Obamacare needs revision, not repealment
Published by Leea Ivanel on January 8, 2017 -- OPINION
“We are the only major country on Earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people as a right.”
These were the words of Senator Bernie Sanders, discussing the deplorable state of healthcare in America, a country who claims to be the leader of the world.
America’s healthcare system is broken. Not only does America pay higher prices for drugs than other developed countries, but it also spends more per person on healthcare than other high-income nations, while having the lowest life expectancy and some of the least successful treatments.
However, the biggest controversy as of late with the U.S.’s health issues is the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, passed on March 21, 2010.
The aim of Obamacare was to implement a universal healthcare system under which everyone would have insurance, regardless of financial situation or pre-existing conditions, such as cancer. It also extended Medicaid and Medicare, two national social insurance programs aiding the elderly and the poor.
The truth is, Obamacare was neither a picture-perfect fantasy, nor was it hell unleashed upon the Earth, as members of either the Democratic and Republican parties claimed.
Obamacare was a shaky, necessary first step in the right direction.
The Affordable Care Act achieved its goal of enrolling 289,900,000 U.S. citizens for insurance, while also allowing individuals with pre-existing conditions to get healthcare, something which was not possible before. It also placed mandates on the minimum amount of coverage insurances had to provide and removed insurance caps.
The Act also didn’t fix all of America’s problems — far from it. Under Obamacare the price of both drugs and insurance continued to rise, sometimes so high there was barely even a point in having insurance.
My uncle, for example, had insurance through Obamacare before he got stage four cancer and had to be hospitalized for a week. Despite having insurance he got bills worth hundreds of thousands of dollars simply for being hospitalized and thousands more for the emergency surgery, which were only partially covered by his insurance.
Now, unable to work due to his illness and with his wife in college, he’s left with unpayable expenses both from surgery and for the drugs which keep him alive, which again cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, even with insurance.
In short, while Obamacare did do some good things, it wasn’t exactly the savior of the healthcare system — there are many people and families whose needs are not yet being met.
Still, that does not mean that the Act should be repealed and replaced with a completely new plan, as President-elect Donald Trump proposed. While Trump promised healthcare for everyone, his outlining of how he will do this was vague at best, saying things such as, “lower numbers, much lower deductibles,” and, “It’ll be another plan. But they’ll [the people] be beautifully covered.”
Completely throwing away Obamacare, who took 14 months to pass, would be a huge step back for America — most likely one that would once again leave many without insurance and unable to get medical help.
These were the words of Senator Bernie Sanders, discussing the deplorable state of healthcare in America, a country who claims to be the leader of the world.
America’s healthcare system is broken. Not only does America pay higher prices for drugs than other developed countries, but it also spends more per person on healthcare than other high-income nations, while having the lowest life expectancy and some of the least successful treatments.
However, the biggest controversy as of late with the U.S.’s health issues is the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, passed on March 21, 2010.
The aim of Obamacare was to implement a universal healthcare system under which everyone would have insurance, regardless of financial situation or pre-existing conditions, such as cancer. It also extended Medicaid and Medicare, two national social insurance programs aiding the elderly and the poor.
The truth is, Obamacare was neither a picture-perfect fantasy, nor was it hell unleashed upon the Earth, as members of either the Democratic and Republican parties claimed.
Obamacare was a shaky, necessary first step in the right direction.
The Affordable Care Act achieved its goal of enrolling 289,900,000 U.S. citizens for insurance, while also allowing individuals with pre-existing conditions to get healthcare, something which was not possible before. It also placed mandates on the minimum amount of coverage insurances had to provide and removed insurance caps.
The Act also didn’t fix all of America’s problems — far from it. Under Obamacare the price of both drugs and insurance continued to rise, sometimes so high there was barely even a point in having insurance.
My uncle, for example, had insurance through Obamacare before he got stage four cancer and had to be hospitalized for a week. Despite having insurance he got bills worth hundreds of thousands of dollars simply for being hospitalized and thousands more for the emergency surgery, which were only partially covered by his insurance.
Now, unable to work due to his illness and with his wife in college, he’s left with unpayable expenses both from surgery and for the drugs which keep him alive, which again cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, even with insurance.
In short, while Obamacare did do some good things, it wasn’t exactly the savior of the healthcare system — there are many people and families whose needs are not yet being met.
Still, that does not mean that the Act should be repealed and replaced with a completely new plan, as President-elect Donald Trump proposed. While Trump promised healthcare for everyone, his outlining of how he will do this was vague at best, saying things such as, “lower numbers, much lower deductibles,” and, “It’ll be another plan. But they’ll [the people] be beautifully covered.”
Completely throwing away Obamacare, who took 14 months to pass, would be a huge step back for America — most likely one that would once again leave many without insurance and unable to get medical help.
Teachers teach more than just the curriculum
Published by Leea Ivanel on June 8, 2017 -- OPINION
As the end of my junior year draws near, there’s one thing that I keep thinking about: where would I be without my teachers?
