Prospectus

Today, cows, sheep and other grazing animals diets have only consisted of corn instead of grass. This causes many problems in the animal and bad consequences for both the grazer and us. The reasons factory farms have started doing this was because it’s much cheaper, faster and profitable. In the United States, cows would be slaughtered after four or five years. Today, they are slaughtered after fourteen or sixteen months. This is done with large amounts of corn, protein supplements, antibiotics and growth hormones. Feeding a cow corn instead of grass is extremely disturbing to their digestive systems and it can possibly kill the animal if it is not done as gradually as possible and with massive amounts of antibiotics. Feeding cows grass is much more positive because it produces high quality meat with less bacteria and infections that make us sick.

The health effects of feeding corn to cows take a number of tolls on our bodies. The beef that we eat has caused waste runoff into rivers and ocean and pollutes the water and the environment. Infectious E. coli is found in many beef products because of the poor diets of cows. The poor diets of corn and grain cause their stomachs to be very acidic, just like our stomachs. The acid in our stomach helps to kill off bacteria from food that we’ve eaten, but the bacteria is now immune because of the high acidic levels in the cows. Nothing is being done about this problem because food companies try to make the most profit possible and in the cheapest way. They do not care about the welfare of the consumers eating the food they produce because it’s all about money.

            The sources I will be using is a blog written by a student that uses a lot of important and useful on the effects of corn fed diets in cows and the effects of it on humans. I will be using the book “The Ethics Of What We Eat,” by Peter Singer because he talks about all the practices factory farms follow. I will also be using the LaGuardia database to find books related to my research. 

Hidden Ingredients

MY NEW PROJECT:
            I did not like my original blog project so I thought of a different topic. My new topic will be based on food recalls and how bad food is effecting people in the United States. I will be finding my information from the past five or ten recent years and post my findings on my blog one a week. I will write about how and why these things happened in certain places and where the food that was recalled came from. The themes of my project are food and health and the morality of big food companies. What I hope to learn about are the foods that I should be eating less of and why these foods make people sick. I already know that these problems are the companies fault but I hope to further learn how they can avoid these problems.

MY OLD PROJECT:
             My weekly blog for class will be based on a research project of how many of our foods contain high fructose corn syrup, soy bean, and modified ingredients. Every few days I will look at one supermarket item in my refrigerator and look at the ingredients they contain. I will keep my eye on the foods that contain one or more of the three ingredients and report on what supermarket food I examined. Most of the foods we thought would never contain these ingredients probably do because of all the many different forms corn can be morphed into.

Our class has recently watched a movie called “Food Inc.”, and in the movie it mentioned that the supermarket is basically fooling us. All the foods that we think are so different from each other are actually very similar because they contain at least one out of those three ingredients. Corn and soy beans have recently been modified for mass production and used for many things. This includes feeding cows, pigs, chickens and even fish corn because it is so cheap. Corn has become revolutionized in America. 

            The themes of my project are basically food and health. What I hope to learn from this project is about my food and exactly what is in it. We are fooled by all these big companies that we think produce all this diverse and good tasting food, but we are really just eating the same thing over and over and not receiving the right nutritional values . The kinds of thoughts I hope to inspire my readers with are to also do the same thing that I am doing for my project. I am hoping that they will do investigating in what they eat too like checking labels and researching certain companies and how they produce their food. It will be very educational to myself and all of my readers and knowledge is power. 

Problem-Posing Assignment

           The problem in Chapter 3 is the amount of violence coming from the young and the poor, working in the fast food industry in Eric Schlossers book “Fast Food Nation.” Many of the robberies and theft that go on in fast food restaurants are from current or former employees. These young employees are angered by the minimum wage they receive and how they are treated unfairly, without respect or value. The effects of this are employee outbursts and commitment of armed robbery early in the mornings or late at night. They can steal money from the restaurant because they are so angry with there jobs. This effects and endangers both employees and customers. For example, on page 84, Eric Schlosser explains a situation at a McDonald’s in Moorpark, California where the restaurant was being robbed. The day shift manager recognized the night shift manager under his mask. An example of a political issue that has risen caused by violence in the workplace is that of The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This act could help promote safety guidelines during the night shift at fast food restaurants  and because of the high levels of workplace fatalities in women. The National Restaurant Association and one hundred congressmen opposed the act because they were bribed with money. In January 1999, The National Council of Chain Restaurants lobbied against OSHA and formed an organization called the “Alliance for Workplace Safety.” 

