How to speak of grass-fed beef

After giving my fellow classmates a speech concerning grass-fed beef and why it is superior to it's corn-fed rival, I find that I now need to critique myself on the presentation. After reviewing my 5 minute and 18 seconds of extreme persuasion I find that I had a couple flaws. For example, I made it appear as though I did not know what was going to happen next with my presentation. I looked back quite frequently at the screen to look at numbers which supported my case. Also, I had dressed in clothing not exactly deemed suitable for giving a speech that morning, thus giving me an unrefined look. On the plus side, I did give good counter arguments and looked confident when I gave the speech. My arm movement was a little excessive however it was not incredibly distracting. My tone and speed seemed to be about right for the class to fully comprehend what I was attempting so say and/or teach. The speech appeared to be well organized and the powerpoint assisted with displaying data and numbers which otherwise may have been forgotten or easily misinterpreted. Overall I felt my speech went well and I believe it was educational for my fellow classmates. Hopefully I helped shed some light on the beef industry and the different methods of raising beef. If it all went well, I may have convinced some to try grass-fed beef next time they go shopping for their next party or tailgating experience.

A response to Mr. Toll's Go Daddy blog

After reviewing Mr. Toll's blog on the latest Go Daddy ads featuring the lovely Danica Patrick, I find myself wondering the same things that he is. Why would Go Daddy choose a female race car driver for their ads involving web domains? There does not appear to be a link between the two entities. I honestly find it hard to understand what Go Daddy is after watching one of their ads. However, that said, I feel the need to immediately get my computer and log in to Go Daddy after watching the ad. I pondered about why this may be for quite some time. How could I be brainwashed by a race car driver talking about a web domain? Then it hit me, my attention wasn't grabbed by a race car driver. It was grabbed by Danica Patrick. She had been in the ad not just as a race car driver, but as the hottest race car driver out there. I had been attracted to the sex appeal, as many men are in commercials. It was for this reason that I was willing to get up, a task not easy to complete after a long day, and immediately log in to Go Daddy.

As a result Mr. Toll, I find your arguments both valid and logical as too why miss Patrick is not a suitable endorser of Go Daddy. However, I hope that you now see that it is not her driving skills, but her body and sexy walk that truly makes her the ultimate Go Daddy girl. So I guess it depends on how you choose to view the lovely miss Danica Patrick. As for me, I look forward to the next Go Daddy ad.

Kraft mac n' cheese

Everybody loves a good homemade meal. It allows one to relax, think, and obtain the pleasure of creating something delicious. I recently decided to prepare a meal as I was starting to feel hungry. I had purchased a meal early in the year at a grocery store in Elkhorn which would store easily and which would be easy to prepare. As I am a very poor college student I also had to purchase something costing less than $1 a unit. My search led me to Kraft Mac and Cheese. I prepared this meal in the basement of the Babcock House in 10 easy minutes while listening to some pretty awesome music. After preparation I ate the meal upstairs and watched some intense movies. I also consumed milk as a beverage as it strengthens my bones and is job security for a farmhand like myself. I fully enjoyed the meal and only had to add a little pepper for it to be delicious. Clean up was mildly irritating as the pan was filled with cheese which had crusted to the pan over time. 10 minutes of scrubbing was not fun at all, however it reminded me why McDonald's is a nice choice if one has little time to clean. After the meal I felt very full and ready to take on the next challenge in my day. After examining Mr. Pollen's novel I find that his claims are partially true. He has noticed that America has moved towards a fast food and quick preparation meals. A Americans have become short on time or have found better things to do, cooking has become a thing of the past. After eating my meal I have discovered that cooking can take a lot of time and effort. I have realized that I do not like cooking and making this meal has not changed my opinion at all. I much prefer purchasing cheap food and eating it, although I know it isn't at healthy I still prefer the convenience. After looking at several sites describing the health effects of fast food, I decided to pick one which relates to the female readers. Overall I enjoyed my meal, but I did not like the labor.

