COVID Vaccination.

For over a year now, COVID has drastically influenced our lives. In less then a year, we had a solution to the problem. The first vaccine was available in December of 2020. Now, in April of 2021, everyone can get the vaccine. Slowly transitioning from phased vaccinations, we are offering the vaccine to everybody. However, we still have people who refuse to believe that the vaccine is necessary.

As someone who has worked in the medical field for over a year, I got my vaccine in December. I did this in order to keep myself safe. I have seen an outbreak of COVID firsthand at my workplace and seen how our clients needed to be in quarantine. I got vaccinated because I did not want to go to work and get COVID. I got vaccinated to keep myself and everyone around me safe. I did it because it was the right thing to do during the time. Some people think that the vaccine is dangerous. Truth of the matter is, we do not know what it is. There haven’t been years of study conducted on the vaccine. One thing is clear, however, it works. If it works, why would you not want to take it?

I have also seen people say that the vaccine is “not effective” because people who got vaccinated still got COVID. For those people, let this be a reminder, its not 100%. For those people that think life has 100% of anything, you are wrong. There are no certainties. Most vaccines are 70-90% effective. They are meant to help keep you safe, but it was never guaranteed. Another issue is if you get your first shot, don’t walk around without a mask thinking you are safe. The vaccine takes time. If you catch COVID a day after you get vaccinated, think of the idiotic behaviors that led to that point. The vaccine needs two weeks to start working, and even then, you still need the booster. The issue for those people who read articles or little stories of people catching COVID after getting vaccinated is that most of the time, the person did not follow the recommendations. They think they are safe with one shot and they are good a day after taking it. Just because others out there want to play Russian roulette with their lives does not mean you have to. Play it smart, and if you can, take the vaccine.

Today, I am able to be with my significant other. Today I can go home and see my family. Today I can go to work and not have to worry about getting sick. Today I can travel and not have to worry about what is going to happen to me. Today, I can live. What will you do today?

Source: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/frequently-asked-questions-0

Micro Transactions Control Our World.

How many times have you gone online and seen something ask for a subscription? How many times have you used an app just to realize that you need a subscription for full access? How many times have your little kids came up to you and asked to buy something for Fortnite? You may not realize it, but micro transactions control our lives.

Ever since the smart phones made their first appearance, micro transactions begun to appear. At first, different smart devices begun to pride themselves on the vast availability of applications and games. Slowly, as more and more content came out, micro transactions began to occur. Apps slowly began to offer more content for a few bucks. This slowly began creeping into every single aspect of everyday life. Some of the most popular games have the most micro transactions. In 2020, over 77 billion dollars were exchanged in micro transactions alone.

Most of the popular free to play games and applications have micro transactions. If you play games like Fortnite, you might find it that sometimes you want to buy a “battle pass”. This is simply new content and skins for your playable character and does not offer anything new to the game. However, many people still choose to pay to unlock this content. This is extremely popular with young children. (Keep in mind that games such as Fortnite are not meant for children under the age 12, the game contains violence, guns and killing. It is a free person shooting game.) Children of all ages ask their parents for money to unlock content that does not change the gaming experience but simply alters a surface appearance. This is because the game creators know who plays their games and they know that releasing some minor alterations and charging hundreds of dollars for it will yield profit. I mean who does not want to run around as their favorite avenger or as John Wick?

The same can be said for games on your phone. Some people who commute by train or bus sometimes find themselves looking at their phones and playing one of millions of game apps available. Some of the biggest games such as candy crush or angry birds generate millions in revenue for the simple service of renewing lives. They offer in app services that make the game easier. Despite sometimes only offering the service for $0.99, they still generate thousands of dollars per day from millions of people who play the game.

One simple fact remains, you do not need to spend money on games. Just like any other game out there, most content can be unlocked by working hard. These sell out services on games take away from the working hard aspect of gaming. It shows that anything can be achieved if you have money. My recommendation is this: If you play and you want to use micro transactions, its up to you, however, do not forget that money is a necessity that should not be spent for 3 minutes of satisfaction. Anything online can be earned through hard work. Save your money and encourage yourself to dedicate time instead of money. Children, especially, need to understand that money is finite. Do not let your children use micro transactions carelessly. It is your money, you should know how to spend it wisely.

