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I haven't done the statistical analysis yet but observation strongly suggests a binner's subliminal reading diet -- all the words on all the street furniture, signage and dumpsters they encounter in alleys -- consists principally of negatives: "No," "Never," "Don't," "Stop," with a rare "Please" thrown in to soften the blow.

Once the stats are in, physiologists will probably tell us this surfiet of environmental negativity in the back alleys makes for a toxic workplace -- binning-wise -- and declare us victims of a hitherto unknown type of PTSD: Pessimistic Traffic Sign Disorder Syndrome.

Street people, binners, parking attendants, traffic enforcement officers, even garbage and tow truck drivers may, in the near future, be in line for significant disability claims. In the meantime I take solace from the signage in the parkade pictured above.