Hungry People in America

[washuguy]

THIS IS INEXCUSABLE... Give me one reason why this is ok, one. There are hungry people all over the place that need food, and THIS happens? This is absolutely ridiculous dude. What happened to the American humanitarian efforts? We send all this food and money to other countries, and can't feed our own? Oh wait... Excuse me... We can feed our own, we just choose to throw it away. This is backwards, wasteful, and erratic, we don't know what to do with ourselves, a lot of people could use those fruits and vegetables. Honestly, this is ridiculous, and the human race, sad to say it, is doomed. Short video. Watch, feel free to discuss...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV16qVoZ5SA

[Lady Nadia]

this is sad to see. but thats the way these businesses are. theyre hardheaded n theyd rather throw all that food away instead of give it away for free. money money money .. only thing businesses care about. :(

[washuguy]

You said it right there, hard of heart. I mean, these guys can't make money off people that can't AFFORD to buy it, cause they have no money, so it's just plain stupid. My moms works in fast food, and it burns her up having to see all that food thrown away at the end of the day. Just plain sick...

[amtalx]

Interest pieces like this tug at your heart, but are often incredibly naive. Food is discarded from restaurants for safety reasons. It is either expired, or partially consumed. This 'waste' is the bi-product of having high health standards. Skirting them leads to food borne illness, which is a major problem in the developing world where those standards don't exist.

[Sayara]

Interest pieces like this tug at your heart, but are often incredibly naive. Food is discarded from restaurants for safety reasons. It is either expired, or partially consumed. This 'waste' is the bi-product of having high health standards. Skirting them leads to food borne illness, which is a major problem in the developing world where those standards don't exist.

this, painfully

[Sinue_v2]

Interest pieces like this tug at your heart, but are often incredibly naive. Food is discarded from restaurants for safety reasons. It is either expired, or partially consumed. This 'waste' is the bi-product of having high health standards. Skirting them leads to food borne illness, which is a major problem in the developing world where those standards don't exist.

This, but it's also a problem of having subsidies and a consequence of the global market. To (over) simplify things, the price of food is set by supply and demand. If farmers were to simply give away their excess crops to the hungry, it would flood the market and reduce the price of the crops they are selling dramatically. If they can't make a decent price on their crops, they can't afford to maintain their farms and livelihoods. And if they go out of business, then we all go hungry.

[May0]

I have I high metabolism so I can eat whatever I like but I generally don't eat that much since I have a poor appetite. This has lead to me being 6'2" and only weighing 135-140 lbs. Personally I think its okay to be a little bit hungry at times. If you eat all the time it kinda takes the joy out of eating since there's no need to satisfy a desire to consume.

[Katrina]

This young girl mustered the courage to speak in front of national and world representatives on hunger, and environmental issues at the UN Earth summit in 92. The powers that be and government leaders could learn a thing or two from the message.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqrBzuOwGqQ

[washuguy]

Interest pieces like this tug at your heart, but are often incredibly naive. Food is discarded from restaurants for safety reasons. It is either expired, or partially consumed. This 'waste' is the bi-product of having high health standards. Skirting them leads to food borne illness, which is a major problem in the developing world where those standards don't exist.

Not all the time... I think it's just as naive to think that EVERY time the food from these places gets thrown away, that its for "health and safety reasons." A lot these people don't care about that. If that's the case, those that sell old food and are dishonest about doing it, wouldn't do it. they do just enough to get by to make sure they're keeping the law. I understand not giving it to the employees in some cases cause you run the risk of being sued... But homeless people that could care less? You might as well give it to them if you're going to throw it away. The whole "We're not giving it to the homeless cause they'll get sick" excuse gets old. If that's a major concern, lets go the whole 10 yards, why stop at health? Get these people of the street, employ them, and get them some food. Give people a warning as to how long the food has been kept around, and let them make the decision and pay the price later, if they choose to eat it. But I've seen food, just like in the video, that's been thrown away and looks PERFECTLY fine.

And I like high health standards also, but have you seen the type of food they're selling people...? But that's another discussion in itself. LOL


This, but it's also a problem of having subsidies and a consequence of the global market. To (over) simplify things, the price of food is set by supply and demand. If farmers were to simply give away their excess crops to the hungry, it would flood the market and reduce the price of the crops they are selling dramatically. If they can't make a decent price on their crops, they can't afford to maintain their farms and livelihoods. And if they go out of business, then we all go hungry.

