American Colloquialisms

Before I conclude the USA Exchange part of this blog and move onto general innovations I thought I'd share some of my favourite American sayings

GAME-CHANGER -  Used practically daily in Silicon Valley and Australia has certainly taken on the phrase lately as well.  If a new invention/innovation is sensational and going to take off it’s a game-changer.  Sometimes things are good however “it’s not going to be a game-changer”.   By the way, my Exchange was a personal "game-changer"

SNAFU - Example of use at Council could include when a city may have a SNAFU with a developer or company.  It refers to "Situation Normal All F…… Up” and originated as a military phrase because soldiers report to superior officers using phrases like "situation normal"

DRINKING THE KOOL-AID -  I head people refer to others saying "Oh he has drunk the Kool-aid" when they dont agree with an idea someone else might. It  is a metaphor commonly used in the United States that refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or philosophy without critical examination. The phrase typically carries a negative connotation when applied to an individual or group. There are two likely sources for the term: the first is the Ken Kesey Kool-Aid Acid Tests of the 1960s. The second source is the November 1978 Rev. Jim Jones Jonestown Massacre,^[1][2] where members of the Peoples Temple were said to have committed suicide by drinking a Kool-Aid drink laced with cyanide.

Although we know of the following phrases in Australia we do not use them as commonly as I experienced them expressed in meetings in the USA.

“I’m not keen on that idea it would be like TAKING A KNIFE TO A GUN FIGHT”

“This next problem of ours is definitely GOING TO CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE”

"That could CAUSE A FOOD FIGHT"

“Are you DOWN with that?”

“Now HERE’S THE DEAL” Pronounced HEE-AARRRRRRRR’s the DEEEE-AARRRRRL

“This will be the CACHE of the city”

“We’ve struck a BANANA group” – Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything (or Anyone)

 “DO IT AND SAY IT 6 TIMES” used when the team want to change a habit

Shopping Trolleys & Bins

An end to the abandoned trolley

Here’s a way to control those pesky, unsightly, costly abandoned trolley’s.  Put an electronic lock on a wheel of the trolley and then they cant go past the perimeter of the carpark or pavement boundary as the wheel automatically locks.

Big Belly 

“The smart grid for waste and recycling” Bigbelly has developed waste receptacles that hold 5 times as much as a convention bin due to the built-in-solar powered compactors inside them; data on remaining capacity is transmitted wirelessly to eliminate unnecessary pickups. I was told "It started in Philadelphia and spread to Chicago and Boston" (or was it?).  I discovered it in the States but I noticed it is named after the big-belly seahorse from Australia and New Zealand.  Further investigation shows its Australian beginnings.  Due to the reduction in rubbish pickups the three cities in the States have said they have saved a great deal of money

Houston's - One Bin for All

On the topic of Bins and Waste, Houston City were one of 4 runner's up in the Bloomberg Mayor's Challenge and will receive $1m to bring their 'Total Reuse - One Bin for All' idea to implementation.  Their aim is to 'eliminate source separation at the household level and achieve high waste diversion and recovery through game-changing technologies and new process systems". By developing this total material resource recovery facility, the idea is to divert municipal solid waste, improve air quality, save money, change the way citizens think about materials, reduce extraction of raw materials and divert up to 75% of the waste stream.

One bin in the household for all materials, recyclables, food waste, yard trimmings, and e-waste - Interesting!