Jeremy Seifert stumbles upon quite the find in his search for food in the dumpsters of Los Angeles, that the American food industry wastes an unfathomable amount of perfectly good food. For years Seifert has been feeding his family from the food he finds in supermarket dumpsters, and it’s not leftover scraps but rather troves of high quality produce that are tossed directly from the shelves.
Seifert’s film, “Dive! Living off America’s Waste,” presents the unsettling truth of food waste in the United States. Seifert uses his personal story, shown through amateuresque yet convincing filmwork, and little known facts to reveal this problem that has been swept out of view to the trash heaps of America. The film is a powerful statement calling for an end to the gross waste of the current practices in the food industry.
Seifert and his friends frequent the dumpsters behind supermarkets such as Trader Joe’s, Costco, Safeway, Whole Foods, and many others. If all of America’s wasted food was put on a train it would stretch coast to coast and back. As of right now, that train is headed straight to the dump and Seifert makes it know that “food makes up about 20% of landfill waste.”
Seifert uses the food he finds to feed his wife and two children but finds more than he knows what to do with in his search through dumpsters. He got a freezer just to store excess food and began donating food to homeless shelters. He also makes repeated attempts to contact the stores who throw out the food and urge them to change their policy, but none will talk to him. “96 billion pounds of food is thrown away in America every year...3,000 pounds a second.”
All of this food goes to waste, and yet “11 million people in the United States are going hungry.” Through statistical assessment, Seifert makes it blatantly apparent that this wasted food would go very far in eliminating world hunger. While Seifert was pushing these companies to give food to people who need it rather than throw it away, the world’s food crisis worsened. “A billion people in the world are starving every day.”
Although a lot of attention is placed upon the stores who throw away the food, the problem extends to farms, distributors, and households. Food is wasted everywhere along the line, and a lot of it is simply because of a lack of knowledge about whether food is edible or not. People are reluctant to eat food and stores are unwilling to donate it, because they are worried it might not be safe to consume despite it being before the already conservative expiration date.
Seifert’s film offers a refreshing take on the documentary genre. He makes no attempt to hide the fact that this is essentially a home-movie made from a handheld camera with friends and family. The lack of professional cinematography actually comes across as a strength, making Seifert’s claims more believable and grounding the viewer in reality.
The occasional camera wobble and cheap tricks such as filming from inside a shopping cart, add character to the film and make it feel more human in its deliverance. The viewer is not watching a streamline production of a multi-million dollar studio, but rather a personal enterprise made to voice the concerns of an individual who has first-hand experience with the issue.
Images of dumpsters filled to the brim with packaged food held next to images of people starving without anything to eat sends a powerful message. It urges a change in the current system and presents an irrefutable argument that this food should not go to waste. However, Seifert makes it clear that this change will not happen on it’s own, “We’re all responsible for creating a solution.”
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
"Dive!" Starts Off Strong but Splashes by the End
By Zac May
"Dive!: Living Off America's Waste" tries to present a unique insight into the culture of dumpster diving, sadly many of the non-cited facts it throws at viewers belong in the same dumpsters that the documentary was finding food in.
As Jeremy Seifert's first documentary, he directs, narrates, and produces "Dive!" but I found that he did not show much care for video or sound quality along with going along for a little bit longer than it should have.
The documentary looks to have been shot on a camera from the 90's, which surprised me when I found out that the whole thing was actually shot in 2010. A lot of the images have a bad film grain quality too them, which only worsens when you increase the video size to fit a regular television set. However, this does not matter much because many of the shots appear to be pointless. At one point in the documentary, the frame sat looking at crows sitting on a lamp post for 30 seconds while the narration talked about something completely unrelated. Other pointless shots such as random close ups of objects pervaded much of the runtime.
That is not to say that the entire documentary is unpleasing to the eye. I found some of the stop motion shots to be incredibly elaborate and a fun way to present facts, and the clips from old educational videos from the 1950's were neat to see. But when looking at "Dive" as a whole, I found that Seifert had no discernible style and that many of the shots were boring.
Not only did I find the shots lacking, but I thought most of the audio work was terrible. Anytime they did a phone interview, I struggled to hear what the person on the other line was saying, and some of these phone interviews were the crux to the points they were making. Not being able to hear them meant that those points became flimsy.
