250 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bbb083036aac8b1beab2a86ead2061a3.pdf 513e1f8fa23154a71b6e2aa720979638 PDF Text Text Day 208 by windoworks There is a Chinese saying which is mistakenly thought to be a blessing. Its not. Its a curse: May you live in interesting times. The expression is always used ironically, with the clear implication that 'uninteresting times', of peace and tranquillity, are more life-enhancing than interesting ones. �New York Times The sacrifices of many Millions of Americans have gone months without seeing some of their closest relatives or their colleagues. They have canceled weddings and graduations. They have said goodbye to dying loved ones by phone. But when many of the nation’s political leaders gathered at the White House nine days ago to celebrate the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, they decided the pandemic rules that applied to �everybody else didn’t apply to them. Some of them assumed, wrongly, that because they had received a fast-response virus test when arriving at the White House, they could not be infectious. Others simply chose not to think about the virus, it seems. Instead, dozens of them sat, unmasked, within inches of one another. They shook hands, hugged and kissed. After starting outdoors, the event moved indoors, where the participants continued to celebrate like it was 2019. There is now reason to believe that the gathering was a superspreader event for the coronavirus. The president and the first lady are sick, as are two senators who attended, a former governor, the president of the University of Notre Dame and multiple White House staff members, journalists and others. And anyone infected at the White House that day may have later infected others. Andrew Joseph of the health publication Stat wrote this weekend that the event at the White House “offers a case study in what experts say has been the administration’s recklessness.” Rebecca Ruiz of Mashable tweeted, in response to a photo of the indoor reception for Barrett: “I haven’t hugged my parents since March 8 and they haven’t hugged their grandchildren since then either”. David French of the conservative website The Dispatch, wrote, “What a breathtaking contrast to the way so many millions of Americans have lived their lives.” I have no words. I think I have used them all up, every word that described how monstrous Trump and his minions and followers are. Every morning I wake up in COVIDLAND and think there can’t be anything worse than yesterday and every morning there is. Trump wants to go back to the White House because, as we all know, he knows better than the team of doctors caring for him. �Washington Post The episode continued what has been a days-long torrent of falsehoods, obfuscation, evasion, misdirection and imprecision from those surrounding Trump as he faces the greatest threat to a president’s health in decades. From the chief White House doctor to the president’s chief of staff, the inability to provide clear, direct and consistent information about Trump’s condition has been widespread since the coronavirus began rapidly circulating in the West Wing. Any patient with Trump’s symptoms and treatment who wanted to be discharged from the hospital three days after their admission would likely need to sign out against doctors’ orders because it would be so illadvised, said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical School And not only that - and I can’t believe I’m telling you this - yesterday he made 2 Secret Service agents drive him out of the hospital to wave through the car window at his trusty little band of supporters. Now 2 Secret Service agents (swathed in PPE) will have to isolate for 14 days while being tested for the virus. Dear God, will this never end? 29 days. Have you voted yet? This morning I read the Monday newsletter from Jim Talen, a Kent County Commissioner. He told us how he and a colleague recounted the votes in 2 precincts after the August Primary election. They did this to check on whether the counts were correct. He was careful to say that �the ballots were anonymous and the two of them were strictly supervised by the County Clerk. Jim reported that we can have absolute confidence that all ballots, in person and by mail, were correctly counted and the system in Kent County works perfectly. So that’s a good thing. And in other news, 5 new ballot drop boxes have been installed in the Grand Rapids area. When I began this Pandemic Diary I imagined it would be about life in the pandemic. I never foresaw the debacle that has ensued. I never imagined the rise of the Far Right White Militants with their heartless, selfish aims. I believed the Trump supporters were misguided and as time went by they would see him for who he is and move away. What I missed entirely (and listen up because this is important) is that they DO see him for who he is, and they don’t care. At all. They believe he is sent by God to restore all their lost privileges- you know, the real ability to denigrate anyone who doesn’t look like them. They want to be the ascendant race in the world and they believe Trump will make that happen for them. It doesn’t matter if they’re rich or poor, it just matters that they’re white - because they all know Jesus was blonde and blue eyed. Which must have been a surprise to Mary and Joseph when he was born. And the underlying belief must be that God is white. Of course he must be - and all his angels too. White is Best. Here’s something I’ve held onto for days, but this seems the right moment. �But as my Big Historian husband would tell you, that ship has already sailed. In the years to come humans will look more and more alike - some shade of brown and probably with almond shaped eyes. The evolutionary process has already begun. No matter how much you might want to turn back time, at this point that’s only science fiction. Deep breath. Oliver Time! ��Oliver on his tricycle. Look! He’s a little boy - where did the baby go? So, Da Nang. Da Nang is a coastal city in central Vietnam known for its sandy beaches and history as a French colonial port. It's a popular base for visiting the inland Bà Nà hills to the west of the city. Here the hillside Hải Vân Pass has views of Da Nang Bay and the Marble Mountains. These 5 limestone outcrops are topped with pagodas and hide caves containing Buddhist shrines. During the Vietnam War, what is now the Da Nang International Airport was a major air base used by the South Vietnamese and United States Air Forces.The base became one of the world's busiest aircraft hubs during the war,reaching an average of 2,595 aircraft traffic operations daily, more than any other airport and airbase in the world at that time. ��These 2 photos were taken on ‘China Beach’. China Beach was part of an R&R area in Da Nang for American troops during the Vietnam War. On our way there, our bus drove along a good road which was one stretch of the landing strips at the old airport. The beach was beautiful white sand and the water was warm. �Here are US airport hangars. When the war ended, the American troops just walked out and left everything behind. Perhaps these hangars are being used and perhaps not. �The ornate Dragon Bridge over the Han River. More Da Nang tomorrow. And I’ll leave you with this (would that it were true) �� 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_2020-10-05_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-208 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 2020-10-05 Title A name given to the resource Day 208 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/677da1600b19e92ea4848125f4ab726e.pdf 793f1683e986fdc2d301722511a7037b PDF Text Text Day 209: 28 days until the election by windoworks I am beginning to think I may be living in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Last night, Trump overruled his fake doctors and returned to the White House. He tore off his mask and said: Don’t be afraid of COVID. �How insulting. How despicable. How depressing. I don’t need to list the dreadful facts of COVID but perhaps we should take a quick look at today’s stats: in the US - Total cases 7.49M +42,222 new cases since yesterday. Deaths 210K +425 new deaths since yesterday. Michigan - Total cases 143K +1,470 new cases since yesterday. Deaths 7,141 +16 new deaths since yesterday. Kent County - Total cases 10,683 +179 new cases since yesterday. Deaths 175 +0 new deaths since yesterday. . �And speaking of Michigan, apparently the Michigan Supreme Court ruling re the Governor’s Executive Powers wasn’t a ruling, it was an opinion. A federal court had asked for an opinion only. Now there are a number of consequential dance moves to follow in this, but in the meantime, every Karen, Chad and Trump believer out there has taken this (and Trump’s irresponsibility) to heart and is trying to barge into stores etc without a mask, causing deep distress to business owners and other shoppers. But wait - all is not lost. The Michigan Health Department has issued orders of its own, which mirror Gov Whitmer’s Executive Orders and their orders come with actual punishment - 6 months jail time (where you’re guaranteed a dose of COVID) or $200 fine or more - I think I saw $1000 written down in bold letters. Meanwhile I think Crooked Media said what I am feeling best: After causing a serious coronavirus outbreak within the White House and trying to cover it up, President Trump has returned from the hospital while still contagious to a) remove his fucking mask and b) share his big takeaway from the experience: COVID-19 is no big deal, actually. • Trump announced he would leave Walter Reed with the monstrous message that dangerous corticosteroids taken for coronavirus had left him with a youthful spring in his step, and shouldn’t be feared: “Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” Powerful words from a still-sick man receiving a level of care that most Americans can neither access nor afford, for an illness that’s caused unimaginable suffering and grief for millions of families. • The president’s insane return to the White House followed a weekend of recklessness, cover-ups, and staged propaganda photos. On Sunday Trump went for a joyride to wave at the Proud Boys and QAnon followers gathered outside Walter Reed, reportedly as a compromise after he demanded to be discharged from the hospital. That plague parade photo-op put the Secret Service agents in Trump’s hermeticallysealed SUV at enormous risk, prompting an attending physician at Walter Reed to speak out on Twitter: “Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.” �• On Sunday the White House casually explained that Conley’s briefings were meant to lift Trump’s spirits, not provide the public with “facts.” Conley contended that he wasn’t “necessarily” involved in a cover-up, he just “didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction.” (We must have missed when the FDA approved magical thinking as a coronavirus therapy; that’s our bad.) • The White House has also refused to disclose the total number of infected staffers, decided not to conduct contact tracing, prohibited the CDC from doing so, and didn’t send an email to employees about the outbreak until Sunday. As Donald Trump enjoys the finest available medical care and conceals the full scale of the harm he’s inflicted (and continues to inflict) behind the scenes, it’s impossible to imagine a more dangerous and disrespectful message for him to give vulnerable and grieving Americans than “Don’t be afraid of COVID.” There can be no coming back from that. 28 days. 28 days. 28 days. 28 days. Shall I keep going? This morning I am truly at a loss for words - and I know you are sending me kind thoughts and saying ‘hang on in there’ . Hanging on in there is my only option. I have voted (and if you are an American I hope you have a good voting plan). I have yard signs, and I write this blog. But every morning the world �tilts a little more off its axis and I try to strengthen my grip. You know those dreams you have where you’re suspended over a life threatening drop and you’re hanging on to a railing by your fingernails? Yeah. Oliver. ��“Reading”. On Sunday we drove to Silver Lake for a picnic lunch (I’m getting very good at picnic lunches) And nearby Lake Michigan. It was a wild and windy day: ���Da Nang �����From the top: two views of the Guanyin Buddha; inside the Buddhist grotto; Da Nang view; fishing coracles and boats. ��Best carved pumpkins I’ve seen yet. Remember, 28 days. My mother used to say to me: Pamela, rise about it. I don’t think its working. � 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_2020-10-06_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-209 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 2020-10-06 Title A name given to the resource Day 209 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/3fe9fe5f3ad92ee0c4913cd4da49d962.pdf df53ad5f5d9fd0d694d8e397cdc3d7d2 PDF Text Text Day 210 by windoworks This morning I offer a piece from a friend I met on our first ever cruise (the one I am posting at the moment). Her name is Auli and she lives in Finland with her husband. Here is her ‘View from Far Away’. There are 5.5 million inhabitants in Finland. In Helsinki (our capital where we live) there are over 600 000 inhabitants. Our population density is low which is good in this covid situation. The total number of infections today (counting from January) is 10,929 infections and 346 deaths in Finland. All in all, we have managed quite well so far - at least when compared to most of the other countries in Europe. In March when the number of infections started to grow it was a shock to most of the people. Our government made strict decisions. Schools, museums, theatres, swimming halls, libraries , restaurants etc. were closed in the whole country. Also quite many shops were closed because there were no clients. Our government also gave a recommendation to people to work remotely. Our maturity of digitalization is high so many people started to work at home - and the transition was quick and smooth. In April we had the metropolitan lockdown, i.e. one could come from the other parts of Finland only with serious reasons. That was unbelievable : there were police and army on the roads stopping people on the borders of our metropolitan county. Our public healthcare system is very good but doctors were worried how the healthcare system can handle the quickly increasing number of hospitalized patients. In spring the testing capacity was insufficient and there were also problems to buy enough masks. Anyway our hospitals managed quite well with those patients who needed normal and intensive care - nothing like we saw on TV how the situation was e.g. in Italy. Then the summer was a time to relax. The number of infections was very low. Libraries, restaurants etc. were all opened. With my husband Juhani we met our relatives and friends and ate at restaurants. We even attended a 100-year-birthday party in July (my uncle's wife). None of us (about 30 guests) got an infection. We were happy and so was the birthday hero. Now the situation is unfortunately getting worse. The number of infections has started to grow from September and just today 6th of October it looks strongly that we are in the second wave. Many people who got an infection now are in their twenties or thirties. We have got recommendations to use masks in public transportation, in shops, museums etc. Moreover, there are strong covid infection spots also in other parts of the country, not only in the metropolitan area. That differs from the situation in spring. Very many people (like me) are now worried when the fall goes further and the winter starts - how severe the covid situation will get. And some experts expect at least one more severe infection wave (namely the �third one) coming in the spring. I and my husband Juhani try to walk a lot outside and get the fresh air to keep us in good condition. ************************************************************** It is always so interesting to read about other countries and how people are coping during the pandemic and somehow, comforting. We’re all in this together. New York Times Rational fear “Don’t be afraid of Covid,” President Trump tweeted, on the same day that the White House outbreak spread further and another several hundred Americans died from virus complications. The president has survived Covid-19 so far, with help from more aggressive medical care than virtually any other American would have received. But about 210,000 of his fellow citizens have not survived, according to the official death count. The real toll, based on the number of excess deaths this year, is probably closer to 275,000. �Given Trump’s campaign to make the virus seem like a minor inconvenience, I think it’s worth taking a minute this morning to take stock of the virus: Only cancer and heart disease will kill more Americans this year than Covid. Already, the virus has killed more than twice as many Americans as either strokes or Alzheimer’s disease, about four times as many as diabetes and more than eight times as many as either gun violence or vehicle accidents. Outbreaks are again increasing in the U.S. The number of new cases per day has risen more than 25 percent since mid-September. “Covid-19 is spreading again across most of the U.S., hammering rural America and smaller cities and raising anxiety in New York,” Bloomberg News reported yesterday. The outbreak connected to the White House is responsible for about 30 known cases so far — more than the average daily number of new cases recently in all of Australia. The virus is genuinely terrifying for thousands of people. In addition to the more than 200,000 deaths — and all of the Americans mourning those deaths — many other people have spent weeks battling fatigue, shortness of breath, cardiac problems and more. Last night the news was broken that all but one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were quarantining because one of them tested positive. In case you weren’t sure, here’s Wikipedia: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces and is the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the secretary of defense. The chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), an advisory body within the Department of Defense comprising the chairman, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief �of staff of the Army, the chief of naval operations, the chief of staff of the Air Force, the commandant of the Marine Corps, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. You know that saying: it never rains but it pours? Yeah. Crooked Media: Meanwhile, as more people in the White House’s orbit fall ill, the administration has worked systematically to make sure we never learn when Trump last tested negative, or how many people contracted the virus from him or people at his superspreading events. Stephen Miller has it. Nearly all of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are in quarantine after a Coast Guard admiral tested positive. Trump’s Coast Guard aide Jayna McCarron has coronavirus, as does one of his active-duty military valets and a third press office aide. New York Times reporter Michael Shear said his wife has now tested positive: “The collateral damage is going to be pretty significant, I think.” White House employees are rightly scared and angry; one source told Axios, “It's insane that he would return to the White House and jeopardize his staff's health when we are still learning of new cases among senior staff. This place is a cesspool.” This morning I saw posts of a near deserted White House being disinfected by people wearing full Hazmat gear. Meanwhile Trump is refusing to stay in the residence, wear a mask or stop tweeting. I would say I am astonished but I think we passed astonished about 7 months ago. I cannot imagine how insulting his proclamation of ‘COVID is nothing’ is to the thousands of bereaved people across the States. Somehow Trump telling me not to be afraid of it, doesn’t make me any less worried. And here’s a story to let you know its all around us, right now. I have been suffering with headaches (which could be largely stress induced) and my friend has been going to a local clinic which specializes in acupuncture, massage and Chinese medicines. On her recommendation I booked an appointment for later today. However, last night I received a text from the practice which apologized profusely and said they were canceling my appointment. A client had attended the clinic last Thursday who had tested positive for COVID. They are all isolating and will contact me for a new appointment sometime soon. This clinic is a few blocks from my house and my friend says they run a tight, sanitized, careful practice. Here’s a new positive development: ���News & Guts A surprise winner from a rarely heard source, The Queen of England. Monday morning, Queen Elizabeth released a statement in support of journalists: The pandemic “has once again demonstrated what an important public service the established news media provides… Having trusted, reliable sources of information, particularly at a time when there are so many sources competing for our attention, is vital.” I just thought I’d put that in today, the Queen is always very careful not to get involved with politics or the news - so this statement is significant. And here’s another statement from Maureen Dowd, a journalist at the New York Times: When Trump walked through the doors, Walter Reed had a stellar reputation. As he walks out 72 hours later, its reputation is in tatters. There's nothing Trump can't ruin. Oh so true, Maureen. Yesterday Gov Whitmer held a press conference to talk about the mess the Michigan Supreme Court has made, regarding the governor’s executive orders. Here’s the interesting thing - thy didn’t rule against the governor, they stated that the 1945 ruling was incorrect. Wait, what? Do I smell the distinctive odor of fear and dismay rising from every Republican politician, state or federal? Could it be that they have all backed the wrong horse? And through this, all of this, think of how historians will portray 2016 onwards in the years to come. It won’t be pretty, it will be harsh, factual, well researched and unforgiving. It will be meticulously documented and astounding to read. I can only imagine - remember, I’m married to an historian. So, Oliver ��This mornings favorite. Zoe said: I turned my back for one moment, and he’s in my seat. Look at his face how clever am I? Our next stop was Nha Trang. Nha Trang is a coastal resort city in southern Vietnam known for its beaches, diving sites and offshore islands. Its main beach is a long, curving stretch along Tran Phu Street backed by a promenade, hotels and seafood restaurants. Aerial cable cars cross over to Hòn Tre Island, and the nature reserves of Hòn Mun and Hòn Tằm islands, reachable by boat, have coral reefs. This was the market at the dock. �We visited an embroidery business and this was one of our guides. �Very busy downtown market in Nha Trang. �And here’s its beautiful Main Beach. More Nha Trang tomorrow. 27 days. There must be some kind of way outta here Said the joker to the thief There's too much confusion I can't get no relief Oh Jimi - you said it. 27 days. Stay safe, stay well and stay kind. � 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_2020-10-07_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-210 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 2020-10-07 Title A name given to the resource Day 210 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/a966fc82c71e5fb4e04c3598714fafe3.pdf 45cd69a7c90b694359c24c7a6a6ef24f PDF Text Text Day 211 by windoworks ��26 days! 26 days! 26 days! Yesterday I watched Kent County Health Department’s Dr London report. At the beginning of the pandemic, he would update us every day. Then it became every weekday, and lately, once or twice a week. Last week he said our positivity rate (that is, the percentage of positive cases) was 3.3%. During April and May, the positivity rate had fallen to just over 1% - which is very good. Last week he said that we wouldn’t want it to climb up to 4% because that would mean the virus was spreading and there would be a chance that our hospitals would be overwhelmed. Last night, talking to us (possibly from home) he said our positivity rate had risen to 3.9%. And it isn’t even winter yet. I didn’t watch the Vice Presidents debate. There is only so much anxiety, anger and fear I can tolerate. But from what I have read this morning it appears that Pence has swallowed Trump’s fantasy world, hook, line and sinker. He told whoppers during the debate, which is what happens when the truth will be unpalatable to his followers. I don’t have Twitter but according to Craig, Pence was awarded 4 Pinocchios for fibbing. And that fly that landed on Pence’s head? It has its own Twitter account now. But more seriously, the Republican Party is in disarray and incumbents are being strongly challenged by Democrats contenders. For a sitting Republican up for re-election, Trump leadership is a huge problem. Here’s what they’re contending with: Washington Post The Trump presidency has presented scores of painful lessons on the limitations of the power of positive thinking. Climate change continues to make fires, floods and hurricanes worse, even if Trump denies it and his political appointees seek to erase mentions of it from government reports. Russia interfered in the 2016 election and the intelligence community agrees the Kremlin is trying once again to influence the 2020 campaign, but Trump struggles to accept that reality because, current and former aides say, he believes that acknowledging the Kremlin’s support for his campaign would undermine his legitimacy. And so on. But nothing captures the hubris of trying to spin the primal forces of nature into submission more than the president’s response to the novel coronavirus. Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.), a conservative in a tight race and close to GOP leaders, said, “I think the biggest mistake people make in public life is not telling the truth, particularly in something with as much public interest as here because you know the real story is going to come out.” Vulnerable Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from President Trump’s dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic and his dramatic termination of negotiations with congressional Democrats over federal economic relief, with the latest cracks carrying enormous implications for Trump and the party with just four weeks until Election Day. Facing a political reckoning as Trump’s support plummets and a possible blue tsunami looms, it is now �conservatives and Trump allies who are showing flashes of discomfort with the president, straining to stay in the good graces of his core voters without being wholly defined by an erratic incumbent And all the while, more Pentagon officers are testing positive and Trump has moved back into the Oval Office and is insisting he will start up rallies again. Fortunately, the commission in charge of presidential debates has decided that the next debate this month will be a virtual town hall - and I’m assuming Trump and Biden won’t be in the same room. As I typed this, a post came in from the Washington Post: Trump says he won't participate in virtual debate format announced by organizers The president said he just learned of the decision by the Commission on Presidential Debates that the second debate, scheduled for next week, would be virtual and that he will not take part. “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about," he said in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business. The problem is that traditionally, the President of the United States was seen as the leader of the free world. Actually those words seem meaningless now. The presidency is a position of great power and control IF the president works with his advisors and others, like the Joint Chiefs. Trump has never worked with others in his life. As a businessman (and that’s another blogpost, but not today), he was in charge. His word was law. Why were we surprised when he approached the presidency the same way? Its all he knows. I remember Craig saying don’t worry, there are checks and balances. Unfortunately, checks and balances disappeared just under 4 years ago, and the only check has been the unending number of lawsuits brought against him, by State Attorney-Generals and the UCLA. Our AG, Dana Nessel, once famously said: I was prepared to take Trump to court - but I never imagined I would be doing that every single day. Here’s some new information regarding the virus. Livescience.com The new coronavirus can linger on human skin much longer than flu viruses can, according to a new study from researchers in Japan. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remained viable on samples of human skin for about 9 hours, according to the study. In contrast, a strain of the influenza A virus (IAV) remained viable on human skin for about 2 hours. Fortunately, both viruses on skin were rapidly inactivated with hand sanitizer. The findings underscore the importance of washing your hands or using sanitizer to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the same time, the CDC has released information that the aerosolized virus particles spread and remain in the air in enclosed spaces for much longer than originally thought. This comes right on the heels of the CDC’s proclamation that 6 feet apart is not far enough, especially indoors. However, search as I may, I can �find nothing more than “more than 6 feet is better”. What? 8 feet? 10 feet? 12 feet? Its not enough to say 6 feet may not be far enough. Words have been extremely scarce on vaccine development. At least one trial has halted because they cannot secure enough black or brown participants. Apparently vaccine trials need people of all ethnicities to be a successful measure, but when you think about it, its not the most reliable result to say: our vaccine works 100% on white people but we have no idea about anyone else. This made me laugh, but its bittersweet. And finally, its Oliver time. ��He’s really into dinosaurs. More Nha Trang. Craig reminded me that we had a very packed day excursion to Nha Trang. Inside Lon Son Pagoda �The Lon Son Pagoda with the Buddha above. �The memorial for martyred Buddhist monks and nuns at the base of the White Buddha. 7 stucco likenesses of Buddhist martyrs, monks and nuns who died protesting the repressive Ngo Dinh Diem regime in southern Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Some of them immolated themselves and the white Buddha was built to their memory in 1963. �A reclining Buddha is an image that represents Buddha lying down and is a major iconographic theme in Buddhist art. It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana. In Buddhism, parinirvana is commonly used to refer to nirvana-after-death, which occurs upon the death of someone who has attained nirvana during his or her lifetime. Wikipedia. So here we are. 26 days to the election and probably a week later until we know the result unless there is a Blue Tsunami. I’ve done my part, have you? This made me laugh - and hope. �� 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_2020-10-08_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-211 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 2020-10-08 Title A name given to the resource Day 211 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/c38b82caf6ce543de25bbcce30cf18ac.pdf bd091de3c53dc254e170b7910ce36cec PDF Text Text Day 212 by windoworks We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. �And this: �And really, thats all I’m going to say about the VP debate. But interestingly, after refusing to wear a mask (against debate organizers rules) and having a hissy fit about the plexiglass safety shields, Pence has �canceled his trip to Indiana? (can’t remember, don’t care) for no reason whatsoever. Could he be ill?? Voters want to know. And this from The Atlantic: About that fly … “It symbolized the whole Pence vice presidency,” David Frum argues. For the past four years, Pence has been “the man who pretended not to notice.” I think we’ve reached this moment and I can safely say this: we’re going to hell in a hand basket. Oh what does that mean, Pamela? It sounds so bad. Here’s what it means: To go to hell in a handbasket means to go to one's doom, to deteriorate quickly, to proceed on a course to disaster. Yep, I think we’re there. Yesterday an astoundingly upsetting and frightening thing came to light. The FBI, State Police, the State Attorney-General and the 2 US Attorneys for Michigan arrested a total of 13 men who were planning a civil insurrection to overthrow the state government and their opening shot was to kidnap and possibly murder Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her family. They had held gun training sessions and tried to construct an anti personnel bomb with shrapnel, and they had checked out the location of the abduction carefully and methodically. There is ongoing investigations with possible further arrests. As soon as the news broke, Joe Biden called Gov Whitmer to check that she was all right. So did Charlie Baker, the Republican governor of Massachusetts, someone Gretchen didn’t know all that well, but he still called to check on her. Did the COVID-19 Superspreader in the White House call? Or VP Pence? That would be a resounding no - but Trump did, once again, castigate Gretchen for not thanking him for the FBI. Boy, those drugs have really loosened his tenuous grip on reality. David Holtz FB post �In April Donald Trump publicly sided with armed militia, calling them "very good people" who stormed our state capitol. "Liberate" Michigan, Trump tweeted at the time. By June right-wing extremists were meeting and organizing to kidnap Gov. Whitmer and put her on "trial" for treason. Vote. Please vote. And how’s that virus load going for him? I don’t think anyone’s actually seen him but he’s firing up Twitter all night long (side effect of steroids in large doses - you can’t sleep at all but you’re convinced you’re Superman) and he’s calling in to Fox News. He’s not sounding too great either - congested and struggling to breathe. Remember how I told you that the virus can fill your lungs with a Jello like substance? Yeah. �Because he’s convinced anything virtual won’t be a real debate because they can (Shock! Horror!) cut off your microphone if you start ranting and rambling. Plus, you won’t be able to infect your opponent so you can level the playing field. Oh. Trumpy - that ship has sailed. And from Crooked Media who always say it so well: On Thursday the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the October 15 town hall-style debate would be virtual, on account of Trump’s continued status as (paraphrasing) a walking bucket of murder germs. Trump refused to participate in a format in which he a) could be easily muted and b) couldn’t cough on his opponent, and announced he would hold a superspreader rally instead. His campaign then called for the debate to be delayed altogether, an idea the Biden campaign immediately rejected: “Trump's erratic behavior does not allow him to rewrite the calendar, and pick new dates of his choosing.” After Trump backed out (cue Elizabeth Warren chicken noises), Biden set up an ABC News town hall on October 15 to address voters on his own. The final debate on October 22 