Tag: brainstorming

Brainstorming 2

  1. Comparing cost of medication with and without insurance for students
  2. How do the homeless get healthcare treatment?
  3. Rising cost of pharmaceuticals on the market
  4. Medical bills are the biggest cause of US bankruptcy (according to CNBC)
  5. Nutritional health among the poor
  6. The cost of becoming a doctor
  7. Nurses are underpaid and overworked, according to survey
  8. Depression treatment depends on socioeconomic class and race (according to study)
  9. Seeking help for opioid abuse, what are the societal costs?
  10. Getting off your parents’ healthcare plan is a difficult and complicated process, that leaves some, uninsured.
  11. Looking at a lack of sleep and a lack of pay: the profile of a nurse
  12. Trend story: looking at doctors that are forced to take on more patients and spend less time with each of them. With all the costs of healthcare, all the tests that doctors do to prevent patients from potentially suing them, and the money that sometimes sinking hospitals have to make to stay afloat, doctors are force to take on more patients than they’d like. Oftentimes, one will wait much longer than the five minute interaction they will later have with their physician. It hasn’t always been this way. Doctors used to make home visits and take their time explaining the situation to their patients. Why is this suddenly happening? Talk to doctors at the hospital in Athens.
  13. Trend story: Looking at the cost of dying and why some patients are wanting to choose assisted suicide.  (or to stop treatment)       The debate about assisted suicide has come up a couple times. Most recently, a woman with terminal cancer went viral after making a video about how she had to cross state lines to find a way to die on her own terms. Dr. Kevorkian has been jailed for his very issue. And some European countries have now made it legal to choose a comfortable death over treatment. Talk to med students about medical ethics.
  14. *Look Back: The rise of antibiotic soap and why the FDA decided to ban it. Most recently, the FDA banned the production of antibiotic soap. Antibiotic soap, advertising to kill germs and prevent diseases, meant to do good when it first came out. Unfortunately, over usage of antibiotic products created superbugs or antibiotic resistant bacteria that doctors had a hard time treating. Talk to some med students and pharmacists about this.
  15. Localizer: Obamacare, is it better or worse for students at UGA?
  16. *Doctors, with little time on their hands, sometimes make careless but life threatening mistakes when prescribing medications. Often times the pharmacist is left to catch the mistake and prevent a disaster. Profile of a local pharmacist.
  17. *Some insurances don’t cover mental health costs. Why? CAPS has an overwhelming number of students needing help. They are incredibly selective about insurance and cant take long term treatment. Insurance tries to wrap up treatment as quickly as possible. Look at national data and interview CAPS.
  18. medical economics problem: Doctors often work against the benefit of society by acting rationally in their own self interest. They over test patients and end up spending a lot more money than necessary in order to lessen the chances of getting sued.
  19. *As consumers, we can get the price of almost everything we consume, except medical care. Why don’t doctors inform patients of how much treatment can cost? Being charged after the fact.
  20. *Freakenomics- Does more sleep result in higher pay? Look at data and do some research/interview of your own. Compare with smoker’s ads that say that smokers make on average less than nonsmokers.

Brainstorming: Fashion & Lifestyle Story Ideas

1. I would like to profile the experiences of college females who work in the lucrative positions of promotional models in the beer industry.

2. An assignment discussing the impracticality of women’s clothing vs men’s clothing and why the former seems to suffer for aesthetic design in the way men’s doesn’t (possible titles include “WHY ARE WOMENS POCKETS MERELY AN ILLUSION I CAN’T EVEN CARRY CHAPSTICK WHILE WEARING JEANS BUT MY BOYFRIEND CAN FIT HIS NISSAN PICKUP, TABLE SAW AND OUR CAT ZELDA IN ONE OF HIS BACK POCKETS”)

3. Are sin taxes (those against cigarettes, tanning beds, etc) effective in curbing specifically college age consumer behavior?

4. A look at up-and-coming female film directors in the South. Possibly delve into their specific aesthetics, casting, style or how their experiences/barriers in the film industry may be different than males in their field (I’m also not sure if this is at all relevant to my beat, but after reading this: Vogue Elizabeth Wood’s Film White Girl Controversy possibly an article about the differences in critic responses to similar male and female films or male/female art in general when it comes to grants, music etc.)

5. A look at full-time UGA undergraduate students who are balancing an already blossoming professional career in art or business, for example, a student who is still enrolled full-time but recently started a business or clothing line or is selling crafts etc)

6. A behind-the-scenes look at trying to break into the fashion world as a model featuring new models around Georgia.

7. Looking at the monetary value of certain art degrees (in an admittedly more anecdotal way) by talking to photographers, graphic designers, and other artists who have gone to colleges like SCAD vs those who are professionally successful without a college degree.

8. An article about the paid nude (or “live”) models that work at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at UGA.

