...Calvin Johnson English 111x f16 10 October 2015 On Dumpster Diving Analysis Paper The essay on “On Dumpster Diving” written by Lars Eighner is about a homeless man, accompanied by his dog. In the article, he explains the strategies and guidelines of surviving from dumpsters thereby exemplifying the wasteful nature of Americans while also explaining the etiquette involved in the process. The author began dumpster diving about a year before he became homeless. He used all of his infrequent income for rent, consequently having to derive all of life’s necessities from dumpsters. He goes on to share the valuable information he has learned as a human scavenger. Eighner starts by outlining the guidelines of what is safe to eat. The main principles involved are: 1) using senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of food; 2) knowing the dumpsters in a particular area; and 3) checking them frequently. He also wonders why the food was discarded. He is convinced that a lot of perfectly good food is discarded daily. Canned goods turn up fairly often in dumpsters and are among the safest foods; however, some canned foods can cause fatal diseases like botulism. Dried foods such as crackers, cookies, cereal, chips, and pasta are usually safe to eat once they are free from visible contaminates. Raw fruits and vegetables are usually safe except for the rotten ones. Confectionery like chocolate and other hard candies are also safe since candying is a method of food preservation...
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...Jimmy smith Eng 121 7/20/11 on dumpster diving Imagine living on the street. Wow that would be pretty hard and not very pleasant either. Many people won’t even know what to do. Most of them will be depressed and will give up on life. Lars Eighner who lived on the streets is totally different from other people who live on the street. Many of those people are dumb, strange, and always yell at other for no reasons. Society looks at these kids of people and think that they are not going to make it anywhere in life. Well appearance can be deceiving. Lars Eighner survived living on the streets because his characteristic was different from others. He was smart, moral, and a proud person who made his way through tough times. Lars is a very intelligent person. Even though Lars gets all his food, and clothes from the dumpster, which most people would think it is not very smart of him at all. He actually what he is doing when he is on the streets. He has the knowledge to survive as a scavenger. When he is getting food from the dumpster he just doesn’t pick any random food. He picks out the food that he is familiar with. Usually in the dumpster there are some good looking food that is thrown away and most people just take it and eat it without knowing what it is, but Lars on the other hand ignores it and walks away no matter how good it looks. He also uses steps which most people don’t use. He evaluates the food of its conditions; he has memorized all the dumpsters in the...
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...Dumpster Diving Lars Eighner is an experienced dumpster diver or as he prefers to call it “scavenging.” He writes “On Dumpster Diving” an essay about the three years he spent on the streets accompanied by his lone companion, dog Lizabeth. Born in Texas in 1948, Eighner began dumpster diving one year before he ended up homeless after being unable to pay for his rent. Diving through dumpsters to obtain life’s main necessities, Eighner becomes a veteran at realizing what foods are safe and what items can be useful if kept. One of the most important aspects of trying to persuade readers is to use the appropriate tone according to the situation. The calm tone that Eighner uses doesn’t strengthen his argument, but with his knowledge of dumpster diving, he ultimately persuade readers that people living in modernized parts of the world have wasteful habits. By reading the essay, I am convinced of his argument about wasteful people being very common. Eighner approaches the topic of dumpster diving with a very calm tone. The tone he uses does not allow the reader to connect with him and feel what he was feeling when he was homeless. If the essay had a more emotional tone it would leave the reader with amore sympathetic view regarding the topic of dumpster diving. For instance, he believes that the term dumpster diving is “a little too cute.”(p.147) Usually, when a person thinks of the term dumpster diving, they feel sympathy towards the individual who is led to scrounge through a dumpster...
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...English 289 13 September 2015 The Art of Diving The article “My Daily Dives into the Dumpster” (Eighner 114) was an article that more or less gave the steps to go about retrieving things from a dumpster. First there is the ability to get many great items from the dumpster. Dumpster diving has even “become something of an Urban art” (Eighner 116). “Even the most respectable people can find something that they find desirable sticking out of a dumpster” (Eighner 116). Second the ability to eat from a dumpster is based on three principals, “Common sense, knowledge of area, and the reason why it was thrown away” (Eighner 116). And finally there is a certain amount of respect to dumpster diving. There is a difference between a scrounger and a scavenger. Being careful when going through dumpsters, with the thought of how someone else could possibly use this item so let’s don’t destroy it, is how a scavenger goes about diving. Scroungers on the other hand don’t care what they destroy in the process of looking for the next bit payout. So basically it is safe to say that dumpster diving is an art and takes skills, and it should be done with thought and respect. The second informational source researched was a very strong representation of the ways people dumpster dive and the ways individuals learn the differences between their wants and needs. It also distinguishes that there is a “social class” involved when it comes to diving. ...
