Prepared Meal

Two weeks ago, I went home for the weekend, and I prepared a meal for my girlfriend and myself. She was very skeptical because she knows my cooking skills (or the lack there of). I went to her town's grocery store. It's very basic. When I say her "town's" grocery store, it consists of about 6 aisles total (she lives amongst 700 people).

The meal consisted of spaghetti, garlic bread, and Caesar salad. I bought the necessary items at the grocery store and my total came to $24.53 after purchasing the sauces and dressings.

We set up at the house, preheating the oven for the garlic bread and boiling water for the spaghetti. I took the spaghetti out of the package and added it to the water once it was boiling. In the meantime, I buttered the French bread and heavily salted it with garlic seasoning. It was then put into the oven for crunchiness and browning.

I washed the head of lettuce and took off the outer part of the head and discarded the off-colored pieces. I then stripped pieces off of the head and put it into a big bowl with croutons, tomatoes, and cheese. Once I had the amount of lettuce I wanted, I continued to stir in the dressing to give it a uniform coat.

My girlfriend prepared the table, since I did the cooking for once. While she did that, I took the spaghetti out of the pan and strained the water into the sink. I then mixed the Ragu sauce in with the spaghetti and later took out the garlic bread.

Once everything was on the table we finally began the homemade meal. I got a surprisingly good review, and we had plenty of time to eat the meal and just talk.

Michael Pollan says that many Americans typically don't enjoy their food anymore. I agree with him that we live in an "eat-and-go" society. I coach freshman baseball, and I am a perfect example of what Pollan describes. I often grab something quickly and eat it while walking to my moped. I very rarely get to sit down and just enjoy a meal. Making this meal actually made me realize how much I missed supper time at my house.

I usually hate making food, but this wasn't actually that bad. I feel like when I get out on my own and can maintain a sustainable income, I will be able to do this sort of thing more often.

The American mentality of eating out has become an "essential part of the working diet," and many people think it's cheaper to eat out then stay at home. I feel that many people are taking the easy way out. In many cases, you don't have to spend that much to get a decent home-cooked meal. Oftentimes you can reuse the items you buy for one meal for another meal later in the week. I feel like the amount of laziness in America also contributes to the lifestyles we lead.

I agree that in some cases, fast food and eating out may be cheaper and more convenient, but it is nowhere near the healthiest option for Americans.

Peer Response to Purple Cow: Health Care Reform

Ivan wrote about the newly passed legislation on Health Care Reform. He first discusses those who are in favor of the bill, the progressives. He looked at the article written by the NAACP. He did a good job in stating their beliefs that the bill will benefit the middle class and tax the upper classes. I feel that there are many more groups than just the NAACP that are all on the same boat in this regard.

The middle class is finally getting their cut in my opinion. Many people of the middle class cannot afford the pricey health care provided as of now, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions. Many people walk around without insurance, and when tragedies strike, their families are forced to bite the bullet.

Ivan later goes on to talk about the conservatives point of view on the bill, extensively discussing Rick Crawford's take. Crawford thinks that Democrats have given the illusion to the American people that costs will be cut for the middle class, when in his opinion they will not be. He also feels that it isn't right to tax a single group of people (the upper class) during this recession that we are trying to get through.

I disagree with Mr. Crawford thoroughly as he's trying to protect his voters who often are of upper class status. His reasoning for his statements don't carry much weight in my opinion, as the upper class can handle a tax raise. Even in these tough times, upper class members can still keep their lifestyles going, so they can afford to pay more for a good cause and for their fellow countrymen.

I am very progressive when it comes to this matter in that the taxes for the upper class should be higher regardless of the health bill, simply because it's common sense. If you make x amount more money than someone who makes 40,000 dollars a year, you should be able to dip into your paycheck for more tax.

I agreed with Ivan's view and felt that he did a good job in projecting different articles on a highly controversial topic in today's news.

Two Comparison Articles

Issue: Abortion
-Pro-Life article
-Pro-Choice article

I am choosing to discuss a very controversial subject: abortion. I have two articles posted, one in favor of pro-life and one in the opposition.