is, for now, still on. Its time for stats: US had a total of - Cases 7.64M +56,045 from yesterday. Deaths total 213K +928 new deaths from yesterday. Michigan had a total of Cases 147K +1,417 from yesterday. Deaths total 7,194 +23 new deaths from yesterday. Kent County had a total of Cases 10,112 + 113 new cases from yesterday. Deaths total 167 and the site continues to say no new deaths, although the total number keeps climbing one death at a time. In other news, a new hurricane is set to make touchdown as a Category 2 in Louisiana later today, 6 weeks after the last one on the same trajectory. More people at the White House are testing positive, Trumps ‘doctors’ won’t release his scans or x-rays, and won’t tell us how long since he last tested negative. From the Atlantic: Meanwhile, the White House remains a Trump bubble. This week Trump’s “staff again seemed to cater first to the president’s emotional needs, rather than the country’s interests or even his own health,” Peter Nicholas reports. I’m so exhausted by all this and I can’t imagine what tomorrow might bring - but at least we all have Oliver to distract us: ��I’ll just climb up here on the coffee table ......... He should be really good at ballet stretches at the barre in future. Still Nha Trang Fishing boats on the Cai River at Nha Trang. �Po Nagar Cham Towers. Po Nagar is a Cham temple tower founded sometime before 781 C.E. and located in the medieval principality of Kauthara, near modern Nha Trang in Vietnam. It is dedicated to Yan Po Nagar, the goddess of the country, who came to be identified with the Hindu goddesses Bhagavati and Mahishasuramardini, and who in Vietnamese is called Thiên Y Thánh Mẫu. Wikipedia. ��Po Nagar drummers �Po Nagar dancers - with clay pots on their heads. Tomorrow Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Hanoi). �Craig and I Stand With ‘That Woman From Michigan’ . � 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_2020-10-09_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-212 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 2020-10-09 Title A name given to the resource Day 212 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/44da199dd885945644385c31c17b38bc.pdf 898e6199b60152391cabd28bb33b1275 PDF Text Text Day 213: Saturday October 10 by windoworks From a FaceBook post by Heather Cox Richardson: On October 8, 2020, the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, appears to be melting down. Over the course of the day, he has called for the imprisonment of his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, as well as his own predecessor, President Barack Obama, and called Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris a “monster” and a “communist.” He released a video addressed to seniors, who are leaving him in droves, calling them "my favorite people in the world," and speculated that he could continue to hold rallies as early as this weekend, before his quarantine period is over. He called into the Fox News Channel twice, ranting. Of his bout with coronavirus, he said: “I’m back because I’m a perfect physical specimen and I’m extremely young.” He is erratic enough that tomorrow, the House will begin to consider a bill seeking to enforce the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, designed to provide an exit ramp for a president who is experiencing physical or mental impairments that make him unable to lead the nation. The bill, advanced by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, will not pass, but it will keep focus on what seems to be the president’s precarious mental state. The 25th Amendment. This is couched in heavily legal terms, but it says that for whatever reason (and frankly that leaves it pretty wide open) , if the President is removed from office, then the Vice President steps in. NBC NEWS WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., introduced legislation Friday that would create a bipartisan commission to determine a sitting president’s ability to carry out the duties of the office. At a press conference unveiling the legislation with its original author, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Pelosi said the measure is not intended specifically for President Donald Trump, but she suggested he was the impetus for it. “This is not about President Trump. He will face the judgment of the voters, but he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents,” she said. "This legislation applies to future presidents, but we are reminded of the necessity of action by the health of the current president." The idea for the legislation stems from the 25th Amendment, which provides procedures for transferring power to the vice president in case of the president's death, incapacitation, removal or resignation. The amendment was ratified and approved in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. One of its sections provides the vice president and the majority of either the Cabinet "or such other body as Congress may by law provide" with a mechanism to transfer power from the president. �The commission would consist of 16 members, chosen both by Democrats and Republicans, who are medical experts or former high-ranking executive branch officials such as former members of a president’s Cabinet. The 17th member, the chair, would be selected by the rest of the commission’s members. I am watching events unfold with a jaded sense of disbelief. Trump seems to have descended to an unbalanced hell of his own making. He is now ordering actions that are nonsensical. He ordered Bill Barr to arrest Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton with no real idea of what imaginary crimes they might done. His doctor has said that he has completed the COVID-19 treatment regime and Trump has taken this as a sign that he can go out, maskless and begin his superspreader rallies again. However, in a radio interview with Fox, his voice was raspy and he kept trying to clear his throat and coughing. And the one phrase that really bothered me was ‘I’m extremely young’. Now Trump can boast that he’s a perfect physical specimen and I’ll allow him that fantasy - but extremely young at 74? Well I must be a babe in arms then at 70. I think that shows his mental unbalance perfectly. In the meantime, Dana Nessel, the Attorney General of Michigan posted this: NPR.ORG Investigators found the men's mission is what white supremacist groups call "the Boogaloo," which Nessel described as an uprising or a second civil war. "This effort to have a mass uprising nationally is something that we should be very concerned about because, again, it's not just a Michigan problem, this is an American problem." FBI Director Christopher Wray in February announced that the threat posed racially motivated violent extremists had reached a new "national threat priority." Nessel said she concurs with that assessment and contends racist militia groups currently operating across the country are taking advantage of the unrest that's been caused by the COVID-19 epidemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. “They're using it to recruit and to formulate plots," she charged. Part of the recruitment effort took place during a protest at the state capitol over the summer where militia members stood on the steps holding guns and rifles. "I think that those protests were used actually as recruiting stations to add more members and to find people that were angry with the governor, angry with the government, and frankly, I think encouraged by the words of our president," Nessel said. Joe Biden responded quickly to the news of the plot - As a nation, we are at a crossroads. We have come to a point where, despite our shock, we are not surprised that such a heinous plot was even conceived — a plot by Americans to blow up a bridge on American soil, threaten the lives of police officers and other law enforcement officials, and kidnap an �American leader, take her hostage, and stage a mock trial for treason. It’s the kind of twisted plot we expect from ISIS, but now it’s here at home. The words of a president matter. They can move markets. They can bring peace. They can bring war. They can heal divisions or incite violence. And here’s a takeout from Gretchen Whitmer’s opinion piece in the Washington Post: But just moments later, President Trump’s campaign adviser, Jason Miller, appeared on national television accusing me of fostering hatred. I’m not going to waste my time arguing with the president. But I will always hold him accountable. Because when our leaders speak, their words carry weight. When our leaders encourage domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions. When they stoke and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit. And when a sitting president stands on a national stage refusing to condemn white supremacists and hate groups, as President Trump did when he told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate, he is complicit. Hate groups heard the president’s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry. So the country is in the hands of a crazy person who is struggling with a serious dose of the virus which is not helped by his obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol count - and before you tell me that his doctor says the last two are perfect - so are my blood pressure and cholesterol because of the medications I take every day - just like Trump does. He doesn’t look so good, no hair dye, no tanning bed and no one left around him because they’re all sick or quarantined. We will never know how long he was asymptomatic. We will never know how many were infected through the White House, and how many more were infected down the line. Democratic candidate Jamie Harrison who is running against Republican Lindsey Graham, asked for him to have a Covid test before their debate. Graham refused - so no debate. �Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, was one of the people at a rally in East Lansing this week, still protesting Gov Whitmer’s orders to keep us all safe. Almost immediately, a group of strong Whitmer supporters did this outside the State House: New York Times �Yesterday’s arrests are the latest evidence that a small but meaningful number of Americans believe that violence is the only answer to the country’s political divisions. “We’re seeing more and more citizens expressing openness to violence as more and more partisan leaders engage in the kinds of dehumanizing rhetoric that paves the way for taking violent action,” Lee Drutman, one of the political scientists who oversaw the YouGov poll, told me. Since May, more than 50 people have driven vehicles into peaceful protesters. Armed protesters shut down the Michigan legislature in May. Armed groups on the left and right have done battle in Oregon and Wisconsin. Extremists have attacked journalists, including an instance in Brooklyn on Wednesday night. And top Republican politicians have encouraged violence in ways no prominent Democrat has. Greg Gianforte, a Republican congressman now running to be Montana’s governor, pleaded guilty to assaulting a reporter who asked a question he didn’t like in 2017. 24 days. I’m just exhausted by this. It never stops. I’m pretty sure that the person leading this country is insane and his minions encourage his insanity for their own financial gain. I feel as though each of us is �standing on an ice floe which day by day, gets smaller and smaller. When I began writing this post I thought is would be about the virus, but gradually it has morphed into a document chronicling the gradual dissolution of the United States. It doesn’t feel at all United to me. Perhaps, more realistically it should just be the the States. I could list all the egregious actions going on in a large number of States as the incumbent Republicans try desperately to hold on to their voter base, but you would lose interest after the first 4 bullet points and accuse me of writing fiction. Last night, a helicopter buzzed over Grand Rapids for 2 hours or so. FaceBook filled up with local citizens complaining about the noise (which Craig and I were completely unaware of). Just a few posts said ‘rather helicopters than gang fights and terrorists with guns’ and gradually the people posting said “ well yes, I suppose thats right’. 24 days. If you think Trump is off the rails now, just wait. He’ll have to be marched out of the White House under guard if Biden wins. 24 days. Vote. Vote in such enormous numbers that there can be no mistake. ��“And he’s starting his run with the ball. The crowd goes wild - is the batsman out? Yes! Is the resounding cry. (Cricket) French architecture in Ho Chi Minh City. The French invaded Vietnam in 1857 and claimed it as French Indochina. After the French left, Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam in 1954. For much more information, check out Wikipedia. Ho Chi Minh statue and the Hotel de Ville behind. �Inside the French train station �Notre Dame de Saigon �Saigon Opera House. �Saigon Post Office. These buildings were are clustered together in the center of the city. Each building had been lovingly maintained but odd to see in a Vietnam city. �I can relate to this! Remember 24 days. Stay safe. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-10-10_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-213 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 2020-10-10 Title A name given to the resource Day 213 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/ab83a5b3002074b5bc5bb477974c3a24.pdf 471be6e301689c4330b95bededebdf99 PDF Text Text Day 214 by windoworks So, Trump has been declared no longer contagious (when did he contract the virus?) by the “doctor” and he has taken that as a sign to begin holding strictly unregulated rallies while continuing to post extraordinary assertions on Twitter. His fans are very excited because he has rallied from death’s door to lead them to his promised land - again. The thing is, Trump will promise anything if he thinks it will win him a second term. Meanwhile Joe Biden and Kamala Harris continue to hold safe, strictly regulated town halls and stump speeches while the Republican misinformation service continues to throw all kinds of ridiculous allegations against them. I suppose that when you decide to stand for any sort of office, you must recognize that your opponents will find all kinds of scurrilous trash to broadcast about you, and that’s a risk you’re prepared to take. And the virus. It is gradually dawning on everyone that the world is now experiencing a resurgence. In France the cases are rising again, and Paris has shut down bars etc., in an attempt to bring the daily numbers down. Britain is seeing a dramatic rise in cases while Boris Johnson is hesitating on shutting the country down again. There is also an ongoing discussion about how fit he is to govern after his hospitalization 6 months ago with Covid-19. Plus, the Scots have had enough and want to hold another referendum about detaching Scotland from the United Kingdom and returning to the European Union. New York Times More than one million new coronavirus cases in three days. The world recorded the highest total ever in such short span, a reflection of resurgences in Europe and the U.S. and uninterrupted outbreaks in India, Brazil and other countries. The number of new cases is growing faster than ever worldwide, according to a Times database. Boris has yet to unveil his plan for Brexit - and times up at the end of this month. In New Zealand, the level dropped to Level One last Wednesday which means life returned to almost normal except for traveling out of New Zealand. In Australia cases are almost nonexistent in all states except New South Wales and Victoria. Our son Asher, who is still locked down in Melbourne continues to be cheerful but I assume its becoming an effort. In Sydney, Oliver came home at lunchtime on Friday from daycare because he had a temperature and was unhappy. Zoe couldn’t get in to see her own doctor, so she took him to the nearby hospital ER. Because he had a temperature they were put into a room with a bed while they waited to be seen. The nurse came in dressed in a Hazmat suit and tested Oliver for Covid (which he didn’t have). So Oliver is cranky and teary, very tired and very thirsty - all regular virus symptoms. While Oliver really loves daycare, it does seem a hothouse for all kinds of viruses. �This morning I came across this in my daily research scan: ��These are real cruise ships. They’re being broken down for scrap metal as yet another casualty of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has docked ships across the globe. After the Michigan Supreme Court overturned Gov Whitmer’s State of Emergency regulations, the Michigan State Health Department took over - and they’re stricter with stronger penalties. They’re asking businesses to facilitate customers signing in so that they have reliable contact tracing sources. The Republicans are not happy. Awww. Careful what you wish for. And Crooked Media says it so well: • The U.S. reported 56,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest daily increase since mid-August. In technical epidemiology terms, this is what is known as “the wrong direction.” • The White House reportedly blocked a CDC order that would have required everyone to wear masks on all forms of public and commercial transportation. In technical epidemiology terms, this is what is known as “the type of shit that sent us in the wrong direction.” The reason why Lindsey Graham refused to be tested for the virus is not because he cares about the debate with his opponent but because, if it turns out that he is positive, he wouldn’t be able to chair the Senate committee for Amy Whatsherface’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. And