Blog Feed

Well we all answered the journal question and as a group we each shared our ideas. Then talked about each idea and then all came to an agreement on which one would our benchmark. Collectively we chose Combining National Popular Vote and Instant Runoff as our focus topic. 

If we all as humans come together, positive change will happen. All age groups can benefit from one an other. In order to create and support change we need to get rid of all the negative energy and replace it with positivity. 

I realized with the electoral college it does not benefit the people from small states which means every voters' voice is not being heard and that is not a democracy. That is exactly why we chose slogan "got democracy? … Be YOUr government" We want voters from all ages to feel as though their vote is valuable. 

Our marketing scheme was to mimic the successful "got milk?" campaign. As a group we all decided a print ad's slogan needs to be one thing and that was universal. A universal slogan is appealing to all age groups. The best thing about using a universal slogan is that it will always be remembered by your audience. Because we wanted to target an older and younger audience we chose to have a slogan that could be used as an entire phrase or broken into two separate ones with the same amount of impact. 

Our Slogans:

"got democracy?"

"got democracy?… Be YOUr government!"

• How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?
  -Our group began with a ton of ideas that covered multiple ways of addressing the voter turn out problem in the United States. We debated for almost two day about the direction that we wanted to move forward in and ultimately it was out slogan that helped us finally decide what we wanted to do. Our slogan, "got democracy?...Be YOUr Government" lead us to the decision of combining National Popular Vote with Instant Run-off Vote to provide more of an incentive for voting and create a more educated or aware voter. 
  
  
• 11th grade Essential Question - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
  - I believe that the role of an individual in creating and sustaining change is fully understand the change that is occurring and be active in its continued existence. In order change to be instituted, it must have support from the individuals that it will be effecting. If not then the change will be challenged and sustainability decreases. Change also requires supporting individuals to be active because if/when the change is challenged or active support decreases, the effectiveness of the change falls.
  
  
• How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?
  -Prior to this unit, it was my understanding that the because it is the international symbol of democracy, we must be pretty well off as a democratic nation. After the unit i have come to understand that although we are the international symbol of democracy, we do not live up to that international standard. I have also learned and formed my own opinons about the electoral system based on the research done during this project. Through research I learned the original reasons behind created the electoral system and that the US was created to be a republic not a democracy. I found this to be quite interesting because democracy is something that most if not all Americans value most.
  
  
• How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?
  - Our group chose to target three specific groups at the national level. We chose to target youth, older Americans, and minorities. To do this we created a slogan that could be used three different ways. Each element of the slogan would appear in different forms of communication. For example the "got democracy?" portion of the slogan stood for the print add so that it would be mor accessible to an older audience and because older voters were more likely to correlate this ad with the successful "got milk" campaign. The "Be YOUr Government!" portion of the slogan targeted youth an minorities in the audio ad because it put the individuals at the center of attention and used music from an artist popular amongst youth and minorities. The combined elements of the slogan were used in the video ad. They were intended to be create a universal and unifying campaign.
  
  My individual work can be viewed here.
  Our group's final product can be viewed here.

• How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?
  It was not very difficult because we just chose what we collectively felt the strongest about which was the effectiveness of the Electoral College. There was also some discussion about concentrating on how voting is always on Tuesday, but in the end we decided the Electoral College is a more pressing issue. 
  
  
• 11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
  An individual must be committed to a change to sustain it. Say one person decided not to support a change, they could influence others do the same, then no one would be trying to change anything. An individual can quickly expand into a majority, thats how changes begin. People must stay committed to an idea to make it a reality. 
  
  
• How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?
  Before this unit I had almost no idea of how elections worked in the US. All I knew was that people went to polling places, stood in a booth, pressed some buttons and then they were done. I did not know about any of the regulations or processes of voting. Since then though, my knowledge on the subject has grown exponentially. Learning about the processes, like the Electoral College, and other things, has truly sparked an interest in me. All the laws surrounding voting in the US are interesting and some of them are still useful, but certainly not all of them. It makes me wonder why people havent tried to change them yet but then I remember that many people are as clueless about these things as I was before this unit. If everyone is to have a fair say, they must first be educated on the subject and this isn't happening. Things like that make this nation seem less free then it did before I knew these things. 
  
