thoughts

This summer for me has been very slow and quiet. And yet I feel like I am watching it from the outside, kinda like looking through a window watching everything that goes by. On the other side of the window where I am, I am left to observe and think about many different things. Such things that have come up are friends and peoples desire to for knowledge. I have friends and yet when we hang out I always feel this distance. Then at other times I feel farther from them, like I was left behind, but I know its all in my head cause when I look up there smiling at me. The one thing I would love to have is the ability to read minds. If I could do that then perhaps I would know peoples true nature and there would not be need for any pretence. I can not help wonder what people truly think about me and what they say behind my back. I have been involved of many of these, where I find myself talking about people behind their backs with other people, and I always wonder if the person I am talking to has those same conversations with me. I am usually good at perceiving people and this has helped me calm any doubts yet I can't help but wonder what people think of me. And this main thought is probably the main reason for masks. People are to scared to be rejected for who they really are and so create a mask to fit in and yet once you have friends it would be a little confusing cause you can't help but think if they would have liked you as you were but you wont show them the real you cause your to scared they wont like you so you keep up the lie. I think perhaps this is why I seem to be lying more then ever but not only to my friends and those around me but to myself as well. They all know I occasionally lie but what they don't see is that I do it more often then they think. I do not lie to be mean but I lie to make them feel better, give them the friend they need instead of myself.

I think its funny how I cant help but wanting to know about everyone. This has gotten me in a couple of arguments with Jacara because though I gain a little of everyone's life I give nothing of my own in return. She can not stand it and yet the few times I have actually said what was really on my mind she got really mad at me and we wound up fighting. I think if it had not been for the others the friendship but not have lasted this long. I guess the reason why I have not ended it would be because it would cause to much complication cause the group would have to split up and I would feel horrible for putting the others in a position to have to choose sides. So that is why I never tell anybody how I feel, I keep it in. Though I am glad that people can come to me with their problems. I feel like helping them, I don't really need to share or worry about my own problems. And I don't know if I am actually complicated or if I just make my self out to be but my problems and thoughts would just get everyone confused so I keep them in the back of my mind. All of this can be seen as a mask. I think I have allot but perhaps they are all not out in the open where someone can see them. I like to think of them like water where I am transparent and yet I reflect those around me and the situation so that I can easily blend in.

Topic: Masks

Everyone has many different masks for different situations. People would rather let them selves be identified by these masks just to fit in with a certain group. I agree with Yu-xi where individualism is important yet i also think people have a tendency to live by with the mask and make it their identity by throwing away their true self. I wonder why people need masks and how anyone can be certain whether or not anyone is their true self or someone created just so that they will be liked. I wonder if it is people's weakness that makes us lie to our selves and others just to fit in. These masks develop at an early age and do not seem to ever go away in adult life but expand. Is it ever possible to lose yourself in a mask and not remember or can not go back to who you were before the mask? And if this is possible is this how people would rather live then go about being themselves. Maybe masks are a defense for rejection. They know their personality is something that people won't like and so they change just to make friends. Kind of like a two sided person. Where you can sit back behind the mask and watch what ever you do but in a sense be detached at the same time cause it's not really you, just the thing you created, your defense against the world.

Summer project: first blog

1. These days I have been feeling that it does not really feel like summer. The weather down here is very nice and we go to the beach every day but for some reason I can not grasp that it is summer. Perhaps it is because I am usually packed with many things to do instead of having so much free time. Other things I have been thinking is more about life. How so many people seem to fully miscomprehend the idea of life and what is meaningful to them. Surrounded by quiet and the soft flow of the ocean, I love my life and I like to just sit and watch the world unfold.

2. I love not having to wake up early in the morning and instead can sleep as late as I want. The only problem with not having to go to school is that I'm down at the beach and we have a lot of company and there are twin girls down that are 3 years old so the possibility of sleeping any later then 6 or 6 is impossible. This kinda annoys me but going to the beach helps me relax and swimming gets my mind off of everything. The only thing I miss about school is seeing my friends everyday. During the summer everyone goes away so you hardly get to see anyone. Although last year I had everyone come down towards the end of summer and it was really nice. Most of my time is decided by the adults but I do not mind going to the beach and I am also practicing my driving so I'm glad doing different things when later I can drive places. I am proud to say that I have not been in front of the tv since summer started. I have only been on the computer to check my emails although I have been on my ipod all the time when I am at home because it is an escape from all the chaos that is in the house. But its not that bad because I do not have it that loud which means when people are talking I can hear them so I do not et yelled at for having my ipod on.

3. I am up for reading a whole lot. I have many gaps in my schedule in which I would love to just sit down and read. I would possibly go and find a quiet spot to be by myself cause every once in a while it is good to have some alone time to think and read and just be alone.

4. I would be up for Andy's idea to go biking but another possibility could be going down to my beach house and I wouldn't mind hiking on the Appalachian Trail and maybe having a picnic since there wouldn't be any places to stop and eat there. I have gone hiking on the Appalachian trail and have enjoyed it because where I have went there is a beautiful waterfall that is nice to stop by and dip your feel in. I have also seen 2 black bears on one of the trips I had went which was exciting. But I would be up for anything.

5. I will be leaving for california on the 21 until the 27 of july. But other then that I would be in New Jersey and could come into the city when ever the date is decided.

6. I think I would like to know people's thoughts on life in general and what they think about it. Not just what is meaningful to them but what they think about life and what they see for themselves in this society.

7. Comments:
Andy
I also like the bike riding idea. I think it will be a good idea since most of the time I think during the summer people get more lazy.
I think talking about mind sets after Andy's class is a great idea because that class got so many people thinking and having new ideas and even not in particular coming up with new ideas but developing ones we already had.

Good and Meaningful life (final paper)

Through the ages people have had many different beliefs on what is a good and meaningful life. Though the question arises what is a good and meaningful life? Often people’s perceptions on what is a good and meaningful life are influenced by the things in our every day lives. But there are also those that do not follow the dominant messages and define what is meaningful to them by the marginal and prohibited stuff in our culture. Corporate culture causes us to be puppets controlled by the strings of dominant and marginal messages making us have little control over our ideas on what is a good and meaningful life.

In my life right now I am surrounded by industrialization. So many things have changed. Values in particular have changed. Many people only care about the hottest and newest thing available. But I feel that if everyone lived much simpler lives and perhaps in a much simpler time then everyone would learn what is really meaningful in their lives. I feel that sometimes people confuse what’s meaningful to them with an illusion of what makes them happy and what they feel they could not live with out. And today that thing would most likely be wealth because the more money they have the more things they can buy which they think will make them happier. Although when going out on the street and asking people what was meaningful to them in their lives the majority answer was family. So there are some people who believe that meaningful things are not just material. Though I am sure there are many more who believe that material objects are most meaningful. This is because of the corporate messaging that goes on daily. Many different messages from what food you should eat, what you should wear, what’s the hottest look and many other things.

Andy Snyder said “Sometimes the way we determine the meaning of something is based on the function it serves in our lives”. I find this very true in my interpretation on what’s good and meaningful in my life. My family and friends play a big role in my life. I spend half my time with my friends and the other half with my family. They are with me throughout my life and will be there for me when I need help. As I grow older and my circle of friends may expand or shrink, I know that my family will always be there. And even when I’m away from my friends and family I can still chat with them over the phone or with instant messenger. It is also meaningful to me to know that I will always be there for them when they need me. My cats are also meaningful to me. They are a part of my family and have been with me since I was 5 years old.
The meaningful things in my life have to bring me happiness and have to have a good purpose. The meaningless things in my life are things that will not help me in the future and may hurt me. Though most of the time our lives are filled with both the meaningful and the non-meaningful things. And we accept the meaningless things because without having some meaningless stuff we couldn't appreciate all the meaningful things in life. To me material possessions are things that don’t make my life meaningful. Wealth is important and you see that in corporate messages yet those things are expendable. They are just face value. They don’t last like friends and family. I also believe that no one else can tell you what’s meaningful in your life. Only you can say what makes you happy. And maybe you think this is all wrong and that’s all right because they are my opinions and I may not have gotten them by myself but they still hold true for me.

I think being simple is important. I would take a day at the park or a day at the beach over a day in front of the tv and computer. I will be much happier and I will also be healthier. Being healthy is important in my life. I want to live as long a life as possible and even knowing that I will die eventually I want to make the most out of my life and try to not waste to much of it listening to the corporate culture of society. I also love the fact that any one of my friends will be right there hanging out with me outside. And who knows, maybe we could have a whole group gathering just being outside and breathing in fresh air instead of the cites polluted air. This also makes us more animal like. Most people today try to distance themselves from the fact that they are not animals but in reality we are no different.
In the end the meaningful things in my life are my friends and family. Though the fact is I am only 17 and I have room to change and forget things. In truth there is no saying that once I get farther into my life that I will not have a change of heart. So a question I have is when I get older will I still hold the same values and ideas that I do today?

