La Sierra Community Center and at the North Highlands Community Center and are an important part of the socializing and communications skill building. These dances also provide a comfortable environment for TRS participants to cut loose and enjoy the company of each other.
TRS is staffed by therapeutic recreation specialists, recreation leaders, support staff and many volunteers who assist in all aspect of recreational adventures and camaraderie with participants. TRS is another example of a great service Sacramento County has to offer. To learn more about TRS visit the county website www.sacparks.net/therapeutic-services/index.html.
Monday, November 19, 2007
YouTube "A Vision of Students Today"
After watching the video “A vision of Students Today” on youtube I wanted to make a video of my own by taking a survey of Sac State student and find out what type of lives the student at my school are living. Overall, this student made video had a dramatic impact on my and put a spotlight on a problem I have. The problem is the system. I knew it was there, but I accepted it for the way things are suppose to be.
This vision these students have is one of change. By making this video they are questioning the system in which they are being educated and not following the group of sheeple around them. Sheeple are sheep people. People that live their life content with other people making decisions for them even if it causes a problem that is directly related to their everyday well being.
I think one of the main problems with Universities today is the transformation that was made years ago from being an educational facility, with the student’s education in mind, to a business, with the students’ money in mind. Today, I do believe that professors are on the side of the student, but sometimes they are forced to conform to the business ethics of the higher-ups within the University system. Classes are cut, expensive books are assigned and short-cuts are taken for the best interest of the financial gain of the university.
The students that made the video on you tube are taking a step toward changing the current system. They are reaching thousands of students everyday with their video and causing a wave of reactions, agreements, disagreement, blogs and obviously homework assignments. This is called awareness of the problem. This awareness can stem change; I’m not saying it will but the potential is there.
The most shocking part of the video, which was also the part that I could relate to, was when the students held up signs saying, “I get an average of seven hours of sleep per night” or “I talk on my cell phone three hours per day”. Those are the type of thought I have everyday. I’m always busy calculating how much time I have to do a certain homework assignment or walk from point A to point B in order to be somewhere on time. When they actually calculated the average persons time schedule it equaled 26.5 hours. WHAT!!! There is only 24 hours in a day.
What does that mean. To me this means students is being forced to spread themselves too thin. They are, as the video said, “Multi-taskers, because we have to be.” I multi-task too much. I think my multi-tasking is resulting is bad health. I don’t think it is healthy to eat on the run, literally…everyday! I don’t think it is healthy to sleep on average five hours per night. I don’t think a healthy idea of exercise is running to classes or work everyday. Plus all of the above adds stress to a stressful life.
I don’t have a solution, but this video made me think…is there one?
This vision these students have is one of change. By making this video they are questioning the system in which they are being educated and not following the group of sheeple around them. Sheeple are sheep people. People that live their life content with other people making decisions for them even if it causes a problem that is directly related to their everyday well being.
I think one of the main problems with Universities today is the transformation that was made years ago from being an educational facility, with the student’s education in mind, to a business, with the students’ money in mind. Today, I do believe that professors are on the side of the student, but sometimes they are forced to conform to the business ethics of the higher-ups within the University system. Classes are cut, expensive books are assigned and short-cuts are taken for the best interest of the financial gain of the university.
The students that made the video on you tube are taking a step toward changing the current system. They are reaching thousands of students everyday with their video and causing a wave of reactions, agreements, disagreement, blogs and obviously homework assignments. This is called awareness of the problem. This awareness can stem change; I’m not saying it will but the potential is there.
The most shocking part of the video, which was also the part that I could relate to, was when the students held up signs saying, “I get an average of seven hours of sleep per night” or “I talk on my cell phone three hours per day”. Those are the type of thought I have everyday. I’m always busy calculating how much time I have to do a certain homework assignment or walk from point A to point B in order to be somewhere on time. When they actually calculated the average persons time schedule it equaled 26.5 hours. WHAT!!! There is only 24 hours in a day.
What does that mean. To me this means students is being forced to spread themselves too thin. They are, as the video said, “Multi-taskers, because we have to be.” I multi-task too much. I think my multi-tasking is resulting is bad health. I don’t think it is healthy to eat on the run, literally…everyday! I don’t think it is healthy to sleep on average five hours per night. I don’t think a healthy idea of exercise is running to classes or work everyday. Plus all of the above adds stress to a stressful life.
I don’t have a solution, but this video made me think…is there one?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Three Sisters
If you have been wondering, superb margaritas do exist on Folsom Blvd, and they can be found at the Three Sisters Restaurant located on the corner of 51st and Folsom Blvd. The tropical margarita can be ordered in multiple flavors such as raspberry, peach and mango, to name a few. The peach is highly recommended.
