June 7, 2003
More missing artifacts
In the course of renovations, workers at the University of Toronto have accidentally thrown away a centuries-old collection of Ontario artefacts.Read all about it here.In late April, workers at the Scarborough campus cleared out a storage area in an underground tunnel that administrators said was unsafe. Several locked cages in the tunnel held 280 boxes of pottery, stone tools and other items once used by native people and colonists in the Markham and Pickering area. The artefacts dated as far back as the 15th century and are the last vestiges of sites that have since been paved over by developers.
Stored alongside a motley assortment of old blackboards and used equipment, the boxes were pitched in the garbage and eventually taken to a landfill in Michigan.
MEANWHILE, back in Iraq . . . .
Posted by David on June 7, 2003 8:34 PM
danged Iraqi looters!
Posted by: BH on June 7, 2003 9:08 PM
Why the hell are they dumping their artifacts/garbage in our landfills and lakes?
Posted by: Ayanami Rei on June 7, 2003 9:29 PM
Damn; where were the US Marines when they were needed?
Probably helping Clinton look for babes...
Posted by: bob on June 7, 2003 11:46 PM
this is dubya's fault... i just know it..!
Posted by: rt on June 7, 2003 11:57 PM
Ayanami, they (the people of Toronto) are dumping their garbage in your landfills (not your lakes) for two reasons. (1) it's a straightforward commercial transaction: take the garbage, we'll give you money. (2) because the original plan, to bury the garbage deep in gigantic but abandoned mines in northern Ontario - mines blasted into the Canadian Shield rock formation a mile deep - was sandbagged by enviro do-gooders in Toronto, even though the people of northern Ontario were looking forward to all the money. So, both the people of northern Ontario and the people of Michigan figure it's a good business opportunity. Of course, the plan is predicated on the idea that what Toronto is sending is garbage. If they're stupid enough to send stuff that has value, it's an even better deal for Michigan. Maybe Michigan could get the Toronto folks to mark the trucks that have the good stuff in with a special symbol...
Posted by: Patrick Brown on June 8, 2003 10:42 AM
Way OT, but since we're talking about waste handling policy: - For under 20 million dollars, we could set up a co-mingled waste seperation plant in Toronto that would deliver a steady stream of dry wastes for building materials, plastics ready for re-cooking, glass by colour, metals and marketable low-toxicity compost from the organic waste stream. No smell, either. Today's proven technology.
All with no source separation: - i.e., the entire taxpayer (heavily) subsidized Blue Box program.
Of course, that would be the end of the millions upon millions of dollars of 'easy money' for the transnational waste-handling and transport corps.
Oh well. At least everyone can feel they are "doing their part" as they meticulously place their paper and cardboard and glass and plastics in their requisite containers.
There IS NO waste handling problem, folks. Only trenchant economics and politics. GARBAGE IS A RESOURCE!
Posted by: Tiburon on June 8, 2003 1:30 PM
Vote for Tiburon for Garbage Collector and Sorter!
Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on June 8, 2003 1:54 PM
Yes. I accept the nomination. "It's a Dirty Job but Somebody has to Do It"
:-)
Tiburon
Posted by: Tiburon on June 8, 2003 3:11 PM
gmail.com