When I entered high school, I expected to learn basic things, like what year the Civil War started or what a hyperbole was. I did not expect to learn how to be a better person, or how to cope with my anxiety, or how to stay alive, and I certainly didn’t expect any of my teachers to actually care about my existence.
Three years later, however, I’ve come to see that some teachers are a lot more than just “teachers.”
Instead of making it their main goal to teach us facts so we can pass the final or the AP test, their main goal is to teach us lessons that we will keep with us for the rest of our lives.
I’ve been blessed with at least one such teacher every year since I have come to Carlmont.
As a freshman, I was a foreign kid with little self-confidence — I had never considered advanced courses simply because I assumed I could never work at the same level as my American-born peers. I was prepared to spend the rest of my high school taking boring, regular-level classes because anything else would be considered unacceptable for someone like me.
That changed when I got Robert Colvig as my English teacher.
I honestly can’t say that I remember much of his class in terms of scholarly topics; I know we read Romeo and Juliet at one point and wrote poetry at the beginning of the year.
What I can say is that I would have never been in any advanced classes, much less journalism, if it were not for him. I would have continued to be just another lost, foreign kid in a world where no one cared.
He was the first teacher to ever take any sort of interest in me, and throughout the year he pushed me to improve and to have confidence in my writing and in myself. If it were not for his support I would be a much less determined, much more watered-down version of myself today, and I wouldn’t have achieved even half of what I have.
On top of that, Colvig was kind enough to deal with my endless anxiety and emotional issues, and I found his classroom to be a refuge and safe space from the world when I needed to be.
The next year I got Justin Raisner as my journalism teacher. While he started his class during my sophomore year with his motto, “You’re not special,” I’ve come to see value in Raisner’s style of teaching.
Because of him, I’ve learned that, yes, sometimes even your best might not be good enough, and that real life ruthlessly requires constant hard work and determination in order to succeed.
Still, it is my 10th-grade English teacher who has made the biggest impact on me and who I owe the most to.
Cynthia Faupusa‘s class is what you could call a non-conventional English class; we spent far more time discussing society and life than we ever did learning grammatical structures or bleeding texts dry for the sake of analysis.
I, however, learned more from her than I did from anyone else.
In the time that she was my teacher, and after that as well, Faupusa was always there for me, and I knew that she was someone I could always rely on. From letting me chill in her class after school, to dealing with my panic attacks at 10 p.m., to always being willing to listen without judging, but while giving me advice, she went above and beyond what is asked of any teacher.
Because of her, I am here today to write this article in the first place, and because of her and her help I went through probably the worst time of my life.
On top of that, she inspired me to go into social work in the future, as she showed me that sometimes just caring for someone and attempting to help them in the middle of their despair is more important than anything else.
So, to all students reading this, and especially any freshmen, don’t be afraid to get close to your teachers next year; they aren’t there just to give you homework or mark you late.
In my experience, most of Carlmont’s teachers are very kind people, and they really do care about their students when they say they do. It’s also good to have an adult that you feel safe with and can trust, and teachers are a great resource.
And to all teachers: it’s important to realize that you really can have a big impact on your students’ lives, from changing who they are to where they are going in life.
Because of that, you have one of the most important jobs in the world — one that has a high responsibility. What you do may be passing moments to you, but it could be life-turning events for one of your students.
And to all my teachers, from my bottom of my heart, thank you. I would not be who I am today without you.
When I entered high school, I expected to learn basic things, like what year the Civil War started or what a hyperbole was. I did not expect to learn how to be a better person, or how to cope with my anxiety, or how to stay alive, and I certainly didn’t expect any of my teachers to actually care about my existence.
Three years later, however, I’ve come to see that some teachers are a lot more than just “teachers.”
Instead of making it their main goal to teach us facts so we can pass the final or the AP test, their main goal is to teach us lessons that we will keep with us for the rest of our lives.
I’ve been blessed with at least one such teacher every year since I have come to Carlmont.
As a freshman, I was a foreign kid with little self-confidence — I had never considered advanced courses simply because I assumed I could never work at the same level as my American-born peers. I was prepared to spend the rest of my high school taking boring, regular-level classes because anything else would be considered unacceptable for someone like me.
That changed when I got Robert Colvig as my English teacher.
I honestly can’t say that I remember much of his class in terms of scholarly topics; I know we read Romeo and Juliet at one point and wrote poetry at the beginning of the year.
What I can say is that I would have never been in any advanced classes, much less journalism, if it were not for him. I would have continued to be just another lost, foreign kid in a world where no one cared.
He was the first teacher to ever take any sort of interest in me, and throughout the year he pushed me to improve and to have confidence in my writing and in myself. If it were not for his support I would be a much less determined, much more watered-down version of myself today, and I wouldn’t have achieved even half of what I have.
On top of that, Colvig was kind enough to deal with my endless anxiety and emotional issues, and I found his classroom to be a refuge and safe space from the world when I needed to be.
The next year I got Justin Raisner as my journalism teacher. While he started his class during my sophomore year with his motto, “You’re not special,” I’ve come to see value in Raisner’s style of teaching.
Because of him, I’ve learned that, yes, sometimes even your best might not be good enough, and that real life ruthlessly requires constant hard work and determination in order to succeed.
