Community College Kids, please read!

This article is alarming and worth your time. Please read
Students vexed by community college placement tests

Go to the Cerritos College website, then go to the Assessment link, and check out the requirements:
http://cms.cerritos.edu/assessment-center/requirements.htm

Long Beach City College has started testing already:
http://matric.lbcc.edu/signup.cfm

I recommend that you practice!  There are practice exams online.  See me if you need help!

Into the wild

In the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer The a young man by the name Chris McCandless decides he's not happy being given everything he wants, and because he is being given everything he wants he feels complacent and thus he becomes unhappy with his life. This realization to his dissatisfaction makes him turn his back on all he knows and walk away from it all traveling from Washing to D.C. to the Mexican Border meeting loads of new people along the way; all this just to feel alive and happy. In our groups a question came up asking " could you do the exact same thing McCandless did and walk away from it all?" I thought for a second and the only thing i could think was "only if I was truly unhappy." I think we as people all have the capacity to make a great change to make us happy to make us feel in a sense  "alive".

Doing this research paper, I realized eating insects are not that bad and it's considered more healthy for you than meats. 80 percent of the world makes insects their main dishes; eating whole crickets, grasshoppers, worms, etc. It may seem a little disturbing to some people, but really if we get past the mind set of "It's gross" or "That's nasty" we may realize it really isn't all that bad. Insects have a lot of protein, fiber, and vitamins in them. Eating these bugs can't harm us, it could only help us health wise. In about twenty years from now, meat would become a limited resource because the world population would increase and there wouldn't be enough meat to supply everyone, so insects may be an option. We eat bugs everyday with out knowing anyway, why not try eating a whole bug just to see what it tastes like. Many people would find it disturbing, including myself, but that's all in the mind. If 80% of the world population could make it a main course, then it must not be that bad.

Health Scare

     Last Friday, from today, my doctor was talking to me about my spine. One the problems was the disc displacement of part of my spine. He essentially said that my wieght had put enough pressure to damage my spine permenantly. He also said that because of this pressure I have arthritis. Years of fluctuating wieght and bad diet decisions have put me in a situation that is i changeable. My doctor informed me that the pain I have will not fade. It can only be maintained.

     It is a little disheartening to realize that at barely 18 I had managed to wiegh more than the average 30 year old man and have already permenantly hurt my spine. But, this serves as a reality check. Being young you think that you are pretty much invincible. This is not true.

    The good we eat now is crucial to our health years from now. The habits we make in our late teens are habits that follow us into adulthood, unless we break them. I want to start now. My diet needs to be more balanced and I need to worry about how my food is made. This is the funny part, food is the reason for my chronic back pain and food is the answer to conserving the rest of my life.

Mexican Coke vs American Coke. Which You Prefer?

Nearly 30 years ago, Coca-Cola switched over from sugar to high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten America's beloved carbonated soft drink. With corn subsidized by the government, its sugary syrup became a more affordable option for the beverage company. While this switch went largely unnoticed for quite some time (though it's common knowledge these days), it didn't take place on an international level. Actually, the sweetener used in Coca-Cola varies from country to country based on what ingredient is most affordable for the bottling plant's location. And in many countries, Mexico included, Coke is still made with real sugar. Many people who have tried Mexican Cola said it had a "more real, authentic flavor," though the Coca-Cola company denies that there's a discernible difference between any of their cokes. Personally I prefer Mexican Cola because it has a cleaner, less artificial flavor and sweeter and the whole experience of drinking it out of a glass bottle is better than in a plastic bottle. 

A very hard lifestyle change!