  
• How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?
  In our marketing campaign we tried to emphasize that not many people even know what the Electoral College is. Showing that the people it is apparently trying to serve don't even know about it. By doing this we not only educated people on it but showed how dated it is. If more people knew about it, it may not as much of a problem because when voting, people would know what they're getting into and where their vote is going. I believe this was a very effective way to relay our group's message. 

Vegetarian Lima Bean Soup !

Ingredients:

·      2 One pound bags of large dried lima beans

·      1 very larger or 2 medium Vidalia Onions

·      1 large green pepper

·      1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

·      2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic

·      ½ pot water

(For Taste)

·      Onion Powder

·      Ground Black Pepper

·      Mrs. Dash (Onion & herb)

·      Essence of Emeril Seasoning

·      Crushed red pepper flakes

·      1 tablespoon Agave Nectar

Procedure

1.     Soak 2 bags of Lima Beans in a full pot of cold water

2.     Sit aside for 8-16 hours

3.     Once soaking is complete Rinse lima beans in cool water in a large colander or strainer ( remove any discolored beans or empty shells)

4.     Chop onion and green pepper in small cubes (diced about ¼” )

5.     Heat large vegetable stock pot over med/high heat

6.     Add ½ cup of olive oil when pan is hot (heat until olive oil is hot )

7.     Add diced onion and green pepper

8.     Add seasonings and minced garlic

9.     Sauté onion, green pepper , garlic , and seasonings until vegetables glisten and start to become translucent

10.  Turn heat up to high

11.  Add very hot water until pot is half full

12.  Cover w/ lid and bring stock to a boil

13.  When liquid / vegetable mixture begins to boil Add 2 lbs of lima beans

14.  Allow to come to a second boil

15.  Reduce heat to low or simmer. Add agave nectar

16.  Simmer beans for 2 hours or until tender and liquid starts to thicken.

17.  Stir every 15-30 minutes with wooden spoon. If beans start to stick add water and reduce heat. 

18.  Taste beans in last ½ hour of cooking Add seasonings or Agave Nectar to taste

Recipe Analysis

When thinking of a “healthy meal” to share with the class I thought Lima Bean Soup was the perfect dish simply because it is a meat less, non-processed meal. Everything from the beans to the seasonings and vegetables to make the meal is whole and tasty! The lima beans used to make this meal were very cost effective and for families on a budget the brand of beans can be purchased with WIC and food stamps. This reminded me of a discussion we had in class when the issue of healthy food being too expensive came up and how it affects families’ decisions w/ purchasing food and cooking meals. Well there is no excuse for this healthy meal, if you can but things like pop tarts, different meats, and chips, you can without a doubt pick up a bag of beans and some peppers! Although this meal is time consuming, the way it is prepared allows time to get homework, housework, and daily tasks done while waiting. When meal is complete Lima bean soup becomes a quick throw and go meal. Great for packing a lunch or a quick dinner heat up ! Also, the packaging and preparation of the meal does not involve a lot of material. The material they do involve can be recycled. With all of this being said this delicious meal is great for a meal to last a few days and feed the whole house! You can put your own spin on it by adding hot sauce, throwing it on rice, and even vegetables. No matter how you like it, if you love beans it is a great healthy choice your body will be happy with!

Self Reflection

            This section has opened my eyes too so many different aspects of my health and also the health of my family members. It was definitely disturbing to see the truth behind different meat companies and how they deal with the animals. It made me feel somewhat helpless as a person who is not a vegetarian. To keep a steady diet it seems impossible to make the best choice in meets to create a balanced meal. Though I don’t see myself or my family members becoming vegetarian any time soon, we have taken extra steps to pay attention to where we buy our meat and checking the different labels so we can get the best meat possible. The other sections of the unit like Fracking for instance allowed me to educate my friends and family on what exactly it was. I have shared this information with my family to the point where it became annoying. After a while lunch and dinner time became very uncomfortable and I was just a nag when it came to shopping trips according to my family . I do not regret it because after all of the nagging something stuck with each one of them!

