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my grade’s not here…
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Taylor Wolff
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Taylor Wolff
For this week’s journal entry, I decided to talk about the fair that we participated in, not outside but in the library, “Act Out.” When we first got the library I became familiar with the setup of the tables and chairs, and we found where we needed to set up our poster. We put up our poster and our pamphlets, and I thought that it looked really good, especially after all the work we put into making it look nice. We met the lady who came to represent The Little Red School House, and she was very sweet. Amber and I helped her to set up her poster and all of her items she brought for us. I really liked watching the Video about Share Your Souls with Mona Purdy. I feel like the video really made that connection. It made me think about donating my shoes. After the video, some words were spoken at the podium, and people walked around to look at our poster presentations. I was surprised at the number of people that came to look at ours because it did not look like many people were present. The representative from little red school house was really nice to us, and really pushed people our way, and to have us answer questions, and just talk to people. I was willing to answer many questions that people had about my experience and the location we worked at. It was then, that I sort of decided I would like to go back, and work with the little red school house again.
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Taylor Wolff
For this week’s journal entry, I decided to write about Taylor Mali’s poem, “Totally like whatever, you know?” I really liked the piece because it said a lot more about people as writers and thinkers than maybe one might initially gather. His oral presentation really aided to communicate his message as well because there is just something about inflection that you can’t read in a poem. The poem was slightly satirical in the way that Mali speaks/writes using the type of language in question to prove his point. This new generation of young people use all of these words, diction of uncertainty, and inflection when communicating, and this is a problem. Speech has become something of necessity rather than passion.Young people today speak with no conviction. People do not want to own their words in fear they might have to fight for them. In addition to this being a huge problem in the academic setting, this is also a major problem in real life application. With all of these highly debatable topics we see in the news today, people would rather be indifferent than educate themselves on the matter and take a stance. If everyone sits on their thumbs so to speak, how will real change (not just the bologna that President Obama speaks of) take place? It takes knowledge to back up a strong voice to be heard in a world of indifference.
Mali, Taylor. “Totally like whatever, you know?” WWR: 54 April 17 -
Taylor Wolff
Volunteer-Work for the Environment
Background
When I started this project, I knew that I wanted to do something more on the ecological side. I have always been very interested in nature, and preserving it has taken on a level of importance. My knowledge of what has really been going on with the relationship between the human population and nature really did not start until my freshman year of high school. I became very aware of the various issues that present a threat to the environment, and involved myself. I was involved in the Ecology Club with Oak Forest High School, and we did a lot of work to rid the local prairie of invasive, non-native plants. There are many problems that are related to the decline in the once abundant natural environment. Things that are actually, all human instigated. I feel the damage is irreversible, and that we must do something to put off the impending effects. Litter people so carelessly abandon takes a dire toll on the environment, pollutants both liquid and gas work as deteriorating agents, and plants that are nonnative to the area are invading on the space native plants need to survive. It is the nonnative plants that we chose to work on. This is more of an issue than people think. Plants that don’t belong in the area are harmful because they can grow better than the natural competition for space, and this leads to an increase of species that invade the area and a decline of native species, which are meant to grow in the area for a reason.Entering the Field
Because scheduling conflicts and deadlines became an issue, I could not work with the Ecology Club. I decided to volunteer with The Little Red School house. The Little Red School house is a nature center that is a part of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, which is the largest district in the country. The Little Red School House is dedicated to preserving the surrounding natural environment and teaching visitors about it as well. There are many educational elements like the live animals and informative exhibits included in the new building that has been built. I learned that they also are very environmentally involved, and deal with the removal of invasive species. They also welcome volunteers and have workdays available for people who want to get involved, like us, and for people who want to learn.Understanding Culture
I think that there is a large misconception about volunteer work with the environment. Many people believe you have to be a hippy or a “tree hugger” to do something for the environment. This is unfortunate because it is not so. Many people that volunteer their time are all different types of people, and very interesting. Cutting down trees together is a very cool experience, and you can see progress. There is much more to the culture of nature volunteer work than people might think, and I am interested in experiencing the culture of the volunteers at The Little Red School House at the work day next weekend.-
Alex Velez
Taylor, I like your intro and its description of how you started your ecological endevours through the ecology club at Oak Forest High School. your strong position on the environment reinforces your beliefs in saving the environment. You have the basic fundamental titles setup i.e Background, entering the field, and understanding culture in place. I think we both know all you have to do is expand on all of that to give your paper the full body it needs. As far as organization and direction I just look to our portfolio piece hand outs. As a matter a fact, I also use these handouts as peer review guides. Our group is also working with little red school house and they have been really great to work with. Julie Vandervort gave us a lot of information to use in our papers and hopefully she will do the same for you. Also, you might want to include some photography in your paper. A picture is worth 1000 words, especially picture nature. Well, I touched on some main points I can really do anything more to you actually do your service. So good luck to you and your group.
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Taylor Wolff
I decided to write on the article, “The One That Got Away,” from “Why White Rice.” From looking at just the title, I never would have been able to guess the actual subject matter of the piece. The author tells a story about his family background, and how he goes about finding information regarding his history and family culture. It makes me think personally, about how I wished I had this opportunity. A couple years ago two of my grandparents passed away within a years time of each other. They were from opposite sides of the family. I really wished that I had the chance to go back and ask all of those questions. History is one of my favorite subjects, and what better way to get a hold of it than by learning your own? This is the main reason I chose to go to Sunrise as my service project. I wanted to explore someone else’s history if I couldn’t have the opportunity from my own grandparents. Not only is it personal, but it also conveys to the reader of the article that information is always there; it’s just a matter of reaching out and taking it in. Take it from me, from a person who missed out, ask you parents and your grandparents about your background before you miss out. Learn and research about yourself.
