Monthly Archives: July 2021

In movies, we often see “technological experts” writing or analyzing complex lines of code. All we know is that they look cool, but what exactly are they doing? Coding refers to designing and building computer programs, using programming languages, in order to instruct computers to carry certain actions. Computing is a niche skill that is extremely useful and in recent times, there has been a push for computing to be taught in schools.

Getting an Early Start

In the United States, students are mostly properly introduced to coding as part of a computer science degree in college. However, this is only if students have an interest in computer science and choose to take it. Computer science is not a common subject in primary and high school education. The 2020 State of Computer Science reported that less than half of the schools in the United States teach computer science. Some reasons attributed to this are the lack of computer science educators and the lack of standardization in class content across the country.

Nevertheless, the importance of computer science is becoming recognized, especially since it is strongly advocated by an industry-backed nonprofit group, Code.org. Code.org has been avidly pushing for the introduction of coding in schools and persuaded two dozen states to include computer science in their curriculum. They also provided workshops to more than 57,000 teachers to increase the pool of educators. The success in their efforts can be observed as states such as Chicago and Oakland have made computer science mandatory in high school.

But Why Coding?

Some may wonder that with the many existing useful skills that will be beneficial for students to learn in their school, why coding? There are many reasons for this.

Firstly, coding is the new literacy of the future. Our world is one that is heavily reliant on technology, and our dependence on technology and machines will increase even in the future. As technology permeates into every aspect of our lives, it is no surprise that coding will become the language of the future. Author Annette Vee compares coding to writing and suggests that it will become a necessary skill in the future. She states that, “If you don’t know how to program, you can carry on perfectly fine with life. But this is going to change soon.” Coding is becoming a part of every industry and people are unable to escape it. Eventually, knowing the language of machines might become a basic skill that is expected of us, with how prevalent machines are in our lives.

Coding is also a skill that can improve the chances of employment for students. Coding is directly related to programming. Programming is a process of creating a program that can carry out a certain function while coding is a part of this process that consists of converting the language into binary commands for the machine. This means that coding is an important aspect in the development of programs. With programming being used in a variety of industries, from e-commerce to game designing, this makes coding a skill that is highly in-demand. A study by Glassdoor found that 8 out of the top 25 jobs (based on salary and job openings) in the United States are in the field of technology and require some level of coding proficiency. Coding can also allow students to understand other areas of technology. They can learn them more quickly as they are digitally fluent, which can provide them with opportunities for other technology-based jobs.

In terms of student development, learning coding can also help with developing computational thinking. When coding, people would have to break down a process into simpler steps so that a computer can understand it. Learning about this thought process will allow students to better articulate a problem and think logically. When faced with a complicated solution, they can apply this thought process to analyze the problem and predict the outcome, which essentially trains their problem-solving. Possessing the ability to think critically can also benefit students when they enter the job sector.

For the Greater Good

Teaching coding in schools will not only benefit students themselves but also the technological industry. An early introduction to coding may allow children to develop an interest and begin honing their skills at an earlier stage. Eventually, they may even join the technological industry and contribute to it with their skillset.

With more people learning about coding, people can come up with programs and frameworks that can improve the software development process. They can create programs that will improve the programming process, such as Docker Registry or Ansible, which are programs that aid in organization and increase efficiency for application development. An increase in the number of people joining the pool of knowledge and expertise regarding programming and technological development, this sector can become more efficient and well-structured.

Coding is also a big part of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity refers to protecting important systems and sensitive information from being attacked. These systems and information must be protected from attackers that may use it to threaten companies and organizations. In May 2021, the biggest meat supplier in the United States, JBS, experienced a ransomware attack by a cyber-criminal group which sought to extort money from the company. Learning coding is useful in this area as understanding coding and programming helps in analyzing systems and discovering any potential vulnerabilities in them, so that reinforcements can be made for better security. In this period, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Those with an interest and ability in coding can contribute by developing more well-protected systems and reducing the looming threat of cyber attackers.

