Category: JDormann

Visual Rhetoric- jdormann

0:00-0:01 There is a grey cartoon bull in a light blue colored room with potted flowers hanging on the wall. There are also flowers hung on a strand across the ceiling. The bull is looking down and looks like he feels bad about something.

0:01-0:02 The bull picks his head up and seems to be happy now. The screen shifts to an old lady holding a pot of flowers in a window, and the bull appears on the other side of the window and is happy to be smelling the flowers.

0:02-0:03 The old lady looks up and sees the bull and looks to be in shock. The bull takes off running and knocks the potted flowers off of the old lady’s outside window. It is clear to see the bull is outside.

0:03-0:04 A man is outside of what seems to be his house and the bull is looking at him face to face and the man carefully goes back in his house out of fear.

0:04 -0:05 When the man shuts the door, the bull becomes sad. The bull is running fast and looks angry. There is a hole in what looks to be a large dirt field.

0:06-0:07 The bull jumps and looks like he regrets it. He then looks scared and the camera shifts to a rabbit that looks terrified. I would assume the bull is jumping towards the rabbit.

0:08-0:09 The bull lands over the rabbits hole with his horns on either side, not injuring the rabbit at all. He then is standing next to the hole with a goat and they are both looking at the rabbit as it jumps back into the hole. The bull looks like he feels guilty.

0:10-0:11 The bull is looking at a waterfall in a valley and then the screen shifts to an animal transportation trailer and I would assume the bull is inside of that trailer.

0:12-0:13 There is a landscape of a tree on a hill and then the screen shifts to the bull surrounded by animal shaped balloons. The bull seems to be happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EAsihJjWJA

Definition Argument-jdormann

Can Concussions and Spinal Injuries Be Eliminated from High-impact Sports?

P1. There have been countless lives that have been altered forever, or even ended because of concussions or spinal injuries. When a person plays a high impact sport, their chances of a life changing injury dramatically increases. Repetitive concussions have been proved to cause CTE, and just one spinal injury could put a person in a wheelchair for the rest of their life. Some could argue that people accept this risk upon participating in an intense activity, but walking away with a life debilitating injury is not a thought for players. Recently, rugby and football alike have begun studying concussions and spinal injuries in an attempt to reduce them.

P2. When watching a football game at any level, the spectator can expect to see powerful blows to the head and spine. The high energy hits are the thrill of playing and watching the game, but cumulative hits cause serious damage. NFL players are the highest level football players in the world, and they are the ones that receive the most and worst head injuries. The NFL has been taken to court with over 4,000 lawsuits from players and their families because of concussions. Such a large organization would surely have some knowledge and capabilities to prevent these injuries, but they did not worry about it until recently. As more people become aware of the dangers, they are less likely to support the game or allow their developing children to play. If there is a way to prevent or entirely eliminate concussions, people would feel more comfortable with allowing their children to play football. A different tackling technique has been adopted from rugby to increase the safety of football players. An article published by The Telegraph states:

Several American colleges have studied this way of tackling. The Seattle Seahawks have worked with Fijian rugby sevens star Waisale Serevi on “taking the head out of the game”. Rugby techniques have subsequently been introduced at Washington, Florida and Michigan State – whose head coach Mark Dantonio extols the benefits of rugby–style tackling.

P3. This type of tackling emphasizes player safety and not putting the head in danger during contact. Rugby players do not wear padding or helmets, so tackling is not as violent as football. The players must be cognizant of their body position and in complete control of their movement. Rugby has an injury issue of its own, but it is spinal injuries the players suffer from. Players can suffer from concussions or CTE just like football players, but it is less likely. Jojo Moyes wrote an article for Independent about the high risk of spinal injuries rugby players face. In the article, she wrote:

Ben Smoldon, 21, successfully sued a referee after he was left paralysed following the collapse of a scrum. The new figures reveal that nearly half of all serious rugby injuries occurred in players under 26 and nearly a quarter resulted in the patient needing a ventilator to breathe.

