Mexico-United States Relations Project

Topic: Border Security

Group: Travis Nelson, Sarah Pattisall, Amanda Spaeth, Kirstin Kyburz, and Quasay Multani

India Prezi

India on Prezi

Human Geo Test with Grade

22/50

Human Geo Test

Practice Test II Score

42/100

Nelson Food Journal Google Map

http://maps.google.com/?mid=1287282489

Personal Reflection

Before viewing Food, Inc., I did not think much of where my food was coming from.  I mean, in our day and age, things come from all over the world, including food.  Honestly, before watching this movie, I would not expect my food to come from some local farm down the street.  It’s just not how our world works anymore.  However, I imagined that it would at least come from a farm, probably somewhere in the Midwest.  I pictured things being naturally grown, harvested, and sold, in a humane and healthy method.  Food, Inc. has shown me that the agricultural paradise that I had pictured in my mind what not even close to the reality of it all. 

            At first, my initial reaction the film was rather negative.  The filming of the inhumane treatment of many animals did not appeal to me at all.  However, I soon realized that I should not have a negative attitude towards the movie, but rather towards these industrial food companies who put profit before health.  The main feeling that I had throughout the film was, honestly, disgust – disgust towards these companies, their methods of food preparation, and the fact that they are allowed to continue like this.  I cannot begin to explain how strongly I feel about this.  If I knew that companies were doing this to my food, I would have taken a stand so much longer ago.  I greatly enjoyed the film – not so much the content of it, but rather the message it gave out.  I would recommend this film to everyone I know.  Everyone deserves to know a number of things concerning their food, including where it came from, how it was treated, and how the animal from which it came was treated.  This film provides the information necessary to make a change in the food industry.

            After viewing the film, I formed a personal perspective on the issue.  We are the consumers.  As the consumers, we should be the number priority of all of these industrial food companies.  I believe that it is ridiculous that food companies are putting profit ahead of health.  Something must be done about this, and the first step in making a change is simply being informed of the issue.  Food companies have been processing and treating our food behind closed doors.  I find this very frustrating.  It seems that the good of the industry has become more important than the people it serves.  I firmly believe that we need to take back this industry.  I mean, its purpose is to serve the consumer, yet these companies are putting the consumer’s well-being at risk.  I am also very suspicious of former industrial food company executives working in the federal government.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not accusing them of anything; however, I believe that in order for things to get accomplished in this area of our government, the people working for the government should not make decisions forma bias standpoint.  The individuals working in the FDA and USDA must represent us fairly and equally – without any influence from corporate food giants.

Yes, I understand that to feed such a tremendous amount of people efficient and quick methods must be adopted by food processing companies; however, these companies must do so in a health and environmentally conscious manner.  I will admit that the methods through which these industrial food giants are preparing food are quick, and “get the job done,” but the speed of food preparation is not the only thing companies should be concerned about.  Here is a question food companies should be asking themselves.  If the consumer saw what we were doing to their food before it reached the grocery store shelf, would they still purchase our product?  That is for us to decide individually.  It is up to us to make things right in this industry.  Do not buy from companies that abuse their animals and workers.  The least we can do to show these companies who is really in charge is to simply not buy their product.  That is our power as the consumer, and we have the right to choices – healthy, natural, wholesome choices.

From the information I gathered from watching Food, Inc., I am definitely going to change my diet.  Now, I am fourteen years old, and usually my parents cook my food; therefore, I cannot always choose what I am eating.  However, whenever I can, I will always choose the healthier option.  I will bring the option of organic food up to my parents.  To make a difference, I will research companies to find out of any wrongdoing on their part, and will not buy from them.  There is so much more I could do once I am older.  When I move out and begin to purchase my own food, I will buy organic.  For example, when I go out to eat, I will ask what exactly is on the food I am ordering.  From a political standpoint, I could communicate with my Senators and Representatives to find out what the United States government is doing about this food epidemic in our nation, and in our world. 

I’d like to expand a little on organic foods.  I’m all for them.  I would definitely spend the extra money for organic foods, and I hope my parents would, also.  You can’t put a price on your health, after all.  Organic foods are the exception to the norm in our world today.  They don’t have any preservatives, antibiotics, or pesticides.  It seems that all of our foods should be this way, yet, in our world, they aren’t.  Today our foods are chemically treated and prepared.  This is the reality of it all.  We’d like that all of our food is naturally grown on a little farm, from healthy, naturally-raised animals – it’s not.  We need to take this system back and restore it to normality.  This film has inspired me to want to make a change, and to encourage others to do so, also. 

My Fruits and Vegetables: Where Are They Coming From?

