Question: To what extent has addition of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides in mass marketed livestock and vegetation been harmful?
Primary Sources: Owner of the Bleeding Heart Bakery, the first organic certified bakery
Regulations (via the FDA) about what kinds of chemicals are allowed
Scientific studies on the effects of antibiotics in meat (resistance to antibiotics)
Also, I plan to look at specific companies to see what kind of practices they have regarding production.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=114&sid=0165d042-353f-45ed-88f6-92c236490203%40sessionmgr108
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=UkAAZPNS9b4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=genetically+modified+food&ots=NqXa_38PFv&sig=uDr_OU4R4mVLHGk9lucv_81K6tM
http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/54/1/276
So far, I've learned about some of the dangers of genetically modified food. Specifically, how altering the genes of particular plants can be beneficial because of the increased ability to be shipped well and the creating of seedless plants. Also, some crops are made to be larger and more fruitful, thus more inexpensive. However, these fruits and vegetables often lose much of the flavor and nutrients that their smaller, less yielding ancestors possessed. Furthermore, I've learned about the amount of antibiotics and pesticides used in animal products, as well as in fruits and vegetables. Along with the amount of medicine we are allowing ourselves to be prescribed, more bacteria are becoming resistant to the antibiotics in our bodies.
What I still need to figure out is whether or not I want to talk about chemical use in plants and animals (pesticides, antibiotics, RBGH) or genetic modification (in which I can cover the green revolution as well). Doing both together might get a little complicated in that I wouldn't be able to cover either in detail very much.
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=UkAAZPNS9b4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=genetically+modified+food&ots=NqXa_38PFv&sig=uDr_OU4R4mVLHGk9lucv_81K6tM
http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/54/1/276
So far, I've learned about some of the dangers of genetically modified food. Specifically, how altering the genes of particular plants can be beneficial because of the increased ability to be shipped well and the creating of seedless plants. Also, some crops are made to be larger and more fruitful, thus more inexpensive. However, these fruits and vegetables often lose much of the flavor and nutrients that their smaller, less yielding ancestors possessed. Furthermore, I've learned about the amount of antibiotics and pesticides used in animal products, as well as in fruits and vegetables. Along with the amount of medicine we are allowing ourselves to be prescribed, more bacteria are becoming resistant to the antibiotics in our bodies.
What I still need to figure out is whether or not I want to talk about chemical use in plants and animals (pesticides, antibiotics, RBGH) or genetic modification (in which I can cover the green revolution as well). Doing both together might get a little complicated in that I wouldn't be able to cover either in detail very much.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Rhetorical Goals
My audience could be the general consumer, economists, agricultural scientists, restaurant owners, environmentalists, and the common foodie.
My purpose would be to open their minds and make them aware of the benefits of shopping organic and locally vs. buying modified imports. I'd want to argue that, while possibly more economic, modified imported fruits and vegetables can be harmful both to the environment, people's health, and local farmers. Furthermore, I want to persuade the readers to shop more locally and to buy organic foods.
My purpose would be to open their minds and make them aware of the benefits of shopping organic and locally vs. buying modified imports. I'd want to argue that, while possibly more economic, modified imported fruits and vegetables can be harmful both to the environment, people's health, and local farmers. Furthermore, I want to persuade the readers to shop more locally and to buy organic foods.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
papier
Part I: Exploration
1. Identify the issue or problem that you plan to focus on in your research project.
As consumers are becoming more health conscious, theres been some speculation over whether or not buying organically and locally, small-farm grown crops are worth the entra price for their benefits
2. What is your personal connection to and interest in this topic?
As a (hopefully) future baker, I really like the idea of using organic and locally sustainable ingredients, but they're expensive. I try to eat organic when I can, but, as a college student, its really busting my wallet's chops.
3. What opinions do you already hold about this topic?
I think that it is worth the price, and that there are legitimate reasons as to why its so expensive. Furthermore, local farmers need to be supported to stay afloat. Nobody is going to fund small Illinois farmers than Illinois residents. We don't want big business to take over EVERYTHING. Plus. Local food uses less fssil fuel for transportation, and is fresher.
4. What knowledge do you already have about this topic. What are your main questions about this topic? What are you most curious about?
I don't know a whole lot. I know some basic information just form talking to people in the food industry. I want to know what classifies things as organic, and some hypothesis about where the organic/ local market is going to be in a few years.
6. Within what scholarly discipline (such as history, biology, psychology) do you expect to do most of your research? How does this discipline approach or study this topic?
Wow. I don't know. Economics?
7. How could you research this topic outside the library (for example, through interviews and/or observations)?
Interviews with the owner of the Bleeding Heart Bakery, mission statements from small farms, environmental science magazines, farmers at farmers markets, consumers that buy all organic... etc
Part II: Focusing
Write an initial claim, or an open-ended question, to guide your research on this topic. Make it specific but exploratory. Remember that a good claim opens up an area of inquiry about a topic; a claim should invite evidence, support, and debate.
