Friday, December 3, 2010
Not As Hard As I Thought
I seriously thought that giving up fast food would be 10 times worse than I’m going through. I find myself not even thinking about fast food, and when I do I just think about what happens to the meat and where they get it from, then I just get turned off right away. I cant even build up an appetite on the thought of fast foods. If I had to choose between a salad and a McChicken, salad would be at the top of my list. I thought I would seriously be going through a withdrawal, but due to the fact that my mother cooks every night I really have no excuse to buy fast foods. I want to see how long I would last before I have my another “slip-up” hopefully it would be years from now. But who knows?
Immune To The Gimmicks
Usually when im going to work I eat breakfast at home, either a tuna sandwich (yes I eat tuna sandwiches for
breakfast) or a egg, mayo and bacon on potato bread sandwich. But on this particular morning there was nothing to eat in my house so I decided that I would buy something to eat from my local donut shop. When I got downstairs I found myself standing on the corner or the avenue trying to choose between a toasted butter roll with a small apple juice from the donut shop or a sausage McGriddle (which is small pancakes with syrup
inserted into them, with either sausage, egg or cheese) and a small orange juice from McDonald’s. I actually
walked into the McDonald’s and looked at everything on the menu and stood there for approximately minutes deciding whether or not I should buy something. What amazed me was that my whole perception of the foods on the menu changed. I looked at the food in disgust. The meats were thin, dis colored, and smelled horribly.
It made me sick to my stomach to be there. So I simply walked out of the McDonald’s and went across the
street to the Donut shop and ordered a toasted butter roll and a small apple juice and went on with my day. I
think I have become immune to the fast food cravings !
breakfast) or a egg, mayo and bacon on potato bread sandwich. But on this particular morning there was nothing to eat in my house so I decided that I would buy something to eat from my local donut shop. When I got downstairs I found myself standing on the corner or the avenue trying to choose between a toasted butter roll with a small apple juice from the donut shop or a sausage McGriddle (which is small pancakes with syrup
inserted into them, with either sausage, egg or cheese) and a small orange juice from McDonald’s. I actually
walked into the McDonald’s and looked at everything on the menu and stood there for approximately minutes deciding whether or not I should buy something. What amazed me was that my whole perception of the foods on the menu changed. I looked at the food in disgust. The meats were thin, dis colored, and smelled horribly.
It made me sick to my stomach to be there. So I simply walked out of the McDonald’s and went across the
street to the Donut shop and ordered a toasted butter roll and a small apple juice and went on with my day. I
think I have become immune to the fast food cravings !
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Yay We Found Somewhere To Eat
So we found somewhere to eat that doesn't involve me to go through one of my fast food craving
phases, FINALLY!!!! There’s a convenient store right across the street from LaGuardia's main entrance.
We go there every day during the break from 11:30-12:40, or we sometimes take our foods to go and eat in
the library in the M building (Shhh don’t tell anyone, we are not supposed to eat there, but hey we got to do
some work too RIGHT?!) Well any who, so at this convenient store I order a wrap (which is like a tortilla)
with sausage, egg and cheese with mayo and ketchup. YUM!! And I just drink regular old bottle of water. I
try to stay away from soda or juice, water cleanses your body and keeps your skin looking healthy and
smooth. So far I’m not tired of eating my wraps and I haven’t have any fast food cravings (well as long as I
don’t see it).
phases, FINALLY!!!! There’s a convenient store right across the street from LaGuardia's main entrance.
We go there every day during the break from 11:30-12:40, or we sometimes take our foods to go and eat in
the library in the M building (Shhh don’t tell anyone, we are not supposed to eat there, but hey we got to do
some work too RIGHT?!) Well any who, so at this convenient store I order a wrap (which is like a tortilla)
with sausage, egg and cheese with mayo and ketchup. YUM!! And I just drink regular old bottle of water. I
try to stay away from soda or juice, water cleanses your body and keeps your skin looking healthy and
smooth. So far I’m not tired of eating my wraps and I haven’t have any fast food cravings (well as long as I
don’t see it).
Week 2 Of No Fast Food
Being around Ashley Garcia, Stephanie Merendez and Jesus (don't know his last name) it is TOUGH! Every day they eat slimy, disgusting fast foods and I have to witness this. Even though I told them repeatedly that I am not consuming any type of fast foods, they still wanted to eat at the pizza shop (what friends I have =]). I have to admit it was very tempting, seeing the golden color of the oil, the aroma of the freshly cooked dough, and the string cheese. But I have a very strong will to stick to my goal. One day we went to the pizza shop across the street to get slices of pizza, I almost forgot that I had a fast food free diet. Wait, is pizza considered fast food? I mean it is cooked daily, well I don’t know. Well, I’m not too sure but I wasn’t taking any chances. So I just stuck to a plain old toasted roll with butter. YUCK! Not very satisfying but I did what I had do. Hopefully later on I can find tastier foods that are not pre-cooked and full of grease.