Many of the regular interviews also had poor audio quality. Sometimes it was hard to hear what someone was saying and other times the sound came off as very tinny sounding as if they recorded inside a can of Campbell's soup.
Even if I ignored the bad camera work and audio, I found that most of the content was just too boring for me. The same point through the documentary was just being hammered over and over again. Within fifteen minutes I got that Seifert felt that food was being wasted, but then I had to sit through 40 more minutes of him repeating this same fact.
Other times the people being shown came off as boring and seemingly just there to complain. At one point Seifert's wife complains that she is overwhelmed with how much food they have and this sparked by interest, but sadly they do not go into Seifert's problem with collecting too much food much further.
I also found many of the facts presented either not citing anything at all, or citing a news story instead of the proper source of the facts. One fact in particular cited Reuters which itself was citing the USDA, so I wondered why they wouldn't just cite the USDA in the first place.
With all these problems with content, I have to say that the first fifteen minutes that focused just on who was dumpster diving and how was the most interesting part of the film. I really enjoyed finding out about the weird rules this unique Los Angeles subculture has and how the operate. However, this could not save the entire documentary and by the end I found it overwhelmingly boring and tried out.
If would give Seifert's efforts a two out of five for a rating. "Dive!" starts off strong, but then rambles on for way too long with too problems with the look and audio of the whole thing.
"Dive!: Living Off America's Waste" tries to present a unique insight into the culture of dumpster diving, sadly many of the non-cited facts it throws at viewers belong in the same dumpsters that the documentary was finding food in.
As Jeremy Seifert's first documentary, he directs, narrates, and produces "Dive!" but I found that he did not show much care for video or sound quality along with going along for a little bit longer than it should have.
The documentary looks to have been shot on a camera from the 90's, which surprised me when I found out that the whole thing was actually shot in 2010. A lot of the images have a bad film grain quality too them, which only worsens when you increase the video size to fit a regular television set. However, this does not matter much because many of the shots appear to be pointless. At one point in the documentary, the frame sat looking at crows sitting on a lamp post for 30 seconds while the narration talked about something completely unrelated. Other pointless shots such as random close ups of objects pervaded much of the runtime.
That is not to say that the entire documentary is unpleasing to the eye. I found some of the stop motion shots to be incredibly elaborate and a fun way to present facts, and the clips from old educational videos from the 1950's were neat to see. But when looking at "Dive" as a whole, I found that Seifert had no discernible style and that many of the shots were boring.
Not only did I find the shots lacking, but I thought most of the audio work was terrible. Anytime they did a phone interview, I struggled to hear what the person on the other line was saying, and some of these phone interviews were the crux to the points they were making. Not being able to hear them meant that those points became flimsy.
Many of the regular interviews also had poor audio quality. Sometimes it was hard to hear what someone was saying and other times the sound came off as very tinny sounding as if they recorded inside a can of Campbell's soup.
Even if I ignored the bad camera work and audio, I found that most of the content was just too boring for me. The same point through the documentary was just being hammered over and over again. Within fifteen minutes I got that Seifert felt that food was being wasted, but then I had to sit through 40 more minutes of him repeating this same fact.
Other times the people being shown came off as boring and seemingly just there to complain. At one point Seifert's wife complains that she is overwhelmed with how much food they have and this sparked by interest, but sadly they do not go into Seifert's problem with collecting too much food much further.
I also found many of the facts presented either not citing anything at all, or citing a news story instead of the proper source of the facts. One fact in particular cited Reuters which itself was citing the USDA, so I wondered why they wouldn't just cite the USDA in the first place.
With all these problems with content, I have to say that the first fifteen minutes that focused just on who was dumpster diving and how was the most interesting part of the film. I really enjoyed finding out about the weird rules this unique Los Angeles subculture has and how the operate. However, this could not save the entire documentary and by the end I found it overwhelmingly boring and tried out.
If would give Seifert's efforts a two out of five for a rating. "Dive!" starts off strong, but then rambles on for way too long with too problems with the look and audio of the whole thing.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Senior postgrad plans
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| Journalism major Kady Rose Druar |
For seniors at the University of Massachusetts, May 10 is a sneaky date.
