Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Blog Post #7


Blog Post #7

This is a website from a barn I rode at for 11 years are also worked at for 5 years.  I check this website weekly to keep up to date about the things going on since I am no longer there. The first page the website goes to an opening page which consists of basic colors with a young boy riding a horse, and also subtitles to click on for further information. I think the use of basic color suggests the colors of the barn, tan, hunter green, and burgundy. It also shows that the website is easy to navigate, whether one wants information about lessons, camps, or sales. The text gives thorough information about CedarHill Farm and about the different services the farm offers such as lessons, boarding, and shows. The images range from pictures of young children on small ponies walking around to older, more advanced riders jumping over 3’6” jumps in a show ring. These different images suggest the farm is a place for young children to enjoying riding for a day, a week of summer camp, or can learn how to ride. The images imply the farm can also be a place for more serious and advanced riders. This showcases the farm has the trainers for both levels: beginners and more advanced riders. Also, it shows the farm has horses for both levels, horses which are smaller and older which are more suitable for younger riders and larger, more prestigious horses for those looking to compete. It can also suggest the progression the farm offers, starting at a beginner level and progressing to a more advanced level. Overall, the text is easy to follow suggesting an easy way to get information if one was interested in the farm and the pictures suggest the farm is a peaceful, beautiful, and friendly place to be.   

 
Website

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Argument style


I think a classical argument style is the best style for my group’s argument. I believe that since drug abuse is a fairly straightforward issue and there is no way to deny it is a problem. In the introduction, I think it would be very beneficial to discuss the history of prescription drugs and how it has changed drastically over the years. Here, I think it would be beneficial to add facts about the average number of prescriptions prescribed to a single patient as well as the average dosage. For here, we could lead into how many people have been negatively affected by the use of prescription drugs.

                This could easily flow into the narration, presenting background. I think here, we should drill home the increased number of people abusing prescription drugs in contrast to those that are available on the street. Also, further statistics to include the number of hospitalizations, deaths, and placement into therapy prescription drugs have caused. I think this will express the importance of the issue and draw the audience’s attention and wonder what solutions we propose.

                The next part is the confirmation, or the instance where we would present our claims and evidence. When talking with my group members on Friday, all of our stakeholders held the same main idea being doctors play a role in prescription drug abuse because many of them are undereducated and thus, should be required to have much more education before being able to prescribe to patients. Also, the doctors and legislators agreed that there should be a system installed that monitored all the prescriptions every patient got from each doctor they visited to ovoid patients being prescribed the same drug multiple time. I did not get a chance to talk with Jessica about pharmacists’ viewpoints, but I am sure she has something to add.

                The next part would be addressing the opposing viewpoints. I think the opposing viewpoints are limited because there are not too many ways to say that prescription drug abuse is not a concerning issue. We could talk about the money side of it and how much it would cost to ensure doctors are properly educated and to install this monitoring system. Here, we would need to back up the opposing views with facts. In my research, I found out that Medicaid pays for prescription drugs for those who cannot afford them, and many of these drugs are not needed for serious help conditions. With the monitoring system, it can save thousands of dollars in tax payer money from paying for prescriptions that are not being used properly or for the right reasons.

                In the conclusion, once again, I think we should present alarming statistics to make people want to take action. As our audience is college students, I am not sure what our call to action will be… Have to think about that!

                Overall I think we need to do more research and gather more statistics in which can go hand in hand with each other. We still have much work to do!!

                Overall I think our group works well together. We each bring new ideas and skills to the table. Part of our contract should include meeting deadlines, creating quality work, and showing up to all meetings the group has on time and ready to work!

 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Image Analysis



Image/Text Analysis

Natalie Weber

            In the United States, there has been an increasing epidemic of the number of people becoming addicted to, or overdosing on prescription drugs. The drastic increase started in the late 1980’s and the late 1990’s when doctors, who feared patients’ lack of trust, began to prescribe painkillers to their patients for even the slightest pain (Meisel and Perrone 2012). Many of the patients were given painkillers for chronic pain, or pain persisting constantly, resulting in the painkillers being taken multiple times a day, every day to ease the pain (Meisel and Perrone 2012). This led to the U.S. being the consumer of eighty percent of the world's opioids and ninety-nine percent of the world's hydrocodone, both pain killers, which is a statistic that is stated repeatedly by Dr. David Kloth who is a spokesperson for the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP). He argues that the U.S. should pass a bill, or multiple bills, which would require prescribing physicians to undergo further training (Kane 2011). Being a spokesperson for the ASIPP, he represents the society’s opinions and outlook on the changes that need to be made to solve this nationwide epidemic. The ASIPP logo uses color and structural techniques to argue that the organization consists of medical professionals and strives to establish regulations to enhance patient care.