Monday, November 15, 2010
the Truth Behind Slaughterhouses
Michelle Chambers
Research Paper
The Truth Behind Slaughterhouses
American citizens and government officials have turned a blind eye on food industries.
The way they operate and how that can effect lives. American slaughter houses have became a
place of torture and a means of entertainment. They are filthy, contain horrible conditions and
are unsuccessful. Shining a light on the conditions of the slaughterhouse and the treatment of
animals can maybe spark some change. How can we better these slaughterhouses for these
animals, workers, and consumers?
The treatment of animals at slaughterhouses are inhumane. Many of the animals that we
consume on a daily basis are being brutally killed in these slaughterhouses. Turkeys with broken
wings and legs, bloody open wounds, tumors and other untreated injuries are being slaughtered
for human consumption. According to the Vegan Outreach program, in the article “If
Slaughterhouse Had Glass Walls,” “Animals in slaughterhouses can smell, hear, and often see
the slaughter of those before them.” imagine knowing you are going to be killed but cant do
absolutely nothing about it. The Federal law requires that mammals be stunned prior to slaughter
(exempting kosher and halal) (Vegan Outreach), but in most cases animals are still conscious
when having their throats sliced, and are not given any pain killers during the process.
Workers in slaughterhouses have become so desensitized to killing these animals that
they physically abuse them before slaughter, just for fun. The article “Animal Cruelty in
Slaughterhouses,” appeared in “the College Hill,” a community college newspaper of Sussex
County, stated that “Employees of Kentucky Fried Chicken, one of the biggest fast food chains
of poultry, were caught in July 2004, torturing their chickens for fun. Workers were videoed
stomping on chickens, kicking them, and slamming them violently against floors and walls.
Workers also ripped the animals’ beaks, twisted their heads off, spray-painted their faces and
faces, and squeezed the chickens’ bodies until they would die.” These workers have lost all type
of emotional attachment to these animals. Due to the fact that these workers perform the same
task all day everyday for a number of hours, they tend to become bored and stressed, so their
form of entertainment on the job is to physically abuse these animals. It has been documented of
some incidents where there are supervisors on duty witnessing these actions of the workers but
do not say anything. According to “Mercy for Animals.” there is no type of control on these
workers to prevent these incidents.
Majority of workers in the United States slaughterhouses are illegal immigrants. These
workers are hired by these corporations because they can be paid below minimum wage, they are
easily replaceable and there is no fear that these workers would unionize. These illegal
immigrants are young, inexperienced and have little to non educational background, and are out
to work in one the most dangerous jobs. Many illegal workers have been killed due to the lack of
experience and the dangerous conditions they are put under. In Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food
Nation” there is a entire chapter dedicated to the dangerous jobs that were given to these
immigrants. In this chapter labeled “The Most Dangerous Jobs” there are some factual incidents
where employees have been injured and even killed on the job. There was an incident where a
illegal immigrant worker named Raoul severely injured his shoulder and tendon. He was driven
to the hospital to receive stitches ans as soon as he was all finished, he was driven back to work ,
where he was dripping blood all over. Sometimes employees were asked to climb into gigantic
blood tanks and gut bins to unclog drains, according to Eric Schlosser’s findings. To clean these
huge tanks was a liquid called chlorine mix. “Chlorine is a hazardous chemical that can be
inhaled or absorbed through the skin, causing a litany of health problems [Eric Schlosser].”
There is a task called the “gutter” as a former IBP employee in Fast Food Nation described, is a
person that removes all of the guts from animals. An unskilled, inexperience worker can
improperly remove an animal to spray all over. As the former IBP worker explained it took him
6 months to learn how to properly gut an animal without the spraying of manure. The manure
that was sprayed out of these animals, due to improperly gutting, can lead to contamination of
the products.
The way corporations conduct their slaughterhouses are not successful. Many animals are
killed before they even reach the slaughterhouse, and workers tend to kill healthy animal, mostly
chickens and turkeys, for entertainment. All of these animals being killed either before
slaughter or for fun, is a loss of product for these corporations. When product is being loss profit
will also decrease. Even trying to get the animals, especially larger animals, to behave is time
consuming and can lead to a loss in profit. These large corporations are knowledgeable about
these incidents but are not doing anything to prevent then from happening. Dr. Temple Grandin
is a designer of livestock handling facilities and author of “ Thinking In Pictures and Other
Reports from My Life with Autism.” in her book, Dr. Temple Grandin pin points the problems
that human beings have done to animals that has made these slaughterhouses unsuccessful. Dr.
