Emily's Reflection Video

https://youtu.be/5r-D1FhXW4M

Valerie Gamboa Reflection Video

Heather Laughlin reflection

Make Good Art by Noa Melendez

Joyce Asombrado ( Trust your Intuition )

Senior Video 2018

Kris Rubalcava (Forward)

I don't know how to edit much. Please know I did my best!

cait ramos

Jazlyn Parra’s Video Yo
(☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞

https://youtu.be/Fu-48w7PUQM

Stephen Le (Thousand Miles to Graduation)

Bryan Ta (Mayfair Reflection Vid)

Bryan Ta (Mayfair Reflection Vid)

C.E

You will break my heart if you judge.

Haley Davis: Reflection Video

Goodbye... Paige Foy

Arturo Sanchez "Untraveled Roads"

Arturo Sanchez "Untraveled Roads"

ye boi

Summer Almond (Memories)

Summer Almond (Memories) 

Eli’s Reflection Video

Video Link: https://vimeo.com/273421297

Gaby Bayani (Life in High School)

Cameron Minor (Touchdown)

Andrew Venegas(Mountains)

[KC]: How to post your reflection video to the blog!

Seniors, below are some YouTube videos that provide instruction on how to upload videos. The first video explains how to upload it to YouTube; the second from YouTube to Blogger (the class blog).

Follow these instructions exactly!

When you do upload your video, please make sure to title your post as follows:

Student first and last name (video title) 

Example:
Justin Turner (Swing for the Fence)

*** IMPORTANT: Your video cannot be listed as "private" otherwise the embed will not play on this public format. ***

Here are the instructional videos:

[KC]: Shared Inquiry Circle Groups

Hi all!

For this unit we'll be conducting shared inquiry circle discussions. There will be three of them across the next three weeks.

Here are the rules of a Shared Inquiry Circle (SIC):

1. Only those who have read the selection may take part in discussion.
2. Discussion is restricted to the selection that everyone has read.
3. Support for opinions should be found within the selection.
4. Leaders may only ask questions—they may not answer them.

Here are the things you need to know: 

• Everyone needs to have actively read the week's chapters and come prepared to speak.
• The week's leader will need to prepare FIVE thought-provoking questions for the group to discuss. These should be open-ended questions centered on the text. 

Here are the groups: 

(If you're a "floater", I'll talk to you Monday about your role in this)

On Monday, you'll need to meet for a minute with your group to figure out who is A, B, and C (meaning which week you will be the leader). 

Our first SIC will be next Thursday 4/26 on Chapters 1-5. 

Get ready, yo!

[KC]: PoF Dear Reader Letter

This handwritten reflection should be turned in on Friday with your final draft. Don't forget to be thorough in your discussion. I want to know what went on behind the scenes. Reflect honestly and completely. How on task were you? How much research did you do? How much revision did you do? How much advice did you seek? Was this process hard? etc. 

[KC]: 3P Self-Eval Quarter 3

Remember, you should be truthfully evaluating yourself in your participation and progress over this quarter. Give yourself a score out of 100 for each and justify it with a paragraph responding to the prompts in the image. Due by FRIDAY - no exceptions. Happy reflecting! :]

Taxing Unhealthy Foods May Be Our Only Option

In the article, "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables," written by Mark Bittman, it is discussed that the main contributor to obesity found amongst Americans is based on the amount of spending that goes into promoting unhealthy food for consumers. When the food industry does everything with the idea of, "how much can I profit from this product?" in mind, the battle against changing our eating habits gets harder and harder. Knowing that a large percentage of Americans are diagnosed with obesity aren't doing much about it becuase no healthier options are being advertised. Cheetos on a commercial look more appetizing than a brocolli does in a store... that is just how the food industry operates and I am concerned with the future of American health and spending. The article goes on to say that, "rather than subsidizing the production of unhealthful foods, we should turn the tables and tax things like soda, french fries, doughnuts, and hyperprocessed snacks." I completely agree with this article and it perfectly ties into my research paper because my topic concerns unhealthful advertising in low-income communities. Taxing foods that are harmful to one's health will do more help than harm and not enough people are aware of that fact. We must become more of a generation that cares about what we are deciding to put into our bodies. Promoting healthy and clean eating is a major priority in the fight against diabetes, obesity, and other diseases affecting the heart. 

My research topic is on how unhealthy advertising is affecting low-income communities immensely. This artcle and the other written by Waters, show the reader that promoting a healthy lifestyle cannot be done alone. I found this website on how unhealthy advertising affects children at such a young age. It could be helpful for psychological aspects of advertisement as well as "the cause and effect."

http://www.apa.org/topics/kids-media/food.aspx

In Bittman and Waters' articles, they both focus about Americans to change their diet and how the unhealthy foods that are being served in public schools. Furthermore, Alice Waters talks about how the school lunches are unhealthy because schools are only receiving a certain amount of money to pay for school lunches. However, Mark Bittman talks about how taxing unhealthy foods will help society to eat more healthier. I believe that is unnecessary, because I don't think people should pay extra money to fast- food restaurants and comforts food.  

A helpful website that provide me information on the agriculture for my research paper is http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2016/04/06/healthy-school-lunches-can-reduce-childhood-obesity-and-diabetes. 
This website talks about of many statistics about the agriculture negatively impacted in America. 