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Taylor Wolff
For this week’s reading journal, i chose to write on the article “Why Dracula Sucks” by Troy Swanson in “Why White Rice.” I liked the article because it is about making your writing more interesting by using some techniques to “spice it up.” I can relate to this because sometimes it doesn’t matter what someone is writing on, it could be one of the world’s most boring topics, but it takes a talented and knowledgeable writer to make it interesting. I see this a lot. Someone may have written on a really fascinating topic, but their writing does not get me into it. It proves an important point. As writers, we need to really broaden our writing and techniques. I think diction plays a large role. Nobody will be interested in a paper that uses the same word over and over. word choice is definitely a good skill to apply to writing. I find that when I am reading something, I appreciate a plethora of different words. Another thing, when pertaining to serious, or dry subjects, humor does not hurt. Humor can be a good tool if utilized correctly. It can keep the reader interested.
Swanson, Troy. “Why Dracula Sucks.” Why White Rice? Kendall Hunt Pub, 2010. 182-183. Print. -
Taylor Wolff
A Normal Life Pearl Joseph was born…
“A Normal Life”
Pearl Joseph was born in 1921, she grew up right here in the city of Chicago, and has lived here all of her life. She has experienced many memorable moments, but has never lost her sense of self and pride in her accomplishments. Sitting in her room at Sunrise Assisted Living, where she has resided for two years, on her 1970’s style chairs with knitted blankets over the backs, she started telling me her story and I recorded her life in words the best I possibly could.
Pearl’s grandparents came from Germany. Her mother was from New York, and her father was from Wisconsin. Pearl’s parents got divorced when she was a child so she ended up living with her grandparents. As a young girl she attended Bennett Grammar School. She remembers childhood things like chasing the ice man’s wagon to steal the ice chips off of the back. I remember my grandfather telling me a similar story. She had many pets growing up like cats, birds, and a collie named Teddy who would meet the milk man at the end of the block. He grandfather was a bee keeper, and Pearl fondly remembers playing with the bees and getting stung often. Her grandmother would pull out the stingers and put Vicks on the sting because back then “Vicks was for everything.” Times were simpler back then as she grew up during the great depression, where money was very tight. As there was no television then, the family would listen to the radio often. The family would stay in the basement to stay cool during the hot Chicago summers, as there was no air conditioning. Pearl described herself as a tomboy growing up. Some of her hobbies included reading and roller skating, and her favorite thing to do was climb the fruit trees in the back yard. When I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, what were her dreams, she said sometimes she wanted to be a nurse, a secretary, or even a pilot. And it was then that she said something that stood out to me the most: “I changed my mind every time I climbed a tree.”
As Pearl got to be a little older, she liked seeing movies. Her favorites included mystery movies, musicals like “The Sound of Music” and Shirley Temple movies. Her favorite actress was Catherine Hepburn. She remembers seeing movies, when they were only a nickel, with her boyfriend and taking walks. Her aunt brought her to a Sally Rand burlesque show. She remembers being really fascinated by it, and that her mother was not very happy that her aunt had taken her to see it because she felt that Pearl wasn’t old enough. I asked Pearl about Elvis Presley. She recalls seeing him perform on the Ed Sullivan Show and described him to be very “sexy” and “suggestive” for the time, explaining why they only showed him on television from the waste up. Pearl considered herself to be very conservative and perhaps a “prude,” as she stated. Her favorite thing to wear was slacks. She did some volunteer work at the Shed Aquarium for 14 years, and really enjoyed the opportunity to work with the animals she loved. While she was there, she learned quite a lot, and actually conducted tours of some of the exhibits.
When I asked Pearl if she had any vivid memories, ones that she wanted to share, the first thing she said was her wedding. Pearl married Marshal in May of 1943. Her mother made her bridal dress as well as all of the bride’s maids dresses. She remembers that her husband wanted “For Me and My Gal” to play at their wedding. There were snow flurries on that spring morning. The story of their marriage was so interesting because nowadays, love like the Josephs had is very hard to come by. They lived in Chicago in the same building as the rest of her family for 53 years. Pearl and her husband enjoyed going out dancing and playing golf together. Pearl’s husband was drafted in June of 1943. She remembers in vividly because he was heading west to be stationed in the Philippines when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Marshal was instead brought there to help aid in the aftermath. While he was there, he developed asthma. Pearl worked at the Montgomery Wards on Chicago Main Avenue in the accounting department. She quit after she got pregnant. After Marshal came home from the military, he worked for the IRS and the Atomic Energy Commission where they conducted cancer research. Eventually, Marshal’s asthma got so bad that he could not easily maneuver the stairs of their apartment building, and they moved out to Orland Park, or as Pearl described it, “the country.”
There were quite a few of other ties with history in Pearl’s life. I had the opportunity to ask her about the Great Depression and World War II. She doesn’t recall much about the Great Depression other than that “money was tight.” She told me about World War II and how there was rations and people could only get a limited supply of items like butter and meat, and you got two coupons for shoes for an entire year. Can you believe gasoline used to cost under a dollar? She remembers her trip to Washington D.C. and seeing President Kennedy. Upon recollection of Kennedy’s assassination, Peal tells me that the workers remodeling her kitchen came downstairs to tell her the news. They left for home early that day, and that evening Pearl was entertaining guests for dinner with no choice but to use paper plates and wash dishes in the bathtub. She also remembers when the mayor of Chicago was shot. Also, there were other historical events that took place. Pearl remembers the Pullman shop fire, and when they filmed the movie “Road to Perdition,” because the annoyance it caused with the roads being blocked.
Pearl’s husband, Marshal, died of lung cancer. Both of her children went on to college; a dream of her own. Her two children have since grown up and raised families of their own. Her son lives in the Orland Park area and works in the business of health insurance. Her daughter lives outside of Boston. Altogether, Pearl has four grandchildren. Although she labels her life as “normal,” I for one, find nothing normal about it. So many interesting things have taken place and I, as a listener and student, feel honored to witness her oral recollection of her life story. Pearl’s life story and accomplishments should be acknowledged because of the immense amount of history that survives within it. It is through the lives of others that we may acquire knowledge and wisdom.
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Taylor Wolff
Pearl Joseph was born in 1921 she grew…
Pearl Joseph was born in 1921, she grew up right here in the city of Chicago, and has lived here all of her life. She has experienced many memorable moments, but has never lost her sense of earth. Sitting in her room at Sunrise Assisted Living on her 1970’s style chairs with knitted blankets over the backs, I recorded her life in words the best I possibly could.