• How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?
  
  Each person basically pitched the idea they had. Then discussed the pros and cons of each idea. We originally decided to focus on voting online. But after talking to Ms. Laufenburg we had to come up with another idea. Our theme of convenience stayed the same but our new idea was voting on the weekends.
  
  
• 11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
  
  The role of the individual is to take action, expressing their concerns and what they think can be done to solve them. Giving up on getting things done is not an option.
  
  
• How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?
  
  Learning the ends and outs of how a voters ballot counts help me to understand why some people think that in essence they still get no say. There are a lot of factors that go into the final decision. Not to mention a lot of different representatives and things. Before I didn't have view a view of the  electoral process. Now I see how complicated it really is.
  
  
• How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?
  We had a central theme of convenience. With our campaigning we tried to keep things simple and to the point.

I have learned that the whole food thing is a large business. Things are being made differently than before, but because it is more convenient for the people growing it, if it takes a short period for a crop, to be grown for money, of course these companies will do it. Things are being done for money, and people are not being cared about.  Whether it’s the life of a cow, to the growing of a see. Farming is slowly turning more into a process, than an actual experience. For examples instead of caring for cows in a grass environment, certain places mainly feed them corn, in pens to quickly fatten them. Then they are killed in a factory with other animals, by machinery. These places do not tend to be the cleanest so the chances of disease or sickness are high. The country has becoming blinded by money, to actually see what it is doing to itself.

Since I eat kosher the majority of the food I buy comes from cleaned slaughterhouses that treat their animals correctly. The place is highly religious so the workers there would not do anything that was break the work halal. 

  A big problem with the system is how different people are being feed. How is it that a poor person can’t afford to buy veggies, but has enough to buy a burger? It is just that the system isn't pushing anyone into any better directions. This meaning that, this poor man, or family, isn't really being helped if they are being feed burgers for dinner because it is cheaper. They only thing it is solving is the hunger state for the time being, but aside from that it brings a lot of cons. Along with that, I have learned how big companies make farmers their workers, and enable them to live, or go against them. For example, the company Monsanto makes genetic seeds, that are expensive, and forces the farmer to buy more and more, when they run out, which causes him to be trapped in debt.

I can start eating thinking about my environment; I know that there are many animals, and environments that are being affected by the food that we eat. For example, the Humboldt penguin is going extinct because a lack of fish. This is due to people over fishing, or taking more than what is needed, or for example the refraining from eating things that contain palm oil. The reason why is because this palm oil is from a rainforest in Borneo which is being destroyed and turned into a plantation of more oil. When you think about the food that could change the future, you find it a bit easier to change.

I may not be able to enjoy most of my snacks that I tend to buy. Sadly palm oil is found in a majority of foods. But if I refrain from eating palm oil, I would be helping the forest/ animals of Borneo from extinction.

Yes I currently am, it is a challenge, fighting your desires, but if it for a greater good, then why not? And I see know point of going into zoology, if I am currently destroying a place where 1000 of animals still haven’t been discovered. 

