Items
topic_interest is exactly
Arizona
-
2020-10-21
Arizona COVID-19 Cases Surging Again
Arizona is seeing a surge in its cases again as winter approaches. The state is nearing 1,000 new cases a day with hospitalizations and ventilator usage is increasing. -
2020-08-20
Pandemic be damned: Ahwatukee Nutcracker is a go
The organizer of the Ahwatukee youth Nutcracker production talks about plans to go forward with the annual ballet. She also talks about the precautions being taken to protect the dancers that are auditioning and back-up plans in case the auditorium is cannot be used. -
2020-10-15
Zoom Meeting/Saint Jerome writing, 2020
Covid has changed everything and some professions have been more affected than others. For the arts, it has been very weird. First, due to the closure of galleries and events, an artist had the opportunity to create without interruptions, but the codependency of the artist with the art institutions is too strong. The painting was made by my husband, Diego Perez. He is a local artist in Arizona. At the beginning of the quarantine in March, he was so productive but after a few months, the creative process was affected by the lack of social interaction, exhibitions, call for artists, public art opportunities. He started to paint portraits, people with masks, but nothing was worth it because there was no space to exhibit or to sell. Online events weren't the same, ultimately, our virtual interaction is not enough for anyone. The painting "Zoom meeting/Saint Jerome Writing" represents the first approach to art normality, at least for my family. Carmody Foundation opened a call for artists in August and Diego was selected. The painting is a hagiography for Saint Jerome but in a pandemic mode, you will be able to see the important elements such as the skull, the red fabric, the writing... -
2020-08-25
Teaching in a Pandemic
My mom has always been an elementary teacher and is finally nearing retirement. The pandemic has been a great challenge for her to adapt to. Her school year started with online instruction before moving to in-person learning later on. As a lifelong teacher, the adjustment to online teaching has been incredibly different and difficult for her. Especially considering the lack of support from the school and the district. The setup in the picture was jury-rigged together using materials that were already owned in order to try and provide the best learning experience for the students. Arizona State University HST485 -
2019-06-06
I Can't Breathe
This was June 6th 2019. There were Black Lives Matter protests everyday for the last couple weeks. The world was angry and wanted people of color to be treated equally. Everyone in the photo is socially distancing and wearing a mask but still fighting for equal rights. No one forgot about COVID, yet COVID was not the only issue occurring in the world at that time. Arizona State University HST485 -
2020-03-01
Escaping From Our Daily Despair
Like most people living through these difficult times, I've found it exhausting to endure months without being able to see close friends and not being able to enjoy activities that I once took for granted. A lot of people have coped with these new, debilitating circumstances by adopting new hobbies such as baking breading and making pottery, but I've chosen to dig deeper into my favorite pre-pandemic hobby: reading. Before the pandemic hit my radar back in March (Like it did with most people), I had already amassed a collection of books that I had gathered from thrift shops or borrowed from the Phoenix Public Library. These books, whose topics ranged from Chinese science fiction (The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin) to 20th century European history (Reappraisals by Tony Judt), have helped me partially escape from the daily despair that came from watching the national death count tick up toward 200,000 people and the anxiety that comes with having friends and family who work in the vulnerable service industry. I feel guilty about escaping from our deadly reality into the pages of fiction, but it's necessary to prevent oneself from giving in to darkness and corroding your mental health. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do with all of this time. Sometimes, I'd rather think about how it would be like to live in Ceres Station (The Expanse series) or to be constantly reincarnated (The Years of Rice and Salt) than to see the cold, hard reality around me (We're on the road to 300,000 dead by winter's end). Sometimes, you just have to drink the soma to get through this brave new world of ours. I just wish it didn't have to be this way. I just wish we had done better as a society. -
2020-10-01
TD3 20-21 School Plan
I chose a PDF file detailing Tempe Elementary School District’s (TD3) plan for the 2020-2021 school year. This details when and why the school district is pushing back in person start dates and what they are doing to help the students/staff during the pandemic. It’s important to me because this is the school district I work for so it has an affect on what I do. -
2020-07-18
A Trip to a Silent Hospital
On July 18th 2020 in the late afternoon, I started experiencing some concerning not Covid-related symptoms and I made the decision to go to the Emergency Room. I’ve had chronic health issues all my life, so this wasn’t an unfamiliar experience. However, I’d been isolating since March and I was terrified of having to potentially go into a situation that was unknown in the middle of the pandemic. The things I remember most about the visit are how utterly desolate the places in the hospital felt, and how silent it was. I’m used to packed waiting rooms and constant noise. This visit was very different. After a brief screening in a large, mostly empty lobby with large barriers and protective measures in place, they assessed that I was not a potential COVID patient and sent me to a waiting room that I was alone in for most of my visit. There was no real chatter, mostly just silence, broken by the TV. The silence continued even back into the ER, where it seemed that the staff was spread thin. The most notable sounds were occasional low conversations and the sounds of medical equipment being moved around and the beeps and pulses. Even when evaluating me, while warm, the conversations sounded more terse and to the point. Everything moved more quickly. In some ways, it felt like being in an abandoned building. Everything was dark, silent, and empty in the areas where I was. -