The Bitman and Waters articles both discuss the cheap, unhealthy food options being served to the public by the government. Bad Foods? Tax it and Subsidize Vegetables exposes how the government makes it easier for us all to purchase processed foods rather than healthy options. They have made organic, healthy food unobtainable for many of us, and dramatically lowered prices for fast food. Bitman believes that there should be higher taxes placed on unhealthy and processed foods to steer consumers away from buying those products. By doing this there would be a drastic decease in dietary diseases, and he even goes on to talk about how, "... a 20% increase in the price of sugary drinks nationally could result in abut a 20% decrease in consumptions," which will prevent millions of Americans from reaching obesity. Furthermore, Waters and Heron write about how the system for school lunches needs to be replaced and remodeled to fit the current needs of the students. The school food system fails to meet standards and American children end of getting diseases they wouldn't have with the proper nutrition

The following article discusses family farming and the economy https://www.farmaid.org/our-work/family-farmers/rebuilding-americas-economy-with-family-farm-centered-food-systems/

Unhealthy Foods Should be Taxed

After analyzing Mark Bittman’s article, “Bad Food? Tax it, and Subsidize Vegetables” he discusses the controversy between the food industry and its consumers, promoting harmful foods that can have a bad effect on many individuals overall health. He asserts his main points throughout the article proposing that the federal government should fulfill its role by implementing a more bold national fix to correct unhealthy eating habits. He believes that if the government decides to start taxing these unhealthy foods, can eventually gear more individuals towards healthy eating which will reduce the obesity problem that lies within the nation. Given from the article the fast food industry spent nearly over 4 billion dollars on advertisement, seeing those great deals on hamburger combos sounds more appealing rather than an overpriced salad at a restaurant, and sadly that is simply what our nation is more geared to. In Alice Waters article, “No Lunch Left Behind” she also reveals the food system within schools that affects children’s dietary habits in the long run. Many do believe that the government should do more funding towards the school lunch meals that are more healthy even though it will cost more.

https://www.productliabilityadvocate.com/2017/04/mislabeled-food-products-risk-allergic-reaction/

My research topic is on the mislabeling of food items that can have a overall effect on your well being. This article discusses how improper mislabeled food items can cause an allergic reaction.

There are many ways in which people can improve their eating habits but they aren't being put out there. In the article, "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables" by Mark Bittman, he suggests that there should be higher taxes on unhealthy foods in the market. He believes that this strategy would force people into buying healthier foods for a cheaper price. This can also be seen as a problem in schools  where kids can buy unhealthy foods from vending machines or even getting it from the cafeteria. In the article, "No Lunch Left Behind" by Alice Waters and Katrina Heron, they state that many school districts give their students "[...]high-fat, low-grade meats and cheeses and processed foods like chicken nuggets and pizza", which is very bad for their health. Bittman and Waters both show that the only way Americans are going to improve their health is by going against the food industry and revolting against how they run things. The food industry is only looking at making a profit, and they are succeeding

My topic that I am researching is on the benefits and risks that come along with the consumption of genetically modified foods, and if they are necessary to feed the rest of the world. I researched some information here: http://mmoc.med.umich.edu/

In Bitman and Waters articles, both discuss the harmful, low-quality foods being willingly served to the public by the government. In Bad Food? Tax it and Subsidize Vegetables, points out the failings of the government in making healthy food an obtainable necessity. By keeping up this industry of low cost, low quality junk food, public health risks are at an all-time high. He offers some solutions to this epidemic, including taxing unhealthy foods to help subsidize the price of healthier food alternatives, that could help solve this very serious epidemic. In the same vein as Mark Bitman's article, Alice Waters and Katrina Heron call for a public school nutrition reform in their article No Lunch Left Behind. With school lunches given scraps in terms of food and funding, children who rely on these school lunches are left to suffer. By putting more care, funding, and research into the school lunch system, a change can be made that will make the system cheaper and healthier in the long run.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/factory-farming-is-killing-the-environment/
My topic is the environmental tolls of factory farming and this article provides a quick list of some of the harmful side effects of factory farming. It is very useful for getting a general look at some of the more prominent factors hurting the environment.

Eating Greasy Foods with Type 2 Diabetes

After analyzing Mark Bittman’s article “Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables, along with Alice Waters and Katrina Heron’s “No Lunch Left Behind”, both authors convey their distaste for the government’s lack of actively enforcing healthy alternatives and opportunities for Americans. To elaborate, Bittman explains how the government should implement taxes on unhealthy and processed foods to encourage a decrease in their sells, by doing so there would be a great decrease in dietary diseases. He supports his argument through several implications of how this phenomenon would impact the American population, as he states how “a 20 percent increase in the price of sugary drinks nationally could result in about a 20 percent decrease in consumption… which could prevent 1.5 million Americans from being obese…”; with this statistical data, Bittman illustrates the great impact that taxing unhealthy foods may have if executed. Furthermore, Waters and Heron convey how the current system for school lunches must be scratched and replaced with a new, and improved program. The two authors describe ways in which healthy eating can be applied within the school setting, they note how programs such as the National School Lunch Program simply supply school districts with foods that “routinely fail to meet basic nutritional standards”; as a result, American children are victims of poor eating within the school setting and increase their likelihood of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

The writers all demonstrate the changes ourgovernment must take in order to truly provide the American people with a healthy, full lifestyle. The information they provided helps further my research as it’ll help support my position in the impact systematically placed fast food restaurants have on minority communities. Other sources that have helped me support my position includes: https://cleanair.camfil.us/2017/10/13/fast-food-emissions-killing-us/ which speaks on behalf of the harmful gases that fast food restaurants emit.

In the articles “Bad Food? Tax it, and Subsidize Vegetables “ written by Mark Bittman, and “Mo Lunch Left Behind” written by Alice Waters, both are about the topic of food politics. Bittman talks abouthis idea to raise the price of unhealthy foods rather than the actual healthy foods in hopes it will decrease the rat of obesity. Waters’s article she exposes the government for funding unhealthy foods to schools for lunch, adding more oil to flame as people are trying to eat healthier but now their kids are still eating unhealthy because of the food they are being served at school.
My research topic is about growth hormones and rbgh’s in our dairy cows and beef cattle and how they might be putting our health at risk, most likely the cause of our shorter lifespan than other countries that do not use those products.

Looking Out for the Health of Consumers

The health of many consumers is a major concern in American society, but many people are not proposing methods on improving our eating habits. In the article, "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables" by Mark Bittman, he suggests that the food industry should be taxed even higher for marketing unhealthy foods. He believes that in doing so, it would push people into paying for cheaper, healthier foods. We can see this also being a problem in public places like school. Many students are persuaded into buying and eating unhealthy food, and it is often served in the cafeterias as well. In the article, "No Lunch Left Behind" by Alice Waters and Katrina Heron, they state that many school districts give their students "[...]high-fat, low-grade meats and cheeses and processed foods like chicken nuggets and pizza", which is critical to their health. Bittman and Waters both express that the only way Americans are going to improve their health is by taking a stand against the food industry because it is only looking forward to increase its profit.

My topic that I am researching is on the benefits and risks that come along with the consumption of genetically modified foods, and if they are necessary to feed the rest of the world. I researched some information here:

 https://monsanto.com/innovations/biotech-gmos/

As I read through Mark Bittman's article, "Bad Food? Tax it and Subsidize Vegetables" I learned that the main point of the article is to suggesst that unhealthy foods should be taxed, while much more healthy foods should be sold for a cheaper price for the less fortunate. Bitmman argues that making unhealthy foods more expensive would make people not want to buy them, but would end up buying the cheaper alternative, healthier foods. He states that this would reduce obesity, and other food related diseases. In reading Alice Waters article,"No Lunch Left Behind" she argues about how The National School lunch program is beneficial to students; however it is not being given its full potential since most of the funding goes to cafiteria staffing, except for better food ingredients. She then suggests solutions to the problem, and how the program can make better and healthier foods for all students. I like these articles because the deeper meanings, and what both authors were trying to say can be something that relates to my subject of officals performing acts that would make the public more aware of health and topics involving food, and helping those facing food related issues such as obesity.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0510-south-la-food-20150510-story.html%3foutputType=amp

Food Hype

Both Bitman and Walter criticizeour current food system and the way that we all go about food.

Bitman suggests that as obesity, diabetes and cardio vascular diseases sweep across the nation, changes should be made to the current food system and that we should tax foods that are unhealthy for us and make healthy foods less expensive. Yes, if organic and non-GMO foods were more accessible and cheaper, there would be a decrease in obesity rates in America because everyone in a low-income city would be able to afford food that won't harm their health. They won't have the need to buy cheap and sugary goods such as chips and frozen, oven ready meals for their families to consume because that's all they have time for or all they can afford.

Walters talks about making changes to the school lunch system. She goes and talks about how the money the government gives schools for lunch is put into serving unhealthy but somewhat tastier foods. Which I believe is totally wrong because they are serving children and if we or they grow up eating unhealthy then we will remain eating unhealthily. Walters then goes to say that there are way to solve this problem. She talks about how schools in the Berkley area have found ways to subsidize the cost of meals, but still remain healthy.



Most of what Bittman has written pertains to my research topic the most so I would use his article for assistance because it has a lot of valuable information for me. If you are in search of an article that discusses food addiction, here is a good article.




https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-overcome-food-addiction

Taxes and Lunches

In Mark Bittman's article "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables", he discusses his idea on taxing unhealthy food to make it less convenient to buy when compared to healthier foods. He proposes the idea with the conclusion that obesity, disease, and other food-related issues will decline with people being less inclined to buy sugary foods for an extra price. Acknowledging that companies that process junk food would be affected by the change, Bittman supports his idea with the argument that people will buy healthier foods that are cheaper, specifically the poor, thus improving their overall health. However, I disagree with his idea due to the ongoing inflation of the economy. Every few years, prices and the minimum wage of jobs raise slightly, making little difference between the price of products (food in this case) each time. Adding an extra dollar or two to the current price of foods won't really come as a huge difference to people, and they'll simply continue buying the same unhealthy foods. And, while healthy foods would become more convenient to buy, people would most likely buy a mix of them with unhealthy foods, maintaining a diet similar to the one we currently have.
In Alice Waters and Katrina Heron's article "No Lunch Left Behind", they discuss the issue of government funding for unhealthy school lunch programs. They enlighten us on how billions of dollars are spent each year to fund school lunch programs, but the majority of the money goes into maintaining the cafeterias and paying their workers rather than the kids, who end up eating unhealthy foods that contribute to bad health. In contrast to the current system, Waters and Heron suggest a revised lunch system where only foods that are freshly grown and unprocessed are served, arguing that kids would develop healthier eating habits and diets overall, though it would remain expensive. In my opinion, the introduction of healthier school lunch programs are definitely possible and can easily be done by Congress, as Waters and Heron mentioned in the article. I've stepped away from getting school lunch all together because, no matter how healthy they make it seem, the pizza does not seem fresh. Neither do other foods like the chicken nuggets, or chicken sandwiches they always seem to serve. Even most of the vegetables seem recooked or come in packages, like carrot bags. It all does not seem a hundred percent healthy, and I agree fresh foods imported from a farm would definitely be more beneficial to schools everywhere.

My current research topic revolves around fast food playing a part in the spread of food-related diseases and obesity in Americans, as well as countries that have been inspired by the eating habits of the United States. Here's an article about the growth of fast food industries and their effects.
http://archive.commercialalert.org/issues/education/soft-drinks/the-fast-food-trap-how-commercialism-creates-overweight-children
-Kris Rubalcava

Bittman's article talks Americans changing their eating habits and responsibilities. How taxes on on food would reduce consumption of unhealthful foods and generate billions of dollars annually. That money could be used to subsidize the purchase of foods like seasonal greens, vegetables, whole grains, and fruit. This article also explains that putting a tax on soda and all sugar-sweetened beverages could help the market. Basically this article is talking about how putting a tax on sweet things and junk food will make people stay clear of those more and go more towards healthy food. Waters’ article is about school districts and what they serve to students. When they serve fast food ingredients they are failing to meet the nutritional standards. But, it’s all about money after all. The government needs to give more money to these schools so they can serve better food to us making us healthier. I think these two articles really point out to us the financials of this whole issue and if we all just start our kids off with being healthy and eating good it should help them once they grow up and go into the real world. I also think the tax on the unhealthy food should be tried in a state to see how it goes because I think it is a good idea.

mark bittman

his articles is about the amount of tax that the American people are paying for the unhealthy foods they are putting in their mouths. he states that "rather then subsidizing the production of unhealthy food we should turn the tables and tax like soda, French fries, donuts, and hyperprossed snacks" (bad food? tax it, and subsidize vegetables , brittman , 5). he goes on to saying that we should be putting veggies and fruit rather then chips and soda in the market stores and corner stores. I don't feel like this article would help the research paper that I am righting however it did provide good facts and data that may help someone else righting along this topic.

alice waters and katrina heron

this article was focused on school lunches and the failed program they have going on. the two authors brought up that the food they are serving students during lunch time have the same ingredients as a fast food restaurant would have. they say that the school lunches aren't healthy no matter how much they say it is healthy. they bring up some ways to change the system like maybe using local farmers and maybe even hiring actual cooks. they bring up the idea to not use premaid food and to actually cook the food because the money they are getting for the school lunches aren't really being used totally on school lunches. yes I do believe I can use this article for my research project considering we are both talking about the school lunches and how corrupt the system is.

my top is about food waste in the school system and how much the average students waste the food everyday.
https://www.ted.com/talks/tristram_stuart_the_global_food_waste_scandal

More Taxes?!

In Mark Bittman's article, "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables", he discusses how to decrease American consumption of junk food. His solution is to add extra taxes on foods with high amounts of sugar. With the new tax money paid, he planned to have it put into health programs that'll help fight obesity. So, not only does Bittman believe that the tax increase would discourage people from spending the extra money to buy junk food, but the extra profits can also be used to help ensure a healthier society. He also makes a point that by creating a healthier society, the government would have to spend less money on disease prevention like diabetes. It is suggested that the government stops creating subsidies for corn to make syrup, and to instead put subsidies on vegetables or fill vending machines with fruits and vegetables, a useful idea to help poor communities be able to afford healthier options. In Alice Waters' article, "No Lunch Left Behind", she speaks about the unhealthy food in school lunch programs. She explains that these same ingredients given to kids to supposedly help them become healthier, are the found in fast foods as well. Her solution is to get rid of the current way kids are provided food in school and to serve unprocessed, healthy food.

http://frac.org/obesity-health/low-income-food-insecure-people-vulnerable-poor-nutrition-obesity

This link provides many different factors that go into why poor communities struggle with adapting to healthier lifestyles.

Junk Food Taxes

In the article "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables," author Mark Bittman discusses ideas to influence healthier eating such as taxing junk foods heavy and subsidizing healthier alternatives. He suggests that placing taxes on all junk foods like fries and sodas are justifiable because over 30 cities and states have tried to tax sugary beverages in the past. This is a problem that the government must step in to solve. Many people believe that a lot of these health problems could've easily been solved by the government but they even encourage it because it brings in profit. Mark Bittman wants the government to stop subsidizing junk food and start supporting healthy foods. He claims that bad foods that contain high levels of sugar are so cheap and easy to get that it is easier to buy a box of Froot Loops than it is to buy fruits. If taxes were to be placed on unhealthy foods, the results would be very beneficial to our health and economy. A researcher, Claire Wang, explains that taxes in unhealthy food would bring in $1 billion dollars annually and prevent thousands of cases of diabetes which would lead to saving billions in health care.

http://theweek.com/articles/457135/5-modern-diseases-grown-by-factory-farming
I used this source in my research to figure out some of the more popular and current diseases found in our food caused directly by the process of factory farming.