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...Professor Trish Ivey English 1101-40404 4 February 2015 Lars Eighner Dumpster Diving Experience Dumpster diving has been going on for decades all around the world. In Lars Eighner’s article, “Dumpster Diving,” he talks about his life struggles and what drove him to dumpster dive. The life he lived was not perfect, but he did everything he could survive. Sometimes life can be a struggle but not always. When life hands you lemons-make lemonade. The word dumpster is a proprietary word belonging to the Dampsey Dumpster Company. Dumpster diving is when a person is digging (searching) through a dumpster full of trash or other items. Eighner wasn’t dumpster diving his entire life; however, he started about a year before he became homeless. He called himself a scavenger rather than someone who picked any and everything out the dumpster. Lizbeth (Eighner’s dog) was tagging right along with him even when his savings ran out. Eighner began depending on dumpster for things including food, tissue, medicine, etc. . . . Some foods should be avoided while dumpster diving such as home-canned goods. “Why was this discarded?” was always a question to think about while dumpster diving. As stated in the article, “Perhaps everyone who has a kitchen and regular supply of groceries has, at one time or another, made a sandwich and eaten half not it before discovering mold on the bread or got a mouthful of milk before realizing the milk had turned.” Most foods are discarded for a reason, that’s...
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...Name Professor Course name Date On Dumpster Diving Quite by accident, I found the essay On Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner on the pages of Seagull magazine. The first lines of it captured my interest considerably, for as I had never read about dumpster diving or scavenging before. On Dumpster Diving is a piece of large Eighner’s work called Travels with Lizbeth (1993), which was based on his own experience of homelessness. The author engages me by telling the origin and meaning of the term Dumpster Diver, presenting his survival guide with specified rules and regulations. Dumpster is a trademark of garbage loading onto trucks system. Dumpster diving involves persons voluntarily climbing into rubbish bins (dumpsters) to find valuables or simply useful items, including food and used clothing. Eighner writes that the life of a beggar traveling without any money opened his eyes to the fact that all those containers with waste are real “supermarkets” for the poor, and they are not only a source of survival, but also a depositary of high-quality and diverse food. Anyhow, there is a risk in eating such findings. According to Eighner’s experience, taking food out of dumpsters should involve three simple principles: “using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the Dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly, and seeking always to answer the question, “Why was this discarded?” Narrator advises to avoid such foods as...
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...In Eighner’s article, “dumpster diving”,Eigher describes himself as a “Scavenger” as he lives from food and other neccesities that he finds from dumpsters. He is proud of what he does because he finds edible food in perfectly good conditions and is able to get it for free from other peoples dumpsters. Eigher says ”people get too much from what they can earn, but they throw even if things in good condition.” As our economy grows and better technologies being developed, many people can afford cheap foods and in large quantities. With the lower costs of foods people buy more and waste more. For example, when I go to the nationwide wholefoodsseller ‘costco’, most items are sold in bulks as it is usually cheaper to buy items in bulk. Since Costco sells in bulk people this it is cheap and that they can consume all of it at once, before they exceed their shelf life. But in most cases people never finish everything they buy. When I bought an assorted pack of ‘lay’s potato chips’. I enjoyed eating them at first, but i was wrong. i eventually became sick of potato chips and the remaining packs were thrown out as they had exceeded their experation date. Another example of perfectly good items that get thrown out are clothes. Colors may fade, clothing get stained from last night’s curry, and the list continues. When this happens, most people do one of the 3 choices possible; just keep it and wear it, stitch up tears, new buttons and re-wear, or throw it. Most people would just wear...
