Gwinnett Battles Rash of Illegal Dumping - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

Gwinnett Battles Rash of Illegal Dumping - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

Jerry Carnes

Lawrenceville-- It's yet another side effect of our struggling economy, and it's a messy one.

In Gwinnett County, a homeowner uses his video camera to capture a man as he dumps waste collected from septic tanks directly into the county sewage system. Companies that collect septic waste are supposed pay to to have it treated at a county facility.

"People are finding ways of not spending money," says TDyler Richards of Gwinnett Water Resources. "This is one of the ways they're doing it, unfortunately."

It's unfortunate, and illegal.

Employees who descend below street level to clean the county's sewer system are finding more and more evidence of illegal dumping. They come face to face with chemicals, untreated waste, and grease, a lot of grease.

Below one manhole they found a grease monster standing ten feet tall in the sewer pipe.

"When that happens, it clogs one up and causes an overflow," says the water department's Jody Braselton. "Sewage could get in the lakes and we don't want that."

It's the county that pays for the equipment and the manpower to clean it up.

"We could actually do criminal prosecution, but that's expensive," says Richards. "We'd like to fine or find other ways to stop them."

In the case of the man caught on tape, his company was fined 900-dollars.

Anyone who sees illegal dumping into the sewage system can call Gwinnett Police at 770-513-5100, or Gwinnett Water Resources at 678-376-7000.

Go Team Awesome

U.S. News: Drexel One of Nation’s Top Six “Up-and-Coming Schools”

August 22, 2008

Philadelphia
Drexel University made the “up-and-coming” short list of national universities that have achieved “the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus, or facilities,” according to top college officials polled by U.S.News & World Report for the 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.” Only 20 universities in the country made the list.

These are “universities that have recently made striking improvements or innovations — schools everyone should be watching,” according to the publication. “These colleges may not be at the top of the rankings (yet), but they’re tops for innovation.”

Underscoring the point, Drexel jumped 19 positions in the U.S. News national rankings and is now ranked 89th among the “Best National Universities.” This is the first time that Drexel has broken into the top 90. It also places Drexel among the top 50 private universities in the country.

“Drexel provides a superior educational experience to students and outstanding use-inspired scholarship and research opportunities to faculty,” Drexel President Constantine Papadakis said. “Our success in doing so, under the stewardship of our trustees and the active leadership of our faculty, has led to Drexel’s unprecedented qualitative and quantitative growth.”

Drexel is also identified by U.S. News as offering one of the best cooperative education programs in the country. In Drexel’s cooperative education program, students alternate periods of classroom study with full-time employment in positions aligned with their academic interests.

Drexel has achieved unprecedented growth since Papadakis arrived as president in 1995. In just the past six years, as Drexel acquired the nation’s largest private medical school and opened a new law school that has already received national recognition, it has catapulted among the nation’s elite, according to U.S. News. In January 2009, Drexel University will open a Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, Calif., the capital of the sixth-largest economy in the world.

The U.S. News rankings group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The rankings will be published in the magazine’s Sept. 1 issue, on newsstands Aug. 25, and available online at www.USNews.com/colleges beginning today.

DNC

So for the past few days I've been avidly watching the DNC coverage the moment I get home until it concludes for the night. It's been fairly interesting thus far-- Hillary's speech was so intriguing and loaded with all of the "right" things. Michelle Obama was my favorite speaker by far though-- in many cases, I would actually prefer to watch her instead of her husband! I did, however, see Mr. Obama speak this past Spring on the lawn of the Constitution center right here in Philadelphia (about a 20 min walk from campus). Seeing Obama speak was one of the most invigorating experiences of my life, and thanks to Drexel and their VIP tickets they had to the speech, I had the opportunity to be directly involved in the political process.

I'm very excited to see what November brings. If you're 18 come November, regardless of your politcial preference, be sure to register to vote and have your voice heard!. Rockthevote.com is a great place to register fast, or you can pick up an application at your local post office or DMV. You can also register to vote in PA when you get to Drexel-- you don't have to be a resident of PA to vote in PA. If you prefer to register in your home state, make sure to request that absentee ballot.

How to make Oatmeal Cookies!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

1. 1 1/4 c. softened butter or margarine
   


2. 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
   


3. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
   


4. 1 egg
   


5. 1 tsp. vanilla
   


6. 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
   


7. 1 tsp. baking soda
   


8. 1/2 tsp. salt
   


9. 1 tsp. cinnamon
   


10. 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
    


11. 3 c. rolled oats

Step1Heat oven to 375 degrees F and line some cookie sheets with baking parchment - or grease some cookie sheets, or use nonstick cookie sheets.

Step2 Beat together butter or margarine and sugars in a large bowl until creamy.

Step3Add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Step4Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a smaller bowl.

Step5Add flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend well.

Step6 Stir in oats.

Step7 Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet.

Step8Bake 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie or 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie.

Step9Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to wire rack.

