Items

• 
  2020-04-04

  Using the pandemic to prohibit gun sales

  This particular story pertains to the overreach of government entities during the covid-19 pandemic, specifically regarding gun sales and the second amendment. Various government entities have utilized the pandemic to prohibit or impede gun and ammunition sales. This is particularly important to me as I believe it is the right of every law abiding man and woman to possess firearms to protect themselves and their families if they choose to do so. Furthermore, I believe in a fair and impartial government which should not have the ability to circumvent standardized governmental procedures in the event of an “emergency” they deem fitting.
• 
  2020-10-19

  Gucci belt

  Have you ever seen a person roll up in an expensive car to later find out they rotate between friends couches at night? Or a girl with a channel purse riding the bus? I thought of both when I came across this meme on Instagram. Since the Second World War, the US has posed as the leader of the world. We’ve boasted economical sucess, technological advances and number one in the sciences. Then COVID hit and our true colors came out. I wouldn’t go as far as this meme and claim that the US is a third world country because we’re clearly not. But we’re also not number one like we pretend to be. We were on top of the world is everyday back in 1945, but that spot is not ours anymore. The current administration has proven inapt in ever sense of the word. And now the world sees us as the posers we’ve become. I’m hoping for better days after these elections.
• 
  2020-10-20

  Not cut out for this shit

  This is a post from one of my favorite ig pages. I have not been a parent for a decade but I can relate to this post. It was a nice reminder on a tough day that our current “normal” is NOT normal. I appreciate all the optimism of people getting used to this all and calling it their new normal but I refuse to stop seeing this as a phase. This can’t be my new normal, I know there’s an end to it all and I hope it comes with a new government administration.
• 
  2020-10-20

  The new normal

  I recently graduated high school class of 2020 . Me and a lot of my friends didn't get a proper prom or graduation.The schools were the first thing the government shut down . Here we are months into a pandemic where new information about the virus is coming about .We have come accustomed to wearing masks and keeping distance. Meanwhile the president of the usa disregards the whole pandemic.While we the citizens have to face what's going on . It's completely unfair and unsafe. Everyone should follow the rules.
• 
  2020-07-06

  Visual

  Though the submitted thing isn't necessarily personal, it is certainly important because it allows people to openly see the disparity in cases across the globe in comparison to the United States
• 
  2020-10-19

  A Government Against It's People

  Finding any type of media that will accurately show what little the government has done and the lack of support the people of America have is unbelievably easy. In fact, I had a hard time choosing between which cartoon illustration was better. I knew our government wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t until Donald Trump being elected and the coronavirus pandemic hitting our homes did I realize how terrible things really are. These cartoons depicted so well how our government has harmed us more than helped us. The dangerous lies told by our own president and how the government won't take responsibility. When corona made its way to the U.S it was deemed unserious. On March 11th, 2020, President Trump said, “The vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low.” At that time there were 1,105 cases and 33 deaths documented in the U.S. The next day my highschool as well as every other school within the country closed down as an “extra week of spring break” due to the virus. This “break” soon became eight months and in the U.S alone there are now 8,128,524 ( plus 47,035 new) cases with 218,986 ( plus 475 new) deaths . The scare became real, people started stocking up leaving nothing for anyone else. We have almost 15 people in our home, it took my mom multiple trips to different stores in order to get the necessities for our family. You would think when a pandemic is spreading throughout people in the country you were placed in position to protect you’d address the problem seriously and work hard to find a solution. All Trump and our government has done was ignore the citizens deaths and provide false hope. What we did get was our president being sarcastic and telling us to inject lysol into our lungs. The citizen’s of America have seen other countries rise in numbers of coronavirus with us and then watch their governments actually handle the situation causing their numbers to decline while our numbers are still shooting through the roof. The panic of this virus does not even cross the mind of those who are rich, the group that our current president only cares about. They didn’t have to worry about medical bills in a country where the president doesn’t believe free healthcare is a human right because they know they are important in his eyes. At the end of this virus, it will be the stories from the one percent belittling the destruction of this virus rather than those who have actually suffered. America is running on ignorance right now. Our own president and government is not concerned with the health of the country. It is the government's job to protect and provide for its people, whether it be an outside threat or a threat within the country. When I look at those cartoons of Donald Trump and the coronavirus, it makes me remember how badly I want our country to actually function the way it is intended to.
• 
  2020-10-19T22:08

  WEAR A MASK!!!