With less than seven weeks remaining until Commencement, upperclassmen find themselves facing their date with the real world sooner than expected.
Senior journalism major Kady Rose Druar said that although she has a job in place after graduation, the thought of leaving UMass is bittersweet.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Druar said. “I don’t like to think about it and I know when it does hit me, I’ll probably be crying.”
The Franklin native, who plans to produce video for a small greeting card company based in Belmont, said that finding postgraduate employment has been easier for some of her friends, depending on their major.
“A lot of the business school kids are always set,” Druar said. “I have nursing friends though and they don’t have jobs yet, but I don’t have a doubt they will find jobs.”
Patrick Tool, a political science and legal studies double major, doesn’t believe his field was affected, despite a poor economic situation.
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| Poli-sci and legal studies double major Patrick Tool |
His peers echoed his sentiments, but are ready to leave for the professional world.
“A lot of my friends, like me, are super seniors so they’re starting to feel like they’ve been here for too long,” Tool said. “Mostly right now, everybody’s itching to get done. It’s hard to think about the next step even though you know it’s right around the corner.”
Having taken an internship in preparation for a career in law, Tool remains occupied by work that won’t end until the semester finishes, so much so that he said graduation doesn’t feel real.
“I have so much work to do that I’m kind of buried in that,” he said. “But I’m sure I’ll snap out of it eventually. Probably the day after graduation or something.”
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| Communication and film studies major Farah Jeune |
For communication and film studies double major Farah Jeune, who spends two hours each Sunday searching for internships and jobs online, the thought that her college career has sped by is both scary and exciting.
With her friends panicking about their futures, Jeune maintains an easygoing attitude, saying that things will work out eventually because everything happens for a reason.
“I’m going to have the best time of my life in those six weeks,” Jeune said. “I’m going to try to do everything on my bucket list, see my friends, strive to push myself because senioritis is kicking in, and just live my life.”
Economics major Luke Seaberg is taking a slower pace with his education, deciding to delay his graduation since he has the time and “no promising job prospects.”
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| Economics major Luke Seaberg |
Returning to UMass in the fall to take science and math courses, which supplement his major, the Georgetown native said that he is hoping to gain a competitive advantage in the job market.
“I live with five other people, four of whom are seniors and none of them know what they’re doing next year,” Seaberg said. “I think that’s kind of the norm at this point. Because we don’t go to a very well-known, Ivy League school, just having a Bachelor’s (degree) isn’t enough to cut it.”
Job uncertainty be damned, Druar said that she is ready for challenges the future may hold, thanks to tools gained in Amherst.
“It was fun, it was a lot of fun,” Druar said. “I’m definitely ready for college to be over, but I’m really sad to see it go.”
Stepping Into the Real World
With only six weeks until graduation, it’s time for UMass seniors to face the real world. Some are enthusiastic with solidified plans, while others are nervously hoping for the best.
In interviews with seven different UMass seniors, the variety in post-graduation outlooks was evident. When asked “What are your plans after graduation?” there were those who beamed a smile and happily described their prospects, while others hesitantly laughed and said they plan on looking for a job.
Sitting in the UPub was a driven Joey Costello from Lexington, Mass. who is fortunate enough to be one of the lucky seniors graduating with a plan. While casually treating himself to a mid-afternoon beer, Costello explained that he is anxious but excited to start his new life in Las Vegas, Nev. “I’m a dual major in economics and labor and development studies with a minor in anthropology. I took a job teaching high school math through the ‘Teach for America’ program,” said Costello. When asked how he felt about moving to Las Vegas in just a couple months, his three word response spoke volume. “I’m so stoked,” he said.
Vanessa Villamarin, originally from Ecuador, but whose family now lives in Paxton, Mass., is a little scared about graduating but excited for what lies ahead. She said, “I’m scared, just because I love school. I’m taking a year off before going to med school.” She is looking forward to travelling back to Ecuador with her family this summer, and would like to do volunteer work abroad before med school. She plans on applying to UMass Medical School and Harvard Medical School.
When asked what his plans were while sitting in the Procrastination Station at Umass, Nick Tkalchlb pointed to the Evernote stickers covering his laptop, “I’m going to work for these guys,” he said with a smile. Tkalchlb, a computer science major, is going to be working with the Android team on their mobile app in Austin, Texas. The setting will be quite different from his native Lexington, Mass. but his excitement for the future position was apparent “I went there over spring break and loved it, it was amazing,” he said.
