Entry #10. Entering the Blogging World.

Dear Future English 101 Student,

           Blogging is one of the best projects you will ever get to do in English. Whether you are new or familiar to the blogging world, the experience of blogging will be unforgettable either. When I was first assigned to this project, I was nervous about it because I was inexperienced with blogs. The thought of people being able to read what I write was unnerving, but needless to say I am glad that I came across this project. I ended up liking the overall blogging experience. The best part about blogging is being able to customize your own blog that fits your own personality and interest. Having a blog can say a lot about you to your audience. As you start this assignment, you will see that everyone is unique and creative in his or her own way. You will be able to read and comment your peer’s blogs and that gives you a better insight of your classmates! One of the most challenging parts I faced while blogging was finding a good subject to write about for the self-generated topics. There is no doubt that there are a million things to talk about, but I suggest writing about topics that interests you the most. The internet became one of the best resources for me when it came to searching for blog topics. This blogging project has made me improve my writing skills and that is an important factor acquire when it comes to English. As I got more into writing blogs, I was able to find what writing styles and techniques worked best for me. I’ve learned that I don’t have to be scared of who I am while writing about topics that intrigue me. The most significant part of this experience is to be yourself and and don’t be afraid to have fun!

Entry #7. Mistreatment of Animals in the Farming Industry.

For several decades animals have been poorly mistreated in the farming industry and we've encouraged these actions by purchasing and consuming dead animals. Most people know that farm animals are not properly cared for in the sense of health and life longevity, but do they know what actually happens behind a farm? An LA Times article presented a story about how California handles their animals in a factory farm and the story is truly heartbreaking to read.

The article focuses on the mistreatment of farm animals. Not only are animals being slaughtered in the California farm industry, but they are also being abused. The article states that Proposition 2 should be reinstated within the farm industry. Proposition 2 is a statute that allows animals to have space and prohibits them from being confined so tightly that they can't stretch, move, etc. Farm industries haven't been following this proposition and there is evidence that proves it! Either we don't realize that these animals are being treated poorly or we allow these horrendous acts to happen!

It is bad enough that animals are being slaughtered so they can be eaten by people, but why treat them like they are non-living? These animals are just the same as dogs and cats so why is it okay to mistreat cows, but not dogs? Animals cannot speak for themselves so it is up to the people to substitute for them and we aren't doing a very good job. Animals such as cows, chickens, pigs, etc. are such harmless creatures that they do not deserve to be treated poorly. Most of them probably don't live long enough to see daylight because animals, like chickens, are being crammed so tightly in cages. It is sickening and heart-rending to know that these animals only live for the sole purpose of humans and we are hardly doing anything about the situation.

It is important for people to know what goes on behind the farming industry. If people have more knowledge of how the farming industry works, then we will stop to think, "Is this hamburger really worth it?" It is time for people to treat animals differently and know that their life is just as valuable as humans!

Entry #9. My Take on Thanksgiving Dinner.

When November rolls around all we think of is Thanksgiving. When we think of Thanksgiving we think of all the family gatherings, homemade meals, Black Friday shopping, and special events that are going to take place. Thanksgiving is such an exciting time of the year because everyone has different ways of celebrating it and that's was makes it special. Every Thanksgiving my relatives hosts a family gathering for a huge dinner. I dont get to see my relatives very often sou it also counts as a family reunion. Our Thanksgiving is very different from a typical American dinner that involves turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, etc.

My mom always makes her homemade Vietnamese soup called "pho" (pronounced as "fuh") for Thanksgiving. Of course everyone has their own ways of pronouncing the word, but there is only one correct pronunciation. Anways, pho is one of the most well-known Vietnamese soup among Americans. There are many restaurants that serves this specific type of soup, but personally I've never tried them. I've only tried my mom's pho because she makes them very frequently. The soup mainly consists of rice noodles, herbs, and meat. I eat them every so often that I hardly get cravings for them.

