Doctors Overusing MRIs

Ever wonder if you go to see a doctor and they take a scan that they don't need? End up misdiagnosing you? Well, many doctors today are overusing the MRI and then even worse, inaccurately diagnosing their patients. This gives the doctor and facility where the scan was done an unneeded payment of over a thousand dollars. The article by Gina Kolata in the New York Times this past Saturday uses Mr. Steve Ganobcik as an example of unnecessary MRI, who was given the scan and diagnosed twice as a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from a skiing accident. However, after the accident, Mr. Ganobcik got right back up and kept skiing for the rest of his vacation before seeing a doctor. IRONIC? I think so, because I have seen a few people tear their ACL's and they usually aren't getting up from the ground anytime soon without help. Though I have never had an injury serious enough to need an MRI, I plan to go into the orthopedics field. Gina Kolata's article "Sports Medicine Said to Overuse A Popular Scan" questions multiple orthopedic specialists on unnecessary use of MRIs.

Gina Kolata's techniques in this article were effective in appealing to the audience's pathos and logos. She cites numerous orthopedic specialists and their universities of work, including Dr. James Andrews, Dr. Bruce Sangeorzan, Dr. Christopher DiGiovanni, Dr. Sigvard T. Hansen, Dr. Freddie H. Fu, and Dr. Andrew Green, which establishes credibility with the audience for these numerous expert professionals. Another technique that Kolata uses was the example of Mr. Ganobcik and his skiing accident. This example appealed to the audience's logos with the irony of Mr. Ganobcik being diagnosed with a torn ACL, but yet he was able to get back up and continue to ski for the next couple days of his vacation. Kolata also writes about Dr. Green's research on 101 patient cases of shoulder pain. Of those 101, forty three arrived with MRIs. However, Dr. Green was able to diagnose all of those cases based on a physical exam, patient history, and an X-ray. Kolata writes about similar research done by Dr. DiGiovanni and 221 foot and ankle patients, and found similar results with the patients not needing the MRIs. Those two research studies convince the audience that MRI scans are not as necessary as they think. The New York Times' "Sports Medicine Said to Overuse A Popular Scan" by Gina Kolata compilies research and professional opinions to prove that MRIs are used too much.
Source: Kolata, Gina. "Sports Medicine Said to Overuse A Popular Scan." The New York Times 29 Oct. 2011, New England ed., sec. Front Page: A1, A14. Print.

Outside Read: Lipstick in Afghanistan

Finding the Meaning of Happiness

Everyone is always saying to us nowadays, you are the future. You can make a difference. Well, those thoughts along with the need to get money to go to college, our parents pushing the good grades, and the unending amount of work, are not the best way to prepare. Timothy Egan writes of the typical student, going to college, succeeding with high marks, and then in this time and economy, having a remarkable degree with no employment. We are used to the good performance and the rewards from it in school, sports, and other activities. Out there in the real world, that's not going to happen. We could possibly face a mounting amount of rejection. That rejection is something we aren't used to and is going to make us feel hopeless. Today, everything amounts to a measurement; a test score, a grade, or a midterm and we place high value on those measurements. But, what about the happiness when those measurements fail to give us a direction in life? Egan's main point is that parents shouldn't worry as much about a letter on a report card, compared to teaching us the feeling of failure and the meaning of true happiness.

In Timothy Egan's New York Times Opinionator article "Boomer Parent's Lament", Egan writes about how the high value of a grade or a number will not prepare our generation for entering the troubled economy. From his opening paragraph, the audience knows Egan is aiming to reach an audience of parents with kids who are struggling after college to find good employment. Egan's key point is made when he says, "For all the efforts to raise hyperachievers, we didn't teach enough of a basic survival skill -- to find joy in simple things not connected to a grade, a trophy, or a job," (Egan). He uses the technique of logos by using facts and statistics to show the amount of qualified graduates working in underqualified jobs. Egan sites Steve Jobs's commencement speech and a New Yorker article that both support his point of view. The article also uses Timothy Egan's own personal story of the true happiness his father would find even though he had lived during the Great Depression, which appeals to the audience's pathos. The opinion article "Boomer Parent's Lament" by Timothy Egan has definitely given me a new perspective on what really matters in life.

