2020: A Not-So-Spacey Odyssey Essay

The food we eat and the quantity of it is what industries base their investments on; they use this to their advantage and produce more quantity than quality for us to consume, without taking into consideration the effect this might have on us or on the world as a whole. In the article “When a Crop Becomes King” written by Michael Pollan we see what the excessive use of a crop can do to our health and the environment. The vast production of products made with corn has made it the crop which is grown more than any other in the United States, but the process of adapting to the high consumption of corn came at a high cost. While corn is the easiest and cheapest substitute for sugar and animal food it is also linked to the cause of chronic diseases and serious, long-lasting damage to our ecosystems. The production of certain things is something we might not have control of but what we should have control of is our health and what better way than denying anything that we know might give us a hard time the power to do

Corn is not the ideal nutritious food. It wreaks havoc on the animal;s' digestive system and gets turned into sweeteners that makes people obese, aside from giving us an unhealthy diet. In other words, the industrial food chain that American man is sustained on is largely based on corn, whether in its direct form, fed to livestock, or processed into chemicals such as glucose, and the cheapest forms of these are high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol. The former, particularly, through a combination of biological, cultural, and political factors, appears in the cheapest and most common of foods that constitute the American diet. It is the ingredient that results in obesity, and, since it appears in the cheapest products, the ingredients that more poor, than wealthier individuals, consume.

Most environment and health arguments surround the misuse of nitrogen and corn. In “What’s Eating America” Michael Pollan used the classical oration to structure his argument that America depends on nitrogen and corn; his argument consisted of an introduction, background, lines of argument, alternative argument, and a conclusion. The introduction, also known as the exordium is where the writer introduces his subject of argument. In Pollan’s introduction, he starts gaining the readers’ interest by referencing the connection that all societies even America runs on corn. “For the great edifice of variety and choice that is an American supermarket rests on a remarkably narrow biological foundation: corn”. Although, he does

Corn’s takeover finds its roots in history, specifically World War 2, when Fritz Haber had discovered how to synthetically manufacture nitrogen. However, Haber’s research was used for far more malicious acts than were intended during the wartime era, which, as Pollan asserted, clearly illustrates the double edged sword of science within an ethical viewpoint. But the leftovers of what Haber created was soon shifted into a new

In the educative essay “What’s Eating America,” Michael Pollan designates the history of corn, a good and healthy food if cultivated properly. This essay is very informative because it talks about American’s diet. In this essay, Pollan examines the way of growing the corn as an influential example of using the chemical fertilizers in food. Also, He complains “Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn it into food, has in no small measure become a process of converting fossil fuels into food…” (Pollan 302). While it might be very useful when used in a prudent way, in reality the usage of chemical fertilizers is higher and the farmers are feeding their corps more than it needs which affect the ecology’s system. In other words, his focus is on corn and not only does him just points out corn presence in nearly all food products; but he comes up with other matters like fossil fuels and the factories polluting the atmosphere. Thus, it’s astonishing when someone stops and thinks about how many things are composed from corn.

Chapter one of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan follows corn on its journey from acting as the primary crop of the Native Americans all the way to its introduction into the industrial setting. Pollan makes it explicitly clear that corn is in everything. Behind all the chemicals listed in the “ingredients” section on a product, consumers will find corn. Corn even plays a role in our chemical makeup. Because of corn’s ability to intake more carbon than most other plants, it does not have a preference over the carbon isotopes it consumes. By looking at the carbon isotope ratios in humans, we can determine how much corn one has eaten. Pollan states that corn’s variability is what makes it such an important crop. The European settlers

With concerns of climate change on the rise, a growing population, and a fear of being unable to maintain water demands many of our daily practices are coming into question. Agriculture is not immune to the criticisms, particularly with regard to fossil fuels. In the mid 1900s farming operations started to exploit fertilizers and land to increase the yield of inexpensive grains. Such practices require fossil fuels in immense quantities through fertilizers, pesticides, and transportation. However, passionate debates often occur over the importance and where to go from here. Michael Pollan, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and the National Chicken Council vary widely in their opinions but it is likely that no one direction is feasible.

