Option 1: Curling
I am not sure if you watched the curling this past weekend, but the USA men's curling team was fantastic. With a huge upset over the favorites from Canada, these guys might be my favorite United States Olympians.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/america-loves-curling-until-it-forgets-about-it-for-four-years/
You can read this article about interest in Olympic sports and write a scholarly paragraph about what you learned. What do you think? Did you like the graphs? Do you think the fact that interest peeks every four years makes curling even more fun to watch during the Olympic game? Is it like a favorite pair of jeans that get pushed to the back of the closet and when you find them again, you realize how much you loved them? Please make sure that you have at least 5 sentences with proper punctuation and spelling.
Option 2: Beauty and the Beast with Influenza
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/america-should-have-stayed-home-this-flu-season/
Please post your responses below and comment on at least one of your peers.
I read the article “America Loves Curling Until it Forgets About it for Four Years”. Throughout the graphs, there are massive spikes being displayed. However, curling consistently spikes the highest out of all the Winter Olympic sports. According to Google Trends, the average google trends index during the Olympic months for curling is 85.25, other months is 4.57,and the spike is +80.68. In addition, curling-related search-traffic index goes up by 84 points in Olympic months across the entire globe. I found the graphs very interesting especially seeing the massive spikes.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what sports spike during the 4 years curling is relatively stable. I thought the graphs were pretty interesting too!
DeleteDid the spikes surprise you?
DeleteThe effectiveness of flu shots has been a rising question in recent years with rates of actual prevention being low. In the article “America Should Have Stayed Home This Flu Season” the rate of effectiveness was stated as a low 36%. Personally, I do not get flu shots anymore after couple of years ago I got the flu after being vaccinated. However getting the flu shot consecutively, is said to cause “repeated vaccination”- where someone is vaccinated so often it’s practically useless. This reflects how a vaccination is not always an easy way out. Instead, people must take precautions such as checking the frequency of vaccination, cleanliness and self care. The article also mentioned that during periods of sickness, it’s better to stay home than expose yourself and others to more viruses. Due to society and simply the drive to continue working, avoiding such flu-like diseases can become difficult but definitely not impossible.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what other ways we can prevent the flu rather than vaccinations and staying at home
DeleteThat's interesting I didn't know getting flu shots consecutively is a repeated vaccination.
DeleteI also questioned the effectiveness of flu shots. Are they really worth it?
DeleteI wonder why the effectiveness of the vaccine is so low.
DeleteWash your hands, get enough sleep, eat right....
DeleteHopefully in the future we will have the technology to prevent the vaccines from not working efficiently
DeleteI read “America Loves Curling Until it Forgets About it for Four Years”. When looking at the graphs displayed I found it very amusing and fitting that the graphs have tremendous spikes over olympic years. I fit the trend of most Olympic viewers; I love watching the curling. However, I would most likely not watch it unless it is on the olympics. The average google index is 85.25 in olympic months and 4.57 in other months. I am sad that the games are over but I did enjoy watching many obscure sports like curling, luge and the skeleton. All in all, I was not surprised by the graphs, for I even fit the trend.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was interesting to see how much people's interest for curling has spiked over the years. I am curious to see if it will have the same affect in the future.
DeleteWhy do you think sports such as curling have such peeks and drops when it comes to viewers?
DeleteI agree with you. I watched curling on the Olympics but if it were just on TV on a regular day, I wouldn't have watched it. It's weird how we do that. Is it because its international?
DeleteWhy has curling spiked in popularity?
DeleteI read the article entitled, "America Should Have Stayed Home This Flu Season". It emphasized how vaccinations are not always the best way to prevent the flu. I found it interesting that if one gets vaccinations very often, they can become ineffective. I did not get a flu shot this year, and I have not gotten the flu yet. Whereas, my family members did get a vaccination this year but still got the flu. This leaves me to wonder if I was just lucky or if my family member's diagnosis was due to repeated vaccination.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting how your family got sick and yet they got the flu shot yet you didn't get the shot and didn't get sick.
