Professors Dumpsters Diving: Are They Educated or Illiterate?

[semiautosyclone]

And just one last thing, A HUGE sum of his paycheck goes to charity every year.

I dont worship the guy or anything, he's kinda weird... but I felt it was necessary to defend him in this case.

[semiautosyclone]

-Finally, Saier does not force his beliefs on anyone. I've interacted with him a lot since I go to UCSD, I'm not one of the people in his group, I'm more like the people they try not to be. But he tells people what he believes if they are willing to listen, and if they are not, he is just an all around nice guy. (plus his class is easy to get an A in anyways).

Please dont take my comments personally or as an offense, I just wanted to give you some facts...

[semiautosyclone]

-He doesnt go dumpster diving in peoples personal junk, this is albertsons and trader joe's in la jolla, one of the wealthiest cities in the country. Plus they know and approve of his actions, which voids the legallity aspect. Most of the stuff is wrapped in plastic or cans. Additionally, Sair is an esteemed professor of microbial genetics at UCSD and a researcher of at one of the best facilities in the nation. I think he is better suited to make a call on what is and is not safe to eat.

[semiautosyclone]

I dont know the law professor, so I wont speak for him. But as for the bio professor, first of all his name is pronounced Milton Say-er.

-I dont understand how you are offended by what these guys are doing. Saier's actions are a reflection of his lifestyle choices, they dont represent you or any other professor...

-Being illiterate is a condition of not being able to read and write - it's different from from intelligence.

[RnBramwell]

Studentlawyer, that's the disgusting part, & so true. The truly desperate may be excused, but a tenured University professor? Not at all!

His GOAL is to eliminate any distinction between those who pursue a better life, & those who do not.

What is a better material life? Well, it's not dumpster diving. It's producing food & other material aspects of life, in such abundance that discarding 1/2 a box of donuts IS NO EXPENSE!

Saier HATES that distinction! He hates the materially successful!

[studenlawyer]

I had been observing a variation to dumpster diving. I know many home less folks; they lay around all day and hardly are motivated or aspire to move up. I speculate that they always eat with nasty hands. It does not matter what they are doing, working on the garbage, cleaning, generally with nasty hands. They would ask one for a piece or some thing one is eating. They take that same nasty hand to their mouth and lick the fingers. Their bodies fight disease, so no energy for progress.

[RnBramwell]

I agree, Saier is ridiculous. But, I have been a biologist for nearly forty years. There are often perfectly good food materials tossed into dumpsters, on their expiry date, especially from grocery and produce stores. They are in original packaging, & independent of the general filth. I have seen Seniors (over 60), often tragic, gloved,dumpster-diving women, here in Toronto. They're selective, & presumably remove decay & wash what can be. Cleanliness is all important.

[RnBramwell]

If Saier wants to save money and risk his health (or arrest) I am happy to let him. However, his dumpster-diving is of near-zero moral value. There is nothing in what he is doing that protects, saves or advances the humanity, and it accomplishes nothing of importance to our environment. It's silly, and degrading.  He COULD use his savings to give money to help children understand the capitalism that makes Americans wealthy enough to not be concerned with 'saving' the trash he works to acquire.

[hanaduncan]

Dr. Saier donates half of income to help children. What have you done to help children Dr. RnBramwell?

[RnBramwell]

The best way to help the poor is to not be one. Setting an example of how to be poor, when you are not, sets a VERY bad example. Dumpster-diving stinks.

Charity is only a good thing when the beneficiaries multiply their charitable gains to cease being poor. Many handout recipients develop 'entitlement thnking' because of the thinking your question promotes.

[dubistverrueckt]

@hanaduncan No he doesn't. He donates half of his income to organizations working actively to stop people from having children because he believes that Earth can only support 60 million people. <-- This is in one of his essays. Is this "helping children"?

