Cameron's Research Journey Continues!

I don't know. I'm getting stressed out from this paper's due date being a few weeks away. I mean, I've found sources, but I feel like I need more. That my paper will be lacking in some way. The last time I did research, I happened upon this article by J. Weeks called, "Factory Farms." I found this article in CQ Researcher, an online database that I haven't used yet, and took notes on some pretty interesting things. I found out that a disease called Bovine Spongiform Encephalupathy (something I can't even pronounce) killed many consumers who ate packaged meat. This disease occurred recently in cattle, and was caused by the cattle being fed, "ground-up cattle parts", such as brains and spinal tissues from sick cows. I also learned that raising the cattle in tight confinment helps to spread diseases quickly.
I've been finding good information, but a lot of it has been mutual between my other sources. I know I definitely have to find more sources then. Great...

Andrew's response to "When the Other Dancer Is the Self" by Alice Walker

This was a wonderful and insightful read for me, in which I gained enlightenment and understanding to others misfortune and how one was able to overcome her misfortune and use it to her advantage later in her life. The story starts off with a spoiled brat two year old in a considerably large but poor family. The father is conflicted on who he should bring to the fair with him, for there is only enough room for three. This is when his little two year old girl (the author) comes up and had the audacity to say that she should be chosen to go to the fair because "she is the cutest". Well, she got her just desert, when her brother "accidentally" shot her in the eye with a bebe gun. The author goes on and complains on how her "horrible disfigurement" restrains her from having a social life, and how the other children "hurt her feelings." This gives her the motivation to become a writer (as, I have found, that most writers come out of misfortunes in their childhood) and she begins to write poems about her crippling defect.

The story goes on and it starts to get better, she mooches off of her rich brother and persuades him to have the white goop removed from her eye. After this is done, her ego becomes so inflated that she finds herself falling under the illusion that she is the most popular and prettiest girl in school, that she had found the "perfect boyfriend" (which is highly improbable for there have been studies conducted that show that I am the perfect boyfriend, thus my current status of being single because no one is perfect enough for me), and she then crowns herself as queen in her leaving of her high school. She then marries this man, has a child, and the child. As she is tucking her child into bed, her child notices something, an odd imperfection in her eye, and subtly says "your eye is ugly" in a way that she wouldn't get in trouble, and was actually taken as a compliment by the author.

This reading shows the many ways that if one can get over their misfortunes and start focusing more on their goals, that they too can follow their dreams and succeed in anything they put their minds to.

Cameron's Reflection from "The Dairy of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

I was suprised to find that this reading wasn't really heavy on the Holocaust issues because that was what I expected to read from a Jewish girl's diary from that time period. I can relate to the moment when Frank writes, "It is that I have no such real friend", because I find myself not having anyone to talk to about personal things sometimes. I agree with her when she writes, "...with all my friends, just fun and joking, nothing more. I can never bring myself to talk of anything outside the common round," because that happens with me. I'm afraid that no one would take me seriously, or that who ever I'm trying to confide in won't be serious about the matter.
She touches on the rights that the Jewish communities lost when Hitler came to power later on in her diary. That subject depresses me because I'm currently learning more and more about that era, and I think it's a shame what they had to go through. As I reached the ending of the reading, I thought it was strange that she referred to her period as being a, "sweet secret". I've never had to deal with that, nor will I ever, but my little sister goes through the same changes, so I've heard enough about the subject to know that it's not a "sweet" time in their feminine lives. I was a little thrown off by the closing of the reading because I thought it was odd for her to end the diary entry talking about her desires for companionship for other girls. But I do believe she was brave for voicing her feelings on the paper which she referred to being " more patient than man."

