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| Don't Let
Your Glass Go To Waste
by David Assmann,Senior
Administrator
Did you know that the glass bottle you used this morning could have glass in it that was first manufactured during the Gold Rush? That's because the recycling of glass has gone on for hundreds of years. Glass manufacturing is one of the oldest of human industries. People have been making glass for more than 3,000 years. You would expect that, since we’ve been making glass for so long, that we'd be surrounded by mountains of old glass. But, fortunately, glass, made primarily from sand, soda ash and limestone, is one of the easiest materials to recycle. In fact, the process for manufacturing new glass actually requires already used glass. Glass recycling itself is a straightforward process. Used glass bottles and jars are mixed with raw materials and heated in a melting furnace up to 2800 degrees Fahrenheit. The molten glass is then shaped in a forming machine and turned into new glass products. Not only is glass easy to recycle, but it can be recycled indefinitely, and it is recycled right here in the Bay area. We currently recycle almost 20 million pounds of glass a year in San Francisco through the curbside and apartment recycling programs alone--which means we are recycling slightly more than half of all glass used by residents. While this is higher than the national average, this still means we send more than 19 million pounds of glass to the landfill every year. Glass is the second most recycled material in the curbside program (after paper). It makes up about 10 percent of the waste we generate in San Francisco (nationwide glass makes up about 6% of the waste stream).Most glass is used for containers. Until the 1960’s, most glass beverage containers were refillable. Milk used to be delivered in glass bottles and could be returned to be refilled and used up to 30 times or more. Today, less than 5 percent of glass containers are refillable. A return to refillable bottles (which Sweden has done successfully) could save 90 percent of the raw materials used in the manufacture of glass bottles. It could also save energy. It takes almost six times as much energy to make one new disposable 12-ounce beverage container as it does to use one 12-ounce refillable container 10 times. Some products are still sold in refillable glass containers. For example, a number of supermarkets and food stores have started to again sell milk in refillable glass containers. For products that are not available in refillable glass containers the next best thing is to recycle the glass container. By recycling glass containers, you can help reduce energy use for glass containers by up to 30 percent, reduce air pollution (recycled glass production produces less sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide) and help preserve valuable landfill space. You also reduce the amount of mining waste created. Three hundred eighty-four pounds of waste are created for every ton of glass produced--50 percent recycled glass reduces this waste by 75 percent. All glass containers, including bottles and jars, are recyclable. For curbside collection, you can put glass containers directly in your blue bin, or if you live in an apartment, you can deposit your glass containers in the central blue recycling bin (in Chinatown, put your glass containers in a paper bag and put them out on the curb Sunday nights at 8 p.m.). You do not need to remove the paper labels (these burn off in the glass furnace). Recycling glass makes sense. It saves resources and landfill space, reduces pollution, and helps provide jobs right here in the Bay Area. Judge-Bashing
Appears to be Popular Sport Among Some,
by William S. Sessions, Chair, ABA Special Committee on Judicial Independence Lately it seems there have been a spate of media attacks on judges voiced by people who criticize the judicial system to make their own political statements. Many well known
politicians blame judges for the ills of society. Why? Because judges are
easy targets, often because they do their difficult job of resolving disputes
fairly and impartially in full view of the public. We all know that when
law suits are tried in the court, there are happy winners and unhappy losers.
Often these losers claim their "loss" was the result of the judge's political
views.
