Safety
If you were a fan of the old Saturday Night Live (since rebranded by its initials, SNL), you may recall a recurring skit featuring a small family known as the Coneheads: bald, pointy-headed extraterrestrials with odd speech patterns. The phrase “parental units” derives from these characters, as does a term for scrambled eggs that’s become […]
Our annual time travel adventure takes place on Sunday, November 6th, when we set our clocks back and get to re-live an hour. It’s like a Groundhog Day micro-mini. How will you spend this extra time? One way you probably don’t want to spend it is cleaning up a spill. So since you’ve got an extra hour
Remains of the Day Read More »
Sometimes dipping is good, such as with ice cream: a triple-dip cone might allow a child to enjoy his or her favorite flavors all together, assuming the youngster can eat the entire delight before it melts. But bring Mother Nature into the mix, and an unfortunate outcome is a lot more severe than ice cream
Triple-dip La Nina: It’s Going to be a Cold, Wet Winter Read More »
Jackson, Mississippi was under siege in September, as a series of torrential rains flooded the city’s water treatment facility, rendering the water unpotable. In the rule of three, this defines a crisis: it’s generally accepted wisdom that we can live about three minutes minus air, three days without water, and about three weeks without food, depending
Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink Read More »
If there’s one thing we’re enjoying this spring, it’s breathing. Without masks. In some places. The mask mandates surge and ebb, depending on what the latest viral scourge is up to around the country and across the globe. Our masks have become part of our bodies, like an extra flap of skin. But even if
Take A Deep Breath Read More »
We know what you’re thinking: science is not your strong suit. Subjects like chemistry and biology belong back in high school. But not in the real world, where you’re overseeing a construction site or a manufacturing facility, managing a municipality or a transportation hub. Science is not really relevant in these settings. So why are
Smart Science: The Labpack You Need Read More »
If you blanch at the thought of blood and never considered going to medical school, you can still become a surgeon of sorts: a drain surgeon rather than a brain surgeon. But we don’t recommend it. See, a drain surgeon is someone who has to dig deep into a stopped up drain, either at your
How (Not) to Become a Drain Surgeon Read More »
Several presidencies ago, the First Lady launched a memorable campaign about how people should respond when offered drugs: Just say no! If you have an iron will, this works. Maybe. When it comes to spill clean up, however, it’s easier to just say no, because we offer an alternative to which it’s easy to say
Just Say No, And Stay Safe Read More »
It’s just a little challenging in the world today, when war breaks out abroad and nations everywhere take sides. It’s also more than a little dangerous, considering one nuclear detonation could end life as we know it. We need neutrality: a detached, objective, mature perspective that allows differences to co-exist. It’s a tall order, and
Neutrality: What The World Needs Now Read More »
When Boz Scaggs sang about there being a breakdown dead ahead, he wasn’t referring to a mechanical failure — or to leaching hazardous chemicals. But the words do grab one’s attention. How do you prevent hazardous waste, or indeed any type of spill, from escaping its spill clean up solution? By understanding the distinction
Breakdown Dead Ahead Read More »
