feed the homeless

Micah Cohen

From the NYT:

Should Canada Geese Be Gassed?
Ever since Canada geese flew into the engines of a US Airways jet in January 2009 and forced it to land in the Hudson River, New York City authorities and the United States Department of Agriculture have been working to thin the growing population of the migrating birds.
Last summer, wildlife biologists rounded up 1,235 Canada geese at 17 sites around the city and killed them. More recently, much to the consternation of animal-rights activists and some Brooklyn residents, nearly 400 geese and goslings in Prospect Park were packed into crates and taken to a nearby building where they were gassed with lethal doses of carbon dioxide.
City officials say that with three big airports to worry about, the proliferation of Canada geese is a safety concern, not just a nuisance, and requires drastic action.
Is gassing the best way to get rid of the geese, or reduce their numbers? Are there other methods that work just as well?

People eat geese, right? Like chicken, right? So, why not cook these geese up and feed the homeless? Am I the only person to think of this? Is there some flaw in my thinking? Are geese not eatable?

MC

shack

Let them eat Foie gras...

concealer404

shack wrote: »

let them eat foie gras...

lol!!!!

dkg999

Goose breast cut up into chunks, marinated in italian dressing, then wrapped with a piece of bacon and grilled for about 3 to 4 min until just pink in the center is absolutely delicious!

I would say they are wasting a renewable natural resource if they aren't using the goose meat to feed the homeless or selling it to offset the costs.

RuSsMaN

Sandy Gross thinks they are.

'Oh, and bring us a goose.'

Cheers,
Lon Chaney's lover

concealer404

^That's all you man. I like raw meat as much as the next guy, but i'm all about cooking poultry all the way through.

nooshinjohn

I think a Goose going through the turbine section of a jet is cooked pretty crispy anyway.

j allen

It's a very good point, although it wouldn't be foie gras. That requires a captive goose that you make very sick with a fatty diet

Demiurge

Unless you can turn the Geese into an alcoholic beverage, they aren't interested in your charity.

cstmar01

Goose is good eatin' I remember when my grandfather would always bring some home and then we would have Goose for dinner. Good stuff.

hell they could make it a dish like a philly cheese steak, just a NY Fried Goose, that would be good...

Scott O

On the other hand, Micah, has it occured to you that maybe THE MAN
doesn't want to feed the homeless? There are any number of food sources that go unused, wasted, that could be put into the service of feeding the poor. Hey, Congress could mandate that Wall Street feed the poor! Wall Street could do it, couldn't they?
And,yes, poor geese. Some airports use Border Collies to chase the birds off. It's easier and more cost effective, I suspect, to just round them up and gas 'em. Now, if we could just figure out an easy cost effective way to deal with the homeless. Hmmmm.

TECHNOKID

Micah Cohen wrote: »

From the NYT:



People eat geese, right? Like chicken, right? So, why not cook these geese up and feed the homeless? Am I the only person to think of this? Is there some flaw in my thinking? Are geese not eatable?

MC

Your thinking is actually perfect but the point is ALL they care about is to get the birds out of their way so they can peacefully make huge profits... They don't care about the homeless.

Last summer, wildlife biologists rounded up 1,235 Canada geese at 17 sites around the city and killed them. More recently, much to the consternation of animal-rights activists and some Brooklyn residents, nearly 400 geese and goslings in Prospect Park were packed into crates and taken to a nearby building where they were gassed with lethal doses of carbon dioxide.

This is nasty anyway, only human being is disrespectfull enough of life form to the point of eliminating it when it is in their way, selfishness of mankind... :rolleyes:

dkg999 wrote: »

Goose breast cut up into chunks, marinated in italian dressing, then wrapped with a piece of bacon and grilled for about 3 to 4 min until just pink in the center is absolutely delicious!

I would say they are wasting a renewable natural resource if they aren't using the goose meat to feed the homeless or selling it to offset the costs.

There are actually so many people dying of hunger on this planet but businessman don't care about that kind of waste, the only waste they'll consider is their precious dollar :rolleyes:

Demiurge wrote: »

Unless you can turn the Geese into an alcoholic beverage, they aren't interested in your charity.

ROTFLMAO (however, so thrue)

Scott O wrote: »

On the other hand, Micah, has it occured to you that maybe THE MAN
doesn't want to feed the homeless? There are any number of food sources that go unused, wasted, that could be put into the service of feeding the poor. Hey, Congress could mandate that Wall Street feed the poor! Wall Street could do it, couldn't they? And,yes, poor geese. Some airports use Border Collies to chase the birds off. It's easier and more cost effective, I suspect, to just round them up and gas 'em. Now, if we could just figure out an easy cost effective way to deal with the homeless. Hmmmm.

Unfortunately, the attitude is simply "Who cares!!!"

This subject is quite timely, yesterday evening, I was walking on the street and noticed a huge group of geese which is quite odd to find them in the city. There must have been 20 of them, the side walk was filty with their huge excrement and a cat at fairly close distance keeping an eye on the big birds (must have been hoping he could get his claws on one of them) :eek:

[Deleted User]

Hello Scott,
When you say, "easy cost effective way to deal with the homeless" you mean providing food and shelter, meaningful counseling, half-way houses and job placement, right? All done as wisely as possible, right?
That "gassing" reference had me a bit worried.
Regards, Ken

dkg999

Ken - you are like deep water and old whiskey .................... smooth!