The margaritas are so high-quality it is hard to leave without ordering more then one. For the price, the margaritas could have been bigger, but that is a minor detail compared to flavor, and the margaritas are a hit in the flavor department. They have just the right amount of whatever it is bartenders put in margaritas, and after the first sip they tend to magically disappear. They even come with a lime wedge on the edge of the glass, but you will most likely end up squirting it over your chips because the margarita does not need the extra zest.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is complimentary to the traditional style margaritas. From the sidewalk to the multi-colored chairs, the Three Sister’s has a genuine look and feel. The small arched windows, bright colors and bamboo ceilings give the illusion of, at the very least, an effort toward authenticity.
This restaurant was empty on a Monday night, but by the number of tables filling the room anyone could come to the conclusion that it must get really busy at times. If you enjoy quite places to eat you should visit on a Monday or Tuesday, but if you like the lively scene Thursday, Friday or Saturday would be more up your alley.
All the expected items were brought to the table immediately and the waitress was accommodating to late arrivals and separate checks at the end of the meal. The menu was a long list of items served and was void of bolded headings. Unfortunately, they do not serve tortilla soup, or any soup, but they were accommodating to vegetarians and a few meatless options.
Once the food came out it was accented with beautiful plates and a traditional presentation. The food was above average but I wouldn’t say it was anything extra special. The chief did step outside traditional boundaries by making the rice plain and a chipotle cream sauce. The sauce was refreshingly different but the rice would have been enjoyed more if it was made in a more traditional Mexican style. The rice might not have been the right flavor but it was cooked properly and the sauce had enough flavor to make up for what the rice was lacking.
The Three Sister’s restaurant gets three and-a-half stars, and would be great for almost any type of casual event. This is a good place to stop in and have some chips and salsa and a couple of margaritas. Especially if you call East Sacramento your home this is THE Mexican food place to go to in your neighborhood.
The margaritas are so high-quality it is hard to leave without ordering more then one. For the price, the margaritas could have been bigger, but that is a minor detail compared to flavor, and the margaritas are a hit in the flavor department. They have just the right amount of whatever it is bartenders put in margaritas, and after the first sip they tend to magically disappear. They even come with a lime wedge on the edge of the glass, but you will most likely end up squirting it over your chips because the margarita does not need the extra zest.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is complimentary to the traditional style margaritas. From the sidewalk to the multi-colored chairs, the Three Sister’s has a genuine look and feel. The small arched windows, bright colors and bamboo ceilings give the illusion of, at the very least, an effort toward authenticity.
This restaurant was empty on a Monday night, but by the number of tables filling the room anyone could come to the conclusion that it must get really busy at times. If you enjoy quite places to eat you should visit on a Monday or Tuesday, but if you like the lively scene Thursday, Friday or Saturday would be more up your alley.
All the expected items were brought to the table immediately and the waitress was accommodating to late arrivals and separate checks at the end of the meal. The menu was a long list of items served and was void of bolded headings. Unfortunately, they do not serve tortilla soup, or any soup, but they were accommodating to vegetarians and a few meatless options.
Once the food came out it was accented with beautiful plates and a traditional presentation. The food was above average but I wouldn’t say it was anything extra special. The chief did step outside traditional boundaries by making the rice plain and a chipotle cream sauce. The sauce was refreshingly different but the rice would have been enjoyed more if it was made in a more traditional Mexican style. The rice might not have been the right flavor but it was cooked properly and the sauce had enough flavor to make up for what the rice was lacking.
The Three Sister’s restaurant gets three and-a-half stars, and would be great for almost any type of casual event. This is a good place to stop in and have some chips and salsa and a couple of margaritas. Especially if you call East Sacramento your home this is THE Mexican food place to go to in your neighborhood.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Keeping culture and tradition alive
The County of Sacramento has made an effort to create a family environment for the people of Sacramento County. The County has thought of events, built facilities and offered activities that make everyone’s family-fun-day a blast.
On Oct. 6th the county’s Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Ancil Hoffman Park had an annual performance that attracts floods of people to Sacramento to watch traditional Maidu dancers, basket weaving and cooking with acorns. Maidu Indian Day happens at the nature center once or twice a month, which is an educational, fun workshop for children to learn about the Maidu people by making traditional jewelry and toys.
The Maidu Indians were native to the Sacramento area and uses the rivers as a source of survival and the county of Sacramento wants to keep their culture alive.
The nature center also has activities such as nature walks, beaver hikes were you can see beavers building a damn and owls of October, were you learn about owls and owl pellets. The facility has resident animals, a nature preserve, native plant landscaping, a discovery shop and a discovery room wildlife exhibit.
All of these wonderful offerings to the public might be owned and maintained by the county now, but the idea for the center came from the founder, Effie Yeaw herself. Yeaw promoted appreciation for plant and animal life and was a leader in the movement for protecting Sacramento’s natural environment.
The nature centers goal is “to create a greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of the natural and cultural resources of the Sacramento region, the need to conserve these resources, and their interrelationships and interdependences within in the Earth’s ecosystem.”