Some Umass seniors confronted with the question, “What are your plans after graduation?” seem much less enthusiastic than others. Senior Erich Gognan from Lexington, MA majoring in sports management replied saying he currently had no plans once he takes his first step off campus.
Another student Natalie Crowley from Hagem, Mass. majoring in sociology, was also hesitant when asked what opportunities lied in her post-college future. “Not really,” she said, “Move home,try to find a job?”
Other students seem more optimistic about not having post-college jobs planned. “Hoping to have a job in media or communications” chuckled student Megan Connolly from Nantasket Beach, Mass. “But I’m hopeful with my degree I’ll be able to find some job.”
Legs crossed, reclined back in a black, leather office chair sat senior Gabe Stoddard of Sharon, Mass. At first, Stoddard was hesitant in revealing his post graduation plans with a bunch of strangers but after some casual conversation, he became more comfortable in disclosing his hopes for the future. Although he has no certain plans for after graduation, the Film, English and Theater major knows what he wants and is on the right track to meeting his goals. “I want to stay in the Boston area where I have applied to jobs and paid internships. I hope to land a position at Hunnington Theater maybe working in the design department,” said Stoddard.
In interviews with seven different UMass seniors, the variety in post-graduation outlooks was evident. When asked “What are your plans after graduation?” there were those who beamed a smile and happily described their prospects, while others hesitantly laughed and said they plan on looking for a job.
Sitting in the UPub was a driven Joey Costello from Lexington, Mass. who is fortunate enough to be one of the lucky seniors graduating with a plan. While casually treating himself to a mid-afternoon beer, Costello explained that he is anxious but excited to start his new life in Las Vegas, Nev. “I’m a dual major in economics and labor and development studies with a minor in anthropology. I took a job teaching high school math through the ‘Teach for America’ program,” said Costello. When asked how he felt about moving to Las Vegas in just a couple months, his three word response spoke volume. “I’m so stoked,” he said.
Vanessa Villamarin, originally from Ecuador, but whose family now lives in Paxton, Mass., is a little scared about graduating but excited for what lies ahead. She said, “I’m scared, just because I love school. I’m taking a year off before going to med school.” She is looking forward to travelling back to Ecuador with her family this summer, and would like to do volunteer work abroad before med school. She plans on applying to UMass Medical School and Harvard Medical School.
When asked what his plans were while sitting in the Procrastination Station at Umass, Nick Tkalchlb pointed to the Evernote stickers covering his laptop, “I’m going to work for these guys,” he said with a smile. Tkalchlb, a computer science major, is going to be working with the Android team on their mobile app in Austin, Texas. The setting will be quite different from his native Lexington, Mass. but his excitement for the future position was apparent “I went there over spring break and loved it, it was amazing,” he said.
Some Umass seniors confronted with the question, “What are your plans after graduation?” seem much less enthusiastic than others. Senior Erich Gognan from Lexington, MA majoring in sports management replied saying he currently had no plans once he takes his first step off campus.
Another student Natalie Crowley from Hagem, Mass. majoring in sociology, was also hesitant when asked what opportunities lied in her post-college future. “Not really,” she said, “Move home,try to find a job?”
Other students seem more optimistic about not having post-college jobs planned. “Hoping to have a job in media or communications” chuckled student Megan Connolly from Nantasket Beach, Mass. “But I’m hopeful with my degree I’ll be able to find some job.”
Legs crossed, reclined back in a black, leather office chair sat senior Gabe Stoddard of Sharon, Mass. At first, Stoddard was hesitant in revealing his post graduation plans with a bunch of strangers but after some casual conversation, he became more comfortable in disclosing his hopes for the future. Although he has no certain plans for after graduation, the Film, English and Theater major knows what he wants and is on the right track to meeting his goals. “I want to stay in the Boston area where I have applied to jobs and paid internships. I hope to land a position at Hunnington Theater maybe working in the design department,” said Stoddard.
Students Learn About Expectations of Privacy
By Zac May
It may have seen as if Detective James Reardon could not wait to meet with students from the class Journalism 300 at the University of Massachusetts. Talking to this class of 13 was going to break up the usual routine police work for his shift of 8:00 am to midnight.