oh, here’s another tidbit after the debacle (read superspreader) in the Rose Garden where a possibly already contagious Trump introduced Amy to the party faithful, her children went back to school and uh oh! Spread the virus there. �Perhaps its time for a little education on cause and effect. Oh that’s right. No one who is a faithful Republican believes in Science. Because facts are so depressing, aren’t they? On Friday morning we visited Meijer Gardens. We thought the quick pass through the enclosed entrance would be worth it. Now I am glad that we went, but the number of people pushing past us or standing still in the middle of the walkway - almost all maskless - was disturbing, so we won’t go back for a while. We walked around the boardwalk and looked out over the wetlands. Here are a group of swans landing on the water. �It is a chilly morning, so I rugged up. ��Pointing is his new big thing. Our next stop in Ho Chi Minh City was the former palace. Evidently Ho Ch Minh refused to live there, but had a stilt house built for himself in the grounds. The Cabinet Room. �Craig and the gate. In the final stages of the war, a North Vietnamese tank came crashing through the gates and this symbolized the end of the war. �The preserved tank. �Palace communications room More Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow Its 23 days to the election. In the manner of Tsunamis, the voter water has drawn back, leaving Trump and the Republicans flopping on the sand. And far in the distance, they can hear hear the roar of the returning enormous Blue Tsunami. Make it happen, my tribe. �� 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_2020-10-11_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-214 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 2020-10-11 Title A name given to the resource Day 214 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/67fadc6850aa810c3ad9f8a856d98bab.pdf 4c42302c73117dd9795ffbf5000bd72f PDF Text Text Day 215 by windoworks Some trans Tasman flights will begin on October 16, one way between New Zealand and Australia. There are conditions - at this point New Zealanders would have to fly from the South Island only. Australians are not allowed to fly to New Zealand. When New Zealanders return home, they will have to quarantine for 14 days and be tested. In Melbourne, there is a slight lifting of restrictions. My son and his housemate were permitted to have a picnic on Sunday with 2 members of another household within their 5 km circle. When you look at the statistics for Australia, yesterdays total cases was 27,286 and 20,295 of those total cases were in the state of Victoria. Total deaths for Australia: 898 and 810 of those deaths were in Victoria. You can see why all states in Australia closed their borders. Borders around Victoria may still be closed but the large majority of cases and deaths have occurred in the city of Melbourne. Every exit from the city is closed with army personnel patrolling them. The city has done a great job of containing the outbreak amid growing unrest from a section of the community. The Premier of Victoria is prepared to be voted out of office for his strict lockdown actions. Here’s a sign from Sydney: �Meanwhile from ClickonDetroit �As of Sunday, data shows that Michigan currently has an infection rate of 1.12 -- meaning each person infected with COVID-19 is infecting 1.12 other people. The state’s infection rate had improved throughout August after increasing in July, but began to increase again throughout September. Covid Act Now considers an infection rate “critical” if it surpasses 1.4. Michigan’s current infection rate of 1.12 is considered “high," and is contributing to the state’s worsened risk status for virus spread. Another factor contributing to Michigan’s high risk status is the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded each day per every 100,000 people. On Sunday, Covid Act Now reports that Michigan is recording 11.7 new COVID-19 cases each day per every 100,000 residents -- a number that the research group considers “high.” Any number higher than 1 is considered “medium” and anything above 10 is considered “high." A state has reached “critical” standing if it reports more than 25 daily new cases per every 100,000 residents. Michigan is currently experiencing its largest spike in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. On Saturday, the state reported a total of 134,656 confirmed virus cases, recording an increase of 1,522 new cases since Friday -- the highest single-day increase since April 7. As of Saturday, the state’s 7-day moving average of new cases reached 1,020. This is the first time Michigan has recorded a 7-day moving average above 1,000 since April 17. ���Did Trump have the coronavirus? We’ll never know. The White House medical team seemed to have set aside the Hippocratic Oath all doctors are supposed to take and chosen instead to follow Trump’s lead. Trump is again setting out for rallies and meetings, declaring loudly: I am immune. Again - we’ll never know. He is promising a vaccine for all before the Election Day on November 3. But most of us know that any vaccine delivered that early will not have had anything like complete testing. I am not an anti-vaxxer but even I would not be willing have an early vaccine administered to me. And here’s a thought I have - he’s on a fairly strong dose of steroids. Here’s some of the side effects: Difficulty sleeping High blood pressure Increased appetite, weight gain Insomnia Lower resistance to infection Muscle weakness Nervousness, restlessness Stomach irritation or bleeding Sudden mood swings There are other side effects as well but these seemed the most pertinent. �On a completely different subject here’s this: Washington Post �Think about the changes we have accepted in our own lives in response to the pandemic. We have agreed to isolate ourselves for long stretches. We have worked, attended meetings and had deeply personal conversations by talking to our laptops. We’ve taken online courses and have seen doctors and therapists using telemedicine. In a month, companies changed policies that would normally have taken them years to revise. Overnight, cities turned avenues into pedestrian walkways and sidewalks into cafes. Attitudes toward people previously ignored or overlooked are shifting, as can been seen in the newly adopted phrase “essential workers.” And governments have opened up their coffers in ways that were once unimaginable and could lead to much greater willingness to invest in the future. The pandemic has made so many — nations and individuals — turn inward and become selfish. Its up to us now, which way we go forward. Should we continue to make positive changes in the world, in OUR world, or should we turn inward and become selfish. I can only say that I know what path I will choose. Some time ago I watched all of the Handmaids Tale on TV. Margaret Atwood wrote the book in 1985 and many critics found it to be implausible. In the last 4 years I have seen numerous references to the book and TV series as being all too plausible right now. If you have never read it, the book explores themes of subjugated women in a patriarchal society and the various means by which these women resist and attempt to gain individuality and independence. In 2019, Atwood published the sequel: The Testaments. The novel is set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale. I think that what I liked most about it was that it showed how any dystopian society will ultimately crumble from the inside. And here’s one change that has already happened: New York Times Online orders have surged for retailers in the pandemic, as curbside pickup helps Americans satisfy their desire to hop in a car and drive to the store. What started as a coronavirus stopgap is likely to have a permanent impact on the way people shop. Speaking of which, this afternoon Craig and I will drive over to the Penzeys store to pick up my curbside order of herbs and spices. And I am waiting for my order of assorted English teabags to be delivered in the next few days. �Here’s Oliver back at daycare surrounded by his favorite toys. �Our last photos from Ho Chi Minh City - The Reception Room in the Palace with an incredible lacquer landscape �In the Vietnam National Museum - a triumphant mural. ��This museum was a popular place for bridal photos. �Saigon parking. On to Cambodia tomorrow ���22 days. Rise up and vote as if your life depends on 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_2020-10-12_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-215 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 2020-10-12 Title A name given to the resource Day 215 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/5231c29f86b9d4ce6044db5e87ec6c2e.pdf aed6180d1e4a69d84a2a62459023cbf5 PDF Text Text Day 216: exactly 3 weeks to Election Day by windoworks There are more and more mornings where I don’t know where to begin. I once wrote that subconsciously, all my life, I had wanted to live in the United States. I looked at magazines with girls wearing plaid skirts and Bobby socks and matching sweaters and I wanted to be that girl. Then as John Lennon sang: Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. 18 years ago Craig was offered a tenure track position at Grand Valley State University and we sold the house and all our possessions, packed 2 suitcases each and shipped 54 boxes of Craig’s books, said goodbye to the children and our family, and moved to Grand Rapids Michigan. My sister wrote: at last, one of the Smyth girls lives in the States. She and her husband had moved here after their wedding and were never returning to New Zealand - but then my mother became terminally ill and my sister was a nurse.......... but that’s another story for another day. Although the first few weeks here were hard without family and friends, I soon settled in and began to get involved in the neighborhood and then the city and so on. I even became friends with our local policeman, who one memorable day, rolled down his car window and called across the street: Hello Miss Pamela, How are you? I felt at home. I was not stupid. I knew there were inequalities and barely concealed racism and poverty. There are many stories of my experiences I could relate here - but today is not that day. When Trump was elected in 2016, we were living in the south of France. We woke in the morning to the news. French strangers offered commiserations (and free desserts) when they realized we were Americans. In the area we lived in for 2 months, politics existed but farming and living comfortably within your means was more important. It may be very different in the French cities, but the countryside lets those in the big cities get on with it. We returned home at the beginning of 2017 and everything gradually began to change. What bothered me the most was the anger. And it was anger aimed at people like me, because I was “liberal”. In these past 4 years I have felt like a bystander watching something catastrophic unfold - you know its a train wreck but you can’t look away. I finally understood what was happening the other day, after Trump made 2 secret service men take him for a drive while he was still in hospital and contagious. Trump is the President of the United States and he uses his unlimited power to get anything he wants. If he says: take me out for a drive, that’s exactly what the secret service men had to do - they had no choice. There is no one in the world who can say no to Trump. No one. So here we are. You’ll be glad to know that in places overseas we are regarded as the most entertaining reality show on TV. How nice it is that we are able to provide such light relief to the rest of the world. But �its not just a TV show to those of us living here. I have actually said to friends - please don’t tell me you’re a Republican. If you do, I simply can’t be your friend. The new dreadful items that appear in my news feed are so unbelievable I have difficulty grasping them. Here’s an example: Republicans have set up fake absentee ballot collection boxes in California, so people can put their ballots in there and by inference, help the Republicans win the presidency. Wait, what? Do they have safety stickers saying: only Democratic ballots, please? In Texas the Republican Governor removed all ballot drop boxes except one per county, and some counties cover 2000 square miles. A judge blocked this, but then 3 Republican lower court judges blocked his block. In our city, they have put 24 hour cameras on each Dropbox and they clear the boxes twice a day. They have received our ballots - I checked online. What bothers me the most, is that none of this is done surreptitiously. Its all done in plain sight with the smiling face which says clearly: we can and you can’t stop us. I’ll admit that when I first moved here, I knew there was a very ugly underside to America, I wasn’t that naive. But gradually over the past 4 years, a truly unpalatable view of America has emerged where there are fewer and fewer checks and balances. This morning I read this: Washington Post Roughly half of Trump supporters agreed with the statement: “Once our government leaders and the authorities condemn the dangerous elements in our society, it will be the duty of every patriotic citizen to help stomp out the rot that is poisoning our country from within,” which Altemeyer and Dean characterize as “practically a Nazi cheer.” And meanwhile the virus continues to infect more and more people, both here and across the world. Businesses are failing, people are homeless and starving and hospitals are struggling to keep up. In the US Coronavirus Cases: 8,038,391. Deaths: 220,021. In Michigan - Coronavirus Cases: 136,465. Deaths: 6,898. In Kent County - Coronavirus Cases: 10,636. Deaths: 169. It is getting harder and harder to obtain daily statistics. Using the Kent County Health Dept site (the only updated site I could find) tells me that there was an increase of 1,810 new cases from yesterday in Michigan and an increase of new cases from yesterday of (wait for it) 235 new cases in Kent County. Is this the second or the third surge? I forget. Oliver at daycare - they used toy cars to paint with on ‘roads’. ��Once again, there are 21 days until the election. What will happen? No one knows. In the meantime, do your bit to keep us all safe. Wear your mask, physically distance yourself (at least 6 feet and preferably more) from others and wash your hands, all day long. 21 days. 21 days. 21 days. 21 days. 21 days........................... � 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_2020-10-13_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-216 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 2020-10-13 Title A name given to the resource Day 216 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/d47f12a08cbd6049e9035838455c0c57.pdf d9429136b4c257d259a7a305f937dcdc PDF Text Text Day 217 by windoworks Its 7:26am, pitch dark and 44F. The statistics in Michigan are rising. The charts I usually use have not been updated for 2 days - which makes their numbers meaningless. In Kent County we continue to see an average of 120 new cases per day. I’m not sure what is causing this rise. Some K-12 schools are back in a hybrid face-to-face system near us and their regime is strictly enforced. There have been few outbreaks in these schools. There have been more outbreaks at colleges - you can control university students to a certain level, but after lectures finish for the day, it is harder to supervise students. Here’s an excellent breakdown of the virus from new scientist.com A team from the Covid Symptom Study has split the disease into six types: 1 Flu-like symptoms, no fever Headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat and aches and pains, but no fever. Around 1.5 per cent of this group will go on to require breathing support in hospital. 2 Flu-like symptoms with fever Similar to group 1, plus a loss of appetite and fever. 3 Gastrointestinal �Diarrhoea alongside loss of smell and appetite, headache, sore throat and chest pain. Typically, no cough. 4 Fatigue This cluster is considered more severe than the previous three, as 8.6 per cent require breathing support. Fatigue accompanies headache, loss of smell, cough, chest pain and fever. 5 Confusion Another severe category. People experience confusion in addition to symptoms listed in cluster four. Around 10 per cent will require breathing support. 