As our world progresses to one that is increasingly reliant on technology, coding is an essential skill that will help to improve our way of life and ensure our safety in the cyberworld.

Imagine falling ill and having no choice but to receive treatment in the hospital. After receiving treatment, you walk out of the hospital without paying a single cent, or only paying a portion of the fees. This sounds like an impossible dream, but this is the reality for the citizens of Canada. Not only Canada, but other countries around the world enjoy similar benefits as well.

Too Good to be True?

In Canada, the government funds all the funds for hospital care. This is possible because countries like Canada enjoy the benefits of publicly funded healthcare.

Publicity funded healthcare is a system that covers the cost of most of or all health spending from a public fund. This system is usually managed by the government or an agent of the government and is funded from general government revenues or through a government social security system. Of course, this does not mean that citizens do not have to pay for healthcare funds at all. Instead, most of the government revenues are generated from tax income and social insurance contributions, which are paid for by the citizens.

With increasing life expectancy due to our modern technological world, it is highly likely that people will need to visit the hospital at one point in their lives, whether for a health checkup or to treat an illness. This makes publicly funded healthcare a system that is even more appealing. While publicly funded healthcare does not mean that patients are free from the financial burdens of health spending, it also means that they will not be crippled by an overwhelming amount of fees at once.

Unfortunately, the United States is one country that does not implement a publicly funded healthcare system entirely. The United States’ health system does not provide healthcare to the entire population. Instead, citizens have to rely on private insurance or public health coverage to cover their health spending. Furthermore, private sector businesses own and operate most healthcare facilities, in which some portion of healthcare services are meant for profit.

Publicly funded healthcare programs do exist in the United States, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Child Healthcare Insurance programs. However, they only cover 30% of the population. These programs are in place to help the underprivileged, but many people in the United States still face difficulty with having to fork up large amounts of money for health spending. In 2009, the American Journal of Public health published a Harvard study where it was found that over 44,800 excess deaths occur annually in the United States due to the lack of health insurance. Being denied access to healthcare and treatment just because they are unable to afford it is a cruel reality for many. Publicly funded healthcare may have its flaws, but in the end, this system has advantages that can improve the lives of many.

Advantages of Publicly Funded Healthcare

Firstly, the biggest advantage is that patients will not have to be overburdened by their health spending. For many in the United States, they avoid healthcare treatment as they cannot afford it. This leads to their health worsening, or in worst case scenarios, death. Susan Finley, a 53-year-old from Colorado, could not afford healthcare treatment and died in her apartment after avoiding going to a doctor. With publicly funded healthcare, such situations could be avoided. People will not have to worry about the fees and be more willing to visit hospitals and clinics for treatment. People should not have to fear or suffer from bankruptcy to get healthcare treatment and publicly funded healthcare can save lives by preventing this from happening.

Publicly funded healthcare can also improve healthcare equality and increase longevity. More people will have ready access to healthcare treatment, which is something that should be considered as a privilege. Publicly funded healthcare can ensure that people will get the treatment that they need and of equal quality in services, regardless of their socio-economic status. Greater access to healthcare also means that people will have a greater chance of recovering and remaining healthy. The money that patients save on medical fees can be spent on things like beneficial health supplements, such as vitamin D and the increasingly popular diindolylmethane, or healthier food options, such as multigrain bread, which can also contribute to improving their overall health.

Pricing transparency for healthcare will be enhanced with publicly funded healthcare. Based on the healthcare system in the United States, healthcare providers negotiate prices for services and products with private agencies. As these negotiations are not available to the public, patients are not aware of how much their treatment will cost. However, in a publicly funded healthcare system, the fees for treatment will generally be standardized throughout the country and patients can anticipate their cost of treatment.

Healthcare is an essential part of our lives. This is especially relevant in the current times, where people are faced with the constant threat of the ever-persistent coronavirus. People are facing financial difficulties due to the poor economy and might find it even more difficult to bring themself to get treatment. Changes need to be made to improve the health and lives of many, and publicly funded healthcare is a step towards that.