Still, it is my 10th-grade English teacher who has made the biggest impact on me and who I owe the most to.
Cynthia Faupusa‘s class is what you could call a non-conventional English class; we spent far more time discussing society and life than we ever did learning grammatical structures or bleeding texts dry for the sake of analysis.
I, however, learned more from her than I did from anyone else.
In the time that she was my teacher, and after that as well, Faupusa was always there for me, and I knew that she was someone I could always rely on. From letting me chill in her class after school, to dealing with my panic attacks at 10 p.m., to always being willing to listen without judging, but while giving me advice, she went above and beyond what is asked of any teacher.
Because of her, I am here today to write this article in the first place, and because of her and her help I went through probably the worst time of my life.
On top of that, she inspired me to go into social work in the future, as she showed me that sometimes just caring for someone and attempting to help them in the middle of their despair is more important than anything else.
So, to all students reading this, and especially any freshmen, don’t be afraid to get close to your teachers next year; they aren’t there just to give you homework or mark you late.
In my experience, most of Carlmont’s teachers are very kind people, and they really do care about their students when they say they do. It’s also good to have an adult that you feel safe with and can trust, and teachers are a great resource.
And to all teachers: it’s important to realize that you really can have a big impact on your students’ lives, from changing who they are to where they are going in life.
Because of that, you have one of the most important jobs in the world — one that has a high responsibility. What you do may be passing moments to you, but it could be life-turning events for one of your students.
And to all my teachers, from my bottom of my heart, thank you. I would not be who I am today without you.
Xenophobia is nothing new, but there is hope
Published by Leea Ivanel on February 22, 2017 -- OPINION
It seems like every day when I turn on the news Donald Trump’s administration is finding a new way to attack immigrants and minorities.
On Jan. 27, Trump signed an executive order banning Syrian refugees as well as travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, after advocating for a “complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S.”
Trump then spoke of displaying the names of “aliens” who committed crimes in sanctuary cities such as San Francisco on weekly public lists. Recently, leaks provided to the Associated Press suggest that the Trump administration may be considering sending as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up immigrants.
All of this is happening after Trump ran a campaign based on pure xenophobia and American exceptionalism, calling Mexicans job-stealing rapists and praising the 1950s Operation Wetback, a deportation law set in place by President Dwight D. Eisenhower which became a humanitarian crisis. Along with that, the President has also demanded “extreme vetting,” said mosques should be under surveillance, and even praised President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Japanese internment camps, one of the most outrageous displays of racism committed in modern American history.
As someone who is an immigrant, all of this sounds like a dystopian novel from hell coming to life before my very eyes. When I moved here from Romania six years ago, I was astonished to see the amount of inclusion and diversity that existed, and I became proud to call myself a citizen of America because I truly believed, and I still do, that this country is build on diversity and equality. How someone like Donald Trump can become president in the 21st century is not only sickening to me, but also terrifying.
Unfortunately though, this trend of nativism is nothing new. In fact, as I found out thanks to my AP U.S. History class, it is nothing more than history repeating itself.
Starting in 1820, the first wave of immigrants, mostly Irish and German people, began coming to America hoping to get a shot at the “American Dream,” as well as to flee starvation and religious persecution. They were greeted with great suspicion and contempt by Americans, who largely viewed them as Catholic, alcoholic outlanders.
This first wave was so hated that an entire political party was formed against them: the infamous Know-Nothing Party. Claiming that the immigrants were being controlled by the Pope and were personally planning the demise of America, the party aimed to “purify” society. Sounds familiar?
Later on, the second wave of immigrants came to a newly industrialized America in the 1870s, most from Italy, Eastern Europe, and Russia — traditionally poorer people and followers of either Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, or Catholicism. They didn’t get a warm welcome either, and were generally hired for the most dangerous jobs with the worst conditions and lowest pay, living in crowded parts of towns and, of course, being accused of “stealing jobs from Americans.”
The Chinese and Japanese immigrants were perhaps the worst off. While the Europeans were simply not the right kind of white or not the right branch of Christianity, people from Asian countries were perceived as complete outsiders. In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, prohibiting Chinese people from entering the U.S. and banning Chinese residents from citizenship.
These are all just a few examples, and yet they are enough to clearly show that American history follows an unfortunate pattern in which every couple of decades anti-immigrant feelings spark.
However, it is this bitter history that also gives me hope, because it shows that while xenophobia and nativism are not new, they are also not the norm.
Eventually, all of the immigrants which came to this country slowly redefined what it means to be “American.” It may have taken decades, but today being American is not defined by race, ethnicity, or religion, no matter what Trump may say — and that’s an important lesson to learn from all this.
The truth is that America would simply not be America without immigrants. Historically, our desire to better ourselves and our families and a strong belief in the “American Dream,” which keeps people immigrating here to this day, has driven this country forward. In fact, the U.S. wouldn’t even EXIST, much less prosper, if it were not for immigration.
Every time immigrants have been persecuted in America, it has been because the country forgot those facts, and we simply cannot let that happen again.
