Sasha's Q1BM reflection

​I did the position paper, and here is where you can access it:

https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/minors-___-choose/home/proposition 

1. We did decision making in our group by trying to find out what interested us all, and figuring out how we could accomplish it. We at first decided if we wanted to make a change based on who it affects: basically, we had first decided upon where we wanted to target our change. At first, we wanted to make a mandatory class that was based upon voting and its importance but than we found out that it was unconstitutional. Then, Ms. Lauf helped us with the idea of voting age instead. We went with changing the voting age to 16 because of the place in society that 16 year olds have.


2. The role if the individual creating and making change is perhaps that most important thing in the world. It is what starts revolutions and inspiration for others to do the same. It is also a symbol of courage and also the role leadership. It takes someone who is strong enough to see their ideas through and tor want to stand up against anyone who opposes them. Also, it is also seeing yourself relative to the world. At times, we may just seem like another number on the demographic, but we have power like if we really try.                     

3. My understanding of these matters have evolved in a way that I now view the US differently. I now see that while the voting process isn't really complicated at all, I see that the way that we decide who votes is a bit skewed. We don't 16 year olds vote even though they pay taxes, and they are punished as adults though they don't get the rights as so.  


4. I decided to market my position paper mainly by using a guilt tactic. I stated every reason as to why 16 years olds should be voting, but reminded the reader that they are not. Also, I used language that was fairly uncomplicated and could be understood by middle school students at least. Using this universal language gets the point across better, and hopefully more effectively.
     
















BMQ1 - Reflection

Overall BENCHMARK Site


To start everything off, my group just had their own ideas of what we wanted to change. Our list at the beginning was: Removing Electoral Colleges, Changing the voting age, and making it mandatory. First off, everyone else was already having a mandatory voting weekend - so that wouldn't be interesting. Secondly, we would have to change many more things in the law if we changed the voting age. So the one we were left with was Electoral Colleges. 

Individual change in America begins when one truly understands and believes in the thing they want to change. Everything begins with knowledge and research. You can't enlighten others about change you'd like to see and have nothing to tell them. If you try to enlighten people about Mac vs. PC, for example, and you have never in your life used a Mac - your points following are then invalid. (Because we all know, Once you go Mac, you never go back

I didn't really have a background on the learning process before this unit. Before, I thought "You go into the poll and press some magical button and it goes into the computer." But then when I went, I realized it was a pretty long and time consuming process. But it's okay because there are MANY voting polls around the city of Philadelphia. 

I thought the best way to relay my message was follow through like Rick Perry's Ad Campaign. Show what's going on now and I showed how things will be if things DO change. All we need is change and if we get that, happiness will follow along - of course. 

Position Paper Let Us Vote

Position Paper - Winston Wright.

    One problem in American society today is that the opinion of young minds are truly undervalued. Interestingly enough it is experiences as young children that help mold mature adults, making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives as adults. In the United States Constitution, the 26th amendment states that persons of eighteen (18) years of age or higher are pretty much allowed to vote. Now the age eighteen in the U.S is the age that citizens are branded “Adult.” Being dependent upon themselves and no one else. Many politicians across the country put on a “front” like education comes first. The motto is that we (as in adults in the United States) need to help the future generation figure out a way to effectively lead themselves. “By educating young people, they will be able to make the same successful choices that past Americans have made, resulting in a continuous Utopia!” Still when presented with some of the liberty that few have, young people do not vote compared to other demographic groups in the U.S. The voting age should be changed. If we are the future, Let Us Vote! It is a generalization that most young adults/teenagers are lazy, or unfocused. Despite the fact that this is true in many cases there is a percentage of young people in this country who want change for their own future. Now today there are many programs/associations that promote youth leadership, and assist young people in helping the world. In only makes sense, to give the responsibility to those who are working so hard towards the future. Sixteen (16) is the perfect age to begin to vote. Young adults are usually in the 10th/11th grade during this time in their lives, and are just discovering their own intellectual interest. By the time they become eighteen they have applied to college, obtained the right to drive, other things that come along with being an adult. Most 16 years old are prepared to take on the world, prepping themselves to become adults, functioning members of society. Negative imagery can commonly be associated with young adults in the United States from drugs, violence and other types of reckless behavior. It is only in making becoming more older more appealing will the actions start to change. The only thing 16 year olds have forward to look to in most part of this country is their permit. This must change. When granted the privilege to vote, young people will have a better understanding of how and what is going on in the country. In addition to this, it would only make sense to grant the privilege of voting among young people. So many transitions are happening in their lives, as most are finishing some type of academic career. In the U.S there are many problems with education, and certainly putting the young people in the battle will help form solutions. It is a challenge to say that every single citizen of the union, should be granted the right to vote, but limiting the parameters of the freedom to vote to a certain demographic, defies the purpose of America. This is a place of progression, change, and liberty, therefore it’s future shall be endowed/dependent upon the children it births. The experience of life in America is a significant one, and all participants should be have a say in how they live their life. Lowering the voting age to sixteen (16) will give more responsibility to young people of the country. One of the biggest benefits from lowering the voting age will not only be a wider audience to appeal to, but it will encourage more of the older voters in the demographic to vote. Political, Economical, and Social consciousness can be built from the change of this amendment. A positive uprising will be the most beneficial result from change. It is because the youth are looked down upon in regards to responsibility that they act out. Compared to other nations of the world, the United States has system of the older a citizen gets, the more valuable they are to society. Everyone has a thought of value, and everyone posses the ability to contribute in a positive way. These natural rights should never be taken away no matter age, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

Works Cited 

Baker, Marge. "On Capitol: Student Voting Rights." youngpeoplefor. Blogger, 9/28/09. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. . "Disenfranchising Young People." feministsforchioce. 3/18/11. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. .