  Wear a Mask Mesita Wear a mask Saving people's life Is really heavy metal You could do it today If you wear a mask If you need to go out Decide to go get cucumbers or something I don't know Something essential Like wearing a mask Wear another mask Wearing a mask Is really, really cool It stops you from getting sunburnt on your lips Wearing a mask Is really, really cool It doesn't hurt your breathing at all Your oxygen levels will stay the same Trust me, random lady Wearing a mask is the coolest thing to do I think you should probably wear a mask And if you don't like to be told what to do, hey I mean just like, just look at- You can't drive drunk either Wearing a mask Wearing a mask, mask I found this song “ Wear a Mask.” by Mesita as a sound on the social media app Tik Tok, and when I saw this assignment I thought it would fit pretty good. This song isn't very good but It has a really good message about this pandemic and how people are taking it. Due to the pandemic we are required to wear masks for everyone's safety and to help stop the spread of Covid-19, but many people don’t seem to grasp that concept. During this pandemic I have learned how flawed our Government System is and the lack of action taken to help those who are suffering is outrageous. Out of all the issues that are contributing to the spread, NOT wearing a mask is one of the big ones. Those who are against wearing a mask think that wearing a simple piece of cloth is violating their First Amendment rights. They can seem to see as to why wearing a mask is for not only the protection of others around them but for them as well. People who do not wear a mask are the people who are spreading the virus, they are endangering everyone around them and action should be enforced among these people who are refusing to follow state mandates. One of the ajor reasons why they are not going to take action are that the majority of these people are of white complexion, but that's another argument for another time. ., Mesita, director. Wear a Mask, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EXZKO56syo.
• 2020-10-19T20:41:00

  Back to Normal or New Normal?

  When I saw this meme for the first time, it instantly cheered me up after a whole day of doing homework online. I remember being excited that I didn’t have to wake up early for school anymore, and I could turn my computer on whenever it is convenient for me. Switching to online platforms for work and school definitely shows the government in action, allowing people to continue on with their lives while staying safe in the comfort of their own homes. At the same time, this shows the government’s inaction towards handling the pandemic because people are trying to make the most out of this “new normal” when in reality, we shouldn’t settle for this new way of living. The government should implement more effective regulations to reduce the number of cases, or its people would continue to live in isolation longer than we've expected. #unlv #psc101 #mlphelps
• 
  2020-09-05T22:48:00

  A Very Long Lonely Saturday Night

  The photo I presented captures two major events that affects my personal experience. First, the presence of human beings is not seen on a lovely Saturday night reveals how the government has implemented safety precautions of the use of masks and social distancing that involves quarantining in your home. This is a method the government is utilizing to substaint the coronavirus until a vaccine has been released to the public. This photo also captures something very significant to our atmosphere and that is the lack of air pollution. For those who are unaware of what air pollution is, air pollution is many different substances in the atmosphere that are harmful/dangerous to the health of humans and other living beings.This is significant because my health including all people who live in my community are not being poisoned from the air. Although the coronavirus has negatively affected my personal experience, I believe that the required safety precaution and lack of air pollution is for our good until we figure out a solution to the problem.
• 
  2020-08-08

  Self Expression in a Pandemic

  The media above is a picture sent to me by a close friend whose mom’s friend was making these masks and selling them to people during quarantine. This means a lot to me because since the pandemic had already been around for a while, people began to find ways to express themselves and their culture through our required masks. Not only that, but it also proves the financial crisis many people were in and the small ideas they have in order to make some extra money to make ends meet. Although the government did send financial aid out, for many it wasn’t enough. These masks show both our insistence to express ourselves during a crisis and the inability for the government to provide proper aid to the citizens.
• 
  2020-10-14

  Las Vegas Lockdown - March 29

  These two photos were taken on the strip at the beginning of lockdown in Las Vegas. Both photos show the government in action as they were taken during lockdown when the strip basically shut down. These photos show empty streets and billboards telling everyone to stay home and stay safe. The billboards provided a sort of unity within the city since it encouraged everyone to “be kind from a distance” and were small reminders that we were all in this together.
• 
  2020-10-08

  Is this our future?