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...Biology Paper, CSE Style (Martin) Hypothermia, the Diving Reflex, and Survival Full title, writer’s name, name of course, instructor’s name, and date (all centered). Briana Martin Biology 281 Professor McMillan April 17, XXXX Marginal annotations indicate CSE-style formatting and effective writing. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007). Adapted from Victoria E. McMillan (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006). This paper follows the style guidelines in Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 7th ed. (2006). Page header contains abbreviated title and the page number. Headings, centered, help readers follow the organization. Hypothermia and Diving Reflex 2 ABSTRACT This paper reviews the contributions of hypothermia and the mammalian diving reflex (MDR) to human survival of cold-water immersion incidents. It also examines the relationship between the victim's age and MDR and considers the protective role played by hypothermia. Hypothermia is the result of a reduced metabolic rate and lowered oxygen consumption by body tissues. Although hypothermia may produce fatal cardiac arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation, it is also associated with bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction, both of which enhance oxygen supply to the heart and brain. The MDR also causes bradycardia and reduced peripheral blood flow as well as laryngospasm, which protects victims against rapid inhalation of water. Studies of drowning...
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...The Risks of Scuba Diving The Risks of Scuba Diving Western Governors University The Risks of Scuba Diving The Risks of Scuba Diving Scuba diving is a very popular sport, but a lot of amateurs are not aware of the risks they might face during or after a dive. Every year, 15 million divers engage in 250 million dives worldwide. Thanks to advanced technology and awareness training, accidents can be either prevented or minimized. Unfortunately, the biggest threat to divers is the divers themselves. Hastiness (“I don't have time to check the equipment, it will be alright...”,) proudness and group pressure (“Come on, let's dive even deeper...”,) or simply underestimating one's physical limits can often lead to injuries, or in some unfortunate cases even fatalities. This article will review the various risks that divers might face under the water's surface or after ascent back to the main land. Although scuba diving is considered a high risk sport, this article is intended to spark some interest and to encourage the reader to take more interest in the magnificent and amazing world of scuba diving. Medical risks Cardiovascular incidents One of the major causes for fatalities is drowning. There are different issues that can lead to drowning. A lot of those issues have one common denominator: cardiovascular incidents. Looking at statistics of the general population, it does not come as a big surprise that also under water one of the biggest risks, which lead to cardiovascular...
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...In the first five paragraphs of Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving”, Eighner writes about how he loved dumpsters, and that he became obsessed with the word, “...I was impressed with Dumpsters, enough so that I wrote the Merriam-Webster research service to discover what I could about the word ‘Dumpster’”(Eighner 1), which he uses to show his authority on the subject of dumpsters, an appeal to ethos. As a formerly homeless man, Eighner has a great deal of experience with dumpster diving, as the essay explains. From here, he writes about his experience as a “dumpster diver”, though he prefers the term, “scavenger”. He says that there are many words used to describe what he does, such as “scrounging”, and “foraging”, each of which having their uses:...
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...Critical Thinking – Spring 2011 In, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” by Jean-Dominique Bauby, the diving bell is Bauby's dreadful physical limitations and the butterfly represents his fertile imagination. With flashbacks of his life, we see him as a fully functioning person at work and at home. These scenes enhance the tragedy of his situation. The diving bell is Bauby’s body which is like a dead weight. Jean compares his “locked in syndrome,” to being trapped in a diving bell. A diving bell was used prior to the invention of scuba diving equipment. This device looked like a large bell, which was lowered into the water by a tether. Water pressure was used to keep air in the bell so that those inside can breathe. Those inside were limited in their movements because moving would cause for losing air supply. “My hands, lying curled on the yellow sheets are hurting, although I can’t tell if they are burning hot or ice cold.” (pg. 5) “So it is likely that several years will go by before I can expect to wiggle my toes…But for now, I would be the happiest of men if I could just swallow the overflow of saliva that endlessly floods my mouth.” (pg. 12) Bauby realizes his actual state when he stares at a stained glass image of the wife of Napole’on III, Empress Euge’nie and notices an unknown face in the reflection. He sees a twisted mouth, damaged nose, one eye sewn shut, the other eye wide open. “For a moment I stared at that dilated pupil, before I realized it was only...
