Items

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  2020-07

  Apparently I Have Opinions About Hand Sanitizer Now?

  I graduated with my bachelor's degree in April 2020, shortly after my state began heavy COVID-19 shut downs. The plans I had for my career took an unexpected pause. After several months, I finally found work at a local convenience store as a cashier. To accommodate heightened concerns about hygiene and sanitation, we had several bottles of hand sanitizer set up around the checkout areas for both customers and employees. I didn't know how different hand sanitizer brands could be. I suspect that the sudden demand for it during the pandemic must have led to cheaper, lower quality versions being distributed more widely, but our hand sanitizer was the worst. If you pressed the lid of the bottle, you would suddenly find your hands full of a large, unwieldy blob of what felt like elmer's glue and smelled somewhere between a rotten banana and a doctor's office. Try as you might to rub it away, you would inevitable be left with sticky residue all over your hands until you washed them. I guess in that sense it was an effective sanitizer in that it probably made a lot of people actually wash their hands. I no longer work at the gas station, but every time I think of that first COVID summer and that job that I was both so thankful and a little disappointed to have, I think of the feeling of that hand sanitizer.
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  2020-07

  Demon Sperm

  A comic strip about Covid-19
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  2020-07

  Covid-19 and my Experience with High School + Religion

  I remember when I received the news that we would be taking 2 weeks off of school due to covid-19. I thought that the world would quarantine, and life would proceed to normal. I was a sophomore in high school and very religious at the time. Soon enough the 2 weeks passed by, but now we had to spend even more time at home. After a month or two, and the grocery store shelves started to empty, that's when I finally realized how much of an impact covid-19 was going to have on my life. I realized that my now temporarily online school was going to remain that way in the foreseeable future. My weekly Sunday church services were canceled as well. School quickly became an unbearable chore for me. My high school was not efficient in the slightest at conducting school online. Their idea of an ‘improved’ online course was simply to assign more work. I had had enough. I decided I was going to be in control of my education, not covid-19. During junior year, I decided to get high school over with and graduate early. It was not easy, but I buckled down and completed two years of school all during my 3rd year of high school. Because I was not attending church or in-person school anymore, I was able to dedicate more time to complete high school early. By the time my church was open again to the public, I had other priorities in my life. I no longer had the time or motivation to keep attending these meetings. Even when I officially graduated high school, I found religion to no longer be an interest of mine. I had become accustomed to life without church. Now that I am almost done with my first year of college as a 17-year-old, I find that covid-19 is not much of a stressor in my life anymore. I am also glad that quarantine allowed me the opportunity to see what my life is like without religion. If it weren't for the pandemic, I’m almost certain I would still go to my church services and dread it every single time. As hard as the pandemic was for me, and as difficult as it was to get through quarantine, I’m grateful that it changed my life in the ways it did. I grew a lot during this time period and it made me grateful for the freedoms I already have every day.
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  2020-07

  Diminished Quality of Veterinary Care During the Pandemic

  Our pets are a part of our family. So when their health is in jeopardy, it affects us all greatly. Early on in the pandemic, we had an emergency with our lovebird, Kermit. Our larger bird, an African Grey named Greycee, landed on top of Kermit's cage. Kermie proceeded to bite her toe through the cage bars, and Greycee bit back. Luckily we heard the scuffle and intervened immediately, but Greycee had created quite the puncture wound on Kermit's upper beak/nares. Normally these two are best buddies, so this was a suprising freak incident. I cleaned off Kermit's beak, but it looked bad and her breathing was shallow and rapid. Birds in respiratory distress can die rapidly. I rushed her to the emergency vet who told me that there was a 4 hour wait to be seen. I told them that Kermit wouldn't last 4 hours, so they agreed to see her immediately (for an additional fee of course) but I had to wait in the car. My already stressed and injured baby had to go into a strange place with strange people without her mom because of Covid. They stabalized her and sent her home for the night. I feared she wouldn't make it until the morning. Luckily, she pulled through the night. I called our vet immediately the next morning. It took several tries. Since you also had to wait in the car while there, and all conversations with the vet were over the phone, their phone lines were constantly busy. I finally got through, but they told me that despite the gravity of her condition there was no way they could get her in that day. Under normal circumstances they could, but with the new covid protocols every minute of every day was totally overbooked. I tried the emergency vet again and they had a 6 hour wait. You had to wait on site in your car too, which I couldn't do with my 4 year old daughter. Since Kermit is a bird, she cannot just go to any vet. There are only 2 avian vets in my area. I took a chance and called the other one and explained the situation. They were able to squeeze us in. Again I had to wait in the car and hand my baby off. She ended up staying the night. The blood from her wound had entered her lungs causing her breathing issues. She had recovered quite a bit by the next day, and the vet even allowed me in with social distancing and masks in order to show me how I needed to hand feed her for the next two weeks until her beak healed. At least because of the pandemic I was working from home at the time, so I could care for and monitor Kermit all day. Within a week she was back to her normal self. In the fall, our Dog Evie went to the vet because a suspicious lump had grown on her toe. Evie is absolutely terrified of the vet. She is also deaf and has limited vision, so it is harder to comfort her. She needs our touch and our smell for reassurance. Of course, jsut as with Kermit, we could not go in with her. The vet techs had to carry her in because she was shaking so badly in fear. She needed to be sedated to do the biopsy of the lump. The report came back positive for cancer. She had to go back in again to have the whole toe removed as the biopsy had not gotten it all. This time she had to stay nearly all day and be pumped with anxiety meds to keep her asleep until the procedure. It was thankfully successful, but she also needed a follow up visit, so more meds. The whole experience was traumatizing for both our animals and us. What's even worse is people were treated the same way.
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  2020-07