On Jan. 27, Trump signed an executive order banning Syrian refugees as well as travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, after advocating for a “complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S.”
Trump then spoke of displaying the names of “aliens” who committed crimes in sanctuary cities such as San Francisco on weekly public lists. Recently, leaks provided to the Associated Press suggest that the Trump administration may be considering sending as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up immigrants.
All of this is happening after Trump ran a campaign based on pure xenophobia and American exceptionalism, calling Mexicans job-stealing rapists and praising the 1950s Operation Wetback, a deportation law set in place by President Dwight D. Eisenhower which became a humanitarian crisis. Along with that, the President has also demanded “extreme vetting,” said mosques should be under surveillance, and even praised President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Japanese internment camps, one of the most outrageous displays of racism committed in modern American history.
As someone who is an immigrant, all of this sounds like a dystopian novel from hell coming to life before my very eyes. When I moved here from Romania six years ago, I was astonished to see the amount of inclusion and diversity that existed, and I became proud to call myself a citizen of America because I truly believed, and I still do, that this country is build on diversity and equality. How someone like Donald Trump can become president in the 21st century is not only sickening to me, but also terrifying.
Unfortunately though, this trend of nativism is nothing new. In fact, as I found out thanks to my AP U.S. History class, it is nothing more than history repeating itself.
Starting in 1820, the first wave of immigrants, mostly Irish and German people, began coming to America hoping to get a shot at the “American Dream,” as well as to flee starvation and religious persecution. They were greeted with great suspicion and contempt by Americans, who largely viewed them as Catholic, alcoholic outlanders.
This first wave was so hated that an entire political party was formed against them: the infamous Know-Nothing Party. Claiming that the immigrants were being controlled by the Pope and were personally planning the demise of America, the party aimed to “purify” society. Sounds familiar?
Later on, the second wave of immigrants came to a newly industrialized America in the 1870s, most from Italy, Eastern Europe, and Russia — traditionally poorer people and followers of either Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, or Catholicism. They didn’t get a warm welcome either, and were generally hired for the most dangerous jobs with the worst conditions and lowest pay, living in crowded parts of towns and, of course, being accused of “stealing jobs from Americans.”
The Chinese and Japanese immigrants were perhaps the worst off. While the Europeans were simply not the right kind of white or not the right branch of Christianity, people from Asian countries were perceived as complete outsiders. In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, prohibiting Chinese people from entering the U.S. and banning Chinese residents from citizenship.
These are all just a few examples, and yet they are enough to clearly show that American history follows an unfortunate pattern in which every couple of decades anti-immigrant feelings spark.
However, it is this bitter history that also gives me hope, because it shows that while xenophobia and nativism are not new, they are also not the norm.
Eventually, all of the immigrants which came to this country slowly redefined what it means to be “American.” It may have taken decades, but today being American is not defined by race, ethnicity, or religion, no matter what Trump may say — and that’s an important lesson to learn from all this.
The truth is that America would simply not be America without immigrants. Historically, our desire to better ourselves and our families and a strong belief in the “American Dream,” which keeps people immigrating here to this day, has driven this country forward. In fact, the U.S. wouldn’t even EXIST, much less prosper, if it were not for immigration.
Every time immigrants have been persecuted in America, it has been because the country forgot those facts, and we simply cannot let that happen again.
Abort Trump’s polices, not foreign aid
Published by Leea Ivanel on January 21. 2017-- OPINION
In the past week, President Trump has signed a flurry of vague, alarming executive orders turning back the clock on Obama’s eight years of work, from “lessening the burden of Obamacare” to removing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and to implementing a ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.
Amidst mass protests and public outcry, however, one act is being forgotten. Trump also signed an executive order bringing back the “Global Gag Rule,” a policy implemented under the Reagan administration in 2001, which states that the U.S. will not give foreign aid to any organization which provides or “promotes” abortions.
This policy is nothing but an attack on women from all over the world.
The reasoning behind this policy is the same as the reasoning behind the “defund Planned Parenthood” movement which Trump and his Vice President Mike Pence support — abortion is wrong under all circumstances, essentially sending the message that the government has more right over a woman’s body than she does.
What Trump fails to realize about Planned Parenthood is that it does much more than just provide safe abortions for women — it also offers cancer screening, STD testing and treatment, pregnancy tests, and parental services — and that defunding it will eliminate all of those benefits, not just the three percent of their services which do involve abortions; just as he fails to realize that no longer funding non-governmental organizations which “promote” abortion means no longer funding a lot more than just abortions.
An example of an organization which the U.S. will no longer be funding is the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), the world’s largest international source of population and reproductive health programs. Since they started working in 1969 the number of women dying from complications during pregnancy or childbirth has been cut down by half. Along with that, the UNPF also works in providing professional pregnancy care and stopping child marriages.
Trump, however, does not care about that. All he cares about is the fact that the UNPF performs safe and responsible abortions on women so that they will not have to harm themselves with unprofessional abortions or give birth to unwanted children in poverty. Apparently, to Trump saving the lives of women and making them more comfortable is not “pro-life,” but letting them be harmed and even die is.
