User blogs
Salbutamol
powder, also known as albuterol, is a medication that opens up
constricted medium and large airways in the lungs and is often used to
treat asthma. Because high doses are suspected by some to also have an
anabolic effect, its daily dosage is restricted by the World Anti-Doping
Agency, which uses urine tests to determine violations. A new British
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology study shows that large variability in
urine concentrations, however, lead to infeasibility of determining an
administered dose from a single untimed urine sample.wisepoqder Salbutamol powder
The authors noted that the current threshold inadvertently leads to incorrect assumptions of violation, whereas many violations will go unnoticed, especially when samples are taken long after drug administration. These issues, combined with the dubious assertion of its anabolic effect, indicate that the large effort involved in testing should be reconsidered.
"Using available pharmacological knowledge, we demonstrate that the current approach to detect excessive salbutamol use is fundamentally flawed and cannot differentiate between illegal and allowed use," said co-author Jules Heuberger, of the Centre for Human Drug Research, in Leiden, The Netherlands. "If the doping community is determined to control for excessive salbutamol use, these procedures should be changed, ideally in collaboration with clinical pharmacologists."
The authors noted that the current threshold inadvertently leads to incorrect assumptions of violation, whereas many violations will go unnoticed, especially when samples are taken long after drug administration. These issues, combined with the dubious assertion of its anabolic effect, indicate that the large effort involved in testing should be reconsidered.
"Using available pharmacological knowledge, we demonstrate that the current approach to detect excessive salbutamol use is fundamentally flawed and cannot differentiate between illegal and allowed use," said co-author Jules Heuberger, of the Centre for Human Drug Research, in Leiden, The Netherlands. "If the doping community is determined to control for excessive salbutamol use, these procedures should be changed, ideally in collaboration with clinical pharmacologists."
Is someone watching you right now?
Are you being spied on online? The short answer is: probably.
This post will take a look at the key ways third parties could be snooping on your online activities right now.
Government surveillance
Your government is almost certainly spying on you. In the U.S., the National Security Agency (NSA) legally collects private data including:
Emails, messages and other data from your accounts with AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, PalTalk, Skype, Yahoo, YouTube, and others
Internet traffic passing through undersea fiber optic cables, which it taps in collaboration with governments around the world
Cell phone locations in some countries outside the U.S. It collects around 5 billion records per day
In the UK, the Tempora program intercepts internet traffic for surveillance purposes in partnership with the country’s telecom companies and the NSA.
These are just the programs we know about, based on leaked information. So there’s also the possibility that new and secret surveillance programs are spying on us in other ways, too.
Unsecure internet connections
You might have secured your own network and computers with firewall and security software. You probably also have an authenticated connection to your ISP. But how secure is the path your data takes when you transmit it over the internet?
Unless you’re using a VPN, not very. When you send or receive data packets online, you know when they reach their destination. But you don’t know which networks that data passed through on its way to that destination—or who might have made a copy. It’s possible that your internet traffic is being spied on, by other parties as well as government agencies.
Malicious software
If your computer is infected with malicious software, then it could be spying on you too. Types of malware that can steal your data include:
Keyloggers – These programs record every keystroke you make and send it to a third party, to track your activity or steal information like credit card numbers.
Adware – Websites you visit are tracked and sent to a third party, which uses the data to target ads based on your browsing history.
Spyware – Software that appears to serve a useful purpose but that also steals your data. The infamous CoolWebSearch download presented itself as a browser add-on, but it also stole chatlogs, account credentials, bank information and more.
Third-party tracking cookies
Web advertising distribution networks get a cookie from your browser every time you see one of their ads. Each cookie includes information that identifies you, either by your IP address or your browser’s unique identifier.
If the ad distributor is big enough, you’ll see their ads on lots of different sites. And they’ll get a cookie each time. The result is that the advertiser can track your browsing activity and use the data to target ads more effectively.
Most commercial websites now warn you that “This website uses cookies to improve the user experience.”
Whether or not this constitutes spying is a matter of perspective. But these tracking cookies could undoubtedly be considered a sneaky invasion of your privacy.
Measures to protect you from spies
If you want to protect your data from secret surveillance, consider the following steps.
Use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic, so spies can’t open data packets even if they intercept them
Install security software and keep it up to date, to protect your computer from malware and hackers
Disable third-party cookies in your browser. It’s a simple option in Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and others.
Our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
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Are you being spied on online? The short answer is: probably.
This post will take a look at the key ways third parties could be snooping on your online activities right now.
Government surveillance
Your government is almost certainly spying on you. In the U.S., the National Security Agency (NSA) legally collects private data including:
Emails, messages and other data from your accounts with AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, PalTalk, Skype, Yahoo, YouTube, and others
Internet traffic passing through undersea fiber optic cables, which it taps in collaboration with governments around the world
Cell phone locations in some countries outside the U.S. It collects around 5 billion records per day
In the UK, the Tempora program intercepts internet traffic for surveillance purposes in partnership with the country’s telecom companies and the NSA.
These are just the programs we know about, based on leaked information. So there’s also the possibility that new and secret surveillance programs are spying on us in other ways, too.
Unsecure internet connections
You might have secured your own network and computers with firewall and security software. You probably also have an authenticated connection to your ISP. But how secure is the path your data takes when you transmit it over the internet?
Unless you’re using a VPN, not very. When you send or receive data packets online, you know when they reach their destination. But you don’t know which networks that data passed through on its way to that destination—or who might have made a copy. It’s possible that your internet traffic is being spied on, by other parties as well as government agencies.
Malicious software
If your computer is infected with malicious software, then it could be spying on you too. Types of malware that can steal your data include:
Keyloggers – These programs record every keystroke you make and send it to a third party, to track your activity or steal information like credit card numbers.
Adware – Websites you visit are tracked and sent to a third party, which uses the data to target ads based on your browsing history.
Spyware – Software that appears to serve a useful purpose but that also steals your data. The infamous CoolWebSearch download presented itself as a browser add-on, but it also stole chatlogs, account credentials, bank information and more.
Third-party tracking cookies
Web advertising distribution networks get a cookie from your browser every time you see one of their ads. Each cookie includes information that identifies you, either by your IP address or your browser’s unique identifier.
