for 18 SEP 06: PILING ON

"Does anybody plan to clean that up?" I asked a neighbor Sunday as I approached a shady tree at our apartment complex. A group of men spent most of Saturday afternoon there, and left beer cans scattered all around the tree - almost as if they expect them to grow into kegs in a few years.

"The Can Man will get 'em," my neighbor who looks 60-something answered. The Can Man?! To some people, this might sound like an industrial version of the tooth fairy.

Does your corner of Columbus have a Can Man? It turns out my neighborhood actually does - a man or woman who goes around picking up discarded aluminum cans, presumably for the recycling money. Come to think of it, there's also a bird feeder in the middle of my apartment complex. Except sometimes, men fire pellet guns at the birds....

I think I've seen the Can Man visit my complex from time to time in recent months. Someone walks up to the trash cans near the curb around pickup day, and probes around inside. Either he's looking for aluminum to recycle, or the convenience stores down the street should start offering inexpensive hot breakfasts.

Several years ago, a Can Woman roamed around the Historic District. My late next-door neighbor quietly left aluminum cans in a bucket outside the back door, and the Can Woman picked them up every week or so. Considering my 70-something neighbor sometimes asked me for loans to make it until payday, I wonder why she didn't go roaming herself.

There was a time long ago when I was a Can Man - not because I had to, but because I wanted to. When I went running in Oklahoma, I'd pick up recyclable cans left along the roadside as I jogged/walked home. It was an experiment in environmentalism - and in a big surprise, at summer's end the soda cans won more nights than the beer cans.

But I've never thought of intentionally leaving aluminum cans outside, for a Can Man to pick up. I suppose some people actually throw trash along the side of a highway as well, so those "adopt-a-mile" groups feel like they're accomplishing something....

Call me greedy, but for years I've saved aluminum cans in a giant trash bag and taken them to a recycling center myself [11 Apr]. It doesn't bring in a lot of money - but if I leave them in the city's blue bin along the curb, I don't get a penny. For a single guy, every free dinner at McDonald's matters.

And that's another thing - my "blue bin" for Columbus curbside recycling has been ignored by city collection crews so often, I don't leave it out anymore. I think it's because the recycling is aimed at homeowners. As if apartment dwellers and renters need to deposit our stuff outside Goodwill Industries, then shop there for low-budget clothing.

But while my neighborhood has a Can Man, it doesn't seem to have anyone picking up the other recyclable items for money. At least I've never noticed a Paper Boy - and Plastic Man is still merely a comic book character.

THE BIG BLOG QUESTION returns from a long absence, to ask what you think of this. Should we leave aluminum cans out and about, for a "Can Man" to collect -- perhaps to make some extra money? Should we simply handle the cans ourselves? And should I go out to the shady tree, pick up the cans myself and see if the men will learn a lesson about sloppiness?

While we're "trash talking," we have good news and bad news for Columbus Riverwalk users. The good news is that the section near South Commons Softball Stadium is open, after weeks of sewer construction. The bad news is that a collection of tires was left behind, near a giant piece of heavy machinery. Maybe those are waiting for Tires First on Miller Road to pick up.

I counted about 20 tires stacked up near the Riverwalk over the weekend. My only conclusion is that the sewer workers found them, while doing their construction over the last several weeks. How some of those big tires wound up fitting in a sewer line, I have no idea....

We can only guess how those tires wound up along the Riverwalk. Some people may have carelessly dumped them in the Chattahoochee. Others might have in practice - dreaming of the day they can row their own kayaks through whitewater rapids downtown.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Our e-mail writers seemed to be in a surly mood Sunday. We'll start with a message about a longtime lawmaker:

Why is Synovus allowing Calvin Smyre to used their money to intimidate, influence, and attack other African Americans in the Columbus community? This behavior is morally wrong, and does not represent good cooperate citizenship.

"Smyre needs to Go!!!"

Ms. Chakunna S. Motes

I'm not sure what sort of intimidation Ms. Motes is describing. Synovus donated money to help parents of the Northern All-Stars attend the Little League World Series - but the team was still all-white.

If Synovus is donating money to political candidates, the company isn't doing what any other company or individual can't do. The old phrase says, "Put your money where your mouth is." In this case, Calvin Smyre is the mouth in the Georgia Legislature....

