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/.

 

Definition Argument- Ugandanknuckles

What is a mantra, and how does it apply to self-help?

Mantras are a common self-help practice in one way or another. We’ve seen celebrities like Oprah Winfrey promote them as a method of improving our lives, but most people dismiss it as a fad that’s just going to die out like most others. However, mantras and words in general have been shown to be very powerful throughout history.

Wildmind, a site about Buddhist meditation defines mantras as “words or phrases that are chanted out loud or internally as objects of meditation” Many cultures throughout the ages have believed in the power of words whether it be for meditation or for spiritual reasons. The power of words expands beyond just Buddhism, however. Even in modern day English the connections between magic and words can be found. For instance, the word “spell” can mean both how to write a word or mystic words said to use magic. Further back in time, the words glamour and grammar share an interesting origin, all based on how words reached and evolved in different parts of Europe.

Gramma-techne was the Greek term for the science or art of letters. This came into English as the word grammar, but also came in Scots (as “glammer”) to mean “to cast a spell upon”… The word glammer was anglicized as glamour, and came to have its more contemporary romantic and aesthetic associations, where someone is able to influence us, not by the power of their words, but by the beauty of their appearance.

If we travel to India, words, specifically names, had powers of their own. It was believed that if you knew the true name of a god, then you would be able to call upon that god for help. All religions in one form or another see words as powerful. Prayer is found in many religions, and it both uses words to help us ease our minds of something we may want or hope for, and acknowledges the possible existence of a higher power.

In the modern era, mantras are popular because of how easy they appear to be. Giovanni Dienstmann, a meditation teacher and coach, helps us to better understand the thought process behind repeating a word or phrase. He says, “Sound is vibration. And all the cells in our bodies are vibrating. Everything in the universe is vibrating, and each has its own rhythm. Our thoughts and feelings are, indeed, vibrations in your body and your consciousness.” He goes on further to claim that it also effects our hormones, thinking, behavior, and our psychological well-being.

Musicians and filmmakers use sound to inspire thoughts or feelings within the listener. If you were to take ambient music out of a movie or show, you’d be surprised to find just how awkward it feels, and just how difficult it is to get into what you’re watching without the backtracks.

“Sound, rhythm and speech have profound effects on your body, thoughts, and emotions. Mantra meditation is the use of these three elements with the purpose of purifying, pacifying and transforming your mind and heart.”

Dienstmann calls mantras “instruments of the mind” that can help you change your body and psyche. For mantras to be effective, we need to focus only on the word or words so that we are no disturbed by other thoughts. It creates a peaceful feeling that can be held for as long as we can focus on just the words of the mantra.

The next step is to decide which type of mantra is right for you. There are two types, according to Dienstmann: secular and spiritual. The secular approach is for those who wish to keep their mantra usage separate from their religion, and is commonly used to try and help someone feel better, relax, or grow as a person. It’s easy to begin your meditation with mantras, you just need to find an attribute that you want to instill in yourself, see if it works for you by using it for several minutes, and then making sure it has no negative connotations. This is the more common form, and is the one you’ll see recommended by reality TV doctors and other TV personalities.

The other type, spiritual, is meant to have more meaning. There’s normally a specific religious goal, or something very specific that you’re looking to achieve. Dienstmann recommends picking, “a traditional mantra – a word or sound that has been used by spiritual seekers for centuries, with noble attitude and intention.” The usual origins for a lot of these words come from many middle eastern countries. That said, he insists that the replicating the exact pronunciation and intonation of the word or words is important since there is a specific sound vibration being looked for.

Spiritual mantras feature a more rigorous process to use than secular does.  The first step, he says, is to “Find a teacher/master of that tradition – someone you respect – and ask him or her to suggest a mantra for you.” Given that mantras aren’t popular to the common person, this can be a difficult process. Once you’ve found it though, experimentation is key. Rather than trying each one for a few minutes, he insists that you experiment with it for a few days, until you find the one that works best for you. The key difference between secular and spiritual mantras is that you must keep the mantra a secret because “sacred is secret.”

