End to the Madness (AE#6)

Finally, my last English 101 blogger post. I know the assignment of this post is to discuss what I thought about the blogging project but I feel that its unfair to discuss it without including a bit about the entire class. When we first started this class in January I remember one of the first assignments had a question that asked, "How familiar are you with online learning and Hybrid classes?" Turns out I knew very little. What I had imagined was meeting once a week in class and then having a week to work online on what ever it was we were doing. What I learned was this class is much more than that. Classroom time is interwoven with canvas, blogger, and connect with project due dates falling on different days of the week. This made it somewhat more difficult to follow for someone with a busy life schedule such as myself vs knowing that papers and assignments can only be due on class days as it would be in a regular class. I truly felt like I was being pulled in several directions at once.

That being said, of all the directions I was being pulled, I think I enjoyed this one the most. It gave me an opportunity to meet my classmates on a more personal level. I think this class could be made better however by maybe focusing on one or two platforms rather than the current setup. This class is too short to have so many different moving parts at the same time. Maybe its just because of the way my schedule currently is but this class seems way too A.D.D. for me. All and all I really enjoyed the blogging project, I think it could have been a much better tool if it was given more time by maybe integrating it into class a little more through the use of computer lab and discussion however.

Anyways, thank you all for the semester. I really didn't think that I was going to learn anything new in this class but incorporating these relatively new media platforms has really proved to be an experience all its own. Good luck everyone!

sg5

As this semester comes to a close, I find this final paper --that was once looming in the distance-- getting closer and closer. I will be perfectly honest, I have absolutely nothing. The information on GMOs, corn, health risks, and how its being used is a topic that is littered with contradictory information. One side says it's safe the other side says its deadly; the propaganda spread across the internet from both sides is overwhelming.

So, who's telling the truth and who's lying? The way this story is unfolding reminds me of how "big tobacco" was in the past as it fought to keep its product misidentified. Just like the food industry is today, tobacco companies paid off government officials and threatened anyone who tried to blow the whistle. I certainly hope that as this story unfolds that it isnt as serious but in the mean time take a lesson from the past. Do your research, be active in politics, and dont let someone else decide what's okay for you with out being educated yourself.

Political slime AE#5

After watching the assigned video clip on "pink slime" I try to imagine the people behind the decisions like this. Who are the corporate pricks who come up with this to further their profits? Who are the elected officials that push laws that make this okay? How has our government failed us to the point that there is an entire class of people that aren't required to answer for their decisions?
Any one that thinks that this is still the land of the free where everyone is equal is fooling themselves. We have given up control of our most basic life necessities, we are no longer hunters and gatherers, we are consumers. We have traded in our self sufficiency for the easy life, and as long as we stay dependent on the system then we put ourselves at the mercy of these people.

My thoughts are this, if there is no harm in the product then why the clandestine behavior? Our food should contain a list of all ingredients found in the product. If "they" say that its okay to eat pink slime and GMO products fine. Just put it on the label so we can each make our own conscious decision to eat or not to eat these products.

It all comes to the basic rights to make our own decisions. To take these rights away is to take away what it means to be an American. Its nothing short of treason on the politicians part but yet laws like this are passed every day. One day I believe the people will stand up and say "enough" to these kinds of politics, until then enjoy your slime.

Boston SG#4

I find it hard to write anything today without referring to the events presently unfolding in Boston right now. How can two young men bring an entire city to a stand still and cause so much damage? I look at the kid in the picture below and I just can't even begin to process what would make a person like him to decide that the best choice in life would be to kill perfect strangers on the street.
 I think it's easy to look at people like Jared Loughner, the shooter in Tucson and say, "Well there were signs" or "he was crazy." I think it gives the illusion that there is a way to prevent tragedies like this one. I believe that today's events have proven otherwise. We are not as safe as we think we are. Things like this can happen to anyone at anytime. Life is short, don't take it for granted.

My thoughts on "Food Inc" (#4)

 My after thoughts on this movie are probably the same as everyone else that watches this movie. Everything, the treatment of animals, the treatment of employees, and the way our meat is processed is all wrong. So why do we allow it to continue? Is it a necessary evil that we as a human population have created? I believe that the film may be overlooking a harsh reality. How do we feed an ever increasing population in a responsible way without making food unaffordable for the poor, or middle class?

To eat or not to eat, is that what this is all about? 
The world's human population is growing exponentially; science, politics, and bleeding hearts have defeated Darwin and our balance with nature. I think that our process of food production, as depicted in this documentary has evolved secondary to our unchecked world wide population explosion. How can you feed billions of people that are mass producing with out a system capable of mass production as well?

