Observation: All of the houses at Baldwin Park were nice two-story homes spaced closely together with a small yard and no driveway; space was delineated on the side of the road for parallel parking. There was a recreational sidewalk that I saw several people using for walking their dog and bicycling. The colors of all the houses matched. With the exception of other AP Human Geography students and the sales representative, no one else was inside the model house.
Speculation: I think the neighborhood is located at its location because of its proximity to a lake and the central business district of Orlando, both of which would certainly be desirable features to prospective residents.
Analysis: The neighborhood is at its location because the land previously belonged to a navy base, providing a vast expanse of land for development. The prices of the houses range from $220,000 to $3,000,000. The community is two miles from downtown Orlando, enhancing an easy lifestyle for which all the residents share a common desire. The neighborhood is meant to appeal to families, and mothers are most often seen inside the model homes.
Evaluation: I think the neighborhood is at a well-thought out location. Since the land belonged to a navy base, it made avail of a large amount of land suitable for development in a location with the appropriate demographics. As the sales representative said, its location does add to an easier lifestyle.
Baldwin Park and my neighborhood share far more dissimilarities than similarities. All the houses in my neighborhood are one-story and vary widely in color, in contrast to congruent array of colors in Baldwin Park. The "niceness" of Baldwin Park also distinguishes it from my neighborhood: besides the differences in housing, the cars are also much more nicer.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Chapter 10
In the discussion of fast food corporations, why is it important to talk about their overseas operations?
With already a substantial amount of fast food restaurants in the US, corporations have long been opening restaurants in other countries to enable further growth. Today, on average, McDonald's opens about five restaurants daily; four of these restaurants are outside the US. Restaurants have chosen to purchase locally grown foods in order to allay fears of imperialism. To do this and still maintain uniform products, many companies have drastically altered the agricultural practices of the host country. In fact, McDonald's prepared Indian farmers to grow a certain type of iceburg lettuce seven years before finally opening a restaurant there.
In foreign countries, what group does most fast food advertising target?
Most fast food advertising in foreign countries targets children because of the lack of attachments to food traditions found in children, as well as their susceptibility to amiable figures such as Ronald McDonald, who, according to an Australian survey, was deemed by nine- and ten-year-olds to be a reliable determinant of what to eat.
What did London Greenpeace do to protest McDonald's and what was McDonald's response?
London Greenpeace denounced McDonald's with a pamphlet titled, "What's Wrong with McDonald's? Everything they don't want you to know." It contained an array of accusations – some true and some purely propaganda – such as "promoting Third World poverty, selling unhealthy food, exploiting workers and children, torturing animals, and destroying the Amazon rain forest" (Page 245). Four years after London Greenpeace started distributing them, McDonald's asserted the pamphlets were false and sued five of the members for libel. Three of those five immediately settled; the other two contended the accusation, resulting in a 20-year legal battle that, despite the fact that McDonald's won the case, proved to be an immense source of embarrassment for the company.
With already a substantial amount of fast food restaurants in the US, corporations have long been opening restaurants in other countries to enable further growth. Today, on average, McDonald's opens about five restaurants daily; four of these restaurants are outside the US. Restaurants have chosen to purchase locally grown foods in order to allay fears of imperialism. To do this and still maintain uniform products, many companies have drastically altered the agricultural practices of the host country. In fact, McDonald's prepared Indian farmers to grow a certain type of iceburg lettuce seven years before finally opening a restaurant there.
In foreign countries, what group does most fast food advertising target?
Most fast food advertising in foreign countries targets children because of the lack of attachments to food traditions found in children, as well as their susceptibility to amiable figures such as Ronald McDonald, who, according to an Australian survey, was deemed by nine- and ten-year-olds to be a reliable determinant of what to eat.
What did London Greenpeace do to protest McDonald's and what was McDonald's response?