Right, but the thing is, farmers don't get funded or supported as much as say, Mcdonanlds or other fast food giants that help people dig a grave with their teeth. The responsibility is on the giants to help feed people, they have things in abundance to give away, not the farmers (usually). So while it's not the best thing, FOR NOW at least, those guys should be helping feed people, rather that just get rid of it for "Health and safety concerns", until the farmers can get to a point where they CAN give things away. But like you said, supply and demand, they're basically giving people what the want and can afford (Fast food places), so it's tough luck for farmers too... A lot of things to sort out, it gets deep.


I have I high metabolism so I can eat whatever I like but I generally don't eat that much since I have a poor appetite. This has lead to me being 6'2" and only weighing 135-140 lbs. Personally I think its okay to be a little bit hungry at times. If you eat all the time it kinda takes the joy out of eating since there's no need to satisfy a desire to consume.

You have a high metabolism NOW... LOL Seriously though, it's good that you're not so dependent on eating, but you need your nutrients dude (Just like every other malnourished American.). And we're not supposed to starve ourselves, unless you're fasting, which is a good discipline, and good for removing toxins from the body (Why this isn't taught on a larger scale is a mystery...). But yeah, I suggest you take advantage of healthy eating if you haven't already, if you abuse your fast metabolism now, you'll pay for it later, big time.


This young girl mustered the courage to speak in front of national and world representatives on hunger, and environmental issues at the UN Earth summit in 92. The powers that be and government leaders could learn a thing or two from the message.

Girl's Speech @ UN Conference on Environment and Development - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqrBzuOwGqQ)

Awesome. Learn a thing or two? How about learning to stop being cruddy? LOL

[amtalx]

Not all the time... I think it's just as naive to think that EVERY time the food from these places gets thrown away, that its for "health and safety reasons." A lot these people don't care about that. If that's the case, those that sell old food and are dishonest about doing it, wouldn't do it. they do just enough to get by to make sure they're keeping the law. I understand not giving it to the employees in some cases cause you run the risk of being sued... But homeless people that could care less? You might as well give it to them if you're going to throw it away. The whole "We're not giving it to the homeless cause they'll get sick" excuse gets old. If that's a major concern, lets go the whole 10 yards, why stop at health? Get these people of the street, employ them, and get them some food. Give people a warning as to how long the food has been kept around, and let them make the decision and pay the price later, if they choose to eat it. But I've seen food, just like in the video, that's been thrown away and looks PERFECTLY fine.

And I like high health standards also, but have you seen the type of food they're selling people...? But that's another discussion in itself. LOL

What then may I ask is their reason for throwing away food? A businesses primary objective is to generate revenue, and you don't do that by discarding perfectly good product. I suppose this habit is a spiteful 'fuck you' to the planet just for kicks. If businesses are throwing away food that could pad their profit margin, there must be a good reason for it. Again, safety and regulations.

The danger of expired food isn't an excuse. It's a fact of life, and grim one at that in regions of the world where the don't enjoy the luxury of health and safety standards. Are you seriously trying to claim that because something looks fine, it is? E. Coli and Salmonella don't come with flashing lights and noise makers. The reason we have expiration dates is precisely because tainted food can appear fine. Our best method of avoiding pathogens is to date food and dispose of it after the risk of contamination becomes too high.

Judging from the number of topics like this, you seem to be taken in quite easily by this type of propaganda. It's an oversimplified and dangerous way to look at the world. Systemic world problems are complex, and can't be fixed with one-size-fits-all grassroots campaigns. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and blindly leaping to activism without any understanding of the issue as a whole will cause more problems than it fixes. These issues need to be carefully examined with long term consequences in mind, not a quick-draw solution.

[beatrixkiddo]

Right, but the thing is, farmers don't get funded or supported as much as say, Mcdonanlds or other fast food giants that help people dig a grave with their teeth.

Oh ok. The American farming industry is one of the most government-subsidized industries in the nation. Some farmers even get paid to NOT grow crops, so that the prices don't fall.

[Lady Nadia]

people lining up to get free mc donalds or other fast food leftovers on a daily basis.... ppl be dead from eating this crap within a year lol :o reminds me of that movie Supersize Me i think it was called. there wuld have to be standards as to what places were allowed to give out free leftovers lol, free fast food is just scary.

