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Coined Terminology

Since we are usually on our phones, surfing through the internet almost all-day long, I discovered how our data is being stolen by internet providers or even the websites we visit. This helped me come up with the word “Datanapping”. During this pandemic I also felt like we have been struggling mentally and that we have this certain feeling of sadness and isolation-- this feeling helped me come up with the word “Oizysism”. (see photo for definition of each coined term)

In choosing a word for the coined term we first thought of a word similar or can be used to describe a phenomenon or the persona we want to. We also checked words that may not describe them but are related. Just as how some words came from Greek or Latin words one of the coined word we created was based on a Greek goddess. One of the aspects we then considered in the definition is on how the word can be used in a certain situation relating to the phenomena we have in mind. We also have some examples to help audiences to furthermore understand our new coined term.

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Satire

"Tomorrow is a satire on today and shows its weakness." -Edward Young.

what really is “satire”?

: ̗̀➛  the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. : ̗̀➛  the art of making someone or something look ridiculous, raising laughter in order to embarrass, humble, or discredit its targets. : ̗̀➛  both a genre and a literary device that holds human nature up to criticism and scorn : ̗̀➛  a literary device for the artful ridicule of folly or vice as a means of exposing or correcting it : ̗̀➛  takes a very serious issue and "pokes fun" at it to ridicule society. : ̗̀➛  relies on humor to bring about social change. When our vices are made humorous, the idea is that it will encourage us to change. : ̗̀➛  does not go over individual people. Instead, satire is directed at society as a whole, or types of people in society-the politician, the adulterer, the prideful, etc. : ̗̀➛  in the exaggeration that people are made aware of their foolishness.

If you want to read and understand more about this, here are some examples of satire literature and films

✎ A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift ✎ The Onion ✎ The Daily Show ✎ Hard Times by Charles Dickens ✎ Catch-22 by Joseph Heller ✎ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams [◉”]  Dr. Strangelove [◉”]  Get Out [◉”] South Park  [◉”]  Black Mirror

Based from the movie or documentary we watched, here are some things, ideas, or issues that were satirized

☆.｡.:* our distracted society

☆.｡.:* primal scream of a warning

☆.｡.:* cultural decline

☆.｡.:* a satire of real-life environmental concerns such as climate change; exaggerates the extent to which institutions refuse to address science

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A Post-Pandemic Barangay

The baranggay will include 7 main establishments: 

Baranggay hall 

2 clinics 

Multipurpose hall 

Basketball/Covered Court 

Open area/Park 

 The barangay hall is located in the middle of the barangay to ensure that each community member has a place to reach out if they have concerns. The barangay will include 2 clinics; one for the public to use, and one exclusively for women and children. Since healthcare can influence children's physical and emotional health, growth, and development and their capacity to reach their full potential as adults, the children will be taken care of in the women and children's clinic since this will also help them access quality care. The public clinic aims to be a place where preventive and general medical care are provided for the middle and lower class who can't afford medical fees from private clinics. The multipurpose hall can serve as a vaccination, testing, or evacuation site. This hall can be used in multiple ways along with the basketball/covered court, even after future pandemics to come. The open area or park can be a place where people gather-- this can also provide a place for children and families to connect with nature and recreate outdoors.

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How Pandemics are Linked to Climate Change

According to the video, 70% of the world’s infectious diseases come from wildlife. Wildlife comes in contact with humans because they are affected by deforestation. This environmental issue leads to habitat loss and pushes certain infections to grow in certain places. The causes of deforestation include clearing out land for agricultural purposes like farms and raising livestock. Another reason why deforestation still occurs is because of the production of paper, illegal logging, mining, and forest fires. I think that deforestation and urbanization are related to each other because more people are settling in urban areas. With that in mind, people tend to overpopulate these areas and are in need of space to live in, and sufficient food supply

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With the previous infectious diseases spreading across the world and the increasing number of people being tested positive of COVID-19, there’s no doubt that us humans are linked to nature. It seems like as we cause damage to nature, it’s punishing us by reminding us that it’s been years since we last focused on taking care of it. Urbanization, deforestation, livestock, and wildlife– these are some words that have caused a great impact on our lives, especially now that we are more prone to the virus. By moving to urban areas, more and more people are in need of shelter and enough food to survive, this leads to deforestation. Not only does urbanization gravely affect deforestation, it also leads to the loss of habitat of animals all over the world. Some of these animals become endangered, or in worse cases they become extinct. Without a place to live, these animals are moved to farms to become livestock. Now that these animals are in contact with people through farming, they have the ability to spread viruses which are mutated to transfer to humans. According to the Harvard school of public health

“Many of the root causes of climate change also increase the risk of pandemics. Deforestation, which occurs mostly for agricultural purposes, is the largest cause of habitat loss worldwide. Loss of habitat forces animals to migrate and potentially contact other animals or people and share germs. Large livestock farms can also serve as a source for spillover of infections from animals to people. Less demand for animal meat and more sustainable animal husbandry could decrease emerging infectious disease risk and lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

Additionally, this leads us to the fact that pollution and climate change are also greatly affecting us during this pandemic. According to the School of Energy and Environment, University of Phayao

“Many studies have revealed that air pollution increases the COVID-19 mortality rate, whereas COVID-19 lockdown could reduce air pollution level at the same time. There is some evidence from recent studies revealing that increased risk of COVID-19 infection is associated with exposure to higher air pollutant levels including PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, SO2, and O3.”