London Greenpeace denounced McDonald's with a pamphlet titled, "What's Wrong with McDonald's? Everything they don't want you to know." It contained an array of accusations – some true and some purely propaganda – such as "promoting Third World poverty, selling unhealthy food, exploiting workers and children, torturing animals, and destroying the Amazon rain forest" (Page 245). Four years after London Greenpeace started distributing them, McDonald's asserted the pamphlets were false and sued five of the members for libel. Three of those five immediately settled; the other two contended the accusation, resulting in a 20-year legal battle that, despite the fact that McDonald's won the case, proved to be an immense source of embarrassment for the company.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Chapter 1
Why did General Motors want to buy trolley systems throughout the U.S.?
General Motors bought the trolley systems in order to replace them with bus lines. All of the purchased trolley systems were dismantled completely. The buses in the bus lines were constructed by GM. By doing so, people who were dependent upon the trolley system became dependent upon bus lines. GM did not have to worry about competitors: they were none. The fact that GM felt the need to secretively remove competition with front companies illustrates some of the deceit that characterizes many companies' desire to maximize profits.
What was the "Speedee Service System" and how was it different from what other fast food restaurants were doing?
The Speedie Service System was created by McDonald's and replaced glassware and silverware with disposable silverware and created a system in which each employee was only responsible for one step of food preparation. Carhops were eliminated, making customers responsible for retrieving their food; McDonald's boasted after putting in place the Speedie Service System, "Imagine - No Carhops - No Waitresses - No Dishwashers - No Bus Boys - The McDonald's System is Self-Service" (Page 20). The new system allowed McDonald's to fire skilled short-ordered cooks, many of whom were enticed to higher paying jobs before, and replace them with less skilled, minimum-wage workers. It increased efficiency, lowered prices, and increased the number of customers, having expanded to the working class.
Other fast food restaurants relied on short cooks and used carhops to deliver products to the customer in his or her car. This system demanded skilled workers and attracted teenage males, drawn by the usually attractive carhops. Many businesses followed McDonald's footsteps after seeing the profits the system brought in.
What were some of the characteristics of the men who started the fast food industry?
Contrary to the notion that men who started the fast food industry were market research-dependent MBA graduates from Harvard, these men were glass-half-full "door-to-door salesmen, short-order cooks, orphans, and dropouts" (Page 22); the millionaires among them were not necessarily the person that teachers and parents urge you to be by graduating college and working hard: the founder of Dunkin' Donuts was a door-to-door salesman; the founder of Taco Bell was a World War II veteran who decided to mimic McDonald's; a school drop-out by age 15 went on to create Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers; and Kentucky Fried Chicken was started by someone who dropped out of school at 12 years old and worked a variety of jobs, one being an obstetrician despite his lack of a medical degree.
General Motors bought the trolley systems in order to replace them with bus lines. All of the purchased trolley systems were dismantled completely. The buses in the bus lines were constructed by GM. By doing so, people who were dependent upon the trolley system became dependent upon bus lines. GM did not have to worry about competitors: they were none. The fact that GM felt the need to secretively remove competition with front companies illustrates some of the deceit that characterizes many companies' desire to maximize profits.
What was the "Speedee Service System" and how was it different from what other fast food restaurants were doing?
The Speedie Service System was created by McDonald's and replaced glassware and silverware with disposable silverware and created a system in which each employee was only responsible for one step of food preparation. Carhops were eliminated, making customers responsible for retrieving their food; McDonald's boasted after putting in place the Speedie Service System, "Imagine - No Carhops - No Waitresses - No Dishwashers - No Bus Boys - The McDonald's System is Self-Service" (Page 20). The new system allowed McDonald's to fire skilled short-ordered cooks, many of whom were enticed to higher paying jobs before, and replace them with less skilled, minimum-wage workers. It increased efficiency, lowered prices, and increased the number of customers, having expanded to the working class.
Other fast food restaurants relied on short cooks and used carhops to deliver products to the customer in his or her car. This system demanded skilled workers and attracted teenage males, drawn by the usually attractive carhops. Many businesses followed McDonald's footsteps after seeing the profits the system brought in.
What were some of the characteristics of the men who started the fast food industry?