Pearl’s parents got divorced when she was a child so she ended up living with her grandparents. As a young girl she attended Bennett Grammar School. She remembers childhood things like chasing the ice man’s wagon to steal the ice chips off of the back. I remember my grandfather telling me a similar story. She had many pets growing up like cats, birds, and a collie named Teddy who would meet the milk man at the end of the block. He grandfather was a bee keeper, and Pearl fondly remembers playing with the bees and getting stung often. Her grandmother would pull out the stingers and put Vicks on the sting because back then “Vicks was for everything.” Times were simpler back then as she grew up during the great depression, where money was very tight. As there was no television then, the family would listen to the radio often. Pearl described herself as a tomboy growing up. Some of her hobbies included reading and roller skating, and her favorite thing to do was climb the -
Taylor Wolff
For this weeks journal entry, I wanted to talk about the art of argument, and the “Change” video we viewed in class last week. I feel that argument is essential in the world, and it is knocked down by its negative connotations. Arguments are necessary because without them, we would either all feel the same, or we would just be very alone without the ability to communicate the ways of thinking that are original to yourself. Ethos, pathos, and logos are all important parts to an argument because as a writer, you need to appeal to your reader or audience. Arguments are not all bad, and if they are executed in the right way, can lead to a lot of good things and change in other people’s opinions. I think it is a good thing also, to address the other side as well. As seen in the “Change” video clip, with the proper tools and resources, it can be very simple to make a statement or argument and have it believed if you know what you are doing. The video really attracted people with the use of emotion as well as credibility. I say this because it was very emotional with the ties to historical achievements as well as the celebrities presenting it. We as a society tend to give this false sense of credibility to celebrity figures. Obama’s campaign team definitely knew how to make an argument, and used it against the ignorant people of America.
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Taylor Wolff
For this week’s reading journal, I chose to write about the “Cycle of Socialization” by Harro. I thought the piece was particularly interesting because of the web diagram. It showed the cycle in which we develop socialization skills. I was very intrigued by the fact that fear, ignorance, confusion, and insecurity where in the middle of the web, or the core. I found this the be rather accurate because if you stop and think about it, those four things have everything to do with the way that we socialize with people. Fear prevents us from speaking up about our beliefs. Most people are afraid to speak their opinions because of what other people might think. Ignorance is another one that is important. Many people do, or do not do things based on their level of ignorance. Social situations can also be jeopardized by ignorance because people do not open their minds before their mouths. Confusion in social situations just results in exactly that. When people do not understand each other, it becomes difficult to communicate. Confusion often brings about ignorance. The last point in the core of the web is insecurity. Insecurity drives many faults in communication and socialization. It is important to be knowledgeable about the topic your chose to speak about. Knowledge as well as confidence are very important because people want to listen to confident people. Sometimes people are willing to listen to someone speak on the sole basis of confidence. An example of this would be the current president, Barack Obama. He was a very influential, confident speaker, and that led to many people voting for him. The problem is, ignorance played a big role in the election as well. People where uneducated, and voted solely on the premise that he was a strong speaker, and something new to happen to the white house. All four of these things play a large role in the core of socialization.
Citation-
Prof McGuire
where’s the citation?
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Taylor Wolff
For my reading journal this week I read an article from chapter four in “Why White Rice” called “Write That Down!” I liked the article because it made me think a lot about words and how we use them. Sometimes it is good to make things in your paper sound really good with nice advanced vocabulary, but the author states that when you have a complex idea, it is better to simplify your thesis so the reader can understand. This is different from what I have always been taught. My AP English teacher taught us that we needed to make our thesis complex and elaborate. We spent a whole quarter just writing thesis on poetry and literature. I have always liked the use of words and what they can accomplish, but sometimes I felt that the thesis should be simplified so the reader gets a full grasp on what you’re going to try and prove. If people have a hard time understanding it, they will lose interest in the paper. I liked the author, Tom Dow, and the way he brought some sort of comic relief into his piece when he mentions Mike Tyson and The Hangover. I think that this reels in readers and gets them interested in his piece allowing him to get to what he wants to say relatively quick and effectively. It did not take a long time to figure out what he was saying, and he was able to communicate his idea in one paragraph.
Citation-
Prof McGuire
citation?
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Taylor Wolff
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I am writing on the Subject of the overcrowding of the Cook Country Morgue. I find that it is appalling so many bodies have been kept in the morgue for such a prolonged period of time. The biggest concern I have dealing with this matter is that the Coroner, Nancy Jones, is being used as the county’s scapegoat. The people who really need to be under the microscope are the county officials who are pointing their fingers. Instead of placing blame on the county’s medical examiner the root of the problem needs to be addressed, and it all leads back to our corrupt officials. When everything is about money people skip steps. In order to reduce overcrowding in the Cook County Morgue, there was talk about donating bodies to science. What ever happened to that? If the bodies cannot be donated, measures to cremate the remains should be taken in the circumstance that the body is unidentified or the family of the deceased cannot afford a proper burial. Cremation would be in reason as well and cost effective. Proper evaluation needs to take place in order to find out what is really happening here, and where the money is really headed.Sincerely,
Taylor Wolff-
Tom Rybovic
This is very impressive. It looks like you took some time to pick out the main ideas you wanted to include in this short writing. It gets right to the point of talking about the overcrowding of the Cook County Morgue. Honestly, this is something that I have never heard about being an issue. Actually, I don’t know anything about the Cook County Morgue. This short writing caught my attention right away. I noticed that your main concern is that Coroner, Nancy Jones, is being used as the county’s scapegoat. That specific sentence is what caught my attention considering I know nothing about the situation.
After I read the whole thing I started to think about the corrupt government itself. There seems to be a loop hole somewhere in that operation. It is unfair for the county officials to be pointing fingers and just getting away with it. As you mentioned in your writing, it is the county officials that should be under the microscope. With higher powers and more money involved it is bound that there are steps that are going to be skipped in the process. It is the same game as with everything that deals with power and wealth. There definitely needs to be an investigation or some kind of change that will deal with this situation. The medical examiner is getting all of the blame from everyone while the county officials don’t even get questioned. There needs to be more strict rules and laws that regulate the whole system. They need to reregulate the whole system in a more manageable way.
