4 24 538 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/34feb6435a77826df8bf21b0c8259346.pdf 474faf1df65f90247971db94e6168fe7 PDF Text Text Day 384 by windoworks One week later, the Ever Given is freed from the sides of the canal. Apparently, the moon’s effect on the tide played a part in helping to free the ship. �SUEZ, Egypt (AP) — Salvage teams on Monday freed a colossal container ship stuck for nearly a week in the Suez Canal, ending a crisis that had clogged one of the world’s most vital waterways and halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce. Helped by the tides, a flotilla of tugboats wrenched the bulbous bow of the skyscraper-sized Ever Given from the canal’s sandy bank, where it had been firmly lodged since March 23. The tugs blared their horns in jubilation as they guided the Ever Given through the water after days of futility that had captivated the world, drawing scrutiny and social media ridicule. Here’s the last word on this subject, although it could go on for longer. �Seriously, the traffic clog of ships waiting to sail through the Canal is large and this will take some time to sort out. The Suez Canal is operated by Egypt, through its state-owned Suez Canal Authority. Canal revenue for Egypt was $5.6 billion in 2020, according to Arab News. On average, about 50 ships pass through the canal daily. USA Today. Apparently that week of inaction has cost the Canal Authority a boatload (sorry) of money. �Meanwhile in Queensland, Australia, where there’s been a significant cluster: Queensland Health @qldhealthnews: Mask requirements across Queensland are coming into effect from 5pm today (Monday 29 March). You must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave home, unless you have a lawful reason not to. ��Do you ever get the feeling that the virus acts like a Whack-a-Mole? You just get one outbreak under control and Bam! Another outbreaks pops up. In the ‘Truth Will Out’ section, here’s this: Washington Post Over the weekend, officials who served in the Trump administration opened up, admitting to making missteps and misleading statements. Brett Giroir, Trump's coronavirus testing czar, told CNN the administration boasted of tests that weren't actually available. The former White House coronavirus coordinator, Deborah Birx, said that a stronger response could have prevented deaths after last spring’s wave. �“There were about 100,000 deaths that came from that original surge,” Birx told CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta. “All of the rest of them, in my mind, could have been mitigated or decreased substantially.” Can I just point out that everyone possesses 20/20 hindsight. And this just confirms the fact that we knew the Trump Administration was lying. But here’s a update on the current state of the virus in the US. Crooked Media: CDC chief Rochelle Walensky warned on Monday that she felt a sense of “impending doom” about a potential fourth surge: “We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope, but right now I’m scared.” Walensky was fighting back tears, which top health officials are only allowed to do by law when they are very distressed, because the U.S. coronavirus plateau has vanished: The seven-day average for new daily cases is now at nearly 60,000, up 10 percent from the previous week. Hospitalizations and deaths have begun to rise, too. Much of that reversal can be traced to governors rolling back safety restrictions prematurely as the more contagious coronavirus strains wreak havoc, and it’s not limited to GOP-led states (though Florida’s “win over the virus by inviting it to spring break” strategy is not going great). New York is back at the top of the infection-rate chart, six weeks after Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) reopened indoor dining in New York City. Michigan is seeing an alarming surgedriven largely by young people, with dozens of outbreaks reported in schools. But luckily, its not all doom and gloom. I often wonder when President Biden sleeps. He never seems to stop working. Here’s the latest, again from Crooked Media: Biden announced that at least 90 percent of U.S. adults will be eligible to get a vaccine by April 19. By that time, the federal government will have expanded the number of pharmacies receiving vaccine shipments from 17,000 to 40,000, meaning the vast majority of Americans will be able to access a vaccination site within five miles of their home. At least 31 states have already announced they’ll start jabbing everyone in sight in the coming days. In New York, anyone over age 30 will be eligible as of Tuesday. And this is HUGE: Crooked Media: Here’s the other good news: A new CDC study found the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be highly effective at preventing infections—both symptomatic and asymptomatic—under real-world conditions. The study looked at nearly 4,000 health-care workers, first responders, and others on the front lines between mid-December and mid-March. Even with the spooky new strains already circulating, the vaccines were 80 percent effective two weeks after the first dose, and up to 90 percent effective two weeks after the second dose. The outcry has begun over Georgia’s new voting law which is (I think) 29 pages long. You can look it up at Georgia Public Radio under, What Does Georgia's New Voting Law SB 202 Do? It is so detailed and specific that organizations are targeting their lawsuits on specific sections. The law is seen as a Jim Crow �law. Jim Crow laws were any state or local laws that enforced or legalized racial segregation. These laws lasted for almost 100 years, from the post-Civil War era until around 1968, and their main purpose was to legalize the marginalization of African Americans. Jim Crow is believed to come from the song Jump Jim Crow, a song performed in Cabaret with the singer a white man in black face, laughing at the simple mindedness of black people. Interestingly, the Jim Crow laws were put in place by the Democratic government. At that time it was the Republicans who were anti slavery. Here’s a piece from CNN: Georgia’s new controversial and restrictive voting law has faced swift backlash. Two federal lawsuits have been filed to challenge the law: one brought by a Democratic election attorney on behalf of racial justice groups, and another by a collective of several civil rights and voting rights groups. The lawsuits allege the new laws, which do things like limit ballot drop boxes and make it illegal to give water to those waiting in line to vote, are unconstitutional and violate the Voting Rights Act. Justice groups are urging sports organizations, like the PGA Tour and Major League Baseball, to reconsider holding upcoming major events in the state. �I have written that the Republican Party seems to have lost its way. Here’s just one example: �It seems that their platform is supporting The Big Lie (the election was stolen) and along with that, as many other smaller lies that deserve their support. They seem unaware that real facts with backup data can be provided to refute their statements but the response is always just to dig in deeper. Its is sometimes deeply discouraging. In an absolutely astonishing example of accountability and FairPlay, the Derek Chauvin trial is being livestreamed. Here’s what happened yesterday on the first day of the trial: Crooked Media: • Opening arguments and testimony began in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin on Monday, before a multiracial jury. The case will hinge on the cause of George Floyd’s death: Prosecutors played the harrowing video of Chauvin suffocating Floyd for jurors during their opening statements, saying that Chauvin used lethal force and Floyd died of oxygen deprivation as a result. The defense argued �that Floyd died as a result of an underlying heart condition, his use of fentanyl, and “the adrenaline flowing through his body.” (The Hennepin County medical examiner concluded that Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes 29 seconds was, in fact, a significant factor in his death.) The prosecution’s first witness was 911 dispatcher Jena Scurry, who said she had a gut feeling that “something wasn’t right” when she realized the camera on Floyd and Chauvin wasn’t frozen, and called a police sergeant. Later, a mixed martial arts fighter who had tried to intervene testified that he believed Chauvin was killing Floyd. The trial is being livestreamed, a first in Minnesota history. At the same time, a number of states seem to be proceeding with their laws to limit sport choices for transsexuals. I read this piece on FB the other day and I’ll try to reconstruct it. A daughter (I think aged 8) asked her father what did the letters LGBTQ stand for. Her grandmother standing nearby said: she doesn’t need to know that. The father got down on his knees and said to his daughter: L stands for Lesbian which is two women who love each other very much; G stands for Gay men which means these men love each other very much; B is for Bi-sexual which means someone who loves both men and women; Q is for Questioning which is someone who isn’t sure whether they love men or women best and T is for Transsexual which is someone who is in one body but feels like they belong in another body - a girl who feels she is really a boy for example. Daddy, said the girl, that’s lovely - all that love. I hope I got it right - I think I captured the essence of it. Oliver. �I think this is that part of Twinkle, twinkle little star, that says: up above the world so high. �Finally, I will leave you with this. It is a billboard on the highway by Holland Michigan which I think is a red (Republican) voting city, which is what makes this significant: � 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_2021-03-30_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-384 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 2021-03-30 Title A name given to the resource Day 384 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/12c9a6819f06a7da41014cd16405cdaa.pdf fbfda0dc3d6e37fc649700bab7472bfd PDF Text Text Day 383. 14 weeks. by windoworks Yorkshire holds its breath as main shipping route of flat caps, whippets and ale is blocked. Ernie Slatherswaite, Master of the vessel told us 'One minute we were fine then a small gust of wind took us. Yorkshire is set to lose upwards of £3.67 a day until the carnage is cleared, which according to Our Uncle Eric in the pub, could take weeks. And many thanks to my friend Merrilyn, who sent me this gem. In the latest news from the Suez Canal: CNN: The massive container ship blocking the Suez Canal and paralyzing global shipping routes has been partially freed after almost a week lodged in the narrow passage. The rear of the vessel was freed from one of the canal's banks, according to the Dutch company working on the refloating operation, but its bow is �still firmly stuck in the sandy clay. Egyptian officials claim crews will try to refloat the ship later today, but other sources warn what’s already been done -- some rotation and the freeing of the back end of the ship -- is the easiest part. Oil prices still dipped upon news of the partial refloating, signaling hope that the blockage, which is costing the canal millions in transit fees every day and holding up billions in cargo among about 350 waiting vessels, will soon be over. There are so many questions regarding how this enormous ship got itself stuck across the Suez Canal. Of course there will be an inquiry and the shipping line may be fined and the 25 person Indian crew may be �fired for incompetence. Its amazing when you think that ship is run by such a small crew, so they must rely on a sophisticated computer system - which begs the question: what massive computer failure caused this? This drama has helped to take our minds off the alarming rising numbers of Covid patients. In the US we have a recorded number of 30.3M cases and 549,000 deaths. Michigan is one of the hottest spots and Kent County is experiencing a lot more cases. Of course Spring Break didn’t help and Easter (this weekend coming) won’t help either. CNN: About 143 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the US, but states are still seeing worrying increases in cases. More than two dozen states are reporting at least a 10% case increase compared to the previous week, and it is likely due to lax safety measures and surges of spring break crowds. In a CNN documentary, Dr. Deborah Birx said after the first surge of coronavirus in the US, the following waves of deaths “could have been mitigated or decreased substantially.” Her admissions, and the observations of other prominent coronavirus authorities, cast a new harsh light on the Trump administration’s coronavirus response. Meanwhile, things are getting worse overseas. Hospitals in Paris are overtaxed as the city battles a new surge, the Philippines has ordered more than 25 million people into lockdown over the Easter holiday, and in Mexico, experts fear the coronavirus death toll could be 60% higher than reported. It is, as I suspected, far from over. In the US there is still a significant number of people who believe steadfastly that the virus is a hoax. They refuse to be vaccinated because they believe any number of truly silly things, such as ‘my DNA will be altered and I’ll turn into an alien’ or ‘you know its just a microchip so the government can control you’. When people have been indoctrinated for more than 4 years and believe that science is trickery, Democratic politicians lie, the virus isn’t real and all elections are rigged - I could go on and on - this proportion of the populace has no alternate firm ground to stand on. Instead they cling to that false firm ground as if their lives depend upon it. That’s a problem that’s literally too hard to solve. My daughter tells me that the Morrison government is hanging on by a thread and a pretty thin thread too. Here’s this snippet from the Guardian: I had only been a politician for a few weeks when I was approached in a Canberra bar and told, ‘The only thing anyone really wants to know about you, Kate, is how many blokes you had to fuck to get into this parliament.’ So goes the arresting opening line of a chapter in former Labor MP Kate Ellis’s book, arriving in bookstores this weekend with the sort of timing publicists dream of – a compendium of the shameful treatment of women in parliament released at a time when we can speak of nothing but. It was, Ellis writes, “the kind of run-of-the-mill sleaze and innuendo which is so common it is almost unremarkable in the culture of federal politics”. �Her book is: Sex, Lies and Question Time by Kate Ellis. I imagine its very interesting reading. I’m including this next piece from CNN, because we all need to be aware. Its part of the 3 steps forward, 2 steps back syndrome. Twenty-eight states are considering bills to restrict the rights of transgender youth, and the passage of such legislation in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas this month has LGTBQ advocates on edge. Last week, Tennessee and Arkansas passed laws restricting transgender participation in school sports, and Mississippi passed a similar law earlier this month. The issue of school sports is one of the common restrictions LGBTQ rights groups are seeing in the more than 60 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation on the table across the country. The other most common type of legislation restricts young trans peoples' access to gender-affirming health care. Years ago I was being interviewed for an article by a young male college student. The interview was scheduled for the end of summer. His professor called me to tell me that during the summer the young man had come out as a woman - would I still like to do the interview? I said yes, and 3 days later I opened the front door to admit a small thin woman in a skirt, tights and t-shirt and thick make up on her face. She had the shadow of a beard and was shy, nervous and very shaky. My overwhelming urge was to gather her up into my arms and tell her it will be all right in the end. I have often thought about her and how she is doing. I hope her life has not been too hard. So here’s the thing: I believe everyone should follow their own heart and instincts. I believe that every person has a right to live as they want and be the person they most want to be. There is one rule which we should all try to follow: first, do no harm. But always: to thine own self be true. I cannot imagine letting anyone else make a decision for me regarding my body and I admire people who make very hard decisions for themselves and their body. Once upon a time, my then hairdresser told me I dressed flamboyantly. I don’t think he meant it as a criticism, I hope he meant it admiringly. I am concerned that the pandemic took that aspect of me away, and with my new short haircut, I am reaching back for that flamboyant me. It makes me feel so much better than drab. Today’s adventure. We are going into a very large grocery store this morning. I’m nervous. There will be another travelogue soon. I’ll keep you posted. But lastly Oliver. �And 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_2021-03-29_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-383 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 2021-03-29 Title A name given to the resource Day 383 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/62be740c84e1523c500dbd277bb7bedc.pdf 0b4b9fcc60c4c581da91d8b5d391780b PDF Text Text Day 382 by windoworks First up, the Ever Given. From New York Times: The very big boat in the Suez Canal is still very much stuck. For days, an armada of tugboats with the power of tens of thousands of horses has been pushing and pulling at the Ever Given. Cranes have been scooping mounds of earth from the shallow areas around the ship’s bow and stern. The rudder has been freed, but the ship has not yet been refloated. Egyptian officials pointed to a combination of factors that were responsible for the Ever Given’s grounding on Tuesday, including weather and human error.Time is of the essence. Nearly 300 cargo ships are waiting to traverse the canal, one of the world’s most critical shipping arteries. Already, analysts estimate the traffic jam has held up nearly $10 billion in trade each day. I believe there is an astounding twitter storm from QAnon about the true cargo of this ship. According to made up sources, the Ever Given’s myriad containers are filled with children being taken to international pedophile rings. Here’s my question for those true believers - have you ever been inside a container? In ones without refrigeration facilities, there is no moving air, no food, no bathroom facilities. The Ever Given wouldn’t be transporting live children by the journeys end. Lets have a reality check here. One of the items that is onboard Ever Given is 100 containers of IKEA goods, and IKEA is not happy. The 400-meter-long and 224,000-tonne container ship Ever Given, is almost as long as the Empire State Building. In a setback for global trade, officials stopped all ships entering the Suez Canal channel on Thursday. The blockage has affected the daily movement of goods worth an estimated USD 9.6 billion, according to data from Lloyd's List. A number of ships have reversed out of the Suez Canal and are now sailing down the coast of Africa, an area famous for pirates. Some US Navy boats are accompanying them. This will take 41 days to sail via the Cape. Suez to Amsterdam at 12 knots is just over 13 days via the canal. �This gives you an idea of the long journey to reach the Mediterranean when the Suez Canal is out of commission. Next from NYT: Nearly a week after a man walked into a supermarket in Boulder, Colo., and killed 10 people, investigators say they are still searching to understand a motive. Ahmad Alissa, 21, who has been charged in the mass shooting, came from an immigrant family that had achieved many of the outward signs of success. But the family’s life was not without troubles in the two decades since leaving Syria for a new home in the Rocky Mountains. The Boulder attack was the second U.S. mass shooting in a week, once again leaving Democrats and Republicans in a stalemate over gun control measures. Public health experts say a new round of federal research could pave the way for gun policies that avoid partisan gridlock — and ultimately save thousands of lives. �Hmmm What else? Oh the virus. New York Times: More than one-third of U.S. adults — about 90 million people — have received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine. Nearly every state has announced that it will meet President Joe Biden’s directive to make all adults eligible by May 1. Only two states — Arkansas and New York — have not laid out their timeline for universal eligibility. Wyoming has also not said when all adults will be able to get the shot, but 20 of the state’s 23 counties now allow them to. �The exact threshold for herd immunity for the coronavirus is unknown, but recent estimates range from 70 percent to 90 percent. If the U.S. can continue at the current rate of vaccination, about 2.68 million doses per day on average, that point could be reached by mid-July. Case numbers remain high — an average of 60,545 cases per day over the past week — so coronavirus testing remains essential. But things are really dreadful in Brazil: again from New York Times: Brazil is facing the most new Covid-19 cases and deaths in the world. Every hour, roughly 125 people there die from the virus. The virus has killed more than 300,000 people in the country, a crisis fueled by a highly contagious variant, political infighting and conspiracy theories. Hospitals are overwhelmed with a torrent of Covid-19 patients who are arriving younger and sicker. “We have never seen a failure of the health system of this magnitude,” the executive director of Doctors Without Borders in Brazil said. “And we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.” Wow! So we’re doing okay then. And meanwhile, in Atlanta: NPR:An unusually furry NASCAR employee started work this past weekend. A black Lab named Dixie nosed her way along a line of people waiting to get into the garage ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. “She’s going to come by and sniff your left hand. If she licks it and you’re offended, there’s hand sanitizer up front,” a NASCAR staff member told people waiting in line, according to a video NASCAR sent WFAE. Dixie wore a bright orange collar, wagging her tail excitedly as her handler led her on a leash from person to person. Dixie stuck her snout against each person’s hand for 5 to 10 seconds and gave a few affectionate licks to those who scratched her head. Dixie is one of three COVID-sniffing dogs, trained by a collection of companies called 360 K9 Group, that screened about 1,000 NASCAR pit crew members and staff at the Atlanta race. She’s trained to “alert” or sit down when she detects the disease caused by the coronavirus. The dogs allow us to rapidly screen — and, essentially, test — that essential population before they go into the garage, in one location, in a very rapid amount of time,” said Tom Bryant, NASCAR’s managing director of racing operations, in an interview with WFAE in advance of Sunday’s race. Dogs are super sniffers with a sense of smell up to 100,000 times more acute than that of humans.“Their world, the primary input is through their nose,” said William Schneider, the chief scientific officer for F1K9, one of the organizations involved in training the dogs for NASCAR. Canines have been trained to find specific scents for a long time. Hunting dogs track certain animal smells. Bomb-sniffing dogs search for explosives. Drug-sniffing dogs can detect narcotics. Some dogs have even been trained to sniff out certain cancers or bacteria. �How cool is that? Maybe they should use these dogs at airports. This morning it is another grey day. Michigan is famous for grey days and grey days don’t help at all in a pandemic. Over the years, Craig has had quite a number of students suffering SAD (seasonal affective disorder). One solution is to purchase a daylight lamp which mimics sunshine. In winter and spring, cloudy days turn the whole world grey. When we first moved here, my sister-in-law in Canada advised me to buy a flowering plant and put it on the kitchen windowsill. I bought African Violets. Over the years the number of plants on my windowsill has ranged from 3 - 7 or 8, depending on their health state. Visitors have commented on the profusion of blooms in the kitchen and they have always raised my spirits. I have 4 at the moment and 3 have just blossomed after months of stagnation. I am coaxing the 4th into blooming. I am a great believer in talking lovingly and encouragingly to house plants - and even garden plants. Everything does better when they’re appreciated. In a few weeks I will give all my plants to neighbors and friends. Yet another step towards leaving the US. The last day in Mongolia. Day 14. �Gobi Dream Ger Camp from around 6am. The tracks in the dirt you can see are actually a major Gobi highway. That’s confronting. �Inside Craig’s ger. Surprisingly comfortable and this one even had its own private bathroom - shower, toilet and basin. Such luxury. �Visiting a nomad camp and learning about Mongolian cooking. The women were cooking a �noodle dish. �Next, there was a cultural show. This performer demonstrated Mongolian throat singing. In �Tuvan throat singing, the performer produces a fundamental pitch and—simultaneously— one or more pitches over that. The history of Tuvan throat singing reaches far back. Many male herders can throat sing, but women are beginning to practice the technique as well. The popularity of throat singing among Tuvans seems to have arisen as a result of geographic location and culture. The open landscape of Tuva allows for the sounds to carry a great distance. Often, singers travel far into the countryside looking for the right river, or go up to the steppes of the mountainside to create the proper environment for throatsinging. Wikipedia. Authors note: you can find examples of throat singing online. Children performing the camel dance. �These performers wore traditional Mongolian dress. The woman also sang. �Later that day the group flew back to Ulaanbaatar for one last night in a hotel. Craig flew home early the next morning. At the airport he saw a statue of an ancient Mongolian soldier. The airport was named Chinggis Khan International airport, of course. So ends the Mongolian adventure. �Sometimes �Oliver makes me laugh. Today we saw a wonderful video clip of Oliver playing a piano book. I’m sorry I can’t share it with you. Tomorrow is another day. � 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_2021-03-28_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-382 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 2021-03-28 Title A name given to the resource Day 382 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/887bb82abf029e1e52af6beddf2f0c16.pdf d0d0b374be7bb7c2be2d2fdc20fc55ae PDF Text Text Day 381. Saturday March 27. by windoworks We’re almost at the end of March! Every day I catch myself thinking things like: what will our bedroom look like in July? What sort of porch furniture will the buyers have? I’m calling them the buyers because its just over a week until we close. Its a split closing. The buyers will close at 1pm on Monday April 5, somewhere in Detroit. We will close at 3pm somewhere in an office on Plainfield. There are so many details to think about. The house across the road from us was sold on Monday, 4 days after the showing. There’s a big SOLD sign on top of the For Sale sign - but surely the sale is still pending? It takes 4-6 weeks to close on a house, unless there were no inspections, no appraisal and the buyer paid in cash. I am watching in interest. From April 5 we are renting our house back from the buyers. How weird does that feel? Craig took out renters insurance for the 3 months, so we’re covered for any accidents etc. Yesterday, this popped up on my FB page from the City of Grand Rapids : This was forwarded on from the State of Michigan Health & Human Services. We do get tornadoes touching down in Michigan. Last year we had 3, but while there was damage it was nothing compared to the last 2 weeks in the southern states. Still, its good to be prepared. Our safe shelter is our basement and when the siren sounds we have to go down there and stay down there until the siren stops. They run a test on all the sirens across the state on the first Friday of the month at 12 noon precisely. The test runs for 2 minutes. Each siren which is situated at the top of a high pole rotates during the 2 minutes - which is why the sound alternates between louder and softer. �I remember the first time I heard a practice siren. It was really scary to my uneducated ears. Then, not long after we had moved into our house and on a day Craig was at school, there was a siren sounding on a day that wasn’t the first Friday and wasn’t at 12 noon. I remember standing on the back porch and shouting across to my neighbor John through his kitchen window: what is that? He told me to go inside because it was a tornado warning. The first time the sirens sounded in the middle of the night was in summer and we had the air conditioner going in our bedroom. I remember waking up and saying to Craig: turn off the a/c, I think I can hear a siren. Sure enough, the siren was sounding and outside the wind and rain were lashing the house. We got up and ran downstairs and Craig said: I’m just going outside to have a look. He wanted to sit on the porch and watch in case it came down our street but I made him come back inside. The next morning when we were talking about it with our neighbors they said: you did what?? And then pointed out that by the time you see the tornado coming, its too late to go to safety. A couple of years ago, there was another tornado siren before we went to bed, so Craig and I and the dog went down into the basement while the rain and wind lashed the house. Suddenly the siren stopped and so did the rain and wind. We went back upstairs and out onto the front porch. 