Collapse assignment 2

Through out this unit of collapse it has become apparent that the world we live in will ultimately collapse due to a slow decline or an immediate one. The way the worlds people live today is the cause of this downfall. Looking at how dependent we are on oil and other natural resources, and at how the people of Easter Island did as there natural resources started to run out because they were not paying attention to how much they use them, it can be said that we will also face a collapse. Yet too many people are not aware of this. Everyone thinks the world will last forever and that the natural resources will never deplete. Even with all the warnings of global warming, people can not seem to be bothered because they do not think it will concern them anytime soon. But the fact remains everyone leaves a carbon footprint. The cars people drive, the gas they put into their cars are all fossil fuels and are depleting and are also the cause of global warming. According to the "Crude Impact" we use 84 billion barrels of oil a day. Most of the things we use in our everyday life also come from oil. So if people do not stop and pay attention to their oil consumption then this world and our culture will collapse and it will leave many people wondering about what happened and how did this come to be even though the signs were there all along.

For 50,000 to 100,000 years, there was a steady population of only two million people populating this earth. Once the year 1800 came around, there were one billion people living on the earth (Crude Impact). The worlds population is increasing. As the population increases so does our consumption of oil. Fossil fuels make it easier to have more people because they can grow more food. They were also able to use coal instead of timber so they did not need to worry about the trees. They started cutting down forests and many animals were left with out homes and many populations of wild life died. This as well as fossil fuels enabled more food to grow and led to more people. In 1930 there were 2 billion people. By 1974 there was 4 billion and by 2010 there will be 7 billion people. All of this leads to the increase in our oil consumption. But it is predicted that there will be a peak and after that peak the oil level will go down. And when the oil level goes down the price of that oil will go up. When there is no more oil there will be a start to our collapse because no one will be prepared for it. I think that scientists will try to come up with ways to find more oil but even if they do it would not stop the drop in oil it would only prevent it for a little while. This is not only something we are dealing with. This problem is happening all around the world.

Easter Island is an island that was isolated from the rest of the world. It holds many beautiful statues in which the habitant built from stone or wood. As time went on there were competitions between the different clans to see who could build the best statue. As this went on, many natural resources were used and many trees were cut down. With the loss of trees the soil became unhealthy and could support the crops that were planted. With the loss of their natural resources their collapse begun. America can also head in that direction. America uses many natural resources with out thinking of a consequence. From looking at what happened in Easter Island it can be said that America will follow down that path.

Easter Island

Through out the article there were many similarities between it's history and our Americas. That like the natives that lived on this land first, as the ones on Easter island did when Europeans came and explored and then decided to stay it meant the death of many natives either because of sickness or fighting for land. Then there is the part where the natives fought with themselves over who was better. Today we do a lot of that. Though what shows which country is the strongest is based on how many biochemical weapons they have in their possession. Then there is the class system. Every country has one. The upper class got better homes and got to over see the work that was going on on the plantations. While the workers got the crappy homes were they had to walk to the in land. This is also like our culture. Where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The homeless or the poor people have lower class homes and the rich people get the nicer homes. There is also the fact that both of us are wasting our natural resources. Cutting down all the trees to build their statues and America cutting down all the forests just to build condos and to pave concrete over them. This caused them to fall and will eventually cause us to fall as well.

What I found the most interesting is how the natives created the statues with out any "advanced" tools. They built such huge and detailed statues and I can not seem to understand how they lifted them onto their pedestals. Then i can not understand why anyone would want to destroy a big part of someone's culture. As the different clans battled to have the best statues, they cut up many trees and wasted their resources. With out trees the soil gets unhealthy. We as Americans have more advanced tools it will be much easier for us to destroy the world we live in. There is a lot of soil erosion. The tractors that dig up the soil are killing it. Most of the soil will be no good to use meaning we won't be able to use it to plant anything. Then we are gonna need to find somewhere else to get our food unless they create something where we can plant the crops in. We do not know how much we rely on our natural resources and then when they are gone it will be all over cause we will never see it coming.

The postponement of reality and moral responsibilities (second draft)

Through out the years farming in its self has changed from farmers actually going out and plowing and growing all sorts of crops to one to two farmers driving trucks producing mass amounts of crops (usually just two crops, which are corn and soy beans). Industry is to blame for what has happened to the way factory farming has grown and how it produces all its products. The argument can be made that nothing is natural anymore because of the process in which meat and crops are obtained. It can also be seen as the consumer’s fault for how things have turned out with farming. To meet all the demands of the consumers, industrialization has taken over to find the best way to mass-produce our foods. There in lies the question is there any alternative option to industrial food? Then in my opinion there are many people that are not aware that they are surrounded by so many wrongs and are disillusioned about where there food comes from. Many factory farms treat animals inhumanely and by government regulation are allowed to do so. But I feel that if more people got a closer look into where their food came from then they would stop and think about everything that our society has told us or has not told us about our food. Industrialization has caused family farming to be something of the past where it’s image has become distorted with an overwhelming sense of manufacturing.

“Eating is an agricultural act”. It is all part of a process. The factories “make” the food, than it gets put into grocery stores and then bought by the consumer. But most consumers are unaware of what is really happening in the factories that “make” our food. With the overwhelming demand for meat factory farming has found a way that more meat can be made, the same goes for eggs and milk. The animals during a time when there was no factory farming, lived their lives out in the open where they could roam free. But now most animals are “confined to the point that they can barely move” (Farms to fridge) because the workers want to fit as many animals in a smaller amount of space so that there will be more of them come time to kill them. These conditions just get worse. It is said that the chicken is the most abused animal on the planet. Yet all animals that go into factory farming are abused. All animals are tightly packed. Some even wind up walking on the dead because a lot of animals die in those conditions. The dead even get fed back to the living. Calf's get fed milk supplements that contain cow blood,increasing the cow's chance of getting mad cow disease and spreading it not only to other cows but to the humans that eat them. Chicken’s beaks get cut off because they do not want the chickens fighting and getting killed. Pigs get mutilated when just born and are not given any painkillers and cows tails are cut off. According to the meatrix, dairy farms give their cows RBGH, which is a growth hormone so that cows produce more milk. RBGH have been banned in Canada and the European union and yet is still being used today in the USA. Then after growing up in the factories and being sent to the slaughterhouse most are conscious during the time when their throats are slit. Yet when chickens are sick and are about to die, farmers beat them with metal rods and when pigs get sick they are slammed into the floor headfirst. I have no idea how anyone can do this as a living. I would be so put up with meat but then there lies the problem. The people that do know what’s going on and continue to eat meat probably are less concerned because they do not see it happening, they just know its happening.

Our government is also to blame for the treatment of the animals. They profit from the many factory farms and don't seem to care all that much about the family farms that are being put out of business. The government is also doing nothing about the living conditions of the many animals that live on the farm. Then there is the government telling consumers that the more they "apply chemicals and technology to agriculture, the more food will be produced and the lower the price will be to the consumer"(Industrial Food is Cheap). In many cases industrialized food is cheaper then organic food. But if you look at it in the long run a lot of money is going into the process of making food such as the many hormones being given to the cows, the many machines, etc. There is also the price of the clean up of toxins that get polluted from the factories. These toxins are effecting the many communities that live near these factory farming and it also effects the animals living there. And yet many of these factory farms are under government regulation. As long as they profit they see nothing wrong in what is happening to the animals. But what I cannot seem to understand is why treat these animals so badly? They give us our food and by living in harsh conditions many die. It’s kind of like the slave owner. He treats his workers badly but if it weren’t for them he wouldn’t make any money so wouldn’t it be smarter to be nicer and not get them hurt so that they can function right and do their job. It’s the same with the animals. They help support human life. But all we do is take and there is nothing that is being given back.

Our culture does not want us knowing about these ways in which farming has developed. When we are little kids we are taught about the family farms and are shown pictures of happy animals living in wide pastures. Most Americans today probably are not aware of where there food comes from and how the animals are treated. I think it if anyone is to change it would be kids. Older people are set into their ways too much to make a change but kids have all the potential to change themselves and other around them. If a kid wanted to start eating food that came from family farms then it would cause the other members in the family to try it as well. In my opinion schools should start to teach the kids about what goes on with factory farming so that as they get older they won’t live their lives ignorant to matters that surround their daily lives. Before learning about all of this in this class I was kind of aware that most farms today are not what they used to be. But I could have never guessed that most animals that live on factory farms are treated so badly. Most animals are compacted so closely together that they cannot move right and then there are those like cows that are sick and have milk pumped from them daily and are given hormones that give them more milk. This is such an unnatural way of doing something and it is appalling. I never knew that calf's get fed blood from those that have died. I do not know why anyone would do this to any animal.

