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2021-02-05
The study conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice (BCJ) found that prisons, jails, and detention facilities are rushing to make an effort to release unnecessarily incarcerated people to improve healthcare and conditions of confinement for the remaining inmate population. As part of a larger project to end mass incarceration, the BCJ analyzed the unique health challenges posed by the inmate population both 65 and older, as well as those with preexisting medical conditions.
"Brennan Center Recommendation: Elderly and sick people and those incarcerated for parole violations should be released or recommended for release under compassionate release provisions or another authority. Barring that, prison officials should use their discretion to transfer people to community corrections options."
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2021-02-07
Unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to discrimination. From school, to work, to finding a safe place to stay. We have heard about campuses closing due to the pandemic, and thus left many in the community to reevaluate their housing options. Some have had to return to their family home, despite some of those homes being less than accepting of them. With everyone concerned over their health, it is only right to allow everyone to feel safe where they live, too. However, this does not only affect the youth populations. The older members of the community have also been struggling with housing and healthcare.
As one of the linked articles wrote, there is a lack of data collection regarding the LGBTQ+ populations. Their needs and concerns cannot be tackled with if the data were never there to begin with. It seems to go downhill from here as health concerns increase while their mental health deteriorates.
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2021-01-03
Parents of the high school I worked at for twenty-five years and where my husband and many friends are still working purchased this billboard to display the message of discontent for one month about how unhappy they are that their students are being subjected to online schooling. The school district named on the billboard has chosen to keep kids physically out of the district's high schools after the winter break due to the immense surge of Covid cases in Arizona. The billboard is disturbing to see since it implies that online learning and the teachers' efforts instructing the students online are not working, and students are failing. A few parents think that the teachers are not doing enough to teach their children and that their children are better off being physically in a classroom environment regardless of the exposure risks to Covid. The parents who posted the billboard do not realize that the teachers teaching online want to be back in their classrooms as much as students but that they want to be safe from unnecessary and potential exposure to Covid. Many teachers have health issues that could become fatal if they were to contract Covid; many teachers live in blended households where they take care of older family members at high risk of exposure to Covid. Many teachers and school employees have children at home learning online while they are teaching, and those teachers have to juggle being a professional and parent at the same time. All of the school district teachers are doing the best job that they can teaching online, juggling family issues for those with their own families sequestered at home. The teachers remain silent towards the public outbursts, such as the one posted on the billboard. Teachers are trying their best to be professional online and personally during this pandemic and refrain from lashing out at the cruelty of those who appear to be a privileged minority posting discontentment on a public billboard.
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2021-01-21
The article discusses the Capitol riots and the veterans who participated in them, as well as recent extremist behavior within the military and the government's response.
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2021-02-05
The article discusses the federal government's aid in California, where they would be sending troops to assist with vaccinations, as well as open two federally run vaccination sites in order to ensure that anyone wanting a COVID-19 vaccine would be able to get one.
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2021-01-07
A news article discussing the mental struggles of the LGBTQ+ youth, and how quarantine is negatively affecting their health, as well as some helpful tips.
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2021-02-04
This article from Carlsbad Current Argus reporter Adrian Hedden explains NM District 2 Congressional Representative Harrell's efforts to preserve the oil-and-gas driven economy in New Mexico. The oil and gas lease referenced here applies to federal lands, and the ban of new lease issuance impacts existing operations. Much of southeastern New Mexico is federally owned, while nearby Texas is predominantly private land. The effect of this ban, if successful, would merely drive operations a few miles across the state line without largely impacting production from within the Permian Basin; it will, however, destroy the New Mexico economy, approximately 40% of which depends on oil and gas operations within the state. This article and topic are important to me because of my familial ties to New Mexico, but also because it demonstrates the unintended and myopic objectives set forth in this particular executive order. The economic impact of this ban would further exacerbate community and statewide problems related to COVID-19 as homeless has recently spiked in that region, and the disappearing tax base has further inhibited county and state programs and operations.