**On a trip to Superfresh, I collected the following information**
Golden Ripe Banana: Costa Rica
Beefsteak Tomato: Mexico
Sweet Cantaloupe: California
Lemon: Chile
Navel Orange: South Africa/Chile
Bartlett Pear: 
Red Delicious Apple: USA
Gala Apple: USA
McIntosh Apple: USA
Golden Delicious Apple: USA
Granny Smith Apple: USA
Fuji Apple: New Zealand
Red Pepper: USA
Yellow Pepper: USA/Canada
White Peaches: USA
Green Cabbage: USA
Prime Orange Carrot: Canada
Broccoli: USA
White Corn: USA
Whole Seedless Watermelon: USA
Russet Potato: USA
Green Bean: USA
Cucumber: USA
Celery: USA
White Mushroom: USA
Portabella Mushroom: USA

My Food Journal

10/4

• Dinner: Chicken Soup  (Giant Store Brand Chicken Breast, Green Giant Frozen Carrots, Foxy Celery, Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes, Mucharan Ramen Soup Seasoning, Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles)

• Drink: Tropicana No Pulp, Low Acid Orange Juice

• Snack: Utz Potato Chips

• Snack: Tap Water (4803 Royahn Avenue, Nottingham, MD 21237)

10/5

• Breakfast: Eggs (local farm), Bacon (Smithfield), Chocolate Milk (Hershey's)

• Lunch: Peanut Butter(Peter Pan) and Jelly (Smucker's) Sandwich on white bread (Blue Ribbon), Banana (Dole), Black Grapes (Disney Garden), Green Grapes (Pretty Lady)

• Drink: John Carroll Tap Water

• Dinner: Chicken Soup (Giant Store Brand Chicken Breast, Green Giant Frozen Carrots, Foxy Celery, Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes, Mucharan Ramen Soup Seasoning, Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles)
• Drink: Tropicana No Pulp, No Acid Orange Juice

10/6

• Breakfast: Eggs (local farm), Bacon (Smithfield), Chocolate Milk (Hershey's)
• Lunch: Peanut Butter(Peter Pan) and Jelly (Smucker's) Sandwich on White Bread (Blue Ribbon), Banana (Dole), Chocolate and Oat Fiber Bar (Fiber One) Cup of Peaches: No Sugar Added (Fruit Naturals)
• Drink: John Carroll Tap Water
• Snack: 3 York Peppermint Patties
• Dinner: Chicken Soup (Giant Store Brand Chicken Breast, Green Giant Frozen Carrots, Foxy Celery, Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes, Mucharan Ramen Soup Seasoning, Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles)
• Drink: Tropicana No Pulp, Low Acid Orange Juice
• Snack: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (America's Choice)

10/7

• Breakfast: Eggs (local farm), Bacon (Smithfield)

• Drink: Hershey's Chocolate Milk

• Lunch: Peanut Butter(Peter Pan) and Jelly (Smucker's) Sandwich on White Bread (Blue Ribbon), Banana (Dole), Cup of Peaches: No Sugar Added (Fruit Naturals)

• Drink: John Carroll Tap Water

• Snack: Tostito's Scoops and Old El Peso Salsa

• Snack: 4 Peppermint Patties

• Dinner: Frontega Chicken Panini, Chicken Noodle Soup in a Sourdough Bread Bowl, side of baguette (Panera Bread)
• Drink: Tap Water (4803 Royahn Avenue, Nottingham MD 21237)

Podcast Summaries

Part 1:  A Persian Insult
This first portion of the podcast featured Iranian Leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's insulting remarks toward the United States.  He said an old Iranian phrase, which, in English, translates into "the bogeyman snatched the boob."  This is a saying used by Iranians when they have missed an oppurtunity, wheather that it may have been social, political, economic, etc.  In this context, however, this saying was seen as offensive towards the United States.  Ahmadinejad was trying to get the word out that Iran is going to stick up for itself, and the United States, along with the world, is going to have to deal with it. 

Part 2: An Inuit Dialect
The second portion of the podcast talked about how Dr. Stephen Leonard, a linguistic anthropologist from Cambridge University, is documenting the language of the Inuit people.  The podcast spoke of the dangers that Inuits face, as major issues such as global warming are becoming more and more serious with every day.  These people live in one of the most habitable northern locations on the planet.  Glaciers are melting, and hunting is becoming more and more difficult. 

Part 3:  Urdu Directions
The last portion of the podcast talked about how, in the Urdu language (which is spoken in Middle Eastern countries), the wrods for "right" and "staight" are exactly the same.  Three people, who speak Urdu, talked about their experience in Dubai with the this language.  These people were driving in Dubai, and one additional person was giving the driver directions while driving around a round-a-bout.  When telling the driver to go straight, the person with the map would sa the Urdu word for "straight," which is also the Urdu word for "right."  There was obviously much confusion concerning which direction to go.