Halal Meat Lasagna:






Recipe:

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 297 g Calories 377 Calories from Fat 126 Total Fat 14g 22% Saturated Fat 7g 33% Trans Fat Cholesterol 45mg 15% Sodium 832mg 35% Total Carbohydrate 38g 13% Dietary Fiber 4g 14% Sugars 6g 14% Protein 25g

• How did your group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?
  - Our group wanted to do voting my mail for a couple reasons. We wanted to find a system that has been introduced already somewhere in the nation so we can base our information on true events. We chose voting by mail also because it covers most of the difficulties people encounter with voting. Voting by mail eliminates the excuses for not voting. 
• 11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
  - The role an individual has in change is the ability to assemble and create protest. if one individual works up the courage to decide to make a change in the system of which people fallow, then they have that ability with proper assembly and protest. 
• How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?
  - My understanding of the electoral process has changed completely. i had no idea that the voter turnout was so low that barley a fourth of the nation as a whole votes. this leads me to believe that the decisions made are not balanced and this makes it less viewed as a democracy. 
• How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?
  - Marketing techniques require the message to connect straight to the viewer. The marketing campaign should include simple and broad issues that are adressed that many people can relate to. then at the end of the campaign you offer to help fix the dilemmas which most of the time leads the viewer to agree. 

US History – Y

November 10, 11

Reflection:

Process:
For this project, my group and I completed the necessary requirements on time and used the class-work periods effectively. Our full project was uploaded when needed and we asked questions if things were unclear.

Group Dynamics:
In the beginning of our project, my group brainstormed everything we would include in our project some possible ideas to elaborate on. After that was done, we started our individual parts. Once we knew the general topic to talk about and finished our portions of the project, we asked each other to revise and provide constructive feedback. Overall, I would say my group worked very well together and helped each other throughout the process. This made it easier to collaborate and create a decent project.

How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?

First my group and I brainstormed what we thought would make a difference in voter turnout within the United States. We had three general ideas, which were voting on the weekends, eliminating the Electoral College, and finally give rewards to people that vote. After discussing these ideas with Ms. Laufenberg she helped us determine what idea makes the most sense and could possibly change society for the better.

11th grade Essential Question - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change?

In my opinion change starts with one person and is influence into a whole community of modified civilians. It takes a determined person to create this sort of change, as well as someone who is involved with their environment.

How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?

Honestly, at first I didn’t know much about how the voting system worked but after researching and collaborating with my group I have a stronger understanding of it. It’s ridiculous how America has one of the worst voter turnout percentages. Being more knowledgeable about this topic makes me want to make a change.

How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?

We incorporated the social media networks since that’s the best way to communicate with the citizens of America, and create a site where information on why the Electoral College should be banned is portrayed. Hopefully we did a fine way of relaying this message because it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

Ingredients:

·       1 medium onion, chopped fine

·       2 tablespoons butter

·       1 tablespoon vegetable oil

·       1 medium tomato, chopped fine

·       1 green pepper, chopped fine (optional)

·       4-6 eggs

·       3 tablespoons cream

·       Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1.     Whisk eggs together with cream. Set aside.

2.     Melt butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet. 

3.     Sautéed chopped onions over medium heat until translucent. 

4.     Add tomatoes and peppers and cook over medium heat until soft, 8-10 minutes. 

5.     Pour eggs into skillet and cook gently, stirring them lightly and flipping them as they cook. 

6.     Cook to desired doneness, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with arepas.

Perico is a Venezuelan dish consisting of eggs, oil, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers.  A single serving would have about 18.5 grams of fat and 222 calories.  It has no sugar (except for a little natural sugar from the vegetables).

            Our dish is nearly 100% whole food.  The only processed ingredient is vegetable oil, of which only a tablespoon is used.  It was also, dollar for calorie, the cheapest ingredient.  A 48-oz bottle cost $2.99.  Eggs were $2.29 a dozen, also relatively cheap.  The pepper was $1.99, the tomato and onion $3.99 each.  One serving of perico costs approximately $3.97, more than a serving of fast food.

            The only ingredients whose origins we were able to find were the eggs and oil.  The eggs came from a small organic farm called Sauder’s Quality Eggs.  The oil was manufactured by Clover Valley, which is owned by Dolgencorp, LLC, a subsidiary of Dollar General.  While we don’t know exactly where the vegetables came from, they probably came at least several hundred miles.  They were from a normal supermarket and therefore are probably from Florida, California, or Mexico.