The pro-life article discusses the moral judgments one has to make when deciding to get an abortion. It also talks about the many side effects that come with getting an abortion. Some side effects and other risks include blocked fallopian tubes, scarring of uterine wall, and many other complications. Having an abortion may also disallow women from conceiving again, or at least leaving open to the possibility of miscarriages, stillbirths, and premature births in further pregnancy attempts. Finally, having an abortion may lead to the development of breast and uterine cancers.

In the pro-choice article, the author gives real-life accounts of doctors who have performed abortions. One anecdote tells of a young woman, 16 years old, who consistently picketed outside the abortion clinic that the doctor worked at. The doctor then tells us that that same girl came in six months later and got an abortion performed without complication, and within a month after her pregnancy was aborted, ran right back to the picket lines.

What I took from this article is that many woman of many different religions and backgrounds can make the stand to be Pro-Life, but when they are faced with an unwanted pregnancy, the Hippocratic mindset often comes into play.

I believe that the pro-choice article is more convincing because it gives detailed accounts and facts as to the effects of abortions. It doesn't just give the possible side effects and complications. Childbirth in itself is always a risk, so I feel as though the pro-life article was just bringing up the what-ifs and didn't give real-life stories.

My personal opinion is very complicated on the topic. I was born and raised a Roman Catholic, so this right away brings many factors into play. My mother is a strong, 100% conservative when it comes to abortion, but our views differ in this category. I have friends that have been sexually assaulted and have had unwanted pregnancies due to said assaults. To ask a 17-year old girl to keep a child simply because it's morally correct when they have just went through the most traumatic event in their life is an outrage in my opinion.

My friend had this happen to her. She had trouble at home, so she moved in with one of our friends and her dad. The dad was over forty years old and had four kids at the time. He sexually assaulted her for over three months while she was living there. She was a mess when she came to school, and we all wondered what the problem was. She was an amazing track athlete, but she quit about a month after moving in with her friend. She tried to go home, but she wasn't welcome.

She later found out she was pregnant with her friend's dad, and then she ended up moving in with her aunt. She soon had an abortion. I realized this story is quite extreme, but it happens to many young girls. Someone in her situation should not be looked down upon for any reason. This story really changed my thinking on the issue, and will forever remain an eerie realization of what happens to young women every day.

Peer Response to Jake's "Tiger" Post

Jake wrote about Tiger Woods and his Gatorade endorsement. Jake first talks about how Gatorade gave Tiger his special series of Gatorade and said that regardless of his off-the-course misconduct he is still the right person to endorse their product. Jake thinks that Tiger will come back and return to dominate the game like he did so few years ago.

If you've followed the Tiger Woods affair saga, you've probably heard the worst of Tiger. In my opinion, Tiger Woods is golf. When I was a kid, my dad forced me to watch golf on the weekends. It was torture. I love golf, don't get me wrong, but watching it on TV is comparable to watching NASCAR in my opinion. You have to be doing it to enjoy it. That was the take I had on golf until I first watched Tiger. He evolved the game of golf into what it is today. He is one of the most, if not the most, phenomenal golfers of all-time. My point is that the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) owes the little rankings it has to Tiger Woods.

This is the reason why I feel Tiger got a bad rap. Yes, his off-course actions have consequences. He made mistakes, admitted to making them, and apologized. He's not the only professional athlete to have his personal issues brought public, but his is very damaging because he had probably one of the cleanest resumes of all. Tiger's personal issues should not have been displayed the way they were. His golfing prowess greatly outweighs his personal faults. He never used enhancing drugs to make his performance better. He never had any advantage over any other golfer, except his God-given talent and hard work.

For these reasons, I side with Jake, and I think that Pepsi made a huge mistake in dropping Tiger until everyone can see how it has affected him once he returns. I have nothing but respect for Tiger as a golfer and as a person: everyone deserves a second chance.

Celeb Endorsements

Katy Perry, Julianne Hough, and Kelly Clarkson. What do these three singers/songwriters all have in common? Besides being successful in their own respects, they have all done commercials for the product called Proactiv Solution. Proactiv Solution is a product that involves several steps to clear up unwanted acne and other skin issues in adolescents and adults. More information can be found about this product here.

