Nourish, A Reflection

Whenever you go shopping, what do you look for whenever you shop for products? Well, one of the new trends that has just been emerging on certain organic foods is using the Fair trade symbol to show consumers that what they are buying is indeed fairly traded so that the farmers that make these goods will get the right amount of profits for their goods that they should be. In the film Nourish, this is one of the key and main points that are being emphasized in today's economy so that the farmers can get the profits they deserve. In my hometown, there is a small local Business, I have a bean, that is certified by the Fair Trade Association so that they can give farmers their equal amount. I have a bean is aimed at helping prisoners to get themselves out of jail in hopes that they can use this job as a platform to go back into the labor force.  It really is interesting to see how Fair Trade works  to be a bipartisan between the consumers and bean farmers around the world to make everyone be equal and get the profits that they deserve.

Another way of trying to get more involved with helping small businesses, or just local shops so that they too can be a certified Fair trade organization. One way of doing this is by going to local farmers market's, or food auctions. This is a main point that the film emphasizes due to the fact that by buying local in not just businesses but as well as farmers that you are helping support some of the locals so that they can continue to have an income. By doing this, it not only allows the cultural traditions of food markets to stay alive in small towns, but it also helps other in that they can keep traditions of harvests alive and well.

By participating in buying locally grown food, it tends to be fresher than normal, but with a higher price added to it. Having this higher price on goods can sometimes be a minor setback for most people who want to buy goods since prices drive everything in a market, but bear in mind that the extra money you are spending is going towards helping support your community. Most people don't take this into account when buying fresh items such as fish in an auction what could happen if these markets weren't available. Overall, the movie was good to help inform and show others what they can do to help make small changes to help their local economies if people were unsure of how they could help.

Happy Meal resists Decomposition

Over thanksgiving break, one of my main chores that I was responsible for was turning over a compost pile periodicially so that whatever was in it would decompose properly. Little did I know that like other things, Mcdonalds Happy meal's resists decomposition just as much as vegetables.When I first saw this, it definetly shocked me at how weird it was that something that we consume so often and maybe too much of cna affect our health so greatly. If a Happy meal resists decomposition, then how could it ever digest in our own stomachs? Seriously, how many preservatives, fillers does it take to make a food not only taste good, but just kill you in every way? There is seriously something wrong with society if you leave food out and it wont mold...then there is clearly something wrong with that food, not nature.I'm not exactly the biggest fan of Mcdonalds for a number of reasons, but knowing that meat wont get rotten or bread wont grow mold makes me have a few second thoughts on most of America's fast food, especiallly as college students who are alawys being rushed to do everything.We are alawys in a hurry and what better to eat than Mcdonalds? Cheap, affordable, and fast, but are the health effects even worth it to risk? Something is definetly wrong when your food doesent act right in ideal conditions, and its not just cause of global warming casuing the mold to "magicially not be there".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101012/bs_yblog_upshot/mcdonalds-happy-meal-resists-decomposition-for-six-months

Into the Wild, A Reflection.

Being in a society can impose traditions, or events that can make some people more edgy to what they see happen to a society in a given time frame. In Into the Wild, one of the main themes that can be portrayed very well is rejecting to conform to society's own ways, so that one can be themselves and not be like everyone else. While watching this, one song that I had immediately thought of was Kanye West's Lost in the World where he talks about not knowing what to do as seen by the lines:

"I‘m up in the woods, I’m down on my mind
 I’m building a still to slow down the time"

saying that he needs to go back into nature to rediscover his own self, or find his mind.Also, he wants to have a stillshot, just like the one at the very end of the film.

You can listen to to song at the link below:
http://soundcloud.com/jdelmoral/lost-in-the-world-kanye-west


As I was watching this movie, this theme seemed to keep on reoccuring in many different ways and seemed very intrigueing to see how the main character Chris had first done everything according to society: ie get good grades, graduate from college, have a stable life....and then immideatly decided that this wasen't the way he wanted to live his life. He was seeking after something more powerfull than society could ever offer him, something that he if he wanted to get in touch with he would have to give up everything that most people consider valuable to expose himself to what most cannot get in touch with: God. In the begenning of the movie, one of the main quotes that can clearly represent this is the text that comes up on the screen and disappears: “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t met you though. Tramping is too Easy with all this money. My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to Forage Around for my next meal… I’ve decided that I’m going to live this Life for some time to come. The Freedom and Simple Beauty of it is just too good to pass up.”.

