Today as I was walking

[conuly]

I saw a man pick up a random McDonald's cup from the ground and put it in a plastic bag.

And I was right there, so I said "Thank you!"

Him: You know what, thank YOU for saying thank you!
Me: Oh, good, I was worried for a second that that might be kinda weird.
Him: Oh no! But I do this every day, and people see it, and you know what?
Me: They never say anything.
Him: Nope.
Me: Well, thanks!
Him: You too!

So he did his good deed for the day by cleaning up, and I did it by encouraging him! I felt all warm and fuzzy after. (Because I did worry for a second that it might be kinda weird.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Quest to Return Tomatoes to Their Full-Flavored Glory

Incremental discovery may one day lead to photosynthetic breakthrough

Vinegar: A cheap and simple way to help plants fight drought

Human reared wolves found to display signs of attachment and affection towards foster-parents (Duh, but who knew wolf cubs were so adorable?)

Water exists as two different liquids

Solving the Centuries-old Mystery of Rare ‘Bright Nights’

No detectable limit to how long people can live (Okay, great, but I don't particularly want to live to be 1,000 if I spend 915 years of my life in an old age home, so who cares?)

DNA solves ancient animal riddle that Darwin couldn't

Solar paint offers endless energy from water vapor

Select memories can be erased, leaving others intact (Mad. Science.)

Could Vitamin C Be the Cure for Deadly Infections?

Getting a flu ‘shot’ could soon be as easy as sticking on a Band-Aid

Why there are so many species of tropical trees and other organisms

Sensitive faces helped dinosaurs eat, woo and take temperature

Yeast’s Newest Trick: Detecting Deadly Pathogens

Talking turtles: Researchers discover more turtles that 'talk'

A third of marine megafauna died in a mass extinction that we didn’t even know about

Having a personality that’s different from average may increase teens’ risk of being bullied (Breaking news, stop the presses.)

Food allergies linked to childhood anxiety

Comments

[fred_mouse]

Good on you commenting to the person picking up rubbish. I'm an intermitted rubbish picker-upper, and people making it obvious that they notice/appreciate it are rare. It doesn't particularly bother me -- it is one of the things I've taught my kids is a thing you do because it needs doing, not because you want people to see you do it -- but it does make my day when people realise what I'm doing.

[conuly]

Maybe other people think it might be weird to say something too.

[fred_mouse]

Yeah, I totally get that!

[zesty_pinto]

Never bad being too polite!

I should probably hide that wolf article from a friend of mine who is addicted to wanting a bobcat. Might give him ideas.

If cybernetics reaches enough of an impetus to allow a brain-electronic connection, I wouldn't mind living off the internet for 918 years, myself. I like to learn though. Maybe attach me to remote control a drone or something so I can fly around or drive stuff around, like a geriatric Shadowrun rigger.

I'd probably also live off of medication for eternity afterwards though just to keep my body from rejecting all the foreign material in it.

Interesting on the vinegar! Got to be curious how this will affect crop taste too though, but this might also be a good thing because of it (imagine tomatoes grown extracting some of the trace nutrients from balsamic).

[bittercat]

Shadowrun reference! Nice!

[zesty_pinto]

That's how my head meat works, chummer.

Oooooh!

[bittercat]

I can see I'm going to be doing some reading later today!

On the being different and bullying: Yes, and it doesn't stop when you become an adult. I believe it has had a lot to do with my trouble with getting and keeping jobs. I don't seem to "fit in" most places. I just wish I better understood what being "different" means, so I could understand why people are such dicks.

Re: Oooooh!

[conuly]

Being different means not being an asshole, apparently.

*hugs*

Re: Oooooh!

[bittercat]

...Or just a different kind of asshole. :P

Re: Oooooh!

[conuly]

True :)

[stardreamer]

I have a complex relationship to picking up and throwing away litter. I get caught between "I should do this because I'm better than the asshole who didn't bother," and "I'm not the maid, they can clean up their own mess like grownups!" (I actually said the latter once to a group of suits who were abandoning their trays on the table at a jam-packed Wendy's during lunch rush.) Which one wins out tends to be a combination of how I'm feeling and how close to a trash container the litter is.

[conuly]

I actually said the latter once to a group of suits who were abandoning their trays on the table at a jam-packed Wendy's during lunch rush.

And were they suitably chagrined, or did they dash out?

[stardreamer]

Well, I don't know if they were chagrined or if they just thought I was a bitch, but they did bus their own trays.

[conuly]

I suppose it's results that matter.

[eleventyone]

I have a friend who put in on a rose plant recently because the leaves were looking like swiss cheese suddenly. I think the plant looks a bit better after the vinegar, whatever was chewing on it.

Maybe it's more drought resistant now too.

[conuly]

Maybe it's more drought resistant now too.

Well, if it stops raining you'll know for sure.

[eleventyone]

:)

[soundofsunlight]

I try to pick up litter as much as I can. I think I've gotten two thank you's in about five years, and while I don't need thanks, it's nice to know that some people do appreciate it. It makes me happy, not even so much for the acknowledgement, but just knowing that it matters to other people too. My biggest problem with my current neighborhood is that no one seems to care, and the indifference drives me crazy.

[conuly]

My biggest problem with my current neighborhood is that no one seems to care, and the indifference drives me crazy.

Frustrating!