With this in mind, we become more aware of how even the air we breathe affects our health and how this might affect the transmission of the virus. Another research by the Atmospheric Pollution and Climate Change Research Unit, School of Energy and Environment, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand, tells us how many of the underlying causes of climate change are also linked to an increase in pandemics through climate factors such as temperature, wind speed, and humidity.”

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COVID19, which began as a regional outbreak in China's Wuhan, has spread globally, infecting people from nearly every country. The survival and well-being of human civilizations are under jeopardy.  No country is receiving any significant relief or remedy as a result of the pandemic; instead, they are attempting to persuade their citizens to become more conscious of the situation and to take precautions by modifying their lifestyles.  As a result, this infographic aims to improve public knowledge about the threat, symptoms, and prevention of COVID-19.

[ajb-logs]

COVID19, which began as a regional outbreak in China's Wuhan, has spread globally, infecting people from nearly every country. The survival and well-being of human civilizations are under jeopardy.  No country is receiving any significant relief or remedy as a result of the pandemic; instead, they are attempting to persuade their citizens to become more conscious of the situation and to take precautions by modifying their lifestyles.  As a result, this infographic aims to improve public knowledge about the threat, symptoms, and prevention of COVID-19.

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What is common among swine flu, MERS, and SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19)?

They have almost the same symptoms like fever, chills, coughing

They are examples of coronaviruses ( any virus belonging to the family Coronaviridae)

Why and how do mutations happen?

A virus exists to replicate, evolve, and spread; and it does that by hijacking a cell’s reproductive system, to make copies of itself so it can spread to other cells, and on to other hosts

As it gets copied over and over again, sometimes there are mistakes (consider it as a typo)

It occurs when a DNA gene is damaged or changed in such a way as to alter the genetic message carried by that gene 

A Mutagen is an agent of substance that can bring about a permanent alteration to the physical composition of a DNA gene such that the genetic message is changed

Those changes are called mutations

How do mutations affect the virus? How can these mutations be tracked?

Some changes could make a virus better at jumping from one host to the next, helping it outcompete other variants in the area. This was what happened with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 that was first identified in the United Kingdom but has now spread to dozens of countries around the world. 

Scientists estimate the variant is roughly 50 percent more transmissible than past forms of the virus, giving it an evolutionary edge.

Mutations may happen randomly, but the rate at which they occur depends on the virus

For SARS-CoV-2, scientists estimate that one mutation becomes established in the population every 11 days or so (this process may not always happen at a steady pace)

Some scientists speculate that a chronically ill patient provided more opportunities for replication and mutation, and the use of therapies such as convalescent plasma may have pressured the virus to evolve

How do vaccines stand against these mutations?

Vaccines mimic the virus or bacteria that causes disease and triggers the body’s creation of antibodies.

These antibodies will provide protection once a person is infected with the actual disease-causing virus or bacteria

What does the video suggest we do against the mutations of the virus?

The video suggests that  we should maintain distance of at least one meter away from individual/s experiencing respiratory symptoms

To wear a mask in public, especially indoors or when physical distancing is not possible

To get vaccinated when it’s your turn

Stay at home and avoid any social gatherings

What does the video suggest about the end of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Although vaccines would slow down the spread of the virus there is no definite answer to when the virus would end

Scientists still need to research about the virus to create a vaccine effective enough to lessen the cases of COVID

This means that we need to wait and that the virus won’t immediately disappear once an effective vaccine is created

"The New COVID-19 Variants"

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"The New COVID-19 Variants"

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Feelings of Isolation During The Lockdown 🎆

The lockdown during the first few months of 2020 made us feel relieved--- it meant that the periodic exams would be rescheduled, and that classes would be suspended until further notice. As weeks went by, we all took our time to do the things that we love like playing online, reading books, watching series or movies recommended to us, and sleeping for more than 8 hours. Things we didn’t get to do during pre-pandemic times. Finally! We can rest... but days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and we’re still here-- stuck at home for more than a year. Some of our friends and family lost their jobs, and because of the lockdown and restrictions, we couldn’t easily go out with our friends like we used to.

Honestly, I can’t even remember what the mall looks like. I realized that we really took things for granted when COVID still wasn’t around. I miss all the walks from Intramuros to Masci, trips to Robinson’s without permission, eating street food, going to fast food chains just to use the bathroom or to sit and drink service water with my friends, wasting money on useless or random things. I miss the cold busy streets, filled with people who just got out of school or work, the sound of the train and the endless pushing once you get inside. I miss worrying and crying if I’m not yet home by 7 PM, because I know that my mom would scold me and say things I don’t want to hear. I miss the jeepney rides and falling down the stairs because I’m always in a hurry. I miss my friends and the life we had before. Sure it was physically draining, but it isn’t as mentally and emotionally draining as our life now.

We have to deal with sudden brownouts or blackouts, poor connection, lag, distractions at home, personal problems, burnouts, and lack of motivation. It’s like we’re alone, but not really-- because we know that we’re all struggling.  The feeling of loneliness is suffocating.

The phrase “we’re on the same boat” isn’t true. I remember this podcast, the host said that we’re not on the same boat, but we’re in the same ocean. I think what she said was pretty accurate. Privileged people get to ride yachts, ferries, and large ships... middle class people get to ride small boats or rafts... the marginalized can’t even stay afloat. What I’m trying to say is that we’re all struggling right now and that some of us are just trying to survive, but some are doing better than others, so we can’t really judge other people if they couldn’t get by.