“So, if you have a baby there is a 50% chance, they will have a heart defect. And you will die giving birth due to the pressure that will be on your heart” A quote from my Cardiologist.

This is Zaya in this post I will be talking about my reproductive rights.

Deep Void

After my doctor told me I could not have kids due to my heart problems. I started to collect stuffed animals to fill that deep void inside of me that could only be filled with children. Because as a woman it is our destiny to have children and be a mother. If we do not have children, we would feel unfulfilled with our lives as society tell us. While I was falling for that load of garbage. My mom started to tell me not to have sex. She feared I might make the same mistakes as her and have unprotected sex with a loser guy and have two kids by him before I was eighteen. And have more kids after thirty-two.  She feared that I might die from childbirth and wasted 20 something years of her life raising me.

Childless Future

After I got over my pity party and accepted the fact, I cannot have kids. I thought of a what childless future was. Because my brother had kids, and everybody around me had kids. Seeing how many kids my mom had. I Google what kind of birth control was offered and where to get condoms because having conversation with my mom about birth control would be awkward. She has seven kids, ages ranging from 11-30 due to her beliefs. I have had conversation with my peers about birth control as well as with my sister in law who has the implant in her arm. She is a working woman with two kids that are now in school and she does not want to start all over again.

Planned Parenthood

I remember going to Planned Parenthood that one day in March, because I wanted to have sex with boyfriend and not get pregnant. We both agree we did not want children due to our health problems. So, I decided to take the pill for extra safety. The pill is 91 % effective while condoms are 98% effective, if used properly. The pill helped regulate my period and my acne I went to Planned Parenthood because I did not know where to get birth control from and it was a safe place for me to get birth control without getting look down upon. There are some women who need birth control to help with severe cramps, to regulate periods, manage endometriosis, hormonal acne, and much more.

Covid 19

It is 2020 I have now switched over to the Nuva Ring due to my inside move and making me curl up into a ball.  Roman has just turned twenty-one years old, but thanks to Covid 19 he could not get snipped. Vasectomy are elective surgery. I have to continue with this journey with trying different birth controls due me being to young to get my uterus removed. National Women’s Health Network says, “Technically, any woman of legal age can consent to the procedure, but it should be medically justified. It’s incredibly unlikely that a doctor will perform a hysterectomy on women ages 18-35 unless it is absolutely necessary for their well-being and no other options will suffice.” [1] Doctors believe that women cannot make this life changing decision at eighteen because we “change our minds all the time”. Yet men can get snipped at the age of twenty- one without no question asked. I need to have a medical condition to get my uterus taken out. Can my excuse be, I don’t want to die?

           Trump

Ever since Trump has been in office he has been trying to banned women productive rights and overturn Roe vs Wade an icon case that has helped women all over the United States that still have this act in place to get an abortion. This year Trump has nominated Amy Coney Barrett to take over Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg place. If Amy gets accepted as a Justice. Her and Trump will overturn Roe vs Wade. I will die as well as millions of other women from pregnancy if abortions are made illegal.

[1]“At What Age Can I Get A Hysterectomy.” NWHN, 22 May 2017, www.nwhn.org/age-can-get-hysterectomy/.

Heart Picture “Knowing the Symptoms of A Congenital Heart Defect.” WTXL, WTXL, 24 Aug. 2015, www.wtxl.com/news/knowing-the-symptoms-of-a-congenital-heart-defect/article_bc8c3706-4a2f-11e5-853d-0f2fd7cc868f.html.

Road Picture Seals, Danny. “The Future of L&D: Two Key Drivers to Propel the Sector Forward in 2020 and Beyond.” TrainingZone, 24 Feb. 2020, www.trainingzone.co.uk/lead/strategy/the-future-of-ld-two-key-drivers-to-propel-the-sector-forward-in-2020-and-beyond.

Planned Parenthood picture Scrippsvoice. “Planned Parenthood.” The Scripps Voice, 2 Nov. 2018, scrippsvoice.com/planned-parenthood/.

Uterus Picture “My Uterus My Choice by Bubbsnugg.” TeePublic, www.teepublic.com/sticker/480541-my-uterus-my-choice.

Trump Picture Administrator, jamestownsun. “On Trump’s 2nd Day, Thousands of Women to March in D.C. in Protest.” Jamestown Sun, Jamestown Sun, 21 Jan. 2017, www.jamestownsun.com/news/4203468-trumps-2nd-day-thousands-women-march-dc-protest.

Women Rights and Health Care.

Did you know Black women are more likely to be uninsured and face greater financial barriers to get care when they need it and are less likely to get access to prenatal care. Black women experience higher rates of many preventable diseases and chronic health conditions including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. When, or if, Black women choose to become pregnant, these health conditions influence both maternal and infant health outcomes. [1]

This is Zaya Moreno in this post I will be talking about women rights and health care social justice topics close to my heart.

