Drop the SAT and ACT as a Requirement for Admission, Top UC Officials Say

In the recent events with the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, much talk has been surrounding the creation of a vaccine. Some experts say it could be 12-18 months before a vaccine is created, but others seem to think one can be created earlier with the collaboration of scientists around the world. With this, I have always wanted to know how a new vaccine is created. With the current event, some prior knowledge I have is that scientists have two case studies going on about a possible vaccine that is showing promising early results but no widespread testing has happened. 
After researching, I learned more about how a vaccine is made. According to chop.edu, the children’s hospital of Philadelphia, there are four different ways to make a vaccine. The first is to weaken the virus, then administer it to the patient so they can easily fight it off and then develop a proper immune response so they never get it severely. Another method is to inactivate the virus, which allows the body to respond to the virus, yet the virus can not replicate inside the body. A third way to create a vaccine is to use part of the virus and give it to the patient, then the body can make a defense if it encounters it again. The final method for creating a vaccine is to use part of the bacteria. In this method, the toxin is killed which deactivates the disease. Each way to create the vaccine has different pros and cons, as people who are immunocompromised can not tolerate some of the vaccine methods. I am glad I researched this, it is good knowledge to have especially during this time!

This photo is an image of Trump on a barrel of oil, spitting it out with the heading “less than worthless”. This is in reference to the oil prices dropping below zero on 4/20/2020, and a barrel of crude oil was worth around -$30.00. This is due to two reasons: the Saudi Arabia and Russia price war, and the decreased use of oil due to COVID 19. The Saudi Arabia and Russia price war dropped oil prices because Saudi Arabia, a major foreign oil producer, attempted to punish Russia because Russia refused to decrease oil production. Because of the coronavirus and the lockdown we are currently under, people are not driving places as there are not many places you could physically drive to. Due to this disagreement and simple supply and demand, oil has been severely devalued over the recent weeks. 

Trump’s involvement in the cartoon stems from the way most view his involvement in the COVID 19 pandemic: horrible. The cartoon suggests that Trump could have done more to respond to the situation and help the dipping economy. Specifically, he could have done more to decrease the United State’s reliance on foreign oil, as suggested by the barrel stating “US OIL”. Critics will easily point out that this large dip in value of oil could have been prevented, and Trump did not do much to aid the situation or intervene to stop this. This cartoon is interesting because it is multilayered, and touches on many current events from the past weeks. 

The hashtag I followed was #RIPprince. This hashtag was to commemorate the four year anniversary of Prince’s passing, 4/21/2016. Prince will forever be remembered as a musical icon, and people on Twitter largely agree. @popcrave on twitter described Prince as the “multi-talented megastar [who] is one of the most successful artists of all time and built a legacy that will live on forever. His talent and innovation helped to solidify his place as a legend in music”. Prince’s death affected me personally, as my family and I are large Prince fans. Growing up, we would always listen to classics such as, “I Would Die 4 U”, “Raspberry Beret”, and “Starfish and Coffee”. When I was older and got a record player, Prince’s esteemed album “Purple Rain” was among the first records I purchased. 

The tone of most of the tweets is very sorrowful, as they are reminiscing the musical legend. Some people are tweeting in remembrance and are posting a picture of their favorite album (there are 39 studio albums to choose from!), their favorite lyric, or a memory they have associated with Prince’s music or where they were when they heard the news that Prince had passed. Many people are posting small paragraphs thanking Prince for his imprint on the music industry and their personal lives. This hashtag was very interesting for me to follow because I have a personal connection to it and it was insightful to see how others viewed him as well. 

The podcast I listened to was the daily, the episode titled “24 Hours Inside a Brooklyn Hospital” in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. The podcast starts off with the recording of the hospital’s meeting to conclude one doctor’s shift and begin another’s. This is already unsettling, hearing quick details of younger, pregnant patients with the virus in the ICU. What is explored when the doctors are treating the patients is that they are clearly in the dark when it comes to treating the virus. They administer a “COVID cocktail”- a mix of drugs said to help with the virus, but has not been proven to do anything. Many patients are on ventilators to aid in their breathing, as the virus attacks the respiratory system. Doctors continue to “toss around” ideas, as there is no outline to follow for treating COVID patients. At one point, the doctor encounters one of his medical students, and finds out that his mother is in the ICU with the virus and is not doing well and the podcast takes a rather personal turn. 

