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Spain
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2021-12
The “Vaccine Passport” Agenda
This is information on vaccine passports by Swiss Policy Research. The overall message is that there is a correlation between totalitarianism and panic over the virus. This panic, in turn, has translated into governments around the world bringing up the possibility of vaccine passports. The vaccine passports may be used for more than vaccines, as they would be a way for the government to identify movement of individuals easier. The groups uses a number of ways to sway the audience, using information on what different organizations have funded, in addition to bringing up what other governments have said about the vaccine passports. Vaccine passports, according to this publication, really got traction from the digital identity lobby group ID2020 in February 2021, which has funding from both the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. The research foundation cites pushback against the vaccine passports too. Places like Ontario, Canada have had to take away the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, as they would potentially lose many workers in the process. In Spain, they have been called "ineffective and unconstitutional." The publication ends by calling the pandemic a "plandemic," saying that it was likely lab-created for the purpose of controlling the populations more. I think given the information available, this is persuasive. There are links to where the claims come from, such as what Bill Gates says himself, as well as information on the Good Health Pass, which is a collaboration between many different organizations and their implementation of vaccine passports. In my own opinion, I find vaccine passports unconstitutional and an invasion of privacy. A vaccine passport makes it so you are forced to disclose personal health information to strangers in order to do things like grocery shopping, which I consider to be a potential HIPAA violation. It is also breech of the Fourth Amendment in the Constitution. If people feel inclined to get vaccinated, they should, but forcing people to do so through vaccine passports creates more overall distrust in the government. I have known people that would have otherwise have gotten the vaccine if it wasn't so forced. Even though vaccine passports were never mandated where I live, there have been people that have lost their livelihoods over not wanting to get vaccinated. I myself was very hesitant to get the vaccine for a while due to the way the government was handling it. Trying to implement vaccine passports and mandates has made it so society becomes more segregated, where unvaccinated would be forced to shop at different places, work at different places, and many other things. I am glad that the overall effort to actually do this has failed, but that is only because of many groups of people throughout the United States exercising their rights. I am pro-choice too, and I extend that reasoning to vaccine passports. People need bodily autonomy and vaccine mandates remove some of that. -
2021-06-27
Pandemic lockdown gives a new opportunity towards homeless mental health. A study from Spain
While the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered mental health, see https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/page/mental-health, I hope that there could be benefits to mental health as COVID rates around the world drop. It is now more convenient than ever to partake in counseling services from the comfort of your room, especially if you have social anxiety or pandemic anxiety. Unfortunately, statistics are not out as of March 2022 that demonstrate that mental health is improving with waning COVID rates, instead counselors, psychiatrists, and psychologists seem busier than ever. While telehealth meetings are convenient, wait times and schedules are full of the backlog of people whose mental health was affected by the pandemic. I wanted to find an example of a positive outcome on mental health through COVID's global sweep, especially as COVID wanes. Attached is an example of a study in Spain that focused on a group of homeless in Spain that were in lockdown. "More than 60% of them presented mental disorders and within 8 weeks they were visited in person 2–3 times...Finally, 51.8% were linked to social and health care services and 37% to mental health resources, which can constitute a step forward in their reintegration and normalization." They argue that if it was not for COVID and these efforts, these homeless people may not have been diagnosed and helped. The paper concludes that this study is useful for the future because it shows how under immensely stressful situations, primary and secondary interventions worked. This can be repeated without a pandemic. While the pandemic was very stressful, it reaped some benefits such as a new focus on mental health, new methods of talking with trained professionals, and studied like this that show data of improving mental health in times of stress. -
2020-01-01
Travel