[Chik'Tikka]

this is sad to see. but thats the way these businesses are. theyre hardheaded n theyd rather throw all that food away instead of give it away for free. money money money .. only thing businesses care about. :(

When i was young and we'd go to the pantry, they always had Rocky Rococo pizza that wasn't even a day old, the company felt that the finished pizza couldn't stay under the heat lamps more then 15 minutes before disposing of them, but unlike ALL the other restaurants and most of the grocery stores in the area (who often threw their stuff out in locked and sealed compactors), they donated all this perfectly good pizza to the poor+^_^+ i do not miss those days but when i go out to get pizza you know which chain I'm buying from+^_^+ the stuff in this video has been happening ALL along, it's just that the upper 1% the middle class to look away and the middle class don't care so as long as they have their fancy big black SUV in the garage+^_^+


people lining up to get free mc donalds or other fast food leftovers on a daily basis.... ppl be dead from eating this crap within a year lol :o reminds me of that movie Supersize Me i think it was called. there wuld have to be standards as to what places were allowed to give out free leftovers lol, free fast food is just scary.

better to be dying in a year then to starve to death in 2 weeks+^_^+

[Chik'Tikka]

What then may I ask is their reason for throwing away food? A businesses primary objective is to generate revenue, and you don't do that by discarding perfectly good product. I suppose this habit is a spiteful 'fuck you' to the planet just for kicks. If businesses are throwing away food that could pad their profit margin, there must be a good reason for it. Again, safety and regulations.

The danger of expired food isn't an excuse. It's a fact of life, and grim one at that in regions of the world where the don't enjoy the luxury of health and safety standards. Are you seriously trying to claim that because something looks fine, it is? E. Coli and Salmonella don't come with flashing lights and noise makers. The reason we have expiration dates is precisely because tainted food can appear fine. Our best method of avoiding pathogens is to date food and dispose of it after the risk of contamination becomes too high.

Judging from the number of topics like this, you seem to be taken in quite easily by this type of propaganda. It's an oversimplified and dangerous way to look at the world. Systemic world problems are complex, and can't be fixed with one-size-fits-all grassroots campaigns. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and blindly leaping to activism without any understanding of the issue as a whole will cause more problems than it fixes. These issues need to be carefully examined with long term consequences in mind, not a quick-draw solution.

back at the turn of the 20th century, there were few laws concerning food quality and safety. a sausage from then was often made with room temp meat that was stored in a back room, they'd scoop it up, sometimes with LIVING rats and vermin in it, and make sausage to sell. remember the Chinese antifreeze in toothpaste thing a few years back? well people died and the government stepped in. a lot of this food has to be thrown away or sold in a given time by law, especially fresh food and freshly cooked food. if there's any chance of it spoiling and making people sick within a certain amount of time it can't be sold legally after expiration. KFC for instance, after the chicken comes out of the pressure fryer it's only allowed to stay under the heat lamps for 20 minutes (though i think I've bought chicken 40 minutes old) and then it's waste. well like a pendulum it's now the opposite, if so much as someone gets a burn from a cup of coffee suddenly there's a law suit for millions.+^_^+ the United States and all the companies it has are pig headed idiots+^_^+
to answer your question, the companies don't take any chances of risking lawsuits and such so they often dispose of perfectly good food that isn't even expired yet just to maintain their good standing with the customers, they make more money this way or they wouldn't be doing it. trust me if they could get away with it, they'd sell snake oil as a cure all again+^_^+

[Sinue_v2]

if so much as someone gets a burn from a cup of coffee suddenly there's a law suit for millions.+^_^+ the United States and all the companies it has are pig headed idiots+^_^+


someone gets a burn from a cup of coffee suddenly there's a law suit for millions.


a burn from a cup of coffee

I understand your sentiment here, but by "A burn", what you're actually talking about are third degree burns over 6% of her body (1st and 2nd over 20%) which required skin grafting and a week of hospitalization, not to mention two years of follow-up treatments. The original suit was only for $20,000, of which McDonalds rejected and it only became "millions" after she was stonewalled in mediation. The "millions" awarded by the jury was an attempt to punish McDonalds, but that was ultimately reduced to about half a million. Liebeck and McDonalds eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount... though obviously less than half a million.

