A few weeks ago I posted two questions from readers about where they can recycle certain products. One reader left a comment and I got a few e-mails that might help answer the questions.
Pat from Spring Grove was trying to find a way to recycle computers.
Well, Pat it looks like there are plenty of ways to do that.
I'm usually of the mindset that some of Jersey's beaches are its only redeeming quality so I was surprised this morning to read in the Philadelphia Inquirer about a new recycling program being implemented in Cherry Hill.
The new program called RecycleBank offers incentives for residents to recycle. People earn credits for the number of pounds of recyclable products that are collected each week and the points can be redeemed at stores such as Lowe's, Acme, AMC Theaters, Ikea and ShopRite.
All of this talk about basic rights under the Constitution coming from the landmark Second Amendment decision from the Supreme Court yesterday got me thinking. Sure, the Constitution ensures basic rights. But can you really use them in today's world and not expect retribution from the entity that has the most power over us?
Think of the person who has the most direct power over you today. In everyday practice, it's not the government. Most likely, it's your boss, your company. They control a full 8 hours of your day. And, as it turns out, the carrot-and-stick that is your paycheck is a 24/7 retribution waiting to happen.
I have gotten tons of feedback about today's story on tap water vs. bottled water.
I couldn't include everyone in the story and as I'm still getting new e-mails with tips and reasons daily I decided to include some of the other comments I've been getting here.
Feel free to leave your on comments and reasoning about why you like tap water or bottled water better.
An interesting story this morning in the New York Times about people in Denver wanting to actually move back into Denver from the suburbs. It's a growing phenomenon since gas prices are going up.
What does this mean for York County, where our city is trying to draw people back into living there, and yet most of our growth is in the commuter-oriented southern area near Shrewsbury and other towns?
Is anyone worried the cul-de-sacs along the Maryland line could one day be as empty as some blocks in the city?
American troops bled and died trying to secure Iraq after they freed its people of Saddam Hussein. Say what you will about whether our troops should have been sent over there. They were deployed, and that's enough for this discussion.
So why do oil companies from Pakistan (won't let us go get Osama), Vietnam (the regime there is the same one we fought in the war) and others get to profit from Iraqi oil fields?
Is it right to have thousands of our troops die to secure the oil fields that the Chinese and Europeans and others will use to fuel their industries against ours?
Where is the justice for an American soldier or Marine who watched friends die so an oil field could one day be brought to bear on the world market, only to come home and not be able to afford gasoline?
Say what you will about the free market, but other nations don't adhere to free market principles. They don't play by the rules. So why should we?
York County can still be a gorgeous place to live, with beautiful, natural landscapes barely a half-hour's drive away from even downtown. It's amazing considering the area's history as a hub of the American of the manufacturing industry during its peak.
It almost makes you doubt what everyone says about how global warming and exploiting the land will take all our world's natural beauty away. It's still there despite human beings going through a far dirtier time.
I mean, we still have today the same mountains towering over our towns, and the same streams flowing through our valleys ....
My college friend Lauren has a dilemma.
Her work department is having a beach retreat. Now who doesn't love the beach -- sun, sand, surf. It's great for vacations with friends and family.
But with coworkers?
That's a whole different story. Consider the wardrobe issue.
Just to get you started on your day here are some of today's big stories.
McCrory's site sells.
County mulls shorter week.
The Post's top editor to step down.
Former customers off limits to Verizon.
And my favorite sports story of the morning highlights the idiocy of some professional athletes. When ever will they learn...
It's been a crazy morning in the newsroom, so I apologize for the delay in getting you your Monday morning news.
Here's what you can expect this week.
The York Young Professionals have an artist event on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Arts Center of York (10 N. Beaver St.) for the opening of the Gale Jamieson exhibit. After the opening, YYP members are having a social at the Off Center Grill in the Yorktowne Hotel from 8 to 9 p.m.
The networking groups will also be meeting this week. For times and locations see Sunday's Money and More.
My first cell phone resembled a black, plastic brick that, I believe, weighed more than the neighbor's dog.
Unlike many of today's belt-hanging mini computers, my phone didn't "flip" anything, unless you count the telescoping antenna that snapped off in a light breeze.
During the last 15 years, mobile communication, like most technology, has jumped forward with nearly every shiny gadget that has hit the retail market.
However, not every advancement has discovered the same profit niche as cell phones.
So much news in one short week. But don't worry if you missed a thing or two. I'm here to catch you up like I do every Friday.