If the ad distributor is big enough, you’ll see their ads on lots of different sites. And they’ll get a cookie each time. The result is that the advertiser can track your browsing activity and use the data to target ads more effectively.
Most commercial websites now warn you that “This website uses cookies to improve the user experience.”
Whether or not this constitutes spying is a matter of perspective. But these tracking cookies could undoubtedly be considered a sneaky invasion of your privacy.
Measures to protect you from spies
If you want to protect your data from secret surveillance, consider the following steps.
Use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic, so spies can’t open data packets even if they intercept them
Install security software and keep it up to date, to protect your computer from malware and hackers
Disable third-party cookies in your browser. It’s a simple option in Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and others.
Our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
Qwer432
http://www.fastritavpn.com/
http://www.buyvpns.net/
http://www.buyvpnservices.com/
Is internet privacy a lost cause?
Most people think of privacy as a fundamental right. The right to have a personal conversation without someone listening, the right to keep your belongings out of public view.
believes that individual privacy is something everyone deserves.
For a long time on the internet, there was an illusion of privacy. From secure online shopping payments to password-protected social network accounts—we were told our information was protected and safe. Perhaps you still believe it is?
But for many people, events like mass NSA surveillance and the theft of celebrities’ personal photographs have changed perceptions about internet privacy. It seems all too easy for hackers to get into our stuff—and much of that ‘hacking’ is government-sponsored.
Getting your data is like taking candy from a baby
There have been many high profile cases of hacking and surveillance in the past few years.
The National Security Agency: The NSA legally monitors every American’s phone records, has access to phone and internet traffic in the U.S. and abroad, and hacks targets as it sees fit. The UK and other governments do it too.
Celebrity photo theft: Anonymous posted over 500 celebrity photos on the 4chan image board in 2014, many containing nudity. Apple’s iCloud service is believed to be the source of the breach.
eBay: The online shopping service was hacked in mid-2014, exposing millions of users’ passwords and data.
Target: 70 million Target customers had their credit card data stolen in 2014 after hackers found a security hole in the company’s systems.
PlayStation Network: The online game service was hacked by LulzSec in 2011, resulting in the theft of around 77 million users’ account data.
When our data is stolen and monitored so often, from big companies who insist our data is safe in their hands, it seems sensible to be a little less trusting with our information.
The cost of free online services is your privacy
If you use free web email and social media services, then you also give up your private information to third parties every day.
There’s a reason these services are free. Some of the ways they use your data include:
Ad targeting: Search engines, social networks, and other services track your activities, so they can target you with ads.
Selling your data: With your consent, and sometimes without, companies you sign up with online often sell your information to marketing list makers. Junk mail ahoy!
Monitoring your email: Many popular free webmail services monitor your messages for criminal activity and may be legally obliged to share your data with government agencies.
Of course, you might well be aware of all this – and yet you probably still choose to use Facebook, Gmail, Twitter and so on.
After all, nothing is really free. Maybe giving up a little of your information is worth it?
Malicious hackers
Another major threat to Internet privacy is one we can probably all agree is unwelcome.
Symantec’s “2014 Internet Security Threat Report” found that malware, phishing and other attacks on our personal computers led to the exposure of over 552 million identities in 2013. There was a 62% increase in the number of breaches and a 91% increase in targeted attacks campaigns in the same year.
With online crime on the increase, the future of internet privacy appears far from safe.
Privacy steps you can take
When all’s said and done though, who is responsible for your privacy online? You are.
Anyone who wants to keep their data totally private could stay off the internet, but that isn’t much of an option in today’s world. So it’s about taking the right security steps and making informed choices about how we share our data. Sometimes, as with government surveillance, those choices are out of our hands. But there are steps you can take to increase your privacy.
Take security measures: Keep your online accounts safe, reduce the risk of security breaches by keeping your software up to date and by using security software. Stay aware of common online risks.
Be careful who you sign up with: Don’t trust every cloud service with a fancy website. Research online, read the terms of service, and look for how they’ll use your data.
Use a VPN service: VPN services encrypt your Internet traffic so that third parties can’t snoop on your activities. Data is much more secure when you connect to the Internet via a VPN.
Read more top internet privacy tips here.
A connected world probably means less privacy
So is internet privacy a lost cause? As we’ve seen, putting our personal information in the hands of big companies is not very secure. There’s a real risk it will be stolen. And that risk seems to be increasing.
Using online services means willfully giving up a bit of our privacy. But because we want to be part of a connected world, many of us are happy to do so.
In the internet economy, your data is valuable currency. Internet privacy isn’t likely to get any easier in the future. Stay aware, stay secure, and choose how you share your data carefully. And, of course, don’t forget to use a VPN to protect your data.
Our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
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What are the moral issues with internet privacy?
The difference between right and wrong is rarely black and white. When it comes to the big moral issues around internet privacy—from government surveillance to Facebook privacy—you might have your own opinions. But there are two sides to every story.
Let’s take a look at some of the current moral issues surrounding internet privacy.
The law’s guidance on internet privacy
Perhaps the most clear-cut moral issue relating to internet privacy is the use of spyware, and other malicious software, to steal private information and commit cybercrime.
In the U.S., Europe, and other countries, many cyber crimes have been outlawed – reflecting a consensus that stealing is wrong.
In the U.S., federal laws against cybercrime cover:
Unfair or deceptive acts or practices
Credit card fraud
Fraud in connection with identification documents and information
Fraud in connection with access devices
Fraud in connection with computers
These laws make it illegal to invade someone’s privacy in order to steal from them. But they also outlaw hacking that isn’t malicious.
The morality of hacking
In May 2014, the Guardian reported that some of the world’s best security researchers were under threat of indictment for their efforts to expose vulnerabilities in internet infrastructure.
The U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act outlaws hacking or breaking into private networks and systems. But internet security experts use hacking projects to uncover security flaws with the intention of fixing them. For example, the Critical.IO project discovered a weakness in the UPnP protocol that put up to 50 million computers at risk and fixed it—by hacking private computers.
Because of this and many similar incidents, lots of people believe that cybercrime laws should take into account the intent behind hacking, and not just the act itself.