The last few months I have been going through a slow progression of changing my eating habits.  I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis a few months ago, which is an autoimmune disease in the bladder. (This disease is also commonly known as Painful Bladder Syndrome.) With my condition, my bladder wall inflames, causing severe pelvic pain along with painful and frequent urination. There is no known cure for my disease, or even a reason why I would get it. However, my doctor has highly advised me to change my diet, which has been a very hard challenge. I am advised not to eat any acidic foods, caffeine, or artificial preservatives. I don't think a lot of people understand how hard it is! Literally everything has artificial additives. I am still in the process of eliminating things, because when I tried to quit cold turkey it didn't work at all. Dietary restrictions are hard, but many are not aware of the power they hold. I have cut down on mostly all fast food, eating it only occasionally, and I have cut down on my coffee consumption, and with these small changes my pain has lessened and I am no longer so controlled by my disease. What would you guys do in my shoes? Any suggestions? I need to learn how to live a cleaner, healthier life without feeling left out of good food!

Stunning

(I would like for everyone to watch this video) I chose Humane Slaughter for my research paper because I want everyone to see how animals really get treated. I feel as if they deserve a more peaceful death rather than them being terrified. This video shows that this is completely inhumane and the wrong way to slaughter an animal. Slaughtering animals is supposed to be fast and painless rather than them being tortured. One example that is cruel is that the workers fry the sheeps brain so they could be unconscious when it doesn't make a difference. Even though stunning animals isn't bad to some people because it is apart of nature. I feel that even if you're stunning an animal you shouldn't torture the animal and make it suffer.

Want to loose weight fast then stop drinking soda?

Ever wonder how you can loose weight quickly well here is the solution just stop drinking soda. Soda is high in calories and has no nutritional value whatsoever. They contribute to obesity as well as diabetes, tooth decay and weakened bones. Carbonation is theorized to actually bind to fat cells. This causes a slowing down of fat loss, thus making it much more difficult to lose weight. Furthermore, when you ingest a carbonated drink you are essentially ingesting air. It may taste tingly, but by ingesting air you bloat the gastrointestinal tract. This causes a slow down of digestion, which is another important factor in weight loss. Estimates show that two cans or glasses of soda per day adds approximately 24 to 35 pounds of fat per year, depending on body size, age, habits, etc.. Some people (weighing in at 140 pounds) have reported that by giving up two cans of soda per day, without exercise, they lost 20 pounds in six months. Add in exercise, reduce other sugar intake, eat more fruits and vegetables, add high water consumption. But if cutting out soda altogether is too difficult, you could replace one soda per day with water. Cutting down from two per day to one can yields about a 16 pound yearly loss. In conclusion water is the No. 1 choice when trying to lose weight. 

A "clean" diet really does make a difference

     Over the last couple of months, I've been on a very strict gluten free, soy free, dairy free, and red meat free diet, and it's changed my life! So of course, when we were assigned a research paper, I picked a topic that would allow me to look into this farther.

     To further specify, the topic I chose is how diet effects fibromyalgia, which is autoimmune and connective tissue disorder. Through my research I have found that I am not alone, and that many people who changed their diet to accommodate their chronic pain disorders benefitted as well; furthermore, I found multiple case studies that concluded with the same result- every patient that changed their diet experienced sympotom relief. However, dietary changes are still not seen as a possible treatment for this disease and in most cases, modern medicine will always trump diet when treatment is being prescribed. Weird.

     What do you guys think? Do you feel as though diet really has that much power or do you think that modern medicine Os the only reliable answer?

Nutrients destroyed by freezing

  Freezing is one way of preserving food and when we freeze our fruits and vegetables some of the nutrients inside of them are lost.  The main factors in the nutrient loss in the food are the quality of the food and the time between picking it and freezing it. Which means food can keep some of its nutrients if its good quality and you didn't just let is sit out a while before you freeze it. For example when you  freeze oranges 25% of the vitamin C is lost as well as 10% of the vitamin B is lost. Even though some nutrients are lost not all vanish instantly but there is limits to how long you can store them in your freezer before the rest of the nutrients disappear. Fruits can last a good eight to ten months and vegetables can last around the same amount of time. Even though they can last that long its not a good idea because the quality of the food deteriorates. So freezing is a good way of storing food but don't wait too long because the nutrients don't last forever

Preservatives are worse than you expected

My topic for my research paper is how artificial preservatives are causing people to have autoimmune diseases. I have done a lot of research, and blogger Dr. Parsons certainly affirms this.
Dr. Parsons shares her struggles of having several autoimmune diseases in her blog post titled “Why I Eat a (Mostly) Gluten- Free Diet”. Parsons claims that she believes that once she got one autoimmune disease her constant intake of gluten caused the development of many other autoimmune diseases she was later diagnosed with.  Parsons states that more and more research is showing a link between inflammation, autoimmune diseases and gluten sensitivity. Gluten causes inflammation, and the key part of an autoimmune disease is inflammation.

