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Date is exactly
2020-09-09
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2020-09-09
The Four Walls of Insanity
The day my life completely changed, QUARATINE had been announced in my district. What had begun as a light conversation with no expected impact on us later came to crumble our walls of reality and how vulnerable we really are. We live in a time of the future a virus wasn't expected to take so many of us out the thought that we've evolved beyond this point was false. We were unprepared for anything that was to come. I never got to enjoy my senior year complete my senior year, a year I'll never get back. I had begun with so much excitement it was my senior year in cross country I gratefully got to finish my season with all my teammates and some of my best friends from high school. However that would later come crashing down as I was getting excited for prom season shopping for a new dress and planning the night out with friends we were sent on a "2 week spring break" I never got back. Classes continued online, I no longer was able to do my daily routine of going to school then practice with friends. From now on any interaction was via Zoom or FaceTime we longed for reconnection. I'm someone who thrives off interacting with my friends especially pre quarantine the lack of interactions was draining me. I had to find a new way to cope which as you can see led to many hair color changes within a couple months. The four walls I would be so excited to come to after a long practice now became a prison cell. I would't change the way I chose to quarantine because I saw the negative affects of socializing with sadly one of my neighbors passing during that height of pandemic. However we are all only human and selfishness is part of who we are and I think it's fair to say my mental health took a large toll during the couple months that felt like years. Once my family as well as others became more lenient I was a able to hangout in small groups of people but never large and still fear it a little over 2 years later. I don't believe I have fully recovered from the situation this time period put us through. The isolation did allow me to discover new interests and how to spend time with myself which can be difficult, as well as an appreciation for long walks on your own. However it was a confusing time and one that only brought about more anxiety and fear with someone who deals with this struggles on the daily. -
2020-09-09
The smells of the campus silenced
The vibrant community around San Francisco State was the main factor why I decided to move into Park Merced. The ability to walk to campus each day or ride my bike with other students was exciting to see riding skateboards or bikes while smelling coffee or energy drinks was common. The smell on campus with the wide variety of food and snacks was common to every part of the campus early or late. However, this all changed once Covid was originally announced and students and staff started leaving the campus and area and the sights and sounds of people and food on the campus were silent. The campus now remained silent and the smells of burritos and coffee were gone along with students walking to campus. The residents who used to sit outside and occasionally sat outside reading papers disappeared. The air while cleaner breathing because of the lack of air was soon polluted by the fires in California leaving a red mist that made the air smell like burnt wood. The pandemic changed so many people's lives and it is important to recognize the impact mentally and physically people have suffered. The pandemic silenced the campus and the community silencing the site and sounds while removing the smells that the campus was known for. -
2020-09-09
Taoist Priest Honours China's Coronavirus Dead With Memorial Tablets
In China, there are only a small number of state-approved religions. Taoism, or Daoism, is one of the approved religions. As COVID-19 began in China, many were quickly infected and died as it was a new virus about which little was known. This article discusses how a Taoist priest in China honors those who died of COVID-19. Taoism, as a religion, has a unique history as originally the religion began as a philosophy. Thus, there are very unique ways of thinking in the heavily philosophical religion. Memorializing the dead is extremely important in Taoism, because as the article relays, true death within the system of Taoism only occurs when one is completely forgotten. In order to make sure people are remembered, the priests create memorial tablets for the dead. -
2020-09-09
Pregnant in a Pandemic
This photo was taken by me in the hospital elevator after leaving the OBGYN, this was the first visit I was allowed to be accompanied by my partner. I wanted to share it on my instagram story. Due to Covid-19 Chris would have to wait in the car while I would go in alone. We are finally far enough in my pregnancy that he can come and assist me. The photo I’m holding up is the ultrasound of our baby girl, we just got it printed at the appointment. And my partner is smiling with all his excitement, but it is under his mask. This item demonstrates the significance of couples becoming parents during this pandemic generation. It’s very regulated, restricted, hidden by masks, and constant changing hospital policies. -
2020-09-09
New Brunswick election officials report heavy advance voting
This news article highlights how COVID-19 impacted voting during New Brunswick's provincial election. -
2020-09-09
Crisis Line in a Pandemic
An article from the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) about the importance of crisis phone lines to mental health in Indigenous communities -
2020-09-09
Freshman Year of College During a Pandemic
The first semester of college can be an extremely challenging time for incoming freshman students in a "normal year," nevertheless during a pandemic. The first semester of college holds so many changes- living on your own, financing money, attending more rigorous classes, making new friends, exploring a new city, and so much more. In a regular year, students can easily adapt to these changes, especially making new friends and exploring a new city, as there are not many gathering restrictions. This year, freshman have had to determine new ways to meet people and how to have as normal of a freshman experience as one could. These adaptations can be seen in many shapes and forms. For me, I decided that I needed to be even more social than I normally would be in a year without a pandemic, leading me to foster resilience. I decided to start conversations with people who I rode the elevator with, people walking around campus and people in the hallways/lobby/common spaces of the Westin. These forms of communication led me to meeting many new people and finding a solid group of friends of whom I enjoy spending time with. After