Blog Entry 20: The New Industrial Migrants

 In the article fast food nation by Eric Schlosser talks about how the meatpacking industry once provided a middle-class Americans life now offered little more than poverty wages.

 Once upon time people were able to live well and afford to have a living, but in todays world two-thirds of the workers at the beef plant in Greeley cannot speak English. They are Mexican immigrants, and their hourly wages is more than a third lower than what it was 40 years ago when the plant opened, but now things have change these companies with promising vocational pay, after a year and health insurance after six months of working other companies now that a third of the people don’t even speak English. So these companies know that people in Mexico are poor and they promise this dream that if they work for them they will have the American dream giving them false hope. I believe what they are doing to these innocent people is wrong. Corporation know that they are looking for a better life and takes advantage of their hopes and dreams, not giving them the chance to live by the USA motto "the American dream". A company picked Thirty nine people was to work from across the border and promised steady work and housing but instead they was dropped off at a homeless shelter but it was nothing but a set back for the company and the workers got fed up and most left the shelter. Also meat packing use to be a morsel class life style if you worked their but now it offers little more than poverty wages plus not really getting health insurance no vacation or sick days off and bad pay. I wish such a thing didn't exist but it does and it needs to be stopped

Revise focusing on the weakest category. Post as Blog Entry 19: CAT3.

  

  In the article “Let Them Eat Fat” by Greg Critser, talks about how fast food companies has become the main meal for most American kids, especially in the poor inner-city communities , and the fast-food companies have gotten more aggressive in doing so.

  It is sad but true, the fast-food industry has gotten all time high, and the poorest communities are the ones that make them rich. The reality is, this generation finds it easy to go stop by a Mc Donalds or a Burger King, then to go home and make yourself a meal especially kids who have parents who have jobs. By the time they get home they are too tired to start cooking. And this has become a pattern that has gotten more and more common in poor inner-cities. In Greg Critser research, he talks about how when you get a supersize cup of soda, that is 42 fluid ounces versus 16, with free refills which makes it to be a lot of sugar. Greg Critser also talks about how the total caloric content of a meal has been jacked up from 680 calories to more 1,340 calories and that is more than half of a teenager’s recommended daily caloric consumption.

   From my personal experience growing up, it was not easy so I can understand what poor inner-cities go through into having to eat something so unhealthy for us. But people have to eat and they want something that taste good and gets ready fast, and that was me until one day I found out I have diabetes. After that I got educated and realized that if I want to stay healthy I have to change the way I eat. Don’t get me wrong once in a blue moon I get my urges and I would have me a chicken nugget, but never how I use to. So I believe the most important thing is to get educated and realized that although it taste good, the stuff being put in your body is not. So before it becomes too late with complication like diabetes, obesity or any other problems it is important to know what you eat.

The consumption of fast food restaurant is growing and it does not look like is slowing down so people need to know what they want, stay healthy or have complications later on.

Blog Entry 21: The Story of Stuff

  In The Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard argues about how Corporations have been exploiting the planet’s resources. Especially to the people in the countries that have the resources even if they’ve been living there for generations.

   It is sad but true, corporations are responsible for the abuse that they are doing to the planet, because their agenda is money and nothing more. Is all over for example water companies, they have convinced pretty much the whole world that if you don’t drink water from a bottles you might as well drink from a lake or river. The funny thing is that these corporations go to these third world countries, and take the water from these lakes and rivers, and put the them in these bottles that has the most beautiful covers to make you think the water you are buying is so exclusive you have to have it, if not your lost. And the people that have been living there for generations don’t have the right to use their free water, and they end up suffering while we support these corporations become richer and more powerful which makes the government work for them and their own agenda not for the people. And it is sad because a lot of people don’t know how many lives get ruined because of us supporting the corporations, but we as people believe in the advertisement system too much, because it doesn’t show the truth of how it got there it just gives you this fantasy that you need to have it or else you are missing out on something amazing. Even I have been a victim of that and still working it, the people need to make an effort and really find out where the stuff we are buying comes from, because you might end up saving a life.

  

blog 18

 The reason I say that in the end Memo and Rudy American dreams ends up in dystopia, it is because the see the truth.