30 seconds later, our neighbor John came out of hiss basement door, shone a bright flashlight at us and shouted: get back in the basement! It isn’t over yet! So down we went to the basement and the siren and the wind and rain started up again. When the siren stopped again, we went back upstairs and out on to the front porch and asked John, who was standing on his front porch: can we come out now and he said yes. It appears that when we came up the first time it was the eye of the storm. I must add that our dog Murphy was very unsettled by the whole experience and she never liked the basement anyway. Here’s a interesting thought and actually a few friends can attest to its truth: �Last night we were talking to my brother and his wife who live in Campbell River on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. They are getting the first Pfizer shot on Tuesday but won’t get the second shot for 2-3 months time. Canada is struggling to get sufficient vaccine supplies. My brother is almost 79 and I am so surprised that he hasn’t been fully vaccinated already. This is the one thing that the US is doing well. More and more of my friends are either fully vaccinated or in the process of being vaccinated. It does take perseverance to get that first shot though. My brother told us that British Columbia is struggling with increasing cases of both the UK variant and the Brazilian one. In Brazil, things have gone from worse to catastrophic and what anti vaxxers here in the US refuse to understand is that unvaccinated people greatly increase the risk of more surges because the virus has lots �of fresh meat to infect. Here’s what’s happening in Kent County, where yesterday Dr Adam London, the Chief Medical Officer told us to hunker down. Yesterday we had 298 new confirmed cases. These include patients who were taken to hospital. The true number for the day was probably closer to 900, many of whom are asymptomatic. When you look at the graphs for Kent County and Michigan, Kent is slowly rising but Michigan is sharply rising. The new cases are almost exclusively people aged between 30 and 50 years of age. For us aged 65+ there are very few new cases as those in this age group are getting vaccinated as soon as possible. And just to remind you of two things: initially Pfizer and Moderna thought they would be able to offer 50% protection from the virus. Imagine their astonishment when the results showed protection in the 90%s. Secondly, the 5% uncovered means you could still become infected BUT the resulting illness would be much milder and not result in hopsnitilation or death. Look at this new development - oh I so want one! NPR New Yorkers will become the first Americans to try out a new digital pass that shows their vaccination status and COVID-19 test results. It's an effort to help venues open up to larger groups, says New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo announced Friday that the state's health status certification, called the Excelsior Pass, will help New Yorkers voluntarily share vaccination and COVID-19 negative statuses with entertainment venues and other businesses to put the state's economy back on track. The state describes the pass this way: Businesses and venues can scan and validate your pass to ensure you meet any COVID-19 vaccination or testing requirements for entry. Along with your Pass, you'll be asked to show a photo ID that shows your name and birth date to verify that the Pass belongs to you. Adults may hold passes for accompanying minors. Once you and your party enter an establishment, you will still be asked to follow State and CDC guidance regarding social distancing, face coverings and hand hygiene. Participation in Excelsior Pass is voluntary. New Yorkers can always show alternate proof of vaccination or testing, like another mobile application or paper form, directly at a business or venue. And now, the second last day of Craig’s Mongolian adventure. To remind you: this was a gig for Craig. He lectured every day and in every place they visited. Day 13 �Craig went for a walk from their ger camp early in the morning at 6am and took this photo of the Gobi pastureland. There is such sparse grass that only camels can survive there. The little building shows the vastness of the Gobi. �After breakfast the group were driven to a deep gorge where nomadic armies used to hide �in and then successfully ambush Chinese armies. The gorge is so deep the sun doesn’t reach in, so ice remains right through the summer. �Gorge �selfie Petroglyphs carved on the side of a tall, rocky mountain . Hundreds of petroglyphs had been carved by nomadic groups over thousands of years. This scene shows Xiongnu horsemen with their double curved bows hunting wild animals. It dates from the first century. The Xiongnu were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BCE to the late 1st century CE. Chinese sources report that Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 BCE, founded the Xiongnu Empire. Wikipedia. �As you can see it was a long steep climb to get to the petroglyphs, which only a few of the group managed. Their inaccessibility has helped to preserve them. This is a view of the Gobi from the petroglyph mountain. One last day of Mongolia tomorrow. Are you wondering how our first excursion went? Very well. The museum was very safe and well organized and the exhibits were wonderful. Afterwards we drove to the downtown park to eat our first take out lunch in almost a year. It was such a glimpse of what life used to be and it was exhilarating and exhausting. Our daughter asked us what was our next excursion - we haven’t decided yet, but we’re thinking. Oliver. I have some wonderful videos of Oliver but I just can’t post them in this blog. �Reading a book with Great Aunt Bernie. �� 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_2021-03-27_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-381 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 2021-03-27 Title A name given to the resource Day 381 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/7fc5fc663373bdae79d903f5fc981042.pdf ce0202ff21ad8f50c135d75f1cbfd182 PDF Text Text Day 380 by windoworks This was posted online yesterday morning: WASHINGTON POST An outbreak of severe weather, including the likelihood of strong tornadoes, is set to slam the South on Thursday after a barrage of roughly 50 tornadoes tore through the region last week. The National Weather Service has declared a rare level 5 out of 5 “high risk” of severe thunderstorms, highlighting a volatile atmospheric setup with the potential to yield widespread and destructive storms. The high-risk zone includes Huntsville, Ala., and Tupelo, Miss. It is surrounded by a larger zone, which includes Memphis, Nashville, and Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Ala., where the threat is rated at level 4 out of 5 and there is also a serious risk for severe weather. As if the pandemic wasn’t enough. �These are just two of the photos of destruction. I’m sure more will appear over the next couple of days. �Apparently extremely gullible. And here’s what happened in Georgia yesterday. Along with Texas, there’s a state I have no wish to ever visit again. • CNN: Republicans in Georgia have passed a sweeping elections bill that voting rights advocates say is a bald-faced attempt at voter suppression. The new law imposes new voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, empowers state officials to take over local elections boards, limits the use of ballot drop boxes and makes it a crime to approach voters in line to give them food and water. The law is seen as a win for former President Trump and his allies, who falsely claimed widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election. Trump himself pressured Georgia leaders to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the state. President Biden has called bills like this “sick” and “un-American.” Other Republican-led states are �considering similar voter suppression bills, sparking calls for federal legislation to set a national baseline for voting rules. I am astounded by these actions happening in 43 states. The Democrats, lawmakers and voters, worked so extraordinarily hard to win the last election and instead of saying (even ungraciously) okay - you won, the Republicans have lied, actively encouraged an insurrection, and continued to lie and sow dissention. And when that didn’t lead to them getting the upper hand, they have begun introducing and attempting to pass extremely rigid and unfair bills regarding voting rights and practices. All I can do is wring my hands and wail at this blatant grab for power. Trump’s legacy is a hideous one which will live on. Once Pandora’s Box is opened you can’t stuff those evils back inside. To explain: Pandora is a woman of Greek mythology. Its a long story, but here’s the nub - she had been given a vessel as a gift but instructed never to open it. So of course, eventually, she decided just to take a peek. Out flew all the evils in the world and she hastily shut the lid again - trapping hope inside. I think thats an apt parable for today, don’t you think? So here’s a story from New York Times thats causing a global catastrophe: This photo shows the manmade Suez Canal which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, dividing Africa and Asia. CAIRO — As tugboats strained against the weight of the mammoth ship and dredgers worked to clear sand and mud, a salvage company working on the operation warned on Thursday that releasing the �container vessel blocking traffic in the Suez Canal in Egypt could take days or even weeks. Dozens of ships laden with oil and goods destined for ports around the world are stranded in the canal, and with each passing hour, the economic cost of the disruption grows more consequential. The stuck ship, the Ever Given, has been wedged in the canal since running aground amid the heavy winds of a sandstorm on Tuesday. Its bow is lodged in the canal’s eastern bank and its stern in the western bank. As you can see from the photo above, the ship has effectively cut off all traffic in the Canal and the financial implications are enormous. Experts literally do not know how to set the ship free. It is another grey day with the promise of some sun this afternoon. This morning Craig and I are going on an excursion to Muskegon, to visit the Muskegon Art Museum. There is an Ansel Adams photography exhibition on at the moment. We are buying take out gluten free bagel sandwiches from Terra Bagels (our first take out in almost a year!) to eat for lunch after our museum visit. Its very exciting and just a little bit scary. We haven’t been inside anywhere apart from medical buildings and grocery stores for over a year! Oh, and this just in from Washington Post: Fox News has been sued by Dominion Voting for $1.6 billion over election fraud claims. It's the second voting-systems company to file suit against Fox over the bogus allegations aired by President Donald Trump's allies after the 2020 election. In the suit, filed in a Delaware court, Dominion argued that the Fox and several of its on-air personalities elevated conspiracy theories about the voting company rigging the 2020 election and allowed falsehoods by their guests to go unchecked, including a wild claim that the company’s machines were manufactured in “Venezuela to rig elections for the dictator Hugo Chávez” and that Dominion’s algorithm manipulated votes so that then-President Trump would lose. “Fox engaged in this knowing and reckless propagation of these enormous falsehoods in order to profit off these lies,” reads the lawsuit. “Fox wanted to continue to protect its broadcast ratings, catering to an audience deeply loyal to President Trump.” I wonder if Fox News has enough money to pay out these suits to stop them going to trial. Hmmm. So, Mongolia. Day 12. Very early the next morning (4am) our group flew for a couple of hours south to Dalandzagad in the Gobi. Gobi is a Mongol word for pastureland where the vegetation is so sparse it can only support Batrium camels. If the Gobi is overgrazed it turns into desert. �Our group had a different team of drivers but the same kitchen truck and cook. Here’s the group having lunch – pickled vegetables, salads, some meat, chocolate and a variety of teas. �Then everyone rode Bactrium camels across the Gobi for an hour. Here’s Craig on his camel.The Bactrian camel, also known as the Mongolian camel or domestic Bactrian camel, is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of Central Asia. It has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped dromedary camel. Wikipedia �After Craig’s ride he climbed a huge sand dune and took this photo of others in the party. �In the evening the group drove to the Flaming Cliffs. It was in these sandstone mountains that most of Mongolia’s dinosaur fossils have been found, perfectly preserved. After sunset the group drove back to their ger camp. Authors note: what purpose do camels humps serve? A camel's hump does not hold water at all – it actually stores fat. The camel uses it as nourishment when food is scarce. If a camel uses the fat inside the hump, the hump will become limp and droop down. … The hump is not used for water storage, but camels can go for long periods of time without water. So now you know. And time for Oliver: ��Stay safe. Numbers keep climbing in Michigan. Get tested and if you can, get vaccinated. Being fully vaccinated literally begins to open up your life in a safer way. 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_2021-03-26_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-380 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 2021-03-26 Title A name given to the resource Day 380 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/327a3e09d283f42bae05651908fa490c.pdf 4a49905bcaa1a4312935c38a506c594c PDF Text Text Day 379 by windoworks I’m running late with writing this morning because.... I went to the hairdresser after 6 months (!) and had my hair cut and highlighted!! Amazing how exciting that outing was. First up, crooked Media hitting the nail on the head, as always. As Republicans walk around screaming that the Biden administration inherited a perfect immigration system and created an appalling border crisis, here are a couple of key things to know: Firstly, the Biden transition team started sounding the alarm about the need for more shelter space for migrant kids back in early December, but the Trump administration did nothing about it until days before the Inauguration. Secondly, there’s…not actually a crisis. A Washington Post analysis of monthly CPB data going back to 2012 found that the current increase in apprehensions at the border fits a predictable pattern of more �border crossings at this time of year, combined with migrants who would have come earlier, but for the pandemic. Are kids being held for too long in unfit DHS facilities? Absolutely, and we shouldn’t look away until that problem is solved and a better long-term system is put in place. But it’s not a problem the Biden administration created, nor is it the result of a policy-driven surge. Here is some sobering news from far away: NPR: Days of torrential rain have spawned massive flooding in eastern Australia, forcing the evacuation of some 40,000 people. In the country's arid central section, it has sent waterfalls down the side of the country's majestic Uluru rocks. Barely a year after devastating bushfires burned through tens of millions of acres in Australia, the country is grappling with one of its worst-ever floods after weather systems converged over Queensland and New South Wales, dumping more than 20 inches of rain in a single day in one area north of Brisbane. Meanwhile, one area of New South Wales received nearly 40 inches in a week — which Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said had already exceeded the average autumn rainfall less than a month into the season. The floods, which have submerged houses, stranded cattle and cut off towns, have inundated vast areas along the east coast from roughly Mackay, located about 600 miles north of Brisbane in Queensland, to Bega in New South Wales, some 260 miles south of Sydney. The premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, said Wednesday that residents in Sydney's western regions are under new evacuation orders. �A local resident paddles along a flooded street in the Sydney suburb of McGraths Hill on Wednesday. What we still have to be aware of is the fact that thousands and thousands of people are still on evacuation warnings, that the rivers will continue to swell, that catchments will continue to experience flows of water not seen in 50 years and in some places 100 years," she told reporters in Sydney, Reuters reports. On Wednesday, the bodies of two men were recovered from flooded vehicles. One man, 25, died when his car was submerged in northwest Sydney. He reached an emergency operator and was on the line for 44 minutes until contact was lost, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. �Multiple waterfalls from heavy rains cascade over the rock formations at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory, Australia, earlier this week. Near Alice Springs in central Australia, tourists have flocked to Uluru, also known Ayers Rock, to catch a rare glimpse of cascading waterfalls at the reddish-orange rock formation. Park officials say 46 millimeters (1.8 inches) of rain fell there over the weekend – about a sixth of the average annual rainfall in the region. While the event isn't unprecedented, it is uncommon. "Rainwater on the rock's surface causes it to change colour. From dark burgundy to shining silver and even black, every side of Uluru takes a different shade, making this spectacle a photographer's delight. Following the rain, desert plants bloom and many animals emerge to mate and feed," staff at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park said on Facebook. The Warragamba Dam, located on the western outskirts of Sydney, has been spilling the equivalent of the city's famous harbor in water each day. It's expected to continue its overflow for at least another week, threatening highly populated areas, Morrison said. "We advise that the rain and flood situation does remain dynamic and extremely complex," he said. The gun debate is heating up again. From New York Times: More guns mean more deaths Republican members of Congress often claim otherwise. After the Boulder shootings, John Thune of South Dakota, the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, dismissed calls for restricting gun availability, saying, “There’s not a big appetite among our members to do things that would appear to be addressing it, but actually don’t do anything to fix the problem.” But there is overwhelming evidence that this country has a �unique problem with gun violence, mostly because it has unique gun availability. It’s not just that every other high-income country in the world has many fewer guns and many fewer gun deaths. It’s also that U.S. states with fewer guns — like California, Illinois, Iowa and much of the Northeast — have fewer gun deaths. And when state or local governments have restricted gun access, deaths have often declined, Michael Siegel of Boston University’s School of Public Health says. ��And here’s an image that speaks louder than words: Heather Cox Richardson’s daily pieces are always worth reading. Here’s a little from yesterday’s post: After former President Donald Trump tweeted that his supporters should travel to Washington, D.C., on January 6 for a rally that “will be wild!,” Kelly Meggs, a member of the Oath Keepers, wrote on Facebook: “He wants us to make it WILD that’s what he’s saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!! Gentlemen we are heading to DC pack your s***!!” In a series of messages, Meggs went on to make plans with another individual for an attack on the process of counting the electoral votes. On December 25, Meggs told his correspondent that “Trumps staying in, he’s Gonna use the emergency �broadcast system on cell phones to broadcast to the American people. Then he will claim the insurrection act…. Then wait for the 6th when we are all in DC to insurrection.” And then..... In the 19 days after the election, Trump and the Republican National Committee took in more than $207 million, prompted mostly by their claims of election fraud. John Horgan, who runs the Violent Extremism Research Group at Georgia State University, told Smith that “Trump successfully convinced many of his followers that unless they acted, and acted fast, their very way of life was about to come to an end…. He presented a catastrophic scenario whereby if the election was — for him — lost, his followers would suffer as a result. He made action not just imperative, but urgent, convincing his followers that they needed to do everything they could now, rather than later, to prevent the ‘enemy’ from claiming victory.” And also.... On Monday, (Sydney) Powell argued that “no reasonable person would conclude” that her statements about a scheme to rig the election “were truly statements of fact.” Eric Wilson, a Republican political technologist, explained away the Big Lie to NBC News’s Smith: “[T]here are a lot of dumb people in the world…. And a lot of them stormed the Capitol on January 6th.” And yet, 147 Republicans—8 senators and 139 representatives—signed onto the Big Lie, voting to sustain objections to the counting of the electoral votes on January 6. Finally.... Rather than trying to pass popular measures to make up the ground they have lost, Republicans are trying to suppress voting. By mid-February, in 43 states, Republicans had introduced 253 bills to restrict voting. Today, Republicans in Michigan introduced 39 more such bills. In at least 8 states, Republicans are trying to gain control over elections, taking power from nonpartisan election boards, secretaries of state, and governors. Had their systems been in place in 2020, Republicans could have overturned the will of the voters. To stop these state laws, Democrats are trying to pass a sweeping federal voting rights bill, the For the People Act, which would protect voting, make it easier to vote, end gerrymandering, and get dark money out of politics. The bill has already passed the House, but Republicans in the Senate are fighting it with all they’ve got. And the final word goes to... Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told them: “This is infuriating. I would like to ask my Republican colleagues: Why are you so afraid of democracy? Why, instead of trying to win voters over that you lost in the last election, are you trying to prevent them from voting?” �Here’s great example of Republicans duty of care: To cheer you up: �Time for Day 11 in Mongolia �A new view from Craig’s new hotel room, looking in the other direction. Below you can see a wedding palace on the right, a monastery up and to the left and behind, a glimpse of Sukhbaatar Square – the center of Ulaanbaatar . �This temple is the Choijiin Lama temple, part of the Choijiin Buddhist Monastery that could be seen from Graig’s hotel room. The complex consists of six temples originally occupied by the brother of the ruler the Eighth Bogd Jetsun �Dampa Khan, Choijin Lama Luvsankhaidav, who was the state oracle and 'Precious Wisdom and Clear Devotion' Khutugtu at the time. The complex was begun in 1904 and completed in 1908, in honor of the State Oracle Lama Lubsanhaidub /Losang Kedrup/, brother of the eighth Bogd Khan.Wikipedia �Next the group visited the Gandan monastery- the most important Buddhist site in the country. It houses this giant golden Buddha statue, several stories high.The original statue, made of copper, was built after appeals to the �Mongolian public; its intent was to restore the sight of the 8th Jebtsundamba, also known as Bogd Khan), who had claimed the title of Emperor of Mongolia. The statue was built by Bogd Javzandamba's principal minister, Chin Wan Khanddorj. Russian troops dismantled the original statue in 1938.After the end of the Soviet era, the statue of Avalokiteśvara was rebuilt in 1996, funded by donations by the Mongolian people. It features 2,286 precious stones and is gilded with gold leaf.Wikipedia Tomorrow the group sets off for the next part of their road trip across Mongolia Oliver and his father, Christian. On Thursdays Zoe goes in to the office and then goes out for dinner with friends after work. So Christian picks Oliver up from daycare, brings him home to Zoe’s house, feds him, baths him, puts him to bed and babysits until Zoe comes home. ���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_2021-03-25_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-379 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 2021-03-25 Title A name given to the resource Day 379 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/a9c700f9ccadd47bbfb93a52ab413e50.pdf 9bd4ed86c79803d1aadc4a2e86a9c2a8 PDF Text Text Day 378 by windoworks There is a huge ongoing discussion about honey bees being in danger of extinction. From what I’ve read, that’s an oversimplification. Because we love honey so much, we have overwhelmed other bee species with large numbers of hives. As you can see from the above, honey bees need to be more aggressive than other bees to gather enough pollen and nectar to produce honey. Now everyone is worried that without honey bees, crops such as corn etc., won’t be pollinated. But its not so much the ordinary (is that a word you can use with bees?) honey bee that pollinates crops - it is more likely to be the native honey bees. AGDaily: The truth is that there are eight species of bees that have been placed on the endangered list: different species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees in 2016 and, more recently, the Rusty patched bumble bee. Honey bees, and other species, are not on this list, nor have they ever been. The causes for the loss of �the aforementioned endangered bee species are widely believed to be due to habitat loss, natural disasters, and invasive species. And from the EPA: Colony Collapse Disorder is the phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen. Once thought to pose a major long term threat to bees, reported cases of CCD have declined substantially over the last five years. This is a photo of a mini meadow - one that you could have in your back garden, Craig and I are quite keen on mini meadows - but they take quite a bit of hard work to establish. FYI, meadows are great for all bees and other wildlife. Craig faithfully followed the advice Monty Don gave us on last year’s Gardeners World, a British gardening show on Friday nights which helped to keep our spirits up through some of the worst days of the pandemic. Our meadow is still in its infant stage. Each week, Monty and his team would show us how to grow and maintain any size of garden, including windowsill pots. They asked people to send in clips of their gardening efforts and they were utterly overwhelmed with submissions, from all over Britain and all around the world. Each week they showed a number of submissions and we marveled at lush gardens in pots on thick concreted front yards; spectacular Asian delicacies grown in homemade glasshouses; children’s vegetable gardens; sustaining gardens on shed roofs and barges - the list goes on and on. Each week the presenters acknowledged the �pandemic but lifted us up with gardening possibilities. Presenters with extra time on their hands transformed their own gardens completely (and showed us step by step how to do it). We ached with sympathy when one of Monty’s beloved dogs, Nigel, died. Monty was inconsolable. Then Nell, his second Golden Retriever, had an accident fetching a stick and Monty thought he was going to lose her too. Thankfully Nell recovered and Monty got another dog, Patti, a dear little Yorkshire Terrier. The dogs follow him all around the huge garden and always feature heavily in each episode. I’m telling you this because last night Craig and I watched the first episode of Gardeners World for 2021. So many people took refuge in gardens and plants in 2020. Flowers, bees, birds and our own grown fruits and vegetables lifted our spirits in some of the darkest days. Last night Monty showed us how to plant chili seeds and will guide us through planting out and harvesting. He also showed us the best way to ensure an ongoing crop of broad beans and promised to guide us step by step, in successful potato growing in containers as well as garden beds. I am looking forward to another year of delights from Gardeners World. In news stories: the gun debate is once again on the table as is the Second Amendment which some gun owners say specifically allows every citizen to own any number of guns for no reason whatsoever. In the military coup in Myanmar, at least 275 people have been killed and up to 2,400 people have been jailed. The bias in news outlets in the US leans heavily towards negative, following the old adage ‘If it bleeds, it leads’. North Korea tested 2 short range missiles in an opening salvo to the Biden/Harris Administration. Finally, Sydney Powell’s defense in her pending lawsuit brought by Dominion (voting machines) is, and I quote: No reasonable person would conclude that the (my) statements were truly statements of fact’. Ladies and gentlemen, the defense rests. For more on gun control, here’s this from Crooked Media: We know stricter gun control would save lives, we know Americans overwhelmingly want it, and we know that while simply whispering the words “voter fraud” dishonestly into the wind is enough to launch hundreds of voter-suppression bills, no number of real mass shootings in a week will convince Republicans to take action. Until Democrats resolve to do so without them, we’re stuck with the national “normal” Barack Obama described: “We should be able to live our lives without wondering if the next trip outside our home could be our last. We should. But in America, we can’t.” And here’s another light at the end of the tunnel moment from Crooked Media: Oakland, CA has become the latest city to launch a universal basic income pilot program, which will allocate $500 per month to low-income families. �Bloomberg says that so far 128M doses have been administered in the US, at an average of 2.50M doses a day. Australia has 286K doses given, enough for 0.6% of the population. In New Zealand, 27K doses given, enough to cover 0.3% of the population. Hmmm. From the New York Times: Biden’s advisers are preparing a set of proposals intended to reshape the U.S. economy and other parts of American life. If they pass, they will almost certainly have a more lasting effect on people’s lives than the virus-relief bill that Biden signed two weeks ago. And while the proposals include measures on health care and taxes, they are broader — more diffuse, a critic might say — than the top priorities of other recent presidents. During last year’s campaign, Biden described the package with the phrase “build back better.” It is an attempt to create a more prosperous, equal and sustainable economy. It’s the Democratic Party’s answer to decades of rising inequality and growing damage from climate change. Infrastructure. The centerpiece of the package is a set of proposals to improve the country’s infrastructure, including money for roads, bridges, broadband access and energy-efficient houses and electric cars. Many of the infrastructure provisions are “directly related to the fight against climate change,” our colleague Jim Tankersley told us. “Administration officials essentially see those two goals — building out 21st century infrastructure and transitioning to a low-carbon future — as inseparable.” Education. Biden wants to expand public education on both ends of the age spectrum. His plan is likely to make pre-K universal for both 3- and 4-year-olds, through federal funding of local programs, and would increase funding for community colleges. The ultimate goal is to move the public-education system from its current K-12 system to something that starts at age 3 and extends through two years of college. Child payments and paid leave. The virus-relief bill included a few large items to help middle-class and poor families — but they all expire in the next year or so. This new package would extend a monthly child payment that starts at $250 per child for most families, as well as a big expansion of paid family leave. These provision would significantly reduce both economic and racial inequalities. Health care. Biden’s plan would expand Obamacare by extending several two-year provisions in the virusrelief bill, The Times’s Margot Sanger-Katz says. It would cut costs for nearly every family that receives coverage through the law and expand subsidies to some making more than $100,000 a year. �Back to Mongolia. Day 10 �Very early the next morning Craig climbed a high hill in the Hustai National Park. On the summit there was cairn with Buddhist prayer flags draped all over it . �Next the group started driving back towards Ulaanbaatar on the last day of this first road trip. There are very few roads in Mongolia and the drivers drove across grass steppe and arid plains in the 4 wheel drive vehicles. They drove very fast and Craig snapped this photo out of his car window. �A shot through the front windscreen �Just outside of the park there was a visit to a Turkic Memorial from about the 7th century. Here again are Balbals honoring slain enemies, stretching across the steppe. �On the way back to the hotel, the group visited the Hunnu Mall. Mongolia has one of the great dinosaur collections in the world which were mostly discovered in the Gobi region. Because the National History Museum was under renovation, many perfect dinosaur remains were housed in this mall. �The next two nights were spent resting and relaxing in Ulaanbaatar before heading to the Gobi. That first evening before dinner the group drove up Zaisan hill in the heart of the city to view the Soviet Era murals.The Zaisan Memorial is a memorial in the southern area of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar that honors allied Mongolian and Soviet soldiers killed in World War II. Wikipedia More Mongolia tomorrow. Oliver ��And lastly (and I’m embarrassed by this) someone sent me a video of hummingbirds yesterday which came into my inbox when I was walking at Millenium Park - and I accidentally deleted it before I read it. If you are reading this and you sent it to me - could you please send it again and tag it with your name? Thanks. � 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_2021-03-24_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-378 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 2021-03-24 Title A name given to the resource Day 378 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/355decad81f29634aa1b69835aa5ab70.pdf c3e904cc759e2986833cf7adc451fad4 PDF Text Text Day 377 by windoworks It is a gloomy, threatening day. The high today will be 70F (21C). I think today marks the last day of unusually high March temperatures. I have noticed some trees with leaf buds already - so Spring really is here. Although, this appeared in my FB feed yesterday: Well thats never happened before. The other day Craig was listening to NPR and the program was discussing Grand Rapid’s success with addressing storm water issues. Driving around Grand Rapids (as we have done for the past year) we noticed many preserved marsh areas. At the moment my favorite place to walk is Huff Park, a marsh area with boardwalks above the marsh and, depending on the weather, lots of �birds singing happily. Oh and on the topic of birds - if you put out bird seed, especially in the plastic holders, you must clean them between refills. Apparently birds are contracting diseases from the seed holders and it is endangering wildlife. This is the first year I won’t be putting out hummingbird feeders. Last year the hummingbirds drank the nectar almost faster than I could refill it. I did get a great deal of enjoyment watching all the birds that came to our feeding station - a real plus in the darkest days of the pandemic. Have you noticed friends and neighbors planning events for as soon as everyone is fully vaccinated? Its the new rule of thumb and it honestly gladdens my heart. There will still be masks and hand washing and some distancing. but what an encouraging development. However, in some parts of the world, things are not going so well: CNN In Brazil, hospitals are near collapse and the country reported spiking case numbers over the last week. No Brazilian states have ICU occupancy rates below 70%, and only two have occupancy below 80%. Thankfully, the first batch of coronavirus vaccines sent through the COVAX program arrived in Brazil yesterday. India is also seeing ominous numbers. Infections there have been increasing for almost a week, and the latest numbers mark the biggest case rise since November. And even though I said I didn’t have the energy to keep up with current events, here are some items worth noting: Washington Post:The Supreme Court will consider restoring the Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev carried out the deadly 2013 attack with his brother, Tamerlan, who was later killed in a shootout with police. An appeals court determined the judge in Tsarnaev’s trial did not adequately vet potential jurors for bias and ordered a new penalty-phase trial to determine whether Tsarnaev should be executed. Hmm. Well that’s interesting but wait! What about this? Its huge: Washington Post: Evanston, Ill., approves nation’s first government reparations program for African Americans. The $10 million program will acknowledge historic harm caused by discriminatory housing policies, practices and inaction going back more than a century. Homeownership and improvement grants as well as mortgage assistance will be offered to Black residents who can show they are direct descendants of individuals who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969. Other initiatives will follow as part of the 10year effort. Lets just think about that for a minute. What a giant step forward. �Now, as I was checking my emails yesterday, a story happening in real time popped up. I didn’t watch it, but here’s what is known, so far: CNN: Ten people, including a police officer, were killed yesterday afternoon after a gunman opened fire in a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. The attack unfolded just before 3 p.m. local time as customers in the King Soopers store waited in line for Covid-19 vaccines and shopped. Among those killed was 51-year-old Officer Eric Talley, who was the first police officer to respond. Police haven’t released details about the rest of the victims yet. A suspect is in custody, but so far police have declined to comment on his identity, a motive or the specific weapon. A senior law enforcement source said the shooter used an AR-15-style rifle. The shooting comes just days after another killing spree took the lives of eight people at spas around Atlanta. Together, these tragedies have renewed calls for stricter gun control legislation. I looked up the gun laws in Colorado and they seem fairly strict. There are further restrictions in cities such as Boulder and Vail. And yet, yesterday’s mass shooting occurred. On another topic entirely, the movement to make the District of Columbia a state is afoot. The proposed state would be known as the "State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth". There is Republican resistance (but of course) but it may end up passing. At the heart of all Republican resistance is the Filibuster. A filibuster is a political procedure where one or more members of Parliament or Congress debate over a proposed piece of legislation to delay or entirely prevent a decision being made on the proposal. Wikipedia Crooked Media: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this very good and popular proposal has little chance of making it through the Senate unless Democrats do something about the filibuster. At the risk of sounding like a broken record that nevertheless slaps, it seems like they just might! On Friday night, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) became the latest Democratic holdout to come out as reform-curious. Senate Disenfranchisement Leader Mitch McConnnell has published an op-ed in the Courier-Journal screeching that the filibuster is the last bulwark against socialism (while accidentally strengthening a pro-reform argument), evidently sensing that his filibustering days are numbered. Day 9: In the morning the group drove to the ruins of Harbuh. This was a fortress built by the Khitan in the 10th century. The Khitan established an enormous empire across the Northern Steppe and posed all sorts of problems for the Koreans and Chinese. Theirs was the last great empire of the Steppe before the Mongols. �The first visit was a tiny museum at the site. In this photograph Craig is holding Khitan �tools and weapons. It was a huge fortress. Only the walls are the original Khitan structure - other buildings date to the 16th century. The group spent half an hour walking around the walls. �In the afternoon, the group drove to the Hustai National Park to view the famous Przewalski horses. This was as close as the group was allowed to get. The Mongolian Government declared Hustai National Park as a Specially Protected Area in 1993, one year after the initiation of the reintroduction project of the Takhi (Przewalski's horse) to the Hustain Nuruu. The HNP extends through the Khentii Mountains and includes the western edge of the Mongolian steppe at the boundaries of Altanbulag, Argalant and Bayankhangai Soums of Töv Province. The park is about 100 km from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar to the west. Wikipedia Przewalski's horse also called the takhi, Mongolian wild horse or Dzungarian horse, is a rare and endangered horse originally native to the steppes of Central Asia. At one time extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat since the 1990s in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu National Park, Takhin Tal Nature Reserve, and Khomiin Tal, as well as several other locales in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.The taxonomic position is still debated, with some taxonomists treating Przewalski's horse as a species, E. przewalskii, others as a subspecies of wild horse (E. ferus przewalskii) or a feral variety of the domesticated horse (E. f. caballus). It is named after the Russian geographer and explorer Nikołaj Przewalski. Most "wild" horses today, such as the American mustang or the Australian brumby, are actually feral horses descended from domesticated animals that escaped and adapted to life in the wild. Przewalski's horse has long been considered the only remaining extant, non-domesticated wild horse. �However, a 2018 DNA study suggested that modern Przewalski's horses may descend from the domesticated horses of the Botai culture. Wikipedia Yes, Mongolia continues tomorrow, especially if I remind Craig to talk about his photos to me the day before. This morning I had to wait reading my book until he returned home from his early morning walk and then we conferred on his photographs. Oliver. �Listening to a boat story. �� 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_2021-03-23_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-377 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 2021-03-23 Title A name given to the resource Day 377 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/618f0d8093e6daea155fe6be7c4e2b1e.pdf 34e66f383ced341249b5c3c2588333da PDF Text Text Day 376. 15 weeks until we fly out. by windoworks Today marks the day Craig and I are both classified as fully covered by the Pfizer vaccine. Today is also the day that people aged 16+ with certain conditions can be vaccinated, but in 2 more weeks, everyone who wants a vaccination in Michigan, can schedule one. Now its not quite that easy. In the house on one side of our house, one has been fully vaccinated for some time as a middle school teacher and her spouse has had his first dose. On the other side, one has had her first dose and is 2 weeks from the second dose but the spouse is struggling to get an appointment for his first dose. Its easy to talk about this as a fully vaccinated person, but getting that first appointment is not easy. Once you have the first dose they automatically schedule your second dose - all 4 weeks later. My unvaccinated friends wonder if it makes a difference to your life. For Craig and I, we are thinking that Friday this week might be our first foray into take out food at lunchtime. There’s also an Anselm Adams exhibition at a nearby art museum we’d like to see - but immediately after the museum opens in the morning, before the crowds build up. Its both a scary and an exciting thought. Meanwhile Spring Break happened, much as it always has, in Miami Florida - except maybe a little more frenetic this year. Here’s a photo from the Daily Beast: �BBC: A state of emergency has been declared in the US city of Miami Beach over concerns large crowds gathering for spring break pose a coronavirus risk. A 20:00-06:00 curfew has been announced in the island city that will remain in effect until at least 12 April. Traffic restrictions are in place during the curfew, while businesses in the busy South Beach area must close. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said thousands of tourists had brought "chaos and disorder" to the city. "It feels like a rock concert, wall-to-wall people over blocks and blocks," Mr Gelber told CNN. "If you're coming here to go crazy, go somewhere else." Spring break is a holiday period for schools and universities in the US that usually takes place in March or April. It attracts thousands of students to Florida and other warm-weather destinations around the country. Officials warned tourists to "vacation responsibly or be arrested" prior to the holiday period, and a countywide midnight coronavirus curfew was already in place due to the pandemic. But the Miami Beach area was thronged with revellers over the weekend, and many did not appear to be wearing masks or socially distancing. One city official described South Beach, which includes the world-famous Ocean Drive, as being "overwhelmed" by crowds on Saturday. "You couldn't see pavement and you couldn't see grass," city manager Raul Aguila said. He added that the emergency measures were "necessary not only to protect our residents but our visitors, including our spring breakers who we want to keep safe". �On Sunday, Miami Beach police told CNN they had arrested at least a dozen people after the curfew had come into force. The Miami Herald newspaper said police used pepper-spray balls to enforce the curfew. Until the measures are lifted, police will prevent pedestrians and vehicles from entering the South Beach area's main party strips. On Sunday, the Miami Beach city commission voted to extend the curfew and other measures for up to three more weeks. At an emergency meeting, Mayor Gelber told the commission South Beach had become "a tinder over the last couple of weeks". He said tourists had flooded into the city since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called the state an "oasis of freedom" from coronavirus restrictions late last month. Florida continues to be a coronavirus hotspot in the US. The state has recorded nearly two million of the country's 29 million infections since the pandemic began. The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows Florida has recorded about 4,300 new infections a day on average over the past week. And just when you think there’s light at the end of the tunnel: Bridge, Michigan: A greater portion of coronavirus tests are coming back positive across Michigan, with 8.5 percent of all tests reported Saturday confirming a new infection. That pushes the rate over the past week to 7.3 percent. It was 5.2 percent a week earlier. Those higher rates produced 2,660 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, pushing the seven-day average to 2,482 daily cases. Michigan now has the fourth-highest rate of new infections in the country. So, which part of - its not over yet - do some people not understand? In Australia and New Zealand the borders are closed to almost everyone except returning citizens. Once you fly in, you are escorted to a quarantine hotel, where you are locked in a hotel room for 2 weeks. You are tested for the virus about 3 times, with the last test administered 2 days before your quarantine ends. In New Zealand, once out of quarantine, you are instructed to isolate for a further 5 days. When outbreaks occur, genomic testing is used to discover the point of origin and some areas are sequestered and all residents tested. New Zealand is in the process of vaccinating border staff, medical staff, and essential workers. Australia has a similar plan to Michigan with categories 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b. 2b includes the balance of the unvaccinated population. In the latest news from the Australian government, the borders will remain closed to tourists until some time (as yet unspecified) in 2022. In two pieces of good news: one of Craig’s students is buying Craig’s father’s tenor saxophone and (and this is big news), a friend of ours will happily take our piano! For a while there I thought we would either have to put it outside for any interested passerby or, hide it somewhere in the depths of the basement for the new owners to discover - well not really, but the first idea was gaining traction. �Yesterday Craig opened the storm windows in some rooms as the current weather pattern is quite warm for late March. For today and tomorrow the high will be 67F (19.4C). The lowest temperature in the next 10 days is 41F (5C) on Friday. Having the bedroom windows open at night is a mixed blessing: the room is cooler and its easier to sleep, but you hear the trains go through the crossings and this morning we were woken up by the neighbor over the road’s dog barking. I could write about all the draconian measures State Republicans are trying to force through in order to keep racism and white supremacy alive. Yesterday I asked my oldest child to name a platform or policy being put forward in Congress by Republicans. He sat and thought for a moment after I said “I’ll wait”, and then he shook his head and said “Blocking anything the Democrats propose” - which is not actually a platform or proposal. We both laughed ruefully. The truth is, for me, that I can no longer expend my energy on this. I appreciate all the organizations that are working hard to make a change for the better, but more and more, my future lies in Australia, where plenty of issues deserve my attention and strength. This says it all for me too. I sometimes stumble going upstairs. It means nothing. �Oh, and in light of all the storms that Happened in Texas and the tornadoes last week in Alabama and Georgia, the Michigan government posted this on FB: Because you never know. So Mongolia, day 8. �Still in the Orkhon Valley, we visited Kharbalgas. Kharbalgas in Mongolian means "black city". It forms part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site. This was