Are the numerous positive effects of buying organic and locally worth the price for an environmentally conscious yet fiscally challenged consumer?
1. Identify the issue or problem that you plan to focus on in your research project.
As consumers are becoming more health conscious, theres been some speculation over whether or not buying organically and locally, small-farm grown crops are worth the entra price for their benefits
2. What is your personal connection to and interest in this topic?
As a (hopefully) future baker, I really like the idea of using organic and locally sustainable ingredients, but they're expensive. I try to eat organic when I can, but, as a college student, its really busting my wallet's chops.
3. What opinions do you already hold about this topic?
I think that it is worth the price, and that there are legitimate reasons as to why its so expensive. Furthermore, local farmers need to be supported to stay afloat. Nobody is going to fund small Illinois farmers than Illinois residents. We don't want big business to take over EVERYTHING. Plus. Local food uses less fssil fuel for transportation, and is fresher.
4. What knowledge do you already have about this topic. What are your main questions about this topic? What are you most curious about?
I don't know a whole lot. I know some basic information just form talking to people in the food industry. I want to know what classifies things as organic, and some hypothesis about where the organic/ local market is going to be in a few years.
6. Within what scholarly discipline (such as history, biology, psychology) do you expect to do most of your research? How does this discipline approach or study this topic?
Wow. I don't know. Economics?
7. How could you research this topic outside the library (for example, through interviews and/or observations)?
Interviews with the owner of the Bleeding Heart Bakery, mission statements from small farms, environmental science magazines, farmers at farmers markets, consumers that buy all organic... etc
Part II: Focusing
Write an initial claim, or an open-ended question, to guide your research on this topic. Make it specific but exploratory. Remember that a good claim opens up an area of inquiry about a topic; a claim should invite evidence, support, and debate.
Are the numerous positive effects of buying organic and locally worth the price for an environmentally conscious yet fiscally challenged consumer?
Monday, October 15, 2007
RESEARCH PAPER
ok so, here i am at elmhurst for art and business, but im going to culinary school to be a pastry chef after this.
options:
how has dessert been an integral part of family functions in the united states? (or something)
how is food indicative of culture?
how has the bakery industry been effected by low carb diets?
the benefits of buying organic/ local crop sustainability
options:
how has dessert been an integral part of family functions in the united states? (or something)
how is food indicative of culture?
how has the bakery industry been effected by low carb diets?
the benefits of buying organic/ local crop sustainability
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Summary (which i totally typed yesterday but is deciding not to show up now)
Provision of Sex Education
"One of the most dramatic findings from the national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles was the sharp fall in the age at which people become sexually active," K Wellings says. As a result, sex-education has been targeted as the cause for this drop, and many advocate abstinence-only education as a way to keep teens safe from STDs and pregnancy. In Welling et al's paper, "Provision of sex education and early sexual experience: the relation examined," no significant difference was found in the age of first sexual intercourse experience and exposure to sex education. Yet, there was a significant increase in use of contraception in teens that had enrolled in a sex-education as opposed to abstinence-only course. The sample included over 18000 participants, all aged 16-59. More than 2/3 of the group felt like they don't know enough about sexual matters.
Wellings, K, J Wadsworth, and A M Johnson. "Provision of sex education and early sexual experience: the relation examined." BMJ 311: 12 AUG 1995 417-420. 02 OCT 2007.
A study conducted of over 18000 16-59 year olds in the UK discovered that there is no significant relationship to sexual education and age of first sexual experience, contrary to the belief that it encourages sexual activity. Additionally, a significant increase in contraception use was found in those who had had sex education.
"One of the most dramatic findings from the national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles was the sharp fall in the age at which people become sexually active," K Wellings says. As a result, sex-education has been targeted as the cause for this drop, and many advocate abstinence-only education as a way to keep teens safe from STDs and pregnancy. In Welling et al's paper, "Provision of sex education and early sexual experience: the relation examined," no significant difference was found in the age of first sexual intercourse experience and exposure to sex education. Yet, there was a significant increase in use of contraception in teens that had enrolled in a sex-education as opposed to abstinence-only course. The sample included over 18000 participants, all aged 16-59. More than 2/3 of the group felt like they don't know enough about sexual matters.
Wellings, K, J Wadsworth, and A M Johnson. "Provision of sex education and early sexual experience: the relation examined." BMJ 311: 12 AUG 1995 417-420. 02 OCT 2007
A study conducted of over 18000 16-59 year olds in the UK discovered that there is no significant relationship to sexual education and age of first sexual experience, contrary to the belief that it encourages sexual activity. Additionally, a significant increase in contraception use was found in those who had had sex education.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
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