Alex Johnson - Benchmark Reflection

Get Out and Vote Campaign
Get Out and Vote Campaign

How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?

  • Our group came together and decided that it would be between making voting mandatory or to change the electoral college process. We then took a vote and it was decided to do mandatory voting.


11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 

  • The individual is responsible for bringing new ideas to the whole system to allow new ideas to be brought into a reality. Individuals also come up with ideas to keep change sustained with new laws and mandates.


How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?

  • Well I used to think that the US was a whole democracy and that every vote mattered. However after this unit I realized that not every vote will matter in every state because of the electoral college process.


How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?

  • We decided to make a semi-patriotic ad to tell people to get out and vote as well as a song to inspire kids to talk with their parents about voting.

Benchmark Reflection

​This link will take you to my paper:
https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/it-s-not-a-choice-anymore/rebuttal-paper
This is the link to my project:
https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/it-s-not-a-choice-anymore/home

  • How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?
    Well we waited until we were together in class and then we split up. We worked on our parts separately, but  we did come together when we had to review our stuff.
  • 11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
    It is there role to vote and that helps create change because they are picking the future and how it will change good or bad.
  • How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?
    Well i didn't know anything about the election because it didn't really apply to me. I found it interesting that hardly anyone votes and that it is actually difficult to vote. 
  • How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?
    Well we wanted to make it appealing to everyone. Like we made a song that would appeal to the younger voters and then the print ad was more serious and that was supposed to appeal to the older voters.

Q1 Benchmark Reflection


When deciding how to go about making the focus for our project, we discussed and debated ideas based on the description of the project. We tried to narrow down a unique and specific Amendment. It was pretty interesting to see what my group members thought would hypothetically be a good decision for the government to make. The pros and cons of each idea were heavily debated. 

The role of the individual in creating and sustaining change is to help advocate his or her ideas and leading in a way that is beneficial to the group or a common goal. Change is a constant thing, but what really matters most is what you choose to do with that change- or wether it makes a difference if things remain the same. 

My understanding of the electoral process has evolved through listening to not only what other voters had to say, but it's an interesting twist on each voter's response due to their personal experiences. Some people feel like their vote doesn't matter, so they do not vote or that they simply are not educated on too much of polotics. People seem to go back in forth in debating whether or not the US is a republic or a democracy, but either way injustice exists. Not every person in the world can come to a unison on an idea. 

With my marketing campaign, I tried to focus on including a diverse selection of students to participate in the video so that many audiences could relate. Age wise, it was more difficult to find people with the actual energy that I desired, unless you are a staff member at SLA. However, I figured that I would rather have a bunch of diversity with one age group instead of limited diversity and multiple age groups. It's easier to persuade a student to participate, also, because a lot of us had to do this project. 

Since I couldn't excel with age and diversity, I decided I would try different forms of the video to appeal to different audiences. Such as choosing music that could appeal to almost anyone and choosing pictures that target people of all ages that still made them feel important and a part of this country. The main theme was to get people to vote through our proposal of voting on the weekend. I created an older sounding catchy theme song to further express our plan. For I remembered that the most memorable commercials have songs that sing the number to call of a company. Different tools like this were used to relay to a national audience our campaign. 

Stewart-McDonaldBMReflection

​Link to the Position Paper: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PDd77pgPggYmGQnqMiapBva8V23tEOc9J_m1Ry5ap-w/edit

Group Project:
https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/it-s-not-a-choice-anymore/

To me, we just started naming possibilities out loud and what we could possibly do for the those possibilities. In the end we decided to go with the one we thought we could do the most for/ have the most fun with.
The role of the individual in creating and sustaining change is to be conscious of their opinions and to push to get them heard. Whether it's voting, protesting or attending a neighborhood committee meeting, I think an individual should get their ideas out there the best way they can to cause change and remind people why the change was made to sustain it.
I didn't know what the electoral process as before so I now know what it is and I understand what it is. I think I now know of ways the US is definitely a democracy and how certain laws and things can prohibit certain groups making sort of betray its democracy.
I believe we decided to make it simple, yet entertaining (with Kamilah's song). So we basically had something that could catch the eye with the simple logo and then had something that could hold the attention of the people with the song.

