It's hard to know what to say sometimes.
A week ago, the world played witness to a terrible tragedy as ISIS carried out a coordinated terrorist attack in several locations in Paris- a soccer game, cafés, a concert. No need to summarize, everyone knows what happened.
I was at my aunt and uncles after a long week at work, and took a nap. I woke up, opened twitter on my phone, and saw all kinds of news stations posting about a terror attack in Paris. It was oddly reminiscent of this past January, when I was in Guatemala with my dad, and we got to the hotel after a long day only to learn about the Charlie Hebdo attack. I scrolled down through my twitter feed, moving back in time, essentially recounting what was happening in a backwards fashion. Within an hour, my Facebook feed was full of posts, hashtags, and profile pictures overlaid with the French flag. It was a larger show of sympathy on Facebook than for any event I've experienced.
The next few days I checked in on the events frequently. It brought me back to the Boston Marathon bombing- the chaos in the beginning, then the realization of what had happened, and the "retaliation." It did seem from pretty early on that it had been the doing of ISIS, and already, the #1 mastermind behind the attack has been compromised. I'm sure for a lot of people, the attacks are now filed away in "past happenings". But even though it's been a week now, the acts of terror are still present on my mind. Cedric, a close friend I met in Nepal, lives in Paris and I wrote to him yesterday, He said every day he has to walk by one of the attacked cafés. I can't even imagine how that must feel.
I'm not here to write out against ISIS. When they were teeny tiny, I had an idea that we should give them the benefit of the doubt- maybe they would lead to positive change in the turbulent middle east. However, that inking of an idea left me long ago as I read about their transgressions- destroying historical sites, massacring people... so many bad things. Anybody who is on a different page than me, who thinks that ISIS has good intentions in mind, please tell me why. I can't understand how their support grows. Thankfully, I think most people feel like I do. I'm also not going to write that the US needs to send troops into Syria. I don't know what's going on there, and I don't claim to be a IR mastermind. I don't know how to proceed, so I won't pretend I do.
What I do want to reflect on is the social media reaction that occurred in the past week, following the initial sympathy.
For some reason, within a few days of the attack, people were complaining about how people reacted on social media. They said our attention was improperly aimed. They talked about a bombing in Beirut a day before that got no attention. They complained that people only thought about others living in high-income countries instead of those living in desolation- those who we need to worry about. To them, I say "shut up, stop complaining." Yes, the people of Lebanon undoubtedly suffer far more than citizens of Paris. They endure far more; it's a different order of magnitude. But that all being said, I do believe that people should a) not tell people what to post on Facebook and b) Be respectful of all of the suffering of people affected by the tragedy.
I'm not saying we should only focus on tragedies in high-income countries. I'm also not saying we should never post about any tragedies, or post about all tragedies. Honestly, posting things on Facebook have such minimal influence on anything, that I kind of feel foolish writing this post. But it makes me sad that people are attacking posts which show unification and sympathy to those affected. Our posts weren't discounting the tragedy of Beirut, but could you imagine what the FB feed would look like if every time anything bad happened people posted? Our news feeds would be saturated with depressing news. And we have normal news stations that.
More than anything else, our reaction was a showing of solidarity, of unity, of humanity. Why take that away from us? The terror attacks shocked us, showing us that even when we think we're safe, doing fun things, there can always be surprises. To me, the outpouring of sympathy was incredible, and showed everyone that we are strong together.
I just wanted to finish with a few links to some powerful things I've read. Change may not happen from us sitting on our computers, reading, but it can change how we think, and that can lead to tangible impact down the road.
From Molly, a friend, a great piece she wrote on her blog:
https://mollyrothschild.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/frustration/
From the Dalai Lama- though I agree that prayers won't lead to tangible change and humans need to act, I do see the symbolism of prayer and think it's important in bringing people together:
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/dalai-lama-stop-praying-for-paris-humans-created-this-problem-and-humans-must-solve-it/#.VkulY6jtRgY.facebook
And some information on ISIS, for those who don't know a lot about it:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/isis-wants-us-to-invade-7-facts-revealed-by-their-magazine/
#PrayforParis
#PrayforBeirut
#PrayforMali
#PrayforHumanity
#PrayforPlanetEarth
Friday, November 20, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
so what will I be doing?
"I guess today marks the first day of the rest of my life.
I woke up at 6:27, three minutes before my alarm went off. I lay in bed for several minutes, before realizing that I was already falling behind schedule. Got up, showered, shaved, got all dressed up, and off I went. To Harvard square on the red line, and then to Mt. Auburn Hospital on foot.
I think it hit me when I walked into the hospital. The smell of hospital filled my nose- antiseptic, disinfectant. I've spent a decent amount of time in hospitals, luckily almost all as a volunteer not a patient, "
I wrote this a month ago today, on my first day at Mt. Auburn. The past month has been so hectic that I haven't even completed this post, but I think the one month mark is symbolic and thus works well as a check-in point.
