felicityzoid

[felicityzoid]

This writeup is about something different. I am going to be talking about Lizzie Velasquez, the person who inspires me. She was born with an extremely rare congenital disease called Marfanoid–progeroid–lipodystrophy syndrome. Only 10 cases of this syndrome have been reported so far. The syndrome prevents her from accumulating body fat and gaining fat, she also can’t see from her right eye. On her birth, her parents were told by the doctors that she can do all the things a normal person does in their daily life. Now being parents for the first time her parents would have thought why only their child got the syndrome why not someone else’s child, but this was not what they thought. They took Lizzie home and raised her like a normal child. Lizzie never felt that she was different from the others until she joined school. She was bullied in school. After coming back from school Lizzie asked her parents that what was wrong with her and why the other kids don’t like her. She was told by her parents on that day that she had a syndrome which makes her look different from others, but her parents told her that was not what was going to define her. Her parents told her to go to school the next day, walk up to the bullies and smile at them and continue to be yourself. Lizzie said a line that left a deep impact on me and that was “WHAT DEFINES US?”. Is it where we come from, is it our background or is it our friends? What is it? What defines us? What defines us is how we remain simple and grounded in all situations. Lizzie who was once labelled “The Worlds Ugliest Woman,” decided to turn things around and create her own definitions of what she defines as beauty and happiness. Lizzie is such an example of living bravely and overcoming obstacles with such a beautiful outlook on life.

[felicityzoid]

Technology- A Friend or a Foe?

Dependence on technology has made us forget about some of the traditional skills. Technology is wonderful but the increasing rate of dependency on technology is alarming. For example, the skills of reading maps have been forgotten as now people are using GPS for directions. Nowadays driving is also automatic, the car basically drives itself and after using automatic cars people have forgotten how to operate manual cars. Calculators have also become so popular in school that people can’t operate simple calculations without using a calculator. The dependence on the technology is too much that people are losing their ability to think and even read as people have all the information they need on the internet. Our grammar and spelling mistakes can also be corrected by the computer. We have also stopped producing our own food as production of packaged foods have been mechanized.

For a long time, computers have been all over the place and most households have them. Internet is the common activity on the computers and the internet is used to expand our knowledge, listen to music, play games, chat and watch videos. Most of the population is addicted to internet and spend much of their time on the internet other than spending their time on productive activities.

Technology makes our life simpler and easier but people's dependence on the technology is too much in that they are making people damn lazy as we have become sluggish, obese since our transportation has been mechanized.  The technology has made so lethargic in that we cannot even go to the shops to buy fast foods and all we need is just a phone call and the foods are delivered to us. So, in my opinion too much dependence and addiction to the technology is not good for humans.

There are many advantages that technological advances have brought. Technological dependence is clearly seen when we look around and realize that we are surrounded by technological advances ranging from mobile phones, computers, iPod, and television; that have become part of our common lives causing in us a certain dependence. Technological development has grown at considerable speed and the consequences on society, countries and individuals are enormous. Technological development has a unique course we cannot alter, nor stop; It defines our lives. In the present, technological change is determined by a few large multinational corporations that in turn influence the behaviour of consumers by advertising, so the consumer is directed to where they want. For example, for the people that must be continuously checking their e-mail; cell phones were invented, which already have mobile internet so that they can connect at anytime and anywhere. Another example of how consumerism is relating to new technologies is the company Apple who release every year a new iPhone. It is important to emphasize that the same consumerism perceived by the people today in everyday life; it is the same that induces to the purchase of new and improved artifacts focused more than anything else as a whim and not as a necessity. The gap between consumption and need becomes increasingly close and more difficult to discern.

