Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Jun 6, 2018 8:27:05 GMT -5
Also, I’d like to acknowledge the amusing double entendres of “straw poll”.
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wyouser
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Post by wyouser on Jun 6, 2018 9:24:50 GMT -5
Just for thought, isn't drinking beer through a straw dangerous ? (I'm thinking for me, one or two straws in the last month...all in restaurants)
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Green Eyed Lady
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Jun 6, 2018 9:27:08 GMT -5
I had a traumatic experience once with a straw. I was driving down a road in really poor shape. I had just stopped at a convenience store for a soda. Just as I was taking a drink, I hit a huge pot hole or something and bounced really hard. The straw cut into that little piece of skin behind my two front teeth. I bled like a stuck pig and it was sore for days. No more straws.
Answer: 0 straws; 0 kids.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2018 9:58:17 GMT -5
I had a traumatic experience once with a straw. I was driving down a road in really poor shape. I had just stopped at a convenience store for a soda. Just as I was taking a drink, I hit a huge pot hole or something and bounced really hard. The straw cut into that little piece of skin behind my two front teeth. I bled like a stuck pig and it was sore for days. No more straws.
Answer: 0 straws; 0 kids. You might say... it was the last straw.
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Jun 6, 2018 10:00:23 GMT -5
6, I think. I was out to dinner the other night and had soda, and I think they gave me a new straw with each of the two refills.
no kids
I buy paper straws to use at home and at work.
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Waffle
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Post by Waffle on Jun 6, 2018 10:08:38 GMT -5
last week maybe 3
last month 15?
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Green Eyed Lady
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Jun 6, 2018 10:10:05 GMT -5
I had a traumatic experience once with a straw. I was driving down a road in really poor shape. I had just stopped at a convenience store for a soda. Just as I was taking a drink, I hit a huge pot hole or something and bounced really hard. The straw cut into that little piece of skin behind my two front teeth. I bled like a stuck pig and it was sore for days. No more straws.
Answer: 0 straws; 0 kids. You might say... it was the last straw. Good one!
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grumpyhermit
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Post by grumpyhermit on Jun 6, 2018 10:12:37 GMT -5
Typically 0.
In a given year, maybe 6-12. I only use them when I eat out (which is rarely) or when I get an iced coffee (also pretty rare).
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toomuchreality
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Favorite Drink: Sometimes I drink water... just to surprise my liver!
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Post by toomuchreality on Jun 6, 2018 10:15:05 GMT -5
OK, tabulating so far: Member | Reported Number
| Equivalent Per-Day
| Virgil Showlion
| 2 in Past Month
| 1/15 | Artemis Angel
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10
| empress of self-destruction
| 0 in Past Week
| 0 | Cheesy | 1 Per Week
| 1/7
| Shooby | 2 Per Month
| 1/15 | Zibazinski | 3 Per Day
| 3 | chapeau's DD
| 500 Per Year
| 500/365 ~ 1.37 | chapeau
| 250 Per Year
| 250/365 ~ 0.685 | tractor
| 8-10 Per Week
| 9/7 | haapai
| 1 Per Day
| 1 | Tennesseer
| 2 in Past 30 Days
| 1/15 | Treading Water Chloe
| 190 per Year
| 190/365 ~ 0.521 | Treading Water Chloe's DH
| 250 Per Year
| 250/365 ~ 0.685 | Treading Water Chloe's Child
| 200 Per Year
| 200/365 ~ 0.548 | steff
| 1 per Day (Previously)
| 1 | RichardInTN
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | weltschmerz
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | Ti4ny
| 1 Per 2 Months
| 1/61
| busymom
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10 |
Hopefully I haven't missed any. So far this yields a per-day average of a little under 0.6, suggesting 192 million per day if America was made up of YMAMers. The only real outlier seems to be Zib, and she's apparently recovering from some trauma to her mouth. ETA: I should note that while Weltz and I technically shouldn't be part of the sample, 57 million straws per day for Canada's population is virtually identical to 500 million per day in the US, hence I'm not going to make any distinction between the two populations.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Jun 6, 2018 10:25:07 GMT -5
I confess that I did use them on occasion to shoot spit balls at substitute teachers in elementary school. My apologies to all teachers out there.
