Paper Topic Ideas 9/4

The paper topic I chose to write about was the ingredients in fast food being up to FDA code, why some ingredients are banned in other countries and not in the United States, and why fast food companies should reveal what is in their foods. The idea sparked when I read an article explaining the low grade meat Taco Bell used for their tacos and burritos, then I found a video showing how McDonald's french fries cant be lit on fire and smoked. There's been other rumors of 'pink slime' in chicken nuggets from McDonald's, ingredients from yoga mats found in Subway's bread, even a case of human meat in Wendy's chili. We all fast food isn't healthy, but do we know exactly how unhealthy it is? As someone who enjoys food and admittedly eats fast food quite often, I realized that even though billions of people eat fast food a day, no one really knows exactly what they're putting in their bodies when they do. Fast food has been linked to numerous fatal diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and even cancer. The FDA has been known to pass very questionable foods as 'edible' and aren't quite as strict on regulations as some consumers think they should be. That being said, why are certain ingredients and chemicals allowed in foods here that aren't allowed in any other parts of the world? What exactly are fast food companies trying to hide from us? My goal for this paper is to answer these questions and explain why companies should set better standards for their food, and why people should be more concerned about what they eat. I hope to find a lot of information that will open other people's eyes, as well as my own, to the importance of caring about your food and health.

Skills To Be Learned Part 1 9/4

The main skill I would like to work on this semester is to know what to do when I get stuck writing. This problem happens a lot, especially when I get distracted or anxious. Knowing different ways to focus and keep myself on track would definitely benefit me. Understanding the difference between revising and editing, and how to do both would also benefit when I write. In the past, I wrote papers and never really went back to revise them. I would do a little editing, but I never realized there was a difference. Another skill I could use work on is knowing when to paraphrase instead of using a quote. I love using quotes to back up my writing, especially when I have to argue a point. Paraphrasing instead of quoting could really clean up my paper in the end. Even though I've used MLA format citations before, I could still use some help in mastering it as a skill. Most of my future papers require MLA or APA format citations, and though I've used MLA before, I'm not experienced with using APA. Knowing how to properly use both will not only help this semester, but for the rest of my college career, and maybe even further. There are may other skills I could brush up on, these being the main five.

TED Talks 9/2

The first Ted Talks i watched was 'The Killer American Diet That's Sweeping The Planet' by Dean Ornish. It explained how the American food culture has spread globally and causing many health problems in many countries, not just our own. Ornish showed correlations between the foods people eat and the life long effects of eating habits, such as developing heart disease and diabetes, as well as obesity. It goes to show that people should consider the consequences of eating unhealthy foods and how they impact their life, as well as other people around the world. The second Ted Talks I watched was 'What's Wrong With What We Eat' by Mark Bittman. It shocked me to see how much our food culture has changed in just the past 40 years. We as Americans have become ignorant to how our food is produced and sold. We value convenience over quality, which has dramatically altered the way people now view food in general. Past generations made innovations in canned, processed, frozen, and prepackaged food that has been passed down and further modified to the point that it's barely 'natural' food anymore. Mittman brought up the point that if we continue to produce and consume food in the same ways we are now, it could destroy our planet. Most people, myself included, don't realize how much impact food has on society. The final Ted Talks I watched was 'Why I'm a Weekday Vegetarian' by Graham Hill. Being as how I grew up in a household that had meals centered around meat being the main course, I never really considered the effects meat and it's production had on the environment or even myself. Hill explained that focusing more on other foods can help cut down meat production and also improve our health. After watching these videos, I will definitely look at food from a new perspective. Food is something we take for granted most of the time, and I think it's important now to see just how good (or bad) the food we consume is.