  I look at this photo of my granddaughter wearing a mask and cannot help but think this might be her future. When I was her age, we did not have to worry about such horrible things like a deadly virus taking lives locally and globally. But if this is to be her future, then it will be second nature to her, because she will have grown up with it. I still find it hard to believe that my granddaughter at three years old, and my three grandsons have fallen in line with the protocol of changes this pandemic has brought to our doorstep and what they now have to endure. Sure, they may have some complaints about missing their friends. Who wouldn’t? But in today’s world, we have the luxury to still communicate through technology. I am not saying it replaces social interactions, but it does keep us connected to our friends and family, which is so crucial in all aspects of our lives. They did have a choice to attend school physically or virtually; they chose to take classes online. By staying inside and only going out when necessary, they are protecting themselves and others. The rest of the world needs to understand how serious Covid-19 is, and I know so many do. But some still do not believe it is real or that serious. Some of those people I know personally, and it drives me insane! But do you blame them when every day you see in the media many high-profile political leaders stand in front of the camera before the masses and make fun of other high profile politicians for following the CDC Covid-19 protocol so as not to spread the virus? What examples are they setting? There is no respect shown for those who have lost family and friends or those infected with Covid-19. Why are we told not to worry the virus is not that bad when thousands have and still are leaving this world because of being infected with the virus. So, it is no wonder this type of influence has caused such unrest between officials trying to control the virus and those fighting against them. Here in NC, the populous are fighting our governor on closing the doors of different establishments, such as retail stores, restaurants, salons, non-essential establishments, churches, etc., when the pandemic is at its highest. If the virus has leveled and not spiking, he will go into one of the softer phases, more lenient to the establishments and all in lockdown. What is surprising and so disappointing is in so many church leaders' attitudes—how they have handled the pandemic from the very beginning. You can expect a lot of rebellion from some of the retail industry, restaurants, clubs, and so on. But when you witness on the news a church with its community, not following the Covid-19 protocol, passionately holding a rally against the governor’s mandates, you wonder what the logic really is behind their actions. Apparently, it is not about spreading the virus. It is disturbing, like a scene from a bad movie; it is so unbelievable. It confuses me because we learned in church to love and care for one another. Still, these churches' leaders chose to sue the governor, instead of protecting the parishioners and others from a worldwide pandemic, leading by setting a good example. The virus hit the state hard. The governor mandated the closing of all church doors. He did not have a sinister plan to take people's rights away. The governor is desperately trying to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and asking the cooperation from NC. Once all settled and under control, the doors will open to the churches as well to life itself. The churches' leaders are not thinking of their people's wellbeing or the rest of the world when a virus of this proportion is spreading worse than the flu. The leaders of the churches that are suing are causing unrest between their congregation and the governor. They should be following the guidelines set by the governor and the CDC by using new and inventive ideas to service and protect their communities from getting through these difficult times. Some religious communities are coming together and putting their brains to work, coming up with creative ways to continue to carry on their religious traditions. Documentaries have shown religious organizations across the globe, organizing ways to continue their spiritual practice and rituals. Friends have shared their experiences of what their churches are providing for them to keep the connection of faith alive. These stories are refreshing and give me hope, but it does not make up for the injustice because a federal judge overruled the governor's mandate and opened the doors. So, are we mixing religion with the government? I am so proud of my grandchildren for understanding and being more compliant with this horrific pandemic than the adults we see on social media. If one has true faith, one can worship anywhere because my understanding is the god these parishioners believe in would accept praise and worship from anywhere - not exclusively a church. The question is, who really has the power and who has always driven that power?
• 
  2020-10-03

  India’s Covid-19 Death Toll Passes 100,000

  The U.S. and Brazil have more reported cases, but India is going to lift more restrictions. In India there are more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths and they are trying to have more restrictions so they can slow down these cases. They are ranked the second highest caseload in the world with approximately 6.4 million cases. It is important because people need to see how serious this virus is and start doing restrictions even if the state says it’s not necessary.
• 2020-09-29

  The Face Mask Dilemma

  Since the pandemic went into full swing in March 2020, the use of face masks has been the center of debate all across the United States. Americans perceive the policing of face masks as an infringement on their First Amendment rights despite the overall safety of the public's health being the major concern. As someone who worked in restaurants their whole life, I understand that working customer service isn't for the faint-hearted. However, anti-maskers were prominent despite multiple signs in the windows mandating masks upon entry/exit, COVID safety procedures displayed everywhere, and every employee wearing a mask and enforcing the guidelines issued by the CDC. Some even went as far as creating forged exemption cards that forced the Federal Trade Commission to issue a statement against them. I have been verbally assaulted, had stuff thrown at me, and even had individuals take off their mask and cough towards me just to entice some sort of violence or display their "dominance" over those who are fearful of catching the virus. Right before I resigned, multiple coworkers caught the virus simply from interacting with customers in the restaurant. Our managers at the time refused to tell anyone for weeks or notify anyone who had come into contact with them to get tested – including me. This attributed to why I left the customer service industry a couple months after the pandemic began: the threat to my personal health and that of my high-risk family members did not exceed the monetary value of a job in that industry when managers are more concerned about profit than the safety of their employees. Instead of removing these individuals from the restaurant, managers would cater towards them to ensure they didn't lose a customer, effectively displaying their concerns: money, money, and money. Americans seem to value the economic standpoint of their nation and their freedom to do whatever they desire, even if it means potentially killing someone, just to maintain that status of "freedom" that they pride themselves so much in. In fact, President Trump refused to extend quarantine or even fully enforce it due to the economic instability it proposed by shutting down the government and his reluctance to pay citizens more than a one-time stimulus check of $1200. The economy did slightly waiver, but as of September of 2020, more than 200,000 Americans have died from the virus - higher than any other country in the world. I would think that the survival of your constituents would be more of a pressing matter than handing out "free money" (as many Americans called it), but obviously our subpar leader thinks otherwise. I will not return to the restaurant business for quite sometime to maintain my health, my roommate’s health, and my parents/grandmother’s health. We’ve been forced to do our best to keep ourselves safe because the federal government reopened the entire country after partial lockdowns that proved ineffective.
• 2020-07

