Blog Entry 10: Trying to Write a Blog

Hey, everyone. I thought I'd right about what is directly affecting me right now. What is bothering me right now is my ability, specifically my mind, to come up with an original topic that I would enjoy writing and that would also bring a smirk or a grin to you, the reader. As I continue writing this blog, it is becoming harder and harder to come up with something that would connect me with the reader, but I figure something every student of First Year Composition is the blog itself. I'm wondering if the original blog entry is as hard for everyone as it is for me.

The designated entries assigned to us by Professor Murphy were becoming  very loathsome to me as they followed the trend of food in class; however,  now coming to my fifth or sixth original entry, I find that I enjoyed tackling the topics assigned and coming up with my own thoughts about it. The direction that was given by Professor Murphy made it easy to write, it made my mind begin to stir, especially with the last topic "Pink Slime", as everyone remembered the last outbreak of hysteria that came with the video's original release. The very food topics that I hated, I now miss as they made it so much easier to write and feel confident that what I was writing was relatable to my fellow classmates that would read said post.
Now this is not to say that I am without original thought, it is simply much more appealing to know that something I will write can be directly appreciated by the reader rather than write a topic that no one will understand. For example, I would love to write about my favorite alternative rock bands, but would anyone like the band or even listen to that type of music. Negative feedback keeps my thoughts in check much like a jailer, and it is much better to write about superficials like Halloween or College than to write about something like how my favorite book series had me cackling for fifteen minutes due to a rudimentary, pubescent joke.

It's much safer to write about a predesigned assignment or idea than to come up with something on my or your own.
Thanks for reading, be sure to comment on how you are doing with blog writings. 'Hope everyone's blogs are going well. Good luck finishing the school year.

Blog Entry 9: Food Perspective Video: Pink Slime

The topic trend continues once again as I bring to you, my fellow classmates, an entry about fast food. Everyone has heard of McDonald's pink slime found in the US or credited to US fast food chains. Everyone has seen the video and everyone has come to some conclusion about the wholesomeness of fast food, and to that I say "Well duh, it's not wholesome."

America has become the trademark of consumer culture. We make money, we buy things, repeat. In the consumer culture, we, as a nation, want to spend as little money as possible for as much as possible. Whether we know it or not, we are endorsing practices such as "pink slime".
'You cannot get something for nothing', 'You get what you pay for', 'Have it your way'. Do these phrases sound familiar? They may as you probably grew up hearing one. Flashy products such as iPhones are hip and in the now and everyone must have one; little do people realize, by buying an iPhone they are supporting child labor. Does it matter? I think to most people it wouldn't. They would just shut it out. It is not really a part of "our" world. "Our" world is a place where you can have Mongolian for breakfast stop at Bestbuy for the newest flatscreen, catch Mexican food through a drive through and going on a shopping spree at the nearest shopping mall. Child labor doesn't fit. Food that is the cost of what you pay for doesn't fit. "Our" world is a place where you are given money that has value only because of faith in the almighty dollar, so you can buy a meal for under two bucks.

    The food industry is just the most recent thing to come under fire of a newfound conscience in America today. Hopefully, it will spread to other areas and maybe even other countries, but I doubt it. The machine that is the American people cannot run smoothly with too much strife. Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear other peoples' horror stories behind products that we buy.

Blog Entry 8: The Fun of Halloween Decorations

Once again, I say welcome to fellow bloggers and hope everyone is doing as well as I am. For this entry, I'd like to focus on the levity of Halloween. Halloween in the United States is an experience. The costumes, the candy, the comics, and the decorations all bring with them a breath of humor into the year as the year approaches its close.

 I am most likely in the minority group, but I hate going to spooky houses. Getting scared by strangers in an unfamiliar setting just doesn't sound fun to me. Although, driving down the street and seeing all the creative ideas seeing light and creating an atmosphere around a home is awe inspiring. Besides the corny blow-up pumpkins and skeletons, Halloween decorations are awesome. They vary so much from people dressing up and waiting to grab you as you
reach for candy into hand-carved vegetables that decorate almost every porch in a form of suburb solidarity.
The costumes this year, like every year, were both corny and pretty sweet. Whether you were a presidential candidate or an undecided voter all the costumes were able to draw some reaction, more often than not good. The reactions, of course, vary with the costume. A gorilla carrying around a child in a cage may not receive as many laughs or nods of a job well done as say a toddler dressed as an Oompa Loompa (Doopety doo). I still enjoyed seeing all the costumes that were worthwhile on social media and seeing what my neighborhood was able to throw together as well.

With all the goods offered around Halloween, by far, my favorite part is the witty comic that catches my laugh, which I think speak for themselves, as does the candy. If you don't know, the candy it tastes good.

I hope everyone enjoyed Halloween to some degree, and I hope you enjoyed this blog entry. Thanks for reading, and maybe tell me about your favorite part of Halloween.

Blog Entry 7: Topics in Food Quest

Time for another blog and another entry about farming. I hope no ones is tired of them yet. For this blog, I'd like to focus on the victim of industrial farming, the small-time farmer who are forced to conform.

Small-scale farmers have been run into a pen where they cannot escape as the gate is closed behind them. They are then given feed, seeds or animals, and when they mature they are sheered of everything they gained and the process repeats. The idea that you can make it in the United States is still viable, but to do so you cannot go into farming. Farming is regulated to such a high degree by larger corporations that a homegrown farm without pesticides is a thing of the passed. That might be for the better. Government regulation of the businesses forces safe habits and a safe product for the American people. The regulation of these farmers is to make a safer and more efficient product. With all of that being said, the family farms are suffering.

The United States Department of Agriculture recently released a summary document on family farm income that put an average of 70% of family farm operators having an off-farm job in order to make ends meet and have some form of disposable income. In the same document, 40% of farm operators claimed that farming was not their primary occupation. The reason for this can be attributed to large-scale businesses forcing anyone that is not with them to leave the business. These larger operations, although they only account for 18% of farms, sell up to 88% of total farm sales. To make matters worse for the family farm, over 80% of farm commodity programs go to these large farms.

The family farms are suffering. The larger businesses are cornering the market and are unwavering in their disposition does not allow any thought for the 82% of farms who are trying to find a place in the market. The government, although is indeed very caring about the American people, focuses more on the safety of the product then where the product comes from and who it effects. Also hurting the smaller farmers is the fluctuation of the market. With factors such as drought and excessive cold fronts affecting their ability to produce produce, they are left with no larger body to rely on and whether the storm.

Thank you everyone, and anyone, for reading. Leave your thoughts on family farms. Also, most of my information came from the Department of Agriculture if you have read anything different I'd be delighted to know. Blurt out my thoughts with you next time!