My Langauge Map

A language map showing where the "offspring" langauges of the Indo-Eurpean language family were spoken.  The languages are: Germanic, Celtic, Hellinic, Indo-Iranian, Italic, and Balto-Slavic.

Andrew Beard, Travis Nelson


Mr. Wojewodzki

Honors Human Geography

2 September 2010



Air travel, both in the United States and the world, is more common now than ever before. Despite the popularity of air travel in today’s world, the process of getting from one location to another is very complex and involves thousands of people around the globe. Government agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration, work to ensure the safety of all passengers and flights in the United States. When everything and everyone in this process is working correctly, air travel is fairly simple; however, when something as catastrophic as a terrorist attack occurs, the entire process of air travel is horribly disturbed. On September 11, 2001, air travel in the United States, and throughout the world, would never be the same again.

Before the events of September 11, one could arrive at the airport much later compared to today’s air travel time requirements. Airport security was not nearly as high as it is today. The terrorist attacks of September 11 caused many changes in the field of air travel, both in the United States, and the world. First of all, to ensure the safety of all air travel, the United States Federal government set new standards of security in airports and on aircraft. Along with this, the Homeland Security Act was passed by Congress in 2002, one year after the attacks. New standards of safety and security were not only being set in the United States, but around the world.

Around the world, air travel security increased dramatically after September 11. Airports have strengthened their security systems so that no one who goes to an airport gets unchecked. Despite the increased security at international airports, the United States still has the most advanced security system in the world since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Still, around the world, airports are becoming more prepared for situations like 9/11 that could happen at any point in time. When passengers board a plane, there are flight attendants that monitor the aircraft and its passengers. Air travel is more safe now than it has ever been. Terrorist attacks are less likely to happen in the United States; however, they are probably more likely in other parts of the world, as some countries might not have the technology to support an advanced security system. Regardless, September 11 was so disastrous that airports in the US and around the world do not want it to happen ever again.

September 11 had many impacts around the world. Airports have developed specific traffic control systems for airplanes to follow and specific routes have been developed so planes do not collide in the sky. These routes have helped for a safe experience for passengers on an airplane and pilots have a much easier time flying the plane. International flights have especially been a lot easier since September 11 because they are usually longer and the new traffic patterns have helped a lot. As a result of more safety on the plane, more adults are flying now than they used to and that number is increasing each year. More business trips are flying internationally too and many adults feel that they can be safe on an airplane and trust the pilots to fly the plane securely. Many adults have also abandoned their flights for numerous reasons and that number is slowly increasing, too. The country with the most incoming international flights is China, and people from other countries fly internationally to the United States the most. September 11 has had positive impacts on flights internationally but has had some negative impacts on international flights, too.

Believe it or not, the future of air travel will be even more secure and safe than it is now. New technology will allow every airport in the world to monitor each plane that is flying in the air at the same time to see where and when it will land. New technology will be built to occupy all the planes in the sky like specific routes from and to each airport. Pilots along with sophisticated technology will help planes fly around bad weather to ensure a safe flight for all passengers. Radar system will help pilots fly directs routes to the exact destination and traffic control systems will help pilots see how close each place is to their plane. Satellite-based technology will help pilots see where their exact location in the sky is. Passengers will eventually have everything they need like food and entertainment in the plane, especially on long, international flights. With all this new technology, passengers will have a much safer experience on the plane and pilots will have a much easier time flying the plane.

United States of America. Department of Homeland Security. By Derekh Cornwell. Web.

              "Air Traffic - NextGen Briefing." FAA: Home. Web. 08 Sept. 2010.

                        <http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/briefing/>.



               2013. "Travel Facts and Statistics
                        U.S. Travel Association." U.S. Travel Association. Web. 08

               Sept. 2010. <http://www.ustravel.org/news/press-kit/travel-facts-and-statistics>.



               H.R. Rep. No. RL31617 (2002). Print.







All images were acquired from wikimedia.org, and are of the public domain.

Honors Human Geo Terms

1. Globalization: to extend to other or all parts of the globe; make worldwide   (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/globalization)
"Globalization, as defined by rich people like us, is a very nice thing... you are talking about the Internet, you are talking about cell phones, you are talking about computers. This doesn't affect two-thirds of the people of the world." -President Jimmy Carter

2. Culture: a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/culture)
"Culture is a sham if it is only a sort of Gothic front put on an iron building -- like Tower Bridge -- or a classical front put on a steel frame -- like the Daily Telegraph building in Fleet Street. Culture, if it is to be a real thing and a holy thing, must be the product of what we actually do for a living -- not something added, like sugar on a pill." -Eric Gill

3. Civilization: an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/civilization)
"A civilization is built on what is required of men, not on that which is provided for them." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

4. History: a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/history)
"Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it." -Oscar Wilde

5.Progress: the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/progress)
"Progress comes from the intelligent use of experience" -Elbert Hubbard