There's one other big problem with Ms. Motes's message. Rep. Calvin Smyre can't go in this year's election. He's running unopposed, Burt Coker decided to stage a write-in campaign for Mayor instead -- and I'm not sure if Reginald Pugh would have to change his home address.

Here's an e-mail which seems related to that....

Have most Black preachers lost their moral compass? several months ago many of then allowed their names to be placed on a list supporting a local political candidate, I've never seen a list of white clergy doing the same. Saving souls and helping the needy is what preachers should be doing rather than allowing themselves to be used as ponds by politicians. I wonder will the black preachers be selling there godly influence in the November elections.

Maybe the "white clergy" are supporting candidates in a more secretive way, as opposed to putting their names in the newspaper. It's called prayer....

Pastors of all skin colors take active community roles, in political and non-political offices. Joseph Roberson of South Columbus United Methodist Church is a Muscogee County School Board member. Jimmy Elder of First Baptist Church serves on one of the library boards. But I haven't checked to see if Senator Johnny Isakson still is teaching Sunday School somewhere.

Our last e-mail deals with Columbus city business:

Unscripted:

If you want to see the best comedy on the TV just check out your Columbus Council. Hollywood could not write a script this good.

What was saved?:

We now have to hire outside accounting firms to audit ourselves when we just got rid of folks who did that. I guess no matter what it costs, the council will say it was cheaper than keeping good folks working full time.

Are they serious?:

How can council, with a straight face anyway, appoint anyone to interim responsibility who was an assistant to anyone embroiled in the Finance Department situation?

Do the books:

First it was the city landfill fees, now it's the installment fines. I don't know what the city administration is good at, but it sure aint proper accounting and collecting money.

It sounds to me like all of the councilors better start looking for another part-time job because the citizens are getting tired of their inability to run our city. Bob is going to be the first one out and the rest of you are next.

Concerned citizen, tax payer, and registered VOTER.

Brent Rollins

So it's a battle for best comedy between Columbus Council meetings and Rivertown Ford infomercials [18 Aug]. If the Council brought in the Cottonmouths' mascot to compete with the Ford dancing turkey, I might be persuaded.

Is Brent Rollins being a bit inconsistent, with accusations about "outside accounting firms?" If it wasn't for an outside pay study, the Columbus Police Department he loves so much might not be receiving nice raises right now. Those officers would be calling the Russell County Commission instead, and pretending they live in Seale.

Whether Mayor Bob Poydasheff is voted out will be decided in 50 days. But Columbus Council as a whole?! I'd remind Brent Rollins that two current Councilors are unopposed in the November election [2 Jul] -- one of them for a city-wide at-large seat. Talk is cheap. Campaigning for office -- well, that starts with a filing fee.

We thank all of you for writing us - and now let's check some Sunday headlines:

+ The Shrine Circus finished its annual weekend at the Columbus Civic Center. A few people stood outside again this year, claiming the circus animals are abused. It would be nice to know how many of them drove across town, for the Muscogee County Humane Society "adopt-a-thon...."

(These protesters of circus animal abuse have become almost commonplace. But why don't you ever hear them express concern about how risky the trapeze act is?)

+ The Atlanta Falcons stayed unbeaten by topping Tampa Bay 14-3. The two field goal kickers went a combined 1-for-7 -- leaving me to wonder if they've been watching tapes of Shaquille O'Neal shooting free throws.

(The Atlanta defense knocked down several pass attempts by Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms. For awhile, I thought the Falcons might wind up with more "batted balls" than baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays.)

+ Instant Message to whomever left a cigarette butt straight up in the middle of an ant hill, along the Chattahoochee Promenade: Do you plan to check on that in a few days? You know, to see if the nicotine or second-hand smoke killed any ants?

SONG OF THE DAY: A Pacific storm moved across Mexico's west coast Sunday - a storm called Hurricane Lane. We offer our sympathies to the families of the victims. But it's quite tempting to combine the name of the storm with an old tune about Santa Claus....

Here comes hurricane, here comes hurricane,

Here comes Hurricane Lane!

Spreading debris from its strong winds

And flood water caused by rain.

If you're in the path of this storm,

You'd better take cover real quick!

Hurricane Lane is a storm so strong

It might hit you with a brick!

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