 

Berry has a Point

"The Pleasures of Eating" by Wendell Berry encourages people to eat responsibly. The current agricultural acts are unhealthy and we as consumers do not know what is fresh or what is free of dangerous chemicals. We just walk in the store and buy the food because we do not think that the food is killing us slowly but surely.Why would we even want something that is killing us? As consumers we don't even know where the farms that are supplying us foods are located. Berry describes food as an abstract idea. Every person evaluates food differently. Some look at it as just something we are going to eat and others may look deep into to find out where our food is coming from. We as consumers do need to know about the quality of our food because what we are eating could be killing us slowly and we do not even know it. I completely agree with Berry because we as people are passive consumers. I never thought much about where my food came from or how it was produced until now.  The food industry has fooled us into thinking that the food they sell to us is safe, healthy, and quick so it can be eaten on the go. Berry has pointed out some great reasons on why we should "eat responsibly".

"Food connects people"

Usually in the midst of most events, the main question that occurs to one's mind would be, "Will there be food?" We are all guilty of it. It's never a bad thing, it's just always been an understanding. When people are taken out on dates, it usually involves food. When friends are going out to spend time with each other, it usually involves food. When families or sports teams go out to celebrate, it usually involves food. Friends bond over their mutual love of eating. There are so many places to choose from. Fast food restaurants, dine-ins, food courts, taco stands, and ice cream trucks; you name it. 
My research paper has allowed me to understand that in a way, food does connect people. There is such a social aspect to food. Food is the most enjoyable thing out there and we all like to enjoy it together. It's rare to hear about someone who does not enjoy eating despite our different tastes and values on what to eat. It's not completely our fault that we are so attracted to food. All the advertisements and endorsements have influenced people one way or another. Although it comes with a cost, it is almost always worth our time and money. 

Off topic but true

So we all thought we were struck with senior itis junior year, and we wanted to graduate already. That was just a minor cold, by now we all realize we are struck with full blown sit on your bunz' and glide through high school. By now we also should have figured out that isn't going to work; high school has become elementary school in the eyes of business. If u want a good paying job your best bet is at least a Bachelors. The world is growing, jobs are shrinking, and competition is increasing, soon high school graduates will have more trouble keeping jobs when they surpass a certain age. I think if I needed to get rid of senior itis tell student we have six years of high school and by the last quarter of their fourth year tell them they're done. Though this wouldn't last long before the secret broke out, it's a thought that would postpone the lazy draw backs before the flood gates open. Well I'm just glad it's almost the end of our high school lives, I will miss it, but I am glad to open my eyes into the real world. I'm ready to fend for myself, and be the go getter; I will grab life by the reins and see where it takes me.

Not Another Article Post

After reading all of these articles I have really begin to consider what I consume. Sometimes I'll think twice before ordering a cheeseburger with fries at In-N-Out, but either way I give in to the delicious smell and begin eating the horrible processed meal. Is it just me? Like yeah I think about giving up processed foods but when I'm in a rush or I want a cheap meal I immediately forget about everything I've read. Well that's a lie; I don't forget but I'd rather enjoy my food in the moment and suffer the consequences later. But also when I'm at home and there is nothing to cook what am I supposed to do? I could simply just ask my mom to bring something home but still nine times out of ten it probably won't be healthy. Is it my fault that she gets tired after work and doesn't feel like cooking? I mean, maybe I could stop being lazy and go to the grocery store myself, but that doesn't mean I have time to cook the items as well, considering I'm still in high school and I have tons of homework to do. I think as I get older I'll make better decisions because I'll be more in charge of what I eat. But for now, I guess instead of going to McDonald's I can go to Subway. Well is Subway even that healthy? Oh well, it's a start!