  Silence and Isolation

  This is important because it speaks to the daily struggle of living through the pandemic. I was not touched by the disease itself, but my life was changed by it. My submission describes my sensory experiences of isolation during the pandemic as I moved to a new city for work. It expresses how the pandemic brought more than health issues but social issues to society as well.
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  2020-07

  The Calgary Stampede challenge coin, 2020

  This is a small story from my dad, a CBSA officer in Calgary Alberta. He collects and commissions challenge coins for his workplace, which has quickly become his main hobby over the pandemic, trading these coins with officers across Canada and America. The PDF document is his own description of what this coin is, what it represents and why it is so important to understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the city of Calgary, cancelling for the first time in it's history, the 'greatest outdoor show on Earth,' the Calgary Stampede. This event is intrinsic to Calgary's identity, a show which celebrates the ranching and agricultural roots of this city and ultimately this province. The Calgary stampede boasts chuckwagon races, agricultural expos, overpriced yet famous mini-doughnuts and provincial art exhibits and much, much more - it's one of the few times a year where it's socially acceptable to dress up like a cowboy or cowgirl.
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  2020-07

  Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in the Indian Health System

  This data is presented by Talia Quandelacy, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Native American, to illustrate COVID-19 cases/deaths in Native American communities in July 2020, from publicly available information.
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  2020-07

  Mental Health in Canada: Covid-19 and Beyond

  Mental health is health, this report shows the pandemic is both magnifying and contributing to Canada's mental health crisis. COVID-19 took a toll on the populations mental health, and we are expecting long term mental health effects to burden Canadians. The CAMH demands the government and policy makers step up and make mental health a priority by investing in long-term, system wide response.
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  2020-07

  Night market

  To promote local economy and save the restaurants from depression due to COVID-19, the local government organized a night market for a week for the public. Restaurants can have a booth and sell their foods for a lower price than normal. Many people came to the event to celebrate. It represents the beginning of dine-in in restaurants and safety for public gathering.
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  2020-07

  Imitation of covid-19 test

  This is a video on Chinese TikTok imitating when healthcare workers perform a COVID-19 throat swab test on you.
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  2020-07

  Summer Activity Risk Levels

  SImply leaving my home felt like I was risking my life this summer, but sometimes your sanity is worth some risk. Here is one of the websites I utilized to determine the risk factors into any activity. Due to being high risk, I would make sure to choose low risk activities such as walking outside.
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  2020-07

  Starbucks Food

  With the pandemic making life much more difficult both emotionally and financially for many Americans, the company I work for, Starbucks, has made things much easier for its employees by allowing each partner to redeem one free food item each day. I very much appreciate this benefit, as it allows my coworkers and myself to have anything ranging from a breakfast sandwich to a salad, and not worry about the cost. This picture shows a friend and coworker of mine named John eating his free sandwich in a very silly pose.
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  2020-07

  Stay Safe and Explore

  A friend shared her story about exploring close to home. “It’s been a challenge... we want to be out and doing stuff but we also don’t want to be around people, so there has been several times we’ve gone to do something but it was too crowded so we just stayed in the car and drove around. We tried to find areas not as many people knew about.”
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  2020-07

  #CancelRent And Eviction Blockades in Brooklyn: Black Queer Women and Femmes Fight for the Right to Housing

  Im submitting an auto-ethnogrpahy I completed this summer about the housing movement during covid.
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  2020-07

