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04/10/2020
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04/04/2020
This article discussing that though many states are on lockdown, that has not stopped churches from holding services and continuing their faith. Many church's have held online services, or even allowed people to "come to church" while remaining in their cars and holding services outdoors. Though most in person meetings have been prohibited until further notice, pastors and religious leaders all around the United States have found ways to continue their faith with their communities.
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04/02/2020
This article describes the different viewpoints of a multitude of religions in the aspects of dealing with an apocoloypse. It underscores and highlights the trials and tribulations that traditions have gone thorugh in order for the followers of each religion to understand and cope with the isolation and other factors that are contributed to an epidemic or apocolypse in hopes of understanding what it means for them religiously as well as physically. It proceeds to delve into the descriptions of apocolypse in the written text for the religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity to find different ways that apocolypse is talked about and dealt with to give an insight on how different religious backgrounds view the epidemic times we are currently in. The author then proceeded to interview individuals from different religious backgrounds to get their own personal understanding of the apocolyptic world we are living in right now and how they view the situation to show the drastic differences in opinions and values that individuals with different religious backgrounds see. All in all, the author wraps up the article by saying that we all need to be prepared and ready because we truly never know when our last breathe can be.
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04/15/2020
Most local businesses in my town are struggling to deal with the changes caused by Covid 19, one local Sign shop has been busy creating signs for the town that inform people about the importance of staying six feet apart and what that distance is equal too. They also have been tasked with creating other covid19 related signs to express when locations are closed of for the time being and helping bring awareness to the the situation.
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04/17/2020
In this article, it is discussed that the Monastery of the Caves that lies in Ukraine has been turned into a coronavirus pandemic. How when news first broke out about the virus, monastery authorities didn't take much action. So as the month went along, it was found that more and more people were testing positive for COVID-19. Ever since then, the monastery has taken strict action. How the article goes into detail of what police authorities have done to seal off the monastery and also what Ukraine is doing as a whole.
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04/09/2020
Face mask made by St. Louis-based textile artist Katherine Huelsing, my mother. I helped my mom cut and pin fabric while she sewed the masks together. She gave one to each of our friends and family members and donated the rest to a local hospital. There is currently a severe shortage of personal protective equipment in hospitals, leaving many healthcare professionals at risk of infection. The CDC recommended that everyone use PPE when out in public at this time. #DePaulHST391
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04/17/2020
This article shows statistically how many Americans listened to their government pertaining to "stay-at-home orders" over Easter weekend through the use of cellphone data. The highest drop of attendance occurred in Georgia with a decrease in attendance by 90%. The article also talks about alternative methods to in-person church services. One method was by hosting an online version that churchgoers could log on to; however, this was found to be difficult to some of the older people. Another method used in West Virginia was allowing people to park in the parking lot of the church and having drive-in service where no one was allowed out of their car.
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04/06/2020
The sign was posted at a public park and nature area that has continued to stay open throughout the pandemic. The park does get a lot of foot traffic and the sign is there to help people of all age groups help contextualize how far away they should be staying from people while visiting the park.
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03/02/2020
This is a story published by Time magazine. Due to misinformation and fear that COVID-19 could be spread via animals, a substantial number of pets in effected Chinese cities have been abandoned or euthanized. Animal shelters in the country report they are overwhelmed with the number of animals which now need care. Current research suggests that pets are unable to contract the COVID-19 virus, but fear and panic have gripped the citizens of the nation.
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04/03/2020
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04/10/2020
This article describes how traditional Native American healing rituals of song, dance, and ceremonial dress, are being applied by Native American communities across the country to address the coronavirus. Healing and prayer traditions like the donning of the Ojibwe ceremonial garb 'zibaaska iganagooday' (the dress of exploding sound), are being utilized in powwows which take place in social-distance friendly, make-shift spaces such as the parking lot of the Bad River Casino in Ashland Wisconsin, where they are recorded on video and shared through social media to community members across the nation.
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04/03/2020
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04/12/2020
The article goes into the response of different states in relation to the Coronavirus. With this, we also get the responses of different church organzations to the quarentine. Most of them are against the idea of temporarily disbanning the church community, and have since been fighting with local judical powers, as well as the supreme court, to overrule th restrictions of self-isolation as it pertains to church gatherings.
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04/17/2020
The article explains the current lockdown situation in Greece and how it has impacted the Greek Orthodox community during the very holy time of Easter. The article explains how the lockdown has led people and churches to be defiant and hold gatherings in churches and viallages, despite the lockdown. However, the article expresses that Greek orthodox community has found a way to stay connected with each other through prayer services given via zoom and church services broadcasted online.