9. A look at the ethically murky trend on social media of advertisers paying for sponsored featured mentions or “testimonials” (many of those being paid by companies fall under the “Instagram-famous” or “Instagram model” category of someone who has a follower count in the thousands, hundred thousands or even millions but who would not be considered a celebrity in the conventional sense outside of the social media platform) that are not explicitly labeled as advertising but rather could be confused as unbiased testimonials to their followers, many of whom are underage.

10. An article about different trends in skin care with expert advice on what skin care mistakes/lifestyle choices different college kids are most likely to commit (i.e A Dermatologist’s Skin Care Guide For Smokers and Partiers)

Brainstorming, re: homelessness

Brainstorming –

  1. Is the decline in numbers of homeless in Athens-Clarke County part of a broader trend statewide or nationwide? Is it particular to some sectors of the homeless population in our community or more generalized?   What has it taught us about what worked and what did not?  This story would look at efforts to reduce homelessness in Athens within the broader frame of trends and successful solutions nationwide.
  1. How have factors associated with increasing rates of homelessness, from the 1980s onward, played out in Athens?  These factors include: decrease in manufacturing jobs/decreased wages for those at the lower end; deinstitutionalization; disinvestment in social programs; gentrification/less affordable housing.  This story would look at factors known to contribute to homelessness in terms of their applicability to Athens over the decades since the 1980s.
  1. The Housing First model has been recognized nationally as a successful strategy. It calls for priority to be placed on finding housing without erecting barriers (such as requiring sobriety or other issues of compliance).  This story would investigate use of the Housing First model in Athens.
  1. How coordinated are services within Athens-Clarke County?  Coordination of services has been cited as essential to help individuals benefit from resources and avoid waste of time and resources.  This story would focus on providers, their roles in the community, and coordination among them, including successes stories as well as those who have fallen through the cracks.
  1. How does the Athens-Clarke police force interact with the homeless community? In what ways is this beneficial?  In what ways is it detrimental?  This story would look at ordinances that disproportionately impact the homeless as well as their enforcement in the community.
  1. We might call assumptions and stereotypes of homelessness a “master narrative” from which responses of the public are shaped and from which individuals themselves may view themselves.   This story would look at assumptions/myths, responses they typically call forth, and realities that could change the conversation.
  1. Among novel approaches to funding housing for vulnerable individuals is a call for Medicaid to include it among covered services!  Here in Georgia we are a far cry from expanding Medicaid to include housing, but it is worth investigating where it stands elsewhere and perhaps plant the seed for discussion about it.
  1. Starting with recognition of Athens as a compassionate community (with lots of evidence to show that!), this story would help direct compassion to as yet unfulfilled – or under-fulfilled – needs.
  1. Athens, like other towns, has installed sidewalk meters that look like parking meters to collect donations for services for the homeless.  The idea is to discourage direct contributions to panhandlers and funnel the money into a general fund.  Is this a good idea?  Has it “worked” in Athens or elsewhere?  This story would look at rationales for the installation of care meters, amount of money collected and where it ends up, impact on amount collected by individuals on the streets.
  1. Looking at one individual as a face of homelessness, this story would focus on Tony, the man I previously interviewed, in terms of his daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal routines and his use of resources in the community.  This story would highlight what it is like to be homeless in Athens (for Tony specifically but with some implied extension to others), what has been useful to him,  and what needs remain unmet.

Brainstorming: 10 story ideas

  1. Are luxury housing complexes and high rises downtown pushing low-income residents to the outskirts of the city?
  2. Create an interactive map showing what areas of Athens are gentrified (where gentrification is/has occurred) and when.
  3. Interview longtime Athens residents to question how gentrification has changed the landscape of the city over the years.
  4. Profile a resident of Parkview Homes about their experience in Athens, particularly since building began downtown.
  5. Interview businesses that have been downtown for decades (The Caledonia Lounge, the 40 Watt Club) about how they have managed to stay relevant and interesting in a constantly changing area.
  6. Look at how gentrification downtown has changed what businesses are open in the area — do downtown shops change as the people living downtown change?
  7. How is the local government working to offset the effects of gentrification in the community?
  8. Is it provable that gentrification is a factor that leads to homelessness in Athens or could something else be contributing to this? Compare homelessness over the years.
  9. Has gentrification offered any benefits to the community — increased property values, reduced strain on local infrastructure, increased purchasing power in local businesses, etc?
  10. Compare Athens neighborhoods today to Athens neighborhoods 20 years ago — are different people living in different areas, if so, why and when did this occur?

