Today marks the first anniversary of my first post on this blog. In that post, you'll see a photo of my big, ugly sneakers and some information about how and where you can recycle old shoes.
In the one year since that first post, I've written about all things recycling: recycling electronics, recycling paper and metal, even recycling car safety seats. If you can't already tell, recycling is a regular part of my life. I started this blog so that when I spot something useful, I can share it easily. I also wrote about a variety of other topics this year.
The most intriguing to me was the mysterious booming noise heard over most of south Hampton Roads in May. With a few e-mails to various agencies and some digging on the Internet, I learned that such occurrences have been reported near bodies of water around the world, dating back centuries. I also enjoyed writing about my first ride on Norfolk's light rail system, which happened on the day of the earthquake. And there was Hurricane Irene, just a few days after the earthquake.
My most popular topic, judging by the stats report, involved the nationwide shortage of the ADHD drug Adderall. A lot of people, my family included, have been having trouble filling our prescriptions for several months.
In all, 196 blog posts in 365 days. That includes my middle of the night, insomnia-induced stream of consciousness ramble about...George Plimpton.
This being a leap year, I have one extra day to write. I wonder if can eclipse the past year's mark of 196 posts. Or, if I can't beat the quantity, perhaps I can improve on the quality. We shall see...
Back to recycling. Today I recycled two fluorescent bulbs that had been gathering dust in my house for over a year. Batteries-Plus locations will accept fluorescent bulbs and most batteries, including those tiny button batteries, for recycling. And I recycled a mess of CD's at my local Best Buy.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Child Seat Roundup
The AAA of Tidewater Virginia, Drive Safe Hampton Roads, and several other organizations are teaming up for the 23rd Annual Old, Used, Borrowed and Abused Child Safety Seat Round-Up. During the month of February, take any old, used, or hand-me-down safety seat to any Wal-Mart, DMV center, or AAA office. The seat will be recycled and disposed of properly.
The reason they do this: safety. Experts say car safety seats pose a greater risk of failure in a crash the older they get. Some of them could have been recalled by the manufacturer. Hand-me-down seats could have been involved in one crash already and may be damaged.
For more information, call 757-498-2562 or visit the Drive Safe Hampton Roads Facebook page.
The reason they do this: safety. Experts say car safety seats pose a greater risk of failure in a crash the older they get. Some of them could have been recalled by the manufacturer. Hand-me-down seats could have been involved in one crash already and may be damaged.
For more information, call 757-498-2562 or visit the Drive Safe Hampton Roads Facebook page.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Voter Registration Deadlines
Here are the deadlines for unregistered voters to sign up to vote in the 2012 elections.
Voter registration is available at public libraries, Virginia DMV offices, local registrars offices and online.
For more information, visit the Virginia State Board of Elections registration information page.
- March 6th Virginia Republican Primary: Monday, February 13. Absentee ballot applications must be delivered by Saturday, March 3rd.
- November 6th General Election: Monday, October 15th.
Voter registration is available at public libraries, Virginia DMV offices, local registrars offices and online.
For more information, visit the Virginia State Board of Elections registration information page.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Watching TV? Walk During the Commercials for a Decent Workout
Watching TV doesn't have to be a lazy activity. In fact, a new study shows TV time can be a perfect time for a small workout.
Researchers at the University of Tennessee studied a group of about two dozen men and women of various ages and activity levels. They compared the numbers of calories burned while each walked in place or sat during commercial breaks. Walking in place burned an average of 148 calories, twice the number burned from sitting. The calories burned while walking only during the commercials were half as many as the amount burned when the participants walked on a treadmill through the entire program.
We certainly have no shortage of commercial time during which to exercise. Today's average television hour has less than 45 minutes of actual programming, with the rest being filled with paid advertisements or station promotions, according to www.TooManyCommercials.com.
Link:
Monday, January 23, 2012
Headphones: Something Else to Worry About
In my 20-plus years in radio, I have always been careful with the volume of my headphones. I have known more than a few colleagues with hearing loss. I have always assumed that hearing loss from prolonged or reckless use of headphones was the only concern. Turns out I was wrong.
New research suggests people wearing headphones while walking are more likely to be hit by a car, truck, or train. Using 2010-2011 data from the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission and Google, researchers at the University Maryland found 47 cases in which a pedestrian wearing headphones had been injured or killed from being hit by a vehicle. That's nearly triple the number from 2004 and 2005, when the iPod revolution was just taking off. Most of the victims were under 30 years of age. The analysts said headphones or earbuds can block out the sound of oncoming traffic and even car horns.
Headphone noise can, as I stated earlier, lead to hearing loss. A 2010 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 1 in 5 teenagers had some form of hearing loss, a 30 percent jump from the 1980's.
How loud is too loud? The Deafness Research Foundation recommends 85 decibels as the maximum safe volume to avoid hearing loss. That's a little louder than a telephone dial tone. Above 90db, hearing damage can occur with prolonged exposure.