The podcast concludes with showing the way the hospital has to deal and treat non-covid patients and the effects on the hospital staff. General treatment has also changed dramatically, as there are many more precautions taken. Additionally, the hospital is understaffed due to a lot of doctors and nurses sick. Overall, the way that hospitals operate amidst the pandemic has changed dramatically.

Some background information to this photograph includes knowledge of the current COVID-19 pandemic. This deadly virus has caused states to be on lockdown, a crash in the economy, as well as many deaths. This time of uncertainty is unprecedented in United States history, and has led to many new measures being taken, including the one in this picture. Most likely, this woman is working at a drive-through coronavirus test station. She is dressed appropriately so that she does not contract the virus from anyone, as it is spread easily by respiratory droplets. THese testing sites are a new initiative, and have been hindered in growth as there is a shortage of COVID tests available in the country. Initially, the Trump Administration barred private companies from manufacturing these tests before this became a health emergency and transformed into a pandemic. Now, it is feasible for all private healthcare companies to manufacture these tests. Due to the delay, there was a shortage of the tests. 

The argument being made in this picture is for the severity of this pandemic. Many are not taking lockdown and social distancing measures seriously, which can greatly increase the number of coronavirus cases in the United States as well as increase the death toll from this virus. Because of the demeanor the woman holds and the extent of her clothing precautions, it is evident that she is taking risk in aiding people to get tests and that there are ways to prevent it. Additionally, the fact that she can not talk, but only hold signs, adds to this severity.

In the youtube video I watched, titled “Former Secret SErvice Agent Explains How to Protect a President” produced by WIRED (a channel with over 6 million subscribers), FBI Agent Wackrow walks the viewers through the process of security of very important people. The security team has to know at all instances what they would do if there was a medical emergency or a threat. They need to evaluate how the public will react and which direction they would leave, and then assess how to remove the president or important person. The agents frequently use circle patterns that resemble large bullseyes to assure that there are multiple levels and layers of protection, through 360 degrees around the president. One move utilized was the visuals represented in the video. These visuals helped to understand the varied techniques that are used to aid. The visuals included diagrams of buildings, previous footage of assasination attempts, and video review of different events that the president attended. Marked with a red pen, the visuals were annotated live on the video to more clearly explain what was occurring in the videos.

Although some may see the many precautions as superfluous or unnecessary, the means to protect a president are involved and intricate for a reason, which is the very real threats that are sustained. Luckily, technology has improved immensely in the previous few years, which allows for more thorough investigation of the public in attendance of said events. Technology is used to take aerial coverage via drones, it can be used for water security, as well as efficient screening for weapons and bombs among the crowd. 

On the friday we had off of school recently, my family and I went to Feed My Starving Children. At FMSC, you are essentially packing meals to be shipped to underdeveloped nations where children and families often die of starvation or malnutrition. The food we pack is mostly soy and rice, with added vitamins and vegetables. Once the food is cooked, the small package provides multiple servings of food. What is amazing about FMSC is that it is operated on purely donations. Costs that FMSC has to factor in is the price for the ingredients, packaging, shipping, distribution, the facility itself, maintenance and general operational needs such as light, electricity and water. All of this is paid for without any sort of government aid! 

When packing the rice and soy meal, it is easy to find yourself thinking about how the food does not look very appetizing. It is thoughts like these that put life into perspective: the people receiving these meals are overjoyed that they can even have a meal to eat while we are used to having access to all types of food at all times. Although the initial reason we went to FMSC was for my brother to get service hours, I was very glad that we went. Not only does it feel good to give back to the less fortunate given how much we have, but it was also a good opportunity to spend time with my family. I think making a conscious effort to give back every once and awhile is a very positive thing for both the people giving and receiving the help. 

