Entry #10: Finding Your Way

Hello again, I have been writing a lot of entries about the food industry. Once I started looking into it I couldn't stop researching and learning more about food production in America. I think this is a very complex economy and there are many parts to it. I understand that this may not be the most interesting topic to read about but I just wanted to do my part and educate people on what is currently happening. I hope this will help to make some change, but that is not what today is about. 

Today I wanted to talk about my journey in college so far and give an update. As I stated in my first blog, giving background about me, this is my first year in college. It was hard ending four years of high school and having no graduation, receiving a gown and tassel I cannot wear, and just being handed a piece of paper as if my diploma did not matter. This was all at the start of Covid-19 when it was ramping up, and because of that I also had to start college doing all online classes as many of you also had to do. 

As of now, I am doing well in my classes, I am almost done with my pre-requisites. I just have the spring semester and then I will finish my last couple of classes next summer. I am doing the basic pre-requisites for health sciences and I am not sure what I want to do next. When I was younger I always said I wanted to be a doctor because they pay well, but I do not think I would be able to go through 8+ years of college classes at a minimum.

 I am trying to find a career that interests me, of course, everyone wants a high-paying job, but if it is not something that you find interesting you'll most likely dread it no matter how much money you make. My mom made this exact mistake, she became a nurse because she thought it was a well-paying job and it was very popular, but it was not worth it. She hated going to work and for a family of six, it was not enough money to keep her going. I want to go into the health field somewhere, I am just not sure where. Luckily, I have a good scholarship so I have not paid too much for my classes so far. I am still trying to find what exactly I have a passion for in the health field, the healthcare field does interest me, I just do not know what yet. Let me know what career path you guys plan to take and how you are doing in college so far, especially during this hard time.

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Entry #9: Government Subsidizing

I saw these images on the internet the other day and I found the meaning behind it very interesting. Apparently, there is a government program that pays farmers to make crops and raise cattle to sell to the general public. I had not heard of this program before, but I think it is really important to inform everyone of what our government is doing to us. Please read to find more out about how our government is ruining our economy of food production and pushing a capitalist agenda, it is unbelievable.

               Corporate farmers v. Small family farmers

This cartoon perfectly depicts government subsidizing for agriculture. In other words, this program is a government aid meant to help small farmers from going bankrupt. These farmers get paid based on the number of crops and livestock that they grow. This government program first came about in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. The economy was in ruins and farmers were rioting because they were all bankrupt and they were fighting to even keep their families fed and stay alive. This program was meant to help these small family farmers stay afloat and keep them from going bankrupt. However, this program quickly changed at the hands of a greedy government. The government started giving the majority of the money for subsidizing to corporate farmers who were already wealthy. Instead of giving money to these family farmers, the government paid out billions to corporate farming companies that were already so big, with so much power. Illustrated by Uncle Sam portraying the U.S. government, which is handing money to a big man who represents Corporate farming companies getting the majority of government aid. While the small family farmers are represented by the small man behind the big man, the small farmers are being pushed out of the way and are receiving little to no aid from the government because of a capitalist agenda. Therefore, the program did a complete 180 and started doing the opposite of what the program was created to do, pushing an agenda of making the rich even richer and the poor even poorer. 

This government funding program was also meant to help keep nutritious food in abundance. However, when the program completely changed and helped to make the rich richer the government wasn't only funding wealthy farmers, but funding junk food. These corporate farmers made a lot of corn, which created an overabundance of corn syrup because it was cheaper to make than regular sugar. Most companies started to use corn syrup because it was less expensive than real sugar and obesity rates started to grow. Corn syrup is in the majority of sweets, processed foods, and even in ketchup which every American usually has in their fridge. Corn syrup is not only addictive, but too much of it creates very high risks of type II diabetes and obesity. Not only is this shift in agenda fueling obesity in America but also making many family farmers become alcoholics and commit suicide because their livelihoods are in ruins. A greedy government is dangerous for anyone who is not rich and really the community as a whole. Please keep this in mind when buying food at the grocery store, remember, vote with your dollars and buy locally from smaller farmers if possible.