Contrary to the notion that men who started the fast food industry were market research-dependent MBA graduates from Harvard, these men were glass-half-full "door-to-door salesmen, short-order cooks, orphans, and dropouts" (Page 22); the millionaires among them were not necessarily the person that teachers and parents urge you to be by graduating college and working hard: the founder of Dunkin' Donuts was a door-to-door salesman; the founder of Taco Bell was a World War II veteran who decided to mimic McDonald's; a school drop-out by age 15 went on to create Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers; and Kentucky Fried Chicken was started by someone who dropped out of school at 12 years old and worked a variety of jobs, one being an obstetrician despite his lack of a medical degree.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Chapter 9
How did the Jack in the Box restaurant chain respond to its outbreak of salmonella?
The Jack in the Box restaurant chain responded to its salmonella outbreak by hiring Jimmy Carter's former press secretary to help control how the public perceives them and a food scientist. The food scientist put in place a number of safety controls, including requiring safety courses, the monitoring of temperatures, the use of tongs when handling hamburger patties, and testing for bacteria. Meat from various meatpacking companies was tested, and companies that shipped bad meat were no longer used.
What kind of things are fed to cattle, things that might facilitate the spread of pathogens?
In the past, cattle were fed pigs, sheep, other deceased cattle, cats, and dogs. Then, after studies from Great Britain suggested these practices caused an outbreak of mad-cow disease, it was made illegal to feed sheep, cattle, dogs, and cats to cattle; and "Americans who spent more than six months in the United Kingdom during the 1980s are now forbidden to donate blood, in order to prevent the spread of BSE's human variant" (Page 202). Dead poultry, pigs, and horses are fed to cattle today; but it is still legal to feed poultry cattle: cattle are being fed poultry that consumed cattle blood. Cattle is also fed chicken manure, which "may contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobater, parasites such as tapeworms and Giardia lamblia, antibiotic residues, arsenic, and heavy metals" (Page 203).
What are the advantages and disadvantages of irradiating meat?
Irradiating meat damages the DNA of pathogens, making reproduction impossible; and it makes irradiated foods safe to eat, according to the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization. However, the labor force inside slaughterhouses is mostly comprised of illiterate, poorly-educated non-English speakers, that is, people who you wouldn't want to operate nuclear technology. Furthermore, irradiating meat would encourage the unsafe and unsanitary practices at slaughterhouses and provide a false sense of sanitary security.
The Jack in the Box restaurant chain responded to its salmonella outbreak by hiring Jimmy Carter's former press secretary to help control how the public perceives them and a food scientist. The food scientist put in place a number of safety controls, including requiring safety courses, the monitoring of temperatures, the use of tongs when handling hamburger patties, and testing for bacteria. Meat from various meatpacking companies was tested, and companies that shipped bad meat were no longer used.
What kind of things are fed to cattle, things that might facilitate the spread of pathogens?
In the past, cattle were fed pigs, sheep, other deceased cattle, cats, and dogs. Then, after studies from Great Britain suggested these practices caused an outbreak of mad-cow disease, it was made illegal to feed sheep, cattle, dogs, and cats to cattle; and "Americans who spent more than six months in the United Kingdom during the 1980s are now forbidden to donate blood, in order to prevent the spread of BSE's human variant" (Page 202). Dead poultry, pigs, and horses are fed to cattle today; but it is still legal to feed poultry cattle: cattle are being fed poultry that consumed cattle blood. Cattle is also fed chicken manure, which "may contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobater, parasites such as tapeworms and Giardia lamblia, antibiotic residues, arsenic, and heavy metals" (Page 203).
What are the advantages and disadvantages of irradiating meat?
Irradiating meat damages the DNA of pathogens, making reproduction impossible; and it makes irradiated foods safe to eat, according to the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization. However, the labor force inside slaughterhouses is mostly comprised of illiterate, poorly-educated non-English speakers, that is, people who you wouldn't want to operate nuclear technology. Furthermore, irradiating meat would encourage the unsafe and unsanitary practices at slaughterhouses and provide a false sense of sanitary security.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Chapter 8
Why don't more workers complain about safety conditions in the plants?
Workers are unlikely to complain about safety conditions as most of them can be fired without any reason; and, since they earn far more at a slaughterhouse than they would with viable alternatives, they need their job in order to support their family. Workers who keep quiet about their injuries are usually given an easier job temporarily, or, if the injury is more serious, are given vacation days to heal. On the other hand, if they were to report it, their employer would punish them in whatever way possible and use them as an example to others so as to prevent others from reporting their injuries.
