Wal-Mart's new food label
Wal-Mart, one of the biggest food-selling corporations in America, have added a new label to make it nice and obvious what foods are "Great for You". Starting this spring, Wal-Mart has slapped the nice, big, green label on many of its in-house brands. They intend to work with other food brands and health groups to make labels First Lady Michelle Obama, supported the effort to help people make healthy choices. Goals announced included cutting back on sodium in packaged foods and eliminating industry produced fats. However, it's too early to tell whether or not the "Great For You" labels really will help consumers or if they'll just be another label among the plethora of labels already out there.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Marking Period 4 -Nutrition continued...
Why Aren't G.M.O. Foods Labeled?
Everything from sugar to trans fats to MSG can be found on the label, but not G.M.O.s (genetically modified organisms). Why? because they don't want to suggest or imply that these foods are "different" or "dangerous". Genetically engineered foods are of course different: they may grow faster, require fewer pesticides/fertilizers/herbicides, and reduce stress on land and water. However, they aren't all dangerous. People just steer away from them without even knowing much about them and how they work. What they really don't know is that G.M.O.'s already exist in a lot of our food, and more is probably on its way, but producers still are reluctant to label them -something that seems demeaning and undemocratic.
Everything from sugar to trans fats to MSG can be found on the label, but not G.M.O.s (genetically modified organisms). Why? because they don't want to suggest or imply that these foods are "different" or "dangerous". Genetically engineered foods are of course different: they may grow faster, require fewer pesticides/fertilizers/herbicides, and reduce stress on land and water. However, they aren't all dangerous. People just steer away from them without even knowing much about them and how they work. What they really don't know is that G.M.O.'s already exist in a lot of our food, and more is probably on its way, but producers still are reluctant to label them -something that seems demeaning and undemocratic.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Marking Period 4 -Beginning Research
Chemical-Free Nonsense
Science writer of the L.A. Times, Deborah Blum, writes about the discrepancies of food labels, especially when they say something as bizarre as "chemical-free". Through a little research, Blum finds out that chemical-free only means that the product is free of industrial or synthesized chemical compounds; however, she is still skeptical of the safety of "natural" products. Not because of what a company might do to any food product, but the Earth itself has enough toxic elements that can get into our food. So is it nature or the additives that we should be worried about?
Science writer of the L.A. Times, Deborah Blum, writes about the discrepancies of food labels, especially when they say something as bizarre as "chemical-free". Through a little research, Blum finds out that chemical-free only means that the product is free of industrial or synthesized chemical compounds; however, she is still skeptical of the safety of "natural" products. Not because of what a company might do to any food product, but the Earth itself has enough toxic elements that can get into our food. So is it nature or the additives that we should be worried about?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Analysis -Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times
Thomas L. Friedman can be classified as more of a liberal voice, but unlike some blind-liberals, Friedman has logical arguments that make sense when he's talking about the importance of the future of democracy and how much the Arab World may or may not be a part of that.
"Help Wanted"
1) Friedman's position is simply that the leaders of a democratic future are going to have to be bottom-up governors to get the best from the people early. After the Arab Spring, if all those little nations are going to become unified, stable, democratic countries, they need a "very courageous and special leader" (Help Wanted)
2) He communicates with his audience by using little metaphors. The title itself, "Help Wanted" demonstrates that someone is going to have to take on this task of "getting all those fish back and swimming together in one aquarium", and they'll need that special leader as soon as possible.
"Watching Elephants Fly"
1) In this post, Friedman hates to see leaders around the world not taking away as much as they possibly can from what has happened in Egypt and other Arab countries this past year. Since no one saw it coming, "what makes [them] think [they] know where it's going?" (Watching Elephants Fly)
2) In this post, Friedman uses simpler, but stronger language to emphasize the value of events such as the Arab Spring, something as common as watching elephants fly. "And whenever you see elephants flying, shut up and take notes". This makes it easier for the audience to understand what Friedman wants to see from the global sphere.
"Help Wanted"
1) Friedman's position is simply that the leaders of a democratic future are going to have to be bottom-up governors to get the best from the people early. After the Arab Spring, if all those little nations are going to become unified, stable, democratic countries, they need a "very courageous and special leader" (Help Wanted)
2) He communicates with his audience by using little metaphors. The title itself, "Help Wanted" demonstrates that someone is going to have to take on this task of "getting all those fish back and swimming together in one aquarium", and they'll need that special leader as soon as possible.
"Watching Elephants Fly"
1) In this post, Friedman hates to see leaders around the world not taking away as much as they possibly can from what has happened in Egypt and other Arab countries this past year. Since no one saw it coming, "what makes [them] think [they] know where it's going?" (Watching Elephants Fly)
2) In this post, Friedman uses simpler, but stronger language to emphasize the value of events such as the Arab Spring, something as common as watching elephants fly. "And whenever you see elephants flying, shut up and take notes". This makes it easier for the audience to understand what Friedman wants to see from the global sphere.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Synthesis -Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times
After reading a few of columnist Thomas L. Friedman's posts, it's pretty easy to tell what he believes is important (and not so important) in today's society, nationally and internationally: brushing up on what it means to be a democracy and what a democratic government should be doing. Friedman takes the Arab Spring very seriously and knows that the world, especially big countries like the United States would be foolish to not learn anything from this kind of event. He understands how much this could change the Arab World, and if other countries want to help create a stable democracy in those Arab countries, they also need to start answering the most crucial questions of their own nation. What most nations need right now, is a bottom-up government that can find answers for the future of democracy as soon as possible, and the way to do that is to "Shut up and take notes". America has made a lot of mistakes, but what to do with democracy in the Arab World cannot be one of them post-2011.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Help Wanted
This week, columnist Thomas L. Friedman writes about the importance in this day and age to, as a leader, get the best out of the bottom-up, rather than the individual's ideas-down. The people in Russia after the fall of the USSR to the Middle East to Egypt to present-Russia won't stand for a change in leadership without their voices being heard. The people have more "freedom from" things. The democracy movement that has been happening in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries should be a wake up call to Russia's Vladimir Putin who just recently reappointed himself president.
Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir
This article shows that there is a wide range of attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestine conflict as 2011 comes to an end. Columnist Friedman criticizes Newt Gingrich, a member of the House of Representatives, for being too extreme on the Israeli side by saying the Palestine people are "invented". All his claims don't even end up very "pro-Israel" if you dissect the options Newt says Israel has. On the other hand, presidential candidate Mitt Romney just puts up the front that it doesn't matter what Israel does, America just has to applaud it. As for Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu "Bibi", isn't helping the thousands of confused Jews out there that at this point, don't know who they are. Israel seems to be facing a more cultural war than a political one.
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