6 Abdominal and respiratory Considered the most severe cluster, because almost half will require hospitalisation, and around a fifth will need breathing support. Symptoms include headache, fever, loss of smell and appetite, cough, sore throat and chest pain, along with shortness of breath, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, muscle pain, confusion and fatigue. Here’s a link the study’s own diagram - https://covid.joinzoe.com/earlysymptomsdiscoveries In other virus related news, scientists have recorded at least one case of reinfection. Science Alert COVID-19 patients may experience more severe symptoms the second time they are infected, according to research released Tuesday confirming it is possible to catch the potentially deadly disease more than once. A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal charts the first confirmed case of COVID-19 reinfection in the United States - the country worst hit by the pandemic - and indicates that exposure to the virus may not guarantee future immunity. The patient, a 25-year-old Nevada man, was infected with two distinct variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within a 48-day time frame. The second infection was more severe than the first, resulting in the patient being hospitalised with oxygen support. The paper noted four other cases of reinfection confirmed globally, with one patient each in Belgium, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Ecuador. Experts said the prospect of reinfection could have a profound impact on how the world battles through the pandemic. This morning the news was that a second person in the US had contracted the virus for the second time. There’s talk at the White House that herd immunity might be the answer - because hey, doing almost nothing to help hasn’t worked so well, so why not take it down a notch? Washington Post Allowing the coronavirus to spread unchecked in an attempt to reach herd immunity is “simply unethical,” the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday, noting it would mean �“unnecessary infections, suffering and death.” But the idea, which the NIH chief calls “dangerous” and “fringe,” has found an audience inside the White House and at least one state capitol, appalling top scientists. And all the while, Trump is out rallying (oh I’m sorry, campaigning) again. From the ‘pull no punches’ Crooked Media: Hoarsely addressing a packed, largely maskless crowd in Florida on Monday night, Donald Trump finally hit on that perfect blend of pandemic recklessness and predatory sense of entitlement that suburban moms go crazy for: “I feel so powerful. I’ll walk into that audience. I’ll walk in there, I’ll kiss everyone in that audience. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women—everybody.” In a sign of how well things are going for Trump since his diagnosis, he has a rally planned in Iowa this week and surrogates scheduled to campaign in Georgia, Nebraska, and Ohio—traditionally red states where he’s been bleeding support. Remember the many vaccine trials? Here’s another hiccup from Crooked Media : Eli Lilly has paused clinical trials of its coronavirus antibody treatment, and Johnson & Johnson has paused trials of its vaccine candidate due to safety concerns. Which means that some volunteers got sick and they have to determine the cause. Vaccines take years to develop safely and even then they’re not foolproof. Each year when we get our flu shot, the drug company promises that if you do get the flu, it won’t be as bad as if you didn’t have your flu shot. Cold comfort. In the meantime, the trials of the ‘kidnap Whitmer and put her on trial for treason’ protagonists have begun in Grand Rapids. It had been reported that the militia members involved had also discussed kidnapping Governor Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia. Whitmer thanked everyone involved in the surveillance and arrests but apparently forgot to grovel at Trump’s feet - nobody can explain why he thought that was justified. From the Washington Post, quoted from the trial: Here’s the reality: President Trump called upon his supporters to ‘LIBERATE VIRGINIA’ in April — just like Michigan. In fact, the President regularly encourages violence against those who disagree with him. The rhetoric coming out of this White House has serious and potentially deadly consequences. It must stop. So, as always, Oliver, ��After Vietnam we sailed on to Cambodia. Our first stop was a fishing village near Sihanoukville. Despite being the country's premier sea side destination, after decades of war and upheaval the town and its infrastructure remain very much disjointed and architecturally unimpressive. Infrastructure problems persist, in particular related to water and power supply, while international standard health facilities remain limited. Sihanoukville also faces challenges related to crime, security, and safety with the city frequently being the focus of scandals linked to serious organized crime, petty crime, and corruption. Wikipedia Fishermen playing cards �This fishing village is largely on the water - one side of the dock is where their boats dock and on the other side, their small dwellings. �Making underwater repairs to a fishing boat. �Drying the fish. This was one of the poorest places I have ever visited, but the people seemed happy, perhaps because they were paid to allow us to visit them. Its 8:34am, cloudy skies and 43F. So, same old, same old. 20 days to the election but who knows how long until someone is declared a winner. The virus is surging again and we are still sheltering in place. Remember: MASK UP! � 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_2020-10-14_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-217 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 2020-10-14 Title A name given to the resource Day 217 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/8c3626568c8332674b5b022446c737a2.pdf e07a2e28e6328b6a7ecf9addcd3050d1 PDF Text Text Day 218: 19 days to the election. by windoworks Two days ago, my mother-in-law (who reads my posts) was talking with a group of friends and the topic switched to ‘When did America stop being great?’ I wonder how we would all answer that. In my mind there is no question that America began its slide away from greatness when Trump began campaigning in 2015. We all laughed at his onscreen antics and we were sure that each new disturbing statement would signal the end of his presidency hopes. Remember ‘I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and they would still love me’? The problem was, and is, we - the reasonable people of the world, the ones who try to always engage ethics and morals in our everyday life - we couldn’t (and still don’t) really understand his followers. And that’s our problem: we keep expecting Trump, his Republicans and his followers to �suddenly become real, normal humans who try to do their best every day. Its never going to happen. That’s a hard pill to swallow. These people are who they are. As far as I can tell, they have no rules to live by. They really are the epitome of “anything goes” and “whatever helps you get to the top”. So once we all accept that, life becomes easier. It much easier to live, day by day, knowing that these people, encouraged by Trump, will do anything and everything to stay on top. There is no depth to their actions, no bottom of the pit. So the trick is to live in as responsible and ethical way as you possibly can, and make sure you do everything in your power to change the person and his group in charge. I think we all forget that politicians are voted into power by us. Their power is given to them to work for us. If we do not like or approve of the way they are using that power, we can (shock!) vote them out and vote in someone else in their place. When a candidate tells us: I will do my best for you if you elect me - they should be held to that promise. Otherwise, find someone else. Its not that we should expect our representatives to be perfect. I always remember this: every person puts their underwear on, one leg at a time. Politician are just people who chose a career in politics instead of being a teacher or a plumber. Here’s this cheering news from Crooked Media: In total, about 15 million Americans have already voted in early. In North Carolina, nearly one-in-five voters who cast early ballots didn't vote in 2016. So, 19 days. Meanwhile, Trump continues to hold rallies. and here’s a roundup of his craziness also from Crooked Media: • There’s simply no need for the media to help Trump spread misinformation when he’s so prolific on his own. On Tuesday night, the president inserted himself into the controversy over the California Republican Party’s fake and illegal ballot drop boxes in counties with competitive House races with a fullthroated endorsement of election fraud: “You mean only Democrats are allowed to do this? But haven’t the Dems been doing this for years? See you in court. Fight hard Republicans!” On Tuesday Trump also retweeted a next-level deranged QAnon conspiracy theory that the Obama administration staged Osama Bin Laden’s death and had a Navy SEAL team killed, so it seems like things are going well for him. • The good news is that however irresponsibly the media, the president, or a pack of GOP senators behaves, everything hinges on what the rest of us do in the next three weeks. We can choose to ignore the polls, take nothing for granted, and share the information that matters—and we must. �The above is funny and awful at the same time. So this leads us on to the virus, from New York Times: The autumn wave of the coronavirus has reached a dangerous new stage. The number of new daily cases has risen almost 50 percent in the U.S. over the past month. The situation is even worse in Europe. For the first time since late March, the per capita number of new cases in Europe exceeds the number in the U.S. “The virus is everywhere in France,” the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said yesterday, while imposing a nighttime curfew in major cities. �The almost deserted Jardin des Tuileries in the middle of Paris. The onset of cooler weather, which is driving more people indoors, seems to be playing a big role. And many people seem to have grown tired of pandemic restrictions, leading politicians — in both Europe and the U.S. — to lift restrictions prematurely. But the pandemic hasn’t gone away. While treatments are getting better, many people are still dying — including almost 6,000 in India over the past week, 5,000 in the U.S., 1,700 in Iran, 850 in Spain and about 600 in both Britain and France. A widely available vaccine is still months away, even if the current research trials go well. Amid all of this bad news, it’s worth keeping in mind that some countries continue to fight the virus successfully. The per capita rate of new cases in Canada is less than half as high as it is in the U.S. In Australia and much of Africa and Asia, the rate remains near zero. In many places where case counts are rising, political leaders are reluctant to impose new lockdowns, because the public is tired of them. But that creates something of a Catch-22: The most reliable way to reverse big outbreaks of this virus has been through strict crackdowns. And here’s that new idea from the White House. From Crooked Media: The White House has reportedly embraced a declaration by a group of scientists arguing for a herd immunity strategy—a fringe position that horrifies most epidemiologists. That approach would call for authorities to allow the coronavirus to spread freely among young healthy people, who famously have no �misgivings about potential long-term neurological damage and other symptoms, and/or death. The declaration, which top administration officials reportedly support, has medical signatories which include names like Dr. I.P. Freely, Dr. Person Fakename, and Dr. Johnny Bananas. Meanwhile, new coronavirus cases have been trending upwards in 39 states, 36,051 people were hospitalized as of Tuesday evening, and Trump continues to shout dangerous misinformation at unmasked crowds on a nightly basis. His behavior encourages this: Crooked Media: A Wisconsin judge has blocked an order from Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) limiting bar and restaurant capacity. Elsewhere in Wisconsin, a bar owner who hosted an interview with Donald Trump, Jr., and is now in the ICU with coronavirus would like to punch the president. As would we all. I’m reminded of a favorite saying: you hold him and I’ll hit him. The virus is still here and now its surging again. Pay attention. Don’t become a superspreader and don’t allow yourself to become a victim. And to emphasize how serious it is, from NPR’s New Normal: • The New York Philharmonic has canceled all of its scheduled concerts through next June. It’s the first time in the orchestra's 178-year history that it has canceled an entire season. If that won’t make you sit up and take notice - nothing will. Oliver at daycare. �Sihanoukville. Next we visited the markets. �A monk walking through the market �Market produce �Shellfish. Next we visited Ochheuteal Beach. it was a lovely beach but very disconcerting with signs which said something like - children may be used as sex slaves here, please report to authorities. There were also signs warning about pickpockets. ��More Sihanoukville tomorrow. As the weather cools and the virus surges, we must remember to wear masks outside the home, wash our hands carefully and stand well back from everyone. We can do this. I’m counting on you. � 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_2020-10-15_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-218 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 2020-10-15 Title A name given to the resource Day 218 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/ae9c6300c7530963f24d8ca513aa3884.pdf 822b41f9cc2c2830d2c3381052337878 PDF Text Text Day 219: 18 days to the election by windoworks So here we are. After I finish writing this post this morning, Craig and I are going to the grocery store to buy some food that we don’t need right now but will need in 18 days time. And before you ask, read my post. Remember that boat we were all trying to keep our balance on? There might be a storm lurking on the horizon - in 18 days time, if not before. If the winds increase. “We are prepared. Every polling place will have a direct line to the AG office and to local law enforcement — who can be on the ground immediately. What I’d say to those listening to the president is, follow the advice of the president of the United States at your own legal peril." Michigan AG Dana Nessel Whoever said that before? Whoever felt the need? New York Times �In rural Iowa, Laura Hubka, the Democratic chair of Howard County, recently took out a concealed-carry gun permit after signs for Democratic candidates in her region were vandalized with bullet holes and she was personally threatened, she said. In central Wisconsin, Tom Stepanek’s wife sat him down last month at the kitchen table and warned him that the president might not accept a peaceful transfer of power if he lost in November. “Are you sure you want to be doing this?” she asked her husband, who is the chair of the Waushara County Democrats and had also been threatened. “You’re going to be a target here,” she told him. In Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Burdick, a Trump supporter who owns a gun store with her husband in redhued Mercer County, said, “Sales have been crazy.” “People are afraid,” she said. “They’re afraid of what’s going to happen” after the election if Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, wins. With polls showing the president behind Mr. Biden nationally and in key states, Mr. Trump has descended into rants about perceived enemies, both inside and outside his administration, triggering in his staunchest supporters such fears for the outcome — possibly a “stolen” election, maybe a coup by the far left — that he is emboldening them to disrupt the voting process, according to national security experts and law enforcement officials. So now you know why we’re carefully stocking our cupboards, just in case. �In Georgia the machines recording voters stopped working. Investigators found that a cable had be severed. People waited in long lines for it to be fixed so they could continue to vote. But wait, didn’t this happen before at a previous election? �Washington Post With less than three weeks to go before Nov. 3, roughly 15 million Americans have already voted in the fall election, reflecting an extraordinary level of participation despite barriers erected by the coronavirus pandemic — and setting a trajectory that could result in the majority of voters casting ballots before Election Day for the first time in U.S. history. In Georgia this week, voters waited as long as 11 hours to cast their ballots on the first day of early voting. In North Carolina, nearly 1 in 5 of roughly 500,000 who have returned mail ballots so far did not vote in the last presidential election. In Michigan, more than 1 million people — roughly one-fourth of total turnout in 2016 — have already voted. The picture is so stark that election officials around the country are reporting record early turnout, much of it in person, meaning that more results could be available on election night than previously thought. So far, much of the early voting appears to be driven by heightened enthusiasm among Democrats. Of the roughly 3.5 million voters who have cast ballots in six states that provide partisan breakdowns, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by roughly 2 to 1, according to a Washington Post analysis of data in Florida, Iowa, Maine, Kentucky, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Additionally, those who have voted include disproportionate numbers of Black voters and women, according to state data — groups that favor former vice president Joe Biden over President Trump in recent polls. Dozens of voters who have shown up on their states’ first day of early voting over the past several weeks have described a desire to cast their ballots at the first possible moment as a statement against the president. And now to the virus. Craig listens to the news on the radio every morning when he’s making breakfast. This morning one of the headlines was the big increase in cases this week in Kent County. A bigger increase than in the counties that encompass Detroit. We live in Kent County. Crooked Media The U.S. is now experiencing its third surge of coronavirus hospitalizations (though we cunningly avoided a second wave of infections by simply never making it out of the first wave). The worst spikes are ravaging the midwest and northern plains—North Dakota hospitals are near capacity, and Wisconsin, where Trump is scheduled to hold a superspreading rally this weekend, opened a field hospital on Wednesday. The worsening outbreaks have already had a measurable economic impact: new unemployment