Response 4: Jake's Blog

I have recently read the post, 'Sandwich Preparation Blog' by Jacob Brey. In this post, Jake describes how he has found that going to college has created a very fast-pased lifestyle. To adapt, he has resorted to eating many sandwiches. With these, he has the ability to choose the ingredients that his body will benefit from positively. There are many toppings and ingredients he is able to place on these sandwiches that would improve the taste and satisfaction, but Jake chooses only the healthiest of ingredients so he is able to better control his weight and overall nutrition.

I have also leaned toward making more sandwich-like foods due to time restrictions and overall lack of ingredients to make other foods in a timely manor. I believe that this blog post was well written and his points are very clear and well stated. I agree with his points and my opinion has not changed on this topic.

Post 5: The Influence of the Media

It has been proven that the media influences how society views issues and it shapes how people purchase goods. This influence can be both positive and negative; there are always going to be two sides to every debate. As clearly shown in the article ‘In France, Sex Sells – Even in Anti-Smoking Ads’ written by Bruce Crumley/Paris, the media in France with an anti-smoking ad has negatively influenced people who viewed it, especially children. On the contrary, ‘Mass Media Influence on Society 84’ describes how mass media influences society, but what society chooses to view is the core of what they’re exposed to and therefore what they’re influenced by.

Crumley/Paris discusses a particular anti-smoking ad that depicts youth with a cigarette in their mouths on their knees before an adult male. This ad created great controversy due to the sexual message that accompanied the message. This form of media is exposing children and is said by Crumley/Paris to be borderline with child pornography. This is one of those instances where a good thought is present, but taken to the extreme and gone wrong.

The mass media is proven to influence society by what is ‘cool’, what to buy regarding clothing, all products, where to live, what to participate in, and much more. Also, anorexia and obesity are influenced by the media due to all of the promotion of junk food. Elections are influenced by the media right along with political decisions. This article describes all of the ways the media influences all members of society and how wide-spread the media is regarding all of the forms of it.

After reading these two articles, my opinion of the media has remained constant. I believe that the media influences everyone in numerous ways, but it depends on how society views the media and what they are exposed to, by what they choose to view, that influences how they think. The anti-smoking ad only amplifies my beliefs that some forms of the media should never be seen by the public eye.

Response 3: Mitch's Blog

I have recently read ‘Comparing Two Sides of an Argument’ on Mitch Kappelman’s blog regarding the opposing views of stem cell research. Mitch equally represents both sides of the argument clearly and concisely. The Pro-Choice argument, which supporters say that science should be embraced and studies with stem cells will help everyone, and the Pro-Life argument, which supporters say that the embryos where the stem cells are extracted from are human beings and this is murder, are two very contrasting viewpoints for which people feel very strongly about.

Mitch allows for both of these viewpoints to be stated without bias. These points are very clear and understandable. When he gives his opinion, he is very concise and his beliefs are supported within the text displayed. The article for which he mentions also is very clear and the arguments are well stated.

After reading the article and Mitch’s blog, my opinion, also, has not changed and I, along with Mitch, side with the Pro-Life argument. Reading these texts has strengthened and supported my viewpoint on this very controversial topic.

Post 4: Cover Girl

Queen Latifah has unleashed a whirlwind of a campaign with CoverGirl makeup. This beautiful woman has encouraged women throughout the country to embrace themselves and to enhance their beauty by using CoverGirl products. Whether it be mascara, foundation, or any other form of makeup, Queen Latifah has launched a powerful message to the country to promote beauty.

CoverGirl, in my opinion, has chosen the correct woman for the promotion of their products. In fact, there has been a new line of makeup introduced that Queen Latifah represents for women of color referred to as the Queen Collection. From a mere spokeswoman to a whole line of the product being represented, Queen Latifah has allowed for CoverGirl to find great success within the beauty industry.

“It might sound cliché, but beauty for me really does start on the inside. It’s like a state of mind, a state of love, if you will. Then whatever you can do on the outside is all like a bonus.” – Queen Latifah

Promoting not only the beauty to be enhanced and applied to one’s body, Queen Latifah promotes the beauty displayed from within. This actress appears in numerous movies, musicals, and commercials and does not alter her image for the roll she is playing, but rather embraces who she is and does not try and hide anything. ‘Breaking barriers’ is what she does best. Not only does she represent the line of makeup for CoverGirl for women of color, but she inspired it.