Before the pandemic, my family, friends and I were traveling and getting to see amazing sites! This photo here is from Africa. We were able to have the luxury of going on this trip right before covid. When covid hit, we couldn’t go anywhere. Places got shut down and people were to stay in their homes. During the summer when covid started to get better, we planned a trip to Spain. A few week later I receive a call from my parents telling me our trip has just been cancelled because covid could shut down the borders and we could get stuck. To this day it is still scary to travel. When I used to be able to go and see the world, now I can’t because of covid. -
2020
Humorous Corona Memes
During quarantine I collected many humorous memes about staying at home and the problems that brought. All sorts of subjects were covered: cooking, getting along with your spouse/roommates, homeschooling the kids, learning to bake bread, being stuck at home, sanitizing, facemasks, people hoarding toilet paper, boredom, effects of isolation, etc. Here are a few of those memes. -
2020
Pandemic Street Art: TVBoy and pop street art during the pandemic
TVBoy is the artist name of Salvatore Benintende, Italian graffiti artist from based in Barcelona, Spain. Through the months of the pandemic, TVBoy has put up several wheat paste murals incorporating imagery of the pandemic, social justice issues, Catholic imagery, and political topics: a school of fish wearing masks; former President Trump in a Superman costume; the Sacred Heart Jesus figure wearing a mask; imagery of Antonio Canova’s statue The Three Graces (the mythological three charities, daughters of Zeus — Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia — said to represent youth/beauty, mirth, and elegance) wearing form-fitting scrubs, clogs, masks, and representing three well known vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca); imagery of Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper but with Jesus wearing a mask and separating two sides of the table; and others. -
2020-11-15
New York, Bilbao, New York
In November 2020 I began reading Kirmen Uribe's novel Bilbao New York Bilbao while in Bilbao, Spain with my partner. We were there to care for his father who is suffering through the late stages of dementia and to spend time with his family who he had not seen in a year. Uribe's novel is important to my plague year for many reasons. He talks about the split mind being from Bilbao yet living in New York. My partner is from Bilbao, and the novel helps me understand his mindset. But Uribe also talks about the ways humans remember and carry pain and mark loss. Unlike trees who carry their growth in their rings or fish who mark time through their scales, humans mark time and pain through simply marking time. He notes that fish grow their entire lives, but humans start dying and shrinking from the moment we hit maturity. Growth, it seems is only for the fishes. My plague year was marked by my entire partner's family getting the virus, a story of gradual family loss, one of borders, and of course a presidential election. The pandemic closed not only schools and bars but also borders and our chances to move between Spain and the U.S. in any straightforward way. When we began planning the trip in the summer of 2020, we came up against all of the travel bans in place. My Spanish partner could get to Spain, but I could not. So, the research began, and I spent more time on Facebook groups than any person should be allowed to. We knew we weren't going to Spain just to have fun. We needed to take care of his father, but it felt like we were doing something wrong. Love, it turns out, knows no national borders, but border agencies certainly do. To get to Spain, he just hopped a plane to Madrid. I had to go through Lisbon, London, and Paris before arriving there. On the way back, I hopped on a plane flying directly to New York. He had to quarantine in Mexico for two weeks. Our stay there was marked by his father's continued decline but also moments of joy. The picture here captures one of those. As a U.S. citizen, his Spanish family and friends are always asking me about U.S. culture and practices. One of my tasks in Spain was to cook a big American Thanksgiving dinner, which I did with gusto. I made all the things: turkey, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pecan pie. I tried to explain the significance of each dish while realizing how insignificant and somewhat gross Thanksgiving foods are. But we had fun and spent the night after the meal singing "American" songs and discussing art--his cousins are all artists. That night, one of his friends recommended I read Uribe's novel. So, I ordered it that night. It is a lonely book of loss and thinking about how art marks that loss. I think that is how we marked our time in Spain contemplating everything we had lost in 2020 and everything we were gradually losing. We spent time at the Guggenheim and Fine Arts museums in Bilbao. In fact, we waited for my partner's COVID test while browsing the Fine Arts Museum. It turned out positive, and we separated at the point for two weeks. But the picture here represents a moment of joy as we said goodnight to my partner's cousins after the Thanksgiving weekend. I hope for all the clichés of going back to normalcy. And we probably will get back to the "before times" given humans' inability to learn from any of their experiences. But I am one of those humans and just want to sit at a bar and talk to strangers again. When that normalcy returns, I will look back at this picture and remember Uribe's words: "As with the growth rings of fishes, terrible events stay on in our memory, mark our life, until they become a measure of time. Happy days go fast, on the other hand--too fast--and we forget them quickly." Maybe Uribe is wrong, though. I will not be forgetting this day anytime soon. -