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2021-02-07
Everyone can surely agree that healthcare workers are our everyday heroes. Healthcare workers are the ones who had voluntarily trained and continue to medically assist those who need it without discrimination. All this while risking their own safety and well-being during a deadly pandemic. They are no strangers to long work hours while also having to always stay alert and ready, because quality care can greatly influence someone’s life.
Due to most of their time taking care of patients, one can easily see how it can drain their own health as well. Hospitals are not exactly known for their top tier food options either. For these reasons, organizations like Meals for Heroes had worked with food services to help these essential workers with their meals.
With the COVID-19 pandemic closing many businesses as well due to safety regulations, we have also been seeing the same businesses (as well as bigger ones) pitch in with meals and more affordable meal plans. Some places are even giving healthcare workers food for free.
https://www.uab.edu/fightcovid19/impact/meals-for-heroes
https://alabamanewscenter.com/2021/01/20/meals-for-heroes-will-continue-serving-meals-to-frontline-health-care-workers-fighting-covid-19/
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/free-food-for-healthcare-workers
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2021-02-07
Growing up in Tampa seeing the Bucs win is a good thing. The first time in history a team played in their home city for a Super Bowl.... but COVID. It will be interesting to see if they do the parade and if they do what will happen. Undoubtebly people in Tampa are partying.
I expect to see a 15% increase of COVID cases in Tampa at the very least. The 7-day average is currently 420 for cases reported. I have to recheck in 7-10 days. It will be interesting to see how big of an impact America's game will have.
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2021-02-07
These graphs illustrate the to-date experience of COVID-19 infections and known positivity rates for Eddy County (NM), the State of New Mexico, and the United States. This data demonstrates dichotomies in the experiences of that county, the state, and the nation from the beginning of 2020 through February 6, 2021. Such data provides context to discussions and debate on public behavior, public health policy, and executive actions taken within the State and the County. This is important to me because many of my close and extended family members still reside in and around Eddy County, and the infection rates and restrictions they have endured has been especially tough on them and their community.
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2021-02-07
Nobody I asked knows when they started doing the flu vaccine every year. With the rapid mutation of this virus, it seems COVID will be with us permanently like the flu. So yearly vaccines for COVID-19 would be necessary.
It made me think if in a controlled environment the entire world went into lockdown for a month how many viruses and illnesses would that erase?
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2021-02-07
ADHD is thankfully not as new of a topic to talk about, but I cannot deny that the stigma against mental health still exists today. While thinking about how so many children are now spending a year and an uncertain future indoors, learning from home, and some unable to grasp why, I thought about those with ADHD.
A person’s home is supposed to be associated with comfort and otherwise relaxation from a day at out in the world – at school and work for guardians. Associations can be very powerful, and it can be rather disruptive for children with this big of a change. Half a child’s day is typically dedicated to academics and social connections and is especially important for children in their formative years. Due to the pandemic, they have been pulled from that environment they have already associated with learning, friends, and routine.
The links provide some assistance for guardians who may be struggling with their child(ren), especially those diagnosed with ADHD. Concentration and routine seem to be the biggest obstacles, so I do hope the strategies provided may be of help to guardians and their dependents.
https://childmind.org/article/giving-kids-with-adhd-support-and-structure-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/ADHD-and-Learning-During-COVID-19.aspx
https://chadd.org/adhd-and-covid-19/
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2021-02-07
The pandemic and the increase in teleworking mean that people are able to go to the great outdoors much more frequently than they were able to do so previously. My experience hiking during this pandemic has been different in many ways from hiking pre-pandemic. Many more people on the trails every day of the week and at every time, problems finding a parking spot at the trailheads, and a general reluctance for people to stop and talk with you. In addition, people seem to discount social distancing practices on the trails; they rarely wear masks yet they walk within a feet or two of you, and they also talk while in close proximity to you. Hiking has always been a refuge for me, a chance to escape from people and noise. Now it’s more like walking on a city sidewalk. I hope that this appreciation of the great outdoors continues after the pandemic but along with it goes respect for the land and for fellow hikers.