Sandra's Research Update #1

So my research is going pretty terribly. My computer is being rebooted and I'm sharing denise's public library card. I have some primary sources with farm names, but I have yet to visit the farms and talk to the farmers yet. The secondray sources i have aren't really scholarly considereing it's a PETA website. So far i've taken some notes off the PETA site but I still have to use library sources. Happily, Prof. Burnquist is going to let me use her computer. :)

Andrew's research update #1

So I finally found the motivation to go onto the MCC library website and find some sources. I had to change my previous project idea from the mistreatment of cattle to factory farms vs. organic farms because of the lack of sources. Since the change, I have been able to find two sources through the CQ researcher on my new topic. I am now using the opposing viewpoints resource center to hopefully find some more sources. Wish me luck.

Brian's Response to -Diary of a Young Girl:Anne Frank

The essay "From the Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank was depressing yet inspiring. This essay had depressing points like where she talks about how no one would care about what she has to say (Boy was she wrong), and what was also depressing was that a little girl went through all that loneliness. She states that the reason for starting her diary is because "I have no real such friend". Inspiring because even though she was going through The Holocaust, she still wrote, she didn't give up. What some may find kind of funny yet sad is that for the most part, the diary was written to "Kitty" (what she calls her best friend), because she thought no one would "care to read it" in a sense. Another sad factor, it doesn't have a happy ending.

~Brian

Sandra's Reflection on Alice Walker: Beauty When The Dancer Is Self

I really liked this piece because it shows how insecure and paranoid a person can be. When Alice was younger, she was the typical "daddy's little girl" who admired her father and enjoyed cute girly material things. She was like most girls who were somewhat spoiled and thought they were the prettiest in their fathers eye. Later she becomes a tomboy and feels that this transition led up to the accident that made her feel not so pretty anymore. I think that whether she became a tomboy or not, the inccident with her brother shooting her eye with a shotgun would have been inevitable.

I find it odd that she would pray for beauty instead of her eye. In that situation where you are blind in one eye, can a person really be that shallow? I think this is what most girls would also pray for because they are afraid that people will be judgemental but later they meet people who accept them for who they are. I also don't think that the procedure helped boost her confidence to make friends. I think she's always been confident but she was just afraid of rejection. I think that Alice was so obssesed with beauty and the way her eye looked because she thought that her father only chose Alice to bring to the carnival and only liked her because she was the prettiest girl. I think that was the relationship Alice and her father had.
Although the event of her getting shot while she was pregnant had nothing to do with the story, I wish Alice would go into detail about it. The last part of the story where Alice tells about the photoshoot and literary magazine she's featured in is so touching because she's so worried that she won't get enough sleep and her eye will look lazy. Yet when Alice goes into her three year old daughters room, her daughter finally realizes her mom's eye and asks how her mother got the world in her eye instead of being like most children who would have poked fun. I like how Alice realizes that her eye is a part of her at that point and the photoshoot doesn't seem to bother her anymore. I love the part where Alice dances to Stevie Wonder who is ironically blind.

I can relate to why Alice became so insecure about her eye and why she would be paranoid about people looking at her eye constantly because every girl has plenty of imperfections, but i think that the inccident did not change how beautiful she was nor her personality. It might have helped her gain a stronger will, but even with her eye looking a little lazy she managed to find herself a husband, a sweet daughter, and a writing career.

DJ's Response to "Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self" by Alice Walker

In “Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self”, Walker tells about an eye injury that she received at a young age, and how she dealt with it. What I find most interesting about this story is that she cared more about her own appearance than she did about the fact that she had vision loss in her eye. For years she avoided eye contact with others, but I don't really blame her as I probably would have done the same. One thing that really caught my attention was the recurring statement from her mother and sister, “You did not change”. It wasn't until her son brought up her eye, that she realized that she really did not change at all. This story was an interesting read and even a bit heartwarming at the end.

