Blogpost 9: Response to "Tiger Woods Good vs. Tiger Woods Bad"

I have decided to write in response to Sam’s blogpost, “Tiger Woods Good vs. Tiger Woods Bad.” This topic interested me because the media has been constantly talking about the so-called “Tiger Woods scandal” and I was curious to find out what really happened the night when Woods got into an accident. I have reviewed three articles (two from Sam’s blogpost and one from my research) and Sam’s personal opinion on the issue. After reviewing these, I had no reason to oppose Sam’s opinion. I strongly believe that Tiger Woods is guilty of cheating on his wife Elin Nordegren.

The first article Tiger Woods Scandal: Rachel Uchitel, a Haptons Party Girl illustrates what Rachel Uchitel, the woman who is suspected of having an affair with Tiger Woods, has to say about the incident. Uchitel plainly denies having an affair with Woods by saying that the media does not have any credible sources to prove her affair. She states that people are giving false information to magazines to get money. As I scrolled down the page however, her speech started to sound more and more like an excuse. Her front and back did not match. It seemed like Uchitel was just spitting out words on impulse.

The second article Tiger Woods Scandal does not do a very good job describing the scandal. There is even a fragment in the article. The article just states that the Tiger Woods scandal generated a controversy.

To look further into the issue, I have researched and found another article that revealed some of the messages Woods sent to Uchitel. He wrote, “I know it’s brutal on you that you can’t be with me all the time…I finally found someone to connect with…someone I have never found like this. Not even at home.” The article claims that the People magazine reported that Woods’ fellow golfers knew about his cheating too. This must have been a huge shock for his wife Nordegren.

Reading the three articles made it clear that Tiger Woods did indeed have an affair with another woman besides his wife. There can be no excuses for why Woods sped out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m., hit a fire hydrant, and drove into a tree while his wife followed him with a 3 iron in her hands. I agree with Sam’s statement, “The first article does a very good job convincing the reader of the many reasons that (why) Tiger would be driving out of his house the way that he was, (and) explanations of the incident.” I am convinced that Woods had an affair with Uchitel. I believe that he should realize what he had done wrong and sincerely apologize to his family soon and live in harmony.

blogpost 8: Final take on Intelligence and Nurture: Take action!

It is clear that environmental factors determine one’s intelligence, as explained in my persuasive essay: Is Intelligence determined by nature or nurture? This means that environmental factors such as education, adoption, smoking, and drinking influence one’s intelligence significantly. If these factors are handled properly, it is possible to increase average intelligence and make this world a better place to live in. However, it is impossible to do this if we do not stand up and take action. To help with the cause of intelligence, we should study harder, support children in deprived countries, and help others struggling with smoking or drinking problems.

As students, we should focus more on our education and study hard- not because it is our job to do so, but to improve our intelligence. We should not take education for granted, but be grateful that we are able to have it. We should always challenge ourselves to attempt at harder problems that will enable us to develop our critical thinking skills. Knowing the importance of education, we should also help children and teenagers in other countries get education too. We can do this by donating through various organizations or even volunteering as a teacher if we have a chance to travel. I have had a wonderful experience this summer as I volunteered as an elementary English teacher in Thailand. There were only 15 students in my class and sometimes I could not communicate with them, but it was an experience that I would never forget. If you are not able to travel, you can donate through an organization called “World education.” They will give your donation to 50 different countries in Asia and Latin America that need funds for the cause of education.

Since it is now clear that smoking and drinking has a huge affect on one’s intelligence, we should act out by encouraging people who are struggling with smoking and drinking problems to seek help. There are many non-profit and government organizations that can help those who have decided to end their bad habits. One of them, you might have heard about it too, is the Alcoholic Anonymous (AA). This non-profit organization calls itself “a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.” The only requirement for a membership is a desire to stop drinking; there are no dues or fees. AA will try their best to help their members stay sober. For smokers who are willing to quit, there is an online service called “Quitnet.” They claim to be the world’s largest and most comprehensive online quit-smoking service. Quitnet offers smokers with tools and support to quit smoking and stay quit. They provide research-based advice and give access to public or private counseling with an experienced quit-specialist also.