Oooo look! Another Ted Talk.

     Now I don't expect you to watch this 20 min video like I did but this one is actually interesting. Although this video dates back to 2007, it's still somewhat relevant to today's school lunches. Ann Cooper brings up the point that children aren't only going to school to learn math, science or English; school is where they learn how to eat and what they like to eat. Most cafeteria lunches include chicken nuggets and corn dogs and pizza, but rarely do you find a salad bar or fruit cups with these meals. I understand that most school districts aren't able to afford organic food but we should really begin to think about what we consume during school hours. Most of what they're feeding us includes pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. Cooper says that "70 percent of all antibiotics consumed in America is consumed in animal husbandry." It surprised me when Cooper said the USDA allows these chemicals. Why cant they just feed us natural. appetizing, and health food, like is it really that difficult to put a fruit salad on my plate? So yeah, you know what they say, you are what you eat.
    Also from this video I learned that there aren't any chicken in the Tyson CHICKEN Nuggets. I'm not sure if that's still true to this day but it makes me pretty upset because those things are good.
    Did you know that this country contains more prisoners than farmers?! I think we need to get back to our roots because food is really important. We need to have less of this processed mess and get back to our healthy natural ways or else we end up shortening our life spans because of the way we eat.
    Cooper also said we need to start seeing food as part of our health and not just for the pleasure and satisfaction. I don't know about you but this Ted Talk really got me thinking. I really need to change my bad eat habit.
Here's a link to the video just in case you're interested : Ted Talk

What are we really eating?

I have always known that insects were always in our foods but I had little knowledge of it until we watched that video in class. I decided to do my research paper on it because I found it very interesting to know what kind of insects are we actually eating when we eat are burger, or salad, or chips. Come to find out, there are so many insects in our foods, every time I eat something i think about what kind of bugs I'm putting into my mouth as well. I found out we eat spiders, flies, larvae, worms maggots, and mites. Those were just a few of the insects we eat, there are a lot more, unfortunately. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say these bugs are harmless and could be found to be nutritious to our bodies. They allow a certain amount of bugs into are foods to be considered legally safe. For example, the FDA allows an average of 225 insect parts into our macaroni, an average of 30 insect fragments into our peanut butter, and an average of 75 insect fragments into our wheat flour. It's gross but it's true. We consume these insects everyday, about two pounds of insects a year. That may not sound too bad, but the thought of eating two pounds of insects a year without my knowing it is a little gross to me. This is a reason why I chose this topic to work on. Knowing all these facts about what is in our foods is very interesting to me, and I'm eager to learn more.

Let's say "Goodbye" to Antibiotics

My research topic is on the antibiotic usage on animal agriculture today. It started its use by farmers in the early 70s and has been increasingly becoming a problem in our food system today. I have done research on books, articles, and expert testimonies on how this use of antibiotics is hurting our food, instead of making it better. It’s sort of a coincidence how antibiotics are being used for animals, which are cows. These drugs are being used to grow cattle quicker and fatter. Antibiotics, for humans, are used to treat illnesses, diseases, and infections of our bodies. These drugs were designed for humans. I’ve researched to find statistics on antibiotic usage and they were devastating. 80% of antibiotics are used for humans, thus leaving 20% for the sick and the ill. This ratio is not okay. Cows are being infected with Mad Cow disease and all types of infectious diseases by being given antibiotics. This may be a signal to start changing our food. Likewise, with what is being put into our food as well. We must ban this usage of antibiotics, design a more effective one for animals, or entirely change what we eat. Any thoughts, comments, or questions? Comment below.

Ban Corn!

