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Date is exactly
2020-07-30
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2020-07-30
Exploring Close to Home
This story describes the first trip that my husband and I took during the pandemic. It was at the July 30 - August 1, 2020, and we took our first trip without children in twenty years. The pandemic shaped this trip completely. First, we could not cross the border we had wanted to cross, which meant we stayed in our home state. Second, we researched destinations in ways that we never had before. Finally, the pandemic had forced many other people to seek outdoor vacations, which led to large crowds in many of the parks we visited. -
2020-07-30
Saskatchewan premier urges feds to help airlines survive COVID-19
COMPANY NEWS Canada Jul 3, 2020 Saskatchewan premier urges feds to help airlines survive COVID-19 Michelle Zadikian, BNN Bloomberg Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is warning it could be harder for businesses to ramp up their operations after Air Canada decided to suspend four regional routes to and from the province’s main cities. -
2020-07-30
satirical social commentary on state border closures and restrictions.
This satirical article by the Betoota Advocate is a social commentary on varying experiences of the coronavirus pandemic in different Australian states, specifically Victoria and Queensland, which speaks to my own experiences as someone who has lived in both states during Melbourne's second lockdown from July. The article mentions the general indifference or lack of sympathy towards Victorians, as NewsCorp and the general public have seen the second wave of cases in the southern state as being their own fault. This is something I noticed upon my return to Queensland in August, where the general rhetoric surrounding Victoria and their Premier Daniel Andrews' handling of the high number of cases in the state tended to be divisive. I had never heard of the term 'Dictator Dan' before returning to Queensland and people I knew were calling Victorians 'Mexicans', which I put down to the monopolisation that Murdoch media has over Queensland news. I saw these sentiments turn to sympathy as stage 4 lockdown set in, as Queenslanders realised the negative effects lockdown was having on Victorians. This also differed from the indifference I noticed when I first came back to Queensland, where most people seemed to have forgotten what lockdown was like and were living like everything was back-to-normal. As someone who experienced both lockdowns in Melbourne, as well as relatively normal life in Queensland, I definitely did not take the ability to travel, go out and see friends and family for granted, whilst also retaining deep sympathy towards everyone still in lockdown in Melbourne (which included many of my friends and some family). HIST30060. -
2020-07-30
Some form of Selfish
Those that refuse to wear masks could be seen as selfish. I know there are many who can not wear them for medical reasons but most of the non-mask wearers do not fall into this category. I work in a coffee shop, we have multiple signs stating that a mask is required inside. Late one evening, right before close, a woman came in without a mask. She did not have one and refused the one I offered to her. Another employee who did not know this happened because she was in the backroom asked her about a mask. The woman leaned over the counter and was screaming about rights and the government and threw Peter Parker the spider plant at us, one of the many plants we keep along the bar. -
2020-07-30
Nampa Starting School Year Online
The Nampa School district which is Idaho's 3rd largest school district overall but largest school district that is 1:1 with student devices made the decision to start the year online. The decision was made after a special session with the Board of Trustees. Earlier meetings suggested that the school district would start in person with a hybrid model of instruction. However, after hearing the pleas of local health officials the district opted to start online. As a Nampa teacher I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I am a healthy 25 year old teacher and I believe that if I picked up COVID-19 I would recover. My biggest concern is for my colleagues. The career teachers who have been teaching for the last 25-30 years. Many are in an age category that puts them at risk and others have underlying health conditions that also put them at high risk. I am so relieved that out Board of Trustees listened to our local health officials. -
2020-07-30
Melting Through Time
Melting Through Time is a drawing by my 13 year old daughter who felt that this depicted how she feels being in lockdown stage 4. I feel that it is an accurate representation of how many people are feeling irrespective of age: trapped, powerless, confused and wondering how to find purpose and maintain their identity. -
2020-07-30
The Fight for Second Chances
As COVID-19 threatens the safety of inmates and staff in the Arizona Department of Corrections, families with incarcerated loved ones are pushing for the state to release some non-violent offenders early. So far, they have not swayed officials... but in November, voters will have a chnace to decide whether certain non-violent offenders should be able to earn time off their sentences. This story discusses the challenges of political activism amidst a pandemic. -
2020-07-30
Plant Surprise
At the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, our area was overrun with invasive “ankle biter” mosquitoes. My students and I were constantly bitten, and I eventually bought a “mosquito repelling” plant from Home Depot. I’m not sure it actually worked, but it was a nice addition to my classroom. On March 16, my last day before we were sent home, I put my plant outside to enjoy the rain, thinking I’d be back in a couple of weeks, like we had planned. I didn’t set foot in my classroom again until July 30. I thought of my little plant often, and was sad imagining it drying out, or getting thrown away. Imagine my shock when I drove up to my classroom to grab some items from my room to prepare to start Distance Learning for the new year and seeing my beloved plant quadrupled in size! I grabbed my items from my classroom, marveled at how it was a bit like Chernobyl with everything frozen on March 13, the last date the students were in school, and went to grab my plant to safely take home. We found it had actually broken through its pot and rooted itself into the ground. My husband (who drove with me) dug it out and I replanted it in my yard. I see my plant as sort of this odd symbol of hope and resilience in 2020. Despite being put in a situation where it was expected to die, it managed to fight, grow and thrive. I’d like to think that in this year of upheaval, we’d all be able to do the same. -
2020-07-30
Institutional Fatphobia
This post shared publically through Instagram discusses the issues that fat people face when seeing a doctor. This was shared in response to not only the weight bias spurred on by the pandemic but to highlight the institutionalization of fatphobia in the medicine. The media and health experts have been having a field day pointing the finger at obesity for death rates and complications for months. All while toting the advice to lose weight and their preferred diets to do so. Despite the fact diets fail 90% of the time no matter how dedicated the individual or that obesity is not a condition but a symptom of conditions that put people at a higher risk from COVID-19 complications such as other health issues, poverty, access to medical care, access to nutritional foods, access to sick pay and sick leave, and so on. -
2020-07-30
"Boone-Apache Public Schools 'Return to Learn Plan' 2020-2021"
"This fall will bring a new school year with new challenges that we have never faced before as a school district. While it is our intention to open and hold school in the fall like any other year, we know there will be some differences. We are working on providing a safe environment that limits exposure by social distancing in the best way possible and still maintaining student learning at a high level. We know that returning to school campuses will bring a risk of exposure and it is important for each of us to do our part to keep everyone as safe as possible." -
2020-07-30
Abroad During a Pandemic
I have decided to share my study abroad experience and how people were really not expecting a pandemic and what was done as a result of the spread.