There are multiple ways to get involved with the cause of intelligence. With your small action, the world can become a much better place to live in. It is not too difficult to act out. Just study hard, donate, and help those suffering with alcohol and/or smoking. We need you to act out now!

Link 1 (Support)

Link 2 (Oppose)

Blogpost 7: Tom Cruise and Scientology

Having won three Golden Globe Awards and ranked as the world’s most powerful celebrity, Tom Cruise has become a national and an international top star. Because of his popularity, the amount of influence he has on the public is greater than most others. People stay in tune to what goes on in his life, because they want to know the real Tom Cruise behind the screen. That is why a unique religion called “Scientology,” endorsed by Tom Cruise, have interested many.

For quite awhile, Tom Cruise endorsed a religion called “Scientology.” His strong support and involvement with Scientology started in 1990, most likely through his first wife Mimi Rogers. Ever since then, he took an active part as a member of the Church of Scientology and held many campaigns and promoted various programs for the sake of the religion. Now, he is known not only as an actor, but also as an outspoken advocate for Scientology. His strong beliefs in the religion however, often lead him to make controversial statements that offended some groups. For example, in an Entertainment Weekly Interview, Cruise announced that psychiatry “is a Nazi science.” Despite the many criticisms he receives, Cruise still holds his beliefs of Scientology and endorses others to believe in it too.

To provide a brief overview of Scientology, Scientology is a religion that deals with the human spirit and its relationship to the universe and its Creator. The word “Scientology” means “the study of knowledge or truth” and it teaches that the fundamental laws of life can help people achieve a more fulfilling life. The key belief of Scientology is that an individual is a spirit, not a body or a brain or genes. The religion teaches that spiritual enlightenment leads to personal understanding of oneself, others, and one’s relationship to the universe.

Reading and watching some short clips about Tom Cruse and Scientology, I was amazed at how passionate he was about his religion. I was also surprised at how good of a speaker he was. He was persuasive when discussing his religion and it seemed as though he had the proper knowledge to endorse Scientology. However, due to the many controversial statements he made, I believe that his endorsement would not have the desired outcome. If he could be a little more accepting of other's opinions, he may have a better chance at getting more support from others.

Blogpost 6: Pro-life or Pro-choice?

Even after the decision of Roe vs. Wade, the subject of abortion remains as a controversial issue and the debate continues on. Although both sides of the issue explain their cause in terms of absolute moral values, the two parties have never reach an agreement yet. The question concerning this subject is, “What should be the moral and legal status of abortion?” Pro-life (against abortion) and pro-choice (for abortion) groups take their stance.

The pro-choice side of the issue believes that abortion is a woman’s right and it bans discrimination against women. They say that when a woman does not desire pregnancy, the continuation of it can cause physical and emotional stress. Only a pregnant woman knows whether she is ready to give birth to a child or not and so the government should not take any part in making that decision for her, is what they believe. Pro-choice supporters assert that banning abortion is a violation of a woman’s right to privacy, because abortion is a “decision one makes about one’s body and one’s reproductive capacity.” They also say that denying a woman’s access to abortion is a form of gender discrimination, because it is nothing different to denying woman access to medical services.

The pro-life side of the debate believes that choosing to destroy an unborn child is a choice of murder. Therefore, they say that abortion is immoral and wrong. Pro-life Christians say that God allowed people to make their own decisions (free-will), but did not allow people to make decisions for others (unborn baby). According to them, God, not the pregnant mother of an unwanted child, is the giver of life and death. Pro-life feminists also speak out, outraged at the effect abortion has on women. They say that pro-choice has hurt woman rather than promoting gender equality. The feminists declare that only women experience the immediate and long-term traumas, complications, emotional devastation, or psychological traumas after getting an abortion and that is just not fair.

I personally think that the pro-life side of the issue is more convincing, and that may be because I am a Christian. However, besides the Christian values, statements from the pro-life feminists convinced me. I always saw abortion as a one-time thing, an over-and-done-with process. But, now see the possibility of the side effects of abortion hurting women after the process is complete. For as long as I can remember, my opinion for the subject of abortion was pro-life. Therefore, my belief did not change after reading the two articles. If anything, my belief became more solid.