one of the cities built by the Uighur Empire which ruled much of Mongolia and Western China in the 8th & 9th centuries. In the center of the city was a fortress on top in which the Khan lived in a golden ger, that was visible for miles around. The group spent an hour or so exploring the ruins. �Craig with Kharbalgas on the hill behind him. �Next was a visit to a museum erected by the Turkish government to view the huge stone �stele of Bilge Khaghan, one of the rulers of the first Turkic Empire.This stone is inscribed with Turkic runes on one side and Chinese characters on the other and it recounts the Creation Myth of the Turks – whose original homeland was Mongolia. In the afternoon the group drove to the next ger camp at Ugii Lake. Craig photographed a family erecting a ger. �A beautiful sunset over the lake to end a memorable day. And Oliver, of course. �Blurry shot, but this balancing is serious business �� 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_2021-03-22_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-376 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 2021-03-22 Title A name given to the resource Day 376 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/603b6e1de63473bdbdf218bc3641409a.pdf 93e8bd6905ab3398ba7fe571e0e53326 PDF Text Text Day 375 by windoworks It wasn’t until later in the day yesterday, that I looked at the calendar and realized it was the first day of Spring. It was a lovely day, warmer and sunny. Today promises to be even warmer and perhaps it is time to open the storm windows. It is strange to think that someone else will lower the storm windows into place when Fall arrives later this year. Tomorrow we are fully vaccinated. Are we almost fully vaccinated today with just one percent or more to go? And how long does this vaccination protection last? I know the scientists are researching as fast as they can and will have an answer sometime soon. I read this yesterday and I must admit it made me teary: The Atlantic editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. I visited our empty headquarters recently. The heat was off, light bulbs flickered, and desks were still covered in work we were doing on March 11, 2020. The cognitive dissonance was striking: In the weeks and months that followed our departure, The Atlantic’s virtual newsroom performed magnificently. In my opinion (and yes, please take into account the built-in biases of the editor in chief), our pandemic year may be recognized as the greatest sustained stretch of excellent journalism in our 164-year history. And my colleagues did everything on Zoom, in sweatpants, and with crying babies just off-camera, all while enduring grief, exhaustion, sickness, and loneliness. All of us have experienced loss in the past year. Some of you are mourning loved ones, and dear friends, lost in the pandemic. Many of you have experienced almost-unendurable periods of quarantine and burden and worry. This has been, in so many ways, a dreadful year, and our thoughts are with you. I feel as though, for all this time, I have been searching for that one word that so completely describes the past year and now 10 days more: dreadful. That one word encompasses so many feelings: past, present and ongoing. It covers the loss of freedom, the hours of boredom, the grieving for lost time spent with friends and neighbors, the loneliness and the mix of irritation and gratitude for Craig, my steadfast companion for these 375 days and for the next 106 days until we leave. May I add here that yesterday (and the day before), I was so overwhelmed and exhausted by this pandemic that I spent both days binge watching a series on TV. When you feel as though you just can’t cope anymore, TV is enormously comforting and relaxing. It seems a little more encouraging that the backlog of Australians desperate to return home has lessened as a lot more have successfully made it back. So we might get on the flight on July 5. Yesterday, against my wishes but with my reluctant approval, Craig climbed up our neighbors 40 foot ladder and sealed the edges of the front attic dormer windows. He had tried unsuccessfully to hire someone to do this - roofers �won’t do it and all possible handymen we called were too busy. It was the last job completed before closing. �Here is an inelegant photo of Craig climbing onto the roof. If you look carefully you can see �the ladder is tied to a hook under my closet oval window. The ladder was also staked in the grass to stop it from slipping. I refused to watch. Here’s something we should all know. I believe the House Democrats are formulating a way to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress altogether: MoveOn.org This is a list of Republicans in the Sedition Caucus who helped incite a white supremacist attack on the Capitol, don’t support the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, and continuously stand in the way of progress for our country. Ted Cruz (R-TX) Josh Hawley (R-MO) Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) Rick Scott (R-FL) Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) Lauren Boebert (R-CO) Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) Just sayin’ Difficult discussions are being had about police funding. Here’s a good piece from Washington Post: Since the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020 unleashed what may have been the largest protest movement in U.S. history, the nation has been fiercely debating how to respond — to his horrifying �death, and to those of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and so many other Black Americans at the hands of police. Some energy has been directed at accountability for specific acts, exemplified by the trial of the man charged in Floyd’s killing, former police officer Derek Chauvin, underway this month. Some has been directed at reforming police training, discipline and other policies. Several state legislatures have updated use-of-force policies and restricted or banned the use of chokeholds and neck restraints. Some departments now require police officers to intervene when they witness misconduct — a response to the other officers who watched Mr. Chauvin kneel on the neck of an unarmed man as he begged for his life. But the fiercest and potentially most consequential debate is over mounting a more fundamental response to these tragically familiar incidents. The discussion has been dominated by disagreements over the meaning and merit of “defunding the police.” Some interpretations of the provocative slogan are concerning, but as we wrote over the summer, the mantra is helpful as shorthand for an essential truth: We need to reimagine public safety. Today, community activists and law enforcement officers who see eye to eye on precious little agree on this: We rely too much on the police. From the proverbial cat stuck in a tree to an armed hostage crisis, police are the first port of call for a dizzying array of dilemmas. In the words of a former Dallas police chief, “Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding, let the cops handle it. … Here in Dallas we got a loose dog problem; let’s have the cops chase loose dogs. Schools fail, let’s give it to the cops. … That’s too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.” Over-reliance on police is preventing us from imagining and investing in other public safety tools — ones that could revitalize the struggling neighborhoods that experience the most crime. We should think about public safety the way we think about public health. No one would suggest that hospitals alone can keep a population healthy, no matter how well run they might be. A healthy community needs neighborhood clinics, health education, parks, environments free of toxins, government policies that protect the public during health emergencies, and so much more. Health isn’t just about hospitals; safety isn’t just about police. Virus statistics: in the US we have 29.8M confirmed cases. We know that the true number is probably close to 89.4M. We have 541,000 confirmed deaths. In Michigan we have a 7 day average of just over 3,000 new cases a day, bringing us to 619,000 confirmed cases. The true number is probably 1,857,000. Confirmed deaths are at 16,897. The case numbers are increasing sharply again here in Michigan. This is a 4th surge and FB is full of notices and warnings from the Health Department. Here’s what’s happening overseas: New York Times It is officially spring, but a season typically defined by renewal feels more like a season of worry. Coronavirus cases — significantly down since the U.S. peak in January — have plateaued this month at �about 55,000 new infections a day, a level public health officials say is still too high. But some governors are already starting to relax restrictions. “History has shown us that when you have that plateauing, that’s usually the forerunner of another surge — we’ve actually seen that in the European Union,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, adding, “the more people get vaccinated, the less likelihood that there is going to be a surge.” Large parts of France, above in Paris, as well as Italy, Poland and other regions are back in lockdown as they try to stop a third wave. The latest outbreaks are a stark reminder that not enough people have been inoculated to blunt the impact of a rush of new infections. Only about 13 percent of Europeans have received a first dose, compared with 23 percent in the U.S. and 40 percent in Britain. The slow rollout in Europe can be explained by a cascade of small decisions that have led to increasingly long delays. Remember, after April 5, everyone 16+ is eligible to be vaccinated and they are working on safe vaccinations for 6 months old to 15 years old. So Mongolia, day 7.We were still in the Orkhon Valley but on this day we did a long day trip to Tövkhön Monastery. It was first established in 1648 by the 14-year-old Zanabazar, the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu and spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism for the Khalkha in Outer Mongolia. He determined that the location on the Shireet Ulaan Uul mountain overlooking a hill at 2,600 meters above sea-level was an auspicious location. Wikipedia �We drove across endless grassy steppes past nomad families living in their ger camps with their animals grazing all around. Each family has up to 1500 animals: goats, sheep, cattle. dzos and horses. It was a rough 3 hour drive. �We met a wild horse catcher along the way, dresssed in traditional clothing. There are still many wild horses in Mongolia. He catches horses and sells them to the nomads. �Craig rode a horse up to the monastery. These are the same ponies Mongols used in ancient times to expand their huge empire. (Remember the Mongol Horde? They rode fast while firing arrows back over their shoulders. They were terrifying). It was up a muddy trail, and the horse flies were terrible. The small, sturdy horse made Craig feel too big. ��The monastery was spread out all across the top of the mountain. �There are many sacred stations – similar to Catholic Stations of the Cross. Some stations �require climbing up steep cliffs. And then it was a rough 3 hour drive back to our ger camp – altogether about a 10 hour day. And yes, there is still more Mongolia tomorrow Lastly, 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_2021-03-21_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-375 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 2021-03-21 Title A name given to the resource Day 375 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/abcb01f04d83f6a716ef633b036f5e9e.pdf 33414345532d9eb497c5f22df8f4491d PDF Text Text Day 374. Saturday March 20. by windoworks Yesterday the inspector came back and put the radon monitor back in our basement for the weekend. Hopefully it will register less than 4 which is the cutoff point for the EPA. I am very tired of miscellaneous people wandering through what is still my house, during a pandemic. Speaking of that, yesterday we received official notification of the time and place for the closing on the house and the dispersion of funds. Its 3pm on Monday April 5. After that we rent the house until we leave in early July. On a cheerful note, various Spring bulbs that Craig planted in the new meadow area in the back garden are pushing their leaves through the soil. The Hellebore (Winter Rose) flowers are also appearing. This weekend might be warm enough to sit on the front porch. But in news from far across the world: CNN: Australia's east coast was smashed by heavy rains on Saturday, sparking dangerous flash flooding that forced the evacuation of multiple regions as the fast-moving waters unmoored houses, engulfed roads, stranded towns and cut power lines. In Sydney, the country's biggest city, authorities pleaded for people to stay at home as a major dam overflowed and a mini-tornado tore through a western suburb. Most of the coast in the state of New South Wales (NSW), which is home to about a third of Australia's 25 million people, has already seen March rainfall records broken and authorities warned the downpour was likely to continue for several days. "I hate to say this again to all our citizens of the state, but it's not going to be an easy week for us," NSW �Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a televised briefing. "The rain may not stop till Thursday or Friday." Officials had issued nine evacuation orders for about 15 areas by Saturday afternoon. Television footage showed increasing damage across the state, with water engulfing houses up to the windows, people kayaking through the streets, and damaged roads. One video showed an entire house being swept away. Local media reported that the house owners had managed to evacuate. Warragamba Dam, a major water supply for Sydney, began overflowing on Saturday afternoon. Officials warned that the overflow would quickly add to swollen rivers, leading to flash flooding. A mini-tornado ripped through a suburb in the west of the city, causing damage to more than 30 homes, knocking down trees and cutting power, emergency services said. People were urged to stay at home and avoid any non-essential trips, with officials lambasting those who had needed help after venturing out into the stormy weather. Emergency crews responded to about 4,000 calls for help over the past two days, including 500 direct flood rescues, a level NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said was "just completely unacceptable." The message is clear: do not walk through or drive through floodwaters, do not drive over water that is covering a road," Elliott said. Today the heavy rain and wind is predicted to move inland to the Australian Capital Territory and Canberra, where Craig’s mother, his sister and family, all live. The rain has been particularly heavy in the Blue Mountains - our proposed future home. It has been so heavy we would have been marooned up there for at least one or two days. �Virus news: Many of our friends are fully vaccinated and many younger friends and neighbors have vaccination appointments lined up for April. The CDC has said that vaccinated people may meet one other unvaccinated family inside. The CDC didn’t say: rip off your masks and party hard in small, enclosed, loud and hot bars where you have to shout to be heard over the music. But many people heard a much different message than the one the CDC announced. So lets backtrack. You remember when you get your annual flu shot, the person administering it reminds you that this shot may not stop you from getting the flu? And remember how you nod and say okay and fervently hope that you don’t succumb to the flu this year? But even if you do, you know that the flu shot you received will make the virus load so much less than if you �hadn’t been vaccinated. You see where I’m going with this? That’s right. If you are fully vaccinated but you refuse to wear a mask and you begin socializing with large groups of unvaccinated and unmasked people in small confined spaces - you will probably catch COVID-19 variant B117. But because you are fully vaccinated you will probably have a very mild case. Can you then transmit the virus to someone else when you are sick? I’m fairly sure that answer is yes. So, fully vaccinated doesn’t mean pandemic over. Masking, distancing and hand washing are here to stay for now. And here’s a really big new development: The New Normal: Parents are excited to enroll their kids in a children's trial of the Moderna vaccine. Dr. Steve Plimpton, the principal investigator for the trial in Phoenix, says that vaccinating children is an important step toward achieving herd immunity. Children between six months and 12 years of age are participating in the Moderna trial. Pfizer is currently testing its vaccine on 12 to 15-year-olds. Have you been wondering how the 2020 Japanese Olympic Games could be safely held this year? Which the Japanese Olympic committee have been insisting will happen? Here’s how: Washington Post Tokyo Olympics organizers ban spectators from outside Japan in pandemic-control measure. The International Olympic Committee says vaccinations, while encouraged, are not mandatory for athletes and members of national teams. The Games were postponed for a year because of the pandemic and are scheduled to begin in July. Well I guess we’ll all watch it on TV. However, for the second year in a row, the North Sea Jazz Festival is canceled. In New South Wales, Australia, the annual Merimbula Jazz Festival, which Benjamin’s Big Band played at for some years and Rhythm Syndicate, Craig’s sisters choir sang at annually, has been canceled also for the second year in a row. But I see that Disneyland in Los Angeles is intending to reopen in April. Remember how the Venetian Senate established a new church in Venice after the plague? Il Redentore was built as a votive church in thanksgiving for deliverance from a major outbreak of the plague that decimated Venice between 1575 and 1576, in which some 46,000 people (25–30% of the population) died. Wikipedia I’m not entirely sure the Festival of the Redentore was held last year or if it will be held this year. I wonder if they’ll build a new church after this pandemic is over. When I think back, I realize that many familiar festivals and events were canceled last year, and many of them have had to radically rethink the staging of their event. Oh and I think the Iditarod was completely overhauled and didn’t end in Nome this year. Here in the US, following the Atlanta shootings: The New Normal: President Biden's and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tour across the country has taken a somber tone after eight people, including six Asian women, were killed in Atlanta on Tuesday. The two �have been on a victory lap to promote the passage of the latest coronavirus relief bill, but now will meet with state lawmakers and community leaders in the Georgia's capital to discuss the shootings. Biden has ordered that all U.S. flags on federal buildings be lowered to half-staff through Monday to honor the victims. Meanwhile, Asian American members of Congress are seeking federal action in response to the surge in anti-Asian attacks during the pandemic. The United States has a history of using public health concerns to camouflage racism and xenophobia. There are a lot of unknowns about the Atlanta mass shooting suspect’s motive, but the violence came amidst a wave of anti-Asian attacks this year by racists who blame Asians for the pandemic, leaving communities frightened and frustrated. In the Chinatown neighborhood of Oakland, Calif., the community is debating how to best keep themselves safe after a spate of violence against its senior residents. Some say that policing is necessary and makes them feel safe , while others argue that the community should focus on addressing poverty and other issues that cause crime. The divide is largely generational, with younger people supporting the latter argument. Now for Mongolia and Day 6: Craig took a selfie by the Orkhon River in Central Mongolia. Look at the rain!The Orkhon �Valley was the sacred heartland for all of the great empires of the Steppe, including the Turks and the Mongols. Horses grazing in front of our ger camp in the Orkhon valley. �This is Erdene Zuu, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. Abtai Sain Khan, ruler of the Khalkha Mongols and grandfather of Zanabazar, the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, ordered construction of the Erdene Zuu monastery in 1585 after his meeting with the 3rd Dalai Lama and the declaration of Tibetan Buddhism as the state religion of Mongolia. Wikipedia. It was built on the site of the Mongol capital of Karakoram using stones from that ruined capital. It is still an active monastery complex. Inside the walls there are many monasteries and lodgings for monks but it is a shadow of its original size. �One of the active monasteries inside the walls of Erdene Zuu. Yes there is more Mongolian madness tomorrow. Yesterday I couldn’t post the video of Oliver singing and dancing on the coffee table but Zoe posted it in the comments under my post. Its on Facebook on my page, if you’re interested. Oliver: �Licking green and yellow uncooked rice off his fingers? �� 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_2021-03-20_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-374 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 2021-03-20 Title A name given to the resource Day 374 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/3574fdbb906ed6621c35336ebbae91af.pdf f5c96db6ea1325c448586de0ecc01908 PDF Text Text Day 373. by windoworks I am starting my post later today because I had to have an annual physical or my physician wouldn’t renew my prescriptions. When we drove home, we passed a clinic that sometimes has anti-abortion protesters outside. Today there had to be 20+ all clustered together and waving signs. So here’s my sign: Now, to the virus The Atlantic After weeks of falling down, down, down, coronavirus cases are snaking back up in Michigan. The surge there—along with some troubling signs in New York and New Jersey—serves as a reminder that, although �the long-term outlook is promising, this pandemic is not yet over. Our friends at the COVID Tracking Project offer a comprehensive analysis of the Michigan surge. Here are three important things to know, pulled from their reporting: 1. According to federal data, hospitalizations in Michigan are up 45 percent from their February low. 2. Although genomic data in the United States are limited, the preliminary findings suggest that the B.1.1.7 variant—also known as the U.K variant—is widespread in the state. 3. Overall, the state has doled out first vaccine doses to the majority of its residents who are 65 and older, which could help reduce deaths. But only 28 percent of Black residents in that age range have gotten their first shot. The pandemic is still with us. CNN:Europe missed its chance to stop a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic before it got out of control. Now, with new lockdowns being imposed across the continent, it's paying a high price. Some experts blame Europe's current problems on politicians being too quick to ease restrictions. American public health officials worry the US could be next. States are pushing ahead with rolling back restrictions on businesses and large gatherings. I am beginning to believe that this virus and its never ending variants will be with us for years. Will we always wear masks in stores and in other people’s houses? Perhaps. And I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear. Life will be different in the After Times. At the conclusion of my appointment this morning, the nurse asked me what was I going to do for the rest of the day - did I have anything exciting planned? For a moment I was speechless and I was a little embarrassed to say: no, just lunch and a walk. What I didn’t say was - are you crazy? Are we not in the middle of a 4th surge with Michigan leading every state with rising case numbers? No, I just mumbled awkwardly. And if you count walking outside in the sunshine exciting, then yes, I am. You know all the changes that have occurred over the past year? Here’s some positive things (I have shortened it considerably, but its still long - but worth the read): The Atlantic: ZEYNEP TUFEKCI is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and an associate professor at the University of North Carolina. She studies the interaction between digital technology, artificial intelligence, and society. 1. WE NOW KNOW HOW TO CODE FOR OUR VACCINES Perhaps the development that will have the most profound implications for future generations is the incredible advances in synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) biotechnologies. We got our vaccines very fast—the previous record for vaccine development was four years, �and that was set in the 1960s. This time, we developed multiple good COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year. Luck bought us some of that speed. For example, the HIV retrovirus is notoriously difficult to vaccinate against, and we still don’t have a vaccine for it. COVID-19 was much more susceptible, and billions of dollars in public money and a global sense of urgency pushed things along. Tragedy also sped things up: Because the pandemic was raging—more cases to test against—it was easier to get results from vaccine trials. This may allow us, finally, to transition from a broadcast-only model of medicine, wherein drugs are meant to be identical for everyone in a particular group, to targeted, individualized therapies. Plus, these technologies are suitable for small-scale but cheap-enough production: a development that can help us treat rare diseases that afflict only a few thousand people each year, and are thus usually ignored by massmarket-oriented medical technologies. It’s also no coincidence that these two mRNA vaccines were the fastest to market. They can be manufactured rapidly and, crucially, updated blazingly fast. Şahin, the BioNTech CEO, estimates that six weeks is enough time for the company to start producing new boosters for whenever a new COVID-19 variant emerges. Pfizer and Moderna are both already working on boosters that better target the new variants we’ve seen so far, and the FDA has said it can approve these tweaks quickly. 