Ryan Harris - Benchmark Reflection

​Rebuttal Paper

 

In our campaign to propose this new amendment, we do see where those against it might rebuttal. These arguments directly challenging the mental capabilities of many 16 year olds. Let’s look at the logistics of it. A great majority, if not all, 16 year olds live with their parents. In fact they’re mostly still dependent on their parents. Sure 16 year olds may be able to think for themselves, but don’t have the abilities to be truly self-sufficient. There’s also the responsibility of 16 years olds. While their parents may trust them smaller tasks like watch a their sibling or taking out the trash, one would never give a space of power to a child. They wouldn’t even know where to begin. Voting is a prime example of that; children don’t know the first thing about voting and all that goes on behind the scenes. Also, 16 year olds have many other rights such as the right to drop out of school or in some other states, the right to marry and have sex. (Debate: Lowering the Voting Age to 16). While these are freedoms they can choose express at any time, people against lowering the voting age would response to this: “Just because they have those rights doesn’t mean they should express them.” Debatepedia’s article – “Debate: Lowering the voting age to 16” states: “If all 16 year olds left home at 16 and started families it would be considered a disaster.” Countries much like America save things like drinking alcohol, serving in a military, and especially voting too much higher ages. The streets would be full of drunk and pregnant teens. In fact in the article: “Lower the Voting Age to 16: Pros and Cons” from International Business Times talking about the effects of lowering in voting in other countries. While countries such as Austria, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Ecuador have been successful in lowering the voting age, The U.S. and the U.K. alike have failed in such a process. Now let’s look into other things that could occur if America were to lowering its voting age. If we are to lowering the voting to 16, many states could also advocate lowering the criminal responsibility and consent ages to fit with the lowering voting age. What this basically boils down to is since you have to power to vote like the adults before you, one should be considered an adult as well. So, when you are convicted of a crime, even a smaller crime (theft) for example, instead of being tried a minor you immediately be tried as an adult. What the article states about age of consent is: “The issue of consent is particularly important because it extends beyond consensual sex; in prostitution and rape allegations, if sexual contact is proven and the victim is a minor, the perpetrator is automatically guilty on statutory rape.” ("Lower the Voting Age to 16: Pros and Cons). What this means is if the age were to be lower, the said perpetrator would have to go through a full rape trial instead. Another reason people are against lowering the voting age is because they believe that it won’t solve the problem of voter turnout. A plus of lowering the age is the possibility of increasing current voter turnout. But that’s all it really is, a possibility. ("Voting Age, Lowering: Debatabase”). As it stands, in America, voting is a choice. If you don’t want to vote, you don’t have to. Now considering 16 year olds tend to be more involved in their own problems rather than what is occurring across the country, they would most likely be the tiny percentage of people who would attend the polls. In regards to voter turnout is the political knowledge that many 16 year olds have. For the most part, that knowledge is little to nonexistent on a deeper level. Idebate.org shows how lowering the voting age can be very dangerous. It states that 16 year olds could use their voting power very naively, only voting for the candidate they think is cool or that supports a single issue that care about, not looking at the full picture. ("Debate: Lowering the Voting Age to 16"). The 16 year olds of the present are more concerned with things like instant gratification and getting/fixing something with the least amount of effort. The problem with that is it can create the younger voters into very big swing voters. Say one candidate offers to greatly increase curfew for those 16-17, but another offers to clean up the streets, teens may most likely vote for the first guy because they feel that issue he’s addressing directly effects them, so they care more. But say the second candidate offers to give free cars to all 16-17 year olds with permits; they instantly change their opinion to the second candidate because they’re getting free stuff. This can prove extremely dangerous in America. If this were to happen, America as a whole could potentially be electing unfit people to run our country. This is because the demographic of 16-18 years old is just so huge, if they all vote it could easily outclass all the adults voting, leaving the opinions nearly nullified. The adults of America already have a hard enough time deciding whom to vote for and don’t need ignorant teenagers possibly skewing the polls to an inadequate candidate. Also many teenagers tend to go against the popular consensus just for the sake of being rebellious. Something like is the very last we need at the polls. For example, there are two candidates: one obviously for the job and one obviously not for the job. Where vast majorities of people agree with the first candidate and they see that he/she is out best interests, there’s always going to those teenagers who are against the “status quo”. They’ll simply vote for the second candidate really just because, completely and utterly ignorant to their politics. And finally there’s the viewpoint of not all ages groups are affected by things the government tries to pass. Things like healthcare and social security are things that children should know about but it’s certainly not something that they should be worrying about. Things like that are handled by the parents or guardians, and for the most past when parents vote, they take their entire family into consideration. ("Voting Age, Lowering: Debatabase”)

Works Cited

 

"Debate: Lowering the Voting Age to 16." Debatepedia.com. Debatepedia, 04 Dec. 2009. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Lowering_the_voting_age_to_16>.

 

"Lower the Voting Age to 16: Pros and Cons - International Business Times."International Business News, Financial News, Market News, Politics, Forex, Commodities - International Business Times - IBTimes.com. International Business Times, 19 May 2011. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/148691/20110519/lower-the-voting-age-to-16-pros-and-cons.htm>.

 

"Voting Age, Lowering: Debatabase - Debate Topics and Debate Motions." IDEA: International Debate Education Association - Debate Resources & Debate Tools. IDEA Inc., 22 Feb. 2007. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. <http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=588>.


Entire Project: http://tinyurl.com/d7xa5ysf

Reflection Questions:

 

·       How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?