Willow

For every goose killed I want 1$ I see it as royalties for being Canadian or kill all you want for a pair of each of the new LSi coming out!

Demiurge

TECHNOKID wrote: »

ROTFLMAO (however, so thrue)

Years ago I had a guy try to shake me down for cash so he could "get some food," or so he said. I offered to take him across the street to Burger King and buy him a sandwich. He kept saying no and finally responded with "f--- you, I can buy my own damn food."

The best is when the same person routinely hits you up for bus fare and uses the same story every time.

madmax

We would have flocks of homeless hanging out along the runway, worse situation than the geese!

Jstas

I've always felt that you could kill two birds with one store...well, three actually. Pigeons and squirrels are major problems in cities causing millions of dollars worth of damage a year. If you allow homeless people to be able to catch and cook said animals, you can curb the damage problem, feed hungry people and have a limiting factor on the populations of the pests.

The geese would be a good idea too I think. I mean, if they are gassing them, why not use them instead of just wasting the carcasses and honestly, the lives of the animals.

Willow wrote: »

For every goose killed I want 1$ I see it as royalties for being Canadian or kill all you want for a pair of each of the new LSi coming out!

I suppose you want "royalties" for "Canadian Bacon" too? Does that mean Canada will have to rescind it's denial that it actually exists?


Lastly, Scott O., 3 posts on the forum and you're already wandering towards the deep end with conspiracy theories! Nice! Better snag one of those Club Polk tinfoil hats and quick!

concealer404

Scott O. seems to be special, he does have a custom user title.

ledhed

Or do the American thing and capitalize. Jack's Pest Service, get a contract from NYC to round up the offending foul and sell them to dog food companies, etc.

I do appreciate your noble ideas though.

fatchowmein

Demiurge wrote: »

Years ago I had a guy try to shake me down for cash so he could "get some food," or so he said. I offered to take him across the street to Burger King and buy him a sandwich. He kept saying no and finally responded with "f--- you, I can buy my own damn food."

This reminds me of an incident many years ago when I worked downtown. There was a popular Mexican restaurant and we were stopped by a homeless person asking the same thing. We quickly dismissed him but a woman gave us the evil eye and went to speak to him and invited him into the restaurant. She sat him down with some nachos and salsa, free for the lunch crowd, and went to order his food. When she got back to the table, he was gone. We snickered.

nooshinjohn

Should Canada Geese Be Gassed?

I think I would prefer coals to gas... nothing better than a bird cooked on the Webber.;)

TECHNOKID

Demiurge wrote: »

Years ago I had a guy try to shake me down for cash so he could "get some food," or so he said. I offered to take him across the street to Burger King and buy him a sandwich. He kept saying no and finally responded with "f--- you, I can buy my own damn food."I went through some similar also at one point and there was no way he would accept that I take him for lunch (no use for the booze)

The best is when the same person routinely hits you up for bus fare and uses the same story every time.

How typical!

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I think I would prefer coals to gas... nothing better than a bird cooked on the Webber.;)

2 thumbs up

cfrizz

While it might be a nice ideal to make the deaths of those geese come to a useful end, one has to remember that they are wild animals. They have not come from our regulated and inspected food chain.

Now if people want to go out & hunt & eat whatever they catch, if they end up getting sick, it is on THEM.

However, can you imagine the mess & cost to US the taxpayers if they fed those geese to the homeless & someone fell ill?

Talk about a disaster in the making!

Which reminds me, what do they do with the gigantic turkey that they cook every year in NYC?

Demiurge

fatchowmein wrote: »

This reminds me of an incident many years ago when I worked downtown. There was a popular Mexican restaurant and we were stopped by a homeless person asking the same thing. We quickly dismissed him but a woman gave us the evil eye and went to speak to him and invited him into the restaurant. She sat him down with some nachos and salsa, free for the lunch crowd, and went to order his food. When she got back to the table, he was gone. We snickered.

haha

After living in the city for nearly 10 years I became 'hardened' to all the sob stories. Friends from out state would be shocked.

While its funny these people refuse food because they just want money for booze or other drugs, I feel bad for those who are truly down on their luck and won't be given a benefit of the doubt because of all the hustlers that ruined it for them. I give in ways that I know it will be put to good use.

snow

It's easy to group homeless people into a stereotype... either an alchoholic. drug addict, simply lazy or mentally ill or a combo of all the above. I think for most it makes them feel better about themselves to look at them in this manner, and considering that the largest portion of the homeless have at least one of these problems it is understandable.

Unfortunately in todays society with the economy being what it is and jobs going to foreign countries most people without a job and unemployment insurance would become one of the homeless within 6 months.

Not that many of us have enough savings to tide us over longer than that especially if you have a house payment, car payment a couple of kids to feed and clothe etc.

