SSR Initial Response

In the article, Good Nutrition Links to Academic Success, Sandra Ford discusses ways to improve school lunch nutrition. Good nutrition is important to me. Because I don’t have much faith in my school district’s school lunch program, I usually pack my kids’ lunches everyday. This article has many good ideas for improving school lunches but I don’t see any of them being implemented in my children’s schools. In general, the foods being offered in the elementary school leave much to be desired. When deciding whether or not to let my son buy school lunch last week I checked the online weekly lunch menu. The food being offered that wee was pizza, hotdog, cheeseburger, corndog, and country fried steak. The side selections were things like “fruit medley” and strawberry craisins. I quickly decided to pack my son’s lunch for the week. I like the idea of offering kinds incentives for eating their vegetables like participating in dance routines or including the study of nutrition in classroom curriculum. I can see how learning about good nutrition as well as the affect of poor nutrition might help students make better choices in the lunchroom.

A few criticisms about this article: The title of the article leads one to believe that it will be discussing the link between good nutrition and academic success. It mainly focuses on what different schools are doing to improve nutrition in their schools but is very vague about the academic benefits. Ford states, “With a growing body of scientific research lining proper nutrition to academic success…” But she never really discusses that research. But she never really discusses that research. This article isn’t very “meaty”. I would like more information.

Exercise for Mental Health- Initial Response

I have been exercising for years and I think it’s important. My husband sometimes gives me a hard time and thinks that I place too much importance on it. He thinks that I’m too focused on how I look. He asks, “Who are you trying to impress?” I explain…it’s not all about how I look; it’s about how I feel. “It’s cheaper than therapy”, I tell him.

I like this article because it seems to validate what I have felt for years but could never really articulate. As I’ve gotten older I have felt myself become more anxious in certain situations and now I wonder what I’d be like if I exercise wasn’t a part of my daily life.

This article states that exercise is not only good for the body but it is extremely important for the mind and has been shown to be more successful in treating depression than medication. The exercise that you chose doesn’t have to be something that is extremely regimented. Just find something that you enjoy and do it. Exercise doesn’t have to feel like a chore.

This article was written in 2007 but states that even though the benefits of exercise have been shown to be so positive; it is still not widely accepted in the medical community as an important form of treatment. Drugs are more widely accepted as a treatment for anxiety and depression than exercise. Crazy!!!

I strongly agree with the author that the medical community and fitness industry could make a very positive impact by coming together to help people with mental illness. Perhaps physical activity can be something that is prescribed but also facilitated by physicians, insurance companies, and gyms in order to ensure the positive benefits of exercise for patients with physical and especially mental illness.

"Why Bother" on your own questions

Michael Pollan's article "Why Bother" is about global warming and ultimately a possible solution. The main points made are that global warming is a major issue that is getting worse faster than originally predicted. Cheap energy or fossil fuels have perpetuated the problem by making society, as a whole, reliant on "specialists" and unable to sustain themselves on their own. The majority of society has a "why bother" attitude because the problem is so overwhelmingly big the think that they can't possibly make a den by making changes as single individuals. Pullan suggests planting a garden and by doing so, you would reduce your carbon footprint, become self sufficient, and set an example for others to follow which would hopefully cause a chain reaction and in the end make a big impact. 

When I originally completed the survey I answered "agree" to statement number 2 which says "Going green in my own lifestyle will have no effect on climate change-the magnitude of the problem is too great." After reading the article I see how making a change myself could effect the opinions of others. It's like keeping the sabbath day holy. I do it because I believe in it but also because my neighbors are watching and ultimately judging. If you've ever been to Portland, OR and shopped in any of the downtown grocery stores you get the same feeling. Bagging your groceries in plastic bags is frowned upon and not recycling feels like a major sin. Most people are on board when it comes to going green...there is peer pressure involved. 

If I were engaging Pollan in conversation I would most likely agree with the fact that planting and caring for a garden is a very positive thing. While I've never thought of it as something that reduces my carbon footprint I agree that the food tastes better and is healthier. I agree that time spent in the garden is good exercise...good for body and mind. I also agree with the fact that by setting an example one could start a chain reaction.

As far as doubts go...I need more evidence of global warming. I don't know if I have gained enough knowledge or read enough on this topic to have my own educated opinion on whether it is an actual problem or political hype.

Library Tutorial Assignment

After watching the library tutorials I am looking forward to using the information presented. Once I have actual hands on experience looking for an article I’ll be able to remember how to do it but until then its nice to know that the tutorials are available on the library website. I will be able to refer to them whenever I need to and I see myself taking full advantage of what the library has to offer. From watching the tutorials I learned what Boolean searching is and that Boolean operators are connecting words; specifically and, or, & not. I also know that I prefer to read popular articles but will probably have to rely on scholarly articles as sources for most of my assignments. Having this information will help me because it will make searching for useful information more efficient and the information that I find will most likely be more trustworthy than random articles that I may find on the internet. When I was in high school, researching meant combing through the card catalogs and reading encyclopedias. Using what the library has available seems like it will be so much easier.

Prewriting #5: Believing/Doubting

Is cosmetic surgery encouraged by our culture?

