Hmm... I know anyone can start threads, but that really should be a category. Like Buy/Sell/Wanted, General Chat, etc. I can't see any way for users to create categories (and a good thing that is!)
Wanton Destruction Hall of Infamy - seems like a good category title to me. Anyone else agree? Other ideas for the title? Maybe 'Depreciated, my arse!
But that's the problem, everyone wants their own Sticky Thread or even category for their pet subject topic, it's just not possible.
This is not suited to a category, as it's really just a single issue thread.
Unlike 'wanted buy/sell' or 'Contests'?
I think you'd find if there was a stable place for people to post such stories, it would be surprising how many would turn up. And keep on turning up, especially if the venue became widely known. Also each example should be discussed in it's own thread, not mixed in with others in one thread. (That regularly vanishes off the front page and is forgotten.)
It's a topic that really is quite political, and emotionally charged. Aspects of our society and business methods are incredibly, immorally wasteful and destructive. That could be fixed, if there was enough public pressure to fix it.
This reminds me of the Roman senator, who when he heard of an idea to make all slaves wear armbands, said "No, for then they would see how many of them there are, and revolt."
This 'bulldoze it' bullshit continues to happen, because few people realize how
often it happens. If they hear of one or two instances they think it's no big deal, just some kind of unique aberration. But it's common (in Australia), and I think very harmful to the ability of our society to maintain numbers of the technically literate and capable. [Some, including me, would say that is the deliberate intent behind the accounting and business rules which cause the destruction.]
I definitely can post some photos to kick it off. Dave, I recall you mentioning an example you saw a few months ago, of a large quantity of scopes etc destined for destruction. Any photos?
Actually, I have video of it. But the person who let me shoot it on their premises didn't want it released, so I'll honor that.
Well, that's a moral choice. You've weighed your duty to them against their immorality and the loss to society of that equipment, and decided your duty matters more.
Others might have decided differently.
Oh, and I've read news stories in the US in the last year about people being arrested and charged with theft, for picking up stuff from kerbside council cleanup piles. Even one example in Australia I seem to recall.
Were they actually convicted?
Got any links for that?
Unfortunately I can't recall, didn't save the story or link, and can't think of a search term that works. It wasn't in any of the categories of stories I do archive.
But here's a related story:
http://www.financenews.co.uk/fnews/woman-arrested-after-taking-thrown-out-food/'Theft by finding'... got to love the Law. That's law in Australia too.
Oh wait, here it is. Thanks google. Via discussion at
http://www.weekendnotes.com.au/cleaning-up-at-council-cleanups/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/man-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-vaccum-from-mooroolbark-rubbish/story-e6frf7l6-1226025965308Ha ha ha! It was near where I live, and the man arrested was my age. But it wasn't me.
[Edit: Oops, no it wasn't. Misread mooroolbark as moorebank.]
Further coincidentally re 'found vacuums', I have an excellent industrial grade backpack vacuum cleaner for my workshop, that I found tossed out in front of a local church. The power cord had shorted out at the point where it flexed most, no doubt giving the user quite a fright. So instead of just fixing the cord, they tossed it. I guess they didn't have enough faith in their healing abilities.
Edit: Now I think about it, I'm pretty sure that is not the Australian story I saw a while ago. Must be more than one instance then. That's not good.