Brainstorming

  1. Is Consignment on the rise, at a peak point, or declining in Athens?
  2. How do consignment store employees and owners view the downtown boutiques and the addition of chain stores?
  3. Profile of the Cheeky Peach owner about the growth and continued success of the store, the plans for the future, and how she has incorporated digital and social media into the website and various platforms.
  4. The terms “Shop” vs. “Boutique” when it comes to thrift, vintage and consignment. Which works in Athens and why?
  5. How downtown stores merchandise in order to appeal to Athens townies as well as UGA students.
  6. Cover an event held at one of the stores for a local cause or philanthropy and discuss how it impacts the community.
  7. How places like Cine, Creature Comforts, and Terrapin help support and showcase the local fashion scene.
  8. Cover a fashion show put on by the student group, “The Agency,” and interview one of the board members about their involvement
  9. The fashion side of game days, how it has changed throughout the years and what staples stay the same.
  10. Interview the owners of The Red Dress Boutique and talk about how their store has changed and grown since being on Shark Tank.

 

Brainstorming: The Charity Side of Health and Fitness

  1. Why do charity racers race? I’d like to know what motivates individuals to choose health and fitness activities (not necessarily limited to races; they could do Zumbathons, for example) to raise money for charities, as opposed to other activities like bake sales or bingo nights.

  2. Why do racers raise money for charity? The flip side to the above coin, I’d like to know why fitness gurus choose to raise money for charitable causes.

  3. How effective are races for raising charitable funds? Again not limited to racing, I’d like to know — in terms of event cost versus return on investment — how profitable organized fitness activities are at raising charitable funds in comparison with other fund-raising modalities.

  4. Are there any non-financial or intangible benefits to fitness-for-charity events? How do these compare to other fund-raising modalities?

  5. How do racers raise funds while also training for their event? What techniques are better than others for both activities (training and fundraising)?

  6. What are the most effective charity-raising fitness events? Are they the most well known and recurring, or are they obscure ones, like one-time obstacle courses and fun runs? Why?

  7. Who are the big players? Which events and individuals are the best in the business, and what do they do that makes them stand out?

  8. How long does it take? How long does it take participants to train as well as raise funds for a charitable fitness event?

  9. What draws racers to particular events? Are they going for the fun factor with themed races, seeking a race that targets a specific charity, striving to run an iconic or well known race for charitable causes, or is there some other motivating factor?

  10. Solo or social? Do charity racers run races alone or in groups, and why do they choose their favored method?

Fashion and Lifestyle Story Ideas

  1. Religiously inspired fashion choices–How does faith influence what we wear? This idea arose from controversy over the burkini ban in France, but could be expanded to include clothing choices made by Jews, Hindus, and Christians alike.
  2. Fall football fashion. How does what football fans wear to games make a statement beyond what team they support? What trends are most noticeable? Are name-brand items especially in prominence? What do these observations reveal about football culture?
  3. Fall fashion events in Athens (Community, Fashion Design Student Association, Lickskillet). Each of these would probably stand alone, as they are too far apart to be combined into one article.
    1. Community Fashion School showcase in December
    2. Plus-size fashion show in October (Rachel Barnes). Highly relevant in terms of rhetoric about female body positivity circulating on social and news media. Relate to Amy Schumer, Tess Holliday
    3. Lickskillet artist’s market. Use as an example of how independent artists attempt to market themselves and their brands.
  4. Tattoo art. What is art? How are society’s thoughts/reactions to tattoos different from how we react to other forms of art? How do we characterize the tattoo scene in Athens? What rivalries/comraderies exist between different tattoo shops? Is there a “type” of person that gets tattoos?
  5. Ekkos Apparel–Ekkos Apparel was founded by Athenian Rachel Ehlinger to raise money for secondary education in Africa. How does Ekkos operate? How much have they been able to donate thus far?
  6. Craig Page and Sweet Beijos Treats–local bakery founded by former PLACE executive Craig Page and his Brazilian partner. Perhaps relate to other local bakeries.
  7. How has the rise of the film industry in Atlanta affected the fashion industry? (Based on group discussion. As the growing film industry in Atlanta attracts celebrities to the area, will designer brands follow?)
  8. Frugal Fashionable Farmer–ties between fashion and sustainability at a local vintage-inspired artist’s farm
  9. Southern Bon Vivant–the rise of a Southern online fashion and lifestyle magazine. What makes Southern fashion different?
  10. Photographing Athens fashion. I’m less sure about this one, but I do think it would be interesting to photograph and write about styles observed downtown, perhaps during a specific event, but probably just on an average day. Athenians demonstrate such creativity in fashion, but I’m still not sure exactly how I’d flesh out the writing for this piece.

Brainstorming

  1. Comparing cost of medication with and without insurance for students
  2. How do the homeless get healthcare treatment?
  3. Rising cost of pharmaceuticals on the market
  4. Medical bills are the biggest cause of US bankruptcy (according to CNBC)
  5. Nutritional health among the poor
  6. The cost of becoming a doctor
  7. Nurses are underpaid and overworked, according to survey
  8. Depression treatment depends on socioeconomic class and race (according to study)
  9. Seeking help for opioid abuse, what are the societal costs?
  10. Getting off your parents’ healthcare plan is a difficult and complicated process, that leaves some, uninsured