Meat; It's very delicious when cooked right, but it can be even better when it has all of its proper ingredients. When reading the article, "When a Crop Becomes King" by Michael Pollan, I discovered that corn was used for almost every food product. Because the crop is widely grown, it is distributed at a very low cost; therefore, farmers buy a lot of it to feed their animals. Is anything wrong with this? Yes, in fact, red flags should be popping up everywhere. For one, corn for most animals, isn't supposed to be a primary source of food intake. Instead of making corn cheap, why can't farmers make less of it? Cows, whom normally eat grass, are expected to eat the over-produced crop and still produce the meat citizens want. Instead of wasting land farming an unnecessary crop, cows could be eating that land filled with grass. As I continued reading I found out that because of the lack of nutrients these animals get, they have to be fed antibiotics so that they won't become sick. Yuck! Knowing that the animals I consume on a weekly basis don't have the proper diets makes me not want to eat them any longer. Why are consumers paying so much, or so little, for these products when the amount of money being put into these animals probably don't even fit the criteria. Corn, king of the crops, should be banished. Why? Because not only is it effecting animals, it's effecting what we eat as well. It also is the most needy crop, needing more fertilizer as well as pesticides than any other. This is just how I feel after reading the article. How do you feel about it?

MLA Help

The best tool I know for MLA help is right here.

Mouse over to the Humanities Section, and roll down to "Documenting Sources."  Every single link from there is valuable and worth reviewing.

Disgusting school food.

They sell lunch at school? I honestly don't even remember the last time I actually entered my pin and gotten food and eaten at school. I usually just eat little snacks and wait until i get out of school. I rarely eat food at school, I just eat cereal at home and bring water for the day and wait till i get home and make sandwiches. Honestly the food at school just looks and tastes disgusting. I feel that inmates in prison have better food than students in school. The most grotesque meal to me at school would honestly be the pizza. I know a lot of students eat it but just how it is presented makes it looks so gross. It looks burnt, greasy and just plain disgusting. I don't get why soda and other foods were removed from school when it would probably be healthier than the food served right now. Because of the looks of the food being served; it doesn't seem like the school is doing a good job of serving healthy food. I've gotten so use to not eating at school because it looks so disgusting and that makes me wonder how healthy it is to eat; schools need new, better and just plain healthier food.

Britta Riley: A garden in my apartment

Taxing Is the Solution

All over the U.S you see people with severe health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and many other things. These health problems are a result of the bad and unhealthy eating habits that Americans have. Every day you can find someone eating something that junky, filled with sugar, and made from processed ingredients. A solution to this problem would be to eat a healthier diet, but that is easier said than done. Because of the low price, convincing advertisements, and the wonderful taste of the unhealthy foods it is hard for the people to change their diets. So how do we get the people to change their eating habits if it is so hard to do?

According to the article that Mark Bittman wrote, the best solution that would people to eat healthier food is taxing the unhealthy foods and subsidizing healthy foods. As support that this method would work, Bittman uses an example of how taxing tobacco eventually lead to a decrease in the number of users. So if taxing worked for tobacco it should also work for healthy foods. Bittman also points out how taxing the unhealthy foods will benefit the farmers as well because they will get to sell more of their products. Also, the money earned would be able to go towards the community and other beneficial things.

Although the idea of taxing unhealthy foods will take time, I do believe it will work. I think taxing it would make the people think twice about the junk foods that they eat. They will notice that unhealthy foods aren’t as important as they make it seem. I don’t think the people will automatically start drifting toward the healthier foods because they are so used to their normal ways but, if the taxing solution has time to settle in overtime the unhealthy habits will change.

Do you think taxing unhealthy foods is a good solution to the bad eating habits?

The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Food Companies

Yeah, that's right.

Click here.

eating insects

I actually have eaten a worm before..granted it was because i saw the lion king when i was little and i thought it would be cool to eat like Timone and Pumba but my first thought was this doesn't really taste all that good, or that bad. eating insects is just like eating regular food if it broadcasts to you, you'll feel more likely that if the person on the Idiot box is doing it you could too... within some means.

It's just a thought of mind.