            The only vegetable oil regulation I could find was a bill that requires animal fats and vegetable oils to be regulated just like non-food oils for manufacturing and transportation.  There are many regulations concerning the production of all eggs, to prevent the spread of salmonella, and more for organic eggs.

            Initially, I was suspicious that Sauder’s was a friendly face hiding a large corporation, but I looked through their website and it’s clear they are a small family farm.  Meanwhile, the CEO of Dollar General, David A. Perdue, makes $1.94 million a year.  It’s amazing what a far-reaching effect the purchase of a single meal’s ingredients can have.

 I was Cheyenne's back-up for our video, which I was that star of. Cheyenne was the back-up for Alshya's portion of the project, which was our advertising, which Ronald was the back-up for. I was Ronald's back-up for his rebuttal paper. 

I handled group dynamics well. I was helping my group stay atop of their individual parts, by checking in and making sure their work was completed. 

Once my paper was done, I had all three member's of my group look over the paper, adding, removing or changing anything that they saw as needed. I went to them for feedback on my writing, asking what I could expand on when I couldn't think of more arguing points. 

The best way to relay a message to a national audience is through media, whether it's on tv, the web or other, it's the best way to reach a mass of people, encouraging and promoting citizens to vote. 

Before this project I only knew that we used electoral voting. I did not know why we voted on Tuesday, nor why we do the things we do. After doing this project, I now know why we do these things. It really showed to me that the United States has some trouble as a democratic society, and we could improve on our voting process, such as removing electoral voting and counting individual votes. 

• How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?
• We took our ideas and thought about what could be changed in the constitution.
  
• 11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
• I think that for our idea it would be important for people to want to change and then keep the change going because otherwise we will go right back to having a electoral college.

• How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?
• I think that I learned a lot but I knew some things from debate and other classes.

• How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?
• We thought about the people we needed to target and how they would be targeted. We wanted to target people of color so we used a song the was generally of their genre.
  

Pasta Salad Recipe: 

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes

¾ Bottle of Fat Free Italian Dressing

A Pinch of Salad Supreme McCormick Seasoning

Hodgson Mill 100% Wheat Noodles

A Teaspoon of Butter

Instructions:

Boil a pot of water and place the teaspoon of butter in the boiling water. This is also the time where you add your salt and pepper (optional).

Break the uncooked noodles in half and place them in the pot.

After 5-8 minutes strain the water out of the pot so the noodles don’t overcook in the bowl.

Open the can of diced tomatoes and empty the can in the bowl.

Pour ¾ of the Italian dressing into the bowl and add the pinch of seasoning.

Enjoy !!!

Analysis:

         For my recipe I mostly used foods that weren’t processed. For the healthier ingredients I used wheat noodles, a natural spread for my butter and McCormick seasoning and the processed foods were the diced tomatoes and the Italian dressing.  My complete recipe was around 550 calories in total. I believe that per serving size this dish was not unhealthy but it isn’t something I would recommend people eat everyday. If this were a daily meal you would probably have high blood pressure from all the sodium.

            Everything was made in America but most of the things weren’t locally grown. I think out of all my foods either the canned diced tomatoes or the salad dressing traveled the farthest. But there isn’t a very effective way to figure out how far everything came from.  This meal costs around $8 dollars because I purchased everything from fresh grocers where things are a little more expensive than at a store like Wal-Mart or Shop Rite. Even with that being said I still think this meal is cheaper than fast food because it can be refrigerated and because of the amount that was made it will also last longer than a $5 burger from a fast food place.

            If I were to grow the tomatoes myself as apposed to purchasing them to me the biggest differences would actually be that they weren’t store bought and also that there would . I don’t think the impact on the community would even be that great because there are local farms that grow tomatoes. Another major difference I’m seeing is that I don’t actually know how to grow tomatoes or keep the bug and insects away form them like an actual farm would so overall I think it’s a healthier decision to farm.

