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A Manic Monday
The start of any month in Polk County usually is a hectic time for me. But this Monday? It hit me like a ton of bricks.
For the newsletter subscribers, you’ll get the day in brief in some of the items below (along with some that haven’t been published yet, so shhhhh…)
Those who haven’t signed up to the newsletter, too bad. That’s why it’s a good idea to do so. It’s also free, so why wouldn’t you do so?
Anyhow, I promised on Monday morning I’d find something topical to discuss and so I want to get into an item again that I was listening to at the Polk County Commission’s work session last night: litter.
Keep Polk Beautiful’s Randy Cook asked the County Commission during a presentation for several items last night, and you can find the livestream on FB and fast forward to listen to the whole thing. But he brought us back to a photo that was featured in past weeks of a giant pile of litter on the side of the road featuring a sign calling out residents for letting our byways get this way.
We all play a role in this, it’s all our fault. We’ve lost the ability to comprehend shame in the way our environment is being treated and looks to outsiders as well as our neighbors next door. I’m just as responsible, not giving it enough attention at all and not putting my own money where my mouth is.
After all, my industry is directly responsible for some of that litter. Whether it be newsprint or busted phones, the physical medium of our trade is dumped with impunity around our community.
So here I am, lecturing you about litter again instead of doing something about it. Check back later today if the weather works out for something interesting.
In the meantime, I want you to watch this instructive video on the problems of plastic pollution.
DO YOUR PART. Grab a trash bag and take a walk along your road frontage. Pick up some trash, fill up a bag. Do this once a week. We might end up with a cleaner community. If my lazy butt can do it, so can you.
Seriously. I’m tired of all the trash.
-Kevin the Editor
Today’s forecast
Forecasters in Peachtree City call for a chance of showers in Polk County, so baseball fans don’t count on any games today. Especially with chances of a thunderstorm after 3 p.m. High of 53 expected for the day (oh… March weather…) and some wind between 5 to 10 mph. Rain chance: 60%. It gets worse for tonight, with a low of 39 expected and at least a half inch of rain expected overnight. Rain chance: 90%. (I’ll sleep great then… rain on TV, rain in real life.)
Don’t get your hopes up for Wednesday, with wet weather expected before 7 a.m., only partly sunny skies for the day and a high of 60 degrees. Clear skies expected overnight, with a low of 36. A day of sunshine for Thursday, and Friday, but weekend showers are currently possible. Fingers crossed for a nice Saturday and Sunday.
I’m just glad not to be in the Northeast or upper midwest like Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, where it is forecasted to be 13 degrees today. Ouch.
A Note: Several people have expressed their desire to support Polk.Today via a contribution of some kind, but don’t feel comfortable using PayPal to do so. Those who do? Use the link. But you know what? I totally get why you might not want to contribute via online payments. I have to have credit card processing of some kind, and it is convenient for me, but not so much for you. Totally understood. If you want to make a contribution of some kind to help keep Polk.Today free for all, you can mail a check directly to my office box at 113 N. Main St., Ste. 2, Cedartown, Ga., 30125. Those who give at least $60 will of course receive a free subscription to Kevintheeditor.com when it launches later this month. Thanks to everyone who has given so far! E-mail me at kevin@polk.today anytime you want to chat.
Something to Watch this Morning
In relation to the Monday newsletter message, here’s an item I found interesting from a TED talk. Check it out!
Something to Read this Morning
The start of something that we all need to have a conversation about: vaccine equality. Here in Polk as of Monday, some 5,882 people had gotten at least the first dose. Fulton County? 314,746 doses have been administered. (Link from AP News)
Not yet… just… not yet. People are acting like we can go back to normal. NOT YET. (Nytimes link.)
Taking care of the environment locally, statewide, nationally and globally isn’t just about picking up trash and using energy efficient light bulbs. It’s also about how much gas we burn, how much our air conditioners crank up in the summer and need electrical plants to keep up, how many flights we take daily. The Biden Administration, per Ars Technica, is putting a price on the carbon emissions caused by fossil fuels. (In short: Get ready to plant a lot of trees, and bamboo, and grasses. Anything that can suck up the carbon dioxide, and fast.)
The kind of police viral video we can all get behind. (WSB-TV)
The BBC is reporting on the thousands of Syrians still missing since their Civil War broke out in 2011.
Bloomberg: Trumps got vaccinated before leaving the White House. Well, I guess he was still president. Even if he had COVID previously.
