Travel Post : Climate Change and Air Pollution (SNC U16)

CLIMATE CHANGE & AIR POLLUTION IN THE PHILIPPINES

Still being a developing country in the world, I can't say that I was not surprised by the amount of air pollution present there. Especially from what I've heard from other people who have traveled there before and being there the previous year, I have got to say that living in the Philippines in this time and age probably isn't the best thing to do. Sure, if you're coming from a developed country such as the United States, Canada, or any country in Europe, you'd be financially stable and capable of living pretty well off. But the amount of traffic and density there is, especially in the big cities such as Manila, Quezon City, and Makati, have fun sitting in a car for at least an hour for every trip you make.
The thing is, not everyone there has enough money to buy a car. That doesn't stop them from getting a way of transportation, meaning they build motorcycles with an attached seat on the side to carry at least one or two more people.
Even standing outside or walking on the streets, one thing that was distinct to me was the smell. The smell wasn't really found in a specific place, but it was just from the exhaust from cars using up their gas while only going less than 10 kilometres per hour. It stunk, literally.
Not only was the air pollution a component to accept while staying there, but some factors of climate change was pretty noticeable; such as some places being relatively hotter than others even if they were only a few kilometres away, seeing people with certain skin conditions due to being exposed to the sun for too long. Climate change is also evident in the Philippines by the amount of flooding that damages their lands.

CLIMATE CHANGE & AIR POLLUTION IN SINGAPORE

Industrial pollution is one of the biggest factors of air pollution I saw while traveling there. Singapore does not have a severe high density, but the entire country is very industrialized. Being such a small country with an average population, making products was a big factor of their country. Leading to pollution from factories shown in the picture above. Though Singapore is a fairly sustainable place to live in, they do release a large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels (just like every other developed country).

CLIMATE CHANGE & AIR POLLUTION IN THAILAND 

Similar to the Philippines, Thailand is experiencing violent flooding due to climate change and it's affect on the water near lands or more specifically, lands that are close to sea level. Sea level rise is a huge factor we consider from climate change because as the years go by, the flooding only becomes more and more violent (which seems to be the result from warm water and warmer temperatures leading to the expansion of water). Another factor in Thailand that is caused by climate change is their water management system, with flooding being as violent as they are, they're not competing with China for building dams. Still being a developing country in Asia, they are still very limited to the number of supplies and resources they are capable of having.

Race to Success

YOU ARE NOT OBLIGED TO BE COMPLETELY SUCCESSFUL BY THE TIME YOU ARE 25.
Let me say it again in a more detailed matter :
Life is not a race, and your success shouldn't be either. Growing up in fast paced city filled with numerous job opportunities, I've seen people rush to their career. For what? You graduated early, you bought a house at the age of 19 with a baby on the way. That's basically what "successful" is, right? Congradulations, you've won at life for being the biggest success at the youngest age possible. What about the rest of us? Are you telling me that if you don't have a stable job, a family, a dog, a cat, a house, by the time you're 29 or 30 that you're a failure?
I mean, you've got your entire life ahead of you. You cannot tell me we were made just to work a job that's kind of unfufilling and pay taxes for a house to live in for the rest of your life. Is that really living? Or is it just surviving? Sure, you can have the most luxurious house and the most expensive car, but that doesn't mean you NEED to get those right after you graduate college or university. Hell, some people don't even get post-secondary education, but that doesn't mean they're a failure.
"The economy is crashing!"
"Capitalism is taking over, we need to make money now!"
Of course, the economy has been a problem, what's new. I'm not saying that you shouldn't care about your financial problems and stability, but relax. While there are some people out there earning a billion dollars a week at the age of 21 and you're just sitting around eating ramen noodles, that doesn't make you any less than them. For all you know, they're a terrible person.
A lot of people my age (15-20) are so pressured to get into the best college or university get that docorate they've dreamed of getting, and as much as I encourage them to work towards what they want. I hope they know that even if you don't know what you want to major in by your 3rd year in post-secondary education, it's completely alright. There is a bunch of people just like you.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that, though people becoming successful seem to be getting younger and younger, it doesn't mean that you don't have time. You have plently. Thinking about what you've already accomplished rather than thinking about what you're (supposedly) going to, will help your mental state and yourself overall. Competiting with other people and "racing" to see who will be successful first, almost has no point.

The Controversy and Irony of Hatred Towards Social Media Celebrities

A couple of weeks ago, YouTuber : Logan Paul posted a video during his trip in Japan. In this video, he explores a forest that is mainly known for people with mental illnesses. Signs and boards are spread across the forest meant to encourage the people that they are good enough and that life is worth living. All words of encouragement ; a very serious place. Filming this video, Logan Paul explicitly laughs and makes jokes with his friends. Not even considering to edit this part out (which he was perfectly capable of). He was being completely disrespectful with the whole aura of the place, but that wasn't even the worst part. In fact, in this vlog he found a dead body. The body of a person who has committed suicide in that forest ; but did that stop him from creating this video ??? (let alone post it on a social media platform for the millions of little girls to watch). I guess not. He filmed the dead body in as many angles he could. What a way to get attention and views, right? Using the dead body of a person who killed themselves was just completely dehumanizing. As if that person is merely a prop; an accessory to a video to entertain people. Despite how he reacted to this finding (disgustingly), he used this person for his own benefit by click-baiting 12-year-old girls to this video.


The video he posted was said and heard to be insensitive and ignorant, catching the attention of many celebrities such as Sophie Turner an actress on Game of Thrones and the artist, Shawn Mendes. His post completely exploded, starting off the new year at an odd start. It went viral all over the internet, becoming so popular to the point where celebrities such as those I've mentioned before were informed.