DeleteThis week, I read the article “America Loves Curling, Until it Forgets About it for 4 Years”. While reading this article and looking at the graphs, I thought it was really interesting how so many people get fascinated by curling while watching it during the Olympics, but then once the games end, people start to lose their peak of interest for the sport. The graphs and article showed that curling increases the most out of any Winter Olympic sport and the results spike insanely high. During the Olympic months, curling is googled 85.25 times whereas it is only googled 4.57 times any other months of the year. I thought this was interesting because so many people worldwide only like curling when it is featured in the Olympics, and then once it’s over, it’s like people don’t care anymore. I think it will be very interesting to see if curling still has the same appeal to people in future years.
ReplyDeleteI found the graphs really interesting too. At first I was surprised that everyone forgets about curling after the Olympics, but the more that I thought about it, the more that I realized that it is true. I have heard the word "curling" more times this past month than I have ever before.
DeleteAfter reading the article America Loves Curling I learned that it’s an American phenomenon every 4 years to become intrigued with curling just to forget about it in a couple of months. And with America getting first place over the favorites Canada it has heightened our attention to the sport. It’s proven with a graph showing the spike in searches of curling over most sports during the Olympics.It's also shown with a graph that curling has gained the most attention in Olympics sports in recent time.This is the same for world wide searches.After all I’ve learned from this I think it’s funny because I didn’t watch the olympics and didn’t find out till this year that curling was in the olympics.
ReplyDeleteI read the article “America Should Have Stayed Home this Flu Season” and I found it interesting how so many people got the flu this year! The article says that the vaccine was only about 36% effective this year, due to the wrongful prediction of which strains will be affecting people this year. This goes back to the argument of whether or not you should vaccinate your kids. If they aren’t going to be effective, why get them? My sister got the flu this year, and she was vaccinated. The article also showed a graph about how highly affected each state was with the flu. December- February is almost all red, which means “high” on the scale. During these months the article mentioned it was key to prevent getting the flu by ways other than vaccines. That would be washing your hands, showing personal hygiene and staying home while sick! I feel as many Americans would rather have a crappy day at work and not use up a sick day, then to recover from an illness and prevent it from spreading. I know I have gone to school while sick because I didn’t want to miss anything. If America wants to prevent the deadly flu season, stay home while sick.
ReplyDeleteI know my parents will make me go to school unless I'm practically dying, so that's another component to determining if kids should stay home, their parents.
DeleteI've also come to school while sick, even if I shouldn't have before. I agree, we should stay home if we don't want to spread any virus we might not know we have!
DeleteI read the article America Should Have Stayed Home This Flu Season, it explained on how this year’s flu season has been its worst since 2009-2010. My family doesn’t believe in taking flu shots so I’ve never had one before. According to this article, the first flu virus you were exposed to as a kid may align your immune system to respond best to that kind of flu virus, so you’re kind of stuck if you have a different kind of flu that your body doesn’t know how to avoid. The reason this year’s flu season has been so deadly is because of the bad timing and inefficiency of vaccines.
ReplyDeleteWhat time is the best to get the flu shot?
DeleteI read the article about curling and its popularity. The article was about how popular curling becomes during February the week of the Olympics. What I thought was the most interesting was that curling was the most popular sport during the Olympics. I found this very odd since there are a lot of events in the Olympics and for one like curling to be the most seems very odd to me. One reason that I believe it has spiked so much this year is because the US has won the gold.
ReplyDeletein your opinion, what is the most interesting sport to watch in the winter Olympics?
DeleteIt was interesting to see that it spiked by 80.68+ and that it is more popular than Figure skating. I also think that it spiked a lot this year because the U.S won gold.
DeleteWhy do you find curling odd?
