Items
Date is exactly
2020-09-14
-
2020-09-14
No panic
A comic strip about Covid-19 -
2020-09-14
High School Return to Learning Phased-In Opening
This item is a screenshot of an Arizona high school's return-to-learning plan. When public schools were able to reopen, this high school chose a phased approach. For this, different grades would start in school at different dates. For the grades that were not in school yet, they would continue to attend online. Teachers were to teach students virtually and in-person at the same time. This method was used so that the schools could monitor and adjust for social distancing and disinfecting with less students on campus. -
2020-09-14
Pfizer and BioNTech announce plan to expand Covid-19 vaccine trial
Pfizer and BioNTech are moving to enlarge the Phase 3 trial of their Covid-19 vaccine by 50%, which could allow the companies to collect more safety and efficacy data and to increase the diversity of the study’s participants. The companies said in a press release that they would increase the size of the study to 44,000 participants, up from an initial recruitment goal of 30,000 individuals. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will have to approve the change before it goes into effect. “The companies continue to expect that a conclusive readout on efficacy is likely by the end of October,” the press release said. The Pfizer and BioNTech study is likely to be among the first in the U.S. to report efficacy data from a Phase 3 trial. Related: AstraZeneca resumes Covid-19 vaccine trials in the U.K. Expanding the trial will likely make it easier for the company to demonstrate whether the vaccine is effective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The companies also said that the change will allow the study to include a more diverse population. The companies said the study will now include adolescents as young as 16, people with stable HIV, and those with hepatitis C or hepatitis B. The companies said that the trial is expected to reach its initial target of 30,000 patients next week. Moderna, which started its trial on the same day as Pfizer, said on Sept. 4 that it is working to increase the diversity of trial participants in its study, “even if those efforts impact the speed of enrollment.” Related: Covid-19 Drugs and Vaccines Tracker The Pfizer/BioNTech study could finish sooner than Moderna’s, even though the two began on the same day, for other reasons, as well. Both vaccines require a second shot; Pfizer’s is given after three weeks, while Moderna’s is given after four. The Pfizer trial also starts to count cases of Covid-19 sooner after participants receive their shots than the Moderna study. But the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine could also prove to be one of the most difficult of the experimental vaccines to distribute, should they prove effective. The vaccine must be kept at a temperature of -70 degrees Celsius. There has been political pressure to move a vaccine quickly, with President Trump saying that one could be available before election day. Last week, several drugmakers, including Pfizer, issued a pledge not to move a vaccine forward sooner than was justified by the results of their clinical trials. -
2020-09-14
Virtual Pow Wows - A result of Covid -19
Every year as a tradition Tribes of Native Americans gather to celebrate through song and dance at events known as Pow Wows. These events reinforce long-honored traditions, the most important being unification. The Pow wows allow for the togetherness of the people and the connectedness of the tribes. Covid -19 brought an abrupt halt to that for hundreds of indigenous tribes across the U.S and Canada. As a result, the only way to share some of these meaningful traditions was to offer a virtual option. While not the same it did allow for some of the singing and dancing competitions to take place. The long-term after effect though is that not having the in-person Pow Wow resulted in a significant loss of revenue for those tribes that were hosting the event. Pow Wows bring in significant revenue from vendors and non-indigenous spectators. This loss has had a trickle-down effect on the indigenous communities making it more difficult to endure the pandemic. As a parent of a Northeastern student, not having the ability to have my daughter physically share in the in-person powwows is disappointing. Pow wows are more than just celebrations they are an opportunity to connect with your identity and heritage-which is vital for the younger generations. -
2020-09-14
Two West Valley Banner hospitals each discharge 1,000th COVID-19 patient
A press release describing Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale and Banner Estrella Medical Center in West Phoenix each recently discharged their 1,000th COVID-19 patient this past week. -
2020-09-14
Remote Learning
I had stared virtual learning with a good mindset... I would get to be home all day, have no homework, and do whatever I wanted to. I very quickly realized that was not the case, I was occupied with siblings and pets all day, had at least double the work, and spent most of my day on a device. Honestly online school has been horrible. I resorted to social media as my only distraction, I would scroll through TikTok for hours; I related to a lot of creators which brought me some hope that I wasn't the only one with the feeling of drifting away from society, but the second I put my phone down it all came fooding back. Eventually this new lifestyle was normalized and I was numb. If I had to name this chapter of my childhood, it would be loop. Every single day was the exact same pointless routine, I was wasting my life almost. I have learned a lot learning remotely, and am in a way grateful, but also disappointed, yet still very confused about my final take on things. I changed a lot, but I think for the better. Lost and made friendships. Cried and laughed both a great amount of times. Felt nothing. Felt everything. -
2020-09-14
Our COVID Summer
