Government Influence on Nutrition (Possible Portfolio Topic)

I discovered the book, Food Politics: How The Food Industry Influences Nutrition And Health by Marion Nestle, and realized its topic was almost exactly what I was considering making the subject of my Portfolio Assignment.
After flipping through the book, I narrowed down the main points Nestle was trying to address. She divided her book into five parts, beginning with the messages the food industry uses to sell more food. I find this extremely interesting due to the fact that simultaneously our society is telling us we are too overweight.
Nestle then introduces the food industry’s tantalizing instruments used to increase sales in the second part and proceeds to give an example in the third part showing their influence on children. The fourth part concentrates on the food industry’s effort to actually deregulate the current advertisement restrictions which leads to her fifth part in which she explains how marketing turns “junk” food into healthy food. Obviously this book is going to be a staple in my "researching diet" :)


I have been reaffirmed that the overabundance of food forces food companies into competition with one another to make consumers eat their products instead of others. Additionally, food companies want to sell expensive rather than cheap food. Therefore, they try to sell more processed food than unprocessed fruits and vegetables. I am determined to centralize where and how this insanity is or is not being addressed.

This topic became more and more interesting to me as I continued my research. I am confident that there will be ample resources to use when producing the requirements of my Portfolio. I have decided to stick with this topic and to begin establishing the frameworks of the assignment.


sub·si·dize/ˈsəbsəˌdīz/Verb
1. Support (an organization or activity) financially.
2. Pay part of the cost of producing (something) to reduce prices for the buyer.

a·base/əˈbās/ Verb
1. Behave in a way so as to belittle or degrade (someone)

“San Jose residents oppose public safety cuts as budget worsens, may accept sales tax hike or reduced library hours” By John Woolfolk

San Jose over the past decade has been constantly at work, producing jobs for the unemployed and more efficient forms of energy and transportation use. However, with the recent budget cuts in the area, the men and women in charge have been forced to figure out a new system for the growing city. Discussed in the article was a recent citywide survey proving residents interests in making cuts to the public park and library funds. These specific cutbacks would result in the closing of many public park restrooms and reduced library hours. This data is very significant to me, I believe that this type of feedback premeditates future alterations to the city and the general direction its resident’s are interested in heading. But what is this article’s purpose? I think that Woolfolk wrote this article not to scare his readers with more economy talk, but to show the population what it’s citizens are really feeling. He explained the amount of people who could possibly loose their jobs due to the cuts, while simultaneously encouraging the population to be aware of the situations at hand. Woolfolk describes the council and city management’s discussions as “frustrations” and “prodding”. This word choice shows (not tells) the digressions that have been occurring over this issue. Woolfolk ended his piece with a quote from Councilwoman Nora Campos, “"Every decision we have to make is going to be difficult." By ending the article this way, leaves the reader open to make their own decisions on the budget cuts. It also leaves a hint of hope, for the citizens to trust the officials and the decisions they make.

Alcohol-Related Issues (possible portfolio topic)

Alcohol related statistics have always been very interesting to me. I became fascinated with the subject after taking a course in elementary school about the facts of drugs and alcohol, also known as the D.A.R.E. program (http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp). It amazed my young mind that people could, after seeing the horrific pictures they showed us throughout the program, still drink and drive. We were shown how deadly the act of drinking could potentially become, and even worse, realized that people continued to break the laws on drinking.

Recently in the Mercury News editorial section, I came across a particular editorial on San Jose and its large number of public drunkenness. While this editorial was short and not very thorough, the author reported facts and presented a definite opinion on the subject. The author believed that the public should have direct access to the reports on these drunken arrests. He believed that the numbers are too high for the general public to be unaware of. He began is editorial saying “To make any sense of San Jose's large number of public drunkenness arrests — far more than even Los Angeles — the public needs to see the police reports on the incidents.”

That type of direct heading basically made my decision to agree with the author before I even read the article. He continued to explain that contrary to what many think, most of the arrests are not made in the downtown “club-scene”, but in the outlaying neighborhoods. Those neighborhoods are where I could possibly live in the future, and I believe that it is my right, an important one, to have access to that particular information.

He proved further knowledge on the subject when he referred to Councilwoman Nora Campos, and her work with a task force derived to tackle these specific issues and the arrest policies surrounding them.

Overall, this editorial was effective in its motive. However, it appears that the outcome of this issue will have to be voted on in some form. Perhaps the councilwoman and others interested in this request will make the changes themselves, but it will still take the support of the public to make any serious changed. Public drunkenness is dangerous in so many ways and should be controlled and regulated. The arrests that have been occurring in San Jose should not be kept a secret, and should be notified to the public.

This topic is very interesting to me and could potentially be the topic to my Portfolio Assignment. With further research I believe I could produce a well-written political interest paper.

Autarky:

1.the condition of self-sufficiency, esp. economic, as applied to a nation.

2.a national policy of economic independence.

Reciprocity:

1.a reciprocal state or relation.

2.reciprocation; mutual exchange.

3.the relation or policy in commercial dealings between countries by which correspondingadvantages or privileges are granted by each country to the citizens of the other.