Personal Reflection:

            In this quarter we have talked about food for the last three weeks and I can honestly say I’m shocked. I always knew the food industry and the things we eat aren’t exactly up to par and periodical but after re-watching the movie Food Inc. I don’t really know what to think. In the movie there was a chapter about cleaning beef. This chapter was confusing to me. This piece talks about how beef needs to be cleaned before serving because it’s harmful but at the same time what they use to clean the food is just as harmful.

This unit has taught me that eating healthy is more than just a life style it’s a job. You need to know what you eat, where it comes form and the truth about how it’s made. I always thought people that lived a healthy eating lifestyle took it too serious, but after hearing the little boy Kevin’s story I understand. If you don’t watch out for your food no one else will even when it’s his or her job to. Also I never thought it was worth spending the money but I know now that if you don’t pay for it now you’ll pay later in the medical expenses and everything else. I feel that I’ve learned a lot, and have shaped the view eating healthy. 

2 packs of whole-wheat pasta

3 cups of grape tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 ½ bottles of Balsamic Vinegar

2 cups of Olive Oil

How-To

1. Boil Pasta
2. Chop cucumbers into dime size triangles
3. Cut tomatoes into halves
4. After Pasta is boiled, Drain
5. Add all Ingredients into a large bowl
6. Add 1 ½ bottles of Balsamic Vinegar and 2 cups of Olive Oil into mixture
7. Mix
8. Refrigerate overnight and Serve!

Analysis

            Pasta salad is one of the healthiest meals that is entirely organic and a part of the Whole Food category. Pasta salad can be served as a side or a meal. According to the nutritional facts of all the ingredients, two-three cups of pasta salad totals to a minor four hundred calories. Not only is it nutritional, but fulfilling. The carbs, or pasta, in the pasta salad serves as two of our six daily grains/per day needed for our body to function healthily. Carbohydrates provide energy throughout the day and help your metabolism speed up. The vegetables used in the pasta salad are used to fulfill some of your daily servings of vegetables and fruits. Vegetables are needed in a daily diet because it provides cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal health, strong vision, and other life long advantages. However, some health issues that could arise if you ate nothing but pasta salad everyday are hair/skin effects, lack of growth of muscles and blood and hormonal disorders, that are caused by lack of enough proteins in diet.

            My ingredients come from the United States and Italy. The tomatoes and cucumber comes from Florida, while the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pasta come from Italy. The olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pasta (all organically grown) have traveled the farthest at steep four-thousand-four-hundred-and-thirteen miles.

The cost of all the ingredients was ten dollars, for a serving of twenty. Compared to fast food, the average double cheese burger and French fries cost two dollars and fifty cents.; resulting to a total of fifty dollars for twenty people. Overall, you come out cheaper preparing pasta salad. The Food and Drug Administration regulate the food items used in pasta salad.

There are some social ramifications of preparing pasta salad. The price of a regular bag of pasta can cost about one dollar. However, the price of a whole-wheat organic pasta bag cost about one dollar and thirty-nine cents. While some may not see a big difference, a lot of people are always focusing on the bottom dollar, where that extra thirty-nine cents can go towards other needs. Tracing where the vegetables came from was not hard. The tomatoes and cucumber were harvest on a farm where they grew these crops. The whole-wheat pasta derived from the form of unleavened wheat dough of buckwheat flour. The balsamic dressing and oil came from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice and olives. All of my ingredients are organic; therefore, there wasn’t a lot of processing. The ingredients were purchased from my local Supermarket, Brown’s ShopRite. Needless to say, Pasta salad can be categorized as one of the healthiest, tasteful and fulfilling meal.

In this unit, I have learned a massive amount of information about the food industry, food itself and how I am a prime factor in it. What I found most intriguing while learning about the unit, was that I can contribute to the wrong doings of the industry by buying its products. Essentially, I learned that by supporting the non-organic food industry, I am supporting the mistreatment of animals, people's health and my health.