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...Underwater Veiwing—Scuba Diving or Snorkeling | | | Pauline StuckeyEnglish 112 | | 9/11/2010 | | Underwater Viewing—Scuba Diving or Snorkeling Underwater viewing is an amazing adventure. Two ways to personally view this world that we do not see often enough is by scuba diving and snorkeling. Both of these are ways to view the underwater world are similar, but they also have some differences. Some of the aspects that will be compared and contrasted are; cost, viewing experiences and adventure. Snorkeling is an inexpensive way to see underwater. If one chooses to rent the equipment the cost of a snorkel, mask and fins is approximately $10. If one wishes to purchase their own equipment it would cost approximately $50 to $200, depending on one’s choice of brands. Once the person has their equipment they will be all set for any snorkeling destination at no additional costs. Scuba diving is a very expensive way of viewing the underwater world. One typically starts by taking an open water class that starts at $150. The equipment can be rented at whatever destination they choose to dive at a cost of approximately $50 a day. If a person wishes to purchase their own equipment the minimum cost would be approximately $1500 and up, this is dependent on the brand and experience level of equipment that...
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...Thomas Sheng January 25, 2016 Lessons and Philosophies in the Stages of Dumpster Diving ‘On Dumpster Diving’, a fascinating work written by Lars Eighner, showed the real lives of the homeless. While introducing his personal experience, Eighner also mentioned the stages a person goes through in learning to scavenge. By describing the stages, Eighner described an attitude towards life, that abandoning things is necessary, even though they may seem to be rare and precious; he also tried to change others’ opinions about Dumpster diving. First, the evidence of Eighner’s attitude about life comes from a gentle suggestion that Eighner gave to the new Dumpster divers that being a pack-rat who collected everything in his sight was unrealistic, which Eighner described as “hopeless” (36). Also, at the end of the text, Eighner highlighted a deep lesson he had learned from Dumpster diving that, “Take what you can use and let the rest go by.” The statement indicates that even if something may be precious and rare, it is valueless if it cannot be made useful. How Eighner dealt with pieces from Dumpsters is a philosophy that can not only be applied in foraging food, but also in other circumstances, such as when Robinson was deserted on an island, he was willing to spend all his money on a pipe. Learning to forswear the articles found in trash is by far not all Eighner wanted to explain; it promotes an attitude, which can be and should be adopted by the “rat-race millions” of middle-class, that...
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...Dumpster Diving, Eighner begins by saying “as my savings ran out, I put almost all my sporadic income into rent. The necessities of daily life I began to extract from Dumpsters” (147). In contrast to Ehrenreich’s tale of stepping into the shoes of a service worker, the audience hears from Eighner a story with real potency, and once which is built of truth and from the pressure of the moment. “Yes, we ate from Dumpsters,” Eighner says, opening himself up to his audience with what could be seen as an embarrassing statement. He trusts his audience, both to understand his motives and reasoning, and also not to judge him for the actions he was forced to resort to. In the following pages of the essay Eighner explains the methods he used to ensure that he got only the best from dumpsters, and that he protected himself from the dangers of the task. Explaining that the essential question to answer was “Why was this discarded?” set the scene for the examination of his routines and personal knowledge of the dumpster system (147). It wasn’t from any desire to discover something new that Eighner turned to dumpsters as a source of sustenance, but from necessity. Through telling a personal story of the trials he endured while on the streets Eighner earned credibility with his audience, building trust and authority through personal experience and honesty. The appeal to ethos necessary to carry Eighner’s message was fulfilled by his observably authoritative position in discussing dumpster diving because...
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...The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to inform readers about a valuable invention, of which is called the Aqua-Lung and the impacts it had on diving. The Aqua-Lung was considered a valuable invention because it allowed humans to be able to stay in the water for a longer period of time. As portrayed in Paragraph 6, “Before the invention of the Aqua-Lung, divers could only remain in the water for a matter of minutes before the air ran out. With the Aqua-Lung, that time could be extended to an hour or even.” This demonstrates that the Aqua-Lung greatly increased the time that humans could spend in the water. This is significant because in order to be able to dive more deeply into the ocean and study its inhabitants, explorers and scientist...
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