Blog Entry 22 - Final Project

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner exposes our nation's food industry, with the truth that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e-coli, the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults. Meat and meat products should be bought from small farms because of all the diseases spread during mass prodution slughtering of the animals.

The film's first segment examines the industrial production of meat, chicken, beef, and pork, calling it inhumane and economically and environmentally unsustainable. In the movie, they showed you how a hamburger got bigger, fast food chain resturants got larger. Chicken were raised without seeing sunlight, instead of the full lenght of growing, at seven weeks they were ready to be slaughter. The conditions where the chickens
were raised was horrible, very dusty and cramped together in a small space. Some of the farmers became immuned to antibotics, becaused they feed the chicken so much antibotics in their feed, which included corn as an ingredient.

The second segment looks at the industrial production of grains and vegetables, primarily corn and soy beans, again labeling this economically and environmentally unsustainable. I now know why it's so hard to find a supermarket tomato that tastes like a tomato. That's because tomatoes, like so much of our food, aren't farmed or grown as much as they are engineered to satisfy rigid corporate and economic mandates. The food industry use corn in many products. Some items that contain corn as an ingredient is velveta cheese, ketech-up, mayonese, pan cake syrup. Smithfeild is one of the largest distributors of pork in the food industry. Meat packing industry employed cheap labors. Some workers worked very long hours, covered in filth, blood and urine. While working, some of the workers lost their finger nails, get cut because of the heavy machinery in the meat packing industry.

 The film's third and final segment is about the economic and legal power, such as food liable laws, of the major food companies whose livelihoods are based on supplying cheap but contaminated food, the heavy use of petroleum-based chemicals, largely pesticides and fertilizers, and the promotion of unhealthy food consumption habits by the American public. According to that law, you are not allowed to say bad things about the food you eat or this food industry. Ophra was sued for something she said about the food, particular hamburger, but she won the law-suit. The USDA and FDA like to make scare people, so they take people to court should you say negative things about the food or food industry.

We all can change this system by cooking and eating smarter, three times a day. Buy from companies that treat workers, animals, and environment with respect. When you go to the supermarket, choose foods that are in season, buy foods that are organic, know what's in your food, read labels. Know what to buy. The average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to the supermarket. Buy goods that are grown locally. Shop at famers' market, plant a garden. Cook a  meal with your family and eat together. Everyone has a right to healthy food. Make sure your farmers' market takes food stamps. Ask your school board to provide healthy school lunches. If you say grace, ask for food that will keep us, and the planet healthy. We all can change the world with every bite.

Blog Entry 20 - Responding to other class

I agree with you all, I think Memo fought for the people, who had abundance of water and in the memory of his father.
Memo worked long hours. He had a better life and was able to send money to his family. Memo lost his father.
The fight was a revenge.

Blog Entry 21- Reflection

In reflecting on my work, I think I am comfortable where I am. I can think my best work can be found in my most recent blogs, 19, 18, and 16.

In blog entry 19, the part of planned obsolescence that refers to “desirability”. An object may continue to be functional, but it is no longer perceived to be stylish or appropriate, so it is rendered obsolete by perception, rather than by function.Planned obsolescence is caused by the Government, when an  industrial design is a policy of deliberately planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become useless or nonfunctional after a certain period. This is real life situation for me, not too long ago I bought a bose surround system for my home, I was shocked after about two years the system needed fixing. Now the the same system is not working or useless to me. In blog entry 18, since the American border has been walled off, Tijuana, in “Sleep Dealer,” has become a magnet for migrant workers. This story brought back memories to me, I am an immigrant to the US. Growing up it was my dream to come to America and see explore its beautiful land. When I became nutralized, or for that matter anything that had to do with immigration, I had to wait on line for very long time. So many people from all around the world wanted to be American. In blog 16, I believe fast-food and national resturant chains are targeting everyone not just black men. Many people are obese because of fast-food and national resturant chains. It makes me crazy to see people just eat whatever is infront of them. Some people have no time to cook, or work two or three jobs, or broke have very little money, but you have to make time to take care of your body. We all should think of our health.

My on-line experience was great. I enjoy posting comments to professor's and other classmate's blog and also reading their comments on my blog. I also read other people's blog and comments, even though I was not assign to read them. I know other classmate did the the same as me. Some of the online activity was done as group work.

Finally, I would like to say to anyone coming into this class, try to work on your thesis statement first. After that, write your thought and ideas as they come to you, also include your experiences in your essays and blogs. I have a great professor, and I enjoy taking this class.

Blog Entre 19 - The Story of Stuff and Labor

Define "planned obsolescence" and "perceived obsolescence" in your words. Who/What is responsible for these marketing strategies? Who/What benefits from them? Who/What suffers because of them? Are these strategies necessary? Are they right? Provide evidence from your own experience or from what you have read and discussed in class.
I believe the Government design to ramp up the economy which was dictated by Victor Labow.
Planned obsolescence is caused by the Government, when an  industrial design is a policy of deliberately planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become useless or nonfunctional after a certain period. Planned obsolescence has potential benefits for a producer because to obtain continuing use of the product the consumer is under pressure to purchase again, whether from the same manufacturer a replacement part or a newer model, or from a compitor which might also rely on planned obsolescence. For an industry, planned obsolescence stimulates demand by encouraging purchasers to buy sooner if they still want a functioning product. Built-in obsolescence is used in many different products. There is the potential backlash of consumers who learn that the manufacturer invested money to make the product obsolete faster; such consumers might turn to a producer, if any exists that offers a more durable alternative.
The part of planned obsolescence that refers to “desirability”. An object may continue to be functional, but it is no longer perceived to be stylish or appropriate, so it is rendered obsolete by perception, rather than by function. Fashion is all about perceived obsolescence, and it could be said that perceived obsolescence is the number one “product” of the advertising industry.