Living in today’s society it’s hard to see a world with out meat. It’s the human way to want to control everything. We have taken nature and made it impure and unethical by adding all these machines and treating the animals so badly. Industrialization has lead the movement to shut down family farming going on since the beginning of the 20th century and does not seem to have an end until the whole world is consumed with industrialization. I am also surprised that no one is really speaking out about it and how our government can let this happen. Though I feel that if a majority were told only perhaps less then half might do something about it, half would change their perspective and start watching where they get their food and the other half would be like oh I never knew that and not be affected. After concluding this course I have made a resolution to start noticing where my food comes from and when I go out to buy meat and other products from the grocery store I will make sure it is organic. I am a little sad to say that even after watching all the videos on animal’s cruelty I will still eat chicken and occasionally other meat. Although there are some alternatives to where you buy your products. Kosher meat is better then most meat because they treat their animals humanely. Though in my opinion slitting the throat when someone is still alive is cruel. But at least they live better lives then those growing up in factory farming. Industry is a bad thing to our culture. It puts things in the past like family farming and turns us in a new direction. Some can argue that its better but in my opinion soem of the things that come from it are bad.

The postponement of reality and moral responsibilities (final paper)

Through out the years farming in its self has changed from farmers actually going out and plowing and growing all sorts of crops to one to two farmers driving trucks producing mass amounts of crops (usually just two crops, which are corn and soy beans). Industry is to blame for what has happened to the way factory farming has grown and how it produces all its products. The argument can be made that nothing is natural anymore because of the process in which meat and crops are obtained. It can also be seen as the consumer’s fault for how things have turned out with farming. To meet all the demands of the consumers, industrialization has taken over to find the best way to mass-produce our foods. There in lies the question is there any alternative option to industrial food? Then in my opinion there are many people that are not aware that they are surrounded by so many wrongs and are disillusioned about where there food comes from. Many factory farms treat animals inhumanely and by government regulation are allowed to do so. But I feel that if more people got a closer look into where their food came from then they would stop and think about everything that our society has told us or has not told us about our food. Industrialization has caused family farming to be something of the past where it’s image has become distorted with an overwhelming sense of manufacturing.

“Eating is an agricultural act”. It is all part of a process. The factories “make” the food, than it gets put into grocery stores and then bought by the consumer. But most consumers are unaware of what is really happening in the factories that “make” our food. With the overwhelming demand for meat factory farming has found a way that more meat can be made, the same goes for eggs and milk. The animals during when there was no factory farming, lived their lives out in the open where they could roam free. But now most animals are “confined to the point that they can barely move” (Farms to fridge) because the workers want to fit as many animals in a smaller amount of space so that there will be more of them come time to kill them. These conditions just get worse. It is said that the chicken is the most abused animal on the planet. Yet all animals that go into factory farming are abused. All animals are tightly packed. Some even wind up walking on the dead because a lot of animals die in those conditions. Chicken’s beaks get cut off because they do not want the chickens fighting and getting killed. According to the meatrix, dairy farms give their cows RBGH, which is a growth hormone so that cows produce more milk. RBGH have been banned in Canada and the European union and yet is still being used today in the USA. Then after growing up in the factories and being sent to the slaughterhouse most are conscious during the time when their throats are slit. Yet when chickens are sick and are about to die, farmers beat them with metal rods and when pigs get sick they are slammed into the floor headfirst. I have no idea how anyone can do this as a living. I would be so put up with meat but then there lies the problem. The people that do know what’s going on and continue to eat meat probably are less concerned because they do not see it happening, they just know its happening.

Our government is also to blame for the treatment of the animals. They profit from the many factory farms and don't seem to care all that much about the family farms that are being put out of business. The government is also doing nothing about the living conditions of the many animals that live on the farm. Then there is the government telling consumers that the more they "apply chemicals and technology to agriculture, the more food will be produced and the lower the price will be to the consumer"(Industrial Food is Cheap). In many cases industrialized food is cheaper then organic food. But if you look at it in the long run a lot of money is going into the process of making food such as the many hormones being given to the cows, the many machines, etc. There is also the price of the clean up of toxins that get polluted from the factories. These toxins are effecting the many communities that live near these factory farming and it also effects the animals living there. And yet many of these factory farms are under government regulation. As long as they profit they see nothing wrong in what is happening to the animals. But what I cannot seem to understand is why treat these animals so badly? They give us our food and by living in harsh conditions many die. It’s kind of like the slave owner. He treats his workers badly but if it weren’t for them he wouldn’t make any money so wouldn’t it be smarter to be nicer and not get them hurt so that they can function right and do their job. It’s the same with the animals. They help support human life. But all we do is take and there is nothing that is being given back.

Our culture does not want us knowing about these ways in which farming has developed. When we are little kids we are taught about the family farms and are shown pictures of happy animals living in wide pastures. Most Americans today probably are not aware of where there food comes from and how the animals are treated. I think it if anyone is to change it would be kids. Older people are set into their ways too much to make a change but kids have all the potential to change themselves and other around them. If a kid wanted to start eating food that came from family farms then it would cause the other members in the family to try it as well. In my opinion schools should start to teach the kids about what goes on with factory farming so that as they get older they won’t live their lives ignorant to matters that surround their daily lives. Before learning about all of this in this class I was kind of aware that most farms today are not what they used to be. But I could have never guessed that most animals that live on factory farms are treated so badly. Most animals are compacted so closely together that they cannot move right and then there are those like cows that are sick and have milk pumped from them daily and are given hormones that give them more milk. This is such an unnatural way of doing something and it is appalling. I never knew that calf's get fed blood from those that have died. I do not know why anyone would do this to any animal.

Living in today’s society it’s hard to see a world with out meat. It’s the human way to want to control everything. We have taken nature and made it impure and unethical by adding all these machines and treating the animals so badly. Industrialization has lead the movement to shut down family farming going on since the beginning of the 20th century and does not seem to have an end until the whole world is consumed with industrialization. I am also surprised that no one is really speaking out about it and how our government can let this happen. Though I feel that if a majority were told only perhaps less then half might do something about it, half would change their perspective and start watching were they get their food and the other half would be like oh I never knew that and not be affected. After learning this course I have made a resolution to start noticing where my food comes from and when I go out to buy meat and other products from the grocery store I will make sure it is organic. I am a little sad to say that even after watching all the videos on animal’s cruelty I will still eat chicken and occasionally other meat.

Problems with our food culture

Industry is to blame for what has happened to the way factory farming has grown and the way they treat animals. Though they are not the only ones to blame. our government is also to blame. They profit from the many factory farms and don't seem to care all that much about the family farms that are being put out of business. The government is also doing nothing about the living conditions of the many animals that live on the farm. And our culture does not want us knowing about these ways in which farming has developed. When we are little kids we are taught about the family farms and are shown pictures of happy animals living in wide pastures. Most Americans today probably are not aware of where there food comes from and how the animals are treated. Before learning about all of this in this class I was kind of aware that most farms today are not what they used to be. But I could have never guessed that most animals that live on the farm are treated so badly. Most animals are compacted so closely together that they can not move right and then there are those like cows that are sick and have milk pumped from them daily and are given hormones that give them more milk. This is such an unnatural way of doing something and it is appalling. I never knew that calf's get fed blood from those that have died. I do not know why anyone would do this to any animal. I am also surprised that no one is really speaking out about it and how our government can let this happen. Though I feel that if a majority were told only perhaps less then half might do something about it, half would change their perspective and start watching were they get their food and the other half would be like oh i never knew that and not be affected.

Then there is the government telling consumers that the more they "apply chemicals and technology to agriculture, the more food will be produced and the lower the price will be to the consumer"(Industrial Food is Cheap). When people try to argue they fight back with this saying how everything they are doing with factory farming is making everything cheap and with out it food would be to expensive. "the industry has even succeeded in portraying supporters of organic food production as wealthy elitists who don't care about how much the poor will have to pay for food" (Industrial Food is Cheap). This is a way of turning the focus on someone else rather then themselves. If you create an enemy then the people will want to join in on the cause and forget the important matters like factory farming and animal cruelty. There is a lot of money going into the process of making food such as the many hormones being given to the cows, the many machines, etc. There is also the price clean up toxins that get polluted from the factories. These toxins are effecting the many communities that live near these factory farming and it also effects the animals living there.

Omnivores Dilemma chapter 2

Through out the years farming has changed from farmers actually going out and plowing and growing all sorts of crops to one to two farmers driving trucks producing more crops but only two crops still are being plants which is corn and soy beans. This change in how things are done is actually worsening the soil and damaging it so that it can not be repaired. This is happening everywhere and because of this the farmers need more land to grow cause once the soil cant be used to grow anything they move on to the next plot of land, killing more and more of the earth. This extra land being used also cause problems for the animals that live on the farm. The land they once were able to stay in has been used to plant the farmers crops so the animals are put into pens in which they have no space to walk around. This is also happening in the Amazon Rain forest in south America. Many trees are being cut down and the soil used to plant grass in which they can feed the cattle for all their meat. This kills the soil and every time it does they move deeper into the rain forest leaving many people and animals out of their homes. I wonder how its going to be like in 10-20 years when there is no healthy soil anymore and the farmers will need to find a new source of land where they can farm. And if this is the case then more and more trees are going to die and we would be cutting down "the lungs of the earth" and causing many problems for us humans in the future.