A portrait was done of Queen Latifah on MyLifetime.com and it describes the hardships she has endured along with how she has remained an image to be admired. Queen Latifah: Stardom, Success, and Self-Acceptance. For these reasons, among many more, Queen Latifah has been an extremely successful spokeswoman for CoverGirl and will continue to promote beauty, both with makeup and within. “Easy, breezy, beautiful CoverGirl..”

Demonstration Speech Self Evaluation

For my Life Science Communication 100 course I recently gave a demonstration speech on how to make a breakfast sandwich. Our speeches were recorded and sent to us for self-evaluation.

The first thing I noticed when I watched the recording of my speech was the time constraint, or lack thereof. I should have extended the information presented in the speech regarding the nutritional benefits of eating breakfast and the nutritional aspects of the specific breakfast sandwich created. The information presented was interesting, but it could have been expanded upon for a more interesting presentation. The introduction and conclusion fit well together, but I could have memorized these aspects of the speech more thoroughly.

The breakdown of the steps involved in creating a breakfast sandwich was well organized and presented in a logical fashion. They were in the proper order and were presented thoroughly. The visual aids were appropriate. Displaying the majority of the utensils required to make a breakfast sandwich was visually captivating. Also, having a fully cooked breakfast sandwich displayed allowed for the audience to see the final product and visualize what I was demonstrating.

The volume, energy, enthusiasm, and visibility were adequate. I was interested in the presentation. However, there was an excessive amount of hand gestures and a few awkward eye contact moments throughout the speech that could be fixed in the future. I could have been better prepared for the speech in these regards. My body language seemed uncertain in a process that I am very used to doing.

If I would have to do this again, I would consider choosing the same topic, but I would make obvious changes to the presentation and content. I would expand upon my information and make it more creative and attention grasping.

Response 2: Peter's Blog

I have recently read ‘Celebrity Endorsement’ on Peter’s Blog. He states that celebrity endorsements have great benefits for the companies that utilize them. He makes a valid point when he discusses the potential downfall of the companies with the products endorsed by the celebrities if the selected person(s) do something that is frowned upon.

Companies have found success with celebrity endorsements because of the reputations of the celebrities chosen. Peter explains why he believes Little Richard is “the most qualified person to tell someone what car insurance is right for them”. Being a comedian, he captures the attention of the audience of a wide range. Peter’s points are clear and convincing. From what he has informed me of, I am in agreement with Peter.

I believe that celebrity endorsements such as Little Richard with Geico are beneficial and effective. However, as depicted in the link Peter provided to us through his blog, as with Kobe Bryant and Nutella and McDonald’s, the endorsements are capable of going bad extremely fast.

Post 3: "Real" Food vs. "Fake" Food

Michael Pollan stresses the fact that Americans, among other groups of people associated with the “western” diet, have resorted to eating processed or ‘fake’ foods rather than continue to eat healthy, ‘real’, foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and meats. I have found that personally, I have also experienced this epic switch from natural to processed foods. Bread.

I grew up with the smell of fresh bread spreading through the house and waking all of the sleeping inhabitants. I always knew that I was consuming the healthiest of ingredients because my mother continually used ingredients she thought were adequate to our family’s diet. However, my brother and I continued to grow and life became livid with a faster pace and constant activities and jobs to tend to. Due to these things, along with many more, my mother began to resort to buying processed bread at the store.

In comparison to homemade bread, store bought bread lacks the fresh smell and healthy texture. The processed bread was baked to have a longer shelf life than that of fresh bread. Therefore, the product contains many preservatives and extra ingredients that are not found in fresh bread.

If I am able to after I graduate from college, I would like to return to baking fresh bread as opposed to buying bread from the store. This would cut costs, but at the same time, instate a time commitment. After reading ‘Processed Vs. Whole Foods’ by Debby Bolen, the health benefits from whole foods, or fresh bread in my case, are very apparent in contrast to processed foods.

