Status Updates From The Stray Shopping Carts of...

"This is a rare occurrence of a B/3 FRAGMENT lodged in the branches of a tall bush. The specimen is suspended approximately five feet above the ground; it was most likely placed there via an act of B/12 SIMPLE VANDALISM. At the time of this writing, an intact cart has never been found lodged in a tree." (130)

[image of a shopping cart dangling by the front of the cart from a one way street sign like a pirate earring]
"This specimen is a relatively rare example of a B/12 [Simple Vandalism] that involves moving a cart upward. In the majority of cases, carts are resituated in a downward direction." (41) upward

"Sudden heavy snows have what might be turned a 'Pompeii Effect', wherein all shopping cart movement is frozen. Such times offer an opportunity to assess stray shopping cart activity patterns." (38)

"CLASS B TYPE 2: DAMAGED
A cart damaged by violent encounters with cars, trucks, snowplows, trains, earth-moving equipment, etc., or by acts of B/12 SIMPLE and B/13 COMPLEX VANDALISM." (31) really expected that last example to be "acts of God," not "acts of vandalism"

"GAP SPACES: Vacant lots, ditches, space between buildings, behind buildings, under bridges and overpasses, and all manner of vacant GAPS between properties, public or private." (8) for whatever this resonates with me more than the term liminal spaces

"NOTE: None of the photographs in this book were staged; all shopping carts were documented in situ." (7) very much expected that first phrase to end "harmed in the making of this book", not "staged"

"SECTION 5: THE NIAGARA RIVER GORGE: ANALYZING A COMPLEX VANDALISM SUPER SITE ... shows how the System can be used to investigate site-specific stray shopping cart activity." (7)

This is a direct result of me working on my library's Facebook page. Hee!

I'm loving how seriously this book takes the classification of stray shipping carts. I can't wait to identify some for myself.

Chapter 17: Care And Feeding Of Stray Shopping Carts

Chapter 4: Shopping Cart Mating Rituals

This is not just a coffee table book. There is a scientific method and it makes sense!

Exploring the "habitats" of shopping carts...