How Hot is Hot?

Who would have thought there was a Chile Pepper Institute? I sure never would have guessed. The Chile Pepper Institute "is a non-profit, science-based organization dedicated to everything chile pepper. It conducts research on disease resistance, higher yield and better flavor of the crop. It also fields hundreds of questions a week from growers, producers, researchers and home gardeners" (Joshi 1). Each year the Chile Pepper Institute declares a new worlds hottest pepper. In 2007, the Guiness Book of World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia as the hottest pepper. However, in February the Moruga Scorpion was declared the new hottest pepper. In order to determine the world's hottest pepper, a mathematical formula is used containing, Scoville heat units (SHU). The Moruga Scorpion received a score of 2 million SHU. The Moruga Scorpion has been used in everything from salsa to brownie mixes but it is recommended to eat in very small servings. 

I enjoyed reading this article because it was new and interesting to me. I had never heard of anything like a Chile Pepper Institute but it definitely sounds like a fun job to have. The author, Monika Joshi used mainly logos in her article. She described how SHU's work and kept straight to the facts. She included a little pathos when she interviewed people who had sampled the Moruga Scorpion, "the heat builds after the initial bite, resulting in an all-over-the-mouth-and-throat burn that lasts at least eight minutes" (John Hard, owner of Chile Pepper Institute).


Chile Pepper Institute Studies What's Hot by Monika Joshi
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/story/2012-03-11/Chile-Pepper-Institute-studies-whats-hot/53490214/1

The Pink Slime is Back

The pink slime is back. Although McDonalds and Taco Bell have banned it from their meats, the government is now using pink slime in lunch meat at public schools. The United States Department of Agriculture just bought "7 million pounds of beef containing ammonium hydroxide-treated ground connective tissue and meat scraps and serving it up to America's school kids" (Weir 1). Pink slimes official name is "Lean Beef Trimmings." It is not nutritious as it is filled with connective tissues instead of muscles, it is not the same thing as real ground meat. Aside from it not being nutritious, the ammonium hydroxide in it is a concern. Aside from being found in pink slime, ammonium hydroxide is used to kill pathogens such as E. coli, eww. It is estimated that it is found in about 70% of ground beef in the United States. Food advocates are beginning to ask for meat containing pink slime to be labeled so the buyers know what they are consuming. I think if you knew one pack of ground beef contained pink slime and another didn't, you would definitely opt for the one with out pink slime.

Sarah Weir, the author of this article, used many logos when writing. She included a lot of statistics about ammonium hydroxide, pink slime, and the meat safety in the U.S. However, I wish she gave a better definition to pink slime, she never formerly defined it, she assumed her readers knew what it was. After reading this, I am still a little confused as to what pink slime truly is. Whatever it is though, it seems disgusting and if I did eat meat I would definitely want to know what was in it, just to be on the safe side.

Seven Million Pounds of “Pink Slime” Beef Destined for National School Lunch Program by Sarah Weir
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/seven-million-tons-8220-pink-slime-8221-beef-180500764.html

"School Shootings Are Gun Crimes"

Last week, a teen gunman entered his high school and open fired in the cafeteria. He killed three students and injured two more. If it wasn't for the heroic high school teacher and football coach who led the gunman away from the school where he was later arrested, the event would have been much more fatal. Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio will be forever scarred of that day's events. They join Columbine and Virginia Tech in the group of deadly school shootings. This group can not get any larger than it is not, these events are much too tragic and extremely preventable. In an editorial, the Akron Beacon Journal said,"...What led a young man to gather a gun and fire at classmates will come later, if at all. First, there is the fate of the victims, hoping for recoveries, mourning the loss. Then, there is Chardon, looking to restore that precious feeling of security." Frank Ochberg of CNN believes that events such as school shootings are preventable. He said, "But the reason we have an American school shooting problem that exceeds other nations has to do with access to loaded weapons by kids who should not have that access." In an editorial, The Blade mentioned that they believe the problem with school shootings traces all the way back to bullying, "But doing all the right things won't get rid of all bullies. And as long as there are bullies and victims, tragedy can result." In the Huffington Post, Gabriel Lerner said, "The truth is there is more violence in our schools than we realize." She was the first person in the enter article to talk of reality, she knows there is a problem and it needs to be changed.