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Entry #8: Ancestry

Today I wanted to talk about something very personal and interesting. I recently took a 23andMe DNA test. First, you purchase it online at 23andMe, it is, of course, a bit expensive. It is normally $200 or $100 dollars depending on the type of test you take. Right now they are having a huge half-off sell until Nov. 26 so I would highly suggest clicking on the link. First, you buy a package and you will receive it in the mail in about a week. Then, you open the package, this is what it looks like when you open it:

The box gives you step by step instructions on how to open the container, how much saline to put in it, and how to seal it back up and re-box it to ship out. It also gives you instructions on the app and creating an account with your saliva barcode on it. From there, you ship it back at no cost and the app will show you where your sample is at, from the lab receiving it to the lab analyzing data and you will receive your results on the app. I choose the health and ancestry package and this one tells you exactly what percent you are of which ethnicities and what region those ancestors of yours came from. If you have any genetic variants that could lead to any diseases now or further down the line. It breaks down all of your data health-wise and everything that makes you, you. Even the traits you are likely to possess or where any of your extended family may live if they have them in the database. It will look something like this:

This is just an example from their website, I do not want to take a picture of my results, but I will tell you what they were. I am 20% Native American & East Asian, consisting of some Korean, Japanese, and mostly Native American. I am also 2.6% Western Asian & North African, consisting of Arab, Egyptian, Levantine, and North African. As well as, .6% Sub-Saharan African, consisting of  Nigerian and West African. I am mostly 40% white, consisting of Irish, British, and Italian. I am 36% Mexican and a bit of that is also Spanish. The last couple of percentages left are unassigned so they could not pinpoint where the last of my DNA came from. I was very surprised that I was any percent African and that my white half is mostly Irish and British. As well as the big 20% of Asian and Native American, that is quite a large percent of my DNA. I always wondered why I looked mostly white when my mom is white and my dad is Mexican. I am half Mexican and half white I just assumed, half from each parent is what I was. It turns out I am more white, my mom's genes were stronger than my dad's genes so I am white and Hispanic, but just a little less Hispanic than I thought. I have still been saturated in Hispanic culture my whole life so this does not change anything for me but it sure does explain why I appear to look white and not Hispanic. This was a very eye-opening test and I am very happy to Know what ethnicities and genetic DNA I am made up of. This is a great way to discover more about yourself and even where your ancestors came from, I highly recommend this test if you have money for it. Let me know if you or anyone you know has taken a DNA or genetics test before and what you thought of it!

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Entry #7.2: Fresh Continued (EC)

Hello! I wanted to write about the film Fresh in entry #7 to give you guys a brief summary of the film and why you should watch it. In this blog, I wanted to go into further detail after all of you watched "Fresh." After watching this important film, there were many shocking and sad scenes and facts. First of all, the film starts out with George Naylor saying there is nothing that Americans hate or fear more than having inconvenience. That is a statement that really resonated with me, it is very true and sad at the same time. That is the same exact reason most American farmers and consumers don't change their way of living or eating, Americans do love convenience. The film started out talking about crops that were covered with pesticides, the farmer tried limiting it, but still "needed" to use it. This picture shows the process of using GMOs and pesticides on crops. Even the person laying these chemicals down is protected from them, when these are the same chemicals on food for Americans. 

As well as other farmers, such as Russ Kremer, he used antibiotics on his pigs, and one day he got stabbed by a boar tusk. Since they were pumped with steroids and antibiotics Russ almost lost his life. When using these drugs the animals build resistance and the strands get much more complicated so it is not only dangerous for consumers, but for the farmers like Russ. The government also helps to keep this problem happening, government subsidizing is when the government gives out big checks to farmers that make soybeans and other crops such as corn to make fructose corn syrup that make junk food. Cheap and fast is more important than ethical and safe or healthy food. 

                                           

However, it is not always the farmer's fault, they are trying to make a living, but agricultural workplaces are not the best. There is this one company called American Business and they completely take advantage of struggling farmers. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Fox told their story about how they were not gonna make it another year farming and getting the product and the American Bussiness came in and gave them a choice to sign a contract to keep producing crop and meats for seven years and they will get paid based on the number of crops they grow and the weight of the chickens they raise. This company tells them how to take care of the animals, they place animals in their farms to raise and they will get paid when they give everything back to the company, based on weight and numbers. They looked very unhappy, with many zoom-ins on their sad faces because they even said they do not want to do this work, slaughtering animals and keeping them in horrible conditions, but they won't eat if they didn't sign the contract, they would have gone out of business. It very much bothers me and saddens me the greed of the American Business company and how they treat people, taking advantage of them. The food industry in America is a horrible cycle that keeps going. We need to vote with our dollars!

