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Date is exactly
2020-08-21
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2020-08-21
Michael Chow Oral History, 2020/08/21
C19OH -
2020-08-21
How Indonesia's Education System Is Faring
"Since March 2020, students, parents, and teachers in Indonesia have been grappling with school closures affecting 62.5 million students from pre-primary to higher education." With such a socioeconomically diverse population, it's difficult to gauge just how accessible isolated learning would really be during the pandemic. The Ministry of Education and Culture had to move quickly to assure that there was some structure and guidelines set in place for educational institutions to follow. Unfortunately, as internet access isn't quite the common luxury many households have, the ministry sought partnership with television programming stations. This was to, at least, provide educational material to those who have access to televisions but not internet. The article goes on to provide four ways in which they hoped would assist in the growing education deficiency. 1) Develop more solutions to reach students without internet access; 2) Increase connectivity and train teachers to deliver more effective and interactive online learning; 3) Identify and support those falling behind with differentiated instruction; 4) Support disadvantaged students to return to school. -
2020-08-21
Justice for Justin
"No one believed my story back then. I have an abundance of support now, where I didn't have none before. So I prayed for this day and prayed for each and every last one of you that's out here with me today. Saint Paul Police, your days of silencing me are over with. It's over with. To all the police in Minnesota and around the world. Your days of hurting our people are over with." - Toshira Garroway (@toshira_nicole ), Justin Teigen's fiance and mother to his child. Justin was found dead in a recycling center after an encounter with the St. Paul Police (SPPD) eleven years ago. His family is demanding the MN Attorney General Keith Ellison (@repkeithellison) opens an investigation into his death. Photos from Justice for Justin, August 19, 2020 -
2020-08-21
Living in Wrigleyville during a pandemic
Wrigleyville home of the Chicago Cubs is known to be a neighborhood of Chicago that revolves around the Cubs. During a non pandemic year when there is a game at Wrigley Field there is people all around Wrigleyville. The neighborhood is bustling with Cubs fans everywhere. The restaurants are filled and the bars too. The cubs apparel shops are getting business and people are just happy. Now during the pandemic the neighborhood has a feeling of emptiness. No fans have been allowed in the stadium in over a year and a lot of the restaurants, bars, and apparel shops have been closed or temporarily closed until the pandemic is over. Things just aren't the same living in Wrigleyville during the pandemic. -
2020-08-21
College Through A Pandemic
While I have been incredibly fortunate to remain shielded from the harsher effects the pandemic has wrought on so many families and individuals over the course of the past year, I have faced a multitude of inner challenges in the transition from high school to college. Attending college, in the most normal of times, can prove a formidable adversary for those like myself who struggle with anxiety. Navigating a new campus, facing distance from loved ones, and managing an increase in course load all were deeply concerning facets of the experience in my eyes, even when a global pandemic was an inconceivable complication to these already daunting tasks. Most paramount of my worries, perhaps, was the social aspect of college. Though incoming freshmen are often reminded that this is an area of insecurity common to every new student, the restrictions that students were dealt amplified my ever-growing hesitations. Mandatory isolation, lack of social gatherings, and limited opportunities to meet others culminated into the manifestation of my deepest social anxieties. If I couldn’t cope with the pressures of normal interaction, how could I be expected to thrive in an environment barren of the very opportunity? I spent many nights leading up to the looming day of move-in sitting on the couch with my parents, often talking until the early hours of the morning. I was, at first, hesitant to express my feelings and risk sounding ungrateful or ignorant of the great privilege I possessed. So many people yearned to be in the position that I myself wanted any way out of. I was thankful for the opportunities that I had been given, and I felt that squandering them and conceding to my anxious preconceptions would be an insult to all those who weren’t given the same chance under the difficult circumstances the pandemic established. After many hours of deliberation with my family, I felt that letting my increasing social anxiety dictate my future would be disposing of a precious opportunity for personal growth. When the day of move-in arrived, it was impossible to ignore the pit in my stomach and the tightening in my chest once my parents had said their goodbyes and departed. Though I couldn’t have felt more alone in that moment, I quickly learned that this was far from the case. After only a brief period of awkward silence, my roommate and I set about decorating our space with posters representative of our shared taste in music and love of hockey, interests we soon found to be shared among a small group of people in our building. Through our conversations that first night, it was not only clear that good friends are much closer than my anxiety would have liked to admit, but also that we were going to establish a deep bond in experiencing the often challenging, always unique adventure of attending college in a pandemic. -