Another sentence that really stood out to me was the one where you started talking about cremation. I think you nailed it right on the spot with that one. Everything that you have said since you started talking about cremation seems exactly right on the dot. Like you said,” If the bodies cannot be donated, measures to cremate the remains should be taken in the circumstance that the body is unidentified or the family of the deceased cannot afford a proper burial.” That is exactly right. I also believe that the system should work like that. Other than that, the bodies should be donated to science. Those are three things that should be considered with this situation. I really wonder what happened to that saying that they are going to donate bodies to science. I also really wonder where all that money is actually going. We may think our money is going to one place but we never find out what happens behind the closed doors.
This whole writing made me think about being in a horrible situation in which some families are in. That would be simply horrible to not be able to afford a proper burial for a close one. That really had an effect on me. This was a great piece of writing that has brought my attention to the overcrowding of the Cook County Morgue. -
Alex Velez
Apparently, the overcrowding is due to a couple of things. I have a buddy who is a Chicago cop and my sister took the tour of the morgue about a year ago for school. Apparently, both people told me that the overcrowding was due to a waiting list issue. Every Jane and John Doe have to stay in the morgue for a specific amount of time before they can do anything with the bodies. I agree with Nancy Jones as being the scapegoat in this issue. I believe from what my sister and friend tells me it’s more of an issue with the process than the people executing that process. They hold bodies there for so long which is obviously the issue here. I also just read an article on the issue stating back in January Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said “management is at the core of the morgue’s shortcomings but state funding cuts also were a big problem”(U.S News) but they also state the after Preckwinkle intervened the body count went from 363 to 300. In another article from cbs news Preckwinkle said “the morgue would have daily inspections of the overstuffed cooler, and new technology will be used to help track down relatives of the dead who are brought to the office in order to speed up the burial process.” So it looks like there are steps being made already to fix the problem.
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Lee McKinnis
Imagine you’re dead and stuck in a morgue to rot for years! \(ﾟдﾟ)/
But seriously, yes cremating all the remains might be a better idea. After all, the idea of creamating dead people is becoming more popular I might want to be burned when dead, its easy and my remnants are just dumped into a river o rsomething similar solving any problems from the cemeteries as well as renting or buying a lot. Then again cremation can be expensive (I think, never had it done).
The paper is short and “to the point”.
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Lee McKinnis
I shall specify, “letter” – NOT “paper”,.
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Holman Zea
HI Taylor, Ill give you a short feedback but your topic capture my attention. As soon as I read overcrowded morgue I had a mental picture of a place full of death bodies and an overcrowded cooler. This gets me exited, since I love human anatomy.This bodies should be donated to science. Last semester for my anatomy class we only had three cadavers to work on and they were used already. Well from another point of view those who are poor and cant afford the burial service for their loves ones should choose cremation which is cheaper. The blame should not be put in you person alone. She is not the one responsible. It is an internal problem that needs to be more strict about their regulation. If they do not solve this we wont have a place to put the death bodies. This is a new issue that I was not aware until now. Is this issue only happening in cook county? Is there any other places that this has happen? This would help identified the true cause of this issue. How does this issue affect others? Is it only overcrowded and we don’t have enough space to put the death. you should add some additional information that persuasive me to take action. Is there anything that we can do about it ?
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Taylor Wolff
For this week’s reading and research journal, I decided to write about one of my sources I used for my paper: a book called “Vegetarian Beginner’s Guide.” I used this book for one of my references for my paper because I learned an abundance of information regarding vegetarianism when I decided to make that change in my life five years ago. It was very helpful not only in regards to information, but it helped me to be able to defend myself and my choice to eliminate meat from my diet.One of the biggest questions I receive from people who question my choice is “what about protein?” I could not really give people an answer until I read this book. There is a section titled “Debunking the Myths,” and it covers this question, as well as go in depth about what protein really is, and what it is used for. I found out something that I did not know, and that was, the statistic that most doctors in the US, if ever faced with protein deficiency, wouldn’t know it because it is so rare. There are so many other foods besides meat that contain protein and we do not even know it. there are many different varieties of beans that contain good amounts of protein. Also, people tend to attack me with the protein argument, but most do not take into account their own nutrition. I find that to be quite hypocritical as well as ignorant because there are other things that humans need to consume besides protein to maintain a healthy diet.
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Taylor Wolff
“Googling is Not The Same as Thinking” is an interesting article in chapter five of why white rice. The article provokes insightful thinking and also, change in education. It applies to many areas. With the new technology presented to us, as a society, we do not even think twice about how it is damaging ourselves. People think and problem solve for themselves less and less and that is because we have all of this new technology that can do it for us like computers and calculators. What will happen if we lose all of those things? The human race would be completely in the dark because we have gone so far that we could not function without or computers, cell phones, i pods, and calculators. We have been steadily losing important areas of intelligence as a society. Not only that, but people do not think anymore. I mean, why should they when there’s Google, and Bing to give all the answers? False. Free thinking is one of the most important things a person can have. This is one of the biggest problems we face. People find it easier to just follow everyone else. This is excellently demonstrated in this quote from musician, Marilyn Manson: “The burden of originality is one that most people don’t want to accept. They’d rather sit in front of the TV and let that tell them what they’re supposed to like, what they’re supposed to buy, and what they’re supposed to laugh at.”
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Taylor Wolff
Outline
Vegetarianism
- intro
- background info
- famous activists
- problems caused
*health
*animal cruelty
* environmental
organizations
* Peta
*vegetarian Resource Groupsolution
- intro
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Taylor Wolff
Damaged by The Meat-Based Diet
When most people hear the term vegetarian, a visual image pops into their mind of a sickly, pale individual donning a tie dye t-shirt and a pair of sandals preaching and pressuring people into their life choice. The problem with this way of thinking is that it breeds closed minded-ness. Many stereotypes and false perceptions are perhaps to blame as well as what is help to be the ‘traditional’ diet. What our country places on their plates is becoming a huge problem. The issue at large is the damage that is caused by this nation’s overwhelming consumption of meat and its byproducts. Overall health, animal welfare, and environmental stability are three of the largest areas where destruction is visible. The health of the United States has reached devastating lows. Obesity and heart-related issues are on the rise. Animals are continuing to suffer in factory farming facilities that are using the cruelest of methods to produce animal products. The environment is taking a major hit, and not only in the United States. Our country is causing problems in other places as well.
