Response #6: Effecient aggriculture gone wrong

As a consumer and father, I occasionally look at a product’s ingredients while I peruse the aisles of the grocery store.  I found,for the most part, that there is not much difference from one product to another; in fact, many contained one similar ingredient – corn.  In his 2007 documentary, King Corn, Director and Producer Aaron Woolf  follows how corn can get fromthe fields of Iowa to nearly every product on the grocery shelf.  Although the film did not present solutions to the issue, King Corn is an eye-opening documentary that all consumers should watch because it poses, in a
fair and educational manner,  the questions that many consumers should be asking, brings to light a flaw in the U.S. Agricultural system, and addresses health issues from which many Americans suffer.

While not many documentaries are written from a completely unbiased aspect, directer and producer Aaron Woolf manages to pose questions with an intrigue that becomes the viewer’s own, regarding how corn has become a large part of American’s diet.  The manner with which the facts are uncovered give credibility to the story without the feeling of many other environmental films that were made with a predisposed agenda.

The honest truth is usually the hardest to hear; and Woolf uncovers the saddest truth of all.  The truth is the American way of life has turned agriculture from what once was a sustainable way of life into just another industrial machine to maximize efficiency.  How long can a machine running at full speed last?  In the case of agriculture: the days are limited.

The agricultural system is not the only victim of efficient ingenuity.  Unfortunately, the health of the American people is in far greater danger because of the movement to use corn products in most of the foods that are consumed in the U.S. today.  The increased amount of corn found in American diets has caused health issues such as slower metabolic rates, increased cases of diabetes, and obesity in epidemic proportions.

King Corn is a documentary that should be shown in every school in the country.  The American way of life may be prosperous – for the time being; however, the question of how long this country can remain running at full speed needs to be asked.  The question of how long can we continue to pollute our bodies must be asked.  Who is going to ask?  Who is going to be responsible for change?  The culture of the post-WWII baby-boom is responsible for where U.S. agriculture stands today; but it will be their grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will have to answer for it.

Reference

Woolf, A. (Director and Producer). (2007). King corn [DVD]. United States: Mosiac Films.

Response #10 Bluest Planet

Fall 2011

Movie – Response #10

Marine Biology

Blue Planet is a very engaging and awesome documentary to watch on the random marine life that live in the Planet’s ocean. It features many different types of fish and shows their survival methods. This includes predatory life and their prey, both deep and shallow. This documentary does a very good job of showing off the amazing diversity of life in the ocean. One of the coolest animals that was featured was a fish that has what is known as photophores in the second episode called “The Deep.” What this allows the fish to do is hide from predators by using the light around it to change it’s color to match the color around it. This is very similar to an aquatic form of a chameleon. The only part of the fish that does not change color is it’s eyes, which remain yellow. Other cool aquatic life that are featured included several forms of bioluminescent jelly fish and eels that can tie themselves into a knot to attach itself to its food so it doesn’t float away. The first episode “The Blue Planet” shows a very interesting part about how sharks, marlins, and sailfish all feed. Probably the most interesting thing was learning that sailfish hunt by feeling vibrations in the water on their sail and then dart at their prey. Needless to say, this series is very cool.

Response #9 Healthy Slightly-slower-than-fast Food

Fall 2011
Response #9
Website

The website, www.localburger.com, is a very nice website that allows people to know what they are eating without sacrificing taste. It is designed to target people who usually go for fast food that is loaded with unnecessary calories and chemicals and instead eat food that is healthy for them. It is fairly simple to order food from them and they even have a section where you can “Meet the Farmers” so you always know where it came from and what you are getting. This website is very effective in its purpose and design. Its design makes it seem like a very friendly unflashy option that simply looks healthy and makes all the food and shopping fun. The pictures shown on the site are very eye friendly and focus on knowing what you are eating. The purpose is very attractive to many people, especially those that must switch from fast food to healthier food for health reasons. This site not only helps cease large scale farming of animals in horrible conditions but is making America healthier. Also because people are always looking for healthier options, this site provides a very simple way to get clean food that is grown in a pleasant way. The only downside is time but that is a necessary tradeoff for the health of the nation. In conclusion, Local Burger stands to be a very profitable healthy alternative to the eating habits of people everywhere.

Response #8 Absorb To Redirect

Fall 2011
Response #8
Solar Energy

In the article, German Blue Chip Firms Throw Weight Behind North African Solar Project by Kate Connoly, Kate talks about how twenty German companies are planning to tackle alternative sources of energy by building large scale solar projects in the deserts located in Northern Africa. Apparently if they are able to succeed and absorb 0.3 % of the sunlight that hits these deserts they will be able to supply all the energy that Europe needs. This news is for anyone that is curious about what steps are being taking for the global energy crisis. This article does a decent job of informing about the project although more specific details would be appreciated. At the end of the article several counterarguments against the project are brought up, which provide solid reasoning to halt the project. These reasons include weather, such as sandstorms, and political economies of the African countries being too unstable for a project worth four hundred billion pounds. He also mentions how the costs would continue to increase over time and that transporting such large amounts of energy across Africa to Europe would be expensive and difficult as well. Finally, the site would have to be productive and profitable in at least ten years, which is a lot of time for something to go wrong. Nonetheless, it might be interesting to search for other large scale projects that are being developed for alternative energy if one wanted to learn more about energy production.

Response #7 I Ate That?

Fall 2011
Response #7
Agriculture and Environment

In the article, Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food by Brian Walsh, Brian addresses the masses who have been addicted to eating meat that has been raised on a farm. The title might lead some to believe that it is expensive to breed and slaughter all the animals that are raised, but in actuality he discusses how the conditions and methods for raising the animals is the real expense. Not a cost of money, but a cost of humanity. He just wants to raise awareness about what everyone eats and how to make healthier and better choices. The article is very effective in that it provides many examples of what really happens before the bacon hits the skillet. The first example of the pigs being raised in small spaces with their tails being chopped off was particularly moving. He also links several articles that provide support for his claims quite frequently, such as nine kid foods to avoid, to support his claim that chemicals play a huge part in the rise in obesity of America. Brian does address individual counterarguments within each argument, but on the whole does not need to simply because he is informing, not arguing. If I was to look into this further, I would read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and watch the films that Brian discusses in his article.