Mark Bittman

In Mark Bittman's article "Bad Food? Tax it, and Subsidize Vegetables", he writes about ways to eliminate the growing percentage of people with obesity and how to combat bad diets in the United States. Bittman argues that in order to stop the consumption of unhealthy foods that the government should tax items such as soda, or any other junk food and in doing so we can use the money earned from this so called "soda tax" and use it fund for more healthier options and prevent the growing number of diabetes and other related diseases. In Alice Waters article "No Lunch Left Behind", she writes about the National School Lunch Program to help schools and students afford and be able to eat during their meal break. However, the programs money is often used for other criteria such as staffing and appliances to make the food. It also talks about how better funding would help solve the problems and issuses the program is facing and can provide better and healthier food options to students. I like this article because it relates to my topic of how the use of government in our food system often fails and it presents ways to make programs more efficient.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0098858815591528
This source helped me find my answers to whether our government is working to benefit our food system or if its failing.

In Mark Bittman's article "Bad Food? Tax It and Subsidize Vegetables", he talks about the ideas of taxing unhealthy foods. He thinks that if he makes them more expensive people would stop buying the and choose to eat something else that is cheaper and hopefully healthier. Corporations will continue to advertise unhealthy foods as long as they keep getting paid. These corporations don't necessarily care about the consumers as much as they care about the money that is going into their pockets. In Alice Waters and Katrina Heron's article "No Lunch Left Behind", she is mainly talking about the National School Lunch program and how bad it is for the kids. The foods that are served do not meet the food standards and the kids aren't getting the proper nutrition that thy need. These children are being taught at a old age to eat the wrong this. The obese rates are going to keep rising especially when the kids continue to eat unhealthy.

For my research project i am talking about low income areas and why they have so many unhealthy places for the people to eat without having healthier resources.

https://search.proquest.com/science/docview/215086421/2BC56F7F680A47A9PQ/1?accountid=164484

In Mark Bittman's article "Bad Food? Tax It and Subsidize Vegetables",  he suggest the idea of taxing unhealthy foods, such as; soda, fries, chips, and doughnut. Bittman believes that by taxing these food it will discourage the purchase of them. Companies don't care about the consumers' health, only their money. So corporations continue to advertise and influence Americans to bu and eat bad foods. By creating this food tax, it is estimated to generate $13 billion a year income and reduce consumption by 24 percent. In Alice Waters and Katrina Heron's article "No Lunch Left Behind", it introduces the idea that the National School Lunch Program is not a good program at all. In this program it gives $9 billion for school cafeterias, but that money isn't just for food but other services in the cafeteria. Schools offer children unhealthy and bad quality foods that are pre made and heated before serving. Many of the foods sold fail to meet nutritional standards. We start teaching our children unhealthy eating habits at a young age. The food served to them is no shock to the rising child obesity rates.

My essay is on food related diseases in America and one source I found to be very informational is the movie What the Health on Netflix by director Kip Anderson. It has a lot of information the relation between the food we eat and the diseases it causes.

In Mark Bittman's article, Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables, he addressed the concepts mainly about placing taxes on unhealthy, more processed food. He stated that there's a high obesity rate and many other health problems across the country that must be changed. Placing these taxes would influence people to buy foods that are healthier because they'll be cheaper, avoiding foods with higher taxes. People today want to eat healthy but it's become too expensive. Taxing "junk" foods can effect companies but at the same time may help the public to choose better organic foods. This can only happen if the government gets involved in the public's health so people can contribute to healthier food choices.

In Alice Waters and Katrina Heron's article, No Lunch Left Behind, there is an issue with what the government funds for school lunch programs. Most foods served at school is more unhealthy than fast food meals. They keep doing this because it's cheaper. Resulting meals continuously fail to meet the lowest basic health standards. Every student deserves to have a good and healthy lunch provided to them at school concerning a child's health.

My topic of my research paper is about how plants and animals are produced for food and if it's safe, healthy, and humane for consumers. This source gives information on exactly how animals are slaughtered and treated so people can understand that something has to be done about it.

http://www.sustainabletable.org/274/animal-welfare

Greed over health

When reading over the Bittman article, I was surprised at what I found. Bittman explains the idea behind taxing unhealthy food and making the healthy food cheap and easily accessible, the opposite of what it is now. This seems like such a logical and intelligent plan to lower the amount of diabetes and heart disease patients in the country, yet, this plan is hardly being used anywhere in the country. Just because it's cheaper to produce processed foods, they get marketed more and appeal to those who can’t afford organic food. This shows where the government’s priorities lie. It isn’t the people they are concerned about, its money. This is further explored in the article by Alice Waters, only here the focus is school lunches. Schools have similar priorities as they hardly have any money to begin with. When there is so little money to work with, you start having to cut corners and make sacrifices. In this case, the sacrifice is the good health of the students. The health of the students should be one of the most prioritized aspects of the school. What good are top grades if the person behind them is slowly killing themselves with the food they consume?

https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/food-and-pesticides

The topic I am writing about has to do with pesticides in food. This website above talks all about the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and what they do to ensure that consumers are not in any danger from the food they eat.

[KC]: First Course of the PoF Blog

Hi all!

Here's your first course of the blog.