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2021-01-15
This is an article showing what virtual plays you can watch and when/where. I find this article important because live theater is no longer a possibility in the pandemic so we must find solutions. This article explains that there are places you can watch recorded plays from the past and the contributions will be going straight to the performing arts which are financially struggling since March. This is a very helpful article for those who want to watch broadway again while also helping the business. Broadway will be back one day but until then there has to be adjustments made and this will help them get ahead start financially when they open back up.
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2020-04-23
This is an article talking about what someone should do after graduating from college in a pandemic. I felt this was an important article to include in this collection because not only is it important to know what the graduations were like but it is also important to know what someone did after graduation. Jobs were very hard to come by and unemployment was at an all time high during these times and after graduation usually someone goes and gets a job with that degree but with businesses closing it is hard to find one. This article gives tips and tricks on how to obtain a job during this pandemic as well. This article explains how any job is a good job in a pandemic which is very true. The article also explains that it is normal to feel discouraged at this time and to not give up. The pandemic will end and jobs will come back.
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2020-12-09
This is a instagram post made by Hailey Bieber, who is Justin Bieber's wife. This post shows them somewhere tropical on a vacation and you can see the date is December 9th. While they may not have been traveling exactly on Christmas, this post shows that they were traveling during the holiday season during a pandemic. Nowhere does it address them being tested for covid or being covid safe, you can only hope and assume they are taking cautions. This post makes me wonder how many other celebrities are traveling and having fun but not posting about it because of the backlash they would get, and deserve. I found this post important because you always here about these huge celebrities preaching to us on how important it is to stay home and wear a mask, but then you see them traveling to these beautiful islands and all these nice places because “we have a private jet” or “ we rented out our own private resort” so they justify traveling because they have the money to do so and ‘be safe’ while doing it. In my opinion it is very hypocritical on their part. Meanwhile the majority of the world is still stuck in their homes during the holidays not able to see their families or really give gifts to one another. This post is important to show the other side of the pandemic, the rich people side. I suppose the rich and famous are immune to covid? Who knows.
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2021-02-07
This photograph shows the imposing Catalina Mountains (Babad Do'ag to the indigenous Tohono O’odham) to the north of Tucson, Arizona, USA, with a majestic saguaro in the center front. The rocks in these mountains record millions of years of history. The multi-armed saguaro has stood for at least 75 years. Viewing these natural phenomena has always been a favorite pastime of mine, but during this time of pandemic, contemplating these forces of nature reminds me of the endurance of nature and the long stretch of environmental history. The pandemic and our current difficulties will pass just as other the saguaro and the mountains have seen many other calamities pass.
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2021-02-07
One of the things that I have recently attempted during the end of the Covid 2020 year and into 2021 is to learn how to bake using healthier fats and alternatives. I love cookies and other baked goods, but I could certainly use less butter and unhealthy fats in my life. Instead, I have spent the past few months of the Covid plague year trying to learn how to substitute things like avocado and applesauce for butter. Sometimes this works really well, other times it comes out horribly. I am trying to use this crazy Covid year to become better in the kitchen with healthier and delicious cooking/baking, but it can certainly be a frustrating process. At least it is fun and a productive use of my time in a time when nothing is open.
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2021-02-07
Super Bowl Sunday on the balcony. Some occupants who live in an apartment across the way from us brought out a huge t.v. onto their balcony and have people over to sit outside on the balcony to watch the Super Bowl. This is a pure and precious moment.
