• Join the ‘freegan’ movement • Ask veterinarian about non-dog food • His point: read Blount report • Golf course, staff are gems Join the ‘freegan’ movement I would like to respond to Stephen Shioi’s letter Sunday (May 30, 2010)
• Join the ‘freegan’ movement • Ask veterinarian about non-dog food • His point: read Blount report • Golf course, staff are gems
Join the ‘freegan’ movement
I would like to respond to Stephen Shioi’s letter Sunday (May 30, 2010) “Dogs should eat dog food,” which was in response to my letter “Why dog food?” (May 24, 2010).
Dumpster diving, something that many look down upon is now becoming mainstream.
NBC nightly news, “60 Minutes” and “Oprah” have recently featured a college professor who not only dumpster dives but has a class on how to do it. You can find everything from televisions, CDs, books, microwave ovens and just about anything you can think of.
The supermarkets and department stores throw out food that may have a blemish or two. Every night I take a walk with my dog to my favorite restaurant right after the dinner hour and find my dog a dinner that is fit for a king and the beauty is that it is free. I only pick entrée-type food items (beef, chicken, pork and fish) for my dog that are still warm and less than one hour old.
It’s a fun hobby and you are helping the environment by recycling. There’s a new word that has transpired in the last decade, it’s called “freegan.” Freegans are people who live off what others throw away and who try to live outside consumer society and search garbage for edible foods and items.
Many of these people are wealthy and do it out of principal and as a fun hobby. Freegans are not just poor people or bums, they think outside the box.
Like with humans there is no set rule on what to feed your pets. I used to house-sit and everyone had their own special things to feed their four-legged companions. I used to mix hulihuli chicken with brown rice for one dog, another dog enjoyed canned cat food and lived to be over 20 years old, and one of the cats ate mahimahi and sweet potato everyday. Remember one man’s (pet’s) meat is another man’s (pet’s) poison.
In these rough economic times dumpster diving and becoming a freegan is an economic-stimulus package available to us all.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
Ask veterinarian about non-dog food
In his letter “Why dog food?” (Forum, May 24) James Rosen from Kapa‘a writes: “If dog is man’s best friend, why do we feed them dog food?” Mr. Rosen feeds his dog scraps from the dumpster at a Chinese restaurant, and his dog is happy with this food. Well, I have also had dogs and can tell you they love ice cream and potato chips just as much as I do, but these foods are not any healthier for pets than they are for me. That his dog likes scraps is not a valid reason for serving only scraps to his pet. The reason for feeding dogs (cats, etc.) pet food is that these foods (good brands) contain a balance of nutrients needed for those pets. Scraps are OK for pets if you can maintain a balanced diet with scraps and if you can be sure you are not including foods that the pet shouldn’t eat. For example, humans can eat ham, but ham makes dogs sick. Also, scraps from a dumpster could include broken glass, detergent and other harmful ingredients that might be difficult to see. Before feeding your pet food from a dumpster, please ask your veterinarian what he thinks about dumpster food vs. pet food.
Julia Miller, Tigard, Ore.
His point: read Blount report
My last letter suggested (“Hawaiians had it going on,” June 1) reading the Blount report as a step in understanding what took place in Hawai‘i. I had cited the ahupua‘a system as an example of leading by example, a way to take care so future generations would be able to self sustain. Amazing negative commentary arose, such as saying “let’s go back to a caste system,” “no, let’s not, but Hawaiians deserve the RIGHT to make their own choices.” One said “the Blount report was overturned by the Morgan report,” OR “was it influenced by very powerful American foreigners who swayed Morgan with money?” One said “Hawaiians eradicated Marquesans.” I’m exposing the Blount report, nothing more. One said “let’s all just go back to a monarchy,” “NO let’s allow Hawaiian people their right to self govern.” One said “respect the locals.” Respect is learned, earned, given and received, it’s mutual. One said “1,500 Hawaiians assisted the ILLEGAL overthrow, who led them?”
The Blount report clarified something I never grasped, truly these lands were ill-gotten by Americans backed by U.S. Marines. It was interesting to read the comments from people who would only sign their online names, not their real names for the public to read their viewpoints. It must feel strange to desire anonymity by hiding your name from your beliefs behind your computer. The more who read the Blount report means more people that begin to understand and can come to their own conclusions. READ IT.
Mike Perius, Kilauea
Golf course, staff are gems
Wailua Golf Course is in fantastic condition. The starters, front-office people, grounds people and cart attendants are, to a person, hardworking, friendly and proud of the golf course.
The Wailua Golf Course is a public facility all Kaua‘i residents should be proud of.
It is a fine example of at least one thing government can do right.
On behalf of the many golfers I share this jewel with, thank you to the county and the Wailua Golf Course staff.
Ed MacDowell, Kapa‘a
