Questioning expiration dates
There is a scene in the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" where George Clooney and his prison comrades have been offered some meat that they are eating and the fellow asked what they think of it. He tells them that he butchered that horse about a week earlier and that he thought that it may have started to turn green. If you paid close attention you will have noticed that they were hungry enough to continue eating the meat even after they were informed of this.
I have read a lot of books about the travelers crossing the plains going west. They seldom had enough water to drink, let alone, to wash their dishes with. The travelers actually cleaned their dishes and cups with dirt or gravel or grass.
Today the suppliers are making a killing off of bottled water because people will not drink from the faucet anymore. Then they also have these antiseptic hand soaps flying off of the shelves so fast that the stores sometimes can't keep them stocked.
When I was young we had the 10 second rule in our home for when something fell on the floor we still considered it good to eat if we could get to it before the dog got it. Our floor was rarely dirty. Today, in many households the 10 second rule does not stand a chance.
In my home I am always asking my wife what happened to the left-overs and she is always telling me that she threw it out because it may have gone bad. The optimum word is "may." Even with zip locked bags and stay fresh bowls she throws it out. I am always asking her, "Did it turn green yet?"
Today practically every food product has a time stamp to tell when it is recommended by the processing plant for the food to expire. The thing of it is that these places are always leaning to the safer side of the time frame. I have heard of canned foods that had expired five or six years earlier that was still good.
The reason I have written this letter today is because I was looking for something in my camper the other day and I found about 20 to 25 cans of different kinds of foods that had expired.
I went to the local food bank and I asked them if they wanted them, the woman told me that she could not accept them. Apparently they do not have any real hungry people coming and asking for a hand up.
I have to wonder if George Clooney and his prison friends would have turned down the free food.
Question: Is it right to throw this food away on the suspicion that it "may" have spoiled? If I was hungry enough I would be willing to at least open the cans and look and smell the food before I automatically threw it out.
Boyd B. McNielPea Ridge, Ark.
Consider change
Having read Morning News on 5/2/14 in reference to the Benton County Prosecutor Candidates Kimberly Weber, 45 and Nate Smith, 32. I would challenge our voters to take a close look at this non-partisan race and vote for a change in direction. The Prosecutor's office is hundreds of cases behind. The office has focused too much on minor non-violent drug offences rather than serious crime. The office has a long history of prosecuting and jailing persons living with mental illness rather than offering treatment facilities. Our jails have become warehouses for the mentally ill. The Prosecutor's office has a long history of labeling 18-year-olds as lifetime sex offenders. Wise prosecutorial discretion needs to be used. It is time for a change of direction.
Working in the office, having more campaign money, and having the endorsement of the "good ole boys" is not enough. The office needs major changes. At 45, Kimberly Weber, a devoted mom and a person of strong faith has the life skills to make tough but fair decisions. As a fiscal conservative, Weber can save the county a lot of money by changing the policies that are not working.
Kimberly Weber has 14 years experience as a deputy prosecutor and unlike Nate Smith has successfully tried many narcotics and complex drug cases, many child abuse and sexual abuse cases, rape and life sentence cases. Where is committed to enforcing justice to the fullest extent of the law and protecting the victims.
Electing Sheriff Kelly Cradduck is a great change of direction for Benton County. It is now time for a change of direction in the Prosecutor's office. Kimberly Weber's wisdom, maturity and years of legal experience make her the best choice for Prosecuting Attorney.
Thurman MetcalfRogers
Editorial on 05/07/2014