“At first glance, one might have the tendency to dismiss such aberrant cell phone use as merely youthful nonsense a passing fad. But an emerging body of literature has given increasing credence to cell phone addiction and similar behavioural addictions.” Technology is a means that on one hand brings us many advantages, but in the other hand, we have to establish that the use of artifacts such as the Internet and mobile phones are becoming of excessive use in young people, for Roberts and Pirog it is definite that all these artifacts are becoming a way of life for each one of them, and they say that the same young people are at a stage where they will become addicts to this devices if they do not know how to control themselves. They argue further that technology isolates people because it is now very common to see how many hours devoted young are to be on the network, because humanity is involved in a technological world, that’s where people are starting to talk about the term “technophile” which is becoming more common every day. In addition, several people are starting to consider technology dependency as any unhealthy dependency such as alcoholism or drug addiction. Jane Demerica thinks the opposite to what is set out in the article of Roberts and Pirog she says that these new technologies are extremely beneficial for all and that it is difficult to speak of dependence in these technologies. New technologies in communication are optimal for better knowing people and expand the social circle. “Meeting new friends- Shy kids can make new friends on the internet.” She also claims to have solved the problems of introversion and even ensures that parents feel reassured that their children are talking to friends who already know and are under supervision to help lower the risk. Another point where she is in favour is the mobile phones because she mentions, “Cell phones make it easier for parents to keep track of their children.”

The technologies have a great potential to enhance and change the education system, which can break the prevailing cultural patterns so that technology does not bring so many prejudices and steers away from becoming a dependency. “When schools in different parts of the state, country or world connect, students can “meet” their counterparts through video conferencing without leaving the classroom.” According to him, there is no abuse of technology rather this is the current key of teaching so children and youth should be therefore more exposed to the media. As a source of information, the Internet provides immediate access to almost all knowledge collected by mankind in the history of civilization. In times where knowledge is power, access to the Internet puts a person in complete advantage over those who do not. With the internet a person can read the latest news on different topics, obtain information on employment opportunities, find out the latest fashion trends, and learn from the written responses of millions of people in specialized forums and blogs. The downside is that many people infringe copyright because they are tempted by so much information and end up copying and pasting text and then present them as their own. This promotes laziness and dishonesty. Also, many people take advantage of the vast amount of personal information available on the Internet to blackmail or steal identities. Psychologist Patricia Greenfield indicates that technology is causing the loss of critical thinking in students. She states that because of the incredible boom that technologies have on societies can begin to talk about the concept of dependence on technology, estimates that there are already hundreds of incidents of Internet dependency. Although she is not totally disagreeing with the new technologies, she indicates to use both “As students spend more time with visual media and less time with print, evaluation methods that include visual media will give a better picture of what they actually know.” Addiction is increasing, it is giving following alteration in social and physical habits of young people and identifies these as other addictions, producing anxiety about being in touch with a computer and the need to be using it every minute, so that has made huge gap between use and abuse. Another person who is in favour with the views of Roberts and Pirog about the mobile phones is Josip Ivanovic who says, “Teens’ natural tendency to follow trends may result in an emotional attachment to a cell phone that is out of scale with its actual value.” It can be said that many people, especially young people tend to use this device in a manner disproportionate, making it an addiction. Most people overuse the cell, nowadays users cannot leave it off for minutes, and if so, they tend to turn it on after a short time to check for text messages or voice mails. People who are dependent of cell phones need to feel their devices in their hands, otherwise they will not feel good, and this will generate anxiety, stress or despair. This new addiction attack to hundreds of people, and the worst thing of all is that they do not realize that they are addicted because they see it as something normal. “The overuse of cell phones has become a social problem for tens of thousands of Americans not much different than other harmful addictions.” In addition, cell phone addiction can cause serious damage to the home environment; because it causes alienation when a member moves away to make a call or send a text message this generates a detachment of the family environment.

We live in times where the use of technology is applied in every aspect of the society, which explains the technological dependence in which we live. Nowadays society applies new technology almost anywhere such as scientifically, socially and financially, “But as a foundation for an important economic pillar in our country, I suspect we’re pushing the envelope of sane thinking. There is no such thing as an unhackable computer system. There is no such thing as a 24/7/365 computer system.” For example, if we go to the bank and the system goes down, we cannot do anything because all the information about the clients is stored online; If a person wants to be served in any unit of government health, he has to make an appointment, but if it is rush hour in which all users want to make an appointment, the system will flood, and they won’t be able to handle the appointment. Other problem could be if a system fails “Because hospital systems are so complex, and require the careful integration of disparate, specialized software and hardware systems, single component downtime can greatly interrupt workflow.” New technologies have entirely changed the way of life of young people. In some respects, very much improved. For example, in order to perform the schoolwork children have to use a computer to do some research. In the last few years there has been a considerable advance in the technology, each time improving more what we already have, which is beneficial to our quality of life. The problem is that goes awry and creates addiction among children and adolescents, and presently technology can be considered as a drug.

