3 24 538 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b3b48c76dce4ebf3df58f67db0caf86d.pdf 6402522ec2e01045898933ed06dd90d2 PDF Text Text Day 408. (she, her, hers) by windoworks To begin today, here is a photo of Auckland, New Zealand on a beautiful fall morning. Auckland is built on 53 dormant volcanoes and this photo was taken from the top of one of them. You can see the island of Rangitoto in the distance - another dormant volcano. I always thought most volcanoes were extinct (and some are) but more are just dormant. Rangitoto is Māori for 'Bloody Sky'. New Zealand really is a beautiful country and if they ever open their borders again to tourists - its more than worth the flight time. And that’s the big question starting to occur to everyone. The CDC posted a 4 page summary of countries, most of which were tagged Level 4: do not visit. A scattering of countries were tagged Level 3: use caution, Australia being one of them. But this is academic - nobody can visit Australia or New Zealand as a tourist at this time, or a number of other countries such as Japan. The US is currently leading the world in vaccinations with 40% of all Americans having received at least one dose. And speaking of vaccinations yesterday when I had my mammogram, the woman asked me which arm I had the vaccine in. I answered the left arm and asked why. She said the doctor wanted to know. The answer is in the next item, but my results came back as normal by lunchtime - a record of efficiency. I know this piece is long, but its worth reading. AARP If it has been at least two weeks since you received your last dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, �congratulations! You are now considered “fully vaccinated.” You are armed with our best weapon against a virus that has killed more than 2.6 million people worldwide and upended our lives in unimaginable ways. 1. You still need to wear a mask Even though COVID-19 cases are down from their peak in January, the coronavirus is still circulating in the U.S., and new and more contagious variants have emerged. So wearing masks and social distancing are still important in helping slow its spread until we can reach herd immunity — when an estimated 70 to 85 percent of the population is vaccinated. 2. You could still catch COVID-19 This is the other reason experts don't want you to put aside your mask just yet. Although all three vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. were found to be highly effective against severe disease and death from COVID-19, there's still a chance you could get infected with the virus. The whole point of a vaccine is that it prevents you from dying or ending up in the hospital. But you may still get sick. 3. You could infect someone else There's also a small chance that you could get infected with the virus and not even realize it, and then you could transmit it to someone who is not vaccinated. 4. You can visit friends and family Fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with others who are also fully vaccinated, without wearing masks or physical distancing if you choose, the CDC says, because the chance of anyone getting infected would be remote. You can also spend time inside with unvaccinated people from a single household without wearing masks or physical distancing if you choose, the CDC says, as long as no one is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease and no one lives with somebody who's at increased risk as well. That means you can visit (and hug!) your unvaccinated children and grandchildren 5. You don't have to quarantine after exposure You do not have to quarantine or get tested after an exposure to someone with the coronavirus, as long as you aren't experiencing any symptoms, the CDC says. If you develop a cough, fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea or other symptoms of COVID-19, however, you should get tested. 6. You should keep your vaccine record card handy In the future, you may need proof of vaccination to travel, work in certain industries or attend large events. Several other countries already have a validation system in the works, and a number of private companies in the U.S. are working on creating a digital passport that would include your vaccination status. Obviously, your vaccine card is your main proof right now. �7. Travel is still discouraged Even though the number of airline passengers has been rising, the CDC continues to recommend against travel, even for those who are vaccinated. In explaining the decision on March 8, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said: "In terms of travel, here's what we know: Every time that there's a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases in this country. We know that many of our variants have emerged from international places, and we know that the travel corridor is a place where people are mixing a lot. We are really trying to restrain travel at this current period of time, and we're hopeful that our next set of guidance will have more science around what vaccinated people can do, perhaps travel being among them." 8. It's a good time to go to the doctor or dentist Countless Americans put their health care on hold due to the pandemic. Now that you're vaccinated, it's time to schedule that colonoscopy, dental cleaning or elective surgery you've been putting off. Being vaccinated, now is the safest it has been to have surgery in well over a year. The only screening you may want to hold off getting right away is your mammogram. Many women develop swelling in the lymph nodes in their underarm after vaccination, the CDC says. Although the swelling is a normal sign that your body is building protection to the coronavirus, it could cause a false mammogram reading. For that reason, some experts recommend waiting four to six weeks after you are fully vaccinated to get a mammogram. 9. You may need a booster shot There are two reasons we might need a booster shot: If our immunity wears off naturally or if the virus changes so much that the immunity we have from the current vaccines proves inadequate. Chances are that we will have to get some kind of COVID-19 shot on a regular basis, perhaps once every three years or every year, like the flu shot. 10. A return to normal hinges on herd immunity Before life can get totally back to normal, experts say that first we need to reach herd immunity — when enough Americans are vaccinated to significantly slow the spread of the virus. Estimates of when we will reach that point range from this summer to early 2022. Factors that will affect that timeline include the percentage of Americans willing to get the vaccine, how quickly a vaccine for children is authorized and how well the vaccines work against more contagious variants of the virus. And speaking of vaccinations: Washington Post Except for a lull during winter storms, vaccination rates had climbed steadily in the United States. Until now. The seven-day average of daily coronavirus vaccinations dropped by 11 percent when compared with the previous week. Half of all eligible Americans have had at least one dose, and demand may be �easing despite the millions who are not yet vaccinated. Health experts say the next phase of vaccinations will be more tailored, such as door-to-door administration and targeted outreach to communities. Sadly, after an entire year of almost normal living, Perth in Western Australia is locked down for at least 3 days due to a small number of virus cases but with possible larger community spread. Now, for something different: Feadship's new superyacht Project 817 is guided through the canals of Holland while en route to the North Sea. Courtesy Tom van Oossanen Imagine living in one of those houses that border that canal! So, the next morning we sailed into Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. Jost Van Dyke is one of the main islands in the British Virgin Islands, which are part of a volcanic archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island is known for its yacht anchorages, like the sheltered bay at Great Harbour. Casual bars and restaurants dot the sandy beaches here and at nearby White Bay. Bubbly Pool, a naturally foaming sea pool, is in the island’s northeast. ― Google. It seemed to be mostly a party island to me. �Sailing into the harbor �We drove up over the winding hilly road to the far beach �Everyone was partying �We walked to the far end to wade in the water �Looking down at another beach on our way back to the ship. Oliver ��Last night we had take out dinner from a local Japanese restaurant. We toasted the end of Craig’s teaching career here in the US with a bottle of sparkling wine. The end of an era. See you tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-23_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-408 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-23 Title A name given to the resource Day 408 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6145ee64694f79dcbe2620602c282e45.pdf b548d4ad82ad723a809d505b77459c59 PDF Text Text Day 407 by windoworks I’m writing later today because I had to have a medical appointment this morning. We are back to no visitors allowed as the Covid variant is causing a surge in Michigan. It is funny how you get used to having your temperature taken with that thermometer gun which doesn’t actually touch your forehead. And then you sit in a carefully spaced out seat in the waiting room. But the big news of the day is that this is Craig’s last day of teaching at Grand Valley State University. He is giving a zoom keynote address in a week or so, and he has to buy himself a new Mac laptop and then return the college one to GVSU. I think his students have come to terms with him leaving and most of his colleagues are have accepted his retirement. It will be odd, but in some ways it allows us to concentrate on all the tasks going forward. Its still all about the virus. India is not doing well: Washington Post: India on Thursday recorded the world’s highest number of new coronavirus infections in a 24-hour period since the beginning of the pandemic, reporting a staggering 314,835 cases, as a surge tears through communities and inundates the nation’s hospital infrastructure. The single-day case count surpasses a previous record set by the United States, when more than 313,000 infections were reported on Jan. 8, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. The massive outbreak in India has been blamed on more contagious variants of the virus, as well as an early relaxation of restrictions and a slow-moving vaccination campaign. It seems to me that Michigan may have crested the peak and is beginning to descend the other side. Of course we have July 4 looming before us, but hopefully more people will be fully vaccinated by then. The new big concern is children aged 6 months to 16 years. Pfizer has asked for FDA clearance for their vaccine for 12 -15 year olds. Moderna has asked for permission to conduct the following trial: Moderna announced that the first participants have been dosed in the Phase 2/3 study, called the KidCOVE study, of mRNA-1273, the Company’s vaccine candidate against COVID-19, in children ages 6 months to less than 12 years. Each participant ages two years to less than 12 years may receive one of two dose levels (50 μg or 100 μg). Also in Part 1, each participant ages six months to less than 2 years may receive one of three dose levels (25 μg, 50 μg and 100 μg). An interim analysis will be conducted to determine which dose will be used in Part 2, the placebo-controlled expansion portion of the study. Participants will be followed through 12 months after the second vaccination. Vaccine effectiveness will either be inferred through achieving a correlate of protection, if established, or through immunobridging �to the young adult (ages 18-25) population. Evaluation of vaccine safety and reactogenicity is also a primary endpoint of the study. Their plan is to begin vaccinating all children 6 months to under 12 years by early 2022. Now the biggest problem is anti-vaxxers. President Biden has begun calling it ‘your patriotic duty’ to be vaccinated. What the diehard Republican holdouts doesn’t understand is that Trump is already fully vaccinated. He received his first shot before he left the White House. So here’s my question: if he kept insisting that the virus was nothing - why did he get vaccinated? There is information surfacing that Trump was much sicker with Covid than anyone realized. His lungs showed some lung infiltrates (associated with pneumonia) and his oxygen level went down to the 80s. Those are 2 indicators of severe Covid. He was given the best medication available and some oxygen. There was some talk of putting him on a ventilator. Will we ever know if this is the truth? Probably not. Crooked Media: A Nebraska study on asymptomatic coronavirus infections in schools suggests that school infection rates may be higher than we thought. In the first phase of a pilot program that screened students and staff without symptoms weekly, participating schools had infection rates that were two and a half times higher for staff and nearly six times higher for students at schools using conventional, limited testing. The program also found school infection rates that were 10 times higher than reported within the surrounding counties. The study didn’t look at whether those infections were contracted at school or brought in from outside, but the findings make pretty clear that ramping up proactive testing at schools should be a priority either way. Meanwhile, in other news: CNN: President Biden kicks off a two-day virtual climate summit today with 40 of his foreign counterparts to discuss ways to combat the climate crisis. The White House is hoping the event will reassert America’s climate credibility, which was fractured in recent years. Biden will back up the efforts by revealing an aggressive new pledge to halve US carbon emissions, hoping other countries will follow. Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general after Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski broke ranks to join Democrats in the 51-49 vote. And Vice President Kamala Harris cast her first tie-breaking vote related to a Biden administration nominee, voting to advance the nomination of Colin Kahl as the Pentagon's undersecretary for policy. And: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Debbie Stabenow was selected to receive the prestigious Bryce Harlow Award, which honors an elected official whose career is built on championing the principles of integrity, dedication and professionalism — echoing the work and life of the late Bryce Harlow. In their announcement, the Bryce Harlow Foundation details Senator Stabenow’s work as a leader in creating jobs, supporting American workers and lowering the cost of health care. �The new big thing is vertical forests. Verticale in Milan. I’m guessing that is vertical wood or forest in Italian. This is the Bosca �In China The benefits of vertical forests are already well understood, and include sequestering carbon, producing oxygen, reducing the heat island effect, providing sound deadening, improving the building's energy efficiency, and adding protection to the envelope. The Bosca Veritcale in Milan is tended by full time gardeners who are lowered down the buildings on ropes. Is this our future? And on this note, I am so pleased to report the Gardeners World has resumed on TV and we have watched the first few episodes. One of the most telling segments was about a female TV presenter, whose husband fell so ill last year with Covid, that he was put into an induced coma by the medical staff. Meanwhile, she was isolated at home with her children, and to keep their spirits up, they began transforming their backyard into a garden. They grew flowers, herbs and vegetables, all with the hope that Daddy would be home soon - and how excited he would be to see their garden. In last week’s episode, Gardeners World returned to see how the family were doing. The garden was just starting to wake up after winter, but the husband was still in hospital in an induced coma - a year later. I felt so bad for her, but she was managing to smile and to keep going. Such grit. Our next stop in the Caribbean was Samana, in the Dominican Republic. Samaná (Santa Bárbara de Samaná) is a town on the Samaná Peninsula, in the Dominican Republic. It overlooks Samaná Bay, which �plays host to thousands of humpback whales during winter’s mating season. Nearby, the Whale Museum's prime attraction is a huge whale skeleton. The town's waterfront promenade, the Malecón, has restaurants and bars. In the bay, Cayo Levantado is a tiny island known for its palm-lined beaches. ― Google First up, Craig’s expedition. It took an hour in a fast speedboat to cross the bay from the port to the Samana National Park. Samana Bay in a national park at the eastern edge of the Dominican Republic. These are limestone outcrops that rise out of the bay. �The outcrops have been colonized by rainforest and a huge variety of �birds. Rainforest and seabirds everywhere �Extensive mango swamps which are tidal. �There is a cave complex in which early indigenous peoples created cave art. These are �wading birds images drawn by the Taino People - more than 1,000 years ago. �Exploring the caves with our �guide �An image of a face carved into the soft limestone by pre-Columbian peoples. On the way back in the speedboat there was a torrential downpour and Craig and his companions got soaked. More tomorrow. Oliver �Oliver peeping into the worm habitat. He said ‘There’s the worm! Hi �wormy’ �See you tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-22_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-407 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-22 Title A name given to the resource Day 407 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/429c8a2830437b991d3f18b74ddfc80d.pdf 13f9f9a4ccc97a83e87ae2ddf36aa208 PDF Text Text Day 406. (she, her, hers) by windoworks Yesterday I watched the judge in the Derek Chauvin trial open a manila envelope and read the jury’s verdict. They found Chauvin guilty on all 3 counts. The judge then polled each juror and asked is this your decision? We couldn’t see the jury but we could hear each ‘yes’ response. Then to confirm it, the judge asked the jury to confirm their judgement as a whole - to which all said yes. Chauvin looked curiously blank throughout this. Of course he was wearing a mask, but his eyes showed no emotion. He was handcuffed and taken to jail to await sentencing. There is much more I could say about this and the resulting Black Lives Matter movement which echoed around the world, but it has all been said by so many others. Here’s an interesting piece from the New York Times: The murder conviction of a police officer is an exceedingly rare event. There have been only seven murder convictions of officers for fatal police shootings since 2005, according to Philip Stinson of Bowling Green State University. That suggests the chances of a killing by the police leading to a murder conviction are about one in 2,000. Yet a jury in Minneapolis yesterday convicted Derek Chauvin of second-degree murder (as well as two other charges) for killing George Floyd last May. A typical sentence for that felony in Minneapolis is 12½ years in prison, although prosecutors have asked for more and the maximum is 40 years. A judge will sentence Chauvin in about eight weeks. Chauvin’s conviction does not automatically signal a new era of police accountability. The Floyd case was the exception of all exceptions. A video, watched around the world, showed Chauvin pressing his knee onto Floyd for more than nine minutes. That footage led to weeks of protests that were among the largest in U.S. history. And at the trial, the so-called blue wall of silence — that is, many officers’ willingness to protect colleagues, regardless of their misbehavior — crumbled. “For so many, it feels like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver just basic accountability,” President Biden said late yesterday. There were 3 other officers present at George Floyd’s arrest and deadly restraint and not one of them said or did anything to stop Chauvin. For their complicity, they are awaiting trial in August - and I don’t think its looking good for them. And here’s the final word from Crooked Media: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison neatly summed up the significance and limitations of Chauvin’s conviction: “I would not call today's verdict justice, however, because justice implies true restoration. But it is accountability, which is the first step toward justice.” George Floyd is still gone, and police officers across the country continue to inflict violence on Black Americans while shielded from consequences. Today’s verdict brought a measure of accountability; we’ll stay on the streets for justice. And from Stephen Colbert: “Today is one stop on a journey that began last May and led to protests calling for that accountability in every town and every city in America. But this is just one stop. There is more work to be done, and it’s �work that all of us should be committed to, because as Ben Crump, the Floyd family lawyer, reminded us today, justice for Black America is justice for all America.” Last night I watched President Biden talking about the conviction and I felt he was talking from the heart and he was talking to me. Of course, Biden sometimes misspeaks and he is nowhere near perfect, but I don’t think that is what you want in a leader. I think you want a person who shoulders responsibility, tries to do their best every day, and cares about the people under their sphere. To my mind, so far, Joe Biden fits that description. He is working to turn things around, and here are two important steps: CNN: The largest coal miners union in America is backing President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion green energy plan. It may seem like a case of strange bedfellows. But the coal industry would benefit from the Biden proposals to rebuild bridges, ports and airports -- likely boosting demand for steel, which typically uses coal as a key ingredient. The infrastructure plan also calls for expanding access to broadband in rural areas where many coal mining communities are located. The president of the United Mine Workers of America also said the plan would create lots of new job opportunities. In a completely different infrastructure realm, the Biden administration kicked off a 100-day effort to beef up cybersecurity in the nation's power grid, calling for industry leaders to install technologies that could thwart attacks on the electricity supply. This comes after a cyberattack in Florida that sought to compromise a water treatment plant. I was going to post the statistics for yesterday, but at some point the numbers become meaningless. For Michigan and Kent County, there seems to be a slight easing of numbers of new cases (average cases per day down to 6,000+, rather than 7,000+). Are we over the hump? I don’t know. Now the authorities are battling vaccine reluctance in young people. CDC: Since COVID-19 vaccine distribution began in the United States on Dec. 14, more than 211 million doses have been administered, fully vaccinating over 85.3 million people or 25.7% of the total U.S. population. However on a global scale, things are not so good. Washington Post: Global coronavirus cases have reached their highest levels yet, and the consequences of this surge are especially dire in India, which accounts for a third of new infections worldwide. Hospitals there are overwhelmed. A cremator in the Indian city of Surat told The Post his facility receives 100 bodies a day, five times more than typical, and the round-the-clock use has melted steel pipes in two of the crematorium's six chimneys. It's possible the 250,000 daily cases in India could double within a month, one biostatistician said. Melted the steel pipes. Wow! And from Crooked Media’s Light At The End Of The Email:New Jersey will join 19 other states and Washington, DC, in offering an “X” gender identifier on driver’s licenses. Okay, so Grand Turk: �There was a church service going on inside. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes and �the singing was wonderful. We could have gone in, but all of us just peeked through the door. I took this photo mostly for the Pianist parking sign. When your church services involve fabulous singing, you need to treat your pianist well. �Craig went swimming. I think I might have �waded. This cactus closely resembles the red fez worn on a Turkish man’s head - and is the reason for the island being named Grand Turk. My mind just wandered off and thought about Grand Beret or Grand Bonnet or Grand Helmet or ..... �As you can see, I didn’t cross the yellow line on my way back to the ship. �Craig lecturing onboard. �Oliver �Walking with Great Aunt Bernie. �Its freezing out there. No, I mean literally freezing. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated. Stay safe. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-21_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-406 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-21 Title A name given to the resource Day 406 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cfa41a590a48524beeb4a53450465e0c.pdf 712ca294687206ca5aee4b7fd37f49bf PDF Text Text Day 405. (she, her, hers) by windoworks Its amazing what a difference a new mattress makes! This first piece is alarming: CNN: India has reported six consecutive days of more than 200,000 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total over the last week to a staggering 1.5 million. The country now has the second highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, ahead of Brazil, which reported over 13.9 million cases (the US has 31.7 �million cases). However, nonstop cremations in India -- the grim consequence of coronavirus deaths -have led some to believe India’s official Covid-19 data is understating the crisis. Meanwhile, the US State Department announced it will update its travel guidelines to more closely align with CDC recommendations. That means approximately 80% of countries worldwide will now fall under the highest travel advisory level, Level 4: Do Not Travel Perhaps it is time to look at the history of plagues/pandemics. Craig has given the following summary to both his classes and asked them to think about the consequences of our present pandemic. I am reprinting this with permission from Dr. Craig Benjamin: How Pandemics Change the World. Historians who study epidemics realize that these events always lead to great changes. Here are some historical examples to help you think about some of the possible longterm impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Antonine Plague – Rome and China (165-180) 15 years altogether. • Smallpox; brought back to Rome by soldiers campaigning in Iraq • Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus died from the virus (hence the name of the plague) • Two distinct outbreaks over 15 years, with a ‘plague-free’ period between • Greco-Roman physician Galen wrote first ever ‘scientific’ description of symptoms • Helped push Roman Empire into the chaotic crisis of the early third century • Same plague hit Han China – contributed to the collapse of the Han Empire Plague of Cyprian – Roman Empire (250-270) 20 years altogether. • Yellow fever or Ebola; broke out in Ethiopia and spread to Rome via Egypt • Devastated city of Rome and the empire for two decades • At its peak 5000 people were dying each day in Rome; depleted Roman army and caused massive labor shortages • Cyprian, Christian Bishop of Carthage, wrote a detailed description of symptoms • Christians were scapegoated, but impact on pagan society was worse • Christians responded in a more thoughtful way in how they buried their dead • Pagans feared that this plague marked the end of their world • Half a century later Christianity was officially recognized in the Roman Empire, so this plague had a dramatic impact on the entire ideological framework of the ancient world Plague of Justinian – Byzantine Empire (541-549) 8 years altogether. • Bubonic plague; developed in Africa, traveled to Constantinople via Egypt • Named after Byzantine Emperor Justinian who contracted the plague but survived • Historian Procopius recorded that at its peak the plague was killing 10,000 people per day in Constantinople �• Killed 25-60% of population of Europe • Agriculture sector collapsed and prices of grain soared • Byzantine government’s response was to increasingly rely on monastic infrastructure • Huge impact on Christian ideology; monasteries developed hospitals, and Christianity quickly became a religion of philanthropy, which it has been ever since Black Death – Europe and Middle East (1347-1351) 4 years altogether. • Bubonic plague; spread from Eastern to Western Eurasia via Mongol Silk Roads • Carried by fleas that traveled on rats • Mongol siege of Genoese colony of Kaffa in Crimea helped spread plague to Europe • Once in Europe virus aerosolized and spread rapidly • Killed 75-200 million; Florence and Northern Italy particularly hard hit • So many laborers died this led to end of feudalism and transition to a wage labor system • Italian intellectuals turned away from Medieval obsession with death and religion, focused instead on the values of liberal humanism; led directly to the Renaissance • E.G. Petrarch and Boccaccio; both survived the plague and used this to create the first great works of Renaissance literature; artists followed their lead Influenza Pandemic – Global (1918-1920) 2 years altogether. • Mutation of influenza virus; started in trenches of Western Front and spread globally • First global pandemic; affected everywhere on earth (including Arctic, Pacific Islands) • Killed 50-100 million people; my grandfather contracted the virus in the trenches but survived • High infection rate and severe symptoms; mortality rate of 10-20% of those infected • Came in a series of waves • Killed a huge percentage of heathy 18-40-year-olds (e.g. in one day in 1918, 80 out of 400 workers in one US textile factory died) • Led to huge labor shortage; so surviving workers demanded better wages and working conditions; forced governments to enact labor welfare policies like workers comp • Also changed gender composition of the workforce; contributed to 19th amendment giving women the vote • Culturally led to the Roaring 20s – economic boom, movies, radio, jazz age, urbanization, Charleston, endless parties, Gatsby, flapper fashions, sexual revolution Covid 19 Pandemic – Global (2019-20..??) who knows? • Ongoing global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome) • First detected in Wuhan China in December 2019; spread rapidly around the world • As of late-April 2021 has killed 3+ million people • Led to massive global social and economic dislocation; but also to remarkable breakthroughs in vaccine science �• Also led to a plague of misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories • Revealed massive racial and geographic inequalities in access to health care • Massive impact on cultural performances (drama, music etc); and on religious services • Largest interruption to sporting events and education (at all levels) since WWII • Longer term impact? How will this current pandemic change the world? I am reminded of the saying - the more things change, the more they stay the same. And just in case you thought things were getting better: (CNN) The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta says its Asian small-clawed otters tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19. The aquarium announced on Sunday that it tested the otters after they showed "mild respiratory symptoms including sneezing, runny noses, mild lethargy, and coughing." The seven creatures are being cared for off-exhibit. Despite being geriatric, they are improving and expected to make a full recovery, the aquarium said. "Our Asian small-clawed otters are under very close monitoring by veterinarians and animal care team members," Dr. Tonya Clauss, vice president of animal and environmental health at Georgia Aquarium, said. "We are providing supportive care as needed so they can eat, rest and recover." It turns out that cleaning surfaces is nowhere near as important as good ventilation. In Australia, a family of 3 in quarantine caught the virus. After lightning speed investigation, it appears (however unlikely this seems) that they caught the virus through the shared ventilation system with the infected people in the �adjacent hotel room. So, new, safer quarantine quarters are being sought - with (I hope) independent ventilation systems. Excuse the language, but a fair point. I misspoke yesterday about the Derek Chauvin trial. Yesterday the court heard closing arguments before the jury retired to deliberate. They were asked to bring a suitcase of clothes as they will be sequestered until they reach a verdict. Personally, I thought what the defense presented was weak. Grand Turk. We were talking about this excursion yesterday and Craig asked me why I was wearing a backpack. Then we remembered that I had volunteered to be an attendant on the excursion, so I had a backpack with emergency supplies in it. Because they were working on the main road, we had to travel over small side roads which were in an appalling condition. �Wild horses were everywhere and they are protected. �The deep blue line on the horizon is where the shelf stops and the deep ocean trench begins. This trench is the Turks Islands Passage. The trench is 30 miles wide and over 7000 feet deep. �Wild donkeys - also protected. �A chance to stretch our legs and unkind our �backs. The Grand Turk Lighthouse More Grand Turk tomorrow. Oliver. �Today, I’ll leave you with this. Stay safe out there. �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-20_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-405 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-20 Title A name given to the resource Day 405 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/182b252708606eba86af1e76b4501b40.pdf 7a8e958a17ada0d7f1c8ea08d33aebf5 PDF Text Text Day 404. 11 weeks left. (she, her, hers) by windoworks Its been an emotional morning. Zar (my son who works at Stuff.co.NZ) sent a link about the trans Tasman Bubble opening between Australia and New Zealand with no quarantining. There were videos which I sobbed through. A koala and a kiwi hugging. There were drag queens. There was interpretive dancing. And there was a whole lot of Dave Dobbyn. After more than a year apart, Kiwis and Australians were eager to roll out their welcome mats to those crossing the ditch on the first day of the trans-Tasman bubble. Airlines and airports on both sides of the ditch celebrated the occasion with gusto, with Air New Zealand serving up 24,000 bottles of bubbly, and Wellington Airport painting “welcome whānau” in enormous letters at the end of the runway. �Whanau means family, but family in the widest sense of the word. Melbourne Airport decided to share its excitement for the quarantine-free travel arrangement through the medium of interpretive dance, with a troupe of masked dancers using clear balloons to symbolise the bubble. Travellers arriving into Sydney Airport were also in for a visual spectacle, as they were greeted by a group of drag queens. �A traveler posing with the drag queens. Meanwhile in Auckland, those waiting in the arrivals hall for their loved ones on the first flight into New Zealand were treated to a marathon performance of Dave Dobbyn’s Welcome Home/Nau Mai Rā. Jetstar had its own tribute on display at Auckland Airport – a table draped in both the Australian and New Zealand flags, with a pavlova placed on top. Following the arrival of the plane, airport and airline bosses came together for a ceremonial cutting of the cake. Passengers arriving into Wellington on Air New Zealand’s first flight from Sydney were immediately greeted by the faces of their loved ones, on a giant screen that showed people waiting in the arrivals hall. �In other news, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully flew on Mars. The first time an aircraft has flown on another planet. Think about that. In the clamor of other news, the significance of this is enormous. What will we do next? I am presenting this next piece because it gives me so much hope. New York Times: A vaccinated person’s chances of getting Covid are about one in 11,000. The chances of a getting a version any worse than a common cold are even more remote. But they are not zero. And they will not be zero anytime in the foreseeable future. Victory over Covid will not involve its elimination. Victory will instead mean turning it into the sort of danger that plane crashes or shark attacks present — too small to be worth reordering our lives. That is what the vaccines do. If you’re vaccinated, Covid presents a minuscule risk to you, and you present a minuscule Covid risk to anyone else. A car trip is a bigger threat, to you and others. About 100 Americans are likely to die in car crashes today. The new federal data suggests that either zero or one vaccinated person will die today from Covid. It’s true that experts believe vaccinated people should still sometimes wear a mask, partly because it’s a modest inconvenience that further reduces a tiny risk — and mostly because it contributes to a culture of mask wearing. It is the decent thing to do when most people still aren’t vaccinated. If you’re vaccinated, a mask is more of a symbol of solidarity than anything else. Coming to grips with the comforting realities of post-vaccination life is going to take some time for most of us. It’s only natural that so many vaccinated people continue to harbor irrational fears. Yet slowly recognizing that irrationality will be a vital part of overcoming Covid. “We’re not going to get to a place of zero risk,” Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins epidemiologist, told me �during a virtual Times event last week. “I don’t think that’s the right metric for feeling like things are normal.” After Nuzzo made that point, Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University told us about his own struggle to return to normal. He has been fully vaccinated for almost two months, he said, and only recently decided to meet a vaccinated friend for a drink, unmasked. “It was hard — psychologically hard — for me,” Jha said. “There are going to be some challenges to re-acclimating and re-entering,” he added. “But we’ve got to do it.” And how did it feel in the end, I asked, to get together with his friend? “It was awesome,” Jha said. �The US has gone mad. Here’s evidence: CNN: Shootings across the US made for a harrowing, heartbreaking weekend of gun violence. Three people were killed and three injured in a shooting at a Kenosha, Wisconsin, tavern. A person of interest has been located and is facing a charge. In Austin, Texas, three people were killed after an apparent “domestic situation,” and the suspect -- an ex-sheriff's detective -- is still on the run. In Columbus, Ohio, one person was killed and five wounded in a drive-by shooting at vigil for a gun violence victim. The US has recorded at least 50 mass shootings since the Atlanta-area spa shootings on March 16, which left eight �people dead. We’re also learning more about last week’s Indianapolis shooting, in which police say a 19year-old killed eight people at a FedEx facility. The suspect legally bought the two assault rifles used in the attack after he'd been investigated by the FBI due to his potential for violence. ��The jury is now deliberating in the Derek Chauvin trial. The country is holding its breath, waiting. On December 27, 2019, we boarded a cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale. We sailed into the edge of a storm and it was rough sailing for all the next day. On the morning of the 29th we docked at Grand Turk. Grand Turk Island is the capital island of the Turks and Caicos archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s dotted with the remains of salt ponds and windmills from the island’s sea salt industry, prevalent from the 17th to 20th century. The 19th-century Grand Turk Lighthouse is perched on a rocky bluff in the north. Beaches with clear water ring the island, which is home to wild horses and donkeys. ― Google �Carefully docking the �ship Ready for the day �Yes, I did have to walk all that way to our �bus Thank goodness for no windows. It was so hot! �This is a replica of Friendship 7 flown by John Glenn. Friendship 7 made it's water landing �close to this island and the flight was tracked from this island. Look at that gorgeous water and those golden sands. More Grand Turk tomorrow. We have booked our hotel in Chicago and in Grand Rapids. This weekend we cleared out the garage and the basement and most things went to a new happy home. Best moment: the little boy who got the desk chair on wheels and rode it down the road to his house. This morning our new mattress arrives. We’ve reached the ‘there’s something to do every day’ stage and the more that leaves the house, the emptier it is and the more it echoes. Oliver �Watering the seeds. �Stay safe. Its crazy out there. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-19_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-404 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-19 Title A name given to the resource Day 404 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aebcb949a01a48162604dd2d792cf224.pdf 5d3921abc075b2906ef59afc4a6acd99 PDF Text Text Day 403 First up: by windoworks ��Queen Elizabeth sits in strict Covid isolation during the funeral. New York Times: A somber farewell to Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth II said goodbye to her husband of more than 73 years, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at his funeral on Saturday at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The Rev. David Conner, the dean of Windsor, noted Philip’s life of service and “his unwavering loyalty to our queen.” The ceremony was a subdued affair, with only 30 royal family members in attendance. All eyes were on Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, looking for a slight easing in the family rift; the two walked out of the chapel together. Philip’s coffin, transported in a Land Rover Defender, custom-made to his specifications, was lowered into the vault beneath the chapel. The funeral marked a poignant dress rehearsal for the far more consequential passing of the queen. She turns 95 on Wednesday. Craig and I watched most of the ceremony yesterday. It was a perfectly coordinated affair, as only the British monarchy can do. In Before Times it would have been a massively orchestrated, daylong event. People would have lined the route of the coffin, standing in silence. The service would have been broadcast live as well as a jumbo TV in nearby Kensington Gardens. Everything would have been draped in black. The entire Royal Family would have walked behind the coffin, but probably not the Queen. It brought to mind Diana’s funeral. Who can forget the wail of sorrow as the coffin carried on a gun carriage came out from Kensington Palace? �Yesterday’s funeral was very quiet and respectful. 4 singers (3 men and one women) sang beautiful songs, 4 buglers played the Last Post and 4 Fanfare trumpeters played a funeral fanfare. One of the most emotional moments for me was the lone piper near the end of the service who played a lament. Such a talented piper. Like all Royals, Phillip was entombed in a lead lined coffin. This preserves the body better. I’m not sure why you would want to preserve Phillip’s body - but it certainly explains the strain on the coffin bearers faces. Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, is 72 years old. He is now assuming his father’s position of helper to the Queen. There is endless discussion if she will abdicate in favor of Charles. I would be surprised. The Queen views her role as a lifelong one and Charles will only become King on her death. For years now, there has been discussion about the role of the Monarchy and the drain on the economy. The British Monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that, while The Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. Although The Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation. Here’s a brief explanation of the role: As Head of State, The Monarch undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. In addition to these State duties, The Monarch has a less formal role as 'Head of Nation'. The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity; officially recognises success and excellence; and supports the ideal of voluntary service. The pandemic is far from over anywhere in the world. Michigan continues to be an appalling hot spot, red zone, call it what you will. Last week in nearby Hudsonville, the Education Board held a meeting where they had to lock the doors because they couldn’t fit any more of the 50 parent protesters in the room. The parents were protesting the school mask requirement. They protested because their children, who are attending face to face classes, have to wear a mask inside the school buildings. I can’t even. The Guardian: The US state of Michigan saw 8,955 new Covid-19 cases as of Friday, marking “the second highest single-day case total in Michigan since the start of the pandemic”, ClickOnDetroit reports. Michigan has now seen 779,777 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 16,771 deaths, and leads the US in new infections. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, there is a discussion about being honest about our pandemic feelings. The author wrote: I think it’s OK to talk about this. We should feel comfortable acknowledging vulnerability, conceding our doubts. Admitting struggle doesn’t make you a whiner; it’s quite the opposite, it’s a ferocious display of �strength. I’m hopeful that a year sequestered will turn us into more empathetic listeners, overpowering the judgment economy, which is still in full, cruel bore. How hard is it to listen? And then they went on to talk about how we will all be as the end of the pandemic nears. Still: it’s not going to be instant. It’s not going to feel like flipping a switch. Hidden traumas abound. I presume we’re all a little different now. How can we not be? This past year has challenged everyone in unforeseen ways, and a lot of us are just coming to terms with it. There are probably changes still imperceptible. Hopefully, some of the change is for good. How lovely would it be if we all got a little more forgiving of each other, and of ourselves, too? How beautiful would it be if we all became better neighbors? Patience remains important. So does grace. The road may be opening up, but the road remains long. Who knows when the pandemic will end? When herd immunity is reached? When the whole world is vaccinated? When you try to consider those questions, you quickly realize there isn’t an answer. In the end, there is only hope. BY EMILY DICKINSON “Hope” is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops - at all And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard And sore must be the storm That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm I’ve heard it in the chillest land And on the strangest Sea Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me. Oliver �See you tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-18_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-403 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-18 Title A name given to the resource Day 403 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e4ea99bf3247032b472120277f6bd86c.pdf 28d19b173b1fe999879cb7739b6225dc PDF Text Text Day 402. Saturday April 17 (she, her, hers). by windoworks Just sayin’. Everyone seems worried about variants, how long the vaccination will last and what to do here in Michigan where the numbers keep increasing. Kent County has a positivity rate of over 17%. There is an argument about whether Michigan should be locked down again or whether we should give up and let everyone decide for themselves. I read the above post from the Kent County Health Department and I wonder: who is going to follow those rules? Everyone is worrying about breakthrough infections (infections of the fully vaccinated). The number is tiny - less than 1%. Here’s this to reassure you: NPR: Once we reach herd immunity and circulation levels drop, breakthrough infections will become even rarer. When was the last time you worried about getting diphtheria or pertussis? The vaccines that prevent them have similar efficacy rates — 97% for diphtheria, and a range between 71 and 98% for pertussis — as the COVID vaccines. Here’s some other news items: Crooked Media: A 19-year-old gunman shot and killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis on Thursday night, and wounded several others before taking his own life. The gunman was a former employee of the facility, �and his mother warned law enforcement officials last year that he might try to commit “suicide by cop.” The authorities put him on an “immediate detention mental health temporary hold,” according to the FBI, and confiscated a shotgun that was not returned. It’s not yet clear when or how he got his hands on a rifle, but Indiana doesn’t require a background check, training, or a permit to carry one, so not too much mystery there. Thursday marked the third mass shooting in Indianapolis this year, and at least the 45th mass shooting for the U.S. in the last month. President Biden has renewed his calls for Congress to pass gun-control legislation, which will not happen until Senate Democrats end the filibuster. The 45th mass shooting for the US in the last month. A week or so ago, Oliver’s daycare had a safety drill. This time they told the children there was a tiger outside trying to get in. Oliver’s 20 months old - and now he knows what do to for an active shooter lockdown. I found that disturbing. Washington Post U.S. sanctions to be announced against six Russian companies that supported cyberattacks on federal agencies, companies. The measures, which also include the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats, are an effort to make good on President Biden’s vow to hold Moscow accountable for malign actions, including the hacking operation commonly known as SolarWinds, which compromised nine federal agencies and about 100 private firms. Yesterday in retaliation, Putin expelled 10 US diplomats. I see the name calling has already begun. The Chinese government, having taken over Hong Kong and enforcing restrictive laws there, is now eyeing Taiwan.Its hard to say what the legal position of Taiwan actually is, except that there is push for independence. Meanwhile, this happened just over 3 months after January 6. Washington Post Founding member of Oath Keepers becomes first defendant to plead guilty in Capitol riot cases. Jon Schaffer, 53, of Indiana has agreed to cooperate against others in the domestic terrorism investigation that has led to charges against more than 400 people, according to court filings. He pleaded guilty to two felony charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. There was also the meeting of an inaugural group of Republicans whose ideology seems to echo White Supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan. A white supremacist is a person who believes that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races. Miriam-Webster. And if you were wondering: �The Ku Klux Klan was (and still is) a viciously racist white supremacist organization that first arose in the South after the end of the Civil War. Its members opposed the dismantling of slavery and sought to keep African Americans in a permanent state of subjugation to whites. The reason behind this was that this allowed the whites to make an enormous amount of money. If you had slaves, you didn’t have to pay them, because you owned them. They were your property just the same as a dining table or bed. As well as money, it gave the slave owners power. Two extremely addictive items. I always wonder why my skin color is referred to as ‘white’? I think I’m closer to pink, but I guess pink people doesn’t hold the authority of white people. Humans come in an enormous range of colors, but we are all exactly the same inside. I could give you sound scientific reasons for differing skin colors, eye shapes, hair colors etc - but you can look that up for yourself. I think the important thing is that we are all the same inside. Oh, and I read this and I thought this was something we should consider carefully: a group of scientists have cloned a human/monkey fetus. They say they are doing this for spare parts. I think I read a fiction book about this. Beings bred for spare parts. I hope the Scientific Ethics Board will struggle with this. No flashback today. I need to organize my photos first. Oliver ��I’ll leave you with this: � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-17_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-402 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-17 Title A name given to the resource Day 402 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2f31daa0544b652f6084384dffbda409.pdf 5a5f10a47a94866113b56f2be0d93151 PDF Text Text Day 401. (she, her, hers) by windoworks Just to make you laugh; Crooked Media: It’s been another brutal week of anti-trans bills advancing in state legislatures: Alabama and North Dakota lawmakers have approved trans sports bans, the Florida House has passed a bill that would subject student athletes to genital inspections, and the Texas Senate is considering a bill that would take children away from their parents if parents provided them with gender-affirming health care. A friend of mine just posted a story about their child who has decided that they want to be a boy. For the family it has been a life affirming journey filled with love and understanding. For some reason, some �Republicans think that transsexuals are making a choice. There is no choice here. We are talking about a decision that is difficult and painful and lays the person open to ridicule. There is (shock, horror!) actual scientific evidence which explains trans sexuality. When I say explains, I actually mean to another scientist or geneticist because although I read it thoroughly, I didn’t really understand it, but I could see it was scientific and logical. Years ago, my hairdresser, who was a gay man, gave me the clearest explanation of being gay. He said: its the same as eye color. You may want to be a brown eyed person and even if you wear brown contacts, underneath you will always be blue eyed. And thats the most profound thought: underneath, you will always be exactly who you are. What these bills are doing is forcing people to regard others true sexuality as a crime. I think that’s despicable. Last night we attended a 2 hour zoom retirement celebration for Craig. It was wonderful and sad and exhausting. Zoe, Asher and Oliver joined in, and Craig’s brother Drew was online also. It marked a major step in our journey. One of the most surprising items was a current student of Craig’s playing Craig’s fathers saxophone - and sounding spookily like him. To explain: after Gordon died, Craig inherited his tenor saxophone. He didn’t really play it because he has his own tenor sax. So after some discussion with the family, he sold it to his student who absolutely loves it. I feel as though we are leaving little bits of ourselves behind, here in the US, and I hope that’s a good thing. First something uplifting: Crooked Media: The Illinois House has passed a bill that would require public schools to teach AsianAmerican history. But I am including this next tidbit to demonstrate what a depth we have fallen to. In my entire life I could not imagine living in a society where this discussion took place (and in all seriousness). In the end, they built a gallows. Washington Post: In the weeks before supporters of then-President Donald Trump assaulted the U.S. Capitol, TheDonald.win forum commenters debated how best to build a gallows for hanging — or simply terrifying — members of Congress deemed disloyal. What kind of lumber? What kind of rope? And how many nooses? A user named “Camarokirk” had a different suggestion: “I think you should build a guillotine,” he wrote Dec. 30. “A guillotine is more scary.” User AsaNisiMAGA countered with a practical concern: “It’s better symbolism in every way. But it might prove more difficult to get that big blade into town.” Such conversations flowed freely and visibly on TheDonald.win for weeks, underscoring the openly violent intent of some of the thousands of Trump enthusiasts who thronged the Capitol on Jan. 6, as well as the intelligence failures of the authorities charged with preparing for that day. The clashes left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. �Michigan continues to be the leader in catastrophic numbers of virus cases. Access to vaccinations is open to all 16+ and there is even a new do-it-yourself online appointment app. It makes no difference to Craig and I if the state is locked down or not. We continue to practice the same safety protocols and we live mostly isolated. No one is asking to see our vaccination cards although I imagine that is coming. And so we come to the end of our last day of the Caribbean cruise:. While Craig was hiking, I went to the Castries Waterworks Reserve where I boarded an Aerial Tram for a ride through the tropical canopy. �At this moment I was a bit �nervous. �Cameras clicking everywhere �Up through the tree �canopy And out at the top before turning and descending again. An incredibly beautiful, calming and quiet experience. I loved it. �Afterwards we walked through the gardens and this hummingbird drank from the feeder as I watched. �Our cruise was over and it was time to head home. Oliver ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-16_BenjaminPamela_Pd-Day-401 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-16 Title A name given to the resource Day 401 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5ca56b1132e92b3b3c14e5f35fd3f057.pdf b50f6639d9e6c93561db6ef918f47c0e PDF Text Text Day 400. Excuse me while I just lie down for a moment. by windoworks What am I saying? I’m already lying down - well sitting down in bed, with my IPad on my lap, just exactly as I have for the past 399 days. I wake up, eat my same breakfast every day and then set up the iPad and think about what I want to write. And what I write almost never bears any relation to what I decided to write. No, I can’t explain that except to say its a process. Well yesterday the piano went to its next safe home. Here’s some photos: First, get the trolley underneath - much harder than they thought �Down the front stairs �Over the last step on to the sidewalk �And after 2 tries the 3rd was the charm at getting it up the ramp and into the truck. �Arriving at Vinecroft �Maneuvering it into its new home �Look Ma, no piano! �Here’s a long article with a lot of questions answered about the vaccines: Washington Post: Knox: Some of my readers have expressed concerns about news reporting that the vaccines are effective for six months — they have interpreted that to mean only six months. What should they know? Jha: They should know that six months is a floor not a ceiling. They’re effective for at least six months — and that’s because we only have six months of data. More realistically, these vaccines are going to be effective for at least a year and maybe multiple years. Knox: Anecdotally, there seems to be a lot of concern and confusion about whether getting vaccinated protects you from getting infected vs. getting sick, and whether a fully vaccinated person can still spread the virus. What do we know? Jha: It’s frustrating. Here’s what people need to know. Our vaccines, all three of them, provide a high degree of protection against all the variants that we have so far — not perfect, and some variants will cause some breakthrough infections, but they’re going to be infrequent. All the vaccines protect people from getting sick and hospitalized, to a very high degree, 98 percent, 99 percent. Nothing in life is 100 percent, I suppose, except for taxes and death. And all the evidence so far says that these vaccines are terrific at reducing transmission. Again, probably not 100 percent, but they probably cut transmission 80 to 90 percent, and possibly more than that. So: Great protection against all the variants, near-perfect protection against severe illness and death, and very high degree of protection against transmission. Knox: A few Trump voters have told me they don’t want anything to do with “an experimental vaccine.” Is there an argument, especially for healthy younger people, to hold off until we know more about longterm effects? Jha: No. And here’s why: These vaccines have been tested now in hundreds of thousands of people. The truth is that, with all the vaccines we’ve ever created, any significant side effects, health consequences of vaccines, tend to show up in the days to weeks that follow. One of the reasons [the Food and Drug Administration] asks for two months of follow-up before they would authorize [is] they knew millions of people would get it. I have no real concerns about long-term effects. That’s not how vaccines work. If they’re going to have a negative effect, you’ll see it in the weeks that follow at the most, maybe out to two months, but not much later than that. We’ve literally had tens of millions of people around the world who’ve been vaccinated for longer than that [and] we’ve not seen significant issues. I don’t think there’s any concern for young people. And then the other thing I would say is we know young people can have long-term consequences of covid, including long-covid, neurological and psychiatric complications. To me this is a no-brainer. Knox: You’ve long been an advocate for carefully reopening schools —since last summer, I think. Has anything about the coronavirus variants made you rethink that? �Jha: No, at this point, we know so much about how to do it safely that as long as schools are implementing those safety precautions — including universal masking, ventilation — and now that teachers and staff are all vaccinated, I really do think we can open schools safely this spring. Knox: I feel like the first time you and I talked about this, we were still debating mask-wearing and wiping down groceries. What would you tell readers about the evolving messages from public health officials? Jha: I think the key point is that, with a novel virus, we’re going to learn and we’re going to change recommendations based on what we learn. In fact, science has been learning more and more about how this virus spreads — it doesn’t spread through surfaces, it spreads through the air. And therefore, all the focus on wiping and deep-cleaning was largely misguided. So apparently we can stop wiping down surfaces and groceries (Phew!) but keep masking, distancing and washing hands. Now here’s something that happened on Monday night: NPR: It wasn't a bird or a plane that gave Floridians a shock late Monday night. It wasn't even Superman. A meteor shot across the sky around 10 p.m. Monday. Residents along the state's Atlantic coast from West Palm Beach south to Miami shared videos of the surprising sight on social media. Dashcam footage and security videos showed a still, dark night suddenly lit up by what appeared to be a large fireball streaking diagonally across the sky. In just a few seconds, it was over. According to NASA, an asteroid is a small, rocky object that orbits the sun. A meteor is what happens when a meteoroid — a small piece of an asteroid or comet — burns up upon entering Earth's atmosphere, �creating a streak of light in the sky. There's disagreement online over whether the Monday night visitor was the asteroid 2021 GW4 that was expected to make a close shave with Earth's surface Monday evening. Zach Covey, a meteorologist for a local CBS affiliate in Florida, wrote on Twitter that if the meteor seen Monday was indeed 2021 GW4, it likely flew much closer to Earth's surface than what was originally expected. Covey said the asteroid made its closest approach of roughly 9,300 miles. He tweeted, "To put this in perspective, most close approach asteroids are between 1 and 3 millions miles from earth." Did you see the footage? I did. Too close for my liking. I’m beginning to regret watching all those comets hitting the earth movies. I already regret watching the movie Contagion and also I really regret watching The Day After Tomorrow - that movie where politicians ignore scientists and the earth snap freezes. And can I just say - why do politicians seem to almost always ignore the scientists and then scream for help from those same ignored scientists? I think if someone can imagine something it becomes possible. Automatic sliding doors came about (I think) through the TV series Star Trek. I’m still waiting for teleportation - imagine not having to spend hours and hours in an airplane to reach the other side of the world. Okay. Next day in the Caribbean. Saint Lucia is an Eastern Caribbean island nation with a pair of dramatically tapered mountains, the Pitons, on its west coast. Its coast is home to volcanic beaches, reefdiving sites, luxury resorts and fishing villages. Trails in the interior rainforest lead to waterfalls like the 15m-high Toraille, which pours over a cliff into a garden. The capital, Castries, is a popular cruise port. ― Google �The Queen Mary 2 �Craig signed up for a hiking excursion �Among the �trees Climbing up �At the top! �Castries below �It was harder climbing �down Holding on to ropes to get down safely. Tomorrow we’ll have my St Lucia excursion. Oliver �The piano leaving the house marks the beginning of, ‘we’re really doing this, aren’t we?’ �Today I’ll leave you with this: � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-15_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-400 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-15 Title A name given to the resource Day 400 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/41ed689ab9889d96833da637dd16c58b.pdf a6e8dc148f58ccf5bec03bd45999b37f PDF Text Text Day 399. by windoworks This morning the piano will be taken away, so last night when Zoe and Oliver FaceTimed, Craig played one of Oliver’s favorite songs on the piano. It was hard to tell if he liked it or not. But then he ran and got his toy piano with attached book and played sounds that Craig mimicked on our piano. It was an interesting thing to watch. Oliver plays atonal music, sometimes almost melodic. Craig has high hopes of him being a wind instrument musician, but I think Oliver might be a pianist or a percussionist or maybe both. Who knows? We are almost halfway through the month, and the temptation to pack more things is looming. We seem to be waiting for the next development while trying to stay isolated. Its not that we think we’ll catch the virus, but its better to be safe. One concern I keep thinking about is how will it be in Australia with us fully vaccinated, and only Craig’s mother having received the first dose? This morning, among other issues of the day, people are worrying about the one shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. To explain: What kind of vaccine is the Johnson and Johnson COVID 19 vaccine? The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is made by taking a piece of DNA from the COVID-19 spike protein and combining it with an adenovirus, a type of virus typically involved in a common cold. (source-CDC) This adenovirus is just a way to carry instructions to your immune system – it is genetically modified so that it cannot give you a cold. The piece of COVID-19 DNA also does not give you an infection. This vaccine helps your immune system recognize the COVID-19 virus, and develop antibodies to protect you from future infection. The blood clots that everyone is talking about are exceedingly rare. (CNN) Six people out of an estimated 6.8 million who got the shot have developed a rare and severe type of blood clot, leading the CDC and the FDA to recommend a pause of the single-shot vaccine. All six cases were among women between the ages of 18 and 48. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work in a new way: MRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein— or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. The benefit of mRNA vaccines, is those vaccinated gain protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19. CDC So here’s how I understand it: Pfizer and Moderna teach our cells how to recognize Covid and fight against it, while other vaccines such as J&J, use a tiny piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, which is the same theory as the annual flu vaccine. For some reason which I don’t understand, Pfizer seems to be developing into the gold standard and although Moderna has been used almost as much as �Pfizer and has the equivalent protection rate, no one seems to be discussing it. I have read recently that Moderna gives at least 6 months protection from the virus. Here’s today’s statistics: First up, the world. 137M recorded cases yesterday. Deaths: 2.96M. In the US, 77,312 new cases yesterday and 987 deaths. In Michigan where the Governor is relying on people to do the right thing, we had 10,083 new cases yesterday. This was the second day in a row of just over 10,000 new cases. I don’t think some people are doing the right thing. Seen on FB: Republicans scream 'Governor, trust us to do the right thing…!' Yeah, right, 400% increase in COVID cases in Michigan. From NPR: So, take a look around — at your walls, your bed, maybe even your desk, if you've been working remotely. Does your space stress you out? If so, you have company. It's why lots of people have been making their homes cozier, calmer and more efficient since the pandemic began. There's even a name for it: "comfort decorating." We definitely indulged in this. Now all those wonderful new things will be enjoyed by the new owners. Oh well. And a little good news: Crooked Media: Tribes across the country are racing to preserve more than 150 indigenous languages that became even more endangered when the pandemic hit, and are counting on funding in the latest coronavirus relief package to do it. Coronavirus has killed Native Americans at more than twice the rate of white Americans, and the loss of elders means the loss of first-language speakers with irreplaceable stores of cultural knowledge. Tribes and nonprofits that support language-preservation efforts now need to accelerate what was already a race against time. The American Rescue Plan includes resources to make that possible (over vehement GOP objections), with $20 million in federal grants to fund projects like creating dictionaries, digitizing language resources, training teachers, and developing online courses. Earlier relief programs for tribes were plagued with delays, but the new grants are structured in a way that'll hopefully get money out the door faster. So to finish our day on Terre-de-Haute, we signed up for a chocolate and rum class. We tried young rum, older rum, rum aged in a whiskey barrel. We learned that we had all been eating chocolate the wrong way all our lives. You don’t chew, you put in on the roof of your mouth and let it dissolve slowly. If you then breathe in slowly through your mouth and out through your nose, you get a more intense chocolate taste and smell. In tasting rum, we learnt to smell it, roll it around in the glass, tip the glass on its side to check its viscosity and then hold a sip in your mouth to savor the flavor, followed by a second sip to notice the �difference. We had one member of our party who drank everything straight down and then ate all his chocolates. �����We bought some chocolate and we wobbled back to the jetty to wait for the next tender back to the ship. Next stop St Lucia. Oliver �I’ll leave you with this: �Workers load an All-Star Game sign onto a trailer after it was removed from Truist Park in Atlanta last week. Major League Baseball plans to relocate the game to Coors Field in Denver. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-14_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-399 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-14 Title A name given to the resource Day 399 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4ab772eb9df24a84d3798dc911bf932c.pdf ddbc2478f378800b7abc634f5f65c9bc PDF Text Text Day 398 by windoworks I’m happy to report that my eyes passed all tests and it will be another year before I have to have my eyes dilated again. My eye doctor was very surprised to hear that we weren’t allowed to visit Australia or New Zealand and that when we go, we will have to stay. I realize that because I read so much online news, I am more up to date on developments both here and overseas. Here’s the latest on the rising virus numbers: (CNN) As the US races to vaccinate more Americans, Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising, predominantly among younger people who haven't yet gotten a shot. Some experts worry this might only be the start of what's to come in the next weeks. Michigan is already in the middle of a violent surge, and one epidemiologist says other states should be paying close attention. Michigan is really the bellwether for what it looks like when the B.1.1.7 variant … spreads in the United States," Dr. Celine Gounder told CNN on Sunday. "It's causing a surge in cases and it's causing more severe disease, which means that even younger people, people in their 30s, 40s and 50s are getting very sick and being hospitalized from this." The B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, is now the dominant strain of the virus in the US. Experts say it's more contagious, may cause more severe disease and may potentially be more deadly. And it's rapidly spreading across the country. My friend Paul Lee, who owns The Winchester, Royals, Donkey and Hancocks has weathered the pandemic storm better than others. He is insistent on careful virus safety protocols at all 4 restaurants and was one of the first people to successfully set up take out options. During this 2 week period he has taken Governor Whitmer’s request to heart and has closed all indoor dining at his 4 restaurants. All 4 have outside dining alternatives which are carefully sanitized and then rested between customers. He is just one of local restaurant owners who also adhere carefully to all Covid recommendations and I am appreciative of their efforts on our behalf. We are still hesitant about dining outdoors at restaurants, but we will still try takeout from time to time. Here’s what Dr Fauci says about fully vaccinated people: Well, I can’t find the article again, but he said that fully vaccinated people must decide for themselves, but now is not the time to throw away your masks and try to recreate the Before Times lifestyle. �Speaking of cicadas, here’s another event expected in early to mid May. �Parts of the eastern and southern United States are about to witness a remarkable sight: billions of cicadas emerging from underground for the first time since 2004 to swarm outdoor spaces and share their loud collective mating calls. Periodical cicadas, as they're known, spend almost their whole lives a foot or two underground, living on sap from tree roots. Then, in the spring of their 13th or 17th year, mature cicada nymphs burrow out from the ground for a short adult stage, synchronously and in huge numbers. Really huge numbers. The insects climb up the nearest vertical surface, often the tree whose roots sustained them. They shed their exoskeletons and inflate their wings. Then, after a few days resting, recovering and waiting for their shells to harden, the mating begins. The frenzy is impossible to miss once the males start emitting their high-pitched mating song. That happens via sound-producing structures called tymbals on either side of their abdomen. "They may amass … in parks, woods, neighborhoods and can seemingly be everywhere," Michigan State University entomologist Gary Parsons explained in an MSU question and answer session on the phenomenon. "When they are this abundant, they fly, land and crawl everywhere, including occasionally landing on humans." The insects are harmless. They don't sting, bite or carry diseases, and they typically �don't come indoors, though they do gather on outside walls. "The only way they could get inside is accidentally flying in through an open door or window, or because they had landed on a person who then carried them inside unnoticed," Parsons says. Wow! And at that same time we are approaching bat season. In almost 19 years, we have had 2 incidents of bats inside our house. Here’s a myth busting piece about bats. ��After 5 years of discussion and dilly dallying, Brexit became official in Britain and 100 days in, things aren’t going so well. The Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit withdrawal agreement commits the UK and the EU to maintaining an open border in Ireland, so that (in many respects) the de facto frontier is the Irish Sea border between the two islands. Wikipedia. But unrest is beginning in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Here’s a look at Brexit so far: CNN: It’s been just over 100 days since Brexit began in earnest, and British exporters aren’t happy with how things are going. Trade with Europe has taken a major hit, with exports of goods to the European Union plummeting by more than 41% in January and recovering only modestly after that. The situation is especially dire for food exporters, who have seen exports all but wiped out by new trade restrictions. Now, businesses are asking the UK and the European Union to amend their trade agreement to reduce barriers. Some lawmakers, business leaders and economists have also announced an independent commission to scrutinize Britain's trade deals with Europe and the rest of the world. Well, back to the Caribbean. On his walk Craig saw a hen and chickens �And a goat with a baby goat (kid) �The church �The altar inside the church �The Mayor’s office �While he was exploring, I sat inside this cafe on the waterfront and read my book and drank tea �The beach by the wharf. Our next adventure in Terre-de-Haut tomorrow. Oliver. ��Tomorrow then. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-13_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-398 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-13 Title A name given to the resource Day 398 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4a35a4bf58b9a63daf4c1faf3af34398.pdf fd9e5fe24dc061f1bd877d3fa4e02dfb PDF Text Text Day 397. 12 weeks exactly. by windoworks ��This was posted yesterday by my neighbor and although it had a different meaning for her, for me it represented the journey through the pandemic. Kent County’s positivity rate is 15.4% - that is, of all people tested 15.4% are positive. Ideally the positivity rate should be 5% or lower before reopening stores, schools etc. So no good news yet. This is a short post today. I have my 6 month check up for my eyes after the cataract surgery, and it always involves dilating my pupils, and then it takes hours for the dilation to wear off. Yesterday we drove up to Silver Lake. In the summer it is overrun with vacationers, but yesterday it was still quiet with most shops and restaurants closed. Once again, I had made our lunch and we ate it looking at the play of light on the sand dunes across the lake. ��After lunch we drove south a little along the lakeshore and stopped to walk through the dunes to Lake Michigan itself. The lake has been seriously undermining the dunes beneath the houses built close to the shore all up and down the coast and in the next photo you can see some attempts to shore up the house �foundations. On our way home we decided this was our last visit to this far north. Time is beginning to slip by and each day there are more items to be ticked off the list. Also yesterday we booked our airport hotel in Chicago because we will be there over the July 4 weekend and rooms were filling fast. Over the weekend, this happened: Washington Post; More than 100 chief executives and corporate leaders gathered online Saturday to discuss taking new action to combat the controversial state voting bills being considered across the country, including the one recently signed into law in Georgia. Executives from major airlines, retailers and manufacturers — plus at least one NFL owner — talked about potential ways to show they opposed the controversial legislation, including by halting donations to politicians who support the bills and even delaying investments in states that pass the restrictive measures, according to four people who were on the call, including one of the organizers, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale management professor. While no final steps were agreed on, the meeting represents an aggressive dialing up of Corporate America’s advocacy against controversial voting measures nationwide, a sign that their opposition to the laws didn’t end with the fight against the measure passed last month in Georgia. �The online call between corporate executives on Saturday “shows they are not intimidated by the flack. They are not going to be cowed,” Sonnenfeld said. “They felt very strongly that these voting restrictions are based on a flawed premise and are dangerous.” Leaders from dozens of companies such as Delta, American, United, Starbucks, Target, LinkedIn, Levi Strauss and Boston Consulting Group, along with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, were included on the weekend’s Zoom call. This is a very interesting development. Along with the splintering of the Republicans into the Trump supporters and the rest, there is the unfolding scandal of Senator Matt Gaetz who appears to have indulged in sex trafficking, and the tone of the prosecution in the Derek Chauvin case. Many things seem to be unraveling. Out in the countryside around Grand Rapids there are still some Trump flags - on poles high out of reach in trees. Sad. No Caribbean cruise today, I’ll resume the cruise tomorrow. But here’s Oliver, of course. Threading this cord through the holes is very tricky. �I’m better at glueing stuff. (Look at the wild hair). �See you tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-12_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-397 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-12 Title A name given to the resource Day 397 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/621a0e338fa8770158c947ed37cecc37.pdf a472ab7cd4920fae0d50e58300a003b7 PDF Text Text Day 396. by windoworks This could be a doomsday edition of the blog. Its all about the virus. Virus Fatigue is the latest catchphrase. I understand this condition but just because we’re tired and want our lives back, doesn’t mean the virus is gone or even under control. To scare the pants off you, here is a comprehensive list of variants currently raging through the globe and the US. Washington Post 1. The New York variant (B.1.526) Where and when was it discovered? This variant, which was found in samples obtained as early as November, probably emerged in the Washington Heights section of New York, Fauci told reporters in March. By the middle of that month, this variant made up nearly half of the city’s new infections. Where is it? Officials have reported this variant in at least 14 other states, including Texas, Wyoming and Maryland, Bloomberg reported. 2. The South Africa variant (B.1.351) Where and when was it discovered? This mutation, also referred to as 501Y.V2, was found in South Africa in early October and announced in December, when the country’s health minister said the strain seemed to affect young people more than previous strains. This variant may have contributed to a surge of infections and hospitalizations across South Africa. Where is it? This mutation has been identified in at least four dozen countries. On Jan. 28, South Carolina officials announced that this variant had affected two people there with no travel history — the first instances of this strain identified in the United States. It has since been found in more than two dozen other states. 3. U.K. variant (B.1.1.7) Where and when was it discovered? This variant was first found in the United Kingdom, specifically in London and the nearby county of Kent, in September. It is sometimes referred to as the “Kent” variant. It has been spreading rapidly in Britain, Denmark and Ireland since December. Where is it? Dozens of countries, including the United States, have seen infections from this variant of the virus. It is by far the most prevalent variant of concern in the United States, with thousands of cases across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a model forecast in early January that indicated �the variant could become the dominant strain in the United States by some point in March. A recent study showed this variant was spreading rapidly in the United States by early February. 4. The ‘Eeek’ mutation (E484K) Where and when was it discovered? This might best be described as a mutation within a mutation. It’s called E484K — or “Eeek,” as epidemiologists refer to it — and it’s appearing on some of the variants we describe below. It’s not brand new; it has appeared many times since the start of the pandemic, but experts have been concerned about it. It gained mainstream attention when it started to coincide with other variants that are more contagious. Where is it? Eeek has been seen in the variants first discovered in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil. It has also been detected in more than 200 samples of the virus sequenced in the United States since May. 5. The Denmark/California mutation (L452R) Where and when was it discovered? This mutation was detected in Denmark in March. Where is it? A variant with this mutation was found in California this winter and became dominant there over five months, eventually making up more than half of infections in 44 of the state’s 58 counties. This mutation has also been confirmed in several other states. 6. Brazil variant (P. 1) Where and when was it discovered? Sequencing studies found the variant in Brazil, mainly in Rio de Janeiro, as early as July. Researchers in Japan discovered it in travelers from Brazil in January. Where is it? It has been confirmed in more than two dozen countries, including Japan, Spain and New Zealand. On Jan. 25, Minnesota health officials confirmed the first U.S. case of this variant in a resident with recent travel history to Brazil. It has since been found in at least 18 states. 