"I triple dog dare you to eat a worm!" Imagine eating an insect. Think of the texture and the sour taste of an insect. Most people wouldn't be able to do it. People would either start to throw up or just from the beginning reject to eat an insect. Would you be able to do it? I think anyone could, it all just depends on your mindset. For example, if you tell someone to eat a carne asada taco they would gladly accept. But what about a taco of cow tongue? Or of cow intestine? Now people would probably say no but me personally being mexican I love cow tongue. I eat it all the time. I just think that you have to be around people who accept that eating insects is fine and probably good for you. In one of the ted talks the speaker said that eventually insects will be considered fine to eat and people won't be disgusted by it. I totally agree with what he says because it all just depends on what people find normal, so if it seems normal people will feel that they have permission to do it without being looked at differently. Their is also that factor that is humans are running out of what to eat so just later in the future it will start to happen, you'll see insects on restaurant menus across the world and I am one hundred percent positive that their is already places in this world where insects are being eaten so you know what they say "you never know until you try it."

Schools Should Provide Healthier Food

Out of most of the places in the world school is the most common place that talks about how important your health is. To support this claim they provide health classes that inform students about the healthy things they should eat. According to this “concern” that schools have about the health of students, most would assume that students are provided with a healthy meal every day. Sadly, that’s not the case. The meals we receive are far from healthy and hardly appetizing.

In the article, “No Lunch Left Behind,” Waters and Heron describe how the lunch program cost is billions of dollars, but only a small amount of this money goes towards the food. Most of the money is used for custodial services to heat the cafeteria. As a result of the small amount contributed to the food, the school is forced to buy cheap and unhealthy products that are frozen, processed, and high in fat. These products are thought of as healthier than fast food, but it is actually as unhealthy as fast food is. These foods hardly reach the nutritional standards.

After learning about how unhealthy the school food is, I am very disappointed. I do not understand how a school can promote good health, but not provide it. I believe that the schools can and should work harder to change menus that they have. I also think that they should use most of the money for food and less for the heating of the cafeteria. If schools are going telling students how important their health is and how they should start making healthy decisions, then it would be helpful if they provide healthy foods and it would be easier for the students to make an attempt to make healthy choices.

What do you think?

Convenient vs. Necessity

Most of the food topics that we discuss all revolve around the fact that majority of  local consumers are unaware of what's really going on. In Wendell Berry's "The Pleasure of Eating," Berry suggests that we buy what we want, but only within the limits of what we can get. This really caught my attention because it's so true. Lately I've been eating Chick-Fil-A about three day out of the week because it's on my way home, it's fulfilling, affordable and convenient. From what I know Chick-Fil-A uses real meat and is a better choice compared to other fast food places like McDonald's or Burger King. If I ever found out that Chick-Fil-A was processed I would throw a fit. I honestly would rather not know and continue to enjoy my chicken sandwich and large fries.

            I've always enjoyed eating, but whose responsibility is it to make sure that we eat healthy on a daily basis? In my opinion the fast food industries make it quite difficult to choose a healthy meal. We've become so immune to what we're actually eating on a daily basis that we fail to realize the importance of a healthy diet.  I would definitely choose a fruit salad over Chick-Fil-A any day but I never really have the time to go search for one at the grocery store. Do you think it's our own responsibility to eat healthy or do you think our surrounding food vendors could make it a bit easier on us by offering more healthy and affordable choices?

"we accept the food we think we deserve..."

While reading Wendell Berry's "The Pleasures of Eating" it made me reevaluate all the bad things I eat, and how I can change my eating behavior. I myself would rather go to McDonalds and spend 3 dollars on a few cheeseburgers instead of going to a place like Chipotle and getting a salad that isn't going to fill me up for 8 dollars. People would rather save a few pennies and get food that doesn't have any real benefits to the bod, instead of spending more and essentially providing your body with the right nutrients it needs. We buy what have been persuaded to want, instead of what we really need just because of the price. Even the "cheap" food isn't what it's worth. We pay what we are charged, instead of standing up against it and trying to fight for the right price. Today in the modern world, a lot of women don't have time to slave in the kitchen for 3 hours to prepare dinner, but does that justify them serving already pre-cooked/pre-packaged food? No. Serving ready stuff is not a healthy substitute. Instead of cooking a whole chicken and hand carving it themselves for the family at a dinner table, they'd rather buy pre-processed boneless chicken breast. In America especially we always forgot to ask questions that need to be answered. The pleausre of eating shouldn't be to just satisfy your taste buds and fill your stomach up; it's about nourishing your body, while keeping the environment and certain ecosystems in mind. Do you plan on changing the way you eat, to not only better yourself, but also the world?

