Iria Vasquez-Paez
Bio
I have a B.A. in creative writing from San Francisco State. Can people please donate? I'm very low-income. I need to start an escape the Ferengi plan.
Stories (411)
Filter by community
Groundwater Pollution
Groundwater pollution is brought on when acid rain, boats, factories, a septic system, and other manmade products such as gasoline seep into the soil. The soil then becomes unfit for us humans to use it. Pesticides, as well as fertilizers, can get into the soil eventually. It is amazing humans can grow crops in this environment. (Groundwater Contamination). Contaminated groundwater can cause hepatitis or dysentery. Other sources of contamination include storage tanks that release gasoline, oil, chemicals, or other sorts of liquids. Some have estimated there are ten million storage tanks in the United States.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
The Environmental Hazards of Chemical Pollution
Chemical pollution exists. Some right-leaning people would like to deny this exists. This type of pollution can affect soil, water, and the air itself. Organic pollutants serve as endocrine disruptors, from "Environmental Protection: What Everybody Needs To Know" by Pamela Hill (16), because “endocrine disruptors are substances that interfere with the endocrine system, the system responsible for regulating hormones throughout the body. They are associated with reproductive and developmental problems” (17). Chemical pollution from chemicals such as DDT is rampant in our society right now. Nobody is doing anything about it since the scientists who study this have their hands tied up along with their funding.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
Bullies In My Past
In the 6th grade, a 7th grader decided to bully me by asking if I was an illegal immigrant when, in fact, I was born in the United States and have an American passport, which also functions as proof of citizenship. I have never quit being paranoid about this stuff because of the immigration crisis that is happening right now, as well as past crises. The bully did other things to me too; things I cannot mention in this piece but that can be posted on my blog. She was an odd one, and I didn’t friend her on Facebook when she asked.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Humans
The End of the World
While an apocalyptic event is not newsworthy, we humans are great at one thing: destroying our planet. Star visitors laugh at our ignorance daily. In the United States, at least, we are not tackling climate change at all. Climate change is real. The most ardent Republican needs to know this. Climate change could kill us with rising sea levels. In 30 years, the coastal cities could flood unless we do something about it now. We live during a time when tyrannical leaders are popular with the masses. People want to feel safe in order not to think about much.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
School Decisions
I have to make enough money to go back to school, as in, to retake aspects of my general education requirements. This time around I have to take statistics though. I need to retake many subjects, as I need a copy of my junior college transcripts as well as my San Francisco State transcripts. I have to determine what equivalents I need to retake. FAFSA would be a great help here. I can take an online paralegal course at Penn Foster, which is an internet based school that can help many a student get equivalency education, this includes high school general education but it is mostly an adult school.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Education
What Is Litha?
Litha is a celebration of the summer solstice, which was on the 21st, a mere three days ago. Solstice comes from the Latin term solstitium (“sun stands still), The sun on this date, is at its highest point. Certain monuments such as Stonehenge are designed to orient to the rising sun.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
Why Yoga Works for Anxiety
Yoga is my saving grace because anxiety comes and goes. Yoga has helped me cope with my mental health better since yoga cures me of anxiety the day of, as well as for a week. Yoga is a huge discipline that I started practicing in 2005. I have been practicing yoga from 2005 to 2016, so that means I have 11 years of experience. Doing stuff once, even as one gives up on discipline, is what non-disciplined people do. Yoga can help me relax at the dentist’s office when they put anything in my mouth, or in other situations when I need good posture.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Longevity
The Softball Bully
In 8th grade, I was leaning against a tree during P.E. class when somebody threw a softball at me while smiling broadly because the softball hit me in the right eye. I had an optometrist notice that I had damage in that eye from the softball but my eye doctor couldn’t see it. This traumatizing event had consequences for me in the form of a red, bleeding eye. Of course, nobody did anything about who hit me like that with a mere baseball bat. Another significant event in 8th grade was that I hit a boy who was making fun of my braces and not stopping. I punched him in the stomach because he wouldn’t stop.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Education
Why Do Some People Want the Apocalypse?
Some people seem to have empty lives other than their brand of religion, which fills the void. In order to keep the world working, we all have to do our part by getting out of bed just to go to work. Those who join cults do not have enough love in their lives from somebody, are lonely, and temperamental. They feel that they need structure in their lives, so the cult provides a means to fill that particular void as well. The apocalypse cannot happen even if you watch way too much of The Walking Dead.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
There Is No Such Thing As The Apocalypse
Some fringe groups believe in the end times. The thing is that W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan seemed as though he was flirting with the end of times. The attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11/2001 was shocking because we were just flush with the glow of the new millennium and the dot-com bubble was growing. People who believe in the end of the world are shockingly perverted because they clearly do not believe the human race is meant to overcome these calamities.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
To Ignorant People Who Think Diabetics Die Young
You see, I was once friends with somebody who thought that diabetics didn’t make it past thirty. When I see posts about how diabetes shortens the lifespan, I think, that’s a ridiculous pity party. Insulin prolongs your lifespan. Yes, it does. It means that you are going to be around until old age. I once knew a type 1 diabetic who was elderly but diagnosed at a time when people boiled pee on the stove to check their blood sugar. I was diagnosed during the invention of the diabetic glucometer. My elderly friend died after I graduated college.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Longevity
First Amendment Rights
Some people do not respect First Amendment rights such as the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of protest (assembly), and petition the government for a negotiation of grievances. The first amendment is classy. Thomas Jefferson believed in a separation of church and state but in modern times, extremists do not want this reasonable act to continue. They would rather turn the United States into a theocracy, this is something some religious people want, be aware. You see, the government cannot change the law just like that without a reason. In the early days of colonizing the United States, many immigrants had fled religious persecution in their own countries, sometimes to find more in the United States.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