The two main plants that grow on a farm are corn and soybeans probably because everything that we eat has some version of corn in it. Although I had learned recently about the three sisters. This name came from native Americans whom have been farming far longer then we as "Americans" have. The three main agricultural crops are corn, squash and beans. These are the perfect crops to plant with each other. The squash goes in between the corn stalks and the beans usually grow on the stalks and all three are supposed to be beneficial for the others. I wonder if farmers started planting more crops that did well together instead of having genetically made corn that are the some so they wont have to fight for sun and nutrients then would the soil not get eroded.

Everything that is happening could be blamed on both the corn and the tractors (new technology). So what I am wondering is new technology a good thing? and are the consumers also to blame for the loss of farms. The consumers consume much more then they can eat and want everything in high supply. With this many of the farms feel pressured to produce a huge quantity of crops. Because the horse and plow could not meet these demands they have become obsolete and tractors have taken their place. Then the corn was seen as the crop that gave the farmers the most money because you can practically find it in anything we consume, so they began to grow just corn at huge amounts so that they can meet the demands and in doing so have been unable to feed their own families from their "labor" because the corn has to go through being processed first in order for it to be eaten.
I can not stop to comprehend what has been going on with the fertilization of crops. Having created ammonium nitrate fertilizer by fixing and controlling nitrogen is something I would never have thought of. I feel in a way this is just as bad as it is good in peoples eyes. I cannot understand humans needs to be able to have a power over everything and to later and change things that should be left alone. Nitrogen is one of the main leaders of causing acid rain when fossil fuels are leaked into the air. Acid rain can hurt crops and plants by causing them to die. "Liberated from the old biological constraints, the farm could now be managed on industrial principles"(45). Now humans are no longer need nature to help support them but instead can use their chemicals and products to survive. But this causes problems for the wild life. "By fertilizing the world, we alter the planet's composition of species and shrink its biodiversity" (47).

Vincent:
Its like the quote in the book "men have become tools of their tools. With not needing sunlight anymore and using fertilizers made from nitrogen and a bunch of other things, we have put our hands in the fact that all these things will keep working for us. We are now dependent on them to keep growing crops and there will be many changes to them so that they can grew more and more crops most effectively. A better thing to farmers is all of this new technology but they don't think of the other outcomes of it. Like how it is effecting the other life sources around them. Naylor's family has even been effected by some side effects like the fact that they cannot drink tap water. they see this happening and now the cause but wont stop to think why are we doing this and how can we stop it? Do you think you have an idea to why they continue to use all the new products knowing all the consequences?

Comments on other peoples blogs

Gavin:
Its interesting to see how the fact that we don't have a food culture may seem in its own way Americas own personal food culture. I had never thought about it and am not sure a totally agree. I dont think America has its own food culture but that as americans individually we do and that is because of the choices we choose after all the media all into what we decide to eat and what is healthy.

Henry:
Americans have no food culture I agree but I would be interested to what you have to say about what Gavin said. I agree that we have no foods for our selves but usually use other cultures as our own. We do not have anything for our selves as Americans, our culture is a big combination of what we liked from other cultures and we make them our own.

Rachel:
I like how most of our families do not follow the TVs and medias generalizations of what to eat for food. I think its good that your mom makes her own things and does not allow fast food for dinner. Its healthier when its not part of your everyday meals. Maybe you should learn to cook and then cook things you want so she is not always in control.

Second draft on Pollan

In the book Omnivores Dilemma, Americans do not have a food culture. Everyone is so scattered and indecisive that we listen to what ever the media tells us to eat. We base our opinions of what's good and what is healthy on what the TV says, we use that to base our meals. We usually do not know what to eat and we usually do not know which diet is the best. Our decisions come from the ads on TV and how things are set up to catch our eye in the grocery stores. People take the atkains diet is where people are told only to eat meat and no grains or fruit. This is bad because your body is not going to get all the necessary proteins and carbs that it needs to function. But people do not take this into account because they only listen to the results of the diet and they might not even care or think its unhealthy because no one ever mentioned it to them. Gavin had said that this indecisiveness is in fact our own food culture. But I see it as our way of coping with all the decisions. And in its own way puts on a false culture look so that people don't think anything is wrong with the way they eat and will continue to eat like this under the excuse of because its our culture. With all of the influences around us telling us what to eat and what is healthy we choose from those options thinking there is no other choice. Yet there is always a choice. Like the Italians who have set food culture my family is just like it although in someways we also add a little of our own culture from the influences from society. We set our own food culture from what past generations have done and have passed down. We do watch the news and listen the newest trends about food and I usually do not listen to what they say but I do have a couple of good laughs when I think about the people that do listen with out any questions.

popcorn recipe from Yu-xi

-2 tablespoons olive oil or any other oil
-1/2 cup of kernels
-2-3 packets of sugar (raw sugar packets)

Directions
1. Pour the oil in the pan over medium high heat
2. Put 2 kernals in the oil (this is alittle tip to test when the kernels are ready to be put in)
3. After the two kernels pop put the rest of the kernels in the oil
4. Pop the rest of the popcorn
5. Put the sugar once its done popping (2 tea spoons)
6. While sugar is melting stir the popcorn to coat w/ the melted sugar
7. Turn off heat and add a pinch of salt

done!
(watch the popcorn and sugar to make sure it doesn't burn)

Omnivores Diemma

In the book Omnivores Dilemma, Americans do not have a food culture. Everyone is so scattered and indecisive that we listen to what ever the media tells us to eat. We base our opinions of what's good and what is healthy on what the TV says, we use that to base our meals. We usually do not know what to eat and we usually do not know which diet is the best. Our decisions come from the ads on TV and how things are set up to catch our eye in the grocery stores. People take the atkains diet is where people are told only to eat meat and no grains or fruit. This is bad because your body is not going to get all the necessary proteins and carbs that it needs to function. But people do not take this into account because they only listen to the results of the diet and they might not even care or think its unhealthy because no one ever mentioned it to them.

Going to the grocery store

At the grocery store we went to look at the chips and cookies. The whole entire shelf was nabisco products and the healthy food was on the top shelf out of reach, the chocolate and sweet stuff in the middle where people mostly look and then there were rice crakes in the corner where if you had not been looking you wouldn't have seen them. There were 8 types of chips ahoy and 36 different products in total. The products that are unhealthy and more expensive are at eye level where you can see them. The sweet stuff is also usually in colorful packaging that makes people want to buy them. At the grocery store me and my mom always go to the grocery store and there are always so many different choices of that one product. With fruit we try to get the fruit that is not bruised and is usually less expensive. We do not really pay attention to the facts about calories or whether the meat is not processed.

Food Habits

In a common week I eat about a total of 21 things from vegetables, fruits, beans and grains. The most amount of things that I eat in a week is fruits. I eat a lot of fruits, I have fruit with my breakfast sometimes a pear or an apple then at night I have oranges and raspberries as snacks. I also eat a good amount of vegetables. I eat mostly broccoli and carrots but I do tend to eat other things. I do not eat nuts and I do not eat beans. So I only really eat rice and what ever grains are in the bread I eat. I always was introduced to a wide range of foods and when I was younger I used to eat a lot more of everything. But I do not eat a lot of the things that I used to and I do not know why. Perhaps its because of the theory that when you eat a lot of things overtime you will get tired of everything. I am hoping that in time my tastes will change again and that I can increase the amount of different types of food that I eat. This may in time make my eating habits more healthy and I can enjoy more of different cultures food. I think that in a common week I have a small range of different cultures food. Sometimes we have chinese other times we have Italian and then other times we have Mexican or spanish.

Brooklyn Food Conference

Going to the different booths on the 2nd and 4th floor was very interesting. I expected there to be less in ways of actual food and more in ways of educational booths that give insights to what goes into the actual food we eat and ways that we could start to make our meals more healthy. The food was interesting and the cookie that i tasted was just as good as normal cookies but was made with corn bread substance instead of dough. There were many different stands and while I was walking around I thought about what the people's views were on recycling. Many people think recycling is better for the environment while others find it uses to many resources.