Task 1: Read and understand the Bittman and Waters articles in your packet.
Task 2: Respond to them in a blog post:
   --- What main ideas are presented in the articles? What information do they provide about the food industry and how politics ties to it? Are there any great points which might help your research?
Task 3: Provide one reputable source you've found that might help someone with a similar research topic as you. This could be a link to an article, a video, a chart, etc. Be sure to state what your topic is so that others will know whether or not this source will help them.

Then, comment on at least one other post.

This first course is DUE Wednesday, March 21st by 6pm. 

[KC]: "Your Food Story" Instructions

Remember, we're writing this in class tomorrow during our Freewrite Friday time-slot. Brainstorm a bit tonight to get your ideas gather. It's reflective, but you are also a CREATOR in this.

One of the short stories that was really my favorite was the one about the Romero and Juliet love affair. I was hooked on it from the beginning and it was a page turner. It really broke my heart how he had died at the end and she just threw his body. What a dang shame. I know how each short story is suppose to tie in with the main story however I never really understood how that short story connected with the main story. I have a feeling it might be with how estroven and ai was kind of flirty. It was almost like it was Romero and Juliet. Especially how ai has hated Estraven for a good part of the book and then it was almost like he started gaining feelings for her or him.

The Place Inside the Blizzard

The Place Inside the Blizzard is perhaps the biggest folktale, in terms of the effect it has on Gethenian lives. The folktale helps explain the Gethenian laws and beliefs. When the two brothers vow kimmering even after having a kid, they break the law. As things continue one brother commits suicide and the other is blamed and chased out of Hearth. After being chased, the other falls into a temporary state in between life and death where the brother who has committed suicide is stuck at.  This story shows why Gethenians believe vowing to kimmer after having offspring is a bad thing. It is believe that by vowing kimmering a pair may get too attached and do irrational things such as suicide. Kimmering is looked at as a basic function of reproduction in Gethen, not as an act of affection for one another. The folktale also shows how large suicide is in Gethenian culture. In Gethen suicide is among the most formidable things in the culture. In the folktale, the fear of being trapped in that in between state of life and death may scare them out of suicide, and furthermore, vowing kimmering. When there is a suicide in the community, the burden is on the whole society because Gethenians are supposed to be all for their community and have honor. Which is also explained in the folktale as the city suffers and famine hits as long as the runaway brother is alive. When the brother dies, the city’s bad luck ends also.

Of the myths and folktales in the book that i thought was very important to choose was  The Question of Sex and kt was one of the most interesting ones to me. Im pretty sure that most people who were reading the book were having so many questions about it. I think this was one of most important ones because we needed to know about kemmering. Which is when or becomes the male or the female during sex. It is told in the point of view like an investigator and it is very interesting. The Gethenians had to adapt to many conditions over the times. The weather affected a lot of the children who were boring because of he very cold weather; King Argaven’s child was one of them. These Getheniana cherish their life and take it really seriously. Not everyone gets a chance to live past a certain age so they try their best to survive.

The Question of Sex

Of the Gethenian myths and folklore shared in the story, I found The Question of Sex to be one of the most intriguing stories. It's told from the point of view of an investigator, another human like Genly, yet holds importance in its explanations. The investigator takes note on how Gethen became a cold, undesirable planet to live on from a warmer planet like Earth and left the Gethenians had to  adapt to the has conditions at hand over time. They also discuss how kemmer takes place only from the 23rd to 28th day of the month, leaving the possibility of anyone being a mother or a father for the rest of the days. I found both pieces of information interesting because we see the negative side effects of Gethen's environment when King Argaven's child died not long after birth, most likely having been due to to the cold. It's also a factor that leads many Gethenians to honor life more as not everyone gets to live into adulthood and may be one of the reasons why suicide is such a shame of an action. Kemmer in itself has fascinated me because it has made it virtually impossible for anyone to be sexually shamed for an action. Everyone is treated the same and has equal opportunity while not having to be tied down by sexual repression or needs for the majority of the month and has allowed Gethen to develop some of the societies Genly comes to take note of throughout the book. Overall, I feel the equity found on Gethen is what makes the book feel as alien to us as it does to Genly. Genly is generally sexist in many of the observations he makes, but it’s because he comes from our society where women and men have come to have expected gender roles. With Gethen, we're given a place where a king can be pregnant and people have been able to settle with their own customs and culture without gender becoming a limitation on what can be done. Maybe a little gender fluidity is all we need to innovate and expand in the same ways some day.

Brotherly Love

In chapter 2, The Place Inside the Blizzard on page 23, there is a story about two brothers whose names were Hode and Getheren. They aren't ordinary brothers, these bros fall in love during kemmer. In Winter, bros normally just commit kemmer with feelings unattached. The rules in Winter state that brothers can stay in kemmer, a sexually active state, until the female brother produces an off spring. This shows that incest is okay and common in their culture and that loving your brother sexually is also ok and having kids with your brother is also ok! However, the rule also states that you also must drop and forget about the bro after the deed is done and you can't vow kemmer or "marry" your brother. This makes the Gethenian community similar to ours because it is also illegal to marry your brother here in California. However, Hode and Getheren decided to vow kemmer and Lord Shath tells  them to separate. Then, Home decides to commit suicide which is also against the law in Winter.  It is also illegal in California too! These all relate to the real world and also connects back to the plot because later on we find out that Estraven had a relationship with his brother who was his first and real vow.  The Gethenian culture is filled with craziness and lots of brotherly love. The myth continues and explains that Hode goes to a land where people go after they commit suicide.  Getheren finds him, and Hode asks him to stay but he refuses because Hode broke the promise when he committed suicide.  Home tries to hold Getheren back but he manages to escape and he deals with a injury and has to amputate his left arm. This can also relate to the book in general because the book is called The Left Hand of Darkness.

estraven and stokven

One folktale I really found interesting was the one about estraven and stokven. It is surprising to see that two sworn mortal enemies can come together in such of an event of life and death. Even more surprising to read that they ended up falling in love, so much that they were willing to betray their nations by seeing each other and even kemering together. I think that it describes the Genthenian culture as caring because even though the two nations were in conflict and swore to be enemies, the two princes from each side looked beyond that and still found love.