- We figured we should attack a subject that would directly affect us, that being letting 16 year-olds vote. While the object topics are just as important, we felt(or least I did) a more personal connection to the project.

·       11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 

- The role of the individual can be two things in my opinion: either create change or deter it. For nearly ever individual trying to make change for the better, there are most likely just as many individuals trying to stop that change.

·       How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?

-  I know so much more than I did before. I never knew that this is so involved with more than just the presidential candidates on the ballot. I feel like if I’m ever going to vote I’ve got to know my stuff.

·       How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?

- We decided to go to the audience we are trying to help, teenagers like us. Rather just saying all the positives of letting us vote, let’s see how they’d feel about it. 

Torelli Q1 Benchmark Reflection

Here is where you can access my awesome paper:

Here is where you can access the whole project:


We collaborated as a group talking about our different ideas. We also did additional research as a group to provide evidence with our ideas.The role of the individual in creating and sustaining change is thinking outside the box and to go on and make a difference by speaking one's opinion on how they view a problem.I understand that our country is a democracy but not completely because through research some rights are still not given.To make the most appealing with facts and information yet appealing to the audience's eye.

Opinions on Voting - Kam's interviews.

So I interviewed three people on Election Day. One woman and two males. I asked each of them 5-6 questions about their reasons for voting and their opinions on why voting is important. At the end of my three interviews I was given a giant pink sample ballot. Below are the interviews:

Marlene, the first person I interviewed
was very confident in her opinions on voting and so I got a lot of information from her. She is an African American female with a family hooked into the government. With 24 years on her belt working for city council she was able to answer my questions with detail and precision. When i asked her why she though she needed to vote she said that "You can't change anything if you don't make an effort to." She believed that if people wanted change, if she wanted change, she had to voice her opinion because her one vote could be the difference in someone winner or losing an election.
Her other reason for voting was that her family was tied into the government. They all worked in city council or had jobs along those lines. That being said, Marlene informed me that she's been voting since she was 18. It was a family tradition to get registered and vote once you turn 18.
When I asked her about who she was voting for she said she always did background information on the people she was voting for and in fact knew most of the people who she was voting for. To her "the person in office is just a voice; a spokesperson" for the people that they are representing. She made sure that person she voted for would be someone who would make decision based on what was best for the people.

George, the second person I interviewed, wasn't as experienced as Marlene, being in his early 20s but he was able to answer my questions. He believed that he along with everyone should vote because every single vote counts. When I asked him why he as an individual voted he said "It's just something I do". It's just something he was raised to believe was required. When i asked him about the person he was voting for he told me that he knew who he was going to vote for before he went into vote and that the person he was voting for, he believed, would be able to change and make a difference.

The last person I interviewed was named Benjamin Prail
, and he's been voting since he was 21. When i asked him why he voted he stated that it was his constitutional right and that everyone should be exercising their constitutional rights, especially the rights that people fought so hard to get. He said that he as an individual wanted to make a difference and casting his vote was one of the ways that he could do that. When i asked him who he was voting for and if he knew before he got into the voting booth he told me that he was  a little unsure but knew that he was going to vote for someone new. He believed that all the old politicians "aren't doing things right" and that they're all doing things the same. He believed that if there truely were to be change it would only be accomplished by getting someone "fresh" and "new" in office with "new ideas".

Rethinking Pocahontas

Rethinking Pocahontas-by Markia Johnson and Nia Berry

http://rethinkinghistory.weebly.com/index.html

This is a link to our website about the disney tale of "Pocahontas" which in reality is a modified version of the true story of "Matoaka", an indian princess who saved the life of an Euro-American named John Smith. There are may perceptions of Indians but the most famous and usually perceived as accurate version comes from the movie, "Pocahontas" and our website is created to give people a chance to learn about how media has been used as an tool to teach manipulated history. We hope that you learn from this website and use it as an example to further your thinking of history and how it's perceived in media.

Josephine Baker: Activist, Humanitarian & Burlesque Dancer

Alaya White's Food

Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 11.35.02 PM
Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 11.35.02 PM
Above is my Food Slide. 
Just recently i have tried Alligator & Loved it Which is where the Alligator graphic come from, and also the Food Rule "Don't Be Afraid to Try New Things". It's always great to branch out past the normal things you are used to.

For the Recipe I made Baked Chicken:

2lbs.- free range chicken thighs

3 -small organic red potatoes 

1/2-organic red onion 

1-cup of chicken broth

1-sweet Red bell pepper

1-clove of garlic

organic black pepper corns w/ grinder (Black pepper)

bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil

Reynolds Baking Bags

 

 

Prepare the chicken by sprinkling it with grinded black peppercorns

Sauteé 1/4 of the onion chopped, half the red pepper(with seeds), & chopped garlic in olive oil.

(while you are waitng you can slice your potatoes thinly.)

Once that in finshed and browned, prepare the skillet with more olive oil to fry the chicken. 

You plan on just browning the skin , not frying completely.

Once the skin is browned, you need to prepare your baking bag,put the baking bag inside of the roasting pan,  cover the bottom of the bag with potatoes then the slices of the other half of the onion and peppers. Add a layer of chicken to cover the bottom layer. each thigh should be touching a potato. 

sprinkle the sauteéd peppers and onions on top of the chicken. 

