Lou Reed, Billy Joel, and Rita the boxer.

As I write this, Maggie is lying next to me, very upset that I won't continue to pet her while she falls asleep. Have I mentioned how much I love my dog? We had quite a day. But I didn't get on the computer to talk about my dog, and the unconditional love that lies therein.

I had a beautiful, dare I say perfect, day? I made choices for my health over my desire, and that is a habit I am looking to make constant.

The morning was busy, I opened at work, and saw a familiar face that I still wonder why is so unfamiliar now, and how it came to be that way. I care for someone in a human way, no more, and want them to be happy... I know I know... this is pretty standard stuff, but I wonder how a friendship can escape in to a reborn atmosphere of strangers. How do we go back to that. Well, we did, and so it is... I wish all the blessings in the world for him.

I had a fun time at work, got my ass handed to me a little bit, but I would prefer that over crickets any day. I had myself an amazing lunch, protein and vitamin packed, colorful and clean, just how I like em. Came home, took Mags for our evening walk down to Kellogg. This is where it got journal-worthy.

As I was rocking out on my Ipod, to some very jammable Amy Winehouse, a nice woman drove by with a dog in the passenger seat... "Have you seen a medium sized black dog without a collar?" she asked. I went on to find out she was missing "Shady", enter character one. Shady lives on 68th and Long, and decided to go for a solo adventure. She drove on looking, and I promised to keep an eye out. This is where my music was put on the backburner, and Shady was my new priority. Maggie Mae and I got to Kellogg and she did her standard program as I tried different dog calls for my new MIA pooch. I decided tonight that even thought it was dark, and that I usually stay in the "kinda" well lit areas, (as well as it can be on SE Powell and surrounding)... But tonight, I was on a mission. I walked head strong right through that creepy as hell alley in between the gymnasium and school building--ready for anything. I convinced myself that if I did not do this that I would regret it for the rest of my life (by the way, if you ever really want to do something but are too scared, this works really really well... the thought that you will regret it for the rest of your life, makes it so much easier to pull the trigger). So I pulled out my little pocket knife and made it happen. I did a little victory dance on the other side, and checked that off my list of things to probably not make a habit of.

I stopped every person on the street the whole way home, and told them of the search that was happening in the area, they agreed to keep an eye out. I met a nice young couple playing fetch with their two boxers in a parking lot. Rita the black and white boxer, took quite a liking to Maggie. So the rest of the way home I continued to call for Shady. One block from home, a med/large white dog without a collar comes across the street. Now this guy looked pretty beat up, and was not super friendly as Shady's mom promised that Shady as. So I was at a predicament. Is this Shady? Do I save him? Did hear black, but she said white? Oh shit, what do I do now.... Oh double shit, caucasian Shady is running in to the street... oh shit, he almost gets smashed by a bus. Oh triple shit, I really gotta pee, and I'm a block from home, and I can't save replacement Shady when I have Maggie on the leash, because new Shady no likey Maggie, or me.

Instant reaction: Run like hell home, drop off Mags, pee like you're on the side of the road, (wash hands), grab leash, keys, run like hell back to Shady Sr. The next forty five minutes was me, following around my new friend, with the occasional warning bark from him telling me to follow a little further behind. It seemed as though he was heading towards original Shady's home address, so I thought I was on the right track.. The problem was, white slim shady did not want my help, and he was not happy with my following program. He attempted to jump in to traffic a few more times which is when I convinced myself that I had to help him, otherwise I would regret it for the rest of my life (by the way, in this situation, not such a good idea, because then when you have to give up, or call animal control, you wont' be able to sleep)...
I didn't call the animal fuzz, instead I discussed with this crazy old man on the street and he agreed that Shades did not want help, and he was fine on his own, and that he is white, so at least people can see him in the street. That made me feel better, so I walked home, feeling half like a jackass, and half like a nutjob.

So I get home, and take one of the best naps of my life, I'm pretty sure I didn't even take off my gloves or hat, and had Gladiator playing on my laptop...

