8 things a hand dryer can't do

Hand dryers are replacing paper towels in more and more restrooms. Managements often do this to avoid the litter of paper towels and the costs of refilling the dispensers and emptying the trash containers. However, like many cost savings, these savings can be a cost shift to others. Paper towels can do so much more for the users of restrooms than hand dryers can.

1. Dry hands in 30 seconds. I and many other men dry our hands on jeans rather than wait and wait for a hand dryer to do the job.

2. Dry hands quietly. The noise of some hand dryers probably exceeds healthy sound levels.

3. Wipe up spills on clothing.

4. Wipe a runny nose.

5. Wipe a sweaty brow.

6. Staunch bleeding from a minor cut.

7. Wipe excess water from a sink.

8. Dry hands when replacing a contact lens.

And I'm sure you can think of many more uses for paper towels that hand dryers are useless for.

The green is not grass, the green is trash

As we were driving I-90 through Montana and my wife looked out over the brown landscape, she said, "I see a bit of green." I looked out and saw a green pop bottle and said, "The green is not grass, the green is trash!"

I hadn't really paid much attention before, but the amount of trash along the side of the highway was appalling. There must have been at least one bottle or can every two feet. I don't think I've seen as much trash along the more heavily traveled I-35. Either many Montanans are bigger slobs than some Minnesotans, or Minnesotans pick up trash more often.