I never thought about using antibiotics in cleaners, but this cartoon reminded me that even things like hand sanitizer and cleaners are being so overused to make everything "clean" that this is happening..
I promise this is worth the watch! With the semester coming to an end, assignments being revised and due, a speech tomorrow, and a lot of stress, I am trying to focus on the things that make me laugh. With my love of animals this is for sure one of those things, and I don't think this video could have been made any better! Give it a watch!
So in preparation for this week's TED talk I decided to post the few tips I came up with to better my talk. I really don't like speaking in front of people, especially if they are not people I am very close with. Hopefully these tips can make me feel a little bit more confident and prepared. Wish me luck!
Make sure to give a clear explanation of the topic. People in different disciplines may not be familiar with the topic, so the explanation needs to be simple and understandable. In order to reel people into my research, they at least have to first understand what it is about.
Create a visual that will appeal to my audience. Since my audience is mainly college students, a creative, fun, or eye-catching visual would be most effective as opposed to a written piece of paper that a more professional audience might receive.
Try to explain to the audience why this topic is important to them. Many times people are not interested in things until they realize how they can be affected by it.
In preparation, practice my speech out loud to myself, timing it. This is to make sure it fits the time requirement and I am comfortable with what I am saying. I do not like necessarily enjoy giving presentations so hopefully that will make me feel more prepared.
Make sure my argument is clear. I do not want my audience listening to my entire speech still not aware of what I am trying to tell them.
Remember to make my attention grabber more clear. (Replacing “this” with antibiotic resistance.)
Try to seem enthusiastic about my topic. I do not like presenting in front of people, but if I don't seem interested in my topic no one else will be either.
Remember to get rid of any gum or any other distractions I may have before presenting.
Signal to the audience I am finished with my speech. Saying “Thank you for listening,” or anything along those lines is a good signal to not leave the audience wondering if there's more.
Today in class we had to present a 2 minute pitch regarding our topic. Below is a link to the flyer I used as a public service announcement. It was used to catch people's attention and hopefully get them interested in the topic. However, after the presentation I got some good feedback, one thing including the eye-catcher statistic at the top is a little confusing. It was recommended that I change the word "this" to "antibiotic resistance" to make it a little more clear. Any other feedback or questions on the flyer?
http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-04-29/will-california-enact-european-style-rules-prevent-overuse-drugs-livestock So I came across this audio tape from Public Radio International discussing how California is attempting to ban all antibiotics used for growth promotion. Following Europe's large success in decreasing antibiotic use after declaring the law in 2006, California is attempting to do the same. However, they're getting a large resistance from livestock producers (mostly for fear of money loss in my opinion). Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, stated, "It won't work in California and it won't work in America. We're not Europe, we're America. We have 300 million people here. You can't kill every chicken that gets sick, you've got to treat it." I have many issues with the statement, and a little confusion accompanying it, too. Mattos states that "We're not Europe" and "We have 300 million people here", but what do these numbers have to do with Europe and the ban of antibiotics? Europe has approximately 731 million people, so I'm sure he can't be saying we are too many people to make this work… Also, he says, "You can't kill every chicken that gets sick, you've got to treat it." Well, if Mr. Mattos would take notice, the ban is on antibiotics for the purpose of growth. The European Union still allows antibiotics for health related reasons, as would California if the bill passed. I just can't agree with Mattos, and his arguments provide little support for his case. I provided the link for anyone interested in hearing the audio and making their own decision!
I found this TED video while just doing some extra research for my topic of antibiotic resistance. The part that I am mostly interested in is when the video hits about 10 minutes. Ewald talks about how instead of relying on antibiotics to fight bacteria we need to not only rely on, but try to influence evolution to change bacteria. I haven't heard an argument like it yet and I just found it extremely interesting. He explains how the ways that we intervene the things that cause these diseases could possible affect how the bacteria evolve. I don't think it is proven that it would work but it is a really interesting alternate plan to think about.
I like this discussion post because it really shows how many of the things used in english and reading can be applied to everyone's life in some way. There are a lot of ways my future profession involves critical thinking, here are just a few!
I am currently a Biology major, and after college I want to become a veterinarian. Critical thinking is imperative in this field of work because nothing is black or white, there is a lot of grey area. Critical thinking needs to be used when examining patients, determining causes of illness, and even dealing with animal owners. When a vet examines an animal, very rarely can the problem be immediately determined, and after that there are many paths of treatment that can be taken. When dealing with owners regarding the problem, vets have to be open minded and try to understand their circumstances. When a person brings their animal to the vet, the vet may often have to do numerous tests to get information to come to a conclusion. The text states that there are two parts to critical thinking: analysis and evaluation (Barnet, Bedau 10). When the vet is taking samples and tests they are analyzing what all the different problems could possibly be. After all the possible problems are identified the vet can evaluate what is the best and most likely explanation. This involves critical thinking to piece together the symptoms and data to come to the best solution. After this the vet has to talk to the owner to see how they want to approach the possible solutions depending on their opinions or financial state. Barnet and Bedau state that "Critical thinking requires … seeing things from perspectives other than our own" (10). They need to put themselves in the owner's shoes to understand how their actions and treatment will affect the owner. As shown, critical thinking must be used in all different forms when working in the veterinary field.
I went to the doctor on campus the other day when I noticed this on the back of the door in the office. Considering my research topic is on antibiotic resistance I felt it was only fitting to include this picture in my blog. Doctors are obviously trying to educate patients on the topic and I think that is great!
I was on twitter the other day when I came across an article titled "Top TED videos every twenty-something year old should watch". And as I scrolled down the list I found this video at number 9! A video we had just only a couple of days ago watched in English class. I found it ironic, and happy that it was considered for that article.