WEDNESDAY'S HUM ( 6-14-06 )
IDLE CHATTER
Story out of Northampton, Ma. about public education grant to be used by three communities in Western Mass to raise awareness about the evils of idling. Gist of the article comes down to:
- " If you're going to idle your vehicle for more than 10 seconds, it's better to turn your engine off."
- " It will save you gas, but more importantly, it will reduce greenhouse emissions."
- Idling-reduction programs have already started at certain elementary schools in Amherst, Northampton and Easthampton.
- Did you know that Massachusetts state law limits idling to five minutes, with exceptions.
- One drawback of turning vehicle on and off a lot ? Tough on the starter.
QUICK PIC
Check out the Burlingtonian for funny cartoon of Uncle Sam with the shakes.
NOT J.J.!
As if Duke University needs more bad press. Squeaky clean J.J. Reddick, who along with Duke has a huge fan base in northern Vermont, was arrested on drunk driving charges in North Carolina. You'd think he could afford a cab with the big money coming his way.
NEXT UP - TOM LICATA
To those of you who thought Licata was a new dance craze or a specialty pasta from Price Chopper, guess again. Tom Licata is a ward 6 resident of Burlington who has run for a city council seat, unsuccessfully. He's also spearheaded a tax revolt, and Monday was his night in the sun, er, spotlight. Read some of his comments here along with comments of other very unhappy people, courtesy of WCAX.com.
FIVE CORNERS UPDATE
It was bumper sticker heaven at the Essex Junction Five Corners Light yesterday. The car in front of me had one that read, Tailgaiters Buy My Cars, while the car up ahead in the right lane had a message stating, Your Little Princess is My Little Whore. The lady in the first vehicle looked to be a cigarette afficionado, and the gentleman driving the rusty princess whore vehicle looked, well, undereducated.
There were also numerous trucks with numbers on them, presumably carrying drivers who just can't get enough Nascar in their lives. Those drivers also looked, well, undereducated. But macho.
The best bumper sticker simply said, Breathe Deeply, which is not a good idea at the Five Corners, or as I lovingly call it, Idler's Cove. But I breathed deeply anyway, and felt better for it.
posted by Brian Mcclintock at 22:39
3 Comments:
Hey bozo nascar is the most poplar sport all over the world! what do watch? Baseball? figure skating?
Thanks for the blog mention! :)
Speaking of idling, in Burlington, we also have an ordinance in the books, that:
No person shall leave idling for more than five (5) minutes any motor vehicle in any area of the city during the period from April 1 of every year to November 1 of the same year, except in the following instances:
(1) Motors used to run refrigeration units may be left idling to permit uninterrupted refrigeration;
(2) A motor vehicle may be left idling if necessary for the repair of that vehicle;
(3) This provision shall not apply to motor vehicles which must be kept idling in order to install, maintain or repair equipment or infrastructure.
(4) This provision shall not apply in any situation in which the health or safety of a driver or passenger requires the idling of the vehicle.
A proponent of the stopping of idling, Jim Flint, a Ward 4 resident and avid gardener, spoke up at Monday's City Council public forum about this issue, saying, "City could be able to reduce energy costs in the budget (as they have been on the increase) by shutting off unnesessary idling of vehicles. A city employee [he] noticed was idling his vehicle at a convience store during a break so that [the employee] could listen to the radio."
Also, thanks for linking to the Vermon t Libertarian Party site as well :)
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