Items

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  2022-06-18

  Coronavirus: which works better to handle a pandemic – democracy or autocracy?

  This is a news story from the South China Morning Post by Priyanka Shankar. This article is discussing the difference in responses based on forms of government. When it came to handling the pandemic, people from Asian countries where restrictions were much tougher rated a higher rate of satisfaction in government response compared to Latin America and Europe. This was taken from the Democracy Perception Index. According to researcher Fredrick DeVeaux, a leader in conducting this survey, the tight restrictions common in Asian countries are generally accepted because it gets associated with low death rates. The survey does make mention that in countries such as Iran and China, they hid data about the virus from their citizens, affecting their overall response to changes in lockdowns. However, Singapore is also authoritarian, and the prime minister has made an effort to create transparency in what is occurring, so items get hoarded less. Overall, the article claims that the mass mobilization of people and goods under authoritarian regimes fares better than democracies do at creating an effective COVID response.
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  2021-12-21

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 134

  Anger devours the angry
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  2021-01-14

  D.C. Kept Swimming Open During the Pandemic. It May Have Saved Me.

  This is a story I wrote in Washington, D.C. in January 2021, during the pandemic, and in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. I had taken up swimming during the pandemic because the city happened to keep some pools open for lap swimming. This new activity brought me solace and comfort during a very difficult time for our city, our nation, and for me personally. This story captures all of this and distills it into a single poignant and emotional moment of solitude and togetherness at the end of the story.
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  2021-03-21

  hermit HERALD, ISSUE 105

  $1.9 trillion stimulus relief package
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  2020-10-27

  No Covid Relief Bill Until After the Election?

  In a letter to house Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi cites Mitch McConnell and the White House for its failure to pass another Covid relief bill. Personally, I do not know if America will ever see another bill regardless of who wins the election. In Pelosi's letter she said, "For a long time now, Congressional Democrats have laid out a strategic plan to crush the virus. The White House and Mitch McConnell have resisted, and on Sunday, Mark Meadows told us why saying 'We’re not going to control the pandemic... From 'hoax' to hundreds of thousands dead, the White House has failed miserably — not by accident, but by decision, now we know why they resisted science at the expense of lives, livelihoods and the life of our democracy. Again, it was a decision to do so."
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  2020-06-01

  Democracy in Action- The Fight for Racial Justice During The Pandemic

  I took this picture on June 1st, 2020, on the first day I left my house since March. The COVID-19 Pandemic was still raging outside, but I felt that it was worth the risk to fight for racial justice. Thousands took the streets after the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to demand change and an end to systemic racism. My friends and I were some of them. We rallied outside the State House, only steps away from the dorm that I will be living in two weeks from now. Surprisingly, the protests gave me a strange sense of hope for our country. Despite the risk of COVID-19, all these people still collectively decided that this was too important to miss. They were willing to risk their safety to demand justice for people they had never even met. I’ve been to protests before, but this was like no other. It showed that people truly care about each other. Because of this, I believe that the US will come out of this pandemic stronger than before.
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  2020-03-21

  DOJ Seeks New Emergency Powers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

  Almost everything has been effected by coronavirus and incarceration is no different but one request from the Department of Justice is exceptional. The DOJ has asked Congress for chief judges to be allowed to suspend court proceedings indefinitely. This would allow the suspension of habeas corpus - a defendants right to appear before a judge to seek release or bail - and would apply to criminal and juvenile cases. HST580, ASU