The word “vegetarian” was not coined until 1847 by the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom, but the practice begins way back to ancient Hindu teachings and figures like Pythagoras (580-500b.c.), a mathematical theorist. Vegetarianism stretches far back into history with important names such as Sir Isaac Newton, Plato, Mary, and husband Percy Shelley, and George Bernard Shaw. More contemporary activists have created a wider-known presence such as Ellen DeGeneres, Paul McCartney, Steve Jobs, Toby McGuire, and Carrie Underwood. In 1992 there were 12.4 million people who called themselves vegetarians (Vegetarian Times). Things are looking up and that number has been on the rise. The reason that meat consumption has gotten so out of hand is money. If you take a good look at it, money can be seen from every angle. Food corporations like McDonalds and KFC are definitely no help with the factory farming they have invited into the economy. Meat consumption has never been the problem it is today. Back in the 1930’s, people could not afford to eat as much meat. Also, most people look at the price conveniences of purchasing meat products. Health and morality are thrown to the way-side for a cheaper form of food.
The issue of extensive meat consumption calls on activists. The most recent issue involving this unhealthy eating habit is the health of our country. It is costing us billions of dollars in health care to treat the population for a problem that can be eased by the simple act of reducing meat intake. With all of the other expenses our country faces, this does not need to be one of them. Another issue that is not widely known is the rainforests being jeopardized. This is what the media and the news is not telling you. South American natives are cutting down the rainforests to provide a place to raise cattle. For what purpose you ask? It is to feed greed and the American demand for beef. So here we see that our problem also affects the world, and the ecosystem. If efforts to save horses from the cruel ways of slaughter for meat production, citizens and activist groups like the Humane Society, ASPCA, and Peta pushed to make horse slaughter illegal. The bill has now been put back into place by president Obama.
There are numerous activist groups that support vegetarianism through the defense of the animals and the cruelty of slaughter houses, as well as vegetarian groups that work on all issues related to vegetarianism broadly. Peta is one activist group that takes it to the extreme level. Their protests and advertisements are famous for celebrities stripping down and making bold statements about what Americans are eating. Peta has been known to take extreme measures against places that seem to condone horrific animal slaughter. They are widely known, as they should be, because of their shocking way of activism. Why else would they organize an army of zombies to stand outside of KFC? Another, less extreme group is the VRG, or the Vegetarian Resource Group. This group is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to educate people on vegetarianism and the interrelated issues of ecology, health, ethics, and nutrition. The VRG publishes the Vegetarian Journal and also produces and sells cookbooks. This group strives to work with businesses, schools and communities to bring beneficial health changes (VRG.org).
How can you get involved in the vegetarian movement you ask? To begin, it is as simple as dropping the habit of eating meat. It is easier said than done, but by making this life choice, it is a small step to bettering yourself and the environment as well as helping animals. If you wish to become even more active, there are organizations that offer vegetarian support and further information on issues at hand. To get involved in the issues at hand caused by meat consumption, it is not as difficult as one might think. You can join an organization. Whether you chose a vegetarian organization, or help inform your friends and family, you are helping with the issue. Peta is a very big one. Peta partners with meat.org to present “Meet Your Meat,” an informational video on animal cruelty and the connection to vegetarianism. Peta also offers a “Vegetarian/Vegan Starter Kit” to help people who maybe are on the fence about trying a healthier diet. With that being said, I am not preaching that you become a vegetarian, but trying to guide the average person to eat less meat. By simply cutting down the consumption of meat in your household, there will be a big improvement. The act of not eating meat has seemed impossible to many, being a main reason most don’t try it. I have heard so many times how one person or another would “die without meat in their diet.” I am living proof, as well as so many others, that it can be done safely and healthily.
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Alex Velez
Taylor Wolff’s article titled “Damaged by The Meat-Based Diet” starts off with stereotypes people may have with vegetarians. I must admit I fall into the category he describes in his opening line. I personally, eat meat and I’m always looking for a good steak but I should at least control my meat intake. Taylor also goes into a brief history of famous vegans throughout history although I would like a citation just to show some validity to such claims. I agree that food corporations like McDonalds and KFC are at the forefront of making their products so readily available to the public seemingly at every corner. As I’m writing this each of the food restaurants mentioned is a stone’s throw away. I would almost say that they are as bad as cigarettes in some respects. Unfortunately, in todays fast pace world we have come up with fast pace food to match our demanding fly by the seat of our pants schedules. Now, if there was a healthy fast food alternative I would definitely listen to any suggestions you may have. Also, you may want to look at a classmates paper for research on yours (Holman, Zea” World Hunger, Is There a Solution to This Crises”). You will find it very helpful in reinforcing your statement on how “south American natives are cutting down the rainforests to provide a place to raise cattle”. There are a lot of points made that run parallel with your paper. As far as animal cruelty is concerned, if the animal is put down in a humane way, I don’t see a problem with it. People have been consuming animals for a long time but again, I believe we are over consuming and not balancing our diets to reduce undesirable results when it comes to our health. I do like the VRG.org reference in your paper but the word peta makes my ears burn. As your first sentence sets the tone for your paper by addressing stereotypes some may have of vegans, I myself fall into the same category because I’m a fisherman. peta doesn’t like fisherman too much, yet most of the anglers I know like myself are conservationists, as well as environmentalists. So for me, peta carry’s a negative connotation in most contexts. When describing how to become a vegan you mention to quit meat cold turkey (pun intended). This is easier said than done and as far as shocking your reader to watch informational video’s on animal cruelty go’s, you may want to rethink that one. I think a more acceptable approach would be “cutting down on meat consumption” for your article. You also mention that there are organizations you can join which you mention a couple but maybe you can mention a couple of more. You seem very passionate about being vegan but you’re kind of imposing your will on the reader rather than presenting a lot of facts that are backed up by citations. You mention you’re a vegan, your living proof that it won’t kill you, but maybe you can go into more detail on what kind of benefits you have experienced because you’re a vegan? Something like, I’m living proof you can be a vegan and bring up some personal benefits you can expand on. Some examples may include: I have 20/20 vision, I’m a lot healthier than meat eaters, my body fat is 2%, I have so much energy because of my life choice . I didn’t mean to be a jerk on this one Taylor so I hope you don’t take it personally, If you did, I apologize. I want to challenge you to convince me to be a vegan.
