Factory Farming

America is a country founded upon the principles of Life, Liberty, and Gluttony. Americans can't seem to get enough of anything, taking everything we do to excess. A prime example of this is the "Triple Whopper," a deadly sandwich which can be found on the menu at Burger Kings everywhere. This triple-stacked-heart-attack-on-a-bun truly represents what America stands for.

In order to appease our gluttony, we have moved beyond traditional farming techniques, onto a more efficient way of producing our meat. Yet, this form of farming, known as "Factory Farming" is inhumane, and many people do not support its use.

Factory farming began in the 1920s soon after the discovery of vitamins A and D; when these vitamins are added to feed, animals no longer require exercise and sunlight for growth. This allowed large numbers of animals to be raised indoors year-round. The greatest problem that was faced in raising these animals indoors was the spread of disease, which was combated in the 1940s with the development of antibiotics. Farmers found they could increase productivity and reduce the operating costs by using mechanization and assembly-line techniques.

Animals raised in confinement create an ideal setting for bacteria and disease to spread rapidly. Antibiotics were developed around the time of World War II and were soon adapted into the farming system. In the U.S., almost 50% of all antibiotics are administered to farm animals. These drugs form a toxic residue in animal tissue. It is much of this same tissue that is sold to consumers as food products. Each year, we see an increase in the number of salmonella poisoning cases from contaminated eggs, meat and milk. These strains of salmonella are difficult to treat because they are antibiotic resistant. Antibiotics are not the only chemicals administered to factory farm animals; many animals are fed growth-promoting hormones, appetite stimulants and pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and aflatoxins that collect in the animals' tissues and milk.

Soy Bomb

Seeing as I used to be a vegetarian, I have eaten my share of soy products. While researching this topic, I found a thoroughly entertaining article blaming our nations rise in homosexuality on soy. You can find this article here: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53327. Soy is actually very safe, and can positively affect your health.

Soy beans contain high amounts of protein, including all essential amino acids (the only such vegetable source). Soy beans are also a rich source of calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, B-vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, and fiber. Isoflavones in soy foods may inhibit the breakdown of bones. Daidzein, a type of isoflavone, is actually very similar to the drug ipriflavone, which is used throughout Europe and Asia to treat osteoporosis. One compelling study completed in 1993 focused on post-menopausal women who consumed 40 grams of isolated soy protein daily for 6 months. Researchers found that these subjects significantly increased bone mineral density as compared to the controls.

In Japan, where soy foods are commonly consumed daily, women are only one-third as likely to report menopausal symptoms as in the United States or Canada. In fact, there is no word in the Japanese language for "hot flashes". While some studies showed soy offers a protective effect against breast cancer, a few studies showed the estrogen-like effects in isoflavones may be harmful for women with breast cancer. American Institute for Cancer Research stresses that data on soy and breast cancer are not conclusive, and more work is needed to be done before any dietary recommendations can be made.
What we know at this point is the phytoestrogens in soy foods are "anti-estrogens". In other words, they may block estrogen from reaching the receptors - therefore potentially protecting women from developing breast cancer. Studies found that pre-menopausal women may benefit from eating soy foods as their natural estrogen levels are high.

Although it is still inconclusive whether or not soy can prevent any diseases, many studies have shown promising results. In short, despite some minor potential hazards, the positives of soy far outweight the negatives.

Conflict Resolution Methods

There are many different ways to resolve conflicts. In the 1970s Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann identified five main styles of dealing with conflict that vary in their degrees of cooperativeness and assertiveness. They argued that people typically have a preferred conflict resolution style. However they also noted that different styles were most useful in different situations. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument helps you to identify which style you tend towards when conflict arises.
Thomas and Kilmann's styles are:

Competitive: People who tend towards a competitive style take a firm stand, and know what they want. They usually operate from a position of power, drawn from things like position, rank, expertise, or persuasive ability. This style can be useful when there is an emergency and a decision needs to be make fast; when the decision is unpopular; or when defending against someone who is trying to exploit the situation selfishly. However it can leave people feeling bruised, unsatisfied and resentful when used in less urgent situations.

