Items

• 
  2020-06-23

  Covid-19 and Tibetan Medicine: An Awakening Tradition in a New Era of Global Health Crisis

  This article visits historic and traditional eastern medicine. During the time of the pandemic, more people have been interested in traditional Tibetan medicine and the Chinese government has been investing more heavily into this form of medicine. The article also speaks of Tibetan Buddhist monks the role that meditation is playing in the research for neuroscience.
• 
  2020

  The Sikh Coalition: COVID-19 Responses and Resources

  Sikhism is one of the most generous faiths in the world, working to help all who may be in need. This site is a great source to see how Sikhs are responding to the pandemic in the various countries where the religion is practiced. Furthermore, one is able to see how Sikhism has contributed to aiding those in need during this time.
• 
  2021-02-02

  With museums shuttered, Paris churches are 'well worth a mass'

  As France has continued to deal with lockdowns, one bright spot for the French people is that most of the churches remain open. These churches are serving, for many, as a source of art and culture as museums and theaters have remained closed. Despite the fact that many of the Catholic churches in France are missing some of their most historic items, the interest in the art and architecture of the cathedrals has been renewed during the pandemic.
• 
  03/12/2021

  Anonymous Marine Oral History, 2021/03/12

  Interview with a Marine that details going through Basic Training during COVID-19.
• 
  2021-03-09

  Oral History with a Rural Church Pastor

  Abstract: Josh Colson grew up in Southern Illinois. He attended Welch College, earning a BS in Christian Ministry and an MA in Theology. Additionally, he is currently a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, pursuing an MTS. Mr. Colson is currently the pastor of Brandon’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Bumpus Mills, TN. The church is part of a small rural community, being in one of the smallest counties in middle Tennessee. In addition, Mr. Colson is the Faith Representative for the community health board. In this interview, Mr. Colson recounts the effects COVID-19 has had on his duty as a member of the clergy, his congregation, and his community.
• 
  2021-02-21

  Mini Oral History with Roy Allen, 02/21/2021

  This is an oral history with my grandfather, Roy. Roy believes that the silver lining from the pandemic was how much closer families are today than they were before.
• 
  2020-09-10

  Mental Health Care Was Severely Inequitable, Then Came the Coronavirus Crisis

  This article describes how the Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the mental health disparity in the United States. As the title suggests, those suffering from mental illness already did not receive equitable treatment; the pandemic has widened this inequality through a variety of issues, chiefly, disruption of service that was already minimal.
• 
  2020-12-17

  SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Marine Recruits during Quarantine

  This is an academic article that discusses the transmission of Covid-19 among Marine recruits in quarantine. Due to the pandemic, recruits have been forced to quarantine before they were able to begin their basic training. Marines were sent to a college campus where they practiced social distancing for two weeks before going to training. This study shows the effectiveness of quarantining, social distancing, and mask-wearing
• 
  2021-01

  COVID-19 deaths soaring in Tennessee's more rural counties

  Over the past several weeks, Knox County and the rural counties surrounding Knox have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Tennessee and its rural areas were not hit hard initially by the pandemic, but have become a major area for concern as of late.
• 
  2021-01-16

  Pandemic Hack

  The coronavirus pandemic has (hopefully) briefly changed normalcy for everyone. Admittedly, I have never really been one to go to the gym and life weights. However, I do enjoy going to the gym and running on a treadmill and playing pick-up basketball. At the start of the pandemic especially, doing either of these things became impossible as gyms closed. At the time, I lived in an apartment and had no room (or money for that matter) for a treadmill. Fortunately, I was able to find an app on my phone that helped me stay in shape. This is very easy to do as you do not need weights or machines to stay in shape. The Johnson and Johnson seven minute workout app was great for what I needed to do: help me stay in shape without the luxury of weights or a gym.
• 
  2021-01-13

