Response to "Pears"

In Shelby’s blog post about real and fake food she makes many arguments for why real foods, or in her specific case, fresh pears, are better for people than the proceed versions of the food or canned pears. She talks about how when she wants to eat pears she usually just eats pears from a can and that they aren’t as good as fresh pears, but they are easier to eat because they are already peeled and sliced and everything. The article that she uses talks about how pears are beneficial for the body. In pears there are many beneficial ingredients including vitamins, fiber, and anti-oxidants. They have been shown to lower blood pressure and have nutrients that help in preventing the loss of vision. She then goes on to say that she eats canned ones because in college the access to fresh fruits very hard and buying a few cans to save is much easier because they won’t go bad like fresh pears would.

I agree with a lot of what Shelby talks about. I love fresh fruit myself and I know that I don’t get enough of it. I know that they are much better for me than the processed fruits especially because all of the extra ingredients, including sugar, that are in the processed foods. Pears are not my favorite fruits but I do like them once in a while. I think that I should probably eat more fresh fruits because they are good for me. However I do think that in some cases the processed versions of the food can be good for people especially in moderation. Many of them have extra vitamins and minerals that many people don’t get enough of. This can help our health a lot.

Opposing Articles, Death Penalty

Capital punishment is a controversial issue that each state has control over. There are moral and financial issues with both sides. In a Fox News article about how the death penalty is good for society it points out some strong facts about the benefits of capital punishment. The main point of the argument is that having the death penalty decreases crime in that area. Studies have shown that capital punishment is a deterrent to murders and that between three and 18 lives are saved by each execution of a convicted killer. Many people oppose this data and question its truth however the quantity of the data doesn’t seem to lie. There were about a dozen studies done all showing the same facts.

On the opposite side, the moral and fiscal sense of not having the death penalty is also very convincing. In a New York Times article by Ian Urbina, the facts show that in cases where the death penalty is involved, the costs of the trial is much greater due to the extreme significance of what may happen. Many more lawyers are involved and it is usually longer. In the article it also brings up the moral issue of executing someone. Many religious groups oppose the death penalty because of this.

Both articles seem to be based on facts and neither have anything to deter me from their arguments. Before reading the articles I had a fairly neutral stance on capital punishment but leaned slightly onto the pro side. After reading both of these I have more inclination to side on the pro side. I believe that the death penalty does deter crime and that is the most important fact of all. If 18 people can be saved by killing one convicted killer then that is the right choice to take.

Response to Rasberry Jam

Reading Alana’s blog about raspberry jam made me want some toast. The jam she made with her grandmother sounded so much better than any store bought jam. She described the differences in what is put into making jam at home versus store bought and how homemade jam is better tasting and better for out. She goes on to talk about how some day she hopes to have her own garden and continue the tradition of making homemade jam.

The largest difference between the “real” jam and “fake” jam was the ingredients and the way it’s made. The real jam is mad with three simple and “real” ingredients: raspberries, pectin, and sugar. The store bought brands also have High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and citric acid. The article that is used shows us how high fructose corn syrup is linked to obesity even though it has the same amount of sugar as calories. This is because it is metabolized differently in the body.

I agree with a lot of the things that Alana says. I believe that tradition and “real food” is good for us. Many times, especially in the case of fruit and vegetables, the real food tastes so much better than the proceeded or fake food. Not only is it better for us physically it also brings us together when we have dinner together or make jam together with our friends and family. Alana’s blog is well written and promotes “real food” well. It has helped me move my opinion and makes me think more about what I eat.

On Sunday April 18^th I made a meal for one of my friends and me. I made steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli. I had to plan what to get, how much time I would need to get everything and how to make it. I made a list of what I needed to get which included steaks, seasoning, potatoes, butter, milk, broccoli, olive oil, and salt. I went to the grocery store to get these things. Then I got back and started to cook. The first thing I did was peel the potatoes so I could start to cook them. Then I boiled to potatoes. While they were going I stared water for the broccoli and prepared the broccoli by washing it and cutting it into smaller pieces. Then I started to prepare the steaks. I took them out of their packaging and rubbed some steak seasoning on them. Then I broiled them for about 8 minutes on each side until they were medium. I then took them out and at about the same time the broccoli and potatoes were done. I then mashed the potatoes and added a little milk, butter and salt for flavor. Then I served the food and we ate. It was really good and we both liked it. Afterwards I felt really full and satisfied.