The creep factor
Threats to privacy on the internet don’t only come from criminals. We also willingly give up our personal data on a daily basis, to online services like Facebook and Google.
In these cases, our data isn’t stolen, but many public concerns have arisen over how corporations use the data. For Facebook, holding the personal data of hundreds of millions of users has created an expectation among those users that the company should use it reasonably and protect their privacy. In the past few years, users have raised complaints about:
Sharing of their private information on Facebook with third-party websites and applications, which could be used for data mining
Confusing privacy settings that prevented many users from being able to control their privacy effectively
Bugs that allowed third parties to invade users’ privacy, including one that enabled posting to any Facebook user’s wall
In none of these cases had Facebook broken privacy laws. But in each case, users found their information was being used in a way they did not expect and did not like. These disturbing and unexpected uses of our data are known as the “creep factor.”
The creep factor demonstrates that for companies to use private data ethically, they must be very clear about what they’re doing with it—even if what they’re doing with it is legal. Otherwise, people get a little creeped out.
Freedom of information or the right to be forgotten?
A key feature of the Internet that affects our privacy is its inability to forget. Web pages about individuals often stay online and searchable indefinitely, potentially affecting the subject’s reputation.
In May 2014, the European Union ruled that its citizens had a “right to be forgotten” and told Google it must delete “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant” pages from its search results.
The case led to debates between those who believe privacy is a human right and those who prioritize freedom of information.
The downside of internet anonymity
While many internet privacy issues are about the exposure of identities, it’s also possible to use many online services anonymously. And often, that anonymity is used for evil.
Doxxing is the act of hacking someone’s personal information (including their address, contact information, and banking details) and posting it anonymously online. In August 2014, hackers posted social security information, PayPal details and other private information belonging to the game developer Phil Fish. Fish later announced he would be leaving the games industry.
Other doxxing victims have included Mel Gibson and the LAPD police chief. Perpetrators might argue that these people got what they deserved, but their actions are hard to defend.
Government surveillance: Necessary or evil?
The governments of most nations, including the U.S. and those in Europe, tap internet traffic as part of national security programs.
While revelations about NSA surveillance in the U.S. led to privacy concerns and talk of a “surveillance state,” many conservative thinkers believe “we need an invasive NSA” to protect against cyber intrusions.
As with all moral issues about internet privacy, there are two sides to the story—that of the person giving up their private data, and that of the person storing it.
What are your thoughts on internet surveillance and privacy online? Is there ever a good reason for a government to spy on its citizens? Or should they all leave us alone?
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
Qwer432
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/how-to-unblock-websites/
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/wifi-password-hacker-cause-data-leakage/
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/5-best-torrent-sites/
The difference between right and wrong is rarely black and white. When it comes to the big moral issues around internet privacy—from government surveillance to Facebook privacy—you might have your own opinions. But there are two sides to every story.
Let’s take a look at some of the current moral issues surrounding internet privacy.
The law’s guidance on internet privacy
Perhaps the most clear-cut moral issue relating to internet privacy is the use of spyware, and other malicious software, to steal private information and commit cybercrime.
In the U.S., Europe, and other countries, many cyber crimes have been outlawed – reflecting a consensus that stealing is wrong.
In the U.S., federal laws against cybercrime cover:
Unfair or deceptive acts or practices
Credit card fraud
Fraud in connection with identification documents and information
Fraud in connection with access devices
Fraud in connection with computers
These laws make it illegal to invade someone’s privacy in order to steal from them. But they also outlaw hacking that isn’t malicious.
The morality of hacking
In May 2014, the Guardian reported that some of the world’s best security researchers were under threat of indictment for their efforts to expose vulnerabilities in internet infrastructure.
The U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act outlaws hacking or breaking into private networks and systems. But internet security experts use hacking projects to uncover security flaws with the intention of fixing them. For example, the Critical.IO project discovered a weakness in the UPnP protocol that put up to 50 million computers at risk and fixed it—by hacking private computers.
Because of this and many similar incidents, lots of people believe that cybercrime laws should take into account the intent behind hacking, and not just the act itself.
The creep factor
Threats to privacy on the internet don’t only come from criminals. We also willingly give up our personal data on a daily basis, to online services like Facebook and Google.
In these cases, our data isn’t stolen, but many public concerns have arisen over how corporations use the data. For Facebook, holding the personal data of hundreds of millions of users has created an expectation among those users that the company should use it reasonably and protect their privacy. In the past few years, users have raised complaints about:
Sharing of their private information on Facebook with third-party websites and applications, which could be used for data mining
Confusing privacy settings that prevented many users from being able to control their privacy effectively
Bugs that allowed third parties to invade users’ privacy, including one that enabled posting to any Facebook user’s wall
In none of these cases had Facebook broken privacy laws. But in each case, users found their information was being used in a way they did not expect and did not like. These disturbing and unexpected uses of our data are known as the “creep factor.”
The creep factor demonstrates that for companies to use private data ethically, they must be very clear about what they’re doing with it—even if what they’re doing with it is legal. Otherwise, people get a little creeped out.
Freedom of information or the right to be forgotten?
A key feature of the Internet that affects our privacy is its inability to forget. Web pages about individuals often stay online and searchable indefinitely, potentially affecting the subject’s reputation.
In May 2014, the European Union ruled that its citizens had a “right to be forgotten” and told Google it must delete “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant” pages from its search results.
The case led to debates between those who believe privacy is a human right and those who prioritize freedom of information.
The downside of internet anonymity
While many internet privacy issues are about the exposure of identities, it’s also possible to use many online services anonymously. And often, that anonymity is used for evil.
Doxxing is the act of hacking someone’s personal information (including their address, contact information, and banking details) and posting it anonymously online. In August 2014, hackers posted social security information, PayPal details and other private information belonging to the game developer Phil Fish. Fish later announced he would be leaving the games industry.
Other doxxing victims have included Mel Gibson and the LAPD police chief. Perpetrators might argue that these people got what they deserved, but their actions are hard to defend.
Government surveillance: Necessary or evil?
The governments of most nations, including the U.S. and those in Europe, tap internet traffic as part of national security programs.