In today's charged political atmosphere a judge may be unfairly criticized because the accuser has focused on a single political issue and does not like a decision the judge has made. Many times, these judicial decisions have been made when the judge is called on to interpret vague provisions of the law enacted by Congress and state legislatures, and the critic disagrees with the interpretation given to the vague law by the judge. The American public is not to be trifled with when it comes to unfair criticism. They can see through the objective of the critic. Americans, nationwide, trust the courts, understanding that the founding fathers set up a system of "checks and balances" in order to assure that there would be a non-political third branch in our government to balance the power of the political branches--the legislative and the executive. In doing so, they acknowledged that the judicial system would be particularly vulnerable to political attacks from critics inside the government and outside. The founding fathers were confident that the judicial system could and would survive the flourish. The power of the state and federal courts, established by constitutions, has earned the respect and support of Americans who understand that many difficult and controversial matters must be decided in a politically impartial matter. The decisions are often naturally controversial because the legal principles upon when they are made flow directly from the constitutions themselves, and constitutions are written in order to survive politically turbulent times. The American people understand that our system of democratic governance, with its independent courts, is much-admired around the world and that many new emerging democracies are modeling their court systems after our system. Public servants, including judges, should not be above criticism. Their decisions should be analyzed, within the judicial system and without, to ensure fairness and impartiality. Judges' conduct should faithfully and invariably be guided by the requirements of ethics and those of the law. Judge's work product should always be professional and accessible. Criticisms should be freely expressed by citizens who disagree and dissent and have opinions of their own to express. But--criticism should be based on the actual facts and fairly address the true issues. Oftentimes the attack is blatant political posturing based on misrepresentation of fact. America has about 50,000 federal, state and local trial and appellate judges. The judiciary becomes involved in a case only because there is an unresolved dispute and a law suit results. Unlike the legislative and executive branches of government, judges in all situations must make a decision disposing of the dispute. We rarely hear about the millions of cases where the litigants are satisfied with the result and society's best interests are served. Judges do not work in a vacuum. There are a number of systematic checks over judges that guarantee the correctness of decisions and the integrity of our constitutional system. The judiciary
disciplinary processes, both state and federal, function to ensure that
judges act in accordance with existing legal and ethical standards. The
judicial selection and tenure processes provide other effective accountability
of the judges to the citizens. These checks help assure all of us that
the judicial process is fair and impartial, without involving the courts
in partisan political activity.
A judge's responsibility is to handle all phases of the court's business, including trial, in a fair and impartial fashion. Judges must be guided, not by political partisanship, but by the law and the Constitution. All of us want, and should demand, nothing less. Our responsibility as citizens in evaluating and critiquing a judge's performance should be equally objective--has the judge, in a fair and impartial fashion, dealt with the legal matters before the court in a competent and professional fashion? If not, then criticism is appropriate and the judge should expect to answer for conduct which did not meet society's standards. A View of Filipino
Life in the Bay Area
The San Francisco Public Library is proud to present Through My Father's Eyes: Pioneers of the San Francisco Filipino American Community, an exhibition of black and white photographs by Ricardo Alvarado (1914-1976). The exhibition portraying Filipino life during the 1950s in the Bay Area will be on display Sept. 9 through Nov. 20, 1998 in the Jewett Gallery located at the Main Library at 100 Larkin St. Through My Father's Eyes documents life in San Francisco and the surrounding rural farm areas during the 1950s. It shows how Filipinos both maintained their cultural heritage and participated as members of the broader community to build their lives in the City. Views of areas such as South Park, Manilatown, South of Market, the Fillmore, North Beach and Nob Hill where manongs (elders) came during the off-season to work as cooks, servants, dishwashers, bellhops and warehousemen, are featured in the exhibition. Presented in conjunction with the Alvarado Project, Kearny Street Workshop and the Filipino American National Historical Society, this show offers library patrons a visual tour of San Francisco street scenes, the Farmers' Market, migrant farm scenes, Filipino owned businesses and Community Hall events as they were in the 1950s. There will be an emphasis on portraying the cross-cultural exchange of gatherings in the City's diverse ethnic communities--African American, Latino American and Filipino American musicians, workers and friends. Ricardo Alvarado was an immigrant who arrived in California from the Philippines in 1928 as part of the first wave of immigrants known as the Manong generation. He made his living as a janitor and a servant until 1942, just after Pearl Harbor. Like many young Pinoys (Filipinos ion America), he joined the famed First Filipino Infantry Regiment, United States Army, which saw action throughout the Pacific. During the war, Alvarado