Cameron's Research Journey: Entry #2

So I was sitting in class the other day, doing research on the Opposing Points database within the electronic resources of MCC, when I happened upon a disturbing article. "Modernn Slaughtering Methods Are Inhumane", by Joby Warrick, opened up my eyes to issues I didn't know existed at all. As I kept reading and jotting down a few notes here and there, I found myself becoming angry. Cattle are beat over the head with blunt objects, prodded with electric rods, and sprayed in the nose as a means of knocking them out and getting them to stand up once they have fallen. If the cattle fail to stand, the workers shovel them along with forklifts over distances such as 15 to 20 feet before they stand allow them to stand up.
This all happens before the slaughtering. I scrolled farther down in the article and learned that cattle often times go to the slaughterhouses still conscious. Workers are aware if this, yet they still push the cow into the slaughter line. These cows survive past seven minutes of workers chopping off their hooves, ripping their bellies open, cutting off their tails, and stripping their hide. I was sickened by my discoveries, wondering why these people continued to torture these cows when they knew they were still alive. Another thing that shocked me, is that the government knew this was going on and did nothing to stop it! I can only imagine where my research findings will go from here. This truly is inhumane!

Brian- At War With My Skin }John Updike

John Updike
At War With My Own Skin

At war with my skin is a sad story were the author talks about his (and I hate to say this) disgusting disease that is on his skin called psoriasis. The best thing is his detail he uses to talk about his life and disease. For example, he mentions that he married “a young brunette with calm, smooth, deep-tanning skin” and that he had four kids and that the fourth one inherited his skin disease. To sum up, nice read but a little sad.
~Brian D

Drew kevlar's BLOG FODDER: THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO GLORY

Drew Kevlar’s BLOG FODDER
And now Drew’s riveting take on John Updike’s, "At War with My Skin"
Psoriasis is a disorder that causes certain parts of the afflicted’s body to have rough “scaly skin” it is mild in 65% of all cases (by mild I mean from a overall health standpoint and only affecting under 4% of the subjects body). However, immeasurable is the psychological damage that the afflicted gather through a life time of self-induced seclusion.
John Updike is an author who in this paper described how it feels physically and emotionally to have psoriasis. He tells the reader of how psoriasis kept him from living his life at times. He was to afraid of being noticed that he didn’t learn to swim. John also tells us of how his disorder has fueled the majority of all his life choices (marriage, having children, ETC.) There is nothing in my life that can even be compared to Updike’s experiences. However, I can honestly say that this essay is an inspiration to all people who feel like outcasts.

Brian- Me Talk Pretty One Day}David Sedaris

David Sedaris
Me Talk Pretty One Day

David Sedaris’ “Me Talk Pretty One Day”, was fantastic. He talks about something very common-- about trying to learn a language and the difficulty in doing so. For example he states "I find it ridiculous to assign a gender to an inanimate object incapable of disrobing and making a fool of itself. Why refer to Lady Crack Pipe or Good Sir Dishrag when these things could never live up to all that their sex implied?". And the characters in Mr. Sedaris’ story are amazingly funny. It’s mostly just about him and his teacher, but he does talk about his fellow students being in the hallway and having a conversation "commonly overheard in refugee camps" (if you want to know what is is you'll have to read the story) The teacher he describes is funny and that’s what makes this story great. David turns something that would usually be boring to something pretty funny. Overall, it was a great read. Mr. Sedaris, thank you.

~Brian

DREW KEVLAR: And now, my opinion of David Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty One Day"

In this essay, Sedaris describes to us how he managed to overcome one of the world’s hardest obstacles - learning a second language. To most people, a foreign language sounds like random syllables being bunched together into a load of gibberish. If I came up to you and said, “Bok moje ime je nacrtao,” (Croatian for, “Hi my name is Drew”) I might as well have been saying, “Klattu barada nikto.” However, in this essay Sedaris not only learns to speak French (or at least understand it) but manages to do it while being instructed by a teacher who has a pole that could support the Eiffel tower up her bum.
In the course of the essay we get to see Sedaris learn to deal with the confusion of being spoken to in an unknown language and eventually feel his triumph when he succeeds in learning the language despite his teacher’s best attempts to hinder him. While I can’t even pretend to have had such an evil and judgemental teacher, I can understand the triumph of accomplishing something against all odds. I have a developmental disability which places me on the Autism spectrum. When I was younger I could barely understand my own emotions let alone those of others and the idea of putting them down on a piece of paper was something I could not even begin to fathom. But, I have fought to comprehend the world around me on a higher level and now look at me! I am the self-professed, “King of a Blog” with approximately two followers…WOOHOO!!!
Ultimately, Sedaris conveyed the struggles of learning a second language with humor and wit that conveyed his emotions effectively.

