Vincent Peterson Blog

Reaction to the Documentary Food Inc,          The documentary Food Inc. is a documentary that explores the way food production has been radically overhauled over the last few generations. In the words of Michael Pollan, "The Food system in the past 50 years has changed more than it has in the last 10,000. That is a startling statement; the documentary convinces the viewer of that through interviews and imagery.     The documentary points out the radical changes in how food production has become more efficient. It explains how a single farmer went from being able to feed about 6 people in the 1940s to about 200 people today. Meat has become much more common in American diets largely due to the efficiency involved in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These efficiencies have allowed Americans to access food more cheaply than ever, but it has many uninted negative consequences that the documentary elaborates on. One of the consequences of th...

Driving an overlooked action                   Many people drive every single day. Driving has become routine for millions of Americans and is often necessary in many places, not just a luxury. Despite how frequently people drive, they usually do not think about it that much. The reality is that driving must not be overlooked, as doing so could be a risk to you and other drivers.           While driving is part of everyday life, its true reach is often overlooked. According to the United States Department of Transportation, the average American motorist drives 13,476 miles annually. That is a staggering amount of driving, enough to drive from New York to Los Angeles four times. Driving in the United States is extremely common, with about 235 million Americans having a driver's license as of 2022, according to the most recent data from the United States Department of Transportation. Although driving is p...

Cost, Convenience, and the Challenge of Healthy Eating                         Often, one of the biggest obstacles to eating healthy is pricing. The fact is that many individuals on a limited income have trouble accessing healthy food. That occurs for a variety of reasons. The difficulty of affording cheap, healthy food has become one of our greatest challenges in creating a healthier society.                         A  CNBC  article explored the topic of healthy eating and affordability in depth. The fact is that eating more nutritious foods often costs twice as much per calorie as less nutritious foods. This creates a problem, especially for individuals on a fixed income, regarding accessing food and living a healthier lifestyle. Also, many people prioritize convenience, and often, convenient foods that require little preparation are not...

                                       TAXES 101                                                         Introduction        Most people only think about taxes when April rolls around—and even then, it’s usually with a sigh and a calculator they haven’t touched in a year. What people often fail to understand about taxation, however, is that taxation is more complex and impactful than people realize. There are various types of taxes, some of which some people may not notice, and they can be progressive, proportional, or regressive.  Taxes apply to everything from income and purchases to wealth and property, and they impact both individuals and businesses in ways that go far beyond th...

 Fresh Documentary Analysis               The documentary Fresh was filmed in 2009 and aims to educate consumers about how food is produced in modern times. It interviews various stakeholders and critically views contemporary American agricultural practices. It is intended to appeal to an audience concerned about healthy living and the environment.     The documentary starts by interviewing a corn and soybean farmer in rural Iowa. He complained that the soybean and corn growing reduces the diversity in agriculture and that he is growing it primarily because of its demand. The farmer from Iowa, George Naylor, also said he had not used pesticides before, and the focus was predominantly on corn and soybeans. Naylor said, "So long as you are just going to rely on a couple crops and you plant them year after year, you are creating an environment where weeds, bugs will become prevalent, and pesticides and herbicides resistance to them bu...