What role do supervisors play in the reporting of workplace injuries in meat processing plants?
Because supervisors are rewarded through annual bonuses when the number of reported injuries is low, supervisors discourage injured workers from going to a doctor, or they direct them to a doctor who lies and tells them the injury is not serious. To discourage them, supervisors will move the worker to a less desirable job. In contrast, a worker with a minor injury may be moved to a more desirable position temporarily or given vacation days if suffering a serious injury. For example, Kevin Wilson was directed by the company's nurse to a doctor who told him the injury was minor and only necessitated that he do light work; but when Wilson sought a second opinion, he was told he had a disk injury that required him to take time off work. When OSHA was restricted to inspecting processing plants whose injury logs had injury rates above average, and because injury logs are controlled by the company, supervisors often falsify injury logs. At one beef plant in Nebraska, the plant kept two injury logs: one which legitimately reported injuries and another that had reported far less injuries and was given to OSHA workers.
From a worker's point of view, what are some of the problems with Colorado's workers' compensation law?
Colorado's workers' compensation law allows employers to choose the doctor that reports on the severity of the injuries suffered by the worker. Additionally, employers are able to delay payments; and when injuries are not visible, meatpacking companies often litigate to lengthen the process of obtaining workers' comp. As employers delay, the worker is responsible for paying medical fees and obtaining money for living costs. This delay in time serves to discourage other injured workers. The worker is often left with little money after claiming workers' comp, and the injuries suffered negatively impact his or her ability to earn a living.
Workers are unlikely to complain about safety conditions as most of them can be fired without any reason; and, since they earn far more at a slaughterhouse than they would with viable alternatives, they need their job in order to support their family. Workers who keep quiet about their injuries are usually given an easier job temporarily, or, if the injury is more serious, are given vacation days to heal. On the other hand, if they were to report it, their employer would punish them in whatever way possible and use them as an example to others so as to prevent others from reporting their injuries.
What role do supervisors play in the reporting of workplace injuries in meat processing plants?
Because supervisors are rewarded through annual bonuses when the number of reported injuries is low, supervisors discourage injured workers from going to a doctor, or they direct them to a doctor who lies and tells them the injury is not serious. To discourage them, supervisors will move the worker to a less desirable job. In contrast, a worker with a minor injury may be moved to a more desirable position temporarily or given vacation days if suffering a serious injury. For example, Kevin Wilson was directed by the company's nurse to a doctor who told him the injury was minor and only necessitated that he do light work; but when Wilson sought a second opinion, he was told he had a disk injury that required him to take time off work. When OSHA was restricted to inspecting processing plants whose injury logs had injury rates above average, and because injury logs are controlled by the company, supervisors often falsify injury logs. At one beef plant in Nebraska, the plant kept two injury logs: one which legitimately reported injuries and another that had reported far less injuries and was given to OSHA workers.
From a worker's point of view, what are some of the problems with Colorado's workers' compensation law?
Colorado's workers' compensation law allows employers to choose the doctor that reports on the severity of the injuries suffered by the worker. Additionally, employers are able to delay payments; and when injuries are not visible, meatpacking companies often litigate to lengthen the process of obtaining workers' comp. As employers delay, the worker is responsible for paying medical fees and obtaining money for living costs. This delay in time serves to discourage other injured workers. The worker is often left with little money after claiming workers' comp, and the injuries suffered negatively impact his or her ability to earn a living.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Chapter 7
What changes did IBP introduce to the meat packing industry?
IBP prioritized output above all else: they created a mass production system requiring minimal skill. In addition to slaughtering cattle, they also packaged them, allowing supermarkets to fire their butchers. With the leftovers, IBP produced dog food and added grinders to their plants to facilitate the production and selling of hamburger meat.
How high is the employee turnover rate in the meat packing industry and why don't the meat packing plants see this as a problem?