The workshop that I attended was the school food activism workshop. I thought it was very interesting. The more I heard what the speakers were talking about the more I seemed to disagree with them. They went on to talk about how there is not enough money for staff, ingredients and other numerous stuff. They gave all their views on how they want to make the food served at lunch more healthy. Me and Jacara just looked at each other and shook our heads. In our opinion if the cafeteria were to serve only healthy stuff most of the kids at school were either going to start going out to eat or not eat at all. In my opinion its stupid to change the whole menu. They should at least leave some things because people's tastes are different. It would also be harder for teenagers to switch their eating habits then it is for young kids. Today during lunch we went to eat at the cafeteria and as soon as we saw the food we walked straight out and did not eat lunch. They were serving toffu, and meatless sandwiches. I am a picky eater and for them to consider changing the lunch menu is a little upsetting. Although I am not against them putting more healthy things on the menu. I am sure people would love the chance to choose what they want to eat for lunch. It also seemed as the speakers were talking our school was not even one of the ones that has a set program where people come to our school and do surveys where they see where the students feel about the food being served at lunch.

May day

May day seems to me one more blunder America has to add to its long list. But not just our government, also its people. It astounds me that people would be pacified by our government so willingly. They tell us one thing and with out any question or thought we are ready to accept it. Countries all over the world celebrate may day. Labor unions and hard workers gather to protest and hold demonstrations for those killed in the Haymarket martyrs. The only countries that do not celebrate May day are the united states and Canada. Although many people have tried to get the holiday official their efforts have mostly worked. The official federal version of "workers day" is labor day on the first Monday in September. Allowing our government to change and create holidays on their whim should not be tolerated. Especially when its almost a cover up, by taking the spot light of the negative event and transforming it in to a new holiday (by saying look how good we are, we're giving you a new event). Even when its the birth place of the specific event. Not taking charge in our governments actions will lead them to think that they can go and meddle in affairs that lead them to take away our rights little by little. This in my opinion does not make our lives meaningful. Being led around on short leashes and living in Americas plastic bubble leaves Americans unable to think for themselves and easily ready to accept any news they get whether its truth or fiction.

Food journal

Starting on Tuesday night I had dinner with my mom and we where watching TV. I was hungry and after eating quesidillas with yellow rice that my mom made I was still a little hungry and so I had an orange after. After the orange I felt satisfied and was a little drowsy when watching TV. But before dinner I had raspberries and i drank iced tea. Then the next day I had breakfast by myself while watching the news. I was tired and did not feel like being awake and was not really hungry but I ate anyway. I had 2 bagels with butter and 1 egg and drank berry juice. I also had a pear and vitamins. Even after I ate I was still tired although I was more aware then before I ate. Then during the day I had a piece of gum before lunch. Then during lunch me and Sandy shared a chicken roll and we both had Snapple's. Lunch was alright. There was a discussion going on about the senior trip and so things were a little loud but that was alright. Then during dinner I was hungry but I did not enjoy the meal. I was to stressed out with completing my exhibition that I quickly ate my dinner which was Chicken and broccoli and iced tea and ran quickly back to work. I was not very happy that I could not relax and eat. My mom cooks all my meals except for the meals during lunch.

food cultures

For big dinner's its usually just my mom and I unless you count the holiday dinners where the whole family gets together and eats. But since it is just me and my mom our dinner is very informal. We usually have take out or my mom cooks a meal and we sit down and watch TV together. We used to sit at the table and have dinner and talk about our days but recently dinner has consisted of sitting in front of the TV, which I think she does not mind cause we like to watch shows together. Our meals are pretty much the same with little variety, chicken cooked in different ways, sometimes rice with the chicken, my mom has me eating more broccoli, and there is always the pasta. Then sometimes we call for Chinese take out. Then after dinner we are always seeming to be eating snacks, like chips or candy.
The U.S mainstream version of eating family meals is that the women usually cooks while if the man were to cook it would be something more "manly" like barbecuing in the backyard making hamburgers. The wife would cook one meal a week and during that time the family had to stay at the table for 15- 20 minutes talking about their days. The rest of the time the kids would make their own dinner consisting of "white" products like ham, white bread and mayonnaise. Then occasionally they would go out to dinner like a fast food restaurant.
My food ways I would say are different then my family's only to the degree where I need to eat at least three meals a day and then snacks in between those meals. I do not eat a lot during a meal and so I am hungry when the next one comes around and I am always eating snacks. Now my family can go with out one meal because when they have a meal they are usually so full that they could not eat anything later. I am also a picky eater and in my opinion sometimes do not get enough things that are good for my body. I would also say my family is in between the mainstream eating and our own personal ways. My grandpa always used to cook the meals and my Grandma was never good in the kitchen. He always made the best stuff and I couldn't wait until we got to eat, knowing I'm picky he always made my favorite even if nobody else would eat it. I guess then my mom is a better baker then chef which is stereotypical but she does alright. Then the other males in my family also love to barbecue and rarely step into the kitchen otherwise but they would if asked.

Answers to food

How much food do we waste?
There are some problems that the cost of food does not match the production price and so a lot of food is just rotting. I wonder why they do not give the extra food to kids who need it. "The result is a 1.5 million of tons wasted every year and 4 billion of Euro frittered away". (http://ecoworldly.com/2008/06/26/how-much-food-do-we-waste/)

"As it turns out, Americans waste an astounding amount of food — an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption, according to a government study" This waste of food tends to happen at restaurants, at home, at supermarkets and at cafeterias. People usually get more then they can eat and wind up throwing it all away when they could get a lot of small portions if those portions are finished and the person is still hungry. "It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American". 

"The Nation’s Food Bank Network, a group of more than 200 food banks, reports that donations of food are down 9 percent, but the number of people showing up for food has increased 20 percent. The group distributes more than two billion pounds of donated and recovered food and consumer products each year."(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/weekinreview/18martin.html)

Moral Health

Through out the years there have been many issues presented to America that test its morality. Everyone has different views on what’s moral and what is not but when living with a culture like America there will be an over all moral definition. Moral health deals with personal values and what in the person’s opinion is right and wrong. In my opinion our morals are very unhealthy. Most Americans put themselves first before others and hold materialistic objects very high. In our daily lives it seems we cannot live with out electronics and other things we would not necessarily need to function. Things such as ipods and phones are luxuries and we should learn to appreciate them. And yet when something newer and better comes around we are ready to throw them away even though they can still be used. Other luxuries such as TV’s go the same way. Everyone is always trying to go out and buy the new plasma TV and flat screen TV’s just to look better in the eyes of our friends and neighbors. We seem to think money is expendable and are ready to buy unnecessary things and even during hard times people still try to buy the material objects. But with the money wasted on these luxuries could be used to better the lives of other people.
According to the United Nations children’s fund 30,000- 35,000 kids die a day. Yet with a donation of $200 one kid can be saved. Most people are so consumed with themselves that they cannot even be bothered with considering what other people are going through. Then there is also the problem with the amount of organizations that are available to offer help to those in need. There are so many that some people do not know who to give their money to and if the money is actually going to the people who need it. The people that consider this are in the lowest percent out of the whole population. This makes us morally unhealthy. I also think it has to do with our government. If the people saw that the government cared about what’s going on with the well being of others then maybe they would learn to take a step up and do something. Rather then the government sending money for the Iraq war for 2 days and not buying some weapons could save children for a year. But our morals tell us that we need to put ourselves before others.
This unit has taught me a lot about people's morals. When given a situation that tests our morals we have been seen to discuss it before we ever make a decision. I wonder is it is because we want others to hear what we have to say and change their opinion or because we want to seem right in the eyes of others. I think it could be a little of both. Maybe this is the other reason people seem to have the same relative view on different things. And when you have no clue of what an answer could be you look to other people to give you an answer and later forming it as your own.

Food in the refrigerator

- orange
- Grapes
- Berry Juice
- Iced Tea
- water
- yogurt
- Strawberries
- raspberries
- Corn
- Potatoes
- Bagels
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Broccoli
- Cheese
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Butter
- steak
- Rice

Looking at all the things in my fridge it seems to me that my mom and I have a routine eating habit. We either have what ever is in the house which would consist of pasta, chicken and rice and sometimes quesadilla's. The other times we just order out and get Chinese or pizza. I also noticed that we have a lot of fruit and some vegetables. The more healthier things are eaten by my mom and I'm more the unhealthy picky eater although I do eat the yogurt and the fruit. It seems to me we need to expand what food we eat but besides that I think we have a pretty decent eating lifestyle.