The Nineteenth Day

I felt that reading chapter four, The Nineteenth Day, was the most interesting folktale/myth that was introduced in the book going along with the main storyline. It provided supplemental info (backstory) on the Foretellers that is spoken about in the previous chapter, chapter three, The Mad King. At first, I was very confused on how the Foreteller thing worked but I thought of the Hobbit and used that as a reference. Chapter four takes place on the nineteenth day and is the story of and Herbor and Berosty who are kemmering partners that get together to get "down and dirty." The two of them visit the Foretellers for information and are told that Lord Berosty will die on the 19th day of any month (a prophecy) and Berosty is fearful for when he was going to die. Unknowingly, Herbor goes to see the Fortellers to offer his life in exchange for Lord Berosty and the Foretellers grant his request. Once Lord Berosty finds out of the events that have occurred, the lord is then fueled with rage and becomes the Hulk and terrorizes...whoops, wrong story. Berosty actually gets angry and hits Herbor over the head with a table and he instantly dies. Once he realized what he had done and his guilt ate him from the inside out, he decided to hang himself and put an end to the pain he felt. With Lord Berosty killing himself, it fulfilled the prophecy and died on the 19th day. Prophecies are always bad, no matter the outcome. This myth tells us that Gethenian culture is very superstitious because they believe in prophecies with astronomical consequences. This myth makes direct connections with the plot because it foreshadows what happens in chapter five in regards to Genly speaking with the Foretellers and bumping into Faxe the Weaver. In chapter five, it is said that "in the end, we all die."  The idea of predicting what will happen in the future is an on-going theme throughout the book, having a premonition of an outcome when they have no idea the cause. I really enjoyed this chapter because even though it was kind of hard to follow, it was very interesting.

Isolation and Union

Gethen's frigid weather contributing to the theme of isolation and how it contradicts Gethenian Principle

In the novel, the planet, Winter, is constantly described as being "cold and frozen over." Winter wouldn't be called Winter if it was unusually hot for 90% of the time. The people of Winter, Gethenianians specifically, have adapted to the frigid weather and are accustomed to slight incremental changes but prefer their bitter-cold environment.  The constant frigid climate of Winter contributes to the theme of isolation and loneliness because, throughout the book, Genly is making it his mission to adapt to the many changes that this planet continues to throw at him, especially the weather and with this he feels alienated, as if he is a freak or "alien." When Genly came to Winter, he was afraid, afraid of all that was not normal to him.  As a whole, the principles and practices of Gethenian culture are QUITE different from our own, for example, the process of Kemmer. I bring this up because I find it very interesting how when the climate is described thoroughly, it is always sad, and depressing; this feeling of isolation because there is simply nothing you can do about how severely cold the weather is. Kemmer seems to contradict the feeling of loneliness because when Kemmer is described, it is a beautiful aspect of nature taking care of itself, even though it occurs every 3 or so weeks, everyone in Gethen participates in it. The cycle keeps going. Kemmer contributes to the theme of unity, warmth, beauty, and love which is a direct juxtaposition of the theme of loneliness and isolation presented from how cold the weather is. When the process of Kemmer takes place, two subjects (with consent) prepare for what is to occur and go from being isolated and alone to being united as one. Kemmer brings the lonely people of Gethen together. 

[KC]: LHoD WAVE THREE Discussion Question

Wave Three:

Here comes the prompt for the third wave of blogging for The Left Hand of Darkness. Wave Three Bloggers must post in response to this prompt by 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 5.  As before, anyone can comment on any post (Wave 1, 2, or 3), so by the time the unit is complete, you should have posted once, and commented twice. Remember, we are always looking for students who are working ABOVE AND BEYOND the minimum requirements.

Reflect on the myths presented in the various chapters of Left Hand of Darkness. Consider them as little symbolic parables and consider the following: What does this myth tell you about Gethen culture? However, some of the myths do have direct connections to the plot, especially the ones about Estraven. Discuss some of the Gethenian myths and folktales. Find one to discuss—the Place Inside the Blizzard, the Nineteenth Day, etc. How do such stories function in a culture?

Reminder, your post should be between 250-300 words long. Anything shorter will not be effective. Also, include page numbers when you reference the text.

