Monday, April 19, 2010
A Taste of Revision
Revision is a very important aspect of writing that quite frequently, people overlook. Through revising and editing other peoples works, I have gained knowledge that I carry over to my own writing. I have read papers that bounce around from subject to subject, and it has made me realize the importance of making not only each paragraph, but each sentence flow like a river of creamy ranch dressing. Through revising others papers, I have improved upon my punctuation. Many times after constructing an essay for hours on end, it is easy to overlook the simplest of mistakes. Revising has taught me how to compose a sentence so that it is clear to someone who has never read my paper before. I realize how easy it is to go on a tangent about broccoli and cheese for 8 or 9 lines straight, but though it may make sense to me, revision helps me to catch all of those run on sentences. With all of these things in mind, my skills in writing have improved. While writing, I have found that revision strategies can be used. It adds to make a much better paper when I am conscious of what I am writing down as I am doing it.
Monday, April 12, 2010
My topic for the research paper is assisted suicide. This is a touchy subject to many and a difficult subject to justify. One of the sources I found discusses the subject in relation to doctors to patients. One point it makes is that it is illegal for doctors to assist patients in taking their lives. A quote mentioned says, "Dr. Jack Kevorkian gained world attention by assisting in several suicides to dying patients; he was sentences to over 60 years for his efforts, despite the gratitude of the patients and their families (Messerli)." I find this hard to debate, it is difficult to understand that if a patient is suffering a doctor cannot help them relieve the pain, although the family and patient want them to. It then goes into discussing laws in different states and how some are tring to legalize the process.
Another article I read about this topic was an online journal article. This article was clearly against assisted suicide and basically referred to it just as "suicide." They feel liek suffering from an illness can be fixed another way through medicine. I do agree with this idea. If someone is suffering they should not have to deal with this. However, they also discuss the otehr side of the argument. Throughout the article is provides definitions of what others believe is right or wrong. one thing this athor says is, "assisted death occurs when someone intentionally assists in causing another's voluntary death (Gunderson)." This is basically the overall definition of assisted suicide. I liked reading this article because it was not all one sided and it gave good statistics and other people's ideas about assisted suicide.
Gunderson, Martin. "A Right to Suicide Does Not Entail the Right to Assisted Death." Journal of Medical Ethics 23.1 (1997): 51-54. JSTOR. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. http://www.jstor.org/.
Messerli, Joe. "Should an Incurably-ill Patient Be Able to Commit Physician-assisted Suicide?" 03 April 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. http://www.balancedpolitics.org/assisted_suicide.htm.
Another article I read about this topic was an online journal article. This article was clearly against assisted suicide and basically referred to it just as "suicide." They feel liek suffering from an illness can be fixed another way through medicine. I do agree with this idea. If someone is suffering they should not have to deal with this. However, they also discuss the otehr side of the argument. Throughout the article is provides definitions of what others believe is right or wrong. one thing this athor says is, "assisted death occurs when someone intentionally assists in causing another's voluntary death (Gunderson)." This is basically the overall definition of assisted suicide. I liked reading this article because it was not all one sided and it gave good statistics and other people's ideas about assisted suicide.
Gunderson, Martin. "A Right to Suicide Does Not Entail the Right to Assisted Death." Journal of Medical Ethics 23.1 (1997): 51-54. JSTOR. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. http://www.jstor.org/.
Messerli, Joe. "Should an Incurably-ill Patient Be Able to Commit Physician-assisted Suicide?" 03 April 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. http://www.balancedpolitics.org/assisted_suicide.htm.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Group Essay
In America today many people still believe that racism goes both ways, meaning both whites and people of color are subjected to discrimination. Author Tim Wise begs to differ. He believes that only people of color are discriminated against and whites are granted far more priveleges. Even though America has made extreme progress towards becoming a more equal nation, there is still proof that racism exists. Although it is less open than in the past, it still affects the lives of many people.
Racism is still seen around the world today. It affects all types of people regardless of their color. Although toned down, racism is now against the law ans not looked upon as the common belief of non colored people. Wise believes, "Racism is an ideology that says certain people, by virtue of their race, are either inferior or superior to others of a different, with race usually being defined by skin color... It's a way of organizing society (5)." What Wise means is society stereotypes certain types of people by their skin color. It is convienient to judge a person because of how they look. Americans find it easier to stay within their race and make assumptions, rather than venture out and actually get to know people of a different color. Even Wise makes assumptions, "Once I got on an airplane with two black pilots, and my immediate reaction was, "can they fly the plane?" I caught myself and realized that of course they could. But the thought was there and I had to acknowledge it (12)." Racism might just be ingrained in us. We are raised today to know different stereotypes and how certain races are supposed to act or be better at certain things. Regardless of age, color, or social class, racism is apparent in society and affects people everywhere.
