Page 17 - IAV Digital Magazine #609

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Wash. Residents Urged Not To Release Mylar Balloons For New Year's
By Ben Hooper
Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Utility offi- cials in Washington are reminding residents not to release mylar balloons to celebrate the New Year after 155 discarded bal- loons were collected by workers during the past 12 months.
Tacoma Public
Utilities said on social media that workers have collected 155 mylar bal- loons found in various locations around the area during 2024.
TPU shared photos and videos of the balloons arranged "for dramatic effect."
"Mylar balloons have a significant impact on the environment because they are non-biodegradable," the post said. "These bal- loons litter the landscape,
fall into streams, hit power lines, and are occasionally found floating in the drink- ing water reservoir."
Officials wrote that even balloon strings can "entan- gle wildlife and be mistak- en for food by birds and aquatic animals. They also have a negative impact on water quality due to pollu- tion and particle contami- nation in riverbeds."
The post urged New Year's Eve revelers to be responsible with their bal- loons.
"If you purchase balloons for your next celebration, handle them carefully and ensure they do not release into the air," officials wrote. "Consider using them indoors, tying them to weights, and deflating them when done. Our trees and salmon thank you!"
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking at every- thing she saw, studying every lit- tle detail, until she noticed a white bag on the seat next to Sally.
"What's in the bag?" asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the bag and, smiling, said, "It's a box of choco- lates. I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wis- dom of an elder, she said, "Good
trade."
My wife told me that I did not love any of her rela- tives...
I told her that is not true. I said, "I love your mother- in-law and father- in-law much more than I love mine."
Early one evening a gentleman scut- tled out to his garage and pulled the lawn furniture out onto the driveway. Shortly after followed the lawnmower, a few gardening tools and a bicycle.
A curious neigh- bor wandered over and asked if he was going to have a garage sale.
"No," replied the gentleman, "my son just bought his first car and right now he's getting ready for a big date. He'll be taking the car out soon to pick up the girl."
"So what's with all the stuff?" asked the neighbor.
"Well, after years of moving tricy- cles, toys and sports equipment out of the way every time I came home from work, I
wanted to make sure the driveway was ready for him."
Two guys find three grenades and they decide to take them to the police station.
One asks, "What if one explodes before we get there?"
The other replies, "We'll lie and say we only found two."
Three men were sitting on a park bench. The one in the middle was reading a news- paper. The others were pretending to fish. They bait- ed imaginary hooks, cast lines, and reeled in their catch.
A passing police- man stopped to watch the specta- cle and asked the man in the middle if he knew the other two.
“Oh yes,” he said. “They‘re my friends.”
“In that case,” warned the offi- cer, “you’d better get them out of here!”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied and he began rowing furi- ously.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine