Food Inc: The Not So Happy Meal

(Happy chickens in a farm)

When I was 10 years old, the phrase "Do you want a Happy Meal?" was the best sound ever! I mean the food was good but the true reason why I would go was to dig deep into the box of joy and get that Alvin and the Chipmunks toy it came with. I did not care if was chicken nuggets, a hamburger or fries. As long as it was good I would eat it. I lived that way for many years, failing to realize the reality that waited for me inside what I thought was a box of joy.

In the movie, Food Inc., the viewers where taken inside a hidden, dark, cruel world, showing us the truth behind how our food including "the Happy Meal" makes its way to your hands. From the real ingredients to the way many of our parents are treated.

When Richard and Maurice McDonald, better known as the McDonald brothers, opened their first restaurant; "McDonalds" in the year 1940, it was a typical restaurant, with people delivering your food to your table on roller skates. But one day it all changed. The McDonald brothers wanted to cut
cost by creating a new process. A process know as the "factory way" of making food.

This "factory way" of making food was a huge benefit for their company because they where able to make lots of food without wasting a lot of money. 8 out of 10 burgers are controlled by four companies this made them very rich. They also didn't pay the workers a lot because they would simply fire them if they complained.

When you go the grocery store with your parents and they buy a package of chicken, you see a picture of happy chickens in a big beautiful green field, and they seem to have lived a good life. According to the movie Food Inc., it is the complete opposite! Those chickens do not live in a beautiful green field, they are all squished together in a big cage. The poor chickens could barely move. Also they would inject the baby chickens to make them grow super fast, they would be full grown in only 49 days. That would then cause the chickens to be so heavy that they can't even stand up. They would spend their entire life laying on their stomachs; they would loose their feathers and would get a rash for spending to much time laying down.

I bet you did not know that the chicken you eat all the time were treated with no love and care. This is because the companies try to hide things from us. According to the film, the filmmakers had a hard time to get inside the awful chicken prisons. Because companies like Tyson will not give them permission to enter. They didn't want us to see the truth because then we might change our mind and not want to buy the food they make.

Chickens are not the only animals that are not treated right, cows and pigs are part of the misery too. Cows are meant to be fed grass, but this film shows that they are fed corn. Companies do this because corn can be grown without wasting a lot of money. A little bit less than half of the United States land is used to grow corn. A lot of the food you eat has some corn in it, from ketchup, chips, Twinkies, even Kool-Aid.

(Corn is EVERYWHERE)Source

When you eat something that you are not suppose to, it messes up your stomach, it is the same thing with cows. They get sick with E.Coli, which is dangerous sickness to us humans if we eat at a large amount.

(Fake Hamburger) Source.

In 2001, little two year old Kevin Kowalcyk died when getting sick after eating a hamburger that contained that dangerous sickness. The U.S government is responsible for his death because they don't make the rules stricter. There are people that work to make sure the food we eat is healthy. But if his food had E.Coli in it then the people didn't do their job right, causing the death of a child. There are ways to make sure that the food we eat doesn't have bad germs that make us sick. By just feeding the cows what they are suppose to be eating in the first place, grass, for five days, it would lower the amount of E.Coli in the cow by a lot.

Other then E.Coli, many people are dying from other sicknesses caused from what we eat, like obesity and diabetes. Being over weight is mostly caused because people are suffering from poverty, but they do not have the money to buy expansive food. So they buy the cheapest meal possible, fast food. Those type of foods have high amounts of fats, slats, sugars and calories; all that causes obesity which leads to diabetes.

All these sicknesses and deaths can be cut down if we simply change the "factory way" of making food and go back to raising chickens, cows and pigs in a healthy clean way, the "farm way" of making food. But all these companies are making so much money that they don't want to.

Large meet packing plants are making so much money. According to the movie Food Inc., these companies are making so much food at a low cost to them. They treat their workers bad. The workers are illegally brought to work at those companies and since they to not have any say, rights, or benefits, the company controls them. I bet you did not know that.

There is so much more that is being hidden from you. Cheap industrial food is known to be full of lies. This is because environmental, societal and health cost is not included. Even though there is so much that you should have the right to know, laws prevent the truth from coming out. These big companies have connections with the government that protects them. They also have a law that doesn't allow us to say anything bad about the products they make through media like the internet, elevision, ect. and will sue us if we do. When we want to sue them, they have what is called the Burger Bills, that makes it very difficult to sue them. All these secrets are why your so called "happy meal," isn't so happy after all.

America's Food Supply

 

http://goo.gl/oPmfhU

This image represents the how chickens are currently being treated at Perdue.

Perdue is a major chicken processing company located in the United Stated since 1992. this company made six billion dollars in 2013. Yet this company according to their labels is know to raise their chickens in a humane way and cage free; a research was done proving the complete opposite.

In the articled titled Abusing Chickens We Eat from The New York Times, compiled by Nicholas Kristof, on December 3, 2014, it gives the reader a more in depth perspective on what really occurs behind the scenes of a chicken farm, specifically Perdue. The authors argument is that chickens should be treated humanly and if they are not, the company should not mislead the consumer by saying that they are when they are not. Nicholas supports his argument by stating that 85% of consumer would prefer to buy a chicken that has been raised humanly. Also by mentioning that Perdue raises their chicken in awful conditions, their chickens appear to have lost their feathers and are raw, anger, red flesh. the reasons to be seem that this company is using what is known as modern breeding; this is where chickens are bred to be full grown in a short period of time and are also bred to have huge breast, which are too heavy for their legs. Also this company uses false advertisement by stating that their chickens are raised cage free. Perdue's chickens are raised in a cramped, dirty environment, so tight that they might ass well be in cages.

This article is summed up by one of its quotes "Torture a single chicken and you risk arrest. Abuse hundreds of thousands of chickens for their entire lives? That's agribusiness." This basically explains the amount of hypocrisy behind food corporations and the government.

There was an unsanitary living conditions in 1906. From flys on food, excarment on the road, and dead animal in the streets. This would cause a huge among of sicknesses and a large amont of deaths within the people. But nobody would think that all these illnesses was coming from the products we consume. In 1906 a novel written by Upton Sinclair opened the eyes of many people by exposing the reality behind meat stalk yards. This novel said that there was rats crawling on the meat and it would still be sold. There was many other disgusting facts involving the products. That information also got across to president Roosevelt and worked to get the Meat Inspection Act passed. This helped by restricting the amount of freedom food companies had and by giving the consumer products produced in sanitary conditions. This act is still reinforced today and has only gotten stronger.

My opinion regarding this article is that I agree 100% with the authors arguments. If a company isn't treating their animal products humanly, they should not give the consumer false advertisement.  Yet 

 these companies should really give a second look on their management and try and change the way  

they handle their products. Though this article is full with eye opening information, I will not stop eating chicken because "I love me some chicken", quoted by Danny Blas. What I will do is make sure that the chicken I do eat is raised in a humane environment. A company that does raise their chickens humanly is Foster Farms.



(http://goo.gl/ZlJRgO)

This image is to represent how a chicken should live. Free the chickens from cruelty. 

Passive House Poem

(http://goo.gl/kAtnUr)

Passive house so green 

So efficient 

The best yet

I get it it's different 

We don't like change 

But what we don't understand 

Is that this is for the best

Make a diffrence 

by allowing what's

Different

(http://goo.gl/SNXyaA)

Tycoons Became so Rich

(This image shows the secrets behind corporations)

A tycoon is a wealthy and powerful person in a business industry.Tycoons were not born successful. They had many strategies that got them the wealth we all seek. 

The main strategy that these powerful people use to archive there wealth in business is to control as much of the business as possible by eliminating competion. 

A robber baron after establish their monopolies would then rise the price of products to a ridiculous amm out and would reduse the wage of the workers. 

Social darwasim was the theory of the survival and success of the most capable. Also that being poor was a sign of being lazy or inferior and deriving of poverty. That god made them that way and it should stay that way. This theory was most liked by the American millioners due to the fact that by believing this, they would no longer have restrictions to profit.

 

(This image is to represent a monopoly)

Summary of Tech Reading

In the informative article tittled How Science and Life Interacted During the American Industrial Revolution compiled by Dany Blas incorporates how technology has changed the way we live.

Technology such as steal has allowed America reach the skies by building higher and stronger buildings using elevators to reach the top.

 Technology has also changed the way people move around, it allowed us to innovate in many different transportation systems such as trains, subways,street cars, etc. 

It has also changed the way we read and learn since it allowed us to make products such as newspapers faster and cheaper. We no longer had to wait months to revive information, we would now receive it instantly. 

A passive house is the most energy efficient home yet. It differce from traditional homes since it is up to 5 to 20 percent more expansive to build and the design is modern. Yet the building procedure may be more, it would sabe you much more money in the use of energy in the long run.

Yet the passive house sounds to be the perfect home, many don't agree. They complain that this house is too expensive and that they do not equivalent to the designs of homes surrounding it. An alternative to a passive house would be what is called a pretty good house. This house is more energy efficient than a traditional house but not as much as the passive house. 