While doing reasearch on Into the Wild, I  found out that Jon Krakauer had done tremendous amounts of work with writing about nature and climbing*, thus majorly influencing him to make this sort of film for almost a sort of rite of passage for a young adult right out of college. It is appealing how Mr. Krakauer had wanted to show everyone that you dont need to conform to society, you can find everything you need from God and in many ways such as in nature, and I believe that is what Chris has accomplished. By donating all of his life savings to charity, destroying every part of his identity, and almost starting would seem unimaginable to most, but for Chris, it worked. At the end of the movie, his sister says that whatever Chris has done, "Everything has to be said" and "Everything has to be done", so that other people can see what he was trying to show others. Having a college diploma to be successful, or have proof of an identity, or having money, you don't need any of that in life. By Chris burning everything that society considers valuable, it not only shows this, but also that you dont need any of that to be happy or be content. One of the major quotes from this movie that I think iterates this point is from Ron, the old man at the end of the film who genuinely loved Chris, and wanted what he had. Chris told him: "I will miss you too, but you are wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from the joy of human relationships. God's place is all around us, it is in everything and in anything we can experience. People just need to change the way they look at things." I feel that this quote sums up anonther key point that most people have a one-minded, narrow view of what things are, and we tend to forget that there can be two answers to the way we look at things. I feel like this is one of the few points that can be missed very easily since we tend to foget the other side of things, and that we should try to find a way to look at things differently. For example, most people would think you are insane if you were to burn money, or give away your life savings to charity, but to Chris that meant nothing compared to what he was hoping to find while in Alaska. I think Chris had died peacefully while making others think more about what had happened in his past and how greatly it had affected his views on society as a whole.

*http://www.randomhouse.com/features/krakauer/author.html

Fancy Chipotle Anyone?

During thanksgiving break I was able to go home and experience a delicacy that is quite popular at my home town: eating a Chipolte Burrito that can satisfy any hunger threat. After going to Chipotle, I was astounded at how rich the food had tasted and how satisfying it was, it just seemed like a gift from heaven to be able to eat a burrito, and quite frankly nothing could replace that hunger...until now. One of my friends that was eating his burrito showed me this website that had transformed regular fast food into fancy gourmet dishes, something that was strange but quite interesting. He told me that I had to try my burrito a different style, a different way of eating and looking at food. So, being me the non traditional conformist, I had to try this "delicacy". So there we were, slowly taking apart our burritos and he then further explained how to make a dish he called Chicken Chipotlioli which is what we would be making from out torn apart burritos. It was by far the most interesting experience I have ever done: taking apart a dish that almost all my friends consider a luxery to make it into a even better dish. After separating all the ingredients, we then had to much, or pulverize the chicken so that it turned into a baby food like substance to stuff into the ravioli's. Right after the first step, I knew that this dish would not be anything average, or anything that would be simple shake-n-bake creation. Nonetheless, we continued to make this baby-like paste until we ran out and then continued to make the spicy dipping sauce for our ravioli. Simple: take the tomatoes and chili red salsa, combine and much. After the whole process is done.......There it is: a Chipotle burrito sacrificed to make something of a more luxury dish? It was definitely luscious, but worth sacrificing a five dollar burrito to make a dish fancy? Apparently friends think otherwise and so does the recipe.

Recipie found at :
 http://www.fancyfastfood.com/post/415273056/chicken-chipotlioli

A Visual Analysis of A Cereal Box

Special K Special for Women?

  When walking down the cereal aisle consumers must make a choice of breakfast cereal based on the packaging alone. Companies spend thousands to research and implement marketing techniques in order to target a specific market. By using subtle and manipulative marketing techniques such as colors and images, Kellogg’s successfully markets the Special K brand of cereal to an audience of heath conscious women.