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Tom Rybovic
As I read “Damaged by The Meat-Based Diet”, I thought that I would learn much more about how meat actually is bad for you. The title made me expect more information on the matter. Although the writing was good, I do wish you had more information on the effect of eating meat other than an unhealthy diet. I really liked how you started off discussing the topic of being a vegetarian. This caught my attention due to the fact that I myself belong in the group you mentioned. It is sad that most people view a vegetarian as you stated “a sickly, pale individual donning a tie dye t-shirt and a pair of sandals preaching and pressuring people into their life choice”. This is definitely the way that most people view a vegetarian because of what we have heard and saw throughout our lives living mostly in America. We are not taught to not eat meat and to maintain a healthy diet for our futures. Instead, we are taught to go into a KFC or McDonalds for any time of the day meal. As you mentioned in your writing, too many people are misinformed of the meaning of a vegan.
Something that would be very helpful is talking more about the steps one needs to take in order to become a vegan. The simplicity of saying “it is as simple as dropping the habit of eating meat” does not cut it. Any individual that is trying to concert into being a vegan would need more step on how to covert. Eating meat is something many individuals do on a daily basis. This is a way of living and a diet that is hard to change. I think that if you really wanted to encourage someone to convert, you would have to do much more than that. I feel as if stating out the points of benefiting from being a vegan would help tremendously. You want people to see that living as a vegan can be enjoyable. People want to see benefits and things that they want in life before they commit themselves to doing something as huge as converting to a vegan.
I really would like to emphasize on the part where you talk about animal cruelty. I think including more descriptive ways that animal cruelty is put into place would severely signify your work. In other words, show and tell people about animal slaughter houses. I think that if everyone was to see the truth and reality behind the scenes of meat production, many would change their mind about eating it themselves. There are too many walls that the public cannot see behind. It only requires little research to find out the real conditions the animals are being held in. If someone wants something done about animal cruelty and this whole meat servicing process then they have to show the public the dirty side of it all. Overall this paper was very well written with only a few minor things that I think would make it a much stronger research and to some extent even an argument.
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Holman Zea
I agree with you, I gave up red meat about a five months ago. Before I eat it once a month or so but i had stop eating it all together. I wont lie it taste great when is cook right. I been struggling with this issue for about a year. Saw the nutritional benefits of eating meat and they were good. It does have a great amount of protein but there are other negative factors that made me change my mind about meat. I had seen the horror that happens in the slaughter houses. How unsanitary meat could be and the risk of diseases involve in them. Not to mention the harm to our economical system and our environment. There are many negative effects and the cost is not worthy. I know a few vegetarians and they are healthier than an ox, they are not skinny or malnourished. My diet is mostly veggies, carbs, nuts, fruits and my protein shake. With that in mind I don’t eat meat. However i do eat chicken, eggs and milk. it is hard to give that out. Our diet would be difficult and it would be composed of supplements to get all our essential needs. I believe we should consume less meat and that would lower our health risk and other issues involve in the meat industry.
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Taylor Wolff
I read the article “You Can’t Dodge All the Bullets” by Kate Kinsella from the book “Why White Rice?” I found the article to be very interesting because of the way the author relates to the reader. I liked how she showed that it is okay to mess up sometimes and you cannot always ‘dodge all the bullets.” She explains that knowledge, and the pursuit of, is what is most important. I think it is important for people to read from an author that it is okay to not get it right on the first few attempts and what really matters is your will to succeed and problem solve. Kate Kinsella says that problem solving skills are what make up success and I agree with her. She makes a good point because if you are not willing to fix something or improve it you are not willing to succeed. Success comes to those who truly want it. I think that her little tidbit of a background story also helps the reader to relate to her because she is exposing a part of herself to the audience. This helps with credibility because as a reader, you feel like you know something about her and why she feels the way she does; why its important to her. The points that she makes also are of good material because they are not just relate-able to writing, but other life obstacles and goals. I found the article refreshing because of the motivating sense i received from the author.
Kinsella, Kate. “You Can’t Dodge All The Bullets.” Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. Kendall Hunt Pub, 2010. 80. Print. -
Taylor Wolff
I went into the class discussion with a good idea of what activism and service work were. In my own mind, I think that the two are very related, and also they can have a different meaning to everyone. I think that what was brought up in class was also a good point that activism requires a more ongoing participation. I believe both are important to society because without them, not very much can be accomplished nor changed. Service is important to accomplish things for the community and the world. If people did not step up and provide for the good of the whole, nobody would be motivated to do so. Activism is important because it helps people have a voice in society. If People weren’t active about what they think or believe, government would have even more control than they do now. Activism gets to the root of the problem and tries to solve it from the core. Service seems to be more of a band-aid to the situation.
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Taylor Wolff
After reading “The Village Voice,” an article by Peter Hessler, I could not help but feel incredible pride in Rajeev Goyal’s work. His story was incredible in the sense of all that he had to do to accomplish his goal of helping other people. Rajeev was incredibly determined to get what he wanted, and, unlike most people, what he wanted was not for himself. He is a true role model to young people, and should be looked up to by those who do not use their voices. Rajeev wanted something and he had a goal. He took up his issues with the government and did not let up. He is a true example of persistence. Most people would give up after so many obstacles, but this man did not. It is also good to take note of his age. He was relatively young when he first started his efforts. This is a good message to get across to young people so they are not discouraged by the misconception that they are too young or too small to make a difference. I liked that Rajeev did what made him happy, and that was helping others. This too, is a good message because we only get one life. Make it how you want to live it. Do not listen to what your parents want you to be. Listen to what your heart and mind wants to be, and maybe by doing a little extra for others, you can help other people with the same goals.