The message the county is trying to spread is a positive lifesaving message that everyone should take the time to learn. Even if the nature center had the smallest effect on one child and encourages them to pick up litter or preserve nature in any way then one less person will be working against the natural workings of the Earth in the future. The Earth is one of the only things humans truly need to survive yet most of us treat it like it owes us something.
On Oct. 6th the county’s Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Ancil Hoffman Park had an annual performance that attracts floods of people to Sacramento to watch traditional Maidu dancers, basket weaving and cooking with acorns. Maidu Indian Day happens at the nature center once or twice a month, which is an educational, fun workshop for children to learn about the Maidu people by making traditional jewelry and toys.
The Maidu Indians were native to the Sacramento area and uses the rivers as a source of survival and the county of Sacramento wants to keep their culture alive.
The nature center also has activities such as nature walks, beaver hikes were you can see beavers building a damn and owls of October, were you learn about owls and owl pellets. The facility has resident animals, a nature preserve, native plant landscaping, a discovery shop and a discovery room wildlife exhibit.
All of these wonderful offerings to the public might be owned and maintained by the county now, but the idea for the center came from the founder, Effie Yeaw herself. Yeaw promoted appreciation for plant and animal life and was a leader in the movement for protecting Sacramento’s natural environment.
The nature centers goal is “to create a greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of the natural and cultural resources of the Sacramento region, the need to conserve these resources, and their interrelationships and interdependences within in the Earth’s ecosystem.”
The message the county is trying to spread is a positive lifesaving message that everyone should take the time to learn. Even if the nature center had the smallest effect on one child and encourages them to pick up litter or preserve nature in any way then one less person will be working against the natural workings of the Earth in the future. The Earth is one of the only things humans truly need to survive yet most of us treat it like it owes us something.
Monday, October 15, 2007
It's Raining, It's Pouring
Summer is over and the rain has officially come down this year. It might even rain all this week. Rainy weather can be hard to get used to when you’ve been in the sun all summer long. Rain can also be unpredictable and could start drizzling at any time, but eventually the sun will come out and the clouds will move on. Another thing for Sacramento residents to think about is the flood factor in Sacramento. Knowing when it will rain and how much rain we are getting in the area might prove to be very helpful information.
Sacramento County has something that might help with all your weather and flooding information needs. A County website called Storm Ready can be located at http://www.msa.saccounty.net/waterresources/floodready/default.asp.
The County’s Department of Water Resources maintains and operates the website. Sections of the website are updated daily to maintain an accurate weather forecast.
This website is good for checking more then the weather. You can also check the stream levels to see if there is a chance of flooding in the near future, a picture of the water is also included, and the date and time of when the water level was last recorded.
A weather sensor page tells the viewer all about wind speeds, humidity, temperature and precipitation. This page is also broken down into regional areas so you will be able to locate the weather conditions in your immediate area. This can be really helpful if you would like to plan a day trip in a near-by region and want to know what the weather will be like. This information can also be extremely helpful for an expert kite flyer.
The chances of parts of Sacramento flooding are out there, so the County has set up sandbag sites. Explanations for where the sites will be located and the procedures of getting sandbags are also included. There are nine County sandbag sites and 10 non-county listed on the webpage. Information about what to do before, during and after a flood is also included.
This site is so helpful it goes as far as to provide a disaster relief plan for your home. The plan has four steps that are easy to follow. The first suggestion given is to call local authorities and find out what type of damage may occur in the area you live in. You may find out that your community has warning systems or that there are programs to help the disabled.
Creating a disaster plan is the next step. The site suggests sitting down with everyone that lives in the house and coming up with meeting places and escape plans in the event of emergency evacuation. It is important that everyone in the house knows how to turn off the utilities and practices the plan on occasion.
The site is full of important information and is another great example of information provided by the county. The county is using its website to maximize the amount of important, related information to conveniently deliver to the public. It’s brilliant.
Sacramento County has something that might help with all your weather and flooding information needs. A County website called Storm Ready can be located at http://www.msa.saccounty.net/waterresources/floodready/default.asp.
The County’s Department of Water Resources maintains and operates the website. Sections of the website are updated daily to maintain an accurate weather forecast.
This website is good for checking more then the weather. You can also check the stream levels to see if there is a chance of flooding in the near future, a picture of the water is also included, and the date and time of when the water level was last recorded.
A weather sensor page tells the viewer all about wind speeds, humidity, temperature and precipitation. This page is also broken down into regional areas so you will be able to locate the weather conditions in your immediate area. This can be really helpful if you would like to plan a day trip in a near-by region and want to know what the weather will be like. This information can also be extremely helpful for an expert kite flyer.
The chances of parts of Sacramento flooding are out there, so the County has set up sandbag sites. Explanations for where the sites will be located and the procedures of getting sandbags are also included. There are nine County sandbag sites and 10 non-county listed on the webpage. Information about what to do before, during and after a flood is also included.
This site is so helpful it goes as far as to provide a disaster relief plan for your home. The plan has four steps that are easy to follow. The first suggestion given is to call local authorities and find out what type of damage may occur in the area you live in. You may find out that your community has warning systems or that there are programs to help the disabled.
