Plastic

Molded window shutters are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to give a spring dressing-up to the exterior of a house.The shutters, made of durable plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrane, are available in many colors at home centers and building-supply dealers.Colors are generally molded into the plastic so there is no peeling or chipping of paint -- a constant problem with old wood shutters. Many plastic shutters can be painted if a certain color is desired, however.In deference to custom, most plastic shutters have a wood-grain pattern molded into the finish.

Dan Rodricks proclaims his annoyance with those of us who walk out of grocery stores with plastic bags ("Overpriced popcorn, O's early-season tease and other annoyances," April 26). I'd wager that the majority of us who offend Mr. Rodricks in this way are dog owners. I have three big ones, and they leave big messes on lawns. If you want me to pick up after them, I need plastic bags to do it. Sorry if it's ecologically unsound, but I'm not about to use a cloth bag and wash the bag. Fred Pasek, Frederick

Everyone wants "to see fewer bags tossed onto streets and alleys," as your editorial puts it ("Paper, plastic or meaningless legislation?" March 18). Fortunately the Baltimore City Council did not agree that a confusing new tax is the only way to achieve this. Most states and cities that have wrestled with bag policy have opted for strong recycling programs and citizen education -- not new taxes. Baltimore shoppers today have ample access to recycling bins for plastic retail bags, dry cleaning bags, product wraps -- even this newspaper's delivery bags!

Apparently Americans aren't happy with their chins. Chinplants are the fastest growing plastic surgery, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. And both men and women are getting the procedure. The chin and jawline are among the first parts of the face to show signs of aging and chin implants can make people look more youthful, the group said. The procedure saw a 71 percent increase from 2010 to 2011, when 20,680 people got chin augmentation. Women had led the trend with 10,087 of the surgeries, but men weren't far behind with 10,593 procedures.

M ore holiday shoppers this year are using cash or debit cards to avoid overspending with credit cards. But what about the rest of the year? Is it possible in a credit-dependent society to get by without plastic? "Credit cards are not necessary," says Ed Fredericks, a finance professor at Pepperdine University. "Originally, credit was seen as a privilege. Soon it kind of turned into something that everyone had to have. Multiple cards were mailed out to people, whether they were able to carry credit or not."

Imagine life without the plastic development in the last 100 years -- from your nylon stockings to your contact lenses. The Greek word "Plastikos" means it plastic is the moleblages of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and other atoms are unwiedly chain or ring structures that can't be packed closely, so they are flexible. The first 19th-century plastics were cellulose-based: Bandaging material, billiard balls, false teeth, combs, shirt collars. New each year the world produces about 225 billion pounds of plastic -- press-on fingernails, hip-replacement joints, Spandex, packing peanuts, cheap explosives for terrorists.

WASHINGTON -- Americans are throwing away billions of pounds of the clear plastic that soft-drink bottles and other containers are made of, even as demand for the recycled material soars. The plastic, polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, appears on grocery shelves and in vending machines as containers for soft drinks, water, shampoo, ketchup and other products on a list that gets longer every year. The most recent survey by the National Association for PET Container Resources, an industry trade group, shows that last year more than 5 billion pounds of PET was used in plastic containers.

I recently bought three bottles of water, which the cashier promptly placed in a plastic bag, doubling it for good measure. In a single transaction, I became environmental enemy No. 1. In the ever-growing list of things you must do to save the planet, eschewing plastic -- whether as a bag or a bottle for water -- is having its moment. Cities like Annapolis are seeking to ban plastic bags, convenient for hauling groceries home but often ending up littering the curb, floating up to become entangled in tree branches or landing in the bay, where they threaten marine life.

Before you hit the stores, visit the Center for Health, Environment and Justice's Web site, where you'll find a printable wallet guide to steer you toward PVC-free art supplies, backpacks, lunchboxes and more. For example, the guide warns against paper clips and notebook spirals that are covered in colored plastic, which often contains PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Instead, stick to the plain metal clips and spirals. The center urges parents to avoid plastic items, in general, whenever possible.

Priscilla Ellis, 61, a Boston psychologist and mediator, was suspicious the minute she opened the mass e-mail. And with good reason. It was an old e-rumor that has picked up steam recently, alleging that microwaving food in plastic containers releases dioxin, a carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. The e-mail noted that the warning about dioxin had been sent out in a newsletter from Johns Hopkins, the esteemed medical institution in Baltimore, and that similar information was "being circulated" at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Many teens are unhappy with their appearance and ask their parents for a "nose job," or rhinoplasty. But there are a lot of factors to consider, such as the limits of surgery, the long-term effects and possible complications, according to Dr. Patrick J. Byrne, a facial plastic surgery specialist who practices at the Johns Hopkins Cosmetic Center at Green Spring Station. Byrne, also an assistant professor at Hopkins School of Medicine, says there are better techniques to make the surgery successful, but this is still a big decision.