We also serve spring rolls during Thanksgiving dinner and I'm assuming that most people are familiar with them as it so popular. If not, spring rolls contains pork, shredded cucumber, noodles, shrimp, vegetables, etc. They are usually wrapped with translucent flour wrapper. As for the condiments, there is peanut sauce, lemon sauce, hoisin peanut sauce, and so many more. The great thing about spring rolls is that you can choose what to add in your rolls and decide what sauce you want to dip it in. It is all about personal preference!

These are the two of the many main dishes we serve during Thanksgiving for family gatherings. If I listed all of the foods that we serve every year, who knows when I'll be finished with this post! Anyhow, I'm very grateful for family events and great food. If you are unfamiliar with the foods I mentioned above, you should check them out!

Entry #8. Obesity in Children.

Obesity in children has become more common in the United States and there are no changes being made as numbers continue to increase. There are various factors that contributes to weight gain in children. As parents, siblings, relatives, or friends we need to step in to protect children's health by helping them make the right choices. Each child's health determines his or her future and it is important that he or she lives a long beneficial life.

As most of us may know the many consequences of becoming obese, but what do we have to do to make sure children are avoiding these health problems? This is an obvious one, but we need to alter children's eating lifestyle by limiting their calorie intake. We need to implement more nutritious foods into their diet such as fruits and vegetables. Parents can choose what their children can eat by restricting what foods they purchase, choosing where to eat, and deciding what meals to serve at home. Cooking a wholesome meal is a better alternative to buying fast foods. For instance, instead of ordering a McDonald's Egg McMuffin that contains a bunch of genetically modified ingredients, an omelet can be made by adding bell peppers, cheese, and onions. It sounds way tastier than eating a breakfast sandwich that lacks nutrients. Being able to prepare a nutritional meal for children promotes a healthy lifestyle and attitude.

Another main contributor of child of obesity is the lack of physical activities. We can all agree that technologies and video games are the main reasons as to why children never want to step a foot outside. It is important to encourage kids to spend more time outside to maintain weight and calories. Children should be doing physical activies such as going to the park, going for a walk, playing sports, etc. Kids need to start getting into the habit of doing more outdoor activies as it will be beneficial to their bodies and health. Parents should limit the use of computers, games, phones, etc. Once kids start to spend less time indoors they will have very little chances of having health problems. 

As there are many ways to prevent child obesity, we should take them into better consideration. Preventing obesity in children is not only important for their bodies, but for their health.

Taking a Closer Look at the Food We Eat. (EC)

As consumers, it is our job to find out where our food comes from, how it is being produced, and how it effects our health. Do we really know what the food industries have been up to all these years? Most of us don't even try to find the answer to that question because we believe that food industries care about our health and well-being, but that is not the case. There are many factors that contributes to the food we eat everyday and the truth isn't all that pretty.

When it comes down to meat production, how much do we really know about the chicken, pork, and beef we are consuming on a daily basis? Meat production is a huge deal because meat goes into the hamburgers we eat at fast food restaurants. Fast food restaurants purchases large amounts of ground beef so it is important to know where the beef comes from and how it is being produced. Farmers are being paid to mass produce their animals in a short amount of time so we are not getting the quality meat we think we are getting. For instance, cows are meant to eat grass, but they are being fed corn because it fattens them up quicker. Corn-fed beef contains more fat and calories and they are more consistent in taste which is ideal for fast food places. The cows then get slaughtered when they reach a certain amount of size.

When cows are being fed corn they can be infected with E. Coli. E. Coli is a type of bacteria that lives in the intestines of animals or humans. If one cow is infected with E. Coli then the infection can spread to the other animals and it becomes a domino effect. The disease can easily be spread to humans when they consume the contaminated beef. The virus doesn't apply to just cows, it can also occur in chickens and pigs and people often don't know that the disease can disperse to them. E. Coli is a very dangerous infection that can be life-threatening. Food industries need to put an end to processed meat because it affects consumer's health and society. As consumers, we need to start being aware of what is in our food by educating ourselves and taking a step back to think about what we are really ingesting in our bodies. If we have knowledge about what we are really eating, then we can make the world a better environment.