          “No other American industry is robbed so frequently by its own employees”, Joseph A. Kinney notes, the president of the National Safe Workplace Institute. He also adds that we shouldn’t be wasting time installing cameras and such but we should improve the job experience for workers. This relates to violence in fast food restaurants because its showing how an employer himself is telling restaurants that they need to do a better job in satisfying there employees. Americas fast food industry workers are looked at as no more than slaves who worked in the fields. It is the same principle except in modern times. That is what the fast food industry in America is all about. Paying workers as little as possible and making the most profit possible. 

          My personal experience goes back about three years ago. It isn’t as violent as an armed robbery, but I can relate to the subject. I worked in a coffee shop and closed around eleven o clock. It was about ten and I was cleaning up the espresso machines when an old African American man with an unshaved face and a limp walked in. His clothes made it noticeable that he wasn’t the richest man in the world. I noticed my tip jar a few minutes before and saw a dollar crammed inside with a red, circular stamp plastered on it. The man walked up to the register and asked for a cup of coffee, so I turned around and went in the same step by step process to fill up the little cup. I turned around and asked for a dollar and fifty cents. The man handed me the same dollar that was in my tip jar, and I noticed my almost now empty jar. I told him that I knew he had taken the money from the cup and he started mumbling and cursing as he walked out of the store. I had called the police and when they came we watched the video of him taking the money while I had my back turned to make his coffee. I felt angry and upset to know the money I had worked hard for had been taken. 

          Solutions that have been tried and failed were everything from security cameras, burglar alarms, panic buttons, drop-safes and additional lighting on the premises. Even the most thoroughly guarded fast food restaurants are still vulnerable. For example, in April 2000 a Burger King located on the grounds of the Offut Air Force Base in Nebraska was robbed by two men in ski masks and armed with shotguns. The equipment did not the effect the robbery one bit and they got away with over $7,000. My personal experience is from my account that I have mentioned before. In my case, the solution worked and didn’t worked. I still got my money taken but the cameras helped to identify the thief. 

           If I was given unlimited resources and connections, I would hire a security guard to protect the place when it closed and another when it opened in the morning and I would work with the police force. These fast food franchises have so much money that they can use to hire security guards and it will save the workers lives, and prevent any money from being stolen from the restaurants. This would lower the violence rate in the fast food industry and workers would feel much safer and probably appreciate their bosses more. I would also pose a solution towards the managers or franchisee holders. I would tell them to take the money out of the registers and safes and keep them somewhere out of the fast food restaurants several times a day to  prevent robberies in which they take more money. 

Edited Descriptive Writing Response

               I approached the large golden arches from far away. As I near the tall square building, I roll down my window to smell the golden fries that cook nonstop. I drive up to the large, square, black menu with all of the similar (but made in a different way), items to choose from. I concentrate on the board for a minute and then I move up to the large speaker to order. I move up again after that, going to the next window to pay the small amount for my large meal. I wait for my white paper bag with a large “M” lettered arch printed on the front. As the worker opens the window to hand me the food, I see and hear the business of the fast food restaurant and smell all of the mouthwatering food. I take my bag, drive off and the car fills with the smells of salty fries and chicken. I open up the bag like its a present on christmas morning and steal a few scolding hot fries. They scorch the tip of my tongue so I close the bag and wait till I arrive home. 

                When I get home I sit at the table, open the bag and lay out my food on a plate. I take a bottle of ketchup from the refrigerator and smother my warm fries with tomatoey, high-fructose corn syrupy, goodness. I grab a few fries again, tasting the salty crispy crunch. Then, I take a bite of my chicken sandwich with a golden bun, soft and crispy chicken and loads of mayonnaise that seep out when you take a bite. When I reach the last few bites, I often become sad and when I’m done, I feel tired and sleepy. I was definitely lovin’ it. 

Descriptive Writing Assignment

            I approached the large golden arches from far away. As I near the tall square building, I roll down my window to smell the golden fries that cook nonstop all day. I drive up to the large, square, black menu with all of the delectable items to choose from. I concentrate on the board for a minute and then I move up to the large speaker to order. I move up again after that, going to the next window to pay the small amount for my large meal. I move up to the last window and wait for my white paper bag with a large “M” lettered arch printed on the front. As the worker opens the window to hand me the food, I see and hear the business of the fast food restaurant and smell all of the mouthwatering food. I take my bag, drive off and the car fills with the smells of salty fries and chicken. I open up the bag like its a present on christmas morning and steal a few scolding hot fries. They scorch the tip of my tongue so I close the bag and wait till I arrive home. 