The biggest problem in our food system is the lack of organic food resources in urban areas for cheap prices. I believe the majority of the people who are malnutrition from non-organic food suffer because the lack of organic food resources in urban communities. In order to change the statistics and change the health of suffering citizens, we have to change our unhealthy diet to a healthy diet. In order to change the statistics, we have to change the resources.

A change I can make to my food choices is  taking out the fattening, greasy and sugary foods and replacing them with vegetables, healthy proteins, grains and fruits. The impact of these changes will be a longer, healthier life. I am willing to make these changes if the food industry agrees to cheapen the cost of organic food and increase organic food resources in my area particularly. 

- Mantia's Italiano Spaghettii Noodles (2 boxes, 16oz each)

- Robusto! Ragú Sauce (2 bottles, 8oz each)

- Ground Chuck Beef 80/20 (32oz)

- (extra) Coburn Farms Italian Style 6 Cheese Blend (12oz)

- Sea Salt

- Ground Pepper

- Garlic Salt

Instructions:

- Cook ground beef until it turns brown.

- Drain ground beef juice.

- Take a big pot and put 3 quarts of water in it. Wait for water to boil.

- Take both packs on noodles, break noodles up, and put them into the boiled water. Leave in pot for 10-12 mins.

- Drain noodles.

- Put noodles back in pot, put ground beef in pot. Stir around so ground beef can get everywhere. Put two bottles of sauce in pot. Stir around so sauce can get everywhere. Put more salt, pepper, and garlic on spaghetti.

- Heat spaghetti, put cover on top of pot for about 2 mins.

- If you want, put cheese on top and let simmer, then there you go: spaghetti with ground beef and cheese.

Well, to my knowledge pasta came from traditional Italian cuisine. I really don't believe my dish was organically grown. I believe everything was processed. When I say that, I mean the brands that I used. By estimate, my ingredients didn't cost more than $20. Actually, the salt, pepper, and garlic salt I already head. The cheese is not mandatory, but I love pasta with cheese. Coburn Farms products are always dairy.  The ground beef is processed, and approved by the USDA. Ragú sauce has been used in italian meals since 1937. Honestly, there isn't much research on my products, probably because they are all processed foods.

Well, my family makes pasta a lot. So, it is something like our traditional meal. If I could compare the meal being cooked at home, and spaghetti out in restaurants, its about the same price. Honestly, if I were to make a different meal, I would pick a mean BUT I would research my ingredients first before cooking. I probably would have more information to provide for this project.

Personal Reflection

This whole food unit changed the point of view of food from what I’ve had once before. I can say that it’s a shame for me to change Senior year, but it’s never bad. Maybe it’s because before this unit, I was never so worried about details. But now, not only am I aware, but I’ve made my family aware too. Well, my mother has always been aware, but besides class she has talked me into changing my habits. I’ve learned how to grow healthier food, and I’ve learned more about diabetes than I’ve been told before. I was honestly happy to know the information because diabetes runs in my family. I will try my best to not forget what I have learned in this unit once this semester is over. I have a feeling that I might get back into the habit of eating so much junk.

Anyways, I need to learn how to try different things. By taste, I’ll decide of it’s nasty or not. The sad honest truth is, the only fruit I’ll eat is sour grapes, and the only greens I eat is string beans, the French kind. I use to eat corn, carrots, and some others. But as I got older, my eating habits have changed. So, one of my main goals is to get back to that habit of eating healthy.

·       1 medium onion, chopped fine

·       1 tablespoon vegetable oil

·       1 medium tomato, chopped fine

·       1 green pepper, chopped fine (optional)

·       4-6 eggs

Preparation:

1.     Whisk eggs. Set aside.

2.     Melt oil in a large nonstick skillet. 

3.     Sautée chopped onions over medium heat until translucent. 

4.     Add tomatoes and peppers and cook over medium heat until soft, 8-10 minutes. 

5.     Pour eggs into skillet and cook gently, stirring them lightly and flipping them as they cook. 

6.     Cook to desired doneness. Serve warm with arepas.

            Perico is a Venezuelan dish consisting of eggs, oil, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers.  A single serving would have about 18.5 grams of fat and 222 calories.  It has no sugar (except for a little natural sugar from the vegetables).