Reardon had served with the Amherst police for six years, so he felt confident in answering the questions prepared by the college students to him prior to their meeting last Monday. He started talking about expectation of privacy and then went on to explain how the police handle certain procedures regarding crimes in general and their interactions with the press.
Beginning with talking about the expectation of privacy, Reardon explained many situations where one would not have the expectation of privacy, such as at a party or out in public. This led to Detective Reardon explaining what they allow the press to publish from the arrest logs. He said, "Unless we (the police) physically put the handcuffs on you, your name isn’t published." Then he went into describing how anyone who is arrested can have their name and address released to the press, but victims and people in protective custody, people who the police see as unsafe to themselves, do not have their names published for their own safety.
"It's public information as soon as it hits the district courts," said Detective Reardon explaining to the students that any crime can easily be published after that. He told the students that one of the biggest things they do is delegate and protect the constitutional rights of people.
Another item Detective Reardon discussed with the students was using social media as evidence. He said that they will use anything they find online that has a connection to a crime as evidence. "It's one of the best sources we have," he explained. He used the example of the recent "Barney Blowout" incident that took place in Amherst last Saturday. After the St. Patrick's Day celebration got out of hand with people throwing beer bottles and fights breaking out, the police arrested as many as they could. Detective Reardon said that any of the videos on social video sites such as Facebook or Youtube could be used as evidence against anyone arrested.
One more example that Detective Reardon used to illustrate using social media was a case of someone's stolen laptop. The laptop had a feature of taking a picture of the user whenever it is turned on and uploading it online and providing the GPS coordinates of where it was being used. Once stolen, the victim turned to the police to find the person who stole it. Detective Reardon and the other officers used the data from the photos and GPS coordinates to find the thief. After confronting the thief with the evidence, they were able to retrieve the laptop. Reardon used this example to show that despite the thief never gave permission for his photo or location to be given, he did not have a right to privacy because the device was stolen.
When asked about being recorded himself, Detective Reardon said, "I expect to be videotaped. My car is always recording."
It may have seen as if Detective James Reardon could not wait to meet with students from the class Journalism 300 at the University of Massachusetts. Talking to this class of 13 was going to break up the usual routine police work for his shift of 8:00 am to midnight.
Reardon had served with the Amherst police for six years, so he felt confident in answering the questions prepared by the college students to him prior to their meeting last Monday. He started talking about expectation of privacy and then went on to explain how the police handle certain procedures regarding crimes in general and their interactions with the press.
Beginning with talking about the expectation of privacy, Reardon explained many situations where one would not have the expectation of privacy, such as at a party or out in public. This led to Detective Reardon explaining what they allow the press to publish from the arrest logs. He said, "Unless we (the police) physically put the handcuffs on you, your name isn’t published." Then he went into describing how anyone who is arrested can have their name and address released to the press, but victims and people in protective custody, people who the police see as unsafe to themselves, do not have their names published for their own safety.
"It's public information as soon as it hits the district courts," said Detective Reardon explaining to the students that any crime can easily be published after that. He told the students that one of the biggest things they do is delegate and protect the constitutional rights of people.
Another item Detective Reardon discussed with the students was using social media as evidence. He said that they will use anything they find online that has a connection to a crime as evidence. "It's one of the best sources we have," he explained. He used the example of the recent "Barney Blowout" incident that took place in Amherst last Saturday. After the St. Patrick's Day celebration got out of hand with people throwing beer bottles and fights breaking out, the police arrested as many as they could. Detective Reardon said that any of the videos on social video sites such as Facebook or Youtube could be used as evidence against anyone arrested.
One more example that Detective Reardon used to illustrate using social media was a case of someone's stolen laptop. The laptop had a feature of taking a picture of the user whenever it is turned on and uploading it online and providing the GPS coordinates of where it was being used. Once stolen, the victim turned to the police to find the person who stole it. Detective Reardon and the other officers used the data from the photos and GPS coordinates to find the thief. After confronting the thief with the evidence, they were able to retrieve the laptop. Reardon used this example to show that despite the thief never gave permission for his photo or location to be given, he did not have a right to privacy because the device was stolen.