Creating a disaster plan is the next step. The site suggests sitting down with everyone that lives in the house and coming up with meeting places and escape plans in the event of emergency evacuation. It is important that everyone in the house knows how to turn off the utilities and practices the plan on occasion.
The site is full of important information and is another great example of information provided by the county. The county is using its website to maximize the amount of important, related information to conveniently deliver to the public. It’s brilliant.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
U-Tube Blog
U-tube is a revolutionary tool that is being used, by almost anyone with the internet, for multiple uses that are unparallel to anything offered over the internet every before.
U-tube truly allows a person to freely explore the outer fringes of their freedom of speech and freedom of expression by creating any video of their choice and posting it on the internet for millions of people to view at their leisure. The postings can be anonymous or distinctively exhibit the creator’s name. It can be used to search for historical video footage, such as Frank Sinatra’s 1951 debut concert in Las Vegas, or to have some fun with friends.
U-tube is powerful. Simply having a video image attached to a message is a powerful way of trying to get a message across to a general audience. A video’s visual aspect has the ability to capture an audience; like the TV people will watch TV just to watch TV even if theirs nothing good on because visual images are stimulating. U-tube gives a powerful voice to anyone with the multimedia to create a u-tube posting.
U-tube can also be helpful when trying to stay current with the news. Any news clip you would like to view can be found on u-tube. A lot of times breaking news will be on u-tube before it can be seen anywhere else, and this is because people have the power to post video themselves. For example, Saddam Hussein’s execution was on u-tube before the news because witnesses used their camera phones to film the execution and immediately posted the video to U-tube.
U-tube is really anything visual. The idea that u-tube is virtually uncensored can become a negative design because of the limitless possibilities to the videos being posted. People are creating situations to film specifically for u-tube, and some can be very violent. For example high school boys seem to think it is a good idea to violently beat someone, capture it on film and display it on u-tube; which can be controversial. The fact that a person has the option of making themselves anonymous might be cause for more morally questionable video subjects. Maybe a good way to eliminate some of the negative videos would be to force people to proclaim who they are.
Even though controversial issues can be brought up about u-tube the majority of people use it for positive reasons. U-tube can be a helpful resource for a variety of tasks and is a revolutionary form of message boarding.
U-tube truly allows a person to freely explore the outer fringes of their freedom of speech and freedom of expression by creating any video of their choice and posting it on the internet for millions of people to view at their leisure. The postings can be anonymous or distinctively exhibit the creator’s name. It can be used to search for historical video footage, such as Frank Sinatra’s 1951 debut concert in Las Vegas, or to have some fun with friends.
U-tube is powerful. Simply having a video image attached to a message is a powerful way of trying to get a message across to a general audience. A video’s visual aspect has the ability to capture an audience; like the TV people will watch TV just to watch TV even if theirs nothing good on because visual images are stimulating. U-tube gives a powerful voice to anyone with the multimedia to create a u-tube posting.
U-tube can also be helpful when trying to stay current with the news. Any news clip you would like to view can be found on u-tube. A lot of times breaking news will be on u-tube before it can be seen anywhere else, and this is because people have the power to post video themselves. For example, Saddam Hussein’s execution was on u-tube before the news because witnesses used their camera phones to film the execution and immediately posted the video to U-tube.
U-tube is really anything visual. The idea that u-tube is virtually uncensored can become a negative design because of the limitless possibilities to the videos being posted. People are creating situations to film specifically for u-tube, and some can be very violent. For example high school boys seem to think it is a good idea to violently beat someone, capture it on film and display it on u-tube; which can be controversial. The fact that a person has the option of making themselves anonymous might be cause for more morally questionable video subjects. Maybe a good way to eliminate some of the negative videos would be to force people to proclaim who they are.
Even though controversial issues can be brought up about u-tube the majority of people use it for positive reasons. U-tube can be a helpful resource for a variety of tasks and is a revolutionary form of message boarding.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Jon Carroll
“Conservatives can do nothing except withhold endowments, join think tanks and work for lobbying firms, whereas powerful liberals can be tenured English Professors.”
Jon Carroll, columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, uses bold statements and witty suggestive language, such as the above sentence, which was taken from a column written by Carroll, to attract his readers.
Carroll is such a busy columnist he was unable to comment for this article. Even after begging, an interview with Carroll was wishful thinking. I did learn a few things about Carroll though our brief correspondence: 1. He is very busy; 2. He loves to use the word alas. For example his e-mail responses to me read:
“Alas, this is a busy week. I wish you the best of luck.” Then as I continued to beg and offer an e-mail interview I received this e-mail, “Still a busy week. E-mail is not the solution to busyness, alas.”