2020-10-13
Possibly Fake Cards To Get Out of Wearing a Mask
Both my mother and my brother suffer from asthma. Before mask-wearing became mandatory by law, they attempted to use a card they had found on the Internet. The card looked legitimate, but we've since found out it may have been fake. Both of them printed it out and had it laminated so they could keep it in their wallets and bags. It stated they did not have to wear a mask due to health issues. Over time, my mother kept having experiences where people in public places such as grocery stores would get upset with her and “call her out” for not wearing a mask. She still stayed six feet away from people, but this was apparently not enough to reassure some. They would become angry and verbally abusive even after she showed them the card and explained that she had asthma. Because of these incidents, she looked for alternatives to masks, including a clear plastic screen which she tied around her forehead and it covered her entire face. But this was very inconvenient and difficult to wear. At the height of the quarantine, stores would not accept the card (as I mentioned earlier, it may have even been fake). As the quarantine began winding down (right around the time restaurants started opening), she was able to wear masks for short periods of time, as long as she could take it off soon after. *My parents got it through a third party, hence why I think it may have been fake. -
2020-09-21
QUARANTEENS
QUARANTEENS is a collection of art from around the world, but with a heavy focus on the Phoenix scene. And obviously by teens in quarantine. It contains a loose and colorful agglomeration of visual art, text, and ideas that sometimes contradict each other, but always in a good way. -
2020-07-10
DNR - A Death Sentence
My sisters are nurses on the COVID unit at St. Josephs Hospital and they are starting to see a lot more of these signs popping up. So many in fact that they are having to make their own because so many patients have received 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders. For those who don't know, this is an order caretakers follow when a patient is excluded from basic recovery care when their heart stops or they stop breathing. On the COVID unit, patients and families are facing their own mortality through this decision. This order has become more common during this pandemic because of how easily it is transmitted. Sometimes the order is requested by the patient but recently the decision has fallen on the doctors in charge. Visitors aren't allowed and ventilated patients can't provide input. The news is often broken to the families through a phone call or, if your lucky, a Zoom call. These orders are put in place when someone is nearing the end of their fight with COVID, to prevent the transmission of the virus to the nursing staff. This is a screenshot from my sisters Instagram showing an example of a hand made sign on her unit. -
2020-09-25
Avoiding Sickness while Traveling
I’m sitting in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport waiting for my flight to go to Chicago Midway airport while I’m geared up like doctor. I have my goggles on I purchased for my biology labs in college and my black face mask. I’m going to be seeing family, and much of my family is very old. I feel guilty being roped into going but I have to go. I’ve seen many people take off their masks for no apparent reason and I’m essentially blind because my goggles keep fogging. If there’s any obvious errors in this, that’s why. -
2020-08-06
First day of Kindergarten
We had been counting down this day for over a year. My oldest daughter could not wait to start kindergarten. The full impact of Covid had not hit me until her first day of school. It was nothing like I thought it would be. I snapped this picture of us (myself, my kindergartener, her little sister, and her dad) walking to the front of the school. There was no walking her to class to meet her teacher, no in class-pictures, no watching her take a seat at her desk. Instead, we walked her over with our masks on, waited while she got her temperature taken, and then watched her be escorted to her classroom since we were not allowed in class. A week after this photo was taken, her school decided it was best to do 100% remote learning. Since she is only five, she cannot understand the severity of Covid and has a hard time understanding why she can't be in class with her friends. -
2020-04-13
A Very Covid Birthday
This year I turned 25, a quarter of a century. I definietly did not expect to celebrate as I did, but nonetheless this birthday in 2020 was one to remember. I through myself a party and luckily my mom and brother came to town to visit. We made dinner, I made my own cake, and we took pictures to celebrate, including some covid satire. I also got news on my 25th birthday that I landed my dream job and would have to move across the country during a pandemic, without many proper goodbyes. Bittersweet, but a birthday I will always cherish. -
2020-07-20
Private prison contracts complicates COVID-19 precautions
The contracts for Arizona's private prisons require nearly all of the beds to be filled. This story articulates the difficult balance between keeping inmates safe during a pandemic and satisfying the contracts. -