At first, results from the ease of communications appear valuable because it helps people to communicate with others who are far away, but if this trend persists, people who use this technology often will isolate. “Young adults who use Facebook more frequently show more signs of psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviour, mania and aggressiveness.” An example of this is Facebook where more and more people spend hours attached to this virtual community, and thus ignore their interpersonal relationships in the real world. For young people, I believe that new technologies have become a property of first need that gives them independence with respect to the outside world. Some of the things that stand out are the media such as television, social networks, the consoles such as the video games, mobile phones, the Internet, and photos and videos from digital cameras. This has caused a radical change in the socialization and how they relate. The presence and contact now have become a thing of the past. Friendships are now not visible using technologies. For example, with the use of Facebook many people can meet new friends. The advantages that young people see in the new technologies are many and varied. For example, in social networks allows them to have a continuous communication. They can choose a person to talk or keep hidden until they feel confident most of the time, they use it at home where they feel safe and uninhibited, which causes parents to lose and control of their children. These technologies also have an impact on family relations, creating privacy for the children, which is hardly controllable by the parents, because most of the population now has a computer at home with internet access. The computer is a useful tool in everyday life as it helps us to make academic work and non-academic work. Although it is a very important tool in our daily lives today we have also become very dependent on it because we cannot do anything if we do not have a computer, this mainly happens because our environment demands the use of this tool each day at work or school, and nobody denies that it is a very useful tool for everyday tasks, but when a person rely on something that is what we dread to think what will happen when this technology is not around us. From a computer with internet connection a person can buy anything, from books to a house. There is no need that could not be met with the Internet and a credit card with funds. Someone with Internet connection could live his entire live without having to leave his home. This also means that the Internet offers an endless variety of business opportunities, from basic Web page creation, sales of traditional products, to even sales of stranger things. The negative side of these are of course spam, phishing, and other forms of fraud; through which unscrupulous people look for to get rich quick. Fraud can also come from the buyer’s side, because many thieves of credit cards use the Internet to make purchases under the name of their victims, emptying their bank accounts and ruining their reputation.

In conclusion, technology is a phenomenon that surrounds us all with artifacts and technical devices daily, is an element that is maintained for the length of time, and we remain equally or more wrapped up in a technological world that teaches us a new way of learning, and adaptation. Technological dependence is part of our lives because nowadays no one is free of this phenomenon on the global level. An example of this are the universities which indirectly involve students in this system, the same applies to jobs or simply with the Chat, which is limiting personal relations, replacing them with virtual communication. All this becomes dependence when individuals cannot perform their daily activities without the use of some device, or better said function in society without occupying any technological tool. Historically, technology has been used to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing. But also, for other negative purposes such as, create weapons to persuade and dominate people. Technological activity affects the social and economic progress, but also produced the deterioration of our environment. Technologies can be used to protect the environment and prevent the growing needs cause depletion or degradation of material and energy resources of our planet. Avoiding these negative aspects is the task not only of governments, but of all the people living on the planet. Although technology has several disadvantages, I think the advantages of these are more favourable to mankind. In fact, one could say that without sustainable development of the technology, the humans would not be more than an ordinary living being on this planet. The inventions of man are indicators of the cognitive evolution of the same, and in their eagerness to learn, can overcome evolutionary barriers such as adaptability to certain climates, and defence against diseases. Unfortunately, it is man who decides how to use it. Certain types of men see technology as weapons for war, others as tools that help us improve the quality of life of the species.

[felicityzoid]

Dear Clay Jenson,

I know how hard it was to listen to your tape after you had already listened to everyone else's. You were Tape 12 out of 13 tapes. The whole time all you wanted to do was skip to your tape and listen. You tried to give up and pass the tapes on. So many different emotions and feelings happened while you tried to listen to Hannah speaking to you and other people through such an unusual way. I can't imagine how that felt or why you did the things that you did, but I just want to let you know a few things.

