subject: Are Good Ideas Thought Out Loud? [print this page] Male crash dummies date back to WWIIMale crash dummies date back to WWII. However, General Motors didn't start using female crash dummies until the late 1980's and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration didn't make wide use of them until 2003. Female dummies are shorter and weigh less. Some have wider hips and some have chest-jackets simulating breasts. Because women have smaller bones and less bone density, they are more at risk in crashes than men. Women's less muscular necks are more susceptible to whiplash. Now NHTSA uses female crash dummies more than any place in the world. Whoever is responsible for that is a "crash smarty".
The U.S. Treasury wants to make nickels and pennies cheaper to produce. A nickel - 25% nickel and 75% copper - cost 5.73 cents to make in 2006. In 2012 it costs 11.18 cents. A penny - 2.5% copper and 97.5% zinc - cost 1.23 cents to make in 2006. In 2012 it costs 2.41 cents. Considering both coins cost more than twice their face value to produce, Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) introduced legislation to make both nickels and pennies with steel and coat pennies with copper. It seems Rep. Stivers' "2 cents worth" is actually 4.82 cents worth.
The "Plastic Eating Monster" is the invention of John Bordynuik, C.E.O. of a startup company in Niagara Falls. Thousands of pounds of shredded plastic from all over the U.S. are melted and vaporized in the monster's tank. Using a process that rearranges hydrogen chains, 90% of the plastic is turned into #6 fuel - fuel used by large companies. In 2012 Bordynuik is producing a few thousand barrels of oil daily. Each barrel costs approximately $10 to produce and sells for about $100. Considering the U.S. dependence on oil and that we recycle only 7% of plastic yearly, the Plastic Eating Monster sounds eco-friendly.
The website Change lets people petition online. A 3-question form asks whom do you want to petition, what do you want them to do and why is it important. Large organizations like the Sierra Club and Oxfam International pay to have petitions promoted on the website, but individuals can petition for free. As of 2012 more than 10 million people were using the website and more than 15,000 campaigns were launched monthly. In 2011 Bank of America dropped its plan to charge a monthly $5 debit card fee after 300,000 people electronically signed a petition. It's a "sign of the times".