2020-08-21
Yuma Inmates Allege Prison Officials Ordered Them To Refuse COVID-19 Testing To Keep Numbers Down
This Tweet and linked article explain a haunting story. Inmates at the Yuma prison in Arizona were threatened with a "beat down" unless they refused to take a Covid-19 test in an effort by the administration to keep the case count down. The replies to this Tweet show the public's response to this allegation. -
2020-08-11
Mayors in rural Arizona debate the pros and cons of mandating masks in their communities
Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-08-10
COVID-19 Share Your Story
COVID-19 has definitely made a huge change to my everyday routine. Before this all hit Arizona, my weekly schedule was gym in the morning, and depending on the day i would go to work in the afternoon and then do some homework before bed. On my days off from work I would go to school in the afternoon and usually do homework after. I would usually only have free time on Sunday's. This hasn't really affected my schedule negatively, but has definitely changed the origin of where I do things and has limited my abilities to do a lot of things as well. I now work out from home and had to purchase equipment and do not have access to anywhere close to the amount of equipment or weight that I normally have access to at the gyms, but have to make it work with what I have. I also have had to work from home, which is the same schedule I was on before and it definitely took a little bit of getting used to since I have roommates, but I made it work and I'm very fortunate to have a reliable job during these times. Most of my classes I take are online, so that won't have a very big impact on me other than if I ever have to go to campus, which I haven't had to yet. This has also had a huge impact on my relationship with my family. I went from seeing them once every 1-2 weeks to never seeing them because of me being a risk. My grandparents are very old and I haven't been able to see them since March. It is definitely tough for me, but i try to call them everyday to stay in touch with them as much as I can! Overall, I don't thing this whole COVID situation has impacted me as much as a lot of others and I and lucky to be in the situation I am in. -
2020-08-10
Children in a pandemic
Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. -
2020-04-14
Children in a pandemic
Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. #REL101 -
2020-04-30
Children in a pandemic
Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. #REL101 -
2020-06-15
Silent Funeral
My story begins in May when this pandemic began. I was still in school at ASU at the time and I was living in Tempe. When school and other events started getting cancelled, that's when I knew that COVID-19 was serious and that things were going to change all over the world. However, I didn't think it would have a long-standing impact on my life. Unfortunately, I realized this would not be the case after my closest uncle passed away in June. He had medical problems and was hospitalized for some weeks, but his illness was not caused by COVID-19. After learning that he passed away I was sad, but not in total shock. What did shock me however, is that I learned that no one would be able to attend his funeral in Nebraska. This of course is due to the pandemic and people not being allowed to be around each other. Most of my family is much older, to be fair, and it could have put them at risk. I've never been very religious, but I think your burial is a very important part of your life. I expect most people hope that it would be some type of celebration of your life. I'm not sure what my uncle wanted, but no one was allowed to attend his burial. This has impacted me where I feel like I didn't get a chance to fully say goodbye. I know that if it was me, I would have wanted my family and friends to be there. The image I put for this, is a picture of me and two of my closest friends standing outside of the church where we went to take the time to honor his memory. -
2020-08-03
Non-Profit "Local First Arizona" provides necessary financial support to rural small businesses in need
Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship The COVID-19 Pandemic has hit rural small businesses especially hard. Owners are struggling to pay their bills, and even survive. These owners don't necessarily get the same financial support from the federal government as owners in metropolitan areas. The non-profit "Local First Arizona" started providing financial grants to small businesses, especially focusing on those in rural areas of Arizona. These grants have been the saving grace of some rural small business owners. Reporter Sarandon Raboin spoke with some of the owners who were helped by "Local First Arizona". -
2020-07-05
Phoenix Mayor declares crisis as federal government fails to assist
Phoenix Mayor Gallego highlights the city in crisis as corona cases surge. Gallego also notes that her requests for federal assistance have largely been ignored. The Mayor talks about overwhelmed health centers in the state and the lack of tests available. Arizona continues to be a global hotspot for the virus for the past few weeks. As a hometown Phoenician, it saddens me to see my sates role in the pandemic story. Just this week Arizona went back into partial lockdown as ICU's filled up. I want to keep adding Arizona stories to the archive in order to document the poor response here from both the government and public. The state traded in a few weeks of being fully reopened for potentially months of re-lockdown. -
2020-06-25
Arizona becoming case study on how virus curve shoots up
