I think for many people, (and I am one of them) we are creatures of habit. When it came to choosing sites for The Write Reason I went with what I know. PETA always has informed (if somewhat biased) sites. In Defense of Animals has international as well as national news, as does Defenders of Wildlife. Factory Farming is a constant regarding good information. These sites link to many other lesser known sites. I also used Google. I searched through the image, product, and news links to find audio and video blogs. Then I used the UNC library database Lexus/Nexus which is a source I have used before for research. I also get newletters from many organizations that relate to animal cruelty. To sum up my research and filtering efforts, I would say that my search started mostly with what I know.
October 7, 2007
In our online journalism class, which is focusing on the internet, blogging, and global communication, we are reading blogs created by our classmates and making comments. Today I wanted to comment on Feeding Blackmail. This site has given me a vast amount of information about healthy foods, nutrition, organic products, and the overwhelming use of pesticides used to grow our food. I like how Marcie has used the Best/Worst list to give us the best sites to read. She has also used interesting images in her design and postings. Here is a link to her site Feeding Blackmail.
October 7, 2007
How can you tell fact from fiction on weblogs? It can be quite difficult sometimes, especially if your blog addresses a specific forum where you believe wholeheartedly in your argument. Most webpages I found back up my ideas on animal cruelty in the agri-farming and agri-business world. The Write Reason was produced to influence better health through better food. Finding sites that agree with my view wasn’t hard.
It was harder to find anti-animal, anit-activist sites. But they are there. So, just because a site agrees with my point of view, does it make it truthful? I had to research many different sites to find the answer. If I found at least five to six sites that backed up a claim, then I felt I could use it as fact. If a government or professional site backed up a claim, I again felt comfortable using that site. However, I couldn’t trust big business sites because they are trying to sell their ideas and products. Often, and this goes along with the slaughter of horses and the sale of horse meat, I found these sites focusing, not on the animal itself but on the commodity. The bottom line was the amount of profit to be made. Where there is a demand then someone will fill it no matter if it is selling horsemeat or arms smuggling. Weblogs that condoned eating horse meat were not numerous, but I did read interesting arguments. I still think it stinks to eat a horse, but look north to Canada, they love it.
October 6, 2007
This week’s class assignment was to find the best and worst sites for our personal blog research. The initial criteria I used for filtering these sites changed somewhat as I searched. I would normally trust information from the big sites such as, CNN, BBC, and New York Times. I did find lots of useful blogs and webpages on these major online newspapers.
But what I found on the lesser known sites was surprising. As I searched, I discovered so many webpages and blogs with valid information and resources. I learned that like the major sites, many of the smaller information webpages link to even more valuable sites. Even though these sites might be obscure their content is often trustworthy. For instance these two sites: Habitat for Horses and Chowhound, led me to arguements and opinions that I can blog about and link to. After quite a lot of reading and researching, I’ve found that even those that tend to disagree with the slant of my blog offer valuable ideas and issues to address.
October 6, 2007
Friday’s Best and Worst
Posted by 12cindy under Animal Rights, Food Safety, Health and DietLeave a Comment
Today’s Best site is AGF or better known as the American Grassfed Association. While this site had a few proper names that were not capitalized, I still found lots of good information on grassfed beef and other livestock. When I looked for North Carolina farms that sell grassfed meat I found these three: Appletree Angus Farm Beef, Blue Mountain Bison Bison, Terrell TT Ranch Beef. Grassfed is healthier and much more humane
Today’s Worst site is Premarin. While many women depend on this drug, they might find it revolting to know that their estrogen is coming from mares who are kept pregnant, have to stand in pee lines, and are confined to tiny stalls where that cannot move for the duration of their lives. The Premarin site gives lots of information about how estrogen works and also its side effects, but I couldn’t find any information on how it is made and what it is made of. I felt this site was rather deceptive. On the other hand, I found this site: MetroPets , which gave me lots of information on the treatment of Premarin mares.
