Urban Life

Show Only ...
Maps - Photos - Videos

American Outrage Over Red Blinkers

|

I hear that Congress passed Trade Promotion Authority for the President. This will certainly mean the demise of red blinkers on the backs of American cars. This is an exclusive American feature on our cars. Unsafe? Maybe. But it’s one of the ways that American cars are globally unique. Heck, even the Japanese have been putting red blinkers on their cars, to be more red-blooded American (and because America requires bigger tail lamps).

Where is the outrage? Red-blooded Americans should have right to red blinkers. Americans shouldn’t put up with foreign countries demanding we have ugly amber blinkers on the rear end of our cars. I’m sure the Republicans will put in a bill to protect the basic American right to have red blinkers on the rear-end of our cars.

Of course, if our American Automakers were patriotic but want to be trade-friendly, there is an alternative they could adapt. They could use clear glass and have yellow light bulbs. That way the blinkers appear white — blending in with the backup lights — until somebody hit’s the blinker button and they turn yellow. But that might cost Detroit 50 cents more per car and that is simply un-American.

Lawns are buffer space 🌾

|

Lately there has been a meme on social media attacking the suburbanite lawn, the vast space of empty green, manicured and cut to a perfect height, fertilized and sprayed to ensure no weeds or unwanted grasses.

You can be critical for good reason to the suburban, chemically treated lawn – especially those who put so much care into it they don’t want people to even walk on it. Lawns – even with robust grasses like fescue – are pretty delicate, they turn brown due to a lack of rain and quickly can become mud and worn if they are repeatedly walked across by people, animals or livestock.

But I do see benefits to having a small, largely natural lawn too. For one, grasses and their roots tie down the dirt and mud so your not tracking it all indoors. If you have land that isn’t productive – it’s buffer space than you don’t want to be a nuisance.

Buffer space is important. Setting your house back from trees means less likely for storm damage when a branch comes down. Being back from the road means less noise from passing cars and noxious fumes. It provides a defensible space during wild fire. Livestock like pigs have odors, cows and roosters are noisy. For both reasons of noxious odor and fire safety, you don’t want your trash burner near your house. Hay, cows and campfire don’t smell that bad but burnt plastic, hog manure and fermented grain aren’t exactly wonderful smells to be drifting in your window whole eating dinner.

Buffer space is important. But every foot of grass you have for buffer could be forage or forest producing useful agricultural or forest products. It’s a trade-off but can be made reasonably well if buffer is limited and it’s largely natural with common grasses and weeds, while surrounded by natural forests, local plants and cleared of invasive species.