While revelations about NSA surveillance in the U.S. led to privacy concerns and talk of a “surveillance state,” many conservative thinkers believe “we need an invasive NSA” to protect against cyber intrusions.
As with all moral issues about internet privacy, there are two sides to the story—that of the person giving up their private data, and that of the person storing it.
What are your thoughts on internet surveillance and privacy online? Is there ever a good reason for a government to spy on its citizens? Or should they all leave us alone?
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
Qwer432
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/how-to-unblock-websites/
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/wifi-password-hacker-cause-data-leakage/
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/5-best-torrent-sites/
What are the most dangerous technologies of the surveillance age?
Technology such as encryption, VPNs, and Tor can help us maintain and defend our privacy online.
But technology can also work in the opposite direction, helping the spooks learn about our private lives and behavior, which makes it difficult for individuals to develop personalities freely from fear and control.
But which technologies should we be afraid about most, and why? And what can help us protect ourselves from these trends?
1. Facial recognition systems
There are already cameras everywhere, and while it’s undeniably entertaining to watch bloopers from everyday life on youtube, it is creepy to know everything we do in public life is potentially made available to the world to consume.
With advanced technology, it will soon be possible to not only record all our public life but also analyze it in almost real time. While facial recognition is far from perfect, it already allows a computer to match a person even if glasses or hats obscure parts of their face.
Quite likely, facial recognition software will become more accurate than humans—especially when scaled to databases the size of a city’s voters registry, national passports, or even that of Facebook.
With advanced face recognition software, a state might be able to find out with high accuracy where a person is at all times, who they are with, and what they are currently doing.
It’s pretty hard to protect against facial recognition. The most effective tools stand out considerably to the human eye, and they only really work if a large number of people use them. If only a few people use tricks to deceive cameras, it will be quite easy to work out who they are.
For now, items that fool the cameras are mainly a sign of (much needed) protest and objection to the automatization of the police state.
2. Ride-sharing apps
Your car is your property, and there are limits to what governments can do with it. They cannot deny you access to it, seize it, or search it without good reason.
In your car, you also decide where to go, and what hardware and software to install.
However, when you rent a car or hop into somebody’s rideshare, you are not protected by these same provisions. On top of that, the app you use to hail the ride knows where you are at all times and will record this data.
The app even knows where you are going before you get there and, in some cases, can even predict your commuting behavior (this risk is also endemic to navigation systems). All of this data is available to advertisers and governments.
At present, it’s still relatively easy to avoid ride-sharing if your hometown has decent public transportation or you can afford a car.
3. Electronic money
Carrying change in our pockets is inconvenient. Finding an ATM nearby can cost money and take time. Most of us have access to electronic payment methods like credit cards, Google Pay, Wechat Pay or Venmo.
But relying on these systems can be dangerous. Not only are all your transactions analyzed and sold to advertisers, but they are also available to your government. Tourists crossing the U.S. border from the north can be refused entry, and possibly even face jail time, because they purchased marijuana legally in Canada.
Electronic money can not only be used to surveil and prosecute you, but also to deny you access to services only available with credit cards, such as online purchases or card-only shops.
If we do end up eradicating cash, as we already have for expensive goods, we are making it easy to marginalize people without access further.
To avoid government snooping, use cash as much as you can, and Bitcoin whenever you shop online.
4. Predictive policing
Predictive policing has inspired many science fiction stories, most famously Philip K Dick’s The Minority Report.
Unlike in The Minority Report, we cannot rely on psychic mutants to see future crime, but instead, we have to rely on existing crime databases, most of which carry a fair amount of prejudice and bias.
Predictive policing amplifies this bias, meaning some crime goes less punished, while citizens in crime-ridden areas are inconvenienced through concentrated law enforcement action, similar to that of racial profiling at airports.
It may seem far-fetched, but predictive policing is already in trial stage at multiple locations around the world—most notably through U.S. military contractor Palantir in New Orleans.
All of the above is why we should all demand ethical technology
It is the responsibility of all of us to use and further ethical technology while rejecting technology that can be used against us.
Wear face covers where you can, even if it is just as a protest. Make use of your own car or even better, public transportation, and pay with cash and Bitcoin wherever possible.
Be vigilant against attempts in your community against any policies that endanger the equality of all and the erosion of your rights.
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
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Technology such as encryption, VPNs, and Tor can help us maintain and defend our privacy online.
But technology can also work in the opposite direction, helping the spooks learn about our private lives and behavior, which makes it difficult for individuals to develop personalities freely from fear and control.
But which technologies should we be afraid about most, and why? And what can help us protect ourselves from these trends?
1. Facial recognition systems
There are already cameras everywhere, and while it’s undeniably entertaining to watch bloopers from everyday life on youtube, it is creepy to know everything we do in public life is potentially made available to the world to consume.
With advanced technology, it will soon be possible to not only record all our public life but also analyze it in almost real time. While facial recognition is far from perfect, it already allows a computer to match a person even if glasses or hats obscure parts of their face.
Quite likely, facial recognition software will become more accurate than humans—especially when scaled to databases the size of a city’s voters registry, national passports, or even that of Facebook.
With advanced face recognition software, a state might be able to find out with high accuracy where a person is at all times, who they are with, and what they are currently doing.
It’s pretty hard to protect against facial recognition. The most effective tools stand out considerably to the human eye, and they only really work if a large number of people use them. If only a few people use tricks to deceive cameras, it will be quite easy to work out who they are.
For now, items that fool the cameras are mainly a sign of (much needed) protest and objection to the automatization of the police state.
2. Ride-sharing apps
Your car is your property, and there are limits to what governments can do with it. They cannot deny you access to it, seize it, or search it without good reason.
In your car, you also decide where to go, and what hardware and software to install.
However, when you rent a car or hop into somebody’s rideshare, you are not protected by these same provisions. On top of that, the app you use to hail the ride knows where you are at all times and will record this data.
The app even knows where you are going before you get there and, in some cases, can even predict your commuting behavior (this risk is also endemic to navigation systems). All of this data is available to advertisers and governments.
At present, it’s still relatively easy to avoid ride-sharing if your hometown has decent public transportation or you can afford a car.