The turnover rate in the meat packing industry is around 80% annually. The meat packing plants do not see it as a problem as it releases them of the duty to provide health insurance and vacation days. Another benefit for meat packing plants is that the turnover rate "helps maintain a workforce that is harder to unionize" (Page 161), thus keeping obligations on the plant's side minimal. Furthermore, there is a steady supply of Latin American Americans willing to work at a meat packing plant; many of them do not see the job as being any worse than their alternatives, such as working on a farm ten hours a day for significantly less pay.
What is the impact on small communities of having a meat packing firm?
Having a meat packing firm in the community has several adverse effects on the community: it increases the crime rate, increases the number of medical cases, introduces the selling and distribution of illicit drugs, and increases the gang population. In Lexington, Nebraska, after the opening of a slaughterhouse, the number of serious crimes doubled, as did the number of Medicaid cases, and its crime rate had risen to the highest in Nebraska.
IBP prioritized output above all else: they created a mass production system requiring minimal skill. In addition to slaughtering cattle, they also packaged them, allowing supermarkets to fire their butchers. With the leftovers, IBP produced dog food and added grinders to their plants to facilitate the production and selling of hamburger meat.
How high is the employee turnover rate in the meat packing industry and why don't the meat packing plants see this as a problem?
The turnover rate in the meat packing industry is around 80% annually. The meat packing plants do not see it as a problem as it releases them of the duty to provide health insurance and vacation days. Another benefit for meat packing plants is that the turnover rate "helps maintain a workforce that is harder to unionize" (Page 161), thus keeping obligations on the plant's side minimal. Furthermore, there is a steady supply of Latin American Americans willing to work at a meat packing plant; many of them do not see the job as being any worse than their alternatives, such as working on a farm ten hours a day for significantly less pay.
What is the impact on small communities of having a meat packing firm?
Having a meat packing firm in the community has several adverse effects on the community: it increases the crime rate, increases the number of medical cases, introduces the selling and distribution of illicit drugs, and increases the gang population. In Lexington, Nebraska, after the opening of a slaughterhouse, the number of serious crimes doubled, as did the number of Medicaid cases, and its crime rate had risen to the highest in Nebraska.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Chapter 6
What are "captive supplies" of cattle?
"Captive supplies" of cattle are cattle owned by meat-packing companies. There are used, according to the companies, as a "means of achieving greater efficiency" (Page 142); independent ranchers see a different motive: to control the market. The prices of captive supplies are usually kept secret; thus, to control prices, the meat-packing company will flood the market with the cattle. At times, as much as 80% of the cattle in the market are captive supplies.
Why would small independent cattle ranchers be afraid to speak out against the practices of large meat processors?
Small independent cattle ranchers are afraid to protest against the practices of large meat processors as they alone would not have sufficient power to have any major impact on the industry; thus, speaking out against large meat processors would only result in the loss of bidding contracts, possibly requiring a change of occupation to sustain oneself.
Which type of cattle rancher is currently facing the greatest economic difficulty?
The cattle rancher that puts most of his or her energy into being a rancher, who has no sources of income to fall back on, and works on another person's land is facing the greatest economic difficulty: he or she is at the mercy of meat processing companies as they are the ones who determine the price and whether or not the rancher sells anything.
"Captive supplies" of cattle are cattle owned by meat-packing companies. There are used, according to the companies, as a "means of achieving greater efficiency" (Page 142); independent ranchers see a different motive: to control the market. The prices of captive supplies are usually kept secret; thus, to control prices, the meat-packing company will flood the market with the cattle. At times, as much as 80% of the cattle in the market are captive supplies.
Why would small independent cattle ranchers be afraid to speak out against the practices of large meat processors?
Small independent cattle ranchers are afraid to protest against the practices of large meat processors as they alone would not have sufficient power to have any major impact on the industry; thus, speaking out against large meat processors would only result in the loss of bidding contracts, possibly requiring a change of occupation to sustain oneself.
Which type of cattle rancher is currently facing the greatest economic difficulty?
The cattle rancher that puts most of his or her energy into being a rancher, who has no sources of income to fall back on, and works on another person's land is facing the greatest economic difficulty: he or she is at the mercy of meat processing companies as they are the ones who determine the price and whether or not the rancher sells anything.
Chapter 5
How have the potato farms in Idaho changed in the last 25 years or so?