            The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians is an organization that is dedicated to promoting awareness and understanding of interventional pain management. Their goal, through their conferences and spokespeople, is to communicate with legislators, the public, and patients about interventional pain management, or the medical practice of the treatment of pain (American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians). The ASIPP’s main goals are to eliminate fraud and abuse of pain medication and to further advocate for further excellence in education in interventional pain management (American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians).  Thus, they argue that the government should pass a bill making it mandatory for all prescribing physicians, which make up the organization, to undergo further training about how to properly prescribe dosages and how to notice when a patient has been abusing medications.

            Through the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians logo, their specific use of color suggests that their organization consists of professionals, but more specifically doctors. The use of the of dark tones of blue symbolizes a feeling of calmness and tranquility emphasizing the organizations ethos as people are instantly calmed by the colors, suggesting that they are calmed by the organization as well. Dark blue also establishes an emotional feeling of trust and intelligence which is significant as a simple logo can alter the public’s mind into trusting the ASIPP and procreates the society as one that consists of intelligent individuals. Also, the gray tone of the italicized words gives the logo a calmer and subtle affect in contrast to the different shades of blue used in order enhance the blue shades. This is significant because it enhances the other colors used, but it also develops the viewer’s understanding of the society as it states how long the organization has been established and provides to the viewer that the society is concerned with interventional pain and it is the “voice”, or the advocators, for ways to improve the management of interventional pain.

            Similarly, through the structural lay out of their logo, the ASIPP establishes their credibility and furthers evokes a sense of trust in the viewer. The human mind is trained to read left to right of a written text, however the larger words reading “American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians” draws the mind’s attention when the logo s first presented. This allows the onlooker to have an understanding of the logo and what it is representing. Once this knowledge has been implemented in the mind of the viewer, the mind returns to its innate behavior to read left to right. The picture located on the left side of the logo is now studied and the strategic structural formation of the image suggests that the ASIPP is form of protection for patients. There is a man, or a shape of a human body in the middle of the circle, and the man seems to resemble Lenanardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. This piece by da Vinci showcased the blend of art and science and the complexity of the human body as an analogy to the complexity of the university. The circle around the man represents protection and an endless, continuous cycle. These precise structural details illustrates how the complexity of man relates to the complexity of the policies and regulations the ASIPP argues for. Also, the circle represents the ASIPP’s protection of their patients, the man inside the circle, and their endless strive for more education about pain medications.  

            Through the aspects of color and structural methods, the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians logo suggests the organization is one that can be trusted because its educated members and its dedication to such a drastic issue striking the nation. It is through the darker tones of blue fading to lighter shades of blue that establish a calming sensation and suggest intelligence. Furthermore, the deliberant placement of the man within the circle suggests that the ASIPP strives to protect patients from any harming effects of interventional pain management.

 

References


American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, 2014. Web. 1 March 2014. <https://www.asipp.org/>

Jason Kane. Doctors Tell Congress How to Rein in Prescription Drug Abuse. PBS. 30 June 2011. Web. 4 Feb 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/doctors-tell-congress-how-to-rein-in-prescription-drug-abuse/>

Zachery F. Meisel, M.D. and Jeanmarie Perrone, M.D. Viewpoint: Are Doctors to Blame for Prescription Drug Abuse? TIME. 26 Nov 2012. Web. 9 Feb 2014. < http://ideas.time.com/2012/11/26/viewpoint-prescription-drug-abuse-is-fueled-by-doctors/>

 

 

 

 

Thursday, February 6, 2014

1st Stakeholder Source

The stakeholder that I chose to represent prescription drug abuse is doctors. Doctors are the medium between patients and prescription medications and have the jurisdiction to request a certain medication and dose. Dr. David Kloth addresses several key points about the talk in congress making doctors undergo specific training in order to learn how to properly prescribe drugs, notice signs of an abuser, and also register with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Kloth conveys that the U.S is the consumer of eighty percent of the world's opioids and ninety-nine percent of the world's hydrocodone. Even yet, our society has the most leisure time, and in this free time, we turn to these medications, using them for reasons in which they are intended. Kloth argues that training in prescribing drugs should be mandatory for all doctors before they can prescribe drugs. The training is said to be "mandatory" because doctors work on busy schedules and have little time outside of work and their families. The program will educate doctors how medications interact, how to transfer from one medication to another, how to safely prescribe, and learn how to use the states prescription monitoring program, which ensures that patients are not receiving medications for similar problems from multiple doctors. Kloth suggests that these classes be eight to sixteen and retaken every six years. Not only will these classes prevent medications from being prescribed in excessive doses, it will also save money for the states Medicaid as they will not be paying for medications that are not needed. In Connecticut, a state with a program for educating doctors, saved $600,000 on medications in the year 2010. Kloth pushes this to not restrict doctor's business, but to stop this epidemic.


