Nothing wrong with a little segregation

I've said a couple of times that the apartment I live in now is a little too small to allow me to segregate easily, or compost the compostable.
Well, I'm happy to announce  that the decision to segregate came not from me but my sister.
We use a really simple method, seen below

Plastics (clean) on the left, everything else on the right

Shade of green, for today and everyday: Segregate (your garbage, not people) Even the malls here are going to have to start sorting through their waste. About time!

Also, I look forward to the 2nd of November. It's Free Public Transport Day! Woo hoo!

Hair

I know there's a musical by that name. Or was it Hairspray?
Never mind.
Have you ever noticed how much gunk we put in our hair? (Mr Shue, Sue says true)
"Now hold on a minute, Greengirl," I hear you say "Do you want us to be like you and give only a baby rat's ass about our appearance?"
I reply "Why no, ladies and gentle dudes. What I would like you to do is let your hair dry naturally, without the aid of a hairdryer."
And that's today's shade (it did not take me 23 days to think that up. I've been busy.) It's probably better for your hair. If you don't damage it, you don't need to repair it. Am I right or am I right?
This isn't a panacea for all hair-ills. I rarely use a hairdryer and I still have frizzy hair. But knowing I got that way without wasting electricity makes me feel like preaching :P

Is it a duck? Is it a phone? No, it's a hairdryer

It's getting cooler in the Northern Hemisphere. Christmas will soon be upon us. Anyone in the mood to be a bit of a Grinch?

And in other news, did you hear about the cream that might prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS?

Image credit: libertygrace0 via flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/35168673@N03/

Out with the old, in with the new

With GITEX Shopper going on it seems the perfect time to talk about what to do with electronic or e-waste. What's GITEX, you ask? Only the biggest tech exhibition in the Gulf. Well, that's what the press releases and Wiki page say. I haven't visited the actual venue, so I can't comment on the size.
Commerce and trade are good things, the backbone of the global economy. But what happens to the waste generated by an increase in commerce? (And trade.)
Ah. The million dollar (or 10000 AED which I did not win) question.
There are companies that offer exchanges: you drop off an old phone or other device and get a voucher in exchange, or a discount on a new gadget. Jacky's and Carrefour here offer such exchanges.
I know that Nokia promises to plant a tree for every phone that is returned to them- but that could be in India only. Yes, people still use Nokia phones. Forgive us for not being able to afford iPhones. (I'm sticking my tongue out at you for judging me.)
What happens to the old gadgets? The old monitors, Blackberries (or is it BlackBerrys?), external Hard Drives (I'm still amazed by the existence of 1TB HDs) etc?
I don't know. But I do know that there are people who are authorised to collect such stuff. Perhaps you could give it to them and not risk heavy metals and chemicals leaching into the earth. 
And that is today's shade.
Gandhi Jayanti today (the birth anniversary of M.K. Gandhi, also known as the Mahatma). He was the one who said "Be the change". Just be it! (Nike can't sue me, can they?)

Cos that have something to do with E-waste: Enviroserve, UAE (corporate); Bee'ah, UAE; Group TenPlus, Goa, India.