I spent my entire summer walking around San Ramon with one of my best friends. I had plans to go to Hawaii and to go see my Dad in Utah a lot but those plans changed because of COVID19. My mom didn’t really think it was a good idea to allow me on a plane to run around another state in the middle of a pandemic. So my days were spent walking the Iron Horse trail to marketplace, central park, Target, Cal High, or pretty much any park that exists around here. Finding things to do was definitely a struggle but we mainly just wanted some company and someone to talk to so we didn’t have to sit in our houses alone all day. Everyday was definitely an adventure and we made a lot of memories throughout the summer that we will remember forever. It was the summer where you couldn’t do anything or go anywhere because everything was closed but we tried to make the most out of it and ended up a lot closer and happier than we were before the pandemic. -
2020-09-14
How Covid-19 Shaped my lifestyle
Covid-19 shaped my summer by making me feel more grateful. It made realize that a lot of people around the world are losing their life even when they were taking precaution for the virus. I am grateful that I live a healthy lifestyle and so does my family. The first part of quarantine we were not even supposed to leave our house, which at first sucked. But as time went on, I started to begin to feel really appreciative of the things that I didn’t notice could have such a huge impact. For example, before quarantine, my dad would take me to school, and bring me home from school. My mom was a teacher so she was at school the same time I was at school, so she was never available to pick me up. My dad went from working in an office 24/7, to working at home 24/7, so he was there for me at any time of the day when I possibly needed him. Even though he worked at home, he was constantly busy with phone calls and virtual conferences, just like he would be doing if he was in an office. So when quarantine started I had told him, “at least you don’t have to drive me to school anymore.” He had told me that even when I was school, how stressful it was to try and make it to school at 2:55pm, I am super excited for this weekend because I go get to hang out with my sister and her new roommates that she moving in with in October. My whole family has known them since before I was born, and my other sister and her fiance are coming so no parents, yay! I also get to hang out with my friends tomorrow which I have been doing, but it’s hard to hang out as a group because everyone has different schedules. We have construction going on in our house so it is super loud and kind of hard to do school while a nail gun and drills are going on upstairs. My dog gets super anxious while loud noises are near so we have to keep her on a leash and she won’t sit still and will bark which really makes me fussy . -
2020-09-14
How COVID has effected me
Covid impacted my summer because my family always goes to the east coast and we to the beach with my grandparents but this year we were not able to go because the house we rent was not available and It was not suggested to go on a plane so that was canceled. I also usually play on a lacrosse travel team and box lacrosse team but that was all canceled only of late has it started to reopen so I’m hoping we get to play some games but we have only been able to practise and have no contact practices. The one thing that was really unfortunate was I was supposed to move my brother into his dorm.But was not able to do to the fact that there COVID guidelines say that only one family member can help move them in. -
2020-09-14
Pre-Transformation Entry: COVID-19 Response
This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. This will mostly be about the shut-in. To be honest, it feels as though not much has changed. At the same time, I feel disoriented. The major difference in my daily activity is the stationary school setting, along with dance practice which I attend from right at home. As I’ve settled into the new life, I feel more aware of how poorly i’ve been treating my own room, and the mess gets to my head. I suppose the quarantine has made me cleaner. Additionally, I’ve more time to spend with my family. It makes me happy to see their faces every day. In darker news, my mom’s condition got much worse, but we’re all here to support her now, and that makes me proud. Being walled up at home certainly did change things. -
2020-09-14
Virtual School During COVID
This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. I think virtual school has some pros and cons. I definitely prefer it over in-class learning right now just because I still don’t think we are where we want to be in terms of the number of coronavirus cases. I definitely think that learning online is a lot harder. I like the “atmosphere” better because I’m more comfortable learning in my own house. But it’s hard to remember things that I’ve learned through a screen. Some of my teachers act like we should know everything like we are still in school. I appreciate them wanting to treat it as much like a classroom as possible, but it’s honestly hard to learn normally through a screen. It’s also harder to ask questions when the whole class is watching you. I don’t think that teachers should put a lot of pressure on us to know as much as we should as if we were in school. It’s pretty stressful. Also, all of our homework is on the computer and I don’t know about anyone else but doing homework online takes forever. I basically only do homework when I’m not in class; before school, afters school, I’m always doing homework. I don’t really have time to do anything else. I wish the teachers would give a little less homework because it just takes so long to upload everything and input answers from my papers. I get about 4-5 or even 6 hours of homework every night which is kind of overwhelming. Even though I know junior year is supposed to be hard, I didn’t think that it would mean more hours of me doing homework than me sleeping. I think the online aspect of it makes it take longer, and I’d really like for teachers to maybe loosen up on the homework load. -
2020-09-14
How are the mechanics of the first COVID-19-era election, taking place in New Brunswick, working?