Women Rights

I am interested in Women rights because as a woman I believe the government, catholic churches, and society should not tell us what we can do with our bodies, careers, and life. It took a long time to get to where we are today. And I am not going back to the time where I was considered a second-class citizen.

It is 2020 President Trumps wants to overturn 1974 Roe vs Wade, which allowed women to get abortions without questions asked. Some abortions are illegal to do in certain states that have passed the Heartbeat Act. This act bans abortion after six weeks if a heartbeat is present. Six weeks is when most women find out they are pregnant. This act forces women to have babies, whether they want them or not. Because they cannot get in abortion in their state.

This story needs to told because I believe the government, catholic churches, and society want us to go back to the time where women were house wives who could not get a job, have their own name, have their own property,  have their own money, get an abortion, or have the right to vote. They want to control us and our bodies because of what thousand-year-old book, a couple of hundred-year-old documents said about women and societal norms women are expected to take on. Without us, humanity dies. People need to know this.

  Health Care

I am interested in Health Care because in the United States of America people with diabetes are rationing their insulin due to the lack of coverage their insurance provides. Clinics and hospital do not accept Medicaid, due to already meeting the quota of how many Medicaid patients they can accept, or they do not allow Medicaid at all. Medicaid does not accept all surgeries or medicine that are needed to keep people alive and healthy. The health care system is worst when you makeover a certain amount of money to disqualified for Medicaid and you still cannot afford to pay medical bills. Also, you have a limited amount of income that you can have to keep your Medicaid. If you go over that limit you lose your health insurance. Most people in America are poor, dying, suffering, and drowning in medical bills due to the corrupted system , which is all about money.

I will tell the story about me (Zaya). When I was young, I had two heart surgeries in 1998 totally about 86,000 dollars and the state of Minnesota paid for both surgeries. My parents did not have to pay a dime due to their lack of income. While my boyfriend’s family struggled to pay off his brother’s chemo treatments due to his parents making over 90,000 dollars a year, which disqualified them for Medicaid. Also my boyfriend had to move out , so he could be qualified for Medicaid and get his life saving medicine. A disadvantage to keep his insurance he can’t make over 1200 dollars a month.

This story needs to be told because nobody knows what it is like to have an income cap to keep their insurance. And to be called poor because of it. America is great at keeping people poor.

[1]“Black Women’s Maternal Health.” Black Women’s Maternal Health: www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/health/reports/black-womens-maternal-health.html.

Did you know that an average Gaming PC will cost you between 700-1000 dollars and that if you’re looking for faster speeds and the newest technology. It will cost you about 2000 dollars or more. [1]

The average price for a personal computer in 2019 will run you about 733 dollars.[2]

As usual, my name is Zaya Moreno. In this post, I’ll be talking about the upgrades and downgrades of computer technology and that have both excited me or bothered me.

Upgrades

Computers are getting Lighter, Smaller, Faster and they have more Space.

Computers are getting smaller, weighing a lot less due to external parts being taken out and being sold separately and they have more storage. Computer parts are also getting smaller too and faster. Because in 1956 the first computer with storage only had 5 megabytes and weighed over 2000 pounds.[3] You can’t even download a full song with 5 MB. In 1981 computers only had 16 kilobytes of ram. [4] With that speed, you could hardly game on your PC. It is recommended to at least have 8 GB of ram to game on. My beautiful seventeen inches, that I am typing on weighs about three pounds give or take. She has 1 terabyte of storage and at least 12 GB of Ram for her size. And she is easy to lug around campus. As you go higher in the ram and storage you’re going to pay a heftier price tag.

Stylus

We live in a day in age where stylus/pens are compatible with our computers and we can write like we do on paper. This type of writing and drawing has brought a new generation of note-takers who can use a pen on a computer screen and animators, who don’t need to buy a Drawing tablet or Graphics Tablet costing them over hundreds of dollars. They can simply download an app on their computer or tablet and draw away. As Walter Ong writes in the Shallows, “Writing and print and the computer , are all ways of technologizing the word; once technologizing, the word cannot be un- technologizing” ( page 77). So I bought a 12-inch Surface Pro 7 which has 8 GB of ram and 126 GB of storage with a Stylus. I wanted that feeling of writing on a computer screen without numbing my pinkies. Because my last computer that was Stylus compatible croaked due to technical issue. With my Surface Pro I can highlight using my stylus instead of my touch pad and write the digital word by hand with my 112 dollar stylus that is rechargeable. I did not pay that extra money just so I could buy a two of pack 4A batteries for 15 dollars.

Downgrades

Lack of Ports

My computer my be from 2017, but she lacks important port such as the Ethernet port. This port connects your computer to the WIFI router directly resulting in faster speeds. Which would of helped me during my WIFI crisis. Luckily, she has three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, HDMI port, an SD Slot and a headphone Jack. Which is more that you get with the latest Mac book Air. The Mac Book Air has only two USB-C ports and headphone jack which results in buying additional adapters for your computer, which cost money and leads to carrying around more adapters in your backpack.