Put chicken broth on top of all the food in the bag using a turkey baster.

tie the bag and cut slits for air holes.

Put in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. check periodically.

 

 

A few words to describe me meal:

  • tasty-of course!
  • economical & cheap-this only costed me about $15 (every ingredient was purchased from Whole Foods market)
  • filling- not only do you get a main course of chicken, but you have sides with potatoes, onions, and peppers
  • complete-as I said before, the meal is complete all you need is something to drink.

The body does not take long to digest chicken. Chicken is not a heavy meat. Peppers onions and garlic and tasty flavors which are rather healthy. If you ate nothing but this meal everyday you might lack calcium in your diet.

All the ingredients were local and organically grown. The chicken was also free range.





During this unit about Food in Science and Society, I have been a lot more open minded when it comes to food. In the Food Inc. movie we saw a lot of animal cruelty when it came to chcikcen and cows. Cows were often swung around by their limbs and no one really "cared" about the animal that was about to be slaughtered. Another thing I found interesteing was the fact that fish were being fed cord in order to "beef them up" so they would be worth more in the market. They did the same to cows, which would cause them to put a hole in the side of the cow in order to essentially extract the waste, and these helps the cow a little because cows with holes in them last longer. 

It was interesting in this unit to see everyones opinions with discussions and with their presentation of their portion of the movie. 

This unit essentially changed my view on many foods I eat. For example I eat beef a lot less, especially because it takes 7 days for it to digest inside you body. YUCK!

Macaroni Tuna Sala by Nia Berry

Tuna Macaroni Salad


Ingredients:

 

4 Brown Organic eggs

2 pouches of Ronzoni Pasta Portions: elbow

½ cup Miracle Whip Mayonnaise (vary to preference)

Lawry’s Season Salt (vary to preference)

Old Bay Seasoning (vary to preference)

2 cans of Chicken of the Sea Solid White: Albacore tuna

 

Procedure:

 

1.     Boil 2 pouches of pasta in 1 quart of water for 5minutes.

2.     Boil 4 brown eggs for 10 minutes.

3.     Drain and serve pasta into a large bowl

4.     Open, drain and serve 2 cans of tuna into large bowl with pasta

5.     Apply about ½ a cup of mayonnaise into bowl and mix contents of the bowl thoroughly.

6.     Add a moderate amount (2 teaspoons each) of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and Old Bay seasoning and mix (continue to taste and add more season as seen fit).

7.     Un-shell and dice eggs into bowl and mix one last time.

 

Analysis:

 

Based on the ingredients used to make my meal, about 60% of my meal is processed being made of processed tuna fish and mayonnaise.

 

 My entire meal totaled in 315mg cholesterol. 3,230mg sodium, 33g fat, 600mg potassium, 128g carbs, 6g dietary fibers, 6g sugars, 46g protein, and 1,630mg calories. The amount of sodium in my meal could cause serious high blood pressure and other health risks and the amount of calories (1,630mg) in my meal is half of the suggested 2,400-calorie intake for women, so eating everyday would not be healthy. Also be reminded that this is all only in one serving.

 

All ingredients used in my meal were made and packed in the United States; ranging from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey California. The Chicken of the Sea Tuna Fish traveled the furthest being from San Diego, California. Only my eggs were organically grown.

 

  This meal cost about $15. In comparison to fast food, my meal may be equal in health risk somewhat, but it is not a meal to be eaten regularly. Also my meal is a bit more expensive when buy ingredients as a whole. The USDA regulates these ingredients.


Self Reflection

 

Being a person who has never once questioned what is on the back, ingredients and nutrient labeling of her everyday boxed processed food, this unit in science and society has changed my view and importance in food in multiple ways. From the identifying of terms and ingredients, the creation and modification of said ingredients and how these process of modified and organic foods has drastically effected America economically and health wise.

 

The initial assignment of simply reading what the ingredients were on a meal I had recently eaten was only step one of opening my eyes to the food I consume. After a discussion in class about the definition and creditability of certain terms found on the labeling of boxed/canned foods, I learned that terms like “Low-Fat” and “Natural” are not USDA regulated meaning; any thing claimed to be any percent less fat (even if it’s only 1%) than it’s original form can be considered “low fat” without any higher authority confirmation. It was facts that like and many others that alone made me more conscious of the ingredients in our foods.

 

Step two in discovering the truth behind our food was actually watching the documentary movie, “Food Inc” which had a range of discussion topics. It talked about the treatments of both animals and workers, the process of making food, the cost of food and how it economically effects America, the health causes of genetically modified foods, the political aspects of the food system and overall how as consumers, we have a large role in the food system and are capable of changing it.  My group in particular took the chapter, “Shocks to the System” which discussed how an consumers, we are becoming slightly more conscious of the products/produce we purchase and this is partially due to the price inflammation and comparison of organic verses genetically modified. Stores like Wal-Mart have even gone “Green” in order to comply with costumers and appeal to high-class costumers who have begun to notice the difference between organic and genetically modified.

