Sources 3-29-10

When I am choosing a scholarly source I try to look for the most peer-reviewed article I can find. Searching the internet or any other medium like that is not always the best idea when finding an article for a paper because you never know who may have contributed or wrote that article, so it is not always the most consistent way of going about researching a piece of writing or information. The way that works best for me is by going to the library and finding books that are relevant to what I am studying, or to go on the WorldCat website on the Washington State University website and find a academic article that way. The ways I know that the articles I find are trustworthy and fit for my paper are: it is peer-reviewed, published, or from a source that is well known and trusted in that certain field of study. A proper source is always extremely important whenever you are writing a paper on a certain topic that requires information that is true or required to back up a point you try to make throughout the paper. In order to properly convince your audience of what you are trying to prove, you must include sources that backup your ideas and insure that what you are saying is accurate. Citing the author accordingly is also extremely important when finding suitable sources because if the author is not given the proper citation of his or her teachings then the information in your paper may be considered false by your instructor or reader.

Norman E. Borlaug Article

Biotechnology and the process of genetically altering the food we eat in order to create higher yields of food and to rid the food we eat of diseases is the dream Norman Borlaug worked towards throughout his long-lived career. The question I have is: Is using such technology and man-made feats something we desire to have present in the food that we consume? I feel that the effect man has had on the food he eats may in turn be the demise of our species as we know it. The control human-kind has desired to have over nature throughout the past few centuries may not be as beneficial as everyone says it is. For the millions of years that life has existed on earth, living things have had to fight, work, and suffer for the nourishment they received. Natural selection has, over time, produced the species living today. By using such technology to feed everyone and everything we are bypassing nature and its rules for life completely. Feeding the world through the process of biotechnology will effectively over-populate the earth, which will lead to the over-use of natural resources, which will eventually exhaust the Earth entirely. I am not advocating that humans should not feed others or make sure no one starves, but I do feel that if we continue in this technological direction we are moving towards, nature will eventually fight back in a tremendous way.

Omnivore's Dilemma: 3-1-10

Chapter twenty of The Omnivore’s Dilemma touches on the appreciation of being able to consciously recognize where your food really came from, and this is what I connected to most in this weeks reading. Michael Pollan discusses his journey of how he made and ate an entire meal, which he made and gathered completely. Such knowledge of what you are really eating is knowledge everyone should have in his or her life regularly. The fact that such knowledge can aid in our own well-being and health truly proves that the food we have been eating for our entire lives have been lies time and time again. Not knowing the truth behind what we are feeding our bodies further empowers the corporations with control over our food, to continue lying to us. Unless the modern man fully understands what his food really is, we will continue our downward spiral in terms of our worldwide health problems and future problems to come. Though preparing a meal like the one Pollan did seems incredibly positive and helpful in many ways, it may not be realistic for many people and families. The ability to create such a meal requires incredible amounts of respect, knowledge, and time; most of which most people do not have a lot of.