I felt this article to be very fitting with our recent class discussions, especially with the Patterns readings about hate crimes. The article used mainly pathos especially in the quotes included. All of the quotes were personal opinions on school shootings. However, there was ethos in it as well. Ethos was used when it came down to analyzing school shootings, how wrong are they? Ethos was very prominent at the beginning of the article when author Sharon Broussard spoke of the shooting, "It was a reminder that no place is sacrosanct in a society where guns are far too common and available to vengeful, emotionally unstable or just plain cruel people."

School Shootings Are Gun Crimes, various authors

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-03-01/ohio-school-shooting-chardon-gun/53323810/1

Thank You Global Warming

This winter certainly did not feel like a typical north east one. Many scientists believe that global warming has contributed the warm temperatures we had this winter. Only twice did snow accumulate, and it added up to barley two inches here in New England. We haven't had any snow days or delays, no snowmen or sledding fun. While the majority of north easterners feel deprived of the winter season this year, one thing that nobody has missed is flu season. Last year, the official flu season started in October. This year, it began in late February. Although many may not think it, the flu can be deadly. Last year, 122 children died from the flu, this year only three. Also, statistics show that for everyone who has been hospitalized this season, 22 were last year. Scientists who believe global warming is connected to flu season proved their thesis with studies that show the influenza virus thrives in low humidity and low temperatures. So this season, with the warm temperatures the flu has not been as strong as it has been in past years.

Author Charles Finch seemed to be a someone who was not too upset about the lack of snow this year. While he did admit that sledding is a fun tradition, he seemed more relieved to be able to avoid the flu season and spend more time outside, without being dressed for snow. I was surprised at the amount of logos he used. Before I read the article, I figured it would be more of an opinion piece, being in the opinion section and all, but he included many facts. While his article was one sided, I do not think it was intended to be argumentative. He only included statistics from scientists who support global warming. He used logos when informing his audience of the facts that relate global warming and flu season. He also used some pathos at the end when he talked about how he was glad he made it through season without getting sick. I have to agree with Finch in that I did not miss the snow at all this year. I am looking forward to summer!

The Best Part About Global Warming by Charles Finch
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/opinion/sunday/the-best-part-about-global-warming.html?ref=opinion

Leave Black Actresses Alone for Good

It seems like no matter what they do, black actresses always receive some type of criticism for the roles they play in movies. Most recently, two of the lead actresses in The Help received harsh criticism for playing domestic roles. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were both questioned on their decision to play such matronly roles, ones that reflected the black lifestyle during segregation times. While on the "Travis Smiley Show", Smiley admitted that he felt the roles Davis and Spencer played in the helped diminished their place in society. He was disappointed in their decision to take on such a role, one that was similar to Hattie McDaniel in her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind. Since Gone With the Wind was released 73 years ago, blacks have overcome boundaries they never expected to conquer. Yet even though today we are a segregation free country, two extremely successful actresses are still being questioned about their roles. Mark Anthony Neal ended his article by sharing his opinion on how it would be if McDaniel, Davis, and Spencer all met at the Oscars today. Neal shared that he though McDaniel would praise Davis and Spencer for their roles as housemaids and their success in Hollywood. McDaniel would probably be shocked to see that the Oscars are no longer segregated, as with the rest of the world, and she would be surprised to hear about all of the segregation problems of the 1960's. Neal ended his article by saying, It’s all relative and it’s about time we trust black artists to make choices for the sake of their art and not tired ideals about how “negro-folk” are supposed to act."


Neal appeared to be offended by the grief that Davis and Spencer received for their acting roles. When he is not writing, Neal is a professor of African and African American studies at Duke University. He is obviously educated on the topic. Neal used logos in his article when talking about the successes of Davis, Spencer, and McDaniel. He also mentioned President Obama and and many civil rights leaders. I think that Neal strongly supports Davis and Spencer for their acting decisions and thinks the world of them. He used ethos when describing what a possible meeting between Davis, Spencer, and McDaniel would have been like. He made it a very personal interaction and was able to persuade the reader that racism is wrong and although everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, it is important to always respect others. 