Believe- Even if society doesn’t come right out and say, “You need to get cosmetic surgery in order to be beautiful or accepted”, that is the message that we see all around us. To be young looking is perceived to be ideal and valued. And even young people who are healthy and attractive begin to have procedures like Botox and filler injections in order to “prevent” wrinkles from forming. It is all over TV and magazines. Just watch the Real Housewives of (fill in the blank). They have all had something done. The have duck lips and can’t move their foreheads. Magazine covers are photo-shopped to produce an unachievable picture of perfection, a reality that doesn’t really exist. TV shows like Extreme Makeover stop at nothing to take an “ugly duckling” and turn her into a swan. Large billboards line the freeway advertising nips, tucks, lifts, wraps, enhancement, augmentation and it can all be financed. Anything you want, it’s easy. Angelina’s lips, Madonna’s cheeks…place your order.

Doubt- This is going to be hard because I obviously don’t doubt the question but here goes… Our culture doesn’t encourage cosmetic surgery because women who are enhanced are generally not taken seriously. Various celebrities purposefully do photo-shoots and release untouched photos of themselves without make-up for the purpose of showing people what natural really looks like. The media then applauds them. If an unrealistic photo shows up on the cover of a magazine there is a public outcry, which precedes the talk of what is unachievable and the message that is being sent to young girls. Women are discouraged from getting unnecessary procedures because of the risk involved. Cosmetic surgery is SURGERY and it requires anesthesia, which can be dangerous.

Literacy Narrative Blogpost

My mom graduated from Stanford University with a degree in creative writing. She was 43 years old and had been a grandmother for less than a year. My mother's gift for writing is not genetic.

My parents divorced when I was in sixth grade, long before I needed to write anything serious, and we went to live with my dad. He quickly remarried and we moved from Roanoke, VA to Denver, CO. My mother and her expertise were over 1500 miles away. And to make a very long story short, we had limited contact with her. This was before the days of email so getting advice on schoolwork was almost impossible.

I took college-bound, honors classes in high school but it has been over 20 years since I have been required to write, and the idea of it terrifies me. I don't remember learning different formats or even hearing about thesis statements. MLA? APA? What does that mean? It might as well be a foreign language as far as I'm concerned.

The only experience that I remember with writing a research paper was in eighth grade. It involved hours in the library combing through card catalogs and encyclopedias. Carrying my trapper keeper full of 3x5 cards home and then back to school again and making sure I avoided plagiarizing by rewording the information that came from all of my resources. Actually converting all of those note cards to words on a paper seemed like a jigsaw puzzle that was impossible for me to complete. I never felt like a successful writer.

I was required to read all of the classics, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Good Earth, The Grapes of Wrath, Great Expectations, and Huck Fin to name a few. I’m not sure if I ever finished any of them by the deadline and started to tell myself that I hated to read. During my senior year we were given an assignment to do a book report on a book of our choice. I chose the book “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. I read the beginning of the book and then relied on the Cliff’s notes to tell the rest of the story. The book report required a written report and an oral presentation. I faked it through the presentation and when I got the report back from my teacher I read her comments at the top of the paper. It said, “Amie, did you read this book?” Holden Caulfield has haunted me ever since.

It has been as an adult that I have finally realized that I love to read. I am not a fast reader but I savor a good book and actually feel a sense of sadness when it ends. I decided to give all of those high school classics a second chance and have fallen in love with the Joad Family, Scout Finch, and Wang Lund and O-lan.

Since beginning this English 1010 class, I have found myself recognizing the questions in articles and even in the way talk radio is presented. I listen more closely to messages presented and make observations. I have been able to read different stories about the same situation and see the angel of vision in each.

I am a runner. I didn’t begin running until I was 24 and at first it was very hard and I didn’t really like it. Four miles felt like a long run. I ran my first 10K at 25 and was terrified. I am now 42 (almost) and have run 10 marathons. Running has become easier, something I have a talent for. It has taken years of hard work and dedication. My success didn’t come overnight. I am hoping to have a similar experience with writing. I hope that hard work and dedication will make me a better writer.

Observation Blogpost #3

On Thursday morning, September 4, 2014, I was watching the Today Show while running on my treadmill when they shared a brief story about a protest at a McDonald’s in Detroit, Michigan. This sparked my interest and I wanted to know more so I found an article online from the local CBS station in Detroit. You can view this article here.

The demonstration at the Detroit McDonald’s was a minimum wage protest. About 200 protestors had gathered at the restaurant carrying signs and demanding higher wages. They had initially been picketing on both sides of the street but eventually ended up moving into the street, locking arms and preventing traffic from passing. Thirty of the protestors were arrested and taken away in handcuffs.

This group was part of a national effort to increase the minimum wage in fast food restaurants to $15 per hour. I know this heated discussion resurfaces often in political debates but it recently gained even more attention from comments made by President Obama on Labor Day. He supports increasing the minimum wage.

It is my understanding that minimum wage is designed to be an entry-level wage, a wage for those who are just starting out in the work place. These jobs generally don’t require any specific skills. High school students who are getting their first experiences with work make minimum wage. It is not designed to be a wage that will support a household.

If minimum wage were increased to such an extreme degree (from $7.25 currently to $15.00), what motivation would young people have to get an education or gain a skill that would improve their situation? Would raising the minimum wage encourage the sense of entitlement that seems to be sweeping the nation? Would small businesses be able to pay their employees a higher wage or would they end up closing their doors because they cannot afford to operate? Would increasing the minimum wage cause prices to go up and would the value of the dollar decrease even more? These are just a few questions that arose when I read thought more about this observation.