  Benefit during COVID-19 in Japan - 2

  After huge amount of backlash against the 300,000-yen stimulus payment to the head of the household, the government finally has changed the stimulus check to 100,000 yen per person. However, this had a lot of problems. To begin with, this was proposed in March, and to our family, the money came in August. This mean it took us 5 months to even get the 100,000 yen. In addition, the process was not like U.S. where it was based on tax returns and SSN. Japan does have a similar concept called My Number, but it was not mandatory and a lot of citizens/residents did not have the number. The government were trying to use this My Number, but even then, the people who had the My Number had to fill out forms online which took hours. In addition, multiple forms were put in, and the money was received in July, which is still 4 months after it was proposed. For people who do not have My Number, a physical form was sent to their home address. We received the form in beginning of July, and received the money in August, which means it took them a month to process it. Also, the money was not sent to every citizen/resident at the same time. Some citizens/residents received it faster than others, which caused frustration to the government. Also, some received more than one stimulus payment due to the system being manual and on paper, not by computer. Overall, I was very frustrated with the government’s approach in giving the stimulus check. My brother has received the 1200USD check very quickly and compared to that, Japanese stimulus check took too long.
• 
  2020-09-20

  Covid-19 Archive Interview with Radika Barot

  It is the experience the average high school senior had during the Corona Virus Pandemic.
• 2020-09-15

  Melbourne is not a city in revolt

  This was towards the end of the Stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne. Sky news, in particular, were making out that all of Melbourne was opposed to this infringement on our human rights. This article reminded me that, actually, most of Melbourne was feeling the same way as me - it sucks, but it's the right thing to do.
• 
  2020-09-18

  Pearl Rincon Oral History 2020/09/18

  I sat down for an interview with first-year Northeastern University student Pearl Rincon. We spoke about her her experience with the pandemic, her transition to online learning, and how her life changed during the quarantine.
• 
  2020-07-31

  "Temporary Mandatory Mask By-law in effect. Help Stop COVID-19. Wear a Mask."

  A pamphlet given to all residences in Ottawa through the mail explaining that there is now a "Temporary Mandatory Mask By-Law in effect." It then goes on to explain other public health measures to be observed and the reopening of city services. There is also a panel which reads "For more information, please visit ottawa.ca or for service in any language of your choice, please call 3-1-1." translated into Simplified Chinese, Hindi, Farsi, Somali, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, and Inuktitut. The reverse is the same in French.
• 
  05/08/2020

  Robert Brunschon Oral History, 2020/05/08

• 
  2020-07-06

  Letter of Instruction to Business Owners and Operators Concerning Mask Order

  The attached is a letter from Ottawa Public Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health for the City of Ottawa, Dr. Vera Etches, outlining how the newly implemented public health order which requires the wearing of masks by all individuals in indoor public spaces and what there responsibilities are in relation to that order.
• 
  2020-07-06

  Mask or Face Covering Required

  poster accompanying a tweet by Ottawa Public Health formally announcing that the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Vera Etches, has declared masks or other face coverings mandatory in public indoor spaces. The city of Ottawa is expected to vote on a bylaw to the same effect on July 15. The accompanying tweet reads: "As you’ve likely heard, Ottawa Public Health is mandating the use of masks in many indoor public spaces, effective at 12:01am July 7, 2020. Please read the letter of instruction from @VeraEtches to business owners and operators : http://ow.ly/sAM830qWBrj" The
• 
  2020-05-31