The article goes further in depth about the different ways you can use the words and what the best way to position yourself is, but we don’t really need that stuff for this. Putting all of the information together, we can say that a mantra is something that initially became popularized by Buddhist monks, but predates them by hundreds of years. The power of words can be cited in different cultures from the British Isles to India.

The two different types on mantras are spiritual and secular and each has its own uses and specific ways of practicing them. Secular being the more common one, and spiritual being the one used for people who can afford to be more committed to the practice. With a better understanding of what mantras are, how they’re practiced, and where they originated, we can better critique them and their effectiveness.

 

References

Dienstmann, George. “Mantra Meditation – The Why, the How, and the Methods.” Live and Dare, 2 Feb. 2018, liveanddare.com/mantra-meditation

Bodhipaksa. “Mantra Meditation.” Wildmind Buddhist Meditation, 2006, http://www.wildmind.org/mantras.

Definition argument- Morty39

Pitbulls can and should be used as police dogs. There are tons and tons of pitbulls sitting in shelters right now, waiting for a home and somebody to love. Nobody wants them, because they are viewed as being dangerous and harmful, even though this is false people will not let them in their homes. If these dogs are considered dangerous, but can be trained, why not train them to be police dogs to get them out of the public. This is not a new idea, to take dogs from animal shelters and train them to be part of a canine unit (surprising police). They usually do not take pitbulls, because of their bad reputation. On the website http://www.dogbreeds.net/police-dogs.html they do not list pitbulls as police dogs, which proves my point that people do not think these dogs could be useful to them, even though they have dogs like rottweilers which can be even more dangerous than pitbulls, they even have the same qualities. Dobermans are listed as part of the police dog unit too, they are also known to be mean and very unfriendly, the only difference is that that stereotype is actually true. Pitbulls on the other hand have a stereotype that is not fair to them, they are lovable and easy to train dogs. Which is perfect for police dogs, because the dogs live with their handlers and their families, and when they retire they stay with their handlers. They are family dogs and working dogs. They show this even when they are used as fighting dogs, pitbulls are trained specifically not to bite their handlers and know when to stop fighting, they were even bred that way. The ones that would bite their human or continue fighting were killed and not bred, even though that is awful for those dogs it helped them become great dogs for police. It solves two problems in one, get rid of pitbulls in animal shelters and prevent them from being killed because of too much space and on top of that the police get great dogs to work with and have a best friend for life.

 

http://www.dogbreeds.net/police-dogs.html
http://www.hero911.org/surprising-facts-about-police-dogs/

PTSD Claims- amongothers13

13

“The amount of progress in Caleb’s six years of therapy has been frustrating for everyone. “

Caleb’s PTSD plays a role in his family’s lives because they are constantly trying to help and worrying about what happens next for Caleb.

Does the family ever worry about suffering from PTSD as well? Do they think it could happen to them if they start acting like Caleb without realizing it after being there for him for so long?

Perhaps some people are so frustrated that they are coming less hopeful for Caleb.

“Some state VA offices even offer group therapy.”

Group therapy is often used in situations where something traumatic happens to a family and effects everyone in different ways, like a house fire, or the loss of a parent. But, group therapy for people with PTSD means a lot of people have it and struggle with it. Could the number of people suffering from PTSD for different reasons prove it is contagious by association? What if group therapy really makes the PTSD worse?

“The VA also endorses eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), which is based on the theory that memories of traumatic events are, in effect, improperly stored, and tries to refile them by discussing those memories while providing visual or auditory stimulus. “

If this is true, that traumatic events are improperly stored, could it be true that I, myself, have PTSD from events I try not to think about because they caused me great sadness? Is it possible if I bring them back into memory I could develop PTSD? Could anybody have PTSD if they simply try to remember things in their life that effected them a great deal?

“Currently, the agency is funding 130 PTSD-related studies, from testing whether hypertension drugs might help to examining the effectiveness of meditation therapy, or providing veterans with trauma-sensitive service dogs, like Caleb’s.”

Studies are being done to see if the hypertension drugs help PTSD patients- they are looking for a cure.

Perhaps more people will admit to having PTSD if there is a known cure for it. Most people with PTSD don’t tell professionals or doctors and end up staying inside their houses everyday. If there is a cure, something might spark inside of them to try it, or for one of their loved ones to get the cure for them. And of course, puppies are always a positive.