To me, this new executive order is outrageous and it speaks to how women in the 21st century are still not considered equals to men, even in a country like America; we still aren’t seen as being smart enough to make choices about our own bodies.
And now, Trump wants to spread that message and its impact worldwide.
Despite nearly 5 million people marching all over the world in the Women’s March on Trump’s first day in office, it is clear that our rights are not a priority, and that our voices and needs are nothing more than background noise heard from his seat within the Oval Office.
Because of that, we cannot let this executive order be forgotten and lost in the sea of chaos that his other policies have caused. We cannot be silent simply because we know he will not listen. If anything, we will just have to raise our voices louder.
Amidst mass protests and public outcry, however, one act is being forgotten. Trump also signed an executive order bringing back the “Global Gag Rule,” a policy implemented under the Reagan administration in 2001, which states that the U.S. will not give foreign aid to any organization which provides or “promotes” abortions.
This policy is nothing but an attack on women from all over the world.
The reasoning behind this policy is the same as the reasoning behind the “defund Planned Parenthood” movement which Trump and his Vice President Mike Pence support — abortion is wrong under all circumstances, essentially sending the message that the government has more right over a woman’s body than she does.
What Trump fails to realize about Planned Parenthood is that it does much more than just provide safe abortions for women — it also offers cancer screening, STD testing and treatment, pregnancy tests, and parental services — and that defunding it will eliminate all of those benefits, not just the three percent of their services which do involve abortions; just as he fails to realize that no longer funding non-governmental organizations which “promote” abortion means no longer funding a lot more than just abortions.
An example of an organization which the U.S. will no longer be funding is the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), the world’s largest international source of population and reproductive health programs. Since they started working in 1969 the number of women dying from complications during pregnancy or childbirth has been cut down by half. Along with that, the UNPF also works in providing professional pregnancy care and stopping child marriages.
Trump, however, does not care about that. All he cares about is the fact that the UNPF performs safe and responsible abortions on women so that they will not have to harm themselves with unprofessional abortions or give birth to unwanted children in poverty. Apparently, to Trump saving the lives of women and making them more comfortable is not “pro-life,” but letting them be harmed and even die is.
To me, this new executive order is outrageous and it speaks to how women in the 21st century are still not considered equals to men, even in a country like America; we still aren’t seen as being smart enough to make choices about our own bodies.
And now, Trump wants to spread that message and its impact worldwide.
Despite nearly 5 million people marching all over the world in the Women’s March on Trump’s first day in office, it is clear that our rights are not a priority, and that our voices and needs are nothing more than background noise heard from his seat within the Oval Office.
Because of that, we cannot let this executive order be forgotten and lost in the sea of chaos that his other policies have caused. We cannot be silent simply because we know he will not listen. If anything, we will just have to raise our voices louder.
Stop feeling guilty for being happy
Published by Leea Ivanel on February 27. 2017 -- OPINION
As I laid down with my friend on the field of our elementary school reminiscing about happier times, both of us couldn’t help but feel a sense of anxiety.
Not because we weren’t having a great time feeling like kids again — because we were — but because we couldn’t stop thinking about how we could be doing something more “productive,” like SAT practice or getting ahead in homework.
The truth is, this sort of mentality is one of the reasons why so many adolescents go through episodes of depression and anxiety in high school — we essentially do not allow ourselves to be happy anymore. We feel guilty for having a great time.
My mother occasionally tells me stories about her life in high school. Despite going to one of Romania’s most prestigious IT schools, she says her high school years were the best of her youth — she hung out with friends, learned how to dance, and traveled the country, all while being able to work hard in school. Many other parents tell similar stories, and to most teenagers, their stories sound like unrealistic fantasies.
Now, it’s completely understandable as to why our generation tends to live in a perpetual state of anxiety. In fact, our generation’s anxiety levels are reported as being higher than those of mental hospital patients in the 1950s, a statistic that I have brought up in previous articles due to its importance. We live in a very competitive environment, to the point where many of us put education and grades even before our health.
I personally get around four to five hours of sleep a night, don’t bother eating in the morning, and am generally tired enough to forget which way is left and which way is right. While that is partially due to my procrastination, it’s also due to the ridiculous amount of work that comes from maintaining high A’s in seven classes.
Because I have so much work, I tend to procrastinate in an attempt to get free time, but because I’m procrastinating, I can’t even enjoy not doing my work. Essentially, it’s an endless cycle in which I end up hurting both my grades and my mental and physical health, and many students are caught up in the same loop.
What’s worse though, is when spending regular free time (not procrastination “free time”) starts to give us anxiety.
Hanging out with friends when we are not neglecting our responsibilities should not make us feel guilty. Playing video games for two hours when our room is clean and our grades are stable should not make us feel guilty. Having fun and doing what people our age should be doing, living and discovering life, should not make us feel guilty.
Ultimately, we can go on and blame the society we live in for putting so much pressure on college and being the very best we could be. Still, in the end it is our responsibility to realize that it is okay to have fun. While we could theoretically spend every minute of the day studying and becoming “star students,” it might not be the best thing to do.