served in combat as a medical technician; later, he signed up for reserve duty for an additional four years. In 1948, upon discharge, he returned to San Francisco and worked as a cook at the Letterman Army Hospital at the San Francisco Presidio. Alvarado's career at Letterman Hospital sustained his avid interest in photography. Although little known as a photographer, his passion for the medium as an art form and his eye for capturing the true spirit of his subjects, led to the creation of nearly 3,000 rare historical photographs. The selection of approximately 50 works in Through My Father's Eyes, assembled by Janet Alvarado (daughter of Mr. Alvarado) reveal the hope, dignity, joy, grief, hardships and respect that these subjects experienced during the 1950s. During the run of this exhibition, an adjunct display of artifacts from Mr. Alvarado's estate, will be shown simultaneously in the San Francisco Public Library's Filipino American Center, located on the Third Floor of the Main Library. An opening reception for Through My Father's Eyes will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room with complimentary food, drink and music. All programs at the Library are free. On Saturday, Sept. 19, there will be an afternoon symposium entitled Out of the 1940s and 1950s: Filipino Views and Voices from 12 noon to 4:45 p.m. in the Koret Auditorium at the Main Library. Light refreshments will follow the discussion. There will also be a lecture, Revisiting the Pinoy Past on Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Call 557-4277 for more information. Functional Foods are the Road to a More Healthful Life Washington, DC--Gone are the days when food way viewed simply as a source of daily energy. Today, an increasing amount of research is being conducted on functional foods to determine precisely why certain foods and food components may help reduce the risk of chronic disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is one of many organizations paving the way to an enhanced food supply. The USDA's Agricultural Research Service took a first step toward addressing future research endeavors and consumer interest in the area of functional foods by recently hosting Food Phytonutrients and Health in Washington, D.C. Keynote speakers from government, academia and industry joined the International Food Information Council (IFIC) to discuss how to improve human health by enhancing the nutritional value of plant food, and to assess the current environment for functional foods and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are those components of plant foods that may promote optimal health or reduce the risk of disease. The USDA conference provided an excellent opportunity for IFIC to discuss consumers' perspectives and knowledge regarding functional foods. IFIC debuted new nationally-representative consumer research on functional foods that indicated the public is very ready to hear more about foods that may provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. "In addition to consumers believing in the health benefits of functional foods, they are also changing their behavior to include these foods in their diets," said Sylvia Rowe, president of IFIC. With the support
of plant physiologists and geneticists, as well as human health and nutrition
researchers, the USDA's vision for an even more healthful food supply may
be realized sooner than now envisioned.
Carbohydrates in the Diet Lately, increased attention has been directed toward the health benefits and potential health effects of carbohydrates in the diet. A report released in April 1998 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) indicates "no direct evidence to implicate carbohydrates with obesity." The report, Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition, is another reminder that a basic nutrition principle still holds true: 55 percent of daily energy should come from a variety of carbohydrate sources. In fact, the report states that carbohydrate foods--typically cereals, sugars, fruits, vegetables and legumes--are useful in many ways to aid in weight loss and to protect against certain diet-related illnesses. Of course the new science does not give consumers freedom to overindulge--it is important to remember that too much of any one nutrient is not sensible, and physical activity is essential to balancing energy needs. The report cautions that "excess energy in any form will promote body fat accumulation." The FAO/WHO report also addressed the carbohydrate, sugar (sucrose), with regards to nutrition and health. Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition, the first comprehensive scientific report in 20 years on sugars, indicated that there is no scientific evidence directly linking sugars with obesity. Furthermore, the report confirmed a 1995 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association that there is no scientific evidence that refined sugar intake has any significant influence on either behavior or cognitive performance in children, nor is there proof that it causes hyperactivity. The FAO/WHO report did not distinguish between sugars present in foods and sugars added during processing, for example the sugars in an apple and the sugars in a cookie. The panel recommended "elimination of the terms extrinsic (i.e., added) and intrinsic (i.e., naturally present sugars." Oral health was also mentioned in the report and in strategies to decrease dental caries. The authors wrote: "Prevention programs to control eliminate dental caries should focus on fluoridation and adequate oral hygiene, and not on sucrose intake alone." Several recommendations made by the report's scientific experts echo those issued by other leading health authorities, including balanced energy intake with regular physical activity, and the bulk of carbohydrate-containing foods consumed should be those rich in dietary fiber. Overall, the report
concludes carbohydrate foods are important sources of vitamins, minerals
and other micronutrients.