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2021-02-07T18:36
This is a photograph of a mask discarded on the side of my yard, in the desert where many animals such as coyotes, quail, javelinas, and rabbits make their homes. I have seen much pandemic-related trash discarded on the sides of the road, on sidewalks, and in people’s yards during this pandemic: hand sanitizer bottles, masks, wipes, etc. With the pandemic has come an increase in the use of disposable materials such as these, adding to environmental degradation and displaying a disregard both for people and for animals. This photo of mask trash shows a toxic side effect of the pandemic and a reminder that people need to use non-disposable items whenever possible and show respect for our natural environment by not throwing things away in this manner.
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2021-02-07
During Covid, I started to cook a lot of different foods that I had never before. I was always cooking simple things with chicken and potatoes mostly, sometimes pasta and other easy dishes. During Covid, I started to experiment with new styles of cooking and cuisines. I quickly found that my small kitchen was filling up with items and ingredients which was causing chaos and disorganization. I bought a bunch of bins to get things organized. For all of the terrible things going on during the Covid year of 2020, I tried to take advantage of the time by upping my kitchen game as best as possible.
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2020-10-06
This year, birthdays were different. I didn’t get to celebrate with friends and family, I didn’t go out to eat, I didn’t celebrate with drinks at a bar, and I had to cancel a trip to Chicago that involved museum trips and live shows. Leading up to my birthday, I felt a sense of loss and homesickness, and felt some resentment about not being able to celebrate while others ignored Covid restrictions and stay-at-home orders. That being said, I made an attempt to turn my attitude around, and planned some simple, fun activities I could do at home. I ordered food in, picked up a pie from a local bakery, carved pumpkins with my family, and ended my day with some Animal Crossing. It ended up being one of the most relaxing birthdays I’ve ever had, and I received lots of virtual love from friends and family that brought me a sense of closeness, despite the distance.
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2020-12-01
I am very close with my mom, and used to regularly visit my grandmother, but I moved across the country right before Covid-19 and was unable to visit this year. I was feeling extremely homesick during the fall, as my grandmother and I have birthdays near each other and usually celebrate together but we were unable to do so this year. While my grandmother and I did send letters and cards to each other and I facetime with my mom fairly often, I was still experiencing a feeling of loss and a lack of connection. To bring us together, my mom proposed that the three of us all use the same tea advent calendar to celebrate the holidays. We all got the same mug, the same tea set, and spent the month of December enjoying tea from three different places, which allowed us to feel a sense of togetherness, even when we are apart.
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2020-10
In August I got a tattoo that I did not want and did not like for seemingly no reason. Then in October I mentioned this to my psychiatrist and was promptly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I had gotten my tattoo during a manic episode. The typical risk-taking behavior that I would do in my day to day life became more drastic and dramatic during COVID. When I am not manic I'm very careful with regard to the pandemic so the pandemic made my behavioral differences more pronounced and more obvious to a doctor. Due to the pandemic, I was able to receive a diagnosis and begin treatment. Had there not been a pandemic I likely would not have sought treatment as I would have continued to assume that these behaviors were just a normal part of my personality.
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2021-01-22
Prisoners are currently at the top of the list to receive the COVID-19 vaccine with outcry from the public. People believe that prisoners should not be receiving the vaccine and are upset that they are ahead of those who they deem more "deserving." One reason prisoners are getting the vaccine ahead of others is that they have a communal living situation and cannot socially distance which is a stipulation stated in phase 1 of the vaccine distribution. The outrage further reveals people don't view prisoners as human or even deserving of basic human rights or decency. It is also interesting that there isn't as much public outcry over politicians who downplayed the vaccine or elders who may not have been adhering to COVID guidelines receiving the vaccine first.
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2020-05-04
This article discusses the use of a rarely used Riot Law Act to help diminish the tension between the Navajo reservation and the small towns bordering the reservation in Gallup, New Mexico. The upsurge in cases on the reservation resulted in accusations that the Navajo brought the virus into Gallup and its suburbs. The tribe has fired back that Gallup citizens are refusing to follow social distancing mandates and as a result, Gallup has one of the highest case rates in the nation. This report relates to the JOTPY archive as it an example of the friction COVID-19 has created between the local government and tribal reservations.