  Priorities

  Chelsea talks about the values and priorities of our government.
• 
  2020-06-26

  Government vital communication to deaf/Deaf/HoH community lacking

  One of the frustrations amung the deaf/Deaf/HoH communities is the governments communication during a crisis. Several times there is no sign interpreter available on screen while politicians are speaking. Sometimes there is no live CC available. A few times, fake interpreters are speaking gibberish during a live governmental press conference, putting the lives of many in the Deaf community at risk. There are millions of deaf/Deaf/HoH in the U.S. and I feel like the pandemic had swept our needs aside.
• 
  2020-06-15

  ambulantes

  A political cartoon about new restrictions on ambulatory sales. Prior to the pandemic, Peru had an economy where lots of people could purchase and sell products like ambulatory salespeople, moving around buses and neighborhoods freely carrying their products. Now however, salespeople aren't allowed to walk around or sell on foot, they have to sell out of their car. It offers some relief to those who actually have access to a car, but for those who don't and aren't earning money, the economic challenge of survival is a greater threat than the virus.
• 
  2020-06-18

  Mask On or Mask Off?

  This tweet from the Omaha World Herald highlights a very real concern that is on everyone's mind in the middle of the pandemic: the economy. In Nebraska, there appears to be a fear that if mask mandates are made a state order, the stimulus money for coronavirus relief could be withheld. It is a part of the larger struggle between state leaders and the federal government over health and safety guidelines. This item was added usingTAGS v6.9.1, searching under keyword #Nebraska. Within that search I have chosen to add this item because it speaks on the ongoing debate over the safety and necessity of masks.
• 
  2020-05-22

  Quarantine Centre in Nagaland for returnees from other States in India

  The Government of Nagaland in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has implemented a statewide lockdown and also initiated the establishment of Observatory Quarantine Centres for native residents who are returning back to Nagaland from other States across India. The returnees must observe a mandatory 14 day quarantine period before travelling on next to their villages or rural home towns. Seen here are returnees who arrived around 9 PM (IST) by train from Chennai, Tamil Nadu waiting in line to enter their Quarantine Centre at Tetso College, Dimapur, Nagaland. They will live here for 14 days or more under strict vigilance and undergo tests to determine whether they are Covid -19 positive. If any of the returnees are tested positive, they will then be shifted to the Covid-19 hospital for further treatment.
• 2020-06-11

  Do you want masks with that? Alberta offers free COVID-19 masks for all — at fast-food drive-thrus

  The first Canadian province to attempt to provide free masks to its population, Calgary, is doing so via fast food drive thrus such as McDonalds and Tim Horton's. The article describes the scheme, its potential positives and negatives, and the journalist's experiences when requesting masks at various establishments.
• 
  2020-06-10

  'Ford government directive to open child care centres won't work': Public Statement from Kathleen Wynne

  An public statement shared on Facebook by Kathleen Wynne and then by various childcare professionals and sympathetic parties. It was retrieved from the Facebook page of a Early Childhood Educator. Kathleen Wynne, a member of Provincial Parliament, former Premier of Ontario, and a former teacher, wrote this in response to action taken by Premier of the province of Ontario, Doug Ford and the Provincial Minister of Education, and Conservative government in the province, that they will reopen all childcare centres in Ontario effective Friday June 11, 2020 as part of their tiered 'reopening' of the province from Covid-19 restrictions. It is Ms. Wynne's opinion that centres are being provided with insufficient time and resources to do so safely for staff and children.
• 
  2020-05-24

  Death, Politics and the Nursing Homes

  This article is very important to the research on COVID 19 because it details that people in nursing homes are forced to surround themselves with infected people.
• 2020-05-31

  What it's like being a Gen Z in 2020

  I didn't think quarantine would last this long. It started in March, but not it's May. So far, our government has shown nothing to support us and the idiots in our country are protesting because they don't want to wear a mask. This is frustrating because I want to be able to see my friends again as well, but I can't do anything about it. The COVID protests are unnecessary and show how stupid everyone in this country is. Meanwhile, there are people protesting for basic human rights but are being shut down. I'm tired of living in this country and I'm sure almost everyone around my age is as well.
• 
  2020-05-26

  California prison begins testing all employees

  Testing or lack there of has been a big part of the news cycle since covid reached the U.S. In the beginning a person could only gain access to a test if they met certain criteria. This severely limited the number of people tested and was done because the number of tests available was very low. Even people deemed essential workers, such as those working in the nations prison system, had trouble accessing tests.
• 
  2020-05-21

  Can only the well connected be released from prison due to covid?