2. . WE ACTUALLY LEARNED HOW TO USE OUR DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE The internet, widespread digital connectivity, our many apps—it's easy to forget how new most of this is. Zoom, the ubiquitous video service that became synonymous with pandemic work, and that so many of us are understandably a little sick of, is less than 10 years old. Same with the kind of broadband access that allowed billions to stream entertainment at home and keep in touch with family members and colleagues. Internet connectivity is far from perfect or equally distributed, but it has gotten faster and more expansive over the past decade; without it, the pandemic would have been much more miserable and costly. Work, too, has been transformed. Suddenly, hundreds of millions of people around the world had to figure out how to get things done without going into the office. Many events have become a lot more inclusive too. Throughout the past year, I’ve been able to attend conferences and talks I’d otherwise have no chance to participate in without extensive time and travel costs. I’ve also given talks during which I’ve interacted with folks from around the world, who might never have been in that “room” otherwise. And I’ve noticed that a broader range of experts can appear on TV, now that we’ve normalized calling in from one’s home office, living room, or even bedroom. In a world divided by visas, income inequalities, time constraints, and opportunity, why didn’t we just incorporate videoconferencing into more of our events before? Why didn’t we take questions from the audience not in the room? We should keep doing that after the pandemic as well. �3. WE’VE UNLEASHED THE TRUE SPIRIT OF PEER REVIEW AND OPEN SCIENCE On January 10, 2020, an Australian virologist, Edward Holmes, published a modest tweet: “All, an initial genome sequence of the coronavirus associated with the Wuhan outbreak is now available at Virological.org here.” A microbiologist responded with “And so it begins!” and added a GIF of planes taking off. And so it did indeed begin: a remarkable year of open, rapid, collaborative, dynamic—and, yes, messy—scientific activity, which included ways of collaborating that would have been unthinkable even a few decades ago. When the pandemic hit, it simply wasn’t tenable to keep playing the old, slow, closed game, and the scientific community let loose. Peer review—the real thing, not just the formal version locked up by for-profit companies—broke out of its constraints. A good deal of the research community started publishing its findings as “preprints”—basically, papers before they get approved by formal publications—placing them in nonprofit scientific depositories that had no paywalls. The preprints were then fiercely and openly debated—often on social media, which is not necessarily the ideal place for it, but that’s what we had. Sometimes, the release of data was even faster: Some of the most important initial data about the immune response to the worrisome U.K. variant came from a Twitter thread by a tired but generous researcher in Texas. It showed true scientific spirit: The researcher’s lab was eschewing the prestige of being first to publish results in a manuscript by allowing others to get to work as fast as possible. The papers often also went through the formal peer review as well, eventually getting published in a journal, but the pandemic has forced many of these companies to drop their paywalls—besides, the preprints on which the final papers are based remain available to everyone. We should embrace the extraordinary and robust process of open science and more peer review, as well as its dynamism, even as we establish new guardrails to contain its energy. The pandemic happened at a moment of convergence for medical and digital technology and social dynamics, which revealed enormous positive potential for people. Nothing will erase the losses we experienced. But this awful year has nudged us toward dramatic improvements in human life, thanks to new biotechnologies, greater experience with the positive aspects of digital connectivity, and a more dynamic scientific process. Still, let’s never do it again. This is the other big story of the day: Washington Post: Without calling Donald Trump out by name, President Biden’s administration this week has blamed racist language he used about the coronavirus for a surge in violence against Asian Americans, connected his entourage to Russian election meddling and tied some of his supporters to a rise in domestic extremism. Hours after a 21-year-old man allegedly shot and killed eight people, including six �Asian women, in the Atlanta area, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said rhetoric of the sort Trump has frequently used fed a surge in hate crimes. So here we are. The FBI are warning that there may be more attacks and attempts at insurrection, fueled by the majority of Republican lawmakers, both federal and state. The Republicans in Congress continue to oppose all bills brought forward by the Democratic majority in the House. No Republican has ever given reason, valid or not, as to why they continue this behavior. It seems like schoolyard behavior to me: stand over tactics and bullying. What a depth the Republican Party has sunk to. Mongolia. Day 5. Early morning in Jargalant. Craig took a selfie with the river behind. �It was the first day of summer grazing and all the animals were being moved to high pasture. The air was full of incredible animal sounds of all types. �Another dzo crossing the river as we drove on. �The storm that knocked out power had also flooded the crater of a volcano that the road passed through. We all had to get out and walk (and some wading), while the crew managed to get the kitchen truck (below) and the 4 wheel drives through the flooded �roads. Isn’t Mongolia exciting? More tomorrow,. Oliver. This morning we watched a short video of Oliver dancing on the coffee table while singing ‘whale’ (I think). I have no idea how to include the clip, so here’s a photo instead. �Art is such serious business, yes? �� 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_2021-03-19_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-373 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 2021-03-19 Title A name given to the resource Day 373 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/b6f14dea94a0474a390332fde495acbb.pdf 5c817149ab24d7d405c983c18aa3ba4b PDF Text Text Day 372 by windoworks I keep imagining what the rooms in our house will look like without the furniture. Yesterday we received notification that the buyers will complete signing at 1pm on Monday April 5 - 18 days from now. It is such a weird feeling. In another effort to find a happy home for our beautiful 116 year old upright zebra cedar piano, an antique dealer came to see it yesterday. He probably won’t want it for his store - nobody wants pianos anymore. He’ll let us know today. I might have to move to plan D. And no, I can’t just leave it behind for the new owners, that wouldn’t be fair. �The Biden/Harris Administration continues to work hard to address the many issues Trump left behind. Most Republicans in the House and all the Republicans in the Senate continue to vote against proposals for no other reason than the Democrats proposed it - including the $1.9 trillion relief bill. It passed anyway, but remember as you reap some of the benefits from that bill - not one Republican voted for it. Keep that fact in mind when you’re next at the polls. As well as imagining the empty room in our house, I feel more and more like I have one foot lifting up from US soil and another suspended somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, but not quite on the ground in Australia. Added to that, it feels as though I am just waiting and waiting, and marking time. On Monday we will be fully vaccinated and on Thursday I will get my hair cut. I am so excited. My hair is so long it has began to curl along my neck. I have lived 71 years with dead straight hair - and now the pandemic has made it curl. There’s a joke in there somewhere. There has been great consternation about the Astra Zeneca vaccine and blood clots. Here’s the facts: �In Michigan, case numbers are rising alarmingly again. We have the second highest case numbers after Florida. It is the UK variant B117, which is more contagious. So, even if you’re fully vaccinated, keep wearing a mask, wash your hands and stay distanced. Yesterday this warning dropped into my inbox: The Weather Service has declared an exceptionally rare “high risk” of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday. The threat shifts into Southeast and southern Mid-Atlantic on Thursday. An extremely dangerous severe weather outbreak is expected Wednesday across a large swath of the South, with violent, long-track tornadoes, destructive winds and large, damaging hail. This threat will shift to the Southeast and southern Mid-Atlantic on Thursday. �The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has declared a very rare Level 5 out of 5 “high risk” of severe thunderstorms highlighting the exceptional intensity and widespread nature of the anticipated outbreak. “A Major Severe Weather Outbreak is Forecast,” says the headline on the center’s website. Over 40 million Americans from Texas to Georgia are at risk of severe weather on Wednesday, including nearly 1.5 million residing in the top-tier high-risk zone, which spans extreme northeast Louisiana, central Mississippi and western Alabama, and includes Birmingham, Ala., Jackson, Miss., and Tuscaloosa, Ala. It’s the first time since 2012 that a high risk of severe weather has been declared during March by the Storm Prediction Center. “A significant tornado outbreak, with long-track, intense tornadoes is expected to begin this afternoon across parts of Louisiana and Arkansas,” it writes, “and then spread eastward and peak this evening into tonight across Mississippi and Alabama.” Late Wednesday morning, the Storm Prediction Center issued a “particularly dangerous situation” tornado watchuntil 7 p.m. local time, the most severe kind, for western and central Alabama and central to eastern Mississippi. The watch described the potential for “numerous tornadoes” and the likelihood that a few would be intense. Radar indicated a strong tornado had formed in southeast Mississippi near the border of Alabama just after noon local time. The risk of severe weather shifts east on Thursday, when a level 4 out of 5 moderate risk of dangerous storms blankets the Carolinas and Georgia. The potential exists for more strong tornadoes. Areas threatened include Charlotte, Raleigh, N.C., and Savannah, Ga. Over 50 million residents face an elevated storm threat Thursday from Florida to Pennsylvania. That was yesterday morning. Here’s a photo from later that day: �A tornado touches down near Moundville in Hale County, Alabama, on March 17, 2021, causing damage to homes and downing trees. Today we are under a wind advisory from 8am this morning until 8pm tonight. As I write, I can see the trees starting to move in the wind. They are Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected. Ahhh Michigan! And yes, once in a blue moon we get a tornado touching down. This next piece says it all for me: ��In 2020, there were 838 active hate groups recorded in the US. I cannot find any statistics for hate crimes in 2020, but in 2019, the US reported 7, 314 hate crimes. Thats a staggering number. Yesterday I said the Atlanta spa shootings were motivated by racist motives. Then all the news sources came out and said the perpetrator had shot these women because of his sex addiction. Immediately, loud cries of dismay were heard as people worried this was a whitewash of the killer’s motives. I’m hoping the facts will come out. I’m very tired of whitewash (such a White Supremacy term, I think). But I do have to say that more lies are being refuted and many more factual accounts are being presented. Mongolia! Day 4 After the storm the group awoke to a beautiful sunrise in our Ger camp, before setting out to explore more sites. A traditional yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger (Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure consists of an angled assembly or latticework of wood or bamboo for walls, a door frame, ribs (poles, rafters), and a wheel (crown, compression ring) possibly steam-bent. The roof structure is often self-supporting, but large yurts may have interior posts supporting the crown. The top of the wall of selfsupporting yurts is prevented from spreading by means of a tension band which opposes the force of the roof ribs. Modern yurts may be permanently built on a wooden platform; they may �use modern materials such as steam-bent wooden framing or metal framing, canvas or tarpaulin, plexiglass dome, wire rope, or radiant insulation. Wikipedia There was a long drive to Jargalant, stopping for lunch in this valley on the way. Craig climbed up a hill to take this shot of the valley but was nearly eaten alive by the voracious horse flies. �In the afternoon the group visited the site of Ainhuree Buddhist Monastery that was �destroyed by the government during the communist anti religion period. Since then the locals have built a memorial made of branches where the monastery once stood. Some of the party, including Craig, climbed higher to get this panoramic view. �Late in the afternoon the group came upon this quintessential Mongolian scene- dzos (a type of yak) crossing the streams with the lake and mountains beyond. This scene sums up everything Craig loves about rural Mongolia. More tomorrow. 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_2021-03-18_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-372 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 2021-03-18 Title A name given to the resource Day 372 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/1c8e1cd508bb4568b2e07988ab362324.pdf c17cc44d49abe3d4e3a960a83d666d29 PDF Text Text Day 371. by windoworks ‘Truth will out’ William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice. Here are 5 gems which illustrate the above words, from Crooked Media: Vladimir Putin authorized an extensive operation to interfere in the 2020 election by laundering misinformation about Joe Biden through people close to Donald Trump, according to a newly released ODNI report. U.S. intelligence officials have found no evidence that any foreign actor had disrupted the actual voting process. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to answer longstanding questions about the FBI’s investigation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh (or lack thereof) during his confirmation hearing. A review of the CDC’s coronavirus guidance under the Trump administration found that some documents were not grounded in science, and three documents passed off as CDC guidance weren’t written by the CDC at all. An Arizona judge has ordered the Arizona GOP to shell out $18,000 for its baseless voter fraud lawsuit. One for the Consequences Scrapbook. Trump Tower in Chicago somehow vaccinated its staff without eligibility or the knowledge of city health department leaders. And there’s also this: Washington Post The Army initially pushed to reject the D.C. government’s request for a modest National Guard presence ahead of the Jan. 6 rally that led to the Capitol riot, underscoring the deep reluctance of some higher-ups at the Pentagon to involve the military in security arrangements that day. In an internal draft memo obtained by The Washington Post, the Army said the U.S. military shouldn’t be needed to help police with traffic and crowd management, as city officials had requested, unless more than 100,000 demonstrators were expected. The draft memo also said the request should be denied because a federal agency hadn’t been identified to run the preparations and on-the-day operations; the resources of other federal agencies hadn’t been exhausted; and law enforcement was “far better suited” for the task. The Army leadership made its position clear in deliberations at the Pentagon the weekend before the event, citing those reasons among others, according to four people familiar with the discussions, who like �others in this report spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal Defense Department matters. The Army ultimately relented after facing pressure from acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, and realizing that District officials weren’t going to turn to the Justice Department for help instead, as the Army had wanted, the people said. In other, other news: �The Vatican has decreed that it is wrong for priests to bless same sex unions. While Pope Francis hasn’t said its wrong to be gay he seems to support this idea that priests shouldn’t bless same sex unions. Any minute now he’ll get his feet stuck in the quagmire. I have never really understood the idea of religious celibacy. I just finished reading an historical novel about Queen Mary, Henry VIII’s daughter. After Henry broke with the Catholic Church and declared �himself Head of the Church in England, priests were allowed to marry and have children. When Henry’s son, Edward died, and the crown went to Mary, she began burning married priests as heretics. The population was horrified. This was something that happened in Spain under the Inquisition, and didn’t happen in England! It was a turbulent time for politics and religion. It may be another turbulent time now, especially for religion. NPR A member of the World Health Organization team tracing the source of the COVID-19 pandemic says wildlife farms in Southwest China are the likely culprit. The Chinese government shut down those farms — which breed exotic animals like porcupines, bamboo rats and racoon dogs — in Feb. 2020. I knew they’d find the probable source of this in the end. This is very embarrassing for the Chinese leaders as they strive for world dominance. At the same time 8 people (mostly Asian women) were shot dead at 3 spa venues in Atlanta, Georgia. Yet another thing Trump bears responsibility for after stubbornly promoting COVID-19 as the China virus. Years ago I watched the movie Contagion. In the story Patient Zero was a woman who made a business trip to Hong Kong and visited a farm or market (I forget). The global pandemic was mush worse and faster �spreading than Covid and frankly, the movie was terrifying. My daughter Zoe saw it at a movie theater and traveled home by bus afterwards. She said she sat isolated with her arms crossed, thinking ‘don’t breathe on me, don’t breathe on me’, all the way home. I hope there is nothing lurking in our future like that virus. �Excellent mask policy. And now for some cheering words from The Atlantic: If you find yourself out of sorts these days, know that you aren’t the only one. �1. It’s okay to feel burned out. “The mental pressure of living through a mass-casualty event would be enough to fry the most Zen of brains,” our staff writer Olga Khazan reminds us. Burnout, experts told her, is best addressed in the workplace. It’s really on your boss to fix it. 2. It’s okay to eat whenever you feel like it. “Splintering the three-meals-a-day norm might at first feel unnatural, but in the long arc of human history, that eating schedule is both extremely recent and born almost entirely of social convenience,” Amanda Mull explains in her piece on why your weird pandemic eating habits are probably fine. 3. It’s okay to forget things. We’re all walking around with some mild cognitive impairment,” one neuroscientist told our special-projects editor Ellen Cushing. “This is the fog of late pandemic, and it is brutal,” Ellen writes. 4. It’s okay to be a little vain. Americans are quietly doing their crunches. That includes our associate editor Saahil Desai, who picked up his workout pace last month in anticipation of being able to gather again soon. “I sure as hell want to look good when we do,” he writes. And a warning note from CNN: The US is facing a tough race between Covid-19 vaccines and variants. Vaccinations are quickly ramping up, and they have a great shot of winning out. But contagious variants are spreading across the country and could threaten another surge. The CDC says two coronavirus strains first detected in California are officially "variants of concern." The variants may be about 20% more transmissible, and there are concerns that some treatments won't be as effective against them. But the CDC hasn't said vaccines would stop working against them. Also complicating the situation: Some states are easing restrictions before the virus' spread is fully contained. Does anyone else feel like its three steps forward and two steps back? There’s been a lot of discussion about online teaching and the consequences for students and teachers, but it has brought about a significant change to teaching in general: Washington Post The coronavirus pandemic upended almost every aspect of school at once. It was not just the move from classrooms to computer screens. It tested basic ideas about instruction, attendance, testing, funding, the role of technology and the human connections that hold it all together. A year later, a rethinking is underway, with a growing sense that some changes may last. “There may be an opportunity to reimagine what schools will look like,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told The Washington Post. “It’s always important we continue to think about how to evolve schooling so the kids get the most out of it.” Others in education see a similar opening. The pandemic pointed anew to glaring inequities of race, disability and income. Learning loss is getting new attention. Schools with poor ventilation systems are being slotted for upgrades. Teachers who made it through a crash course in teaching virtually are finding lessons that endure. �“There are a lot of positives that will happen because we’ve been forced into this uncomfortable situation,” said Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA, the school superintendents association. “The reality is that this is going to change education forever.” School systems in America are not done with remote learning. They want more of it. After a year when some systems did nothing but school by computer screen, it has become clear that learning virtually has a place in the nation’s schools, if simply as an option. It’s like a genie that is out of the bottle, and you can’t get it back in. In many respects, this is overdue. Few suggest that remote learning is for everyone. The pandemic showed, unmistakably, that most students learn best in person — in a three-dimensional world, led by a teacher, surrounded by classmates and activities. But school systems across the country are looking at remote learning as a way to meet diverse needs — for teenagers who have jobs, children with certain medical conditions, or kids who prefer learning virtually. It has also emerged as a way to expand access to less-common courses. If one high school offers a class in Portuguese, students at another school could join it remotely. Colorado’s second-largest school system, Jeffco Public Schools, recently announced a full-time remote learning program across grade levels. Students would regularly interact with teachers, have mostly live instruction, and stay connected to their neighborhood schools, meeting with a staff member at least once a week. To make it work, some of the system’s teachers would only be remote. Parent interest was one impetus for the program.”We’re taking all that we have learned from the pandemic — and others have learned — and going with it,” said Matt Walsh, a community superintendent, who estimated that 1,000 to 2,500 students will enroll during the first year, starting this fall. In the Washington region, suburban Montgomery County is exploring the creation of a virtual academy for full-time online instruction. Parents have advocated for a program for some time, said Gboyinde Onijala, a spokeswoman.“The pandemic has helped us see that it is possible and can be done well,” she said. So, the Mongolia travelogue depends on Craig and I selecting photos from my online albums and him then recounting information and adventures which I write down. Last night we both forgot. I’ll be better organized tomorrow. I offer 3 photos of Oliver in compensation. ���Remember: its not the After Times yet. � 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_2021-03-17_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-371 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 2021-03-17 Title A name given to the resource Day 371 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/714ba70c3f889fd4609cdd358512d17a.pdf dbed322a8706d238421a0e649d7f79fc PDF Text Text Day 370. by windoworks I don’t know about you but daylight saving time drives me crazy. My body clock takes about a week to acclimatize, and then I forget about it until daylight savings ends. FaceTime calls to Australia have to be readjusted to a different time difference between our two countries and all daily routine is thrown out the window. There must have been a reason for it in the first place - and here’s what I found. New Zealand entomologist George Hudson first proposed modern DST. His shift-work job gave him leisure time to collect insects and led him to value after-hours daylight. In 1895, he presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society proposing a two-hour daylight-saving shift, and considerable interest was expressed in Christchurch; he followed up with an 1898 paper. Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada was the first city in the world to enact DST, on July 1, 1908. Wikipedia It began because he wanted more time to collect insects? Grrrr. In Australia all hell is breaking loose. Women are incensed, enraged, indignant and long ignored. ‘Enough is enough’ is their rallying cry! �NPR Tens of thousands of people marched across Australia on Monday to protest sexual violence, harassment, and gender inequality in the country after a wave of sexual assault allegations tied to Parliament. Participants wore all black. Many women held signs that said, "Enough is enough." In Melbourne, marchers carried a list of names of women killed by men since 2008. The March4Justice demonstrations, which were scheduled for at least 47 locations across Australia on Monday, come as the government has been reckoning with allegations of supporting a "boy's club" misogynist culture following recent claims. Victoria's Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said it showed women were no longer willing to be silent about the way sexual violence affects their lives. "What we're seeing now is the community sending a message that they're ready to have this conversation publicly. More than ready, they're eager to have the conversation now," she said. Virus news: in Europe vaccinations have stalled because of a). An apparently unfounded fear of blood clots from the AstraZeneca vaccine and b). A decision to haggle for the lowest price per dose. From the New York Times: �Europe put a big emphasis on negotiating a low price for vaccine doses. Israeli officials, by contrast, were willing to pay a premium to receive doses quickly. Israel has paid around $25 per Pfizer dose, and the U.S. pays about $20 per dose. The E.U. pays from $15 to $19. The discounted price became another reason that Europe had to wait in line behind other countries. Even in purely economic terms, the trade-off will probably be a bad one: Each $1 saved per vaccine dose might ultimately add up to $1 billion — a rounding error in a trading bloc with a nearly $20 trillion annual economic output. A single additional lockdown, like the one Italy announced this week, could wipe out any savings. “The price difference is macroeconomically irrelevant,” Münchau writes. The E.U. “tried to lock in a perceived short-term price advantage at the expense of everything else.” On the plus side: The Atlantic: Some (relatively) good news: Scientists are able to monitor mutations like never before. “We are now living through the first pandemic in human history where scientists can sequence fast and furiously enough to track a novel virus’s evolution in real time—and to act decisively on that information,” Sarah Zhang reports. And from Crooked Media, who always express things so colorfully: President Biden kicked off the administration’s “Help is Here” campaign on Monday, announcing the twin goals of administering 100 million vaccine doses and distributing 100 million relief checks over the next 10 days: “Shots in arms and money in pockets.” Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be traveling across the country this week to promote various benefits of the American Rescue Plan, and hopefully boost national Doug Emhoff awareness. For those of you saying who? Who is Doug Emhoff? He is the first ever US Second Gentleman - he is married to Vice President Kamala Harris. At the same time, the White House is set to unveil a $1.5 billion “Help is Here But If You Don’t Take It We Are All Fucked” PR campaign (real name pending), aimed both at persuading vaccine-hesitant Americans to get the jab, and educating the jab-curious on where and how they can access it. The Biden administration will recruit celebrities and trusted local officials to target three key groups: Young people, people of color, and conservatives. Some people have expressed fears of side effects from the vaccine. There are two things to say about that. Firstly, who knows? Its true that all the COVID-19 vaccines are experimental. It normally takes years for drugs to be developed, tested and then approved. The American Food and Drug Administration people take their job very seriously and the Trump Administration did pour money into vaccine development so that the usual hurdles of investment and staff salaries were overcome. I imagine the drug companies worked 24/7 to produce the current approved vaccines. The vaccines were all tested in large blind studies, �which is the best way to test a drugs efficacy. A blind study (I think I might have told you this before) is one where half the subjects are given the drug and the other half receive a placebo which is a substance that has no therapeutic effect, but used as a control in testing new drugs. In a blind study, only the heads of the project know who received what. Because the entire development and testing were so accelerated, there was no time to discover and plan for long term effects. Secondly, for myself, I take 5 prescription drugs, a steroid nasal spray and an asthma inhaler daily. Every single one of these tablets, nasal spray and inhaler have a list of side effects. The ads on TV for many drugs say: may cause these side effects or death. And yet, millions of Americans take these drugs because they offer relief for a life affecting ailment. The Covid-19 vaccines offer strong protection from the virus and almost all of the variants - and in an ongoing global pandemic, I’ll take my chances. Here’s a very interesting discovery from CNN: The American Red Cross reports about 1 in 5 blood donations from unvaccinated people have Covid-19 antibodies, meaning those donors had likely been infected with the coronavirus at some point. Do they still use the donated blood, I wonder? We have less than a week to go until we are fully vaccinated. Yesterday I was talking to my neighbor on her front porch and she opened her front door to fetch something and she said: do you want to come inside? I was tempted (it was freezing standing outside to chat) but I said: not yet - but soon, maybe. Michigan is opening up vaccinations to all residents aged 16+ on April 5 - less than 3 weeks away. Two little lights at the end of the tunnel from Crooked Media: Coca-Cola and Home Depot have come out in opposition to Republican voter suppression bills in Georgia, under sustained pressure from civil rights groups. Yo-Yo Ma gave an impromptu concert after receiving his second vaccine dose on Saturday, as the U.S. continued to shatter daily vaccination records. In another step towards selling the house, yesterday Craig called the bank and canceled the April mortgage payment as theoretically the sale will have gone through by then. The bank was helpful and said- we can reestablish your payments easily if things fall through. Okay. Flashback: Day 3 in Mongolia. We flew to Western Mongolia to the town of Moron and for the next 10 days we drove across the Steppe in 5 Russian 4 wheel drive vehicles. First, on Day 3: �We visited areas where deer stones had been erected by ancient peoples 5000 years ago. �Scholars are uncertain but the depiction of flying deer/stags on many of these large upright stones suggest that these people thought that after death, their souls would be taken up to the realm of the Sky God, Tengeri, by the flying deer. You can just make out the flying deer at the top of the stone. In some cases there were tombs near to the stones – but in other places no tombs have been found. This is the remains of a tomb. �One deer stone featured the face of a woman, the only stone to have �this. While we were there, there was a once in a decade storm: wind, rain and dust. The storm knocked out power in Western Mongolia for a week, which meant no power for phone charging, gas pumping, no hot water etc. This was a catastrophe for much of Mongolia, and our guides and drivers had to improvise. More Mongolian adventures tomorrow. And now 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_2021-03-16_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-370 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 2021-03-16 Title A name given to the resource Day 370 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/87f37bab7d4c868a2ad75f91a9779218.pdf 2b98a34772d22bd9bb2becdfd9e3184b PDF Text Text Day 369. 16 weeks until we leave the US for Australia. by windoworks Over the weekend, a friend of mine and her husband, both fully vaccinated; their daughter and her husband, both fully vaccinated as essential workers and their two sons, both tested negative, had an early St Patrick’s Day lunch together. What a treat! And what wonderful smiles on all their faces. Can you see that small, glimmering light at the end of the tunnel? So now the question becomes, how long does the vaccination last? Here’s some up to date information from the CDC: • We know that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially severe illness and death. - We’re still learning how effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Early data show the vaccines may work against some variants but could be less effective against others. • We know that other prevention steps help stop the spread of COVID-19, and that these steps are still important, even as vaccines are being distributed. - We’re still learning how well COVID-19 vaccines keep people from spreading the disease. - Early data show that the vaccines may help keep people from spreading COVID-19, but we are learning more as more people get vaccinated. • We’re still learning how long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people. • As we know more, CDC will continue to update our recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. �Well, I know its not much, but it’s something. I know we’re all longing for this to be over - but it isn’t. CNN: What was nice about the Before Times was that, for most people, social interactions and outings could be carefree. We miss them, and that's a big reason why we long for the pandemic to end. But when life stabilizes in the new, new normal, how will we really feel about resuming activities we used to do — like dining out or shaking hands? The world isn't fully safe yet, but vaccinated people whose states have reopened to some extent may find themselves in a strange, nerve-wracking environment. What was familiar no longer seems as familiar. For close to a year now, we've had messages of not being with others, to be distant … then the idea that, 'Oh, there's ways that we can be with others and it's OK' — that's new information to reconcile. So, it's �understandable that it feels different, at least, if not anxiety-provoking or stressful. Anxiety can serve as a warning about situations we should pay attention to and be careful with. These are the experiences and places that may cause apprehension as the world reopens, and the tips for handling them. Eye contact If you've been social distancing at home, it's likely the only people you have made eye contact with lately are your housemates, cashiers at stores and coworkers through a screen. Eye contact is the easiest interaction to start with because it reintroduces us to connecting and showing we care. Being among crowds If you recently have watched a movie filmed before the pandemic, chances are any crowd scenes looked a little peculiar. While we're still far off from large gatherings, you may soon find yourself in increasingly close quarters in grocery stores or on mass transportation. How big of a circle do you need to feel safe in a crowd?' Most people will say, 'I need some space in front of me or on my sides.’ Once you've decided how much space you need, strategically use your elbows or legs or an object — like a shopping bag or grocery cart — to create it. When you need people to respect your boundaries, kindly tell them, "I just need a little more space." Shaking hands and hugging In the pandemic's early days, whether to shake hands was a topic of debate. Now, people mostly just don't. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, strongly advised breaking with this age-old cultural norm — for good. As people meet more frequently, if you encounter someone who extends a hand, the germ factor may cause you to instinctually recoil. If in this moment you feel anxious, waving or bumping elbows instead is OK. Cosmetic and spa services Imagine this: The pandemic is finally over, and you would just love to unwind with a massage. There is only one problem, though: Cosmetic and spa services may not feel so relaxing even on the downhill side of a pandemic. Asking the business what precautions they have taken — and going somewhere else if they don't meet your standards — is OK. Going back to work Those of us who are still working from home have been able to do our own thing in terms of how and where we work. We haven't had to worry about encountering people and the risk of Covid-19. When returning to the office, what may be scariest is the loss of control over your health bubble and routine. You may no longer be used to ironing your clothes, being visible below your shoulders and interacting in person. What you can do is accept that the transition will be scary, disruptive and slow. �Focus on being prepared for what you can control, which includes carrying hand sanitizer and wearing a mask. Overall, cut yourself a break. Those of us who have been staying in for most of the pandemic may feel strange and anxious about readapting to society, but we're in the same boat and can safely help one another through it. And we’re still not at the After Times: So before we all run out and yell: Woo hoo! Its over! Here’s this: CNN: We're not out of the woods yet. Though daily new cases of Covid-19 in the US have dropped since January, case numbers over the past week still averaged more than 50,000 per day. That puts the nation in �a vulnerable position to experience another surge, says Dr. Anthony Fauci -- which is precisely what is happening in Europe. The good news is that people in the US are getting vaccinated relatively quickly. The bad news is that highly contagious variants are still a threat. Until then, the US shouldn't be easing restrictions before Covid-19 case numbers fall to at least below 10,000 per day, Fauci has said. Which leads us to this: New York Times • Most of Italy entered a new lockdown today. Cases have risen over the past three weeks, driven by the spread of the variant first found in Britain and a slow vaccination campaign. • Faith leaders in the U.S. are coaxing their congregations to get vaccinated. • Dr. Anthony Fauci called on Donald Trump to urge his supporters to get a vaccine “for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country.” Many Republicans are hesitant to get the vaccine, polls show. • The virus has extinguished a centuries-old tribe in the Amazon. The last member of the Juma people died from Covid last month. Over the weekend, a quarantine hotel security worker in Sydney, Australia, tested positive for the virus, even though he had received his first dose of the vaccine some days before. This is depressing news, as are the reports written by incoming Australians put into 14 days quarantine in a wildly varying quality of hotels. I keep telling myself that if I can do one whole year isolated in my house, then I can do 14 days in whatever hotel room I end up locked in to. Mongolia. On Day 2 Craig and the group were driven 30 miles out of UlaanBaatar to visit 2 sites. First: �A huge monument to Chinggis Khan. He is depicted staring out towards Eastern Steppe �where he came from. You can climb up inside the horse and come out on the horses head, and look up at his face towering above you. Of course Craig did it. Then to a monument to a great Turkic leader who died around 725. Tonyukuk one of the leaders of the second Turkic empire.. �Turkic leaders were buried somewhere unknown but a year after their death, monuments �like this were erected for them. This is Tonyukuk’s monument. �The stones are called Balbals and they represent the great warriors Tonyukuk killed in his �lifetime. There are hundreds of them and they stretch for miles in both directions. More Mongolia tomorrow. Oliver on his way home from his very first weekend spent at the seaside. ��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_2021-03-15_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-369 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 2021-03-15 Title A name given to the resource Day 369 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/0986a0d0960b82b2f172b8a22928bdc8.pdf 990cb97e59d8ac02499bf6d87aacd52c PDF Text Text Day 368 by windoworks Its the first sign of Spring and beyond that, Summer. On Friday, the radon mitigation was done at our house. It took 4 hours and wasn’t anywhere as noisy as the furnace installation had been. �The pipe goes down into the clay soil below and then up to the �outside. �And goes up next to the drainpipe and the gas is released above the roofline. The fat bit is a fan that is pumping the gas up and then out. The man who did this job said our reading of 4 was quite low, he usually works in basements with readings of 20s, 30s and above. This mitigation system should bring the readings down to 1 or below. Every Saturday Craig’s early morning walk is to Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids. Last week there were people fishing on the thick ice cover, which stretched across the whole lake. Yesterday, the ice was gone and Reeds Lake was mostly open water. Then we went to Saugatuck and Oval Beach for a drive and a picnic lunch. Two weeks ago the ice was a long way out into the lake. Yesterday it was slowly beginning to melt and break up. It was a lovely day, cold and sunny. �The brown is hard ice with sand on the top. Perhaps in April, when we are fully vaccinated (you have to wait for 2 weeks after your second dose to be fully vaccinated - I don’t know why) we will buy take out lunches for our lakeside picnics. Perhaps. Suddenly the world is full of possibilities. I’m not sure I’m ready for them. There are many people who think they will continue to wear a mask, possibly forever. Mostly they are people with social anxiety or disfiguring scars, or nervous tics etc. and for them, being outside or in stores with a mask on is a liberating experience. The other day, Craig and I were talking about someone he interacted with in a store and he said: she was happy, I saw her smiling. I said to him - but wasn’t she wearing a mask? And he replied: yes, of course, but I could see by her eyes that she was smiling. And there you have it. After an entire year, we can communicate our feelings in spite of the mask. In the beginning, Governor Whitmer would speak at the podium with other speakers carefully spaced out and not masked. Next, she and all the other speakers would be masked until it was their turn to speak, and then they would put their mask in their pocket and not put it back on until they had finished speaking. And then there was the memorable day when Governor Whitmer and all the other speakers, kept their masks on for the whole event. The only person not wearing their mask was the sign language speaker. Apparently deaf people have to be able to see the signer’s entire face to understand what they are saying. �Like Rudy Giuliani who did such a strong commendable job for New York after 9/11 and then seemed to morph into someone we didn’t recognize, except perhaps as a cartoon villain, Governor Andrew Cuomo is displaying the same change. While we all admired his ‘take no prisoners’ attitude with the virus, Trump and the careful responsibility for the State of New York, we are all astounded by the revelations of inappropriate behavior and toxicity in his office. He has denied all charges, but as the accusations increase, it seems more likely there is some truth in them. And why are we surprised? It is one thing to rise to the occasion in a catastrophic emergency, it is another to change a lifetimes behavior. I am not judging, I will wait and see what turns up. Today I begin a travelogue that I did not go on. Craig went on an Archeological Tour Company tour to Mongolia as a guide/lecturer in June 2017. He flew in at 2am to Ulaanbaatar from Beijing. Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia. It’s in the Tuul River valley, bordering the Bogd Khan Uul National Park. Originally a nomadic Buddhist center, it became a permanent site in the 18th century. Soviet control in the 20th century led to a religious purge. Soviet-era buildings, museums within surviving monasteries, and a vibrant conjunction of traditional and 21st-century lifestyles typify the modern city. ― Google This is the view from Craig’s hotel room. There is a theme park below the hotel and if you �look carefully at the center of the hills just above the roofline of the buildings, you can see the face of Ghinggis Khan. � 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_2021-03-14_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-368 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 2021-03-14 Title A name given to the resource Day 368 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/89f6f75793983151567cec8d10e6ef55.pdf 2b9b197eb0341368f053b349e88872d9 PDF Text Text Day 367. Saturday March 13 by windoworks I have decided to stop counting sleeps left but from Monday onwards I will post a week countdown. It is the weirdest thing. Craig and I were discussing it this morning. After an entire year of wearing masks (in stores, in crowded streets, in the house when a tradesperson is inside), washing my hands for 20 seconds or thereabouts, wiping down groceries, packages and mail, talking to neighbors on the phone or at a safe distance outside - in 9 more days we will be fully vaccinated and gradually our lifestyle will change. Will I ever shake a person’s hand again? No. Will I hug friends? Probably not for some time. Will I go inside a clothing store and try on clothes? I don’t think so, not yet. �And yet, there is a slowly growing sense of freedom. Two days ago Whoopi Goldberg got her first vaccine shot. She was very scared and had to make herself do it. But now, she said: I feel free! I know exactly what you mean, Whoopi. But baby steps. Here’s an article from the Wall Street Journal which gives some clear guidelines: 1.Is it OK for vaccinated people to meet with other vaccinated people? The CDC guidelines and experts agree that once fully vaccinated—at least two weeks after your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single Johnson & Johnson shot—it’s safe to meet indoors with other fully vaccinated people without masks or distancing. Gathering with other vaccinated people is “scientifically very safe,” says Paul E. Sax, clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Nothing is 100% effective but “gathering with other vaccinated people is pretty darn close,” he says. 2.Can a fully vaccinated family meet with unvaccinated people indoors without masks? The CDC guidelines say yes, they can, as long as the unvaccinated people are from one household and have no risk factors that put them at risk of developing severe Covid-19. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minn. says this could be potentially risky because unvaccinated people may not disclose their medical risks and may not even be aware they have any. There’s not a lot of data of vaccine efficacy among people who are very elderly, on chemotherapy, or immunocompromised, he notes. 3. What is the latest on whether vaccinated people can spread the virus to unvaccinated people? Recent studies found that vaccination reduced asymptomatic infection more than 80% when compared to unvaccinated individuals and nasal viral loads are low and potentially noninfectious, says Dr. Gandhi. But other experts say the evidence is preliminary and more conclusive evidence is needed. And new variants raise additional questions about vaccine effectiveness. 4.What activities should I prioritize after I get vaccinated? Schedule any routine medical and health appointments that you’ve been putting off, Dr. Wen says. Get your colonoscopy, mammogram or dental cleaning. Schedule an elective surgery. “Anything like that you should resume because you are well protected,” says Dr. Wen. 5.What about travel? The CDC guidelines didn’t update travel recommendations. Once you are vaccinated, traveling is lower risk, says Dr. Wen, as is staying at a hotel or going to restaurants, so long as you follow safety protocols. But continue to be cautious about how you meet with people once you arrive at your destination, she says, particularly if they aren’t vaccinated or live in an area that has high transmission rates. 6. Which activities are lower and higher risk, even after vaccination? Vaccinated individuals can feel comfortable when doing quiet indoor activities where people are generally �still required to be masked and distanced, such as visiting an uncrowded museum, says Dr. Sax. Outdoor activities are even safer. Higher-risk situations include indoor dining, bars, gyms and houses of worship, where people are singing and talking. “We don’t want to push the limits of what the vaccines can do before case numbers drop,” says Dr. Sax. He and his physician wife are both fully vaccinated but won’t dine in restaurants until case numbers and hospitalizations are significantly lower, he says. So there you are. What else is happening in the world? In Auckland, New Zealand, the Americas Cup Challenge is underway. From my oldest son Zar, who lives in Auckland: The boats are astonishing they’re foiling yachts so “fly” on foils while the hull remains out of the water. Yesterday during the races they were doing 78 kmh (over 48 miles an hour). The hull never touches the water. Instead the boat races on foils. From Washington Post: The $1,400 stimulus payments are starting to post to some bank accounts, a day after Biden signed the $1.9 trillion legislation. From Crooked Media: It’s not as if everyone will be able to get jabbed on May 1, but there’s good reason to think that Biden’s goal of vaccinating a huge swath of the country that month is within reach. The U.S. currently administers over two-million doses per day, and vaccine manufacturers are still on schedule to scale up production over the next few weeks. If states can keep pace with the increased supply, something like two-thirds of adults could already be vaccinated by May. Alaska has already opened up shots to all, �Michigan announced that it will follow suit on April 5, and Wisconsin has committed to the May 1 deadline. And also: At least a dozen New York Democrats in Congress, including Reps. Jerry Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) to resign. On Friday, Cuomo once again refused, and blamed “cancel culture” for his current pickle. Remember the attempt to overthrow the government on January 6? Here’s what’s been happening from Washington Post: U.S. prosecutors on Friday sketched out the gargantuan scope of the investigation in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, asking for courts to delay most cases by at least two months after being pressed by a handful of defendants and some judges to speed up trials and plea offers. “The investigation and prosecution of the Capitol Attack will likely be one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence,” the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. wrote in morning court filings in seeking a delay before turning over evidence to defendants. Charges have been brought against 312 people and are expected against at least 100 more, according to court officials and prosecutors. �Investigators have executed more than 900 electronic and physical search warrants, and amassed more than 15,000 hours of law enforcement surveillance and body-camera video, 1,600 electronic devices and 210,000 tips, prosecutors said. With the volume of cases and evidence only growing, “the unusual complexity of the Capitol Attack investigation warrants” postponement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn L. Rakoczy and others wrote in a filing Friday involving “key figure” Caldwell, who is charged with eight other alleged associates of the right-wing, anti-government Oath Keepers group. Moving too fast will make prosecution “impossible, or result in a miscarriage of justice,” Rakoczy said. More than 100 federal prosecutors are working full or part-time on cases — including 30 detailed from U.S. attorney offices around the country — with some prosecutors and judges handling seven cases or more apiece.In a sign of the probe’s vast scope, several unsealed search warrants have requested subject’s records dating to Nov. 1 — about Election Day — and at least one Feb. 25 warrant sought all of one individual’s Facebook account information dating to Sept. 1. Magistrates have authorized the FBI to search such information for all relevant material to be copied and retained while sealing the rest pending further court order or potential use to authenticate evidence at trial. By the way, the man who sat in her chair in Nancy Pelosi’s office and put his feet up on the desk has complained at trial: its not fair! Sadly for him, this is what fairness looks like. �I am between travelogues at present but there will be another one soon. Meanwhile, Oliver has been having a wonderful time on his beach vacation. ��Thanks for all the kind words. 