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04/08/2020
The article discusses how lawmakers in Kansas voted to revoke Governor Laura Kelly's order that limited religious gatherings to 10 people, allowing Easter services to take place. Opponents argued that it is not safe for groups of 10 or more to meet right now, and that this gives churches more freedom than secular groups that would also like to meet but are not exempt from the 10 person limit. Supporters argued that they are aware of the dangers that we are facing because of the coronavirus and precautions will be taken to keep people safe.
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03/18/2020
This article describes the response of a San Juan, TX church to Hidalgo County's recent disaster declaration. Leaders of the church are now live streaming their service onto social media and very much encourage other congregations to follow and assist in containing the spread of COVID-19.
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2020-03-23
The diplomat Ahmed Rabi said there was supposed to be a two-day gathering on march 12th in eastern Pakistan. The gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat which is a Muslim missionary group brought together thousands of Muslim preachers from 80 countries and they have raised concerns about the spread of the virus. One member Arif Rana said the gathering was canceled on March 12th because of rain but the Punjab chief master said it ended because of the coronavirus fears.
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2020-04-16
Many images from this pandemic are haunting: empty grocery store aisles, deserted national monuments, shuttered restaurants. But this image captured by Joshua Bickel takes the cake. Positioned from inside the Ohio Statehouse, Bickel snaps outraged protestors, chanting various cries against the governor and the Stay-at-Home orders that blanket the state. The people sport banal nationalistic tokens such as Trump hats and American flags, but no face-masks, an article that has come to epitomize civic and public duty in the weeks past. This image shows how not only has the pandemic spread across the nation, but so have doubts and nudges against authority from higher ups in the American government. Protests of this nature have not cropped up in other parts of the world nearly to the extent that they have swept the great USofA. Some point our anomalous trends to lack of leadership in Washington and lack of national unity in the midst of what can only be called a public health/economic/social crisis. Benedict Anderson's "imagined community" that pulls a nation together is simply falling apart as we cannot come together and unite under facts, science, and leadership at a time when we need it most. Bickel's image portrays an America that is not filled with communion and fraternity, but riddled with "hoaxes" and ignorance. Of course we are all wanting to return to our normal lives, but to go out and protest and participate in an activity that inherently prolongs our quarantine? Seems pretty un-American to me.
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2020-04-07
This aritcle describes how the churches and synagogues will conduct services virtually or parking lot services with the members remaining in their cars. It also describes how the governor of Florida considers attending religious services exempt from the stay at home order. Dispite the governor's directive most religious leaders will choose to not hold public gatherings and stay within the social distancing guidleines to help with midigating the spread of the virus. This article also describes what happened when a leader of faith decided to move forward with public church services despite the local stay-at-home order. Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne was arrested for violating this order.
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2020-03-18
Churches have had to close worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For many religions, there is a necessity to get together in groups, worship together, and even celebrate religious events. Due to these restrictions, many are now having their right of practicing religion taken away from them. There are legal actions that have been taken in the past, when considering if churches should listen and follow state or federal claims.
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2020-03-14
The article talks about how Christians in America are devastated that churches had to close due to the pandemis that is going on, especially during this holy time (Lent and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ). In the article, they expressed how deep of a loss this is for them because no church means no Communion or confession, two of the most important practices of Christianity. They also claim that live streaming Masses is not the same as feeling Jesus in an actual Sunday service.
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2020-03-12
The article desrbies how churches, mosques and synogogues are adapting to the new way of pacticing their religions. A Catholic church in Seattle has removed it's holy water from the fonts and the communal chalice will no longer be used. A Synagogue in East Village are holding services via livestream for Purim for those who wish to stay home. However, congregants can still attend service in person with the following changes: no covering eyes with hands during the Sh'ma and no kissing the Torah during processional. And a Muslim mosque in Seattle has suspended jumah prayers for the next two weeks where the CDC has restritcted gatherings of 10 or more people.
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2020-04-17
President Trump held a call on Friday to discuss with faith leaders the return of in-person worship. During the pandemic, most services have been held online due to COVID-19. After classifying some places of worship as "large venues," some religious leaders would like to return to their normal services.
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2020-04-16
The article describes how a Seattle Sikh community drawing upon its religions core values has come to the aid of city since the rise of the current pandemic. This local Sikh chapter operates a community kitchen and has teamed up with other local partners to expand their reach since the outbreak. While they have always been in the business of helping the less fortunate, they have now begun to serve a whole line of others to include local medical workers and the elderly during this crisis.