meeting people that I truly connected with and who the conversations flowed naturally with, I would make further plans with them to meet up again. At the beginning of the semester, this was a difficult task because Northeastern prohibited us from entering any room other than our own, so we needed to find new places to hang out. Oftentimes I found my friends and I exploring the city, watching TV in the common rooms, shopping on Newbury Street, and going out to dinner together. This proved to be quite expensive. The many challenges in which incoming freshmen faced this semester have led to many freshmen, including myself, fostering resilience. We have seamlessly adapted to the overwhelming hurdles in which we faced with positive mindsets and optimism. Overall, this unique semester has given me some of the best moments of my life, despite the ongoing pandemic! My story of my first semester of college proves that the one can make the most of their time throughout the pandemic if they respond with optimism and adaptability! The photo included in this archive pictures my new friends and me exploring the city on a warm fall night! -
2020-09-09
Jewish Melbourne: Melton Spring Program email
With the pandemic lockdown, Melton School moved to online classes for its adult education program -
2020-09-09
Skating Under A Sunless Sunset
September 9th, 2020. The first day in years where I wake up and I am terrified by what I see: the world outside my window is drenched in orange light. I blink multiple times and bolt up, making sure I am not dreaming and that I am in complete control of my faculties. I sit in my room, stunned, for a few moments, then go about my day as usual. I peek my head outside for a moment, and smell nothing in the air. None of the smoke that had been plaguing our noses for the past few days was permitted among the copper splendor. My whole morning, I am terrified of what this could potentially mean: that the fire was close. That we could be in danger. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth for the morning. After class, I go about my normal after-school activities, gaming on my computer and playing on the guitar. At about 6 in the evening, I decide to myself “screw it.” I pick up my board, put my earbuds in, and get out of the house. The orange is dimmer, but still terrifyingly beautiful to look at. I skate around, listening to my favorite music as I observe the neighborhood around me, the same shapes with different meanings now. I dare not to pull out my phone to ruin this moment, knowing a photograph or video from it will ruin the moment for me. I stop along Mangos Drive and just sit on the curb, board behind my feet, and I stare up, hearing only my music and the occasional car passing by. A true calm, I was in, one I hadn’t been in in a long time. And so I sat there, knowing where the sun sets, but seeing no sun. I knew when it did set, but not through sight. Through feeling. The lukewarm day turned colder, the orange dimmed to a vibrant brown, and I felt phenomenal. I skated back home, not caring to check how long I’d been gone, knowing it was well worth it however much time I spent out there. I snapped out of it, and continued with the things I had been doing before, playing games and the guitar. Not once, that whole day, did I smell or taste smoke. And I am grateful for it. -
2020-09-09
I Stood Beneath An Orange Sky
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, August 2020 brought devastating wildfires to the state of California. Many of the Northern California fires were started as a result of the lightning produced during a massive - and rare - summer thunderstorm. The week leading up to the storm, I questioned the reliability of weather information as I had never experienced a severe summer storm in California. The night of the storm, I lay awake in my bed in awe of the sound of the storm. The combination of wind, rain, thunder and lighting produced incredibly loud sounds that lasted throughout the night. My family stayed snug in our beds. But when the storm continued into the morning hours, we decided to sit on our porch to take in the moment. The smell of rain in the summer was oddly refreshing. My kids were jumpy as none of them remember ever hearing thunder before. During a pause in the rain, we were walking between our home and my in-law’s home about 500 yards away from ours. The thunder hit at that very moment. I turned to look at my son and he was completely jumping out of his skin from fear of the thunder. Following each bout of thunder, silent lighting bolts shot across the sky. In the moment, we soaked in the beauty of nature. Little did we know that these beautiful bolts of lightning would cause some of the largest fires in California history. Immediately following the storm, fires spread across the state of California. While COVID-19 has completely changed life as we know it, we have found joy in being able to enjoy the outdoors. At the onset of the fires, even that reprieve was taken from us. I live directly between the SCU Lightning Complex and the LNU Lighting Complex fires, two of the first fires that erupted following the storm. The days immediately following the start of the fires brought record breaking days of heat well over 100 degrees. The hottest I have ever experienced in the San Francisco Bay Area. The region experienced rolling blackouts and even functioning air conditioners were so taxed that they struggled to keep the insides of homes cool. In addition to the heat, the skies were filled with ash. The air was so thick with ash it was difficult to even take a breath when outside. The outdoors, our place of solace, quiet and escape during this pandemic, was no longer an option for us. On September 9, 2020, I woke up and opened my curtains to face a brilliant orange sky. The color of the sky was unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. It truly felt apocalyptic. The air smelled of an extinguished campfire. And the overall feeling was eerie. The weight of the COVID-19 pandemic hit me the day that I stood beneath an orange sky, breathing in the smell of the fires ravaging my beloved state. How did we get here? Will life ever feel normal again? It just can’t get worse, can it? While I stood frozen in place, I heard the sound of birds chirping in the distance. This simple sound gave me the reassurance that I needed. We can do hard things. This too shall pass. I just hope it passes quickly. -
2020-09-09
Smoke over the Pacific Northwest
Flying from Portland to San Francisco on September 9th, the skies below were visibly smoky. It was hard to distinguish normal fog from smoke from the fires, but two huge plumes of smoke can be seen in the time-lapse. The air smelled like smoke when I took off from Portland, but was much worse in San Francisco- the sky was orange and visibility was greatly reduced. -
2020-09-09
Is America Currently Living Up to Its Core Values?
