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2021-10-10

HIST30060: Frustrated Bar Manager

This is a text message I received from the manager of the bar that I work at. It shows the frustration of beleaguered hospitality workers with the difficulties of enforcing government rules such as mask mandates and vaccination certificates as a condition of entry.

2021

Policing Isn't Broken — It Was Designed This Way

Our policing institutions were designed to exert control over Black people. We need to limit the role, responsibilities, power, and funding of police so interactions that lead to the death of Black people don't happen in the first place.

2021-04-14

Can You Ever Tell If A Decision Is Right?

My daughter has left our neighborhood less than five times in the past 13 months. I am not exaggerating. Now that the positivity rate in our area is 1.5%, we cautiously allowed my daughter to accompany me on a one mile run. You would have thought I’d taken her to Disney World. She was happier and more relaxed than she’s been in months. But she’s not a runner. She’s a competitive gymnast who hasn’t set foot in a gym in 13 months. She’s trained virtually with a gym in Northern CA and has worked out every single day. But we know it’s not the same. We also know that it’s time to create the team for the next season. It was time to contact her gym. We can keep promising she’s coming back but at what point is it just empty words? After a lot of prayer and internal debate, we texted her coach and said it’s time for her to come back. As you can see, she was initially scared at the idea, but that was quickly replaced by excitement when she found out she is really going back. But I have a pit in my stomach. Is it safe? Her coach isn’t vaccinated. Will my daughter be one of the children who contract it and have dire consequences? Or will her brother if she brings it home? How long can you keep a kid in a bubble? She already missed an entire season. Her mental health is so important, we know going back is going to be so amazing for that. But I am still so worried about the physical. One thing that this year has shown me is that I am an adult. I mean, obviously, I’ve been an adult for 22 years. But this year - protecting not only the safety of my children but my over 65 mom and in-laws. Advocating for the health of my students over politics. It’s like the pandemic has forced me to see that I can’t look to anyone to make adult decisions, it’s me. I’m the decision maker and these decisions can be life and death. I’m the adult. COVID has stripped that security we all had (probably foolishly). I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe again the way I did before this all began. So fingers crossed that my daughter’s journey back into competitive gymnastics is one that we can make safely.

2021-01-31

Freezing Masks

I live in Massachusetts, which certainly isn't the coldest area in the United States, but it is definitely not warm during January and February. Whenever I go out in public areas, like when I am walking my dog downtown or going to work in Boston, I always wear a mask. I personally feel that wearing a mask is a personal responsibility that we owe to everyone else around us. I work for hours wearing the mask, and have no problem doing so because it's the right thing to do. However, it has been particularly cold in Massachusetts the past week or so, which has meant that my mask freezes almost immediately when walking around. The condensation from my breathing quickly freezes from the inside which makes wearing the mask even more uncomfortable than usual. Then, when I get inside, the frozen condensation defrosts and the inside of my mask is soaking wet (not pleasant!!). But at the end of the day, we do what is necessary for the common good, and winter and the virus will soon be behind us!

2021-01-28

postive vs. negative

This pandemic has affected each and everyone of us in a different way. Although this pandemic seems to be a lot about the negative, I try and look at the positive aspect to it. When this pandemic first started and we had to go under lockdown and were under a stay at home order, the idea of it seemed pretty fun at first. The thought of staying at home and not having any responsibilities seemed like a pretty good thing. Once this lockdown continued for longer than we expected, things easily got annoying and was easily frustrated with the little things in life. Everyone got on everyones nerves. All I could think about was when this was going to end. Looking back, I've realized how much closer me and my family have gotten. Even though my family and I were already very close, we realized how much this pandemic made us appreciate the time we do have together and how other families may not have it like us. All in all, looking back, I've realized that we need to be thankful and grateful for things things we have in life rather than wanting more.