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2020-04-16
During the pandemic, we could only stay home every day. We could not go out at all, and every day is so boring. We studied and played on our phones a lot, but even now playing on our phones is boring. What I remember vividly is that during the outbreak, I tasted all the ice cream at the supermarket. One of the flavors tasted disgusting and made me vomit. It had onions, meat floss, milk, and cumin. The taste is unforgettable.
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2020-03-27
The article discusses the fears regarding religious gatherings and COVID-19 in central Minnesota. Specifically, the mosques and islamic religious centers of central Minnesota recently called for an end of mass gatherings, prayers, meetings, and weekend classes until it would be considered safe to do so. While many members of the community agree with the decision of local congregation leaders, many have concerns with the virus interrupting the famous islamic tradition and holiday of Ramadan. As Ramadan starts in April and lasts well through May, many people are worried they will not get to pray or worship during this religious holiday. While congregation leaders have not quite extended shut downs that far in advance yet, they said they will not hesitate to act in order to protect the community.
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2020-04-16
During the epidemic, our physical education classes became more efficient and healthier. In the school's physical education class, we only do free activities. We can do whatever exercises we want. This led to the inertia of some students. Now, everyone concentrates on the online class. We exercise more and have become healthier and stronger.
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2020-04-12
In this article, Pastor Travis Lowe, of Crossroads Church in Bluefield, West Virgina, spent Easter with many self- quaratined church-goers, volunteering to make PPE (personal protective equipment) including 3-D printed face shields to support healthcare workers at the local hospital.
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2020-04-12
In this article, Pope Francis addresses the COVID-19 pandemic. In Vatican City last year, there were "70,000 pilgrims crammed in St. Peters Square in Vatican City" for Easter. This year it was nearly empty. Several artists took photos of the Pope delivering his prayers in and eerie and artful way.
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2020-03-02
The article talks about how a leader of a religious sect in South Korea is going to be investigated over deaths in the country due to COVID-19. Lee Man-hee the founder of Shincheonji Church are being accused of hiding members as the government tried to rack patients before the virus spread. Outside of China South Korea is battling the worst coronavirus outbreak.
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2020-04-12
In this article they are discussing the Justice Department placing forced social distancing rules. This new harsher mandate also includes those individuals trying to attend religious services. The Justice Department is also looking into a variety of cases in which those going against the social distancing for religious reason may receive a harsher punishment then those who go against social distancing for other reasons.
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2020-01-04
Pastor Tony from Louisiana was issued a summons because he was carrying services at his church which violated the governors orders. He claims he needs to keep his church doors open for those who are needy and whos souls are lost. A lot fo people gathered at the church because they said they had a right to do so because of the constituion. Pastor added on that his church is cleaner than grocery stores and gas stations that remain open.
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2020-04-05
The articles desxcribes how Pope Francis had to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass in solitude. Typically, thousands from around the globe attend the service at St.Peter's Basilica. He had a few aides, nuns, and a choir all adhering to the social distancing protocol of six feet between them. Other priests took to rooftops so followers could participate and view them from the safetly of their homes. In the Pope's native land of Argentina, congregants used house plants instead of the usual palm leaves used to participate. Palm Sunday opens Holy week, leading to Easter. Currently the Vatican has seven reported cases of COVID-19 among residents and employees in the very small independent city state.
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2020-04-18
My family and I are taking this pandemic better every day. I live in a household of 3 women and we have been having hair troubles. The hair salons and nails shops were the last to close and we were regular clients in our local hair salon. Our safety and health come first, so I see the need for them to be closed. Since we no longer have access to them, we have formed our own little salon in our home to accommodate us and other women in our family. We have not only solved our hair problems but gave us bonding time with some of the rest of our family. I have realized that been though this is a rough time today in our world. This pandemic has given us more family time.
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2020-03-29
This article presents the situation of how the Catholic Churches here in Arizona are dealing with the virus spread by holding confessions in thier parking lots and having people drive up to the priest in their vehicles in order to practice the Sacrament of Reconciliation and be forgiven of their sins. There are many other churches throughout the country doing this as the priest that was interviewed said he got the idea from a viral post that was taken in Kansas and wanted to do the same for his congregation. Of course they practiced Social DIstancing as they would be six feet apart and the priest when they would give the Prayer of Absolution would just raise his hand and not touch the individual at all.
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2020-04-19
Stickers on the floor of Safeway at Dobson and Main in Mesa, Arizona warning customers to maintain six feet apart from each other while shopping. Stickers show the distance.
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2020-04-19
Stickers on the floor of Safeway at Dobson and Main in Mesa, Arizona warning customers to maintain six feet apart from each other while shopping. Stickers show the distance.