2020-08-21
Arizona’s opioid epidemic under COVID-19
The rise of COVID-19 cases and restrictions have been linked to a rise in both smuggling arrests and overdose cases. In July 2020 alone, the overdose deaths in Pima County nearly outnumber the entire number for 2019. Members of addiction centers talk about what caused the spike and ways to help, and a candidate for county attorney talks about justice reform that will help with addiction recovery. -
2020-08-21
A Brief Comparison of COVID-19 and Spanish Flu News' Composition and Purpose
While it does not delve into my personal life and experiences, it does compare two points in time and how specifically the news has approached two flu pandemics. As expected, there are some major similarities. The essay specifically analyzes the structure for a short 1918 news article written about the Spanish flu. -
2020-08-21
I Stood Up for Indigenous Rights at Mount Rushmore. Now I'm Facing 17 Years
On July 4th 2020, United States President Donald Trump held a controversial political rally at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. The rally was controversial for a number of reasons, the first being that during the height of the covid-19 pandemic – social distancing and mask-wearing policies were not enforced during the rally. The political rally was also held on sacred Indigenous land and what was once part of the Lakota Sioux territory. To many Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike, this action felt like a slap in the face to Indigenous communicates who are facing disproportionate affects from the covid-19 pandemic. This opinion piece is written by Oglala Lakota citizen, and president and CEO of the NDN Collective, Nick Tilsen who is facing felony charges and up-to-17 years in prison for exercising his first amendment right to protest on the day of the rally. -
2020-08-21
12 Texas Nursing Homes Approved to Restart Family Visits
This is a Twitter post linking to an article about some Texas nursing homes opening to family visits. Isolation from family and friends has been a serious issue for seniors living in long term care facilities. There is a balance that must be struck between the prevention of both the spread of COVID-19 to vulnerable populations and reduction of isolation that can lead to severe mental and physical decline in older adults. With my grandfather in a similar situation and his health declining rapidly, this article really hit home how protection from COVID-19 may likely result in increased deaths of seniors suffering from isolation. -
2020-08-21
Nearly half the population at Michigan prison tests positive for COVID-19
This Tweet and it's responses show how the public feels about the Covid-19 outbreak within one of Michigan's prisons. The article referenced also explains how this particular facility had spent months with no cases and then had a sudden outbreak, illustrating how dependent prisons and the communities they are a part of are when it comes to the spread of Covid=19. -
2020-08-21
Yuma Inmates Allege Prison Officials Ordered Them To Refuse COVID-19 Testing To Keep Numbers Down
This Tweet and linked article explain a haunting story. Inmates at the Yuma prison in Arizona were threatened with a "beat down" unless they refused to take a Covid-19 test in an effort by the administration to keep the case count down. The replies to this Tweet show the public's response to this allegation. -
2020-08-21
Guard Tested Positive: Conditions Inside One of America's Incarceration Facilities
This Tweet, from an incarcerated person, shows and expresses the conditions and treatment inside of a correctional facility with a Covid positive employee. The replies show what the public thinks of the situation. -
2020-08-21
'Severe inhumanity': California prisons overwhelmed by Covid outbreaks and approaching fires
This Tweet and article concern the conditions inmates in California's prisons are experiencing. First they had to deal with Covid-19 and figure out how to slow the spread of the disease within overcrowded facilities where social distancing is impossible and mask wearing presents its own set of issues. Second incarcerated people are living in a near constant state of lockdown, visitation and even communication with family and friends is gone. Third they are facing the threat of wildfires within a few miles of several prisons causing the people inside the buildings to breath air filled with smoke. To add insult to injury the state of California uses prison labor to fight these same fires. This article illustrates how we as a society treat those most at risk among us. Even those in a correctional facility for the terminally ill in hospice care are not being evacuated. -