Along with racism, privelege is also apparent in society. White people are privileged in that they are given rights or benefits beyond the advantages of most other people. Wise describes a few of the priveleges of being white, "we whites are able to be as incompetent or mediocre as we want and never have out mediocrity ascribed to our race (5)." What Wise means it that white people don't have to live their lives under the microscope. White people are able to make as many mistakes as they want and their race is not held accountable.
Even though we might not see ourselves as being racist, we still categorize and stereotype people without even realizing were doing it. Wise says, "We don't consciously believe racial superiority or inferiority, but we've become so used to the existing policies, practices, and procedures that we don't question them. To the extent that we don't challenge this system of racism, we are collaborating with it (5)." By growing up in a priveleged white society, we have been shielded from and make unaware of the way minorities live. It is impossible to truly understand how people of color are forced to live in society. By being white, our opinion of definition of privelege and racism are bias. This can also lead to the issue of priveleged access, which is a main component of paper three.
When arguing a food community is better than another like in paper three, one must remember that there is always the issue of access. Because of racism and white privelege, minorities have less access to certain food groups. The majority of minorities live in the inner city or ghettos, where their access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and organic food is very limited. They can't simply drive down the street to a farmers market or walk to a fresh produce stand to get those healthy foods becasue they don't have them.
In conclusion, racism is very prominent in all areas of the world, even today. The way it affects people's lives varies depending on the degree of the racism taken. The white race as a whole is much more priveleged than other races, and does not have to deal with all the bad treatment that others do. Without even acknowledging it, whites have more opportunities and a better chance at life and success from the day they are born. The environment and surroundings definately influences how prevalent racism and priveleges are. Hopefully one day people will begin to look past the color of one's skin and realize that everyone is not so different.
Racism is still seen around the world today. It affects all types of people regardless of their color. Although toned down, racism is now against the law ans not looked upon as the common belief of non colored people. Wise believes, "Racism is an ideology that says certain people, by virtue of their race, are either inferior or superior to others of a different, with race usually being defined by skin color... It's a way of organizing society (5)." What Wise means is society stereotypes certain types of people by their skin color. It is convienient to judge a person because of how they look. Americans find it easier to stay within their race and make assumptions, rather than venture out and actually get to know people of a different color. Even Wise makes assumptions, "Once I got on an airplane with two black pilots, and my immediate reaction was, "can they fly the plane?" I caught myself and realized that of course they could. But the thought was there and I had to acknowledge it (12)." Racism might just be ingrained in us. We are raised today to know different stereotypes and how certain races are supposed to act or be better at certain things. Regardless of age, color, or social class, racism is apparent in society and affects people everywhere.
Along with racism, privelege is also apparent in society. White people are privileged in that they are given rights or benefits beyond the advantages of most other people. Wise describes a few of the priveleges of being white, "we whites are able to be as incompetent or mediocre as we want and never have out mediocrity ascribed to our race (5)." What Wise means it that white people don't have to live their lives under the microscope. White people are able to make as many mistakes as they want and their race is not held accountable.
Even though we might not see ourselves as being racist, we still categorize and stereotype people without even realizing were doing it. Wise says, "We don't consciously believe racial superiority or inferiority, but we've become so used to the existing policies, practices, and procedures that we don't question them. To the extent that we don't challenge this system of racism, we are collaborating with it (5)." By growing up in a priveleged white society, we have been shielded from and make unaware of the way minorities live. It is impossible to truly understand how people of color are forced to live in society. By being white, our opinion of definition of privelege and racism are bias. This can also lead to the issue of priveleged access, which is a main component of paper three.
When arguing a food community is better than another like in paper three, one must remember that there is always the issue of access. Because of racism and white privelege, minorities have less access to certain food groups. The majority of minorities live in the inner city or ghettos, where their access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and organic food is very limited. They can't simply drive down the street to a farmers market or walk to a fresh produce stand to get those healthy foods becasue they don't have them.