These three artists talk about their skin problems mostly triggered by their busy schedules and active, on-the-go lifestyles. Even though they are considered celebrities, they have the same problems with their bodies that most young Americans do.

Many adolescents watch TV later at night, often when these commercials are shown. Since these women are highly successful and have good public images, I feel that they are good candidates. Kids see the celebrities using it, and many young girls probably feel more confident knowing that someone they look up to uses the same beauty product as they do. At the same rate, parents may not be happy about spending money on an expensive product just because the kids see the celebrity endorsement. However, this battle is ongoing with parents and children.

Since the artists in the commercial have used the product and have had acne problems in their pasts, they have the proper expertise to show the product. Proactiv seems to be a very productive company, as they have several commercials on nightly, which can't be cheap.

In my experience with using Proactiv, it worked just as well as other acne products that I had previously used, so it didn't have much of a different effect on me. I'm past the point where celebrities influence my buying decisions to an extent. What I mean is that I don't see a commercial and instantly go out and buy that product just because my favorite celebrity endorses it. If that were true, I'd have a whole lot of pairs of Wrangler jeans.

Demo Speech Self-Eval

After looking over my demonstration speech of the different pitching positions and pitch types, I thought it went well. I showed strong points within my speech, but there are some things I need to work on for further speeches.

Baseball is a very subjective sport; many either love it or hate it. I, personally, have a great passion for the game and everything about it. One thing I should've done better was to somehow incorporate the audience into my speech and make it less boring. Also, I could've done a better job explaining things baseball-related, even though it would've been difficult to do with the five-minute time limit.

Some strengths I possessed included posture, physical demonstration, voice projection, and eye contact. I am often told that I'm not a quiet person, so voice volume was the least of my worries going in. I played baseball for at least fourteen years, and I'm a freshman baseball coach and assistant pitching coach. The physical demonstration was textbook as to how pitching is taught to young players and old. As far as the visual aid was concerned, I used all the necessary items needed to do this presentation.

If I could do another speech, I think I would choose something more relevant to the whole group that I'm presenting to. This would've been very appropriate to show to a group of baseball players or coaches, but it wasn't as effective in this setting. I guess it was just something that I felt I could do a good job as far as the presentation goes. I would also try to project more enthusiastic energy to try to light up the room.

If I had to specifically perform another speech on the same topic, I might make sure it can be done outside and ask a person from the audience to catch the ball. This would have maybe gotten the audience more excited about the topic.

All in all though, I think it went well.

Peer Response to Natalie's Post on IDOF

Natalie begins her post by stating Michael Pollan's arguments on the issue of scientist intervention into the food industry. She states that Pollan believes that scientists can't give us the proper nutrients that the foods can give us without being modified. I agree with this completely. For the longest time science has tried to make everything more efficient and "better" for you when they've failed in many places in my opinion.

Natalie then goes on to talk about Pollan's idea of how social culture and tradition has shaped food and its consumption. It is true that back in the past decades people ate what they had at their disposal, and they had less heart disease and other problems that we are encountering today. A lot of the troubles Americans are experiencing come from the food choices they make and the new choices we have offered to us. Our ancestors would probably roll over in their graves if they saw what we stuff our faces with today.

I definitely understand Natalie when she talks about not having many stay-at-home meals. I had similar, always-working parents and oftentimes we'd throw in a pizza and watch TV in our respective rooms. When I eat, I always seem to watch TV just so I feel at home. The nights we did get to sit down were nice, but they were far and few in between occurrences. I have a big extended family, and the one thing I'm very thankful for is our holiday dinners. My grandma and aunts prepare all the food and we get to talk and hang out. These are the times I cherish most: family and food.

Natalie closes with Pollan's comparison breast milk and baby formula. He brings up valid arguments in that natural breast milk is the best thing for a mother's baby. The article that Natalie cites by Dr. Sears also nails home the issue of breast milk and its advantages.