”Most likely, it's processed food if it's wrapped in several layers of plastic, cardboard, and/or foil, and it didn't exist until after 1903 when the hydrogenation process was invented.” – Debby Bolen

Response 1: Brenna's Blog

I have recently read Brenna's Blog 'Post 2: "Real" food vs. "fake" food'. In this, she discusses the differences between eating an all-natural diet vs. a diet consisting of processed foods. Her example of Skippy peanut butter and the healthy version vs the natural version of the product and the cost, taste, and texture differences seemed to be very relevant to the arguments provided not only by herself but by Michael Pollan as well in his book, In Defense of Food. The link provided to www.diet-blog.com supplied various examples of processed and natural foods available for consumers to choose from.

I agree with both parties on this issue. I believe that the healthier options should be chosen, but as Brenna points out, the consumer has the ultimate choice in what they consume in the end.

“If people want to eat their low-fat foods, let them.”

I feel as if though Brenna looked at both sides of the argument and then formed her opinion based on her life experiences. This provided a strong opinion on her side of the topic, but she did not put many details into her post regarding the opposing side of the argument.

Post 2: "Beyond the Pleasure Principle"

As my stomach grumbles, I turn to Carissa and propose we create a meal of our own! We hop into the car and travel to the nearest store to gather our supplies, much similar to the ways of the hunter gatherers from whom we descended. After much debate and torturous deciding, due to the endless choices before us, we have settled upon a mixed lettuce salad with vegetables, baked chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes, and a blueberry cheesecake to finish our meal. After purchasing the various ingredients required for creating our meal we put it all together, serve, and enjoy!

By completing all of these things together, Carissa and I have thoroughly considered the nutritional value of our meal along with the social aspect. Michael Pollan suggests that the ‘Americanized’ diet, referring to highly processed foods and overall unhealthy choices, has consumed all of the American citizens. Taken as a whole, chapter one, section seven of Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food generalizes the entirety of the American population to elude to the fact that all of the food chosen for consumption is bad. By ‘chewing 100 times before swallowing’, all flavor is supposedly lost but the nutritional value is higher. If the American citizen chooses a meal that is nutritionally sound initially, these problems won’t arise.

"How a people eats is one of the most powerful ways they have to express, and preserve, their cultural identity, which is exactly what you don't want in a society dedicated to the ideal of "Americanization".

America is the melting pot where the entire whole world has influenced food intake and creations. Food of all cultures has blended together and traditions have remained strong throughout the ages. If America is the melting pot, the ‘ingredients’ for the cuisine must originate in another culture, first. Are said cultures and places of origin unhealthy and influencing America to lean toward that type of consumption culture? Does individual choice factor into this generalization at all?

Post 1: Response to Michael Pollan's 'In Defense of Food'

“Most of us no longer eat what our mothers fed us as children. This is, historically speaking, an unusual state of affairs.” (Pollan p3) Pollan expresses concern for the health of the world because he believes the world’s diet is modeled after the American diet, the American diet that is quickly becoming unsafe and unnatural. With technological advances and scientific research, the Western diet has emerged, providing nutrition information for healthier lifestyles. Pollan believes this to be a bad situation? If the world truly ate what our ancestors consumed, we would all be chomping on slabs of meat and foraging for berries and grasses.

I do agree, however, that “…new, scientific-sounding terms like “cholesterol” and “fiber” and “saturated fat” began rising to large-type prominence.” (Pollan p19) It doesn’t make sense that the consumers are more concerned with the ‘invisible’ things within the product than the actual product itself are more important and influential than the actual product at hand. But, with this, the population has the power to choose what they consume. Rather than solely complaining about the content of the food being purchased or consumed, the consumer has the ultimate choice if they are to consume the food that is natural or processed.

“You are what you eat – and, perhaps surprisingly, you also are what your ancestors ate.” (Challem) Jack Challem illustrates this in, 'Paleolithic Nutrition: Your Future is in Your Dietary Past'. The diet one chooses to follow today will affect future generations. “Looked at in another way, 100,000 generations of people were hunter-gatherers, 500 generations have depended on agriculture, and only 10 generations have lived since the start of the industrial age, and only two generations have grown up with highly processed fast foods.” (Challem) It appears as if though the food society Americans struggle with today are a new trend in the evolutionary path of food consumption. Which direction will the world’s population choose to go in the future? Will it continue to follow the technological path to a more unnatural plate of food?