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2020-03-11
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2020-03-30
This article is about the arrest of Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of Hernando County, Florida. The Pastor was arrested for holding two or more large church services after the social-distancing order was put into place. The services had more than 100 attendees who were all in close proximity to each other. Howard-Browne was criticized heavily for being “reckless” and putting many individuals in danger of contracting the virus. The article also states that there are a couple states throughout the United States that have decided to make an exception to the stay-at-home orders for faith and religion. Although Pastor Rodney states that his church was cleaned and all staff were taking precautions it still goes against the Hernando County order of having any gathering be less than ten people.
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2020-04-04
In this article, it states that 70 members of the Bethany Slavic Missionary Church have contracted COVID-19. Although the church has closed per federal and state guidelines, the health department believes that some groups of members of the church were continuing to host gatherings inside of homes. This raised a cause of concern for upcoming holidays, which at the time were Palm Sunday and Easter, holidays in which families and groups of people typically get together to celebrate.
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2020-04-17
Within a few days after Gov. DeWine started Ohio's "shelter in place" order, a small arch made of tree limbs appeared in Cumberland Park along Cumberland Road. On a more recent walk, I found that someone had rebuilt the arch on a larger scale. It's interesting to watch for signs of how people do various things to fight boredom.
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2020-04-17
This is the reverse side of the post next to a giant peace sign fashioned out of tree limbs. The post reads "Be kind to each other. #ClevelandHeightsPeaceSign"
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2020-04-17
This post describes an activity related to the peace sign behind it. The post reads "Peace. Please take a power stick. Place it in your yard to remind you of [peace sign] and allow the birds to pick the yarn for their nests." To my mind, this community project shows the need to take actions to combat a sense of futility. Parks are more important than ever in this time when walking outside is one of the only safe ways to be outdoors. It's nice to see the community making an intentional, active use of this park.
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2020-04-17
Regular walks have taken on new importance for me amid the stress-inducing experience of living in a time of uncertainty. Watching the incremental emergence of spring has been more than a little therapeutic. On April 11, on a walk through Cumberland Park, I noticed that someone had arranged tree limbs into a giant peace sign in a former picnic area. Six days later, I passed by the same spot. Many sticks wrapped in various colors of yarn now lay in the middle of the peace sign, along with a post that explained the purpose of the sticks, inviting people to take a stick home so that birds could pick the yarn for their nests. I like how the community is appropriating spaces in the park to take small actions to restore a sense of agency, however small.
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2020-04-19
My elder son hadn’t had a haircut for a month prior to the lockdown. By the end of week 3, his hair was getting on his nerves. As it happened, we were clipping our dogs out on the decking so his dad decided to give him a haircut with the dog clippers! My son doesn’t like his hair too short but by the time his dad was finished he looked like he had just joined the army, haha.
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2020-04-19
My elder son hadn’t had a haircut for a month prior to the lockdown. By the end of week 3, his hair was getting on his nerves. As it happened, we were clipping our dogs out on the decking so his dad decided to give him a haircut with the dog clippers! My son doesn’t like his hair too short but by the time his dad was finished he looked like he had just joined the army, haha.
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2020-04-13
Given the way this virus has inserted itself into our lives, its effects can be felt by almost everyone. In order to stave off the inaction that can easily sneak in and attach itself to me, I have resolved to do two things. Make my bed and take a shower every day. I'm not saying that anyone else has to do them. It's okay to not master a new language or learn the harpsichord. But for me, if I do nothing one day, that soon turns into three or four days of doing nothing.
When I see creativity on the web from people all around the globe, I'm inspired. So, I put artwork or drawing and painting tutorials online in the hopes that it might inspire others to be creative. You don't have to create something massive or incredible. Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference to someone else.
So, that's the way to do it. Do something. Do you paint? Do you draw? Do you build furniture? Are you a whiz when it comes to growing turnips? Whatever it is, show it to others. Step outside yourself for a minute and maybe be that inspiration for someone else.
Or not. There's a lot to be said for just keeping it together and getting up every day. If that's what you got - do that. Just wash your hands.
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2020-04-18
My brother and I have an argument that has been going on since we were children; regardless of our age, however, it has always been a rather vicious, stubborn battle, comprised wholeheartedly of hubris and the unyielding belief that one is right and the other wrong. He’ll say, You have a weak immune system, not me! And in complete disregard of the trap I have already drawn myself into, I will retort without fail, You get sick more than I do! In this situation, we’re both playing the role of the fool, blindly ignoring the vast number of individuals who struggle with legitimate health problems and compromised immune systems, purposefully sticking our heads in the sand as we burrow further and further into the gilded age of misguided youth and immaturity. Perhaps this can be said of me more so than him, given that I am older and also usually the one who instigates these petty squabbles. The question of physical health and strength has always been a sensitive spot, a result of my years spent simmering under a household ruled by gender roles and conventions. But I like fighting, even if I can never win any of these fights, even if the blatant lies I tell my younger brother are merely pitiful attempts to dissuade the truth.