Look at these. These are Mrs. Liebeck's legs. Look at them. This is not frivolous.
http://www.prwatch.org/files/images/burn.jpg

Sorry, it's off topic, but I had to say something on this. The "hot coffee" example is so often used to prop up a sentiment or a point about frivolous lawsuits, and it just keeps getting passed around as if it's true. It's not. It's bullshit. The vast majority of "absurd" court cases you hear about are similarly bullshit stories fabricated out of legitimate cases.

[Chik'Tikka]

[spoiler-box]
I understand your sentiment here, but by "A burn", what you're actually talking about are third degree burns over 6% of her body (1st and 2nd over 20%) which required skin grafting and a week of hospitalization, not to mention two years of follow-up treatments. The original suit was only for $20,000, of which McDonalds rejected and it only became "millions" after she was stonewalled in mediation. The "millions" awarded by the jury was an attempt to punish McDonalds, but that was ultimately reduced to about half a million. Liebeck and McDonalds eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount... though obviously less than half a million.

Look at these. These are Mrs. Liebeck's legs. This is not frivolous.
http://www.prwatch.org/files/images/burn.jpg

Sorry, it's off topic, but I had to say something on this. The "hot coffee" example is so often used to prop up a sentiment or a point about frivolous lawsuits, and it just keeps getting passed around as if it's true. It's not. It's bullshit. The vast majority of "absurd" court cases you hear about are similarly bullshit stories fabricated out of legitimate cases.[/spoiler-box]

even more off topic, how does one burn ones thighs with a cup of coffee? that part of your body is no where near the coffee entering orifice at all... +^_^+ either way, so as long as you understand my point that it's the few that make it worse for the whole+^_^+

[Sinue_v2]

[spoiler-box][/spoiler-box]

even more off topic, how does one burn ones thighs with a cup of coffee? that part of your body is no where near the coffee entering orifice at all... +^_^+

The vehicle was parked and she had it between her legs while attempting to remove the lid so she could add cream and sugar. The picture also didn't show the vicious burns to her buttocks and girly parts... since the coffee ran down the vinyl seats and pooled around her sensitive areas.

She had to forfeit 20% of the awarded settlement since the jury found her 20% at fault.


either way, so as long as you understand my point that it's the few that make it worse for the whole+^_^+

Yes, so long as you understand my point that stories of the few making worse for the whole are often just exaggerated bullshit urban myths.

[Chik'Tikka]

The vehicle was parked and she had it between her legs while attempting to remove the lid so she could add cream and sugar. The picture also didn't show the vicious burns to her buttocks and girly parts... since the coffee ran down the vinyl seats and pooled around her sensitive areas.

She had to forfeit 20% of the awarded settlement since the jury found her 20% at fault.



Yes, so long as you understand my point that stories of the few making worse for the whole are often just exaggerated bullshit urban myths.

i woulda found her at least 40% at fault (it's coffee, it's hot, how do people not know this? but i also dislike McDs and woulda made them pay twice as much), and yes i get your point on exaggerated bs, but none of that exaggerated bs helps in the slightest+^_^+ lets get back on topic and show our collective fingers at corporate interest screwing the poor and hungry+^_^+

[Sinue_v2]

i woulda found her at least 40% at fault (it's coffee, it's hot, how do people not know this?

They do. Nobody expected the coffee to be room temperature. Most establishments, and even home brewers, heat coffee to around 135 160 degrees. McDonalds heated their coffee to 185~190 degrees. They cited that they held it at that temperature for flavor, under the expectation that customers were going to consume it either at home or at the office. However their internal research found that most customers drank their coffee immediately after purchase, while it was still "unfit for consumption". Even informed of consumer habit, they did not change their temperature standards to make it safe for consumers.

Yeah. Coffee is hot. McDonalds coffee was excessively, dangerously hot. They knew it, and they didn't do a damned thing about it.


but i also dislike McDs and woulda made them pay twice as much)

Glad you weren't on the jury then.


and yes i get your point on exaggerated bs, but none of that exaggerated bs helps in the slightest

Actually, it does, because if you're going to "show our collective fingers at corporate interest screwing the poor and hungry", then it's a good idea to do that for specific instances of things they are actually at fault over - and not harass them out of principal of being "big greedy corporatists". In which case, you have to separate the legitimate grievances from the bullshit, bias, and minor gripes.