[studenlawyer]

If one is poor and would die of hunger but eat dumpster meals I can understand. Nevertheless, it does not make the food clean by washing. The toxins are the danger, the organisms, decay, etc maybe washed off but the toxin would kill. Dr Saier is violating high school biology concepts with his dumpster dives.

[appassionata1987]

yea you aren't a science major so you keep saying a bunch of "what should ideally occur; what's expected to occur", which I can understand. But guess what? Can you find evidence where dumpster diving actually kills lots of people in developed countries in a modern society?

[studenlawyer]

I like chatting with you, Mate. I donot believe there are many people eating like Prof Saier. People may use the can stuff and other sealed items. You noticed Prof Saier taking bagels, and other items that their exposed surface is edible. People may not trace their afflictions to a dumpster dive because they did not intentionally eaten an item with say H1N1. It shoujd be expected that there are contamination.

[semiautosyclone]

@studenlawyer

most of the food is no more than a day or two old, comes straight from the store, and the dumpster holds nothing but food and boxes. No e. coli, no feces, no H1N1. Plus, most of the produce and bread go to feeding the farm animals he has rescued on his ranch...

[dubistverrueckt]

@appassionata1987 Studenlawyer's flaws do not prove him wrong. He's dead on about Saier. Saier is your "mentor"? No wonder! That explains your immense stupidity. You are living proof that universities have become meritocracies without merit. *SHUDDER*

[appassionata1987]

@dubistverrueckt "immense stupidity" " meritocracies without merit" you should stop pretending to be intelligent with ur dumb philosophical crap talk. go out, get some ice cream, have a normal conversation with ppl around you. that way some social weirdo like you can fit better into society

[dubistverrueckt]

@appassionata1987 Your failure to distinguish logic and reason from "dumb philosophical crap" shows that your mind is of at most one-trick-pony caliber, if not worse...

[appassionata1987]

@dubistverrueckt you can say what you want but i think this primary motivation of conserving resource through actions deserves respect. simple.

[mikethenascarfan]

no i dont, they are idiots

[studenlawyer]

California University @ San Diego, why don't you make all professors dumpster dive. They can work for $5K per year. Seriously, I think you ask Prof Milton Saier to stop telling people he work for the University while dumpster diving. Remind him that he is breaking State Law; and his Students have it wrong; the thrown away food is not edible., And see what the grades he gives his dumnpster diving student buddies.

[appassionata1987]

And please, learn to pronounce other people's name before you try to be on video. It makes a fool out of yourself.

[studenlawyer]

I appreciate your passion. Hey, you are right. Are you one of his dumpster diving students?

[appassionata1987]

I've never gone dumpster diving. But I am one of his students and think he's one of the most approachable, wise, and unique professor I've ever met. And yea I agree with you that dumpster diving can be unhealthy, but saying stuff like "this will kill a whole community" is exaggerated. Dr. Saier not only dumpster dives, but also contributes (through money, time, and research) to environmental protection and awareness. You could at least show some appreciation and get the gist - don't waste stuff

[studenlawyer]

My friend, when you understand American Economics; if there is no waste the economy will stagnate. He is paid to shop; he qualifies for 5k a year salary if he dumpster dive. Going into the dumpster barefoot and without gloves make me wonder about his understanding of the subject he teaches.

[studenlawyer]

I did biology in 1979, first year college and in high school; are you a freshman?

[appassionata1987]

Okay I apologize for being so critical and sounding so impatient. But I just don't feel cool that someone is criticizing my mentor. If you are questioning my credibility, then no I'm not a freshman. I graduated from UCSD with awards and magna cum laude and have publications on pubmed and am a science major now doing grad school at UCSD.

[studenlawyer]

How you accomplished all that at 22 years old. You sound really smart but how come?

[appassionata1987]

And if you think that I'm accomplished, why thank you. But in case you don't know, people enter college at age 18 and there are bunch of diligent people in top universities and they become accomplished by working hard, simple right?