Link (Pro-choice)

Link (Pro-life)

Blogpost 4: Sunny Delight Orange Juice

Food companies use various health claims to appeal to the public eye. In many cases however, these product health claims can be very deceiving. Therefore, it is important for the public to seek the truth hiding behind the deceiving words.

A product I wish to analyze is “Sunny delight orange juice.” This drink is among the most popular kid drinks in American, with an estimated $450 million revenue annually. Its company Procter and gamble targets health-promoting mothers, suggesting that the sunny delight orange juice is a better option than a regular soft drink. The company proposes that the juice is a tangy citrus punch with 100% vitamin C. It does not take much for the mothers to believe this, because the drink appears to look like a typical orange juice at sight. However, Director Michael F. Jacobson, a CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) Executive Director thinks differently. He believes that the Sunny delight orange juice is a fake juice, designed to deceive the public. He claims that the juice is essentially sugar water with insignificant amounts of juice and vitamins added to it. Jacobson also writes that the juice is a little more than an orange soft drink, without the bubbles. In a fruit juice article “Just say no to Sunny-D,” Jillita Horton states that the actual real fruit juice in Sunny-D includes only 2 % or less of the ingredients and advises the public to watch out for the artificial juice.

The truth of the Sunny Delight orange juice is unfortunately, just as the experts stated. Seeing the Ingredients label at the back of the juice, it states that the juice consists of water, high fructose and syrup, artificial color (Yellow #5, #6) and preservatives (Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Sodium Benzoate). It specifically writes also, that there are 2% or less of the concentrated juice. Therefore, I concluded that the claims made by Sunny-D juice are very misleading and deceiving.

Knowing the real deal behind the fancy labels of the Sunny delight juice, I would not recommend this product to anyone seeking a healthy drink. I am certain that this artificial drink would not be of any help to those promoting a healthy diet. A healthier option would be to buy a juice that has a label that says 100% juice. I would recommend the Minute made frozen 100% orange juice. This frozen juice is not only cheaper than regular carton orange juice, but tastes better also. In a world where artificial products are called real food, it is important for the public to watch out for what they are eating.

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Blogpost 5: Analyzing "Dining out: more than just eating"

I have reviewed the article called “Dining out: more than just eating.” My instructor posted a link to this article in the class blog. The article, written by Jennifer Fischer, was originally posted in a Subaru website. It contained many visual aids to keep me focused and provided an overview of the history of eating out. The article also presented an interesting viewpoint on what it really means to dine out.

Dining out has been a long tradition in the course of world history. The historians state that the tradition of dining out began in 18^th century France, where it served a practical purpose of providing for the hungry travelers. However, after the French Industrial revolution, dining out became more of a display of one’s social status. The noble class made dining out a great public show. The restaurants were extremely luxurious to suit the nobles at the time; they had multicourse feasts and live performances that lasted for hours. Then, as time surpassed, the bourgeoisies (wealthy people who are not born noble) and the middle class started to imitate this practice. The imitation was largely due to the their belief in “egalitarianism,” the belief in human equality. Now, eating in restaurants was not just for the wealthy people, but also for anyone who could afford to do so.

The popularity of restaurants soon spread throughout the world. As a result, numerous cultural restaurants began to form in order to satisfy various tastes. Today, dining out has become more than just satisfying the basic human needs. People dine out to celebrate, to explore different tastes, to network, and to take a break from the real world. Dining out developed into a social event.

The outside source linked below advocates the statements made in the article. Like the article, it states that people eat to enjoy a good meal with their family, friend or a business associate. The source also suggests another positive aspect of eating out: eating the best food without having to worry about any other things. Lastly, they say that eating out is an experience.

I read this article, thinking that it would talk about the negative aspects of dining out to convince me to eat at home. However, I realized that I was wrong as I scrolled down the pages. I was surprised at the approach the writer took on the issue of dining out. It was odd reading about the positive aspects of eating out, because I was always told that eating out was an unhealthy practice. The article opened my eyes to a new perspective on the issue and I was able to conclude that eating out can be quite delightful. To put this into action, I arranged a time this weekend to eat out with some of my close friends.