Without further ado, here is your week in biz.
Voith's bringing some jobs to town.
Harley workers react to temporary layoff.
The Chinese food place with the turtle in the sink has reopened after scoring a 99 on the newest inspection.
Flying Feet running store gets recognition.
And your "I don't believe it" news for the day is this: Virginia man sheds 80 pounds eating at McDonald's.
And because it's Friday, this seems appropriate:
I was driving past a Citgo gas station right off Route 30 on the east side of town today and saw regular gas for $4.02. This is the first time I've seen regular gas jump past $3.99.
Has anyone else seen it over $4 per gallon anywhere?
Today is Take Your Dog To Work Day. Have you or anyone in your office brought their dog to work today?
Are dogs at work a distraction?
What are your thoughts on people bringing their pets to the office?
I've been getting a lot of e-mails from readers after they saw the story in Sunday's paper about area recycling centers.
People want to know where they can take all kinds of specific items. A lot of times, I don't always know the best place, so I'm going to start posting their questions on the blog and that way you can suggest places to each other in the comments section.
Here's what we've got for today:
If you're over 40 and you're worried about losing your job, you have to see this link.
The Supreme Court said an employer now has to prove that it did not lay off workers because of their age. Before, employees would have had to prove they were laid off specifically because of their age if they wanted their jobs back or restitution.
What all that means:
I was cruising YouTube today and came across this video of Harrison Ford getting his chest waxed to support rain forest conservation efforts.
If you have a minute it check it out.
If you didn't see today's business story about Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group, I suggested checking it out. Again not because I wrote it, but because it's another example of businesses taking steps in the green direction.
Are you familiar with any other businesses that are going green? I'm curious to know what our local employers are doing to be more environmentally friendly.
Leave a comment and let me know.
Either to save on cost or just to have pride in a job well done, many homeowners take on do-it-yourself projects rather than call in an expert.
From bathrooms to basements, weekend contractors often attempt tackle even the most daunting home improvement ventures.
What home projects have you completed?
E-mail Sean Adkins at sadkins@ydr.com with before-and-after pictures of the your most recent home projects.
Include your name, phone number and a description of the project.
Do you use coupons to get savings at the grocery store?
If so you might want to check out this article in the Baltimore Sun.
You might find it especially interesting if you often use coupons you print from the Internet. Some stores won't accept them.
Have any of you had your coupons rejected at local grocery stores?
In general, it's a bad business practice to fire a manager at 3 a.m.
If you follow sports at all, you know I'm talking about the Mets firing Willie Randolph this morning.
From the reports I heard on SportsCenter this morning, it went something like this.
The Mets win the game against the Angels. Randolph is interviewed in the press conference talking about how the win was a building point for the team. A few hours later there's a press release saying the man has been canned.
This sheriff sale has just wrapped up. The last property has been sold, and most people here are heading out.
A few sales were postponed until later dates, but for the most part it seemed like a lot of the properties sold.
The prices of the sales ranged from a little below $2,000 to more than a million (although that was the rare exception.)
We just had a bid for $1,357,000
And after that about half the room cleared out.
The ladies behind me are still here and so are the power player lady for the previous post and Sean's sources.
But this room just went from really crowded to less than half full.
There's a woman in the far corner of the room who has bid on a ton of properties. She was involved in the first bidding war, but eventually dropped out.
There's definitely some power players in the room who go after a lot of the properties.
But then there are a lot of other people who only put bids on one or two.
We have another bidding war here. Not as long or as involved as the last one, but it was still pretty good.
The lady behind me just loves these bidding wars. But she lost again. I'm pretty sure she got outbid by the same guy as last time.
It's been pretty straight forward so far at the sheriff sale. One or two people make a bid, and it has pretty much been stopping there.
But we just had a bit of a bidding war for one piece of property.
The numbers started much lower than where they ended.
In the beginning, two main people were one upping each other. Then another guy jumped in. It kept going and going.
After the number of sales that were canceled or postponed, it was hard to believe that any homes were still left to be sold.
But there were. We've gotten through the first several properties here. Most have just had one bid placed for them. Only two had more than one. One of those two was postponed until a later date. One was sold to the highest bidder.
Here's a list of the first five properties and what they went for:
1. $1,795.22
2. $2,081.70
3. $2,171.24
4. Two bids were placed here. It was requested that it be postponed until August.
5. $2,082.36
The sheriff sale is officially under way, and it started with a reading of the rules, which mainly say the sheriff isn't responsible for anything dealing with the property.