Source: Egan, Timothy . "Boomer Parent's Lament." The New York Times 27 Oct. 2011, sec. Opinionator: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.

"Humming to Higher Ed"

College. For some of us, that word means nothing since some don't intend to further their education with that venue. For others, that word causes a high amount of stress for the next two years of high school with finding the right school, taking road trips, filling out applications, taking admissions tests, and anticipating the acceptance letter. All that stress and anticipation packed into two years and it turns out our educations really aren't being "furthered". This article by Gail Collins informs the audience of scientific research being done that proves a percentage of students who go to college don't actually gain any important learning. I was shocked to read this because college has been seen to me as an opportunity to figure out who I want to be in life and learn how to fufill a role in my career path. How can I do that if I am not learning something new? Gail Collins writes an informative, contradicting opinion piece in her New York Times article "Humming to Higher Ed".

Collins's differing techniques of writing and rhetoric appeal to the audience in different ways. In the beginning of the article, Gail Collins opens with an analogy to college searches and hummingbirds flying south for the winter. However, the language used after the comparison seemed kind of lame and lack of belief in the similarity. She then writes of her own story of choosing a college and how if she had the resources that we have today, her college that was destined for her was not the one she attended. This technique appeals to the audience as the common man or woman who went through the same experience, or a similar one. Gail Collins's also provides statistics and a scientific study done by Richard Arum called "Academically Adrift". The statistics, including a poll of three thousand students from almost thirty colleges have a forty five percentage who have not gained any new knowledge, provide a solid history of truth for the audience to go on, appealing to their logistical side. Collins's also constantly uses bias and her opinion. This is shown when Collins says, "I would rather not think that many of the most expensively educated brains in the country are already formed by their seventeenth birthday," (Collins). In the article "Humming to Higher Ed", Gail Collins uses different facts and statistics to show that students who head off to college will probably not learn too many new concepts.

Source:  Collins, Gail. "Humming to Higher Ed." The New York Times 21 Oct. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.

The Lasting Influence of Coaching on Children Today

                           
Can't almost all of us say we were playing some kind of sport as six year olds? Whether we were kicking a soccer ball, swinging a bat, or dribbling a basketball, we were exposed to the world of sports at young ages. Have you ever noticed how many possible mistakes can be made in a game? Ever notice your coach or parent's reactions? Well I certainly have, and sometimes they were not the best responses, filled with harsh criticism. Some of them still stick with me today, like the time I thought I was the goalie when I was six and picked up the ball on defense. "You can't use your hands! You're not the goalie!" I was six however, and got over it. But, go to a town soccer field on a Saturday morning and I can guarantee you will see some screaming parents yelling at their kids to be better, coaches who really want to win, and more parents screaming at the referee. David Bornstein writes about all of these aspects of sports and today's modern day coaches. I agree with Bornstein that some of these aspects and many others have the ability to turn kids away from playing sports at a young age. Playing sports should be about having fun and becoming better people. Bornstein highlights those values along with a program called Positive Coaching Alliance in his New York Times article "The Power of Positive Coaching".

In his opinion article, David Bornstein appeals to his audience with a variety of techniques. Bornstein opens his article with questioning the audience in various coaching situations and what your reaction would be if you were the coach. This technique helps the audience understand some of the difficult situations coaches are put in, and how their reactions are crucial. David Bornstein also provides statistics that over 2.5 million adults volunteer to coach in America, and less than ten percent have formal training. This shows that the people who influence younger children in critical moments of their childhood don't actual have a formal way of responding to the situations presented. Another statistic Bornstein presents is that because sports continue to become more competitive and selective, seventy to eighty percent of kids drop out of sports. Bornstein's most effective technique in his opinion article is when he writes about the Positive Coaching Alliance. He writes about the total people influenced by the program, sports associations that use it, and well known coaches that support the program. Some of the coaches include Doc Rivers and Phil Jackson. These examples help the audience make a reference to parts of their lives. Bornstein goes on to write about the history of the program and what kinds of techniques the program uses. My particular favorite was the criticism sandwich, with a piece of criticism between two compliments. Overall, David Bornstein writes a great article about the modern types of coaching and how they can change to be more positive influential experiences for kids in "The Power of Positive Coaching".