In “the secret to giving great feedback”, Renninger introduces the idea by showing how feedback usually is given, which is poorly and ends up being ineffective. With this, 26% of employees think that feedback is useful and helpful  in their workplace. By using this statistic, Renninger is proving to her audience that she is knowledgeable of the facts in the situation. In an effort to make feedback into a learning process that can actually have an impact on the person receiving the feedback. Creating this healthy environment where positive communication is the key to increased productivity. She details a four-step solution to giving beneficial feedback, starting with step one. With an easy to follow chronological order utilized through the majority of the talk, Renninger allows her audience to easily comprehend her advice. She first suggests asking the person of interest if they have a minute to talk about a given project, as this will give the worker a ‘heads-up’ that it is coming, as well as an opportunity to refuse the offer as well. The second step is to get right to the point, and address the problem point by using concise language and specific examples, being cautious as to avoid any generalizations. Afterwards is the third step, which is the time to deliver the impact of the given mistake or point of weakness, which will help the employee to understand why this change should be implemented. Finally, the last step is to end with a question, which turns it over to the other person. A question example is, “What do you think?”. 

I think that in the modern workforce, there are many more means of communication than ever before, yet communication skills are not as prominent as they should be in a professional setting. By utilizing the four-step-feedback process, criticism can be used as a tool for growth instead of an awkward conversation that leads in no positive direction.

Schools should not use facial recognition technology, as it is unreliable and has no place in schools. Beyond making students feel uncomfortable, as the technology to implement facial identification can be large and bulky, the technology is still unreliable. What would happen if a student simply turned their head and did not face the recognition sensors or cameras? Additionally, the cameras can have glitches or imperfections causing them not to be able to correctly identify students. A major concern of mine is the speed in which the cameras can recognize the students, and the preparedness for the high concentration of students in, say, the morning, or coming from gym class. Would this lead to lines to get in the building, making students late for class, or would it instead only recognize half of the students entering, allowing for intruders to hide in the influx? Proponents of this technology point out that with increased school related gun violence incidents, measures need to be taken. Although this technology has that goal in mind, it neglects to account for students that may bring weapons to school. Not only could violence occur with an outside community member, but could be inflicted by a member of the student body. I believe that my school’s method of ‘checking ids’ before entering the building is no longer a safe practice, as they are not checked when students re-enter the building, and are not looked at close enough to see if the picture matches the person entering. Procedures need to change, as our current system is not adequate, yet facial recognition technology is not the answer. 

This past weekend, young singer and songwriter Billie Eilish won a total of 5 grammys, which is astounding for an upcoming artist at her age. Eilish’s genre of music does not form to any one style, but can be best categorized as alternative pop, electropop, and indie pop. At the age of 18, she has achieved outstanding accomplishments. The artist is known for wearing baggy designer clothes, while creating a unique style for herself. In the picture of the week by The Atlantic, she is seen with neon green roots, and a rhinestoned Gucci tracksuit. This is not atypical of Eilish, as followers of her expect seemingly outlandish outfits. The argument of this photo presents that at her core, Eilish is humble which is represented through the pausing to reflect amidst the excitement of the events of the night. Even for someone with a large fan base and incredible accomplishments, the fame does not go to her head.

Following the Grammys, backlash took place surrounding Eilish’s 5 grammys. Even in school the next day, many were shocked at the sheer number of awards she received. These people thought that other artists deserved recognition at the ceremony, but instead, the sole spotlight was on Eilish. Personally, I think that Billie Eilish’s music is overrated and that there were a lot of other talented artists that were very capable of winning some of the awards that she took home. Despite this, I can appreciate Eilish’s drive and passion, and I can admire that for the young age of 18, her passion for her work is unmatched and her hard work is undeniable. In efforts to form a conclusion, Eilish is deserving of everything she is given due to her work ethic, yet I think other artists should have a share of the spotlight with young Eilish.

Picture Below: from The Atlantic’s Photo of the Week Collective