While education and effort are undoubtedly important, being able to relax, spend time with friends, and enjoy life is also important, and it is our responsibility to rid ourselves of the self-inflicted guilt that comes along with that.
Not because we weren’t having a great time feeling like kids again — because we were — but because we couldn’t stop thinking about how we could be doing something more “productive,” like SAT practice or getting ahead in homework.
The truth is, this sort of mentality is one of the reasons why so many adolescents go through episodes of depression and anxiety in high school — we essentially do not allow ourselves to be happy anymore. We feel guilty for having a great time.
My mother occasionally tells me stories about her life in high school. Despite going to one of Romania’s most prestigious IT schools, she says her high school years were the best of her youth — she hung out with friends, learned how to dance, and traveled the country, all while being able to work hard in school. Many other parents tell similar stories, and to most teenagers, their stories sound like unrealistic fantasies.
Now, it’s completely understandable as to why our generation tends to live in a perpetual state of anxiety. In fact, our generation’s anxiety levels are reported as being higher than those of mental hospital patients in the 1950s, a statistic that I have brought up in previous articles due to its importance. We live in a very competitive environment, to the point where many of us put education and grades even before our health.
I personally get around four to five hours of sleep a night, don’t bother eating in the morning, and am generally tired enough to forget which way is left and which way is right. While that is partially due to my procrastination, it’s also due to the ridiculous amount of work that comes from maintaining high A’s in seven classes.
Because I have so much work, I tend to procrastinate in an attempt to get free time, but because I’m procrastinating, I can’t even enjoy not doing my work. Essentially, it’s an endless cycle in which I end up hurting both my grades and my mental and physical health, and many students are caught up in the same loop.
What’s worse though, is when spending regular free time (not procrastination “free time”) starts to give us anxiety.
Hanging out with friends when we are not neglecting our responsibilities should not make us feel guilty. Playing video games for two hours when our room is clean and our grades are stable should not make us feel guilty. Having fun and doing what people our age should be doing, living and discovering life, should not make us feel guilty.
Ultimately, we can go on and blame the society we live in for putting so much pressure on college and being the very best we could be. Still, in the end it is our responsibility to realize that it is okay to have fun. While we could theoretically spend every minute of the day studying and becoming “star students,” it might not be the best thing to do.
While education and effort are undoubtedly important, being able to relax, spend time with friends, and enjoy life is also important, and it is our responsibility to rid ourselves of the self-inflicted guilt that comes along with that.
North Dakota oil spill shows Trump’s incompetence
Published by Leea Ivanel on April 20, 2017 -- OPINION
On December 2016, there was an oil spill in North Dakota, and almost no one cared.
The pipeline which caused the spill, owned by True Companies, was originally thought to have released only 4,200 barrels of oil into the state’s water supply. However, recent reports show that the spill is actually three times bigger than originally thought, spilling around 12,615 barrels of crude oil into North Dakota’s water supply.
This new estimate could make this the biggest oil spill in the state’s history.
This news comes at a time when, only months ago on Jan. 24, Donald Trump signed an executive order to approve the construction of the North Dakota Access Pipeline and forced protesters camped out on the site to be removed. According to Trump and those who supported the project, “pipelines are safe.”
Clearly, they are not.
The spill needs to serve not only as a reminder that the fight against pipelines isn’t over but as a reminder that our current president is incompetent and refuses to listen to expert opinions.
America has had presidents in the past who promised big changes but had no clear solutions, such as Franklin Roosevelt, who had the tremendous task of saving America from the Great Depression. The difference, however, is that Roosevelt relied heavily on expert advice and was able to rebuild this country, while Trump relies on his own uneducated opinions and appoints dubious members as his advisors.
While many people know of Betsy DeVos and Steve Bannon, two of his most controversial picks, Trump’s environmental advisors are not any better. Myron Ebell, the man who leads the transition of the Environmental Protection Agency under the new presidency, is a known climate change denier, believing climate change to be a “myth” and defending the use of fossil fuels. Kevin Cramer, Trump’s Energy Advisor, calls himself a “climate skeptic.”
As Trump surrounds himself with people who only reflect his own opinions on the environment and refuses to listen to the majority of the scientific community, which says that climate change is not only real but a severe concern, it becomes clear that Trump wishes to continue being incompetent on such issues.
It’s thus no surprise that he has already taken the first steps to moving the United States away from being eco-friendly, as he has already signed an executive order lessening the federal government’s enforcement of climate regulations and declared an end to the “War on Coal.”
Still, it’s not as if all hope is lost. While America might pull away from environmental regulations for the next four to eight years, other countries around the world will continue to battle climate change. There are also things that each individual can do to help lessen the destruction of the environment, such as buying electric cars and recycling.
As long as the people of America do not forget that while the president may be incompetent, they do not need to be too. There is still hope.
The pipeline which caused the spill, owned by True Companies, was originally thought to have released only 4,200 barrels of oil into the state’s water supply. However, recent reports show that the spill is actually three times bigger than originally thought, spilling around 12,615 barrels of crude oil into North Dakota’s water supply.
This new estimate could make this the biggest oil spill in the state’s history.
