Brickbat: Hiding the Bottle

Charles Oliver | 8.3.2012 6:00 AM

Concord, Massachusetts, residents have voted to ban the sale of single-serve plastic water bottles. Stores caught violating the ban face a $50 fine.

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Suthenboy 13 years ago

"The residents....voted to ban...."

This is how shit like Fauxcahontas gets elected. The residents apparently have the same contents in their heads as the water bottles they voted to ban.

On further thought, it is possible this idiotic ban could have been a rider attached to something else they really wanted. Nah, it is MA.
DRM 13 years ago

Hmm.

Looks like the limit is 1L. Now, based on the amount of water, or the amount of bottle?

Also, what do I have to add to water to make it no longer count as water, but as a non-water beverage?
1. Whiterun Guard 13 years ago
  
  I recommend yeast, hops and barley.
  
  But caffeine or KCl might do as well.
Bardas Phocas 13 years ago

Will carrying them in a paper bag take care of this?
Oh wait, they banned bags also.
I'm just going to go lay down die now.
1. Whiterun Guard 13 years ago
  
  MA bans water bottles, Hit AND Run bans ampersands.
NebulousFocus 13 years ago

Earth saved. Thank you Concord!
1. Pound. Head. On. Desk. 13 years ago
  
  And don't forget!
  and limit exposure to toxic chemicals.
  
  Ingested polyethylene terephthalate itself is biologically inert.
  It doesn't enter through the skin.
  I doesn't even enter through the lungs.
  Animal studies show no evidence of toxicity.
  When placed inside the body it won't incorporate into DNA.
  Even its monomers and intermediates are nontoxic.
  Compounds used to manufacture it shows no evidence of estrogenic activity.
  IOW, PET is about as toxic as glass.
  1. JW 13 years ago
    
    But...but...KEMIKALZ!!1!1!
    1. BakedPenguin 13 years ago
      
      They have actually banned dihydrogen monoxide in Concord now.
      1. Apatheist ?_?? 13 years ago
        
        For the environment! Penn ampersand Teller predicts the future!
      2. invisible furry hand 13 years ago
        
        Spirit, that made those spirits dare,
        To die, and leave their children free,
        Bid Time and Nature gently spare
        The shaft we raise to them and thee.
  2. Brett L 13 years ago
    
    I think they are still worried about the bisphenol A. Of which I've had smart chemical engineers tell me they are also worried, although I personally am far more worried about the birth control pills in the city water supply for estrogen mimicking compounds..
  3. Peter L 13 years ago
    
    "PET is about as toxic as glass."
    
    It is not the PET they are worried about. It is the impurities which can be leached into the water that should worry you. Like Bisphenol-A (BPA), which is not a good thing to consume.
Bee Tagger 13 years ago

Good, looks like I'm still allowed to put water in an aerosol can and spray it into my mouth.
1. invisible furry hand 13 years ago
  
  And you can still spray yourself and walk around with strategic wet spots if you so desire
Fist of Etiquette 13 years ago

The ban on sales of bottles of a liter or less passed at Wednesday's town meeting 403-364.

This just in: People are idiots.

Stores should give bottles away with the purchase of 16oz of water.
Pound. Head. On. Desk. 13 years ago

ban the sale

What if it's free with the purchase of a 99? plastic bag?
Suthenboy 13 years ago

It is just like any gun ban; meaningless political posturing.

If I bottled water I would simply call my bottle supplier and have them send me 34 oz bottles. Within a week I would have my bottles back on the store shelves.
1. Whiterun Guard 13 years ago
  
  Why do you hate the environment, Suthenboy?
  1. Suthenboy 13 years ago
    
    Again, I am just a shithead like that.
    1. Whiterun Guard 13 years ago
      
      I keep forgetting!
2. Peter L 13 years ago
  
  Yes, this is what the ban is designed to do, get people to use larger bottles which are more efficient than the tiny ones.
  
  I prefer larger bottles anyway. And when I get a water bottle I usually refill it several times before throwing it out.
JW 13 years ago

The time to stop violent and anti-social immigrants has finally come. We need to build a wall to stop them once and for all, around the border of Massachusetts.

Wir sind nicht Massholers!
1. Suthenboy 13 years ago
  
  Seriously, I do wonder sometimes if the country wont eventually split. We seem to be more partisan all the time and the left gets more wackadoodle the more power they get.
  
  It would certainly be interesting to watch as a country with greater freedom, stronger private property rights, and less regulation buries the progressive utopia overnight. Still, I would bet the progs would stick to their guns....all the way down the drain.
  1. Whiterun Guard 13 years ago
    
    Well they'd also have someone to blame then.
    