The Washington Post released an article today titled "How Arizona lost control of the epidemic", highlighting the dramatic increase in cases in the state. Governing decisions and lacking health mandates are being pointed to as why the state has become a global hotspot. Cases were quite low early on, as the state participated in the national lockdown. However, as the state as fully reopened cases have skyrocketed. Governor Ducey came out today in a press conference with a notably different attitude than his previous tone of dismissing the spike in cases, declaring the spike in cases unacceptable but declined to provide info on a second lockdown. Arizona's role in the story of this pandemic is becoming clear, and is unfortunately a negative one. I felt as though this article and even just its title describes the current situation in the state. In terms of how the pandemic will be studied, Arizona is currently providing the example of what not to do, as other states and countries provide a more positive example. As an Arizona local this is disturbing to me but not very surprising. -
2020-06-25
Strange crossover between anti mask protests and George Floyd BLM protests
Scottsdale councilman Guy Phillips made national headlines today due to his comments at an anti mask rally in Scottsdale. Phillips parroted the popular BLM phrase and George Floyds dying words "I Can't Breathe" in relation to his feelings on being forced to wear a mask. A portion of Americans around the country and here in Arizona have been expressing disdain for new mandates requiring masks in public to prevent further spread of the virus through protests and gatherings. These new mask mandates come as Covid cases spike here in Arizona and across the nation. I found this tweet and the actions of Phillips here to be especially noteworthy due to the complete misunderstanding of not only the public health recommendations regarding masks but also the core message of BLM protestors. This elected official seems to disregard the dying words of Floyd by mimicking them to express his unwillingness to wear a mask, which, to me, seemed absurd. A big part of this stage of Covid in America is both the "giving up" of trying to flatten the curve by many people and government officials and the "anti health mandates" portion of the public and government officials who have turned the virus into some sort of political debate. Phillips exemplifies the latter, and I felt it necessary to include this example as I felt this is a rather uniquely American phenomenon or thought process. -
2020-06-19
Mask Up Phoenix
As case numbers in Arizona continue to rise, governor Doug Ducey has finally allowed cities to mandate the usage of masks in public spaces. This is the official City of Phoenix Instagram account publicly supporting face masks. -
2020-06-21
NY Gov. Cuomo highlights the success New York has had in flattening their curve due to people following health guidelines
This tweet stood out to me because of the contrast that it had with my state current Covid status. While New York was hit hard early, strict health guidelines have been not only enforced but followed well by the citizens of the state, which has notably flattened their curve. Meanwhile, Arizona was not hit as hard early but has now become a global hotspot for the virus due to lax enforcement of health guidelines, the state opening back up early, and therefore less public following of health and safety guidelines. The two states serve as near opposites of each other in regards to the curve of the virus. -
2020-06-18
Arizona's Troubles
Arizona was one of the earlier states that attempted to open from its lockdown, and had initially received mixed feedback on how things were going. As the reopenings have progressed through June, it is clear that Arizona is headed for trouble. The question seems to be just how much coronavirus can actually fit in the state. -
2020-06-10
Rising Coronavirus Concerns in Arizona
@45isalier Retweeted an Arizona ER Physician describing the increases that are occurring in hospital bed usage in the state. It shows a worrying increase over the past several days as the state continues to reopen. Coming from someone who works in the ER and deals with the real effects of the coronavirus, it seems as though This item was added with TAGS v6.1.9.1. The initial search was made using #Arizona and this item was added to the collection because of its medical importance and contradicts the narrative that reopening now is appropriate. -
2020-06-05
news about covid 19
these are news about covid 19 -
05/12/2020
Birthday wishes during a pandemic can still come true.
Maya wanted to celebrate her 6th birthday at the pool. Per state law, Arizona pools were closed. I even tried local hotels to see if any would let me rent a room in order to access the pool. No luck. In the end, we decided to bend some local rules and try to swim in Rio Salado, gaining access via the boat launch. We swam in the warm water for about an hour before a park official warned us that the police could ticket us. It was almost nap time for the 1 yo, and we were ready to leave anyway. It wasn't a pool, but we did get to swim. The day was declared a success by my 6yo who declared it "the best birthday ever." Photo from left to right: Julián Peralta-Kole, Katy Kole de Peralta, Maya Peralta-Kole, and Cassie Ashdown. -
2020-04-07
Comunicado a la comunidad peruana en el sur de California y en el estado de arizona
El Consulado General del Peru en los Ángeles con jurisdicción en el Sur de California y el Estado de Arizona, pone en conocimiento de la comunidad peruana las acciones y labores que desarrolló su personal diplomático, administrativo y localmente contratado desde el 17 de marzo a la fecha: -
2020-04-11
Dora Explores from a Distance
Dora the bulldog explorer spies on neighbors during an Uber Eats food delivery. -
2020-04-11
Phone conversation between cousins in Tempe, AZ and Arequipa, Peru.
Recorded part of a phone conversation between Marco Peralta Urquizo and his cousin Jose Pezo about how things are going in Peru during the lockdown.