In all honesty, Jonathan never gets sick; I do. Like most people in the day and age of COVID-19, I used to take my health for granted (and no, this won’t be a post about having an existential crisis regarding my mortality). But after being hauled in an ambulance twice––got exposed to the perils and fallacies of the American health care system real quick!––both for stupid reasons and resulting in a pair of pale blue socks and two missing front teeth, I have begun to realize more and more how futile my argument is whenever I try to prove to him that I am the child with the stronger body, the stronger immune system, the stronger sense of self.
My body has endured a good bit of wear and tear, thanks to several instances but most infamously when I cruised down the roads of Clifftops, a gated neighborhood in Monteagle, TN, going 20 miles per hour on a longboard. Gravity, speed wobbles, and naiveté caused me to faceplant into the ground. I spat out a mouthful of blood when I finally regained consciousness, full-body abrasions wrapped around my arms, legs, and knees, skin seemingly marred beyond repair and my face looking like a swollen, beat-up punching bag. At first, the doctor thought I might’ve broken my face (maybe I wasn’t destined to be a cool skater and carve roads after all). I had two black eyes and pus for days. Taking a shower and unwrapping and wrapping my bandages was a two-hour hassle, one that I dealt with myself, determined to do alone without the help of my parents. Afterward, I would wipe the glass mirror, stand atop the cool tiled floor of my childhood bathroom, and ogle at myself and the mass of wet, rugged flesh sagging along with my wounds. Even when I was in a drug-induced haze of Percocets and could hardly walk, I was afraid of revealing to my mother and father what my body had become after accumulating ink at various tattoo parlors. Aside from the black pigment that permanently stained my skin, I was also scared of them seeing what I’d become after skidding across the pavement.
I finally learned what it meant to be selfish when my grandmother saw me after the accident. She turned on the light and moved to look at me, taking a few hesitant steps. Then she came closer, cradled my face in her hands, and stroked the unscarred side of my cheek with her coarse, callous-ridden fingers as tears began to streak down the corners of her eyes. She murmured to me in rough, unbridled Chinese, her voice cracking at the edges and stumbling over words. My father stood in the corner. When she began to quietly cry, he looked away. My reply got mangled in the lower parts of my throat, my voice splitting at various intervals when both of us would falter. With our heads bowed in unison under the dim light of the kitchen, I imagined our two dark silhouettes of hair merging into one. It was then that I also learned what it meant to be loved.
I never tell this side of the story because it reveals the ugly, careless parts of myself that constantly depend on others to pick me up when I have been the cause of my undoing. This is the part of me that I love and hate the most, this selfish, childish impetuousness that has allowed me to experience the world, unencumbered, but at the cost of others. Usually, when I explain to people what happened at Clifftops, I am laughing, joking, making myself seem hardcore and dumb all at once. It is pretty funny if you think about it. Over time, though, while I’ve learned that my physical body is fragile and my soul and spirit deceivingly invincible, I myself am still an uncompromising idiot. Despite everything, I am reckless to this day, still very aware of how I have hurt my loved ones being like this and the many ways that I will continue to do so. Just as I sit in a black leather chair and feel the needle prick into my skin, knowing the anger that will make its way towards me if my family finds out how my skin has been violated, I throw myself into hopeless fights with my brother I will never be able to win. Just as I have grown accustomed to hiding my tattoos in extra-large clothing whenever I go home, I cling to the lies that I tell Jonathan, to the fresh, pink flesh that slowly grows along my face and allows me to forget about my grandmother’s tears.
The other day, my brother called me sickly, once again setting off another debate. I’d been coughing and developing symptoms of COVID-19, except for a fever; I was sequestered into my room for around a week and a half, and when I came out, I felt victorious. Allergies, I told myself. Just annoying allergies. I went on bike rides and wore makeup. I listened to music and made art. I still coughed, though, which he’d pointed out. And when I woke up at 2 AM with a raging 103-degree fever for the first time in years, I found myself curling up in a ball once more, grieving for something I didn’t quite understand or know.
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2020-04-19
It's been a little over a month since the start of self quarantine and social distancing. New York was said to be reopen on May 1st but been pushed back to May 15th. People, like myself, are starting to feel locked up in their homes, unsure of when this pandemic will truly be over.
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2020-03-22
My experiences of this pandemic