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retread
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Post by retread on Jun 6, 2018 10:59:06 GMT -5
This would be an average of 1.6 straws per day for every man, woman, and child in America, which strikes me as absurd based on my own consumption. My most recent straw usage was in a restaurant nearly a month ago. But I'm also not a typical consumer. I'm atypical (on the very low side) as well. At least at present. When I was traveling as part of my job, I'm sure I pushed the average up. Shooby and Cheesy FL-Vol identified the prime reason the average is so high. I don't even need to take off my shoes to count the number of times in my life I've seen someone drink a fast food cold beverage without a straw. Hence, a spot poll from YMAM consumers: 1. How many plastic straws have you personally used in the past week? 2. If you have young kids living at home with you, how many plastic straws would you estimate they each used in the past week? If you can remember back as far as a month, monthly estimates would be even better.
Past week: 1 (made myself a milkshake) Past 30 days: 1 Estimated monthly average: 2 (rarely ever use a straw during winter) Kids living at home: 0
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2018 11:10:54 GMT -5
Shooby and Cheesy FL-Vol identified the prime reason the average is so high. I don't even need to take off my shoes to count the number of times in my life I've seen someone drink a fast food cold beverage without a straw. Indeed. But everyone in America eating fast food with a drink an average of 1.6 times a day every day of their lives seems... excessive.
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retread
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Post by retread on Jun 6, 2018 11:50:27 GMT -5
Shooby and Cheesy FL-Vol identified the prime reason the average is so high. I don't even need to take off my shoes to count the number of times in my life I've seen someone drink a fast food cold beverage without a straw. Indeed. But everyone in America eating fast food with a drink an average of 1.6 times a day every day of their lives seems... excessive. Even though my present consumption definitely drags the average down, I still have to accept a yellow card for my past behavior. At one point, I was probably averaging 5 or 6 straws per day on weekdays during the summer months. And I spent over a decade in that mode. It isn't just fast food drinks with meals. Convenience store slushies and frozen cokes, and personally I would have my morning java in the form of Frappuccino or Iced Cap when the weather was warm. More troubling than straw usage was the amount of trash generated. Drink cups and lids, food wrapping/styro containers, paper napkins, and of course the bag (maybe we should count the obligatory receipt that no one ever looks at). Oh, and I frequently requested a cardboard drink carrier so my shake or frostie for dessert wouldn't tip while I was eating lunch and slurping my coke while rocketing down the expressway.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2018 13:23:24 GMT -5
Even though my present consumption definitely drags the average down, I still have to accept a yellow card for my past behavior. At one point, I was probably averaging 5 or 6 straws per day on weekdays during the summer months. And I spent over a decade in that mode. So what stopped you, your second heart attack or your third?
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retread
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Post by retread on Jun 6, 2018 14:16:32 GMT -5
Virgil Showlion , surprising as it might seem I've never had a heart attack. Or high blood pressure. Occasionally when traveling the RC would have a free blood pressure check in the airport the nurses would take multiple reading because they couldn't believe the readings were so low. I'm still on the low side of normal but not ridiculously so. I've never needed chronic medication for anything. My only drugs are caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and aspirin. I'm a saltaholic too. And I eat whatever I have a hankerin' for with zero regard for cholesterol or calories. When I was in fast food mode, I gradually gained weight and topped out about 20~30 lb above normal for my height and was kinda thick in the middle for a while. I have compassion for people with serious weight problems but I can't say I have fully have empathy, having never experienced it personally.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2018 17:28:57 GMT -5
I'm a saltaholic too. And I eat whatever I have a hankerin' for with zero regard for cholesterol or calories. When I was in fast food mode, I gradually gained weight and topped out about 20~30 lb above normal for my height and was kinda thick in the middle for a while. Lucky. I pudge up if I do the fast food thing too often, and have a heck of a time getting it off.