Alas, the internet, and Jon Carroll’s home page, provided me the information I couldn’t acquire from an interview. Even though I couldn’t dig up an interview I was able to discover that Carroll was born in the same hospital Bobby Kennedy died in, the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. His first job with a newspaper was editing the crosswords, and then he went on to writing the capsule summaries for TV movies. After that I was able to find a laundry list of jobs he once worked and awards he received in the field of journalism.
• Rolling Stones 1970
• Assistant editor, Rags 1971
• Editor, Oui 1972
• Village Voice 1974
• National Magazine Award, 1979
Carroll was then forced to retire and in 1981 and wrote his first column for the chronicle in 1982.
Carroll’s style of writing is a freefall of thought pre-filtered from his mind; everything he’s thinking is dumped onto the table and sorted out with his pen. He ponders on events in the world and writes about them with his own spin and passion. There is an obvious stance and opinion in his column.
Even though I’ve never had the opportunity to interviewing Carroll, his views on Donald Rumsfeld were made apparent in his column on September 27. Carroll stated, “Donald Rumsfeld is not some guy who opposes sex education in schools, or believes that abortion should be illegal, or thinks that women should just stay home and make babies. He’s a guy who displaced 2 million Iraqi citizens. If the phrase “war criminal” means anything anymore, then Donald Rumsfeld is a war criminal.”
Statements such as the one made above is the sort of raw, almost uncensored free speech I like. I hear him thinking through his writing and I like that. I also like his views and sense of humor. Anyone who can make fun of themselves has a great sense of humor.
The picture was also found on Jon Carroll’s home page. The red edits to the picture show Jon’s sense of humor, and as he says, “classic good looks.”
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Turn Trash into Treasure
I want you to think about things you could buy for $250? A tank of gas, groceries for a week and a new pair of shoes, or maybe you just need help paying rent. All you have to do for an extra $250 in your pocket is, essentially, tattle-tale on someone for illegal dumping.
After reading this you’ll think twice about just watching a broke down pick-up truck leave half a slightly-used bedroom behind Safeway near the dumpster. You might even start showing similar characteristics to Inspector Gadget. Your pen will fly from your pocket and you’ll improvise by using a receipt as your paper source.
You’ll hide your face and nonchalantly write down a quick description and his license plate number. You’ll turn that person in to the Illegal Dumping Response Team with total disregard of that poor, old sap. And this is why…
Sacramento County has put many efforts into multi-department teams, new clean-up techniques, barriers to block abused alleys, placed signs near frequent dump zones, and, bump-bada-baaaaa, created a reward program!
The reward system is how YOU can score. All you have to do is catch someone dumping a broken bed or some old tires in an alley. Make sure to get information such as the person’s licenses plate and make and model of the vehicle. A description of the person, time, date and location of the dump would also be very helpful. You want to be as helpful as possible because if your information leads to an arrest or citation you will receive $250.
To report someone who is illegally dumping call the community Assistance Resource Center hotline at:
• Local: 916-875-5656
• Toll free: 888-358-8499
• TDD: 916-875-7105
1,500 tons trash is cleaned-up by the county every year and cost county tax payers over $100,000. There have already been 14 lucky people to receive free money from the County. I guess that means there have been 14 un-lucky people that have had to pay the county, but that’s another article. Illegal dumping has decreased because of the county’s efforts and people calling in illegal dumpers.
The County has also created a program for people who have large items they want to throw. If someone wants something large removed from their home they can call the county’s waste management department and make an appointment to have a bulky-item trash picked up.
Making an appointment would be better then driving around and dumping the crap somewhere; you can dump it in front of your house and have the garbage-man come pick it up. It saves everyone a lot of time and money. The County won’t have to pick up your trash in a cramped alley, and you don’t have to pay a steep fine for leaving all your trash around the city.
After reading this you’ll think twice about just watching a broke down pick-up truck leave half a slightly-used bedroom behind Safeway near the dumpster. You might even start showing similar characteristics to Inspector Gadget. Your pen will fly from your pocket and you’ll improvise by using a receipt as your paper source.
You’ll hide your face and nonchalantly write down a quick description and his license plate number. You’ll turn that person in to the Illegal Dumping Response Team with total disregard of that poor, old sap. And this is why…
Sacramento County has put many efforts into multi-department teams, new clean-up techniques, barriers to block abused alleys, placed signs near frequent dump zones, and, bump-bada-baaaaa, created a reward program!
The reward system is how YOU can score. All you have to do is catch someone dumping a broken bed or some old tires in an alley. Make sure to get information such as the person’s licenses plate and make and model of the vehicle. A description of the person, time, date and location of the dump would also be very helpful. You want to be as helpful as possible because if your information leads to an arrest or citation you will receive $250.
To report someone who is illegally dumping call the community Assistance Resource Center hotline at:
• Local: 916-875-5656
• Toll free: 888-358-8499
• TDD: 916-875-7105
1,500 tons trash is cleaned-up by the county every year and cost county tax payers over $100,000. There have already been 14 lucky people to receive free money from the County. I guess that means there have been 14 un-lucky people that have had to pay the county, but that’s another article. Illegal dumping has decreased because of the county’s efforts and people calling in illegal dumpers.