Praise for Peanut Products When was the last time you had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? You may have been one of those children who ate those sandwiches almost every day of childhood. Yet, many adults stay away from peanut butter, a handful of peanuts at a party or peanut oil in a salad dressing because of fears of dietary fat levels. Now, new research released in April 1998 at the Experimental Biology '98 meeting in San Francisco shows it may actually be beneficial to your heart health to add these items to the diet. The researchers found that diets containing peanuts, peanut butter or peanut oil are as effective as diets high in olive oil in protecting against heart disease. In fact, the results indicated diets containing peanut products are more effective in protecting against heart disease than are very low-fat diets. A total of 22 healthy men and women ages 21-54--many of whom had slightly elevated blood cholesterol levels at the beginning of the study--participated in the research. Each participant was randomized into one of five diets: low-fat, olive oil, peanuts, plus peanut butter, peanut oil and a typical American diet with 35 percent fat. All the participants were studied for a total of 125 days--25 days on each diet--and they maintained their starting weight. The peanut diets had relatively small amounts of peanut products but they were consumed daily, for instance, peanuts as a snack or some peanut butter on a bagel for breakfast. Those who were randomized to the peanut, peanut butter and olive oil diets all had lower total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglyceride levels, yet their HDL ("good") cholesterol levels were not lowered. The participants on the low-fat diet had lower LDL levels, but also lower HDL levels and increased triglycerides. "These findings offer consumers another food option for increasing monounsaturated fats in the diet and adding variety, flexibility and eating satisfaction to diet planning," commented Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D. Professor of Nutrition at the Pennsylvania State University and one of the study;s researchers. The ongoing Nurses'
Health Study from Harvard University also reported that peanuts may reduce
the risk of heart disease, confirming previous research from Loma Linda
University. Nevertheless, more research is necessary to determine if the
positive effects from the peanut products go beyond beneficial fatty acids.
The researchers speculated that antioxidant vitamin E, folic acid, phytochemicals,
fiber, minerals and plant protein contained in peanut products may have
all contributed to heart disease protection.
Five Years Ago in the Grapevine AUGUST 1993 *Preliminary plans to expand the Southeast Community Hazardous Waste Collection Facility had some Valley residents concerned over site improvements presented by the Planning Commission's advisory panel at a July 6 meeting. *In light of recent tenant evictions and structural renovations taking place at Geneva Towers, Homes Not Jails First Nation and the Geneva Towers Tenants Association began a vigil at the site July 21 to protest what they claimed were unreasonable living conditions. *After months of anticipated closed or further hours-reduced branch libraries, all locations, including Visitacion Valley branch, remained at their present operating levels. *San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG) conducted a free Home Composting Neighborhood Workshop at Visitacion Valley Community Center (VVCC) in mid-August. *Jobs were available for weekend projects starting in August for landscaping and tree planting at various locations in the area covered by the El Dorado School Neighborhood Betterment Council. *Koyuse Campfire Club moved to VVCC on July 26. *A new program called The Club for youth 11-13 began on July 26 at VVCC. Historic Proportions Match clues to answers. 1967 1. During surgery
on Dec. 3, one of these was transplanted for the first time.
A. Haight-Ashbury
Answers: 1-M; 2-G; 3-B; 4-R; 5-O; 6-L; 7-Q; 8-C; 9-I; 10-H; 11-E; 12-J; 13-K; 14-A; 15-N; 16-F; 17-P; 18-D Sez Who? Match quotes to speakers. 1. "There is no
avoiding war. It can only be postponed to the advantage of others."
A. Timothy Leary
Answers: 1-C; 2-H; 3-G; 4-F; 5-I; 6-A 7-B; 8-E; 9-D. |