3. Electronic money
Carrying change in our pockets is inconvenient. Finding an ATM nearby can cost money and take time. Most of us have access to electronic payment methods like credit cards, Google Pay, Wechat Pay or Venmo.
But relying on these systems can be dangerous. Not only are all your transactions analyzed and sold to advertisers, but they are also available to your government. Tourists crossing the U.S. border from the north can be refused entry, and possibly even face jail time, because they purchased marijuana legally in Canada.
Electronic money can not only be used to surveil and prosecute you, but also to deny you access to services only available with credit cards, such as online purchases or card-only shops.
If we do end up eradicating cash, as we already have for expensive goods, we are making it easy to marginalize people without access further.
To avoid government snooping, use cash as much as you can, and Bitcoin whenever you shop online.
4. Predictive policing
Predictive policing has inspired many science fiction stories, most famously Philip K Dick’s The Minority Report.
Unlike in The Minority Report, we cannot rely on psychic mutants to see future crime, but instead, we have to rely on existing crime databases, most of which carry a fair amount of prejudice and bias.
Predictive policing amplifies this bias, meaning some crime goes less punished, while citizens in crime-ridden areas are inconvenienced through concentrated law enforcement action, similar to that of racial profiling at airports.
It may seem far-fetched, but predictive policing is already in trial stage at multiple locations around the world—most notably through U.S. military contractor Palantir in New Orleans.
All of the above is why we should all demand ethical technology
It is the responsibility of all of us to use and further ethical technology while rejecting technology that can be used against us.
Wear face covers where you can, even if it is just as a protest. Make use of your own car or even better, public transportation, and pay with cash and Bitcoin wherever possible.
Be vigilant against attempts in your community against any policies that endanger the equality of all and the erosion of your rights.
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
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4 Ways you can be identified through social media
On social media, it is easy to forget who can see our posts. A pseudonym can protect us from revealing too much, but there are still plenty of ways we can accidentally dox ourselves.
1. There’s lots of metadata in images
Many cameras and smartphones collect metadata along with the picture. This data might include the time you took the photo, information about your camera, and highly sensitive information such as GPS coordinates or usernames.
Some social media sites will remove this metadata from the image before making it publicly available, but they will still collect and store the information for themselves. Other sites will not remove your metadata at all.
It’s best always to remove metadata yourself to prevent unwanted followers to show up at your doorstep.
Some metadata is pretty hard to remove. A picture of you in front of the Eiffel Tower will always reveal that you are currently in Paris, for example. So maybe it’s best to wait until you are back home to post it so as not give potential robbers any ideas.
Look carefully at pictures before you post them. Maybe a street sign or passing public bus reveals your location?
2. QR Codes are embedded with lots of information
We know it’s tempting to show your followers that you are on your way to a vacation, or just saw a cool new blockbuster, but this is not without risk. Be careful of everything that has a QR code in it, such as movie tickets or flight tickets. The QR code might include your loyalty card number or even your name.
With this information, a criminal, personal enemy, or even just a prankster might be able to successfully change your flight, get themselves movie tickets on your expense, or empty your loyalty card.
3. Your language and writing style is a dead giveaway
Blogging anonymously is hard. You will have to change your language and style and avoid slang carefully. Everybody has some words they use far more than others, and the science of stylometry helps people find out who wrote what.
The more casual the writing style, the easier it is to find out who is the author of an anonymous piece, such as a song.
It is possible to use computers to automatically analyze essays, work emails, or blog posts and correlate them with the style of the social media account.
Your IP address will betray you
Every site you visit can see your IP address. Somebody who wants to find out your IP address and approximate location needs only to trick you into visiting a site they own, for example by commenting on your recent social media post, and then routing the request.
It’s straightforward to reroute traffic unnoticeably, for example by using a link shortener service. A shortened link can direct to a third-party before forwarding on to the site you expect to see, and there is no visible trace your information was caught in the middle.
In some countries, such as the United States, it’s even easier to get internet usage data. ISPs will happily sell your information to anyone who asks, so any site you have visited can cheaply find out our name and address.
Think twice before you post anything
You already know you have to be careful with what you post on your social media accounts. But be especially careful with metadata, information in the background of pictures and videos, and QR and barcodes.
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
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On social media, it is easy to forget who can see our posts. A pseudonym can protect us from revealing too much, but there are still plenty of ways we can accidentally dox ourselves.
1. There’s lots of metadata in images
Many cameras and smartphones collect metadata along with the picture. This data might include the time you took the photo, information about your camera, and highly sensitive information such as GPS coordinates or usernames.
Some social media sites will remove this metadata from the image before making it publicly available, but they will still collect and store the information for themselves. Other sites will not remove your metadata at all.
It’s best always to remove metadata yourself to prevent unwanted followers to show up at your doorstep.
Some metadata is pretty hard to remove. A picture of you in front of the Eiffel Tower will always reveal that you are currently in Paris, for example. So maybe it’s best to wait until you are back home to post it so as not give potential robbers any ideas.
Look carefully at pictures before you post them. Maybe a street sign or passing public bus reveals your location?
2. QR Codes are embedded with lots of information
We know it’s tempting to show your followers that you are on your way to a vacation, or just saw a cool new blockbuster, but this is not without risk. Be careful of everything that has a QR code in it, such as movie tickets or flight tickets. The QR code might include your loyalty card number or even your name.
With this information, a criminal, personal enemy, or even just a prankster might be able to successfully change your flight, get themselves movie tickets on your expense, or empty your loyalty card.
3. Your language and writing style is a dead giveaway
Blogging anonymously is hard. You will have to change your language and style and avoid slang carefully. Everybody has some words they use far more than others, and the science of stylometry helps people find out who wrote what.
The more casual the writing style, the easier it is to find out who is the author of an anonymous piece, such as a song.
It is possible to use computers to automatically analyze essays, work emails, or blog posts and correlate them with the style of the social media account.
Your IP address will betray you
Every site you visit can see your IP address. Somebody who wants to find out your IP address and approximate location needs only to trick you into visiting a site they own, for example by commenting on your recent social media post, and then routing the request.
It’s straightforward to reroute traffic unnoticeably, for example by using a link shortener service. A shortened link can direct to a third-party before forwarding on to the site you expect to see, and there is no visible trace your information was caught in the middle.