This news comes at a time when, only months ago on Jan. 24, Donald Trump signed an executive order to approve the construction of the North Dakota Access Pipeline and forced protesters camped out on the site to be removed. According to Trump and those who supported the project, “pipelines are safe.”
Clearly, they are not.
The spill needs to serve not only as a reminder that the fight against pipelines isn’t over but as a reminder that our current president is incompetent and refuses to listen to expert opinions.
America has had presidents in the past who promised big changes but had no clear solutions, such as Franklin Roosevelt, who had the tremendous task of saving America from the Great Depression. The difference, however, is that Roosevelt relied heavily on expert advice and was able to rebuild this country, while Trump relies on his own uneducated opinions and appoints dubious members as his advisors.
While many people know of Betsy DeVos and Steve Bannon, two of his most controversial picks, Trump’s environmental advisors are not any better. Myron Ebell, the man who leads the transition of the Environmental Protection Agency under the new presidency, is a known climate change denier, believing climate change to be a “myth” and defending the use of fossil fuels. Kevin Cramer, Trump’s Energy Advisor, calls himself a “climate skeptic.”
As Trump surrounds himself with people who only reflect his own opinions on the environment and refuses to listen to the majority of the scientific community, which says that climate change is not only real but a severe concern, it becomes clear that Trump wishes to continue being incompetent on such issues.
It’s thus no surprise that he has already taken the first steps to moving the United States away from being eco-friendly, as he has already signed an executive order lessening the federal government’s enforcement of climate regulations and declared an end to the “War on Coal.”
Still, it’s not as if all hope is lost. While America might pull away from environmental regulations for the next four to eight years, other countries around the world will continue to battle climate change. There are also things that each individual can do to help lessen the destruction of the environment, such as buying electric cars and recycling.
As long as the people of America do not forget that while the president may be incompetent, they do not need to be too. There is still hope.
Choosing school over health should not be glorified
Published by Leea Ivanel on June 8, 2017 -- OPINION
“I got five hours of sleep last night.”
“Well, I got only three because I had a math test.”
“Guys, I didn’t even get that much sleep combined in this past week. Y’all are weak.”
Somehow, being a sleep-deprived zombie has become a bragging right on high school campuses across America, and it has to stop.
Over the three years I’ve been at Carlmont I have noticed that with each passing year we have an increasing tendency to get involved in conversations like the one above and brag about how little sleep we get due to schoolwork. I would know since I’m guilty of doing this myself.
We have to realize, though, that these conversations shouldn’t be as common as they are, not only because we shouldn’t be lacking this much sleep at our age, which can lead to several issues such as an increase in mental illness and obesity, but because they’re just messed up.
Somewhere along the line we took the “sleep is for the weak” meme and turned it into reality. Today we use these conversations to establish a weird, fake, placebo dominance over each other based on the extremes we’re willing to push our bodies to. It’s essentially the Hunger Games, but with less blood and more red eyes and future medical bills.
If there was a student who could go a month without sleeping at Carlmont, they would be the sovereign of the whole school.
Apart from that, we have to realize that causing ourselves to be constantly sleep deprived, even if it for the sake of school, is after a while a form of self-harm and we should not be encouraging it. Being willing to sacrifice a day or two here and there to save a grade can be considered an admirable effort, but living two or more years on an average of three hours of sleep a night, as I have been doing, is nothing but ridiculous.
We, and society, need to stop glorifying the ways in which we sacrifice our health, and we also need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves.
Today, and especially at our school, we live in a culture where nothing is ever good enough as most of us are constantly pushing for perfection. While that is good, perfection in the grade book is not worth a life of medical issues due to us ruining our bodies during adolescence.
Thus, we need to learn to set limits for ourselves and understand that sometimes getting an unpleasant grade is worth a good night’s rest.
“Well, I got only three because I had a math test.”
“Guys, I didn’t even get that much sleep combined in this past week. Y’all are weak.”
Somehow, being a sleep-deprived zombie has become a bragging right on high school campuses across America, and it has to stop.
Over the three years I’ve been at Carlmont I have noticed that with each passing year we have an increasing tendency to get involved in conversations like the one above and brag about how little sleep we get due to schoolwork. I would know since I’m guilty of doing this myself.
We have to realize, though, that these conversations shouldn’t be as common as they are, not only because we shouldn’t be lacking this much sleep at our age, which can lead to several issues such as an increase in mental illness and obesity, but because they’re just messed up.
Somewhere along the line we took the “sleep is for the weak” meme and turned it into reality. Today we use these conversations to establish a weird, fake, placebo dominance over each other based on the extremes we’re willing to push our bodies to. It’s essentially the Hunger Games, but with less blood and more red eyes and future medical bills.
If there was a student who could go a month without sleeping at Carlmont, they would be the sovereign of the whole school.
Apart from that, we have to realize that causing ourselves to be constantly sleep deprived, even if it for the sake of school, is after a while a form of self-harm and we should not be encouraging it. Being willing to sacrifice a day or two here and there to save a grade can be considered an admirable effort, but living two or more years on an average of three hours of sleep a night, as I have been doing, is nothing but ridiculous.