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2021-02-07
Shows the differences in individuals included in vaccine phases in different states. It is important because it lets people see the official categories and who should have been when.
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02/07/2021
This is an interview with Jo Ann Richey about her COVID-19 vaccination experience in January of 2021. She talks about how pandemic restrictions have affected her work and social life. She also speaks about where and how her vaccine was conducted. She includes personal insight into how she hopes the vaccines may change her life and society as whole in the future. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, HSE, for Arizona State University for the #RuralVoices and #VaccineStories collections
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2021-01-29
While the pandemic has prevented live performances from taking place, it has not stopped musicals from being written. Based on the Netflix hit show “Bridgerton,” two young musicians, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, have written a musical together, which they shared on TikTok. It quickly went viral, starting with a couple songs before expanding into an entire score, and it quickly gained followers and supporters who loved the songs and even posted videos of themselves singing along. The future is unknown for this musical, but it is inspiring to see how young composers and performers are still finding artistic outlets despite being unable to perform in a theater at the moment.
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2021-02-07
Two links to news articles talking about how businesses in some Italian cities and provinces are defying the lockdown orders. This document shows that the questioning of COVID-19 restrictions in a worldwide phenomenon.
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2021-01-27
This article addresses the issues my hometown is having with their vaccination process. While I do know several individuals who were able to receive the vaccine before the clinics were cut short, this is disappointing to those who had not yet received the vaccine. My hometown is a small community with many older residents, so it is important for the health and well-being of those in the area that the vaccination process happens as quickly and as cleanly as possible. Hopefully the new approach to this rollout is successful, and those eligible will receive the vaccine.
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2020-09-29
This article illuminates the lack of resources the Indian Health Service (IHS) received from the government to treat its tribal members who contract COVID-19. The IHS blames the Federal government and both current and past presidential administrations for creating the massive deficiencies in ventilators, PPE, hospital beds, and funding for government-run hospitals. This piece provides an example of how COVID-19 highlights the continued healthcare inequalities between non-tribal and tribal communities, thus making it important to contribute to the JOTPY archive.
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2021-02-07
This story tells of my experience of hoping for a spring 2021 graduation. It is important because it captures my feelings about it and shows how closures are still happening in 2021 like they did in 2020.
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2021-01-04
This article discusses why the Navajo Nation is hesitant to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine trials. Although Navajo leaders approved members to participate in the trial, tribal members have expressed extreme hesitation due to lack of informed consent in past experimental trials or the unethical use of tribal medical samples for other experiments. It is important to include this piece in the JOTPY archive as it documents a COVID-19 example of the distrust tribes have held towards the government since the colonization of their lands over the past several centuries.
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2021-02-07
This document recalls my sister's cancelled 16th birthday present and her perspective on the closure of events in 2020-2021. It is important because it captures a unquiet perspective from a teens point of view.
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2021-02-05
The Navajo Department Health shared its latest data regarding positive cases, deaths, and recoveries. It reminds its members to continue avoiding large gatherings including the upcoming Super Bowl in order to prevent an upsurge in cases. It also gives drive-thru vaccination locations for its Navajo communities and thanks its healthcare workers, working long hours vaccinating tribal members. These stories are important archival items that highlight what measures the Navajo Nation are using to protect its people.
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2020-10
In the beginning of the year 2020 no one knew just how historical this year was going to be. As a high school senior, senoritis was really kicking in and graduation was in sight. One day, in my global studies class, on the news, we heard of this crazy virus going around in China. I remember thinking, “Oh, it’s fine. It won’t affect me in anyway.” Little did I know there was a whole storm of challenges, obstacles, and battles coming my way.
At first, I thought I was just getting a nice two-week break from school and we would be back, and everything would be fine. That two weeks has tuned into over 150 days of lockdown and a completely changed way of life.