We have already created a monster, but it doesn't start in chicken coops and meat factories. It starts in educating the masses about responsible reproduction. I think we can all agree that everything about the food system we have created is horrific, and its easy to point fingers at how terrible the system is, but it is no secret that there is an alternative available. If you don't want to buy the $6.99/lb factory steaks from Walmart you can head over to any of the smaller specialty stores such as Trader Joe's and purchase a steak raised the old fashioned way. Healthy grass fed cattle, free from antibiotics and mistreatment are readily available in the same packaging at about $15.99/lb.

The bottom line is this, we have a population that is out of control and it is now our moral responsibility to feed. In response we have created a terrible system that has been masked by corruption and ignorance. However, I feel it is our individual responsibility to keep educated on what we are putting in our bodies. If you don't like what you are eating then you have to be ready to pay the price for something better.

There's an App for That

Smart phones have certainly changed the way we live today. Messaging and social media has crept from our computers into our pockets and has consumed the lives of many. Although apps like “Facebook” and games such as “Angry Birds” may essentially be nothing more than time vampires, sucking the hours out of your day, it’s easy to overlook the helpful ones. Here’s a few that aren’t the obvious like “Google Maps” that I have come to love.

 

Are you tired of cooking the same meals over and over? The Allrecipe app has endless ideas presented in a unique fashion. Pick your ingredient (chicken, beef, pasta, etc.), what type of dish you are making (main meal, side, soup, etc.), and finally how much time you have to cook the meal. The app will then generate a list of recipes that fit your criteria. What makes this app great not only the seemingly endless lists but the recipes are rated 1-5 stars by other app users. You can also leave comments on the recipe, so if you change an ingredient, find a healthier alternative, or have any kind of improvement to make you can leave feedback.  Every recipe is constantly being tweaked in kitchens around the world and is available at your fingertips.

This one is fairly main stream obviously, but there are some features on the Amazon app that I don’t think many people don’t know about. Buying pretty much anything has never been easier. You can load your shipping address, credit card information, and purchases can be made at the touch of a single button. Convenience is nice but what makes this app really helpful is the bar code scanning feature. I HATE TO PAY MORE THAN I HAVE TO! If I’m out shopping for an item such as parts for my aquarium or electronics and I find something I want, I can scan the bar code of the item and quickly compare the store price with the price on Amazon. Last week I found a UV light that I needed for the aquarium that was priced at $160 in the store. I scanned the bar code, $89 on Amazon. I had it ordered, paid for, and shipped before I left the store; all at the touch of a button.

I'm certainly not a real estate savvy type of person but I have found the Realtor.com app to be informative and a little addicting. Have you ever been in a nice area and wondered what the houses in that neighborhood go for? You can find out in an instant just by opening the app. It can use your current location to search for the nearest homes for sale. This is also useful for keeping tabs on the real estate value of the homes in your own neighborhood. With the current market fluctuating as much as it is, it's a good idea to keep tabs on your investment. It still has the standard search features like any other real estate site would for searching different areas but also adds one more feature. You can also circle an area on the map and look for houses just in that area; just one more way to cut down on the areas you don't want.

These are just a few of the really great apps out there that even your mom could appreciate regardless of what she thinks of your angry birds. Hope you find them as helpful as I do.

Where am I?

As I was growing up I always thought of adulthood as a point where you were supposed to finally arrive at a point of stability in life. As a child you are constantly adjusting to changing roles in life. Elementary school progresses into junior high and then high school. Each step comes with its own unique experiences, responsibilities, and expectations. College ushers in independence and then culminates with the arrival of adulthood and the career that you will have as your children start the cycle all over again right?


I think back to how my parents were when they were my age. They were married, had a house, and worked stable jobs. Their friends were married and were in similar situations as well. Overall I would say that things were uneventful from the perspective of an eight year old. Today I look at where I am in life and where friends my age are and I see very different things. Most of my friends are unmarried. Most rent where they live, some own but are upside down on their mortgages due to the housing market. And jobs don't offer the same long term stability that was once the norm. It's not as common to find someone that has been working at the same place as it used to be.

When I look around I certainly consider myself lucky to be where I am today. I may not have the stability that I perceived when I was younger. We all expect that "American dream" and I certainly haven't reached that just yet. I just wonder where we as an American society are headed in comparison to our past generations.