In some countries, such as the United States, it’s even easier to get internet usage data. ISPs will happily sell your information to anyone who asks, so any site you have visited can cheaply find out our name and address.
Think twice before you post anything
You already know you have to be careful with what you post on your social media accounts. But be especially careful with metadata, information in the background of pictures and videos, and QR and barcodes.
When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN. RitaVPN is an excellent choice for accessing your favorite geo-blocked content. It allows P2P connections on all servers and offers specialized servers for Netflix and other favorite streaming channels. RitaVPN is a relatively new VPN service, but it’s already making a name for itself，which makes it one of the best VPN in 2019.
Qwer432
http://www.vpnsnetflix.net/
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/popular-adult-site-exposed-user-data/
https://www.ritavpn.com/blog/what-is-the-best-vpn-provider-for-uae-in-2019/
You will find below a list of the most popular international and
bilingual schools for expats in China with fee information. It includes
nursery schools, primary and secondary (high) schools and you will find
the right school to prepare for International Baccalaureate, and other
diploma in China. Some schools will follow the American or British
curriculums with English speaking programs while others are regulated
under the French or Japanese education system.best kindergarten in hangzhou
Education in China
Education in the People's Republic of China is state-run system administered by the Ministry of Education. It is the largest education system in the world. Schooling is free of charge for Chinese citizens age 6 to 15 (books and uniforms may cost a small fee). In rural parts of China, many students stop their education at age 15. The Ministry of Education estimates that 99.7 percent of the population has achieved a nine-year basic education.
Chinese public schools are required by law to accept children of legal foreign residents. Admissions requirements vary but schools may require an admissions application, health records, passport, visa information, school records, birth certificate, recommendation letters, interviews, entrance exams and language requirements. Students who cannot speak Mandarin are held at first grade until their language skills reach acceptable levels. All classes except English are taught entirely in Chinese and there is little support for families and students who do not speak Chinese.
International Schools
International schools can be the perfect solution for an expat student (multinational corporation executives, children of diplomats, NGO staff) in China. There are a growing number of private schools in China. These schools mostly cater to wealthy Chinese or international students. Schools usually follow a curriculum model from the US, UK, France, Canada or Australia/New Zealand. Primary instruction may be any language (and multiple languages are usually taught), but it is usually in English, French, Spanish, German, or Japanese. Many schools provide similar standards of schooling around the globe, providing for an easy transition between schools whether they are in France or Vietnam. Schools often provide internationally accepted accreditation such as the international baccalaureate.
Most international schools in China will only accept Chinese who hold a foreign passport. There are over 70 schools approved by China's Ministry of Education to provide foreign instruction. Unlike local children, foreigners must pay a yearly tuition which varies but starts at about 28,000 RMB.
Admission and enrollment procedures vary from school to school. Space is often limited and preference may be given to students based on nationality. Tuition tends to be expensive based on local standards, but offers high standards of learning, boast smaller class sizes, first-rate facilities, and extracurricular. Boarding facilities are available at some schools, but most only provide day classes.
Education in China
Education in the People's Republic of China is state-run system administered by the Ministry of Education. It is the largest education system in the world. Schooling is free of charge for Chinese citizens age 6 to 15 (books and uniforms may cost a small fee). In rural parts of China, many students stop their education at age 15. The Ministry of Education estimates that 99.7 percent of the population has achieved a nine-year basic education.
Chinese public schools are required by law to accept children of legal foreign residents. Admissions requirements vary but schools may require an admissions application, health records, passport, visa information, school records, birth certificate, recommendation letters, interviews, entrance exams and language requirements. Students who cannot speak Mandarin are held at first grade until their language skills reach acceptable levels. All classes except English are taught entirely in Chinese and there is little support for families and students who do not speak Chinese.
International Schools
International schools can be the perfect solution for an expat student (multinational corporation executives, children of diplomats, NGO staff) in China. There are a growing number of private schools in China. These schools mostly cater to wealthy Chinese or international students. Schools usually follow a curriculum model from the US, UK, France, Canada or Australia/New Zealand. Primary instruction may be any language (and multiple languages are usually taught), but it is usually in English, French, Spanish, German, or Japanese. Many schools provide similar standards of schooling around the globe, providing for an easy transition between schools whether they are in France or Vietnam. Schools often provide internationally accepted accreditation such as the international baccalaureate.
Most international schools in China will only accept Chinese who hold a foreign passport. There are over 70 schools approved by China's Ministry of Education to provide foreign instruction. Unlike local children, foreigners must pay a yearly tuition which varies but starts at about 28,000 RMB.
Admission and enrollment procedures vary from school to school. Space is often limited and preference may be given to students based on nationality. Tuition tends to be expensive based on local standards, but offers high standards of learning, boast smaller class sizes, first-rate facilities, and extracurricular. Boarding facilities are available at some schools, but most only provide day classes.
Chinese American International School (CAIS) is a private, independent
school in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood. Founded in 1981,
with just ten students in the basement of a University of California
Extension building, CAIS is the earliest Mandarin-English dual-language
immersion school in the United States.international school in Tianjin
The school now enrolls 520 students in grades pre-K through eight on three campuses: early childhood, lower school, and middle school. CAIS follows a 50/50 Chinese/English model in the early childhood and lower school divisions and a 30/70 model in the middle school. Currently, classes in grades pre-K through five are staffed by both a lead teacher and a teaching associate. CAIS was a recipient of the Goldman Sachs Award for Excellence for International Education in 2005.
CAIS employs full-time curriculum leaders in both English and Chinese who work with teachers and teaching associates in all three divisions on designing and delivering an integrated and aligned curriculum in both languages. In the early childhood and lower school divisions, and to a lesser degree in the middle school, the curriculum is organized into integrated units, with all subjects and both languages integrated under a unified theme.
Examples are “Exploring Living Things” (pre-K); “Everyone can make a change/Helping Others is the Foundation of Happiness” (3rd grade); and “Water, Water, Everywhere” (7th grade). CAIS’s curriculum framework ensures integration across languages and subjects through six “Focuses of Integration”—lenses through which all subjects can be viewed across all grades. Inspired by the IB MYP (International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme) “Areas of Integration,” the CAIS “Focuses of Integration” are Change and Continuity, Environments, Global Citizenship, Self-Development, Culture, and Innovation and Creativity.
