Screw the pooch

» Johnny Depp’s dogs do not deserve death

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor
© opinions
@theotherpress.ca

M2” dog lovers and fans of
the Pirates of the Caribbean

series were holding their breath
in mid-May when Johnny Depp
faced threats from the Australian
agricultural minister. The two-
time Sexiest Man Alive was caught
smuggling his Yorkshire terriers,
Pistol and Boo, into Australia.
The country has strict animal
security laws that are put in place
to prevent spread of rabies among
domestic dogs. This meant that
Depp’s beloved pets faced threats
of euthanasia, and he himself, jail
time.

No dog deserves to die
because of their owner’s folly,
and certainly not ones that have
no legitimate case of rabies. You
think Depp’s cutie little dogs are
going to hurt anyone or anything?

: Ifyou do, then it might be better
: to put you down.

Obviously I understand the

: severity of the case: Australia is

: not located far from countries

: where stray dogs run rampant,

: such as Indonesia. And with

: sucha rough history of animal

: infestation—remember the

: Rabbit Proof Fence erected to

: keep pests from invading Western
: Australia?—it is natural to take

: caution with such an event.

The government is mighty

: powerful, but I believe this event
: was more of an opportunity for

: the Australian government to

: assert its might and alert travellers
: that the law is not to be trifled

: with. Threatening a celebrity’s

: pet—or anyone’s pet—is akin to

: threatening their children. It’s

: a big deal. They want people to

: remember the threat next time

: they are tempted to smuggle pets
: into the country.

Still, it ultimately comes

: across as a farce. Politicians killing

: little dogs sounds like the first

: scene of House of Cards, doesn’t

: it? The government handled the

: situation tastelessly. It made them
: appear like bullies rather than

: the cautious obedient mutts they
: are. | agree that Depp should

: not have any higher form of

: treatment than us normal people,
: and with that being the case, just
: fine him. Why resort to murder?

: Why does something need to die
: just because you want to teach a

: celebrity and the world at large a

: lesson?

It’s understandable for

the government of Australia to
: feel undermined by a big-shot
: movie star—yes, the one from

: Mortdecai—but no one was :
: harmed and animals deserve tobe :
: with their owners the same way

: children deserve to be with their
: parents. Perhaps Depp should

: have known better, but thanks

: to his folly, we all know how :
: uptight the Australian agricultural :
: security is. :

  

Photo via mirror.co.uk

 

The grand parade of lifeless packaging

» Plastic sucks, but what to do about it?

Adam Tatelman
Staff Writer

don't have to tell anyone the

myriad rationales behind the
concept of recycling. In fact, ’'d
be hard-pressed to find anyone
who doesn’t recycle in this
day and age. It’s just generally
accepted as “the thing to do.”
On the other hand, the first
world still generates staggering
mounds of garbage on a daily
basis. This problem could be
fixed if the practice of recycling

were expanded beyond its current :
: disposable plastic bags are still
: too conveniently available.

: Hence, people still prefer them.

purview.

Let’s take a look at a
typical shopping trip in my
family. I should mention that
we are rather conservative
shoppers, avoiding the majority
of processed, packaged, or
preserved foods, and are mostly
in favour of fresh produce.
This should have the result of
reducing our garbage production
by a fair fraction, but despite
our best efforts, we still seem to

generate an inordinate amount of :
: purchase of excessively packaged : §
: foods and plastic bags alike, adda : Gem
: five-cent “recycling tax” surcharge : §
: toall packaged items, including:
: plastic bags from checkout. This
: will encourage people to buy

: more fresh produce and rely

: on the aforementioned store-

: branded box, which is healthier
: for both the customer and the

: environment.

useless plastic.

First, we hit the bulk food
aisle. Everything there gets a
plastic bag and a twist tie: nuts,
dried fruit, etc. So do fruits and
vegetables, from bananas to bok
choy. Some produce, like grapes,
already comes in a perforated bag
but then gets bagged again. Then
there are the clamshell packages
for berries and tomatoes, plastic
water bottles, and cardboard

: juice boxes, not to mention BPA-
: lined tin cans for beans and fish,
: or flamboyant cereal boxes with

: plastic bags inside them.

I haven't even gotten to

: toiletries, but let’s bring what

: we've got to the checkout and

: put it in more plastic bags—huge
: ones, whose only purpose is to

: transport the food from the store
: to our house, then stretch and

: rip at the handles. I understand

: that we have to package food

: for transportation, but canvas

: bags haven't caught on here like

they have in the UK because

Here’s my three-step plan

: for retailers to reduce garbage :
: from grocery shopping. First, give : fai
: everyone a big-ass cardboard box :
: with your store logo on it. Tell

: them to use it every time they

: shop at your store. Voila—no

: more plastic bags. If customers

: still want to use the plastic bags,

: charge them for it.

Secondly, to discourage

Finally, expand the scope of

: all recycling depots. Currently,

: the majority of recycled items

: are water bottles, juice cartons,

: and liquor bottles, and most

: everything else goes to the

: landfill. Instead, we should push
: through the use of refundable

: deposits, the recycling of tin cans, :

: clamshell packages, milk cartons, :

: cereal boxes, twist ties, elastic
: bands, and bar code stickers. This :
: will incentivize people to “cash in
: their bounty” and earn back their :
: recycling tax.

The only way to solve most
problems is to pay for a solution.

 

Human beings are creatures of

: habit and self-interest. Even if

only in five-cent increments,

: we would create efficient,

better-funded recycling depots,

: less garbage in local landfills,
: healthier customers, and less
: hassle when shopping.

Photo from Thinkstock