Cornstalks everywhere (but nothing else. Not even a bee)

Check out this review of the book A World in One Cubic Foot by Robert Krulwich of Radiolab!  This is cool because it communicates so well, but it's awful, tragic, devastating information.  It worries me.

Politics of Food

This is a wide open topic with multiple fascinating avenues to explore.  Don't get stuck.  Find a research question you are genuinely interested in, and follow your research in a direction that matters.  It makes the work fly by; it's interesting and real when the writer really wants to know something.

Here are some websites you can explore:

Michael Pollan has his own web page
Here's the Atkins Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley
The Food Inc. documentary has a website
The Edible Schoolyard -- wouldn't it be cool to plant a garden here at Mayfair?  What would it take?
Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

The fourth talk here (all about ecosystems) is about our dwindling bee populations.  Galvanizing.
Ron Finley inspires me:  a TEDTalk about guerrilla gardening
Jamie Oliver's TEDTalk called "Teach Every Child About Food"
Another TEDTalk:  "My (subversive) garden plot"

I planted last year in hay bales that I purchased up the street at Bellflower Feed.  You could put one of these bales almost anywhere, even beside a driveway.  I'm going to try this again this year -- it was easy, cheap and fun -- my idea of a good time.  Last year, I planted four; this year, I'm gonna double that.  (Twice the fun.)

Early:

Later:

Let's eat what we NEED, not want.

In Berry’s article, “The Pleasures of Eating,” he discusses various elements about eating that we may not be aware of.  In paragraph twelve, for example, he explains the seven steps to a new way of eating. Throughout his essay, he provides many reasons as to why eating healthy comes with discipline, responsibility, and commitment. Residing in a metropolitan area surrounded by fast food restaurants, it is easy to throw commitment and discipline out the window in the name of convenience. Eating with discipline means to know when enough is enough. Further, dedicating our bodies to eating healthy requires commitment, especially with so many options to tempt us.

The step I was most interested in is step five. Step five is to learn, in self-defense, as much as you can of the economy and technology of industrial food production. We volunteer our money and health when we choose to eat In-N-Out, Taco Bell, etc. Do we truly know what is added to the food that is not food? No. Together we should be making our food system, which is very vital to survival, more responsive to our needs and to our overall health. Step five must be integrated into our personal lives at home and practiced. To stop unhealthy meals from appearing when we ask "What's for dinner?", we need to carefully consider what's for dinner. 

100% Authentic (Your Race Here)

I was reading the Prelude: The Barbershop by Vershawn Ashanti Young and I found that there are certain things that you find; little words and phrases for example like "race-fake", and "racial schizophrenia" that really spoke to me as a African american male with an apparently high as Young says "linguistic performance". As young recalls Ms. Shelly Eversley's story when she herself was in her own barbershop In Baltimore she says that the men in the barbershop discounted her in a way that she felt Like she was a so called "race fake" although she says that she left the barbershop triumphant yet sad, she said that the men " thought of her educated language as an "imitation whiteness". I read that and It's not that I couldn't understand the reason why they thought this way; Its that I couldn't understand why this attitude or conceived notion of the educated African american person or really any race with as Young says, "spicy lingo" or "trendy hallmarks" that dawns a certain persona that doesn't include the educated "white" aspect in its unspoken ideology of who its people are hasn't been wiped from existence. I can only come to one conclusion; Its that people, at least in this aspect are actually complacent with the stagnant place they hold in society where the trend setters or ones who want to figuratively tear off the pigmented label their born with and let their own linguistic performance tell shape the views of the people around them instead of the preconceived name tag that reads "100% (Your Race Here)".