I met a homeless fellow one day at a local store cafe and it turned out this fellow had a PHD but was unable to find work for an extended period of time and due to other problems health related was broke and homeless.

I gave him an extra automobile I had that was just gathering dust and invested a little money and time in him and now this fellow is back on his feet has a good job paying in excess of 80k a year, and is involved in the community as the president of the board of a local non profit organization on a vounteer basis giving back to the homeless, so dont count out all the homeless as a lost cause some simply need a hand up is all.

REGARDS SNOW

zombie boy 2000

Same here, Dave. When I lived downtown, it was not uncommon to get hit up five or six times on just one block. First time I gave money to someone on my way to the bar down the street and he proceeded to follow me inside, I knew we had a special bond.

Demiurge

snow wrote: »

It's easy to group homeless people into a stereotype... either an alchoholic. drug addict, simply lazy or mentally ill or a combo of all the above. I think for most it makes them feel better about themselves to look at them in this manner, and considering that the largest portion of the homeless have at least one of these problems it is understandable.

Unfortunately in todays society with the economy being what it is and jobs going to foreign countries most people without a job and unemployment insurance would become one of the homeless within 6 months.

Not that many of us have enough savings to tide us over longer than that especially if you have a house payment, car payment a couple of kids to feed and clothe etc.

I met a homeless fellow one day at a local store cafe and it turned out this fellow had a PHD but was unable to find work for an extended period of time and due to other problems health related was broke and homeless.

I gave him an extra automobile I had that was just gathering dust and invested a little money and time in him and now this fellow is back on his feet has a good job paying in excess of 80k a year, and is involved in the community as the president of the board of a local non profit organization on a vounteer basis giving back to the homeless, so dont count out all the homeless as a lost cause some simply need a hand up is all.

REGARDS SNOW

A 40 oz of St. Ides says that guy wasn't hittin' people up outside of bars and gas stations for change, though, either.

People truly down on their luck usually still have humility and feel shame in having to ask for help. They are the ones who should be asking for help, but they usually aren't.

Demiurge

zombie boy 2000 wrote: »

Same here, Dave. When I lived downtown, it was not uncommon to get hit up five or six times on just one block. First time I gave money to someone on my way to the bar down the street and he proceeded to follow me inside, I knew we had a special bond.

Is it funny or sad that I can picture this scenario playing out, right down to how the guy looks, smells and how boisterous he is asking for more money or a drink?

TECHNOKID

cfrizz wrote: »

While it might be a nice ideal to make the deaths of those geese come to a useful end, one has to remember that they are wild animals. They have not come from our regulated and inspected food chain.

Now if people want to go out & hunt & eat whatever they catch, if they end up getting sick, it is on THEM.

However, can you imagine the mess & cost to US the taxpayers if they fed those geese to the homeless & someone fell ill?

Talk about a disaster in the making!

Which reminds me, what do they do with the gigantic turkey that they cook every year in NYC?

Very valid points right here. Very tricky situation. Howevwer, if the over population of the geese is worhtwhile the investment to ensure they are safe for eating?

snow wrote: »

It's easy to group homeless people into a stereotype... either an alchoholic. drug addict, simply lazy or mentally ill or a combo of all the above. I think for most it makes them feel better about themselves to look at them in this manner, and considering that the largest portion of the homeless have at least one of these problems it is understandable.

Unfortunately in todays society with the economy being what it is and jobs going to foreign countries most people without a job and unemployment insurance would become one of the homeless within 6 months.

Not that many of us have enough savings to tide us over longer than that especially if you have a house payment, car payment a couple of kids to feed and clothe etc.

I met a homeless fellow one day at a local store cafe and it turned out this fellow had a PHD but was unable to find work for an extended period of time and due to other problems health related was broke and homeless.

I gave him an extra automobile I had that was just gathering dust and invested a little money and time in him and now this fellow is back on his feet has a good job paying in excess of 80k a year, and is involved in the community as the president of the board of a local non profit organization on a vounteer basis giving back to the homeless, so dont count out all the homeless as a lost cause some simply need a hand up is all.

REGARDS SNOW

I agree we should be carefull of generalising and pre-judging. I commend you for your generosity toward that gentlemen and it is nice to know that it paid off in the end. Your points on the economy and job lost toward foreign countries is also a serious reality however, a question about the US dealing with such. After unemployment, isn't there some form of welfare program? Here in Canada, homeless is not exactly related to lack of money but rather a choice one makes as ressources are in place for unemployed or unemployable (sickness, disability etc...). People going through such are having financial challenges but at least they don't have to worry about living facilities or money for food. Can you comment on how the US proceed to help its population in order to avoid food or accomodations problems?

Cheers!
TK

snow

Demiurge wrote: »

A 40 oz of St. Ides says that guy wasn't hittin' people up outside of bars and gas stations for change, though, either.

People truly down on their luck usually still have humility and feel shame in having to ask for help. They are the ones who should be asking for help, but they usually aren't.

Not going to take that bet those who are hitting people up for loose change have no respect for themselves and are beggars and have no desire to change their way of life.

REGARDS SNOW