P4. Similar to football, rugby has had lawsuits due to injuries. When players from both teams form a scrum, there is a massive amount of pressure acting on the players. If a scrum collapses or a player is not in the right body position, it can cause them to break their neck or seriously injure their spine. Younger players are not fully developed which puts them at a higher risk of injury.

P5. Both, rugby and football are high impact sports that struggle with serious head and spine injuries. There is no one method that will immediately eliminate all life changing injuries from these sports, but doctors and players can continue working together to take preventative measures making the sports safer. Future studies about impact to the head and spine will help to further the safety of players and keep intense sports like rugby and football around for years to come.

References

Moyes, Jojo. “Risk of Spinal Injuries Highest in Rugby.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 22 Apr. 1996, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/risk-of-spinal-injuries-highest-in-rugby-1306291.html.

Tmg. “Is Rugby or American Football More Dangerous?” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 25 Jan. 2016, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/concussion/is-rugby-or-american-football-more-dangerous/.

 

PTSD Claims, jdormann

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“It’s to help kids like that that Brannan and her volunteers put together an informational packet on secondary trauma for parents to give to teachers, explaining their battle-worthy idiosyncrasies and sensory-processing sensitivities.”

-Brannan feels that PTSD can cause serious trauma to those that are around people suffering.

-This claim would be more effective if it explained the packet and why people needed to read it

2.“Brannan gave the packet to Katie’s kindergarten teacher, but thinks the teacher just saw it as an excuse for bad behavior.”

-Not all of the population is aware of PTSD and they do not understand the severity of it because they have not directly seen someone suffering.

-Katie’s teacher doesn’t think that her thoughts and behaviors should be effected by her fathers PTSD

-PTSD does not only effect the person suffering, it can also effect their family and friends

This claim would be more effective if it detailed what specific behavior or the teacher’s point of view about Katie

3. Though Brannan hopes Katie will come out of childhood healthy, she still says, “She’s not a normal kid. She does things, and says things. She’s a grown-up in a six-year-old’s body in a lot of ways.”

-There is proof that a child growing up with someone that suffers from PTSD can alter their behaviors.

-Children do not understand the world and life as grown adults do, so they can be inappropriate or sound absurd at times.

-Katie’s actions are effected by her parents thoughts and actions, just like every child that has an adult figure in their life.

-What exactly does she say? Does she feel that she is different from her peers?

4. “She certainly looks like a normal kid when she comes down from her room dressed for tap class. In a black leotard, pink tights, and shiny black tap shoes, she looks sweet as pie.”

-Katie participates in normal activities for a child her age

-this shows she does not want to be different, and she enjoys the same things her peers do

-How else is she a normal kid other then going to tap classes?

5. “One time, a bad guy in Iraq had a knife and my dad killed him,” she says, apropos of nothing. “Katie Vines.” Brannan is stern but impeccably patient. She doesn’t know why Katie adapted this story about confiscating a weapon from an insurgent into a story about bloodshed, but she isn’t too happy about it.

-Unknowingly, Katie says things that she doesn’t fully understand and it can be at an inappropriate time.

-Katies mother isn’t happy about stories like this because she worries her daughter will be too different then kids her age and seen as an outcast.

-The claim should not include “Brennan is stern but impeccably patient”. This statement is weak and has no correlation to the prior or following claim.

6. “Katie is sorry—God, is she sorry, you can see it in her face and guilty shoulders, but she seems to feel like she can’t help it”

-When Katie is told what she said or did is unacceptable, she understands that her mother and others are unhappy with her.

-Katie is sad because when she shares things she knows or thinks, she is told it is not okay and doesn’t understand why because her knowledge of the world is not formed yet.

-She cannot differentiate between what is okay and what is not

-This claim is repetitive but it supports the idea that PTSD can have secondary effects on families

Stone Money-jdormann

The thought of using stones as money is absurd to people today. Modern day society is uses paper money or credit to purchase items. Before there was paper money, most societies used coins like gold and silver, or they would barter items of similar value. A standard currency that was accepted by everyone, was portable, and could be broken down into smaller amounts was eventually created so people could purchase any item. Money brought an end to most trading and increased the market for goods people could acquire. Money is only valuable because we trust that it will be considered valuable to someone else in the future when we trade it for a product or service.