This brief interview with CTV journalist Laura Brown highlights how New Brunswick political figures navigated campaigning during the pandemic. -
2020-09-14
Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) online farewell to Lee Ann Basser
"Today we farewelled our wonderful, hard-working and dedicated outgoing CEO, Lee Ann Basser. Lee Ann has been leading NCJWA Vic for almost 4.5 years. She has been an incredible asset to our organisation. Throughout the years, Lee Ann has worked tirelessly to power more women and girls to create a better world. Thank you, Lee Ann. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Please join us on a special Shanah Tova Session to thank Lee Ann and wish her well. This is also a great opportunity to meet our new CEO, Alexandra Silver. Wednesday, 16 September, 11:30am-12:30pm, via Zoom. Register now https://ncjwavic-shana-tova-session.eventbrite.com.au" -
2020-09-14
Jewish Melbourne: Sholem Aleichem Grade 6s ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’ - with Bronia Koperszmidt making the traditional Sholem Aleichem College honey cake recipe in Yiddish
"Last Friday, the Grade 6s welcomed Bronia Koperszmidt as their latest ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’. Bronia, who is a former Sholem Aleichem College parent and current SACCEC student, taught the children how to make the traditional Sholem Aleichem College honey cake recipe in Yiddish. This recipe, which Bronia has been using since her children attending the school, is the recipe of Mira Zylberman (the former directress of the Sholem Aleichem Preschool and bobe of Lererin Reyzl Zylberman and Lererin Dvora Zylberman). The students were also taken on a photographic trip down memory lane to see how Bronia’s family connections to the College related back to the students themselves and their own journeys. We hope this will instill in them the understanding that our Sholem Aleichem College families remain a part of our community well-after leaving our college." -
2020-09-14
Les Canadiens moins complotistes que d'autres, selon une étude de l'Université de Sherbrooke
Translation of Title: Canadians are less likely to believe in conspiracy theories according to a study by Université de Sherbrooke. Translation of poster: The WHO lies to us outright Translation of Graph: Adherence Rate to conspiracy theories by country (In order from least to greatest) Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, United States, England, Philippines. -
2020-09-14
Teachers Creating Innovative Methods for Online Learning
Online learning can be difficult for any student of any age. Many teachers and professors have tried to adapt the learning experience from in-person to online in various innovative ways. This kindergarten teacher has a popsicle stick to show certain students when they can unmute their mic to answer a question. -
2020-09-14
Deaf students at Arizona school will learn virtually, but not without obstacles
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, students are adjusting to their new normal when it comes to online classes, virtual events and social distancing to prevent the spread of the disease. But for deaf and hard of hearing students in Arizona public schools, as well as for many more enrolled in private schools, these adjustments introduce new barriers to communication and learning. Last year, according to the Arizona Department of Education, 1,622 deaf or hard of hearing students were in public schools. Sequoia Deaf School, part of the Edkey Inc. charter school group in Mesa, had 52 students enrolled in grades K through 12 for the 2020-21 school year. Its experience navigating the pandemic illustrates some of the challenges deaf students face, such as difficulty reading lips and faces behind masks, the shorter attention spans of young deaf students and the loss of their nurturing school community. -
2020-09-14
Wildfire Sunrise
I snapped this photo on the way to work on Sept 14th. The smoke from several wildfires burning had drifted into Arizona turning the sky into a hazy orange. Usually driving to work at that time of morning means the sun is right in my eyes, but this morning, the sun was a weak red dot, indicating just how thick the smoke was, and just how widespread the wildfires are along the west coast. -
2020-09-14
‘We get more followers in times of crisis’: As pandemic limits in-person protests, organizers digitize activism
by Jessica Myers for the Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-09-14
Populismo
Otro dibujo hecho por Andrés Edery, indicando que la gente de Peru ya están lista para un sistema populismo. Publicado en el periódico El Comercio. Edery publicó su dibujo en Twitter después de que se publicó en El Comercio. -
2020-09-14