Why Process Water?

Whilst thinking about foods that I have stopped eating in their natural form and have turned, instead, to their processed counterparts, I have come across a realization relating to the topic. It may not be a food, however it is one of the most important daily intakes of the human body. Water makes up the vast majority of the human anatomy, thus making it one of the most important resources on the planet. While looking back to my childhood I recall drinking this magical liquid from faucets, hoses, water tanks, pools, and even the occasional glass, on hot summer days and nights. That water was from a well dug on my family's place of residence and there was not any reason to dispute it's nutritional value or it's components.

Now in the 21st century, many Americans prefer bottled water over the well water of their youth. Bottling companies have been making claims that this purified water is better for the human body, has better taste, and is convenient. I happen to disagree. However as I have moved from my humble family farm to the city in pursuit of an education I have been exposed to the bottle fanatics and their ways. After tasting the water provided by the city of Madison I have to agree that the bottled water has a better taste, however, when compared to the cool well water of my childhood, there is no comparison. Bottled water simply cannot simulate that particular flavor. Many bottling companies claim their product to be better for you than the water at one's own faucet. In some cases this may be true, but in many cases the quality of the water is comparable.

The biggest downfall to the bottled water is the bottles themselves. These plastic vessels create litter and excess trash which is annoying to take care of and can be expensive to replace and fill. Why many choose to pay for water which can be obtained for a very small cost at a drinking fountain, sink, or an outdoor faucet is beyond me. Unfortunately as the products are similar and bottling companies have been able to utilize advertising, bottled water appears to be here to stay for at least the next decade. As long as there is a worry of disease outbreak or just a belief that the bottled water is better, there will be a market for the bottled water. Bottled water is a multi-billion dollar market which is growing with every bottle, the facts simply do not add up for this to be a plausible source of water.

Kraft......Foods?: A Response to Mr. Jacob Toll's Blog

After reading Mr. Toll's blog I find myself in a similar state of mind. As a poor college student, the thought of cheap food is always appealing and sometimes necessary to survive. However, the lack of real flavor and texture may cause one to rethink the cheap food alternative. Although the Kraft cheese product has more ingredients than the average cake, it is somehow cheaper than the genuine alternative. Why this is may be a mystery only food science engineers will be able to solve, but I'm not sure I like it at all. The Kraft cheese is just one example of many in the food industry where the cheap, processed, preservative filled alternative arrives at the store with the much lower price tag. Perhaps an economics major is needed as well to explain this phenomenon to me.
As for Mr. Toll's argument regarding the flavor and satisfaction gained from eating true cheese made with minimal ingredients, I couldn't agree more. Where are the foods of the old days where food wasn't plastic flavored as well as packaged in plastic? Unfortunately I do not see these foods nearly as often anymore, nor can I afford them on a farmhand's salary and pay collegiate bills. My hat is off to you Mr. Toll for noting this travesty at hand in the American food market. Keep up the good work.

A Lesson in Car Care

As many of those who will read this blog know, I recently performed a speech of the demonstrative variety on the topic of basic care maintenance, namely an oil change. My assignment is to evaluate my speech and determine my performance.
After viewing myself giving the speech, I have been able to detect the flaws in my presentation and also the items which I managed to excel in. In the speech I tended to get caught up in technical terms, attempting to remember the specific term for a location, part, etc. when a simple small description would have sufficed. Also there were points in the demonstration where my hands and arms were moving when it was not necessary. The elimination of these two flaws could have shortened my speech and allowed for a more professional posture. Also, the lack of repetition in the instructions also left it hard for the audience to fully remember the steps. As with many procedures and tasks in the world, an oil change is one which is mastered with repetition and practice. Had I been more repetitive throughout my speech I may have been able to convey my topic in a better fashion.
As for the good in the speech, there are a few key points.(200) In the speech, I gave a thorough description of the procedure for any year, make, and model vehicle. This made it universal to the class and allowed for most of them to relate to the speech. The speech was also effective as the visual aids used helped to give a better understanding of how the steps are performed in a basic oil change. My voice seemed confident and my posture was confident as well.
Overall I felt that I gave a good speech and was able to pass on some of the knowledge I possess to my fellow classmates in an effective and efficient manner. I look forward to more speeches in the future.