October 4, 2007
Thursday’s Best and Worst
Posted by 12cindy under Animal Rights, International CommerceLeave a Comment
Today’s best site is RDS. While I believe all my products should be cruelty free, I do understand that for the advancement of medicine, and the health of society, we sometimes need animal testing. This is an informative site explaining the necessity for animal testing in certain instances, and the good it has done.
Today’s worst site is VARE. When I first came upon this site I thought it was actually a spoof of a real site. But once I read further I realized it is for humans who are victims of animal rights and anitvivisection groups. I would never call humans victims when we are the ones doing the testing. We shouldn’t forget who is getting electrocuted, poisoned, and made to live inside little cages.
Not only was I confused when I first visted VARE, but the information seems trite and not well thought out.
October 3, 2007
Wednesday’s Best
I came across a very good blog for animal rescue around the world. It is IFAW. This site has podcasts, video clips, and just about all the information you might need for rescuing and saving animals worldwide.
Wednesday’s Worst
I shouldn’t choose this site as the worst for Wednesday, but I will. Here it is Insects Rights Association. I never smash a spider, I love Praying Mantids, and the USDA lists them as useful insects, If a moth flies into my house I try to get it out. But roaches, silverfish, and camel crickets beware. I just don’t want you around.
October 3, 2007
Well it has happened again, but this time it is one of the biggest recalls of ground meat in the history of the United States. 21.7 million pounds of burger, contaminated with E.coli, has been found unfit for human consumption. The Topps Food Company spokesman tells us, “because the products may have been produced up to a year ago, many of them have already been safely consumed.” WHAT! I’m sorry, but what is your definition of safe? Did little Johnny have a bad case of diarrhea after eating burgers one night and did sister vomit and have flu-like symptoms after a meat loaf dinner?
Topps is being investigated. But the real issue here is where did all that nasty meat come from and how long did it sit before it was frozen? How big is too big when a company is producing your food? With 21.7 million pounds of beef coming out of one plant inspectors would have to be too numerous to count. How is the meat handled? Well, an investigation is underway, but will we ever hear the outcome? If you weren’t affected, then you probably won’t care, but if your child, mother, husband gets a dose of E. coli, they might just feel poorly for a while, or they could die. E.coli is a nasty bactirium that causes diarrhea and other serious complications.
Our country has to reshape, reform, and rethink our food supply industry. 21.7 million pounds of meat means a lot of cows were run through the savages of the slaughterhouse and now their sacrifice is for naught. But that is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Pilgrim’s Pride had to recall 27 million pounds of poultry in 2002. Good thing the CEO’s of Topps Food and Pilgrim’s Pride don’t live and more importantly work in China.
The warning here is to buy clean, safe food. Just because food is for the masses doesn’t mean it has to be poorly produced. With each and every recall I hope America gets a little smarter, demanding better quality for themselves and the animals that become those many millions of pounds of product.
October 2, 2007
Tuesday’s best site is Rethinking meat: Eating humanely raised animals goes more mainstream. This article touches on several issues, one being the quality of food we eat while the other concentrates on the conscientious choices of freeing animals from the horror of a ghastly ending. Even the big fast food chains are jumping on board. The author writes, “The treatment of farm animals is an issue that’s no longer on the fringe. Burger King announced this year that it would begin a transition to cage-free eggs and chicken.”
Tuesday’s worst site is from Iliana Mercer, Return to Reason. While she writes a good arguement about animals being the lower species with no forethought or afterthought, the reality of our world is that animals suffer at the hands of cruel people, and that problem has to be addressed.
October 2, 2007
Veganoutreach.org
This site in one of my favorites. It is very informative, providing undercover research into slaughterhouses, factory farming, and behind-the-scenes cruelty in our food supply. This site promotes a strict vegetarian diet. While I am not vegetarian, I’m in full support of those who are; however, I want to be able to choose to eat meat, but I want it to be cruelty-free, disease free and antibiotic free.
The worst site for monday is Animal Rights.
I find this site the worst because it is so one sided and dogmatic. Some of the words are misspelled. Some of the information is interesting, but I’m not sure I would trust it since links are broken. The site comes off as pro-animal rights when in fact it is the opposite.