First impressions are lasting; colors and fonts draw attention and lure consumers into a sale. When consumers first look at the box of Special K, they will notice the main colors on the packaging are soothing shades of blue and bold red.  Artists and graphic designers call colors like red and blue compliments- meaning they go well together and are across from each other on the color wheel. Many marketers take advantage of complimentary colors to effectively create packaging that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but suits the target audience as well. Kellogg’s uses these two complimentary colors to imply a balance that a woman seeks in her life. The colors on the front of the box combine to create purple, which is used on the back of the box. Purple creates a soft, inviting, and warm feeling. Women use their feelings to communicate thoughts, and Kellogg’s has used the colors on this box to appeal specifically to women’s feelings.

Immediately beneath the Kellogg’s logo, a spotlight highlights the signature cursive red K amidst the soothing blue background color. Blue is especially well received by women because it is a pleasing and relaxing shade; a soothing color that reminds many of a mental state that they long for. The shading of blue on the box can also be recognized as a connection to nature as seen in the shade of blue in the sky, or blue in a lake. Women can relate to this because they enjoy what nature abides them to also represent optimism, or happiness. 

Red is an active, assertive color that empowers an individual. Its use on the box empowers women to take charge of ones health and well being. A contemporary example of the effective use of red is the Join (RED) program, which is focused to eliminate AIDS in Africa. This color is a motivation for action, thus influencing customers like women to help support a good cause, (“ The (RED) Idea”). On the box layout, the bold red is used as a call to action: to promote a healthy lifestyle. For instance, the woman on the back of the box is young, healthy, Caucasian, smiling, and wearing a red shirt as she eats a bowl of Special K Blueberry cereal (see figure one).

Figure 1- Woman on back of box

This image can have a bold impact on women because of the fact that most women are concerned with not just weight, but also with how they look. This can imply that most people will choose Special K Blueberry so that it will help them to achieve a healthy weight and thus achieving and maintaining their desired weight goals while projecting a positive body image. This notion can greatly affect woman browsing for cereal in that if they see someone that is fit, and fits in with society’s ideal woman then they too can strive to be like her. Women want to identify with something that will make them feel accepted by society. Society tells women that in order to be accepted, they need to be pretty and thin. So, a woman wants to belong, so she will choose to eat Kellogg’s Special K thinking she will become thinner and prettier just like the woman in the picture.

Red cursive script is used on the front with the K as well as on the back of the box with the “weigh less”. The large bold cursive K on the front can have a special meaning for women due to the fact that it emulates a woman’s curvy figure. After seeing this, a woman would be attracted to this box because it suggests that she can be as curvy as that K. The "weigh less" statement is in a different font and places an emphasis on these words and thus provides a flowing, soothing connotation.  Women interpret the red flowing script as being lighter so that they too can weigh less. Likewise the statement “exercise and a healthy lifestyle are important parts of any diet” is red beneath the young woman.  In this case, the change in font and color indicates an emphasis on these words and thus provides a flowing, soothing, connotation. One might infer that the overall common theme of red suggests a bold message that the woman wants a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Figure 2 - Violet Flower

To appeal to a woman's feminity, the final major aspect of the cereal box is using soft images to appeal to a women’s femininity. Kellogg’s demonstrates this by using a shadowed violet underneath the cereal bowl. The image of the flower and violet color catch the consumer’s eye because society attaches floral patterns and violet colors to a more feminine side (see figure 2).

Moreover, the placement of the coffee cup with the fruit behind it compliments the center of the cereal box that suggests a feminist touch. The product is staged so that all of the cereal is floating above the milk, implying that the cereal floats from the decreased amount of calories in it. A woman is more apt to eat this cereal if there are less calories in it because she is conscious of her weight and body image. On the physical flakes of cereal there are speckles of blueberries that appear to be a shade of violet. The specks on the flakes allude to the real color of blueberries, which can be inferred as a violet shade, thus corresponding to the color scheme of the box. The brown flakes with the violet speckles appear more appealing than hunks of blueberries because they are light and give the allusion of weighing less than a whole blueberry. The flakes also sparkle like diamonds, which always catch a woman's eye. The use of the color violet helps convince the woman consumer that Special K with blueberries is a cereal that is made specifically for woman.

            Briefly, the targeted audience of Special K is modern, health conscious women. This is apparent through the coloring as well as the images of the Special K box. One can see these ideas in the cursive red K, various violet shades used, and the placement of cereal. More specifically, the signature bold red K makes this cereal more appealing to women because it speaks to her femininity while suggesting that she take action to be slim, active, and healthy. As one can see, this cereal box incorporates many aspects and advertising techniques to catch the eye of a health conscious woman.

