#6 Revised: Let Nature Run It's Course

Revised #6 “Let Nature Run Its Course”

Let Nature Run Its Course

Cameron Canupp

ENG 102 Mon-Wed 5:00

Michael Benton

                Monsanto is a multinational biotechnology corporation; they are the leading producer of weed killer, such as “Round Up” (a spray that kills weeds from the root).  Monsanto also is the leading producer of genetically engineered seeds.  Their headquarters can be found in Creve Coeur, Missouri.  They are one of the few companies pioneering in the creation and application of bio technology to agriculture, founded in St. Louis, Missouri (1901).  Genetically modified seeds make up for approximately 50% of Monsanto’s profit.

                It is my belief that Monsanto is taking away from whole food products, being that statistics show that the modified seeds are no good for our culture.  Once genetically modified seeds are grown they are unable to produce more seeds, thus becoming dependent upon regeneration/reproduction of new seeds.  This is in no way a natural process and is only hurting, nearly destroying, America’s farms.  They have begun suing small farm owners and taking their land, claiming that farmers are utilizing their chemicals when detected in a farmer’s crop.  The truth of the matter is that these chemicals are drifting onto nearby farms, causing trace amounts in their crops giving Monsanto grounds to sue.  Typically they cannot prove the farmers use of their chemicals so they bankrupt the farmers in court battles, this causing them to lose everything.

                American’s need more whole foods, clean nutritious foods free from chemical contamination.  Genetically processed foods are ruining America’s farms, in one way or another.   These “short cuts” are only hurting the American people who have worked their entire lives, as have their ancestors, to provide good, clean, nutritious foods by harvesting them naturally and selling them to our communities.  If we continue to allow the modification of the foods that nature has provided for us, eventually nature will stop helping us all together. America was built by the people and we as one have already let it slip so very far away.  If not controlled and ended soon Monsanto may begin to genetically modify our children, who’s to stop them?

#5 Revised Embrace Change

#5 Embrace Change

Embrace Change

Cameron Canupp

ENC 102 Mon-Wed 5:00pm

Michael Benton

                In response to the video of RS Animation “How to change educational paradigms”, I believe it is difficult to predict what we need to do about the educational system.  One reason is the economic value of our country, or most countries at this time, not to mention that fact that with such poor economic values we could easily fall into an economic depression in the blink of an eye.  Another issue is the location of the students, “where are the children located” and what are the circumstances that surround them? How could we possibly expect that every educational system will hold the same exact value as the next?  Should children/adolescents be subsided into different age groups, or divided into much more in depth categories such as whether they are more inclined by group work/projects, can they accomplish the same goals “solo” as with in a group, or maybe even by sex – boys with boys and girls with girls?  What is the best way to set up our educational system and who is best to determine this? This field is so very broad that there is going to be more than one answer, but which answer will best benefit our children and are the most efficient.  We have to find some way to narrow this down and make the most efficient changes as we correct this system to benefit our children. 

Parents, teachers, leaders  etc. always say “If you go to school, work hard, get into a good college you will be successful and it will all pay off in the end”.  Today this couldn’t be further from the truth.  From as far back as the early 18^th Century this has kind of been the rule, bullet proof plan actually, until now.  Today school just does not seem as important to our youth, or even parents, as it has in the past.  It seems that getting through school as quickly as possible and working as early as you can to help support your family is the new “bullet proof plan”.  I myself attend a community college, BCTC.  The dropout rate at BCTC is over 50% for all students enrolled.  Most students completely drop out just into or after the 2^nd year.  These rates are extreme and need to come down. We need to find an educational system that works for all families, financially, mentally, etc.  that keeps our youth’s interests and keeps them in school.

We need to listen to what our youth is saying, understand their wants, needs and concerns and teach them how to learn and what to truly expect from their education.  As cliché’ as it seems, they need to be taught to think “outside the box” in order to teach them that not all lessons are learned through books, but experience as well.  History proves that thinking “outside the box” are those who will truly make a difference in this world.  We need to encourage them not to be controlled by one answer and to critically think things through before acting.  It is time that we help our youth and make the corrections and or changes to our educational system and show them how things are said, done, etc.