claims rose to 898,000 last week, the highest level since late August. Stats: yesterday the US had 64,000 new cases in one day, Michigan had 2,030 new cases in one day and Kent County had 200 new cases in one day. I’ll just let those numbers sink in. �Here’s a comparison between the 14th century Plague and the 2020 Coronavirus Washington Post: FLORENCE — When the new disease first arrived, little was clear beyond the fact that it killed with terrifying speed. Near-certain death trailed the first symptoms by four days or less. The doctors were helpless. This city was soon overwhelmed with corpses. Workers in church yards dug pits down to the water table, layering bodies and dirt, more bodies and dirt. One writer of the time compared the mass graves to “lasagna.” Seven centuries later, the plague in Europe stands as an example of a pandemic at its worst — what happens when so many people die so quickly that some foresee the end of the human race. Few places were hit harder than Florence, whose population in 1348 was cut by at least a third and possibly far more. We had figured a trip to Florence might provide some comforting perspective on modern times — a chance to dwell on a period that was patently deadlier and more fear-inducing than the coronavirus pandemic. But instead, as we spoke with historians and searched for the plague’s lasting marks, what stood out most were the similarities, 672 years apart. Theirs was a mysterious bacteria spreading at a time when people didn’t yet understand disease transmission; ours, a novel virus infiltrating a world that prides itself on its medical knowledge. But in both cases, the first instinct was to close borders to try to keep the disease at bay. When that didn’t work, officials called for strict rules — but only some people paid attention. All the while, there was a proliferation of conspiracy theories. Many tried to blame the disease on outsiders or minorities — in medieval Europe, often Jews. “Much has changed since the 1340s,” author John Kelly wrote in his book on the plague, “but not human nature.” Then like now, people were divided over how to face the threat. Some in Florence shut themselves inside their homes and lived in isolation, according to a detailed account from 14th-century writer and poet Giovanni Boccaccio. Others ventured out in public, armed with herbs and spices intended to purify the air — a medieval version of HVAC filters and masks. Still others were cavalier about the disease and went about their lives socializing, drinking heavily, “satisfying their appetites by any means available,” Boccaccio wrote. Nobody was safe, and isolation scarcely worked as a safeguard in a dense city. But the people who gathered in groups courted greater risk. Marchionne di Coppo Stefani, a wealthy Florentine, wrote of daring dinner parties in which a host would gather 10 friends, with plans to reconvene again the next night. At the next dinner, Stefani said, sometimes “two or three were missing.” Lippi said that before the coronavirus pandemic, she had studied the plague with the “distance of a historian.” But she thought about the pits of plague victims in March, when hundreds were dying of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in Italy every day, when crematoriums couldn’t �keep up, and when military trucks were called into the city of Bergamo to haul away the dead. “It’s a very close connection,” she said. So it seems human behavior never changes and we don’t learn from history. We didn’t even learn from the global flu epidemic in 1918-1920. And an update on a possible vaccine? Not before the end of November possibly. There goes that carrot that Trump was dangling in front of his voters. Oliver ��Black finger paint and glitter. What more could a little boy want? Sihanoukville. Our last visit was to Wat Krom Buddhist Temple. Pagoda closeup �More pagodas �Painting of the faithful. �Reclining buddha with monks �Standing monk statues �And back to the ship after a busy day. On to Thailand tomorrow. Its the start of another day here in Covid Central. If only we had someone in charge at the top, leading us, who could issue orders for restrictions, PPE manufacture, unemployment benefits etc. Oh that’s right. We have Trump. If I keep myself safe, will you keep yourself safe too? �� 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_2020-10-16_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-219 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 2020-10-16 Title A name given to the resource Day 219 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/6af20ac8e28e5734829a62ee853dfc09.pdf 79955cee9ff05170bc29e081dcebc23f PDF Text Text Day 220: Saturday October 17. And 17 days to the election. by windoworks Covid Travel �Guides This was an example of one stop voting for New Zealanders. Last night in New Zealand, this happened: �Washington Post CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was headed for a runaway reelection victory on Saturday after widespread praise for leading a successful battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Her government’s response to outbreaks of the coronavirus— including some of the strictest lockdowns and border controls in the world — is attributed to achieving some of the lowest death rates in the world with just 25 recorded fatalities. We will not take your support for granted and I promise you we will be a party that governs for every New Zealander,” Ardern said. “And governing for every New Zealander has never been more important,” she said, noting “we are living in a polarized world where more and more people are losing the ability to see each other’s point of view.” Her embrace of international cooperation and pan-national issues, including climate change, earned her the nickname “the anti-Trump” among her supporters. �Did you notice the death toll in New Zealand due to Covid-19? 25. Now I know there’s many mitigating circumstances such as global location (at the bottom of the world); 3 small islands; socialist government etc. but the biggest difference is this: the person in charge sat down on video and explained at the onset, carefully and clearly, what the actions were going to be and why the government was taking them. She said clearly: we are all in this together and I will always listen to you and explain every next step and why it is necessary - so you will know and understand. Their first lockdown was hard, very hard, and yet most New Zealanders cooperated without too much grumbling. Of course it helped that the police did their job and policed the lockdown and arrested anyone who was blatantly non compliant. All I have heard here for months (8 months actually) is, oh we couldn’t do that here, Pamela. Its a transgression of our rights. And that’s true. The right to hold onto an enormous amount of freedom at a huge cost to yourself, and all the other people near and dear to you. Sometimes the greater good overrides the personal freedom. So here we are. Yesterday the new daily case count in the US rose to 70,451, and 909 people died. 909 mothers and fathers, and sons and daughters and aunts and uncles and grandfathers and grandmothers and babies and toddlers and best friends and choir members and church attendees and party holders and jail inmates and front line workers. Each one of the 218K who have died since March was important and left behind a hole where they used to be. But that’s okay, because your personal freedom overrides my desire to keep living. And let me just remind you - this is the middle of October. They are predicting the worst months will be January and February. That’s when numbers will rise exponentially, because the numbers now are alarming but not as bad as what is to come. You can tell I’m depressed and fed up and I’m betting that a lot of you are too. In political news, Trump and Biden held competing virtual town halls. The worst comment made about Biden’s town hall was a comparison to Fred (Mr) Rogers. On the other hand Washington Post The town hall shows how deeply in denial Trump remains about coronavirus Wisconsin reported more than 4,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, a record high. With medical facilities running low on intensive-care beds, authorities just opened a field hospital on the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Soon, it will be able to treat more than 500 patients. “We know that this is going to get worse before it gets better,” the head of the state’s health department, Andrea Palm, warned during a Thursday afternoon briefing. A few hours later, during an NBC town hall in Miami, President Trump declared: “What we’ve done has been amazing, and we have done an amazing job, and it’s rounding the corner.” �More than 63,500 new cases were reported in the United States on Thursday, the highest number since July. “Forty-four states and the District of Columbia have higher caseloads than in mid-September,” Joel Achenbach and Jacqueline Dupree report. “During the past week, at least 20 states have set record sevenday averages for infections, and a dozen have hit record hospitalization rates. … The cumulative number of cases in the United States since the start of the pandemic is likely to surpass 8 million on Friday.” Sadly, the president is wrong. The contagion is not in its last throes. Nor is this a regional crisis isolated to the Midwest. This is a national emergency. One of the 8 million is the president himself. But Trump’s three-day hospitalization this month has not seemed to chasten or humble him. He downplayed the severity of his own illness, just as he publicly downplayed the lethality of the virus in the spring. Questioned by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, the president declined to say whether he had taken a coronavirus test on the day of the first presidential debate, as required by the rules. Here’s what Chris Christie said this week: Washington Post Former New Jersey GOP governor Chris Christie released a statement Thursday saying he was “wrong” not to wear a mask, both during the Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony at which Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee and in multiple debate preparation sessions with the president. “I believed that when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that I and many others underwent every day,” Christie wrote. “I hope that my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow CDC guidelines in public no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others.” Christie contracted covid-19 and spent seven days isolated in the ICU of a New Jersey hospital. Now he is back home and convalescing. “It is something to take very seriously,” Christie said in the statement. “The ramifications are wildly random and potentially deadly. No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others. Every public official, regardless of party or position, should advocate for every American to wear a mask in public, appropriately socially distance and to wash your hands frequently every day”. �By Friday (yesterday) more than 22M Americans had voted, either by mail or in person. I don’t pay attention to the polls, I just vote and hope for the best. If Biden wins decisively, there could be a light at the end of the tunnel. If Trump wins, there will be no limit to his self serving behavior. And whoever wins, there may be civil unrest. My hope is that Biden wins and the insane Trumpers say: Bugger! Oh okay. And they take their guns and slogans and hate and just go home. Yesterday our daughter asked us if we had built our panic room yet. She was joking and of course we’re not building one, but its a thought that brings you up sharp. One of my neighbors is concerned that the election will result in a new civil war - and this is a calm, reasonable person. �What exactly is the 2nd Amendment? A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. This doesn’t exactly say that everyone can own a gun and it doesn’t refer to any type of automatic weapons either. Their militia had rifles that had to be reloaded with gunpowder each time they were �fired, so any advanced weaponry wasn’t included in the amendment. There is much more I could say about the Constitution and the Amendments but that would be unAmerican. ��Laughing - probably at his mother. And the ever present runny nose. Bangkok. It took us about 2 hours to drive from the port to the city of Bangkok. Added to that, there were active student demonstrations occurring against the then Prime Minister and so our day’s itinerary was hastily reorganized. Our first stop was the Royal Palace. The Grand Palace (Thai: พระบรมมหาราชวัง, RTGS: Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), resided at the Chitralada Royal Villa and his successor King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, both in the Dusit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand. Wikipedia. In the above photo, people are lighting incense prayer sticks. �Craig and I in the palace grounds. �So if you know Craig, you know he is wearing shorts. Shorts were not allowed in the Royal Palace and so he had to hire some colorful Siamese pants for the duration of our visit. You’ll note I was wearing an ankle length dress. �Some golden pagodas of the palace. Another day is here. 17 days to the election. Numbers of ill people are climbing. Lets keep us all safe. �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-10-17_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-220 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 2020-10-17 Title A name given to the resource Day 220 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/6c61b5373b608e6777639a764da8840f.pdf 81412b764b0be79aea67accd041861e0 PDF Text Text Day 221. 16 days to the election. by windoworks And it's whispered that soon, If we all call the tune Then the piper will lead us to reason And a new day will dawn For those who stand long And the forests will echo with laughter So appropriate. Do you recognize it? I liked this next thing: The New York Times Less than three weeks before the election, some Republican lawmakers are beginning to publicly distance themselves from the president in a rush to re-establish their reputations and political brands. Senator Ted Cruz warned of a “Republican blood bath of Watergate proportions,” and Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the president’s most vocal allies, predicted the president could very well lose the White House. They’re �pictured on Capitol Hill this week. Mr. Trump’s cabinet also fears a November loss: Cabinet departments are scrambling to push through dozens of new regulations that will affect the lives of millions of people. Separately, Women’s March protesters took to the streets in Washington on Saturday, galvanized by their opposition to Mr. Trump and his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The march was met with a counterprotest in support of Judge Barrett. But not just protesting in Washington DC. There were protests all over the country and the overriding message was: We are women and we are not happy - and we vote! While serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee that interviewed Amy Whatshername for a position on SCOTUS, one of the sitting members (and I’m sorry I don’t remember who, but I’m guessing he’s a Democrat) said to the other committee members: Remember, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. I think that describes Republican politics accurately: Just because we can. Now I can’t post this to this post, but here’s a link you shouldn’t miss: https://t.co/eoxT07d7QB https://t.couU5mRDGsXE Its Don’t Throw Away Your Shot with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the Hamilton cast under this heading: voting is your opportunity to be in the room where it happens. Its on Twitter, see if you can follow the links or find it. Meanwhile in New Zealand: ��New York Times. Three years ago, Jacinda Ardern was a last-minute choice to lead New Zealand’s Labour Party. On Saturday, the prime minister cruised to re-election. After managing the responses to the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks and the White Island volcano eruption, and implementing a “go hard, go early,” approach that has effectively stamped out the pandemic from her country — all while navigating the birth of her first child — Ms. Ardern has become a global standard-bearer for a compassionate brand of progressive politics. “We will govern as we campaigned — positively,” Ms. Ardern said in her acceptance speech, adding: “We will build back better from the Covid crisis. This is our opportunity.” Is this a sign? Should we hope? In case you didn’t know (although I think I have mentioned it before) I am a New Zealander. I was born there and wherever else I live or travel to in the world, I will always be a New Zealander. And to cap Saturdays election triumph, the All Blacks (don’t look at me, I didn’t name them) won the second rugby game in the Bledisloe Cup series against Australia’s Wallabies 27 - 7. And think about this: over 40,000 New Zealand fans were seated in the stands, cheering them on. Meanwhile over here with Trump who is holding superspreader rallies back to back this weekend and into next week, he said this: Crooked Media: • The president refused to condemn the antisemitic, violence-prone cult of QAnon, in a brilliant pivot from his days-long refusal to condemn white supremacy. Trump instead both amplified and encouraged the conspiracy theory’s central premise: “What I do hear about it is they are very strongly against pedophilia. I agree with that. I do agree with that.” Trump also shrugged off his retweet of the berserk conspiracy theory that the Obama administration had a SEAL team killed, prompting this pushback from NBC’s Savannah Guthrie: “I don’t get that. You’re the president. You’re not, like, someone’s crazy uncle.” (Mary Trump begs to differ.) Who is QAnon, I hear you say? The Atlantic The pro-Trump conspiracy theory, which holds in part that global elites are secretly abusing children, isn’t going away. Here are three things to consider as you think about QAnon’s rise to prominence: • QAnon could emerge as a new American religion. At its core, the group is a rejection of Enlightenment values. • Followers of the group leverage the Instagram aesthetic to spread their message. • Reddit did manage to squash its presence. But that isn’t necessarily hopeful news. That approach may have kept QAnon out of one corner of the internet, but QAnon still spread into the real world. �I think they’re an even crazier bunch than Trumpers, but far more dangerous - and they even have a candidate on the ticket, for the Senate I think. At their heart though, each of these groups just want to divide and conquer. Its all about power. Oliver. ��Crushing the obstacle course at daycare. Bangkok. Still at the Palace. Large statues at the palace �The original royal residence - obviously we weren’t allowed inside. �More pagoda spires. �The Royal Palace soldiers. This morning there are a total of 8.14M cases in the US. On Thursday the US total was just under 8M, so that shows just how fast the case numbers are rising. In Michigan we have a total of 144,897 cases and in Kent County our case total stands at 11,448 with over 100 new cases each day. Everyone is telling us to keep going, wear a mask, wash your hands and stand over 6 feet apart. Not everyone is listening. Where did that verse at the top come from? Yes you guessed it - Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. 