DeleteThe graphs in the article were quite helping with the true understanding of the flu shot dilemma. I do enjoy supporting the USA teams but I have never been that interested in the sport of curling. I wish there were more Olympic games happening in the world but sadly all great things come to an end. But although the games are over I definitely did enjoy watching the hockey, and skeleton events. But i still do believe that vaccination helps prevent the disease, and that if you're not vaccinating you're supporting the problem. But that's just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI read the article “America Should have Stayed Home this Flu Season.” The biggest takeaway from this article is that I will absolutely never live in Louisiana. According to the map, Louisiana is showing the biggest increase in the flu, and I will not be dealing with sick people all winter. I’ve never gotten the flu shot, because my parents don’t like the idea of me getting injected with the flu to avoid the flu, and as a result, I’ve never had to stay home from school for getting the flu. People with weaker immune systems are definitely more at risk to get the H3N2 virus, so they should just think about taking a break to Montana for a while. Overall, the flu is awful and people should not get it.
ReplyDeleteI read the article “America Should Have Stayed Home This Flu Season” and I think it’s interesting seeing how much each state in the U.S was affected this year. It’s crazy how intense and long the strains of the flu can last, especially when we think we are protected from it after a flu shot. I was surprised when I read that the beginning effectiveness of the flu shot was only at 36%. We also tend to think that the flu will come and go with a little time and rest, but for some, the H3N2 virus puts them in a hospital bed for a long time. Unfortunately, the dangerous H3N2 virus was spreading a lot this year, but it’s good to know that researchers are doing their best to find treatments and study the strain. Hopefully, scientists can come up with a more effective vaccine for influenza in the future.
ReplyDeleteI read the article America Should Have Stayed Home This Flu Season. This Article talks about how this year's case of the flu was terrible. This has been the worst since 2009-2010. I have gotten flu shots and instead of a flu shot, I have gotten a mist up my nose with ingredients similar to the shot. I got one this year as well and I didn't have the flu (At least that is what my doctors say). But I did get a sinus infection that my doctors say was caused by "A very long cold". Personally I don't think flu shots really do anything. But my parents still get them for me to be extra cautious. The article also showed a graph about how highly affected each state was with the flu. December- February had a very high percentage of different states. I was put on many antibiotics for my sinuses but they didn't work and I ended up having a sinus infection for 3 months. Until we decided to use a water mist and mucinex and it was gone. Sometimes I do believe some of the medications and vaccines we get don't work all the time. But I still get them just to be extra careful.
ReplyDeleteI think its interesting that some people who get the flu shots don't think they completely work. It makes me wonder if this year's terrible flu season had any connections to flu shots in general.
DeleteI read the article about curling and how its popularity shoots up during the Olympics. In a sense America every four years gets on the curling bandwagon and then as soon as the Olympics are over we forget about it. The graphs helped show how much people started to look up what curling is. I think it does make it more fun to watch because other people also watch it.
ReplyDeleteI read the article, “America Loves Curling Until it Forgets About it Four years later”. It talked about how people are now suddenly find curling interesting. It also mentioned how it is searched more on google than most other winter Olympic sports. The only time it wasn’t the highest was when a Georgian Luger died at the Olympics.It also mentioned that it has the most search spike during the olympics. Overall the article talked about how Curling has become one of the most popular Winter Olympic sport.