The rules warned potential buyers to make sure they know what they are getting into. Buyers will have to pay taxes on the properties and be responsible for all other financial matters.
The big important thing was that once a bid is made, the buyer is responsible for paying that money, no matter what they may find out about the property later.
It's about 10 minutes before the sheriff's sale is set to begin and the assembly room in the courthouse is starting to fill up. A few minutes ago it was dead silent and only about 10 people were here, but now with 10 minutes until homes are basically auctioned off, a dull roar can be heard as people talk strategy and get ready for what it to come.
There's all different kinds of people who have turned out today. There are people looking to buy these houses and then resell them later. There are homeowners looking for a last ditch effort to save their homes and there's everything in between.
I drove Northeast, Northwest and South from York this weekend, no farther than about 2 hours from the city in any direction. And I had some fun near DeHart Dam in Dauphin County fishing, in State College for a bachelor's party and with my in-laws in Towson.
So what was the cost? It was $80 in gas. And droopy eyes from being on the road so much. There really was no rest time because of the driving time.
Living and working in York is like the converse of living somewhere close to family or with decent entertainment a 5-minute drive away (personal preference of course, a nearby stream with more than a few hundred yards of fly-fishing only - and fish still alive - and a bar district you feel safe walking in past midnight are big ones for me) and commuting to a job.
Instead of the long drive to compliment the long workweek, the long drives compliments the end of the week. I pity the people who live up here and commute to Baltimore, then travel on the weekends, too.
Is being 2 hours from everywhere (probably the biggest selling point York has) still worth it when one weekend alone costs $80 just for gas? Are you worried gas prices are going to sink all the hard work people have been putting into the city over the past 5 years?
I have lots of great things to tell you about that are coming up this week so let's get right to it.
Today is the York County Sheriff's Office public sale at 2 p.m. These sales basically auction off houses that have for one reason or another fallen into foreclosure or have other financial issues. If you want more info on the sale, check Sean's column.
On Wednesday, the first book published using a new, eco-friendly printing method will be made in York County. More details on this to come.
There's been a ton going on this week what with Leader Health and Fitness closing (read about it here, here and here) and a snapping turtle being found in a sink at a Chinese food place.
In case you missed anything else going on this week, I'm here to catch you up.
Kiddies were buying smokes.
You probably shouldn't eat tomatoes for a little while.
Dollar strengthens a bit.
Early termination fees being questioned.
And in really sad breaking news, 58-year-old Tim Russert died today.
I have to give a big shout out at the staff over at the FlipSide blog for giving me a link to this sweet Web site.
These videos show procrastination at its best. One of my coworkers keeps a giant exercise ball under her desk. Don't tell her, but maybe I'll borrow it for some surf balling.
What are your best ways of procrastinating at work?
If you haven't caught the latest on the Leader Health and Fitness contract issues you can check the full story here.
Basically what it comes down to is customers who paid on a monthly basis will have their memberships transfered to the Athletic Club of York. They can cancel those memberships at any time.
Those who paid in a lump sum for an entire year or more will be receiving a letter in the mail outlining the details of the refund process.
Are you satisfied with the agreement that was reached? Leave a comment and let us know.
A lot of former members of Leader Health and Fitness are notably upset that their gym closed yesterday with about 24 hours of notice and their memberships were transfered to the Athletic Club of York. (If you didn't catch the story you check find it here.)
So far 67 people have left comments on the story. Here's what some of them had to say:
McDonald's has stopped serving sliced tomatoes on its sandwiches because of the potential for salmonella poisoning.
The source of the contaminated tomatoes is currently unknown and under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control. Illnesses have been reported in 16 states and at least 23 people have been hospitalized.
For more info, check the article here.
Good morning York. Hope you had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed the sunshine.
Here's a look at what you can expect this week.
The PA Department of General Services and the J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship Women's Business Center Organization have organized an event tomorrow morning for women interested in doing business with the state.
I went to Hersheypark over the weekend thanks to some discounted tickets from a family member of a friend. And no, I didn't go on the cool new ride. I wore jeans to avoid third-degree sunburn on my pasty white legs, and someone set up a sprinkler - better purposed on a water ride - to keep those in line cool.
The 1.5-minute ride compared to wet, clingy jeans the rest of the day wasn't much of a decision. And there were nice, short, dry lines for the other coasters.
