2:15 PM: Some asshole is burning grass! It reeks! The smell is strong. It must be someone near. I looked outside and did not see any smoke from the usual culprits. I happened to leave my window open, now one of my rooms reeks of burnt grass! DAMMIT!
You people on the city council are worthless. You spent a lot of time and effort trying to build an internet system for the city which was resoundingly defeated at the poll. Sparing not one minute to lick your wounds, you have vowed to begin exploring alternative financing for Polar Net. Meanwhile, everyone in this city has to deal with smoky air on a daily basis because you refuse to do anything about it! Worthless!
3:00 PM: The smoke is gone. I noticed no more smoky air from this time through 8 PM.
North Saint Paul building its own internet connectivity is the worst f***ing idea in the world. Does NSP need 3 competing trash collectors and 3 competing electric companies too?
ReplyDeleteDo you seriously believe North St. Paul is unique in the number of people who have recreational fires? I've spent years traveling around the country, and lived in many American cities, and I can tell you that people have bonfires everywhere. I was born in St. Paul, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd you say "The smokiest city in the WORLD"?? Are you kidding?? Have you ever been to Bangkok? Its official nickname is "Smoke City". The stench is overwhelming!! There is no trash service, so EVERYONE burns their trash. That goes for the rest of Thailand too. Everywhere you go, you see the charred remains of trash fires on the side of the road. The sky in Bangkok is always overcast, and you can hardly breathe because of the fires, the unregulated exhaust and factories, and other pollution.
In Mexico it's the same; everyone uses fire to eliminate trash, brush, whatever, because there is very little waste disposal at a municipal level.
At the very least you need to change your title to "smokiest city in the COUNTRY" -- even then it doesn't make sense, but it's better than claiming that north St Paul is smoker than Bangkok or Mexico. At least N. St. Paul has trash collection so people don't have to use fire to get rid of ALL their trash. Seriously.
Becky,
ReplyDeleteI've lived in North St. Paul for several years now. Prior to the early 2000s, recreational burning was RARE. It was very RARE to smell smoke. Smelling smoke more than twice a month was uncommon. People didn't feel the need to burn grass, wood, or whatever they could get their hands on.
Within the past four or five years burning has become commonplace in this city. You cannot go a day without smelling the horrid stench of smoke. Every damn day. It is 2:30 PM Easter Sunday and somebody is burning grass!
I document the smoky air in this city daily. Take a look back at my posts from last year to see what we have to live with in this city.
Sometimes the smoke is so bad that you walk in a cloud. It burns your sinuses and makes your eyes water. You literally cannot breathe it is so smoky.
You cannot open your windows. Stepping outside leaves your hair and clothes reeking of smoke.
This is not an enjoyable way of living.
Just because people burn more in third world countries does not mean we should be happy about breathing smoke in our own homes. We live in a civilized society enlightened enough to realize the dangers of air pollution. If you don't think wood smoke is air pollution, try coming to my neighborhood sometime and try breathing the air for a few hours.
Where is your neighborhood? I'd love to come by and see how smoky the "smokiest city in the world" is.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, just read the blog if you want to know the smoky areas of the city (of which there are several). The smokiest times are typically between 6 - 9 PM during the summer. I addressed you in my post 4/15/2009.
ReplyDeleteThis is a small city. You can traverse the east-west roads of the northern half of the city in l0 - 15 minutes. Roll down your car windows and you will eventually encounter wood smoke. It shouldn't take you long. I found three areas with wood smoke tonight. This is one smoky hell of a city.