“But a lot of FOV members and users are impatient with the progress.”

A lot of work has been done, but no true cure or drug has been proven to work to ease the memories. People are growing impatient for PTSD cases keep increasing, which adds setbacks to the research because they keep discovering new aspects.

Does this mean cases of PTSD are getting worse? More severe? Will there ever be something that helps these people suffering from PTSD?

Model Definition Essay Available

Help if you need it.

I’ve posted the first draft of my Definition Argument for your benefit.

This post will remain pinned to the top of the blog
until I’m sure you’ve had a chance to see it.

Mine “defines” a term by comparing it to another.

  • I began my research with the belief that polio eradication would be very similar to smallpox eradication based on similarities in the approaches taken by health organizations to immunize entire populations with vaccine.
  • What I learned by reading is that the polio virus, the body’s method of fighting it, and the effectiveness of vaccines against it are fundamentally different than the same factors for smallpox.
  • Therefore, my argument concludes, eradicating polio will be very different than eradicating smallpox, perhaps even impossible. At a minimum, we’ll have to harm a lot of intended beneficiaries in the process, which did not happen in the smallpox campaign.

In other words, polio eradication DOES NOT BELONG to the category: world health campaigns that can be accomplished with just money and effort.

dog-awake

  1. My post is about 1100 words before the References section.
  2. It uses in-text citations WITHOUT parentheses.
    • Please follow this model in your posts as well.
  3. It uses an AP-style References section
    • AP is the new style choice of the Writing Arts Department
    • I made mine for free using BibMe.com
  4. It DOES NOT cite the dictionary or in any way telegraph that its job is to define a term. Instead it makes a persuasive argument (about the difficulty of eradicating polio) that clarifies an aspect of polio: it’s NOT LIKE smallpox.
  5. It’s a first draft, so it will embarrass me until I revise it.
  6. Once I revise it, it will be a second draft, still embarrassing but less so.
  7. Questions? Use the Reply field below this post.

Definition Argument – summergirl1999

Life Delayed by Student Debt

In American society, a college education and degree hold a vast amount of weight. “Successful”, is an adjective most Americans want to describe themselves as, American society says that college is a prime factor to help graduates move in the right direction towards success. A college degree is important to Americans because it can potentially mean determination, larger salaries, and a steady career. Due to the high increase of college tuition, it is making many Americans feel like college is not worth its penny. The drastic number of money that needs to be paid back after graduating is leaving graduates in enormous amounts of debt. Student debt is greatly impacting graduate’s lives.

Student debt is one of the largest amounts of debt that American holds. It is also the most popular, making many people’s lives more challenging. “Fewer know that growing alongside 42 million indebted students is a formidable private industry that has been enriched by those very loans.” (Steele. 2016.) Steele is sarcastically stating the large population of Americans that have student loans. Depending on the university attended and the money granted, the amount of student debt per-person fluctuates. Leaving some graduates in more challenging situations than others. “’I feel I kind of ruined my life by going to college,’ says Jackie Krowen, 32, of Portland, Oregon, a nurse with a student loan balance of $152,000. ‘I can’t plan for an actual future.’” (Steele. 2016.) This woman encountered such a large amount of debt, it is making her hesitant about her future. To take out student loans, students need loan companies. Companies that loan student’s money for their college tuition, but the money must be paid back and with interest. Interest on loans can vary depending the company.

The longer you hold the loan, the more it will cost. Although the five-year plan comes with much higher monthly payments, following the 25-year plan will cost you $17,402 extra in the end. In all cases, the interest on your student loans means you’ll be paying more than what you borrowed to go to school. Even on the shortest payment plan, you’d be forking over $3,704 more than you originally received.” (Insler. 2017.)

Although $3,704 is not as large as the student debt itself, it is still a factor.