  As the pandemic settled into the United States discussions began concerning inmates in all levels of confinement. Many officials, at all levels of government, agreed that some inmates should be released early in effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus within the prison population. The rules or guidelines for early release are different everywhere and as this article explains seem to change constantly. While two well connected men have been released the article explores the difficulty regular prisoners have in being released.
• 
  2020-05-26

  Prisoners released cannot get an ID with government office closed

  During regular times previously incarcerated persons have difficulty re-entering society but a new problem has arisen for them during the covid pandemic. Government offices, such as the ones we all rely on to obtain a government issued ID/drivers license, are not open. Without an ID former inmates have trouble getting jobs and more.
• 
  2020-03-12

  ­Ponca Tribal Chairman Addresses the Challenges of Offering Services to a Geographically Unique Community

  “As our people become more and more inundated with news and updates on the Covid19 virus, I’m sure many of you are concerned of the unknown and what’s next.  As far as it relates to our tribal nation, Tribal Council and staff have been addressing this situation for some time… Added to our concerns in this time of uncertainty is the fact that our tribal service delivery areas are spread out over 15 counties in 3 states.  We have several unique areas spread across these areas.  All need the unique attention they deserve.  Our staff is working with all 3 state health organizations and all counties that our service delivery areas are in…While we are doing everything we can to help at this time, your understanding is asked for in knowing that we just may not be able to prevent occurrences from happening.  Again, we will remain committed to protecting our people the absolute best that we can.”
• 
  2020-05-02

  Amid Pandemic, Winnebago Tribe Prioritizes Resources

  “The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, like all the other tribes across the na-tion, has been affected by the corona-virus. Social distancing restrictions has caused many changes within the community including the temporary closing of the Winnavegas Casino, the main resource for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Inevitably, this also forced the tribe to temporary furlough certain tribally funded positions…Unfortunately, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a government agency, is not eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) “a loan designed to pro-vide a direct incentive for small busi-nesses to keep their workers on payroll” (sba.gov). Staying optimistic and proac-tive, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska has been taking steps to take care of the tribal members, community and its employees to the best of its ability…The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska is waiting for a distribution from the US Department of Treasury. The Coronavi-rus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Trump which included an $8 billion allocation for all tribes to fund COVID-19 prevention, preparedness and response.”
• 
  2020-05-12

  New Zealand's ban on large funerals during Covid-19 criticised as 'inhumane'

  "New Zealand’s ban on large funerals and tangi has been described as 'inhumane' by the opposition leader, and 'disappointing' and 'cruel' by indigenous funeral directors."
• 
  2020-05-28

  Corona in America

  Due to the recent rise in corona cases in the U.S people have been posting more memes about how the U.S is handling the pandemic.
• 
  2020-05-28

  Maintaining Due Process in a Pandemic

  On March 18, 2020, the US District Courts in MA where my mother works switched to a primarily telework schedule. This photo is my mother preparing for my emergency motion hearing via Zoom, balancing the pandemic and due process rights
• 
  2020-03-20

  "Government bird battery meme"

  This image is a meme about a popular joke made at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic that there was not really a virus and it was just a government ploy to get everyone to stay inside in order to change the batteries in the electronic birds.
• 
  05/15/2020

  Covid and Federalism

  *Original text in "Type:" Essay on the history of federalism and how covid might affect it
• 
  2020-04-30

  A text message to my Minister about my anger at the US government

  A text message to the Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship I attend describing my anger at the government for encouraging fear rather than alleviating it and for leaving the sick and the poor with no good choices.
• 2020-04-27

  Maria V.

  Russia 2020. Our government decided that it’s better not to have “Emergency situation” and official quarantine. Russian citizens instead have “self-isolation”.In this case we all need to stay home, BUT no money were added to our accounts, no food provided from government or any kind of support at all. Instead, they decided that citizens without job, money and support need to pay fines every time they are on the street. What a great idea! And just before COVID-19 Russian Ruble felt dramatically because our government decided to have even more oil then before...Thanks again. Now we have: millions of poor people trying to survive, billioners get more money than before, government has more money from fines, but none spent on citizens, all small business shut down and have no chance to recover. In this situation any other country would help their own citizens. But Russia as a very generous country sent help to China,USA,Italy and other countries. Don’t worry, we don’t have sufficient quantity of doctors and medical resources, medicine in Russia will survive somehow. So would people. And everything after this pandemia...not going to change. Our country forgot about us.
• 
  2020-03-27

  The Religious Right’s Hostility to Science Is Crippling Our Coronavirus Response

  This article talks about Trump's towards the corona virus pandemic and how the denial of science and critical thinking amongst religious ultraconservatives is affecting the American repsonse to the covid 19 outbreak. The article talks about how religious ultraconservative people in America are in denial of the facts about the pandemic because they have a religious response towards the virus which in result causes a lack of concern amongst those groups of people. #REL101COVID-19Articles
• 
  2020-04-01

  AusGov COVID-19 Message

  HUM402 This is a text from the Australian Government sent to my personal device spreading awareness of the importance of adhering to government regulations and protecting others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 
  2020-03-20

  Rent Strike

  Thousands of residential renters plan to stop paying their landlords from April 2020 in a nationwide strike as government negotiations stall.
• 
  2020-03-31

  Tribal Leaders Worried about Being Left Out of Conversation in Washington, D.C. on COVID-funding

  "Even before the COVID-19 public health crisis began to grip the globe, Indian Country faced significant challenges from underfunding in health care, education, broadband and internet access, economic development, housing, human services and more." As a result, tribal leaders held a March 20 teleconference to discuss their next move. #IndigenousStories
• 2020-03-29

  Diary Entry

  The ”lay off” Day 7 Whatsthisday, the 307th of Archpril The clocks changed tonight. I only know because I happened to be awake when they switched. An odd experience. One minute it’s 01:59 and the next 03:00. Yesterday was Earth Hour I’d missed that too, but Magdalena remembered and we spent a sleepy hour reading by candle and lamplight before heading to bed at 21:15. It’s a sort of tradition now. I missed both of these events because the available bandwidth to process news is simply overwhelmed with Covid-19. For a microscopic virus, it’s footprint in the macro world has become gargantuan, undeniable. Even for those for whom denial had become a way of life. I went to bed too early and now I can't sleep, so I’m browsing The Guardian and eating Clementines. We used to call them Mandarin oranges when I was a kid, but in Sweden, they call them Clementines for some reason. The US news is just apocalyptic. That’s a word I use far too much, but it really is the only one that fits now. Multiple, simultaneously accelerating sites of infection, the death rate approaching a thousand a day and the federal response remains jerky, incoherent, contradictory. At every news conference, Trump is like a bear in a trap, enraged, striking out blindly, snout spraying foam and blood with every snarl. He seems to sense a looming future that involves piano-wire and a sturdy lampost on some broad american boulevard. The lunacy is incomparable, without precedent in my lifetime. We are watching the Suez-cide of an empire in real time. In Sweden, things remain comparatively calm, but the undercurrent of concern is electric. We all feel it. We all know the exponential curve is on the way for us too. Our own local "Empire", the EU, is under tremendous strain as well, but here at least the causes remain pedestrian and institutional: the predictable outcome of a deliberately weak central authority rather then some bloated Nero. When this is over, we need to take a closer look at that. The house is cold – I’ve turned off the electric heating as spring pushes the temperatures higher, but it’s 0 degrees out there – so I creep down to start a fire. This is a delicate business at 03:30 in the morning or 02:30, whatever. The point is, it’s the middle of the night, and starting a fire tends to be a noisy obtrusive business, what with the roaring blaze, cast iron stove and so forth. I manage to get it just right, a minimum of metallic pings and ticks, the air flow turned down low to throttle brighter flames but not the coals. Satisfactory. I get back to writing. We’ve been in voluntary lockdown for about 2 weeks now. The first week was just a conventional work from home and then the layoff came. That was week 2. Today/Tonight/This morning, we are heading into week 3. That doesn’t mean we don’t do anything and I’d planned a series of activities with a minimum of social interaction for Saturday. Two things actually, a trip to hand stuff in to the 2nd hand place (Vinden which literally translates as Attic) and the open air recycling center. The fruits of a week with too much time on my hands. To that we've added a trip to ICA Maxi for a final round of supplies buying. The handoff at Vinden was perfect. There were some other people dropping stuff off, but we waited in the car for them to finish and then dumped our stuff. Eight bags of assorted clothes, utensils and older electronic odds and ends. Social interactions? Zero. Then we headed to Maxi. It’s dawning on me that this isn’t ideal. I’ve had misgivings about heading into an enormous shopping center in the middle of a global pandemic. Shopping should really be done only during off peak times and Saturday morning is about as on peak as you can get. This is feeling more and more like an avoidable error. I clutch my hand sanitizer and pull on my gloves. However, when we finally pull into the parking garage I’m encouraged. There are very few cars. We don’t need that much stuff, so instead of a trolley we get one of those rolling baskets and head in. There are plenty of people about, but Maxi (as the name suggests) is very large. It has acres of floor space and I can immediately see that people are distributed for maximal social distancing. There is a weird synchronicity to their movements, as if everyone is generating a repelling magnetic field, they slide past each other with meters of clearance. Even when people are speaking to each other or staff, they seem to be standing on either side of a 2 meter gorge. We pinball our way to the cat food (these goddam cats will be the death of us), traversing a wide arc through pet toys and obscure cleaning products, it’s a very lightly trafficked part of the store and we meet no one. Then down into fruit and vegetables to pick up oranges, clementines, apples and bananas. I read somewhere you can freeze fresh fruit and I want to try it. Magdalena has more practical goals in mind and selects the ingredients for a salad. In the fruit and veg section we actually bump into our handyman, Lars. Not literally of course. He has a heart condition and we don't want to kill him, so we stand either side of the gorge and shout pleasantries. Then onto dairy for milk (reason number two, after cat food, we are here at all) and two big plugs of cheese. Then I decide I want to get a loaf of freshly baked bread, but it’s a dilemma. No packaging. If I touch the bread with my gloves, anything on the gloves will transfer and then I’ll shove that material into my stupid fat face when we get home. I opt to remove the gloves, sanitize, pop the bread into the bags provided, then put the gloves back on. A month ago this aberrant, peculiar behavior would have attracted stares. Today, not the merest ripple of interest. The world has moved on. We head to the check outs. They are well manned and we immediately find one with a single shopper finishing up. I realize then we should have self-scanned all this crap. Now the checkout person is going to touch all our stuff, breath on it and so forth. While they contaminate everything I’m blipping my card. The blipping is great because you just hover the card over the reader. Nothing actually touches anything. You still have to punch in the code on the keypad (I shudder at this even though I’m wearing gloves) but the whole business is so much superior to the epidemiological nightmare of handing physical cash back and forth. Uuurgh. Cash. Filthy lucre. What a mad unsanitary idea cash is. Or more correctly in Sweden, was. Another big plus in Sweden’s fight against the spread of the virus. Cash is no longer king. It’s not even a local warlord and all its Statues were pulled down years ago. We head out to the car, sanitize, and home. Social interactions? Two.
• 
  2020-03-23