            Our dish is nearly 100% whole food.  The only processed ingredient is vegetable oil, of which only a tablespoon is used.  It was also, dollar for calorie, the cheapest ingredient.  A 48-oz bottle cost $2.99.  Eggs were $2.29 a dozen, also relatively cheap.  The pepper was $1.99, the tomato and onion $3.99 each.  One serving of perico costs approximately $3.97, more than a serving of fast food.

            The only ingredients whose origins we were able to find were the eggs and oil.  The eggs came from a small organic farm called Sauder’s Quality Eggs.  The oil was manufactured by Clover Valley, which is owned by Dolgencorp, LLC, a subsidiary of Dollar General.  While we don’t know exactly where the vegetables came from, they probably came at least several hundred miles.  They were from a normal supermarket and therefore are probably from Florida, California, or Mexico.

            The only vegetable oil regulation I could find was a bill that requires animal fats and vegetable oils to be regulated just like non-food oils for manufacturing and transportation.  There are many regulations concerning the production of all eggs, to prevent the spread of salmonella, and more for organic eggs.

            Sauder’s eggs come from hens that eat organic feed with no antibiotics and roam outdoors.  Conventionally produced eggs come from hens given antibiotics and growth hormones.  Since Sauder’s is in Pennsylvania, the eggs also travel less than eggs from a non-local company might.  The tomato wasn’t organic.  While an organic tomato would have been grown without pesticides, the tomato we used was likely sprayed with pesticides to control weeds, pests and disease.

            This unit in science and society, I’ve learned about the ways in which science is a part of seemingly unscientific issues, like what we eat.  So much of the truth behind what we eat is hidden from us by huge food corporations.  It’s up to consumers to uncover the ugly truths behind modern agriculture.

            Our food system is terribly flawed.  We rely not on traditional farms, but on factories, where workers are mistreated and food is produced in unhealthy, dangerous and environmentally unsound ways.  Because food corporations are so huge and so powerful, they are able to eschew using responsible manufacturing practices in favor of doing whatever they can to make money.  They are even able to silence anyone who speaks out against them.  The biggest problem is that they act irresponsibly because they have no reason not to.  They aren’t punished for the problems they create.  As Michael Pollan described, Monsanto is working to create GMOs that are largely still not understood.  Worse, these products not only have the potential to cause problems in the short run, but once a gene is introduced to nature, it’s there for good.  This is called “genetic pollution,” and there’s no way to fix it.

Ms. Hogben is in charge of making a newsletter to be sent around the neighborhood to the voters, which contains information on each candidate being voted in, their experience, and their qualifications for the position.  

1. How does it feel to know that you have the power to influence who goes into office? Basically how does it feel to know your vote counts?

- To me, voting is a responsibility. I feel as if it's my job to give information, and to pass it on to others, but its also my job to be able to voice my opinion. I feel as if my vote is valuable in a sense. I get to make a decision to be apart of the change that goes in in not only politics, but in Philadelphia as well. Now, my job is also to get voters who don't know their facts or do their research to make the right decision in voting for the right candidates to do their duties to the fullest extent when voted in. So these newsletters go to the houses for promotion towards the campaign, most impotently passing on information.

2. Since you are also in charge of the polling place, what is the process of seeing up the polls and counting the ballots ?

-Ok, so the polls open at 7am and close at 8pm. We as the election board come in at 6:30 to get everything set up and make sure all the machines are working. We usually leave at 9pm after we have meeting and report back on what went right, and what went awry. We used to have a ballot process were we would count the votes, but by 2004 they issued us the machine voting with a computer that basically counts the votes when people go into the booths and make their choices.

3. What is your take on teens going into voting at age 18, and what should they know about voting's "responsibilities"?