    "If that evil country next door would just be more fair we wouldn't be this far in debt!"
    1. Suthenboy 13 years ago
      
      yeah, if you want someone to hate you, have more than they do. If you want them to hate you with a white-hot passion, give them something for nothing.
  2. Peter L 13 years ago
    
    I would be OK with California, New York, Washington DC, Chicago and Massachusets going off on their own. But only if they still let us freely travel between the two countries. I don't want to have to go through a customs crossing just to go visit relatives.
Libertarian 13 years ago

So, in NYC I can't have a big bottle of water if there's sugar in it. And in MA I can't have a small bottle of water UNLESS there's sugar in it. Mmmm, sugar. It's magical! I'm going to go buy some before it's outlawed.
General Butt Naked 13 years ago

Every convenience store directly outside of Concord's city limits:

*Yay*
1. Fist of Etiquette 13 years ago
  
  That town is going to have some of the most boring speakeasies in history.
  1. Whiterun Guard 13 years ago
    
    Officer Jackass: So you intend to tell me that all SIXTEEN of those bottles are for personal use? Who did you buy them from? Tell me before we beat it out of you.
    1. Killazontherun 13 years ago
      
      Somehow, that puts it all in perspective.
Drake 13 years ago

Where liberty was born - and died.
invisible furry hand 13 years ago

Did anyone read the comments? They're rather cheering
1. Killazontherun 13 years ago
  
  When NC banned smoking in 'public accommodations' the powers that be over us rewarded themselves with a self congratulatory pat on the back PSA that almost choked us all to death with the amount of smug released in the environment. It was on the ballot Nov. '08 when we went Blue. Fucking awful time to be alive.
  1. EDG reppin' LBC 13 years ago
    
    What is even more depressing is that NC used to be Tobacco Road. Tobacco drove the NC economy for 300 years. Now, they've banned smoking. Pathetic.
CampingInYourPark 13 years ago

OT:
"TUCSON, AZ--(Marketwire - Aug 2, 2012) - The following is a statement from Vante:
Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A. Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg-jzlWcc0E
1. Scruffy Nerfherder 13 years ago
  
  What a moron.
2. Scruffy Nerfherder 13 years ago
  
  Who, other than self-absorbed college students, thinks that it's a good idea to video themselves harassing a drive-thru fast food employee for the political viewpoints of the company's executives?
  1. Libertymike 13 years ago
    
    Recently, while at a traffic light, I observed that there were Lizzy Warren supporters holding placards in support of the Massachusetts democrat senatorial candidate who has spent far more of her adult life in the private sector than has her opponent, and I could not help but retrieve, if just for a moment, my inner self-absorbed college self and honk the horn at the sign holding Lizzypiles as I opened the driver's side window and proceeded to put the palm of my right hand to my mouth and repeat the motion while chanting some generic native american noise.
    
    The Lizzy sign holders, clovers that they are, were baffled.
    1. Apatheist ?_?? 13 years ago
      
      But did you film it?
      1. Libertymike 13 years ago
        
        The idea to do it originated with text which Jeff Katz read (radio 1200 AM Boston) on air. He had received the text from a listener.
        
        No, I did not film the episode. Invariably, my cell phone is in the console unless I am making a call. IOW, I hardly ever have it on waiting for calls.
  2. CampingInYourPark 13 years ago
    
    I'm sure the girl was took his brilliant exercise to heart and is looking for some work far from the eevul gay hating corporashuns.
Rich 13 years ago

Just go with *wooden* bottles, the way God intended.
1. Scruffy Nerfherder 13 years ago
  
  Styrofoam - the envirohippies love that stuff.
$park? 13 years ago

Well, that's not quite what I was thinking when I saw "hide the bottle."
1. Rich 13 years ago
  
  "Hide the salam."
  
  /Woody Allen
SugarFree 13 years ago

They didn't ban water bottles. If you want 16oz of bottled water in Concord, you can buy a liter bottle and pour half of it out.

\Bloomburg
1. Rich 13 years ago
  
  pour half of it out
  
  What?! And risk a felony conviction?!
2. Killazontherun 13 years ago
  
  If someone were to hit Bloomingidiot with a 'pie' in the face, I would reward that person with a 'clap'.
  1. SugarFree 13 years ago
    
    Gonorrhea is not much of an award.
    1. invisible furry hand 13 years ago
      
      As so many have learnt first-hand from you
    2. Killazontherun 13 years ago
      
      For some people, it the only proof they'll ever have of being touched by another human being.
  2. Rich 13 years ago
    
    If someone were to give Bloomingidiot the 'clap', I would reward that person with a 'pie'.
    1. Rich 13 years ago
      
      Eh, eh, eh.
Killazontherun 13 years ago

431 PDF pages into A Clash of Kings, some impressions.

Amazed that the Dany chapters have managed to stay interesting given she has little connection the rest of the story at this point.

Catelyn waiting for her father to die over several chapters should have been nixed as it is boring as fuck. No one could possibly care about this shit. Why isn't she down in the dungeon smacking Jaime around instead of lingering over the old man? Seriously, Martin should have written him out of the story, and left the little plot revelation he has to reveal in a letter or something.

The dramatic intrigue in the Tyrion is similarly weakened by his ever going to visit Shae.

Bran chapters got better with the two druidy kids in them.

First Theon chapter could have been shortened. It's necessary to have it for the purpose of plot, but he is a dullard, and I don't care to be inside his head. The second Theon chapter was perfect. Laughed my ass off. Thought she was one of the dock spies Tyrion talked about earlier so I didn't see the plot twist coming.

Overall, not as good as the first. Every chapter kept me wanting more in that one.
1. SugarFree 13 years ago
  
  All of that pays off, except for Old Tully lingering.
  1. Killazontherun 13 years ago
    
    I suspect where the Shae part of the story is going giving some of Brom's jabs. Still, his visits to her needed editing.
GlenchristLaw 13 years ago

This link is from April. The current news is that an expansion of the ban was defeated in the state legislature.

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