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Green Eyed Lady
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Jun 6, 2018 17:34:07 GMT -5
Drop and give me 50! Both of you!
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Happy prose
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Post by Happy prose on Jun 6, 2018 18:05:38 GMT -5
I was going to say 0, but remembered I bought an iced coffee at the beach. So 1 the past 30 days. I heard some shore towns are thinking of banning them, but why not just switch to paper straws?
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 6, 2018 18:13:33 GMT -5
I was going to say 0, but remembered I bought an iced coffee at the beach. So 1 the past 30 days. I heard some shore towns are thinking of banning them, but why not just switch to paper straws? I have never in my life seen a paper straw. Plus, if they aren't waxed/plasticized/etc.--which makes them as non-biodegradable as regular straws--how do they avoid getting soggy?
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Jun 6, 2018 18:18:39 GMT -5
Shooby and Cheesy FL-Vol identified the prime reason the average is so high. I don't even need to take off my shoes to count the number of times in my life I've seen someone drink a fast food cold beverage without a straw. Indeed. But everyone in America eating fast food with a drink an average of 1.6 times a day every day of their lives seems... excessive.
Does Canada not partake in the specialty coffee cult?
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Happy prose
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Post by Happy prose on Jun 6, 2018 18:55:12 GMT -5
I was going to say 0, but remembered I bought an iced coffee at the beach. So 1 the past 30 days. I heard some shore towns are thinking of banning them, but why not just switch to paper straws? I have never in my life seen a paper straw. Plus, if they aren't waxed/plasticized/etc.--which makes them as non-biodegradable as regular straws--how do they avoid getting soggy?
I remember getting the milk carton in school, and there were paper straws. But check out www.aardvarkstraws.com/sea-turtle.
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Jun 7, 2018 9:32:30 GMT -5
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Jun 7, 2018 9:53:28 GMT -5
I read about this several months ago and decided not to use straws any more. Before that when out for dinner would use straws with my water.
When going through chemo 5 years ago I would use straws at home because any liquid would hurt the saliva glands. Straws would put the liquid behind the glands so not hurt as much.
No kids at home = zero straws
I have never in my life seen a paper straw.
When I was a kid in the 1940-50s all we had were paper straws. They switched to plastic because the paper would get soggy. I remember paper straws that had 'flavor sticks' in them and when you had milk, it would flavor the milk. If I remember correctly it wasn't so great. Rather have the regular chocolate milk.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 7, 2018 10:40:50 GMT -5
Updated list: Member | Reported Number
| Equivalent Per-Day
| Virgil Showlion
| 2 in Past Month
| 1/15 | Artemis Angel
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10
| empress of self-destruction
| 0 in Past Week
| 0 | Cheesy | 1 Per Week
| 1/7
| Shooby | 2 Per Month
| 1/15 | Zibazinski | 3 Per Day
| 3 | chapeau's DD
| 500 Per Year
| 500/365 ~ 1.37 | chapeau
| 250 Per Year
| 250/365 ~ 0.685 | tractor
| 8-10 Per Week
| 9/7 | haapai
| 1 Per Day
| 1 | Tennesseer
| 2 in Past 30 Days
| 1/15 | Treading Water Chloe
| 190 per Year
| 190/365 ~ 0.521 | Treading Water Chloe's DH
| 250 Per Year
| 250/365 ~ 0.685 | Treading Water Chloe's Child
| 200 Per Year
| 200/365 ~ 0.548 | steff
| 1 per Day (Previously)
| 1 | RichardInTN
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | weltschmerz
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | Ti4ny
| 1 Per 2 Months
| 1/61
| busymom
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10 | NoNamePerson
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | Green Eyed Lady
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | mollyanna58
| 6 in Past Week
| 6/7 | Waffle
| 15 in Past Month
| 1/2 | grumpyhermit
| 6-12 in Past Year
| 8/365 | Virgil's Friend #1
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10 | Virgil's Friend #2
| 6 in Past Month
| 1/5 | Virgil's Friend #3
| 10 in Past Month
| 1/3 | retread
| 2 Per Month
| 1/15 | Happy prose
| 1 in Past Month
| 1/30 |
Updated mean: 0.456 straws per day Data count: 28 Indeed our sample isn't the be all and end all of America/Canada, but unless there's a huge demographic out there using 19 plastic straws a week per person every week for some reason, the 500 million/day stat is looking like a massive overshoot.