In conclusion, racism is very prominent in all areas of the world, even today. The way it affects people's lives varies depending on the degree of the racism taken. The white race as a whole is much more priveleged than other races, and does not have to deal with all the bad treatment that others do. Without even acknowledging it, whites have more opportunities and a better chance at life and success from the day they are born. The environment and surroundings definately influences how prevalent racism and priveleges are. Hopefully one day people will begin to look past the color of one's skin and realize that everyone is not so different.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Blog about sources
When I am writing a paper for English 101, or any class that I have to do research papers for a lot of work goes into it. Not only do you have to pick the topic but then one has to find good sources that are balid to include in the paper. When I pick resources I look mainly at two major things. One is who the source is written by, and is it actually academic? Another is if the information makes sense and how easy it is to understand. Once I've found the best sources I try to include quotes into the paper where they won't be just thrown into it. They have to flow along with the information I have already presented. The way I could improve my method for finding sources that are the best is to find more than just the minimum needed. By reading through more sources I can find the very best information I need to prove my point of my paper. Recently for this new paper I have improved my sources already. I read quite a few and found the ones that I thought could be back my argument up. I mainly look for online journal articles or valid websites becasue they are very convenient to find. However, I have found that that may not be the best way to find sources.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Blog 3/8/10
While reading Norman Borlaug's article I learned a great deal about how science is being used in agriculture. They want to use scientific developments to increase food production. This is not a terrible idea like some environmentalists are saying. Like it said in the article, there could be 8.3 billion people in the world in about 20 years. If increasing food by the use of science is a way to keep people fed rather than starve to death then I agree with it. There are people out there that are fighting this science movement and don't think it is right to produce food this way. They think it will hurt the environment and isn't healthy. Well they are not the ones starving because there is not enough food for them to eat!
A source that I found that related to how people eat I found on the WSU library site. It discusses how different races eat different types of food not just because of their culture, but because in some places they can only access certain foods. The way people eat is also determined by their beliefs. For example this article discusses vegetarians compared to meat eaters. In the end people eat based on their culture and access to the food.
A source that I found that related to how people eat I found on the WSU library site. It discusses how different races eat different types of food not just because of their culture, but because in some places they can only access certain foods. The way people eat is also determined by their beliefs. For example this article discusses vegetarians compared to meat eaters. In the end people eat based on their culture and access to the food.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Chapter 16
I found Chapter 16 more interesting than other chapters I've read throughout The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan begins this chapter discussing the choices people make when they are choosing what to eat. He says, "The blessing of the omnivore is that he can eat a great many different things in nature." This quote is very true, even in today's society there are so many different options of food. For instance I don't eat meat so when I go to a restaurant I avoid those optioins, however there are vegetarian selections for people with my similar diet. Also when eating out or even at the store sometimes people can't decide what to eat because there are to many choices. Another point that is brought up is omnivores choice to try new foods. It is tempting, but also is seen as scary because one might not like it.
Pollan relates humans to rats through this reading mostly due to the fact that both can always choose to try another food if they don't have their preference around. Unlike the Koala who is a picky eater, only eating eucalyptus leaves. Also humans have the ability of cooking food. We as a group of people have created ways to blend things together with spices, sauces, or more. At fast food restaurants one has the choice of what kind of sauce they want, for their fries or whatever, from many options. In today's society there are so many choices of what to eat and how you want it cooked ect...
Pollan relates humans to rats through this reading mostly due to the fact that both can always choose to try another food if they don't have their preference around. Unlike the Koala who is a picky eater, only eating eucalyptus leaves. Also humans have the ability of cooking food. We as a group of people have created ways to blend things together with spices, sauces, or more. At fast food restaurants one has the choice of what kind of sauce they want, for their fries or whatever, from many options. In today's society there are so many choices of what to eat and how you want it cooked ect...
Monday, February 15, 2010
Chapter 8, Feb. 15th
Chapter 8 is about Michael visiting and helping out at Polyface Farms. Through his visit here he gets to see the relationship between the animals raised here and grass. This particular farm believes that they should raise animals to create a natural rotation that makes everything better for the land and the animals. They are somewhat practicing the same methods as the Naylor farm, however Naylor farm is much more industrialized, but still holds somewhat organic practices.
Michael's description of laying in the pasture just observing the grass and his surroundings made the farm sound peaceful and surreal. He also talks about how the grass goes through the process of becomming hay. At this point it is not the soft peaceful "hospitable" stuff. It becomes sharp, dry and dusty. I can relate to the description of the hay because I grew up next to a horse pasture. The grass was always the source of food for the horses and they tried to keep it long and luscious. But the hay stacks were dirty and rough. They made my eyes itch, when graass however never did. This reminds me of what the Polyface Farms was trying to do. He fed his animals pure food not the corn which is being fed to animals on many other farms today. People don't think about the fact that what goes into the animal then goes into us later in the processing of food. When we later eat the meat that has been raised on these farms people need to ask what are they feeding us? How are the animals raised, and what are they fed?