2021-01-22

My friend tested positive

When I heard my friend and her parents tested positive, I was freaking out. I was planning to hang out with her soon and if another friend hadn't told me, that would've been very bad. She was actually going to come to school and I was thinking if she would, I wouldn't be near her. But thankfully, she "changed her mind." I don't want to get exposed to covid even though it doesn't have a big affect on me. I have parents working in the medical field and it would make me feel so guilty. Since June, I've been hanging around with one specific girl and only sometimes we add this other one. I just always have an eerie feeling in public places now. And a guilty one when I think about it too much. I always try and be responsible and take others in account.

2020-12-07

COVID College with no Family

Because of COVID-19 I have not been able to see my family in the last five moths since I moved into college. I would have probably seen them on Thanksgiving but my sister started to get sick. So my parents decided not to come which is probably the best decision. Even though it has been very hard to live without the on the plus side, it has made me become a better man. It has made me make more responsible decisions with money, life, school and basketball.

2020-09-27

Growing Up

Hello! I am a 20 year old college student who has been afraid to face the responsibilities the world has for me. I always thought "I'm not ready for responsibility. I can barely take care of myself." Due to this, I always procrastinated on real life tasks outside of school, and depended on my parent. However, COVID-19 came and changed my reality. Everything went remote, and my parent was left facing unemployment. My sick grandmother could no longer get the care she needed, and there was no family member nearby that could help with her wellbeing. It became chaotic. At that very moment, I realized it no longer mattered how I felt about being ready for responsibilities. Majority of people were not "ready", but it became demanded of them to do what they needed to do. Ready or not, I needed to do what I needed to do. After being with myself in silence and calming my nerves, I realized that there were people who needed me to be there to help them, people that I love and care about. I was scared at first to take on such a big burden. I'm a full time student taking more credits than normal, I took up a full time job in order to make sure I took care of my parent, my grandmother, and myself, and I also needed to move out of the home I grew up into a whole other town in order to take care of my grandmother. In all honesty, I was scared. Here I am a young adult, who has not had major responsibilities, being brought into a situation where others depend on me to take charge essentially. This is all taking place in the middle of a pandemic, so it is vital that I am extra cautious, especially living with someone immunocompromised. Despite the uncertainties of what is to come each day, I have learned about myself and what I am actually capable of. Although COVID has brought about countless tragedies, some of which I've experienced, it has allow me to become a stronger, more dependable person for others who will later need me to aid them in any circumstances. It is still a learning process.

05/14/2020

Undergraduate Essay on Federalism in the Time of COVID-19

#unlv #PSC401D #mlphelps

2020-04-28

Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Pre-School Teacher Thinks Outside the Classroom

“Instead of being thrown by such an unorthodox teaching situation, Julissa Garcia and others at the school have gotten very creative. ‘One particular highlight was Soboba Spirit Week while quarantined,’ she said. ‘Each dress-up day was dedicated to the various people in our communities who are affected by COVID-19.” One of the first dress-up days was to honor the elders who had been struggling. “Julissa dressed up as an elder and made a video of circle time as Mrs. Doubtfire. She is such a team player.”

2020-04-24

#перемена

The podcast of the breathtaking “Change”, where our guest was Sveta Tsyganova (project “Secret Code of the Child”), which answered questions about education - and the dialogue was just wow-fire. And about the modern school, and about responsibility, and about the authoritarian and democratic [paternal] approach, and how to develop talents, and about sexuality, and everyone got so wound up that they did not notice how the hour passed. Listen, in general, to the podcast and come to Sveta to learn the "Secret Code of the Child", so my gut directly tells me that you may need this very much.

2020-04-15

New York Opera Fest

New York Virtual Opera Fest NYOA hosts the annual New York Opera Festival which was originally scheduled for May-June 2020. To help companies navigate the realities of the COVID-19 crisis and also encourage responsible social isolation, NYOA is refocusing the 2020 New York Opera Fest to become the 2020 New York Virtual Opera Fest.

2020-03-13

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