The high amount of student debt is delaying society, and affecting American’s personal lives. “More student loan debt means some kids are starting households later and moving from renting to ownership later than their parents did, which ripples throughout the economy—so when you don’t form a household, you delay when would purchase a car, furniture, appliances and utilities.” (Peterson-Withorn. 2014.) Many graduates are postponing or limiting purchases on common expenses and utilities, because they need to save enough to have the monthly payment. A report from “Life Delayed” by the American Student Assistance, did research and surveys on graduates that encounter student debt. “According to the survey, 62 percent of respondents said their student debt posed a hardship on their personal budget when combined with all other household spending.” (Lanza. 2016.) Having a college diploma should come with great honor and relief, for all of the hard work. “While loans are intended to expand college access to a broader population, the nature of risk that they entail also produces the opposite result. Low- and middle-income students worried about the consequences of taking out a loan will be more likely to decide that college attendance is not worth the risk.” (Freedman. 2014.) Along with college, loans were put into place to help students no matter their financial background have the opportunity to attend college.

Graduates that come out of college with a degree are still not guaranteed a job in the field that they studied and not guaranteed a high paying career right away. Graduates that go out in the real world need a job to pay for all of their expenses, beyond what they owe on their student loans. Although students attend college so they can have a higher chance – or even a chance at all at pursuing a career, the career is not always guaranteed. “If we tell our young people that more education leads to higher earnings, we are not telling the whole truth. Higher education will increase the chances of a well-paying job, but there is no guarantee.” (Parker. 2017.) Loan companies usually give the graduate a six-month curtesy period to get themselves ready to pay back their loans. It is not the colleges or the degrees fault for not being able to seek a job, there are just more college graduates than careers. “The number of jobs paying what college graduates expect depends on the needs of employers. That number will not increase because there are more graduates.” (Parker. 2017.) Loan companies do not usually care about the personal or financial situations that graduates may be in when they finish college, companies are mainly worried about the money being paid back to them. A website named “Money Crashers” that was featured on CNN, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal gives tips and “helpful” advice for graduates that cannot find a job. “Stay positive, reduce your cost of living, move back home, and put yourself on a budget.” (Slide.) Job popularity can have an effect on graduates not being able to find a profession’s. “At a median wage of $83,580 a year, the occupation with the fastest projected job growth, industrial-organizational psychologists, pays well. But, there’s not much demand for this type of psychologist. The field will generate only 900 jobs in 10 years, according to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook.” (Weiner. 2014.) Graduates may have degrees in professions that are not so popular anymore which means less jobs.

Attending college is a choice that is given to everyone. Going to college and having a college degree does have its benefits and pros. The rise of college tuition and student debt graduates encounter after college are a couple cons. Student debt is impacting many lives of graduates.

References

“Student Debt—Lives on Hold.” Consumer Reports. June 2016.

https://www.consumerreports.org/student-loan-debt-crisis/lives-on-hold/

 “How Today’s Student Loan Debt Is Failing Future Generations.” Forbes. July 2014.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2014/07/30/how-todays-student-loan-debt-is-failing-future-generations/#4d9e5f124b3c

“Student Loans are a Drag on the Economy and Society.” Forbes. February 2014.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshfreedman/2014/02/11/student-loans-are-a-big-drag-on-the-economy-and-society/#7bf123014bc1

 “What Do You Do If You Can’t Find a Job After College.” Money Crashers.

https://www.moneycrashers.com/cant-find-job-after-college/

 “Why Sally can’t get a Good Job with her College Degree.” The Washington Post. September 2014.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/09/05/why-sally-cant-get-a-good-job-with-her-college-degree/?utm_term=.8b458336a8a4

Hypothesis 2- tjjones123

Hypothesis

Kneeling during the NFL

 

  1. It’s a slap in the face to people who risked their lives for our country or lost loved ones doing so.
  2. There are no real benefits of kneeling during the anthem.
  3. Sports stars have a great life so why show contempt towards a country that makes it possible?
  4. Not one single person, behavior or law is changed by football players refusing to stand for the anthem.
  5. If these players making hundreds of millions of dollars want to protest, with the money they make they can do so in several other manners without disrespecting everything this country stands for.