Source: Bornstein, David. "The Power of Positive Coaching." The New York Times 20 Oct. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 21 Oct. 2011.

Five Myths About Healthy Eating

                                           
Ever heard of some of the excuses given as to why people don't eat healthy today? People living in poor vicinities don't have places to purchase fresh produce, modern advertising, high prices, need of nutrition information, and the large amount of fast food restaurants are the excuses about why people eat unhealthy. Katherine Mangu-Ward proves all of these beliefs false in her Washington Post opinion article "Five myths about healthy eating". In the United States, we see constantly the consequences of unhealthy eating and how many more health problems arise because of it. This article caught my eye because in this modern day, the government and powerful figures are trying various ways to find solutions to the problem of unhealthy eating. Katherine Mangu-Ward writes with numerous puns, providing some comedy for her audience, which I also enjoyed. Her approach to this topic had an obvious view of her opinion on the subject and I have to agree with Mangu-Ward. People can't make excuses for not eating healthy because what you eat is a decision you make every time you go to the refrigerator or go out to a restaurant. It's a decision and what you chose impacts your health.

Katherine Mangu-Ward's style of comic and certainty appeals to the audience in her article "Five myths about healthy eating". She throws in a couple of puns every so often with my favorite being "obesity remains a political hot potato, or maybe a tater tot," (Mangu-Ward 1). It adds some comic relief to the sometimes judgemental topic she covers. In the article, Mangu-Ward uses a wide variety of statistics and scientific studies to support her views. For the lack of fresh produce in poor vicinities, Mangu-Ward uses the facts that ninety three percent of people in these areas have a car, and farmers markets have tripled. For the advertisement belief, she quotes a study from the Institute of Medicine. Both of these techniques help appeal to the audience's logic. Katherine Mangu-Ward also compares herself as a common person with the audience when she caves in to having a chocolate milkshake. This article overall was funny, informative, and contradicts the common beliefs about healthy eating today.

Source: Mangu-Ward, Katherine. "Five myths about healthy eating." The Washington Post 14 Oct. 2011, sec. Post Opinions: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.

Psychology and Religion

                                          
The study of psychology gives up on the belief that possession of demons cause illnesses, and other religious beliefs and uses the basis of science. Gareth Cook once again writes another great opinion article for the Boston Globe, "Modern psychology's God problem". He questions the lack of religion in the work done by psychologists, and how utilizing religion could help those patients that are deeply religious. I have to agree with Cook because if someone is not in a good mental state, yet religion is part of their life, having the professional person they talk to could really help them. Though I would probably not be one of those deeply religious people, I do believe in a higher power. I also think that as their profession is defined, psychologists help patients through therapy, and if their patient believes in a higher power or is devoutly religious, then the psychologist should be giving their patient therapy that involves religion. The fact that professionals in psychology are avoiding religion in their work seems to defy the message of their profession.

Gareth Cook continues to utilize many writing techniques in "Modern psychology's God problem". In his opening, he questions the audience about a specific ability and states that God gave it to them. Cook writes of a contradiction between modern psychology and America's involvement in religion. He gives statistics about America and religion, including that over fifty percent categorize religion as very important and ninety percent belief in a higher power. Those statistics prove how important religion is in America therefore gaining the audience's point of  view. He also quotes David Rosmarin about psychology's issue with religion. Another technique that Gareth Cook uses is that he discusses a research study performed with a thirty minute video that uses the language of religion to express concepts of psychology. Cook writes of the effective results, which also appeals to the audience's logic. The last line of the article had a huge influence on the audience, when Gareth Cook writes, "It's about the field of psychology shedding its prejudices and preconceptions and returning to the first principle of therapy: meeting patients where they are," (Cook) That line convinces the audience of the basics of psychology and how their avoidance of religion needs to go. The opinion article "Modern psychology's God problem" by Gareth Cook convinces the audience of psychology's need to include religion in its work.