Link to original article

Link to outside source

Demonstration Speech: Bubbletea

My informative speech was performed on Monday, the 26^th of October. My topic was “How to make a Bubble smoothie.” I chose this topic because I wanted to share a taste of Asian culture to the class and have fun making bubble smoothie in class.

The overall content of the substance of my speech was tolerable. The introduction was well presented with the use of power point slides, as I explained the history of bubble drink. The phrases following the bullet points were clear and concise and made it easy for the class to follow along. The organization, explaining the order of steps, was really vague. I did not clearly announce the order of steps and appeared to have one too many steps. My information content was useful because the class as able to experience some Asian culture and learn how make bubble smoothie at home. I was not able to sum up my speech with a conclusion because I exceeded the time limit. This was due to a lack of practice in my part. I did go over the demonstration several times at home, but I failed to consider time as a part of it. I could have shortened my presentation time by pre-making the bubbles.

The visual aids used in my speech were creative. My two visual aids were the power point and my personal demonstration. The two linked closely to one another as one explained the background and the other explained the process, respectively. They both contributed to the overall speech effectively. It was helpful to use the power point slides at the beginning of my speech because it grabbed the class’ attention before I proceeded to my actual demonstration.

I lacked many aspects in delivering my speech. I could not express enough enthusiasm towards my topic because I failed to look up to give eye contact to the class and did not speak loud and clear enough. I tried my best to look confident and professional, I was too nervous. Body language was shown mostly during my power point presentation. The pace of my speech was good, but the cooking took too long.

The overall effectiveness of my speech was decent. I had audience interaction at the end of my speech by offering the class to try the bubble smoothie. Although my demonstration may have been too long, I believe that the information I provided was sufficient enough for the purpose of the speech.

In my opinion, my strength was the visual part of the speech and my weakness was the delivering and the time part of the speech. To have a better presentation in the future, I need continuous practice.

Looking back at my topic now, I believe that I could have chosen an easier topic, but I do not regret my choice. Bubble drink is such a traditional Asian drink that I am really glad that I had a chance to share it with the class. I really hope that they learned something about Asian culture through my speech.

I still have many regrets for my demonstration and believe that I really could have done something to make it better, but it was a good experience. I will attempt to improve my weakness in my next speech through more practices. Practice makes perfect!

[3] Prepare Chicken barbeque and rice

For my meal, I decided to cook chicken barbeque and rice because I had all the necessary ingredients in hand. I had bought the major ingredients (chicken and rice) from Woodman’s about a week ago. I prepared the meal for my friend, my cousin, and myself to step away from the stressful studying at least for a little while.

It was not too difficult making the meal because I roughly knew the procedure by observing my mom make it several times at home. I simply had to modify the procedure slightly to fit the taste of my friend and my cousin. I did this by eliminating the spicy powder from my barbeque sauce, which made the chicken less spicy. To prepare the meal, I first preheated the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and took out three frozen chicken breasts from the freezer. Then, I placed the chicken breasts on an ungreased oven pan and put it in the oven. I had 25 minutes to wait before I could spread the barbeque sauce on my nearly cooked chicken breasts. While I was waiting, I took three cups of uncooked rice, washed it thoroughly, and poured it into the rice cooking pot. Because I had to wait for both the chicken and the rice to cook, I made the barbeque sauce and set up the table. When 25 minutes passed, I spread the barbeque sauce over the chicken and waited 10 more minutes for it to cook completely. By that time, the rice was cooked and the meal was ready. My friend and my cousin seemed to have enjoyed the dish and we cleaned the plates afterwards. Each step of the procedure together created a delicious meal and provided me with a great experience. Not one step was unnecessary in the process.

