Random differences (ongoing tally)

There's a non-stop game we play when travelling that could be called "Spot the Difference". Here are a few very diverse things that have struck me.

• We noticed all the advertisements that appeared in the newspapers after the January windstorm for tree removal. At home, it would be (a) not much of an issue, as we don't have 70-ft tall trees that (b) lack the roots to withstand 35 mph winds. And (c) if you don't have your own chain saw, your next door neighbour or brother-in-law certainly does. Other services of much greater prominence here than at home include income tax debt relief and women's pistol lessons (okay, I only saw it once, but couldn't resist mentioning it).
• One difference I love is that the outdoor toilets are operational year-round. In a park or on a trail, you don't have to go to the bushes, not even in January. Of course, the warmer climate brings a host of differences -- that's why we're here -- that are so obvious they don't count.
• Then there are the white trucks. We are driving a white truck, a Chevy pick-up with cap. It seems most of the trucks on the roads are white. There are fleets and fleets of them -- vans, pick-ups, SUVs, you name it. As we pull onto any street or highway, the last words out of my mouth are usually "After this white truck." Perhaps white is favoured because of the summer heat. Whatever the reason, it's truly remarkable. Thousands and thousands of them.
• Bail bonds. How common can the need be, you wonder, so that adverts on radio are as common as promos for fast food? This week we got the answer: 1 in 100 American adults are incarcerated. Not 1/100 has ever been in jail; that's how many are there at this moment. Note the figure includes both genders, so how high would it be for men only? For African-Americans, the incarcerated figure is a staggering 1 out of 15 adults.
• Drugs, the legal kind. We don't watch a lot of American TV at home, so it's been news, especially to Jim, who is convinced that everyone in this country must be taking a dozen prescriptions. The sense of a medicated society is made even more amazing when you consider that many of the newest drugs being promoted are for novel problems. The restless leg medication is getting heavy exposure right now.