Howard County Police are warning of a spate of so-called "bottle bomb" pranks in which plastic soda containers are filled with chemicals and left to explode. County residents have reported five bottle bomb incidents to police this year. Nine incidents were reported in 2011, police said. Victims of the pranks risk injuries to the skin, eyes and lungs. Anyone who finds a suspicious container is advised to stay clear and call 911. Common instructions for the bombs found online call for a mixture of drain cleaner, water and aluminum foil.

Ben Woolsey of CreditCards.com warns against the pitfalls of using your credit or debit card at the gas pump. The first problem:   Woolsey says station owners sometimes put limit on transactions of $75 to $125. Given fast-rising gas prices, it's possible some gas guzzlers won't be able to fill up. The other problem: Your card company can put a block or hold on your card - reducing the credit limit - when you're making a purchase at the pump. The block is temporary, lasting up to $72 hours, but limits your line of credit by $75 to $100, Woolsey says.

I wanted to like "Person to Person," the new-old CBS News interview show with Charlie Rose and Lara Logan trying to fill the celebrity interviewer shoes once worn by the legendary Edward R. Murrow. And with George Clooney as the first interviewee, I thought it couldn't miss. But it did. And I'm not here to blast it. The show just felt so flat, thin and plastic, I kept asking myself what am I getting here that I couldn't get on"Access Hollywood"or any of a half a dozen other sold-out-Hollywood show biz shows.

While the good intentions of a "plastic bag tax" for store shopping bags to prevent pollution is admirable, I do take one issue to Mr. Pasalic's letter (Leader, Jan. 19). Specifically the line "five cents never put anyone into poverty. " One thing is for certain, once you give the government an inch with taxes, they eventually take the mile. Take a look at your phone bill. Many years back the government said, "We're gonna add just a teeny weeny tax on your phone bill. It's just a few cents and it's for the children's education!"

As an employee at a grocery store in Montgomery County, I am pleased with the implementation of the new bag tax, a law that initially began in Washington. I think that it would be beneficial for Baltimore County, as well as other Maryland counties, to study the idea and consider passing an anti-litter tax. This law would have a positive impact because stores will have to order less bags. Typically, a case of plastic bags costs about $30; paper bags are even more costly. Furthermore, customers will be more mindful about not wasting bags if they have to pay for each one. They will likewise be encouraged to take their reusable bags back to the store to do their shopping.

A Senate committee has approved a bill that would give the state Department of the Environment broad powers to regulate new landfills.Another measure to require that certain plastic bottles and containers sold in the state contain 25 percent recycled material also received a favorable vote.But the Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee delayed the effective date until 1996.The landfill bill, Senate Bill 310, authorizes the state to take into account several factors when licensing new trash disposal areas or expansions of old facilities.

Like many gardeners, I spend a lot of my summer weekends staring at my tomato plants wondering what is going on. Lately they have been teasing me. They produced a couple of beauties, ripe luscious Cherokee Purples. Last week, I devoured them. But then, like a spurned lover, the tomato plants stopped delivering joy. They seem to hold back, waiting for me to make some move. Green fruit torments gardeners, but especially ones who have already tasted bliss. So as I cast about tomato literature looking for solutions to my reluctant plants, I came upon the red mulch tactic.

When it comes to bottled water, your readers should know the facts ("Maryland state offices going off the bottle," Oct. 1). While tap water can be a perfectly fine choice, it is not always readily accessible when and where consumers need it. Bottled water provides individuals with the opportunity to enjoy fresh, healthy water wherever they are. Importantly, our bottled water containers are 100 percent recyclable and are among the most recycled...

I read with disappointment Angela Logomasini's misinformed commentary regarding a possible ban on baby food packaging containing the chemical Bisphenol-A ("BPA ban exposes children to risks," May 3). The article seems intent on creating a sense of panic and confusion among consumers instead of informing them honestly about the dangers of this substance. While much of the research is conflicted regarding the amounts of BPA that are safe and to what extent they may cause harm, we know that chemicals from plastic containers that leech into our foods can be toxic and possibly carcinogenic.