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_2021-03-13_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-367 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 2021-03-13 Title A name given to the resource Day 367 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/ea67867e9b3f14a744627652a8b1d09d.pdf 97463bc251597bcb49d7be9763e8cded PDF Text Text Day 366. by windoworks Well you knew I’d keep writing, didn’t you? People ask me how long I will keep writing this blogpost. Initially I said until the pandemic is over, but really, who can tell when that will be? Washington Post One year ago Thursday, the scale of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States became obvious. The country only had a few hundred known cases at the time, but that was misleading. With limited testing, it was spreading widely and quickly without detection. By the end of March, hundreds of people were dying of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, each day. So, one day after one whole year, here are some statistics for yesterday. US: 29.3M recorded cases, 530,000 recorded deaths. Worldwide: 119M recorded cases, 2.63M recorded deaths. Michigan: 665,000 recorded cases and 16,712 recorded deaths. At some point the numbers become meaningless. From NPR: More than 500,000 people have died in the U.S. from COVID-19 since the pandemic hit this country and the world just over a year ago. NPR is remembering some of those who lost their lives by listening to the music they loved and hearing their stories. We're calling our tribute Songs Of Remembrance. Craig had been listening to this series during the day and had told me about it. One Sunday I was sitting in the car while Craig went into the deserted Honors College office to print something or collect something I forget. Anyway I turned on the radio and heard Merle Haggard singing Silver Wings. A young woman talked about her father, a crop dusting pilot, and how the two of them were crazy Merle Haggard fans. She thought they had attended 50 of his concerts together. She is married and lives far from her parents. When her father was in the ICU and dying from Covid, her mother FaceTimed her and her brother. She talked to her father, reminding him of their adventures together. While she talked, his heart rate increased and thats how she knew he could hear her. She ended by saying: you can go now, Dad, its okay. Five minutes after the call ended, her father died. NPR interspersed Silver Wings throughout the story. Silver wings shining in the sunlight Roaring engines headed somewhere in flight They're taking you away and leaving me lonely Silver wings slowly fading out of sight Each of these stories of someone lost is powerful and heartrending. Each story is just one of the more than 500,000 dead. �Here’s an article from NPR about that first day: On that day in the United States,March 11, 2020, the pandemic future arrived all at once. The coronavirus — which had already sparked lockdowns in China and Italy — had become a major concern in the U.S. The first case in the U.S. was announced on Jan. 21 in Everett, Wash. On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency. Some schools in the U.S. had already closed, affecting about 850,000 students. And some Americans were trying to figure out whether to cancel the expensive cruises they had booked. The CDC had issued guidance on getting tested for the virus, but it was hard to figure out where such tests might be available. In a Senate committee hearing, Dr Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained that the U.S. was seeing more cases from both community spread and international travel. "I can say we will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now," Fauci said. "How much worse we'll get will depend on our ability to do two things: to contain the influx of people who are infected coming from the outside, and the ability to contain and mitigate within our own country." The virus had by then infected more than 1,000 people in 40 states. At least 31 people in the U.S. had died from COVID-19, most of them in Washington state. "Bottom line," Fauci said, "it's going to get worse." In Geneva, the WHO was holding a briefing. Eight countries, including the U.S., now had more than 1,000 cases. "In the past two weeks, the number of cases of COVID-19 outside China has increased 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has tripled," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction," he said."We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic." Shortly after 9 p.m. ET, Tom Hanks posted a photo to Instagram of a surgical glove in a trash can, along with an announcement: He and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, were sick with the coronavirus. "We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too," he wrote. The two were in Australia for preproduction on a film starring Hanks. "Well, now. What to do next?" Hanks continued. "The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?" Its strange to look back at that first day. For me, it was a ‘nothing will ever be the same again’ moment and so far, I haven’t been proved wrong. But, as I said yesterday, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It glimmers enticingly. Yesterday President Biden did this: �CNN: President Biden signed into law the sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package yesterday, putting to rest months of Congressional rancor and debate. Americans could start seeing those muchawaited $1,400 stimulus payments as early as this weekend. In addition to direct payments, the package’s key measures are predicted to slash the poverty rate by about a third through enhanced food stamp benefits, housing and unemployment assistance, and reliable streams of income for struggling families and workers. The bill passed with no Republican support, and now Congressional Democrats are settling in for a period of internal clashes as they take on the next big items on Biden’s agenda, from shoring up infrastructure to tackling the climate crisis and immigration issues. Did you notice that the bill passed with NO REPUBLICAN SUPPORT? Here’s my message to all those Republican voters and QAnon supporters: �You can’t scream about socialism and erosion of rights and then accept a check based on a socialist principle. Send it back. I’m sure the Biden administration will find a use for the money. but its not really these checks. Its that this bill recognizes poverty and race inequalities and it is a massive first step. Of course, in Michigan where the Whitmer administration previously received $5 billion aid from the federal �government, the Republican majority is holding back $2 billion while they try to force Governor Whitmer to their will. I don’t have any words about this. Last night President Biden spoke to the nation. Here is one part of his speech from Washington Post : Along with the call for people to do what’s needed to meet the goal for normalcy, Biden had some surprisingly stern words for skeptics of government scientists and their proposed mitigation techniques. With some states moving away from mask mandates and many Americans — especially Republicans — still resisting even voluntary masking, Biden labeled it the “easiest thing to do to save lives,” sounding a bit exasperated while adding “sometimes it divides us.” “We need to remember the government isn’t some foreign force in a distant capital,” Biden said. “No, it’s us, all of us, we the people. For you and I, that America thrives when we give our hearts, we turn our hands to common purpose.” Flashback: while I went on the Jarlshof tour, Graig went on an expedition. Mousa is a small island in Shetland, Scotland, uninhabited since the nineteenth century. The island is known for the Broch of Mousa, an Iron Age round tower, and is designated as a Special Protection Area for storm-petrel breeding colonies. Wikipedia ����After our tours we met at the quay at Lerwick and wandered around the town. ��“Shetland” is a Scottish crime drama television series, made by ITV Studios for BBC One and first broadcast on 10 March 2013. The series stars Douglas Henshall as Jimmy Pérez, a detective inspector working for the Shetland police. This is Jimmy Perez’s house. They were filming, but it was Sunday and we didn’t see Douglas Henshaw. Oh well. ��Walking back to the wharf to tender back to our ship. And just like that, our Iceland cruise was over. We sailed back to Copenhagen, disembarked and caught the flight out to Philadelphia and then Grand Rapids. As I write, there is concern that the over 20,000 earthquake swarm in Iceland may be leading to a major eruption. Oliver and Zoe have driven up the coast to a Family Reunion. It is 3 days of Benjamin/Frew madness and maybe we will be able to attend next year after 19 years absence. ��Yes, indeed, tomorrow. Still writing. � 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_2021-03-12_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-366 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 2021-03-12 Title A name given to the resource Day 366 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/e9d635b898fbfbd3877267283d12be66.pdf e9e5c70fc5a911afd2356dc29113a924 PDF Text Text Day 365. An entire year! by windoworks I can’t believe it. A whole year. In the beginning, I wrote this blog as if any day now, the pandemic would be over. I remember the women’s club I belonged to delaying face to face activities for 3 months, absolutely certain that the pandemic would be over by then. As each deadline neared, the delay moved another 3 months and so on. It is hard to keep things in chronological order. In the summer of 2020, there were restriction easing and some activities resumed. Craig and I chose to not participate in most things and continued to mask up and be cautious. During the summer months, Craig became a dedicated gardener. We watched weekly episodes of Gardeners World, an English gardening show and thus informed, Craig set about establishing a meadow in our back garden. In between, he painted the entire exterior of the house, changing it from all white with grey trim to white on the ground floor and red on the second floor and grey trim. Occasionally friends and neighbors sat over 6 feet apart on our front porch and we chatted - with no beverages or food, unless the visitor brought it with them. In the middle of the year, the sewer backed up into our basement and we had a plumber come and clear out all the drains. The sewerage smell persisted in the basement for days. Soon after that, the hot water heater died, and the same team came back to install a new one. This necessitated a team climbing on the roof and pushing a protective sleeve down one of our the chimneys which connected to the steam outlet from the heater. A new drainpipe was laid across the basement floor as well. Next, Craig painted the upstairs bathroom, the kitchen and his study, so that all rooms in the house have been repainted. I would not allow him to paint the dormers in the roof, so we employed the young men who had repainted our neighbor’s house and they did a good job. I had also grown very tired of constantly opening and closing the chain link gate on the driveway to get the car in or out of the garage, so we paid our neighbor TJ to build us a handsome garden fence along the side of the driveway. Lumber was just beginning to be scarce and he had to hunt all over Grand Rapids for what he needed. (I love that fence and gate, so much easier in the winter). Craig landscaped the garden side of the fence and replaced the back paver path with a wider gravel one. In September I had my first cataract surgery and by the middle of October, both eyes were done and I was coming to terms with only having to wear reading glasses. I bought my first pair of regular sunglasses in 40 years. And gradually we fell into a daily routine. After breakfast I write my blogpost while Craig goes for his morning walk. Once college recommenced at the end of August, Craig taught 3 days a week online. As fall �then winter loomed, cases began to rise and Craig became the designated shopper, as advised. We try to walk together most days. Sometimes we make a longer outing north to Spring Lake or Muskegon State Park, or south to Saugatuck or South Haven. We always take a picnic lunch which we eat in the car, usually while gazing at Lake Michigan. In the summer we had driven out very early on Sunday morning to swim in Lake Michigan a couple of times, but the beach had almost disappeared altogether so we didn’t tarry. We celebrated Halloween inside our house with no porch light shining and no decorations - that is to say, we didn’t celebrate it. Thanksgiving was the next big event and we celebrated by ourselves with a roasted chicken and homemade pumpkin pie. Our celebration was that we had eluded Covid to that point. We had been talking about returning to Australia to live for some time over the pandemic. At first we thought we would stay 4 more years until Craig retired at 70. But then we thought about going sooner. We chose October, and then brought it forward to August and finally we decided on early July. Craig submitted his letter of retirement to the university, effective May 4 and the day after Thanksgiving, Craig purchased our plane tickets online for July 5. Our next big thing was to find a new home for Miss Murphy Brown. A friend of mine facilitated this in just over a week, and Murphy went off to live with a family of four and another doodle. As I write this, it seems as though she has been gone for years. The family were very kind and at first they sent lots of photos. In the end I wrote (via my friend) and said thank you so much but no more photos - it makes it too hard. Next Christmas arrived and on Christmas Eve, for the very last time we drove over to East Grand Rapids to see the luminaries lining the streets. They had outdone themselves. Hundreds and hundreds of luminaries and the house decorations were spectacular. I guess when you’re locked down, you make a really big effort. Christmas Day was quiet with just the two of us but it was nice. Then, in January, old neighbors expressed an interest in our house. It didn’t work out but we ended up employing another friend who is a realtor - much sooner than we had thought. Almost immediately we had an interest in our house from a client in Birmingham on the East side of the state. To cut a long story short, if it all goes through, we close on April 5 and then we rent the house back from the owners until the end of June. But of course, in January, the furnace began to die and so a team of furnace workers came in and took most of one day and part of the next to get it all installed and working properly and take away our old furnace. We are nursing the washer, dryer and fridge along till we leave. And I bet you think that’s all. No. After the inspector came he retrieved the radon monitor and said we needed radon mitigation. So, tomorrow, a team will be in the basement for 4 hours installing a very complicated system under the basement floors which will accumulate the radon emissions and vent them safely well above the roofline. �We had the appraiser from Quicken Loans, and the city inspector who signed off on the furnace installation. We’re looking at houses online in an area west of Sydney, and we’re looking at new cars. We have employed an international moving team and we are slowly divesting ourselves of things we don’t wish to keep. As I write this there are 16.5 weeks until we leave and it seems to be passing by faster. New Zealand and Australia closed their borders on March 19 2020 to all international travelers and instigated quarantine rules for returning citizens. Both countries established weekly quotas in line with available rooms in quarantine facilities. As time passed, the regulations for quarantine were adjusted - two Covid tests at first, then three and possibly four. In the beginning, quarantine was free but then both countries realized that the cost to the national budget was prohibitive and a quarantine fee was established. In Australia (which has devoted a long section to quarantine rules etc) the fee is $3000 AUS for one adult and an extra $1000 for a partner. The cost in New Zealand is similar but there is talk of increasing it. We are returning as repatriating citizens. We have no idea whether we will be required to quarantine. I never imagined I would experience something like this. Its hard to come to terms with the fact that we have been doing this routine for an entire year. And it isn’t over. There is a growing light at the end of the tunnel, but I don’t think life will ever be quite the same again. Will we always be looking over our shoulders, waiting for the next big thing to arrive? Will we ever reengage with society in a truly free and easy way? Its just too hard to imagine. Baby’s steps, Pamela, Baby steps. And Oliver, because you’ll all shout at me otherwise. ��Putting the diaper on the doll. He then patted it. � 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_2021-03-11_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-365 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 2021-03-11 Title A name given to the resource Day 365 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/8da2429c39c0c4db84c7209d212ef9ba.pdf dc2e22620689d1fe9de100843edb92b2 PDF Text Text Day 364 by windoworks Washington Post: In the weeks before the World Health Organization labeled the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, a flurry of emails alerted scientists to a cluster of cases in China. Those cases ticked up — and then exploded. An underestimated pathogen became the viral tsunami that smothered the world. And here we are. One whole year. Never in my wildest dreams. The Atlantic: Everything was normal, until it wasn’t. Last March, we scrambled home, used coffee mugs left on our desks, our worlds shrinking without time for a proper goodbye. �In the days, weeks, and months that followed, our “new normal” became just that. Now, a year later, our brains are both grieving and forgetting the lives we once lived. • We are still grieving our Last Good Days. “For me, it’s the last time I swam in the ocean,” our senior editor Julie Beck writes. “The way we turn those memories over and over is a symptom of grief.” • And forgetting what normal was. “I can’t stop noticing all the things I’m forgetting,” Ellen Cushing writes in her essay on how the late-stage pandemic is messing with our brains. “Sometimes I grasp at a word or a name.” Here’s what I thought one year ago today: March 10: Last night Governor Whitmer declared a State of Emergency with 2 confirmed cases in Michigan. She said our main objective is to slow the spread of the virus down. This is what was posted: Temporary requirement to suspend activities that are not necessary to sustain or protect life. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death. It is caused by a new strain of coronavirus not previously identified in humans and easily spread from person to person. Older adults and those with chronic health conditions are at particular risk, and there is an increased risk of rapid spread of COVID-19 among persons in close proximity to one another. There is currently no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment for this disease. Months later, Governor Whitmer, Dr Joneigh Khaldun and a senior advisor, sat at a virtual Roundtable and talked about that Executive Order. Dr J said she had been following the progress of the virus overseas since December and when the 2 cases presented in Michigan she asked Governor Whitmer to shut the state down. The senior advisor said he was overwhelmed by the implications of such an order and they discussed this for hours. In the end, they agreed that it was the only action to take. March 11: Pandemic Diary. Its time to think about our lives in a completely different way - and in a way thats what its all about, our lives. Everyone doing their best to not put themselves, their families and their friends in harms way. Grand Valley State University is closed and Craig considers this means he is home for the summer. So here we are at my Day One. I’ll keep you updated. At this point it was almost just a scary adventure - something to watch on TV or read in a book, but not real. How could it be real? March 12: Yesterday Broadway New York closed, Disneyland, Disneyworld and Disney Cruises have all closed down. Last night Governor Whitmer closed all Michigan schools effective this Monday. The US has a crucial shortage of test kits. There is so much misinformation out there, starting from the top down, that �a section of the community are refusing to take this threat seriously. Its hard for me to look at the desperate situation in Italy where they have effectively closed the whole country to try and combat the overwhelming numbers of sick people, and then consider the federal response here. I think it comes down to each organization making its own best choice for its members or employees. The streets near our house are very quiet as more people are staying home. This is a whole new way of living for the foreseeable future. As European countries slammed their borders shut and ordered everyone to remain inside their apartments or houses, the threat of this virus became more real. In our state, we had a stockpile of 300 test kits - a laughable number. Dr J had been writing protocols and issuing instructions on hospital readiness and best practices since December 2019. March 13: Everything around us is closing, is closed or has very limited customers. In the supermarkets yesterday the shelves were seriously depleted and the lines for the checkout were 30 minutes at least. Yesterday the Administration declared a National Emergency but the Senate has yet to consider the bill offering relief with sick leave etc. Kent County (where we live) had 4 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday afternoon and although the Governor had restricted gatherings in our state to 250 people or less, Kent County announced restricting it to 100 people or less. Experts (and they really ARE experts) are predicting that this may last for 4 months or more. This changes life as we know it. I could never have imagined just how changed our lives would be or how long that change would last and how that would utterly change my concept of ‘normal’. March 14: Outside my tv room window it is amazingly quiet. Our dog, Miss Murphy Brown, sits at the window and gazes out but the only thing she sees is the occasional bird. Yesterday Craig moved the double bird feeder to outside this window so I could watch the birds too. I have taken to waking at 3am. I wake from a deep sleep and for a moment I think it is like any other middle of the night and then I remember its not. It takes some time for me to go back to sleep. Last night I wondered if we had enough cheese or bread or eggs and in the coming days would we be able to shop for them. I read online that college students on Spring Break have flocked to Miami Florida and are partying like there’s no tomorrow. In Austin Texas life continues as normal - no one has taken any precautions. In other states you have to line up for the grocery store and every sporting, entertainment, bar etc are closed. On March 15 2020, the US recorded 702 new cases; one week later on March 22 2020, 8,554 new cases. March 9 2021, the US recorded 55,631 new cases. The total number of US cases to March 9 2021 are 29.2M. The recorded deaths in the US to yesterday March 9 is 527,000. At the height of the worst surge (there have been 3 surges so far) on January 8 2021, 300,619 new cases were recorded. �By December, Pfizer, the first of the experimental vaccines was ready to be approved. Now, with Pfizer, Modern and Johnson & Johnson vaccines all approved and the Biden Administration ramping up dispersal in the US, there is a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. This morning 1 in 10 Americans have been vaccinated so far - and the vaccinations are ramping up. I cannot express my feelings about having been vaccinated with the first dose and then 4 weeks later, the booster. We have to wait until Monday March 22 to be classified as fully vaccinated and then that tiny light glows brighter. We are cautiously thinking of what we might be able to do. Iceland cruise: After Esturoy we sailed on to the Shetland Islands and Lerwick. Lerwick is a name with roots in Old Norse and its local descendant, Norn, which was spoken in Shetland until the mid-19th century. The name "Lerwick" means bay of clay. Evidence of human settlement in the Lerwick area dates back to the Neolithic (4000–2500 BCE) and the Bronze Age (2500–800 BCE) known from paleoenvironmental records for human activity and the recovery of artefacts, including a stone axe head submerged in Bressay Sound. Iron Age (800 BCE – CE 800) settlement is known at the Broch of Clickimin, which was constructed as early as 400 BCE. Wikipedia. Sailing into Lerwick �Craig and I split up and went on different tours. �We stopped at this bay to watch seals in the water. There’s one at the far end of the bay in �the shallows - hard to see. Jarlshof is the best known prehistoric archaeological site in Shetland, Scotland. It lies in Sumburgh, Mainland, Shetland and has been described as "one of the most remarkable archaeological sites ever excavated in the British Isles".It contains remains dating from 2500 BCE up to the 17th century CE. Wikipedia The remains at Jarlshof represent thousands of years of human occupation, and can be seen as a microcosm of Shetland history. Other than the Old House of Sumburgh, the site remained largely hidden until a storm in the late 19th century washed away part of the shore, and revealed evidence of these ancient buildings. Formal archaeological excavation started in 1925 and Bronze Age relics were soon discovered. Jarlshof was one of two broch sites which were the first to be excavated using modern scientific techniques between 1949–52. Although the deposits within the broch had been badly disturbed by earlier attempts, this work revealed a complex sequence of construction from different periods. Buildings on the site include the remains of a Bronze Age smithy, an Iron Age broch and roundhouses, a complex of Pictish wheelhouses, a Viking longhouse, and a mediaeval farmhouse. No further excavations have been undertaken since the early 1950s and no radiocarbon dating has been attempted. Wikipedia ����Jarlshof covered a huge area and that’s only what they’ve uncovered. To get there, our bus had to stop and wait while a plane landed on the airport runway which runs across the road. There was one toilet in the nearby hotel and they only let us in, one at a time. On the way back we stopped a tiny hamlet with two Shetland wool shops - of course I bought a very expensive hand knitted jacket. Craig’s Shetland adventure tomorrow. 