Every single person all over the world was affected someway by this virus, which is crazy to think about. Nearly everyone struggled with mental health and life changes throughout this time. I did as well, and although my mental health was at its utmost low during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is still recovering as the virus is still taking its toll with a new strand and heightened cases, I want to bring attention to an even bigger struggle I dealt with during this unpredictable, utterly horrible time period: the loss of my best friend.
On October 26, 2020 my grandmother passed away at the glorious age of 90. My grandmother had health issues for the past five or so years of her life, but her state started to rapidly decline in August of 2020. At this same time, I was preparing to leave for my first semester as a student-athlete at Duquesne University. Leaving my family, my friends, my hometown, and my significant other was already so difficult but adding on the fact that leaving and knowing that it would take away my last moments with my grandmother was a pain I never thought was possible.
I chose to still go and start off the semester since my grandma was moving around hospitals and I could still call her and see her on weekends if I wanted to go home and do so, and it was what she wanted me to do. I talked to her right before leaving for school. With the pandemic, she was only allowed two visitors everyday between the times of 2 and 5pm. So, with the majority of our family living around the hospitals, we had to all schedule times each day so everyone could get a chance to talk to her because of the one visitor limit in the hospital rooms. And I will never forget talking to my grandmother through my face mask about college and hearing how excited and proud she was for me to be where I am in my life today. Only a few days after that conversation, my family and grandmother made the decision for her to go into a hospice facility.
This hospice facility was far more strict than the hospitals. My grandmother was allowed no visitors in her room. The only way we could talk to her was over the phone. We are extremely lucky that she was given a room with a window. My family would go and stand at her window so we could see her and more importantly so that she could see us while we talked on the phone with her. I came home for a weekend or two to talk with her through her window and got to see her in her chair with her favorite blanket smiling at all the accomplishments and stories I wanted to share with her.
Once her health was at its lowest and her long, well deserved time here was nearing an end, me and my two siblings got to go into her room and say our goodbyes.
The next morning my mother got a phone call that my grandmother had passed away.
Losing someone, especially someone so close like my grandmother was to me, is the hardest thing in life. But with a global pandemic on top of it … the difficulty and feelings of it all cannot be explained.
In the end, I know my grandmother would want us to keep living our lives and “keep trucking along” as she used to say. So that is what we did. Knowing now that she is at peace, out of pain and that she does not have to deal with this crazy world situation in her unstable health condition anymore, gives me and my family closure and security during this time of uncertainty and fear. And I will always know she is right beside me, pandemic or not, watching over me and cheering me on each and every day.
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2020-10-24
This news report highlights how the public can help contribute to the Navajo Nation COVID-19 relief efforts. It includes video interviews with Navajo members struggling to survive without proper resources and offers five Native non-profits that people can donate much needed necessities to. Archiving this piece will allow future researchers to document the Navajo struggles and the relief they received from non-profit donations.
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2021-02-03
Victoria, B.C teachers appreciate the new mask mandate for middle and high students to wear masks in the classroom. Some teachers note that they wish they had also included elementary school students as well. Students will be allowed to remove their masks at their desks when there is a barrier present. British Columbia provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says that they are continually reviewing the guidelines.
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2021-02-07
During this pandemic, the love of our fur babies has become even more important. Our fur babies have become even more spoiled I feel since many of us are working from home, holding meetings via zoom, and overall being forced to be sequestered with our own four walls. The increase of adoption of pets has been seen nationwide and I can see why as they provide love, comfort, entertainment, and more. Pets have been studied and it is a known fact that they lower stress, increase people in the positive direction, keep people active, and have many more benefits. I feel very blessed to have my fur babies. This is important to document during the pandemic because pets are all part of the pandemic experience because they have been affected by COVID-19 as well.
