Midterm

Dear Sam,

Here I am in another English class where I have to write about what I have learned. The difference is this time I think I actually did do some learning. Even though this course is extremely similar to 1101, it has its perks. For example we have a book that tells us exactly what we are learning and it has a great deal of ideas that I have not used before.

Specifically I learned three types of thesis statements or claims, Value, Fact and Policy. From that I am able to view and idea from 3 different angles. This allows me to put aside my bias and open up to opposing arguments. I will be to make concessions that allow me to understand how everyone feels about a topic. Concessions is another thing that I learned It is when you explore opposing arguments and try to comply with those who are skeptical about your answer to an issue.  Basically you try to appeal to them by understanding why they support their ideals over yours.  I learned what an annotated bibliography is, I’ve never wrote one before this class it’s always been essays. I really do not like dealing with sources because it’s a lot of extra work but this assignment was different, I helped understand why sources where important.  I’m sure there is more but as of 8:30 in the morning I’m drawing a blank.

Your Friend,

Roger Dean

Refection on Assignment

My “What’s it like to be me” essay was a great success. I really feel that my audience was able to understand the lifestyle that I live and the way it interpret life itself. My audience was specifically my classmates but it could also extend to anyone who wants to get to know me. This piece is my introduction. It is what I wish people could receive from my first impression.  But due to my double ended personality it’s not always that clear to my peers and even my friends. Maybe I should require all my friends to read this assignment because it says a lot of things that sometimes I do not have the courage to say out loud.

As far as me trying something new goes I’ve always been a poetic and metaphorical person so what may be new to you may not be new to me. I learned that I should be confident in my writing because according to my audience I’m good at it.

Peace Butter and Jelly

Peace Butter and Jelly is a great book to jumpstart the learning process. It teaches innovation and individualism. Its gives the reader a break from structure into a more relax environment where they think freely about what they want out their life. It really applies to freshman who may confused about where they want to go or are unsure of what it takes to get to their metaphorical destination. I also coaches on how to deal with stress and promotes indulging in positive attitude.

Third assignment

Since my topic is food irradiation my audience would be consumers of potential irradiated food. My subject is timely because there's a constant struggle with proper food preparation. You always see in the news about how E. coli or salmonella has been found in different food item. I wouldn't really say I'm invested in this topic is just an issue that is extremely debatable and was recently brought to my attention.

I assume that high school teachers thought that if we included first-person pronouns in our paper and we are surely to also include our own biases. Also as a high school student we were a less credible source for information. Apparently now that achieved a high school diploma we are able to receive some credit for our own bases of knowledge. I guess this is one of the rewards for college students, seeing that we made it past the stereotypes.

So far I have seen three different viewpoints, the first being pro food irradiation, and the second against irradiation both of which being is supplied by Jonathan Prejean. The third would be a completely neutral view which is given by the environmental protection agency.

This week I learned that possibly food irritation is a superior way of sanitizing compared to watching and heating. There are some forms of bacteria that can survive extreme he and also so-called antibacterial chemical. And just because a substance is packaged as antibacterial doesn't mean it kills all bacteria. For example hand sanitizer does not kill bacteria that can be found in your toilet like Serratia marcescens.

Second Assignment

The most interesting source so far is http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/403/Prejeanpap.html. Its a research assignment done by a Jonathan Elliot Prejean a student attending Harvard law school. His research compiles all the information about Food irradiation. He provides the definition of food irradiation and where it is being practiced. Also his paper is argumentative claim that food irradiation is a good way to decrease the risk of food borne illness and should be used in the US.

According to Jonathan Food Irradiation has the potential to reduce the amount of food borne illness in the U.S. It seems to be the only way to remove Salmonella from poultry, which puts consumers at risk of under-cooked food. Irradiation would eliminates that problem. If irradiation were constantly used on ground beef, the problem of E. coli would be no more. Poultry irradiation has been approved for nearly 10 years, but the rate of irradiation for consumer poultry is 0.2%. The economic losses due to Salmonella an estimated $2.4 billion. Basically he believes that the process food irradiation will not only benefit our health, but also our economy.

A few set backs I guess would be that I want to argue the dangers of food irradiation and why it shouldn't be used but, I have yet to find a source to back me up. I the source I have found list the risk and then apply a rebuttal saying that the risk are insignificant. Hopefully I will find someone who is at least skeptical about the topic.

First Assignment

My Inquiry question is why food irradiation is dangerous? Food irradiation the process of passing radiation into food to kill insects and bacteria that cause food borne illness. An example would be E. coli. I chose this question because it was previously talked about in my biology class.I figure since I had previous knowledge on the subject from researching it for a biology assignment I could use their prior knowledge in this case as well. I've found a multitude of website for my topic including a Harvard University Research site that provides background information on food irradiation. It relevant because it is being largely used on the foods that we eat especially beef and pork.