The cooking and preparation made the meal taste a lot better because I know that I went through the work to create the meal. I agree with Michael Pollan when he talks about how food should be something we enjoy and not rushing through everything. I think that my meal was slow and tasted great. In Marc David’s article, he talks about how people today eat to get full when really we should be eating to enjoy it.

*Photo from

http://sysco-jax.com/gallery/Steak-Plate-Presentations/steak_red_potatoes_1

Real vs Fake Food

Food is very important to all of us because it is our sustenance. We try to eat the right things and sometimes we go on special diets to get in shape. In Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food, he talks about eating real food. In other words we should eat foods that aren’t processed or changed in any ways. Some common examples are fresh fruit, grains, nuts and other things that aren’t changed at all.

In my life personally I used to eat fresh apples a lot. Recently I haven’t eaten many and I drink more apple juice than fresh apples. I still like apples it is just that they are expensive, and hard to come by than apple juice. Apple juice tastes good because it is enriched with sugar, and I know that that is not good for me but it still tastes good and I like it more than apples. Apple juice still provides some nutrients and vitamins but not as much as fresh apples I don’t think. I started to have more apple juice than fresh apples when I came to college. It is easier to drink apple juice than to eat an apple, and in some cases it is cheaper. Apple juice also keeps longer so it makes more sense to have in a dorm.

Dr. Leslie Van Romer wrote an article called “Are you Filling up on Real or Fake Food” about this same subject. The article makes many of the same points that Pollan does in his book. She says “Once a food is altered from its original state, nutrients are lost.

I am probably not going to stop drinking apple juice but I think that I will start to try and eat fresh fruit more often. I like it very much and it is better for me than processed foods.

Peer Response 2 - Global Warming

Dave compared two articles that talk about global warming in his blog post. Global warming is an ongoing debate on how the earth’s climate is changing. He shows us two images from two different years that were created using microwave imagers. The first article he uses is one from NASA that states the ice caps are melting. In the article it says that the ice caps are shrinking approximately nine percent per decade. The article goes on to talk about how the world is slowly warming and what causes this exactly. It also states what the effects may be if the ice caps completely melt including positive and negative effects.

The second article comes from globalwarminghoax.com so that right there makes it less credible than NASA because NASA is well known around the world and this is a website that anyone can have access too. It talks about how scientists have look at satellite photos and have determined that the ice cap is not shrinking, and that in fact it is growing. The article states that the ice caps have increased from 15.9 million square kilometers in 1979 to 16.3 million square kilometers in 2009. This article has no scientific backing and doesn’t state its sources.

The first article is much more convincing and I believe everything it says, whereas that second article seems to be more someone saying their opinions than actual facts. The article from NASA doesn’t seem to be biased or trying to convince me of anything it just seems to be telling me scientific facts where as the second one talks about how the scientific community is wrong and that everyone should believe the writer. After reading these two articles my opinion on global warming hasn’t changed much. I had already trusted that the ice caps were melting and now after reading the articles I still believe that.

Chris' Demo Speech

My demonstration speech was on how to make English toffee bars. I thought that overall it was a pretty good speech and everyone was able to learn how to make them. Some over all comments I had on it was that I was a little quite at times. Also there were a few times where there were awkward silences. This happened especially when I had to mix the ingredients. I think that I didn’t have much of a choice with these once I started my speech, by that I mean that I should have picked a better topic so there wouldn’t be lots of mixing or I should have prepared better to shorten the time I had to mix. My eye contact wasn’t amazing either. It was a little hard because I had to be careful not to spill so I was trying to keep it in balance. I also seemed to be fairly monotone and I know from watching other speeches that this makes it very boring so I should have worked on that.

I think that I organized my speech well. I went through the steps logically and not to quickly or anything. Also I think that my conclusion and intro were pretty good. I talked about the uses for my dessert and I included a short summery of the steps in the conclusion so that people would remember more. I also think that even though my visual aid took away from some of my contact with the audience, I used the visual aid well and it obviously worked with my speech because it pretty much was my speech.