Source:https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-controversy-of-micro-transactions-in-games/

Legalization of Marijuana (the good and the bad).

It is easy to say that legalizing a drug is dangerous. Most people who hold an opinion about marijuana have never tried it themselves. Most of their beliefs about it come from family beliefs and growing up in a no drug era. Unfortunately, for them, weed is about to be legalized. It has been a long-fought battle for many advocates. Some states have entirely made weed a legal substance for recreational use, while others still only have it medical. Now, New York is slowly moving to becoming the next state to legalize marijuana, following the decision of New Jersey to do so earlier in 2020. Let’s talk about it.

Marijuana, or weed, has been around for generations. It’s not a man-made product, but a wild plant. Most of the negativity about the product came when hemp made its appearance and started to become the primary good. According to researchers, marijuana was labeled the devils plant and hemp and weed had become illegal in the U.S. at one point in time, while even our founding fathers even grew pot at the white house. After it became illegal, marijuana became a topic of controversy. At the end of the 20^th century finally, California became a forerunner for change by making marijuana for medical use. This eventually led to a movement, and in 2012, we saw the first-time full legalization of pot. This chain of events has eventually led to 15 states to fully legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and many more decriminalizing it. Now, more and more states are approaching on the legalization for many reasons. Some states need a tax increase, especially because of COVID-19. States like New York that have suffered greatly plan to legalize weed to obtain the taxes on the product. This will help the state regain a lot of lost finances during the pandemic.

Some professionals believe we are not ready yet to legalize weed. To a degree, I agree with them. Not many people understand how the pandemic has impacted addiction in this country. Statistics by the CDC show that we have had a major increase in overdose rates because of the pandemic. A lot of this has something to do with fentanyl and the risks that it poses. Alcoholism has also risen across the country. Many people who stay at home find themselves drinking more. The undeniable fact is that addiction is on the rise again. Despite this being a fact, legalization of marijuana will not pose as many issues as people think. For some transparency, lets start by debunking the myth that weed is a gateway drug. According to research, there is no evidence to prove that pot is a gateway drug. Some professionals are saying that tobacco is the first gateway drug that eventually leads to problems. Weed is impossible to overdose on. There has never been a single recorded death from marijuana overdose. Accidents happen because of people under the influence, but that is true for every drug and even alcohol. More people suffer life threating issues because of alcohol then they do from weed. For those that worry about the increase in addiction, one thing needs to be made clear. For those of us who are serious about our sobriety, we will stay sober. Just because its legal does not mean we will do it. Alcoholics do not drink because they know they cannot. Drug addicts stay away from drugs because they know they cannot use properly. For those of us who take recovery seriously, our lives will not change. There are also those who will always find drugs. There are dozens of drug dealers in every town, regardless of how “nice” you think the town might be. Why not legalize marijuana and put it into the hands of the government to distribute?

This change is coming one way or the other. Sooner or later marijuana will become legal across the country. This is a ship that has set sail and we have no way of stopping it. The best we can do is accept the things that will happen. I personally thing that taking the weed away from drug dealers and making it legal will help the economy now more so then ever. This change is imminent. In a few years, we will see how out country changes, and if legalization is for the good, or the bad.

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/cannabis-legalization-states-map-831885/

My COVID-19 Vaccine Experience.

With so many companies competing to make a vaccine for COVID-19, some have already produced some remarkable results. Pfizer and Moderna are two of the front runners in COVID-19 vaccination. Due to my job, I was placed in phase 1A and was eligible for the vaccine at the end of 2020. With the initial shot taken at the end of December, and the follow up shot at the end of January 2021, I am now fully vaccinated. However, the vaccination is a difficult and long process. This is what happened.

My initial shot of Moderna was on December 31, 2020. During this time, only a select few people were able to get vaccinated, primarily the front-line workers and medical staff. To get the first shot, I was able to schedule an appointment through my job, and they helped me get an appointment at my local hospital. Once I got there, the check in process was smooth and I got the first shot. Upon leaving, I begun to feel tired. I was told that I would feel tired throughout the day and might have some minor side effects. For the next few days, the site of the injection hurt, and my body ached. The first day I was severely tired, and then had minor joint pain and muscle aches. This lasted for the better part of 4 days. Compared to some of my coworkers, I got lucky. Some people had severe side effects and had fevers and severe body aches. Despite getting lucky with the first shot, I now faced a new issue, getting my second shot.