Images were scanned in.

Works Cited

“ The (RED) Idea.” Join (RED)

(RED) 09 October 2010 Web.  09 October 2010

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A Small Croissant

Whatever your pursuing in life or whatever you may be doing, family should be a priority at the top of your list. Whenever you’re with family, it brings everyone closer and a sense of togetherness. After reminiscing on some of our major family correlations, one of the fond memories that I always think back on is having my grandmother make some homemade mini croissants, then serving them whenever we all came together, wherever we chose to gather. These rolls were so special to everyone in our family because not that they were made from my grandmother, but that they were made with love, passion or special intent from generations ago because of where they first emerged.

           

            When I had first started to learn how to bake, one of the numerous people I had referred to in asking for recipes had been my grandma. When I asked for a recipe that I could keep with me, she gave me the recipe for mini croissants because of the significant meaning to it. It just so happened that the recipe that was given to me had been passed down from one of my grandmothers from a decade before me, on my mom’s side of the family, then inherited to my dad’s grandmother for safekeeping. When she showed me how old the original recipe was, I was shocked at how old it truly was, but also how well it tasted. After showing me this, she had then proceeded to explain how to form the dough into two triangles so that it would form a croissant when rolled together. Seeing this process was unique in that, it had been formed so that each stage was meticulously developed so that the finished product would turn out just right. First, you cut the dough so that it forms an isosceles acute triangle that can be then used later on. Do the same on the other side of the dough so that it becomes a reflection of the original triangle. Now carefully, cut out the piece of the dough, making sure not to rip any part of it and keeping it as much intact as possible.  Once the dough is properly cut, gently sprinkle some flour on the dough and the surface you will be using so that the dough doesn’t become sticky and messy. Flour up your hands so that the dough won’t stick as much either. Carefully take the tip of the triangle, starting to roll it, making it smooth as you go. These must be meticulously and precision cut to ensure that it rolls together properly. Similar caution and care must be taken to ensure that the dough will not unwind during the baking.

As I look back on making these rolls, one of the joyful memories that will always be with me is how we have eaten them. I remember always being divided into three tables: one for the boys, one for the girls and one for the adults. I remember always having the tables being divided and having the boy’s table inside the kitchen because we ate so many compared to everyone else.  I guess that’s what you get for having such a delicious, well-cherished recipe.  It was interesting to see how marvelous her cooking is and how it still stays that way, but yet amazes me in ways that I cannot express with pen to paper.

While I was helping bake these small croissants, I was reminiscing of how joyful everyone was not just to fellowship together as well as upbringing but more so because of my grandmothers baking skills that yet still astound me to this day and will always. As much as I want to see my grandmother live forever, I know that it would be incredibly hard to resuscitate how much care and effort she has put into keeping this recipe what it has become today. It will no doubt be a tradition that I will surely pass down to future generations in my family so that others can experience what a privilege it is to be able to make these small croissants.

Having Balence in Life**

Recently I was doing an assignment for one of my classes that was taking awawy a rather large amoutn of my time. As I was doing this I was wondering just how much time have I used just for school and if I ever took time off to be myself for a weekend. It was then that I realized that my life was lacking something key: balance. Having balance in life is something that everyone struggles with, whether it be a college student figuring out what to study or how much time I have left to do this, or a parent saying how they never have enough time in their day to get everything done.  I know that I personally, have struggled with trying to find balance, especially now with getting more involved in organizations and figuring out how much time should be devoted and when. One of the main ways to help find balance is to figure out what matters to you most and make time for that in your life. By keeping these priorities straight, it can help you to stay focused on one task at a time. Now, I try my best to keep myself balanced to an extent, but trying to keep up with  a certain sleeping pattern, or routine in college, just has never worked for me. I cant think of one college student that says they are content with where they are at now, and have balance in their lives. I think almost everyone struggles with this because society has imposed certain rules that we need to constantly check our email or we need to go in for work to make sure all of our clients are satisfied. By making these impositions indirectly, it can greatly affect not just families, but college students as well. Even I find myself consistently checking my email, making sure that I don't miss an important message for class or an updated assignment. Because we are so used to this fast paced life, I don't think we are used to take time to stop, and make time for activities that matter in our lives. By making this time, it can help improve employee's moral to work. As a future entrepreneur, one of the key points that I have heard mentioned numerous times is having balance between academics, extracurricular activities, and clubs/organizations. It was very, very surprising that even recruiters for jobs wanted to see balance in young people and not just someone that was an all-star baseball player, or someone that had lots of clubs, but was horrible academically. If we all can find balance in our life, it can help us to not just prioritize, but also make the key parts of life more rewarding and make us feel content with whatever journey in life we choose.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/5-strategies-for-life-balance?page=2