 

Definition Argument – picklerick

Reading books is no different than consuming any other type of media. Many people believe that reading is a hobby to be prouder of than watching television, for example. Why is television any different though? You receive language and picture on a TV, whereas reading a book only gives you the language. This often makes it more difficult to understand concepts from text than it would be from a screen. One may argue that you will learn far more from reading than from television because reading offers infinite knowledge from nonfiction literature. Sure, learning from nonfiction may be more beneficial than watching shows like, “SpongeBob.” But there are countless documentaries and other informational films to watch that will allow to you learn just as much. Another reason why reading is no better than any other form of media is that it does nothing to improve your long-term health. There is a growing problem of adults staying sedentary for too long. A study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) concluded that an average of 60% of adults’ waking hours are spent sedentary (Matthews). This is detrimental to our health because without an active lifestyle, your whole body slows down. In his manuscript, “Too Much sitting: The Population-Health Science of Sedentary Behavior,” Neville Owens suggests, “Canadians who reported spending the majority of their day sitting had significantly poorer long-term mortality outcomes than did those who reported that they spent less time sitting.” While you may think you are benefiting yourself by sitting down and reading a book all day, it may be a healthier idea to go for a walk or participate in a more active hobby.

 

Works Cited

Owen, N., Healy, G. N., Matthews, C. E., & Dunstan, D. W. (2010). Too Much Sitting. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 38(3), 105-113. doi:10.1097/jes.0b013e3181e373a2
Matthews, C. E., Chen, K. Y., Freedson, P. S., Buchowski, M. S., Beech, B. M., Pate, R. R., & Troiano, R. P. (2008). Amount of Time Spent in Sedentary Behaviors in the United States, 2003-2004. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167(7), 875-881. doi:10.1093/aje/kwm390

PTSD Claims—moonlightsonata

BEGIN THE ONE HOUR EXERCISE

Section 20

  1. “Charles Marmar, a New York University professor who was on the team of the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, the most comprehensive study of combat stress ever conducted, points out that you really have to spend the money to treat PTSD since the costs of not treating it are so much higher.”
  • “the most comprehensive study of combat stress ever conducted” indicates the incredulous weight and the number of resources allocated to conducting this study.
    • “points out you really have to spend money to treat PTSD” indicates the idea that earlier low cost/resources treatments were ineffective in treating PTSD.
  1. “ “Stress-related health problems—cardiovascular, immunologic. Heart attacks, stroke, and even dementia. Residential rehab programs, and motor vehicle accidents because people with PTSD self-medicate and crash cars; the cost of domestic violence; the cost of children and grandchildren of combat vets witnessing domestic violence. The treatment and compensation disability programs have cost billions. And the costs of the untreated are probably in the tens of billions. They’re enormous.” ”
    • A categorical claim, it groups all the costs of PTSD into health and side effects.

 

  • Billions: The word “billions” is used to compare the whole severity of how much untreated PTSD costs, painting a picture of just how expensive it is.
  • Enormous: Similar to “billions”, paints an image of how big and expansive the roots and branches of PTSD goes into.

 

  1. “Experts say it’s nearly impossible to calculate what treating PTSD from Vietnam has and will cost American taxpayers, so vast are its impacts.”
  • “Experts say it’s nearly impossible to calculate” states the severity that those with expansive knowledge on the issue cannot accurately calculate the cost of the effects of PTSD.
  1. “…and while no one is sure what PTSD among them will ultimately cost us, either, everyone agrees on one thing: If it’s not effectively treated, it won’t go away.”
  • “Everyone agrees on one thing”, a generalization is made with no data to support it. Some may think it would go away as time goes on.
  1. “Vietnam vets still make up the bulk of Danna’s clients—though she is assisting traumatized men who served in World War II, in the early years of which half the medical disability discharges were psychiatric, and some of those men still show up at Danna’s office and cry, and cry, and cry.”
  • “Vietnam vets still make up the bulk of Danna’s clients–though she is assisting traumatized men who served in World War II,” indicates the time differences between her two types of clients, that time isn’t the answer to treating PTSD.
  • “…cry, and cry, and cry.” Repetition of words that indicate or stress the heavy emotional aspect that stricken veterans post-war for long periods.
  1. “The chaplain assured him that he shouldn’t feel bad about killing gooks, but the chaplain was paid by the Army, and who took moral advice from a chaplain carrying a .38?”
  1. “Back at home, Steve drank wildly. He waged war with his wife, attempted to work odd jobs where he had as little contact with humans as possible.”

 

END ONE HOUR EXERCISE