Kickstart: Florida man, armed with a plastic recycling cart, wins the internet

When it comes to the internet, anything containing the phrase "Florida man" is usually worth checking out, just for a laugh. Well this one also includes plastics.

On Sept. 29,  a 51-second video  posted by Twitter user @kerethep quickly went viral, registering more than 1.3 million views within five hours. The video shows a man — wearing only a T-shirt, shorts, socks and sandals — working to capture an alligator that had been roaming a residential neighborhood, armed only with a plastic rolling cart.

As he pushes the cart along the ground, the alligator first backs up, then begins to crawl inside the cart. Within a few seconds, the man successfully captures the gator inside the cart. Florida television station WESH spoke with Roy Bonilla, who took the video of his friend Eugene Bozzi trapping the alligator. (A longer video shows Bozzi calmly rolling the bin across the street to a pond and releasing it.)

Obviously this isn't the preferred way to get rid of nuisance wildlife in Florida. Or the proper use of a recycling cart.

"Reminder," the official Twitter page for Orange County noted. "Alligators are not recyclable in your blue lid cart."

I know Rehrig Pacific Co. has a molded trash cart designed to withstand bears, but I wonder if it ever tested its ability to hold an alligator.

The Society of Plastics Engineers is setting up educational and networking programs at upcoming events to focus on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The presentations taking place during Informa Markets events will feature what SPE says will be "an engaging mix of keynotes, panel discussions, 'TED Talk' style sessions, audience interaction ... and networking events."

"SPE is striving to create an environment in which everyone feels respected and valued, and has equal opportunities to develop, advance and be heard," SPE CEO Patrick Farrey said. "Our partnership [with Informa] is a significant step toward achieving a more thorough understanding of the issues and the value of being more diverse, inclusive and equitable. With these events, we intend to begin an ongoing dialogue surrounding the issues of DEI."

SPE's DEI roundtable topics include how top companies are fostering DEI throughout their organizations; the business case for DEI; helping people recognize how their own behaviors impact others and how to recognize bias; the language of DEI; combating ageism; and how to lead by becoming a change-maker.

The first roundtable will take place during Informa's Advanced Manufacturing East in New York Dec. 6-7, followed by three events in 2022. For more details, head to www.4spe.org/DEIevents. And if you haven't checked it out yet, you can find PN's recent special project focused on diversity here.

Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price Little People are tapping into some nostalgia with new figures featuring the Rolling Stones, influential figures such as Rosa Parks and Amelia Earhart and the Golden Girls.

The new lineups introduced earlier this week aren't the first figures featuring toy versions based on people from entertainment. The Beatles, The Office, Run DMC and the characters of the holiday movie A Christmas Story have been the subject of previous releases.

The Rolling Stones and Golden Girls figures are available now. You'll have to supply your own cheescake. The "Inspiring Women" collection, which includes Maya Angelou and Sally Ride in addition to Earhart and Park, will go on sale in October.