Jewish Melbourne: article in The Age - "Preparations under way for Jewish New Year - without synagogues and big dinners"
This is a newspaper article by Carolyn Webb and Hannah Schauder, published in The Age on September 14, 2020, entitled "Preparations under way for Jewish New Year - without synagogues and big dinners". It covers what different rabbis and synagogues are doing for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur -
2020-09-14
Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW)
OUR MISSION We stabilize people during crisis and transition, build a foundation where people can thrive, and preserve dignity and respect for the most vulnerable. OUR VISION A future where all people thrive. OUR STATEMENT OF SHARED VALUES Dignity: We demonstrate through our actions that all people have value and are worthy of respect. Diversity: We recognize and accept the differences among people, fostering an environment inclusive of all. Social Justice: We model and promote a culture of open-mindedness, compassion, and inclusiveness, promoting fairness, justice, and equal opportunities for all. Quality: We commit to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement through anticipation and dynamic response to opportunities for change. Community Partnerships: We build collaborative partnerships to strengthen individuals, families and communities. Faith-based: We serve all people with an attitude of compassion and caring, recognizing and honoring our Christian heritage of God’s love in Christ for all. -
2020-09-14
Iranian American Society of Arizona (IASAz)
At Iranian American Society of Arizona (IASAz), we strive to enrich the lives of Arizona residents by promoting an awareness of the Iranian culture, heritage, language, history and contributions through education, music, dance, theater, arts, food and sense of community. Our goal is to preserve, promote and encourage through education and charitable work, the richness of Iranian-American culture. We achieve this by organizing social, educational, recreational and other functions to promote better understanding and friendship both among the members of the organization and among individuals and organizations in Arizona who share an interest in Iranian culture. -
2020-09-14
International Rescue Committee (Phoenix)
The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and regain control of their future. -
2020-09-14
Hualapai Tribe
The Hualapai Tribe is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in northwestern Arizona. “Hualapai” (pronounced Wal-lah-pie) means “People of the Tall Pines.” In 1883, an executive order established the Hualapai reservation. -
2020-09-14
Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
The Florence Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal service organization providing free legal and social services to adults and unaccompanied children in immigration custody in Arizona. Although the government assists indigent criminal defendants and civil litigants through public defenders and legal aid attorneys, it does not provide attorneys for people in immigration removal proceedings. As a result, an estimated 86 percent of the detained people go unrepresented due to poverty. The Florence Project strives to address this inequity both locally and nationally through direct service, partnerships with the community, and advocacy and outreach efforts. -
2020-09-14
The days that turned into weeks that turned into months that felt like years
The news broke out of a deadly virus in Wuhan, but it felt isolated—almost as if it would not spread outside of a certain radius. However, as the early days of 2020 continued, that hope became less and less a reality for the epidemic, which was transforming into a pandemic, COVID-19. The impending fear of the virus circulated throughout the 24-hour news cycle and into the homes of many Americans, even the living room of my own shared apartment. Although, I did not feel the closeness of fear or unpredictability until mid-March. Being a senior in college, I had applied to graduate programs, of which I was scheduled to fly and do a university tour March 12-15. Come to find out later, the university was shutting down mid-semester and upon my visit, the virus was the talk of students, faculty, and staff. I remember walking and in and through Ronald Reagan International Airport (DCA) and not bumping into strangers going to their flights, having to wait in TSA for no more than 20 minutes, or worrying about if my flight was going to be obscenely overcrowded. You will note this is quite rare at DCA and illustrates the abnormality of the social situation of the airport due to the pandemic. More simply, people were staying home, shut up in their houses and apartments for the suspicion of who did or did not have the virus in a global city (Washington, D.C.) caused widespread panic. This is not the first time the world has erupted into a panic or shut themselves into the “safety” of their homes. A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe recounts the plague as it decimated London and the surrounding towns. He describes the plague as a great fire, one that, “if a few houses only are contiguous where it happens, can only burn a few houses; or if it begins in a single, or, as we call, a lone house, can only burn the lone house where it begins. But if it begins in a close-built town or city and gets a head, there its fury increases: it rages over the whole place, and consumes all it can reach” (150). Here we may understand, or at least in the context of my understanding and experience with COVID-19, that the virus would take root where it could consume, namely in large cities like New York City (where there was comparably a mass exodus and high rates of infection) and D.C (increases in COVID-19 cases daily). However, the 2020 pandemic reflects more than a mechanical, comparative read of Defoe’s Journal of social, scientific situations. It is a lens that begins to deconstruct how our current contexts affect the reading of the Journal—a flash of reality if you will. Who would have thought that a text published hundreds of years ago had a mirroring affect? Now that the global community is months into the pandemic, the U.S. being at around 7, I cannot help but think that the Journal is even more relatable. Defoe claims that, “The Justices of Peace for Middlesex, by direction of the Secretary of State, had begun to shut up houses…and it was with good success; for in several streets where the plague broke out, upon strict guarding the houses that were infected, and taking care to bury those that died immediately after they were known to be dead, the plague ceased in those streets” (Defoe 28). As I initially read this sentence, I was troubled by the intensity of shutting people up by force. Earlier in 2020, many people in the U.S., if not all, had experienced some form of mandate restricting their movements in public spaces. Although there was talk of Marshall Law, which may be like what Defoe describes here, people (generally) at first were willing to comply. After some time in homely isolation, some felt the need to loosen their habits of isolation. What complicates the reading for me because of my current context, is the discussion surrounding those who are symptomatic or asymptomatic of which Defoe claims that, “namely, that it was not the sick people only from whom the plague was immediately received by others that were sound, but the well” (144). I guess, now in 2020, we still do not have much of a solidified idea of how the virus is spread, reports varied and swayed between direct contact, airborne, or bodily fluids like through a sneeze or cough. Although, with viral and antibody testing, there is a clearer idea of who may have had or has the virus which is unlike that of Defoe’s context. Modern medicine has enabled researchers, physicians, nurses and doctors, janitorial staffs, and more to navigate the infectious field better. This in particular affected my reading because the general “we” understand more effectively the dangers, precautionary steps, and conditions around viruses. During the plague years that Defoe details, there was no scientific guidance, except for the religious guidance of God. The Journal at numerous points suggests that people after some time began to accept willing their fates of eminent death because of their lack of options. I would like to hope, that in 2020 this depressing fate mentality is not reflected as openly, although I cannot be sure. Rather than suggest that the Journal puts into perspective COVID-19, I would argue that COVID-19 puts into perspective the Journal; readers like myself can imagine how instances set forth in 2020 resonate in the Journal. I have not seen the physical effects of the virus on people like medical staff do, but I have witnessed the widespread fear and uncertainty surrounding: how can I keep myself/family safe, how will I begin to pay bills without a job, can I budget enough for food this month? I myself being laid off from my job while on my graduate school visit (and at the quick emergence of the virus on the East coast) yet struggling to find answers to these questions (thankfully I had help). I must say, the days felt long, the weeks felt longer, the months felt longest giving the impression we had been tackling the virus for years. Who knows, maybe the global community and within a U.S. context will continue to see spikes of COVID-19 for years to come. Like the unknowing in the Journal, we all just do not know. Work Cited: Defoe, Daniel. A Journal of the Plague Year. Dover Publications, INC, 2001.