  Finding Myself Through Walking

  During this pandemic, I begin to fall into depression and anxiety which I never faced before. I didn’t want to go to the hospital to see my provider to be put on pills for depression and anxiety because I was nervous due to the virus. I slowly begin to pray asking God to help me overcome this battle. I started to do different types of self-care, but nothing would help. I decided to go walking one morning and I knew right away this would help me. Every morning, I get out of bed to go walk the minimum of 3 miles, the maximum would be 6 miles. I enjoyed watching the sun rise and seen the difference it made while being up. I also enjoyed the different weather changes from being summer to beginning to get cold. It has helped me see another day, by making great healthy choices in my food intake. I enjoy the nature and the environment I am walking in. I love hearing the birds chirp, the quietness at times, the cars go by. When I listen to music and sing it helps me release my depression. As I begin to walk, I begin to pray to God and giving him thanks for another day, another day to see his creation and continuously praying. It's important to me because my health reflects my life. This not only helped me with my better living path in staying healthy but involving my son to my walk. Taking him along with me during the walks. I enjoy his presence as well as implementing games, so he doesn’t get bored during our walk. The thing that also helped me out is a great friend who also runs every morning. She gives me encouragement to have a better healthier lifestyle. In order to have life, we need to take care of our inner self. It has helped me physically, mentally and spiritually.
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  2020-07

  America's Response to Covid

  I decided to put this photo and caption in because I believe it is a great representation of the United States during the pandemic.
• 2020-07

  Making Masks

  Not much changed for my family when the pandemic started. In the beginning, all we really had to do was switch our school and work environments to online, but after that it stayed relatively the same. Every day was about the same for all of us; Wake up, do things for school/work, maybe take a nap, and occasionally hang out with the rest of the family. After a while it began to get monotonous, and we all eventually began to take up new little hobbies to keep ourselves entertained. My mother, for example, began to make homemade masks. When we were young, she’d often make little outfits or stuffed animals for us, so this type of work wasn’t too difficult for her. When working on the masks, she’d often ask for help from me or my sister, and as quarantine went on, we all began to pitch in on her little mask-making project. With too many masks for just our family, we’d give them off to friends, or bring them to work with us (when we had the opportunity to go back). Weeks, then months went by, and we began to come up with better ways for making masks. It was a fun little pastime, allowing us to do something constructive with our time while also being able to bond as a family. I’ll admit my time in quarantine wasn’t terribly rough (at least compared to others’ experiences), but it was incredibly tedious for a little while. Just being able to do things like this with my family, and being able to help others, was enough to break up the long months of quarantine.
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  2020-07

  Jewish Melbourne - my Facebook profile picture for the lockdown

  I wanted to convery my feeling when the Victorian government told us we are going back to lockdown again. I made this from my youngest daughter's toys, including a mock mini toilet paper distributed as a promotion by supermarket chain Coles.
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  2020-07

  Fighting Boredom

  Going into that Ross store, I wasn’t thinking about leaving there with a jean jacket, I was just thinking about how my clothes were no longer starting to fit because I gained a little weight since quarantine started. I spent a couple of minutes in the Ross store and then my older sister came up to me and asked me if I’d want to do something she saw on tik tok. I asked her what it was and she said she wanted to paint the backs of some jean jackets and personalize it. I liked the idea so we then went to go ask my little sister if she wanted to participate and she said yes. Then all of us went up to my parents to ask if they could buy the jackets for us. They agreed. That night we started looking at pictures of the Powerpuff Girls to see what picture we’d want to paint on the jacket. My oldest sister got Bubbles, I got Blossom, and my little sister got Buttercup. Within the next day we had all the things needed to paint the jackets and finished them within a week of getting the jackets. The jackets are important to me because it makes me feel closer to my sisters when I look at it or have it on. It reminds me of a time during quarantine when we all bonded.
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  2020-07