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2021-02-07
As a way to help my students stay social and emotionally well I have started to do a spread happiness wall where they have to leave at least one nice note to either a classmate or to me as a way to spread joy. To me, this will brighten their day and show them that someone cares for them and may help get some of them out of a funk of sadness and encourage more social interaction with one another. To me, this is very important because students are having a tuff time during the pandemic along with adults. Overall, all people need to know that they are cared for.
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2020-04-06
Excerpt from the article:
"One talking point that commonly arises in evangelical subculture is that “there is no safer place to be than in the center of God’s will.” If God needs you not to have coronavirus, in other words, you won’t get it; and why would God want people to get coronavirus in church after all? Following the same principle, if God wants you to preach to uncontacted peoples, God will make a way. You don’t need to worry about diseases; if the people you’re trying to convert die, that will turn out to have been God’s will."
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2021-02-07
When Covid hit in late February/early March, wide-spread food shortage rumors started to circulate everywhere. The news, social media, friends and family, and seemingly everyone continuously talked about the likely shortages that were going to start to take place. For a good week or two in March, it almost felt possible that our networks for food supply could be shut down, which resulted in everyone stocking up on certain items. One of the few things that I picked up was a big bag of brown rice and a pack of 15 cans of black beans. I hid those away in case the worst would happen. Now, nearly a year later, I am using those supplies and reflecting on the unprecedented panic that was going on at the time that I purchased these items.
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2021-02-07
I have been growing Brussel Sprouts for a few years now. I love growing, eating, and cooking with them! I was looking forward to my harvest of Brussel Sprouts during the 2020 season, especially with the Covid lockdowns and all of the stress involved. It was terrible to see that pests ruined all of my Brussel Sprouts plants so I had none. It was the biggest failure of my garden this year and was made all the more disappointing with the Covid situation going on. Here's to the 2021 season and hoping that I can harvest delicious sprouts!
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2021-01-16
Rob Wallace, an evolutionary epidemiologist with the Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps, reflects on the state of the US's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He lists a set of demands, per se, that outline how focusing on an environmental ethic based on the principle of meeting the needs of each person can provide a way out of the pandemic.
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2021-02-07
I bought an Instant Pot a year or two ago when it was the new and big thing in cooking. When I got it, I like many felt quite overwhelmed by the device. Therefor, I really only used it every once in a while to cook rice. Otherwise it stayed packed away in my kitchen.
Then the Covid lockdowns started in March, which resulted in more time at home and a desire to do other types of cooking. I started to watch Youtube videos on the various functions and countless recepies. During the lockdowns, I have used my Instant Pot to make everything from soups/stocks/stews to tacos and all sorts of different types of dishes. I would say that I used the Instant Pot more than (or as much as) any other tool in my kitchen during the lockdown.
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2021-02-07
This document from North Carolina Association of Educators is explaining the legal facts that educators have in my state when it comes to opening schools fully under Plan A. This document shows what legal protections we have and don't have as a state employee and how COVID-19 is viewed as a public health issue. It is important to note that as of right now most school districts in my state are not on Plan A which is 100% open but instead are either on Plan B or Plan C. Plan B is partially open/ online and Plan C is strictly online. Our governor is encouraging our schools to reopen and is opening more vaccine sites as teachers are next in line for the vaccine. This is important to document because every state is doing so many different things and people's rights vary from state to state.
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2021-02-07
The face of education has changed is an understatement. It is not even recognizable as it once was a year ago. We spend more time on hygiene than we have ever before. Most students in my school district have opted to stay online while the handful comes in small cohorts. We are required to keep the socially distanced, masks on, no circulation around the room, teaching them from the Zoom screen even if they are live in class. This has caused me as a teacher to be sad as I thrive on being able to teach my students face to face and interact with them however, I understand. This pandemic I feel has changed K-12 education forever and not for the best in some ways. The new way of teaching has caused many teachers to leave, change their attitudes, and have made us focus on just the basics of student's needs in many cases.
