- In a world where most responsible companies are at least making a mild effort to be more enviro-friendly in their business operations, I always applaud those who come up with interesting and effective new ideas. Today’s tip of the cap goes to snack-food maker Sun Chips, which has come up with an innovative new packaging system for its product that is the first fully compostable chip bag of its kind. At present, 33 percent every 10 1/2 oz. size Sun Chips bag is made with renewable, plant-based materials. The company felt it could do better than one-third and went to work on a way to reduce waste by further improving its packaging. The result of their efforts is the new Sun Chips bag, which is designed to fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile. Sun Chips terms the new bag its “first step to reduce the amount of non–renewable materials we use for packaging.” Considering how many people, in the United States especially, eat chips and how many people are too lazy to take their empty chip bag all the way to the garbage can and instead drop it on the ground (not throw, as that would involve too much physical exertion) right in front of them. Now, when these lazy slugs pound down a bag of Sun Chips, fish the last few crumbs out of the bottom of the bag and summarily drop it on the ground, at least that bag won’t sit around for months, polluting the environment. Instead, it will gradually biodegrade over the course of three-plus months and then it will be gone. It’s not going to solve all of our environmental issues in one fell swoop, but it’s a good step forward…………
- While most sports fans would likely (and probably do, in fact) be pumped about the possibility of seeing their favorite team and sport come to life in 3-D, I’m not nearly as excited about the announcement that ESPN will unveil the industry's first 3-D network in 2010. ESPN 3D will showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, beginning June 11 with the first 2010 FIFA World Cup match, featuring South Africa versus Mexico, ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer announced. Why am I so glum on this development? Because I freaking hate 3-D, that’s why. I don’t want or need the action on the screen to come “leaping” off of it and at me. Any innovation that involves me slamming on ridiculous-looking, red-and-blue 3-D glasses that look like rejected eyewear from the early ‘90s is a bad innovation in my book. I’m perfectly fine with HD and even non-HD programming in two dimensions, thank you. Here’s a great idea: If I want 3-D, I’ll freaking go to a freaking game. Otherwise, I don’t want to see some Brazilian soccer player’s crossing pass come flying into my living room through the magic of 3-D or a blitzing linebacker charging right at me in my favorite chair on a third-and-long from the 35-yard-line. Those ridiculous 3-D glasses and images usually give me a headache anyhow, so I can say with relative certainty that I will not be watching when ESPN televises the following events in 3-D: the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, college basketball and football contests, up to 25 World Cup matches and the Summer X Games. "ESPN's commitment to 3-D is a win for fans and our business partners," Bodenheimer said in a statement. "ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan's viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing." Whatever you say, G. I just know that when Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys tried showing the third quarter of one of their games in 3-D on the giant LCD video boards at Cowboys Stadium this season, it was a complete and utter disaster and fans who were a part of the experience hated it. But supposedly ESPN has been testing ESPN 3D for more than two years, even showing a USC-Ohio State college football game in select theaters and to 6,000 fans at the Galen Center on USC's campus, so it’s all good. And sure, the biggest cable sports network in the world embracing 3-D broadcasting is a big development, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good one…………
- Some people love squirrels, some people hate them……but pretty much no one in the world wants their town overrun by these giants rats with bushy tails. The good citizens of Walnut Creek, Calif. are facing just such a problem. Squirrels have invaded Walnut Creek in troubling numbers and they are freaking nightmares, wreaking havoc on gardens and digging up lawns. Their burrows are everywhere and have weakened a set of old ranch buildings and undermined roads. A disheartened citizenry has tried nearly everything to address the problem, including smoke bombs to take out the squirrels. The obvious answer would seem to be poison of some sort of just shooting the freaking squirrels and cooking them for dinner, but rather than having squirrel stew or a bunch of poisoned squirrels to pick up and dispose of, the town is trying a more eco-friendly, course-of-nature solution to its problem. The county is luring birds to Walnut Creek with the ideas that these creatures of prey will come in, feast on the squirrels and eliminate the nuisance. "Yes we are. We welcome them," said Beth Slate of the Contra Costa County Agriculture Department of the birds. "We want to encourage the hawks which are a lot more suburban, residential friendly to reduce the squirrel population." . This fall, the county built 20 of the perches, strategically placing them next to large colonies of burrows to attract raptors. "They like to perch in an open area looking over an open field and swoop down and get their prey," explained CCCAD commissioner Vince Guise. Sounds like a solid solution to me, assuming that these birds don’t have a predilection for crapping all over people’s cards, porches and sidewalks. But build your raptor perches, put up signs welcoming the birds to your town, do whatever you want. Fact is, it’s probably cheaper and easier than poisoning the stupid squirrels anyhow, so everyone wins here. Well, except the squirrels. But outside of those kooks at PETA, I doubt anyone is too broken up by their demise. And by the way, PETA freaks, if you’re not down with this new plan, please talk directly to the birds doing the squirrel snatching and I’m sure you all will be able to hammer out some sort of agreement……….
- What a freaking train wreck former NBA player Jayson Williams has become – and that’s after dude allegedly blew a hole in his limo driver with a shotgun back in 2002 and (allegedly) tried to cover it up by pawning it off as a suicide. As a quick refresher, Williams had been drinking on that fateful day and was showing off a shotgun in his bedroom in February 2002 when he snapped the weapon shut and it fired one shot that struck driver Costas Christofi in the chest. Witnesses said at Williams’ trial that he initially placed the gun in the dead man's hands and instructed those present to lie about what happened. In spite of that testimony, the jury deadlocked on the reckless manslaughter count, acquitted Williams of aggravated manslaughter and convicted him of covering up the shooting. He was never sentenced for the cover-up counts, pending the outcome of the retrial, and has remained free on bail. What has he done with his freedom? Well, he was charged with assault in May after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, although those charges were ultimately dropped. His wife filed for divorce, which doesn’t involve a crime but is depressing nonetheless. Then there was the incident at a New York hotel when police used a stun gun on him after a female friend said he was acting suicidal. Having had all of that happen in 2009 and with a potential retrial on the manslaughter charge looming, you might think that my man J. Williams would lay low and try to avoid having the sh*t hit the fan any more than it already has. Of course, you would be wrong. Either this guy doesn’t know when enough is enough or he’s a huge fan of Tiger Woods’ driving, but Williams was charged with drunken driving while lying in a hospital bed after his SUV struck a tree in Manhattan at 3:15 a.m. ET Tuesday on a northbound exit of FDR Drive. Police said that the black Mercedes-Benz SUV was exiting FDR Drive at East 20th Street in Manhattan when it veered off the curved exit and crushed a tree that was standing by, minding its own business. Williams was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he refused a breath test, leading police to ask for a warrant to test blood taken by hospital officials for alcohol content. Williams suffered a minor bone fracture in his neck and cuts to his face, but that pain had to pale in comparison to seeing the cops walk in the door of his hospital room and charge him with drunken driving. What’s curious about the accident itself is that Williams was in the passenger seat when officers arrived, but witnesses told police they saw him on the driver's side and there was no one else in the car. Was he somehow attempting to cover up what really happened and was just too drunk and shaken up to realize how futile that attempt was? I can’t answer that, but I can say confidently that this guy just might be the biggest train wreck of a former pro athlete that we have seen in some time. When he blew that hole in Christofi, Williams was an NBA analyst for NBC after retiring from the game due to overcome a broken leg suffered a year earlier. Maybe he never overcame the emotional pain of having his career end prematurely, but whatever the reason, his life has spiraled utterly out of control ever since. Accidentally shooting his limo driver, attempting to cover up the real story of the shooting, getting divorced, getting into a brawl outside of a bar, getting Tased at another bar because you were acting suicidal and then getting liquored up and crushing a tree with your SUV? That’s a downward spiral if I ever saw one and as sad as this is to say, I do not see this ending well for Williams…………
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