Jules gets home, says everyone's going cosmic bowling at hollywood later... I wake up later, and have to make this choice... Go to gym, go play... hmm... I've been so good lately, I do want to bowl.. that's exercise, but then I would want some beers, or white russians, you're out of your element donny. So I compromise... I go to the gym at eleven, but I stay away from the machines, and hit the pool, the sauna, and the hot tub... I love how things come together, synchronicity happening all around... I get to the gym and Gladiator is playing on the tv in the locker room, right where I had left off, I shit you not... And mine was a dvd... random. I do some laps, then on to the sauna, where I met a really nice woman from Eugene. She's interested in getting involved more here in Portland, and has history with the cooperative business and living situations, so we exchanged information about the coop, farm, and Kellogg garden. Anyway, it was a really nice conversation, and I felt like five million dollars after swimming and sweating like whore in church. I love saunas, I want one in my backyard tomorrow.

Not really sure what all this means, but my soundtrack to the gym and back was some extremely satisfying Billy Joel, sometimes you just have to go there you know? That piano will make you start thinking, and save all the memories you've made in the last twenty four hours... no matter how insignificant they may seem.

And tomorrow on to bloody mary's with Chocolate pants at Mother's... Mmmm.
I love me some breakfast.
Virg

Street Roots Article: Kellogg Community Garden

SE Neighborhood Communities vs. Portland Public Schools
The Innovation and Proposition of a Community Garden in the abandoned Kellogg Middle School campus.


The food industry, “big food”, “big tobacco”, the dairy industry, the meat industry, industrial production versus the organic crusade—these are common terms today. Leave it to Portland to represent as one of the top organic and sustainable cities in the United States. We should be so proud; we are doing a great job, aren’t we? From the looks of a quick google search, Portland gives the glimpse of a green utopia, hand-in-hand with a new generation of driven hipsters ready to save the world and hold one another around a campfire made of recycled wood materials.

We also come up as number one on the vegetarian websites. We are even saving the animals, how perfect. My cynical approach is not to be mistaken for a lack of appreciation for my sharing and caring metropolitan. On the contrary, I’m sitting around that very campfire, with my pink fedora, used 501’s, and hemp chap stick that I purchased at my local food cooperative. I’m more than onboard with that whole program. I celebrate the entire collection of old-fashioned community values, and respect for locality and reduction of carbon footprints.

How is it though, that a city with such props and award winning reputations continues to struggle in the contribution and support of our low-income, and homeless populations? We are making efforts to take care of one another, as long as that “other” has a matching Subaru and exotic vegetable garden in their front yard.

We so smoothly disregard this group of Portlandians because of their obvious difference in lifestyle and values. Somehow we associate the homeless as one population, one race, one personality, one history, one story, internationally contingent. They don’t make the cut for our environmental rehabilitation priorities.

First and foremost, we have placed organic foods as the gateway to saving the world, and given it credit for helping to diminish our climbing obesity statistics. Enter Whole Foods stage left, please stock your shelves so obnoxiously with fancy produce and alien floral arrangements shipped from the other side of the world; now we’re really getting somewhere. Charge fourteen dollars per lemon to cover the price of that transportation, just tell people they are saving the rainforests by purchasing the lemon, it will all smooth over… at least in Forest Heights.

Directly after dropping a few benjamin’s on enough food for the first half of the work week, go ahead and walk straight out the door, past the Street Roots Vendor, and deny him your dollar for a piece of material actually worth your time, actually contributing directly to the well-being of a community member.

I’ve been that Whole Foods patron, many a time, it’s so easy to get sucked in to the “organic” and “local” jab. It’s better than hitting up your local McDeaths, but, there’s something else here worth acknowledging, something that we’re forgetting as a friendly and natural congregation of north westerners. We forgot about our own.

