Blog Entry 11 - Organic Vs. Conventional / GMO:

     

Peter A. Valencia Jr

Professor C. Jason Smith

English 101

May 17th, 2014

                                                  Organic Vs. Conventional / GMO:

        How well do you know the food that you consume? A majority of the people in the United States are oblivious to the fact on how the food they purchase and consume are   

grown. If I told you that most of the food in your kitchen is genetically modified would you think twice before eating it? Genetically modified organism (G.M.O) and organic grown foods may look and taste similar but they came to be using two completely different methods of growing foods. Certain individuals are against G.M.Os and prefer organic, some don’t even have a choice in the matter due to the fact organic foods are a bit more expensive, and then we have those individuals that may have not have as much access to organic products compared to others. Some may argue that organically grown products are healthier than the conventional (G.M.O) way of growing food however both organic and conventional foods have their pros and cons.

      What are organic foods? According to Segen's Medical Dictionary (2011) organic food is defined as the following “A broadly defined category of food which, in the purest form, is grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides and sold to consumers without adding preservatives and synthetic food enhancers.” Certain people preferably purchase organic foods due to benefits that this method of growing food pertains. One of the benefits that consumers may gain by purchasing organic foods is the contribution of keeping the environment safe. Unlike conventional method of farming, organically grown foods use fewer amount of pesticides or chemicals that can harm the environment. According to Jessica Gore’s “Advantage and Disadvantages  of Organic Fertilizer”  she stated that “Natural soil is rich in organic matter. Increasing organic matter in agricultural soil improves the soil structure, creating more air space and water retention within the soil.” Growing food by using small amounts of pesticides and chemicals is an advantage for people who pay a little extra for their food because they have a greater amounts of antioxidant compared to conventional foods.You are probably wondering what are antioxidant, well according to Scarlet’s “Family Focus Blog”  she states the following “Antioxidants function as a natural defense system against free radicals.” It is also stated that free radicals can be harmful to the human body causing damage to DNA and cell membranes. Another benefit that organic foods have is that they contain more essential nutrients than conventional foods such as vitamins and minerals. According to Steve Meyerowitz’s  “Are Organic Foods More Nutritious?” the publisher states “In a 2002 University of Missouri study, chemists were shocked to discover that the smaller organically grown oranges delivered 30 percent more vitamin C than the large conventionally grown ones”.  

Blog Entry 10 Topic Sentence Outline

Peter A. Valencia Jr

Professor C. Jason Smith

English 101

May 13th, 2014

Title: Organic Vs. Conventional / GMO 

Introduction

1. Possible "Hook" to get the reader interested? You will never look at food the same again. 

2. Definition of Issue or Problem: The negative effects of conventional food versus the effects organic foods.

3. Claim or Call to Action: The potential long term effects. 

Body Paragraph

1. Main Point, Idea, or Issue: Identifying organic foods.

2. Supporting Information: The pros/cons of organic foods. 

3. Supporting Details or Data: How the food is made.

Body Paragraph

4. Main Point, Idea, or Issue: Identifying conventional foods

5. Supporting Information: The pros/cons of conventional foods

6. Supporting Details or Data: How the conventional food is made.

Body Paragraph

7. Main Point, Idea, or Issue: Comparing 

8. Supporting Information:

9. Supporting Details or Data:

Body Paragraph

10. Main Point, Idea, or Issue:

11. Supporting Information:

12. Supporting Details or Data:

*Repeat as Needed

Works to be Cited: Include a preliminary list of Works Cited in MLA or APA format.

Blog Entry 9 Research Proposal

Peter A. Valencia Jr
Professor C. Jason Smith
English 101.
May 7th, 2014

1. What is your general subject? The difference between organic and G.M.O. 

2. What is your focus or narrowed topic? The pros and cons of purchasing organic and G.M.O products. 

3.What do you plan to support/argue for? The benefits of eating organic and the negative effect that G.M.O products have. 

4. What have you looked at so far (sources) and how useful do you think they will be and why? Be as specific as possible. Please include links to web sources that you have found and add a brief description of them. One of the sites will be using is http://visual.ly/organic-vs-gmo-foods, this site basically breaks down the difference between organic and whole foods and conventional foods and GMO using charts and graphs.  Another website I used is  http://timothyasare.hubpages.com/hub/ADVANTAGES-AND-DISADVANTAGES-OF-ORGANIC-FOODS this web site states the advantages and disadvantages of organic foods. I also used http://www.nationalacademies.org/includes/genengcrops.pdf which describes the disadvantages of GMOs. 

5. What are your next steps if this topic is approved? What would be the next steps in the writing and research project next week? My next step would be to compose enough information to make a strong argument on my claim. 

6. What difficulties do you see at this time in moving forward with the research process? Find enough information to make a strong argument. 

Blog Entry 6: Brand Identification Psychology

Peter A. Valencia Jr.

Professor C. Jason Smith

English 101
May 1, 2014

      Brands use athletes and celebrities to influence the general public to purchase their products. Athletes have a big influence on the public, especially on children that look up to them.  Athletes sign big endorsement deals based on their performance to help a brand make profits by launching campaigns. This method is practiced by all different types of companies that influence customers everyday needs such as some of your household products. I personally prefer Nike over any of their competitors. 

     
       Ever since I began playing sports I have always used Nike’s products because that is what I mainly seen on television. I would watch my favorite athletes out preform all their adversaries in soccer, football, basketball, and baseball. During the commercial breaks Nike would play these cool commercial that would catch my attention using my favorite athletes to advertise their products. Wearing Nike products always gave me sense of confidence when I participated in sports because I felt like I was able to preform better than my opponents. I became fascinated with what these athletes did when they played and on top of the fact Nike gave them this larger than life image when they aired their commercials. As I got older I realized that you are only as good as the way you train and dedicate yourself to a sport. To this day I still wear Nike but I’m more open minded to other products similar to Nike such as Adidas, Under Armour, etc. When I go shopping for gear to use for my workouts my first option is always Nike than I work my way down towards the other brands if it is not available in my first preferred option. I have an active lifestyle, I'm constantly involved in physical activities so these brands heavily influence me, and I believe that they will continue to do so because it is part of my lifestyle.