When you hear the word "food" what does it make you think of? Does it make you think of hunting over grueling terrain for hours, sometimes days at a time? Does it make you think of forriging through leaves and bushes for nuts or roots? Unless you have been living as a wolf, these are probably not what you think of when you hear the word "food". Today, food is easier than ever to procure, as it should be. Thanks to thousands of years of advancements, food is nowhere near as hard to come by. We are still working towards a world where hunger is not a problem, and this problem is being solved through the practice of creating GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms. These are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated

Now you have a working thesis! Included in this working thesis is a reason for the war and some idea of how the two sides

This would create and elastic effect on the corn market because the huge demand for corn oil will remain the same but with the discovery corn for energy it has made it a hot commodity and very profitable amongst farmers therefore corn oil would take a back seat for now until other resources can be used to produce energy. These farmers are going to slow down their productions of corn for corn oil and increase the production of corn for energy because it is the more profitable thing to do and its makes perfect business sense. Now the demand for the corn oil remains the same, but the productions for it has slowed greatly if not stopped, this means that farmers and corn producers will need to raise the price of corn for corn products so they will be able to stay on the market longer and have a longer shelf life until another year or harvest comes around.

In America, ninety-nine percent of our foods consist of some sort of corn substance. Although this may be something you may be familiar with, many are not. In the film Food Inc, Filmmaker Robert Kenner and co-producer Eric Schlosser wanted to reveal the food lies of American farms. It shined the limelight on a rather secrete part of the American agriculture and its food industry. As the film was brought to a close, the knowledge was overwhelming.

2001: A Space Odyssey is just that: a long wandering voyage of the body and mind. Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clark collaborated brilliantly. In examining both works, the film and the novel, there are certainly differences, yet the theme and overall idea coincide thoroughly. That this was made in the 1960's augments both accomplishments. The visuals, seen in 2004, are still captivating. What they must've seemed like in 1968! I flout those who received this movie poorly in those days. Would I have received it as well without having a preconceived idea of its greatness? I can only hope I would have known what I was watching.

Welcome to the age of an agricultural revolution as everyday biotechnology continues to bring innovation to human’s most basic needs – food. Food is essential to any living organism, providing energy for our production and nutrients for our protection. Without this fundamental element, life cannot exist. Our lack to produce our own energy, like plants, causes us to become dependent on others for survival. Humans existence is attributed only to the million years of evolution our food source underwent to sustain our survival. Changing the primary nature of our food source, whether it is plant or animal, directs mankind in a dangerous future if our food dependency is permanently hampered. Welcome to the age of an agricultural devolution

Wars and conflicts have been happening around the world since the dawn of human kind. Wars happen due to the nature of political societies and human kind’s willingness to kill. Without the will to kill, there would be no war. In this essay I will be looking into the wars and conflicts that occurred in the 20th century and why it was an event or a series of events that occurred in the first place. The 20th century saw mass killings, genocide and extreme violence, not only in the European countries (in reference to Nazi Germany) but all throughout the world as well. This essay focuses on why there was so much bloodshed in the 20th century and the purpose of these events occurred the way it did and whether it was necessary, justified or could have been prevented.

Since 2.3 billion people will be added to the world from 2009 to 2050, biotechnology- Genetically Modified Organism- is a must to combat the global food crisis(Weisser para. 2). When the United States developed Bt corn, “[they] have been genetically engineered to resist herbicides and pests and even withstand drought.”(para. 16). Unlike corn that have never been modified, the Bt corn were able to survive better because of their resistant to herbicides, pests, and drought; resulting, a corn that can survive in harsh environment. By creating a modified corn that can survive in harsh environment, a large supply of corn- food- can be produced. If biotechnology can genetically modified corn to survive in harsh condition, more food can be produced; resulting 2.3 billion people can be fed; therefore, addressing the global food crisis. To put it briefly, limiting biotechnology would prevent addressing the global food crisis. Not only can genetic engineering address the global food crisis, but it can also improve medicine