Spring Break

During my break I noticed that my emotions and moods were connected with the people that were around me and the activities that we did. I also noticed the weather effected by mood. On the Friday after break started my friends and I went to the movies. I was happy because I would spend a day with my friends and relax. We planned to go to the at 2 and meet at 1 but after I arrived and so did one of my friends another one called and told us she was going to be late. So instead of seeing the 2:00 movie we saw the 3:30 one. I was kinda annoyed by this because she is always late and we are always planning for this but it still annoys me each time. Because we knew she would be late we decided to meet at 1 so that we wouldn't be late for the movie but then she winds being even later and everyone winds up having to find something to do. Another thing that annoys me is that she always says its not her fault cause she lives the farthest but in my opinion if you know this then you would leave earlier so that she would be on time. But after she arrived at 3:20 we had a fun time. It was all a matter of how to deal with my feelings. I knew that there was no point to stay annoyed cause then I would ruin my mood and have no fun so I decided to just forget about it but it was also good to talk about it with my other friend cause while we were waiting we decided to talk about it and go over how we feel, which made me feel better. Then me and my mom went to Baltimore and we spent quality time together. The only bad thing was that it was raining most of the time and I have noticed that when it rains all I want to do is just relax and be lazy. It kinda puts my mood down. But we figured that since we were there we would make the most of it. We decided to go to the aquarium and we wound up having the best time. Through out all the break I noticed how i deal with my emotions and feelings in my everyday life. If something is bad or upsets me I usually dwell on it but realize that it doesn't do me any good so I decide to push it in the back of my mind and try to focus on the positive things. Although in my day to day life I am usually calm and relaxed.

In my opinion I feel that being emotionally healthy is not the same as "constantly happy". In fact I think it might be the opposite. No one can possibly be happy all the time. In order to be positively sane they need to experience a range of different emotions. Emotionally healthy is when someone experiences a wide range of emotions and moods but knows how to deal with it all so that it does not effect them in their daily lives. Based on the therapies that we researched and talked about in class it seems that there are many views on how to deal with and help emotional issues. Many people in order to remain emotionally healthy they go to other people in which they can share their feelings and troubles and sort out things in their mind. Although I agree with Vincent that therapy can sometimes be a fake way to actually help people with their problems. Therapists create direct problems and make it seem that that it is the core problem in which everything is based on that, Then they come up with a solution usually lasting a couple of weeks. I feel that its a way to fool the patient that the is one specific things wrong and that one its solved everything else will go away. And when it does not the person comes back and finds out there is a whole other thing wrong that may not be connected to the first thing.

Therapy

Humanistic Therapy:
This theory believes that an individual is influenced by the things that surround them. The therapy focuses on the present things that go on in the persons life and do not dwell on the past. The therapy helps the individual to be independent and self aware.
http://www.helium.com/items/823474-humanistic-therapy-examining-person-centered-therapy

Emotional health short stories

An emotionally unhealthy person:

Why do as the days move forward I feel that I take two steps back? I'm forever rooted to this moment in the dark where no one can reach me. The light is but a dim glow over powered by the dark. I hear laughter and look up at my friends talking, if only they knew the thoughts that run through my mind, though they wouldn't understand. So with that I take my temporary step into the light. These thoughts and feelings locked in the back of the mind if only for this hour. I rejoin the conversation and am filled with warmth. I am not sure if I would like to continue feeling this joy for it is gone in the same instant. Never knowing and living with out the loss of it every time might be easier to bare. But I must not dwell on such emotions for now. Looking up I realize we have gone to the park and every one's waiting for my answer. I smile and say "Sorry I was daydreaming. Can you repeat what you just said?" The screaming starts in my head, yelling "let me out, let me out". I quickly silence it and am glad that I'm used to putting things in the back of the mind and ignoring the fact that they exist, well until I get home. Some people would suggest that I go and speak about how I am feeling but the constant ride of my emotions is difficult for just one person to bare so I would rather not let them have to worry about me.

An emotionally healthy person:

Ring, ring, finally the bell for last period class is over. I stretch and look around me seeing all my classmates either start to pack up or just waking up from their light nap. I laugh to myself; everyone knows that science class is the most boring class in the world. I fight back a yawn and wave to my friends waiting in the hall. We all talk about our day, the good and bad parts, nothing is left out. Once we finish talking we decide to go shopping since its spring break. All of us are excited since that means there is 2 weeks that we don’t have to go to school. Even everyone outside is pumped and you can feel the endorphins coming off of everyone. During shopping since one of our friends left we decide to take this opportunity to talk about them. Recently she has been bugging all of us and we have acted like we always do with her, kind of like putting on a show. But when she is gone we decide to vent about all the things that gets us upset. Now I know talking about people behind their backs is wrong but it is also wrong to just keep everything locked in you. So we have this rule that if something upsets us that we have to talk about it since we are all here for everyone. After talking about her we go on to better and funnier things. Laughing is good for the soul. It makes us happy. I love spending time with my friends.

Questions about health

Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese.

1. What causes obesity?
The Alabama group puts forth these 10 "additional explanations" for obesity:

1. Sleep debt. Getting too little sleep can increase body weight. Today's Americans get less shut-eye than ever.

2. Pollution. Hormones control body weight. And many of today’s pollutants affect our hormones.

3. Air conditioning. You have to burn calories if your environment is too hot or too cold for comfort. But more people than ever live and work in temperature-controlled homes and offices.

4. Decreased smoking. Smoking reduces weight. Americans smoke much less than they used to.

5. Medicine. Many different drugs — including contraceptives, steroid hormones, diabetes drugs, some antidepressants, and blood pressure drugs — can cause weight gain. Use of these drugs is on the upswing.

6. Population age, ethnicity. Middle-aged people and Hispanic-Americans tend to be more obese than young European-Americans. Americans are getting older and more Hispanic.

7. Older moms. There's some evidence that the older a woman is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of obesity. American women are giving birth at older and older ages.

8. Ancestors' environment. Some influences may go back two generations. Environmental changes that made a grandparent obese may "through a fetally driven positive feedback loop" visit obesity on the grandchildren.

9. Obesity linked to fertility. There's some evidence obese people are more fertile than lean ones. If obesity has a genetic component, the percentage of obese people in the population should increase.

10. Unions of obese spouses. Obese women tend to marry obese men. If there are fewer thin people around — and if obesity has a genetic component — there will be still more obese people in the next generation.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/health/webmd/main1757772.shtml

2. What is the definition of health?
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease; "physicians should be held responsible for the health of their patients"
the general condition of body and mind; "his delicate health"; "in poor health"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

3. What is the definition of mental health?
Mental health is a term used to describe either a level of cognitive or emotional wellbeing or an absence of a mental disorder.About.com (2006, July 25)

4. What is the definition of physical health?
concerns with the fitness of the body
www.geocities.com/jtiongco_99_2000/NCM101CM/cm_lec2_concept_of_health_and_illness.doc

5. How do our models compare to average americans?
"The average model weighs 23% less than the average woman. Maintaining a weight that is 15% below your expected body weight fits the criteria for anorexia, so most models, according to medical standards, fit into the category of being anorexic. "
http://www.mirror-mirror.org/society.htm

6. How do you improve your health?
Examples of steps to improve one's health:

Physical fitness
Weight loss
A healthy diet
Stress management training
Stopping smoking and other substance abuse

http://www.win-back-your-good-health.com/definition-of-physical-health.html

7. How is America's health care?
The US ranked last in most areas, including access to health care, patient safety, timeliness of care, efficiency and equity. Americans were also last in terms of whether they had a regular physician.45 million Americans, or 15 percent of the US population, have no health insurance, which contributes to the country's medical woes.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/15/1198

Animal paper

Through out all of society we are taught that there is a huge gap between animals and humans. No one stops to think that we are animals. We just know and think that we are better then other animals and are meant to control them. Our culture doesn’t stop and let us behave or think of our selves as animals. When we are little we are so much closer to our animalness as we are more physical and interactive with each other and nature. But when we grow up we lose more and more of our playtime and instead of being physical we spend our lives in boxes and are taught to use our heads and think. Our way of living also feeds us the lie that we are not animals. No one ever considers themselves animals but as a separate group entirely. There are obstacles that are there so we cannot perceive that we are animals. And yet there are many reasons to see our selves as animals cause they will benefit us to have more good and meaningful lives. These obstacles are in our everyday lives diverting the truth before us. All these obstacles including our own society make us “captives of a civilization system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live” (Ishmael) Thinking that we rule over the earth and that everything was put down to benefit us lead us to mistreat nature and we will ultimately end up destroying the world and everything that lives in it. The 6 main obstructions to knowing we are animals are religion, the scientific classification system, the time we spend with other humans, evolution, mind vs. body and the fact that we emphasize non-animals traits.

One of the obstructions to knowing we are animals is religion. Through the word of God and the many interpretations we are told that we are the “kings” and that everything is for us to rule. In the book Genesis chapter 1 verse 26-28, God said “let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds in the air and creatures that move along the earth. Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea….”. In Gods words we are told that we were made from his own likeness and that all the things born before us are there for our benefit and that we are to rule over them. Many people believe in the word of God and take it to heart. The only bad thing about believing in a religion is that it does not give you much room for your own free thoughts and interpretations. Many people reading Genesis will probably think of themselves not as humans but as God like beings that are there to control the earth. The scientific counter part puts us in the same tree as animals and yet we are given our own family. The scientific classification is a chart in which lists all the different living beings in a web that connects everything together. The web starts with Eukaryote and Prokaryote. These are the domains and under each are many other classifications. The web continues and when it gets to haminid it creates a separate group for humans even though we are thought of to be evolved from primates. Even though science identifies that humans are indeed animals they still choose to separate us from other animals by giving humans two separate categories.