To me it is strange that a society about one-hundred years ago would use stones as money. After listening to “The Invention of Money” by the Planet Money team, I understand stone money and I have doubts about the real value of money. Brazil began printing money in the 1960’s to fund projects that the government wanted to complete, and ended up causing over inflation. After the massive amount of printing money, prices in Brazil increased absurdly. There was a job that consisted of an employee walking around the store all day to increase prices on items to compensate for inflation. In the podcast, a Brazilian native states, “The government explained to the nation that all the money will be taken from the people to end inflation”. People were left with worthless paper and many committed suicide because they had no way to support their families. There was a group of college students that were able to come up with a plan to restore economic stability and were seen as heroes by the Brazilian people once inflation was ceased. The Brazilian people were tricked by a fake currency that was “virtual” and only had value because the people believed in it.

Modern society has given money an insurmountable amount of power. Our lives revolve around it, people are constantly receiving or using money. The American dollar used to be a representation of the amount of gold the Federal reserve had. Eventually the federal reserve stopped backing money with gold and money became represented by the American  people’s belief in the dollar. In the podcast, the Planet Money team states, “The Federal reserve created over 1 trillion dollars to lend out to failing companies in 2008”. How did this 1 trillion have any value? How did this not cause extreme inflation? The federal reserve does not work with the government or have any structured rules and regulations. There are certain plans they go about, but the money they create and how they influx the economy with the dollar. The American people continue to have faith and believe in the dollar. Without believing the dollar is a legitimate currency, the United States economy would collapse.

In 1933, the United States stopped backing the dollar with gold. This was because the Bank of France purchased gold from the United States in order to back their own currency. In The Island of Stone Money, Milton Friedman states, “The result was headlines in the financial newspapers about ‘The loss of Gold’, the threat to the American financial system, and the like”(4). When the Bank of France took this gold from America, the people did not know how to react. The dollar was no longer backed by gold, and society knew it meant nothing. The Great Depression was hitting families all around the country and the federal reserve was at a loss about what to do. It took years of trust and effort to stabilize the economy and bring back value to the dollar.

A new form of currency used is called Bitcoin. Bitcoin is an online currency that can be sent to anyone and stored in an online wallet or that person. This currency is not backed by any real world items or a nations current currency. Bitcoin can be used for purchase of everyday items to black market goods like drugs and illegal firearms. Investors bought Bitcoin in hopes that it could stabilize and become recognized as a legitimate international form of currency. For a while it seemed like Bitcoin had the footing to become an international currency contender. Anne Renaut with AFP News wrote the article, “The Bubble bursts on e-currency bitcoin”. In this article, she states, “Many saw it coming, but that didn’t stop the Bitcoin bubble from bursting: after rising to dizzying heights, the digital currency suffered its first true crash this week”. Just like currencies controlled by governments or private corporations, the online currency system can suffer from value fluctuations and cause people to lose their investment.

After reading how money has changed around the world and finding out all the different forms of it, I am not convinced that the American dollar is valuable. Money controls many peoples lives and is an integral part of modern society, but it is not valuable outside of us making it valuable. Money is a fictitious thing that we give value to, so that we can buy and sell items. All the dollar consists of is green cotton fiber paper and a mutual agreement that we will accept it for products or services because we will be able to use it again for something else. Without the American peoples’ trust and belief in the dollar, its just a piece of paper.

Works Cited

Friedman, Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss. Hoover Institution, Stanford University , 1991.

Renaut, Anne . “The bubble bursts on e-currency Bitcoin.” Yahoo.com. 13 Apr. 2013. 30 Jan. 2015. <https://sg.news.yahoo.com/bubble-bursts-e-currency-bitcoin-064913387–finance.html&gt;.

“The Invention of Stone Money.” 423: The Invention of Stone Money. This Is American Life, WBEZ. Chicago . 7 Jan. 2011.

White paper- jdormann

Proposal: Rugby and football can be dangerous, but what sport has more debilitating injuries? Rugby players are more prone to spinal injuries, but football players are more prone to head injuries. How do these injuries compare and what is more harmful in the long-run?

