FI Reading, P 183-213

The stories that we read about poised many different questions to me while I was reading. I was surprisded at some of the radical ideas that Joel Salatin brought up about the food industry. I also enjoyed learning about his ideas on how to "fight the power" that is the processed food indusrty. On p. 196, he spoke about laying hens in an apartment as if this was normal. I thought it kind of strange, but I can understand his logic, somewhat. People have forgotten how to cook, and are used to being fed the ready-to-eat food becuase of its convenience. This section of the book really made me sit back and think about what I eat, and how concernced I was about where the food actually came from. Before I read this section I looked at food as something that I needed to have. I never stopped to question where the food actually came from. That could be due to the fact that the food industry doesnt want us to know where the food we are eating came from or how it was made into it's final form. Salatin does a good job of presenting a question or problem, and then tearing it down piece by piece with logic and solutions that seem simple yet effective. Planting a garden, buying local, and buying what is in season are just some ways that Salatin suggests opting out.

Food, Inc. Movie

I found the movie to be very enlightening. I wasnt aware of the fact that only a couple of major corporations control most of the processed food supply in the US. I was also somewhat surprised that the food that we get from the grocery store is sometimes the same food that fast food companies use in their products. One of the things that struck me was the amount of money that some people go through just to have their own farm. The woman who spoke about how chickens were farmed really shed some light on this topic. The food companies have bullied many people into silence. I was amazed at this. I also found the situation with the farmer being sued by the food companies for washing seeds was very interesting. This man was trying to make a living, trying to make a couple of bucks, and this major food corporation basically took all he had from him. They werent scared to go after his friends and their businesses either. This movie made me think twice about what I buy at the grocery store and when I go to fast food establishments.

A Forrest Returns

I found myself way out in left field while listening to David Maywhoor speak about the Buckeye Forrest Council. I had never heard anything about prescribed burns and forrest fires before he was in our class. I learned a great deal about what the BFC does, and what they are trying to accomplish. I interested and concerned when spoke about what happened in Haiti, and the after effects of such deforestation in that country. Because of how the earthquake shook up the ground and the soil underneath it, the rainy season will bring devastating mudslides to the area. This comes as a result of taking trees out of the ground where they would be able to help keep the soil somewhat firm, and stop the hill from producing a terrible mudslide. I am glad to have been able to hear David speak and learned a little bit more about what goes on in our forests.

Re Post of Research Project

For my research project, I have decided to investigate the issue of global warming. When we had to choose a topic to research, I had no clue where to begin. I happened to be reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about global warming, and decided that it sounded somewhat interesting. I realized how little I was aware of global warming, and how much of an effect we have on it every year. This was one of the first articles about global warming that I have seriously considered. I have not looked into this topic very much, and I think this would be a great way for me to learn more on something that has been of growing concern in the past decade. I plan on researching both sides of the argument before I take a side. I learned from the article in the Wall Street Journal that the Earth's temperature is rising, which is a result of greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gasses are caused be human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, two major factors that we just learned about. Global warming is a broad topic, so I will research the issues surrounding it, the politics that are involved, and some ways we are trying to limit our greenhouse gas production. I look forward to learning more about our environment and about global warming.

About Me

Im a senior at Ohio University. Im from Cincinnati, OH and majoring in Sport Management. I would someday like to become the athletic director at a big time Division I university. I play club basketball here at OU, and I am a die hard Cincinnati Bengals fan.