The County has also created a program for people who have large items they want to throw. If someone wants something large removed from their home they can call the county’s waste management department and make an appointment to have a bulky-item trash picked up.
Making an appointment would be better then driving around and dumping the crap somewhere; you can dump it in front of your house and have the garbage-man come pick it up. It saves everyone a lot of time and money. The County won’t have to pick up your trash in a cramped alley, and you don’t have to pay a steep fine for leaving all your trash around the city.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Pike Take-Over
I’m a strong believer in the idea that this planet wasn’t made for humans; humans were made for this planet. No object, plant or animal, was created to serve people; I think everything works in harmony to support and serve each other.
The Pike population has recently become a problem in Sierra Lake, located in Sacramento County. Based on previous reports, California State Wildlife authorities have dumped poison into Sierra Lake as an attempt to exterminate as many unwanted Pike as possible.
Reasons why the Wildlife authorities do not want Pike in Sierra Lake and are using poison to flush them out:
1. The invading fish are considered to be a threat to the salmon runs in northern California.
2. The intrusive fish drive away the salmon, in-turn driving away the anglers and negatively affecting the local economy.
3. There is a lack of ideas to rid the fish from the lake.
4. The pike have potential to move into the San Joaquin River Delta and affect the endangered species.
With that in mind, I had to ask myself why the people in this area felt the take over of the pikes was such a negative happening. Why can’t people accept the fact that humans have advanced as a culture, and because of that advance have affected all surroundings, including Sierra Lake, and are most likely to blame?
It could be possible that nature is trying to adjust to the changes humans have implemented on the planet. One side-affect of that adjustment is pike in Sierra Lake. The planet is a touchy environment and should be treated with care. If poisoning the lake kills the pike what other affects are taking place? What is the poison is causing a similar incident in another area.
The reason for poisoning is simple; the surrounding lake areas are loosing money due to the lack of salmon, once an attraction and money making aspect for the community. The people in this community have put their own livelihood in front of the livelihood of the planet and have prioritized the lack of salmon over the wellness of the planet.
I know everyone needs money, and all communities have to do what they can to keep the economy flowing, but maybe the earth is a more powerful entity then basic economics.
The Wildlife authorities poisoned the lake once before in 1997, and the pikes returned 18 months later. What makes authorities believe poisoning a second time will work more efficiently, and what about the poison going into our fresh water system?
I think people need to realize that this isn’t a local small town issue; this is a national issue, if not global. How much poison will we allow into the lake before we realize that outside areas will be affected, or before we realize that pollutants like this are most likely the reason occurrences such as the pike take over crop up?
Some things need to be accepted as failures. Humans can’t win every battle against mother earth. If we could we would have destroyed the planet a long time ago. I think these people need to stop worrying about the fish and start concentrating on others ways of bringing money into their community. Adding more poison to the water isn’t the greatest way to attract more people with money to a community.
The Pike population has recently become a problem in Sierra Lake, located in Sacramento County. Based on previous reports, California State Wildlife authorities have dumped poison into Sierra Lake as an attempt to exterminate as many unwanted Pike as possible.
Reasons why the Wildlife authorities do not want Pike in Sierra Lake and are using poison to flush them out:
1. The invading fish are considered to be a threat to the salmon runs in northern California.
2. The intrusive fish drive away the salmon, in-turn driving away the anglers and negatively affecting the local economy.
3. There is a lack of ideas to rid the fish from the lake.
4. The pike have potential to move into the San Joaquin River Delta and affect the endangered species.
With that in mind, I had to ask myself why the people in this area felt the take over of the pikes was such a negative happening. Why can’t people accept the fact that humans have advanced as a culture, and because of that advance have affected all surroundings, including Sierra Lake, and are most likely to blame?
It could be possible that nature is trying to adjust to the changes humans have implemented on the planet. One side-affect of that adjustment is pike in Sierra Lake. The planet is a touchy environment and should be treated with care. If poisoning the lake kills the pike what other affects are taking place? What is the poison is causing a similar incident in another area.
The reason for poisoning is simple; the surrounding lake areas are loosing money due to the lack of salmon, once an attraction and money making aspect for the community. The people in this community have put their own livelihood in front of the livelihood of the planet and have prioritized the lack of salmon over the wellness of the planet.
I know everyone needs money, and all communities have to do what they can to keep the economy flowing, but maybe the earth is a more powerful entity then basic economics.
The Wildlife authorities poisoned the lake once before in 1997, and the pikes returned 18 months later. What makes authorities believe poisoning a second time will work more efficiently, and what about the poison going into our fresh water system?
I think people need to realize that this isn’t a local small town issue; this is a national issue, if not global. How much poison will we allow into the lake before we realize that outside areas will be affected, or before we realize that pollutants like this are most likely the reason occurrences such as the pike take over crop up?