  1. “Is rugby or American football more dangerous”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article from The Telegraph focuses on the injuries rugby players face compared to football players. Being a faster rugby player increases the chance for a concussion, but it is still less likely compared to football players. The helmets and padding in football give the players a false sense of security, so they abuse their body and head more then they need to.

What it Proves: Football players are more likely to suffer from more severe brain injuries compared to rugby players.

2. “Rugby, like NFL, does not have concussion issue figured out”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article on the ESPN website focuses on the inherent concussion problem in rugby and comparing it to the concussion problem in the NFL. Kat Merchant was a female rugby player for the English national team, and she suffered 10 or more concussions to play rugby at the highest level. The NFL’s attempt to lessen their concussion problem is also highlighted. Head Coach Pete Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks began teaching a different tackling technique for his players to use. This new tackling technique is based on how rugby players tackle and making sure that the head is not involved in the tackle.

What it proves: The NFL and professional rugby both share a problem with concussions, and the NFL is implementing tackling techniques from rugby to make football safer for the players.

3. “Is rugby safer than football?”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article from the San Diego Union-Tribune focuses on the long term effects from playing high-speed contact sports, like rugby and football. There are not many studies done comparing the concussions side by side, but there is plenty of information on injuries. One player on San Diego’s rugby team had suffered numerous concussions and blackouts while playing the game. Studies done in the UK found that high level rugby players also developed CTE like their NFL counterparts. The studies and stories show proof of a problem, and USA rugby, like the NFL, is working on ways to remedy concussions.

What it proves: CTE is not limited to just football. For both football and rugby to stay around, the concussion percentage needs to be reduced by different rules or better techniques.

4. “Risk of Spinal Injuries Highest in Rugby”

The Essential content of the Article: This article from the Independent focuses on the relation of spinal injures in rugby compared to those in other sports. By far, rugby has the most spinal injuries compared to any other sport. Out of 98 injuries compiled by the Trevor Jones Tetraplegic Trust, 58 are rugby related. Along with the reported injuries, the Rugby Football Union has withheld information and statistics on spinal injuries for years. Ben Smeldon is one rugby union player that was left permanently paralyzed after an unsafe scrum collapsed and he broke his neck.

What it proves: Rugby is the least safe sport when it comes to spinal injuries and paralyzation. Compared to every other sport, there are none that have near the same amount of spinal injuries.

5. “American football or rugby: what is more dangerous”

The Essential content of the Article: This article from The Guardian focuses on the safety concern for players in the NFL. More than 4,000 families have brought lawsuits to the NFL regarding concussions and debilitating head injuries. Players like Junior Seau took their own life because of symptoms brought on by CTE. His family sued the NFL for “wrongful death” and won the lawsuit. Jim McKenna, A professor of physical safety and health at Leeds Metropolitan University, claims that rugby is much safer than football. Football players use their head as a tackling tool, which is never the case with rugby tackles. Football players purposely throw their head into contact to bring down an opponent, and rugby players do their best to keep their head out of a tackle.

What it proves: Rugby players do not suffer as many concussions and head injuries as football players. Football players need to be taught techniques for safer play so they can have a life after the NFL and not suffer from CTE or other debilitating head injuries.

6. “ACSM information on concussions in sports”

The Essential content of the Article: This article from the ACSM, American College of Sports Medicine, focuses on the symptoms and causes of a concussion. A concussion happens when there is a sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head. It can occur when the head contacts the ground, a ball, or another player. Concussion symptoms are not always obvious and apparent. A couple symptoms are irritability, change in sleeping patterns, dizziness, vomiting, and double vision. Even doctors sometimes struggle in detecting symptoms associated with concussions.

What it proves: Concussions are hard to detect and there needs to be more research done to reveal better detection methods. If someone may have suffered a concussion, it is better to take the preventative measures rather than risk their health and safety.