We’ve got family trying to get ahead right here in our city, next door, and we have misplaced the compassion for helping one another with a new pride jacket, an ignorant coat of assumptions leads us right past those working, working to get in to a home and consistent income situation, and takes us right in to our new favorite happy-hour of choice destination.

Hear me out, I’m still directly speaking as a hypocrite, just ask my new banana yellow skull and cross-bones water bottle I got for my road bike, it only set me back nineteen bucks. But let’s break this up a bit. We can’t diminish the whole industrial facility, or even get it out of Portland for that matter, there would be a stream of angry, and extremely tan females driving ridiculously large SUVs even more recklessly from the West Hills straight towards Northeast Portland on last Thursday, determined to take revenge upon those damn hippies.

But what we can do is uncover alternative options. We can incorporate the homeless and struggling populations in to our save the world adventures. It’s called a community garden. We have a lot of them in Portland. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept.

Wouldn’t a community garden be essentially a pretty textbook fit for someone living without shelter, needing access to food, water… and drum roll please… work? Do these people even want to help in a community agriculture atmosphere you ask? If they do, I’m sure they’ll show up, maybe they just need an open invitation, and some slack from our ever so efficient city officials.


Operation Kellogg Community Garden: Phase 1

Here she is, the maiden voyage, kind of. There are and have been other community gardens in Portland, even garden’s built in to school campuses. However, this has a slightly new twist. This garden is open to everyone. Yes Sir?.. What about liability, security, trust factors? Sit down and take five to listen. We’re going to make this work. How hard is to fathom a place where everyone is welcome? If you do not feel safe with your neighbors unless they are receiving a steady paycheck, then you are more than welcome to hold my hand through the harvesting and growth of our little Kellogg plot. Or you could introduce yourself, and get to know why it is that they don’t have that paycheck.

Yes there will be obstacles, yes. It will be a labyrinth of agreements and liabilities around the regulations of the garden. I can’t really find anything in there that’s a good enough reason not to see it come to fruition. Everyone in the Northwest loves a challenge, that is why we live here (that and the huckleberries). I think that all of the American Gladiator episodes should be a Colorado native up against someone from the Northwest. And throw in someone from California as a wildcard.

So here is where we get our hands dirty. If you have come thus far, I will direct you to the homepage for the Kellogg Middle School Community Garden Project. We are in the works, we are open to suggestions, we want your input. Have a different campus/location in mind? Perhaps one of the eleven Portland Public Schools that was closed in the last year from budget loss—that is just sitting there, beautiful, empty, and bare, just like much of the new Pearl District residents and Wieden Kennedy employees?

Then come and dig in. We’re waiting.
http://commgardens.meetup.com/63/





THE FOLLOWING WAS TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM...

Kellogg MS, Arleta, Atkinson, Creston, Woodstock
Superintendent Phillips is proposing to close Kellogg Middle School after one more school year due to declining enrollment and the potential of improving student achievement through K-8 schools in the neighborhood area.
Arleta and Creston elementary schools would transition to become a K-8 school, adding one grade level a year, starting with sixth grade in fall 2006.
Kellogg Middle School would serve only seventh- and eighth-grade students in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the remaining eighth-grade students would be assigned to Hosford Middle School, at 2303 SE 28th Place. The Kellogg building would close in fall 2007.
Atkinson Elementary students now are split between Mt. Tabor and Kellogg middle schools. Under this proposal, all neighborhood program students would be assigned to Mt. Tabor for sixth grade, starting in fall 2006. (Language immersion program students continue to Hosford.) Woodstock Elementary neighborhood program students, now assigned to Kellogg, would be assigned to attend Hosford (Woodstock language immersion students already feed into Hosford). Sellwood Middle School, Duniway, Grout, Lewis, Llewellyn elementary schools and Winterhaven K-8
Superintendent Phillips is asking the community to develop a proposal around schools located in and around the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhoods, including four elementary schools, Sellwood Middle School and Winterhaven, a focus option K-8 school.
The Superintendent wants to spur a community discussion of how to create strong schools in the area, each with enough students and teachers to support a strong curriculum. Another goal is for the community to develop a plan to consolidate programs into five of the six currently operating buildings (several of the current school buildings would require significant and expensive upgrades to keep operating into the future).
Options could include maintaining the current K-5 and middle school configuration but redrawing boundaries to move from four elementary schools to three. The community may also explore the option of transitioning some schools to a K-8 model. The school district’s area director and school principals will work with the school communities (including the school Site Councils and PTAs) and a community-based facilitator to develop a proposal to the Superintendent in the fall of 2006. Superintendent Phillips will then forward her recommendations to the School Board for a vote, with implementation of the plan to start in fall 2007.