Source: Cook, Gareth. "Modern psychology's God problem." The Boston Globe 15 Oct. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The Boston Globe. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.

Children's books overstep evil

The children's books of today have taken on a new name for evil within the story. As kids, we feared Captain Hook from Peter Pan, the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the evil stepmother in Snow White, and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. However, a particular favorite children's book from my childhood was Madeline, which did not have any representations of evil-doers. This article lured me in through its analysis of how the modern day children's books have become drastically darker than my happy stories of Madeline. In the article, Maria Tatar uses Harry Potter and The Hunger Games as her prime examples, where both characters are constantly running away from death, fighting for their lives against wizards or children of their own age. I disagree that those two series should be considered on the same level of children's books with Peter Pan and the others, but children do know the plot lines of those modern day classics for kids. In the New York Times opinion piece "No More Adventures in Wonderland", Maria Tatar discusses the modern day change in the plots of children's books.

Maria Tatar gives examples that use logos to appeal to the audience in her opinion article. One example that really won me over was her use of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, which won the Newbury Medal award. The book is about a hand in the dark with a knife that kills three members of the main character's family. Sounds pretty violent to me for a children's book. Though I did not read that book, Tatar's other main example was a series I have read, The Hunger Games. A great series in my opinion, but looking back now, I realize the enormity of the violence in the plot. Children are sent to fight other children like savages in Panem. Tatar's use of examples win the audience over to the understanding that the plots are growing more violent. However, Tatar is not trying to stop this trend. She proves this when she says, "No one is about to slam the brakes on these new engines of storytelling, nor should they," (Tatar). Maria Tatar does mourn for the loss of plots similar to those of the past and how those authors would write with dedication for the audience of the kids in her article "No More Adventures in Wonderland".

Source: Tatar, Maria. "No More Adventures in Wonderland." The New York Times 9 Oct. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 9 Oct. 2011.

Starting life again with no memories

What if an accident caused you to lose all of your memories of the past? For Jane Rosett, that was exactly what happened after she was in a car accident and her head crashed into the car windshield, and resulted in a traumatic brain injury. How would you react if someone from college came up and starting talking to you and you couldn't remember who they were? A client? A friend? Even your sibling? This article explores the aftermath of Jane's accident. The article itself was honest and someone's story, which are what caused me to read it. I really thought about what it would be like if I couldn't recognize people or everyday items, and had to be introduced to everything all over again. I wouldn't have the same personality or hobbies. In the recovery process, the people who would stand by me and would be willing to help would have to be extremely patient and understanding of the new experiences. Jane is a survivor compared to many other traumatic brain injury patients who survive their accidents because the recovery path alone causes patients to struggle with their sense of the current time and moment, let alone remember the past.

In Jane Rosett's New York Times opinion piece "Brain Injury and Building a New Life Afterwards", Jane tells the personal account of her own life and the struggles she goes through in her new life. She takes on a pathos appeal to her audience by just telling her story. The fact that she had to learn to live her life all over again at the age of forty five touches the audience. She writes of her inability to recognize people who come up to her and she has no clue who she is talking to and provides examples of those awkward experiences for her when she can't remember the people who know her. Rosett writes how the memories come back to her and what causes her pain. In the article, Rosett gives statistics of traumatic brain injuries received in past years and how the normal care is not enough. She gives the connections that she makes in her current life to her life before the accident, and she gives advice to her audience on how to converse with people who have had a traumatic brain injury and make them feel included. Jane Rosett uses ethos and her recovery story to appeal to her audience in her New York Times opinion piece.

Source: Rosett, Jane. "Brain Injury and Building a New Life Afterwards." The New York Times 8 Oct. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 9 Oct. 2011.

My Younger Brother

In my family, having a younger fifteen year old brother explains a lot of who I am today. I was and still am the older sibling, so I am the responsible one, walking into the unknowns of different schools, pressures of parents, and always looking out for him. We keep each others secrets from bad school grades, to getting into trouble, or when we younger, in summer camps, and just having someone to tell secrets to other than your parents or your friends. We fight all the time, from stealing iPod headphones, money, or just trying to get to school on time. I have always admired him for being a little more carefree in life and always having fun. In the past couple of years, he has shown me true hard work and dedication to achieve his goal. Being the older sibling and having only one younger brother, has made me the responsible, smart, and hard-working person I am today.