America has not lived up to one of their main core values which is Equality. Equality is a core value that came from the Declaration of Independence. The reason could be because another American core value, Liberty, interferes. Liberty also came from the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. Did you know a few days prior to October 1, 2017, hotel staff at Mandalay Bay unsuspiciously escorted over 20 luggage of guns and ammunition to Steven Paddock’s hotel room before he unleashed thousands of rounds of ammunition into a large crowd, killing 60 and injuring 869. The whole entire massacre occurred before the police even thought of reacting! However just a few months before, on May 19, 2017, officers kill an unarmed black man in Las Vegas. America has not lived up to one of their main core values which is Equality due to the indefinite racism, health care inequality, and social class inequality. Racism is a major issue that goes against the American value of equality. A man in Utah fired multiple rounds at a police officer using an AR-15. After multiple shots, the police officer decided not to return fire to keep the situation as peaceful as possible. Breona Taylor’s boyfriend, Mr. Walker fired back since the pounding on the door made him believe there were intruders. The police returned with a mini massacre. According to the LA Times, “An unarmed black man lying on the ground was repeatedly tasered by a police officer. Then he turned over and was put in what looked like a chokehold. He lost consciousness. After being rushed to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.” This quote shows a perfect example of racism and how it proves that everybody isn’t treated equally. The same party, (the cops) treated two parties, (Breanna & Utah man) completely differently in life-threatening situations. The white man got walked into the police car after his arrest, as a woman and her partner got killed via a violent rampage for self-defense. Both parties fired at officers, one intentionally and one in self-defense. The white man who tried to hurt the officers with malicious intent got to live while the innocent civilians who were only trying to prevent a break-in from getting killed. The wealth and health care cap creates inequality among the different social classes in America. People in the middle class tend to suffer the most from wealth and health care inequality since they don’t receive benefits like the lower class do and they can’t afford health care as the higher class can. The APA monitor states that “The Shorter Lives, Poorer Health report found that just about all Americans — from birth to age 75, with low incomes and high, with or without health insurance, with or without college educations — are worse off than people in other wealthy countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan and most of Western Europe.” The quote explains how people in wealth are more fortunate than those otherwise. It explains no matter how successful or how hard someone tries to work their way up from the lower or middle class, they will always be close to the edge of the clip waiting to make the wrong move and fall off. People in the low class gets a little but not enough help from the government through benefits. The rich can afford to pay off any inconvenience that may be introduced into their lives such as hospital bills or healthcare fees. The rich get richer and the poor stay poor, resulting in the middle class paying the price. Americans violate their core values of equality due to systematic racism and social class gaps. Equality is crucial, especially in America since it’s apparently “The land of the Free” but the actions of Americans beg to differ. Racism is only considered a problem for certain people and isn’t taken as seriously as it should. People lose their lives over the color of their skin, religion, or beliefs. It is time to take action and disrupt racism as a whole to put an end to it. Everyone should be treated with respect regardless of and move on with their lives. People pay a ton of taxes but somehow our government can’t take the homeless people off our streets nor employe current citizens but want to complain about immigrants attempting to enter and live a better life by working. The government should handle finances more responsibly to the point where all citizens are taken care of and racism should be banned to the point where people don’t feel marginalized or unsafe anywhere in America. -
2020-09-09
Not Enough Time in the Day
I am currently under the impression that there is not enough time in the day...or the week for that matter. School is in full swing both for me as a teacher and a student. After working a 9 hour day in my classroom teaching students online I come home and set up the wild setup pictured above. My large desktop computer is used primarily for grad school; to watch lectures, write papers, and send personal emails. The laptop on the left is my school computer and used to do tasks for my job such as lesson planning, distributing assignments, or as is the case tonight field the emails from the district and parents as the decision was just made to move into a hybrid in 10 days. The iPad on the right is my catch all notepad. I've started using Microsoft OneNote as a digital planner, note catcher, and meal planner. I thought that after this spring I would be so sick of technology that I would feel compelled to move to paper. However, as time has gone on I realized that this isn't coming to an end. This could very well be our new normal and it's time to embrace the change rather than dwelling in the sadness of what used to be. As I write this I am also running through an email I am going to send to my team of teachers tomorrow. A less appropriate thing to include in a school email is the line that continues to flow through my brain, "it's time to do the damn thing." We. Can. Do. This. This is not the time to feel sorry for teachers everywhere or to wallow in our never ending to do lists. Instead it's the time to prepare to SHOW UP for our students who haven't been in a classroom for 6 months. The kids don't care about content. They care about contact. We'll show up. We'll be there. We'll do the damn thing. -
2020-09-09
No Justice, No Peace
I am trying to show how America is not currently living up to its important core values and giving valid reasons to why. Writing this paper has let me express my views and the facts on what America is dealing with and how people live and have to go through.