Entry #5. Reshaping Our Food System.

We, as humans, consume and purchase food so often that we rarely stop to think about the history behind the food we ingest in our everyday lives. How many people can say that they habitually think about where our food comes from? The documentary, Fresh, answers the question by showing the audience the pretty side of growing food and the ugly part of growing food.

In the documentary, the viewers can get an overview of how farming works. Every farmer in the industry has his or her own way of growing crops, feeding animals, and handling issues that comes with farming. Each farmer has a responsibility when it comes to producing foods. Most producers believe that their method of growing food is the best because they know that it works and that causes them to continue to stick to the procedure.

Monoculture is considered to be dangerous for the industry because it that meanz a lot of the same species are growing together with the same variation. When the same species are growing together, it is more susceptible to pests. Due to lack of mixture, pests can usually spread faster that way. When pests do appear, antibiotics have to be used to keep the species alive. Antibiotics in livestock animals can increase the risk of foodborne bacteria that can cause harm to humans. Do we really want to eat something that causes us to get sick? For the most part, most of us want to steer away from contaminated foods.



The same goes for plants and crops. Large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides are being sprayed into crops to increase fertility rate and prevent insects. Economically, farmers are better off spraying, but while doing so it is not good for the farmers, environment or the consumers. It is reasonable to want to produce more, but using fertilizers can attract more insects which requires pesticides to be used. The use of pesticides can be harmful in many different ways. A website has notified that pesticides pollute air, water, and soil which are disadvantages to farmers, consumers, animals, and plants. So why do farmers continue to use these products when it clearly has more downside than positive effects?


It is important for consumers to be educated and informed as to what they are buying these days. How much do we really know about what goes in our food? It is often a good idea to research where and how our food are made because we can decide if we need to make healthier alternatives for our eating lifestyle.

Entry #6. Implementing Gun Control.

Throughout the years, there have always been huge debates on whether gun control should be put into action. As many of you may know, the world's worst mass shooting happened in Las Vegas on the night of October 1, 2017. Many innocent lives were lost and injured in the hands of a dangerous perpetrator who owned many guns. Why was this individual allowed to own so many guns? How do citizens feel safe knowing one person can own as many guns as they wish to carry? How can people go to public gatherings like concerts, schools, churches, or even stores and guarantee that they will make it out alive? How many more massacres need to occur until stricter laws take into place?

Everyone wants these massacres to come to an end, but no one is really taking action to stop these horrific behaviors. If citizens want to prevent these violent actions from ever happening, then we should start implementing gun control! There is absolutely no valid reason for people to own guns besides safety assurance. After the horrific event that just took place, strict and demanding laws should be created like banning automatic weapons would be a great start. Such dangerous weapons should only be used for military purposes otherwise why would a single civilian need automatic weapons? Surely, not to ensure safety for him or herself.

There should be extreme background checks on individuals who wish to own a gun. Citizens should have no criminal record or committed any illegal act in the past, but according to a New York Times article, mass shooters tend to be people who have no criminal past and it makes it hard to identify which individuals should own a gun. Japan has one of the lowest gun homicide rates and it's all because of the way gun control has been executed. Most types of guns have been banned from the country such as handguns. As stated in the Atlantic article, it is extremely hard to own a gun because in order to own one, citizens must attend an all-day class and pass a written test. Then, citizens must pass a shooting range class. After that they have to get a mental and drug test from the hospital. Finally, a severe background check is made for any criminal pasts (Fisher).

Owning a gun is almost impossible in Japan, but there has only been twenty-two gun related deaths in history and that is pretty impressive to say the least. If America created a law like just like Japans, then there would definitely be less death rates involving guns. It already has been proven that gun control will work because of gun restrictions that have been made in Japan. If the people want to prevent gun related deaths, then America should take action by regulating gun control. Too many innocent lives have been taken away due to people owning guns.