For the second shot of Moderna, I needed to be more patient. Because the second shot needed to be administered 4 weeks after the first, I was not sure if I would have an appointment at that time. Since the vaccine had become available to more people, I was not promised the second shot. Finally, when I got an update on the second shot, I went in right away and took it. When I went back for the booster shot, I was told that I was going to be facing hell. I dismissed the idea because of what happened with the first shot; however, I really was about to face hell. After getting the shot, I felt fine for a few hours. Shortly after, I begun to feel complete body exhaustion. Within 5 hours of getting the shot, I begun to get a fever. By the time I got home, I already had a fever of 101, and only had it worse going forward. I felt severely sick, with a severe fever of 104. I had chills and my body was burning up all night. This proceeded into the following morning. My body was in a lot of pain and my temperature did not stabilize until mid-day. Thankfully, most of the side effects subsided before the end of the weekend. The severe side effects lasted the better part of a day and I was ok by Sunday.

Despite having these side effects, I would still take the vaccine all over again. Because my job requires me to help others, I need to keep them safe. COVID-19 has ravaged our lives for over a year now and it needs to get better. Not everyone wants the vaccine, and some fear what will happen. In my eyes, being sick for one day is far better then being sick for weeks and potentially losing your life.

Source:https://www.ft.com/content/ebd9ca50-c2d7-4b0e-afd5-e90e93c0c495

Russian Adoption, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Adoption has been making families whole for generations. Some families are not able to have children and some parents might be too old to have children. To make a family complete, some parents adopt a child. This gives the child a chance to grow up in a loving and caring family and the parents a chance to love and care for a child. No matter if it was domestic or international, adoption is always an option for people who wish to be parents. For Americans, however, there is one country that is off limits. That country is Russia. According to a federal law, Americans cannot adopt Russian children.

From 1991 until 2010, over 50,000 Russian kids were adopted into the United States. Most number of kids were adopted mid-1990s, and as the years went on, the number slowly began to decline. In 2012, the Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Federal law of Russian Federation no. 272-FZ, or better known as Dima Yakovlev Law. This law prevents certain individuals and nonprofits from going to Russia. It also gave the right to freeze the assets of any politically active non-profit organizations that received money from America. The part of the law that stood out the most, however, was that it banned citizens of United States from adopting children from Russia. According to the Russian government, this law was enacted because of violation of fundamental human rights and freedom of the citizens of Russia. The law is named after a Russian child who was adopted by an American family and who died of heat stroke because he was left in the car for 9 hours. This death can be considered the final straw that broke the camel’s back and banned adoption for all American citizens.

Another notable event caused a massive uproar that happened in 2010. A mother who adopted a 7-year-old child sent the child back to Russia. This caused a major international incident that led to a ban on adoption for a short period of time. After an investigation was launched, Russian and American officials worked to strengthen their relations in terms of child adoption. The short-term ban was lifted, and children still had a chance to leave their orphanage and be adopted to American homes. In the two years leading up to Dima Yakovlev law, over 1,000 potential adoptions were in progress, some of which were told they were getting adopted.

Now we stand 9 years later, and the adoption is still banned. It is hard to tell if the ban will ever be lifted, or how much time it will take. In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights levied a fine against Russia for discriminating based on nationality. Personally, I believe adoption should still be allowed. Banning a nation based on the actions of a few is wrong. Adoption should be allowed for Americans if they are aware of what they are walking into. Unlike adopting a baby, adopting a Russian child also means helping them get over the things they been though. Some children struggle more then others. Some have been abused more, neglected more, or hurt more. If adoption comes back, parents need to understand that the child is hurt, damaged but still seeks love and care. We were all children once. We all wanted a family. I found my American family in 2004, and with their help and love, I grew up and made my own life in America. My wish is for other children to have that same opportunity as I did. I was given a new life, and I overcame my past traumas. One day, I hope other Russian orphans can say the same thing.

Source:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/31/russia-adoption-stigma-ban