Thursday, July 05, 2007
Water in Plastic Bottles
Charles Fishman, Message in a Bottle:
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Thirty years ago, bottled water barely existed as a business in the United States. Last year, we spent more on Poland Spring, Fiji Water, Evian, Aquafina, and Dasani than we spent on iPods or movie tickets--$15 billion. It will be $16 billion this year.I'm reminded of an exchange from The Story of Bob, a Young Artist, a skit which aired on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion (June 9, 2007). Hollywood producer David Dagmar and his assistant Penelope Pembroke are visiting the home of Bob Berger, author of the screenplay "Tramelling the Abyss." Here is part of the dialogue between Bob's unsophisticated sister Bernice and Penelope Pembroke:
BB: All right. Something to drink? Iced tea? Coffee?I'm also reminded of a remark attributed to Socrates by Diogenes Laertius (2.25, tr. R.D. Hicks):
PP: You wouldn't have bottled water, would you? Non-sparkling?
BB: No, but I could put some water in a bottle for you.
Often when he looked at the multitude of wares exposed for sale, he would say to himself, "How many things I can do without!"Finally, from Dennis Mangan:
And those bottles are ugly, too. Just like almost everything else in modern life.Hat tip: Dave Haxton at MacRaven.
