Lillian Boatwright
English 101
May 28, 2010
BLOG # 7
MY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Frustrating experience:
In the beginning of my first research paper, it was somewhat frustrating and time consuming, but at the end of my research journey, it was rewarding. When I first set out to find books about bottled water at LaGuardia’s library, it was frustrating because the library didn’t have any books that pertained to my topic. So the next step for me to do was to go online and search for books about bottled water at another library. I came across The New York Public library which supplied the books I needed for my research paper. I traveled all the way to the city (42nd street on 5th Ave because that was the location that had the books) but to my surprise that branch didn’t carry the books I was looking for, the 34th street branch had the books. After traveling from LaGuardia to the city and walking from 42nd to 34th street, I finally was able to obtain the books about bottled water.
Positive experience:
In doing my first research paper, I found many interesting articles and books that have given me knowledge about the topic I was writing about. I learned so much about bottle water, tap water and the politics behind the whole water industry that felt I confident in writing my first research paper. The library’s media resource center was a very helpful tool in starting my paper. I found the staff to be very helpful and knowledgeable about research papers. I learned how to quote in my paper and how to cite my sources. In addition, I learned about plagiarism and paraphrasing other peoples written work. This experience has taught me how to try different avenues when I can’t find the information that I need. The most useful skill in doing my paper was having access to the school’s library resources such as the computers, staff, and the library’s media center website. The most important thing I need to work on is learning how to manage my time in writing my paper and become a better writer.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Blog # 6 Counter Arguments for Bottled Water
Lillian Boatwright
English 101
May 14, 2010
Blog # 6
Counter Arguments for Bottled Water
Argument # 1
Many consumers have stated that their reason for solely drinking bottled water is for health reasons. They say bottle water taste better than tap water; it’s cleaner, and safer to drink. Unfortunately, this is not true when in fact most bottled water is purified tapped water. For example, ABC/20/20 did a special about “Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?” They stated, “One of Aquafina’s sources is from the Detroit River!”(Stossel 2). Also, “20/20” had several national bottled water tested by a microbiologist of New Hampshire, and studies revealed that there were no difference between tap water and bottled water.
Argument # 2
Despite the claims from the International Bottled Water Association that bottled water regulations from the FDA are as stringent and protective as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for public water supplies. According to The Environmental Working Group who performed a survey, “all but a few bottled-water products don’t list where their bottled water comes from and how it is treated, and publish quality-test reports on their Web sites” (Zhang 2). The FDA doesn’t have total control of the quality of bottled waters. The U.S. GAO (Government Accountability Office) stated “The FDA considers bottled water low-risk, assigning only two or three employees to inspect bottling facilities.” Although there were violations at the water sites, the agency barely did anything about it. Also, “The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the $11.2 billion industry, doesn’t keep track of companies that produce bottled water and doesn’t require companies to report positive tests for contaminants, federal officials told a House hearing Wednesday”(Zhang 1).
English 101
May 14, 2010
Blog # 6
Counter Arguments for Bottled Water
Argument # 1
Many consumers have stated that their reason for solely drinking bottled water is for health reasons. They say bottle water taste better than tap water; it’s cleaner, and safer to drink. Unfortunately, this is not true when in fact most bottled water is purified tapped water. For example, ABC/20/20 did a special about “Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?” They stated, “One of Aquafina’s sources is from the Detroit River!”(Stossel 2). Also, “20/20” had several national bottled water tested by a microbiologist of New Hampshire, and studies revealed that there were no difference between tap water and bottled water.
Argument # 2
Despite the claims from the International Bottled Water Association that bottled water regulations from the FDA are as stringent and protective as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for public water supplies. According to The Environmental Working Group who performed a survey, “all but a few bottled-water products don’t list where their bottled water comes from and how it is treated, and publish quality-test reports on their Web sites” (Zhang 2). The FDA doesn’t have total control of the quality of bottled waters. The U.S. GAO (Government Accountability Office) stated “The FDA considers bottled water low-risk, assigning only two or three employees to inspect bottling facilities.” Although there were violations at the water sites, the agency barely did anything about it. Also, “The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the $11.2 billion industry, doesn’t keep track of companies that produce bottled water and doesn’t require companies to report positive tests for contaminants, federal officials told a House hearing Wednesday”(Zhang 1).
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Super-Sized Americans
Lillian Boatwright
English 101
May 1, 2010
Blog # 5
SUPER-SIZED AMERICANS
One of the main factors that has contribute to the outpouring numbers of American’s weight gain are unhealthy food choices. The documentary movie-“Supersize Me” had demonstrated how fast food establishments such as McDonalds and an overconsumption of poor food choices are the culprit to America’s obesity problem. The movie touched on several, interesting topics.
The Toxic Environment-American’s sudden weight gain didn’t happen overnight. We live in an environment where we have easy access to constant fat laden foods that are sold at gas stations, vending machines and fast food restaurants.
The Impact- American’s obesity crisis has been linked to many health problems such as hypertension, stroke, respiratory problems, colon cancer, and onset of diabetes. One of the ice-cream kings Burt Baskin,who pioneered Baskin Robins,died of a heart attack at an early age. John Robbins, the nephew of Burt Baskin, believed there was a link between his uncle death and the amount of ice-cream he ate. Also, Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream had a quintuple by-pass surgery at an early age.