Whoo hoo it's Friday, and most of us only have a little bit of the work week left before it's time to kick back and celebrate the weekend and maybe check out the street rods.
Here's what you've missed this week if you've been living under a rock.
We love green.
I wouldn't want to be this woman.
Stocks tumble as oil soars.
New job opportunities at this plant.
Here's a shocker: SUV sales are down. Wonder if that could have something to do with the insane gas prices.
A yummy new business is coming to town.
Just for fun: Don't forget to check out this great street rods video shot by Bil Bowden and take our poll below.
You need to check this out.
Here's a fun little poll to help propel you into the weekend.
Every once in a while the chatter begins about four-day work weeks, but it's usually brushed aside and nothing ever comes of it.
That may change in Centre County where the commissioners are discussing the idea of converting to four-day work weeks to save workers fuel.
According to the news release about the Arm and Hammer plant coming to Jackson Township, the new plant has an established sustainability policy.
The plant will use renewable energy and cut energy waste by 30 percent and solid waste by 50 percent.
If you're interested in checking out exactly what the company has to say about the new Arm and Hammer plant coming to York, you can read the company's press release here.
What are your thoughts about a new plant coming to town?
This story has to be the biggest news of the day. Make sure to check the YDR site for updates information as it comes in.
Here's some of what we have now:
About 300 new jobs are coming to Jackson Township as part of the largest single building project in the history of the company that makes Arm & Hammer baking soda.
The York Daily Record is going green! We have launched a brand new Web page called Green in York that is full of information and tips about green lifestyle and business.
If you have a minute check it out here.
I'd love to hear your feedback on the page. E-mail me at jmilcetich@ydr.com with questions, comments or suggestions for what you'd like to see on the page.
This horse could market booze if he wins the Belmont Stakes this weekend.
The Triple Crown is this weekend, and I for one am excited to see Big Brown race to be the first horse in 30 years to win it.
It's no surprise with a name like Big Brown, the horse has backing from UPS. And if Big Brown should win the at the Belmont Stakes this weekend, it will be no surprise if he suddenly starts popping up in UPS commercials and we see just what "Brown can do" for us.(I mean those commercials practically write themselves.)
College grads looking for new jobs or people looking for a career switch may be interested in checking out some of these green business sites recommended by Solvie Karlstrom over at the Green Guide.
Thanks to photographer Jason Plotkin for this photo.
Right now I am about to shamelessly plug a story that I wrote. Not because I wrote it, but because the story is a great one about a man who found the silver lining in being laid off. And we all know lay offs are an all too frequent happening lately.
Chris Robins used the opportunity to find something he truly enjoyed doing and made it his job.
I love Monday mornings when I get to tell you about excellent freebies because when we're paying almost $4 per gallon for gas, free things make me smile.
So this week's excellent freebie is ice cream from Friendly's.
On Saturday you can stop by certain Friendly's (the list of participating stores is at the end of the post) from noon to 5 p.m. and get a free cone or dish of your favorite flavor.
This time last year, my fiance (now wife) Laura and I got our little pride and joy, a beagle mix named Lucy. She was a lost dog found on Hyde Street, according to the SPCA. I couldn't find such a place in York County on a map, so I like to think that she appeared straight out of thin air from heaven.
About the same time, Laura moved into a new apartment, and like most places with a yard, there were some problems with ants in the kitchen. So we got some ant traps and put them around the kitchen, and that worked for a day or two.
Until one night I saw a twisted piece of plastic on the floor, followed by another, and followed by two empty spots in the kitchen where the ant traps used to be. Lucy only gets the run of the kitchen when someone is at home, and wow it didn't take her long to sniff out these traps when we weren't looking.
Ever smell one? They use peanut butter flavoring as bait. I didn't know this. Nor did I know at the time how much Lucy loves peanut butter.
The freaking out quickly began.
Everyone asks that question in terms of "when" it will happen, like how close it is on the calendar. But it also matters how close it is geographically, because most of us drive outside of York County, Pa.
I paid $4.04 at a rest stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike somewhere between Reading and Philadelphia on Saturday.
Excuse me for a second. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
OK, better now.
Back in February, I wrote about how Blu-ray beat out HD DVD as the new high tech. way to watch movies.
This morning I came across this article in the Baltimore Sun that said even though Blu-ray was crowned the king, many people are still relying on standard definition DVD's.