Hessler, Peter. “A Reporter at Large The Village Voice The Corps’s Brightest Hope.” New York: The New York, 2010. 101-109. Splatter: The Messy Art of Writing, Web. 8 Feb. 2012 -
Taylor Wolff
I think that the “Who Should Survive” activity was very thought provoking because within the scenario there were so many different ways to come up with a strategy. It was difficult because of the extraneous variables, as well as the outsider’s point of view. If anyone were actually in the given situation themselves, it would be a completely different story. How many people would be able to personally tell someone “sorry, but you serve nothing more than a burden to us, we cannot afford to keep you alive.” Another thing to keep in mind is that you never really know how you will react once you are in a given situation. Maybe you may end up the victim, the coward, or the martyr. It’s very difficult to make such a decision especially when you really don’t have the authority to do so, which leads to the big question: who’s to choose who gets to live or die? I think that the little experiment did what it was intended for, and that is to see other people’s views. Every one of us has a bias whether we address it or not. One person might have looked at the hooker and thought she wasted her chance, while, another might look at her, see her struggles, and give her another chance. It is all very subjective. Having our beliefs challenged made disputes more heated. I know that our group settled for a consensus for the sake of reducing argument, and accomplishing the task.
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Taylor Wolff
As I read “What It Means When a Crowd in a Faraway Nation Takes a Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him from His Vehicle, And Then Mutilates Him In The Dust,” I got a very good sense of the character’s anxiety through the writer’s use of imagery and diction. I enjoyed his writing style because of the way he keeps the reader inquisitive about the mental and emotional state of the character, and as a reader, you never really get a defined answer. I enjoy pieces that leave you to figure out what might be the issue the character faces. I think that it requires a degree of previous knowledge and skill to pick out small details. I thought that the character perhaps suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and the news of the soldier shocked him into an episode. This is particularly interesting to me because I did a research paper on post-traumatic stress disorder last semester and learned a lot about the potentially debilitating disorder.
Eggers, Dave. “How We Are Hungry.” What it Means When a Crowd in a Faraway Nation Takes a Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle and Then Mutilates Him in the Dust. McSweeney’s, 2004. 17-18. Splatter: writing101.net -
Taylor Wolff
What would you kill for How about die…
What would you kill for? How about die for? These questions are very thought provoking and not actually thought about that often. Perhaps an even harder question to answer is what do you live for as a human being; as a piece of the puzzle that is society. Not only do they provoke intense thought, but they place true emphasis on who you are as a person, what you deem important in your life, and what you would be willing to take a stand and fight for. As a young adult it is important that these questions be addressed, and your own set of beliefs and values be assigned. Nobody’s holding your hand this time.
The answers are not the same for everyone, and contain various degrees of complexity. Upon my own exploration of these seeming simplistic questions, I realized the true difficulty of procuring the answers. It took some time and thought but I learned a lot about myself. I took my stance from a non-religious viewpoint, and with the morals and values I hold to be accurate. Every person has something to live for whether willingly embrace it or not. Taking that chance from someone to life up to their dreams is not right although exceptions do exist, as with everything else.
When asked what I would kill for, I really had to think about what actions, rather than material items, would be deserving of such a punishment. I do not think anything of material is equal to the price of a life because its more than just the simple act of breathing and containing a heart within that pumps blood though your veins. Life is all of those dreams, aspirations, and thoughts. Putting all of that in a box to rot in the ground is not worth any possession. But I realized there are people in my life that I hold dear to my heart. Any other human being that does not see the value of life, and would choose to try and take that away from them, would end up the result of my purest efforts to end theirs. The people in my life who have made an impact deserve my respects and devotion, knowing they would do the same for me.
Dying for something usually indicates a passion, or faith in something. I myself do not believe in faith, or religion for that matter. The only thing I believe in is myself, and my love for those who deserve it. It is these people, that I would die for and nothing else. Life is the most valuable of things because it cannot be given back. Even though it is not a tangible thing, once it has been taken or given up, that is the end. There are many individuals in the world that hold religion above all else, and would willingly die for their beliefs. I personally would rather die for something or someone of concrete matter. I think that the sacrifice of my life need only to be dictated by myself and the circumstance, not blind faith. I don’t believe myself to be above anyone by any means, I just have different views.
I would without a doubt die for my right to voice myself. I think that is important because there are many who are silenced by their governments, or fear of. I think that a voice is one of the strongest tools a person can have against oppression or towards change, but it must stem from education on the subject matter. I would die for my voice because I am adamant and if I must be silenced, it will not happen until I have died.
The people who are worth the sacrifice of my life are the ones that I care most about. I would die any day for my father. He is very important to me, and is a living example of doing the right thing regardless of how bad things might get. I would not be the person I am today without him. I do not have many close friends, and that works out for me well. I don’t like to share my life stories and issues with many people. The people I consider to be my closest friends hold the title because of the level of commitment to me, and our friendship. I cannot grasp any idea of what my life would be like without them. They have been there for me during the very rough times in my life, and I would not think twice about dying for their sake. I am thankful to the people who wish to remain in my life, and in no way am I selfish.The biggest, and perhaps the most important question to assess in order to get a better understanding of yourself and others, is what do you live for: Just six simple words and such a powerful question. The answer could tell you more about a person and their values than one would think. What a person lives for is possibly held just as important or valuable as their life itself. This question took me the most amount of time to process and search for the answer.
After deliberate thought, I concluded that I live for expression because it seems to be in everything I do. I think that expression, especially through art, is one of the most important things a person could have. I am not a very open person, but it is through my art that I can express my thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Nobody else has to understand it but me. My art is very important because it’s of my own creation and the sense of ownership is just one of the greatest feelings to me. My artwork is one of the few things I can say I am proud of. My creativity is something I was gifted with and I do not plan on putting that to waste.
