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2021-09-14

Rampant misinformation and disinformation continues

This is a screenshot from a group several friends are in. The group is holistic-minded which, in itself, is not anti-science but folks who are into holistic medicine seem to be particularly vulnerable to the misinformation and disinformation out there. This screenshot shows one person asking the OP if they’ve tested their child for COVID. The OP answers that they’ve swabbed their child several times. A third person warns the OP that sterile swabs contain ethylene oxide and so they cause cancer. Reuters did some myth-busting regarding this claim. (Link included). It’s so disheartening to see this rampant disinformation and misinformation, especially in communities I formerly felt a part of.

07/22/2021

Handmade surgical masks

Members of Banner Health's Innovation Team convert sterilization wrap into surgical masks in an effort to conserve supplies. More: http://bannerhealth.mediaroom.com/masks

2020-04-22

Understanding the Corona Virus Through the Lens of Racial and Social Justice

The Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy and the Social Justice Initiative host a conversation on the Coronavirus Pandemic through the Lens of Racial and Social Justice. Moderated by Barbara Ransby from the Social Justice Initiative, panelists include Dr. Linda Rae Murray, Aislinn Pulley from Chicago Torture Project, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez, Ald. Jeanette Taylor, Detention Watch Network's Gaby Viera and Reyna Wences from Organized Communities Against Deportations. This program was edited by CAN TV

2021-01-12

Voices No Longer Heard

In my line of work, which is construction management and execution, communication is key. Often, this begins and ends with emails, phone calls, and the occasional zoom chat to set a project up. However, once work commences, field superintendents meet daily with clients to discuss progress, delays, opportunities for improvement, and at times, complaining. Morning meetings are at the heart of the daily communications, and have always taken place at 7:30 am, with fifteen to twenty people present. From January 2020 thru the middle of March 2020, morning meeting went as they had in the past. At times, with so many in the room, expressing their ideas, it can be difficult to keep track of what is being talked about. In my role, I attend one or more of these meetings, at different jobsites, throughout the week. As Covid safety precautions took hold towards the end of March, I noticed that the meetings I attended were quieter. This was partially due to masks being worn. Whenever someone chose to speak, their voice, which had been loud a week or so prior, was now muffled and subdued. Additionally, people spoke no more than was necessary, the meetings were shorter than they had been. Gradually, power points were introduced on a screen each day so that talking was not necessary. Instead, the bosses laid out the schedule, expectations, and those in the room simply took notes. By the end of April, the morning meeting changed over to Zoom Chat, with everyone in their office, staring at a screen which displayed those same power points, saying very little or nothing at all. By this point, with social distancing in full-force, there was no need to speak. Notes were made by a Project Engineer containing key points and emailed to attendees after the conclusion of the daily Zoom. Suddenly, there was no face to face conversation, fewer phone calls, and increased emails. With masks across our faces, everyone continued their work in an eerie silence. The robust workplace, full of ideas and plans which must be heard, faded into blank stares saying nothing. With the New Year, I did not expect any change. It would be difficult to say when practices that existed only a year ago might return. This morning, I logged into Zoom for a pre-construction meeting, I was met with the same silence I heard just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

2021-01-11

The Beginnings Of Covid-19

The Beginning Of Covid-19 The origin of Covid-19 had many rumores but the one that was most prominent to me during the beginning of the pandemic was bad meat from chinese markets. It all started when me and my family had a conversation about the pandemic and our thoughts and plans about it when my parents told me that it is speculated to be from these meat markets from the streets of china and since they are not preserved properly the meat carries the virus. The next day I got to school nothing was on lockdown yet so I did something that is almost just a dream to me. An actual conversation without worrying about masks, staying 6 feet away from them and having to sanitize if high five them. We talked about what they have been told about the origin and we all landed around the same point of the chinese market. Things have definitely changed, especially beliefs on the origin but this is how it all was first received.

2022-12-17

Online times

I think that remote learning is going okay so far but i’d rather be in school where I can get help easier and I can have face to face conversations with my friends. I feel like we go kinda fast in remote learning I wish we could slow it down. I also we started earlier and ended earlier at like 12. Although quarantine was nice and I got to hang with my friends, I would like to see the people I never got the chance to hang out with.