Stop Policing Black Actresses by Mark Anthony Neal
http://entertainment.salon.com/2012/02/25/stop_policing_black_actresses/

"Taste the Lin-Sanity"

Jeremy Lin is not only a star on the basketball court but he is becoming a popular ice cream flavor as well. Ben and Jerry's is in the process of releasing a limited edition ice cream flavor, "Taste the Lin-Sanity." The original flavor was vanilla frozen yogurt with honey swirls and pieces of fortune cookies mixed in. But as you probably guessed, the fortune cookie ingredient was met with some grief. Apparently, many people complained to Ben and Jerry's saying that it was racist to include fortune cookies in the ice cream because of Lin's Chinese heritage. Even though Lin himself has not commented about the ice cream flavor, the Asian American Journalist Association felt that they could speak for Lin's personal opinion. They said, Is there a compelling reason to draw a connection between Lin and fortune cookies, takeout boxes or similar imagery? In the majority of news coverage, the answer will be no." One of Ben and Jerry's general manager, Ryan Midden released a statement saying, "There seemed to be a bit of an initial backlash about it, but we obviously weren't looking to offend anybody and the majority of the feedback about it has been positive." Even though there was more praise than complaints, Ben and Jerry's was forced to change the fortune cookie ingredient, they are now using waffle bits instead. 

Author Chris Chase is definitely on Ben and Jerry's side of the controversy. He feels that it is ridiculous to be complaining about an ice cream flavor that is honoring an outstanding athlete. After describing the ice cream flavor and the change in ingredients, Chase included Ben and Jerry's reasoning for switching out the fortune cookies for waffle bits, The company says the main reason for removing the fortune cookies was because they got soggy inside the batch. If you believe that, I have a bridge made of Cherry Garcia to sell you." Chase used a lot of ethos in this article because he included his personal opinion multiple times. He ended his article by saying, There's a difference between being color/race blind and completely ignoring a person's heritage. The über-PC police got all worked up about the inclusion of fortune cookies but surely their anger was misplaced. Lin's family is of Chinese descent. Fortune cookies are associated with Chinese food. A liberal ice-cream company no one ever associates with racism, hate or unfairness decided to have some fun with the connection. That's all." I agree with Chase and Ben and Jerry's on this ridiculous case of ice cream controversy. I think that Ben and Jerry's truly did not mean any harm by making this ice cream flavor, they were just trying to have some fun.

Ben & Jerry’s replaces fortune cookies in ‘Lin-Sanity’ flavor after controversy by Chris Chase
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/ben-jerry-replaces-fortune-cookies-lin-sanity-flavor-162728739.html

Stars at Mass General

Over the past ten years, medical treatment had advanced in such a way that has never been expected. Although there are still many doctors are still searching for many cures, treatments have gone so far as to save someones voice. Dr. Zeitels of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has performed multiple Laryngeal surgeries. Most recently, Dr. Zeitels operated on Adele, helping to protect her from losing her vocal chords. It is very important to have this operation done, "“There is a saying that the show must go on... just because they have some sniffles, which might have a big impact on swelling in vocal chords, they will proceed with the performance" (Zeitel 1). Aside from Adele, Dr. Zeitels has also operated on Steven Tyler, Roger Daltry, Lionel Ritchie, and Cher. Zeitel also noted that the technology for Laryngeal surgeries has improved greatly over the past 15 years. They are now able to complete operations that have never been done before. For instance, Julie Andrews struggled with the same voice problems as Adele but ten years ago when Andrews needed her surgery, the technology wasn't there. However, Zeitel has been able to perform four operations on Andrews and they are working together to restore her singing voice. Zeitel stresses the importance of these surgeries especially for singers because they can save careers and lifestyles. 


KC Downey, the author of this article used very little rhetorical devices when writing it. It would be a stretch to say there was logos because the only facts included were about how many years this surgery has been going on for. There was also very little pathos as well because there weren't any important quotes or emotions about Dr. Zeitel or Adele. I guess the strongest rhetorical device used was ethos, Downey did stress how importnat this surgery has become and that it is being done for all the right reasons. Thanks to Dr. Zeitel many world famous stars have recovered their singing voices and hopefully he will be able to continue his success. 

Adele's MGH Doctor Describes 'State-Of-The-Art' Voice Surgery by KC Downey

http://beta.local.yahoo.com/news-adele-mgh-doctor-describes-state-art-voice-surgery