            I sit at the table, open the bag and lay out my food on a plate. I take a bottle of ketchup from the refrigerator and smother my warm fries with tomatoey, high-fructose corn syrupy, goodness. I grab a few fries and eat them, tasting the salty crispy crunch. Then, I take a bite of my chicken sandwich with a golden bun, soft and crispy chicken and loads of mayonnaise that seep out when you take a bite. When I do reach the last few bites, I often become sad.

            When I’m done, I feel tired and sleepy so I lay my bloated belly on the couch for a while. After a McDonald’s meal, you can call me a couch potato because that’s what it makes me want to do. I feel satisfied afterwards and sometimes I even feel a little bit too full, even if I didn’t eat very much. 

BPA: Cited Annotation

Grady, Denise. "In Feast of Data on BPA Plastic, No Final Answer." New York Times. 6 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/science/07bpa.html>.

                

        Denise Grady describes BPA (bisphenol-A) in a negative way and how it can have bad effects on children and babies. BPA is found in a lot of plastic products such as water bottles and baby bottles, and after many people found out that it was harmful, it will not be sold by its manufacturer, Sunoco, anymore. This chemical does not only affect children. It effects anyone who is exposed by it. It can cause serious illnesses such as cancer, infertility and behavior problems and was also recently linked to childhood obesity. The European Union has a rule called "precautionary principle" that states that products should not be used until they are proven harmless. The United States has an opposite view and thinks that it would be fine to use BPA and other products, as long as it hasn't been harmful yet. 

Scientists are puzzled at this point because of all the different tests and ways that this chemical has been experimented with. BPA may also have to do with breast cancer, uterine cancer, obesity, behavior, the immune system and its association with estrogen and it can cause many different effects. Tests had been done with rats and giving them lower levels of BPA caused different and weirder effects than a higher dose would. Scientists all found different effects in there own fields of science and University’s have also done testing. At this point, Scientists are just trying to figure out exactly what it does and the different ways that it can effect us. 

My First Blog

                 Hello. My name is Constance. This blog is for English 103 at LaGuardia Community College in New York. In this blog we are starting to research ethics of food. I eat certain foods and stay away from others. This is because I know what is done to certain foods that our harmful to our bodies presently and in the future.
                 I will not often cook at home because my parents take care of that, but I do cook when I'm home alone and just because I sometimes like to. Usually, my parents do all of the food shopping but I will go with them once in a while. When they shop for groceries they go to a number of different places. They go to a regular supermarket, fruit and vegetable store or traditional European food stores that sell specialty items that you would not find in a regular supermarket. Lately, I've been eating a bit unhealthy but I usually eat lots of vegetables, grains, and chicken. I have been a vegetarian in the past but I became very unhealthy and sick because I was not getting the proper nourishment. So, I have decided to only eat chicken and do not eat any red meat but it can be very unhealthy. I eat a lot of fruits and my favorite are probably kiwi and mango. My other favorite foods are probably traditional dishes that originate from my culture. They are made with thick sauces and vegetables, rice, meat, and cheeses and I really enjoy them. I periodically order take out and I love chinese food and eating it is a really bad habit of mine but I guess it's okay once in a while.
                 Sometimes I'm not even sure what I'm eating when I get food from fast foods restaurants or fast food restaurants but it definitely tastes good. The same goes for these large fast food franchises in that people don't really know what they are eating. They sell cheap meat, make lots of profit and thousands of people turn obese and unhealthy. They also end up have many health issues like diabetes and high cholesterol and thousands of other health concerns. People want the quickest, cheapest and fastest food that they can get.
                I want to say that I know where my food comes from but I probably don't. I do have an idea about what farmers and big food companies do to their food to increase the profit that they can receive. These poor farm animals are being tortured, crammed into cages with other animals, being fed cheap food and using hormones instead to grow them bigger than ever. If people actually knew what they were really eating I don't think they would ever look at there cheeseburger or box of fried chicken the same way ever again. The same thing goes for fruits and vegetables. Farmers grow crops with hormones to grow the produce larger to make more profit and increase the value. They also use harmful pesticides that can make us sick.
                In conclusion to my first post, I am somewhat aware of the dangers of the food we put into our bodies. I would like to learn more of where food comes from to educate myself with smart decisions on what and what not to eat. I think its important to eat healthy foods that can help energize your body everyday and not hurt you in the future.