When asked about being recorded himself, Detective Reardon said, "I expect to be videotaped. My car is always recording."
District Attorney's Office Unveils PSAs for Sexual Assault Campaign
The first step toward ending sexual assault is knowing how to take action. Strategies to prevent a situation from turning into a sexual assault were the main focus of three Public Service Announcements showcased by the District Attorney’s Office on Friday. The PSAs were shown to officials, students, and the press in a conference held at Hampshire College as a way to get feedback and bring publicity to the Campaign to End Sexual Assault on Campuses.
The primary focus of this campaign which will be targeting the Five College Area is upon consent.
The three PSAs each focused on a different scenario that may lead to sexual assault and showed three unique ways of intervening and preventing a crime from occurring. In one a woman who is victim to unwanted sexual advances standS up for herself and tells the perpetrator to back off. In another a man sees that his friend is “being creepy” and casually provides the woman with an escape from the situation. The final PSA depicts three males talking and when one of them starts objectifying a group of women walking by, a friend steps in and tells him that his behavior is not okay.
One of the biggest lessons that the PSAs aim to teach is that it is not hard to be an active bystander. A simple intervention, such as talking to one of the parties, can prevent sexual assault from occurring. District Attorney David E. Sullivan reinforced this message by saying, “It will be the students, as active bystanders, that will change this culture."
Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash spoke in full support of the campaign and reiterated the message that a change in the culture surrounding sexual assault must come from the students. “It is impossible for it to come from the top; it will only occur when the entire community decides it has to occur.” He spoke of the positive changes that have already occurred in bringing more awareness to the issue and said that he is optimistic about younger generations’ ability to confront this problem.
The showing of the PSAs garnered enthusiastic applause from the audience and was followed up by a group activity facilitated by volunteers from the UMass Center for Women and Community. The Campaign to End Sexual Assaults on Campuses will be introducing the PSAs to the general public as soon as possible and is hoping to end sexual assault on campuses “by 2020,” said Sullivan.
Students participate in Q&A with Detective Jamie Reardon
Journalism students from Professor Mary Carey’s Journalism 300 class filled the Amherst Police Department classroom, typically used for training purposes. Detective Jamie Reardon walked into the room in full uniform, taking some time out of his 16 hour day to answer questions for the class. The discussion focused primarily on the interactions between the police and the press, and with Reardon’s 13 years on the force he has had plenty of experience dealing with reporters and citizen journalists.
Reardon opened the discussion with the topic of privacy, and where people do and do not have an expectation of privacy. “In a public place you have no expectation of privacy, if I’m walking on the street you can take my picture.” He told the students about how the police department will use videos of parties and other illegal behavior that are posted to Facebook or Youtube as evidence in their investigations. He noted that police were using videos from the recent “Blarney Blowout” in their search for those who attended, reiterating that the internet is also a public sphere, where privacy is not expected.
The prevalence of phones that are capable of taking videos and pictures has had a significant impact on the work of police officers. Reardon describes a situation he dealt with where a student used his phone to record an individual who had broken into his roommate’s room. Reardon used the video to track down the individual and provided it as evidence to make the arrest. The new recording capabilities of popular devices have created a blurred line of privacy, and he notes that “the laws we deal with haven’t caught up with the times.”
Although the police will go to the boundaries of privacy in their investigations, there is some information that they keep private from the press to protect those involved. For instance, the police very rarely release the names of victims to a crime and also do not give details regarding warrants that are issued. Every weekday morning at 8 a.m. the police have a meeting with the press. Reardon says that “Before anything is released me must make sure that it’s accurate, legitimate, and does not violate privacy.”
The Amherst Police Department has more than 80 policies that it has implemented in regards to situational protocol. While the police have a meeting with the press every morning, they do not respond to inquiries regarding ongoing court cases. The District Attorney’s office is the main source of information for the press for open cases, because the police want to avoid any prejudice that may arise from them answering questions.
After discussing the relationship between the police and the press, Reardon opened the floor to questions of any kind. He provided insights into probable cause, the role police have as “community caretakers,” and protective custody. He also made a couple subtle suggestions by answering “no comment” in response to questions about whether or not police create fake accounts on Facebook and what happens in the 10 percent of interrogations that are not recorded.
The students departed the police station a bit more informed and free of charges.
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