Subjects
In the early childhood and lower school divisions, students learn language arts, social studies, math, and health in Chinese. Language arts, social studies, math, lab science, and PE are taught in English, and the visual and performing arts are taught in both languages, with selection of language dependent on staffing. The school has dual language social emotional learning programs both in the classroom and on the playground.
In middle school, language arts and social studies and some arts classes are taught in Chinese.
CAIS employs a Chinese-speaking educational technology integrator for all divisions, and technology skills are integrated directly into the curriculum in all subjects in both Chinese and English. Coding and design are separate classes taught in English.In CAIS’s play-based early childhood program, the focus is on oral and aural proficiency within a developmentally appropriate pre-literacy program.
In the lower school, CAIS is moving increasingly toward a workshop model in both reading and writing that is aligned between Chinese and English. In English the school has implemented reading and writing workshop models from Teachers College at Columbia University, which have been revised and adapted for the Chinese classroom. CAIS lower school is also developing a guided reading program in Chinese, and the school is currently working with a Bay Area publisher along with a few other immersion schools to pilot a Chinese guided level reading system. CAIS middle school is also moving to a workshop model in Chinese writing.
CAIS has long contemplated the relationship between language learning objectives and content knowledge objectives within immersion instruction. Accordingly, the school has developed a document entitled “Goals and Principles of Chinese Immersion Instruction at CAIS,” which defines clearly our approach to immersion instruction and the relationship between language and content learning. Our curriculum maps indicate both language objectives and content objectives for each curriculum unit. The CAIS curriculum in Chinese is aligned with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
In 2012, CAIS changed from full-form or “traditional” Chinese characters to simplified characters as the basic script for teaching and learning in the Chinese language classroom. This transition took place after 31 years of using the traditional, full-form script.
The school now enrolls 520 students in grades pre-K through eight on three campuses: early childhood, lower school, and middle school. CAIS follows a 50/50 Chinese/English model in the early childhood and lower school divisions and a 30/70 model in the middle school. Currently, classes in grades pre-K through five are staffed by both a lead teacher and a teaching associate. CAIS was a recipient of the Goldman Sachs Award for Excellence for International Education in 2005.
CAIS employs full-time curriculum leaders in both English and Chinese who work with teachers and teaching associates in all three divisions on designing and delivering an integrated and aligned curriculum in both languages. In the early childhood and lower school divisions, and to a lesser degree in the middle school, the curriculum is organized into integrated units, with all subjects and both languages integrated under a unified theme.
Examples are “Exploring Living Things” (pre-K); “Everyone can make a change/Helping Others is the Foundation of Happiness” (3rd grade); and “Water, Water, Everywhere” (7th grade). CAIS’s curriculum framework ensures integration across languages and subjects through six “Focuses of Integration”—lenses through which all subjects can be viewed across all grades. Inspired by the IB MYP (International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme) “Areas of Integration,” the CAIS “Focuses of Integration” are Change and Continuity, Environments, Global Citizenship, Self-Development, Culture, and Innovation and Creativity.
Subjects
In the early childhood and lower school divisions, students learn language arts, social studies, math, and health in Chinese. Language arts, social studies, math, lab science, and PE are taught in English, and the visual and performing arts are taught in both languages, with selection of language dependent on staffing. The school has dual language social emotional learning programs both in the classroom and on the playground.
In middle school, language arts and social studies and some arts classes are taught in Chinese.
CAIS employs a Chinese-speaking educational technology integrator for all divisions, and technology skills are integrated directly into the curriculum in all subjects in both Chinese and English. Coding and design are separate classes taught in English.In CAIS’s play-based early childhood program, the focus is on oral and aural proficiency within a developmentally appropriate pre-literacy program.
In the lower school, CAIS is moving increasingly toward a workshop model in both reading and writing that is aligned between Chinese and English. In English the school has implemented reading and writing workshop models from Teachers College at Columbia University, which have been revised and adapted for the Chinese classroom. CAIS lower school is also developing a guided reading program in Chinese, and the school is currently working with a Bay Area publisher along with a few other immersion schools to pilot a Chinese guided level reading system. CAIS middle school is also moving to a workshop model in Chinese writing.
CAIS has long contemplated the relationship between language learning objectives and content knowledge objectives within immersion instruction. Accordingly, the school has developed a document entitled “Goals and Principles of Chinese Immersion Instruction at CAIS,” which defines clearly our approach to immersion instruction and the relationship between language and content learning. Our curriculum maps indicate both language objectives and content objectives for each curriculum unit. The CAIS curriculum in Chinese is aligned with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
In 2012, CAIS changed from full-form or “traditional” Chinese characters to simplified characters as the basic script for teaching and learning in the Chinese language classroom. This transition took place after 31 years of using the traditional, full-form script.
The Tianjing BISS International School seems to have found a way out
from its recent troubles, forging a strategic partnership with
Tianjing-based ETU Education. The deal will cover operations,
management, marketing, enrollment and curriculum development.Tianjin international school
BISS, founded in 1994, is one of Tianjing's oldest international schools. The sister school of the ISS International School in Singapore, BISS was renowned for its strong foreign faculty, expertise in International Baccalaureate programs and success in sending its students to world-class universities, including Harvard, Stanford and the National University of Singapore.
However, a few months ago it ran into financial trouble, according to a report by The Tianjing News. Later, teachers joined a strike to force the school owner and board of directors to pay their dues.
The local educational authority made continuous attempts to help BISS get out of trouble until ETU Education made the decision to cooperate with the school.Li Yinuo, the co-founder of ETU Education, says about the partnership: "BISS is a respectable international school with a long history and proven track record when it comes to the IB program.
"We believe that this comprehensive collaboration between ETU and BISS will offer two different, but complementary, education paths for students from different backgrounds and with diverse needs."
ETU Education, which was started in 2016, is an emerging innovation project in China that seeks to offer students experiential learning courses by developing culturally-rich curriculums that combine China's standard syllabus with advanced teaching methods around the world.