7. The original variant (D614G) Where and when was it discovered? This mutation, known to scientists simply as “G,” was discovered in China in January 2020. It soon spread through New York City and Europe. Where is it? The “G” mutation has become ubiquitous. By July, about 70 percent of the 50,000 genomes of the coronavirus uploaded by researchers worldwide to a shared database carried the variant. �Seven variants of concern. As everyone raced down to Florida or South Carolina or any of the southern states, many of them threw caution to the wind. They didn’t think about being asymptomatic and spreading the virus or a variant and they certainly didn’t consider hospitals being overwhelmed. Before the next concerning piece, here’s an item that will twist your brain; Okay. To rest your brain from that thought, here’s this from my home state, Michigan: The Guardian In Michigan, hospitalisations have soared and intensive care beds are being rapidly filled. An average of 7,226 cases a day were confirmed in the state last week, according to Johns Hopkins University data, �approaching record highs seen in November. Michigan’s public health system “is overwhelmed”, warned the state’s top medical official, Joneigh Khaldun. The surge has prompted Governor Gretchen Whitmer to urge people to restrict activities and wear masks and for schools to halt in-person learning. “A year in, we all know what works and this has to be a team effort,” the Democrat said. “We have to do this together. Lives depend on it.” Public health experts have blamed the rise in cases on on the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus variant B117, first identified in the UK, along with the relaxation of restrictions in the wake of dropping cases and the uptake of vaccines. Of course all Governor Whitmer can do is advise, caution, ask nicely and when that fails plead or beg. This is what happens when a group of Republicans successfully overturn the Governors powers. All she was doing was keeping us safe. I understand business owners going under and closing, but if all restrictions are lifted and most of the population fall ill, including your staff, you won’t be able to keep operating anyway. My favorite gluten free bakery recently closed for 4 days to refurbish their premises. Then they reopened to in house dining with great excitement and fanfare. And a week later they have closed inhouse dining and now operate with take out or outside dining only. Why? To keep themselves and us safe. The owner and his family had the virus late last year and the staff had to keep the curbside pick up going while the family isolated. So, in the meantime, we’re back to Craig as the shopper and we’re not socializing just yet. The exercise bike has gone to a good home and all the houseplants have been relocated. �Three of my African Violets settling in, in their new home. The remaining 3 collage windows have been taken down and stored for packing. The piano is leaving on Wednesday and in a flurry of excitement, we bought a new mattress for our bed, which is traveling to Australia with us. And no, we haven’t been reduced to sitting on deck chairs in the living room - but its coming. Yesterday Craig walked to Reeds Lake and took this gorgeous photo: �Next stop in the Caribbean: Terre-de-Haut. Terre-de-Haut is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, including Terre-de-Haut Island and a few other small uninhabited islands of the archipelago (les Roches Percées; Îlet à Cabrit; Grand-Îlet; la Redonde). It is the most populous island of the archipelago of the les Saintes. The Fort Napoléon is located in this commune.Wikipedia �First, Craig explored the island a little bit. �The view from Fort Napoleon. �Exploring the fort ruins ��The view back to the town �Our ship. �A beautiful group of islands. More adventures tomorrow. Oliver. �Planting seeds at daycare. Today’s clothing theme is dinosaurs �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-11_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-396 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-11 Title A name given to the resource Day 396 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/584ddaf016f92aef70dcb247cc910057.pdf 18855e2ea2afe68d0df8e33f1a5bdad5 PDF Text Text Day 395. Saturday April 10. by windoworks These are the daffodils (or jonquils) in Craig’s meadow. I thought this was a cheery way to begin this morning. ClickonDeetroit: MDHHS is currently tracking 991 outbreaks in counties across the state. Between January and March, there were 291 outbreaks associated with youth sports teams. Whitmer called on Michigan high schools to voluntarily return to remote learning for the next two weeks -- past spring break -- to bring down rising cases. She also called on youth sports to voluntarily suspend games and practices for two weeks. “I’m strongly encouraging Michiganders to avoid dining indoors and avoid gathering with friends indoors for two weeks,” Whitmer said. She asked Michiganders to get carryout, eat outdoors and wear masks even during small gatherings. “These are very tough things to do, and we do not make these recommendations lightly. But everyone needs to understand that if we can just pause some of these activities temporarily, it will go a long way to prevent the spread of the virus and save lives.” �Yesterday Michigan had 8,724 new cases. And as Dr Khaldun said: those are the cases we know about. The true number is closer to 3x that - 26,172. What does this all mean? As Eddie Murphy said in the movie “Bowfinger”: keep it together, keep it together, keep it together. In looking back at the last year I realized that I became comfortable with our daily routine, the highlight of which was a daily walk. But 2 weeks after our vaccinations, when we were fully vaccinated, I wanted more. I wanted to toss aside the comfortable, boring routine and get out there and do more!. I wasn’t scared anymore. Now it is so dire out there that I feel as though we are right back in the heart of it again. How could this happen? Who’s to blame? Because I need to blame someone. I’ve done everything I was asked to do and 2 months ago everything looked so hopeful. But unlike other Michiganders, we are leaving. Yesterday my daughter posted a photo of 11 family members, all seated at a long table in a restaurant, eating breakfast together. Not one of them has been vaccinated. They were not wearing masks. They were inside a restaurant. It is such an extraordinary photo. They shop in malls and grocery stores and gather on beaches. They attend indoor events where they do wear masks but they sit next to each other. Everyone (as far as I know) has an App on their phone for contact tracing. They get tested if they even suspect they might have Covid. I hold that image up in front of myself like the proverbial carrot and mutter: keep it together, keep it together, keep it together. The news around the world is mostly negative. President Biden continues to work hard on our behalf. Yesterday a truly dreadful story emerged about the Trump administration altering CDC coronavirus reports to make the virus seem much less of a threat and then celebrating their efforts. I can’t even. Remember I told you yesterday that they had been evacuating people from Bequia and other islands due to the imminent eruption of La Soufriere volcano? Washington Post The 4,049-foot La Soufrière volcano erupted on St. Vincent early Friday, sending a more than two-mile high cloud of ash billowing above the tropical Caribbean island just hours after surrounding communities were ordered to evacuate. Low visibility caused by volcanic debris was hampering the effort to transport residents to safety, officials said. Satellite images and photos shared on social media images captured a thick column rising from the active volcano that began erupting at 8:41 a.m. Plumes of brown ash and smoke drifted higher as they moved northeast, reaching at least 38,500 feet into the atmosphere, nearing the altitude at which many commercial aircraft fly. “The ash column is starting to fall back down around the volcano,” Erouscilla Joseph, director of the Seismic Research Centre at the University of the West Indies, told The Washington Post “It is possible that there will be some property damage. This could go on for days, weeks, or even months.” �So to finish up our day in Grenada. The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The U.S. and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, 100 miles (160 km) north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in military occupation within a few days. It was triggered by the strife within the People's Revolutionary Government which resulted in the house arrest and execution of the previous leader and second Prime Minister of Grenada Maurice Bishop, and the establishment of the Revolutionary Military Council with Hudson Austin as Chairman. The invasion resulted in the appointment of an interim government, followed by democratic elections in 1984. The country has remained under the USA's sphere of influence since then. Wikipedia ��This church was damaged during Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and the clock froze at the moment the hurricane hit. �Connecting the east and west side of St George's, Sendall Tunnel runs through volcanic rock and stands out as an engineering milestone for its time. Engineers began constructing the tunnel during the 19th century, in commemoration of the island’s governor, Sir Walter Sendall. The tunnel is approximately 106 m (350 ft) and roughly 2.7 m (9 ft) high. And no, we didn’t go through it. �Walking back to the ship through the rain. �St George at night �The large cruise ship sailing before our ship. Oliver �His �daycare formal photo shoot. Walking through the woods at Kirk Park. And this last photo is for all the family members who loved The Bean in Chicago: �I’ll leave it there, shall I? � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-10_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-395 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-10 Title A name given to the resource Day 395 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a46f0b51f006c9b394e9d6564ae251c7.pdf 804fef541632259eb8a8fb42a0baf20b PDF Text Text Day 394 by windoworks As I thought about writing my blog this morning, a newsflash popped up on my iPad. The Guardian: The Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s “strength and stay” for 73 years, has died aged 99. Flags on landmark buildings in Britain were being lowered to half-mast as a period of mourning was announced. Years ago I went out a tour of Westminster Abbey. It was a fantastic tour, we got to see many things that the general public doesn’t see. Our guide talked about the preparations already in place for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. I imagine in the Before Times there would have been a comprehensive plan for Prince Phillip’s funeral too. Our guide told us that it takes weeks to set up the bleachers inside the church etc. I am not sure what the game plan will be for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in the midst of a pandemic. Which leads me to the predominant, alarming topic of the day. Yesterday Michigan recorded 8,727 new cases. On April 7, 2020, when we thought the new cases per day were terrifying, we had 1,722 new cases for that day, at the top of the first surge. Of course many Michiganders threw all caution to the wind and have gone to mostly southern states for Spring Break. All the medical personnel in Grand Rapids are very nervous about next week when all those traveling may bring back more of the variants. Which leads me to this: Washington Post: Variants of the coronavirus are increasingly defining the next phase of the pandemic in the United States, taking hold in ever-greater numbers and eliciting pleas for a change in strategy against the outbreak, according to government officials and experts tracking developments. The highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the United Kingdom now accounts for 27 percent of all cases in this country. It is the most common variant in the United States, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday — a development that officials predicted months ago. Two other variants, which took root in South Africa and Brazil and also are more transmissible, are cropping up with increasing frequency in parts of the United States. ’These variants emerged because we continued to give the virus more chance to spread,” said David D. Ho, whose lab at Columbia University is leading the research on the P.1 variant first discovered in Brazil. “The sooner we vaccinate everyone, the faster we will contain the viral spread and reduce the chance for new variants to emerge.” In addition to those three variants, the CDC considers two in California “variants of concern” and is watching them closely. It is also monitoring a variant found in New York City. With most of the rest of the world far behind on immunizations, the virus will continue to spread and mutate, every copy with the potential to spark a variation that current vaccines will not be able to control. �The odds of that remain low, experts think, but they are not zero. “I fear there will be one terrible variant that will come out and take us back to square one,” Ho said. And before you say: but this is the United States, Pamela! Consider this also from Washington Post: Brazil, now fully in the grip of the P.1 variant, shows how quickly it can seize control when not taken seriously. In the Amazon rainforest, it quickly devastated the city that spawned it, then stormed south. It was soon prevalent all over the country — and its assault on Brazil, now in the midst of a nationwide medical failure, has been merciless ever since. Why am I emphasizing this last paragraph? Because of the phrase ‘not taken seriously’. Here, in the US, we are at a point where a swathe of the population are not taking this seriously. I looked up the countries which allow Americans to travel to them. Every single one (except Mexico, I think) stipulates conditions beginning with these words ‘as long as’. The next paragraph contains restrictions and requirements, including insurance cover for the coronavirus. Where does this lead? Firstly, some colleges are requiring all students to be fully vaccinated for the fall semester. Other colleges will soon follow suit. Will nightclubs, movie theaters and live theaters soon require proof of vaccination? Will restaurants and cafes ask for vaccination proof before allowing you and your guests to eat inside unmasked? But, most of all, will airlines require proof of vaccination beginning with international flights and then moving on to domestic flights? How will tourism resume? How will the world function? On Monday I have a follow up appointment with my eye doctor to check my cataract surgery. I really hope all staff are fully vaccinated. And here’s an ongoing discussion from the Washington Post: Soon to appear on your local horizon – if they're not already there – are vaccine passports, showing whether you've been immunized against the virus. New York is the first state to have released one. The website and app, named Excelsior Pass, is a voluntary system to display a person's vaccine status. Our Technology columnist enlisted a few New Yorkers to try it out. He found that the app could be cumbersome to set up, and that it didn't always work. I ‘ll look this up and see if Michigan is working on one - although in a state where a Senate Republican feels comfortable enough to publicly joke (without retraction) that the 3 Executive women (Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney-General) are witches and should be burned at the stake, I’m not confident of support for a vaccine passport. And this is depressing. Washington Post; Every four years, the National Intelligence Council releases a “Global Trends” report, which offers a forecast for the next two decades. The most recent outlook is troubling: It states the �pandemic is "the most significant, singular global disruption" since the Second World War and describes the coronavirus as a preview of crises to come. In its wake, climate change will be another significant and disruptive force, which will propel mass migration, the report notes. I believe our lifestyle has changed and will never return to those halcyon days of the Before Times. The After Times will be different - and we may all live waiting for the next big thing to come along. My neighbors daughter is a music major at a Michigan university. In a truly inventive style, she plays her flute in music class with a hole in her mask for breathing through into her flute, and a bag over the end of the flute to contain her breath but not contain the sound. And thats what we all will do going forward. We will innovate, adjust, invent and circumvent. It might be exciting as well as challenging. �This isn’t a painting. It is the most detailed image of a human cell to date, obtained by radiography, nuclear magnetic resonance and cryoelectron microscopy. How fascinating. And after all that depressing news, here’s something to make you laugh: �As I write this morning, the Great Houseplant Giveaway has been a huge success. I have one flowering African Violet and one stubbornly refusing to flower African Violet left. Most of the plants left the house yesterday when Craig was out running errands. He said he was sad he didn’t get to say goodbye. Hmmm. Oh, and before I continue with out day on Grenada, there is news in from Bequia. From The Times: The government of the Caribbean nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines has ordered a mandatory evacuation of thousands of residents from its main island amid signs of an imminent volcanic eruption. The dome of La Soufrière volcano, on the northern tip of the island of St Vincent, was spewing smoke and �glowing red yesterday after days of seismic activity which the local authorities said merited raising the risk level of an eruption to “red alert”. �I think this is a nutmeg �tree �I think this is a Jackfruit tree. �Cacao tree. The pods grow on the �trunk Mount St Catherine and rain forest �Grande Etaing - a perched lake located high in the mountains. A lot of Grenada’s fresh water comes from this lake. Perched lakes sit upon a layer of humus-impregnated sand or coffee rock formed from accumulating organic matter and sand cementing together into a largely impervious seal. Perched lakes are dependent on rainfall for the maintenance of water levels. �Joining in with the musicians. Me awkwardly attempting the maraca. More Grenada tomorrow. Oliver �Look �at the size of that bowl of food! Today I’ll leave you with this; Its a garden! � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-09_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-394 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-09 Title A name given to the resource Day 394 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/865fa9fdc1ab0a8d35f3c67b2529fff5.pdf b04e8a218895d0c17ffa0307621b8c32 PDF Text Text Day 393. by windoworks Yesterday the state of Michigan recorded 9,339 new cases. The head of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky, is worried the US is headed for another surge. Ive got news for Dr. Walensky - here in Michigan we are already in the middle of the 4th surge. This morning I read a depressing article from Bloomberg about the After Times. Well now I can’t find the article (of course) but what I think it said was: there are two paths. The first path leads to annual vaccinations in years to come. The second path leads to the virus being with us forever as the original virus gives way to ever increasing and more virulent variants. There are, as I am beginning to suspect, very different After Times waiting for us. Yesterday Zoe went to a live theater performance in Sydney, her first in over a year - and in the photo she posted, everyone attending was masked. Is this the New Normal? Is this what the After Times will look like? A friend of mine posted about her day on FB. She took her grandchildren to a country park to play - and in one of the photos, a child was fully masked, outside, on a slide. I have seen so many small children masked in public. They wear them as if this is everyday life. They may not remember a time without mask wearing in public. For Oliver in Australia, for the most part of his daycare life, both he and his mother’s temperature were taken at the door, Mummy wasn’t allowed in past the foyer or for the longest time, inside the building at all. Mummy had to wear a mask to pick Oliver up and drop him off. He sees nothing strange in that at all. Here’s a piece from Crooked Media, titled ‘The Young and the Maskless’: A more contagious variant has become the official face of Hip Young Coronavirus Outbreak 4.0, which features the slick new upgrade of “fewer people dying” and the problematic bug of “everything else you hate about coronavirus.” CDC chief Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday that B.1.1.7, the coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K., is now the dominant strain circulating in the U.S. That’s contributing to concerns about a potential fourth surge, as case numbers continue to climb. In a snapshot of how quickly this thing spreads, five states that make up just 22 percent of the country’s population—New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey—accounted for 43 percent of confirmed new infections over the last week. The less great news is, young people are the ones getting walloped this time around. Several states are seeing more hospitalized coronavirus patients in their 30s and 40s, and the problem is particularly bad in Michigan, where youth sports seem to be fueling the state’s surge: Michigan school outbreaks have jumped 23 percent in the past week. Part of the issue is that the youngs are letting their guard down—a recent Gallup poll found Americans across age groups have gotten significantly less worried about catching coronavirus as the vaccine rollout improves. �Can I just point out that you have to be fully vaccinated before you can be significantly less worried. And speaking of vaccinations, my mother-in-law got her first jab yesterday in Canberra, Australia, but won’t get her next jab until July (!!!). The new ongoing discussion is now centered around what worked and what didn’t work during the pandemic , and how to incorporate the things we want to keep and how to alter the things we don’t want to keep, to our emerging new reality. Masks that match your outfit perhaps? The story of out payout from the sale of the house is beginning to resemble the story of my new IPad’s tortuous journey to me. As my friend Wendy says: there’s always another thing. But yesterday was the day the first of our treasured houseplants left home. My counselor bagged it and yesterday she came over and Craig squeezed the plant into the footwell in her car and put the stand in the trunk. Suddenly our hallway looked shockingly bare. Soon we will be sitting on deck chairs in the living room and sleeping on an air bed . No just kidding but the dismantling of our lives here is beginning. Here’s a fond last photo of the plant: �You can see why the hall looks bare now. �Now this next thing is so interesting. Also from Crooked Media: A subatomic particle called a muon might break physics as we know it and revolutionize our understanding of the universe, which seems like a much-needed win for a particle that scientists also call a “fat electron.” What’s a Muon I hear you ask. Here’s the short version from Wikipedia: The muon (/ˈmjuːɒn/; from the Greek letter mu (μ) used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 12, but with a much greater mass. It is classified as a lepton. Right? No real idea. But this interesting to me because on the 2016 Big History Tour of Europe, our group visited the Large Hadron Collider which lies beneath the France - Switzerland border near Geneva. Looking inside the control room at the large Hadron Collider. �Hmmm. �As we stood and watched the people working in the control room, our guide told us about Muons which he said, were coming down from Space and traveling through us down into the earth and the same time, other Muons were traveling up through us up into Space. All the time. Everywhere. In 2016, although they had named this particle, they still really didn’t understand it. I felt really weird for a moment or two. Well now we have a laboratory just outside Chicago with this superconducting magnetic storage ring: First results from the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab have strengthened evidence of new physics. The centerpiece of the experiment is a 50-foot-diameter superconducting magnetic storage ring, which sits in its detector hall amidst electronics racks, the muon beamline, and other equipment. This impressive experiment operates at negative 450 degrees Fahrenheit and studies the precession (or wobble) of muons as they travel through the magnetic field. Photo: Reidar Hahn, Fermilab So they’re studying Muons now. I obviously don’t have a true scientific mind as I find these ideas precessing (wobbling). I know this research is exciting and necessary and I’m glad there are people who can understand it and make new discoveries. Okay, that’s the Advanced Science lesson over for today. Okay. So the next day in the Caribbean was a stop at Granada. Grenada is a Caribbean country comprising a main island, also called Grenada, and smaller surrounding islands. Dubbed the “Spice Isle,” the hilly main island is home to numerous nutmeg plantations. It’s also the site of the capital, St. George’s, whose �colourful homes, Georgian buildings and early-18th-century Fort George overlook narrow Carenage Harbour. To the south is Grand Anse Beach, with resorts and bars. ― Google �The wharf at St �George �Our ship is the small one on the left. An egg bush - a joke. They put eggs on the sharp points of the leaves for protection. �Spice Plantation �Every spice you can think of. �The nut near the top is nutmeg and the red strands are �mace A nutmeg packing plant. More Grenada tomorrow. Oliver time. �When he arrived at daycare in the morning, he was wearing shoes and socks. Where did �they go? I’ll leave you with this which shows very clearly who owns Mitch McConnell. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-08_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-393 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-08 Title A name given to the resource Day 393 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/884aada6c4fd8bc3cf3a86e453f4b3df.pdf 0e69f73060493d55ab562844d8491730 PDF Text Text Day 392 by windoworks Its the first day of using my new iPad with its magnetic keyboard, and while I love it, it is going to take me some time to get used to this keyboard. Even returning to the store to trade in my old iPad and purchase the new keyboard was another exhausting experience. To celebrate I gave myself the afternoon off and watched a John Travolta movie on TV. He is a surprisingly good actor after all. �Yesterday the US recorded 62,004 new cases. In Michigan, our daily case average for the week is 6,689. We were driving down to Woodland Mall about 9:45am yesterday morning and there were few cars on the road. It seems that many people have gone to places such as Florida for Spring Break. If Michigan �continues to be the worst state for surging coronavirus cases, then Florida ranks as the second worst, immediately behind Michigan. Its not an honor any of us really want. Washington Post: Athletic activities, such as a youth volleyball tournament, have been linked to spreading the B.1.1.7 strain among young participants as well as referees and others nearby. Transmission may be happening at events like these, and less so in classrooms, as a result of the close contact required by some sports. Here’s some other snippets in no particular order. First up from Crooked Media, something to laugh at: A group stole a Confederate monument in Selma, AL, and will turn it into a toilet unless its demands are met. On Friday, The United Daughters of the Confederacy must hang up a banner bearing the quote, “The rulers of this country have always considered their property more important than our lives,” and leave it up for 24 hours, or it’s toilet time. Next, also from Crooked Media, something to make you say: oh, thats nice: The Atlanta-based organization Love Beyond Walls has installed portable sanitation units for people experiencing homelessness in 52 cities during the pandemic. And finally from the Derek Chauvin trial: Washington Post: Several police officers testified at Derek Chauvin's trial, casting him outside the blue wall of silence. For a week, civilians had offered tearful testimony in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, describing the horror they felt as George Floyd lay unresponsive with Chauvin’s knee pressed into his neck. In testimony this week, law enforcement officials spoke in unity and with a shared understanding of the challenges of their job — as well as the requirements of it. They made it plain that they believed Chauvin had failed to meet the demands. I have looked at news sources online, but there seems nothing truly uplifting or positive today. Outside the grass is growing and turning green and a few trees are displaying that faint green haze. Yesterday Craig put the furniture out on the front porch and the table, chairs, umbrella and grill out on the back deck. He also put fans in most of the rooms and last night we slept with the fan on in our bedroom. Today is forecast to be even warmer and then the temperatures slowly come down to a more reasonable 50F or so, which is standard for mid April. So, back to our first cruise in the Caribbean. Our next port was Gustavia which is the main town and capital of the island of Saint Barthélemy. Originally called Le Carénage, it was renamed in honor of King Gustav III of Sweden. Saint Barthélemy was first claimed by France in 1648. The island was given to Sweden in exchange for trade rights in Gothenburg in 1784 and Sweden founded the Swedish West India �Company. Prospering during the Napoleonic Wars, assets were low thereafter, and the island was sold back to France in 1878. Wikipedia As you can see, the town was decorated for Christmas �Big fancy boats �A pretty town �Showing the history of Swedish and French ownership �A very modest church being prepared for Christmas �services. A ships anchor. It makes me wonder how big our ships anchors are. �Back on the ship for a delicious Christmas Eve �dinner Complete with carol singing. And Oliver. ��See you tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-07_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-392 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-07 Title A name given to the resource Day 392 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5ae9cc7a5711d57278e11c0b777d9def.pdf 5040b176ed3d4c4d518c6ac2ed8e79f1 PDF Text Text Day 391. by windoworks We sold the house. It doesn’t feel any different because we are still living in it, just as we were yesterday morning, but it isn’t our own house anymore. Now I’m nervous that something will break and we’ll have to get permission from our landlord to fix it. Weird, weird, weird. And if signing the house over wasn’t enough for one day, we also had to retrieve my new expensive iPad. I bought it last Thursday and the assistant assured us it would be delivered the next day, Friday. Friday we got a notice that delivery was delayed. Here’s part of the reason why: my new iPad travelled from Pennsylvania to Indiana to Tennessee (?) to Grand Rapids. When I spoke to someone at FedEx yesterday (try finding that contact number and then insisting on speaking to A PERSON), she said I could drive over to the FedEx station nearby but not for 3-4 hours and they would call me to let me know when I could drive over to pick my iPad up. Because it wasn’t slated for delivery until the next day (!!!!) Dear Reader - what did I do? Did I wait 3-4 hours for a phone call? No, Craig looked up the location and we immediately got in the car and drove over there. A really nice young man behind the counter said after looking online: let me see if I can locate it. Less than 10 minutes later he reappeared with my new iPad! When we got home we unpacked it and there was just time for my old iPad to recognize my new iPad and begin the transfer of data. I watched the machines talk to each other. I can’t believe I just wrote that statement. It is a new (albeit somewhat scary) new day. The virus is out of control in Michigan. As my oldest son said: you live in a red zone. From CNN: The highly contagious Covid-19 variant first discovered in the UK has now spread to all 50 states. More than 15,000 such cases have been reported in the US, and while vaccines are highly effective against the variants, medical experts are worried we may not be vaccinating fast enough to prevent more major outbreaks. Remember, this mutation is dangerous because it’s more severe and easier to catch. Craig has a student who is struggling with headaches, fevers, body aches, loss of taste and smell etc and I have a friend who is somewhat recovering although her cough is dreadful. My neighbors on one side: she is almost fully vaccinated, her husband has his second shot in less than a week and their daughter got her first shot less than a week ago. On the other side, the wife has been vaccinated for weeks now, the husband gets his second shot on Monday and I don’t know about their son. More and more of my friends are fully vaccinated. �How to venture out? Here’s a piece from NPR: Zoom meetings. Virtual happy hours. Facetime dates. We've been living in a pandemic world for over a year now, and for better or worse, many of us are used to our new social routines. But as vaccinations ramp up and restrictions begin to loosen across the country, the new question is: Are we ready? After so much time apart, do we even know how to socialize in person anymore? We haven't returned to "normal" yet, but it feels like things are beginning to shift: We can almost hear the backyard barbecues; the cubicle-to-cubicle chatter; those awkward, horrible, adorable first date conversations over candlelit dinner. For many, just the thought is anxiety-inducing. We have been under such a cognitive load over the past year or so that there just may not be the space for two things in one �day. It's also possible the pandemic just revealed the real limits of your social capacity. Two years ago, you may have just not been aware of how exhausted you were. But even if you feel ready to jump back into the world with both feet, don't try to take on too much at once. The world's a changed place, and you've probably changed a bit, too. Set realistic boundaries, and pace yourself: that might mean setting a max number of activities for a weekend, having social "off-hours" or limiting how long houseguests can stay. Draw lines that serve you. Now more than ever, safety is going to look differently for different people, and it's important to respect the boundaries people create for themselves. For you, going mask-free indoors post-vaccination might be freeing and joyful, but for your neighbor, it could be panic-inducing. Ask ahead of time if you're unsure about mixed social situations. Don't impose your level of comfort on anyone else, and be honest (or opt out) if you feel unsafe — even when that might feel extra hard when friends and family are ready to spread hugs all around. My neighbors on both sides and ourselves are so cautious - baby steps. Craig and I are both experiencing a little reaction to food we didn’t cook ourselves - but we’re determined to keep going. We are slowly reemerging. More Dominica. After the plantation, we got back on the bus and traveled up to a look out over Rousseau and then back up into the mountains to visit the 65m-tall Trafalgar Falls inMorne Trois Pitons National Park. ��Looking down from the lookout - you can see our ship at the wharf. �Lush tropical �forest. It was a long steep climb to the waterfalls and I didn’t go. ��Craig took these photos. He has never found a climb or trek that he didn’t want to do. �Next port, Gustavia, tomorrow. Oliver: ��So with this blogpost we say goodbye to this iPad that has served me well over the past year especially. At 10am this morning, in the Apple store, I will delete all information on it and it will be taken to be broken down and used for parts in their recycling center. Tomorrow I will be learning to use my fabulous new iPad with its magnetic keyboard. Remember: we’re all in this together. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-06_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-391 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-06 Title A name given to the resource Day 391 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ee42e2bb9f088f80e90abb44987de156.pdf 2b04102a8060d176f853ccd982b90475 PDF Text Text Day 390. 13 weeks to go. by windoworks This is the first of the ‘no turning back days.’ At 3pm this afternoon, we officially sell our house. Both families will have signed all the relevant documents, monies will change hands and we will be renting this house by dinnertime. It has been a wonderful experience living here on this block and in this neighborhood and in this city. We knew nothing about Grand Rapids when we moved here. In 18 years it has grown and changed beyond our first impressions. It has become an interesting and vibrant city. Living here has taught me so much about myself and helped me discover abilities I didn’t know I had. I hope these abilities will help me navigate the huge change in front of me. It seems as though just yesterday we were telling neighbors and friends that we weren’t going anywhere for over 6 months and we all had time to get used to the idea. And here we are, 13 weeks out and time is starting to fly by. Yesterday we drove out along the back way to Grand Haven. About 10 minutes out, we pulled over and Craig called Morning Star and ordered some take out brunch for us. I waited in the parking lot while Craig went into the cafe to pick up our food. Of course my first question when he returned to the car was: how was it? Very careful, he replied. All staff masked and all diners carefully spaced out. As he left, a party of 6, 3 adults and 3 children, came in the door, all maskless. The hostess asked; where are you from? Arkansas, was the answer. As Craig closed the door, the hostess began to say: well, here are our rules .... We drove on to the lakeshore and sat looking at the water lapping the sand. No ice or snow to be seen anywhere. People were sitting on deck chairs on the sand and just enjoying the day. We ate our scrumptious lunch (every last bit - oh how delicious is food that you haven’t cooked yourself) and then drove on to Kirk Park. There were more cars there and everyone was walking down to the beach. But we walked over to the forest trail and walked all around the trail, the long way. What an outing! As a friend says: well, isn’t this nice! Take out lunches on two consecutive days! My, how adventurous we are! But of course, we wear our masks indoors, we wash our hands and we keep safely distant form others. But its not going well, here or overseas. Craig ( the historian) told me yesterday when I asked, historically most pandemic last 3+ years. Oh. So the end of 2023 maybe? here’s the state of play: CNN: Just like experts predicted, coronavirus cases are ticking back up around the world. India has recorded its highest number of Covid-19 cases in a single day since the pandemic began, with more than 100,000 confirmed infections yesterday. South Korea’s health leaders are warning of another surge after the country recorded more than 500 new cases for the fifth straight day. In Europe, a third wave of hospitalizations and deaths has already arrived. Covid-19 variants are mostly to blame for the new rises, but as US officials have warned, lax safety measures are giving these variants even more strength. Now, we have more to worry about, like how long coronavirus vaccines may actually protect people. Doctors are �worried that coronavirus may end up being like influenza, which requires a new vaccine every year because the strains mutate so quickly. This just in from CNN: The US has hit "category five hurricane status" with the pandemic as the Midwest approaches a fourth wave of cases, Michael Osterholm, University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy director, said Sunday. "Let me say that, at this time, we really are in a category five hurricane status with regard to the rest of the world," Osterholm said on NBC's Meet the Press. "At this point, we will see in the next two weeks the highest number of cases reported globally since the beginning of the pandemic. In terms of the United States, we're just at the beginning of this surge, we haven't even really begun to see it yet." Osterholm pointed to Michigan, which has recorded an alarming rise in infection in recent days. The state reported 8,413 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, its highest tally since December 7, according to health officials. Michigan also has the second highest number of cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant, behind Florida. Osterholm's dire warning comes amid good news for the US vaccine rollout -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a record number of shots over the weekend with more than 4 million doses administered in 24 hours. What’s it like living in a virus hotspot? Well, its scary but we’re fully vaccinated and we have to just keep going as we have done for over 12 months - but it is getting harder and harder to remember the Before Times. Yesterday I read a very interesting piece about those little white vaccination cards. It pretty much mirrors what my friend Margaret told me that she and her husband had done with theirs. Its important for us as we’re going to use them when we fly out (and perhaps when we land in Australia) CNN: Vaccine eligibility in the US is expanding quickly, and so is the popularity of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's little white card. While plans to establish standardized vaccination proof are still being developed, many are holding to their Covid-19 vaccine cards as a potential form of social currency. And companies, like Staples and Office Depot, are offering to help keep them safe with free lamination. While it may be tempting to get your vaccine card laminated as soon as possible, you should take your time and make sure you've considered a few things beforehand. Here's what you should know about laminating your coveted vaccine card. If you are getting a two-dose vaccine, make sure that you receive and document both doses on your card before laminating it. Double check all of your information -- including your name, date of birth, and the date and location of the vaccine -- for accuracy. You should definitely create a backup of your card before laminating it. Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, �told CNN that she recommends taking a photo of the card after each dose. "Take a picture after getting the first shot, then after the second one too, in case you lose the physical card," she said. "Keep the picture on your phone, and email yourself a copy to be safe." Wen said she also recommends photocopying the card and keeping it in the same place as other important documents, like your birth certificate. After this, if you want to laminate your card, Wen says to "go for it." Proof is the most important thing -- laminated or not Some worry that getting their vaccine cards laminated will cause trouble in the future if Covid-19 vaccine booster shots are needed. Still, Wen says don't worry. "If you do end up getting a booster after, you can always get a different card," she said. "I wouldn't let that be a deterrent." Ultimately, the thing that trumps all is proof -- laminated or not. As long as you have your card, you're in a good place. Just remember not to share it on social media. So what else is happening? ��From CNN: Tensions between the GOP and Georgia businesses are growing over Georgia’s new restrictive voting law. Late last week, Major League Baseball decided to move the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta, which was set to host the popular annual event this summer. It’s a huge move with an estimated $100 million in lost state revenue. However, Georgia GOP legislators have stood firm in their defense of the law, and have shown they’re not afraid to fight against the giant corporate entities criticizing them. After the CEO of Delta criticized the voting law, Georgia's GOP-led House voted to revoke a jet-fuel tax break that benefited the company. The next battlefront for voter suppression could be Texas, where the state’s Senate recently passed a bill limiting poll times, banning drive-through voting and cutting voting accessibility. And, CNN: The Chauvin trial resumes. The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will resume today after last week's emotional testimony. An attorney for George Floyd's family says the trial has been painful to watch for them, a sentiment shared by scores of Black Americans. Personally, its hard for me to see how a jury could acquit Derek Chauvin after all the factual but emotional testimonies given last week. Well, back to the Caribbean. More on our day on Dominica. Our next stop was the cocoa plantation which was up the scariest and worst road ever. We visited the Bois Cotlette Estate. Now this was 3 years ago, so ’m not sure if the family running it are still there. Back story: after 9/11 a man and his wife from New York City visited Dominica on vacation. They visited the dilapidated Bois Cotlette estate which used to be a sugar plantation with slave workers. Over time, the market fell out of sugar in Dominica and the estate was left deserted. I’m not sure if the New Yorker bought the estate or contracted to run it but he and his family moved there and began to run it. They have made many improvements and at the end of our tour they offered us the most delectable cocoa truffles to try. A lot of their income comes from cruise ship tourists. �This was one of the original sugar plantation buildings. �This might have been the ruins of the slave quarters �The remains of the windmill where they used to crush and process the sugar cane �A cocoa pod with beans inside. At this point you suck the sweet mucus from around the �white beans, which are unbearably bitter. Walking on to look at the next stage: drying the beans. �Cocoa beans drying in the sun Yes there’s still more Dominica tomorrow. It was a long day. Oliver �Walking with Uncle �Asher Notice �the shark t-shirt he’s wearing? He asked to wear that t-shirt when Zoe was dressing him in the morning. He’s 20 months old and he’s already choosing his clothes! Stay safe. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-05_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-390 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-05 Title A name given to the resource Day 390 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ab6ad10b31264139ca3335435ba6c204.pdf 76e66c0db5e85a979598ad751e749d93 PDF Text Text Day 389. by windoworks Lea has scrawled her grandfather's name by one of the 25,000 white crosses that have appeared on Prague's Old Town Square. Devoid of tourists, the square is now an impromptu memorial to the dead. We tend not to think about the virus in other places such as Europe. Here’s a BBC roundup. First up, France where things are grim: France has entered its third national lockdown as it battles a surge in cases of Covid-19 that threatens to overwhelm the country's hospitals. All schools and non-essential shops will shut for four weeks, and a curfew will be in place from 19:00 to 06:00. On Friday, the number of seriously ill Covid patients in intensive care units (ICU) increased by 145 - the biggest jump in five months. President Emmanuel Macron has promised more hospital beds for Covid patients. France is currently battling a peak of about 5,000 Covid patients in ICUs. On Friday, the country recorded 46,677 new cases and 304 deaths. As well as the restrictions that came into force on Saturday, from Tuesday people will also need a valid reason to travel more than 10 km (six miles) from their homes. Next, Poland: Poland is struggling to cope with its highest number of new infections since the pandemic began - 60 times higher than at the start of the pandemic in spring last year - because of the rampant UK (Kent) variant of the virus. In the worst affected area of Silesia, patients are being airlifted to less burdened �hospitals in neighbouring provinces. The government is now trying to attract doctors from abroad. Poland avoided high numbers of infections and deaths when the pandemic began thanks to a strict lockdown, closing its borders and restricting people's movement, even for exercise. That wasn't sustainable and both movement and economic life resumed. Schools, shops and businesses are closed again but churches in this deeply Catholic country remain open for limited numbers of worshippers for Easter. Poles have been allowed to maintain their tradition of taking their wicker baskets of eggs and sausages to be blessed by the priests. Many here have been critical of the vaccine rollout, and the government was forced into a humiliating apology on 1 April when it suddenly changed its policy overnight and allowed anyone aged 40 to 60 to register for a jab. Demand was so high that the system crashed. Hungary: Hungary now has one of the highest Covid mortality rates in the world, with more than 21,000 coronavirus-related deaths and a third wave claiming hundreds of lives every day. And yet its speed of vaccination is among the highest in Europe. More than one in five Hungarians has had a first dose. So what is going wrong? Hungary has high rates of cancer and heart disease and a high fatality rate among people needing ventilation. Although the government bought an astonishing 16,000 ventilators last summer, there aren't enough people to operate them because of a 25% shortage of doctors and a 30% shortage of nurses, largely because of emigration. Another 5,500 doctors quit last month in a row over wage reform. The vaccination picture looks brighter. Prime Minister Viktor Orban gambled successfully on buying supplies of Russia's Sputnik V and then the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines - allowing Hungary to race ahead while many EU countries faced problems with vaccine supplies. And lastly, Ukraine: Some 400 people are currently dying every day in Ukraine's second Covid wave and it's proving more deadly than the first. It's far from clear that current lockdown measures are going to flatten the curve and relieve the mounting pressure on hospitals. The rules vary across Ukraine but in most of the west and in the capital Kyiv only shops selling "essentials" are open, schools are closed, and from this week access to public transport will be limited. Meanwhile, here in Michigan which continues to have the highest numbers of confirmed cases. Yesterday we recorded 9,113 new cases in a single day. A single day. Thats almost 1000 cases more than our previous worst day on December 3. Florida is close behind us where they are struggling to cope with the aftermath of Spring Break and now the influx of people for Easter. This is Michigan’s worst surge. �And in really cheering news (which I can’t find again) the CDC has said that those fully vaccinated do not carry the virus and can’t transmit it. YES! WOO HOO! I think I’ll have a sign made to hang around my neck. And another thing I saw on FB: apparently sunshine slows the virus down by 8 times. I’m not sure how that works. So Friday and Saturday were challenging, to say the least. I find I can cope with almost anything except no wifi. If this was the Before Times, I could manage without wifi - I could go out and socialize. But during a pandemic, wifi is essential to my wellbeing. A masked and booteed man called Dan came at 1:30 yesterday, tested our signal strength and then swapped out our dead router for a new one. The longest part of the process was the chatting while we all waited for the new router to boot up. When Dan left and my �iPad and my cell phone went back online, my anxiety level ratcheted down sharply and I had to fight an urge to sleep for about 3 days. Am I dependent on technology? Absolutely. Am I embarrassed by this dependency? Absolutely not. We each find our own way of coping with this pandemic. Here’s a little piece from The New York Times: One expert said that the pandemic could lead to anhedonia, or the loss of the ability to take pleasure in activities. Another said the pandemic’s longevity had contributed to the sense that time is moving differently and had dulled our ability to form meaningful new memories. Resilience seems in short supply. And from Washington Post: Now, as vaccinations ramp up to more than 3 million per day, the rest of us are facing the possibility of resuming something like normal life — and many of us are experiencing unexpectedly mixed emotions. As our columnist Alyssa Rosenberg wrote last week, “no inoculation, no matter how miraculous, can teach us how to live in the wider world again after spending so long in isolation.” So today, after Craig stains the front porch floor, we are driving out to Grand Haven. We will buy some take out lunch from a past favorite, Morning Star cafe, and drive to the lakeshore to eat it. Then we may drive on to Kirk Park for a walk through the woods. Yesterday, to cheer me up, Craig bought us lunch from Terra Bagels - gluten free breakfast bagels. Yum! Of course we ate them here at home but we’re doing it! Baby steps. Some words to live by: �For those wondering, no, we have not had my new iPad Pro delivered. We have called and texted everyone and it seems to be stuck somewhere between Indiana and Grand Rapids. Yesterday Craig discovered a small sentence tucked away on the FedEx site: these deliveries are only made on weekdays. Now if it was some English teabags or new underwear for me, I wouldn’t mind. But this is a piece of technology that we paid almost $1200 for on Thursday and it was not unreasonable to expect its prompt delivery. Also, I’m tired of staying home and waiting for it to be delivered. In exciting news, my friend Fred has had the old piano removed from his studio, Vinecroft, and is ready for the delivery of our beloved piano. In the Before Times, Fred held Tuesday night invitation only spaghetti dinners and potluck and when we could make it, Craig always played the piano and those so �minded sang along. It is very cheering to think a piece of us will be left at Vinecroft for people to enjoy for years to come. Tomorrow is a big day. At 3pm we sign the closing papers and then we are renting this house until we leave. It is such a strange feeling, to be renting the house you have lived in for 18+ years. This is such a warm and friendly house, even with half our belongings already packed away and out of sight. I shall miss this block and this city and all my friends. Sigh. So, the Caribbean. Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west. It's known for its beaches, resorts and golfing. Its terrain comprises rainforest, savannah and highlands, including Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s tallest mountain. Capital city Santo Domingo has Spanish landmarks like the Gothic Catedral Primada de America dating back 5 centuries in its Zona Colonial district. ― Google Caribbean Sea Craig and I had signed up for a tour that included a visit to a cocoa plantation. �The long jetty at Samana Bay. �Walking along the jetty to ur bus. �First stop at a beach and fishing village �The water was crystal clear. �The stones were hard to walk on but it was a beautiful day. More of our day trip tomorrow. Now for Oliver. �Obviously completely over his fear of the �water. �Obligatory Easter photo: what is this and what do I do with it? This morning a young friend posted on FB that she had Covid-19. Its still out there people. Stay safe: wear a mask, wash your hands and stay distanced. See you tomorrow. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-04_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-389 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-04 Title A name given to the resource Day 389 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/49ee7fd5e161aa03d94d90b1ba2a8a57.pdf 14e4ce22ffa700a56b35235517ae9f0b PDF Text Text Day 388. Saturday April 3 by windoworks Perhaps a short post this morning because I am using my iPhone’s hotspot to access the internet. I have an appointment at the Apple store in Woodland Mall which I am not going to be able to keep as my new iPad Pro has not been delivered to my house yet. Thats frustrating. But the worst thing is that yesterday afternoon, while watching something on TV our 4 year old modem silently died. Completely. Today the technician will come between 12 - 4pm and install a new modem and new wiring etc. So the thing about no wifi connection and no ability to go anywhere else and piggyback on public wifi is, that you have simply hours to contemplate not only your own state but the state of the world as well. It occurred to me that if this pandemic had occurred during my twenties, I don’t think I would have managed it successfully. I might, like a small number of Craig’s first year Honors students, succumbed entirely and ended up in a facility similar to PineRest, our local hospital for emotionally distraught patients. (Mental hospital sounds both old fashioned and rude). This morning we (all of us in this together) stand at a disturbing point. As the Washington Post so aptly said, we stand at a point of both hope and dread. The vaccine introduces hope but in order to have hope, you have to be fully vaccinated first. The EU is not doing well in the vaccinations stakes. Germany is refusing to use Astra Zeneca which may have caused blood clots in a tiny percentage of those successfully vaccinated. Is this the right move in an unrelenting pandemic? I don’t know. Italy has shutdown with gatherings (and I assume Mass) banned for all of Easter - one of the most significant events in the Catholic year. The Pope will preach to an empty Vatican. Variants are spreading across the world. Brazil is in the midst of an apocalyptic health crisis brought on by the insanity of the Brazilian leader. Mumbai, India, is staggering under the huge surge in infections. Most countries borders are closed to all except perhaps repatriating citizens. I had decided to save this post essay for a future date but in light of the no wifi conditions, I decided to write it today. In looking back, I think the most shocking thing to happen was the gradual realization that no one knew when this pandemic would be over. At first we all imagined how dreadful it would be if it went on for maybe 3 months, and then okay, 6 months. Slowly we accepted the idea that it might last a whole year (!) and then, slowly but surely, we have come to the dreadful conclusion that no one, anywhere in the world, can accurately forecast when this will be over, and if not over, then at least manageable. Yesterday, before the wifi router/modem died, Craig spent almost an hour on hold waiting to talk to someone at the JAL office in Los Angeles. When he finally talked to the incredibly polite and helpful woman at the other end of the phone, she sounded exasperated. The email JAL sent out was so poorly worded that their office had been fielding calls from anxious and confused customers all morning. If the email had said: these are the flights still operating and these are the flights canceled, there would have �been half the number of highly distressed customers calling. It turned out that our flight is still going ahead on July 6 from Haneda to Sydney. So far, so good. We will relax as the plane takes off from Haneda bound to Sydney, as anything could happen in the meantime. Could we have imagined this scenario in January 2020? Probably not. And I continue to be absolutely amazed by the actions of some groups in a life threatening pandemic. To explain, here in Michigan (out of 50 states, Michigan is experiencing the worst surge of all - more about hat in a moment). Part of this surge is from high school and college sports teams spreading the B117 variant freely among their team mates. But this week, after some schools have closed for safety periods, a Michigan High School and College Sports association (no wifi, winging it here) has sued to have all sports to be allowed again. Right. There’s no rampant virus spread to worry about, is there? No wonder Michigan is ranking the highest in virus cases. And you know, the younger people aren’t just getting sick, numbers of them are getting severely ill and needing hospitalization and then some are needing to be transferred to the ICU. We all know the odds of recovering unscathed from a period spent on a ventilator. You know things are very bad when the head of the CDC and the Chief Medical Officer of most states are pleading, begging people to keep their guard up. Hey, I’m tired and fed up too, and I’m fully vaccinated but I have no desire to be the case which proves that fully vaccinated you can still catch the virus if you refuse to be careful and follow some basic rules. Yesterday Michigan had 6,066 new confirmed cases. Kent County had 351 confirmed new cases. The graph is going sharply up. Our positivity rate for Kent County is 15.6% and thats not the worst county positivity rate in Michigan. We’re in dire straits. My son said to me yesterday: it is a different world here Mum because Australia is an island state. We have managed to keep almost all infected people out of the country and we have excellent contact tracing and mitigation for outbreaks. Those who break the rules are easily found and punished. Its a different world. Why is it different? Yes, its an island state, similar to Japan and New Zealand etc. But that’s not all of it. A large part for New Zealand and Australia (I can’t speak for other island states) is that this virus control is seen as a team sport - everyone is playing on the same team, on the same side with the same goal in sight. They firmly adhere to the adage: united we rise, divided we fall. Success over the virus really does mean all working together. Each team member who decides to give up and go it alone, weakens the team effort. If you follow any type of team sport, you can understand the analogy. As the Beatles sang: all together now. Okay, I’ve forced my views down your throat and if you’ve lasted this long. you do deserve an Oliver photo or two. �I rule the galaxy but I need you to read me this �book. �Here I am, looking like I know what I’m doing on Mummy’s laptop keyboard. Authors note: its 1:57pm and we have a new router and the wifi is back up. Still absolutely no sign of my new iPad Pro however. I’ll leave you with this: � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-03_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-388 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-03 Title A name given to the resource Day 388 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/eb5556137fe0aad82e6515d58a29ace6.pdf c4812f285ef5c3f321c81773460b8330 PDF Text Text Day 387. by windoworks There are some days that it is almost too difficult to write this blogpost. Here is a good summary of what is happening here in Michigan. New York Times: DETROIT — In a rural stretch of Michigan along the shore of Lake Huron, coronavirus outbreaks are ripping through churches, schools and restaurants where the virus has infected line cooks and waitresses. For more than a week, ambulances have taken several hourlong trips each day to rush severely ill coronavirus patients to hospitals in Detroit, Saginaw or Port Huron, where beds in intensivecare units await. Even as the pandemic appears to be waning in some parts of the United States, Michigan is in the throes of a coronavirus outbreak that is one of the largest and most alarming in the country. Infection levels have exploded in recent weeks, in big cities and rural stretches alike. Ann Hepfer, a health officer for two counties, is racked by worries: about spring break trips that are underway, and about the Easter gatherings that will take place this weekend, when families are fresh off their travels out of state. Michigan has more recent cases per capita than any other state, and has seen them soar in recent weeks, to more than 5,600 cases a day from about 1,000 on Feb. 21. The nation’s top five metro areas in recent cases per capita are all in Michigan: Jackson, Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Monroe. Health officials partly attributed the rapid rise in cases to the B.1.1.7 variant that was originally identified in Britain and is widespread in Michigan. But they have also observed a broader return to prepandemic life seen in a relaxing of mask wearing, social distancing and other strategies meant to slow the spread of the virus — many weeks before a substantial portion of the population is vaccinated. On Thursday, Michigan officials announced that they had identified their first case of the P.1 variant, which has spread widely in Brazil and has now been found in more than 20 U.S. states. More than 2,300 coronavirus patients statewide are hospitalized, a figure that has more than doubled since the beginning of March. Five hospitals in the Henry Ford system in the Detroit area had a total of 75 coronavirus patients during the week of March 8; as of Tuesday, the hospitals were up to 267 patients. On Monday, the health system announced it would reinstate a policy limiting visitors at several hospitals, in response to the latest surge. Meanwhile, the Republican lawmakers across the US are doing their best to reinstate oppressive voting rights laws. This is because they haven’t got any sort of believable programs or campaign promises to offer except opposition to everything. Its appears that a large portion of Americans, Democratic and Republican alike really want the H.R.1 bill, the massive voting rights bill proposed by the Democrats in the House. Americans also want Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure bill. Speaking of this, some Republican politicians are so uninformed that they actually say things in public, on the record, as: what have bridges and lead pipes have to do with infrastructure? I continue to be astounded by the intelligence level of some �Republican lawmakers. I don’t think just wanting to be a Representative or a Senator is a sound reason for running for office - or for voters to vote for them. Surely, in light of the global pandemic, the portion of Americans whose disdain for well educated and qualified people running for office must be overruled. We had a poorly educated mafia type boss in charge for 4 years with all his cronies - and look where that got us. There isn’t enough time in a day for the Biden/Harris Administration to fix all the worst mistakes, although they’re certainly trying. Yesterday I went down to Woodland Mall for my appointment at the Apple store. We lined up outside, carefully spaced out and waited for the store to open. As we waited we saw many mall walkers - mostly our age, walking carefully masked around the mall, doing several laps. But amazingly, there were two older men, walking fast around the mall, talking non stop and completely unmasked! Now Craig and I are almost 2 weeks past our fully vaccinated date and we continue to wear masks and distance inside stores. Even fully vaccinated, you can’t throw your masks away. To get into the store we had to answer the usual questions (do you have a sore throat etc) and then have our temperatures taken. Our assistant took us to a table and sat safely distant across the other side. I am purchasing the largest IPad Pro with attachable keyboard. It will be delivered today to the house and I have another 10am appointment at the Apple store tomorrow to pick up the keyboard and trade in this old iPad. Exciting! Yesterday, Craig spent hours on hold with JAL trying to sort out a glitch in our travel plans. Originally we were flying from Chicago to Haneda Japan and then on to Sydney from there. Suddenly we were flying from Chicago to Narita but still flying out from Haneda, 90 minutes drive away. When he finally got to speak to someone, we couldn’t get to Haneda from Narita because ........... the Japanese borders are closed we can’t leave the airport. So by the end of the long conversation, we were rebooked from Chicago to L.A., then L.A. to Haneda and Haneda on to Sydney - except now, the Haneda to Sydney flight is a much smaller plane and our seats were changed. But wait. There’s more. When we woke up at 6am this morning, there was an email from JAL to all passengers saying all flights from Japan to Sydney had been canceled until October with some exclusions. After about 30 minutes panic (our house closes on Monday, our belongings leave on June 30 etc), panic, panic, we reread the email and are hoping (fingers and toes crossed) that our flight from Haneda to Sydney is one of the exclusions. We have the new email tickets but Craig will sit on the phone this morning at 11am (when the JAL American office opens in L.A) to