RJA #2

RJA #2a: Possible Topics:

1. How are genetically engineered crops affecting our agriculture, economy, and nutrition?
2. Is a vegan or vegetarian diet really all that healthy?
3. Should the USDA be more heavily involved in the inspection of food packaging plants and slaughter houses?
4. Is the organic food industry healping or hurting America's environment and economy

RJA #2b: Research Topic

1. I chose topic number one because for one, it fit the guidelines, but mainly I don't know much about genetic engineering. After doing a bit of research online the it grew on me. Also, unlike the other topics, I haven't formed an opinion on this topic yet.
2. Everything I know about this topic is from hearsay. I know that companies can "copyright" their own genes, such as those in corn used for ethanol, and can sell this corn to farmers, thus making a monopoly for the company by using that specific gene. I also know that this is a relatively new way of farming which is leading to some mixed feelings depending on who you talk to. Some feel that genetically modified plants have not been tested throughly enough and we should test their effects on the environment for a longer period of time. Others believe that we have done all the testing we can on the subject, it is a wonderful scientific accomplishment and we really have been genetically engineering our plants for hundreds of years through natural selection.
3. I would like to learn what exactly the people who dislike genetic engineering are afraid of as well as what kinds of testing has been done on genetic engineering to make it safe. There are probably many other things I will like to learn in the future but I don't know enough about the topic yet to know what it is that I will like to know. I'll keep you posted.

Here are some of the websites on my Delicious account I have come across while researching

RJA #1: areas of academic intrest

1: Baking: the chemistry of how ingredients interact with each other to make a cake that is the perfect height or the cookie that has the perfect combination of crunch and chewiness. Combine this with the art you put on a wedding cake or into a chocolate showpiece and you've got yourself my favorite form of creative science.

2: Nutrition: also a science but the science of how food interacts with the body. In a country of over stuffing and indulgences it can be a challenge to find a "niche" of how to get food to work for you. I know it seems like a weird concept but it's sort of a hobby of mine to get to see how the slightest change in diet can effect so much of how I feel and act.

3: Food: as I'm sure you've guessed by now I have this small obsession with something we see every day, food. my idea of fun on a Friday night is going out with some friends and trying out some new restaurant and ordering their weirdest sounding thing on the menu. Sometimes it's a bit of a stretch with the things we find but it still opens out eyes to new flavor combinations and textures.