The other problem that we don’t believe that we are animals is that 95% of the time we spend with other humans. Just think about it. A typical day a human is surrounded with other humans from going to work, being on the train or bus, at work, and then finally at home if you live with someone. The only time you would see other animals is when you’re out side and you see the birds and the squirrels but no one ever spends time with them. So the only people who actually spend time with other animals are people who own pets. And yet these pets can be seen as only an accessory to humans and are not treated as part of the family or an equal. These pets are the basis of interaction with other animals and even then we don’t spend all of our time with our pets since most of our life is outside working. Humans also go to school where we are deny being physical and our bodies. Students just usually sit in one class and then another through out the whole day. We learn that thinking is much better and we prioritize this over being physical. The whole culture emphasizes non- animals traits such as thinking and makes it impossible in our everyday lives of going from on box to another to actually be in touch with out animal’s instincts.

The other two reasons humans don’t see themselves as animals is because of the thought that the mind and body are different and evolution. Evolution is thought that everything lead up to the creation of human life and now that we exist evolution and creationism will stop all together. Many people think that everything in life was in order to lead up to us and in that fact makes us the controllers of everything below us. This is somewhat similar to Genesis and the scientific classification. Both Genesis and evolution make it seem that everything was created for the human race to rule and have dominance over. The scientific classification and evolution link everything together marking us as animals though in both cases we are the end result and nothing will come after us. Both of these notions is in fact false. There will always be new things evolving and even to this day humans have evolved and will continue to. The philosopher Rene Descarte believes that we are different from animals because humans can think, “I think therefore I am”. He believes in duality, that our mind and body are separate. The body is a flesh servant to the mind and it does not matter because it is not our true selves. Homunculus is the mini person in our brain which is the real us. He believes that there is a tiny person in our minds, which controls our bodies. This breaks us apart from animals because in his belief animals are incapable of thought. He also believes that if the body should perish we would still continue to live. This is because of our soul. All humans have immortal souls in which keep us alive and are the real us in which lives inside the vessel of our bodies. And once we die it is said that our souls go to heaven and thus makes us greater then animals because they posses no souls and do not go to heaven.

Getting over all of these obstructions and realizing we are animals will benefit us in our lives and help make them good and meaningful. Through out our lives we are always humanizing everything thing that is natural in this world. Every woman goes through childbirth and is always going to the doctor to have the baby delivered. Most people think that this is a burden and are troubled by it. But the fact remains that all animals go though childbirth and it is a completely natural part of life. Humans get more freaked out about it and are rushing to the doctors to get meds to relieve the pain to have them deliver the baby. Not many people are aware of mid wives. These women go to the parent’s house and help in the delivery but the difference is that the birth is totally natural and healthy for both the mother and the child. Then there is the fact that the body matters. It is not a separate unit from you and therefore should be treated kindly. Many people today stuff themselves with fat and sugar and get themselves sick. They don’t understand that they need to keep the body healthy in order for them to have good and long lives. Humans also need to get more physical. They are always taking shortcuts instead of keeping active. Everyone person can learn to be a little more active in there day to day lives. Instead of taking the train or bus a short distance you should walk or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Many people think it’s unnecessary to be more physical and that it’s ok to think many things through. But knowing when to think is important. So many people over think things and miss great opportunities. In school we think the most and are less active. A lot of things are committed to memory and we don’t need to think like going home from work or going to school. Our mind automatically remembers and there is no thinking on your part. Even humans have blind spots. We try to think about things like death and some even think they have a grasp of what it might be like but in fact its impossible because your mind cant imagine what its like being unconscious. The biggest thing humans need to understand is that there is no special rescue. Just like any other animal we are going to die and become extinct. Nothing can prevent this, not the scientists nor can any God stop this. Knowing this we can live more meaningful lives.

I believe that I am and animal and am fully aware of everything around me. Knowing we are animals will help us become more one with nature and our own lives. It will also help us see that we are all connected and that we are not so superior to other living creatures nor should we keep taking advantage of them. This will also help us feel better about ourselves. Experiencing things is much more important then thinking about things. To experience things is to be and feel that you’re alive and will also make you happier. I noticed then when I move around and get active I am much more happier then sitting in a chair being lectured about different things. But I also think its about being interactive. Being by yourself and being active is good but your level of happiness may not be as high as if you were with somebody else. All of these will help make your life more meaningful and maybe we can also take a closer look on how these obstacles are making us mistreat every other living thing.

Animals we see in an hour

Looking out the window:
Humans: 178
Dogs: 5
Cats: 2

While watching Tv (if that counts):
Humans: 74
Cats: 1
Spiders: 7
Slugs: 3
Snakes: 3

making lists for "Living Funeral"

While Making my list each time I wrote down a name I wondered what the person would say about me. I wonder if any one would say something they did not like about me or if cause I would die it would be all good and then would I even want to hear the bad stuff. I think I would probably like to hear everything the person has to say about me the good and the bad because I am always wondering what people are thinking. It's sometimes easy to get a feel of how someone feels about you or what they think but then there are the people that are more difficult and your left wondering how they feel and think about you.
I think the whole atmosphere would seem (don"t really know)I guess maybe sad or weird. Cause when you usually say things about someone they would be dead, but instead you would be there hearing what everyone says. I think that might be a little harder for some people to share things but then again it might be needed since you have a short amount of time it gives you more incentive to go out there and say things and do things before you die. Kind of like tying up loose ends. Although I might not like it cause then people will be so fixated on your death and the fact that you will be dead instead of focusing on other thins. I wonder if Morrie got special treatment because he was dying or it was because he's an interesting person to be around that so many people decided to talk to him and visit him.
If my death was pronounced around this time in my life I think I would be perhaps some what relieved that I do not have to see the people around me die and that is probably selfish but its true. But I would also be sad that my life would be cut so short and that I would not have been able to do the many things that I want. I am not sure if I would want a lot of people at my "living funeral" or just the people that are more meaningful to me and that I am closer to.

Answering questions about statics

1. What percentage of old people live in nursing home?
According to AARP in 2004 1.5 million people lived in nursing homes. 88% of nursing home residents are 65 an older, 45% are 85 and older. Yet only 2% of Americans age 65 to 84 and 14% of Americans age 85 or older live in nursing homes.

2. What percentage of old people live alone?
63% of most women who live alone are 55 or older, 34% of men who live alone are 55 and older.

3. What percentage of old people are sexually active?
53% of old people are sexually active. (USA Today)

4. What percentage of old people are involved in car accidents?
In 2006 people 65 and older made up 14% of the traffic fatalities, 13.5% of vehicle occupant fatalities, 18.9% pedestrian fatalities (NHTSA). Older drivers' vehicles were nearly twice as likely to be struck than younger drivers' vehicles- 61% vs 82%

5. What percentage of old people are healthy?
19.17% to 1999 vs 26% in 1982. At least 80% have 1 chronic health condition and 50% have at least 2

6. What percentage of old people live in poverty?
Old people 65 and older who lived in poverty declined from 35% in 1959 to 10% in 2003 cause of social security

7. What percentage of old people are disabled?
According to AARP more than seven million people ages 50 to 64, over 14% of these people identify themselves as having a disability and or health condition

8. What percentage of old people die in care homes?
Old people who died in care homes increased from 1989 (5.7%) to 2001 (16.2)

9. What percentage of old people die from cancer?
According to the National Cancer institute 71% of all cancer deaths are in persons 65 and older

10. What percent of old people take pills?
30% of of all prescribed drugs are consumed by people 65 or older, 40% of all over the counter drugs are consumed by people 65 or older.
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/meds4old/697_old.html

According to most of the sites and evidence the common age that marks you as the beginning of old is around 50 to 55 years. Some of the questions I encountered seemed to come from the common image of old people like what percentage of old people are sick, what percentage are live in nursing homes, die each year but Yu-xi came up with some interesting questions I would never have thought of. Her questions seemed to go outside of the popular image and asked questions like what percentage of old people live in poverty and what percentage are healthy instead of sick and dying. From the research it seems to me that since they are old most people assume that their lives are already over and all they have to do is sit and wait for death. But with some reading you can see that life still goes on. Old people drive, make a living, support their families,do things that make them happy. There are many more faces of an image its just that we only pay so close attention to the certain face that gets the most I guess in a way publicity.