                                             

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Entry #7: Fresh

 Over the weekend I was binge-watching movies and this one film in particular made me think about my habits and what I eat. It was a film called "Fresh" and it is about America's food system, the bad parts of food and crops, as well as activists who are changing agricultural farming in the U.S. 

This was a film released in 2009, it was a new outlook on food, at the time. It was meant to shed a light on the use of pesticides and antibiotics in our food and the dangers of using and consuming them. This is a very important film. This shows us the ins and outs of where our food in America comes from. The audience for this film is targeted at every American, we all eat, whether it is food from a store or fast food. This film is important for everyone to see, even if you are not buying produce, fast food is just as bad, even worse. The tone is happy at certain parts and serious at other parts. This film is very good at getting its point across; the way that food was being produced in America was not only harmful to the animals, but to the farmers and consumers. It needed to change so they passed the truth along to the general public so it would be up to the consumer what they buy. In the film, they said something along the lines of, consumers vote with their dollars. I never thought of buying food as me saying that I choose fast food. It is true though, if everyone who saw that film started to buy more organic foods, not only because it is more nutritious, but because it is not genetically modified or doesn't contain any harmful chemicals. Animals and humans should not consume any amount of pesticides or antibiotics meant to produce more food and crops.

Change starts with one person at a time, so your dollar does count. This film was very powerful, it makes you think about what you eat and why you eat that kind of food even if it is bad for you. At first, I felt guilty about eating a lot of fast food, but then I realized, organic food doesn't just have a label on it it is actually different, so I felt empowered and informed for my next meal. 

It is easier to just ignore this problem, even though it would actually be cheaper to cut antibiotics from animals, the farmers and producers do not want to change what they are doing because what they are doing is inhumane, but it doesn't matter because it creates the biggest and fastest profit for the farmers. It is easier for everyone to be ignorant of a problem, then to become informed and actually vote with your money and make a change. It has been over a decade since this film has been released and I do not think that too much has been done since then, we have progressed, but a lot of people would rather just keep doing what they are used to. Everyone should watch this film when they have time. After watching the movie think about your eating habits and create the changes you want to see. Vote with your dollar!      
   

 

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Entry # 6: Denver, Colorado

Hello again, my last few blogs have been a bit random, I have been trying to use more detail in my writing. Let me know what you think of my last couple of blogs! 

Today I want to talk about a trip I had recently gone on. It was a family trip so everyone packed into our mom's car and our adventure began. It was a 12-hour drive, from Phoenix to Denver, we thought a road trip would be fun, as we have never really gone on trips before. I imagined it to be more fun, like this:

In reality, the trip was more like this:        

There was a lot of fighting and sleeping for the most part so it was boring, not fun at all. Once we actually got to our destination, it was a trip to remember. When we first got there, it wasn't too much of a difference from the hot Arizona weather, to a Denver winter. I was born in Denver, Colorado so that is why we thought it would be a fun trip, to visit where we used to live, as well as see the snow, since it is winter. We ate at a lot of the old restaurants we used to go to, one was a Chinese restaurant. The shop was very small and we were surprised it was still there, in the same spot. They have this sesame chicken, and it was actually really good, I had never tried it before. It has a very tangy, yet sweet flavor, and the sesame seeds added a nice crunch. It was served with a side of fried rice, which had corn and peas in it, I didn't think it sounded good, but mixed with the sesame chicken, it was very delicious. We also went to a number of other restaurants, but that sesame chicken is something I am craving now that I am back in Phoenix. As for the weather, the snow was actually a lot softer than I thought it would be and it was sparkling, it was very beautiful, but insanely cold, around ten degrees Fahrenheit, the wind made it feel much colder. Here are a few pictures:

The streets were covered and at the same level as the sidewalk, as shown in the second photo. It was a little scary to drive, but in the morning, the city workers were pretty good at scooping the snow out of the road and laying sand down, to give some grip to the roads. The snow wasn't dense enough to make snowballs, but it was still fun to see. Overall the trip included good food, messing around in the snow, and watching Christmas movies with hot chocolate. I love the Christmas season, so this definitely helped me to get into the Christmas spirit! I will see you guys next time!
 