Fast Food Advertisement- Television is one of the many tools where food companies advertise their products. McDonald’s alone spent 1.4 billion dollars on advertisement cost worldwide in 2001. Pepsi spent over a billion dollars, and Hershey’s Food spent nearly under 200 million dollars. Unfortunately, the campaign for fruits and vegetables merely spent 2 million dollars. Many young children are targets of the food companies that heavily advertise their products such as sugar cereals, soft drinks, fast food and candy. All of the children who were shown a picture of Ronald McDonald, they all knew he was associated with McDonalds.
Nutrition- When consumers are out-and-about, it’s hard to know what they’re eating. Many of the nutrition information for fast food establishments are not readily available for customers. For example, many of the McDonalds located in Manhattan didn’t have a nutritional fact sheet available for their customers. The nutritional fact sheet was either in the basement or hidden behind an advertisement billboard. The students, who attended Madison Junior High in Illinois, were served foods that didn’t have any nutritional value. Their food lunches consisted of French fries, mozzarella sticks, cookies, and Gatorade drinks. At Park Middle School in West Virginia, the students were served reheated and reconstituted package foods. Some of their meals were high in calories, cholesterol and sodium.
The Final Result- Morgan Spurlock, who underwent a 30-day experiment of solely eating a McDonald diet, had proved eating fast foods was unhealthy. During his 30-day experiment, he experienced nausea, mood swings, and chest pains. He nearly gained 25 pounds, his liver turned into fat, his cholesterol shot from 165 to 230, and his body fat went from 11 % to 18%. He caused damage to his heart, liver and blood.
In my conclusion, Americans didn’t become obese overnight. We have our genetics working against us as well as making poor food choices. Yes, Fast Food establishments are all around us and they are here to stay, but it’s up to each individual to make the right choices. I can attest to my weight gain which didn’t happen overnight. I had eaten at several fast food restaurants and over indulged in the fat laden foods such as potato chips, cookies, cakes, and fried foods. I also didn’t exercise, which also didn’t help, and sooner than I knew it; I was tipping the scale. Due to my weight gain, I felt lethargic and uncomfortable. In the past couple of months, I had changed my eating habits by eliminating fast food restaurants from my diet, and eating less of the fat laden foods, and started walking often. My foods now consist of baked, chicken, fish, beans, raw nuts, salads, and a natural protein smoothie. In my journey, I have lost 25 pounds. I still have more to accomplish, but it’s a start to a better health.
English 101
May 1, 2010
Blog # 5
SUPER-SIZED AMERICANS
One of the main factors that has contribute to the outpouring numbers of American’s weight gain are unhealthy food choices. The documentary movie-“Supersize Me” had demonstrated how fast food establishments such as McDonalds and an overconsumption of poor food choices are the culprit to America’s obesity problem. The movie touched on several, interesting topics.
The Toxic Environment-American’s sudden weight gain didn’t happen overnight. We live in an environment where we have easy access to constant fat laden foods that are sold at gas stations, vending machines and fast food restaurants.
The Impact- American’s obesity crisis has been linked to many health problems such as hypertension, stroke, respiratory problems, colon cancer, and onset of diabetes. One of the ice-cream kings Burt Baskin,who pioneered Baskin Robins,died of a heart attack at an early age. John Robbins, the nephew of Burt Baskin, believed there was a link between his uncle death and the amount of ice-cream he ate. Also, Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream had a quintuple by-pass surgery at an early age.
Fast Food Advertisement- Television is one of the many tools where food companies advertise their products. McDonald’s alone spent 1.4 billion dollars on advertisement cost worldwide in 2001. Pepsi spent over a billion dollars, and Hershey’s Food spent nearly under 200 million dollars. Unfortunately, the campaign for fruits and vegetables merely spent 2 million dollars. Many young children are targets of the food companies that heavily advertise their products such as sugar cereals, soft drinks, fast food and candy. All of the children who were shown a picture of Ronald McDonald, they all knew he was associated with McDonalds.
Nutrition- When consumers are out-and-about, it’s hard to know what they’re eating. Many of the nutrition information for fast food establishments are not readily available for customers. For example, many of the McDonalds located in Manhattan didn’t have a nutritional fact sheet available for their customers. The nutritional fact sheet was either in the basement or hidden behind an advertisement billboard. The students, who attended Madison Junior High in Illinois, were served foods that didn’t have any nutritional value. Their food lunches consisted of French fries, mozzarella sticks, cookies, and Gatorade drinks. At Park Middle School in West Virginia, the students were served reheated and reconstituted package foods. Some of their meals were high in calories, cholesterol and sodium.
The Final Result- Morgan Spurlock, who underwent a 30-day experiment of solely eating a McDonald diet, had proved eating fast foods was unhealthy. During his 30-day experiment, he experienced nausea, mood swings, and chest pains. He nearly gained 25 pounds, his liver turned into fat, his cholesterol shot from 165 to 230, and his body fat went from 11 % to 18%. He caused damage to his heart, liver and blood.
In my conclusion, Americans didn’t become obese overnight. We have our genetics working against us as well as making poor food choices. Yes, Fast Food establishments are all around us and they are here to stay, but it’s up to each individual to make the right choices. I can attest to my weight gain which didn’t happen overnight. I had eaten at several fast food restaurants and over indulged in the fat laden foods such as potato chips, cookies, cakes, and fried foods. I also didn’t exercise, which also didn’t help, and sooner than I knew it; I was tipping the scale. Due to my weight gain, I felt lethargic and uncomfortable. In the past couple of months, I had changed my eating habits by eliminating fast food restaurants from my diet, and eating less of the fat laden foods, and started walking often. My foods now consist of baked, chicken, fish, beans, raw nuts, salads, and a natural protein smoothie. In my journey, I have lost 25 pounds. I still have more to accomplish, but it’s a start to a better health.
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