The recommendation...turn down the volume. You might just hear that car coming up behind you. And you can avoid issues with your hearing down the road.
Links:
http://www.drf.org/news/38/iPod+generation+risk+losing+hearing
http://news.yahoo.com/injuries-pedestrians-wearing-headphones-tripled-since-2004-000807324.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20014372-10391704.html
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html
New research suggests people wearing headphones while walking are more likely to be hit by a car, truck, or train. Using 2010-2011 data from the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission and Google, researchers at the University Maryland found 47 cases in which a pedestrian wearing headphones had been injured or killed from being hit by a vehicle. That's nearly triple the number from 2004 and 2005, when the iPod revolution was just taking off. Most of the victims were under 30 years of age. The analysts said headphones or earbuds can block out the sound of oncoming traffic and even car horns.
Headphone noise can, as I stated earlier, lead to hearing loss. A 2010 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 1 in 5 teenagers had some form of hearing loss, a 30 percent jump from the 1980's.
How loud is too loud? The Deafness Research Foundation recommends 85 decibels as the maximum safe volume to avoid hearing loss. That's a little louder than a telephone dial tone. Above 90db, hearing damage can occur with prolonged exposure.
The recommendation...turn down the volume. You might just hear that car coming up behind you. And you can avoid issues with your hearing down the road.
Links:
http://www.drf.org/news/38/iPod+generation+risk+losing+hearing
http://news.yahoo.com/injuries-pedestrians-wearing-headphones-tripled-since-2004-000807324.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20014372-10391704.html
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Chimney Sweeping Log -- Does it Work?
By now you've seen the Chimney Sweeping Log, a fabricated log that's supposed to clean your chimney as it burns, advertised on TV. The commercial, with its urgent voice over and images of a house in flames, has the same "it's a miracle" tone as spots for Mighty Putty, Thigh Master, and other "As Seen on TV" products. Does the Chimney Sweeping Log work as advertised? From what I've read, it does what the commercials say it does.
The Chimney Sweeping Log is imbedded with the chemicals that chimney sweeps use to remove 3rd stage glaze, the most serious kind of creosote buildup, from chimney walls. The manufacturer claims the log can remove up to 60% percent of the cresote from a chimney. But that still leaves some flammable creosote in the chimney, and fire experts say that's a problem.
The Washington Public Fire Educators have stated they are concerned with what the Creosote Sweeping Log doesn't do. It doesn't remove all of the creosote. And it doesn't provide that visual safety inspection of the chimney that can find problems like cracks or chimney blockages.
In addition, the Chimney Safety Institute of America reports the Chimney Sweeping Log is not an adequate substitute for regular chimney cleaning and inspection. Fire safety experts recommend an annual sweeping by a certified chimney sweep, who can remove all of the creosote and look for any other chimney problems.
Below: The commercial for the Chimney Sweeping Log.
Links:
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/hocslog.htm
http://www.wsafc.org/WPFE/Position%20Papers/Chimney%20Cleaning.pdf
http://www.csia.org/
The Chimney Sweeping Log is imbedded with the chemicals that chimney sweeps use to remove 3rd stage glaze, the most serious kind of creosote buildup, from chimney walls. The manufacturer claims the log can remove up to 60% percent of the cresote from a chimney. But that still leaves some flammable creosote in the chimney, and fire experts say that's a problem.
The Washington Public Fire Educators have stated they are concerned with what the Creosote Sweeping Log doesn't do. It doesn't remove all of the creosote. And it doesn't provide that visual safety inspection of the chimney that can find problems like cracks or chimney blockages.
In addition, the Chimney Safety Institute of America reports the Chimney Sweeping Log is not an adequate substitute for regular chimney cleaning and inspection. Fire safety experts recommend an annual sweeping by a certified chimney sweep, who can remove all of the creosote and look for any other chimney problems.
Below: The commercial for the Chimney Sweeping Log.
Links:
http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/hocslog.htm
http://www.wsafc.org/WPFE/Position%20Papers/Chimney%20Cleaning.pdf
http://www.csia.org/
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Free Credit Reports
AnnualCreditReport.com grew out of the FACT Act (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act) that President George W. Bush signed into law in 2003. The FACT Act allows every American to look at their credit reports once every 12 months for free. Credit experts recommend a credit report check once a year.
The website does not provide your credit score (that's available through the reporting agencies for a fee), but it does allow you to look for any errors in your credit history. For example, when my wife and I tried buying a car in 1989, we found that her credit report mistakenly included her dad's mortgage. The website includes links for disputing a credit report error.
The website also offers credit advice. Equifax recommends keeping a very old credit account, like my 20 year old gasoline card account, open, even if you don't use it very often. Old accounts increase the average age of your credit accounts, which indicates stability to lenders.
It's recommended you print each report once it's compiled, since you won't be able to view it again for a year. You can also save the reports in .pdf format.
Link:
www.AnnualCreditReport.com
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