Sandra's Reflection on "How it Feels to be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston

I was able to relate to this piece. This writing demonstrated Hurston's appreciation of being black. In the piece, she tells the reader how she listened to jazz music and felt like it was "emotions of purple and red" to her. She also conveyed how the music made her feel like "attacking someone" when she listened to it.

Zora wrote that she did not always feel black--only when she was in the company of a white person. I feel that I could relate to this because sometimes I forget my cultural background. Only in the company of other people who question or point out my race do I remember my culture. She felt that she was discriminated against but she did not feel angry. Instead it amazed her that someone could deny her company. There were no white people in her town, yet she felt different. I think that this showed how one can feel different in his/her own cultural group.

This piece relates to me a lot. I imagine a lot of females who are in minority groups can feel like they need to acknowledge the fact that they're girls, and that their cultural history is different, but then move on.

Andrew "How it Feels to be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston

I found it interesting how Ms. Hurston didn't let her race make her feel different in a bad way, but that she still acknowledged that she felt different. For example, when she went to the Jazz club with her friend, she thought that the music was magical and wonderful. It made her feel like she was connecting with her roots as an African American, while her friend just stated "that was good music." So in this instance she felt a part of her culture, but removed from the way she and her friend related to an aspect of thatculture.

I like how the author didn’t have to lean on her own background and heritage to become famous. She didn’t need to use her race as a crutch, but she was able to do things her own way. I also liked how even though she was in a predominately white atmosphere in her college life, that she was able to succeed without thinking that her race defined her work. I also like the metaphor she uses when she says that all people are bags, and that no matter how much we look the same on the outside, its whats inside that really matters.

Denise's Response

Hurston/ How It Feels to Be Colored Me

Throughout this whole essay I was confused about what the point of it was. Even after reading I still don't know exactly what Hurston was trying to get across. It seems as if she is trying to break away from the mold of being the decedent of a slave and wants to break away from racial connections in general. Then it takes a turn into her being proud and even offended by what people say about being "colored." In the end what I pieced together was that she wanted people to realize that we are all special in our own way and that was the way it was intended to be.

Drew's Blog Fodder: Reflection on Sherry Turkle's Essay, "How Computers Change the Way We Think"

Drew Kevlar’s BLOG FODDER
Now a reflection on Sherry Turkle’s how computers change the way we think

I began reading this essay in a very snarky mood. I was smirking, expecting another one of those papers that accuse the internet of being an “Emissary of Satan” and video games of being “Murder Simulators.” However, I was taken aback when I found that Turkle merely stated a handful of facts and observations on trends following the advent of computers, and left it up to the reader to decide for themselves what they thought. Being a member of the “Computer Generation,” I am pro-computers from the get-go and honestly, Turkle failed to convince me (a feat I maintain is impossible); however she did make some points that I would have never thought of.
Foremost on the list of interesting observations by Turkle is her opinion of electronic typing like Microsoft Word (which I am using right now). She points out that the ability to at any time go back and change what you’ve written inhibits development of the ability to plan out your actions. While this point and truly all Turkle’s points are explained very well and formed in good logic, I wasn’t even slightly swayed from my vehement semi-worship of our new non-sentient electronic overlords. However, Turkle must be given a nice little gold star for managing to write an argumentative essay without slamming her opposition.

Dylan's Response to Sherry Turkle's Essay, "How Computers Change the Way We Think"

The essay itself was very informative. It started off with a very reasonable point and turned into a far fetched worst-case scenario.Turkle describes how over the years computers have been lessening the social skills of the youth in America. She accurately describes how the youth in America seem to have no issue handing out their own personal information or their parents information online. This could be one reason for the rise in identity theft in the last few years. I also agree with her when she discusses how many teachers nowadays put too much focus on computer programs like powerpoint. She states 90% of the students using this program are more concerned with sounds and slide transfers than the actual content. Overall, it was a really well presented article.