               

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Entry #5: Mayhem

 Today I want to talk about a commercial I saw the other day. It was very hectic and eye-catching. Here is the link, All State ad . The ad starts out with a guy at the scene of an empty tailgate party, with trash everywhere and a car, smokng and on fire, right outside the stadium. The narrator says" I am your tailgate grill. Your buddy was in such a rush to get to the game, he didn't have time to put me out." Then, it goes to a scene of the fire inside the car next to an industrial size can of lighter fluid, as the narrator describes this stressful scene. The car blows up and the narrator says " if you got cut rate insurance, you could be paying for this yourself. Get an Allstate agent and be better protected from mayhem, like me." The beginning of the ad is meant to give an odd, but realistic example of a hectic situation. Possibly something that the watchers can relate to, then state that All State would cover this kind of an accident. Showing that this insurance company covers everything you might need it for, because they know that accidents happen. The video ends with the signature deep voice asking if you think you are in good hands.

 The ad is organized to show how fast accidents can happen, like the explosion, because a grill was left on, it all happened in thirty seconds. The target audience is the average American because it is at a tailgate party and those are basically an essential in America. The video creator wants the person watching to see how fast an accident can go to a catastrophe that you will pay a lot of money for if you have regular insurance. The deeper message is that life happens and no one is perfect, everyone has accidents and people need to prepare for those. We need to get prepare for life with All State, that is how the ad persuades us to buy their insurance. I like how much this ad packs into a thirty second time slot, it is interesting to break down an ad scene by scene to really understand it.

Entry #4: Volunteer Work

Hello, today I wanted to talk about an experience I had while helping my community. I have a scholarship and in order to maintain it for the semester I am required to do community service. It was actually hard to find volunteer work that I could do during Covid-19. After weeks of searching, I finally found a place to volunteer at. I had scheduled to go to St Mary's Food Bank on October 9th for three hours. It was early in the morning, I was excited to help, but also very tired. I got in the building and there were less people than I had expected there to be. The Army National Guard was there,  handing out the food to people. I helped to package food sort it into carts so everyone gets a little bit of everything; fruits, meats, milk, and even eggs. 

While I was there, the woman next to me started to talk to me and to my suprise she told me she was blind. I was very surprised because she was packaging and sorting the food with no problem and she was even helping me out. She told me about her struggles with being blind and how she does everything differently than me. One thing she told me about was that she uses the noises of the road to know when to cross the street. I thought it was dangerous for her, but she kept saying she can tell if it is safe and that is how she gets around. It really made me think, that she was born blind, yet she still had a better attitude than me, she helps our community all of the time. I was not wanting to go volunteer because I just wanted to sleep in, but this experience really opened my eyes to the struggles of others around me. I am more grateful for what I have and I got a chance to see life through someone else's view. I will definitely be volunteering in the future and if you would also like to help your community you can schedule volunteer time for St Mary's at this link,  St Mary's Food Bank

Entry #3: Explosion of Flavor

   Since Coronavirus started, let's be honest, mask breath is a real thing, and it is bad! I will get up in the morning, brush my teeth, get ready, and when I leave and put on my mask to go outside, after a little while all of the trapped breathing starts to smell bad, even though you may have not eaten anything.

 

This is my solution to this new and reoccurring problem that many of us are facing today. I cannot tell you what it is exactly, but I will bring you through the experience. Go to the store and go up by the cash registers where they have a lot of candy. Look for a silver rectangular box, the lid is originally red and has the brand written in bold letters across the lid, but they have other flavors now, wintergreen, and even a cinnamon flavor, so you can choose your favorite. The rectangular box has an old feel and look to it, it is opened to the left with hinges on the left side. Although it has a very simplistic font and look, it has been around since 1780, so this product may be nostalgic for many people and may bring back childhood memories. As you open the box it makes a clicking sound, as the tin metal slides past the clicking locks and opens. There is an immediate smell of freshness or spice depending on the flavor you chose. The actual product, very small, inside sits on a nice sheet of paper on the bottom of the tin. There are many of them in one container, they usually last me many months, depending on how many I share with others. People always ask when they see the signature red metal box. You grab one, it's quite powdery between your fingers, the white flat circle is about the size of your pinky nail, very small in your hand. They remind me of the soda candy called Bottle Caps, the same size, and texture.