Michael's description of laying in the pasture just observing the grass and his surroundings made the farm sound peaceful and surreal. He also talks about how the grass goes through the process of becomming hay. At this point it is not the soft peaceful "hospitable" stuff. It becomes sharp, dry and dusty. I can relate to the description of the hay because I grew up next to a horse pasture. The grass was always the source of food for the horses and they tried to keep it long and luscious. But the hay stacks were dirty and rough. They made my eyes itch, when graass however never did. This reminds me of what the Polyface Farms was trying to do. He fed his animals pure food not the corn which is being fed to animals on many other farms today. People don't think about the fact that what goes into the animal then goes into us later in the processing of food. When we later eat the meat that has been raised on these farms people need to ask what are they feeding us? How are the animals raised, and what are they fed?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 9
Chapter 9 entitled "Big Organic" by Michael Pollan is about his story of following the packaged foods from Whole Foods back to where they came from. It also discusses the truth about industrial organics. The big time organics have sold themselves to the industrial system. Pollan says the organic movement was founded on three methods of production, alternative systems of distribution, and alternative methods of consumption.
Gene Kahn, the original owner of Cascadian Farms, now a completely owned subsidiary of General Mills says, " You have a choice of getting sad about all that or moving on. We tried hard to build a cooperative community and a local food system, but at the end of the day it wasn't successful. This is just lunch for most people. Just lunch. We can call it sacred, we can talk about communion, but it's just lunch." This man lost his farm which is very sad. People talked of eating organics in 1990 but they never bought organic. After he lost everything he joined the industrial business. However, the whole problem cannot be blamed completely on the farmers. The people are a big part of the blame as well. If small sustainable agriculture is not supported then they will be forced to sell out or will eventually end up broke and go under.
This chapter was by far one of the more interesting ones I have read so far in the Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan made some points that really made me think about what I am eating. My family along with me are health conscious and organic foods are definately more expensive. Some of Pollan's ideas make me re-think my shopping habits and if what I am eating is the best or healthiest choice for me.
Gene Kahn, the original owner of Cascadian Farms, now a completely owned subsidiary of General Mills says, " You have a choice of getting sad about all that or moving on. We tried hard to build a cooperative community and a local food system, but at the end of the day it wasn't successful. This is just lunch for most people. Just lunch. We can call it sacred, we can talk about communion, but it's just lunch." This man lost his farm which is very sad. People talked of eating organics in 1990 but they never bought organic. After he lost everything he joined the industrial business. However, the whole problem cannot be blamed completely on the farmers. The people are a big part of the blame as well. If small sustainable agriculture is not supported then they will be forced to sell out or will eventually end up broke and go under.
This chapter was by far one of the more interesting ones I have read so far in the Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan made some points that really made me think about what I am eating. My family along with me are health conscious and organic foods are definately more expensive. Some of Pollan's ideas make me re-think my shopping habits and if what I am eating is the best or healthiest choice for me.
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Omnivore's Dilemma
During Chapter 2 of the Omnivore's Dilemma the author discusses his trip to a farm. He works on George Naylor's farm with him to see what it's like. The work and hardship he describes that farmer's go through seems very intense and particular. He drives a tractor and discusses how hard it is to get the rows of crops straight. It is amazing how many people one farmer can feed with the work he does. He goes into a description of Naylor's family history. It is crazy to think that certain plants like the corn is responsible for pushing out other plants and people lowering the population. A main idea is showing that corn has definately grown in population over the years, and this is not always a good thing. The rapid increase has hurt farmer's incomes which will affect the public population in the future.
Chapters 6 and 7 of The Omnivore's Dilemma is more interesting than chapter 2. In these two chapters i can relate to the health issues and different concerns. I was surprised to find out that corn was also in alcohol which Americans drank a lot of in the earlier years. Also talking about the tremendously high calories in fast food grosses me out. It definately is easier to run to fast food a lot of the time with people's busy lives, but it is scary to think that the obesity rate has risen greatly. Fast food is cheap and convenient and the reputation of how the food tastes has improved over the years. Corn again is in basically all of the food at Mcdonalds and it does not sound the least bit appealing after reading this book.
Chapters 6 and 7 of The Omnivore's Dilemma is more interesting than chapter 2. In these two chapters i can relate to the health issues and different concerns. I was surprised to find out that corn was also in alcohol which Americans drank a lot of in the earlier years. Also talking about the tremendously high calories in fast food grosses me out. It definately is easier to run to fast food a lot of the time with people's busy lives, but it is scary to think that the obesity rate has risen greatly. Fast food is cheap and convenient and the reputation of how the food tastes has improved over the years. Corn again is in basically all of the food at Mcdonalds and it does not sound the least bit appealing after reading this book.
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