 

Step 3 was taking what I’ve learned and applying it into my life by creating a meal that was ideally healthy and free of genetically modified ingredients (homemade being the main objective).  My choice in meal was Macaroni Tuna Salad, made with whole organic brown eggs. Along with other classmates who made healthy meals, I found that eating healthy, some organic foods was just as delicious and simple to make as the usual fast food, boxed, and processed food that so many of us are used to.





nia
nia

Emma Hersh Q1 Benchmark

For this project Maxime Damis and I worked together to bake Biscotti. HERE is the link to our recipe, recipe analysis, and photos of our creation.

Here's my personal reflection of this Unit

I was nervous starting this unit because watching Food Inc always makes me loose faith in our country. This time watching it, though still visually disturbing, I got more out of it. I was more aware of the effect big corporations have on our economy and was then able to connect that to the Occupy Wall Street movements that are happening all over America. The biggest problem with our food system, is that the people have so little say in what they can buy. The grocery stores are lined with options of foods but they're all from the same places so the consumers have no choice but to support them. I was interested by how important organic food is in our country and how important it is to support organic foods because more people will know about it and there will be a higher demand locally which will bring farmers back into the mix. I have a large role in the food system because what I buy, especially when I'm making my own food will be registered as one less person who buys bad products from bad companies. My other role is that I can inform other people of what has happened in the food systems and hopefully encourage them to make the same change that I did.

And finally, my food rule graphic. 
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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 11.14.11 PM

​Atomic Energy Act of 1946

Kern Clarke
Story Of A Bill
​Atomic Energy Act of 1946


Sources:
http://bit.ly/uY92Kb
http://bit.ly/rHD0SY
http://bit.ly/sCBJIS
http://bit.ly/tKQbpw
http://bit.ly/jXWN
http://bit.ly/teLV9j
http://bit.ly/uTpvtM
http://bit.ly/6Nj3fH

Samantha Boyd Challah Bread Q1 Benchmark

challah
challah
Recipe

Bread machine 

1 cup of warm water

½ cup white sugar

1 table spoon

½ cup of vegetable oil

2 ½ teaspoon of salt

2 eggs

4 cups of bread flower

2 ¼ teaspoon yeast

 

After dough is made let dough rise on floured surface for 5 min

Divide dough in half and then in to thirds. Roll into ropes and then braid.

Place on greased cookie sheet cover with wrap and let it rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small bawl beat 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of water

Brush the egg mixture over the bread

Put into oven to bake for 20-25 mins.  

 Recipe analysis

This entire meal is all processed for the simple fact there is nothing healthy really in it and nothing used to make this is all whole food. ½ cup of sugar is not really good for your body. It’s really unhealthy expectedly for ones that live with diabetes. 2 ½ teaspoon of salt is extremely unhealthy for your body because of high blood pressure. This meal original from Israel. Challah is a loaf of yeast-risen egg bread that is traditionally eaten by Jews on Shabbat, on ceremonial occasions and during festival holidays. I truly beleve that these ingeatings to make this come from your local grocey story. Challah is not expnisve compared what you would by at a fast food place but I really do think that there is just as much bad food in it just as fast food. Challah cost $2.25 at the store or the juwish bakery. Stroehmann Family White 20 Oz Loaf of bread is $3.29, which has the same ingredients but is more expensive then Challah. So really baking Challah is really the cheapest way to go at the end of the day.


 Self Reflection 

 During this first quarter of science & society I have learned many thing when it come to the foods that we have in our world today. We started off talking about how children are becoming obesity because of the foods that they eat and the nutritious that they are not getting. We talk about what kind of food is held in different homes and what food places are close to eat from trying to understand why the obesity level is going up and not decreasing. 

 

         We started learning about how families need to look at the food labels before they buy their food from supermarkets. We talk about how hard it was to even get food companies to put the labels on their food and what laws were put in place for then to do so. So when it come to different food companies and how they raise and create a farm and animals on that farm we watched a movie called food inc. that allowed us to see what kind of goes on behind the sense of food. 

 

       While watching that movie we learned about how the animals were being tread and how they were being cared for. We learned about what they were feeding them and what if do to their body. They showed us what chemicals are being used to kill the germs that might be in the food. We learned about how e-coli got in to a hamburger and a young boy named Kevin died from it and then his mom tried to get a law passed about that called Kevin's law. We learned about Oprah and the case that happen with her we learned about the seeds and how they are expansive and they try to reuse then and can't. This movie talked about so many things it was crazy that it took us as student to really look at all the food that we by and eat differently. 

 

         After the movie and doing different class assignments with that we went on to learning about organic and non-organic foods and the difference and price between them. We as students had to go home and look in our homes to see what was organic and not the we were told to shop and see the different in price and label in organic and non -organic. Some students like my self brought the assignment home to the dinner table and talk about what we have been learning about food in class with our families. Next we started to look at different things that have to do with the body and food like, diabetes and heart disease and things like that and how they error form the foods that we eat and by.  So there are so many different things about food that we have been learning about.