make sure we are still flying on to Sydney from Japan. Just an observation here, the CDC continues to ask people to avoid travel overseas. You would think after all the trouble with the continuing global pandemic, the CDC would restrict people from traveling internationally. You would also think that the states surrounding Michigan would close their borders. You would think. And this is how I feel today: �Here’s what’s happening in other places: CNN: The World Health Organization harshly criticized Europe’s coronavirus response, calling the region’s vaccine rollout “unacceptably slow” as new variants threaten to wipe out progress. Many European nations have struggled to carry out effective vaccination programs as drug companies have repeatedly under-delivered on scheduled shipments. WHO says the region has vaccinated only 10% of its population with one shot in a two-dose regimen. In the US, health experts are pleading with people to wait until their second vaccine shot to resume normal activities. A fourth surge, concentrated among young people, could be on the horizon if people aren’t careful. And with surges come new restrictions, like in Ontario, where a jump in ICU admissions has forced the province to issue an “emergency brake” shutdown beginning this weekend. One tiny sliver of hope from Crooked Media: CDC data suggests that fully vaccinated people cannot transmit coronavirus! I am too tired and upset to continue writing today. See you tomorrow, � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-02_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-387 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-02 Title A name given to the resource Day 387 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3386d71866d01759059bee73ed9324de.pdf a120f3062fa32b95d530a798ba3dcdf9 PDF Text Text Day 386 by windoworks Tomorrow is Good Friday. In Australia, Easter is a 5 day holiday break. Easter Sunday is Egg Hunt Day and these are real chocolate eggs, not plastic ones. I remember finding smushed, disgusting chocolate eggs in our garden, months after Easter. These were the eggs that were apparently too well hidden for any small child to find. If you are a small child at Easter, the trick is to eat as many chocolate eggs as possible before a parent finds you. Every year the chocolate candy manufacturers put out bigger and better Easter treats. Those large chocolate bunnies are best filled with some sort of candy. Cadbury Cherry Ripe is a dark chocolate hollow rabbit filled with cherry coconut jelly pieces. I don’t care for Cherry Ripe but I would buy a rabbit filled with tiny Violet Crumble pieces. Actually, its been years since I even thought about eating that much chocolate. Because Michigan is at the top of the Leader Board in state candidates for the biggest 4th surge of the virus, I am posting more vaccine developments. First up: �CNN: Global leaders have called for an international “pandemic treaty” to help ensure the world is prepared for future crises. The leaders of France, the UK and Germany, and members of the World Health Organization are among those leading the call for increased vaccine equity and international cooperation. Countries and trade blocs have clashed over vaccine supplies, especially in Europe where the coronavirus variant first found in the UK is wreaking havoc on the region’s recovery plans. Experts are worried that if Americans don’t stick to safety measures, the variant could do similar damage in the US. Dangerous coronavirus variants are already leading to more hospitalizations and lockdowns in Canada. There is some surprise that Governor Whitmer has not asked the Michigan Health Department to institute some lockdown restrictions in light of our uncontrolled virus surge. (Remember, the State Republicans passed a law limiting her executive powers - when the attempt to kidnap , torture and kill her failed). But then, we all remember that now the State Republican lawmakers led by a low life man who called Governor Whitmer, Attorney-General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson the trio of witches from MacBeth. If this is a trio of witches then they must be Good Witches and they are doing their best under extraordinary circumstances. Instead of passing laws that help every Michigander lead a better life, these GOP lawmakers spend their time and money trying to overturn laws and recall Governor Whitmer. Also, a significant number of the January 6 insurrectionists call Michigan home. Okay, time for some good news. 1. Washington Post: The White House on Monday detailed an ambitious plan to expand wind farms along the East Coast and jump-start the country’s nascent offshore wind industry, saying it hoped to trigger a massive clean-energy effort in the fight against climate change. The plan would generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by the end of the decade — enough to power more than 10 million American homes and cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. To accomplish that, the Biden administration said, it would speed permitting for projects off the East Coast, invest in research and development, provide low-interest loans to industry and fund changes to U.S. ports. Its just a baby step, Greta - but we’re trying. 2. Washington Post: EPA purges 40 outside experts picked by Trump from advisory panels. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will dismiss outside experts appointed by President Donald Trump from two key advisory panels, a move he says will reduce the heavy influence of industry over the agency's environmental regulations. And, thats another baby step. 3. NPR: New clinical trials showed that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine elicits "100% efficacy and robust antibody responses" in adolescents from 12 to 15 years old, the drug company announced Wednesday. The �trial included 2,260 participants; the results are even better than earlier responses from participants ages 16 to 25. Pfizer and its vaccine partner BioNTech said they will submit the results "as soon as possible" to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, asking regulators to expand their authorizations for the vaccine's use in young people. Pfizer will submit the data "in the coming weeks," Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla said in a news release about the trial. Calling the results encouraging, he added that the company is acting "with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year." Thats awesome news. And lastly, from Crooked Media: 4. The Pentagon has scrapped the Trump administration’s restrictions on transgender troops, and will offer access to transition-related medical care. 5. Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) has signed a law banning the gay/trans panic defense in Virginia. Now for everyone (including me) who is unsure how the vaccine actually works, here’s a stunning article which explains that but offers much more: The Atlantic: Like so many breakthroughs, this apparent overnight success was many decades in the making. More than 40 years had passed between the 1970s, when a Hungarian scientist pioneered early mRNA research, and the day the first authorized mRNA vaccine was administered in the United States, on December 14, 2020. The dream of mRNA persevered in part because its core principle was tantalizingly simple, even beautiful: The world’s most powerful drug factory might be inside all of us. People rely on proteins for just about every bodily function; mRNA—which stands for messenger ribonucleic acid—tells our cells which proteins to make. With human-edited mRNA, we could theoretically commandeer our cellular machinery to make just about any protein under the sun. You could mass-produce molecules that occur naturally in the body to repair organs or improve blood flow. Or you could request our cells to cook up an off-menu protein, which our immune system would learn to identify as an invader and destroy. In the case of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, mRNA vaccines send detailed instructions to our cells to make its distinctive “spike protein.” Our immune system, seeing the foreign intruder, targets these proteins for destruction without disabling the mRNA. Later, if we confront the full virus, our bodies recognize the spike protein again and attack it with the precision of a well-trained military, reducing the risk of infection and blocking severe illness. But mRNA’s story likely will not end with COVID-19: Its potential stretches far beyond this pandemic. This year, a team at Yale patented a similar RNA-based technology to vaccinate against malaria, perhaps the world’s most devastating disease. Because mRNA is so easy to edit, Pfizer says that it is planning to use �it against seasonal flu, which mutates constantly and kills hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year. The company that partnered with Pfizer last year, BioNTech, is developing individualized therapies that would create on-demand proteins associated with specific tumors to teach the body to fight off advanced cancer. In mouse trials, synthetic-mRNA therapies have been shown to slow and reverse the effects of multiple sclerosis. “I’m fully convinced now even more than before that mRNA can be broadly transformational,” Özlem Türeci, BioNTech’s chief medical officer, told me. “In principle, everything you can do with protein can be substituted by mRNA.” I find this astounding. It really is ‘the sky’s the limit’ stuff. And remember yesterday when I posted that the experts weren’t sure how long the vaccine protection lasted? Woo hoo! Here’s this update from CNN: The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer/BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine confirms its protection lasts at least six months after the second dose, the companies said Thursday. It's the first look at how long protection for a coronavirus vaccine lasts, and while six months is a modest target, it's longer than the 90 days of protection been the best estimate offered to date. The vaccine remains more than 91% effective against disease with any symptoms for six months, the companies said. And it appeared to be fully effective against the worrying B.1.351 variant of the virus, which is the dominant strain circulating in South Africa and which researchers feared had evolved to evade the protection of vaccines, the companies said. “The vaccine was 100% effective against severe disease as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 95.3% effective against severe COVID-19 as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)," Pfizer and BioNTech said in a joint statement. I found out yesterday that a vaccine opportunity presented at a nearby high school was a scam and my hairdresser was caught by it. But luckily, this week, Michigan opened up vaccines for all, at least a week ahead of schedule and she got her first shot on Tuesday. Many of Craig’s students are fully vaccinated and most others have had their first shot or have it scheduled. I cannot express my feelings sufficiently about being fully vaccinated. Yesterday Craig and I went into our local grocery store. I haven’t been inside it since last summer. And the most astounding thing is - I’m no longer terrified of catching the virus. I still wear a mask, I still wash my hands diligently and I still keep my distance, but I know I have a strong measure of protection. And yesterday’s bonus? I spoke to a really good friend, face to face, (at a distance), that I haven’t seen in MONTHS! Nearly normal. Still on Bequia . While I shopped a little, Craig explored the nearby area. �Our ship. �Someone’s house �A beautiful Caribbean swimming beach ��My only regret: I didn’t go swimming there. More Caribbean tomorrow. ��As Christian and Oliver say: Happy Easter to you all. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-04-01_BenjaminPamelaPD-Day-386 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-04-01 Title A name given to the resource Day 386 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/558dd467c62e43e85f2e277a025c496a.pdf 0769f0edb76480981a3419daa0d860ce PDF Text Text Day 385 by windoworks This morning it is all about the virus. The numbers are increasing across the US but particularly in Michigan. Its not really what you want your state to be the best at - increasing infection numbers. Its the UK variant, B117 and its attacking younger people. This is partly because so many people 65+ have been fully vaccinated. Of course once you are vaccinated fully after the 2 week wait, then questions arise. What can I do safely? I love a good chart and here’s one that lets you know exactly what you can and can’t do: �So why is this 4th surge happening? here’s an explanation from the New York Times: Several factors are fueling the upturn, Apoorva Mandavilli, a Times science reporter, told us. A more contagious variant (the one first identified in Britain, called B.1.1.7) is spreading. Some mayors and governors have continued to lift restrictions and mask rules. Many Americans are behaving less cautiously. And vaccinations have not gotten the country near herd immunity. Many experts aren’t surprised. “For literally a month and a half, we’ve all been predicting that the second half of March is when B.1.1.7 would become the dominant variant in the United States,” says Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown School of Public Health. “And sure enough, here we are.” The increase is not distributed equally. “New York and New Jersey have been bad and are not getting better, and Michigan’s cases are rising at an explosive rate,” Mitch Smith, a Times reporter covering the �pandemic, said. Hospitalizations are also rising rapidly in Michigan, with Jackson, Detroit and Flint among the metro areas experiencing the highest rates of new cases in the country. On December 3, Michigan recorded 8,124 new cases (in a single day). Yesterday, Michigan recorded 6,257 new cases and the graph is showing that we might not have reached the peak yet. In Kent County we had 207 new cases yesterday, giving the county a total of 56,140 recorded cases. The new big question is: how long does the vaccination protection last? Washington Post: As with most aspects of the virus, the answer is not completely clear. Why? Because although we have been battling the pandemic for more than a year, the vaccines were granted emergency use authorization relatively recently. So experts have not had time to observe their long-term effectiveness. However, that research is underway, and in the meantime, experts say we can make an educated guess. Based on clinical trials, experts do know that vaccine-induced protection should last a minimum of about three months. That does not mean protective immunity will expire after 90 days; that was simply the time frame participants were studied in the initial Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson trials. As researchers continue to study the vaccines, that shelf life is expected to grow.In the real world, the protection should last quite a bit longer, though the length of time still needs to be determined with further studies, experts said. Looking at studies on natural immunity from the coronavirus, experts hypothesize that protective immunity from the vaccines will last at least six to eight months. And if immunity from SARS-CoV-2 ends up being similar to other seasonal coronaviruses, such as “common colds,” it is even possible the vaccines could provide protection for up to a year or two before requiring a booster, the experts said. Pfizer, Moderna and others are conducting clinical trials to determine how long a booster shot will extend protective immunity and to determine whether their vaccines can be tailored to combat new variants of the virus. And Johnson & Johnson is testing a two-dose version of its vaccine. So far, evidence suggests the available vaccines are still effective against most variants, but that could change if the virus continues to mutate. The more prevalent the virus and the longer it takes to vaccinate people against it, the higher the risk of developing mutations that will then make the vaccines less effective. That’s why it’s urgent to vaccinate as many people as fast as possible. We are running against time. Yesterday I read 4 posts on FB, all detailing how to get your vaccination process started in Michigan. My immediate neighbors on both sides have the parents vaccinated with at least their first shot and it is a matter of jubilation that we all share in, congratulating each other happily. We were walking in Huff Park yesterday, and 2 women and small children - all masked - passed us. We put our masks on when we saw them approaching and Craig said: we are fully vaccinated. One of the women said: isn’t it such a relief! �And it is such a relief. Recent studies of fully vaccinated medical staff, vaccinated in December, shows that their protection from infection stays at 90%. Woo hoo! In truly wonderful news, my 88 year old motherin-law who lives in Australia, is set to receive her first shot next Tuesday. We are all very excited for her. Australia was just vaccinating essential workers etc., but I am happy to see they are moving to the next category which includes retirement villages. In another exciting development, there is talk of vaccine passports. this is a topic dear to my heart. Remember I told you I emailed the Australian Health Department? They responded over the weekend and said: No, you’ll still have to quarantine. I wonder if an official vaccine passport would make a difference? Washington Post: The White House is moving to soothe privacy and equity concerns about the development and deployment of so-called “vaccine passports” that would enable the bearer to prove they’ve been inoculated against the coronavirus. And the administration is trying to strike a balance about the government’s role by declaring the private sector will lead the effort to design the certificates while also promising federal oversight to ensure citizens are treated fairly. “We recognize this is a tricky and important subject, but the core here is that Americans, like people around the world, who are vaccinated will want to be able to demonstrate that vaccination in various forms,” said Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser on the pandemic response. The debate in the United States over whether and how to develop the “passports” — and to what extent states or businesses could require them — reflects the global disarray on the issue. The European Union is pushing ahead with its version (the “Digital Green Certificate”), Israel is struggling to implement its “Green Passport,” and Japan and China are deploying their own certificates. All I can say is: hurry up! Spring is here but the temperature is going up and down, day to day. Yesterday was almost hot but today is cold. The first flowers in Craig’s back garden meadow have appeared. Nope, no idea what they are. some sort of daffodil? �2018 was a big year for cruises. To finish the year out, on December 21 we flew to Bridgetown, Barbados to embark on a Christmas cruise to the Caribbean. Craig was the only lecturer on board and he lectured on the history of the Caribbean and the history of each place we docked at. �First lecture First up, Bequia. Bequia is the second-largest island in the Grenadines at 7 square miles (18 km2). It is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the nation's capital, Kingstown, on the main island, Saint Vincent. Bequia means "island of the clouds" in the ancient Arawak. Bequia has a history of whaling which may have brought in by the Yankee whalers in the 19th century. Its people are only allowed to catch up to four humpback whales per year using traditional hunting methods, however these methods are regularly abused using harpoon guns and speedboats to surround the whales. The limit is rarely met, with no catch some years. Wikipedia. �Grenadines St Vincent and the �We decided to take a tour of the island on this truck. �The seats were hard, but our guide/driver was �great. As in all tropical areas, it suddenly poured with rain and although our guide/driver rolled down the plastic sides of the seating area, we still got wet. But it was so hot it didn’t really matter. �Fort and gun emplacement. Some historians believe that the famous pirate Edward Teach had his base in Bequia. The opening shot of the movie Blackbeard, Pirate of the Caribbean, made by the BBC, displays a replica of his first ship off the coast of Bequia in the St. Vincent passage. According to local legend, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was not only Teach's base, but also the place from which Sir Francis Drake planned his attacks on the Spanish admiralty in Don Blas de Lezo's Cartagena. Indeed, it is thought that Henry Morgan may also have anchored in Admiralty Bay, as it was then the safest natural harbour in the Eastern Caribbean during hurricane season. Bequia was used as a repair facility for ships. Beside Nelson's Dockyard on Antigua, and the Carlyle in Bridgetown, Barbados, there were no other drydocks or shipyards in the area. Wooden shipbuilding and ship-repair on Bequia was possible due to the presence of cedar trees on the island and a sufficiently deep and sheltered harbour. Wikipedia. �One of those islands in the distance is Mustique which is a private island. Princess Margaret owned property there. �A tropical beach. More Bequia tomorrow. Yesterday Oliver went to the New South Wales Public Museum to see the dinosaur exhibition. He was ecstatic and raced around shouting Wow! Dinosaur! At the top of his voice which echoed satisfyingly in the almost empty museum. ����Stay safe - we aren’t anywhere near herd immunity. Remember, we’re all in this together. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2021-03-31_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-385 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin, Pamela Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-03-31 Title A name given to the resource Day 385 Description An account of the resource Daily journal entry of Pamela Benjamin, spouse of GVSU history professor, Craig Benjamin, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally self-published on WordPress. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng