Torelli Q1 Benchmark Reflection

Here is where you can access my awesome paper:

Here is where you can access the whole project:


We collaborated as a group talking about our different ideas. We also did additional research as a group to provide evidence with our ideas.The role of the individual in creating and sustaining change is thinking outside the box and to go on and make a difference by speaking one's opinion on how they view a problem.I understand that our country is a democracy but not completely because through research some rights are still not given.To make the most appealing with facts and information yet appealing to the audience's eye.

Opinions on Voting - Kam's interviews.

So I interviewed three people on Election Day. One woman and two males. I asked each of them 5-6 questions about their reasons for voting and their opinions on why voting is important. At the end of my three interviews I was given a giant pink sample ballot. Below are the interviews:

Marlene, the first person I interviewed
was very confident in her opinions on voting and so I got a lot of information from her. She is an African American female with a family hooked into the government. With 24 years on her belt working for city council she was able to answer my questions with detail and precision. When i asked her why she though she needed to vote she said that "You can't change anything if you don't make an effort to." She believed that if people wanted change, if she wanted change, she had to voice her opinion because her one vote could be the difference in someone winner or losing an election.
Her other reason for voting was that her family was tied into the government. They all worked in city council or had jobs along those lines. That being said, Marlene informed me that she's been voting since she was 18. It was a family tradition to get registered and vote once you turn 18.
When I asked her about who she was voting for she said she always did background information on the people she was voting for and in fact knew most of the people who she was voting for. To her "the person in office is just a voice; a spokesperson" for the people that they are representing. She made sure that person she voted for would be someone who would make decision based on what was best for the people.

George, the second person I interviewed, wasn't as experienced as Marlene, being in his early 20s but he was able to answer my questions. He believed that he along with everyone should vote because every single vote counts. When I asked him why he as an individual voted he said "It's just something I do". It's just something he was raised to believe was required. When i asked him about the person he was voting for he told me that he knew who he was going to vote for before he went into vote and that the person he was voting for, he believed, would be able to change and make a difference.

The last person I interviewed was named Benjamin Prail
, and he's been voting since he was 21. When i asked him why he voted he stated that it was his constitutional right and that everyone should be exercising their constitutional rights, especially the rights that people fought so hard to get. He said that he as an individual wanted to make a difference and casting his vote was one of the ways that he could do that. When i asked him who he was voting for and if he knew before he got into the voting booth he told me that he was  a little unsure but knew that he was going to vote for someone new. He believed that all the old politicians "aren't doing things right" and that they're all doing things the same. He believed that if there truely were to be change it would only be accomplished by getting someone "fresh" and "new" in office with "new ideas".

Rethinking Pocahontas

Rethinking Pocahontas-by Markia Johnson and Nia Berry

http://rethinkinghistory.weebly.com/index.html

This is a link to our website about the disney tale of "Pocahontas" which in reality is a modified version of the true story of "Matoaka", an indian princess who saved the life of an Euro-American named John Smith. There are may perceptions of Indians but the most famous and usually perceived as accurate version comes from the movie, "Pocahontas" and our website is created to give people a chance to learn about how media has been used as an tool to teach manipulated history. We hope that you learn from this website and use it as an example to further your thinking of history and how it's perceived in media.

Josephine Baker: Activist, Humanitarian & Burlesque Dancer

Alaya White's Food

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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 11.35.02 PM
Above is my Food Slide. 
Just recently i have tried Alligator & Loved it Which is where the Alligator graphic come from, and also the Food Rule "Don't Be Afraid to Try New Things". It's always great to branch out past the normal things you are used to.

For the Recipe I made Baked Chicken:

2lbs.- free range chicken thighs

3 -small organic red potatoes 

1/2-organic red onion 

1-cup of chicken broth

1-sweet Red bell pepper

1-clove of garlic

organic black pepper corns w/ grinder (Black pepper)

bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil

Reynolds Baking Bags

 

 

Prepare the chicken by sprinkling it with grinded black peppercorns

Sauteé 1/4 of the onion chopped, half the red pepper(with seeds), & chopped garlic in olive oil.

(while you are waitng you can slice your potatoes thinly.)

Once that in finshed and browned, prepare the skillet with more olive oil to fry the chicken. 

You plan on just browning the skin , not frying completely.

Once the skin is browned, you need to prepare your baking bag,put the baking bag inside of the roasting pan,  cover the bottom of the bag with potatoes then the slices of the other half of the onion and peppers. Add a layer of chicken to cover the bottom layer. each thigh should be touching a potato. 

sprinkle the sauteéd peppers and onions on top of the chicken. 

Put chicken broth on top of all the food in the bag using a turkey baster.

tie the bag and cut slits for air holes.

Put in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. check periodically.

 

 

A few words to describe me meal:

  • tasty-of course!
  • economical & cheap-this only costed me about $15 (every ingredient was purchased from Whole Foods market)
  • filling- not only do you get a main course of chicken, but you have sides with potatoes, onions, and peppers
  • complete-as I said before, the meal is complete all you need is something to drink.

The body does not take long to digest chicken. Chicken is not a heavy meat. Peppers onions and garlic and tasty flavors which are rather healthy. If you ate nothing but this meal everyday you might lack calcium in your diet.

All the ingredients were local and organically grown. The chicken was also free range.





During this unit about Food in Science and Society, I have been a lot more open minded when it comes to food. In the Food Inc. movie we saw a lot of animal cruelty when it came to chcikcen and cows. Cows were often swung around by their limbs and no one really "cared" about the animal that was about to be slaughtered. Another thing I found interesteing was the fact that fish were being fed cord in order to "beef them up" so they would be worth more in the market. They did the same to cows, which would cause them to put a hole in the side of the cow in order to essentially extract the waste, and these helps the cow a little because cows with holes in them last longer. 

It was interesting in this unit to see everyones opinions with discussions and with their presentation of their portion of the movie. 

This unit essentially changed my view on many foods I eat. For example I eat beef a lot less, especially because it takes 7 days for it to digest inside you body. YUCK!

Macaroni Tuna Sala by Nia Berry

Tuna Macaroni Salad


Ingredients:

 

4 Brown Organic eggs

2 pouches of Ronzoni Pasta Portions: elbow

½ cup Miracle Whip Mayonnaise (vary to preference)

Lawry’s Season Salt (vary to preference)

Old Bay Seasoning (vary to preference)

2 cans of Chicken of the Sea Solid White: Albacore tuna

 

Procedure:

 

1.     Boil 2 pouches of pasta in 1 quart of water for 5minutes.

2.     Boil 4 brown eggs for 10 minutes.

3.     Drain and serve pasta into a large bowl

4.     Open, drain and serve 2 cans of tuna into large bowl with pasta

5.     Apply about ½ a cup of mayonnaise into bowl and mix contents of the bowl thoroughly.

6.     Add a moderate amount (2 teaspoons each) of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and Old Bay seasoning and mix (continue to taste and add more season as seen fit).

7.     Un-shell and dice eggs into bowl and mix one last time.

 

Analysis:

 

Based on the ingredients used to make my meal, about 60% of my meal is processed being made of processed tuna fish and mayonnaise.

 

 My entire meal totaled in 315mg cholesterol. 3,230mg sodium, 33g fat, 600mg potassium, 128g carbs, 6g dietary fibers, 6g sugars, 46g protein, and 1,630mg calories. The amount of sodium in my meal could cause serious high blood pressure and other health risks and the amount of calories (1,630mg) in my meal is half of the suggested 2,400-calorie intake for women, so eating everyday would not be healthy. Also be reminded that this is all only in one serving.

 

All ingredients used in my meal were made and packed in the United States; ranging from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey California. The Chicken of the Sea Tuna Fish traveled the furthest being from San Diego, California. Only my eggs were organically grown.

 

  This meal cost about $15. In comparison to fast food, my meal may be equal in health risk somewhat, but it is not a meal to be eaten regularly. Also my meal is a bit more expensive when buy ingredients as a whole. The USDA regulates these ingredients.


Self Reflection

 

Being a person who has never once questioned what is on the back, ingredients and nutrient labeling of her everyday boxed processed food, this unit in science and society has changed my view and importance in food in multiple ways. From the identifying of terms and ingredients, the creation and modification of said ingredients and how these process of modified and organic foods has drastically effected America economically and health wise.

 

The initial assignment of simply reading what the ingredients were on a meal I had recently eaten was only step one of opening my eyes to the food I consume. After a discussion in class about the definition and creditability of certain terms found on the labeling of boxed/canned foods, I learned that terms like “Low-Fat” and “Natural” are not USDA regulated meaning; any thing claimed to be any percent less fat (even if it’s only 1%) than it’s original form can be considered “low fat” without any higher authority confirmation. It was facts that like and many others that alone made me more conscious of the ingredients in our foods.

 

Step two in discovering the truth behind our food was actually watching the documentary movie, “Food Inc” which had a range of discussion topics. It talked about the treatments of both animals and workers, the process of making food, the cost of food and how it economically effects America, the health causes of genetically modified foods, the political aspects of the food system and overall how as consumers, we have a large role in the food system and are capable of changing it.  My group in particular took the chapter, “Shocks to the System” which discussed how an consumers, we are becoming slightly more conscious of the products/produce we purchase and this is partially due to the price inflammation and comparison of organic verses genetically modified. Stores like Wal-Mart have even gone “Green” in order to comply with costumers and appeal to high-class costumers who have begun to notice the difference between organic and genetically modified.

 

Step 3 was taking what I’ve learned and applying it into my life by creating a meal that was ideally healthy and free of genetically modified ingredients (homemade being the main objective).  My choice in meal was Macaroni Tuna Salad, made with whole organic brown eggs. Along with other classmates who made healthy meals, I found that eating healthy, some organic foods was just as delicious and simple to make as the usual fast food, boxed, and processed food that so many of us are used to.





nia
nia

Emma Hersh Q1 Benchmark

For this project Maxime Damis and I worked together to bake Biscotti. HERE is the link to our recipe, recipe analysis, and photos of our creation.

Here's my personal reflection of this Unit

I was nervous starting this unit because watching Food Inc always makes me loose faith in our country. This time watching it, though still visually disturbing, I got more out of it. I was more aware of the effect big corporations have on our economy and was then able to connect that to the Occupy Wall Street movements that are happening all over America. The biggest problem with our food system, is that the people have so little say in what they can buy. The grocery stores are lined with options of foods but they're all from the same places so the consumers have no choice but to support them. I was interested by how important organic food is in our country and how important it is to support organic foods because more people will know about it and there will be a higher demand locally which will bring farmers back into the mix. I have a large role in the food system because what I buy, especially when I'm making my own food will be registered as one less person who buys bad products from bad companies. My other role is that I can inform other people of what has happened in the food systems and hopefully encourage them to make the same change that I did.

And finally, my food rule graphic. 
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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 11.14.11 PM

​Atomic Energy Act of 1946

Kern Clarke
Story Of A Bill
​Atomic Energy Act of 1946


Sources:
http://bit.ly/uY92Kb
http://bit.ly/rHD0SY
http://bit.ly/sCBJIS
http://bit.ly/tKQbpw
http://bit.ly/jXWN
http://bit.ly/teLV9j
http://bit.ly/uTpvtM
http://bit.ly/6Nj3fH

Samantha Boyd Challah Bread Q1 Benchmark

challah
challah
Recipe

Bread machine 

1 cup of warm water

½ cup white sugar

1 table spoon

½ cup of vegetable oil

2 ½ teaspoon of salt

2 eggs

4 cups of bread flower

2 ¼ teaspoon yeast

 

After dough is made let dough rise on floured surface for 5 min

Divide dough in half and then in to thirds. Roll into ropes and then braid.

Place on greased cookie sheet cover with wrap and let it rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small bawl beat 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of water

Brush the egg mixture over the bread

Put into oven to bake for 20-25 mins.  

 Recipe analysis

This entire meal is all processed for the simple fact there is nothing healthy really in it and nothing used to make this is all whole food. ½ cup of sugar is not really good for your body. It’s really unhealthy expectedly for ones that live with diabetes. 2 ½ teaspoon of salt is extremely unhealthy for your body because of high blood pressure. This meal original from Israel. Challah is a loaf of yeast-risen egg bread that is traditionally eaten by Jews on Shabbat, on ceremonial occasions and during festival holidays. I truly beleve that these ingeatings to make this come from your local grocey story. Challah is not expnisve compared what you would by at a fast food place but I really do think that there is just as much bad food in it just as fast food. Challah cost $2.25 at the store or the juwish bakery. Stroehmann Family White 20 Oz Loaf of bread is $3.29, which has the same ingredients but is more expensive then Challah. So really baking Challah is really the cheapest way to go at the end of the day.


 Self Reflection 

 During this first quarter of science & society I have learned many thing when it come to the foods that we have in our world today. We started off talking about how children are becoming obesity because of the foods that they eat and the nutritious that they are not getting. We talk about what kind of food is held in different homes and what food places are close to eat from trying to understand why the obesity level is going up and not decreasing. 

 

         We started learning about how families need to look at the food labels before they buy their food from supermarkets. We talk about how hard it was to even get food companies to put the labels on their food and what laws were put in place for then to do so. So when it come to different food companies and how they raise and create a farm and animals on that farm we watched a movie called food inc. that allowed us to see what kind of goes on behind the sense of food. 

 

       While watching that movie we learned about how the animals were being tread and how they were being cared for. We learned about what they were feeding them and what if do to their body. They showed us what chemicals are being used to kill the germs that might be in the food. We learned about how e-coli got in to a hamburger and a young boy named Kevin died from it and then his mom tried to get a law passed about that called Kevin's law. We learned about Oprah and the case that happen with her we learned about the seeds and how they are expansive and they try to reuse then and can't. This movie talked about so many things it was crazy that it took us as student to really look at all the food that we by and eat differently. 

 

         After the movie and doing different class assignments with that we went on to learning about organic and non-organic foods and the difference and price between them. We as students had to go home and look in our homes to see what was organic and not the we were told to shop and see the different in price and label in organic and non -organic. Some students like my self brought the assignment home to the dinner table and talk about what we have been learning about food in class with our families. Next we started to look at different things that have to do with the body and food like, diabetes and heart disease and things like that and how they error form the foods that we eat and by.  So there are so many different things about food that we have been learning about.



Food slide  

food slaide
food slaide

Rafiq Robinson's Q1 Benchmark

Recipe and Analysis

​Boneless Garlic and Lemon Pepper Halal Chicken Sandwich

4-6 - Boneless Chicken Breast
1/4 cup oil (sunflower oil)
1 Tbsp -Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp - Butter or Margarine  
4 - 6 Hamburger or Hoagie Rolls

Get a few thin slices of chicken breasts.
On both sides of the chicken sprinkle good amount of garlic and let sit for 40 seconds.
Place the specified amount oil and butter in skillet.
Cook the oil and butter in skilled on medium heat until Hot.
Cook breast on both sides for a few minutes or alternatively until all the pink is gone from the meat leaving it entirely white inside.(To do this I cut little slits in the the chicken so I can see the inside of the meat.)

Place on buttered and toasted hamburger or hoagie rolls. Add any condiments you feel necessary.


Most of the meal is whole food because it is solely meat, spices and bread. The only processed part of the meal is butter and oils and you can just bake the chicken or not use butter for the bread. My body is just eating natural foods, it digests chicken, bread and butter just like any food. The worse thing here is butter but animal fat is much worse for arteries. Also 100% of the calories from the butter come from fat so add another problem but the butter I used has 0mg of cholesterol so take the good with the bad. Although butter is not as bad for your arteries it is still just bad and it will lead to many problems. The fried food is also bad for your health but it is still meat.

Most of my food is from America but the chicken is from Pennsylvania. The butter I would have to assume is the farthest because it doesn't have any designated place in America it just says from the U.S.A. The chicken is Halal, bread and butter is all commercially produced and grown.

As a meal it cost 4.50 per pound of halal chicken, 2.00 per bag of bread, 2.69 for the butter. Per sandwich it cost .78 cents. The food is regulated by FDA like most foods are in the U.S. The individual companies themselves made money off of my food and since most of the food is independent except for the butter which is from a bigger company, smaller companies made all the money off of the food I brought.

I don't see any ramifications for my food socially because halal meat is slaughtered traditionally and without all the social problems that lobbyists have with big companies. No one is angry about bread or butter as far as I am informed. For my meat it starts with the farm, slaughtered at the farm, packaged, to my home and on the plate.


Personal Reflection

My role in the larger food system is the same as it always was, the consumer. I am and will always be the consumer unless I take up a job as a farmer or regulator but my role as a consumer is the most important because the role is an ever changing one. The role can change radically because if me and 1000 friends come up and want something different and convince others that they want the same thing, something will change. One of the biggest problems is that everyone accepts this as it is and it is an insufficient amount people who legitimately want change and will continue to fight for it. In other words the biggest problem is the people who say "Yeah this is a travesty!" and do nothing about it. Yes I choose to say I support a corrupt and deteriorating system but at least I am honest and I don't say things like I will change it. In a market business the consumer is god and unless god TRULY wants change to an extreme extent nothing will happen.The only change I can see is not supporting this disgusting system of animal abuse and capitalism. This would be a giant change, a change so big that it would change the U.S economy and maybe even the U.S itself. This change would show the people who want nothing but money that the consumers want change and to eat healthy. If these people are motivated enough they can influence others to show our government that we want cleaner everything and that we will not respond until we get what we want. No I am not willing to make these changes because I am not motivated or moved enough to do anything. Even if I was motivated enough it would take a lot more to change things than one person it take about a million.


Food Rule

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This rule is simple in nature with a an even simpler message. Do Not Over Eat. It is harmful and it leads to many harmful things later on in life such a high blood pressure and diabetes and with those numbers rising dramatically there is no need to add to that statistic.
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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 7.28.15 PM

Natasha Ashby and Daniel Quach - Food BM


Personal Reflections

Natasha Ashby -
"During this unit, I learned a lot about food. Now, I love food and to learn what I'm actually ingesting is very valuable. After watching the documentary Food Inc, I was informed on how the animals are actually treated. They were slaughtered and mistreated. I am not a vegetarian. However, after I was informed, I wanted to be. I wanted to eat healthier especially after finding out that a majority of the food I eat on a daily basis is processed. I originally thought that only fast food was processed but to find out that it is also food that we get from the grocery store, surprised me. Science and Society was able to open my eyes to the realities within the food industries. I am sure a lot of people are unaware of the situation with our food, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

The government is very powerful. While doing the chapter assignment based off the different topics in the food documentary, I learned about Veggie Libel Laws. Veggie Libel Laws gives industries the right to silence or discourage any critics from reporting anything that could not be backed up by scientific evidence. Regardless of whether or not food critics are seeking the truth, it comes with consequences. I personally think it still goes against the first amendment just because how can you make a law saying food critics, workers and just general citizens can not say anything bad about the industry or the process.  

Our biggest problems within our food system is the secrecy and the ignorance. People really are not aware of what they are eating, cooking or feeding to their children. I feel like the food industries will continue to produce their food the way they see is most feasible towards making money. Money is a huge factor when it comes to anything in America. I would love to eat more healthier. I would rather eat at home than at a fast food restaurant, however I have to remember that fast food chains are not the only ones with processed foods. They are everywhere. I think if I could find more time to shop organically and cook my food more often, or for three weeks that way it will become a habit, it would definitely impact my food choices.  I am willing to commit to these changes, after I finish stressing out about making sure I have a future after high school."

Daniel Quach -
"The food unit will definitely be a component to education in Science and Society. This topic introduced new insight to my lifestyle, and surely ours, as it was geared towards focusing on the "Western Diet." I had never heard of this term before it was mentioned in our class, and it's a little shameful that other countries acknowledge this as how we Americans actually live our lives. Food Inc, the documentary we saw, went in depth into our ideas of daily eating habits, which disgusted not only me, but evidently my peers as well. This opened my views on healthy eating, since I realized that as long as you live in the U.S., most, if not all of your food will have been processed, tampered, and ultimately unhealthy for you. This is where our class focused on organic food, where we read a few articles and The Botany of Desire to gain a little more perspective to how our food can potentially be grown better for the good of the human body.

We are all responsible for making the world a healthier and hunger-free place, which is why many of us, such as Kevin's mother (Food Inc.), push to improve the quality of our food. Though we all know that the prime motivator for creating food is cash, it is possible to change the way we eat. The decline of the tobacco industry is a good example of what can potentially happen to our food system today. We push to inform others that the food we eat is unhealthy for us, giving us diseases such as diabetes and cancer, so that hopefully the higher-ups will do something about it, just as they did with surpressing advertisements of tobacco. However, just like tobacco, we are dependent on the food we eat. There are still many problems we need to solve, and this class has definitely shown both sides of the argument that though processed food is bad, it's necessary."
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Screen Shot 2011-10-27 at 9.44.09 AM

Simone Greene's Q1 Food Benchmark

Recipe & Analysis 
Healthy Rasta Pasta Meal

1. (1 serving)

- Steamed broccoli (1/4 cup)

- Rotini noodles (bowl)

- Small-diced carrots (1/5 cup)

- Loose corn (1/7 cup)

- Black pepper (3 pinches)

- Parmesan cheese (5 pinches)

- Garlic butter sauce (3 spoons)

Steps....

• Boil noodles at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until they are soft

• Steam broccoli with black pepper, small diced carrots and corn in a pot for about 10 minutes

•  Drain noodles after soft, and mix noodles with the broccoli, carrots and corn

• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the meal

 

a.             I'd say that the majority of the food is processed, because I had to chop and remove the outside layer of the carrots, and cut the broccoli. I bought the corn loose as it was, but I assume it was processed because corn comes from cob, they are attached, and so the company shaved the corn off of the cob. I am not sure about the noodles, but more than likely it is processed. 

b.             The Caloric count is 140, 5 grams of sugar (a lot, did not realize that), 8 grams of fat (I think its a lot with 4.5 of that being saturated fat.  That is mostly likely from animals. Saturated fat is greasy, or oily and that’s understandable because this meal was pasta that had garlic BUTTER sauce. My body will store some of the sugar that it got from the meal, and eject what it does not need into the liver.  3,500 calories is stored in your body for when you are not active. This is the body's way of saving energy that is mean o be burned off, it not, then it stays stored can most likely will be hard to "unstore".

c.            If I were to eat nothing but this meal everyday, then I would not be getting the OTHER essentials that my body needs, and my body would get tired of the same fats, oils, sugars, etc. 

d.            I think that my ingredients didn’t come from that far because I only have farming veggies and noodles. The veggies can get old fast, and if traveling from a far, that more dangerous or more aware you want to be about your food. So I think mine came from the far east coast of the U.S. My corn/broccoli/carrots came from a farm in Minneapolis, from a company called Green Giant. I was close. They came more so from the Middle Western part of the U.S. where they have that more of a hot weather and requirements to actually farm.

e.             This meal costs, $4.79. Compared to other junk and fatty foods, this meal costs less than a meal from McDonalds where those meals there can be $ 5.00 and unsurprisingly higher. However, a person can benefit more from just my meal. It is owned by General Mills.

f.              From a company, they add a lot of preservatives, and fertilizer rather than just you growing your own food. Companies advertise differently in order to attract hungry consumers. They say things to make a consumer want to buy from them. They have commercial ads that supposedly show where they are producing the broccoli, how, where it’s being packaged to etc, just to make the consumer feel comfortable. 





Self Reflection

My role in the larger food system consists of different views. For me, the way that the food system is treating what and me I am receiving is OK. Mainly because the side effects of fracking aren’t affecting me directly, is why I am ok with it.  Also, the way that our food is preserved, companies use too much of this, and too less of that.  Too may cloned, plants that isn’t what the mother of nature provided freshly from nothing. My food has to be cloned. The sound is very uncomfortable. However, if I were the resident of a house who lived in an area that was being bombarded by frackers, and that effected my physically, and the food, there would not be one pinch of happiness within me. I would not even want to stay at my house to fight the system because I would already be disgusted that it has already begun.  Then again, if I was the system, I would do what   I have to do in order to better the country. As for the whole western diet. SMH. It is a matter of a person. The person who has that overweight problem has to be motivated in order to take action to change their weight.  Is the problem that they are not being motivated enough? They take death lightly? Why is that?  


My Food Rule Graphic

(Press graphic to enlarge)

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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 6.09.22 PM

My (after voting day) Interview


Interviewing Ms. Rami-Ram!
  

Q: What motivated you to come out and vote:
She thinks that it’s important to take interesting in local issues. Most of the decisions that affect us take place at a local level. She thinks that it helps to learn more about our district in Philadelphia.

Q: What would you like to see changed in our political system?
Education, she wants SRC with Mayor Nutter to make sure that voices of students, parents and teachers voices are heard. She's very excited about that.


Q: Do you vote in every election? (How regularly do you vote?)
Yes, she votes in every election (national primaries and local). She would feel hypocritical to not vote when she teaches about issues, and participate in them.

4.      Q:Where have you encountered the highest amount of ad campaigning?

She’s seen the most memorable campaigns on the local news…and she’s seen a lot of negative campaigns. It turns her off, and she wants to see more campaigns of what the candidate will do for the community.

Q: What was the memorable ad campaign that you have encountered?
She was involved in the Obama campaign, and she felt more of a personal sense to it.
me and rami ram
me and rami ram

Semaj Smith Food Benchmark

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Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 5.20.21 PM

My Food Slide





A Play On Saladworks Sophie’s Salad.

 

Makes: 4 Servings

Time: About 20 Minutes

 

Ingredients

-       1 bag or head of Organic lettuce (Any brand)

-       ½ Apple

-       2 handfuls of lo Mein noodles

-       2 handfuls of croutons (If preferred)

-       1 chicken

-       ½ Cup of shredded cheddar cheese

-       ½ cup of walnuts (Or any nut you’d like)

-        Raspberry Vinaigrette  Salad Dressing or Oriental Sesame Salad Dressing (Desired Amount)

Directions

- Grill Chicken Breast and cut into long stripes and then dice chicken up

-  Cut up head of organic lettuce and put into a large serving bowl or pour bag of lettuce into serving bowl

- Cut apple half into bite size cubes and put into a separate bowl with your ½ cup of walnuts and shredded cheese (All of these ingredients will be kept together to prevent wilting and sogginess of other ingredients)

-  Hand mix apples, cheese and walnuts together to even out the portions

- Pour apple, walnut, and cheese mix into the serving bowl with lettuce

- Lastly, Sprinkle Lo Mein noodles and croutons onto the salad mix and pour on desired amount of salad dressing

-- Grab a bowl and Enjoy!

 

     I believe that depending on the type of each ingredient you purchase that determines how much of this meal is processed and how much is whole food. For example, if you were to purchase organic chicken breast as oppose to the processed chicken breast that would drastically change the percentage of processed food in the meal.

      Since I usually change the original recipe to my liking and what I’m in the mood for the calories are very different each time I make this dish so below is the nutritional information for the original Sophie’s Salad.

 

 

    I’m positive that each ingredient in my salad came from the U.S.  I don’t believe any of these ingredients would have to travel any extreme distance. Again, I would say that depending on the type of ingredient you were to purchase that would determine how organic the meal was

      I believe that all together this meal cost around $25.00 and serves 4 people and sometimes more if you were to use bigger portions of the ingredients. I believe that a huge corporation would be Perdue  because they are well known chicken producers and the chances of people paying the extra amount of money to get organic chicken breast and this salad can’t be made without chicken so usually people settle for companies such as Perdue.

 My Source: 

- http://nutrition.saladworks.com/nutrition/salads

My Self Reflection 

 I really enjoyed this unit because I learned a lot about some things I had never even heard of especially while watching the Food, Inc. Movie. There were some things in this unit I already knew and my knowledge was just increased and then there were things such as the “Pig Scolder” that I knew nothing about.

     My role in the larger food system would definitely be a consumer because most if not all of my money is spent on fast food.  I can honestly say I order or pick up an order of French fries once a week.

     The biggest problem with our food system is that nothing is real anymore. Everything that we are served as a society is processed or shot up with hormones in some sort of way and the foods that are real and organic are way out the average price range of families so they can never afford to eat the way they should.

     Some changes that I could make to my food choices are that I could spend less money on take out and fast foods by making more meals at home that are more healthy for me such as organic. Instead of trying to order out everyday I could make my lunch at home which would be healthier and cheaper.

     Once I made these changes not only would I actually have money during the week but I’d be way healthier and it would probably help me do things with less of struggles such as walking to the 5th floor of the building everyday.

     Honestly, I’m not willing to give up fast food because I enjoy eating French fries too much. If there was a way to get healthier fries for the same price as fast food and they tasted just as good as the unhealthy fries I would be more incline to stop eating fast food.



Maxime Damis' Bemchmark Q1

Below is a food slide that I have created, a recipe that Emma Hersh and I have written out and cooked, an analysis of the food we created, and my reflection of the project. Enjoy!

Food rule:

My food rule has to deal with eating ingredients unknown to us. To represent this visually,  I found a wordle of all the ingredients included in a hot pocket. The amount of ingredients is disgusting. This reenforces the importance of my rule.


Recipe, Analysis, and Pictures!

All of these are on my drop box because they are large documents. Click HERE to view


Reflection

            Recently, I have been working hard at erasing my impact to our world through energy and food consumption. This first quarter unit on food has helped educate me on the choices I am making and develop new choices. A year ago I became vegetarian. The choice to do this came from many sources but mostly because it was something I wanted to try. Lucky for me, the people around me mostly already were. This made being vegetarian easy. I never thought it would be something to keep but I am very proud to say I remain vegetarian. This had been a big change I wanted to make after seeing “Food Inc.” the first time. Now, after our study of food, I could not be more pleased with that decision. I would like to think that the impact of me eating vegetarian would be large but it isn’t. Although, I have influenced others into the lifestyle and as a chain we have grown as a larger group of vegetarians. This can make a small change if it were to grow continuously. Additionally, I want to start eating more locally and not buying over-processed food. This will help eliminate gas and energy used to transport food as well as improve my overall health.

            The chapter of “Food Inc.” that stuck out to me the most was the ‘1 dollar menu’ chapter where health implications were discussed. Then later, when researching and discovering information about diabetes, I saw what the biggest problem in our food system and society truly is. Our solutions to poverty is to make cheaper and less healthy food, which in return gives health implications, which then cost you more. We initially pay less for cheaper food, but in the long run end up paying much more for health care than you would for healthier food. Flawed system? I think so. As people who care for their health and the health of the people around them, we need to be more aware of everything we put in our mouth.


Julia's Benchmark Q1

​Recipe and Analysis:

Eastern European food(Jewish)-Kasha Recipe 

Ingredients

1 egg

2 cups of veggie/chicken broth

1 tbsp. butter

1 cup of Buckwheat/ Kasha

Cumin

Janes Krazy mixed-up Seasonings (original)

 

Instructions

Step 1:  Get a large pot, pour in broth, mix in a tbsp. of butter and bring to a boil, .

 Step 2: Meanwhile, mix Kasha and egg together.

 Step 3: Put Kasha and egg mixture into a wok/ frying pan on medium heat.

 Step 4: Stir continuously (so that the kasha mixture will not stick to the pan or together), let the grains separate. Should look dry but not brown.

 Step 5: When broth comes to a boil, pour into wok/frying pan.

 Step 6: Stir and cover on medium heat for 30 minutes (check every 5-10 minutes to stir), let the Kasha absorb the broth.

 Step 7: When the Kasha has absorbed all of the broth, season to taste with mixed seasoning salt and cumin.

 

Analysis:

 This meal is an easy and healthy option for any family. It consists of two whole ingredients and two processed ingredients. As a staple food in Eastern Europe, kasha is filling and nutritious. It is 82% carbohydrates, 12% protein and 6% fats. Kasha is also a good source of dietary fiber and magnesium with 155 calories for 168 grams. The dietary fiber is the part of food that your body cannot process; therefore it acts as a regulator for your digestive system. Magnesium is important for numerous functions in your body: nerve impulse transmissions and formation of healthy bones. It’s safe to say that this food is nutritious. It is also an environmentally friendly dish.

             The buckwheat used was organic and the eggs were from free-range chickens. The store we purchased these items from look for local farms to buy from so the buckwheat groats and eggs didn’t travel far. The item that traveled the farthest was the vegetable broth that we used to be vegetarian. It was imported from Canada and creates a large carbon footprint, which is ironic and an example of the choices and priorities consumers have.

            The cost of a meal is a big deciding factor for consumers. This meal is fairly feasible. The entire bag of buckwheat costs only 3 dollars and this recipe calls for half of the bag. One organic egg costs 32 cents and the broth costs around 3 dollars. While the total is much more than a fast food meal, this is a pretty cheap meal considering that two of the items, if not more are organic.

            An important aspect of kasha is that most of these products can be produced through a self-sufficient process. Chickens can make the eggs and are easy to contain as livestock in backyards. Buckwheat is apparently easy to grow and can be used in numerous types of food. The only issue with the self-sufficient food process is the limited resources in certain urban areas. Ashley and I are fortunate to own houses with backyards, but many people live in apartments or row homes and cannot grow their own food. However, many of these items were purchased in Acme and were still labeled “organic” so this meal could still be accessible.

            Therefore, Kasha is a good food to know how to cook. It is nutritious, environmentally friendly and affordable. All of the items needed for kasha can be bought at grocery markets such as Acme or local stores or even grown at home. As a dish, kasha follows a lot of the food rules. It is less than 5 ingredients, it is something my grandmother would recognize as food, and it’s vegetarian and organic. All in all, it’s a great dish.



 Personal Reflection: 

When Science in Society first started talking about food, I was ignorant to my role as a consumer. It was only after watching Food Inc. and reading the informative articles that I began to see the error of my ways. I felt extremely guilty. Obesity rates are through the roof, people are buying the cheap and easy choices, and farmers are being exploited daily because of my choices in the grocery store. The entire empire of food seemed messed up.

However, as the class progressed, options began to appear on the horizon. I began to understand how buying food means a vote for that product. Also, I understand now that eating is a responsibility and consumers need to do research before they mindlessly buy everything. However, my work as an eater is unfinished. 

 Some changes I plan to make are to research the products I consume daily such as milk, yogurt, and cereals. I, also, plan to buy only local vegetables and fruits that are in season. Fortunately, the Weaver's Way co-op will make these goals easier to achieve. This store usually buys locally and even plants it's own food. I'm lucky that it's in my neighborhood. Lastly, I need to teach other people about the food industry. Even if nothing comes from it, they at least will be more aware than before.



Food Rule: 


food rule
food rule

Art coming to Life!

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What amazing projects. These drawings had turned out better than I thought. Drawing makes me see the world as a completely different place. I like to draw and enhance my learning as I believe drawing is a relaxing, calming and entertaining. 

We started out our life size drawing by sketching out a rough figure. The utensil we used was charcoal. The point of the project was to draw things to real life scale. By drawing to real life scale, it helped me learn that every detail is necessary. As you can see closely in the  fourth picture down, I had just sloped on the face the first time. When I finally realized that I was drawing what I wanted to see, and not what I really saw, I redrew overtop to show how I made the change. Now the face looks almost picture perfect. This drawing took four, one hour long class periods. A total of four hours. After grasping the concept of drawing what I see rather than what I want to see, I went back and touched things up such as shadow marks, wrinkles, hair, facial marks, body posture. After looking at my final product I feel proud. I feel as though I learned how to draw what I see. I think my best part was drawing the head. The part I can improve on is focusing on her lower body. I feel like I put more effort into the upper body.

Next, we drew the clear objects drawing. The object here was tricky. Again here, we used charcoal.  We basically had to draw shadows and glare from lights. I drew and erased, drew and erased, drew and erased over and over again. This was harder then the life size drawing as you cannot really actually see a clear object, but yet the elements that make it. We worked on this project for two, one hour class period. A total of two hours.

Brenda's Benchmark

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Click on the bottom link below for recipes of the chicken and ginger meal along with a special drink of ginger juice and analysis of the ingredients used in this dish. 

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1sTze8ETxvHFvh3eiAgMPKgCAYsC63eDKwawCY3Du_z4/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

Personal reflection 

What I have learned during this unit was on one of my favorite topics in the world, Food. Well, what about food you might ask. Hm, well the food industry and their secrets of processing what we consume. From watching a food documentary, it honestly helped me realize a handful of suggestion that I should take responsibility of in my life and others. 

Watching a food documentary called Food Inc. had brought lots of questions in mind that I want to ask. I was in shocked how livestock were being treated before they entered the slaughterhouse and even how they slaughtered the animals. It was pretty harsh and I got kind of disturbed but still watch anyways because it does not seem realistic to me that they do such torture to animals. The biggest problem I see here is how food industry have no care about consumers health and that what they do in factories can harm everyone. Food system obviously know this but I'm getting bothered that they are ignoring this important fact and rather be selfish for money. Even I did not know what the food industry does before they shipped foods out to supermarkets until this video had been shown. Now, Im the type of person that likes more than one source about an issue but this had shown more tha enough for me. 

Some changes I would want to make to your food choices is to chill out with the greasy foods and just be cautious of what I consume. Now, I don't want to say I'm going to try and eat organic food now because truly that's not in my path. Yeah, I consume organic products from left to right but I truly and honestly believe that I will end up going back to what I like which is unhealthy food due to the taste but be more cautious! Ah, you see where I'm going at with this. I enjoy food but learning so much of what's going on with what I enjoy makes me more cautious and that's all I can really be thankful for. I care about my health and everyone elses, I'll make sure to make this happen.