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_2021-03-10_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-364 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 2021-03-10 Title A name given to the resource Day 364 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/e92ce443ecf6431d46517c10547cedc0.pdf 26fc94427f280fa133af36a829c1b102 PDF Text Text Day 363 by windoworks Yesterday we had our second Pfizer vaccine dose. Late last night our arms began to hurt. This morning mine seems to hurt less than last night. I’ll just wait and see what happens today. Then, in an amazing and exciting move, the CDC finally published an article explaining what does it mean when you’re fully vaccinated (2 weeks after your 2nd shot): Washington Post The CDC today released clear guidance about what people can and cannot do after we're fully vaccinated, which means we can finally answer (with confidence) many of the “can I do this?” questions we've received in recent months. Here are the new guidelines: • You can hang out indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask. • You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks, unless someone in that household is at increased risk for severe covid-19 illness. • If you came into contact with someone who has covid-19, you don't need to quarantine or get tested unless you have symptoms. This one doesn't apply to people who live in a group setting (e.g. correctional facility, assisted living, etc.) Fully vaccinated = Two weeks after second Pfizer/Moderna shot and two weeks after the J&J shot. The CDC also pointed out the things that haven't changed, and you should assume anything that isn't covered in the list above falls into the “guidance hasn't changed” bucket. “I am 71 and fully vaccinated, and flying to visit my grandkids in an adjacent state. Can I have dinner inside with them and/or sit in the kitchen with my daughter and visit without putting them at risk?” — Laura in Washington This falls under the second rule — yes, you can visit another household without needing to mask up, or worry that you are putting them or yourself in covid jeopardy. If someone in your daughter's home is at high-risk for serious covid illness, you need to revert back to the old guidelines. For example, does anyone in that home have a heart condition? Obesity? Does anyone smoke? Four in 10 adults in the U.S. are at high risk because of age or underlying condition. Does a vaccinated individual still have to follow state guidelines when entering one state from another state? Do they need to be tested beforehand and/or be quarantined after arriving?” —Meme in Massachusetts The blanket advice here is that anything that isn't covered by those three points up top should still adhere to previous guidance. In this case, state rules still apply (wearing masks in public, what to do when you arrive, etc.) and the CDC also noted specifically that the old travel guidance still applies to vaccinated people. �This leaves me breathless. Its a tantalizing glimpse of almost normal life. Vaccination rates are ramping up. When we drove into the Kent County Health Dept Coronavirus Vaccination spot yesterday, there was the same busy comings and goings as last time. Once again, the process worked like clockwork, except this time, we were allowed to be vaccinated, one after the other, with the same nurse. He put that shot in my arm so fast I didn’t feel a thing, but Craig struggled to relax his muscles enough. We sat for the requisite 10 minutes and then drove home. While sitting in the waiting area, I had to stop myself from crying with relief - we made it to the second shot and they had more than enough vaccine doses for all. Its still 2 days away from a full year of the pandemic and there are 3 vaccines available in the US. Here’s a few words from Crooked Media about the American Rescue Plan: With its tens of billions of dollars to fund vaccine distribution and coronavirus testing and tracing, the bill is also a crushing defeat for coronavirus. The U.S. administered an average of 2.2 million vaccine doses per day over the last week (up from around 900,000 doses per day when Biden took office), and the resources that President Biden will sign off on later this week will further accelerate the rollout. Not a bad 54th week of March! Biden will deliver a primetime address on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the coronavirus crisis, and (presumably) take a bit of a victory lap. Just a side note here: a handful of Republican Representatives signed off on this bill in the House and NOT ONE REPUBLICAN voted for it in the Senate. Not one. Why, I hear you ask. Because apparently, although the they talk about helping their constituents, they don’t really mean it. I can’t think of a single reason for not voting to approve this bill, except Socialism - and tell that to the millions of desperate Americans. But honestly, I think the best example of a Republican hand on the wheel is Texas: where millions lost power and water; some still have no running water and some residents have power bills far beyond their means. And their Governor told them: open up and throw away your masks! Will President Biden have to rescue them again as he did a couple of weeks ago? Remember those unfortunate people who survived Covid but continue to have health issues? From The Atlantic: Known as COVID long-haulers, these patients suffer from symptoms such as severe fatigue and brain fog long after their initial infection. 1. The condition resembles a variety of known ailments. It shares similarities with autoimmune disorders, dysautonomia, and more—all poorly understood conditions that, evidence suggests, can be triggered by the body’s response to infections. 2. Breathwork looks like a promising part of treatment. Long-COVID patients appear to breathe “shallowly through their mouths and into their upper chest.” When Mount Sinai introduced a breathwork program, everyone in the pilot �program reported improvement in symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue after a week. 3. This story might be bigger than COVID-19. “I wouldn’t be surprised if people are walking about with long Epstein-Barr virus, or long influenza,” one expert said. Many researchers spoken with believed that the race to understand long COVID will advance our understanding of chronic conditions that follow infection, transforming medicine in the process. Well that’s interesting. In other news, the Harry & Meghan interview raised an enormous outcry in the British Press. It appears that the British monarchy have lived in some fear of the press and have tried to maintain a relationship with specially catered press events. In this day and age, I fail to see any reason for pandering to the press and every reason to open up, be honest and move forward into this century. From Washington Post: The interview represents a new inflection point in the global racial reckoning of the past year. While uncountable numbers of institutions have been owning up to their own ugly histories with racism, the British monarchy’s confrontation holds particular significance. That Meghan, an actress-turned-duchess whose nuptials were a national celebration, wasn’t immune to racism raises questions about how pervasive those sentiments still are within the royal family. This is a ruling dynasty of a country that traded enslaved Africans for more than two centuries — and the interview revealed the ways that anti-Black attitudes might be lingering. The couple also told Oprah that the British tabloids had published their location in Canada at one point, a breach that sparked particular concern given that the palace had refused to pay for security for their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. Shortly after he was born, the couple’s son was compared to a chimp by a BBC radio host, who later apologized. That last statement is pretty shocking. I hope the BBC host was fired. To make a remark like that on national television and have it aired shows just how much negative and destructive power the British media holds. I am reminded of one of my mother’s favorite sayings: if you can’t say something nice, then say nothing at all. Craig and I are watching (I might have mentioned this before) The Great British Menu. The season we are currently watching celebrates the 70 year anniversary of D Day. The banquet will be in St Paul’s Cathedral (really? A church?). We watch the weekly area competition and I have enjoyed the extra judges brought in on Fridays. They are all either veterans or people associated with the Second World War. It seems to me that Britain is stuck in their past glory days and unable to move forward into the future. Perhaps their position in the future is unsure to them. I really don’t know - I’m just guessing here, but I �have to say that when a portion of your population yearns for a return to the ‘good old days’, you have a problem. In Australia, really angry women are beginning to speak out loudly about the prevalent male attitude to women - in business, in government and in general. I think the men in power ignore (or denigrate) women at their peril. To use one of my favorite expressions: I can hear those chickens wings flapping as they come home to roost. There is always a price for bad behavior - perhaps not as soon as people would like, but it always arrives, sooner or later. As I write this morning, Iceland has recently suffered an earthquake swarm. Severe Weather Europe Iceland earthquake swarm from http://www.severe-weather.eu 2 days ago — ONGOING EARTHQUAKE SWARM. The current earthquake swarm began on February 24th. Earthquake swarm in Iceland continues, now with over 20.000 earthquakes detected since the start, facing an even higher eruption risk in the next few days. We left Iceland after our time in Reykjavik, and sailed on to Esturoy in the Faroe Islands. Eysturoy (pronounced ['estroi] meaning 'East Island' is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, both in size and population. The north, north-east, and south-east coasts of the island have been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of their significance as seabird breeding sites, especially for Manx shearwaters (2500 pairs), European storm petrels (500 pairs) and black guillemots (300 pairs). Wikipedia �Craig and I signed up to go on a bird spotting cruise. It was freezing cold, of course. �In the summer the local sheep farmers bring their small flocks out by boat to graze on the steep slopes. Sometimes when they return to collect them in the fall, there are less sheep. Some have fallen off the slope and drowned. �High cliffs are a great bird breeding ground �We’re going out that �way? �Its so narrow! �We saw lots and lots of birds but it was very hard to photograph them, especially the ones flying above the cliffs. Oliver �Making gingerbread cookies with raisins �Its a weirdly warmer day. Go out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. � 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_2021-03-09_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-363 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 2021-03-09 Title A name given to the resource Day 363 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/4996ce0d241c6481befa6e9f6acc3d26.pdf b5dd7409feebd9468f8a81f57470f090 PDF Text Text Day 362 by windoworks This morning I read a report on Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah. When we watched the latest season of The Crown last year, it dealt with the troubled marriage of Charles and Diana. When it aired, there were cries from the British press saying ‘its a dramatic representation! It wasn’t that bad!’ After reading the 10 takeaways from the Oprah interview, I realized that the treatment of Meghan was exactly the same as the way the Family treated Diana - with almost the same consequences, but this time Harry left with Meghan. One remark stood out for me: an unnamed Royal family member asked Meghan or Harry, just how dark will the baby’s skin be? This was before Archie was born. Archie doesn’t have the title of Prince, although all William’s children do. In this day and age, I have to wonder what the overall purpose of a royal family is. The British Royal Family seem to cost Britain money in return for some charity work. I don’t feel strongly about this either way, but when history repeats itself, you have to wonder. I have no idea what Harry and Meghan will do to support themselves but they strike me as a resourceful couple. When they married I thought: at last, this is step forward and may lead to more integration. Ah well. In September 2016, Craig and I lived in Brandon, a small town in north east England, for about a month. It was about 4 months after the successful campaign and national vote to leave the European Union dubbed Brexit. You had to wonder what was the motivation to leave a larger governing body that gave a great deal of commerce to Britain. In the end, I think it was a combination of racial prejudice and a yearning for a time when Britain owned and ruled half the world. Craig had his hair cut at a one man salon in Brandon and the owner told Craig that he and his friends had made a terrible mistake. They thought voting for Brexit would make all the immigrant Poles return to Poland. (I am still astounded by this belief). There is a large population of Polish people in Brandon and in Britain. The mothers of Brandon would walk their children to school in their separate groups but the moment the children ran into the school grounds, they appeared to all play together. In London, most of the hotel maids, shop workers, restaurant staff etc are all Polish or Russian or Eastern European, and I think its the same in most of the other big cities. With the final Brexit agreement being in place at the end of 2020, I think Britain has lost far more than it gained. Many of the financial establishments have left London and moved to Amsterdam; there is no open border between Britain and the Continent ; the Republic of Ireland remains in the EU while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom. Scotland continues to think about becoming a republic and rejoining the EU; and meanwhile Wales is leaning towards leaving the United Kingdom and declaring independence. Before Brexit, Wales relied on the EU for much of its financial stability. �Its International Women’s Day and here’s a quote from the former President of Ireland and Chair of The Elders, Mary Robinson: “One lesson I've learned is that Covid has exacerbated existing inequalities and shown the intersectionality between them, which in turn has made people feel more empathy and compassion for those worse-off, which actually, gives me hope," she said. And here’s something to jog your memory: ��Today Craig and I will get our second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Then in 2 weeks time, we will be as protected as possible from the Corona virus. How long will it last? No one seems to know. And here’s another item to know - Russian hackers have been spreading misinformation online about the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in order to elevate the Russian Sputnik vaccine. So check all sources online. From CNN: The US could be in the “eye of the hurricane,” according to one expert, instead of riding a steady pandemic decline. Cases have stopped dropping and are now plateauing at very high numbers, with the country averaging roughly 60,000 new cases daily in the past week. Loosened restrictions and mass spring break events right around the corner could spell serious danger. Plus, the B.1.1.7 variant, first found in the UK, could fuel more infections over the next six to 14 weeks. It’s also important to note that the pandemic is still tough in a lot of places. Brazil just recorded its highest number of coronavirus cases in two months, with 80,000 new infections in a single day. When I look at the statistics for Michigan and Kent County, Michigan numbers are still slowly rising and Kent County is between rising and plateauing. Scientists are warning there could be another surge. In other news from Washington Post: N.Y. State Senate leader urges Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign amid allegations of sexual harassment and other controversies. In a statement Sunday afternoon, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins (D) said there was a need “to govern without daily distraction,” citing allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic work environment in Cuomo’s office, as well as an ongoing controversy about his administration’s handling of nursing home death data during the pandemic. In a separate statement, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he shares Stewart-Cousins’s sentiment “regarding the Governor’s ability to continue to lead this state.” The statements by his fellow Democratic officials signaled a perilous turn for Cuomo, who earlier Sunday reiterated his refusal to step down. And in a small country, far, far away: Washington Post:At least 17 people were killed and hundreds injured Sunday as four massive explosions at a military camp shook Equatorial Guinea’s largest city, authorities said. The blasts Sunday afternoon in the port city of Bata sent giant plumes of smoke into the air and destroyed dozens of buildings. Images broadcast on state-run television showed injured residents fleeing. Some seemed to be carrying bodies of the dead. The Health Ministry said it had confirmed 17 dead and 420 injured. A doctor in Bata, a former capital, told the state-run TVGE television network that at least 20 were dead. In a statement read by TVGE’s broadcasters, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema called the incident an “accident” and blamed it on the “negligence” of those tasked with guarding stores of dynamite and �munitions. He ordered an investigation and asked the international community for help in rebuilding parts of the city that had been destroyed. Equatorial Guinea is a small and impoverished country wedged between Gabon and Cameroon on Africa’s Atlantic coast. It’s divided into two parts: the mainland, home to Bata, and an island called Bioko, about 150 miles to the northwest, where the capital Malabo is located. Our next day in Reykjavik was a free one for Craig and I, and we made our way into the city center. We passed this house: Höfði is a house in Reykjavík, Iceland, best known as the location for the 1986 Reykjavík Summit meeting of President Ronald Reagan of the United States and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. This meeting was a important step towards ending of the Cold War. Within the building, the flags of the United States and the Soviet Union are cross-hung to commemorate the meeting. Wikipedia. Authors note: I think that statue is Mikhail Gorbachev. �The Settlement Exhibition Reykjavík 871±2 is an exhibition on the settlement of Reykjavík, Iceland, created by the Reykjavik City Museum. The exhibition is based on the archaeological excavation of the ruin of one of the first houses in Iceland and findings from other excavations in the city centre. Wikipedia �The focus of the exhibition is the remains of a hall from the Settlement Age which was excavated in 2001. The hall was inhabited from c. 930–1000. North of the hall are two pieces of turf, remnants of a wall which was clearly built before 871±2, hence the name of the exhibition. Such precise data dating is possible because a major volcanic eruption from the Torfajökull area spread tephra across the region and this can be dated via glacial ice in Greenland. The hall is among the oldest human-made structures so far found in Iceland. Also on display are objects from the Viking Age found in central Reykjavík and the island of Viðey. Wikipedia �This was part of the settlement underneath the building. �Me shopping at the Reykjavik artists market. �Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 �metres (244 ft) high, it is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674), author of the Passion Hymns. �Inside �Hallgrimskirkja �Standing at the end of Skólavörðustígur street and in front of Hallgrímskirkja church is one of the best-known landmarks in Reykjavik, the statue of Leifur Eiríksson. Leifur is probably the best known hero of Viking age Iceland, the first European to arrive in America: Leifur’s voyage to America in the year 1000 preceded the Christopher Columbus’ voyage by roughly half a �millennia. �Another Icelandic adventure tomorrow. 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_2021-03-08_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-362 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 2021-03-08 Title A name given to the resource Day 362 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/2bdd20010b845e854fb327e7475497c5.pdf 0acf043460189c7794f7c97c472e4278 PDF Text Text Day 361. 4 more days until its a whole year. by windoworks It’s Sunday morning and its sunny. Soon I will make us a picnic lunch and we will drive north for an outing. Craig is on his way to Trader Joe’s for the Sunday morning Senior hour. There’s a phrase I never thought I’d say. Eastown is adjacent to the city of East Grand Rapids and this weekend the high school switched to online learning at least until Tuesday. By Friday evening the outbreak had grown to 24 students, some of whom are on the boys varsity basketball team. Further down the page was this disturbing note, from WoodTV8: At the start of the week, the state was tracking 123 coronavirus outbreaks tied to K-12 schools, colleges and universities, 29 of which had been reported in the last seven days. Now, of course, everyone will scream at Governor Whitmer because she lifted the restrictions on face to face teaching for K-12. Which makes a change from them all screaming at her to lift restrictions. At some point, regardless of the restrictions, lifted or not, people have to decide what is safest for them and their families. I have seen articles reporting parents are saying thanks but no thanks to in person classes. I think we have to follow the rules but be ready to go back if there’s another outbreak. And the rules are still: �wear a mask and keep distancing. Tomorrow is our second dose appointment. But even though we’ll be fully vaccinated we will still be wearing masks and distancing. And here’s some troubling news - people aren’t getting tested for 2 reasons: 1. They think because the vaccine is here they don’t need to get tested and 2. They don’t want to get tested because they want to continue to go to work and not have to isolate. I can’t even express how worrying that is. Remember I told you that Zoe’s office insists that you get tested if you have a cough or runny nose - and you work from home. Obviously that won’t work in the service industry, but if you think you might have the virus and you go to work at a factory or restaurant etc., then you are spreading the virus to your colleagues. New York Times: A more contagious coronavirus variant first discovered in the U.K. is spreading fast in the U.S., even as the overall number of cases is leveling off there. One analysis suggests the possibly more lethal British variant, known as B.1.1.7, accounts for more than 20 percent of new U.S. cases as of this week. Still, experts note that the low total case counts in states with a high share of B.1.1.7 are an encouraging sign. Some state officials have continued to lift restrictions steadily, despite worry over variants and warnings from top federal health officials, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, that doing so could be premature. On Friday, he said that the country had plateaued at between 60,000 and 70,000 new cases per day, and he warned that the U.S. could be headed for yet another surge in cases. More than 30 power plants in Texas that failed in February, also failed in a 2011 winter storm - and then failed to make the upgrades to prevent another failure. And consumers are receiving enormous power bills. I couldn’t understand this until Craig explained that the consumers signed a contract to get extraordinarily cheap electricity during normal climate conditions. However, (and this part I really don’t understand) during the ice/snow storm, the hourly cost of electricity shot up to $9 an hour. So Griddy, the power company, bills at cheap wholesale rates - except during a once-in-ten-years storm. Here’s a better explanation than mine: Washington Post: Ahead of the storms, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages about 90 percent of the state’s electric load, underestimated how much power it would need. Because Texas is the only state in the Lower 48 that operates an independent electric grid, it could not receive help from neighboring states. Supply could not keep up with demand, leading the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which regulates Texas utility rates, to raise energy prices in an emergency meeting Monday.On the same day, the wholesale price of electricity spiked more than 10,000 percent, leaving many Texans with dizzying bills in the wake of the storms — ranging from four digits to one for more than $17,000.The state’s unregulated market allows customers to pick their utility providers, with some offering plans that allow users to pay wholesale prices for power. Variable plans can be attractive to customers in better weather, when the bill may be lower than fixed-rate ones. Customers can shift their usage to the cheapest �periods, such as nights. But when the wholesale price increases, the variable plan becomes the worst option. Many Texans are paying the bill and then switching to a fixed rate utility company. Meanwhile in Jackson, Mississippi, clean water is the issue: CNN: Thousands of Jackson residents have gone weeks without water access, after a winter storm hit the area in February. The storm, which also affected Texas and Louisiana, caused 80 water breaks throughout the city, which has been on a boil-water advisory since February 23. The city is now seeking $47 million from the state to improve water infrastructure, it announced Thursday. The pipes in the city are over 100 years old, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said earlier in the week, and water issues such as this one have become a common occurrence in the city. The Senate approved the amended stimulus bill (American Rescue Plan) which returns to the House for the final vote: what was approved? �Iceland. Next we docked in Reykjavik for 2 days. Our first day we joined the Golden Circle Tour and our first stop was at the Olfus steam power station which heats all the buildings in the Olfus area. �Then we went on to Bláskógabyggð This is a tourist attraction with thermal pools, geysers etc. We ate lunch there first. ���And then we drove to a waterfall ���And then, we visited Thingvellir National Park which was the site of the Alþiing, the annual parliament of Iceland from 930 CE until the last session held at Þingvellir in 1798 CE. Since 1881, the parliament has been located within Alþingishúsið in Reykjavik. Þingvellir is now a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavík. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. Wikipedia. �Walking in the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic �plates. �What a wonderful spot to hold an annual parliament. Day 2 in Reykjavik tomorrow. 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_2021-03-07_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-361 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 2021-03-07 Title A name given to the resource Day 361 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