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_2020-10-18_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-221 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 2020-10-18 Title A name given to the resource Day 221 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/4890e481105b39b4d0b00305fe710aac.pdf dd8affda4d57020211caebd71204df15 PDF Text Text Day 222 by windoworks Today’s lyrics -seemed appropriate. Who sang this? Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality. �Crooked Media The first step towards making future elections fairer is winning this one in a landslide. Take this reminder from Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon that national polls don’t tell the real story, and that this election is closer than it looks. Nothing is written, everything is on the line, and we’ve got 15 days left. When you wake up on November 4, how will you have spent them? More than 28.1M Americans have voted already - by mail, by ballot dropbox and by early walk in voting. This is an unprecedented number. In the meantime, both parties continue to campaign - Trump in person and with few safety restrictions and Biden, carefully with strict safety measures. There is just over 2 weeks to go. The Detroit News Muskegon — President Donald Trump tried to tie Democratic rival Joe Biden to the radical left of his party and told his supporters to "watch those ballots"during a Saturday rally attended by thousands of people outside an airport hangar in Muskegon. The Republican president also insisted that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer needs to relax more COVID-19 restrictions, even though the Michigan Supreme Court already invalidated her emergency executive orders because the 1945 law she relied on was unconstitutional. She has since had her state Department of Health and Human Services issue new epidemic orders to wear masks and limit the capacities of businesses. “You’ve got to get your governor to open up her state." Trump said to cheering. "And get your schools open. … The schools have to be open.” Michigan's schools have been given the option of holding in-person classes or holding courses online. Many larger school districts have chosen to go with online courses, while others have done in-person classes or a mixture of online or in-person classes. In response to Trump's statement, the crowd started chanting about the first-term Democratic governor: "Lock her up, lock her up, lock her up." At another point, Trump raised concerns about the handling of the upcoming election by Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, another Democrat. He said Whitmer and Nessel are in charge of the ballots in the state. But Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, another Democrat, is Michigan's top election official. In May, the president threatened federal funding for Michigan and erroneously said Benson planned to send absentee ballots to all voters, when the Detroit Democrat instead sent voters applications for the ballots ahead of the elections. "So how the hell do I put my political and our country’s political life in the hands of a pure partisan like that?" Trump said. "So you’ve got to watch it. Watch those ballots. Watch what’s going." "Law enforcement is watching," he added. �The chants in Muskegon also came after federal and state authorities charged 14 men over an alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer, storm the Michigan Capitol and potentially start a civil war. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II turned the moment into a campaign pitch. "We have a choice between two types of presidents in this election: @JoeBiden, a deeply caring human, who called @gretchenwhitmer to check in after the kidnapping plot. Or this guy — a superspreader of hate and divisiveness…," Gilchrist tweeted. To Trump, Governor Whitmer responded: NPR.ORG Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who the FBI says was targeted in a foiled kidnapping plot, on Sunday accused President Trump of fanning the flames of domestic terrorism when he didn't put a stop to chants of "lock her up!" that erupted the day before during a rally in her home state. "It's incredibly disturbing that the president of the United States, 10 days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial and execute me — 10 days after that was uncovered — the president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism," she said on NBC's Meet the Press. "It's got to end. It is dangerous not just for me and my family but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans," the Democrat Whitmer said, urging people on both sides of the aisle to "call this out and bring the heat down." Of course you know that ‘divide and conquer’ is Trump’s entire toolbox and the rest of sane America has begun to watch all this as a creepy type of sideshow - a little distraction from everyday Covid life. People keep asking on FaceBook ‘How do we persuade Trump voters to switch and vote for Biden?’ And the short answer every time is - you can’t, so don’t bother. All this and the dire forecasts of what might happen once November 3 is over are becoming too much to contemplate, so we’re all beginning to worry that this current surge is the second virus wave. So far, the predictions made by the experts (you remember, the scientists) have been reasonably accurate. It seems this is the onset of the second wave (although some might argue that we never left the first wave) and although it seems troubling now, the real surge will be in January and February. So, in case you were wondering what is happening in other parts of the world: DM news France reported 29,837 new cases on Sunday, slightly down from the record 32,400 logged the day before. A strict night-time curfew went into effect in Paris and eight other cities on Saturday evening, running from 9 p.m. The United Kingdom remains Europe's worst-affected area in terms of deaths, accounting for almost onefifth of deaths on the continent. The British government continues to struggle to fight the outbreak, with local officials resisting attempts by ministers to impose restrictions by region. Italy The virus has hit the country's parliament, with 20 lawmakers in Italy's Chamber of Deputies testing postive for COVID-19. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is due to announce further measures later on �Sunday. Slovakia plans to test everyone in the country over the age of 10 for the virus this month – twice. It was not immediately clear whether testing will be voluntary or mandatory. Slovenia, meanwhile, has suspended its contact tracing efforts citing the country's swelling caseload. The country's public health body said the number of cases was so high that it was unable to successfully conduct tracing of those who test positive. Germany wants to address the decline of its city centers, an issue that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Online shopping has experienced tremendous growth and is now even more of a threat to traditional retailers due to social distancing rules and ongoing virus fears. The Netherlands has hit a new record of daily infections. Ireland will bring in "decisive" nationwide COVID-19 restrictions on Monday but will stop short of reintroducing the kind of lockdown imposed earlier this year. After hitting a new daily record on Friday, Switzerland is implementing new strict measures to combat the spread of the virus. Israel will reduce some lockdown restrictions from Sunday. Residents will be allowed to travel more than one kilometer (about 0.6 miles) from their homes. Beaches, national parks, and children's nurseries are expected to re-open as well. Saudi Arabia has allowed people within the kingdom to pray at the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca, one of the holiest sites for Muslims. The mosque was closed to the public for nearly seven months over coronavirus concerns. Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne, has loosened lockdown restrictions as new and active COVID19 continue to decline. From Sunday, residents will no longer face strict limits on the time they can spend away from their homes for education or recreation. Previous restrictions stopped them from traveling more than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from home, but the limit has been extended to 25 kilometers (15 miles). And here’s a family anecdote. My brother-in-law who lives in the Australian Capitol Territory, was given a ticket to see his football team play an important game - but in Brisbane, Queensland. I went up to Brisbane for the Preliminary Final. Canberra Airport was very empty and the security check was very friendly and relaxed. Everyone on the flight was encouraged to wear masks and did, though there were a number of people that only covered their mouths. On arrival at Brisbane we were greeted by a guard of honour of about 30 police and Australian Defense Force personnel whose only function seemed to be to form a corridor and direct us to the tables where we presented our Pass and proof of identity (Luckily I got a reminder from Qantas to get a Queensland Border Declaration Pass which I did online) The Hotel beside the one I was staying in that we were told was full when we tried to book me there �originally, was obviously code for it is being used as a quarantine hotel, as there was a large police presence out the front. Oliver at daycare: ��Yesterday we drove out to Kirk Park. It was mid morning and raining and there was almost no one else there. We walked through the woods to the point where they have closed the trail due to unstable dunes. ��And then we walked down to shore - or what’s left of it. ��Walking back to the car, we passed the stairs to the lookout. ��Flashback: Still Bangkok Crazy busy streets and those overhead power lines bothered me. �The Bangkok Canal �The Flower Market on Valentines Day eve �So after a very long and extremely hot day, our guide rushed us to the flower market and then deserted us. The path through was very narrow and we were beset by Thai people frantically buying flowers for Valentines Day. We had another 2 - 2.5 hour drive back to the ship, where we ran to the restaurant just in time before closing, to get some food. I am glad I saw Bangkok, but I don’t need to see it again. Here are calming, beautiful fall colors. ��Did you guess right? Of course it was from Bohemian Rhapsody and it was sung by Freddie Mercury. You know the drill. 15 days. � 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_2020-10-19_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-222 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 2020-10-19 Title A name given to the resource Day 222 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/39bf9d12e1414c6ae3593e6efe53073d.pdf 75713825b70f5ec052d937f718e6c71a PDF Text Text Day 223 – 2 weeks today. by windoworks This isn’t really about today but it seems relevant - who is it? Mother, mother There's too many of you crying Brother, brother, brother There's far too many of you dying You know we've got to find a way To bring some lovin' here today Cases are climbing. Trump is totally out of control and spreading fantastic amounts of dangerous misinformation. Cases are climbing. And America is angry. One side is angry with the president for getting us into this never ending mess. The other side is angry because Trump told them they should be angry. It reminds me of those hypnotism shows - you know the ones where the hypnotist makes a volunteer bark like a dog. Trump’s the hypnotist and his followers are barking like dogs. So here’s the statistics- get ready. US new cases yesterday: 64,164. Total cases: 8.26M. New deaths yesterday: 517. Total deaths: 220K. Michigan new cases yesterday: 4,718. Total cases: 164K. New deaths yesterday: 41. Total deaths: 7,364. Kent County: new cases yesterday: 314. Total cases: 11,762. New deaths yesterday: 3. Total deaths: 174. I don’t have any words left for this. Here’s words from others. The Hill • We do have vaccines and therapeutics coming down the pike, but when you actually look at the time period for that, the next six to 12 weeks are going to be the darkest of the entire pandemic,” Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said. • Osterholm said the U.S. is suffering from a messaging problem due to the lack of a “lead” voice to guide Americans through the pandemic. Boy is that a polite way of saying that Trump is a shithead. �Crooked Media • Trump’s latest public display of animosity followed a candid 60 Minutes interview in which Fauci acknowledged that the White House had blocked him from appearing on “many, many, many shows” to talk about the pandemic, said he wasn’t at all surprised that Trump had contracted coronavirus, and described the harassment and death threats his family has endured since Trump and the right-wing media made him into an enemy. After guiding the country through health crises under six administrations, Fauci now requires a security detail when he and his wife go for a walk. Remember the barking dogs? Here’s one of their new leaders. Washington Post Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist whose commentary on Fox News led President Trump to recruit him to the White House, consolidated his power over the government’s pandemic response. Atlas shot down attempts to expand testing. He openly feuded with other doctors on the coronavirus task force and succeeded in largely sidelining them. He advanced fringe theories, such as that social distancing and mask-wearing were meaningless and would not have changed the course of the virus in several hardhit areas. And he advocated allowing infections to spread naturally among most of the population while protecting the most vulnerable and those in nursing homes until the United States reaches herd immunity, which experts say would cause excess deaths, according to three current and former senior administration officials. Atlas also cultivated Trump’s affection with his public assertions that the pandemic is nearly over, despite death and infection counts showing otherwise, and his willingness to tell the public that a vaccine could be developed before the Nov. 3 election, despite clear indications of a slower timetable. The result has �been a U.S. response increasingly plagued by distrust, infighting and lethargy, just as experts predict coronavirus cases could surge this winter and deaths could reach 400,000 by year’s end. ��Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. �So here we are. The case numbers are climbing. Hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed. There’s no vaccine in sight. Democratic mayors and governors are threatened by domestic terrorists (we passed right wing extremists about May this year), its 3 minutes to midnight and the Orange Devil (sorry Wendy) and his minions are dancing with thoughtless abandon. I can’t believe this is my country. I can’t believe that I spent 7 years and hours of study to become an American citizen for this to be the state of the nation. Here’s one item of many that I learned: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Say that out loud and then think about it. Those governing us are supposed to secure those rights for us. You and me. And all those 220K who died. This morning I watched a clip of Ana Navarro on The View. Whoopi Goldberg asked her what she had been doing and Ana described how someone who worked in her house brought the virus in and 16 people became ill, 3 of them in hospital, including her strong fit husband. She said she had spent the weekend (after her husband came home and was much better), thinking about all those people who drop a loved one off at the ER and then never see them again. 