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2021-02-07
When I was pumping gas I realized how much has life has changed from about a year ago. This time last year I did not have to wear a mask, glove, and wipe down everything just to get gas. It is crazy to think that a simple task like getting gas requires people who are responsible to put on their mask, put on gloves, get their hand sanitizer/ hand sanitizer wipes and wipe down the card machine and the gas handle. Then finally, after that is all done you can insert your card push the buttons, choose your fuel grade, then pump, and finally, you can place the pump back on the machine. Then you have to strategically take off the gloves like I was trained when dealing with blood and then I have to use my hand sanitizer then I can get in my car and leave. This new task and very detail-oriented "dance" was foreign to most of us this time one year ago and now it has become a way of life. This is important to note this change because there was a time before that it was not like this and maybe one day we may get close back to that but if not we need to document the change.
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2021-02-05
I got my vaccine booster on Friday, February 5th, at 4 pm. I was very excited to return to the local hospital for this vaccine appointment. On February 1st, tier 2 had opened, and vaccines were now being offered to anyone over 65. The hospital had really stepped up their game and was administering about 20 vaccines every 4 minutes (I asked), and they were so efficient! I got my second dose and then sat waiting in the lobby for 15 minutes. While I was waiting, there was a woman behind me (older than 65) who had just gotten her first dose. She was scheduling her appointment for her booster and struck up a conversation. She told me that she was so sad that so many people were dying, and she was excited to get the vaccine. She also mentioned that since her husband had died and she was no longer able to drive, she took a cab for the 45-minute drive to the hospital. She didn't care what the cost was - she wanted the vaccine. It was really quite sweet.
After my shot at, 4 pm my husband and I went to our friend's home for our usual Friday night take out dinner. Around 10 pm, while we were still at our friend's home my ankles, knees, and hips began to get unusually sore. We left shortly after, and I was uncomfortable the entire car ride home. When we finally got home, I went straight to bed. At 6 am, I woke up with a splitting headache, body aches, and chills. I got myself out of bed to go to the bathroom (about 3 steps away) and immediately felt nauseous. I returned to bed, woke up my husband, and asked for water, Tylenol, and a heating pad. After taking Tylenol, I fell asleep for about 1 1/2 hours. Again, I woke up with a splitting headache and body aches but couldn't take any more pain relievers. I just laid in bed trying to get some rest and ordered Chick Fil A breakfast; I'm not sure why but that's what I was craving. I got out of bed to eat breakfast and promptly returned to bed. I took more Tylenol at 10 am and fell asleep for another hour and a half. When I woke up shortly before noon, I took a bath to calm down my body aches. My wrists and my shoulders/armpits hurt the worst. I stayed in the bath for about 30 minutes, which is a lot for me because I honestly cannot remember the last time I took a bath - I think they're gross. After that, I moved out to the couch, took more Tylenol, and watched a movie. When the movie ended, I went back to bed. I slept from about 3 pm to 5 pm. When I woke up, I took more Tylenol, moved to the couch, and watched another movie while my husband made dinner. I had some dinner and stayed on the couch until 10 pm. While the Tylenol helped with the body aches for about an hour, nothing seemed to touch my headache. I was using a heating pad on my neck and doing some yoga to try and stretch it. I went to bed with my usual nighttime routine and fell asleep around 10:30 pm. I didn't wake up at all overnight. I woke up on Sunday at 8 AM feeling AMAZING. It was like I had never reacted at all. My arm is not sore; I have no body aches and no headache. My husband is a third-year med student and spent most of Saturday looking at me like a science experiment because my body was reacting to the vaccine exactly like it was supposed to. Through all of the pain on Saturday, I was silently cheering on my body for doing its job because I knew that meant it was working. Through the entire pandemic, I was able to remain Covid free (as far as I know), and I would certainly take 1 day of vaccine induced pain over 7 days of Covid.