It is 7:15 AM on the day of a work event and I'm blogging.  I should be rushing around panicking about my clothes and trying to get the dry cleaner plastic off my winter coat ...

The Pennsylvania Resources Council, Alcoa and Manchester would like the Steeler Nation to recycle. They provide the bags, the volunteers and the fun "toss em" games to encourage participation.  Great idea, hope it works and hope the Steelers get behind it.  I also hope is spreads into the neighborhood informal lots where the trash is hideous.  What a great opportunity to show community investment and probably not that much money for the PR. 

(Plus, I saw in the article that they give away the big blue bags which are hard to find these days.  We have to go to Camp Horne Giant Eagle to get them.  Why is that?)

Call it intuition or paying attention, but folks in the Mon Valley know what they know and they know that "clusters" of folks are getting cancer and other illnesses in disproportionate numbers. I grew up in West Mifflin, less than a mile from a steel mill.  I know almost everyone *I* grew up with has a breathing disorder.  Mine is officially called asthma secondary to rhinitis, but it means a daily pill and some of those panic moments when I can't catch my breath.  Losing almost 50 lbs didn't make a bit of difference. 

Interestingly, my father who works (still) in the mills (a coke plant!) is very healthy at the age of 70.  My mother has a range of illnesses, but no cancer so far. 

On with the day ...