Temple Grandin states that “Mistreatment by people is the number one causing of animals
becoming frightened.” Management is also a lead contributor of the operation not being
successful. “Some people buy new equipment and think that is a substitute for good
management, over years I have seen animal handling improve with a change in management, and
I have seen it get rough and nasty when a good manager left [No Manager, No Control].” if
managers and workers had more of an emotional attachment to these animals, American
slaughterhouses would not only be more successful but less inhumane.
With no change in slaughterhouse conditions, treatment of animals and workers,
consumers can be effected. The conditions of American slaughterhouses are filthy and hold a
foul odor. Animals sit all day in a crowded facility drenched in manure, awaiting some type of
disease to eat away at there bodies. Due to these horrible conditions contamination can occur.
Deadly pathogens such as E-coli 0157: H7 can spread and lead to a supermarket near you.
Research Paper
The Truth Behind Slaughterhouses
American citizens and government officials have turned a blind eye on food industries.
The way they operate and how that can effect lives. American slaughter houses have became a
place of torture and a means of entertainment. They are filthy, contain horrible conditions and
are unsuccessful. Shining a light on the conditions of the slaughterhouse and the treatment of
animals can maybe spark some change. How can we better these slaughterhouses for these
animals, workers, and consumers?
The treatment of animals at slaughterhouses are inhumane. Many of the animals that we
consume on a daily basis are being brutally killed in these slaughterhouses. Turkeys with broken
wings and legs, bloody open wounds, tumors and other untreated injuries are being slaughtered
for human consumption. According to the Vegan Outreach program, in the article “If
Slaughterhouse Had Glass Walls,” “Animals in slaughterhouses can smell, hear, and often see
the slaughter of those before them.” imagine knowing you are going to be killed but cant do
absolutely nothing about it. The Federal law requires that mammals be stunned prior to slaughter
(exempting kosher and halal) (Vegan Outreach), but in most cases animals are still conscious
when having their throats sliced, and are not given any pain killers during the process.
Workers in slaughterhouses have become so desensitized to killing these animals that
they physically abuse them before slaughter, just for fun. The article “Animal Cruelty in
Slaughterhouses,” appeared in “the College Hill,” a community college newspaper of Sussex
County, stated that “Employees of Kentucky Fried Chicken, one of the biggest fast food chains
of poultry, were caught in July 2004, torturing their chickens for fun. Workers were videoed
stomping on chickens, kicking them, and slamming them violently against floors and walls.
Workers also ripped the animals’ beaks, twisted their heads off, spray-painted their faces and
faces, and squeezed the chickens’ bodies until they would die.” These workers have lost all type
of emotional attachment to these animals. Due to the fact that these workers perform the same
task all day everyday for a number of hours, they tend to become bored and stressed, so their
form of entertainment on the job is to physically abuse these animals. It has been documented of
some incidents where there are supervisors on duty witnessing these actions of the workers but
do not say anything. According to “Mercy for Animals.” there is no type of control on these
workers to prevent these incidents.
Majority of workers in the United States slaughterhouses are illegal immigrants. These
workers are hired by these corporations because they can be paid below minimum wage, they are
easily replaceable and there is no fear that these workers would unionize. These illegal
immigrants are young, inexperienced and have little to non educational background, and are out
to work in one the most dangerous jobs. Many illegal workers have been killed due to the lack of
experience and the dangerous conditions they are put under. In Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food
Nation” there is a entire chapter dedicated to the dangerous jobs that were given to these
immigrants. In this chapter labeled “The Most Dangerous Jobs” there are some factual incidents
where employees have been injured and even killed on the job. There was an incident where a
illegal immigrant worker named Raoul severely injured his shoulder and tendon. He was driven
to the hospital to receive stitches ans as soon as he was all finished, he was driven back to work ,
where he was dripping blood all over. Sometimes employees were asked to climb into gigantic
blood tanks and gut bins to unclog drains, according to Eric Schlosser’s findings. To clean these
huge tanks was a liquid called chlorine mix. “Chlorine is a hazardous chemical that can be
inhaled or absorbed through the skin, causing a litany of health problems [Eric Schlosser].”
There is a task called the “gutter” as a former IBP employee in Fast Food Nation described, is a
person that removes all of the guts from animals. An unskilled, inexperience worker can
improperly remove an animal to spray all over. As the former IBP worker explained it took him
6 months to learn how to properly gut an animal without the spraying of manure. The manure
that was sprayed out of these animals, due to improperly gutting, can lead to contamination of
the products.
The way corporations conduct their slaughterhouses are not successful. Many animals are
killed before they even reach the slaughterhouse, and workers tend to kill healthy animal, mostly
chickens and turkeys, for entertainment. All of these animals being killed either before
slaughter or for fun, is a loss of product for these corporations. When product is being loss profit
will also decrease. Even trying to get the animals, especially larger animals, to behave is time
consuming and can lead to a loss in profit. These large corporations are knowledgeable about
these incidents but are not doing anything to prevent then from happening. Dr. Temple Grandin
is a designer of livestock handling facilities and author of “ Thinking In Pictures and Other
Reports from My Life with Autism.” in her book, Dr. Temple Grandin pin points the problems
that human beings have done to animals that has made these slaughterhouses unsuccessful. Dr.