ReplyDeleteThis week I read the article about the influenza virus. I find it very interesting that this virus can change every year and depending on this change the severity can increase greatly. This season’s virus included H3N2, a deady adaptation to the virus. I’m sure you saw or read about the many surprising deaths during this season. This is due to the H3N2 adaptation and the lack of effective flu shots. I don’t usually get my flu shot, but I have only had the flu once out of all the years I remember. My family does a very good job of separating the sick from the healthy in our house. This is partially why I have been able to get through the seasons without catching the flu. The flu shot is purely a prediction based on old seasons, it is, for this reason, not always effective when it comes to solving it. The shot can’t eliminate the flu but it will make it less brutal if or when it hits. If you ever get the flu make sure to stay away from your peers to limit the spread of this virus.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article on the curling and its popularity, I felt like I got a new perspective on curling, because personally I never really sat down and watched a game of curling but after reading it seems really interesting and in the future I feel like I would want to engage in game of it and watch it on the olympics. In the first graph it showed the amount of web searches relating to curling from years 2004-18, compared to sports like figure skating and ski jumping. The graphed showed how curling during the month of February always sparks people's interests. Overall curling is one of the most interesting winter games it seems like.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about the flu in the United States. The article stated that this season has been the worst when it comes to the flu since the 2009-10 school year. I usually take the flu shot just to be safe, but I didn't this year, yet the vaccine was 36% successful according to scientists so it wasn't as effective this year. The first flu virus you were exposed to as a kid may align with your immune system to respond to that specific kind of virus. One of the reasons why this year has been so bad is the inefficiency of vaccines and the incredibly low probability of the vaccines working.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that the the vaccine wasn't very successful this year and I wonder why it didn't work.
DeleteIt isn't a secret that the flu spreads from person to person at least once every year. Whether it's widespread or keeps to itself and why is what this article talks about. This year, the rate of doctor visits for the flu are the highest they've ever been since 2009-10. The numbers seemed more control in previous years, but that doesn't really make this flu situation better. December through February were the months that were the heaviest in relation to the occurrence of the flu. While the severity seemed to die down in the other months, it's still always somewhat around, even if its only in a few states. I think it's interesting that the effectiveness rate of the vaccine is only 36%, especially since getting a flu shot is always advised. You'd think it would be more effective with the amount of hype behind it. Some people are considered more vulnerable to it, and that's dependent on whether or not they were exposed to it as a child. What are we going to do to help the people who are bedridden due to this illness? It would be wise for there to be a vaccine that's more effective.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about the hype
Delete
ReplyDeleteFor this blog post, I read the article about curling and its rapidly growing popularity around the world. I found it really interesting how curling was never popular until just this year. What made people so much more interested in it all of a sudden? Studies show that in google searches during this year's winter olympic games, the highest spikes came from curling related searches. Other top searches were from skating, ski jumping and Luge. curling quickly became the most popular sport this winter beating figure skating by +6 points this whole month! I learned a lot in this article and I regret not watching curling during the olympics because it looks like I missed out on an exciting sport.
I read the article about curling. To be honest, curling is kind of a strange sport. But, I do think it is very interesting to watch. in the article it is talked about how curling is never a popular sport but once the Olympics roll in, it's all over the place. I'm not exactly sure why this happens though. Maybe it is just the thought that it is such a unique sport that everyone just wants to see it. But, why is it that it doesn't stay popular is my question. The graphs in this article were also a big help to understanding what is going on and what sports people are most interested in during the Olympics and not during the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
DeleteThere are a ton of rules in curling. I think I would have to learn all the rules to appreciate it more.
I read the curling article and I was very surprised when I saw the graphs and statistics. Unless the Winter Olympics are on, no one talks about curling. Curling is a very popular sport during the Olympics, but if the Olympics aren't on, then curling isn't popular. It's almost like everyone forgets about it. I thought the graphs did a really good job at showing the difference in the popularity of curling based on if the Olympics are on or not. It was very eye-opening and surprising.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that anyone really payed attention to curling at all. That came as a shock to me.
DeleteI read the article about how interest in curling rises mostly during Olympic months more than any other winter sport. I think that the graphs in the article allowed me to visualize more clearly just how much interest rises. It amuses me that curling of all sports has an interest peak, but I do think that that makes watching the winter Olympics a greater experience. I personally don’t watch curling, or most of the Olympics in general. But I do like to watch figure skating the most, what about curling draws people in so much that interest peaks around the time of the winter Olympics.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy the figure skating.
DeleteFigure skating is my favorite as well. Why are people so interested in curling? It isn't that exciting.