2020-08-28

Australian Health Worker quote on treatment of Health Workers

It's good now that the conversation has changed and they're treating health workers as heroes. Quote from Female aged 54, Rural Nurses. Image created by the Health Worker Voices project: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/healthworkervoices

2020-01-20

WuHan quarantine

This is a TikTok video filmed by residents in Wuhan during the quarantine. They opened the window and asked neighbors if someone wants to make friends and have conversations in real life.

2020

Jewish Melbourne: TBI Wednesday Coffee and Conversation

Throughout the year, Temple Beth Israel hosted a weekly "Coffee and Conversation" on Wednesday afternoons, via zoom, with one of their rabbis.

2020-05-20

Jewish Melbourne: Stand Up 'Leadership in a Crisis' webinar

This post advertises a webinar that took place, providing a link to the recording on youtube, of a 'Leadership in a Crisis' conversation with Ronni Kahn AO and Josh Burns MP, facilitated by Stand Up CEO Gideon Reisner

2020-10-20

Introverts love the indoors and lockdown

The image that has been submitted is important to me because its relatable to those that enjoy being isolated from society as much as possible. Granted even introverts need some sort of human interaction, more often than not they prefer it to be as minimal as possible. Which is why the character in the image looks absolutely ecstatic to enter a mysterious room. If anything there isn't much of a story to the image, rather it can be used to illustrate a human emotion, joy, but a odd, weird joy. Due to the fact that most people want to spend more time with their families, it doesn't seem absolutely innocent due to the fact that some people might actually spend too much time to themselves and will ultimately have a difficult time working with other people again. Let alone normal day to day social interactions, casual conversation might become unnecessarily challenging, but it will be something that people will have to deal with until things can get back to normal.

2020-07-21

Stopping to smell the flowers.... and focus on gratitude

Since mid-May, our 18yo son's friend has been living with us. D's mother is immunocompromised, and he needed to return to work when restaurants re-opened to save money for college in the fall. He moved in, adding a fourth teenager to our house. He is a wonderful guest and we have enjoyed having him. It can't be easy for him to live with a family that is not his own, but he handles it very well. Last week, these flowers arrived for me. D's dad and grandmother sent them (they live out of state) as a thank you for us hosting D these past months. I was so surprised and touched by the gesture. I know D and his family are grateful that he has a safe place to live while ensuring his family's health, and I appreciate that. While literally stopping my day to smell my flowers, I started thinking about gratitude, and the ways I will always be grateful to 2020: - My family is healthy, safe and together. - I realize that my son knows the value in surrounding himself with good people; getting to know his friend has been a blessing. - We were able to continue our school and work lives, even while isolated at home. Not all are so lucky. - As things re-open slowly, our lives are not returning to the crazy levels of busy that is our normal. Instead of school and practices and large gatherings, small groups of friends are coming over almost every day, and I love having a full house. - Our future plans are still moving forward, albeit in a different format. Online classes for my high schoolers and hybrid college classes for college kids. Working from home. We are making it all work. - While we haven't been having family crafting projects or other Instagram worthy activities, we have been able to connect often and easily. A conversation about politics; one about ethics; another about relationships. All of these happened organically because we are physically together. Also conversations about LeBron vs. Michael and ranking of the Star Wars franchise; not every conversation is deep. - Most importantly, I realize that the first half of 2020 was a gift: I got extra time with my kid, right before he leaves for college. I got extra time with my high schoolers that wasn't carved out of a crazy schedule. My husband and I spent time reading next to each other and doing puzzles. It would be crazy for me to say 2020 has been wonderful; it hasn't. It has been awful. However, even in these crazy and unsure times, there can be gratitude. And flowers. And Star Wars movies.

2020-04-23

Face-Timing in the Park

This is a brief story about a different way of communicating with my students through Face Time. It speaks to the flexible nature of teaching and how the pandemic caused me to shift my flexibility and availability beyond office hours. It's important to me because it has allowed me to grow as a teacher.

A screenshot of a video game character with the name "rank1loser".

2020-05-14

True Social Distancing

This image is from a recording that I did for an assignment in my Spanish class. We used Minecraft to show a "real-life" conversation between students in Garden Grove High. This image is important to me because it shows the problems and the workarounds that emerge with the COVID 19 situation.

2020-04-01

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