Demonstration Speech Self-Evaluation

After viewing my video, I took the time to review the negative and positive elements of my demonstration speech on how to ask a girl on a date. My self-evaluation began on the assessment of my informational content. I thought that I did a good job of explaining the relevance of my topic and gave several reasons supporting my topic. In order to maintain organization, I presented my speech in a series of 6 steps, really stressing the first step. I did not do a good job of spending the same amount of time on each step because the beginning of the presentation of the speech had more detail than the end. As far as my physical presentation, I did not do a good job of speaking clearly, and at times my volume was a tad low. I also could have done a better job of making more eye contact, but anyone watching the speech could tell that I reviewed the speech beforehand. I did a good job of bringing energy to the speech, and I engaged the audience by being entertaining and enthusiastic. I also did a decent job of using hand gestures and body language when presenting my visual aids. As far as my visual aids, I was somewhat limited as to what I could use. However, my various assortments of hygiene products and clothing were visually appealing and enhanced the quality of my presentation. If I could improve any aspect of my speech, I would have lowered my notecards from my face a little more and made more eye contact. Also, I would want to increase the volume of my voice. Overall I am glad that I choose my topic because it was unique and I had fun planning out the speech; therefore, I would definitely do this again.

Peer Response #2

In response to Austin’s post about Tiger’s Gatorade Endorsement, I agree with his views that Tiger has made a plethora of money thorough endorsements. Austin talks about Gatorade’s new line of sports drink called Tiger, which promotes hard work and focus to athletes. He continues to discuss how Tiger Woods is the optimal example of a hard working athlete, despite his recent affair. Since Tiger’s affair Gatorade has dropped him from the campaign, but he had a successful run while it lasted. I agree with Austin when he states that Gatorade was just one of the brands on Tiger Wood’s list of sponsors.

Due to his popularity and success in the sports world, Tiger shows how his athletic ability can be marketed to endorse products to people across the country. As a matter of fact, Tiger Woods has the potential to become the world’s first billionaire athlete according to this article. His sponsers include major companies such as Buick, Nike, Gatorade, American Express, Rolex, and General Mills. People such as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, Alex Rodriguez and others have made millions of dollars advertising major product brands such as Nike and Gatorade. Athletes such as Tiger have made more money endorsing products than their actual salary to play the sport! Marketing firms use the player’s popularity to associate their product with excellence and quality, which is a very smart strategy. This technique has most famously been associated with Wheaties cereal, which features star athletes on the front cover of the box.

Analysis of a Celebrity Endorsement

Shaquille O’Neal, an NBA superstar center for the Los Angeles Lakers, can be identified as one of the leading spokespeople for Nestlé Crunch. Due to his numerous endorsement deals, Shaq was the fifth highest paid athlete in the world in 2004, making over $31.9 million. The “Nestlé Crunch” is a chocolate candy bar blended with rice crisps to give the bar its unique crunch. I believe that Shaq is definitely an appropriate choice to endorse this candy bar. “Crunch” symbolizes something powerful and dominant in my opinion; therefore, I believe that a strong and dominant player in the NBA should endorse a product similar to his characteristics. Also, according to Nestle Crunch marketing Manager Brian Owens, “crunchy” means confident, lively, witty and entertaining. Shaq encompasses all of these characteristics and shows all of these attributes on the basketball court. This endorsement deal began in 2001 and both parties have made extreme profits. As a matter of fact, Shaq endorsed the “Crunch Bar” for about 9 years and continues to do an excellent job. Over 20 different commercials have been created and the Nestlé crunch bar has been one of the most popular candy bars for the past two decades! Due to the cooperation and success of Shaq’s advertising with Nestlé, the Nestlé Corporation created the “Shaq Size Bar” that weighs in at a whopping 9.25 lbs! I think that Nestlé’s success simply comes from the quality and popularity of their product. The candy bar is unique from most others and most significantly- it tastes great. Also, unlike many other candy bars, the Nestlé Crunch offers many different varieties with different ingredients such as caramel, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and peanuts. In addition to success with just the candy bar, Nestlé has improved their marketing campaign by adding their bar other products like ice cream, as seen in this article.