  Sacrificing grandma for the stock market

  The U.S. government was planning on opening the country again and having daily life go back to normal sooner than health experts recommended. People were angry that the government was willing to allow at-risk people (the elderly) to die rather than have the economy crash
• 2020-04-06

  "The World Should Unite"

  In 2020, when the Chinese New Year is approaching, a virus broke out in Wuhan that people have never seen before. After the New Year, the entire China began to fight against the outbreak. I feel deeply that in the early stage of the outbreak, there were countless young doctors in China who voluntarily signed up and applied to go to the place where the epidemic was most severe-Wuhan, the hero of the Chinese people, Grandpa Zhong Nanshan, arrived in Wuhan as soon as possible, which made us feel the most united It was during the epidemic that the Chinese people were able to obey the government's command to close the city, close the countryside, and close the community. The people stayed at home and did not go out, so that the epidemic did not spread so quickly. The virus is also under control Here I want to thank the medical staff who traveled to Wuhan. You risked your life to protect me. You did not choose to back down and avoid, but chose to fight against the virus. You came forward. Many young doctors did not tell themselves Parents are afraid of them. Many attending doctors change their hair from black to white within a month. During this epidemic, many doctors unfortunately contracted the virus during the treatment and did not return to their hometown and died. The epidemic is on the front line. Here, I want to pay tribute to all the medical staff, to the dead medical staff, you have worked hard. I would also like to thank those who contributed to the epidemic, the staff of the Wuhan "Vulcan Mountain" Hospital and the "Raytheon Mountain" Hospital, you worked hard, you built the hospital in just ten days, it was shocked The speed of the world is the result of your work day and night, and you have worked hard. In this epidemic, I feel the unity of the Chinese people. Most people, following the government ’s decision, stay at home and do not go out. Songs written by singers to cheer for Wuhan, and painters painted for Wuhan, writers, many people use their own ways to cheer for China and cheer for medical staff. This makes us very moved. There are many entrepreneurs and workers. Both students and teachers donated money for the epidemic, and many large manufacturing companies began to produce masks and disinfectants. Chinese people are cheering for Wuhan in their own way, cheering for medical staff I would also like to thank other countries that helped China during the epidemic. When the epidemic broke out, many countries assisted China by donating, donating, sending medical teams to China, and refueling China in various ways, although there are Some complained to China, but people from all over the world also cheered for China. Many of our teachers even chose to stand with the Chinese people and stay in China even when the epidemic was serious. People from all countries said that they helped and cheered on China With a "thank you" China's epidemic situation is much better now. China will also try its best to help other countries. Only when we unite will the world be perfect.