First things first, don't blame yourself. So many other things went into the reason why Hannah felt the way she did. It is not your fault. I don't think you could have saved her. Hannah saw too much, and people made her feel so worthless. You were the one thing in her life that constantly made her happy, except when you put your foot in your mouth. I mean, that's not necessarily your fault. You didn't know if it was okay to joke about things or not, because you didn't want to upset her.

You listened to every tape and realized how awful other people were to her. From the people who wrote the list to the people who made up stories and stabbed her in the back. You've heard it all. Now you've heard yours and realize that you may have hurt her the most. As I already said, don't blame yourself. At Jessica's party, she freaked out and, in her head, you became every guy who had stabbed her in the back before. You made sure everything was okay before you did it and you tried your hardest to make her feel comfortable, but she couldn't shake the thought of Justin and Marcus who just wanted her to be easy.

The second thing I want you to know is that you really tried to be her friend when no one else talked to her and I know she really appreciated that. Hannah thought she lost everyone, but you were always there to comfort her and talk to her and be her friend. She felt a certain way toward you that she didn't feel toward her other friends. You made her feel special.

The last thing that you need to know, Helmet, is that you cannot love someone back to life. As much as we all wish we could, we can't. The only thing we can do is make sure their legacy lives on in a way that makes sure people know who they really were. So many people are fake about Hannah now that she is dead. Everyone grieves in a different way. They are thinking about all the mistakes they made and how they had a hand in her death. It's okay to grieve. It's okay to be sad, but don't take it out on the people who didn't have a tape.

#13 reasons why #clay jensen #hannah baker

[felicityzoid]

Coronavirus- A New Normal

Novel Coronavirus, 201-nCoV and the Covid-19 are the words we all hate and are terrified of, mostly terrified. It was first identified in humans in Wuhan, China. The disease subsequently spread rapidly, leading to a global pandemic. Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

Due to this pandemic, the whole world had gone under self-isolation at the safety of their own homes. Students, teachers and other school faculties had to shift to online learning and office employees had to shift to work from home. It was new to all as no one had experienced such a kind of disease. Like every coin has two sides there are two sides also for online learning.  Some of the argumentative statements by both sides are that schooling is better because the kids get to interact with each other, and doubts can be solved easily by the teachers and the teachers can supervise the work that is being done by the kids and because teachers have no idea what the kids might be doing at home. While the others believe that online learning is better because the students can learn from the comfort of their homes which saves them the time taken to travel to school and back home.

I think we all can agree on one thing that the new tradition that came out of covid was the idea of having online parties. As people have been quarantined due to covid, they aren’t forgetting to have fun even though they are far from each other. Online parties are a great idea to take our minds off from work and enjoy ourselves a little. It is also a safe practice as people aren’t meeting each other which reduces the chances of the transmission.

Most of the countries have closed their borders to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus from other countries. After closing the border for 1.5 years now some countries are slowly and steadily opening their borders for travellers. Some countries have made ground rules to open their borders for international travellers. Some of the common rules are that the travellers should have a negative pre departure covid-19 test and should be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. While some countries are opening their borders for quarantine free travelling other countries are reducing the number of days of a quarantine order.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on our lives. Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient.

Stress can cause the following:

Feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration

Changes in appetite, energy, desires, and interests

Difficulty concentrating and making decisions

Difficulty sleeping or nightmares

Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes

Worsening of chronic health problems

Worsening of mental health conditions

It is natural to feel stress, anxiety, grief, and worry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are ways that you can help yourself, others, and your community manage stress.

Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress

Take deep breaths, stretch.

Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.

Exercise regularly.

Get plenty of sleep.

Continue with routine preventive measures (such as vaccinations, cancer screenings, etc.) as recommended by your healthcare provider.

Get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine when available.

Helping Others Cope

Taking care of yourself can better equip you to take care of others. During times of social distancing, it is especially important to stay connected with your friends and family. Helping others cope with stress through phone calls or video chats can help you and your loved ones feel less lonely or isolated.

Covid-19 is going to be a new normal in the coming years and we all will have to learn to live with it. We all could play a part in helping the government by staying at home and getting vaccinated as soon as possible and getting a covid booster every year.