Preparing a Meal Response

In response to Justin's post, I definitely agree when he states that we have shifted to a point where food is only seen as nutrition and not as a social event. Although we are two completely different ethnicities, we share similar backgrounds when it relates to the thoughts of food. As an African-American, sitting down and eating at the family table was the highlight of the day, as well as a time to bring the entire family together. We weren't concerned necessarily about the nutritional value of family dinner, whereas society is starting to lean more towards enhancing the healthiness of our food. I'll admit that traditional African-American food, which includes soul food, may be high in cholesterol, fat, and sugars; however, the preparation of the meal and the conversation at the family table is what really matters.

Also, I found Justin's point about finding authentic Italian ingredients very interesting. As we become a more and more fast-paced, people believe that they don't have time to search for fresh ingredients at the local supermarket. Instead, people will look for something quick, in which most cases results in the purchase of fast food or something processed in a can. In addition, home cooked meals simply taste better and usually end up even healthier. Chef Boyardee, as Justin stated, may be a simple and quick version of an Italian dish, but it takes the fun out of preparation. Fresh ingredients such as homemade pasta, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes, and fresh italian sausage will always taste better than something out of a can. Processed meat overloaded with preservatives and artificial tomato sauce with additives like corn syrups and glucose does not promote a healthy diet either. Preservatives and chemicals are simply added to the canned food to make it have a longer shelf-life. I would rather have my food freshly prepared than canned food that has been lingering for months. This article describes the dangers of eating processed foods and how certain chemicals can give rise to certain health problems.

Post #2: Prepare a Meal & Summary of Pollan Chap.7

Welcome back to my Life Science Blog ladies and gentlemen. Today, I will describe how to prepare one of my personal and family favorites- southern style fried chicken. Passed down from generation to generation, the recipe for the "Feaster Fried Chicken" was taught to me when I started to cook at the age of 10. Frying chicken is quite simple and I will reveal the process in several steps. First, you must gather the ingredients such as flour, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, vegetable oil, and a package of chicken (preferably chicken legs). Second, you must rinse the chicken in cold then hot water to eliminate the possibility of salmonella and other germs. Next, dry the chicken with paper towels. Meanwhile, fill a cast iron skillet about 1/3 full with vegetable oil and preheat the oil to 375 degrees. While the oil is heating, find a container to mix all of the dry ingredients (flour, pepper, salt, etc.) together. Next, you take each piece of chicken and place it into the flour mixture, making sure each piece is completely coated. When the oil has reached the optimal temperature, gently place several pieces of the coated chicken into the hot oil. If you drop the chicken in and create a splash, you will burn yourself. Next, cover the pan and let the chicken fry for about 8 minutes. When the chicken has browned, carefully flip it over and let it fry for another 10 minutes. After, the chicken has been cooked, place all of it in some paper towels to remove some of the grease. In order to complete the meal, you can cook some vegetables and some mashed potatoes. Then pour a nice tall glass of lemonade to wash it all down. After you have finished, properly dispose of the grease by pouring it into your grease can. Then take paper towels to wipe the excess grease off of the pan before washing it out with soap and water. Also, after washing all of the dishes, make sure that you wipe off the counter and stove. Leaving grease on the stove is unsanitary and simply unclean. Even though you believe that you kept the flour mixture in the container, you most likely spilled some. You don't have to mop, but I would definitely wipe the floor down with sometime of cleaner. Overall, the preparation and clean up takes a while, but the taste and full stomach is completely worth the work.

After reading pages 54 and 55 of Pollan's In Defense of Food, I agree that Americans have a problem taking pleasure in eating. Americans have definitely preferred to eat and run rather than actually sit down and savor their food. The innovations such as low-fat processed food have prevented Americans to care about what they are actually putting in their bodies. Processed, cheap foods have flooded our diets simply because American society is fast paced, meaning we don't have time to take the time to eat slowly. The meal that I prepared completely defies the fast-paced characteristics. I took the time to prepare my food, rather than go buy a meal from KFC. Eating processed food does not define the idea of "nutritionism." In this article, the author supports Pollan's argument that we need to slow down and appreciate the food the we eat instead of trying to alleviate our hunger with unhealthy, processed foods. If we cook with healthy, fresh ingredients, our diets will naturally lead to a healthier lifestyle.