Food that can help or harm your sleep

A few days ago one of my friends had asked me to try mixing Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce mixed in with Cheetos Flamin' Hots and asked me what I thought of it.

 Cheetos Flamin' hots

Now, anyone that knows me pretty well knows that I love to try anything that is spicy, hot or just not made for the average person. When I mixed it in, I was thinking to myself whether or not this would do anything to me other than burning my mouth but tasting very interesting. Well, later on that night I was not able to sleep and I couldn't figure out why. It seemed as though what had happened was heartburn, which is exactly what this article talks about. One of the few ways that you can help yourself sleep better is by not taking spicy foods before you sleep since it can cause some serious heartburn. As I was reading this, it reminded me of eating Indian cuisine since most of their foods are made with some serious spicy mixes such as in curry used with naan. It made me think of how in college how valuable sleep can be, and how by eating some foods that we love, can greatly affect smaller habits, such as our sleeping patterns. As a college student reading this, I am very lucky to get 6 hours of sleep since my workload is so heavy and knowing that what I can eat affects how I sleep really makes me worried about other students and how what they eat affects what they do. Living in dorms require your to have a meal plan, and we are limited to an extent on what we can eat, but it may not necessarily be the best options, especially for your own health. I find it concerning knowing that what we can eat is not only limited, but may only be healthy to a certain extent, especially since it can affect what college students value so much: sleep. If we want to have students succeed, then we should think about how some of the smaller things, like what we give them options to eat and how they affect their habits to make them do well in school.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/slideshow-sleep-foods Slide 9/13

Food affects childbirth**

Recently I had my parents send me some irregular reading material sent to me hoping that it would help with the little relaxation I get in college. One of the magazines they sent me was a Parents Magazine and included in it was an article titled "9 Kid Health Myths Even Doctors Believe".

Photo courtesy of: http://www.heroturko.org/f/fairly-odd-parents-hentai/

As I was reading through all of these so called "myths", I started to wonder if there was anything that could have the same effect, but with trying to conceive a child. Turned out, there are a few small things that you can do to help your chances at getting a child. If you brush your teeth and floss, it can make your"fertility treatments had higher levels of gum bleeding and inflammation than those who conceived naturally", which seemed very interesting. As a guy, I only brush my teeth once a day and probably shouldn't do that, but knowing the effects that it can do on a woman really influences me since if I was a woman, I would want to have a smooth, pain free pregnancy. I found this to be very interesting since I personally have not been up to this stage in life, but I found that some of these so called myths or rumors that they are somewhat true, or from other saying that they are true. For example, one of the main points that the author addresses is that  you should cut down on booze, caffeine, and cigarettes, which I found to be interesting since it can be hard to get off of an addiction and is imperative that you do so. These factors can greatly affect your health and what it can do in terms of the time period of contraception. The article states that "having one to five alcoholic drinks per week can drop your chances of conceiving that month by as much as 50 percent." It just amazes me what could happen if you were not take alcohol and see how much faster and easier it could be to have a kid. Lastly, the main point that this article does not mention is that if you were to raise up a child in a situation where there was alcohol and cigarettes, it can cause secondhand smoking in addition to not having the right setting to raise them up in. Using common sense, it just doesn't feel right, so don't do it. My grandmother always told me to never do something that wouldn't make your mother proud, and I for one know that wouldn't. Be safe in what you do if you plan on having a baby, and know not just how to, but also to raise them in an safe, appropriate setting(if possible), and stay stress free while doing so.