Michael Pollan’s claims are definitely interesting. He had definitely put some thought into it. Pollan provides a deep explanation of why so many Americans have turned towards processed foods. He explains that Americans have always” had a problem taking pleasure in eating” (Pollan, 54) from the time of the Puritans. But, I do not agree with his statement entirely. To me, it just seems like he is trying to blame the early Americans for America’s current practices of food, suggesting that the Americans living now are completely innocent. Pollan’s claims may be partially true, but I believe that the Americans living now must be responsible for some of the blame also: for their bad eating habits. America’s favor towards processed food is not a direct result of the tradition that passed down from generation to generation, but is due to the ill eating practices of the Americans living now. More and more people are choosing fast foods and instant meals over healthy homemade meals. It is the daily “choices” that they are making that is slowly ruining their health. With this type of attitude, even if all processed foods disappeared from the grocery shelves, nothing would change. The first step to healthy eating is making the “right choices.”

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[2] Fake vs. Real Mashed Potato

As a child, one of my favorite foods was mashed potato. My mom would prepare a mashed potato dish every time she cooked steak. I enjoyed helping her make mashed potatoes by peeling the raw potatoes and mashing them after she had boiled them. I could never forget the fantastic, soft taste of the homemade mashed potatoes. At that time, I did not know of any “fake mashed potatoes.”

About a couple months ago, I noticed something from a grocery store that caught my attention. It was instant mashed potato powders in small packages. It had many flavors to it too, such as cheddar cheese, garlic and herb, or lightly salted. With curiosity, I bought one of the packages and decided to try the “new mashed potato.” The procedure was surprisingly simple. All I had to do was to boil a certain amount of water, pour in the mashed potato powder, mix it well, and wait for it to cool down. It only took me approximately 3 minutes to make! The instant mashed potato’s easy procedure and short preparation time was much to my convenience compared to the homemade mashed potato. Because it was so convenient to make, I began to prefer the “fake mashed potato” over the real mashed potato.

The visual aspect of an uncooked fake potato and an uncooked real potato is very different. While the fake potato looks like a clump of dry powders, the real potato appears as a 3-dimentional oval shape. When cooked however, the fake mashed potato looks identical to the real mashed potato. They even smell somewhat similar to the real mashed potatoes, if flavors are ignored. But, the fake mashed potato cannot beat the real mashed potato in taste. Fake mashed potato does not have a deep taste of potatoes and tastes diluted at times. The fake mashed potatoes also lack some nutrients that real mashed potato possesses, such as vitamin D.

In the future, I will attempt to make more “real mashed potato” than “fake potato,” but I cannot guarantee myself that I will always cook real mashed potato. This is because it takes too much time and effort to make the real mashed potato. As a busy college student, it would be difficult for me to spare the time and effort into making mashed potato. I have to admit though, that the option of fake foods surely has made me lazier.

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[1] Discussing Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food"

In the introduction of the book In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan explains his reasons for writing the book and provides a brief overview of the contents of the book. Pollan states that his goal for writing the book is to assist the public in regaining their health and happiness as eaters. To reach this goal, he begins to reveal some unpleasant facts about food that the food industries, nutrition science, and journalists have long kept from the public. Pollan states that the things people eat today are not “foods,” but are merely edible food-like substances made by modern science. He also talks about the Age of Nutritionism, where the nutritional facts become the key factors in classifying what food is good or bad for one’s health.

From chapter one to four, Pollan explains how the American public had no choice but to turn their interest from real foods to nutrients because all the real foods on the shelves of grocery stores were replaced with nutrients during the 1980s. Afterwards, the public was introduced to various scientific terms such as proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol levels. This was just too overwhelming for the public to handle. They had no other option other than to trust the words of the scientists. If the scientists announced that meat and diary products increased the chances of a heart disease, it was that. The public did not inquire about the subject any further. They started to forget the true purpose of eating. All of a sudden, food was not about pleasure, community, and family, but “bodily health.”

Although I have only laid my hands on the first couple of chapters of Pollan’s book, the information it contained was powerful. I was shocked when Pollan declared that most of the foods I have eaten so far were not real foods, but were artificial, food-like products. When he said that the food companies and nutrition science had put much effort into preventing the government from enforcing the artificial food labeling, I felt deceived. I thank Pollan for the information he provided in his book and I support his claim concerning the need for a reform in America’s food industries.

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