Austin's Potato Post

In Austin's April 19th post, entitled "Real" Potatoes vs. "Fake" Potatoes, he talks about how he used to eat mashed potatoes that were "real", but since college has been eating the boxed variety for simplicity. Although he says that the boxed potatoes are very comparable both nutritionally and taste-wise to real, homemade mashed potatoes, he says he will probably some day return to making the real thing.
Austin also provides a link to Junkfood Science, which has an article called "Processed foods aren't real foods". In the article, the author Sandy Szwarc begins talking about how people are taught to fear processed foods, and look out for anything with a long, unrecognizable name in their foods ingredient list.
Then, she surprises readers by giving her explanation of why all foods that are cooked are "processed" and how processing can be highly beneficial at best and unharmful at worst.
I loved the article Austin posted with his blog. Also, I thought Austin did a nice job of talking about mashed potatoes. It was simple, yet effective.

Post 5: Compare 2 online articles

UW Madison to End Nike licensing relationship vs. Purdue: Nike did not violate licensing agreement

Summary: A factory that makes collegiate apparel for Nike closed down and did not pay it's workers the 2 billion + that it owed them in severances. Purdue argues that it is not Nike's responsibility since they did not own the factories or cause them to shut down. UW students, however, urged Chancellor Martin to sever ties with Nike because they did violate UW's Code of Conduct.
I think that the article from UW is more convincing. We can't shut our eyes to wrong doing, which is essentially what Purdue has done. I had already made up my mind on the issue before I read the articles, so reading them has not changed my mind.
I feel as though many of the classes I have taken while at UW have deeply explored social injustices, such as the mistreatment of factory workers. It is good to see students and academicians putting their beliefs into practice. When I first read about UW severing ties with Nike, it made me very proud to be a Badger.

Response to Darius Feaster's blog about Peaches

In his April 14th post about real vs. fake food, Darius Feaster compared the advantages and disadvantages of fresh and canned peaches. He said that although he used to enjoy fresh peaches when his mother would buy them from the store. Now he resorts to eating canned peaches, and although he finds them more consistently sweet than the real kind, he opines the fact that much of the nutrients available in peaches are lost through the canning process. His link is to an article by Dr. Leslie Van Romer, who talks candidly about real and fake foods. Dr. Van Romer urges people to eat as close to natural as possible, because when we fill up on junk food we're not leaving much room for the good stuff that will help us live long, happy and healthy lives.
Darius' article was clear and convincing, and maybe will help me pick a little healthier food choices in the future

Post 4: Analysis of a celebrity endorsement

Lance Armstrong is in an advertisement for Michelob Ultra Light Beer. It's called "Little Extra" and he is shown waking up early in the morning before a workout and adding a "little extra" milk into his cereal (thanks to the calories saved by Michelob Ultra Light Beer. Then after a hard workout he is shown relaxing in this beautiful mountaintop bar with friends. It is a super sexy ad and kind of makes me like Michelob. Lance Armstrong is a really good celeb to sell anything, especially beer. Look at how widespread his Livestrong campaign was, I mean, who didn't have one of those yellow bracelets? Okay, I didn't. But just about everyone I knew wore one, and it sparked a trend where you'd see people wearing multiple bands in different colors, all having different meanings. Lance Armstrong sells.
Armstrong said of his decision to campaign for Michelob (as quoted on NYSportsjournalism.com, October 7, 2009), "I'm always making decisions that complement my active lifestyle, and this includes my beer choice when I want to enjoy a cold one with friends or take a break from training. I'm excited about my association with Michelob Ultra, a brand that supports cycling and running communities across the U.S. and is a favorite among active adults."
The commercial rated a 5.31 for popularity during the Superbowl. It didn't make the top 10, but wasn't the least popular either. I think the ads will do well, because I liked them, and I also noticed them a lot in magazines, more than other beer ads. And in the world of beer, more advertising = more sales. The article in NYsportsjournal.com, linked above, said that Armstrong is in some ways a good fit and other ways, very odd for selling Michelob.