Questions about Old folks (society percentages)

1. What percentage of old folks live in an old persons home?
2. What percentage of old people hate their lives?
3. What percentage was forced (had no choice) to go live in an old persons home?
4. What's the difference between the percentage of old people who are happy at home vs. the percentage that are happy living in a nursing home?
5. What is old peoples place in society?
6. What percentage of old people actually think their old?
7. What percentage of old people die in a nursing home?
8. How much does a nursing home cost?
9. What percentage of old people like their lives?
10. What do old people think about the younger generation?
11. What percentage of old people approve how our generation are living our lives?
12. What percentage of old people have think they have a future?
13. What percentage of old people believe in a religion vs the percentage who do not?
14. What percentage of old people have grandchildren?
15. What percentage of old people have something to live for?
16. What percentage of old people are completely healthy?
17. What percentage of old people live alone?
18. What percentage of old people have a drivers licence?
19. What percentage of those people from question 18 actually drive?
20. What percentage of driving accidents involve old people?
21. What percentage of old people are on antidepressants?
22. What percentage of old people are scared of death?
23. What percentage of old people cant wait for death?
24. what percentage of old people would go over and do things again?

Interviews

Great uncle Gaspar Imburgia: 67
1. What would you view as a good and meaningful life?

You don’t’ realize what anything means until your in your 50s or older. When you’re young the territory looks plain and fine but as you get into the 50s things start to change. You look at life differently you start exercising and watching food intake and at that point the meaning of life is to stay healthy. Because the healthier you are the longer you live. Also as you get older you think of life differently in that you try to do more for people. When you’re young you don’t think about those things so much. You don’t think about Africa and South American but as you get old you think about how these people live and how they find food every day and you realize how lucky you are to be where your are rather then one of those people who have to look for food every day to feed their families. Gives you a better perspective of life. Look at the bigger picture rather than your own life. In your 30 or 40s you try to make it and get ahead. But after you do all that you say to yourself what is it all about. And you go back to thinking about other people and what’s right and wrong. In my experience as you get older you get more sentimental and you get to the truth of life and what it’s about and why were here. And it looks like a long life but let me tell you before you know it it’s over. The whole thing is over and you think what happen and what did I do. And that what’s happens. All of us don’t think of ourselves as old but I am. But I still think of myself as 40 but I’m 76.

2. What would you say as the most meaningful thing in your life is and how would you say it has changed?

Again trying to do better for people you become more charitable and give more to people who need help, money, food, clothing, give to soup kitchens because you think about what happens after death. You think about more and more as you get old.

If it has changed then what would you say has influenced this change in your answer?

When your young you think you’ll never approach that, and you’ll never die. But some people you knew aren’t around any more and some day you’re not going to be around so you think about trying to do good things and treat people better. You try to do the best you can for the people you can help. We can’t help everyone but in the circle that we are in we try to help people who need it. And that’s what I try to do and what has changed during the years.

3. Do you think your life is more meaningful then others because you have lived longer? Do you view anyone's lives as more meaningful to you and how would you make that decision?

Absolutely. If I died at 50, I wouldn’t have the scope of life that I have now. The longer you live the better perspective you have on life. People nearest me are the most meaningful. Close relatives, friends everyone around me are meaningful to me. Spouse, children, grandchildren, friends, relatives. As you get old that circle expands gets bigger and bigger. And think about other people that can’t make it easily in this life.


4. What advice if any would you give on how to live a good and meaningful life? And do you think you are qualified to give such information?

I’m not qualified, there are people who work in that kind of field. But in my opinion you should try to treat people as well as you can. As you move on to the next stage of life the people you meet you should deal with them as you would want people to deal with you. I think if you have that and if you follow that in many instances a lot of the stuff that goes on today, the problems wouldn’t be going on. For instance the Madoff ponzi scheme, if he used my maxim he wouldn’t have done that. I think that’s the bottom line. Don’t do anything to others that you wouldn’t want them to do to you.

5. Would you say that the definition of how to live a good and meaningful life has changed much and is the change good or bad?

Over the years we’re talking about generations, a lot of things have changed for example people in general, in the 19th century people would think nothing of throwing a son or daughter out because there were too many in the family or hitting them to the extent of killing or maiming them. In the old days people were more like animals. However with the times and education and all the things we have and experiences in the last hundreds of years this has changed dramatically. It still happens, but these people are not right and it’s not considered normal. But in the early 19th most people wouldn’t think a thing about hitting a kid and not do a thing much about it. No one would.

But how we view life in generally, but there has been an economic difference . . . the economy in 1900 vs. 2000. In 1900 it was tough for people to pull thru. They had a lot of children to work for them. They wanted boys not girls so the boys can work the land. Things have changed because of education and economic conditions are better. Although there are things that go wrong, and there are still wars but in general lives are much better including those living in poverty today. Because there are a lot of people trying to help them out. Even on that score the longevity in these countries is longer today because they’re getting government help and help from people. But there are still exceptions. But generally life is better.



Uncle Sal: 62

1. What would you view as a good and meaningful life?

A good and meaningful life is having family, meaningful job that contributes to the community, and having enough left over to afford yourself small luxuries and enjoyments.


2. What would you say as the most meaningful thing in your life is and how would you say it has changed? If it has changed then what would you say has influenced this change in your answer?

The most meaningful thing in my life is family and should be nothing that gets in the way of family and it hasn’t changed. I was lucky enough to be brought up with those values so that hasn’t changed.


3. Do you think your life is more meaningful then others because you have lived longer? Do you view anyone's lives as more meaningful to you and how would you make that decision?

Yes my attitude has changed. The learning process never stops. My level of understanding has changed.

No ones life is more meaningful than mine. Everyone should feel their life is more meaningful than anyone else.

4. What advice if any would you give on how to live a good and meaningful life? And do you think you are qualified to give such information?

It’s 60% give and 40% take. As long as you give more than you take you’re living a meaningful life and you will be rewarded.


Yes I’m qualified by the definition of the constitution of the US of America. And if anyone chooses not to take my advice they are covered by the definition of the constitution of the US of America.

5. Would you say that the definition of how to live a good and meaningful life has changed much and is the change good or bad?

Yes it’s changed because as the generations have gone on the ability to live a good life has become more challenging because the influences that distract you have become more prevalent and have increased as generations have gone on.

Interview with great Uncle Tony

hey Uncle Tony would you mind me asking you a few questions about what makes life meaningful for my history class?
Sure if I can be helpful and my answers are good enough.

1. What would you view as a good and meaningful life?
My experience I would say that you shouldn’t abuse your body and have a variations of good foods to keep you in good condition and don’t abuse our body like drinking to much liquor. Don’t do things that would harm you. Like taking care of a car.

2. What would you say as the most meaningful thing in your life is and how would you say it has changed?

What’s meaningful to me is my family and to have a family. Children and relatives that would keep you going. And if your alone and don’t have family you don’t have incentive to live.
My 90th birthday it was a surprise and so many people that you see and having my son from California. So they would see their relatives. I was happy Jim was their and so many people that I haven’t seen for a while.

When I was younger I didn’t have family but had sisters and brothers. And enjoyed. It was a different way of life back then big families were more popular but now you can’t have big families cause today it’s too costly.

If it has changed then what would you say has influenced this change in your answer?
It hasn’t changed just the people that make up the family has.

3. Do you think your life is more meaningful then others because you have lived longer? Do you view anyone's lives as more meaningful to you and how would you make that decision?

My life is more meaningful for me but when you get older people get annoyed because they have to help you and support you. But my family is very good about that. I get annoyed that I think I’m living too long. But they have to be involved with me and their they have to be involved with their own families and I don’t’ want to be a burden on them. I thank god that I’m still able to get around. So I’m not too much of a burden. As you get older you can brake bones and be an invalid and be a burden on your family. But it’s great to be around at my age. And I have a very good family. Makes you happy to have people around like that.

No I feel that my relatives and my family are all equal to me and I love them all. But you reminisce on the people that have all ready gone and you miss those that left us. Buts all a part of life.


4. What advice if any would you give on how to live a good and meaningful life? And do you think you are qualified to give such information?

You have to understand that you can’t be abusive to yourself to have a long and meaningful life. You have to watch your habits. You have to live a clean and meaningful life. I’m not a medical person and not a dr. but all I m saying is that if you do what your supposed to do your supporting yourself to have a longer life. But if you abuse yourself your life will be shorter and you will be less happy with life.

5. Would you say that the definition of how to live a good and meaningful life has changed much and is the change good or bad?

Life hasn’t changed. It’s the situation of the environment and condition in the world has changed. In my day you didn’t many opportunities and with a big family everybody had to put time in to help the family. Today you have a situation today that you have to have 2 parents to work. So financially it’s a difficult situation. As a child you have a better life cause you don’t have the things that most kids have now. They get more and more stuff without even working for it. Like when I was a child we made toys and got boxes and put things together to make a scooter. But today they don’t’ do that. It’s living a different life. It’s not better it’s a different situation the world has changed. You have to find means and ways to contend with it to support your way of life.