DeleteI read the article about curling and how its popularity shoots up during the Olympics. In a sense America every four years gets on the curling bandwagon and then as soon as the Olympics are over we forget about it. The graphs helped show how much people started to look up what curling is. I think it does make it more fun to watch because other people also watch it.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that happens with video games as well? Everyone hops on the bandwagon, but then forgets about it?
DeleteI personally did not get a flu shot. My family did not feel that it was necessary to get one so we didn't. To be honest it never even came up as a subject. The flu shot is not working because they made the shot for the wrong strand of the Influenza virus. So it is not very effective for the stand that is going rampant right now. The reason it is so deadly is because most people have not had the much exposure to it before this. This article talked how the flu was very deadly this and the correct shot was not given out for this strand of flu.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever gotten a flu shot in the past?
DeleteI read "America Loves Curling", and I find it very interesting how Americans love it during the Olympics, but then it dies out.The jean analogy was very good because I once had a shirt that I lost and then found and I related to it very much. In addition, the graphs are very interesting. Not only did I just find out about it in gym class, but I can't believe all of these people around the world like it so much. I did not watch the Olympic curling, but I wish I did because it seems like a very fun sport that I would like to try.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I wish I had watched it too.
DeleteI enjoyed the jean analogy as well. I think it perfectly fits the popularity of this sport.
DeleteI read the article about influenza. I was surprised to read that this was the worst flu season since 2009-10, because I hadn’t noticed a significant amount of people with the flu this year. Only around 40 to 50 percent of people who go to the doctor to get treated by the flu, actually have it. I understand the need and want for people to stay home when they are sick, but this rarely works out. I feel that there are multiple factors that can determine someone goes to school with the flu. Im lucky that my mom isn’t extremely strict when it comes to going to school when sick, but I know a lot of peers that have parents who make them go pretty much no matter what. Another thing that could prevent kids from staying home is the limited days that are allowed excused in a school year. As a person who gets sick easily, this limit is not my friend, and often forces me, and most likely others as well, to go to school when still sick. I also found it interesting that some parts of the US were affected by the flu way less than the rest, and was wondering if there was a reason?
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree the limit is kind of annoying especially when if you are going over your allowed days you need to go to the doctor and get a note. But if you have the flu you shouldn't go to school it just spreads it everywhere.
DeleteI read the article America loves Curling-until it forgets about it for 4 years. Its really interesting to see the popularity of curling rise during the month of the Olympics. According to the statistics Curling has the biggest spike of popularity in the Olympics. And has a Olympic spike of 80.25+ during the Olympics. I thought it was really interesting how we always forget about it for years and the when its the Olympic week everybody is interested.
ReplyDeleteI read the curling article and was surprised to see how popular it actually is when the winter olympics are on. One of the graphs shows how much each winter sport is googled between olympic months and other months. Turns out that curling is the most googled winter sport while it's on tv at 85.25 followed by figuring skating at 79.50. It was interesting to read just how popular curling really is during the olympics.
ReplyDeleteI read the influenza article and I honestly can't remember the last time I got a flu shot. Plus these flu shots aren't working because people are getting them excessively. There are also people who get sick and spread it even further. Some jobs don't offer sick leave so not everyone can just take a week off. There are also people who think they have the flu and don't but still go to the doctor. When I had the flu I didn't go to the doctor I just rested at home. Plus side I didn't infect anyone.
ReplyDeleteI read "America Loves Curling", and I find it very interesting how Americans love it during the Olympics, but then it dies out.The jean analogy was very good because I once had a shirt that I lost and then found and I related to it very much. In addition, the graphs are very interesting. Not only did I just find out about it in gym class, but I can't believe all of these people around the world like it so much. I did not watch the Olympic curling, but I wish I did because it seems like a very fun sport that I would like to try.