Along with the personal sense of expression, I live for it in a political sense as well. Many of my pieces are politically charged, and for a good reason. I look around and see what society has come to, and the power the government is abusing, and see people not using their voices, not expressing. I am strong-willed and educated when it comes to something I stand for. That being said, I believe a voice is the strongest thing a person has and the media used to convey this voice can be an outlet for creativity.
To sum up, these questions are not often pondered and incredibly difficult to provide and answer for, but they provide insight to a person and their beliefs and values. Not only do they provide that, but they illustrate a person’s individuality or lack thereof. I learned a lot about myself by asking these questions because I never really thought about it. I found that I would not kill unless my loved ones were threatened. I would die for my voice as well as the same people I would kill for. I live for my voice, and my right to express it. Everyone is different; some share the same ideals, and most do not. Nobody truly knows what they are capable of until the people or things most important to them are threatened. What really matters is how far you will go for the things you hold dear.
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Lee McKinnis
Fighting and dying to preserve creativity is good, and I an understand that feeling, although not in the hipsterish manner of “suffering for your art”. Being able to express yourself is arguably as strong an argument as being able to exist. Going for a ulitarian and non-religious POV is also good too.
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Lee McKinnis
…and it seems that you’re only willing to die for expression and a few friends. Hmmmm. Nothing else I notice!
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Taylor Wolff
I prefer not being labeled as a “hipster” if that is what you’re implying.
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Alex Velez
Taylor starts out asking what would you kill for? what would you die for? and leaves the hardest of the three questions for last. What would you live for. he also provokes the reader into engaging themselves by asking the same questions. for example he says “ not only do they provoke intense thought, but they place true emphasis on who you are as a person, what you deem important in your life”. Then he starts writing smart n stuff, saying things like “upon my own exploration of these seeming simplistic questions, I realized the true difficulty of procuring the answers.” Which I thought that was eloquently put as well as concise. When asked what he would kill for Taylor explains how actions take precedence over material reasons. One of my favorite quotes soon follows when he says “ I don’t think anything of material is equal to the price of a life because its more than just the simple act of breathing containing a heart within that pumps blood through your veins. Life is all of those dreams, aspirations, and thoughts. Putting all of that in a box to rot in the ground is not worth any possession.” I’m gonna quote that last sentence at some point during the semester. When he is asked what is worth dying for he indicates his belief in himself and seems to renounce fate and religion as a reason for dying. He would die for his loved ones sure but also mentions how he would give his life for something more concrete than just “blind faith”. He would also die for his right to voice his opinion, which he clearly does not take for granted when describing other countries that don’t have such freedoms. Taylor also mentions a strong attachment’s to those closest to him and his father. Taylor leads up to his final and hardest of the three questions and is a big advocate of “expression especially thought art”. To me, this is his biggest asset for emotional outlet, which is why its so important to him. Some people go for a run, a walk, fish, ski, the list goes on and on but he clearly loves his art for instance he says “I can express my thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Nobody else has to understand it but me.” (He’s pretty passionate about it and I hope it works out for him in the future.) He uses his art to communicate his political ideas which he feels equally passionate about. Taylor definitely captured my attention throughout the whole article and might be a little more passionate about the first two questions than he leads on.
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Tom Rybovic
I really enjoyed your piece of work. Right from the beginning your writing is compelling and very provoking. You get right to the point of the questions. Automatically you talk about what life means to you. The part where you talk about how important it is for young adults to be addressed these three questions is where you really catch my attention. I think these three questions need to be though about more by young individuals. Just like you said, young people need to understand and have their own viewpoints of what they live for. We as young adults need more focus to have a better idea to what we will stand up and fight for.
Your most powerful sentence about life is in your second paragraph. “I do not think anything of material is equal to the price of a life because its more than just the simple act of breathing and containing a heart within that pumps blood though your veins.” This sentence shows that no object is more valuable than life itself. It is very true in my opinion. It is the way you have set up that whole second paragraph that emphasizes the emotion in it.
What to die for? You state that you would be willing to die for the right to voice yourself. I respect that answer. It is something of your own that you believe is worth sacrificing your life for. It is those we need to make a difference in the world. If everyone were to be willing to die in order to have their voice be heard, this would be a different world.
Dying to preserve creativity is one hell of a fight. It is art that I too can use to express myself. It is how I feel that will reflect what I have made with the work of art. I like how you said that it is your art that is a creation you can be proud of. It is almost a sense of belonging when I think of my art. I really enjoyed reading about your art work and how it is that art itself is a part of your life.
In general terms this is a well written and explained paper. Towards the end there is a sense of closure that summarizes the paper in a brief. There are many great points brought up towards the end that make the reader think even after one is finished reading. It is until the certain point in our lives that we only have an idea what we are about. It is not until someone’s loved ones are in danger, that a person realizes what they are willing to stand and fight for.
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Taylor Wolff
Ecological literacy is an understanding and partnership with the ecosystem and environment around you. To be considered “ecoliterate,” one must not only understand the importance of the environment and its functions, but be able to work collaboratively with nature and the community of living things consisting of more than just the human species. This is an important term to grasp because of the situation we as a society have placed the planet in. Over one hundred years of damage, and the generations of today and tomorrow must step up in efforts to reverse it. This goes along with class discussion of volunteer work. Not everyone has to be a hero, but if people step up and do something as little as starting to separate their garbage from their recyclables to compost items. I would consider myself ecologically literate because for the past 3 years i have been involved in Oak Forest High School’s ecology club program. I also have a garden and compost pile, generated by my horse’s manure. I feel good about my ecological work, and will continue to participate.
Capra, Fritjof. “From The Web of Life.” Splatter.writing101.net. Web. 25 Jan. 2012
Grace Cosentino are discussing. 
Alex Velez is discussing. 
Holman Zea, 
Lee McKinnis, 
Tom Rybovic, and 
Taylor Wolff and one other person are discussing. 
Grace Cosentino 9:51 pm on May 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Mine isn’t eithier I was wondering if mine was just messed up
Prof McGuire 10:16 pm on May 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
It should be there now, Grace. Just got the chance to upload them after the graduation ceremony.
Prof McGuire 10:15 pm on May 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Grades are now posted.