Collaborative: People tending towards a collaborative style try to meet the needs of all people involved. These people can be highly assertive but unlike the competitor, they cooperate effectively and acknowledge that everyone is important. This style is useful when a you need to bring together a variety of viewpoints to get the best solution; when there have been previous conflicts in the group; or when the situation is too important for a simple trade-off.

Compromising: People who prefer a compromising style try to find a solution that will at least partially satisfy everyone. Everyone is expected to give up something, and the compromiser him- or herself also expects to relinquish something. Compromise is useful when the cost of conflict is higher than the cost of losing ground, when equal strength opponents are at a standstill and when there is a deadline looming.

Accommodating: This style indicates a willingness to meet the needs of others at the expense of the person’s own needs. The accommodator often knows when to give in to others, but can be persuaded to surrender a position even when it is not warranted. This person is not assertive but is highly cooperative. Accommodation is appropriate when the issues matter more to the other party, when peace is more valuable than winning, or when you want to be in a position to collect on this “favor” you gave. However people may not return favors, and overall this approach is unlikely to give the best outcome.

Avoiding: People tending towards this style seek to evade the conflict entirely. This style is typified by delegating controversial decisions, accepting default decisions, and not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings. It can be appropriate when victory is impossible, when the controversy is trivial, or when someone else is in a better position to solve the problem. However in many situations this is a weak and ineffective approach to the problem.

Decision-Making Models

A decision making model is a systematic means of arriving at a decision. It is a way of organizing data with the purpose of presenting or displaying it to the decision maker in such a way that is more obvious than simply making a list of the alternatives.
A recent popular model has been Porter's Five Forces Model, which involves depicting a relationship between competitors within an industry, potential competitors, suppliers, buyers and alternative solutions to the problem being addressed.
Another modern model is the Kepner Tregoe Matrix, which is one of the most unique documented analysis and decision-making methods. It is sometimes called a root cause analysis and decision-making method. It is a step-by-step approach for systematically solving problems, making decisions, and analyzing potential risks. It helps the decision maker to maximize critical thinking skills, systematically organize and prioritize information, set objectives, evaluate alternatives, and analyze impact.
There is also de Bono's "The Six Thinking Hats" method of decision making. This is a process for exploring different perspectives. Edward de Bono's model can be used for exploring different perspectives, roles and context towards a complex situation or problem. Viewing things from various vantage points is often a good idea in strategy formation or complex decision-making processes.
All in all, I think the Kepner Tregoe Matrix is the most helpful, because it calls for critical thinking analysis of the problem, which can help you choose between the diferent choices available to you.

Triathalons

Triathlons: A Test in Endurance
The first modern triathlon was held in 1920 in France. It consisted of a 3km run, 12km bike, and a swim across the Channel Marne. The triathlon first became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of triathlon events held thorought the country. Since triathlons are an individual event, team-based tactics such as drafting are generally not allowed. Most triathlons require helmets to be worn anytime the competitor is on the bike, if the helmet comes off at any time, the competitor is disqualified. Also, the competitor is required to be riding their bike at all times during the biking leg of the race. Many amateur athletes participate in triathlons for the sole purpose of reaping the cardiovascular benefits associated with endurance events. Many athletes also participate in triathlons because each of the events works the athlete's muscles in different ways, making it possible to have a more balanced muscle development. Athletes that participate in endurance events spend many hours training for those events and this is true for triathlon as well. Injuries that are incurred from long hours of a single activity are not as common in triathlon as they are in single sport events. The cross training effect that athletes achieve from training for one sport by doing a second activity applies in triathlon training. Additional activities that triathletes perform for a cross training effect are yoga, Pilates and weight training. Overall, triathlons are an excellent way to stay in peak physical condition, and a great way to be healthy.

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