  Jewish Melbourne: Survivors in Isolation - A different isolation

  In July Elly Brooks - who is a photographer, member of the Board of the Jewish Holocaust Centre, and President of Friends of JHC - worked with the JHC to take photos of Holocaust survivors at their front doors. In line with Melbourne's lockdown procedures, the JHC was closed, and everyone was required to be at home, so these photos show the survivors as they stayed home to isolate. Elly Brooks reflected: "Holocaust Survivors and other elderly people are perhaps more impacted in this time of covid isolation than younger people as they are confined to their homes under the country’s partial lockdown and many find themselves far from their usual network of support. What shines through this series of images of Holocaust survivors in Melbourne is a strong spirit to overcome adversity, with an understanding that it is a temporary. Most of the survivors pictured, have been coming to the Jewish Holocaust Centre for many years, presenting their testimony to students and the general public and being connected to a community. In early March, when the pandemic was becoming an inevitable danger in Melbourne, the survivors were the first to be asked to stay home, away from the JHC. For some, the memories of our survivors are always there just below the surface and this enforced isolation makes our elderly feel vulnerable and threatens their independence. As a photographer, I wanted to capture the strength and dignity of survivors as they posed on their doorsteps of their homes during this lockdown.As a longtime friend to most of them, I have been missing them so it also gave me good reason to visit them and hear their wise words. For some the virus brought back memories: “that feeling of dread all the time. You never know if other people on the street are going to give you the virus, or they were going to turn you in to the Gestapo because you were a Jew.” Each survivor had their photo taken and they each contributed a reflection: Joe de Hann: I keep occupied by reading and cooking for myself. I have been alone a long time so I am used to being by myself but I miss the Holocaust Centre and the people Henry Buch: I feel unchallenged and lack motivation. My son visits but my daughter is in isolation. Jewish Care assists me but when you are isolated like this memories and worries come back Irma Hanner: “It’s not a war! “We are in a lucky country but even so we must be aware of and call out racism. The extremes of politics both right and left sides are bad. “I miss my work at The Jewish Holocaust Centre” Gisa Frayman: I am lucky that my children come to visit which means that I am not alone. We talk everyday on the phone and as long as they are well, they visit me John Lamovie: I have a large family and before this isolation they visited often but not now. That is the hardest for me at this time.Life during the pandemic ihas an unsettling resonance, especially the isolation from family members. Some of my family drive by to wave to me. A couple of family deaths were very hard to reconcile at this strange time of isolation. I attended a virtual funeral. Overall I feel lucky and nothing to complain about. Abe Goldberg: It’s not a war but it is very hard for me because my wife Cesia is in care and I cannot visit her. That is devastating for me not being allowed to visit her. We have been together so many years Sarah Saaroni: I’m perfectly fine and see my family from a distance. I am fully occupied and well looked after. Henri Korn: Life during the pandemic is unsettling especially the isolation from my friends and family. “It pains me that I cannot be with my family, with my friends,” Wolf Deane: We are happy to be living here and have our family close by. Joe Swarczberg: I miss The JHC, the students, staff and my friends. I used to go often and now I just stay at home. I hope I live long enough to see the new Centre. David Prince: I miss my work at The Holocaust Centre especially seeing the students. I am used to being independent and have friends and family nearby. It is an unsettling time and I hope we can go back to the way it was and I am around to see the new Centre. Viv Speigel: I miss going to The Centre but I am lucky to see my family from a distance and I have all that I need. Maria Lewitt: I am happy to be close to my family and well cared for. John Chaskiel: I am fine and my family visits from a distance. They come to my driveway but I miss The Holocaust Centre and the students. I hope I will see the new museum
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  2020-07

  Online Testing

  As a prospective law school applicant, I took the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) this past July in an online proctored format. Far from what I expected for such an important career-altering test, taking it in my bedroom in a household with five other family members was definitely unprecedented. The comfort of home allowed for me to be less nervous, but required me to think about the test will scared that any noise made by my family would result in a disqualification of my test. Overall, I’m grateful to still have had the opportunity to take it, although definitely under very different circumstances.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Colorado Landscapes

  These are all images from our drive through Colorado. The first two images are a landscape scene and a photo of a mountain goat from Independence Pass, a mountain pass in Colorado that is only open in the warmer months because it gets very treacherous in the winter. It was still quite scary when we went in July, but the views were breathtaking. The last photo is from the Colorado Monument. We chose to drive up to experience it, as there were a lot of people there without masks and we felt safest in the car. All of these photos were taken from the safety and comfort of our car.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Rainbow in an Open Landscape

  On our roadtrip driving into Kansas from Colorado, we experienced this beautiful rainbow from so many different angles as we were driving through. At first it wasn’t even a complete rainbow; it was only half a rainbow peaking through the mountains. As we drove further through the open landscape, it transformed into a full rainbow extending over this gorgeous view and even a double rainbow.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Rabbit in the Grass

  There were so many rabbits living around the place where we were staying in Salt Lake. My dog loved to chase them around the yard. I finally captured one sitting right in front of some flowers and knew I had to share this image. Nature is truly beautiful.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Dog Lake Hike, Salt Lake City, UT

  In mid-July we decided to travel to Salt Lake City to visit family. Downtown SLC was pretty shut down due to the pandemic so we chose to find some outdoor activities that we could participate in while still remaining safe. These two images are from a beautiful hike we did called “Dog Lake,” a dog friendly hike with a lake (shown in picture 2) for the dogs to go cool off in before heading back down the mountain.
• 2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  In this series my goal was to share how I found beauty this summer, despite everything happening right now in the United States. This collection of photos serves as a reminder for me that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID-friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the West, where I began my road trip back to New York City a few weeks ago.
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  2020-07