2020-08-21
A day in the life of a kindergartner
After a few days of online schooling, my daughter had a breakdown. She was trying her best and feeling frustrated. Her breaking point was finally accomplishing her task and not being able to get her teachers attention because of technical difficulties. Her teacher was congratulating all her classmates and recognizing their work but she didn't. She felt defeated and wanted to quit. I tried to console her and blamed the computer and not her teacher. She then decided to crawl under the table and cry of frustration. This picture is important to me because it describes how remote learning is going in our home. I have tons of pictures of her in front of the computer doing well in class, but this is a moment that happens a lot that I rarely document. My daughter knows she cant go into school because of Covid and understands as much as her five-yar-old brain can but she is without a doubt struggling. This photo reminds me that children are suffering just as much, if not more, than adults are during this challenging time. -
2020-08-21
The Loneliness I Feel
During this pandemic, I have felt loneliness, I have felt very very lonely. I have felt confusion, fear, and loneliness. When I was stuck inside my house during quarantine, I thought that it would all go away, that everything would be back to normal and that it would be ok. But no, instead this pandemic has prevented me from seeing my friends and has prevented me from seeing my grandparents who live right down the street who I see every day. This virus has definitely taken a toll on me mentally and personally. My mental health during this pandemic has been like a roller coaster, it has been out of control and it has caused me to just wanna see one of my friends and just hug them, but because of social-distancing and since the virus can literally kill anyone, I couldn’t. I love hugs, but for the past 5 months, I couldn’t. I can't feel the amazing feeling of embracing another person, the warm hugs are just one of the ways that make me feel a lot better when I'm sad, or happy, or simply just having a hard time. Now I’m in college, taking half of my classes online, and wondering if there would possibly be an outbreak at my university. The thought of something like that happening scares me but doesn't surprise me either. Me not being able to sit next to someone, or hug someone, or hang out with someone, or swing on a swing with someone, is just the main reason why I have felt severe loneliness during this pandemic. -
2020-08-21
Calls for plasma in COVID fight conflict with decades-old restriction on blood donations
The frustration of many within the LGBTQ+ community over blood donations has been especially pronounced in the middle of the pandemic. The FDA recently moved the requirements for gay men to be abstinent from 12 months to 3 months. Activists and others point out that because blood can be screened for HIV, and that the rules are outdated and don't make sense. It is tragic that those who are capable of donating blood in this moment of crisis are unable to do so based on these current regulations. It brings back images of gay men that tried to donate blood after the Pulse nightclub massacre, but were turned away. -
2020-08-21
Book Club in the Pandemic
BeYouASU is a LGBTQ+ student organization that welcomes students from all of Arizona State University's campuses. BeYouASU kicked off its first book club for fall semester, which was held over Zoom. The return to school this fall feels much different than years prior, but BeYouASU is providing students the opportunity to connect with each other during this difficult time. Making new connections and friendships in a welcoming environment is something that is especially important in these unprecedented times. For book club, we are reading Susan Stryker's "Transgender History." -
2020-08-21
Life and Politics by Zoom
In February of 2020, I was a high school senior trying to finish up high school and think about what I was trying to be doing the next school year. By March, the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker declared a stay-at-home order and I was finishing high school by doing assignments and emailing them to teachers. Then the shut-down really evolved as my high school prom and graduation were both canceled. Well, our graduation was only partially canceled. Six students receiving diplomas were allowed to show up every 30 minutes, with no more than five family members present, and everyone remained socially distant throughout the process. My parents both started working from home and always seemed to be doing something I had not previously heard of, Zoom calls. To get a head start on college, I had signed up for a Summer class at Suffolk University. Amongst other reasons, I had chosen Suffolk for its proximate location to my home, its outstanding science facilities (a brand-new sciences and lab building), urban feel and connections to local businesses, hospitals, and research facilities. Then the class went remote and Zoom meetings became the norm for me. The Politics of a Global Pandemic class involved a weekly Zoom forum with panelists from around the world. Topics varied weekly, but