Some residents living in expensive neighborhoods, are be against the idea of a passive house. I belive that their neglection comes from the fact that the passive home won't fit in with the homes surrounding it. Most expensive neighborhoods involve one type of architectural design and adding the design of a passive home would just destroy their idea of consistency. 

This image shows an annotated article of how technology has changed the way we live.

This image shows an annotated article explaining the opinios on passive homes.

Industrial Revolution

This image signifies one of the first transportation methods during the industrial revolution "The Erie Canal"

    The Erie canal is a canal located in New York completed in October 26 1825. This canal was singificat to the U.S. because it allowed goods and people to be transported from place to place
.
    In the article The Beginning of the Industrial Revolution compiled by Dany Blass, the industrial revolution was singificat to the United States because it made them the highest ranking richest country in the freaking world.
    The industrial revolution in the U.S was made possible by free enterprises and enterpenures, which was significant because enterpenures invested to make a profit and free enterprises allowed them too.
    The US had an abundance of natural resources, one of which was oil, which allowed the US to transport goods since it provided fuel for transportation machinery.
    The U.S. also made a good use of steel which allowed them to innovate on products and machinery.
   

This image signifies that the industrial
revolution allows goods to be transported world wide.

The current industrial revolution uses an additive techniques when building; which is creating a product from scratch and making it into one single pice rather than many parts put together. As for in the past, they would use a technique called subtractive, which is basically creating a product with many parts in to it. Also, this new industrial revolution allows you to have a job anywhere in the world, instead of going to the trouble of moving to a compleatly new environment. Yet they have  many significant differences, the industrial revolution back then and now is still for the purpose of manufacturing and transporting goods world wide.
    In conclusion the industrial revolution made the United States the most wealthy country in the freaking world!

Levi Dale and Rose Bell Kinsel's Love Story

Maria Bravo

Mr. Blas

Honors U.S. History, Per.-4

16 October 2014

   

     I feel impatient to know about my boyfriend's day and to get his respond to my texts; I could only imagine what people without the same reasourses to communicate must feel to hear about their loves ones. 

    Struggling to communicate with his wife Rose, was Levi D. Kinsel everyday life. For our Honors US History class, we were giving the assignment to go through a box of antique letters from World War Two and transcribe them. This box was bought by our teacher Mr. Blas during an estate sale. When we began to transcribe these letters in groups, we noticed that they were sent to the same person, Rose Kinsel and were all from Levi Kinsel.

 

    From the few letters I read, I concluded that Levi Dale Kinsel was an optimistic, sweet and serious loving husband. Who is very committed to his job in the Navy and his relationship with Rose.

    It was seemed as if he was optimistic because he always tryed to find the best in every situation. For example on some of the letters, he would mention on how he wouldn't get a response from Rose, but instead of coming up with the worst explanations, he would tell him self that maybe it was a weather issue or that maybe she didn't get his letters. Also he would somtimes talk about how the rooms in his ship were not the best or how he would always loose his laudary; instead of complaint about it, he would hope for the best saying that he was going to try to find more clothes or that he would do with the room he got. There are a lot more situations that occurred where they weren't the best, like the fact that somtimes he wouldn't be able to get ashored to meet with Rose but would always tell her that he hopes to see her as soon as possible. Even though Levi D. Kinsel didn't seem to have an enourmous about of delighting events during his time being deployed, he would always stay positive and optimistic about evey situation.

     Levi was not only optimistic but he was always very sweet. We assumed this by the way he would starts his letters; no matter the day or situation, he would always beging writing saying dearest Rose and ending his letters with Love Levi. He would also show intrests in his wife's day and incorporate her feeling into his writing, by asking how she has been and telling her that it seemed she had a good time by reading her previous letters. He would also show his appreciation and loving ways by not letting his job stop him from showing affection to Rose, he would randomly send her gifts like stockings. He would also address Rose not only by her name but by nicknames for her such as sugar and baby. Even though he wasn't physically present with Rose most of the time, he wouldn't let that affect his relationship or stop his sweet and loving characteristics.

    Finally Levi aside from his more postive characteristics, he was also very serious. He was extremely straight forward and blunt. On mostly every letter he wrote he start of by talking about his day and nothing else. He would also never joke around and he rarely went out. The times he would go out to watch a show he would only stay for a while and head back to his doorm because it would get too crowed. The only times we actually read that he would go out would only be to play poker, other than that he would rather stay in and work on paper work or write to Rose. 

    World War Two is remembered with honor and bravery of the soilders that served for our country, but many overlook the accept of the love between the soilders and their loved ones. Fortunately I had the chance to experience the love between Levi and Rose. I can proudly say that the memory of Levi Dale and Rose Bell Kinsel's love story will always live and be remembered with great respect in my History class.