[studenlawyer]

I understand your passion but he can be arrested by the state for dumpster diving. Law are to protect the public; dumpsters are there to collect wastes for safe disposal not to return to the community. You understand that, eh?

[appassionata1987]

Alright I'm tired of arguing with you. Yea you are right about the law and stuff and yea I understand the harm with dumpster diving, but please at least show your appreciation to someone who earns a 6-digit figure but has not forgotten the meaningful values such as conserving resource, and please don't exaggerate because it just sounds ridiculous.

[studenlawyer]

my video is not professional; I do not use a script to make them. I just shoot from the head. I assume that he is 'good' to have this job but i question his dumpster diving and conclude he must not be too smart; else he would protect himself from cuts on hand and feet and the way he handles the stuff he plans to eat. It looks really bad, bordering on being loco!

[studenlawyer]

Thanks for your comments. I respect you views and the professor as a human. However, I wish you all the best and I believe you passing will take you far. Good luck to you and a Happier Christmas and More Prosperous New Year. Appreciate your comments.

[appassionata1987]

And last comment on your view regarding kissing up to a professor to get good grades; well I dunno if you are a big kiss-up as a "highly educated" "studeN-lawyer", but going dumpster diving vs. working hard to get good grades are not related. If you were his student, you won't receive a deca-liter of academic benefit from him by going to dumpster dive. (Although you will get to know him as a person, and this skill of connecting with people is a meaningful part of college education).

[studenlawyer]

Thanks, we are not that objective. If a professor likes you he will assist your in the A department. Do you believe we waste food daily?

[studenlawyer]

hey my spelling is not perfect but in leaving out the 't' is because some fields donot have space for all the letters. I figured that the 't' is not pronounced by many folk but they would recognize the idea. Thanks for pointing out the omission.

[appassionata1987]

And you are right that maybe Dr. Saier is a bit extreme; but the point here is that we should try to conserve and not waste things. So in case if you are half-blind, perhaps you should open your eyes wider and try to see the big picture.

[appassionata1987]

(By the time those needles contaminated with HIV virus are in the dumpster, the HIV virus are already in Allysium [meaning they're already dead because they can't survive more than 30seconds when away from bodily fluid]; and TB can be cured effectively using drugs (sometimes operation if severe) and can be prevented from spreading by using vaccine.)

[studenlawyer]

Thanks for you information.  You are smart. I am passing information that you find in brochures. They say stay away from contaminated needles.

[appassionata1987]

I don't know what kind of "highly educated" student lawyer you are; but from my observation, you can't even spell the name right, you don't know how to pronounce "H1N1", and you obviously know little about HIV and TB; yet, you are trying to instruct other people on bacteriology and toxicology related to dumpster diving.

[studenlawyer]

thanks for you comments; can a virus like HIV survive longer in somesolution or bodyfluid?

[appassionata1987]

@studenlawyer well since you think you are so intelligent and confident, why don't you try to do some search on wikipedia to get your simple question answered

[studenlawyer]

I know my friend; the virus absent fluids will die as you say. I am talking about TB Bacteria can survive in a large cold spat what about the poisons, tetanus and other pathogens.

[mikethenascarfan]

I totally agree,the exterior for food is not only infected with germs, the insides and tissue is also. I aint no veggitarian but that is crap,and its against the law, food is not recycleable!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[studenlawyer]

Hey Mike, you have confidence in those dumpster diving professors? Do they understand infectious disease

[mikethenascarfan]

there are dangerous things in em dumpsters

[studenlawyer]

you bet, stuff that can kill a whole community.

[appassionata1987]

well, a word to anti-germ freaks like you: Dr. Saier has survived well and is an accomplished scientist, though he has survived on dumpster food for at least half of his life. His students have had his dumpster food and have all graduated with their diploma (BS, MS, PhD) on time.

[studenlawyer]

Professors social contract with their tens of thousands of dollars pay check factored in rent, groceries, clothening, utilities, fuel etc. If they can live on $5K, then that should be their salaries.