Some things need to be accepted as failures. Humans can’t win every battle against mother earth. If we could we would have destroyed the planet a long time ago. I think these people need to stop worrying about the fish and start concentrating on others ways of bringing money into their community. Adding more poison to the water isn’t the greatest way to attract more people with money to a community.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Bark 'n' Splash Bash
Sacramento County has events that are totally revolved around your pets. If you’re an animal lover and think of Fluffy as a family member this may be an event you will want to check out.
The "Bark ‘n’ Splash Bash" on Saturday, Oct. 13 is an event for dogs to splash around in the pool at the Folsom Aquatic Center located at 1200 Riley St. in Folsom. The event starts at 2 and ends at 5, and can be a great way to meet your dog-loving neighbors.
This may sound strange, but dogs are pack animals, which means they are social and need to be around other dogs, or humans, all the time. Dogs love activities such as this because they get the chance to play in the water and socialize with other dogs.
Dogs will be allowed to swim and frolic in the activity pool equipped with a play structure, sure to please any canine, and easy entry into the pool. There is also a large lawn area for water shy dogs and people who want to sit back and watch their dogs run-a-muck.
Admission is $10 per dog (Human companions are free!), but you will not be allowed in without written proof of your dog’s current license and a leash. There are “off-leash” areas once you are in the facilities.
Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulations will be offering dog licenses, microchip implants ($20) and rabies vaccinations ($5).
For pool safety and health reasons, after the event the pool is drained, cleaned and prepared for the rest of the year.
Also, don’t forget your camera; there is nothing better then pictures of your dog playing with its friends and the local community pool!
Sorry cat lovers; there will not be a kitty pool party anytime soon.
The "Bark ‘n’ Splash Bash" on Saturday, Oct. 13 is an event for dogs to splash around in the pool at the Folsom Aquatic Center located at 1200 Riley St. in Folsom. The event starts at 2 and ends at 5, and can be a great way to meet your dog-loving neighbors.
This may sound strange, but dogs are pack animals, which means they are social and need to be around other dogs, or humans, all the time. Dogs love activities such as this because they get the chance to play in the water and socialize with other dogs.
Dogs will be allowed to swim and frolic in the activity pool equipped with a play structure, sure to please any canine, and easy entry into the pool. There is also a large lawn area for water shy dogs and people who want to sit back and watch their dogs run-a-muck.
Admission is $10 per dog (Human companions are free!), but you will not be allowed in without written proof of your dog’s current license and a leash. There are “off-leash” areas once you are in the facilities.
Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulations will be offering dog licenses, microchip implants ($20) and rabies vaccinations ($5).
For pool safety and health reasons, after the event the pool is drained, cleaned and prepared for the rest of the year.
Also, don’t forget your camera; there is nothing better then pictures of your dog playing with its friends and the local community pool!
Sorry cat lovers; there will not be a kitty pool party anytime soon.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Customer WAS Always Right
Bad service is everywhere these days, restaurants, bars, shopping centers; more or less everywhere. Bad service is most prevalent in youth today because the school system has neglected to teach the basics of respect in the working world and customer service. This could be for multiple reasons such as lack of funding and the necessity to teach only the basics, writing, reading and arithmetic. Or, it could be because people don’t need people anymore. Now we have computers to help us with anything we want; why should any one waist energy politely serving someone else.
An old time waitress will always remember her manners even if the customer is driving her wild with odd requests for things like garlic mayo and pickled veggies. People no longer understand such things such as politeness or customer service. That way of life is frozen within the older generation of our world and has gone out the door for the youth.
Modern technology has created a barrier between human to human interactions. Technology has made it so that people can buy, sell, trade and even feed themselves, with grocery delivery and fast food delivery, without having any human interaction. Before the creation of the computer people were forced to talk to each other and to be polite because they relied on one another to provide services such as: the operator to place a call and mail from the mailman and with that need for each other came good customer service. Now we have cell phones and e-mail. No one knows their mailman anymore or calls the operator.
Maybe this is the reason why the older generations hold on to their skill in service and the youth lacks in that department.
When people stopped talking to each other, it’s like they forgot how to be polite and think of the other person first. When someone sits down to dinner at a restaurant they expect the server to be perfect, to make sure everything they ask for is brought to them. They might even push their server around and think to themselves, “It’s their job.”
Well, it might be the server’s job to bring them their food, but that server isn’t their slave, and most likely has other tables to get to. The bad service may be a result of how the customer treats the server.
Today, any given customer will most likely be talking on their cell phone and the employee will most likely give a rat’s ass about their job. Good service is a two way street; only polite people deserve politeness.
Good service isn’t dead, but it is near extinction. I dare you to go to the any department store at the mall and scan the employees. Take note of the average age of the people in the store and how you are treated. Then Find a mom and Pop store, ran by ‘mom and pop’, and take note of the service you receive. I bet you’ll want to go back to that department store and have a few words with that lazy 17 year old.