 

   Staring of with Memo, a kid in a small town in Mexico working with his father, and tired of the way he is living because he is was poor. Every time Memo would go out with his father to get water so they can water their vegetables and showing Memo, the process of the work and how is done, but for Memo he feels as if is a waist of time especially when him and his brother sees on T.V commercials about coming to America. The commercials that Memo and his brother was watching on T.V shows that if you moved to America you will live the dream everything you ever wanted is in America, and compared to how he was living watching that T.V seem the best for him, but his father was trying to show him that he should focus on what is around him. When Memo’s father got killed. Memo decided to move to America to live the dream, but later Memo realize that the America dream the T.V was showing was far from the truth. His experience as a worker in the cybermaquilas factory open his eyes, people are no longer physically working there. It became robots doing the work so it became disconnected with humans and the job fields. Rudy’s role was a little different, he worked for the military which for him meant a lot because his parents where in the military before. So for Rudy, he felt he was doing the right thing until the day, he had that mission that killed Memo’s father, when he saw his face he stop for a second and realize the disconnect he had, but he had to do his job and killed Memos’ father. Rudy felt in his heart after that kill that war is not a video game it is real life people getting killed, if any human being, is in that position they should take it more seriously and question themselves, am I doing the right thing.

  Memo and Rudy decided to go against the grain and start their own dream no more following orders they don’t believe in. although they were scared they did it, because they felt that if you want to live the American dream you have to chase it and follow it in your heart and if it don’t feel right then let it go.

In conclusion, not everything you see in commercials is the American dream. The dream can start from the heart then to a reality. Although commercial may sparked the idea of a dream, just make sure is that what you really want.

Blog Entry 17: The Food Unit

   What I get from all the stories “The Allegory of the Cave," The Truman Show, The Matrix, and the Meatrix have in common is the searching for the truth.     

  I want to start with the story of “The Allegory of the Cave” when Glaucon is realizing, that the world he lives in is not right. He knew in his heart that their was more out of life, then in that cave he was living in, with the rest of those other people, even when people around him did not want to believe him, or willing to give him a chance to listen to Glaucon. Glaucon did not quit he found out the truth, that there is more to life then in that cave and never looked back. “The Truman Show”. After Truman got older and wanted to explore, the world and do things differently from his regular life, their was always an obstacle, Truman realize something was up and kept being persistent, and in the end Truman found out the truth. “The Matrix” a world that Neo deep down in his heart knew something was wrong, then one day Neo met a man by the name of Morpheus, who gave him the choice to choose between the red or blue pill, to find out the truth about his world. And Neo decided the blue pill that showed him the truth, which was hard to swallow at first, but in the end the truth set Neo free. “The Meatrix” even though the story line is based on the food industry, there is some truth searching. People are not really aware of how their food is being made; most people are not familiar with process food. And in the Meatrix the story explains how factory farms, treat their animals, the animals are not properly being taken care of. And it is up to us as a people, to push out the truth about how animals are being mistreated, because if their not being taken care of, and we end up eating them, that will only end up hurting us in the long run, and only with truth we can be all be right.

   The Task in my blog series has been getting better in my eyes, I know I still need work, in a little bit of everything but the more I practice the easier it gets. Especially when I do the group class work with my classmates, I always learn something because other people pick up things differently. And when we give comments to other students blogs, it is something that has really helped me, because you are looking for the mistakes, and that teaches me to better myself in writing, because I can see my mistakes more faster then before, and looking for the wrong part in blogs just helps my writing a lot more. Cat #3 was a bit more tougher, but with all this practice it has helped me. Hopefully by the end of this semester, I would be a better writer then I am today. 

blog 16

In the article Happy Meals by Michael Pollan, he talks about 8 ideas about ways to eat better he thinks people should follow.

   Michael Pollan believes that we should not eat anything that our grandmothers wont eat, I understand where he is coming from, but things have change, the way food is being process is a little different then before, older people would say a cereal bar is not healthy as a bold of cereal, but for me I would rather have a bold of cereal, not because the cereal bar is unhealthy is that I am just use to it. Michael Pollan also talks about don’t eat anything incapable of rotting. I would not disagree with him on that one. Food to me should have an expiration date, and if it don’t I need to know why. Avoiding food products that contain ingredients you are not familiar with should be your reason to not eat the product, it should be more about doing your research and if it is bad for you then leave it alone. Avoiding food products that make health claims, it should be something to look into before making that decision, because energy bars can be good for you. To shop in the peripheries of the supermarket is good way to know right away where the fresh foods are never before I realize that setting until now. They said that you won’t find any high- fructose corn syrup at the farmers market, that is something people should research to find out where. Although a plant diet is probably the healthiest, then eating food that is process, is something I would consider but I would have to really think about it. Pay more eat less is something that I am doing I would rather go to traders Joe or Whole Foods, then to go a supermarket that has un organic stuff. I know it is hard for a lot of people because of prices but people need to change the way they eat. Cooking and planting a garden is a great idea but the problem is finding the time to do it and finding the space to grow it.