All quoted statements take from the following:
http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/WH/want-a-baby-someday

Sustaining Life on a Tough New Planet: A response

Today, I had the opportunity to listen to a talk from Bill KcKibben, an author and Environmentalist who was very intriguing to listen to. I found the talk to be very informative, but I'm not sure that it helped others in trying to figure out what to do after addressing the problem. The main and key statistic that was addressed was that the overall heat of our planet has increased one degree, but has made major changes in everyone's lives. Our summers are brutal, and we have had 100 year rain storms twice in a summer that we shouldn't be having. These are just the short term effects that are addressed, and changes needs to happen now. How Mr. Mckibben addresses this is interesting since he mentioned no physical movements to help do something physically other than 350. 350 is used to address the ppm level of CO2 in the atmosphere, but our economy is clearly above that level (388ppm). In order to change, we have to make changes, but Mr. Mckibben doesn't exactly do a good job of explaining how to, especially for farmers, or just simple ways to help out. When he said this, it reminded me  of a quote from the movie Notorious saying that "We can't change the world unless we change ourselves", which is very true. If you want others to change, then you need to be that start of that change.

If there was one thing I learned from this, it was that we can change, but the changes are either so massive that it would nearly impossible, or we don't have an physical force to prove to the world that we need to start making changes. What I found most intrigueing was that at the end of the talk one of the questions made was were bio-fuels initially made for the solution to the corn problem and not for ethanol? At the time, people were so intrigued by it and thought that it could solve everything, but now that they are trying to make an electric car, it will be interesting to see how it compares to the bio-fuel solutions. Overall, the talk was great, but it could have been more informative on what we can do, not just the issue at hand.

Norman Borlaug Lecture: Grassroots Efforts in the FIght against Global Hunger-A response

On Monday night, I had the chance to go to a lecture from David Beckmann, founder of Bread for the World and Jo Luck Vice-President of Heifer International for receiving the 2010 World Food Prize Laureates. Hearing all of the credibility for David was by far very, very intriguing for me since I was not ready for anything he was about to say. David has a degree from the London school of Economics, and a degree from Yale as well. It surprised me how he was able to speak about poverty in such nations like Brazil and  Bangladesh which have the same poverty rates as the U.S. and Britain. During my junior year in school, I had the opportunity to work with someone from my school that was from Bangladesh, and it was interesting to see how poverty affects people in different ways. Although he did not like his job, he still worked hard to achieve his goals of becoming finically successful. During Mr. Beckamnn's speech, this thought came to my mind and was very provoking in what he said. As was with Joe Luck, former CEO of Heifer International, was very very talkative in what she had to say and credibility to back it up. It seemed as though she had more credibility about endless experiences, but it raises a question: Is what she did with that experience in the given time frame enough to give herself enough credibility to say that the decisions that she had made as a CEO right given the justification by her experiences? Yes she went through all sorts of things, but was it a long enough time frame to fully understand what they were designed for? This provoked me that she diden't mention talking with any sort of Anthropologists to ask what the social cultures were that were placed in, so that she could better understand why certain societies value certain traditions in their culture. Personally, I have used Heifer International and I must say that some of the livestock you can purchase seems a bit pricey, but more so that Heifer can make a profit rather than to benefit others. It seems like a genuine program, but I'm not sure that Joe looked at the bigger picture to figure out what her program has really done not just to others or the target audience(s) she has impacted. At the end of the lecture someone posed a question that asked how Heifer was impacting/ helping in Africa, and someone else commented on how they had provided so much 3rd party resources, it actually made the farmers there weaker since their goods were worth less due to relief efforts from organizations such as Feed My Starving Children. Personally, I was stunned at this since I had never though about it like that, but I was glad they brought it up considering most people know just to " do this and that" to end hunger when in reality you should only do it to a certain extent before it starts to hurt the cause more than helping it. Overall, the talk was very, very informative, but some of the information was presented in a biased manner, but in a way that most people were so intrigued by these people receiving their  awards for the 2010 World Food Prize Laureates.