Food slide  

food slaide
food slaide

Rafiq Robinson's Q1 Benchmark

Recipe and Analysis

​Boneless Garlic and Lemon Pepper Halal Chicken Sandwich

4-6 - Boneless Chicken Breast
1/4 cup oil (sunflower oil)
1 Tbsp -Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp - Butter or Margarine  
4 - 6 Hamburger or Hoagie Rolls

Get a few thin slices of chicken breasts.
On both sides of the chicken sprinkle good amount of garlic and let sit for 40 seconds.
Place the specified amount oil and butter in skillet.
Cook the oil and butter in skilled on medium heat until Hot.
Cook breast on both sides for a few minutes or alternatively until all the pink is gone from the meat leaving it entirely white inside.(To do this I cut little slits in the the chicken so I can see the inside of the meat.)

Place on buttered and toasted hamburger or hoagie rolls. Add any condiments you feel necessary.


Most of the meal is whole food because it is solely meat, spices and bread. The only processed part of the meal is butter and oils and you can just bake the chicken or not use butter for the bread. My body is just eating natural foods, it digests chicken, bread and butter just like any food. The worse thing here is butter but animal fat is much worse for arteries. Also 100% of the calories from the butter come from fat so add another problem but the butter I used has 0mg of cholesterol so take the good with the bad. Although butter is not as bad for your arteries it is still just bad and it will lead to many problems. The fried food is also bad for your health but it is still meat.

Most of my food is from America but the chicken is from Pennsylvania. The butter I would have to assume is the farthest because it doesn't have any designated place in America it just says from the U.S.A. The chicken is Halal, bread and butter is all commercially produced and grown.

As a meal it cost 4.50 per pound of halal chicken, 2.00 per bag of bread, 2.69 for the butter. Per sandwich it cost .78 cents. The food is regulated by FDA like most foods are in the U.S. The individual companies themselves made money off of my food and since most of the food is independent except for the butter which is from a bigger company, smaller companies made all the money off of the food I brought.

I don't see any ramifications for my food socially because halal meat is slaughtered traditionally and without all the social problems that lobbyists have with big companies. No one is angry about bread or butter as far as I am informed. For my meat it starts with the farm, slaughtered at the farm, packaged, to my home and on the plate.


Personal Reflection

My role in the larger food system is the same as it always was, the consumer. I am and will always be the consumer unless I take up a job as a farmer or regulator but my role as a consumer is the most important because the role is an ever changing one. The role can change radically because if me and 1000 friends come up and want something different and convince others that they want the same thing, something will change. One of the biggest problems is that everyone accepts this as it is and it is an insufficient amount people who legitimately want change and will continue to fight for it. In other words the biggest problem is the people who say "Yeah this is a travesty!" and do nothing about it. Yes I choose to say I support a corrupt and deteriorating system but at least I am honest and I don't say things like I will change it. In a market business the consumer is god and unless god TRULY wants change to an extreme extent nothing will happen.The only change I can see is not supporting this disgusting system of animal abuse and capitalism. This would be a giant change, a change so big that it would change the U.S economy and maybe even the U.S itself. This change would show the people who want nothing but money that the consumers want change and to eat healthy. If these people are motivated enough they can influence others to show our government that we want cleaner everything and that we will not respond until we get what we want. No I am not willing to make these changes because I am not motivated or moved enough to do anything. Even if I was motivated enough it would take a lot more to change things than one person it take about a million.


Food Rule

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This rule is simple in nature with a an even simpler message. Do Not Over Eat. It is harmful and it leads to many harmful things later on in life such a high blood pressure and diabetes and with those numbers rising dramatically there is no need to add to that statistic.
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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 7.28.15 PM

Natasha Ashby and Daniel Quach - Food BM


Personal Reflections

Natasha Ashby -
"During this unit, I learned a lot about food. Now, I love food and to learn what I'm actually ingesting is very valuable. After watching the documentary Food Inc, I was informed on how the animals are actually treated. They were slaughtered and mistreated. I am not a vegetarian. However, after I was informed, I wanted to be. I wanted to eat healthier especially after finding out that a majority of the food I eat on a daily basis is processed. I originally thought that only fast food was processed but to find out that it is also food that we get from the grocery store, surprised me. Science and Society was able to open my eyes to the realities within the food industries. I am sure a lot of people are unaware of the situation with our food, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

The government is very powerful. While doing the chapter assignment based off the different topics in the food documentary, I learned about Veggie Libel Laws. Veggie Libel Laws gives industries the right to silence or discourage any critics from reporting anything that could not be backed up by scientific evidence. Regardless of whether or not food critics are seeking the truth, it comes with consequences. I personally think it still goes against the first amendment just because how can you make a law saying food critics, workers and just general citizens can not say anything bad about the industry or the process.  

Our biggest problems within our food system is the secrecy and the ignorance. People really are not aware of what they are eating, cooking or feeding to their children. I feel like the food industries will continue to produce their food the way they see is most feasible towards making money. Money is a huge factor when it comes to anything in America. I would love to eat more healthier. I would rather eat at home than at a fast food restaurant, however I have to remember that fast food chains are not the only ones with processed foods. They are everywhere. I think if I could find more time to shop organically and cook my food more often, or for three weeks that way it will become a habit, it would definitely impact my food choices.  I am willing to commit to these changes, after I finish stressing out about making sure I have a future after high school."