                            

Twitter has a position in science

The rapid movement of technology taking its place in the scientific world is amazing to me. Twitter is now taking a role in the world of science. Though I do not have a Twitter, I still find it very interesting that a networking site with "tweets" only 140 characters can have an impact in science. This article peaked my interest because science is the career path that I hope to follow. Also, Gareth Cook has been a great author that I followed this past summer in a school project. In the article I found it interesting that Cornell students were able to pull together a scientific study of the world's changing mood. By sorting through tweets from three years ago up until early last year, they were able to rate the positivity of the tweets and come to some observations from their research. In Gareth Cook's opinion piece "Science and Twitter #mixwell," Cook supports the emerging aid that Twitter has become to science with evidence.

Gareth Cook's main source of evidence in his opinion piece that wins over his audience is the example of Cornell students Scott Golder and Michael Macy. In the article, Cook writes about how Golder and Macy used over 509 million tweets and analyzed their positive levels of the words. With those analyses that were used as research, these sociologists were able to find the world's mood timeline, the day's emotional arc, and a reason for why depression is so common in the winter. Pretty interesting how those tweets provided answers to sociology questions and scientific data. Gareth Cook also writes about the Library of Congress's decision to make Twitter part of its enormous collection. To some people, this addition is outrageous, however Cook thinks it is a good move to include details about the generation's daily life. Cook's opinion about this is expressed when he says, "You cannot understand a time or a place if you do not understand how people actually experienced it," (Cook). That line shows Gareth Cook's agreement to add tweets to the Library of Congress. The Boston Globe's opinion piece "Science and Twitter #mixwell" by Gareth Cook proves that today's science is being improved on with the aid of Twitter.

Source: Cook, Gareth . "Science and Twitter #mixwell." The Boston Globe 1 Oct. 2011: n. pag. The Boston Globe. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.

Scientifically in love with iPhones

In today's modern world, about how many times a day do you spend checking your phone for texts, emails, or calls? It's an interesting question considering most of us know that we check our phones even when they didn't vibrate or ring, thinking we got a text or a call. In his New York Times opinion piece "You Love Your iPhone. Literally," author Martin Lindstrom writes about the "love" this generation has for their iPhone. This piece sparked my interest because even though I don't have an iPhone (but I really want one!), I have many friends and family members who do. The variety of connections to apps and the Internet is addicting. But, scientifically speaking, Lindstrom under covers that your addiction to your iPhone is actually love. It was very interesting to find out that in Lindstrom's experiments, the activity levels in a part of the brain that are related with love and compassion were equal in response to an iPhone and the presence of a loved one. With the many actions that can be performed on an iPhone, it is not surprising that our closeness to our phones is more than an addiction.

In Martin Lindstrom's New York Times opinion piece "You Love Your iPhone. Literally," Lindstrom proves to his audience that he is valid and creditable on his subject. He is a branding consultant who is very knowledgeable on the history of Apple as a company and its products. Not only is Lindstrom's knowledge on Apple valid, but he also writes of his numerous experiments that prove the love for iPhones. Lindstrom has performed many experiments that support his claim. One was a brain activity test between famous brands and famous symbols of religion, that showed very similar results. Another was giving babies Blackberries and watching them try to slide their fingers across the screen as you would for an iPhone. Lindstrom found that the vibration sound of a phone was the third most affecting sound in the world. A final experiment that Lindstrom performed was the brain activity level in the insular cortex. The levels were the same between an iPhone's sounds and the presence of a loved one. All this evidence mounts to Lindstrom's claim that we are in love with our iPhones. However, Lindstrom does not agree with the "love" to check our iPhones constantly, but expresses his opinion to try life with your iPhone off. Martin Lindstrom proves that our generation is in love with our iPhones in his opinion piece "Your Love Your iPhone. Literally."

Source: Lindstrom, Martin. "Your Love Your iPhone. Literally.." The New York Times 30 Sept. 2011: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.