Step10Cool completely and store in tightly covered container.

Tips & Warnings

If you're on a low-sodium diet, you can omit the salt.

To make bar cookies, press dough onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

For variation, add 1 cup raisins or chopped nuts or stir in 1 cup semisweet chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips and omit the spices.

My New Bundle of Love

So coming to college was the first time I ever lived without any pets. Fish are they only thing allowed in the residence halls, so in my third term, I invested in my first beta fish.

Over the next few months my tank grew and so did my population-- I had guppies, sharks, plecos, and I even grew my own plants. But, fish just weren't doing it for me. I grew up with dogs, which are pretty much the antithesis of fish.

So this year when I moved out of the res hall, I was determined to get something warm and fuzzy. Most Philadelphia housing doesn't allow dogs, so my options were limited to those animals smaller than a cat. So what could I get that was as fun as a dog but smaller than a cat?

This past weekend I got my very own ferret : ) His name is Kiko and he's a 6 month old baby. He's very adorable, is quite the snuggler, and loves to explore. Most people think ferrets are just bundles of trouble, but they are actually very intelligent and very trainable. I mean, he's already learned how to open his cage in a few short days : )

I'm very excited to have him and it's nice to have a new face around my apartment.

A lesson in College 101

Before you get to college, there is an important skill you must learn-- how to do laundry! I know, it may be scary to think that you won't have mom or dad there to wash your clothes, but learning how to get the job done now is better tan waiting until you run out of clean underwear!

So, some basic laundry tips:

Things You’ll Need:

• Washing machine (Provided by your lovely residence hall)
  
• Stain removers
• Anti-static sheet
• Liquid fabric softeners
• Liquid bleach
• Laundry detergents
• Clothes dryer ( also can be found in your Res Hall)
  
• Laundry baskets

Step1

To do laundry, first sort your dirty clothes, making separate piles for whites, bright colors and darks. If you mix whites with colors in the wash, the colors may bleed onto and ruin your whites. Also separate clothes that tend to produce lint (towels, sweatshirts, chenille and flannel) from clothes that tend to attract lint (corduroy, velvets and permanent-press clothes).

Step2

As you sort, close zippers to prevent snagging, and empty pockets (you don't want soggy shreds of facial tissue all over your clothes!).

Step3

Pre-treat heavy stains with laundry detergent or stain remover, heeding instructions on the product label.

Step4

Use the measuring cap of the detergent bottle or the cup found in detergent boxes to measure out the right amount of laundry soap according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Step5

Pour the soap into your washer or its detergent dispenser. Add liquid fabric softener, if desired, according to the product instructions.

Step6

Choose the water temperature for the wash cycle:hot, warm or cold; save on energy and opt for a cold rinse cycle for any load. Consult the labels on your clothes, your washing machine's instruction manual or the detergent container for recommendations on washing temperature. In general, use cold water to protect colors and darks from bleeding or fading, and to avoid shrinkage. Use warm or hot water for durable fabrics like cotton (make sure they're preshrunk), and to ensure that your whites stay white.

Step7

Start the washer before adding clothes, if you have time, to allow the detergent to dissolve in the water. The regular cycle suffices for most laundry, but use the gentle cycle for sheer or delicate fabrics. Adjust the water level to the size of your load.

Step8

If you need to add bleach, allow the machine to run for a few minutes to mix the detergent and water, then add about a cup of bleach to the washer or the bleach dispenser.

Step9

Add your clothes, close the lid and let the machine do its dirty work. Washing takes approximately 45 minutes.

Step10

Put the clothes (and an anti-static sheet, if desired) in the dryer after the wash is complete. Hang delicates (such as bras and certain sweaters) to air dry on a clothing rack or hanger. Check tags if in doubt.

Step11

Remove lint from the dryer's lint tray.

Step12

Select the correct drying temperature for your laundry load: low for delicates, medium for most fabrics and high for cotton. When in doubt, low or medium is the safest bet.

Step13

Close and turn on the dryer. Expect the drying cycle to take an hour or more for a full load.

Step14

Once the clothes are completely dry, remove them from the dryer or drying rack and fold your clean laundry.

Remember:

• Do not put anything in the dryer that you feel may shrink. Let it air-dry, to be safe.
• If you don't fold clothes right away, they tend to become wrinkled.
• If you have an extremely large wash load, make sure you set the washer to its heaviest setting.
• Establish a weekly plan so that you don't have a huge load of laundry & maintain the amount of clothes you wash at one time:
  • Choose the clothes you will wear during the week.
  • Make sure that they can all go together. For example, don't wear tie-dye one day then a white shirt another day because when you wash them together, the white shirt may get ruined.
  • On Saturday, do the load of laundry, put it away, and be done with it.
  • Do whites first

If you're more of a visual person, check out this how-to video

http://www.howcast.com/videos/176-How-To-Do-Laundry

ICE CREAM SOCIALS!!!