If I was to do this again I would probably pick the same topic. It was easy to show how to make it. I would have practiced a little more and tried to perfect the timing of everything.

To view speech click here

Response To Jenny Molenda's Post

In Jenny’s blog post about LeBron James endorsing McDonalds, she brings up many points that are very informative. Recently LeBron James, a famous basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, appeared in a commercial for McDonalds. It is a takeoff of a commercial that stared Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. LeBron and Dwight Howard play a game of horse and who ever misses first has to watch the other one eat the meal from McDonalds, but it has a small trick in the end (I don’t want to ruin it for you). Jenny says that LeBron is a good spokesmen for this commercial because LeBron is a famous athlete and appeals to many people, including young adults and children which is one of the biggest targets for McDonalds.

She goes on to talk about how the commercial is not very appropriate because LeBron James is a athlete and McDonalds is known to not have the most healthy food. It is kind of ironic because LeBron has to keep his body in great shape, so eating McDonalds wouldn’t be the best idea for him.

I agree with her on pretty much all of these points. LeBron is a great player who appeals to many people across a wide range of demographics. I think that many people would see this commercial, think it is funny, and then go get a Big Mac because LeBron likes them. I also agree with her that it is not very appropriate to have him endorse McDonalds. It is giving a bad image to kids who are now going to think McDonalds can make you like LeBron or something like that. I have nothing against McDonalds, I even like going there once in a while, but for some people they won’t be able to see that it is bad for you.

*Picture from lebronjamesshop.com
**Video from YouTube

Favre Endorsement of Wrangler

Brett Favre is a well known athlete throughout the United States. He has played football, in the NFL, for almost twenty years now. In some opinions he is one of the greatest quarter backs in history. In 2007, he decided to try something new and signed a contract with Wrangle, a well known jean company. He was shown in many TV, radio, web, and print ads.

Brett is known as a tough player. He holds the NFL record for longest consecutive starts for any player. He has played through many injuries, emotional and physical. In December 2003, his father past away; the next day, he played in a Monday Night Football game and beat the raiders 41-7. Wrangler wanted to have Favre as a spokes person because they wanted their jeans to seem tough and strong. Favre is both of these and people know him as that. The endorsement seems to be successful for Wrangler.

In Donald Patterson’s article, “Wrangle gets quarters back with Favre,” he says, “Brett Favre turned out to be a great catch for Wrangler, a brand with a long history of making big plays on the endorsement field.” He goes on to talk about how Wrangle usually picks good star athletes to endorse their jeans. It is an effective way to advertise jeans. Many of the people buying them are into sports, and even the ones who aren’t know the stars and can relate to them. Favre was a especially great catch because the season after he signed his contract with Wrangler he had a great season.

It was a very controversial move when Favre retired, only to return and play for the Jets. Many people, mostly Packer fans, would never be able to forgive him for abandoning the Packers; However Wrangler still used him as their spokes person.

* Photo from Wrangler home page
**Video from youtube

In Defense of Food

Michael Pollan writes about many problems that society has with food in his book, In Defense of Food. He tells us to "Eat food." He means that too much of the "food" today is not actually food. It is actually processed things that just have the nutrients that we want or need inside of them. He blames a lot of it on the global food market. In his mind, over the years the food market has changed greatly. Long ago people would eat the same thing that their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents would. Now however, the food that we ate as kids was much different than the food that our parents ate as kids. He recommends that we go back to eating the way people used to, eating only real foods. Eat things like fruits and vegetables from the ground, not changed by the food industry. By doing this we would help our own healths as well as the health of our food market. He also talks about the fact that eating is a social thing and it brings people together.

I don’t agree with the fact that our diets now are horrible. I believe that much of the food we eat now is good for us and helps the world as a whole. But I do agree with him on the point that eating is something we do socially. Ever since we started eating humans have eaten together, and it has brought us closer.

Daniel Engber, a writer for Slate, wrote an article, “Survival of the Yummiest” about whether or not we should believe Pollan. He also disagrees that we need to go back to thinking the “great-great-grandma-knew-best” idea about eating. Unlike Pollan, he thinks that in the end, science will figure it out and does what is best for us as people.

*Picture courtesy of http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php