 

As you place this small circle in your mouth your tongue immediately explodes with flavor. First, you get an intense feeling of cold all over your tongue, then you get an explosion of sweet herbal flavor, zapping your taste buds as you move it around from side to side. It is meant to melt in your mouth, but I get too impatient and chew it sometimes. 

This cold sensation and mouthwatering effect only last a minute, leaving you wanting more. Go ahead, there are many more to go around!

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Entry #2: Graduating with no real graduation

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to talk about the impact of coronavirus on me. A number of us are a freshman taking this entry-level college class, so many of us did not get a graduation or prom so I know many of you can relate to this topic. This was of course at the start of the pandemic, earlier this year in March or April. No one knew how serious this virus would be, or especially how long this pandemic would last. Earlier this year I was a senior at Greenway Highschool, as well as a school called West-Mec. West-Mec is essentially a public school district that high school students can do dual enrollment in, or adults can also take these career-based courses. They even have a professional development course so it really is for everyone and anyone in Arizona. I had an amazing time at West-Mec and met many great people. the teachers there made all of the activities and labs fun, I don't have a picture of me, but here is a picture of a student making teeth whitening trays from a mouth molding and from a HOSA conference: 

When I went on spring break and received a message from my two schools stating we will not be coming to school until further notice and we would be taking online classes, I thought this is great, I get an extended break. But in reality, this would turn from something I was happy about to something that stripped me of important milestones in life. Everyone remembers their prom and how great it was or maybe not so great, but it is an experience you remember. I did not go to prom any of the other years because it was expensive to buy a prom dress, so I was waiting until my senior year to go all out with my dress, and hair and makeup. I had not bought my dress yet, I was just looking around, but it was exciting to go out and try on beautiful dresses and shoes. Although I am just glad I didn't go and spend all of that money on something I couldn't end up wearing. These were some dresses I was looking at:

That was sad for me because I wouldn't go to many school dances or events, just waiting for prom, to go all out, but graduation is a completely different story. It may sound like a small thing in words, but the feeling of walking across that stage all dressed up and being recognized for all of my accomplishments, not only for graduating high school but graduating West-Mec and obtaining my license in dental radiology. This is something I have worked and worked for every day for twelve years. I was not just graduating from high school, but I was finishing my K-12 school education. During this time I grew and became the person I am today, from 6 years old to today, 18 years old, I was beyond irate. I had put in so much effort and worked to finish this part of my education, where I would then move on to college and learn even more about myself and start a higher education that I get to choose to fit my career of choice. I know there wasn't a choice, it wasn't the schools that chose to do this, they had to because of the pandemic. This is something sad for me, but it is something that I can deal with and accept. I consider myself lucky that this is the hardest part of this pandemic for me. Many people have passed due to Covid-19 and I could not imagine the sadness and grief this would have on many others truly affected. On that sad note, I will see you guys next time, I hope you are all staying safe during this time and still being cautious of your surroundings. Don't forget your masks!

Entry #1: Types of Blogs

Anyone can create a blog and write about anything they wish to. Since starting this blog, I have read many of my classmates' blogs and other blogs I have found on the internet. Of course, everyone has different tastes, and personalities so there were a lot of blogs I liked and some I didn't like so much. This is a casual/ professional blog, therefore I won't be writing too much about me and my personal life, but I will keep it interesting with pictures, links, and videos.

The first blog I came across that I really found interesting was a blog called CapturebyLucy, click on the link if interested, CapturebyLucy. I highly recommend taking a look at Lucy's page, she is a mother of two boys and two beautiful white dogs, Mabel and Moose, and she is a great photographer. Just take a look at some of her pictures:

                           

                           

                        

Her blogs are filled with many original pictures that she professionally takes, they are fun to look at and she keeps her blogs in a consistent format of pictures, a paragraph, pictures, a paragraph. This really helps to engage the readers and keep them coming back. She is very descriptive with her stories and the pictures just really put you into the story you feel like you are there with Lucy and her family. It is a personal lifestyle blog, she writes mainly about her and her family, it contains personal pictures and it has more pictures than writing. Lucy does sponsored blogs and even sells backdrop pictures to help support her blogs. She was able to make a business with her sister selling these professional pictures, and her blog has also won many awards. I also like how she is connected with her viewers, you can submit your story and she will post stories from around the world. Her blogs are interesting with the various pictures and her personality keeps me entertained, in my opinion, it is a very well written blog and I like how original and different it is. 

