Sustainable Agriculture (Blog 5)

Hunger and poverty is a huge problem around the world. From a lecture by Dr. Thurlow over 1.02 billon people are malnourished. An article by Kristi Heim states that Bill Gates is leading the charge in helping out these 1.02 billion people. Improving crop yields will help feed more people and put more money in the pocket of people who farm for a living. However, many times in order to raise crop yields the environment can be effected. There are two main points to solve this problem, saving the environment and keeping getting food into the hands of people who are going hungry.

In order to keep the environment adequate for the next generation Bill Gates wants sustainable agriculture.
“Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” UC Davis
The University of California Agriculture Research and Education Program explain the many parts of sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture can be associated with the use of water for farming, the use of soil, energy, and air quality.

Obstacles of topsoil depletion and groundwater contamination should be top priorities when tackling the issue of sustainable agriculture. If the soil eroded the ability to farm the land vanishes and if the groundwater became contaminated the drinking water of many could be sacrificed.

These issues can be solved by educating these people and giving them a helping hand. If a cheap, simple, and widely available solution can be found I believe it could work. With the backing of Bill Gates, professors like John Reganold of Washington State University, and with the growing support of others this problem can be solved.

Kinoki Cleansing Detox Foot Pads (Blog 4)

We have all seen television infomercials. They constantly try and sell people products that can improve your life. Kinoki detox footpads are a prime example (Amazon.com). These magical pads “absorb impurities and work while you sleep. These footpads contain holistic ingredients and are formulated in Japan.”

Dr. Ed Zimmy from Everydayhealth.com states that there is no scientific evidence for these pads. The pads cannot work anyway because the body does not have a mechanism to suck out toxins from the skin.

Another interesting article about Kinoki was written by the Federal Trade Commission. Kinoki was charged with deceptive advertising. Kinoki had false health claims and had no evidence to support their claims. The Federal Trade Commission wants to “bar the defendants (Kinoki) permanently from deceptively marketing the foot pads.” This action taken by the Federal Trade Commission could be the reason there is no website available for Kinoki.

Scanning another website(http://www.publichealthforums.com) I found on forums that some people believes this product works. However many of these claims sound more like the Onion then real life stories. This goes to show that you never know what is true on forums because you can be anyone on the internet.

I would never use this product because there is no scientific evidence that Kinoki footpads work. The fact that the Federal Trade Commission stepped in and a medical doctor calls this product bogus is evidence enough for me. However, many people may use this as a placebo. “A placebo is a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine” (Dictonary.com). This placebo can affect the mind and the person with a condition believes that they are better. From all this information I can conclude that Kinoki footpads are a scam. Having a better diet and exercise are much better than trying to remove toxins from the body.

Demonstration Speech

My demonstration speech had some parts I could have worked on. My introduction was good. After watching this however I could have added an interesting quote or some more information about racing. My organization was great I listed everything needed to race. I showed how each part protects you, where you can purchase these, and how to put on the safety gear. I could have explained the safety gear better but they are relatively simple. I could have wrapped up my speech better with a longer conclusion but I got nervous and moved quickly to the end. I practiced my speech but I think practicing in front of more people would help.

My visual aid was the centerpiece of my speech I showed how to put on a race suit. I used the exact safety materials that I used in a real race, and I think it worked very well. Now only I could have brought my racecar here too.

I spoke loud and clear, I stumbled a few times but I believe that to be nervousness. I used a lot of eye contact with a straightforward body language that was not distracting or boring. I think I went at a pace where everyone could understand me but not fall asleep to my speech.

All in all, I could have added a little bit more content to my speech. I made 5 minutes but I could have had a stronger conclusion. I believe it was informative and interesting. The audience was engaged and respectful. I should have checked my hair before my speech but I practiced before and my helmet messed up my hair. However, my speech excelled overall and gave me more confidence in giving more speeches in the future.