Daniel Quach -
"The food unit will definitely be a component to education in Science and Society. This topic introduced new insight to my lifestyle, and surely ours, as it was geared towards focusing on the "Western Diet." I had never heard of this term before it was mentioned in our class, and it's a little shameful that other countries acknowledge this as how we Americans actually live our lives. Food Inc, the documentary we saw, went in depth into our ideas of daily eating habits, which disgusted not only me, but evidently my peers as well. This opened my views on healthy eating, since I realized that as long as you live in the U.S., most, if not all of your food will have been processed, tampered, and ultimately unhealthy for you. This is where our class focused on organic food, where we read a few articles and The Botany of Desire to gain a little more perspective to how our food can potentially be grown better for the good of the human body.

We are all responsible for making the world a healthier and hunger-free place, which is why many of us, such as Kevin's mother (Food Inc.), push to improve the quality of our food. Though we all know that the prime motivator for creating food is cash, it is possible to change the way we eat. The decline of the tobacco industry is a good example of what can potentially happen to our food system today. We push to inform others that the food we eat is unhealthy for us, giving us diseases such as diabetes and cancer, so that hopefully the higher-ups will do something about it, just as they did with surpressing advertisements of tobacco. However, just like tobacco, we are dependent on the food we eat. There are still many problems we need to solve, and this class has definitely shown both sides of the argument that though processed food is bad, it's necessary."
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Screen Shot 2011-10-26 at 6.29.44 PM
Screen Shot 2011-10-27 at 9.44.09 AM
Screen Shot 2011-10-27 at 9.44.09 AM

Simone Greene's Q1 Food Benchmark

Recipe & Analysis 
Healthy Rasta Pasta Meal

1. (1 serving)

- Steamed broccoli (1/4 cup)

- Rotini noodles (bowl)

- Small-diced carrots (1/5 cup)

- Loose corn (1/7 cup)

- Black pepper (3 pinches)

- Parmesan cheese (5 pinches)

- Garlic butter sauce (3 spoons)

Steps....

• Boil noodles at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until they are soft

• Steam broccoli with black pepper, small diced carrots and corn in a pot for about 10 minutes

•  Drain noodles after soft, and mix noodles with the broccoli, carrots and corn

• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the meal

 

a.             I'd say that the majority of the food is processed, because I had to chop and remove the outside layer of the carrots, and cut the broccoli. I bought the corn loose as it was, but I assume it was processed because corn comes from cob, they are attached, and so the company shaved the corn off of the cob. I am not sure about the noodles, but more than likely it is processed. 

b.             The Caloric count is 140, 5 grams of sugar (a lot, did not realize that), 8 grams of fat (I think its a lot with 4.5 of that being saturated fat.  That is mostly likely from animals. Saturated fat is greasy, or oily and that’s understandable because this meal was pasta that had garlic BUTTER sauce. My body will store some of the sugar that it got from the meal, and eject what it does not need into the liver.  3,500 calories is stored in your body for when you are not active. This is the body's way of saving energy that is mean o be burned off, it not, then it stays stored can most likely will be hard to "unstore".

c.            If I were to eat nothing but this meal everyday, then I would not be getting the OTHER essentials that my body needs, and my body would get tired of the same fats, oils, sugars, etc. 

d.            I think that my ingredients didn’t come from that far because I only have farming veggies and noodles. The veggies can get old fast, and if traveling from a far, that more dangerous or more aware you want to be about your food. So I think mine came from the far east coast of the U.S. My corn/broccoli/carrots came from a farm in Minneapolis, from a company called Green Giant. I was close. They came more so from the Middle Western part of the U.S. where they have that more of a hot weather and requirements to actually farm.

e.             This meal costs, $4.79. Compared to other junk and fatty foods, this meal costs less than a meal from McDonalds where those meals there can be $ 5.00 and unsurprisingly higher. However, a person can benefit more from just my meal. It is owned by General Mills.

f.              From a company, they add a lot of preservatives, and fertilizer rather than just you growing your own food. Companies advertise differently in order to attract hungry consumers. They say things to make a consumer want to buy from them. They have commercial ads that supposedly show where they are producing the broccoli, how, where it’s being packaged to etc, just to make the consumer feel comfortable. 





Self Reflection

My role in the larger food system consists of different views. For me, the way that the food system is treating what and me I am receiving is OK. Mainly because the side effects of fracking aren’t affecting me directly, is why I am ok with it.  Also, the way that our food is preserved, companies use too much of this, and too less of that.  Too may cloned, plants that isn’t what the mother of nature provided freshly from nothing. My food has to be cloned. The sound is very uncomfortable. However, if I were the resident of a house who lived in an area that was being bombarded by frackers, and that effected my physically, and the food, there would not be one pinch of happiness within me. I would not even want to stay at my house to fight the system because I would already be disgusted that it has already begun.  Then again, if I was the system, I would do what   I have to do in order to better the country. As for the whole western diet. SMH. It is a matter of a person. The person who has that overweight problem has to be motivated in order to take action to change their weight.  Is the problem that they are not being motivated enough? They take death lightly? Why is that?  


My Food Rule Graphic

(Press graphic to enlarge)

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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 6.09.22 PM