Happiness is in Choices**

Last night I had to opportunity to go an Anthem Concert which was truly amazing. Anthem is a band from Cornerstone church that only plays once per semester, and it was worthwhile in every aspect. After going to the concert, it kept on hitting me how happy I was and how I wanted to get that happiness every day. Well, I came across this article stating how what are they keys to happiness and how they can affect your life. It states that having a "high priority on family and altruistic goals, church attendance, participation in social events, and regular exercise were all equally or more important than being extroverted in affecting happiness." I found this to be very intriguing since as a college student, it is hard to do all of this and keep a sort of balance in your life for everything that surrounds you. I know that I have had a very hard time figuring out how time I should dedicate to what, and do what with whatever spare time I have, if any for that matter. It was also very interesting that there was no " association between partner similarity and life satisfaction." which was very intriguing, making me wonder how couples achieve satisfaction in their relationships while still feeling happy. It always intrigues me how unhappy people are and what they can do to better their relationships just by changing the small things like reading or going on a run to relieve stress. Sometimes it's the smaller things in life that can make the bigger picture better, but finding those opportunities are worthwhile not just for your but as well as your health.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20101004/key-to-happiness-lies-in-choices-you-make

Waging a Living, A reflection

In the film that we watched the way women are treated in the movie is not the ideal environment at all. The film makes it seem that all of these women go through divorces/family problems, sexual abuse, smoking problems and having several thousand dollars of debt. Most people take what they have for granted, especially college kids since it seems as though all we have to worry about is getting educated and missing the bigger picture in others life's. I think the film helps expose to others just how hard it truly can be for others trying to survive paycheck to paycheck. No women should be living in these conditions, but  it is horrible that they have to, and this film definitely highlights these tragedies compared to men. The one Mexican man was indeed a recovering alcoholic but his struggles were very less compared to women. For one, he was living fairly comfortably for a tight budget it seemed since he gave money to homeless people and was working out consistently. It seems sad that women have more of a burden imposed on them to live to a higher expectation than men do. One of the major themes in this movie was that everyone had one major responsibility-kids, and some had a hard time trying to keep them under control, or just making sure that they are not doing mischief. I think that society today has imposed such conditions that make it hard for others to raise children because of what they see from others and what could happen to them. This movie was definitely worthwhile, but for a young adult it concerns me about my future and what could happen to me just as to these others.

Beauty Perception- Dove

I really thought what dove had to say was very inspiration for most women. As a guy, most men do not realize how much struggle with trying to be someone they are not by going through numericial procedures, putting on lots of makeup, and trying to cover up imperfections when really they dont need all the makeup on. If you were to love someone, you should love them who they are, not just how they wear their hair, or all the small details. These video's also expose the media and what they do to impact younger women and put pressure on them at such an early age. Sixth graders or freshman in high school, or even college kids shouldn't have to worry about how they look. Sure they may be challenged by others and peer pressure, but having society put all kinds of pressure on not just women, but also men and how they should look makes some people try all of these ridiculous procedures just to fix a mere small imperfection.
This reminds me of a song that 50 cent made up called 21 Questions in which he poses questions to women that provoke the idea of letting someone love him truley for who he is. Although he does imply the perfect age is 21, he still poses questions like

"If I dident smell so good, would you still hug me?"
or
"If I got locked up and sentenced to a quarter century
Could I count on you to be there to support me mentally?"

"Are you mad cause I'm asking you 21 questions?
Are you my soulmate?
Cause if so girl you a blessing
Do you trust me enough
To tell me your dreams?"

which makes you think would you still hug your girlfriend if she diden't wear cologne? It just seems that we idealize over all these small things that we think are wrong with us, but really, we cant look at what is wrong and try to fix it. You cant change how someone love's you, but you can change who you love.
Lyrics taken from: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/50cent/21questionsremix.html

Humor Assignment

During my early childhood years, my family wanted me to do some sort of sport, go out of your comfort zone to try and do something new. Little did I know that what I was about to do would impact my whole life later on: eating organic. Now for me, it seemed a little far-fetched since the fact that flies touching your food would make it healthier is a little ironic to me, but I went with it. It just seemed bad that you were eating food that could have malaria or West Nile Virus. Sure it was nutritious, but for me having sanitation on my food seemed more healthier than risking it to be more healthy since there are "no pesticides" and its "naturally grown". If everything was natural at one point, then why not just stop there? It just seemed logical, but nonetheless, I tried the food and was disgusted by what I had just eaten. It felt like there was no taste to it, and it seemed overpriced at the same time. So, for my well-being, I decided to try a pilates class just to see if it would help me to grasp this healthy lifestyle to maintain the most nutrition I wasn't getting from the juicy, tender burgers that were once a reminiscence of the past. As it turned out, it was just too tiring, so I decided to go with something lighter to burn off these new vitamins and nutrients that are now in my soul, like running. Feeling this new sense of joy, I stuck with it and it helped me bring that joy into where I am now: College.