Cameron's Response to Sherry Turkle's Essay, "How Computers Change The Way We Think"

I thought this essay was interesting. I agree with Turkle when she says, "The tools we use to think change the ways we think," because it's true. It seems as if people, mainly teenagers, can't live without the internet. We become dependent on the technology to do our work for us, and that isn't good. I can relate to the section where she says, "...technological revenues offer us many different contexts for presenting ourselves online," because I take part in the social communites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube. Although they're a way to keep in touch with friends, they're also a way for predators to communicate with innocents, and that can be dangerous.
Online communites also become a person's only "social life", meaning they are so hooked onto the internet that they can't function without it. Many of us result to copying and pasting into a word document rather than brainstorming and creating sentences ourselves. In a way, computers are stealing the intelligence from its users. I think it's a shame, but it's true when Turkle says, "...we are all computer people now," because we think, "primarily of the computer."

Cameron's Research Journey

I am researching the process of cattle slaughter and treatment. This topic interests me because I'm not one for animal cruelty. The other day, I was having trouble getting into an online library database, but once I was in, I found some interesting facts. The one that shocked me the most came from an article I read. It said that,"...when a cow's diet is changed to a corn based mixture, they are more likely to become sick with E. coli, rather than cows who eat grasses and hay." I read further along and found out that farmers know about it! They are forcing sickness into the cows for the sake of fast production. I'm becoming more and more aware of the mistreatment of cattle the more I research, but I'm glad that I'm learning about it because then I know what really goes on in the meat packing system.

Andrew Considers Charles Simic's Essay, "The Life of Images"

Charles Simic dissects pictures in an interesting way. I found it interesting how he looked at the people in pictures rather than just the scenery, where one such as myself would look at the scenery and tend to avoid the people in it unless they were a key part of the picture.
I also like how he looked at life the same way he would at a photograph. He would look at different people and invent their biographies: wondering where they were going and what they were doing. I sometimes do this while I’m on the bus. I notice different people, the way the dress, and try to guess their occupations.
The author made me stop and think for a moment when he brought up the point that we might someday be a face in a picture. It made me wonder what I would look like to other people. Would I be another face, just another busy bee off to please the queen bee of society by doing my daily business? Or would I be something different to a person, would they look at me and find that I am more than just another face?

drew research log

DREW’S MIRTHFUL MUSINGS

RESEARCH ENTRY #1

This week I have mostly run into secondary sources about the poor treatment of animals. However, I have found some useful facts, figures, and stories. Such as the “Interesting” opinion of the guy(s) at Chickenlove.com and several ingredient horror stories from MSN.com. All I know now is I’m not eating at McDonalds anytime soon---- WAIT! NO, RONALD, HAVE MERCY!!!

Drew's Fun and Freakish Factoids!

DREW KEVLAR'S SLIGHTLY FRIVOLOUS FACTOIDS

There are 31,000 McDonalds world round

McDonalds is active in 119 countries on 6 continents

McDonalds serves 47 million customers everyday

Excerpt from McDonalds.com FAQ page: Our global rainforest policy is simple: we do not purchase beef from rainforests or recently deforested land. This rain forest policy is strictly enforced and closely monitored. Any McDonald's supplier that is found to deviate from the policy or cannot prove compliance will be immediately discontinued.

Another Excerpt from McDonalds.com FAQ page: Yes. McDonald's hamburgers are made with 100% beef - no additives or fillers- and seasoned only with salt and pepper. At McDonald's, we use only quality beef and other raw ingredients. McDonald's hamburgers are made from the same cuts of meat that you would buy at your local supermarket. (they really are digging their own grave)

A third excerpt from the McDonalds.com FAQ page this one on who they get their supplies from: At McDonald's, we essentially shop where you shop. Brand names that you'll find behind the counter at our restaurants include: Coca-Cola, Danone, Heinz, McCain, Minute Maid, Mother Parker's, Nestle, Quaker and Saputo.