CD-ROM

You have to buy a CD-ROM to burn disk. If you don’t know what a CD-ROM is, it is basically like a cd player for your computer to put disk such as music, games, and movies. Computers companies are trying to make computers sleeker and slimmer. By removing the CD-ROM, it makes the computer less bulky. So, they say. Even though we make slimmer version of computers, iPhone, and tablets. They can make a slimmer version of the CD-ROM to put back into the computer. These companies just want to make money off, of you by removing the CD-ROM. I do in fact own a CD-ROM. I used that baby to burn music and make mix CD, but I don’t used it to watch movies on my computer, because we’re on Windows 10 and Windows 7 is were you can watch movies.

Conclusion

There has been Upgrades and Downgrades in the world of computers. These are just some of my opinions about what I think about the evolution of computers. I had more opinions about this, but I wanted to keep it to a minimum of two options for a section. What are some Upgrades and Downgrades do you think about when it comes to computer? Let me know in the comment section.

References

[1] Locknear, Francis. “Average Cost of a Gaming PC (2020).” The Cost Guys, 18 Aug. 2020, thecostguys.com/gaming/average-cost-of-a-gaming-pc.

[2] Alsop, Thomas. “Average Computer Price 2019.” Statista, 2 Mar. 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/722992/worldwide-personal-computers-average-selling-price/.

[3] Claypoole, Terry. “The World’s First Computer With Data Storage.” History Daily, 14 May 2018, historydaily.org/the-worlds-first-computer-with-data-storage.

[4] “The PC.” IBM100 – The PC, www.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/personalcomputer/.

Picture of ASUS is from Amazon

Picture of Ports, Traverler100. “Example of Computer Connector Sockets on Laptops. Dell M65, Dell M4300, Fujitsu-Siemens Celsius H250, F-S Docking Station, Dell Docking Station.” Wiki, 2008, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Computer-connector-sockets.jpg.

Did you know in 2019 81% of Americans own a smart phone.[1]

Nearly three quarters of Americans in 2019 own a laptop or desk computer. [1]

Hello, my name is Zaya Moreno in this post I’ll be talking about what’s items are on my desk, what tech devices do I carry now, and what tech do I personally want?

What’s on my Desk?

Like many American college students, I spend a lot of time at my desk due to Covid-19 canceling all my in-person classes and forcing all but one of my classes online. Right now, my desk is covered in folders, notebooks, textbooks, snacks/drinks, computers, pencils, pens, toys/board games, and muffins crumbs. Also, these isn’t enough room on my desk to store a printer or scratched pieces of paper, which is why the ledge to the left of me is covered in things. This mess all came from me and my partner sitting here five days a week clocking in at least eight hours of schoolwork, zoom meetings, and reading emails. All these things that I have on my desk help me get through eight hours of school. Especially my computers that take up at least half of the desk. Or if I was lugging it around on campus, my computers would weight about five pounds, give or take. My computer connects me to the world.

What tech devices do I carry now? 

Before Covid-19 happened, I would be lugging around my laptop in my backpack and holding my iPhone to look at memes. Now, I leave my computer at home because I no longer need to use the printers on campus anymore. Now I only take my iPhone out. My phone also has access to the internet, it fits in a smaller pocket and it does not weigh down my backpack. Plus, my phone is easier to disinfect compared to a laptop because we live with Covid-19 and germs are everywhere. As well as tech ads.

What tech do I want?

I think I got most of the technology I wanted, but I know I’m lying to myself because everything I want is out of my price range. This year I wanted the new Apple iPad Pro 2020 and keyboard with all the accessories. It would have cost me over 1500 dollars. Luckily for me, I checked out the Microsoft store to see if they had any deals. The Microsoft store had deals. I later purchased the Surface Pro 7 with a keyboard and wireless charging pen which cost me just under 1000 dollars. This purchase had everything I was looking for in a tablet, multiple ports and it’s a two in one. I knew I did not want the iPad to begin with, but I wanted the status symbol. Because all my life I have never had a new computer, a new iPod, or a new game system. Everything I had was use. I felt deep shame because everybody I knew had that new mac book or iPhone that came out every year, just as Carr from the book “Shallows” had to upgrade his computer to get the latest thing out there. Because it was faster and newer. The only tech I do want in my life is a new speaker and headphones because I enjoy listening to music during a time of panic.

Conclusion

In America almost everybody has a smartphone or a computer, including me to get through Covid-19 times, since we can’t be together. My desk is filled with computers and food to get me through online learning. My smartphone is the only thing I carry with me now and I sometimes feel shame not owning the newest version of anything. What pieces of tech invades your space whether it’s physically or mentally?

[1]“Demographics of Mobile Device Ownership and Adoption in the United States.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 5 June 2020, www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/.