A response to Ryan's opinion of Carrie Underwood

After reviewing Mr. O'Leary's blog on the topic of miss Carrie Underwood and her endorsement of the Humane Society of the United States, I have discovered that I agree with his statement. Also, I learned a little bit about the back round of this country singing celebrity. I am not sure that I agree with his statement that Carrie doesn't benefit from the endorsement of HSUS. Although HSUS may not have the same beliefs that she was raised with, miss Underwood has grown to form her own opinions as an adult. Also she has been able to attract fans which have similar views as her and because of that similarity, she has made more money and is able to relate to her audience at performances.

I am not sure that the HSUS website displays these practices which Mr. O'Leary claims will hurt the dairy, poultry, and swine industry. I was not able to find this information through the link. As a result I advise that another link be added leading to a reputable source which may back his statement made in his second paragraph. Although I am aware of the policies HSUS intends to impose on farmers around the country and I realize the detrimental effects, I also realize that others may not and for that reason I ask for a little clarification and perhaps more information on HSUS.

Is Tiger in you?

Over the past years Gatorade has chosen some of the nation's best athletes to promote their energy drink. One of their latest celebrity endorsements has been from Tiger Woods. Gatorade created ads featuring Tiger using their product and had even created a new label featuring Tiger. Ads were created and displayed on television to sell the Tiger Gatorade.

In my opinion I do not understand why Gatorade chose Tiger Woods to promote their energy drink. Tiger himself is an outstanding golfer and is famous, however, the sport of golf isn't exactly a sport that requires an energy drink. Golf in itself is a relaxing sport requiring very little physical effort compared to other sports, such as soccer or football. For that reason I fail to see the reason that Tiger would have experience with energy drinks as he shouldn't need them to play golf(144).

Until recently the celebrity endorsement given by Tiger was beneficial to Gatorade as their new design and appeal was able to sell more of their product and thus make more money. Tiger benefited by getting paid for his endorsement. By saying that he prefers Gatorade, Tiger was able to make millions in endorsements. Overall I believe that the campaign created by this endorsement was successful before the Tiger Woods scandal was exposed. The main reason for the success was the fact that Tiger was a very famous athlete, although he may not have the need for a sports drink, he still had an influence on public opinion.

In Defense of Food

After reading the introduction and first four chapters of In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, I have been able to both agree with and dispute some of the arguments made about the food industry. One of the arguments that I agree with is his look back on the history of food and how it has progressed from home cooked meals to greasy fast food. His statistics on how much fast food is consumed in America are hard to fathom at first. However if one drives a short distance one notices a vast variety of fast food chains all within a short distance of any town or mere blocks apart from each other in cities. Another key point found in the reading is the food industries lack of consistency. Health studies have consistently disproved former studies on diet and what one should eat to maintain a healthy body. For example the food industry over the past decade has claimed butter to be fatty and non-healthy. As a result margarine and other butter substitutes have been sold with increasing popularity to those concerned with fat intake. Now newer studies have shown butter to be a healthy dairy product. Similar claims have been made towards meat claiming meat to be unhealthy. These claims have caused some to avoid meat as a source of food. Now newer studies are disproving these claims made by the food industry in the past few decades. Overall Pollan gives a brief history of what the food industry has done over the past couple years in the early chapters of his book. He demonstrates several of his personal opinions while giving accurate facts on America's own nutrition decisions and how they are made. He also adds in the political portion of the food industry with the example of a senator who became very unpopular in his state for his suggested food bill. Thus far the book has told a story that many should hear and think about.