If there are places you’ve been that have good service I suggest you tip well and continue going back, because good service is rear, and it is fading faster and faster every year. Good service is a generational thing and it was lost generations ago, people don’t have a deep seeded care for others anymore. So, if you can’t travel back in time, I suggest sticking with that corner burger shack with impeccable service, because you’re not going to find it any where else.
An old time waitress will always remember her manners even if the customer is driving her wild with odd requests for things like garlic mayo and pickled veggies. People no longer understand such things such as politeness or customer service. That way of life is frozen within the older generation of our world and has gone out the door for the youth.
Modern technology has created a barrier between human to human interactions. Technology has made it so that people can buy, sell, trade and even feed themselves, with grocery delivery and fast food delivery, without having any human interaction. Before the creation of the computer people were forced to talk to each other and to be polite because they relied on one another to provide services such as: the operator to place a call and mail from the mailman and with that need for each other came good customer service. Now we have cell phones and e-mail. No one knows their mailman anymore or calls the operator.
Maybe this is the reason why the older generations hold on to their skill in service and the youth lacks in that department.
When people stopped talking to each other, it’s like they forgot how to be polite and think of the other person first. When someone sits down to dinner at a restaurant they expect the server to be perfect, to make sure everything they ask for is brought to them. They might even push their server around and think to themselves, “It’s their job.”
Well, it might be the server’s job to bring them their food, but that server isn’t their slave, and most likely has other tables to get to. The bad service may be a result of how the customer treats the server.
Today, any given customer will most likely be talking on their cell phone and the employee will most likely give a rat’s ass about their job. Good service is a two way street; only polite people deserve politeness.
Good service isn’t dead, but it is near extinction. I dare you to go to the any department store at the mall and scan the employees. Take note of the average age of the people in the store and how you are treated. Then Find a mom and Pop store, ran by ‘mom and pop’, and take note of the service you receive. I bet you’ll want to go back to that department store and have a few words with that lazy 17 year old.
If there are places you’ve been that have good service I suggest you tip well and continue going back, because good service is rear, and it is fading faster and faster every year. Good service is a generational thing and it was lost generations ago, people don’t have a deep seeded care for others anymore. So, if you can’t travel back in time, I suggest sticking with that corner burger shack with impeccable service, because you’re not going to find it any where else.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sac County Cool Fact #1
There are a lot of interesting things about Sacramento County that might interest you. The County runs campaigns and holds events all the time. A lot of them are free, and if they're not free they're inexpensive.
One cool campaign Sacramento County's Department of Parks and Recreation sponsors is called Passports to Parks. Passports to parks is a way to raise money and allow local citizens an inexpensive way to enjoy the American River parkways.
A Passport is $40 per year/per household. The $40 parking pass allows one car to park without paying the $5 parking fee, which was just raised a dollar from $4. After just 10 visits to the park the passport pays for itself. 100 percent of the money earned from passports is spent on maintaining, patrolling and restoring the parkway.
County departments don't have much money for big projects or expensive maintenance issues, so campaigns such as this one are really helpful in the process of keeping the parkways green and safe.
Even if you walk or bike to the parkway you have the option of purchasing a sponsor pass, which is simply a $40 donation to help support parks.
The passport is also a great gift idea. if you have a friend who is an avid cyclist, or just someone who rides the bike trails for fun, buying them a passport will save them a lot of money over the course of a year.
Floating down the river on a hot summer day is great but if you have to park two cars at two locations that's a $10 fee total. With the passport parking would be cheaper for the summer and make a summer-time-float more convenient.
The message here is that the County has many things to offer the residence of Sacramento County, but people don't take advantage of them because they are uninformed. To learn more about the County keep reading my blog and enjoy the place where you live and everything it has to offer.
One cool campaign Sacramento County's Department of Parks and Recreation sponsors is called Passports to Parks. Passports to parks is a way to raise money and allow local citizens an inexpensive way to enjoy the American River parkways.
A Passport is $40 per year/per household. The $40 parking pass allows one car to park without paying the $5 parking fee, which was just raised a dollar from $4. After just 10 visits to the park the passport pays for itself. 100 percent of the money earned from passports is spent on maintaining, patrolling and restoring the parkway.
County departments don't have much money for big projects or expensive maintenance issues, so campaigns such as this one are really helpful in the process of keeping the parkways green and safe.
Even if you walk or bike to the parkway you have the option of purchasing a sponsor pass, which is simply a $40 donation to help support parks.
The passport is also a great gift idea. if you have a friend who is an avid cyclist, or just someone who rides the bike trails for fun, buying them a passport will save them a lot of money over the course of a year.
Floating down the river on a hot summer day is great but if you have to park two cars at two locations that's a $10 fee total. With the passport parking would be cheaper for the summer and make a summer-time-float more convenient.
The message here is that the County has many things to offer the residence of Sacramento County, but people don't take advantage of them because they are uninformed. To learn more about the County keep reading my blog and enjoy the place where you live and everything it has to offer.
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