Who shall post: Cameron Minor, Jazlyn Parra, Kali Snyder, Caitlin Ramos, Joana Rodriguez, Arturo Sanchez, Kylie Sivard, Skyler Swearingen, Bryan Ta, Briauna Thompson, Andrew Venegas

#TheStruggleIsReal

The cold of Winter is a constant reminder of how isolated and lonely Genly Ai feels. Genly is alien to the planet, so his body was not made to endure its extremely low temperatures. Because of this, he is always layering up, which makes him even more noticeable to the citizens. Since Gethenian bodies are adapted to the frigid temperatures, they do not understand how severe the weather feels to him, again, making him feel like an outsider. I noticed that when writers are writing about a sad topic, they often make the setting gloomy to evoke our emotions and force us to picture said gloomy setting. To build on the theme of loneliness, Genly is, as I said, an alien to Winter; therefore, he is not accustomed to their androgynous society. To further explain Genly’s isolation, his mind is so used to the typical “male” and “female” way of life, that he never fully grasps and holds the idea that nobody he meets is specifically male or female, causing him to feel out of place in this cold society. “Cold society” referring to both the weather and attitudes of the people. Another character that adds to the theme of isolation is Estraven because he is banished from Karhide and is forced to live in isolation from his child and everyone/everything he ever knew. In chapter two, the setting, for the most part, is in the freezing cold and includes Getheran going “... alone through the storm.” and the imagery of his limbs becoming frostbitten (pg. 25)

The Attempt 

Genly Ai's struggles to see the Gethenians as they see themselves was when he went to an unknown planet that people are considered to be neither male or female. Also, Genly is used to call the Gethenians as he or she because on Genly’s planet which is basically like Earth, that is the universal law to be either male or female. On Gethan, the people are not considered female or male and Genly hasn’t really gotten over the matter of looking at Gethenians and not worrying about calling them a male or female. Genly just accept their tradition and he categorize because that’s what seems normal for him. However, for the Gethenians' point of view, they don’t see each other as female or male until their kemmer season, they see each other as just regular humans beings. They ignore their gender and focus more at each other with their souls. Not being able to accept this causes a culture board for him in a sense, but what also cause a culture board is the fact that Genly seems to be more like a real life human (like from our reality, you know from Earth) which causes Gethenians to also not accept him, they see him as a pervert because he’s a male full time. Genly’s attitudes reveal about his world is that it’s more like ours and that their used to identifying each other as male or female. When he identify a female she and a male he, Genly knows how and what to talk about with them.

To be alone

The constant cold on Gethen is something that the inhabitants of the planet have adapted and gotten used to. Since Genly is an alien, the cold affects him more than anyone else. This often serves to further how much of an outsider he is, which leads to him feeling out of place and alone. Since he does not originally come from a planet that is as cold as Gethen, he feels cold in times where others think of the weather as a nice spring day (page 20). He has no one that truly understands how much he suffers from it all. On Earth, places that are freezing cold are abandoned and undesirable, often making people think of loneliness when trying to picture it. People are miserable when they are freezing, and sometimes they can feel hopeless and all alone in certain situations. This, I believe, is how Genly feels all the time on Gethen. The cold makes him feel uncomfortable and isolated from everyone around him. No matter how many layers he puts on, the constant reminder that he does not belong there will always be present, such as when he was put in that van and the others sought him out as one of the weakest there (page 170). Another instance of Genly being treated as weak was when he arrived in Orgoreyn and was treated as if he was pregnant due to how susceptible to the cold he is (page 117). While it did help him to stay warm, it still no doubt made him even more isolated than before.

[KC]: LHoD WAVE TWO Discussion Question

Wave Two:

Here comes the prompt for the second wave of blogging for The Left Hand of Darkness. Wave Two Bloggers must post in response to this prompt by 6:00 p.m. on Monday, January 29.  As before, anyone can comment on any post (Wave 1, 2, or 3), so by the time the unit is complete, you should have posted once, and commented twice. Remember, we are always looking for students who are working ABOVE AND BEYOND the minimum requirements.

How does the constant cold of Gethen contribute to the theme of isolation and loneliness?

Reminder, your post should be between 250-300 words long. Anything shorter will not be effective. Also, include page numbers when you reference the text.

Who shall post:
Paige Foy, Valerie Gamboa, Michael Garcia, Corea Hatcher, Franqui Herrera, Jasy Johnson, Heather Laughlin, Stephen Le, Emily Martin Del Campo, Noa Melendez

Discuss Genly Ai's struggle to see Gethenians as they see themselves. What do Genly Ai's attitudes reveal about the world he comes from?

Genly Ai's struggle to see Gethenians as they see themselves stems from the fact that he comes from a world vastly different from Winter. Gethenians are genderless. Thus, Genly Ai struggles to understand and comprehend the interactions of Gethenians, because Genly Ai simply can not relate with Gethenian society. In addition, Gethenians also find it difficult to understand and comprehend Genly Ai, for he is permanently in "kemmer". Furthermore, Gethenians see him as a pervert, and as a result, both sides have difficulty understanding each other. Especially, Genly Ai, who faces culture shock, for Ai he cannot grasp how Gethenians can live in an androgynous lifestyle. Although Genly Ai has been on the planet of Winter for two years it is apparent in his narrative that he still is not accustomed to Gethenian ways, nor has tried to understand them. 

Genly Ai's attitudes toward Gethenians reveals how he believes in gender roles. Throughout Ai's narrative, we see how he constantly refers to masculine characters as "he", when in reality they are androgynous meaning they are not specifically male or female. Furthermore, the world that Genly Ai comes from is similar to Earth. The idea of gender roles is deeply ingrained into Ai's mindset to an extent where he tries to force the idea of gender roles onto Gethenians which can be seen when he refers to again masculine characters. This idea of gender roles reveals how Genly Ai views the world in a man's point of view believing that gender plays a significant role in society.