So let me pick up where I left off, with a major correction. I am not really working in a hospital. I have a non-clinical job. In fact, my office is not at the hospital but in fact at a leased out space around a mile away.
I'm an Epic Analyst. Epic is an electronic health record system, widely used in the US. I'll be working on ASAP, the Emergency Department app, which is awesome because I love the ER.
Right now, Mt. Auburn Hospital has a ton of unconnected health record systems, which means lots of delays as doctors wait for patient records and papers to be filed. In 18 months, we have the go-live with epic. Target date is May 2017. It's a long time from now, but there's a lot to do. In essence, I have to (be a part of a team which will) design the ASAP interface, decide what different users have access to, set workflows, etc. When the go-live dust has settled, almost every department in Mt. Auburn hospital (and the associated physician network) will have epic software, leading to much more streamlined care.
I'm in Wisconsin right now, on trip 2 of 3, where I actually learn the system. And I have to get certified before February, because that's when we really get started. But I already passed the test and project for class #1.
It's an awesome job. Very conceptual in nature but leads to a physical project in the end. It's a huge project- the hospital is sinking upwards of $100 million into the implementation, and with great power comes great responsibility. I may be a cog in the wheel of implementation, but I'm still very excited.
More to come.
I woke up at 6:27, three minutes before my alarm went off. I lay in bed for several minutes, before realizing that I was already falling behind schedule. Got up, showered, shaved, got all dressed up, and off I went. To Harvard square on the red line, and then to Mt. Auburn Hospital on foot.
I think it hit me when I walked into the hospital. The smell of hospital filled my nose- antiseptic, disinfectant. I've spent a decent amount of time in hospitals, luckily almost all as a volunteer not a patient, "
I wrote this a month ago today, on my first day at Mt. Auburn. The past month has been so hectic that I haven't even completed this post, but I think the one month mark is symbolic and thus works well as a check-in point.
So let me pick up where I left off, with a major correction. I am not really working in a hospital. I have a non-clinical job. In fact, my office is not at the hospital but in fact at a leased out space around a mile away.
I'm an Epic Analyst. Epic is an electronic health record system, widely used in the US. I'll be working on ASAP, the Emergency Department app, which is awesome because I love the ER.
Right now, Mt. Auburn Hospital has a ton of unconnected health record systems, which means lots of delays as doctors wait for patient records and papers to be filed. In 18 months, we have the go-live with epic. Target date is May 2017. It's a long time from now, but there's a lot to do. In essence, I have to (be a part of a team which will) design the ASAP interface, decide what different users have access to, set workflows, etc. When the go-live dust has settled, almost every department in Mt. Auburn hospital (and the associated physician network) will have epic software, leading to much more streamlined care.
I'm in Wisconsin right now, on trip 2 of 3, where I actually learn the system. And I have to get certified before February, because that's when we really get started. But I already passed the test and project for class #1.
It's an awesome job. Very conceptual in nature but leads to a physical project in the end. It's a huge project- the hospital is sinking upwards of $100 million into the implementation, and with great power comes great responsibility. I may be a cog in the wheel of implementation, but I'm still very excited.
More to come.
share me!
Blogspot is pretty cool in that I can see how many people are reading my posts. It was definitely a lot more when I was in Nepal, but that makes sense. I was doing awesome stuff there, now I'm just another young professional, doing my job.
But still, there are a lot of people who do read this blog. Its usually a)on weekends and b) when there's some facebook action going on. I only posted about this blog on Facebook once, but occasionally somebody likes my post, or comments on it, and when that happens there's a spike in viewership.
Anyways, I'm probably not going to keep updating this blog much if I don't get viewership. It's fun to write and all, but I don't like talking to walls. If you like my posts, share me on FB! If my posts make you laugh, share me on FB! If you think my posts lead you to deep thought and self reflection, share me on FB! People make such a big deal about every little thing they do on Facebook, but it's as easy as clicking a button. Isn't it worth it, if you show a single person this blog, and they really enjoy it?
And if you go to my FB and share it from that original FB post, who knows, maybe you'll be the person who set off the most massive Facebook trend ever! What is there to lose?
But still, there are a lot of people who do read this blog. Its usually a)on weekends and b) when there's some facebook action going on. I only posted about this blog on Facebook once, but occasionally somebody likes my post, or comments on it, and when that happens there's a spike in viewership.
Anyways, I'm probably not going to keep updating this blog much if I don't get viewership. It's fun to write and all, but I don't like talking to walls. If you like my posts, share me on FB! If my posts make you laugh, share me on FB! If you think my posts lead you to deep thought and self reflection, share me on FB! People make such a big deal about every little thing they do on Facebook, but it's as easy as clicking a button. Isn't it worth it, if you show a single person this blog, and they really enjoy it?
And if you go to my FB and share it from that original FB post, who knows, maybe you'll be the person who set off the most massive Facebook trend ever! What is there to lose?
