"I'll have the fresh... food at the farmer's market."

Kat Saltarelli's blog post "Let's Keep It Real" is in part the story of my life. I say "in part," because while I very much agree with Kat's partial attitude towards natural or "real" food, I believe that processed or "fake" food has become an important staple in the lifestyles of people today - mine included.

While I'd love to maintain a diet of only fresh, organic, healthy foods, it simply is not possible given my current position as a college student, short on extra budget space to buy "real" food all of the time. The truth is, fast food is cheap.

I do agree with Kat's view, as I can sympathize with her feeling of being "stuck" with previously canned corn, broccoli, or what have you; I know of the situation she mentions at Pop's Cafeteria. I too am fond of sweet, summer corn-on-the-cob and wish it could replace the rather mushy veggies on my plate. Luckily, we are not the only ones to feel this way, and thus opportunities to buy "real" foods are still available, even at a reasonably low price. The local farmer's market is a great source of reasonably priced healthy food, and in the off season, when the farmer's market does not take place, smart shoppers can find ways to cut costs at local supermarkets like the newly opened Madison Food Market.

I am familiar with Kat's mentioned source, Dr. Leslie Van Romer, using her same article in my previous blog post. Dr. Van Romer argues we have the choice of what to eat. While cost is a major determining factor of our choice, there are ways, like those previously mentioned, that can serve to fill the fresh-food starved college student, or anyone for that matter.

Overall, Kat's article addresses the feeling many college students have concerning "real" food, but there are healthy, affordable, options students can have if only they "make the choice" to find them.

Photo Credit:
Farmer's Market Logo - www.smgov.net/farmers_market

Demonstration Speech Self-Evaluation

My demonstration speech was a basic introduction on the parts of a guitar and a number of beginner techniques. Within my speech I identified the guitar as a great tool used to communicate ideas, share emotions, and forge relationships. Being a fairly common musical instrument, it has been used in many cultures both past and present to do such things and playing guitar can also be a great hobby.

I believe I presented my speech in a logical and easy to follow order, first giving a brief description of the main parts of a guitar, next a few accessories, and then finally onto a few commonly used techniques.

My overall physical presentation during the demonstration was fairly good. I maintained enthusiasm which is shown in the clear volume of voice and my positive body language (smile, eye contact). I do feel that I rushed myself towards the end as I probably had more information than was necessary to fill a six minute speech.

My guitar was both an essential visual aid as well as one that kept the interest of my audience. It is a rather engaging guitar with its sunburst finish and interestingly shaped bridge and inlays, and I can't forget the fact that it allows for the creation of some great music.

If given the chance, I would choose this topic again for a demonstration speech but I would definitely work with a narrower scope such as only the techniques and leave out defining the parts of the guitar. Although the parts of a guitar are interesting, omitting such information would allow for a better and more engaging explanation of actual playing skills. If I focused on just the auditory side of guitar, I would be able to keep my audience better interested and keep my presentation within the allotted time frame, which I did exceed by more than a minute.

Overall, I feel my presentation went rather well and came away from it with a better understanding of what it takes to give an effective presentation.

Photo Credit:
Guitar - www.maxguitarstore.com

Today's "Pop" Secret

Ever since I was a child, popcorn (to me) came from my mother's garden at the end of the driveway - in between the sweet corn and the sunflowers. Every year, I remember excitedly going out and picking the ears with dried up husks, starting the process of harvesting one of my favorite snacks, never knowing it was "real" food rather than "fake," if there could ever be such a thing. Michael Pollan argues that “real” food must make up the majority of our diets in order to allow for healthiness. Yet, now away from home and in college, I have discovered processed popcorn straight from the supermarket, and dare I say I find it rather delicious!

Pop Secret brand popcorn now holds the top spot when it comes to my favorite snack, extra butter to be exact. It has a more buttery smell, richer taste, and more golden appearance than the popcorn of my past but with the added enrichment comes more calories, a bucket load more. On average, a cup of homegrown popcorn contains 30 calories, add another 100 if drizzled in butter (Mother Earth News). In comparison, a cup of Pop Secret extra butter popcorn contains a whopping 170 calories (The Daily Plate). The processed snack does throw a slight kink into my fairly healthy diet, so I don’t eat it as much as I would like.

