Week 13 REVIEW

Reading Fast Food Nation taught me a lot about the different aspects of the fast food industry. One example is, food-borne illnesses,  I learned approximately 200,000 people in the United states get sick from a food borne disease daily; 900 have to be hospitalized and fourteen die. And recent studies have shown that foodborne pathogens can cause long-term illnesses such as, kidney damage, inflammatory bowel disease, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and neurological problems. One of the problems seems to be the meat packing process. Feedlots, hamburger grinders, and slaughterhouses are a means for the pathogens to be dispersed in the food supply. It made me realize we sort of put our lives in the hands of the people in the fast food industry. We have to hope they do their jobs right. Another thing I learned was how marketing to children and adolescents is a problem. The fast food restaurants target kids with foods that aren’t all that healthy for them. They become attracted to these ads and want to eat at the place where you get free toys with your meal or can play in the fun play ground while they wait for their food. There aren’t enough healthy foods on the menus, so they end up eating foods high in calories, cholesterol, and drinks high in sugar; which brings us to the next thing I learned from the book. Obesity in children is becoming an epidemic in the United States. American children between the age of six to ten and are severely obese, are dying from heart attacks that are caused by their weight. And now the epidemic of obesity is spreading to the rest of the world. Fast food restaurants have been popping up in countries around the world. And they too are facing the same health issues associated with obesity.   

Week Eleven

“Blog Entry Week Eleven”

     Let me start off by saying that this semester of College is not going as good for me as I expected it to. I would say the problem is because my attendance this semester is down and that’s only because of a couple of family emergencies’ that I needed to be present for that were beyond my control. But none the less I find myself falling further and further behind as the semester goes by. Also is the fact that I am having such a hard time with Math 11. I never was any good at math, it was always my hardest subject in school growing up and College math is even a bigger challenge for me. It takes up so much of my time trying to get all the homework done and learn all these new equations that I find myself struggling with all of my classes. This is the first time I have ever had these problems before so I must say it is a little perplexing for me. As far as me staying motivated, well this too is also hard for me this semester. I hate being behind in any of my classes and I especially hate to fail. So with all these factors making it even harder for me to keep my mind on school and continue I now find it even harder to stay focused and keep motivated. I guess the only thing driving my motivation to continue is my will to succeed and not quit. I just hate to fail and that alone is what I use to stay motivated and keep trying. Who knows I may have to take Math 11 again next semester all by itself if I fail it this semester. Maybe that’s the key to my success.