Blog Entry 18 - Sleep Dealer

Outsourcing of Labor

“Sleep Dealer,” the feature directing debut of Alex Rivera (who wrote the screenplay with David Riker), is an unusually thoughtful science fiction film. Set mostly in Mexico, it imagines a future in which local water rights have been snatched up by multinational corporations, and in which people connect to a virtual-reality cybernetwork by means of “nodes,” electronic jacks implanted in their arms and necks.
The film, which makes thrifty use of some basic but effective special effects, follows Memo (Luis Fernando Peña), a young man from Oaxaca who travels north to Tijuana after the death of his father. A self-taught computer hacker, this anxious wanderer is looking for work of some kind, but for vengeance. His dad was killed by a military drone defending corporate-controlled water from “aqua-terrorists.”
In Tijuana Memo meets Luz (Leonor Varela), a beautiful stranger who hooks him up with black-market nodes but whose kindness cloaks an ulterior motive.
Since the American border has been walled off, Tijuana, in “Sleep Dealer,” has become a magnet for migrant workers. In fact, in the city of Tijuana the local people wants to have a job and earn a salary. First they go to the coyotek to get their nodes and their labor can be exported to North, South, and Central America. The nodes used by humans also enable intoxication, intimacy and communication. In the scene that I choose from the movie Mexican workers are connected through nodes. It happens when they are doing various types of jobs in order to get pay after working for long hours, which sometimes causes illucinations.

Blog 17 - Reflection

In reflecting on my work for the food segment,  I believe that the Meatrix was designed to inform the public and consumers of the the hidden dangers of mass production of meat and meat products in the food industry. In the Meatrix they encourage the public to buy from small farmers and to be smart of what they are eating. In the movie Neo was given the choice of the red pill blue pill, he chose the red pill. Meat and meat products should be bought from small farms because of all the diseases spread during mass prodution slughtering of the animals.
The Meatrix, The Truman's show, The Matrix and The Allegroy of the Caves were all connected, it is all about finding out the truth, the red pill leads you to the truth, the blue pill, you remain the same. In writing about all these movies, my writing improved a little. I find more words to put in my essays. I think my thesis statement improved.
Overall, writing about food was an interesting topic.In the article "Let Them Eat Fat" by Greg Critser, fast-food and national chain resturants aim on minority and poor income families. By eating from the fast-food and notional chain resturants you add on calories and gain weight easily. It is easy to super-size a meal for a few cents more than the original price. People choose to buy cheap meals because they get off work and are very tired, so they head for the fast-food and notional chain resturants. By supersizing a meal you super-size the calories too. Obese people are every where. They come from black, white, spanish, indian, chinese. Everyone needs to be smart about what they are eating or putting in their bodies. When you buy fast-food from national chain resturants, make wise choices and pay attention to your calorie intake.

Blog Entry 16

I believe fast-food and notional resturant chains are targeting everyone not just black men. Many people are obese because of fast-food and national resturant chains.

In the article "Let Them Eat Fat" by Greg Critser, fast-food and national chain resturants aim on minority and poor income families. By eating from the fast-food and notional chain resturants you add on calories and gain weight easily. It is easy to super-size a meal for a few cents more than the original price. People choose to buy cheap meals because they get off work and are very tired, so they head for the fast-food and notional chain resturants. By supersizing a meal you super-size the calories too.

In today's economy, many parents are forced to work long hours for very little pay. Some people find it easier to just buy fast-food to stretch their dollar. Large families find it economical to buy fast-food. A working mother may go to work and on her way home from work she might stop in a McDonalds for dinner instead of cooking a healty dinner. Some parents who work may get payed every two weeks, so they have to budget themselves enough money to last them for the next pay day. At the end of the day both parents may come home very tired so they decide fast-food is best. In some families there is only single parents, so they may think that fast-food is better.

Families need to be encouraged to cook healthier meals for their families. Since my kids are babies, I have been encouraging them to eat healthy. I do buy McDonalds for them very few times. I would show my kids how easier and better it is to cook their own food. Chicken nuggets from McDonalds are fried whereas those same chicken nuggets can be baked or broiled. They taste just as great, but with less fat. I show my kids how easy it is to make french fries from fresh potatoes instead of the greasy french fries from the fast-food and national resturant chains. My husband does an excellent job of making french fries for our kids. I also encourage my kids to eat healthy. I cook vegetables every week and my family enjoys eating their veggies. Once a week I prepare food, vegetables, fish, chicken and meat or meat products for my family. We occasionally go to the resturant to have dinner or breakfast. My family likes to go to Red Lobster. A meal at that same resturant like shrimp alfredo would be less fat but taste just as great if I cook it. Resturants cook their food with lots of grease, butter and salt.

The lack of exercise causes people to be obese. Some people get so tired after their work, so they come home, eat their meal or buy fast-food and go to sleep. Kids now want to play vido games instead of playing in the yard or going to the gym. The weather also contributes to weight gain. In the winter it is cold outside, so some people work or kids go to school, come home, eat their food or buy fast-food and go to sleep.
Obese people are every where. They come from black, white, spanish, indian, chinese. Everyone needs to be smart about what they are eating or putting in their bodies. When you buy fast-food from national chain resturants, make wise choices and pay attention to your calorie intake.