Upon returning home this summer, I will return to eating the “real” popcorn I’ve always loved. Although I do enjoy Pop Secret brand popcorn, I would rather eat homegrown popcorn.

Dr. Leslie Van Romer agrees with Michael Pollen thoughts on “real” food in that it must make up the majority of our diets. He says, "Today's modern world affords us many privileges, not the least of which is the privilege of choice.” He goes on to say, “These are the very choices that determine not only the number of your days, but also the quality of your days.” It seems that, indeed, Dr. Romer is right.

Photo Credit:
Popcorn Kernels – www.rareseeds.com

"Eat like an Olympian?" - Yes please.

In Alanna's blog post, "Eat like an Olympian?" she argues that McDonald's may not be a good supporter of the Olympics because the company really does not have a place in the realm of the Olympics and its competing athletes. I disagree with her opinion as I feel although she develops her argument well, McDonald's image as a whole may be overlooked because when viewed as a "globally connecting" company it could be seen as a perfectly suitable and respectable supporter of the Olympics.

The included commercial suggests that Olympians eat fast food, yet Alanna goes on to say that when contestants from the show "The Biggest Loser" visited the Olympic Training Center there was no fast food to be found. This may have been the case at the Colorado training center, as I suspect the center was used solely for training, but the Olympic Village in Toronto was used not only for the competition but also to accomadate the temporary residence for many athletes and spectators. In order to accomadate such guests, a restaurant would be needed - McDonalds filled the spot.

McDonalds is known to participate in charitable campaigns and thus corralates with the Olympics, known to spread a message of "positive global relationsions." In this article by Laura Welden, the connection between the Olympics and McDonalds is found to be one of long-time support as McDonalds has sponsored the Olympics for 40 years and in 2008 launched the "Champion Kids" program. The program was designed to help children "receive a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Games first-hand."

Although McDonalds does not serve the healthiest food, typically associated with professional athletes, it works towards building community relationships and in this way serves to be a rightful sponsor of the Olympics. Alanna's cited author, Monika Evstatieva may want to change her quote to "If you want to eat like an Olypian, eat like one, train like one, and for heaven's sake, think about the positive aspects of McDonalds."

Photo Credit:
Ronald - www.huffingtonpost.com
Golden Arches - www.sportsfeatures.com

Celebrity Endorsements: Making an Impact

These days, it seems that every product or service is endorsed by a celebrity. Whether it be made by a famous actor, musician, or athlete, celebrity endorsements can make or break a new product campaign. Yet sometimes the focus is not always on selling a product, but rather supporting a cause. Lance Armstrong teamed up with Nike in support of the "It's About You" campaign, which is designed to "inspire and mobilize the world in the fight against cancer." The campaign advertisement, seen here, reminds the viewer of Armstrong's fight with cancer and of his perseverance to succeed against the odds.

I believe that Lance Armstrong is a great celebrity to support the campaign as his survivor story is both inspiring and motivational to current victims. Nike, known for its involvement with the community, provides a strong backbone to the campaign adding another image of health and strength.

Armstrong's endorsement of Nike during this campaign lends the company positive publicity, and therefore more viewers are likely to buy Nike products because they associate the products with both Armstrong and the "It's About You" campaign. Supporting charities has always been a fad among consumers and in this case I'm positive the campaign will prove successful for both Nike and Armstrong. He already has the respect of many because of his previous cancer awareness program and this new campaign will be sure to add to his popularity.

In this article, the authors have compiled what they believe to be the main factors having influence on a successful celebrity endorsement: credibility, attractiveness, and power. Armstrong has all three of these attributes as defined by the article. In this way, the campaign should prove to be successful for Armstrong, Nike, and "It's About You" program.

Photo Credit:
www.socialitelife.celebuzz.com