Jason Kane. Doctors Tell Congress How to Rein in Prescription Drug Abuse. PBS. 30 June 2011. Web. 4 Feb 2014. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/doctors-tell-congress-how-to-rein-in-prescription-drug-abuse/

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Reflection on Topic Speech

I did not know that these speeches were being taped and it is actually a good thing because I would have been extremely nervous. Watching this video back, it is very hard to watch myself giving a speech especially becasue when I am giving a speech, I do not notice all the things little things that I am doing.




For starters, I have never given a speech that was not behind some form of a podium or without using a presentation of some sort (power point or a board). I noticed that I move my body too mcuh when I speaking. I shift back and forth on my legs and also move my hands with the words I am saying, which was distracting. I also said "like" way too much; I am actually embarrassed about how many times I used that word, but I feel if I would have prepared better for the speech, then I would have not used "like" as often or at all.




On a more positive note, I think that I had good voice projection and spoke clearly. I thought the content I presented was relevant as I touched on why my topic is imortant and also why it is important to me.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Public Controversies

1.) Abuse of prescription drugs: I am a pre-pharmacy student and thus am interested in drugs that are prescribed by doctors and whether patients are following the correct dosages. I also know that there is a large problem with people selling prescription drugs that were prescribed for them to other people. This is a pressing issue because these drugs can be fatal if not taken appropriately or for the correct reasons.

2.) Corporate farming/ animal protection: I am a huge animal lover and believe that all animals should be treated humanely. I was also an Animal Science TA in high school and taught about many livestock farms being owned by large corporations such as Tyson. The famers who raise these animals are paid by the corporations to raise the animals a certain way and also to remain quite on the methods used. On these farms, animals are raised in tight quarters, in unsanitary conditions, and are handled inhumanely.

3.) Contact sports for children: There has recently been an increase in the number of concussions in young teenagers as a result of playing contact sports. I have a friend who played hockey, and in a span of three years, was diagnosed with six concussions. He is now no longer able to participate in any contact sport as permanent brain damage has already occurred and could only progress. Many children playing these sports are developing concussions and other brain injuries at such a young age which can be detrimental in the future.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Examining Arguments

1.) The first form of argument I encountered was an argument that suggested exploring the underlying  portrays that one's clothing can suggest. There was a girl that lives on my floor and was in attendance to our hall meeting. She was wearing a UK hockey jersey which could suggest several different things. It got me thinking that she could be dating a UK hockey player or maybe that she just enjoys watching hockey and attends several of the UK midnight hockey games. However, those are assumptions that could be false as it could a be friend's jersey that she likes to wear because it is comfortable.

2.) While I was watching a college basketball game on TV, on commercial breaks, there were commercials aired advertising both colleges playing. The commercials showed clips from each of the schools and highlighted the researched programs, inovating technologies, and successful/happy students. This argues that these schools have both cutting-edge education and successful sports programs. Also, the pictures are beautiful scenes from the campuses which argues that not only are the schools prospering in education, technology, and athletics, but the commercials also show happy students walking on a campus with sunshine. This argues that people who go to these schools have a good time and receive a good education.

3.) Also, I have noticed the different fonts, colors, and emojis that people use in snapchats. The different fonts suggest that the people are fun, creative, and possibly good with using technology in order to be able to change the fonts. The colors argue the moods of the people sending the snapchats; the bright colors suggest that the sender is in a happy mood and dark black colors can convey that the sender is angry or sad. The emojis are good indicators of the mood in which the senders are in because the faces argue moods, emotions, and feelings.

4.) This past weekend, I went to the Kentucky Horse Park and the I noticed the Alltech Arena. The symbol for the Alltech Arena has an orange horse head circling around the "A". This first and foremost argues that the arena hosts equestrian related events. The orange is an eye-catching color that draws the attention of the people. Also, this logo argues that the Alltech brand is associated with the equine world, sponsors several international horse shows, supports protecting horses, and insures the health and safety of horses. These interest me because I am a horse lover and attend many of equine events sponsored by Alltech.

5.)  When I printed off a boarding pass to my flight back home to Charlotte, I noticed advertisements on the bottom of the boarding pass. The advertisements included the number to the Discovery Place, The Nascar Hall of Fame, and The Bank of America Stadium. Each of these places are unique to Charlotte and are printed on the bottom of boarding pass to visitors who are flying into the city. These arguments suggest that Charlotte is a city full of unique and exciting things to see, learn about, and do. It took thousands of dollars to build each one of the tourist attractions in hopes to bring in thousands more in profit. This argues that cities hope to attract visitors to bring in a profit.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Pet Peeves

I can't stand it when a person constantly clicks their pen. Even worse, it drives me crazy when a person writes on a dry erase board with a marker that no longer has ink. My top pet peeve is when people tweet about their relationship issues.