In 2005, McDonald's purchased more than $700 million worth of food and paper goods from their Canadian suppliers - that's more than 90 per cent of their total purchases for that year.

A fourth Excerpt from the McDonald’s FAQ page: Serving our customers a great tasting, quality meal is our top priority. All menu items at McDonald's are prepared for our customers under a carefully monitored process using specialized equipment. For example, we conduct a series of tests and restaurant audits every day to ensure that our procedures are being followed and our high standards are being met. We train our crew members on food safety and food handling processes.Trainees work shoulder-to-shoulder with crew trainers while they learn the operational skills necessary for running each of the 25 positions in our restaurant - from front counter to the grill area.

Anotherr Excerpt: McDonald's meets or exceeds the strict standards set by all appropriate government and regulatory bodies. For example, our beef is purchased only from government inspected and approved facilities. At McDonald's, we impose our own high standards on ourselves and our suppliers. These self-imposed standards are often more rigorous than those imposed on us by government and regulatory bodies.

McDonald's has sold well over 100 billion hamburgers. This fact really isn't all that shocking when you think about all the locations around the world. In fact, there are over 30,000 locations. That's a lot of burgers being served up everyday.

The most popular international McDonald's location is located in Moscow. The location is found on Pushkin Square and serves an outstanding number of people each day. In fact, this one location serves an amazing 40,000 people each day

One out of Every Eight People Have Worked There This is an interesting fact that many people find hard to believe. But, it's true. And, believe or not, many of the people who have worked at McDonald's say that there are many benefits to working for this fast food giant.

McDonald's restaurants will buy 54,000,000 pounds of fresh apples this year. Two years ago, McDonald's purchased 0 pounds of apples. This is attributed to the shift to more healthy menu options.

Sarah Michelle Gellar was sued by McDonalds at the age of four. She appeared in a Burger King advert where she said, “Do I look 20 per cent smaller to you? I must have at McDonalds because their hamburgers are 20 per cent smaller than Burger King’s.” It was the first time a company used another company’s name in an advert so McDonald’s sued Burger King, the advertising agency, and Sarah herself.

To mega-Ronald you are all fries

Every four hours a new McDonalds opens somewhere.

The oldest building housing a McDonalds has a structure dating back to the thirteenth century and is located in Shrewsbury, England.

In Japan Ronald McDonald is known as Donald McDonald, or Uncle McDonald.

Just as cultural food tastes differ so does cultural McDonald's menus; enjoying a large variety such as salmon, beer, rice, pork burgers and even spaghetti.

The largest McDonald's restaurant internationally measures more than 28,000 square feet and is located in Beijing, in the People's Republic of China.

The smallest McDonald's restaurant measures only 492 square feet and is on the Ginza in Tokyo, Japan.

In Australia 52% of all women and 67% of all men over 25 are obese

While china has a relatively small amount of obese people their percentage has increased exponentially in 1991 12.9% of Chinese citizens were obese in 2004 the number had increased to 27.3%. However this is mostly due to the decrease of jobs involving heavy labor in china over recent years

Obesity in all of Europe has been measured many times but the results oppose each other 10-27% of all men and 10-38% of all women are obese

In India men of any class are usually obese in 5% of all classes, where as women of upper or middle class are at 7-12% where as in the slums it is .9% which is so low it is dangerous

As of 2008 Iran’s men are obese 14.5% of the times women are 39.5%

Japan has had the largest percentage increase in weight in 1962 3.2% of all citizens were overweight today that number has increased since to 30%

Mexico has an obesity rate of 24.2%

94.5% of nauru’s citizens are obese giving it the highest obesity rate ever

Obesity rates in American are at 30% for all groups except African American women who have a 50% obesity weight. Oddly enough the obesity rate is highest in the deep south which is the area with the most active average work day.