2020-02-29
Studying Abroad During the Pandemic & Feelings of Uncertainty
This is an email I sent St. Mary's study abroad coordinator, Raquel, at the end of February while I was studying abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Cases were increasing in surrounding cities and I was beginning to worry. Students from my international program at the Universidad de Alcalá were being sent home and I was unsure of what my options were at the time. Nobody knew how serious and widespread Coronavirus would become, but I feel grateful that I listened to my intuition and came home on March 12th before Trump decided to close the borders on March 13th. This experience is unforgettable to me and many others who were abroad at this time. -
2020-03-30
Covid Art: Quarantined Artists Inspired by the Coronavirus
This article posted by Al Dia about Covid Art and a virtual museum in Barcelona, Spain, where a collection of covid art can be viewed. The collection consists of illustrations, photographs, paintings, drawings, animations, video, etc. According to the one of the publicists, these pieces of art reflect how we are all living and feeling during the pandemic. Art has always reflected what was going on during that time period. #covidart, #pandemic, #virtualmuseum, #quarantine, #Barcelona (HST580, Arizona State University) -
0018-03-18
"COVID took one of the most important things in my live" by Alfredo Serrano
Soccer has always been a huge part of my life. Soccer has been one of the most important (if not the most) things in my life, not only has taught me a big majority of my values and has opened the gates of college for me. After the outbreak of COVID-19, I was forced to come back to Spain, my native country. Leaving in the middle of Spring season left me a feeling of sadness and emptiness... But that was not the worst thing no, the worst thing was not being able to play soccer for five months straight. COVID has taken away what soccer represented for me, and I couldn't be more excited to play again in a couple of weeks... I'm truly nervous. -
March 25, 2020
COVID Share Your Story #RITtigers #7, Civil Engineering Technology & Modern Applied Spanish Language Major's Point of view
This semester was one of the best experiences that I have had so far at RIT because I had the opportunity to study abroad through an exchange program at Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, Spain. On the night of March 11th, I went out with a few friends that I met in Madrid. It was just like any other night, but at 2am local time, president Trump announced that he would be suspending all travel from the EU in two days time. While US citizens would still be able to return, I knew that my study abroad experience had come to an end within a matter of minutes. Hours later at 9am, I was on a plane headed to my home in New Jersey. This was a very difficult change to accept, but I know that it was necessary. Originally, I was devastated, but having been home for two weeks, I have spent more time with my family in these past few days than I have in years. Although we have lived together at times during my collegiate career, it was quarantine that brought us together to spend quality time. I am also able to finish my coursework online at my school in Spain, and they have been super accommodating for this adjustment period. While I obviously wish that this novel coronavirus had not spread throughout the globe and feel terrible for all of those touched by the pandemic, it has made me realize that it is important to try to find the positives in any situation, regardless of how bad it may seem at first. If I could give a message to myself at the start of this semester, what would I say? I would tell myself to truly cherish each and every second that you have to study abroad because even my originally planned four months trip to Spain seemed too short as it is, but the relationships that are made there are like no other. -
2020-04-13
Border Shuts down – extremely limited allowed people to enter China
Due to the significant increase in the Covid-19 cases, the Chinese government have announced the new boarder law. Everyone who intends to enter China will now needs to self-quarantine at a nearby hotel for 15 days. However, you must pay with your own money. Due to the new law the Chinese government have announced, the number of flights to China significantly decreased, which caused costs to skyrocket for airfare. Many overseas Chinese students who had hoped to return to their hometown during this time were not able to do it, due to the significant amount of cost. -
2020
Pandemic Reactions in the West Bend and Roncesvalles Areas