[Chik'Tikka]

They do. Nobody expected the coffee to be room temperature. Most establishments, and even home brewers, heat coffee to around 135 degrees. McDonalds heated their coffee to 185~190 degrees. They cited that they held it at that temperature for flavor, under the expectation that customers were going to consume it either at home or at the office. However their internal research found that most customers drank their coffee immediately after purchase, while it was still "unfit for consumption". Even informed of consumer habit, they did not change their temperature standards to make it safe for consumers.

Yeah. Coffee is hot. McDonalds coffee was excessively, dangerously hot. They knew it, and they didn't do a damned thing about it.
Google "scaa optimum coffee brewing temperature"
coffee traditionally should be served at 160°F


Glad you weren't on the jury then.
that's how i get out of jury duty+^_^+ get that letter, go in and just say "i don't care, guilty, your not gonna change my mind"



Actually, it does, because if you're going to "show our collective fingers at corporate interest screwing the poor and hungry", then it's a good idea to do that for specific instances of things they are actually at fault over - and not harass them out of principal of being "big greedy corporatists". In which case, you have to separate the legitimate grievances from the bullshit, bias, and minor gripes.

??? how does the bs help?? all that extra work of separating it from legitimate grievances. really sorry about the lady that burned her lap, but she's one lady in the face of 1000s of bs cases and people. just think how did every hair dryer end up with a label in the manual saying "do not use while sleeping"? if that doesn't scream successful scam i don't know what does+^_^+ anyway I'm done beating this dead horse, ima find a new one+^_^+

[Sinue_v2]

anyway I'm done beating this dead horse, ima find a new one+^_^+

Suits me. I'm going to sleep after this anyhow.


Google "scaa optimum coffee brewing temperature"
coffee traditionally should be served at 160°F

Irrelevant, since the SCAA is concerned with optimizing flavor, not customer safety. Since McDonalds (especially at that time) burns their coffee rather than brewing fresh every half-hour, the argument from flavor doesn't hold water. McDonalds customers aren't exactly connoisseurs in any case.

Secondly, most people prefer their coffee served at about 135~155 degrees, as suggested in these (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2002.tb08814.x/abstract) two papers. (http://www.burnsjournal.com/article/S0305-4179%2807%2900255-0/abstract) The second paper, btw, recommends lowering serving temperature down to 140 degrees to improve broader customer satisfaction as well as reduce scalding/burning hazards.


really sorry about the lady that burned her lap, but she's one lady in the face of 1000s of bs cases and people.

Are there 1,000's? If you didn't look close enough at the Liebeck case to distinguish whether or not it was legit before writing it off as frivolous, why should I think any of those other ambiguous cases you're pointing to are any different?


just think how did every hair dryer end up with a label in the manual saying "do not use while sleeping"? if that doesn't scream successful scam i don't know what does+^_^+

Strangely enough, I couldn't find any actual court case (successful or not) where a plaintiff sued a hair dryer manufacturer for damages incurred while operating their product while asleep. Just a lot of sites about stupid warning labels assuming, or asserting, that it was borne out of a lawsuit... but provided no links or references. (Many of which also lead into their piece on wacky warnings by bringing up the Liebeck vs. McDonalds case as an example of frivolous lawsuits).

I don't know why such an obviously absurd warning is found in some hairdryer manuals. Why isn't there a warning about the dangers of sticking it up your rear end and inflating your colon before a farting contest? There's an awful lot of stupidity out there, and just because the warning is there doesn't mean they anticipate litigation because of it. If that were so, the instruction manual would need to be as thick as a 30-volume set of Encyclopedia Britannica... and still not be comprehensive.

Maybe it's just the warning itself that's stupid...

After all, I'm sure more people fall asleep smoking cigarettes than they do drying their hair. Why aren't cigarette packs required to put a warning on them about the dangers of sleeping while smoking? Because it would never hold up in court... and neither would the supposed hair dryer case.

[washuguy]

Oh ok. The American farming industry is one of the most government-subsidized industries in the nation. Some farmers even get paid to NOT grow crops, so that the prices don't fall.

Lets not forget the farmers that get kicked off their land unwillingly while we're at it. Some of them get paid, but don't want to leave. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/05/15/18713519.php

You think these people care wether or not farmers get paid? Power looks for weakness, and human nature has proven over and over again, that we abuse power and want to have a monopoly. I'm sure there's good honest people that don't want the prices to fall, but I'm sure that's the minority...