Anything But Neutral

Net Neutrality is a term I am new to learning about, but one more people should know. Now with some big names supporting the awareness, it is nice to see more and more people understanding what is happening or what could happen with our access.

In 2014 this topic was big news. For a refresher here are two articles from 2014 talking about the issue one from U.S. News and one from  NYTimes.

Now, this topic is back in the news as the FCC is trying to repeal the law and give Internet providers more power. The great thing about internet-loving millennials is that they are standing up and fighting this again, just like in 2014.

Not only are Millennials fighting again, but major tech and entertainment sources are standing up too. PR week’s Alison Kanski shares seven big names that are standing up in the article, “ Spinning wheels and slow streams: How 7 Tech brands protested Net Neutrality changes.”

Having these companies show support is great, but what is better is how they can reach a wide net of people and inform more people. Restriction of our internet is not okay and people need to be aware of the future if this gets passed.

The issue is more than just slow internet and luckily the issue is bringing companies and people together, as Advertising Age’s Will Jarvis notes in the article “From PornHub to the ACLU: Net Neutrality is Bringing Together Unlikely Friends.” Our data, our usage, and our history (internet history) could all be sold to the highest bidder. A small online business that does not have high traffic could not be shown on search engines because they can’t compete with some other website’s traffic.

This is all just wrong and needs to be kept the same with the open internet policies. If you feel the need to step up and help you can go to Battle For the Net and contact your Congress representative now!

Wake up! It’s another crisis…

Currently, it seems that every day we wake up and see a new crisis or disasters in the news.

Quebec Shooting

Monday, January 30th Alexandre Bissonnette opened fire in a Quebec mosque and killed 6 people. He will be charged with six counts of first-degree murder and five attempted murders according to CNN.  Justin Trudeau the Prime Minster has said this is a terrorist act. This act comes after the new order from Trump to cut the numbers of refugees in America. Canada has been letting over 40,000 refugees since 2015 from the NYTimes.

Deaths in 2016

So many people passed away last year. Most were well-known celebrities and a lot of talent is now gone. It can be hard to lose a beloved actor or sports star. To have never met someone but feel close to them that you are deeply saddened by their passing. To some this is not a crisis to other it is a horrible day.

Protests

They may be for President Trump, or against him. They may be peaceful ones for Women, or for refugees.  They can, and have in the past, been violent, however, we may be seeing more and more peaceful gathering of humans to share and explore others thoughts and actions. Constitutional we have the right to gather and speak out on things we do not like. With media being such a huge presence, today we can share our thoughts with millions in one click. Nevertheless, the togetherness that protests bring can give a more powerful feeling of collectiveness.

Refugees  

Something that has been on many minds for years is still here and kicking up a storm once more. The Middle East more specify Syria has been at war for years, and because of the war, millions have lost homes, loved ones, and all worldly possessions. This is not a light subject; however, it is a current crisis. It is miserable, heartbreaking, and most want to look for ways to help. There are a lot of ways to help, to support charities who are aiding them, to voice your thoughts on how President Trump is limiting the space America will give to the refugees, to join in marches and protests (peacefully).

 

This all may seem that nothing good is happening in the world. The emotional toll can be hard to anyone. Some tips to keep calm and not have your own crisis:

• Read the news. It may not always be good but being informed is a good way to really understand the complexity of each situation.
• Talk to someone or write out your emotions. Try to how a calm conversation about the events to learn how others are feeling too.
• Focus on the positive. Find the things that make you smile: cute baby animals, or serene settings of beaches and sunsets.
• Get involved! Go on a peaceful march, join an active club to get your voice heard.

 

 

The world is a big place and lots of things can happen each day. These things are not always a positive side. These crises will not go away soon, however, looking at ways to be positive and helpful is more productive than looking at the negatives.

 

 

https://www.psychologies.co.uk/self/emotional-emergencies-how-to-survive-a-crisis.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/01/29/multiple-people-reported-shot-by-gunmen-at-quebec-city-mosque/?utm_term=.a89ccb47f2ef

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/31/americas/quebec-mosque-shooting/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/notable-deaths/2016

http://www.oregonlive.com/multimedia/index.ssf/2016/12/celebrity_deaths_of_2016_famou.html

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/machinery-place-make-trump-protests-permanent/

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/why-anti-trump-protests-matter-w450561

http://thefederalist.com/2017/01/30/why-do-we-have-refugee-crisis-because-elite-failures-foreign-policy-immigration/

 

Snowlandia

Waking up to hear that your parents are trapped in the house because of 1.5 feet of snow, in one night. The week of January 9th Portland experienced one of the worse snow storms of the recent millennium. A white land of nothing and silence, came that morning as people woke to see what the day held. My dad, being the emergency manager of Clark County, had to activate the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from my living room. Airports, buses, taxis, and most businesses, were down. Oregon declared a national state of emergency.

Learning all of this was unnerving. My first thought was to make contact with all my friends and family. The ones I could talk too were all safe but were nervous to get to work and figure out what their future held. One friend had a tree fall in front of her house and she was unable to leave. Luckily the tree was moved within that day. Another friend still had to bare the weather and go to work. She, fortunately, lived only a few miles away but had to walk for the entirety of the week. Everyone I knew was safe but most were trapped in their house.

 

I had planned to be going home on the upcoming weekend, and that was now canceled. I could not go home. That was a startling thought because never have I not been able to go home. If anything were ever to happen, I knew it would not be safe to travel. Once the main highways and roads were clear, I still had to think about the backroads of my neighborhood and how much the roads would still have snow. Those were all things that I never thought would keep me from going home.

My family and friends would send me updated information and pictures of how much snow was falling and what the roads were like. It was nice to still be in contact with them but as the week went on I was saddened I couldn’t go home.

Both sides of the mountains had lots of snow. I was dealing with it here at school walking to class in 10-degree weather and also hearing about a foot of snowing blocking the Washington State University Vancouver campus at home. Looking through the news and seeing Oregon pop up because of the snow storm was new because most of the time the northwest doesn’t get a lot of news coverage. Now it is was getting some. For reasons, I don’t like.  I never was a fan of snow and the cold, but now I definitely hate the snow. I do not like the cold, and the cold does bother me anyway.

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/01/january_snowfall_record-settin.html