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: BLM Billboard in Utah

  Seen while driving out of Salt Lake City. This image really showcases what political activism can look like during a pandemic. It takes many, many forms but I really liked this form because it truly stood out to me and everyone on the road against this empty landscape.
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  2020-07

  Broadway Community Project

  "This is a project curated by and for the Broadway community. While the footlights are dimmed during the Broadway suspension, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the sprawling, interconnected world of workers beyond the stage that help bring the stories we love to life. By creating this interactive tool, we hope that audience and industry members alike will take a moment to learn more about the artists and artisans, technicians and ticketers. Collectively, all the roles, small businesses, and vital individuals have helped make Broadway the cultural heart of New York City through their passionate, tireless work. This is a living, breathing map, and we need you to continue its growth and evolution. The contributions from within our community will help ensure it’s as representative of Broadway as possible."
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  I thought I would upload these photos to share how I found beauty this summer despite everything happening right now in the US. It serves as a reminder that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID -friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the west, where I began my roadtrip back to NYC a few weeks ago.
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  2020-07

  Tweets from Inside a Prison 07/26-08/01/2020 by Railroaded Underground

  These images show the Tweets of an incarcerated person sharing their experience during the Covid Pandemic using a contraband cell phone. This week he talks about the guards delivering food to their cells and leaving it on the floor, the inmates response, their lack of access to showering, the lack of compassion, encouraging people to vote and hold politicians accountable, medical emergencies, death, and the general feeling of anger.
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  2020-07

  Tweets from Inside a Prison 7/5-7/11/2020 by Railroaded Underground

  These images show the Twitter feed of an incarcerated person. They are Tweeting on a contraband cellphone as a way to show the public what it is like to be in prison during the pandemic. This week he reveals that he has Covid and is experiencing symptoms including, headache, nausea, shivering, sweating, and diarrhea. Another friend has been hospitalized. He shared a petition to gain early release for incarcerated persons and wonders how being left in a cell 24 hours a day is humane treatment for a sick person.
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  2020-07

  Exhibit Opening for Learned from Our Neighbors: Lessons from the Elizabeth Peabody House

  Eventbrite webpage for the virtual exhibit opening of Learned from Our Neighbors: Lessons from the Elizabeth Peabody House, which is housed at the West End Museum in Boston. The page lists what the event will include and how the exhibition was created. This object highlights how museums are attempting to engage with their audiences during social distancing, including community cultural heritage institutions.
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  2020-07

  DOS REALIDADES DIFERENTES CON EL COVID-19

  En el Perú las realidades sin diferentes, las cuales han vivido de manera diferente la cuarentena en este reportaje se muestra las dos caras de La moneda. Se muestra que las personas de recursos bajos no comen lo mismo que personas que probablemente tienen mayores recursos en este caso se ve que una mujer come arroz con huevo o ollas comunes mientras alguien pudiente como tallarines con salsa y pollo además que no lo preparan ellos sino lo hace otra persona que ellos pueden pagar incluso aún en estos tiempos. Se muestra también que en la actualidad las ollas comunes se han multiplicado a niveles no vistos desde la década de los 80's y 90's. De igual manera se puede observar también como las personas de bajos recursos no cuentan con trabajo, nadie los quiere contratar en sus empresas además había gente que incluso solo vendía papa con huevo en las calles y actualmente no lo pueden hacer por que aún no lo tienen permitido. En cambio las personas con recursos mayores trabajan desde casa (teletrabajo) , se muestra también que incluso no cuentan con agua ni alcohol para lavarse las manos a lo que la otra cara de la moneda siempre tuvo agua en sus casas y incluso llevan botellas de alcohol en gel para desinfectar sus manos en cualquier momento. En Perú y en este caso en Lima se muestra una población muy desigual que en estos tiempos indican ellos mismo "no podemos quedarnos en casa por que si lo hacemos nuestros hijos no comen".
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  2020-07

  Visiting the ICA: Know Before You Go and FAQ

  Webpage of the Institute of Contemporary Art further explaining some of their reopening policies and answering likely questions. As museums are reopening, they require updated policies that are easily explained and accessible to visitors. This webpage offers further explanation on how new policies will affect visitors, and how visitors can obtain tickets to the museum once it reopens.
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  2020-07

  KNPR Segment Summary

  This segment summary was written by a college student during the pandemic. It required the student to write the summary of an interview in which Sen. Bernie Sanders, a presidential candidate, was racing during this pandemic. *College student *Bernie Sanders, KNPR radio host