Subway Salmonella Outbreak

Recently I was eating at Subway and it made me think of this article that I had read just a few months ago about Subway. In my hometown, there was a subway  right next to where I worked who had lots of business and had just been criticized with a Salmonella outbreak. It was definitely interesting knowing that there was an outbreak right next to where I work, but also that there is one right on campus. At the time, I was wondering if we even needed to worry about the outbreak going into Iowa, considering how close Chicago is. It was very worry some at the time considering, I was going to a college that may have the same outbreak. Luckily, Iowa State did not get the outbreak. It seems weird that they would have a small outbreak, but Subway diden't really do much other than testing to their employees. They need to at least test the locations and shut down the locations temporarily to control the outbreak, which they did not. Although they did not, if it did spread into where I was working, the results would be catastrophic. Since Dominicks is a grocery store right next to it, it could contaminate more than half of our meat that we sell, and if necessary filling lawsuits against Subway for loss of profits due to contamination. Even though they did test employees and the case diden't spread, we should all be aware of what the results could have been if the results were much more severe than imaginable.



http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/06/90-confirmed-in-subway-outbreak/

McGangBang...?**

As I have gone through the public high school system, it has made me realize that they have seemed lower peoples creativity with ideas and dreams so much that it wont' be realistic. As I was going through some articles, I found this article that clearly reminded of the movie: Super Size Me! and how takes an average person that tries to live off of Mcdonalds and do something that was never done before. This is an article where Raphael Brion wants to try something different, distinct, or just out of the ordinary.

  Raphael Brion talks about how one of the new trends to get a better deal is to buy a a McChicken Sandwich and put it inside a double cheeseburger.. Two items that are off the dollar value for only $2.16. Why does this seem more satisfying than a happy meal, or a 1/4 pounder? It is bigger than a whopper and better than a happy meal, but what are the effects on your health for such a cheap creative combination? Not exactly the best for going off of a diet for the weekend but still satisfying. I find this to be so intriguing to see people be more and more creative in these tough economic times. I just think that it's great that even though kids are not necessarily being creative, but more so held back from using their creativity skills and this is clearly creative.Yes the health effects would be atrocious is everyone started doing this, but at least some people are thinking outside the box, going against the norm in society, or just trying to be creative by being themselves. It's good to know that even in these times where the schooling system makes you want to think left sided, people are still being creative.

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/03/the-mcgangbang-a-mcchicken-sandwich-inside-a-double-cheeseburger/

A Modest Proposal Response

I was disgusted with Jonathon Swift's A Modest Proposal because swift wants to have a genocide of little children in return for saving the working class of Ireland.It does not seem right to use people as breeding machines, much like the book The Giver in where people are used the same way. It not only mistreats children but also women. At the time, it may have seemed logical but given the circumstances it seems very desperate and going too far. Having a slaughter of children is just wrong, and should never be tolerated by modern day society, no matter how desperate it may seem.

Music helps your Health** - Peter Gensler

During my entire childhood, music was a very large part of who I was. It makes me who I am because of not just what I listen to, but what you can obtain from listening. Just recently I found this article on Yahoo, stating that music can help with you life span, which i found very intriguing. When I started coming to Iowa State University, I was introduced to so much new music and was so fascinated by what it could do. Just yesterday i was introduced to Sigur Ros, which is more of an electronic/pop style that is indeed great to study to and it made me think of how listening to that may not only help my studying but also my health as well. I found it fascinating that it stated that "music therapy was shown to significantly reduce anxiety and aggression, which was very true; in my case, a college freshman. It definitely seems true because to a certain extent for some people it can help them calm themselves down or keep them relaxed. It is so fascinating to know that music can help keep people calm or more focused whether it be a final exam, or just doing homework, and that it truly can help your health to put your mindset on the right path for life.


http://health.yahoo.net/experts/drmao/listen-music-affects-longevity