Residents of the West Bend and Roncesvalles areas of Toronto have reacted to the coronavirus outbreak in many ways that promote consideration and support for their neighbours and patrons, ways that range from declaring support for Essential Workers to sharing bits of humour through shop windows and creating fun, social-distancing appropriate activities such as front lawn "I Spy"! -
04/15/2020
Alma Madrid Oral History, 2020/04/15
Liza Black interviews Alma Madrid, an American citizen in lockdown in Valencia, Spain. During the interview, we learn Alma is an English teacher whose visa is soon expiring, and will soon need to move back to the United States. Alma’s wedding plans and future educational goals have been ruined by COVID-19. Alma shares her experience with the difference in reactions between the United States and Spain. -
2020-03-24
Filipinos Coping With Covid - Series
I am doing a series, Filipinos Coping With Covid, published in my blogs and some in Positively Filipino -
2020-07-06
Herd Immunity Isn't Going to Work
I had become fairly ill in December with a respiratory illness that was never diagnosed, but went away after a round of antibiotics. Feeling like I was on the verge of death for over 10 days, I assumed that with the announcement of coronavirus I had already had the illness. I felt safe to try and get back as close to normal as I could, but the overwhelming scientific consensus seems to be that herd immunity may just not be a real idea. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #herdimmunity. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it speaks towards the scientific community trying to convince the public that herd immunity is not a thing. Linked article: (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31482-3/fulltext) -
2020-07-06
Debating Herd Immunity
I am pretty sure that I had the coronavirus in December. Speaking with friends and family members, there are multiple instance of people feeling as though they have already been sick and feeling comfortable about heading back out into the world. As evidenced by the study discussed in the article, this may not prove to be as smart as we imagined. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #herdimmunity. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it shares an article discussing herd immunity, a recent hot button issue that has been thrown around in the reopening debate. Link to the CNN article: (https://twitter.com/Boyanbc/status/1280216226128633865) -
2020-07-05
Spain puts region into lockdown again as cases numbers rise
Spain has decided to put a region in Catalonia back into lockdown as case numbers rise. This area of Spain has a population of over 200,00 people. The decision comes as 60 new cases are recorded in a 24 hour span. This news comes as Spain begins to have a slight uptick in new cases. I entered this tweet into the archive for a few different reasons. The main reason was to highlight the drastic measures some nations are taking in order to fully defeat the virus. It only took 60 new cases in a day for an entire region in Spain to be re-locked down. On the other hand, thousands of new daily cases have yet to be enough for some states to full re-lockdown in the US. Spain has also seen a drastic reduction in daily new cases from their peak a few months ago, and actions like this may point to why they have been successful. -
2020-04-14
Lab Work Without a Laboratory
Science lab courses are continuing, so professors are finding a wide variety of ways to conduct them virtually. Creation of online Physics labs was accelerated when signs of a pandemic appeared; an astronomy lab that was to take place in the Canary Islands went online, an ecology lab shifted gears so students could study nature at home, and more. "We are doing our best to reach the same learning goals, but it requires a lot of creativity and hard work," said Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Melanie Berkmen. -
2020-04-12
How Spain is marking Semana Santa in the time of Covid-19
This article talks about how Spain is finding alternative ways to celebrate Easter Sunday. Spain has been devastated by the Coronovirus just like many other countries. Spain is using this Easter as a rebirth of the country. -
2020-04-25
Looking for a Cure
As the strict quarantine in Madrid extends to its 40th day, many residents are looking for cures or other possible fixes so that they may return to their normal life. Conspiracy theories are particularly rife, and 5g has been a popular target. After the destruction of cell towers in the U.K., it remains to be seen if that kind of action will immigrate to Spain as well. -
04/15/2020
Primavera Sound shares full-set videos of Refused, Pixies, Wilco, Bon Iver, EITS & more
Primavera Sound has been releasing archived, pro-shot live footage to their YouTube channel during these trying times. And in this case, it’s full-set videos! -
2020-04-04
Modfied truck cruises through a street in Centelles, Catalonia, Spain playing music for the village's inhabitants.
The truck's volume and moving of lights would be inacceptable out of quarantine, but serves as entretainment during quarantine. -
2020-03-28
Spanish princess becomes first royal to die of coronavirus at age 86
Spanish princess becomes first royal to die of coronavirus at age 86, from People magazine article. -
03/16/2020
Drone Footage
Drone footage of Spain #HIST5241