the theme always involved global politics around this pandemic. At first, I figured it would be mainly US politics, since it is a presidential election year. Then we talked about a variety of pandemic's global impacts, economic effects, cultural changes, and how society and political leaders view these challenges. We didn't use Zoom calls in those last few months of my senior year of high school. Then two months later, Zoom became so mainstream that the biggest political convention of my lifetime (to date) was actually held virtually. The title of the article, "The DNC Is the Best Zoom Meeting of 2020—So Far" resonates as it seems like this could be just the beginning. I turned 18 just prior to the pandemic and registered to vote. From what I've seen in online videos of past conventions, were speeches, political endorsements, and balloons cascading from the ceiling of a stadium as a candidate accepts his or her party nomination. This pandemic changed things for me, for global politics, and society so drastically, I wonder when or if in-person schooling and politics will ever be what I saw and experienced over the course of my life. I’m now registered for all virtual classes this fall; and probably more Zoom calls. -
2020-08-21
Graduation...with a twist
This picture was taken seconds before I walked across the makeshift stage at graduation. With the sun glaring down and my name about to be called, it almost felt like a normal ceremony. Normal, save the distance between myself and everyone and the sinking feeling that I still couldn’t quite ignore. My last year of high school was anything but what I had imagined it would be. In certain ways, it felt as if I had missed out on what many take for granted. Instead of the final celebrations and traditions of a senior year, COVID-19 gave me an entirely new mindset. I saw the humility of the world, and also the faults we often ignore. I walked across that stage and into an uncertain future, one that I can only look towards optimistically. -
2020-08-21
A virtual start to a new life journey
The Covid-19 pandemic has effected everyone in all sorts of ways. Personally, it has majorly impacted me with the start of a new chapter in my life; college. My whole life, I imagined starting college on a much different note. I imagined the last few months of high school and my summer as: attending my high school graduation, celebrating graduation parties, enjoying my summer to the fullest, taking trips to the beach, traveling, getting ready for back to school, be at going away parties for my close friends, going on campus for my first day of college classes, and meeting some great new friends at the start of a new journey of my life. Obviously, Covid-19 effected all of this. Instead, my last 4 months of in-person high school was cancelled, graduation was socially distanced, summer had to be spent in masks and socially distanced, and starting college online was the road I ended up taking. Gratefully, I am healthy and living- but this pandemic has majorly effected this huge part of my life, where things were supposed to be exciting and memorable. I will say, this is going to be very memorable, but not the way I intended it to be. -
2020-08-21
As blazes spread, Covid-19 in California prisons hits crucial inmate firefighting force
California depends on prison inmate firefighters to be part of their wildfire defense teams. This year, due to illness and early release, they are missing half of their prison inmate firefighters. To help alleviate the shortage the Governor, Gavin Newsom, has called in the National Guard. -
2020-08-21
A Fluid Jail Cell
The story I uploaded is my personal story about how my family and I handled the pandemic. A lot of what is on the news are extreme cases and I wanted to share that although these last months have sucked I have had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing community supporting each other and helping each other stay safe. -
2020-08-21
Shrugging Off the Negativity
To me, the picture above accurately sums up my Covid-19 experience. In this situation, the classic “Michael Jordan shrug” is equivalent to having the mentality of “there is nothing you can change about this, so you just got to keep moving forward”. That is how I was able to keep sane during the height of the pandemic. With the second half of my senior year of high school being scrapped, it was a matter of whether I was going to be mad about what I missed out on or look forward to what was ahead of me. The only concern I had (when the pandemic first begun) was keeping my family and I safe/distanced from the effects of the coronavirus. -
2020-08-21
A Lone Graduate
This image was taken of me the day before I moved away from my hometown, and in the middle of a global pandemic, it was the only graduation “celebration” I ever got to have. My graduation was rescheduled countless times because of Covid-19, and in a way, I gave up on the thought of having a true graduation. An in-person ceremony was planned, but cancelled due to a large party thrown by members of my class, which resulted in an outbreak. Though the frown in this picture was not intentional, it sums up the impact that Covid-19 had on my experience as a student in the class of 2020.