ReplyDeleteI read the article entitled, "America Loves Curling." I found it fascinating that curling is so popular among viewers, when I know little to nothing about the sport. In my opinion, the graphs added a lot the the claim of the article and provided effective evidence. It is evident that curling is among one the favorite sports to watch at the Olympics because the graphs depict a rise in interest during this time. Curling seems to be a sport that is only remembered and celebrated when it is introduced during the Olympics; therefore, it is not very popular on a regular basis. This article sparked some curiosity in me, and I would like to learn more about the sport of curling and how the game works.
ReplyDeleteI never would have thought that there was a serious interest for curling in America.
DeleteI also found this article interesting because i didn't think that curling was a very popular sport to watch until this year.
DeleteI read the article relating to influenza, and it's crazy how much the flu has changed throughout the years and how people perceive it. One year my mom, brother and I all got the flu shot and got the flu a couple days later, so my mom will never get the flu shot for any of us again. It's also crazy the flu season was most persistent around 2009-2010, becuase I thought the flu was getting worse every passing year, but I guess I was wrong.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI think this article is very interesting. I’ve never really watched curling but now im kind of interested. I feel like this is an interesting trend how many of these lesser known olympic sports spike in interest every time the winter games come. I’m sure the long wait in between the games makes it that much more popular. I thought the graphs enhanced the the data to show the 4 year spikes.
I read the article "America Loves Curling — Until It Forgets About It For Four Years", and was astonished to see just how popular Curling becomes during the Winter Olympics, more so than any other sport. It's interesting because of the fact that Curling is an extremely niche sport, yet it manages to capture just about everyone's attention, if only for a few weeks. Does that mean I believe that the niche-ness of the sport directly plays into its popularity? No, I think that the lack of support and integration into society is what leads to its great interest. Obviously people love to watch Curling, its very entertaining, but you don't see anyone clamoring to go out and try it for themselves. If I asked 100 random people where I would go if I wanted to start Curling, chances are nearly all of them wouldn't be able to give me a single definite answer.
ReplyDeleteInfluenza has always been the worst in the winter season, but this year’s flu has by far been the worst since 2009. I remember the flu being hard in the 2009-2010 season, because I had been. It was probably the worst sickness I had ever had. The difference between then and the flu now is, in 2009, the flu started out strong but eventually became less threatening. Now, the flu has dragged out longer and has affected more people than usual, causing more deaths. The influenza shot has also been proven to only help 33%. This can make the flu more life threatening even to the people who think they are safe.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about the curling interest in America and I was very surprised at the graphs and statistics. Despite USA taking the gold this year, curling reaches its peak in the U.S. every four years around the Olympics. The same goes for skiing, skating, and other winter sports. I also thought it was impressive how the U.S. which only has a small cold season compared to Canada overcame other countries with much more experience. Overall, the rate of winter sports interest and talent peaking at this time of year is impressive.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about curling, and honestly I have never really noticed how popular curling was until this year. Figure skating always used to seem like the on the T.V. I thought that it was interesting how so many people all of a sudden started watching curling at once (Including me). One thing that I question is why so many people started watching at once? Also how do the brooms do anything? It doesn't seem like it makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that the sport that nobody plans on doing in their lives, curling, gets the most searches on google because people are curious about the sport. I think the lack of knowledge on this sport causes people to google it. I think the ski jump is much more fun to watch than curling yet people seem to be more interested in curling. I think it's funny when the curling team screams to sweep right or sweep left.
ReplyDeleteI read the olympic curling article and found it interesting how much people like watching it. The graphs show how much curling is googled during the winter olympic months and turns out it is the most looked up event. It also mentioned how the sport dies out after the olympics until it comes back on 4 years later which I didn’t realize. Although I don’t watch curling, I think it sounds interesting and would be cool to watch one time.
ReplyDeleteI read the curling article, and I'm shocked that curling is so popular. Personally, I think curling is boring. The spike in interest every 4 years is not that surprising because curling is easily forgotten. I did like the graphs, though. I thought that they really emphasized the spike in interest.
ReplyDelete