Blog 14

In the article "The Dangers of Reality TV" by Timothy Sexton he explains the message that Reality TV sends to the people. Timothy Sexton believes that Reality TV is more concentrating on competition shows and shows that have no substance for example American idol, the Apprentice, Jersey Shore, Survivor etc..... just to name a few. Timothy Sexton believes Reality TV focus more on the value of image over ability, and the obsolescence of education. These Reality TV shows are said to promote an old belief that competition is the key to success in a capitalist economy. I agree and disagree with what Timothy Sexton is explaining to us because from what i have witnessed in most reality TV shows is that all it takes is someone with a good image to win competitions but on the other hand some reality shows might have a positive affect on people. 


                The experience with the Dangers of Reality TV is that most shows i have watched are always sending a message that a person doesn't really need an education to make it in this world. All someone will need is an ability to get on TV and stand out more than the rest and act a fool because that will bring ratings to show, but people don't realize that kids watch shows like that, and we live in a generation that most kids faces, are in a computer or a tv and that can be an issue because the kids are the future of this world. Just like Timothy Sexton mentioned that "who would Tune-in week after week to watch a boring show. One example is the show Jersey shore you have people in that show that all they do is get drunk and party, it is entertaining for the viewers and they don't find it boring, but people have to understand that once you are in a position that people admire you, look up to you, you are going to have be aware of what you are doing because you could the new generation 


           On the other side of the coin in my opinion i believe that some Reality TV shows are even sometimes  good for kids. for example a show on MTV called "I use to be Fat". Some people would look at it and say there goes another show making people of heavier size feel insecure, but in reality it is really showing kids the importance of eating healthy, and going to gym can help you from getting type 2 diabetes which is an epidemic that is going on all over the United States, and other complication that comes with of not taking care of yourself. So for me it all depends what the kids are watching granted they are way more garbage on our TV then stuff that can be good for kids, but that is when the parents or the legal guardian at the time as to come in and make sure to see what their are watching.


            In conclusion, Reality TV needs to start sending the viewers more good messages and not garbage because they are telling us that acting a fool is the way to stay on television, and what they need to do is show example shows like "I use to be Fat" help this generation move forward. 

Blog 15: Manufactured Demand

   In the article "The Story of Bottled Water" there is a myth that Plastic bottles are recyclable, and are being made with thinner plastics, making them increasingly “green.” But after some investigation that is far from the truth, just because bottle water are being made thinner that does not stop the supply and demand for bottled water which makes it hard to get rid after being used.  Researchers found out that some 4 billion PET bottles end up in the U.S. waste stream each year, costing cities some $70 million in cleanup and landfill costs.  A plastic water bottle can take up to 1000 years to deteriorate in a landfill. And plastic bottled water is made out of oil so when is burned in incinerators, it releases dioxins, and the rest get send to other country or disposal. If we as a people keep going this direction it is only going to get worst, there is going to come a time that we are not going to be able to continue to do this process because the planet can take only so much, and we need to find a solution

One solution we can start is by doing research on how clean our water is around your area, another solution if already know the damage buying plastic water does to our planet, just buy a water mug and fill it up every morning before going to work, school or wherever you need to go, make sure you do that effort to make our planet more green. The more research we do the more solution we can come up with, so to solve this issue join organization anything that can help this problem to being solved.

Blog 13

   Antibiotics were meant to be used to inject humans to kill bacteria not into farm animals but that all change, Farmers before would take care of alot of manual labor, farmers would have to properly feed and raise their livestock until they hit a certain age where the animals would be ready to be killed in order to cut the meat and properly seal the meat that was going to be sold.  But that all change, during the first half of the last century, synthetic fertilizers were affordably manufactured and tractors were quickly replacing manual labor.Corporations started taking over family owned farms and putting together their warehouse where they would keep farm animals and raised at a very rapid rate. These corporations would use Antibiotics and inject the farm animals in order to make them grow quicker, fatten them up, and be sold for profit. Antibiotics have been used since 1946 and have steadily been putting hard working farmers out of business. I believe this wrong and in human using Antibiotics to make farm animals grow faster in order to be sold for a profit and not caring for the animals and the people that eat them. These farm animals "live in close confinement, often standing or laying in their own filth, and under constant stress that inhibits their immune systems and makes them more prone to infection. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, as much as 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States is fed to healthy farm animals". It has been estimated that at least 18,000 Americans die every year from drug-resistant infections. Today there are a few farmers that do not use antibiotics at all, in large part because they don't have to compensate for unhealthy conditions. Federal standards prohibit antibiotic use in animals whose meat will be certified organic. In the Eat Well Guide, farms where antibiotics are never given to animals carry the label."no antibiotic use," while those where antibiotics are only used to treat a sick animal carry the label "no routine antibiotic use."