In Idaho the last 25 years, many family-owned potato farms have been closed while the number of corporate farms has increased. The number of acreage being farmed has also increased substantially.
What makes McDonald's french fries taste different from the fries of other fast food restaurants?
For awhile, McDonald's "cooked its french fries in a mixture of about 7 percent cottonseed oil and 93 percent beef tallow" (Page 120) to give the fries their taste. Customers soon objected to this method, and, now, McDonald's cooks its fries in pure vegetable oil and uses natural flavors to distinguish its fries from other restaurants.
What are the similarities and some of the differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors"? Where is the "flavor industry" located?
The flavor industry is located in New Jersey; the largest flavor company is International Flavors & Fragrances. Artificial flavors and natural flavors are similar in that "both are man-made additives that give most processed food their taste" (Page 120). Natural flavors differ from artificial flavors as they are "derived entirely from natural sources" (Page 126), whereas artificial flavors are produced through chemical reactions. There may not be any difference between the chemical compositions of artificial and natural flavors: deriving something from a fruit or vegetable will not produce anything chemically different than if it were made through chemical reactions, nor will it taste different.
In Idaho the last 25 years, many family-owned potato farms have been closed while the number of corporate farms has increased. The number of acreage being farmed has also increased substantially.
What makes McDonald's french fries taste different from the fries of other fast food restaurants?
For awhile, McDonald's "cooked its french fries in a mixture of about 7 percent cottonseed oil and 93 percent beef tallow" (Page 120) to give the fries their taste. Customers soon objected to this method, and, now, McDonald's cooks its fries in pure vegetable oil and uses natural flavors to distinguish its fries from other restaurants.
What are the similarities and some of the differences between "artificial flavors" and "natural flavors"? Where is the "flavor industry" located?
The flavor industry is located in New Jersey; the largest flavor company is International Flavors & Fragrances. Artificial flavors and natural flavors are similar in that "both are man-made additives that give most processed food their taste" (Page 120). Natural flavors differ from artificial flavors as they are "derived entirely from natural sources" (Page 126), whereas artificial flavors are produced through chemical reactions. There may not be any difference between the chemical compositions of artificial and natural flavors: deriving something from a fruit or vegetable will not produce anything chemically different than if it were made through chemical reactions, nor will it taste different.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Introduction
Why is fast food worth studying?
Fast food is worth studying as it has penetrated American society and transformed "our landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture" (Page 3). Fast food is a common element of many lives, and few people truly know anything about it except, perhaps, that it is "bad" for you.
What are some of the observations about McDonald's made by the author?
Eric Schlosser illustrates the degree to which McDonald's has affected American society: it is "responsible for 90 percent of the country's new jobs"; "one out of every eight workers in the United States has at one point been employed by McDonald's"; it is "the nation's largest purchase of beef, pork, and potatoes"; "the largest owner of retail property in the world"; and "96 percent [of American schoolchildren] could identify Ronald McDonald" (Page 4).
According to the author, why did he write this book?
The author wrote this book as he believes "people should know what lies behind the shiny, happy surface of every fast food transaction" (Page 10). Purchasing fast food has become a process involving little thought; little is known about the efforts by which fast food companies keep prices to a minimum and minimize regulation.
Fast food is worth studying as it has penetrated American society and transformed "our landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture" (Page 3). Fast food is a common element of many lives, and few people truly know anything about it except, perhaps, that it is "bad" for you.
What are some of the observations about McDonald's made by the author?
Eric Schlosser illustrates the degree to which McDonald's has affected American society: it is "responsible for 90 percent of the country's new jobs"; "one out of every eight workers in the United States has at one point been employed by McDonald's"; it is "the nation's largest purchase of beef, pork, and potatoes"; "the largest owner of retail property in the world"; and "96 percent [of American schoolchildren] could identify Ronald McDonald" (Page 4).
According to the author, why did he write this book?
The author wrote this book as he believes "people should know what lies behind the shiny, happy surface of every fast food transaction" (Page 10). Purchasing fast food has become a process involving little thought; little is known about the efforts by which fast food companies keep prices to a minimum and minimize regulation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)