From wikipedia.com

Click here to check out
The Portland Community Gardens Meetup Group!

social resonsibility

Hello friends,
You should all check out "Touching the Void", it is a book by Joe Simpson, and it was also
made in to a movie. They are both fantastic, an absolutely incredible survival story. It is
amazing what we are capable of when put in to a life and death situation.

Also, I have to mention my favorite book in the whole world "The Giving Tree", by Shel
Silverstein... I know we've all read it, but every time you go back and read it, it has a new
meaning in our current lives.

Everyone knows someone, or many
people who are angry at what is happening in our world. They choose to focus on the
negatives and add to the negative energy that is already there, by providing how much
they dislike that very thing. It's just like what Mother Theresa said about not going to
anti-war rallies... Instead, she said she to give her a pro-peace rally, and she would be
there. We already know that there are situations and people in this world that are
causing pain and destruction in many forms, we can mostly all attest and agree that
things like abuse, waste, pollution, war, social injustices, racism, sexism, and so on and
so forth do not contribute to the well being of eachother or our planet. However, to emit
negative energy about these issues is contributing to their power, and taking away from
our own.

I wonder how exactly we access the piece of our minds that acknowledges these
hardships and struggles, and not let it take us down. How do we go direclty in to survival
and proactive mode? It seems with many issues, that there is no hope, that we have
gone too far, and to give all of our efforts to such a thing is pointless. I wonder if we can
turn around what has become of industry and excess. We have so many commodities
and so much convenience and overproduction of just about everything here in the states,
that it is hard to imagine all the big box companies going out of business, all of the fast
food joints handing over the keys to local farms and nutritional/recyclable food and
products.... there I go on a rampage. The point being that how can it be flipped? It's too
big, so to complain about it, and "grieve" as the author said in Mountain Music, seems
fair.

I think that Social Responsibility maybe leads to the idea that we have a responsibility to
whatever we can personally aid, or however we can effect change, sans matter of size.
If we break down all the "big" issues, such as industrial production, and political
disasters, there are smaller catagories underneath. It's a breakdown and root system
that can be more easily accessed if we just take a hold at the bottom and chew on what
we can digest. It's like building untangling fishing wire, if you start at the end and follow
it up slowly, taking care of each little pain of a knot, eventually, you'll get closer to the
big knot... plus maybe by then, someone will come along and give you a hand.

This story really ties in to "the secret", I watched it again yesterday late at night, and I
realize I have to continue to remind myself to switch my thoughts from hopeless to
hopeful. It only takes a moment, but once I do, it's as if everything around me is more
supportive and you even start to see hope in things that have nothing to do with what
you've been worrying about. Like two beautiful rainbows downtown today after the rain,
wasn't it beautiful!!!!?

For those who read so far, thanks for letting me wander as I often do, and thanks for
listening!

tunnel vision

What does this kind of tunnel vision say about our society? Are we too pre-occupied to
open up and look around us to see where and how we can help? Yes, it's interesting isn't
it. I was driving home from work this weekend, and after turning off the stereo (it had
just started raining, and I wanted to listen to it)... I realized as I drove by all the people
walking on the streets late at night, that each one of those people was someone that I
missed interating with, because we were in different zones. I was doing focused on my
driving and ultimately getting home to bed. But they were walking through the beautiful
rain and talking to eachother. It is the same with cell phones and internet, it has cut off
a lot of alternate and old fashioned modes of communication. We do not talk to
eachother anymore, is there any way to avoid this? It's strange that just less than a
century ago it wasn't like that at all. All of this new tehnology and lifestyles of
accessibilty have come to be in the last few generations.

I wanted to mention a book that really ties in to all of this and the question that Heather
gave us. The book is called "Awareness" by Anthony De Mello. Also, I wanted to
mention the movie or the book, "The Secret". The more positive energy we put out
there, the more it moves around and affects others. I think there is a lot to be said for
positive and negative, doers and don'ters, and pesamists and optimists. You can choose
whether to smile at strangers, or make small efforts, and contribute to the better good,
even if it is in very small doses. I think that we are shaped and molded to be scared,
nervous, suspicious, and blinded in the ways that we grow up, but if we take the surface
off of our first impressions of the rest of the world, we can relate to everthing a lot
easier.

For myself, I wonder if I am doing these small acts of kindness for the right/wrong
reason. When I really think about it, I am helping others, whether it be just a common
courtesy, being polite in conversation, or helping them outside with their groceries, no
matter what size it is, I am ultimately doing it to feel better about myself. Is that selfish?
Anthony De Mello talks about just this in his book, it's really incredible. I'm going to have
to read it again. I think that's about it for now, what I'm really trying to get at is that we
just have to decide and make a choice to step outside the mold, even if it goes against
our upbringing or our standard or norm, we choose to pay it forward, there it is. One by
one, I think that it could have a domino effect, and eventually we all will be looking out
for eachother....

"The things that you are aware of, you are in control of... The things that you are not
aware of, control you". ~Anthongy De Mello

Thanks for Listening.
Virginia

Reflection

It seems so soon to be writing a final reflection for this course.
Pedro, thank you so very much for teaching this capstone. This is by far the best class I have ever taken. And I have over 240 credits, or something along those lines. So, thank you, you were a fantastic professor, I would love to take other classes from you, and will recommend your courses to others I know.

I came to this class very much eager and anxious to get underneath what goes on at the cooperative. I wanted to learn about it, because it always felt good being there, and it made me curious, and I received more from the class than I ever thought I would.

I'm very grateful for my group members, who all worked hard independently and together to create a project that we all cared about, and hoped would benefit People's. Each member really put forth so much effort out of their personal lives and from other courses to dedicate to this project. I believe it's because they felt an appreciation for the farmers that we visited and what they are doing directly for our community, environment, People's; and indirectly, for us.

This class is just one more stamp on my path of "what am I doing to do?", and it has brought me many things that I will take with me and continue to use my entire life. I could even go as far as to say, because of the opportunities in this class, I may have found some new outlets and entire new life goals. Around New Years I made the choice to move to a sustainable community in April of 2o08. I'm sticking to that plan for now, but I have learned a lot about community living, farming, and sustainability just from the personal testimonies of the farmers we visited. I communicate with these farmers now in efforts to learn more, and make choices that will create a stronger and more educated woman to place in to a completely sustainable life role. I'll be honest, I felt like a tough girl that had it all nailed down when we started the class, and it didn't take long to realize what a rookie I was! It will be a long, difficult, and incredibly fascinating journey, and I leave myself without too many expectations, because I have also learned from these farmers, and these workers that the lifestyle they support is not upheld by the government, wherein many struggle through their whole life to make a living by growing safe food for people and an environment they care about.

I think I will keep my blog alive, just for those wandering thoughts that may come about while I'm on the computer, with that my reflections will continue, and I can learn from my changes in attitude, growth, and naivety. Thank you again, take care... I'll leave with my favorite Irish Blessing.

"May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand."

Assignment 4; A modified executive summary

Create a proposal for People's Food Cooperative, identifying...

1. A problem area related to a wider food politics or food industry context.

My group talked about various problems relating to food politics and the food industry. We came up with a few different fairly broad topics. I'll just refer to it as "Industrial Organic". Agribusiness, food miles, industrial ownership, and the sporadic root and branch system that has developed this system, are causing an uprising and confusion among the vast majority of our population, the consumers of the food, us, we who buy the food that is unpackaged in the department store, that is unboxed in the warehouse of that store, that is shipped in on a large truck from a larger warehouse, from a larger farm, which uses even more non-renewable resources, which puts us even farther in to the hole we are continuously digging.

2. What is the position of a food coop like People's in the expanding natural food industry and in local markets?

I believe that People's position can be found in their core values. Their commitment to community, their passion for healthy food and healthy people, and the idea of sharing and growing, supporting, and embracing the growth that they experience through the expansion of knowledge, education, redevelopment, and retracing the roots and original ideas and traditions behind healthy people, families, places, and more importantly, entrusting and catering towards the futures of themselves and those people that they can and will reach through this education.

This position allows them a warm, soft, healthy, and absolutely solid place within this strong web of community arms they have helped weave. Without that idea of community and group ownership People's coop may not have the strong root system that it has now--and will exponentially get stronger and thicker as more members join. The cooperative business has recently developed in to a more well known, appreciated, and visited establishment recently, and so with this new popularity, I'm sure it comes along with a sense of confidence and excitement within the members and staff. Without the support and continuous growth of sales and members, I suppose People's may have a different stance of what is happening with the rest of the world and the industrial organic food industry. However, with the strong feedback and increase in consumers within the cooperative, there most likely is a larger sense of hope, patience, and passion committed towards not allowing that kind of growth and education to slow or stop.

With this comes the want and need, and perhaps even obligation?? As members and experienced farmers, political activists, environmental experts, and perhaps even neighbors to allow any kind of possible room and opportunity for this growth to transform in to an open-ended business plan. People's should continue to develop and teach the ideas of community farming, purchasing from local farms, and "grow(ing) your own".

3. A research strategy for investigating the problem you have identified.

My Methodology: How would I study or research the epidemic of industrial and/or industrial organic farming? I would come full circle, and have to evaluate who those are that are experiencing both ends of the food cycles. For example, who is man #1 at the industrial side? At the very top of the economic and the demographic scale. Who "owns" these farms? Can we interview one person or even a handful who are at the very end of that side? Man #2 is going to be our local organic farmer, or perhaps even the consumer who wants to be completely self sustained, and is trying to get around all of the industry plugs.

For some people, man #1 may be the President of the United States, for some, it may be the CEO of McDonald's, or maybe it's Big Food in general. But it would be beneficial to identify why these two parties, man #1, and man #2 are not or can not level our or find a happy medium. I believe that this is really what is stopping our nation, and our planet from identifying with one another, or reversing our destructive patterns. We are in it for ourselves, and we do not identify, relate, or accept that there are others like us on the other side of our chain being directly hit with the repercussions.

b: What would I expect to find from my theories?
I would expect to find a very extentive disconnect between #1 and #2. I would expect there to be a loss of understanding and inability to meet on middle grounds between the two dynamics. I would hope to find that maybe there was a consensus or a national agreement we could find between those who support the industrial business strategy as well as the cooperative business strategy. And a consensus and support of the values of the cooperative over the industrial. I believe that there is an instinctual behavior and passion in all of us to adhere to and desire good, healthy food, that inherintly benefits all those who grow it, move it, make it, and eat it. There is a simple formula underneath the processing of food that goes back to tradition, family and community. Unfortunately it has just become overrun with greed and an economy that has evolved in to overproduction and extreme overconsumption. We all know it would take more than just two sides coming to an agreement in order to smoothly change the system over time. Within lets say a ten year plan, there would be the necessary personal changes and life choices within the consumer population. It is up to those who support and feed the industrial food systems to in just the same way boycott and cut off it's life source.

c: How would I present or communicat my findings? I suppose through studies, interviews, and large surveys among every type of consumer. I would also involve the industrial strategies and farming advice from countries that have succeeded in nation wide community food sources and cooperatives--countries that have gone back, or maybe even never left the traditions of growing your own. You would have to bring in the advice and personal testimonies of those up high in the corporate world and fast food industry, as well as those who have made their millions off of industrial farming. What would I have to do to make you change your ways of give up your income source in leau of something entirely different that may or may not bring in the money of your current situation? I would ask them, I would also ask them, do you have faith that we can turn it around? Are you willing to help? What would convince you to do so? Exactly, tell me exactly, what would convince you? And the list begins...

4. How will I, personally, focus my time and energy on this inquiry? I'm learning, I take every day one at a time, and I learn something new every day. I try and accept the things I cannot change, and learn from my mistakes (I don't really even like to use that word, they're all just choices, with different outcomes). However, I am changing the ways of my everyday life, daily. Baby steps, I will say again, I'm taking very small steps, in doses that I can swallow and follow without faltering, so as to not completely pressure myself in to a life that I'm not educated enough for. So, education first... I work in the garden, I'm working on the farm, I learn from others around me who are experienced and can teach me the tools I need to be my ultimate root system in the future. I am learning to grow and eat my own food. I would like eat nothing else but food that I have helped grow, or that I know was grown with the care I would put in my own food. I view my everyday choices and my life goals and plans with a new hesitation... "is this good for my community, will I be wasting excessively? Will I be wasting at all?" I'm going to leave my job, this is one of the areas that I'm baby stepping my way out of, I believe that I am supporting the industrial food industry by working at a restaurant that does not have values in serving good food. Instead, it is about the quantity of food they can push out, as fast as they can push it. Our meat selections are coming from who knows where, but according to my superiors, it's definitely not free range, and it's definitly not local. That's enough for me, I can't justify working there as easily as I used to. So, I have to choose the things that I can change, help grow, and be passionate about; and perhaps I just have to leave the things and the places that I can not change, besides cutting of my life source from it. I am, or will be, one less consumer and one less body working for the corporation.

5. How does my inquiry relate to the four University Studies Goals?
Critical Thinking, Human Experience, Ethics, and Communication.

First off, I have so much to work on. I thought I was a complete "Earth Muffin" before I started this course. Turns out, I'm far from it. I used to shop at whole foods daily, 70 percent of my housemate's and I's groceries were purchase from trader joes, and I still drive my car a few times a week. Among many other things. I am nowhere near as environmentally sound and clean as I had imagined, and the days of tooting my own horn have come to a screeching halt. But I will say that the critical thinking that went about through our readings, through our classes and within conversations and visits with the local farmers brought about so much internal investigation. I have done intense inventories in to my life, my body, and my choices therein.

I think this is where the Human Experience University Studies Goal comes in. I've realized that it is very difficult to pursuade or evaluate the choices of others around you without offending or invading their personal space. People take their paths around food and health as an emotional compartment not to be interrupted. To judge or expose those choices as anything other than acceptable creates tension in places that I don't yet feel comfortable with. Instead, I've turned my focus completely inwards to my own decisions, that is where I can do the best work.

My own Ethics, and my own values are those that I have assigned to my life and no one elses. Food is very much an ethical issue as it is a health issue. Even the family that raised me has developed alternative ethics and values around their food choices. Therefore, I have re-established in a way, a new set of ethics within my beliefs that I hadn't realized was there.

The Communication aspect of the Goals is essentially a gateway to education and sharing. Educating people like me on the larger aspects of the food industry, such as how the political side is run, and where the government can be held responsible, is essential to embracing the larger picture. You can always start at the bottom and work your way up, learning as you go, but it helps to get a basic rundown and clean overview of what is happening at the money hungry side of things. More or less, all aspects of this course has been a whirlwind of evaluations, and to present information from both sides of the spectrum might help connect that communication between the suits and the real or aspiring muffins.