sesfw : Before you "quit" straws, about how many per month would you estimate you used?
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Jun 7, 2018 11:53:25 GMT -5
Maybe 2-3 ……… We don't go out for meals very often .
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Muscleup
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Post by Muscleup on Jun 7, 2018 11:57:59 GMT -5
Real men don't use straws.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Jun 7, 2018 19:33:01 GMT -5
I’ve used about 4 or 5 in the past week. I’ve gone out to eat a few times and DH brought me a soft drink that had one.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2018 20:58:41 GMT -5
When I get a drink at McDonald's (or wherever) that's served in a lidded cup with a straw "punch through"... I just take off the lid and drink the drink like it was in a regular glass/cup.
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toomuchreality
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Favorite Drink: Sometimes I drink water... just to surprise my liver!
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Post by toomuchreality on Jun 8, 2018 6:20:34 GMT -5
Updated list: Member | Reported Number
| Equivalent Per-Day
| Virgil Showlion
| 2 in Past Month
| 1/15 | Artemis Angel
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10
| empress of self-destruction
| 0 in Past Week
| 0 | Cheesy | 1 Per Week
| 1/7
| Shooby | 2 Per Month
| 1/15 | Zibazinski | 3 Per Day
| 3 | chapeau's DD
| 500 Per Year
| 500/365 ~ 1.37 | chapeau
| 250 Per Year
| 250/365 ~ 0.685 | tractor
| 8-10 Per Week
| 9/7 | haapai
| 1 Per Day
| 1 | Tennesseer
| 2 in Past 30 Days
| 1/15 | Treading Water Chloe
| 190 per Year
| 190/365 ~ 0.521 | Treading Water Chloe's DH
| 250 Per Year
| 250/365 ~ 0.685 | Treading Water Chloe's Child
| 200 Per Year
| 200/365 ~ 0.548 | steff
| 1 per Day (Previously)
| 1 | RichardInTN
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | weltschmerz
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | Ti4ny
| 1 Per 2 Months
| 1/61
| busymom
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10 | NoNamePerson
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | Green Eyed Lady
| 0 Per Year
| 0 | mollyanna58
| 6 in Past Week
| 6/7 | Waffle
| 15 in Past Month
| 1/2 | grumpyhermit
| 6-12 in Past Year
| 8/365 | Virgil's Friend #1
| 3 in Past Month
| 1/10 | Virgil's Friend #2
| 6 in Past Month
| 1/5 | Virgil's Friend #3
| 10 in Past Month
| 1/3 | retread
| 2 Per Month
| 1/15 | Happy prose
| 1 in Past Month
| 1/30 |
Updated mean: 0.456 straws per day Data count: 28 Indeed our sample isn't the be all and end all of America/Canada, but unless there's a huge demographic out there using 19 plastic straws a week per person every week for some reason, the 500 million/day stat is looking like a massive overshoot.
sesfw : Before you "quit" straws, about how many per month would you estimate you used? Seriously
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Jun 8, 2018 9:16:52 GMT -5
Seriously "Seriously" what? Asking the question serves no purpose unless I actually tabulate the data and compute an average.
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