Another blog I really like is a blog called Denver Darling, if you would like to check this one out as well, here is the link, DenverDarling. This is yet another lifestyle blog, of course personal, because it has more pictures than words, and it is about Abby Miller and her life in Denver. They are also formatted consistently, with a couple sentences, a picture, a couple more sentences, then another picture. As clearly seen, I tend to lean more toward lifestyle blogs because it is interesting to me, to read about someone else's life and how they view and explain it to the readers. I love the personality in these personal blogs, especially in this one, Abby is very expressive. I am drawn color layout of her blog and how it is set up almost like a website, very organized, similar to the CapturebyLucy blog. This blog doesn't have professional pictures, but they are still very clear and well taken, giving you a sense of the beautiful city of Denver. Similar to the author I am also originally from Denver, Colorado. I like how she gives people a guide to the city and the best places to eat and places to visit, straight from someone who has lived in Denver her whole life, who would be a better guide. I like the ways she describes the places she goes and the stories she tells about her childhood, her personality definitely shines through. Abby also links all of her outfits in every picture because she is passionate about fashion, which I appreciate, her outfits are well put together. She writes as if you are a friend she is talking to about everything, very close and personal, great to engage readers. Here are some pictures to give you a feel for her blog and the city of Denver:

                           

                             

Those were a couple of blogs I liked, because of personality and the beautiful pictures, but here is a blog I didn't like too much, the blog isn't bad it just isn't really my taste. The blog is called The Verge, here is the link if it interests you, theverge. This blog is a multimedia blog, meaning it is about whats going on in the world, mostly about technology and the future, but also about celebrities and a bit of gossip. It has the same kind of feel as TMZ, it is not very organized or the layout and format is very cluttered. There are so many ads, which I understand create revenue for the company VoxMedia, which writes the blogs. However, there are just too many ads and most of them take up the majority of the screen, they are huge. I think the website can definitely be organized and formatted in a cleaner way. This is also a more personal blog as it is just a conspiracy about the future, technology, and gossip, written in an informal way. The articles just don't interest me and it doesn't really engage me as a reader with how the blogs are written, I like more personality as if I am talking to a friend. One again, in no way am I saying this blog is bad, it is a very popular blog, it just isn't for me.

That is all I have for today, I just wanted to come on here and give my opinion on blogs, as it is something new to me. Everyone has their own opinions and ways to express them, there are endless numbers of blogs. There is a blog for everyone and I suggest you look around and find one that interests you! 

                                        

A little background about me

Hello! My name is Lesly Olivas, I am 18 years old and I live in Arizona, originally from Denver. I just graduated from high school earlier this year. As the majority of 2020 graduates would agree, it is a sad way to end four important years in school. Prom and graduation were canceled at my high school, as well as another graduation from my second school. I was happy my high school offered students to take pictures in their caps and gowns, mine shown below:  

                                            

I went to 2 schools, my last 2 years of high school I would go to a school called West-Mec after I finished classes, this is where I got my dental assisting certification. There are various locations and programs, it is a great opportunity for everyone, from high school students to adults. Here is the link if you are interested, West-Mec, the teachers for dental assisting were great, I made a lot of new friends. The dental assisting program was also brand new last year so I was apart of the first cohort. The school was very beautiful and big, I loved the labs, the laboratory was very high tech and up to date with the newest items. Take a look at the northwest campus below:

        

 I am a health sciences major; I am not sure exactly what career path I want to pursue yet. I am very interested in the healthcare field, right now I am just taking the basic entry-level college classes, as this is my first year at GCC. I plan to get my Associate's Degree from GCC and go from there, that should give me some time to figure out my next steps. Some of my favorite hobbies right now are just swimming and watching Netflix or YouTube, there is not much I can do right now because of the pandemic. I hope everyone has found some new hobbies or ways to keep busy at home! I have gotten into cooking and baking; I love trying new recipes. I am taking life one day at a time, excited to see where the next day brings me. I hope to meet all of you in the future, good luck!