Temple Grandin states that “Mistreatment by people is the number one causing of animals
becoming frightened.” Management is also a lead contributor of the operation not being
successful. “Some people buy new equipment and think that is a substitute for good
management, over years I have seen animal handling improve with a change in management, and
I have seen it get rough and nasty when a good manager left [No Manager, No Control].” if
managers and workers had more of an emotional attachment to these animals, American
slaughterhouses would not only be more successful but less inhumane.
With no change in slaughterhouse conditions, treatment of animals and workers,
consumers can be effected. The conditions of American slaughterhouses are filthy and hold a
foul odor. Animals sit all day in a crowded facility drenched in manure, awaiting some type of
disease to eat away at there bodies. Due to these horrible conditions contamination can occur.
Deadly pathogens such as E-coli 0157: H7 can spread and lead to a supermarket near you.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Disgusting Truth About What Our Meat Is Being Fed ! YUCK !
"They’re designed to eat grass and, maybe, grain. I mean, they have four stomachs for a reason- to eat products that have a high cellulose content. They are not designed to eat other animals.”
-Steven P. Bjerklie
Quote Found On Page 202 of "Fast Food Nation" -Eric Schlosser
I Find this to be BEYOND disgusting. The cattles that are being slaughtered to become our next meal are being fed dead cats, dogs, and chickens. Cattle's are natural herbivores. Their body isn’t built to digest ANY meat products. Yea, us human beings consume dead animals on a daily basis, but our body is designed to digest these types of material. It even takes our bodies 15 days to digest these meats. Due to feeding these cattle dead meat the “mad cow disease” began. The sad part about it is that current FDA regulations still allow dead pigs, horses and chickens to be fed to these cattles. Sawdust and waste products from poultry plants are also being fed to the cattle. 3 million pounds of manure from chicken has been fed to cattles. This is like you yourself as the consumer eating pounds of chicken manure. YUCK, yea I know I felt the same way.
Feeding these cattle dead animals can lead to all types of disease. The food borne illness that is mentioned a lot throughout this passage is E-coli 0157: H7. When a single cattle is infected with E-coli 0157: H7, it can contaminate thousands of pounds of meat that was produced at that plant. This pathogen causes bloody diarrhea, bloody urine, vomiting and excruciating pains in the abdomen area. This pathogen can also be fatal in children.
So the question that we all must be asking ourselves is, why do these corporations feed these cattle dead animals? WELL, due to the rise in grain, corporations had no other option than to fed these cattle dead animals. Dead animals are the only material that is still high in protein and can still accelerate growth. Because of the high demand of meat, corporations are left no other choice.
So lets all think about where that hambuger you might eat really came from and what it is REALLY made out of! (MANURE!!!!!)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Prospectus
I have always had an interest in the treatment of animals in the slaughter house. I feel that the conditions that the animals have to endure are inhumane. They are filthy, contains a horrible odor, and isn’t successful. These dirty slaughter houses can cause foods to become contaminated and poses a real threat for us Americans. These conditions aren’t to be blamed on the workers but the corporation for which they work for. Shining a light on the conditions of the slaughter house and the treatment of the animals can maybe spark some change.
My concern is centrally based on the animals. Are they treated humanly? Are they still alive when having their throats sliced? How can we make this situation better to reduce all risks of contamination? How can we stop workers from brutally attacking helpless animals? There is a problem here that clearly needs to be fixed. The government, corporations and American citizens must work together to make some changes for the better.
To help propose my argument to my readers I will use a vase amount of outside sources. Quotations from credible authors would also be obtained during my research process. I will use the LaGuardia College subscription database system to receive newspaper articles or scholarly journals in my paper. Eric Scholsser’s, Fast Food Nation chapter 8 “Dangerous Jobs” will help show my audience the conditions of the slaughter houses.
My concern is centrally based on the animals. Are they treated humanly? Are they still alive when having their throats sliced? How can we make this situation better to reduce all risks of contamination? How can we stop workers from brutally attacking helpless animals? There is a problem here that clearly needs to be fixed. The government, corporations and American citizens must work together to make some changes for the better.
To help propose my argument to my readers I will use a vase amount of outside sources. Quotations from credible authors would also be obtained during my research process. I will use the LaGuardia College subscription database system to receive newspaper articles or scholarly journals in my paper. Eric Scholsser’s, Fast Food Nation chapter 8 “Dangerous Jobs” will help show my audience the conditions of the slaughter houses.
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