We, and society, need to stop glorifying the ways in which we sacrifice our health, and we also need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves.
Today, and especially at our school, we live in a culture where nothing is ever good enough as most of us are constantly pushing for perfection. While that is good, perfection in the grade book is not worth a life of medical issues due to us ruining our bodies during adolescence.
Thus, we need to learn to set limits for ourselves and understand that sometimes getting an unpleasant grade is worth a good night’s rest.
YouTube is more than just cheap entertainment
Published by Leea Ivanel on February 21, 2017 -- OPINION
After being awake since 4 a.m., going through six hours of school, and doing homework till 10 p.m., there’s not much else I want to do at the end of the day apart from curl up with a blanket and watch YouTube.
Still, there are people who don’t quite understand this because YouTube is a relatively new entertainment platform with a different feeling than traditional TV.
It’s YouTube’s uniqueness that makes it special, however.
Unlike TV, where content making is restricted to a few professional news anchors and comedians, anyone can share essentially any video they want on YouTube, leading to an astonishing 300 hours of video being uploaded every minute.
This mass creation of content has made the platform one of the most diverse places on the internet, with a little something for anyone to watch. In the mood for something educational? Watch Ted-Talks or VICE documentaries, or perhaps spend three hours learning about linguistics. Want something funny? Watch Jenna Marbles make her dog fly using 72 balloons or Shane Dawson’s “dumb life hack” videos. Feeling sad? There’s always an unlimited supply of “dog and elephant are best friends” clips which will melt your heart. No matter what someone is looking for, YouTube has got them covered.
However, YouTube is more than just entertainment — after a while, it becomes a routine. No matter how bad things go at school or how frustrated I am, I can always just turn on YouTube and relax for half an hour while watching the new uploads of my favorite YouTubers, setting a pattern of comfortable familiarity.
It’s YouTube’s content creators that make YouTube so special. Unlike TV stars, most YouTubers aren’t tied to big companies or contract deals; they are simply people sitting on their couches and coming up with creative ideas.
I started watching PewDiePie when he had only 3 million subscribers, and now he has 53 million. I remember the days when Jenna Marbles’ videos looked like they were shot with a potato and she uploaded only rants and drunk makeup tutorials. Dan and Phil used to be two awkward friends who met online, with Dan dropping out of university and not really knowing what to do with his life, and now they have published two books and traveled the world together.
Getting the opportunity to see these people grow and find themselves over the years, through good and bad times, has been a truly inspirational experience for many people, including me. Many of these YouTubers have taught us that a positive outlook, the ability to laugh at everything, and simply being yourself can get us all through a lot.
Most amazingly though, YouTube has brought people together from all over the world, all able to laugh at the same jokes, get scared at the same video game jump scare, and cry at the same sad ending — and that wouldn’t have been possible without YouTube’s existence.
For that, YouTube is a lot more than just another platform for cheap entertainment.
Still, there are people who don’t quite understand this because YouTube is a relatively new entertainment platform with a different feeling than traditional TV.
It’s YouTube’s uniqueness that makes it special, however.
Unlike TV, where content making is restricted to a few professional news anchors and comedians, anyone can share essentially any video they want on YouTube, leading to an astonishing 300 hours of video being uploaded every minute.
This mass creation of content has made the platform one of the most diverse places on the internet, with a little something for anyone to watch. In the mood for something educational? Watch Ted-Talks or VICE documentaries, or perhaps spend three hours learning about linguistics. Want something funny? Watch Jenna Marbles make her dog fly using 72 balloons or Shane Dawson’s “dumb life hack” videos. Feeling sad? There’s always an unlimited supply of “dog and elephant are best friends” clips which will melt your heart. No matter what someone is looking for, YouTube has got them covered.
However, YouTube is more than just entertainment — after a while, it becomes a routine. No matter how bad things go at school or how frustrated I am, I can always just turn on YouTube and relax for half an hour while watching the new uploads of my favorite YouTubers, setting a pattern of comfortable familiarity.
It’s YouTube’s content creators that make YouTube so special. Unlike TV stars, most YouTubers aren’t tied to big companies or contract deals; they are simply people sitting on their couches and coming up with creative ideas.
I started watching PewDiePie when he had only 3 million subscribers, and now he has 53 million. I remember the days when Jenna Marbles’ videos looked like they were shot with a potato and she uploaded only rants and drunk makeup tutorials. Dan and Phil used to be two awkward friends who met online, with Dan dropping out of university and not really knowing what to do with his life, and now they have published two books and traveled the world together.
Getting the opportunity to see these people grow and find themselves over the years, through good and bad times, has been a truly inspirational experience for many people, including me. Many of these YouTubers have taught us that a positive outlook, the ability to laugh at everything, and simply being yourself can get us all through a lot.
Most amazingly though, YouTube has brought people together from all over the world, all able to laugh at the same jokes, get scared at the same video game jump scare, and cry at the same sad ending — and that wouldn’t have been possible without YouTube’s existence.
For that, YouTube is a lot more than just another platform for cheap entertainment.