Yet, isn't that the problem. This is exactly how he (and people like him) get what they want. As controversial their content is, it still catches our attention. Despite how many people dislike people like Logan Paul, he only gains if he gets attention. Which is what we're all giving him. View counts are all that really matter on the YouTube platform and now that his content AND his brother's (Jake Paul - another said problematic influence on the younger people watching them) are exploding, they're only benefiting in as many ways as possible. 

Now, there's a new social media platform coming out soon, Vine 2 or commonly known as V2. The second version of Vine where people are able to gain followers and post 6 second videos. In the first version of the platform, there were some iconic videos that went viral and still are being spread to this day despite the shutdown of the platform. Unfortunately, it wasn't getting enough people on the platform after a while since people who are famous on social media practically took over the platform. Changing what seems to be 75% of the content, becoming unentertaining for people. Leading to the shut down of the first version of vine. The creator became aware of this situation that Logan Paul creates and realized how disliked he is, thus leading him to officially ban him from the platform. Not allowing any behaviour that Logan Paul has presented earlier. Ironic how he became famous on the first version of the platform, starting his career there and is now banned from the second version. 

MY BODY IS A TEMPLE AND I AM THE GOD IT IS BUILT FOR (A Slam Poem by Savannah Brown)

Hi, I’m a slut

What?

You can’t be surprised when you’ve spent my entire life deciding woman equals sexualize

In ninth grade, a man told me I have good blowjob eyes

Hi, I’m a slut.

But what does that mean?

I’m unclean, I’m less pure

I sleep around, sure

But isn’t that what you were begging for?

Hi, I'm a slut and science disagrees

But let’s ignore anatomy and joke that my vagina is wide enough to fit an entire football team or, even,

your narcissism

but no one’s is big enough for that

In this poem, the writer Savannah Brown shares her opinion of the sexualizing of women. What is written above is the first verse of the poem. She shared her experience of being sexualized when she was merely 14 years old, and now that she looks back at the memory, she realizes how disgusting people can be; along with how women are seen as objects for sex.

The poem has so much depth about how it's impossible for women in this world to do anything they want, without having a label placed on against them. No matter what a woman does, society buries deep down to find something, or anything to put them down for it. Sleeping around too much? You're a skank, worthless, expected to be rock bottom of all women. Still a virgin by the time you're 25? You're a prude, you can't even bare showing the skin on your neck, but we'll fetishize you anyway.

Savannah Brown covers the struggles of being a woman to this day and age in a sexual way. The more you read the poem, more ideas come into your mind about any struggle of being a woman in any way. From wearing a specific brand of boots and being called "basic" or "generic", to not dating anyone that they're automatically seen to live with several cats for the rest of their lives.

In the slam poem, Savannah Brown also covers the fact that although media uses women in a sexual way, they're also seen as objects. As if nobody cares about what they want as long as they're satisfying the men who dominate them sometimes to the point where it physically hurts. Within the same verse of this statement, she goes over the fact that even in health classes at school, we don't learn about anatomy enough. Especially for females. Which is a terrible fact because it is so incredibly important for women to stay safe and healthy during and after sex, but since we're not really taught how it works, it leaves everyone else using it improperly or even dangerously.

"you think an orgasm for you is like oxygen for me. like when i am going down on you i’m actually sucking up life retrieving my very soul from inside your stomach and an orgasm for me is like—well, maybe. if you have time and since you can’t see it, it probably doesn’t exist anyway, i was probably faking it anyway, women don’t like sex anyway. you’re pretty sure the clitoris is just a myth so when it comes to my pleasure no one really gives a shit."

In what other ways do you think women are sexualized or put down for, for something they should be allowed to do/be? Do you think media and videos leave an unrealistic hope and perspective for the anatomy of both women and both and how they should act?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CCePrJlaU

The New Edition Story

The New Edition Story

The New Edition Story is a three-part TV mini-series. Each part is an hour and a half long explaining the story and origin of the 80s RnB group, New Edition. The series stars Bryshere Y. Gray as Michael Bivins, Elijah Kelley as Ricardo ("Ricky") Bell, Luke James as Johnny Gill, Woody McClain as Bobby Brown, Keith Powers as Ronnie DeVoe, and Algee Smith as Ralph Tresvant.

The story starts off with 10-year-old Bobby Brown starting a singing group with his friends, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant, and Ricky Bell all of whom live in the ghetto of Boston. They begin their career by performing on the streets in front of a man who they assume to be a manager. The manager takes them on and trains them, along with adding a new member Ronnie DeVoe, his nephew. As the boys grow older and transition into a new era of their lives, things began to get messy. Drug addictions, becoming bankrupt and kicking out members. As the story goes on, the group starts separating and taking on new deals. Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill going solo; while Ronnie DeVoe, Michael Bivins, and Ricky Bell begin their own group called "Bell Biv DeVoe". One of their top records being "Poison" which some people to this day are familiar with.

The TV mini-series lets you watch the entire story of New Edition and how they came to be. Portraying their struggles as a group of friends in the music industry. Breaking apart, facing the consequences of business, and most importantly, showing how much fame and money can change relationships with everyone.

Not only was the TV mini-series similar to experiencing the concerts the group New Edition have held since they were 10 years old, but it has made the audience feel and connect to the group. Dealing with mental illnesses, family struggles, economic/financial problems, and facing the real world.

This TV mini-series is heart-wrenching, dramatic, and can make you feel many emotions at once. The music was very enjoyable in this TV mini-series. Listening to their music after watching the TV mini-series lets me appreciate their music much more than I did before, and lets me understand their songs and the actions of the different artists. 

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