In this sense, Li says, ETU's China-based innovative education efforts will also provide BISS with a unique Chinese perspective to its localization of the IB curriculum in China, and use its global resources to improve the learning and teaching standards of BISS.
In the past two months, ETU has helped BISS resolve its financial problems and stabilize its faculty, ensuring that it will be back to normal for the next semester.This summer, ETU and BISS will launch exchange programs for both teachers and students with Singapore-based ISS.
Elvis Tan, director of BISS, says the partnership with ETU is a milestone for BISS which has been in China for the past 25 years, adding: "We will continuously work together to provide the kids, regardless of their cultures and nationalities, a better education and a better future."
Zhou Jing, the mother of a BISS student, says she thinks the cooperation is an efficient way for BISS to overcome its difficulties."I think ETU is a burgeoning, promising project, and hopefully it will bring vigor and new blood to BISS' development," Zhou says.
She says she sent her daughter to BISS in 2015 because it boasted a high-quality faculty and IB courses."ETU emphasizes the importance of learning Chinese culture, which is a good complement to the internationalized courses offered by BISS," says Zhou.
BISS, founded in 1994, is one of Tianjing's oldest international schools. The sister school of the ISS International School in Singapore, BISS was renowned for its strong foreign faculty, expertise in International Baccalaureate programs and success in sending its students to world-class universities, including Harvard, Stanford and the National University of Singapore.
However, a few months ago it ran into financial trouble, according to a report by The Tianjing News. Later, teachers joined a strike to force the school owner and board of directors to pay their dues.
The local educational authority made continuous attempts to help BISS get out of trouble until ETU Education made the decision to cooperate with the school.Li Yinuo, the co-founder of ETU Education, says about the partnership: "BISS is a respectable international school with a long history and proven track record when it comes to the IB program.
"We believe that this comprehensive collaboration between ETU and BISS will offer two different, but complementary, education paths for students from different backgrounds and with diverse needs."
ETU Education, which was started in 2016, is an emerging innovation project in China that seeks to offer students experiential learning courses by developing culturally-rich curriculums that combine China's standard syllabus with advanced teaching methods around the world.
In this sense, Li says, ETU's China-based innovative education efforts will also provide BISS with a unique Chinese perspective to its localization of the IB curriculum in China, and use its global resources to improve the learning and teaching standards of BISS.
In the past two months, ETU has helped BISS resolve its financial problems and stabilize its faculty, ensuring that it will be back to normal for the next semester.This summer, ETU and BISS will launch exchange programs for both teachers and students with Singapore-based ISS.
Elvis Tan, director of BISS, says the partnership with ETU is a milestone for BISS which has been in China for the past 25 years, adding: "We will continuously work together to provide the kids, regardless of their cultures and nationalities, a better education and a better future."
Zhou Jing, the mother of a BISS student, says she thinks the cooperation is an efficient way for BISS to overcome its difficulties."I think ETU is a burgeoning, promising project, and hopefully it will bring vigor and new blood to BISS' development," Zhou says.
She says she sent her daughter to BISS in 2015 because it boasted a high-quality faculty and IB courses."ETU emphasizes the importance of learning Chinese culture, which is a good complement to the internationalized courses offered by BISS," says Zhou.
As I sit comfortably on my bed writing this blog at home in Shanghai, I
feel content for a few seconds until a wave of confusion hits me. Now,
as a Malaysian who has studied in China for the past 14 years, I
suddenly struggle to know why or what I meant by writing ‘home.’ International school Shanghai
Reflecting on the 14 years I have been at YCIS, one of the most significant benefits of being an international school student is perhaps the opportunity to meet lifelong friends from all over the world. We meet students from across a spectrum of countries, such as Australia, the UK, Philippines, and Brazil, exposing us to a wide variety of cultures. Every day, we spend an average of eight hours together in school. Thereby, from strangers we make friends, from friends, people become best friends, and for the lucky ones, into lifelong friends. Though a part of this experience comprises friends arriving and departing, we make the most of the current situation by unknowingly enmeshing these friendships and Shanghai into part of what we deem as ‘home.’
While we may not realise it day-to-day, our small but frequent interactions with our friends are valuable learning experiences that provide us with new lenses and outlooks about our world. Whether this happens at school or outside of school, we are continuously acclimatising ourselves to different perspectives, expanding our understanding of cultural differences. Often, we overlook all of these facets, when in fact, they really are a blessing.
As a Malaysian who has lived in Shanghai for a majority of her life, I’d say that being an international student has taught me so many things I will never forget. Throughout the years, I have realised that home has indeed become a paradox, and ultimately, it is up to us to decide what home is. For me, I certainly haven’t forgotten about home in Malaysia, but I also call Shanghai my second home: I’ve been here since the age of 4, and I have laughed, cried, and more here – the list can go on forever. After all, like the proverb says, home is where the heart is.
Reflecting on the 14 years I have been at YCIS, one of the most significant benefits of being an international school student is perhaps the opportunity to meet lifelong friends from all over the world. We meet students from across a spectrum of countries, such as Australia, the UK, Philippines, and Brazil, exposing us to a wide variety of cultures. Every day, we spend an average of eight hours together in school. Thereby, from strangers we make friends, from friends, people become best friends, and for the lucky ones, into lifelong friends. Though a part of this experience comprises friends arriving and departing, we make the most of the current situation by unknowingly enmeshing these friendships and Shanghai into part of what we deem as ‘home.’
While we may not realise it day-to-day, our small but frequent interactions with our friends are valuable learning experiences that provide us with new lenses and outlooks about our world. Whether this happens at school or outside of school, we are continuously acclimatising ourselves to different perspectives, expanding our understanding of cultural differences. Often, we overlook all of these facets, when in fact, they really are a blessing.
As a Malaysian who has lived in Shanghai for a majority of her life, I’d say that being an international student has taught me so many things I will never forget. Throughout the years, I have realised that home has indeed become a paradox, and ultimately, it is up to us to decide what home is. For me, I certainly haven’t forgotten about home in Malaysia, but I also call Shanghai my second home: I’ve been here since the age of 4, and I have laughed, cried, and more here – the list can go on forever. After all, like the proverb says, home is where the heart is.