  The Covid-19 Holiday Season

  The holiday season during the Covid-19 pandemic brought many changes to the family routine. In total, my wife and I usually have four different houses to go to because we have both have divorced parents. This does, of course, make the season incredibly hectic. This year, however, every house seemed much more amenable to change. About half of our typical gatherings were cancelled to protect the elderly in the family, as well as those with pre-existing conditions. Of the family events that did occur, we had only ten people or less at each event (in a typical year, each house usually brings at least twenty guests and some bring several more). Even at the gatherings that did occur, things were still atypical, with most wearing masks and everyone following social distancing. In addition, many in my family have had COVID and were quarantined during the holidays. Nonetheless, we spent a lot of time on the phone and wishing each other a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. Another thing I enjoy doing with my wife each year is attending a Nine Lessons and Carols service at various churches in the area. Because of the pandemic, however, we chose to forgo this Christmas tradition and watch a service online. While the pandemic has brought many changes and challenges to our lives, we are fortunate to be able to connect with our family from a distance. Technology has certainly mitigated many issues that the pandemic has brought, and without that, social distancing and cancelling holiday plans would have been much more difficult for people to concede doing. However, hopefully, the cancelled family plans this year will provide us with the opportunity to celebrate with our families next year. The pandemic has hopefully reminded everyone that while the holiday season can be stressful (like visiting four different houses on one day), it truly is a wonderful time of year.
• 2021-01-14

  Five Ways to have Fun during the Pandemic

  The SARS-Cov-2 pandemic has brought hard and difficult times for everyone. As an employee at a local bank, I was deemed as an essential worker. As a result, for the vast majority of the pandemic, I was working, helping people however I was able. While being deemed an essential worker, our bank rotated staff, and as a result, I spent about two weeks at home. During my time working and my time at home, I got into two things: movies and the stock market. 1. Movies Before the pandemic, I had never been a major fan of movies and films. However, with my time quarantined at home, I took advantage of this time by watching classic, critically acclaimed moves. Some of the favorites that I watched during this time were old Martin Scorsese films like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull. I also watched the original Scarface movie (1932), the Godfather series, as well as Braveheart. Watching these classic movies introduced me to a whole new world. 2. The Stock Market Working at a bank, we were hearing quite a bit about interest rates, mortgage rates, and, of course, the stock market. One of my coworkers introduced me to the market, showing me how to buy and sell stock. After piquing my interest, I began doing my research, learning the difference between terms like “value stock,” “dividend stock,” “blue-chip stock,” “exchange-traded funds,” etc. Outside of two new things I began to enjoy and spend time doing, the other three things that have helped me get through the pandemic are things that I have always enjoyed, but things I have come to appreciate even more: sports, classic literature, and technology. 3. Sports When the pandemic first began in early to mid-March, I remember looking forward to the beginning of the SEC basketball tournament and watching the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team play the Alabama Crimson Tide (since I am from Knoxville, I love the Vols). The game was set to start at noon; however, earlier that morning, I saw on Twitter that the SEC tournament had been canceled. Slowly, all sports began following. As an Arsenal F.C. fan in the English Premier League, I was also disheartened to hear that the Premier League would be postponing their season. However, with a lot of hard work and coordination, sports slowly began coming back. In mid-June, the Premier League resumed its season and in September began a new season. Likewise, the NFL season was able to go on, as was the college football season. While sports are, in the grand scheme of life, fairly insignificant, they provide people with a sense of community and a distraction from depressing life events. I will certainly not take sports for granted after the Covid-19 pandemic. 4. Classic Literature Since the senior year of my undergraduate degree, I have slowly grown to love classic literature. Making time to read books simply for fun can be hard to do in the daily hustle and bustle of life. However, Covid-19 slowed down the world for me. During my spare time, I read from plenty of authors, namely, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Albert Camus, Leo Tolstoy, John Steinbeck, Alexandre Dumas, and others. Many of these authors discuss philosophical questions of life and existence. The first book I read at the start of the pandemic was The Plague by Camus. For the time, it was more than fitting, helping me to mull over the Covid-19 pandemic. These authors have provided a brief escape while also providing various questions and answers about how to confront life, even in a pandemic. 5. Technology Before the pandemic, I never realized how much technology can help us during times of quarantine. I have never really been tech-savvy and thus I never stopped to think about how important technology is, especially during a pandemic. While there are obvious drawbacks to technology in society, being able to facetime with my family and communicate with loved ones who had contracted the virus was very special. Again, while technology has many problematic elements, connecting loved ones during the pandemic has certainly been special.