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
free money!
(for me)
But actually. It's not that I NEED the money, but free money is always nice, and it's even better when it's free for me and good for you.
Want a job? Already have a job but want another one on the side? Sign up for Varsity Tutors! It's easy to get a job (if you are at all a competent teacher), it pays amazing ($20+/hr from the beginning) and you get to be a tutor (online or in person)- it's even a good deed! And best of all, if you use this link : https://www.varsitytutors.com/tutoring-jobs?r=2zEUCg then I get $100! then you can refer people and get $$$ too (and of course tutor people). The job can be busy if you want it, but I've literally tutored three people in the past 18 months, and not only do they not care that I don't tutor, but they make it super easy for me to start tutoring again. Sign up, how can it hurt?
Want to buy some stock? Use Robinhood! It's an app which lets you buy and sell stocks with no trading free, that's right, $00.00! And sign up at the link : http://join.robinhood.com/yanivr so we each get a free share of stock!
Sign up for the dollar shave club! It's cheap, makes your life easier, and is also quite entertaining. And the razors are superb, if I may say so myself. And they have hilarious weekly "bathroom reading" notes they send out. And they have all kinds of other bathroom fun stuff as well. Use this promo URL: http://shaved.by/cVaIu and I get $5 off next time I get my razors shipped to me! That's a free month of Razors! Wowzers! Don't get so excited that you forget to use my promo URL though...
That is all. I'm no salesman, I'm just trying to make everyone a little better off.
But actually. It's not that I NEED the money, but free money is always nice, and it's even better when it's free for me and good for you.
Want a job? Already have a job but want another one on the side? Sign up for Varsity Tutors! It's easy to get a job (if you are at all a competent teacher), it pays amazing ($20+/hr from the beginning) and you get to be a tutor (online or in person)- it's even a good deed! And best of all, if you use this link : https://www.varsitytutors.com/tutoring-jobs?r=2zEUCg then I get $100! then you can refer people and get $$$ too (and of course tutor people). The job can be busy if you want it, but I've literally tutored three people in the past 18 months, and not only do they not care that I don't tutor, but they make it super easy for me to start tutoring again. Sign up, how can it hurt?
Want to buy some stock? Use Robinhood! It's an app which lets you buy and sell stocks with no trading free, that's right, $00.00! And sign up at the link : http://join.robinhood.com/yanivr so we each get a free share of stock!
Sign up for the dollar shave club! It's cheap, makes your life easier, and is also quite entertaining. And the razors are superb, if I may say so myself. And they have hilarious weekly "bathroom reading" notes they send out. And they have all kinds of other bathroom fun stuff as well. Use this promo URL: http://shaved.by/cVaIu and I get $5 off next time I get my razors shipped to me! That's a free month of Razors! Wowzers! Don't get so excited that you forget to use my promo URL though...
That is all. I'm no salesman, I'm just trying to make everyone a little better off.
Monday, November 9, 2015
entertainment
Books, movies, TV shows.
Three entirely separate categories, yet three things so similar. They are all works of art which, in exchange for our time, give us endless pleasure.
The same can be said of museum exhibits, video games, music, and many other things.
Each form of entertainment has its own audience, a group of people who lets their entertainment form(s) define their life, to a certain degree. These entertainments distract us from our daily activities and enjoy the stimulation provided. People routinely set time aside for consuming these forms of entertainment.
But what do we gain from these sources of entertainment? Not much, really. They lead to very little tangible gain. It's important to stretch your horizons, but is it really worth it to watch every episode of Friends? Probably not. We spend countless hours, days, years of our lives talking about the latest episode of Game of Thrones and the newest Star Wars, playing FIFA and finding new music. I think that we use entertainment as a way to connect with the people around you. But it doesn't really seem like the most effective use of our time.
I'm not hating on entertainment at all. I love it. Even this blog is entertainment (I hope). I'm certainly not arguing against entertainment.
Three entirely separate categories, yet three things so similar. They are all works of art which, in exchange for our time, give us endless pleasure.
The same can be said of museum exhibits, video games, music, and many other things.
Each form of entertainment has its own audience, a group of people who lets their entertainment form(s) define their life, to a certain degree. These entertainments distract us from our daily activities and enjoy the stimulation provided. People routinely set time aside for consuming these forms of entertainment.
But what do we gain from these sources of entertainment? Not much, really. They lead to very little tangible gain. It's important to stretch your horizons, but is it really worth it to watch every episode of Friends? Probably not. We spend countless hours, days, years of our lives talking about the latest episode of Game of Thrones and the newest Star Wars, playing FIFA and finding new music. I think that we use entertainment as a way to connect with the people around you. But it doesn't really seem like the most effective use of our time.
I'm not hating on entertainment at all. I love it. Even this blog is entertainment (I hope). I'm certainly not arguing against entertainment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)