Alternative medicine, as the name suggests, refers to alternative treatments that are not considered conventional. These alternative methods or products are often considered to be the “sidekicks” of conventional medicine, hence they are usually referred to as “complementary and alternative medicine”.

For something that is supposed to be a second choice, a surprising number of people actually know about and practice these alternative therapies. A survey done in 2016 revealed that 50% of adults in America have tried alternative medicine before, and a large portion belong to those suffering from chronic conditions.

Based on various similar surveys conducted, the main reason for people to use alternative medicines is to complement conventional medicine, either to boost its effects or to fill the gaps the conventional medicine can not. Other reasons include recommendation by their doctors, the inability to afford standard treatments, disbelief in conventional medicine, and of course, novelty.

As new scientific knowledge is constantly being discovered and published, policies and regulations related to health need to be upgraded as well. Regular, quick and safe updates are an important aspect in the people’s rights to healthcare.

Imposing laws on alternative medicine is crucial especially because these are things that can affect your body physically. Obviously, too little regulation could be dangerous. For example an unregulated supplement could have incorrect labelling, and result in further health problems when taken incorrectly.

However, too much regulation or complete bans might restrict access to the benefits of some effective forms of therapy. Also, having laws that are officially in the book but not enforced could lead to under-the-table, unregulated and unsafe practices to fulfill increasing demands.

Since the rules and information the government can issue immediately are limited by the current scientific knowledge, most regulations of alternative medicine tend to focus on the safety of the product, and not its efficacy. Thus, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, certified supplements are not promised to work, but are not likely to inflict any harm beyond those stated on their labels.

On the Federal Level

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies alternative medicine into four domains: biologically-based practices, energy therapies, manipulative and body-based methods, and mind-body medicine.

The image that comes to mind when we hear the words “alternative medicine” are probably herbs and supplements. These fall under the first domain of biologically-based practices where a substance is taken or applied to induce biological changes in the body. These also include non-oral medications like ointments and lotions.

Energy therapies consist of both energies that can be measured and energies that currently can not be detected by any machine. Examples of measurable energies are radiation, light rays, magnetism and sound. Non-measurable energies are usually manipulated in the body through practices such as Qigong, Reiki and yoga.

Manipulative and body-based practices can be understood to be what we know as physiotherapy, where movement of the physical body whether by the healer or the patient is the main focus. Popular examples are chiropractic and massage therapies.

The last domain, mind-body medicine, uses different approaches to promote a healthy mind which in turn can help to boost overall health or cure a physical disease. You have probably heard about the benefits of meditation and hypnotherapy, as this is also a favourite amongst alternative therapies.

The last two domains are more action-based and are mostly not controlled by the FDA unless equipment or other products are required in the process. The clinics, practitioners, and methods that fall under these domains are usually regulated by individual committees that have been approved by the government.

For the first two domains, products are regulated by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act under the FDA. These regulations can be imposed anywhere from the production methods, labeling, and exact components and amounts used in the product.

Rules are Always Evolving

Nowadays, acupuncture is pretty recognized in our healthcare system and it is not uncommon for conventional doctors to recommend it. This mysterious therapy is still not fully explainable by science, yet it is very effective especially for pain relief.

However, it only became legal in America in the recent 1970s. After that, strict regulations for the acupuncture process were established and specific qualifications needed to be met to be a licensed acupuncturist.

In some cases, individual state regulations can shift faster than federal laws. As more and more states are decriminalizing medical marijuana, regulatory systems also have to be designed and set up.

This should apply to all the stakeholders involved in the production of the product up to the point when it reaches the consumer. For example, the New Jersey cannabis cultivation application requires that applicants submit a detailed proposal regarding everything from their exact farming process to their marketing plan.

The government’s role in regulating alternative medicines is important not only for the health and safety of the people, but also for the economy. As of 2020, the alternative medicine market is priced at 82.27 billion US dollars, and is predicted to continue rising until 2028. Proper regulations would definitely boost both demand and supply and is a key factor in this market.