7. “Concussion- The Invisible Injury”

The Essential content of the Article: The article written by Emily Tong and John Almquist focuses on the diagnosis and legislation related to concussions. Many high school and college athletic programs have the players take a baseline test for normal cognitive function. When a player may have gotten a concussion, they go back and have them take the same test and compare the scores. If the cognitive function of the athlete is not 100% they will not score as well as they did the first time. All 50 states have passed laws to protect young athletes from returning to play before their ready. The players are to be educated on concussions and symptoms, and they are told to refrain from playing if they have any symptoms. After a player is diagnosed with a concussion, the law requires the player to be cleared by a medical professional.

What it proves: Concussion issues are important enough to be written into the state legislature of all 50 states. Player safety is more important than any aspect of the game, and the brain is a delicate and important piece that players need to take better care of.

8. “A Multifactorial Approach to Sport-Related Concussion Prevention and Education: Application of the Socioecological Framework”

The Essential content of the Article: This article was written by Johna Register-Mihalik, Emily Kroshus, and Tamara C. Valovich McLeod. It focuses on the different levels of change that must occur to improve the concussion problem. From the interpersonal role all the way out to society’s role. Players need to be educated on concussions, coaches and parents need to be educated on identifying the symptoms, and schools and governments need to put policy in place to protect the players future health.

What it proves: Understanding and fixing the concussion problem is not a one-step process, but a long and tedious approach that involves the individual players all the way up to the state government.

9. “Rise in reported Concussions a good thing”

The Essential content of the Article: This article was written anonymously in the Winnipeg Free Press, and it focuses on the recent increase in reported concussions in the NFL. Since 2008, there has been an increase of 34% in reported concussions. The players are playing at the same speed and intensity as 2008, but the trainers are paying more attention to concussion symptoms and taking time to fully evaluate players.

What it proves: Concussion protocol is being taken more seriously than it has in the past. Players are put through various medical tests including brain scans at times before they return.

10. “Spinal injuries in New Zealand rugby and rugby league- – a twenty year survey”

The Essential content of the Article: This article was done by the Christchurch of Medicine and it focuses on spinal injuries rugby players suffered in New Zealand. The scrum produced the highest percentage of spinal injuries. Forwards and heavier players suffered more spinal injuries compared to backs and lighter players.

What it proves: Spinal injuries are a part of rugby and may not be avoidable, but there are precautions and techniques players can implement to reduce their chances.

What I’m still looking for: A direct comparison of the spinal injuries and concussions in rugby and football, showing statistics and what game would be safer for youth athletes to participate in.

Current state of research: I have gathered various sources that show the injuries and statistics of both games and specific information regarding the preventative measures leagues and communities can take. Like stated above, my reasearch is not done and I am looking for more comparisons of the two games in safety and long term effects of these injuries. 

 

Summaries- jdormann

  1. It seems counterintuitive that a company with the “buy one, give one” slogan would hurt local business. The Tom’s shoe company claims that for every shoe they sell, they give one pair to a person in a developing country in need. Although this idea is great for feel good people and people that desperately need shoes, it negatively effects local markets. The distribution of free shoes challenges local merchants by taking business from them and causing a decline in sales. Overall, the idea of “buy one, give one” is a great idea, but not good in practice.
  2. It seems counterintuitive that taking multi-vitamins could be detrimental to a persons health. The health and supplement industry stress how buying their products will increase health and wellness. In actuality, an excess amount of certain vitamins can increase chances of cancer and disease in the body. Trying to become healthier should not be based on how many supplements you take, but how well your body feels and how everything is functioning properly and as it should. Multi-Vitamins do have their place in the lives of picky-eaters, the elderly, and people with prior health issues that require more of a specific vitamin to remain healthy. There is no reason for healthy individuals that eat a variety of foods to be taking multi-vitamins, and it could even make them less healthy.
  3. It seems counterintuitive that a city would give heroin addicts free heroin. People that are addicted to drugs or other substances can have a very hard time quitting. Vancouver, began implementing a new program that gives their addicts a safe place to get their fix. The city gives addicts clean needles, high quality drugs, and a safe place to do it. It is not an attempt to get the addicts clean from drugs, but to make the addicts and the city safer. The program works as a type of blackmail to try and help the addicts see they really do need to get help, but it is still up to the addict to get help. Programs like this may continue to pop up in the future to help cities with addiction issues and drug related crime.