220K. Its staggering. �One of the things I miss the most is Oliver. Although my daughter makes a superhuman effort every day to FaceTime us, its wonderful but not quite the same. I have not seen any of my family members in the �flesh since the beginning of September last year - I’ve just realized that was over a year ago. Pause for tears. ��Who knows? Once upon a time I heard Carl Hulse, of the New York Times say: you can’t wash the Trump stench off once its attached to you. Its worse than skunk odor. Washington Post Assuming President Trump loses his reelection bid in a few weeks, the soon-to-be alumni of the Trump administration, who were warned that association with Trump would mar their careers and corrode their character, are now "hoping the Trump presidency isn’t a disqualifying blemish on their resumes or Google footprint as the door revolves the other way and they seek to land, once again, in the private sector,” The Post reports. They should think more about atoning for the betrayal of their country than trying to escape the consequences of enabling a liar, racist and wannabe authoritarian. There are practical reasons for employers outside the right-wing bubble to reject not only those who were the face of the administration but also those who labored behind the scenes. Members of this administration probably acquired bad habits (ignoring gross misconduct, lying for their boss, etc.), practiced a great deal of willful ignorance and rationalized unethical conduct. The administration, aside from its corruption and moral rot, was also grossly incompetent in its day-to-day operations. Wear a mask for me. Wear one for your mother or your father or your siblings or your cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents. Wear a mask for your neighbors, your friends, your coworkers, the passengers on your bus - for any passing stranger. No vaccine, no miracle cure, just physically distancing, hand washing and masks. �Oh - it was Marvin Gaye and What’s Goin’ On. � 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_2020-10-20_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-223 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 2020-10-20 Title A name given to the resource Day 223 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/65d978eed2d16bd88f5a2a2f086bf848.pdf 80da5bdd5276a17a403f55a24b3c1d29 PDF Text Text Day 224 by windoworks Some days ago, some official in Australia said that they thought that Australians would not be allowed to leave the country until the end of 2021. So. The borders between the US, Canada and Mexico will remain closed for anther month and the way the case numbers are climbing, I think that will be extended indefinitely. Crooked Media The Trump administration coronavirus strategy now openly consists of nothing but denial, debunked pseudoscience, and the total abandonment of Americans to unnecessary infections and deaths. We have just under two weeks to make sure that approach comes to a hard stop in January, and we cannot fuck this up. Yesterday I was talking to my counselor who has relocated temporarily with her family to New York State, somewhere in a cabin in the woods. She told me that mask wearing is automatic in New York State everybody wears one and no one questions it. �In case your French is shaky, he said: I wish that the virus villain disappears. Yesterday I read that if Trump loses the election, he will trade his freedom for a quiet handover to Biden, because his survival is all he cares about. By yesterday evening, 33 million Americans had voted - and it could be more. Trump continues to hold an average of 3 rallies a day, crisscrossing the country. Melania has withdrawn from campaigning citing a persistent covid cough. It seems she didn’t get the gold star treatment regime. �My counselor also told me that she was speaking to a friend at Spectrum Health who said not only were they gearing up for a surge in serious cases, they had formed a game plan for civil unrest after the election. Good to know. Never imagined living in a potentially war torn country was on my bucket list. Yesterday Ottawa County Health Department put to a post which noted an alarming rise in cases among adult residents. At the bottom of their post was this. Now I know its long, but it is clear rules to live by: Public health is concerned about misinformation related to the severity of COVID-19 and the communitywide spread of the virus. Clarification Needed and Messages to Emphasize: • COVID-19 is real and very prevalent in Ottawa County. It affects all of us even if you may not feel sick. You could still be a carrier of the virus and get others sick. • COVID-19 can result in serious long-term complications, hospitalizations and even death, especially to those who may already have health complications and the elderly. Scientists are still researching the longterm impacts on health, even in those who were healthy or had mild illness. • Life is not back to normal yet. We are still in a pandemic. We cannot go about our normal lives as if the virus does not exist. Extreme caution needs to happen among us all especially when at school, work, places of worship and anywhere within the community. This includes wearing a mask, limiting gatherings and avoiding crowds as mandated by the state. Families should have a plan in place if schools or businesses may have limitations or restrictions. • Public health decisions and actions are data-driven and not based on the political landscape. Data are gathered and analyzed by state and local epidemiologists, medical directors and other public health officials to inform mitigation strategies. • Social media posts aren't always reliable sources for health information. Seek the facts from scientific research and the expertise of medical and public health officials. • It takes all the disease prevention measures working together by all of us to slow the spread of the virus frequently washing hands and disinfecting surfaces, wearing a mask, keeping a physical distance from others and staying home when you do not feel well. • Testing more people for COVID-19 does not inflate the numbers or make the situation seem worse. Testing is a critical tool to identify where the virus is spreading to contain it through isolation and quarantine and to prevent others from getting infected. Find testing sites in Ottawa County: English I Spanish. • Contact tracing is not an infringement on your rights or an act of the government getting involved in your privacy. It is a critical tool-and time-tested tool-that goes back more than 120 years to identify those who have been infected and who they may have possibly infected. This public health-community partnership action is needed to contain the virus, and prevent further disease spread and keep our community safe. Help by connecting us with those who may have been exposed. • Asking you to wear a mask is not against the law. It is good infection prevention and practiced routinely in health care settings. Michigan law imposes on state and local health departments a duty to continually �and diligently endeavor to prevent disease, prolong life and promote public health. Even with Governor Whitmer's emergency powers removed, as provided in MCL 333.2253, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service director's emergency procedures are not limited to the Public Health Code. Wearing a mask and physical distancing are needful measures when we don’t have pharmaceutical interventions (a vaccine or a medicine). This morning West Michigan Education Department issued a warning that schools may have to close again and revert to all online teaching. Of course this is not the best way for children to learn and socialize but it is the only way to keep everyone safe. This could last until at least June/July next year. October is traditionally the spooky month and Halloween is always a big deal. I know there have been discussions locally about how to do the candy walk safely. For Craig and I there will be no decorations and no candy. We will not turn our porch light on. I just couldn’t think how to do it safely, for me or for the children. ��And this: The fly has �voted. �Oliver watching his meal cook. Yesterday he was reading a book with us when he saw a crocodile on the page. He immediately did this movement that us adults took a few minutes to recognize - the big snapping jaws of a crocodile. Wow! Daycare is amazing. Oh and they made spooky cookies this week. Yes - the under twos. I had forgotten that we stayed overnight at the dock in Thailand. After the first day spent exploring Bangkok, the second day featured a visit to the Nong Nooch Village with Tropical Orchid Gardens, a cultural show and to finish, an Elephant Show. Thai dancers. �A Thai Kickboxing demonstration �A mock battle with elephants. More Nong Nooch tomorrow. So here we are. The election is just 13 days away. The virus is surging all across the world. All we can do is keep ourselves safe. And vote. �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_2020-10-21_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-224 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 2020-10-21 Title A name given to the resource Day 224 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/9fa1df99d2255a21c4aa747fb072a38c.pdf 7f434eb0d8ffbb8896ddc95a30e3b1a4 PDF Text Text Day 225 by windoworks So here we are. 12 days to the election. Some mornings I don’t know where to start. President Obama gave a powerful stump speech in Philadelphia - and when the camera pulled back, it showed everyone parked in their cars (safely) listening and beeping their car horns in appreciation. It was the new definition of a car rally. Meanwhile, from a friend living in Florida: I received the following threat to my private email address, with my name and home address… “We are in possession of all your information You are currently registered as a Democrat and we know this because we have gained access into the entire voting infrastructure. You will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you. Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply. We will know which candidate you voted for. I would take this seriously if I were you.” They end with my home address. Anyone have any suggestions where to send this to and whether the FBI should be informed or local election offices… Well that seemed scary - and then this came out on the Web: Crooked Media: A number of voters in Florida and Alaska have received threatening emails warning them to “Vote Trump or else!” from the nominal email address “info@officialproudboys.com.” The Proud Boys denied any involvement, and the Department of Homeland Security has concluded that the emails were in fact an Iranian campaign to create the appearance of a serious security breach, and undermine confidence in the integrity of the election. And how about this: • In homegrown chaos, a man in Maryland has been arrested for threatening to kidnap and kill Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, in the logical conclusion of the right-wing kidnapping craze that’s sweeping the nation. At polling places around the country, Trump supporters have been gathering to hold disruptive, confrontational rallies, and harass early voters from just beyond the legal buffer distance. In Miami, a uniformed police officer entered an early polling location wearing a Trump mask, an act that the chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party correctly deemed to be “city-funded voter intimidation.” Crooked Media But its all right because as Helen Reddy famously sang: I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore �Trump thought he could appeal to suburban women by scaring them with Biden sending low income colored families to live on their wealthy, white privileged streets. But the Ladies Who Lunch/Wine have a very strong idea of what they want - and it isn’t Trump. Here’s the Atlantic headline: A century after winning suffrage, women voters will choose the next American president. And just in case you’re wondering - that’s women, women of all religions, sexual preferences, ethnicities, income groups. Women all across America, women with a lot more sense and compassion. Brave women and frightened women. Women refusing to be intimidated. Women who break the glass ceiling and women who keep the home fires burning. Women, all of us, who are often underestimated. Women who despise Melania and who adore Jill and who are immensely proud of Kamala. Women who keep reaching for the stars no matter what. I am woman - hear me roar! And all the while, the virus is growing, every day. From Crooked Media: • The U.S. reported more than 60,300 confirmed new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, suggesting we’re in a phase of exponential case growth, according to former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb. We’re likely two or three weeks behind Europe, where a second wave of outbreaks has quickly spiraled out of control—to the point where Ireland has announced a six-week nationwide lockdown, and other countries have imposed new curfews and mask mandates. • Because many Americans spent all summer breathing on each other at motorcycle rallies/White House ragers, we’ve rolled into fall with a much higher case baseline than Europe, and the surge here could be substantially worse. (U-S-A!) The toll has already been worse than the official numbers suggest: A new CDC analysis found that the pandemic has caused 300,000 deaths in the U.S., including fatalities that were an indirect result of the virus. That report came out on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a reporter asked Donald Trump if there was anything he would have done differently in his handling of the pandemic. His answer: “Not much.” • In lieu of the many steps the Trump administration could be taking to slow our national descent into hell, we’re stuck with this shit: The White House has been considering slashing funding for coronavirus relief in the Democratic-led cities that Trump has dubbed “anarchist jurisdictions.” Those cities could also be denied funding for HIV treatment, hearing screenings for newborns, and housing for people in addiction recovery, among other programs that serve some of the poorest and sickest Americans, all for the sake of some ineffective campaign propaganda, and post-election revenge. �Some days the expression Oh My God! Just doesn’t seem to cover it. There are 12 days left. Tonight is the last presidential debate. The moderator will have the capability to mute both Trump and Biden’s microphones. That should work well. Am I going to watch it? No. I probably could on YouTube as we only have wifi streaming, but honestly I’d rather watch a cricket match and I can’t stand cricket. Also, as of yesterday, more than 40M Americans have already voted. In 2016, 138M Americans voted altogether. The numbers keep rising at an astonishing rate. It makes me wonder how many will have voted by the end of Election Day? And in some states, the vote in ballots can be counted up to 9 days after the polls close. One good thing from this election - far more people are realizing that voting matters. So Oliver, who yesterday said Hi! When he saw me on FaceTime. Who had learned to walk backwards. And who said Bye Bye and ‘blew me a kiss’ at the end of our talk. �Strawberries, all over his face as well as all in his tummy. After the stage show, we went outside to the arena for the Elephant Show. �����I am always wary of animal shows but these elephants seemed well fed, well cared for and happy. You could buy an elephant painted t-shirt if you wanted and at the end of the show the baby elephants came over to the audience looking for peanuts. And to finish today’s blog - this is Trump Tower in Chicago where someone posted this: �12 days to who knows what? � 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_2020-10-22_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-225 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 2020-10-22 Title A name given to the resource Day 225 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/7c3badfc84b06db286868ed27ddca49a.pdf d409401acd18348522b2a89631d33916 PDF Text Text Day 226 -11 days to the election by windoworks Its 11 days out from the election. People are voting early in droves. Washington Post: More than 47 million Americans have already voted in the 2020 election, surpassing the total number of early ballots cast in 2016. The record for most early ballots cast was set with 12 days to go until Election Day. Tens of millions more votes are expected, a sign that highly enthusiastic voters are adapting to an election taking place during a pandemic. Also from Washington Post: The line is a barrier. It stretches along sidewalks, around corners and through parking lots, zigging one way and zagging back the other. It is a daunting impediment to those who cannot wait. A reminder of this nation’s long history of voting hurdles. Protection against a deadly virus and a defiant response to those who have sought to deny the most basic right in a democracy. The line is an inspiration. The crowd moves with shared purpose. Strangers hand out water bottles. A woman sways to gospel music. Lawn chairs are pulled out and pizzas ordered. Red, white and blue are the colors of the day. The line is a promise. Hours of standing, six feet apart, a few steps at a time, for the chance to make a choice. One person, one vote. A right first granted to White, male landowners in 1776, then claimed through political and violent struggle by women, Native, Black and Latino Americans and naturalized citizens. All now have a place in the line. This was a very interesting long article with photos of people lining up and zigzagging through parking lots, lining up across fields and lining up along many city blocks. I tried to save the photos but they are copyrighted and were too fuzzy to be of use. 11 days out. Here’s all I want to share about the final debate between Biden and Trump: New York Times I understand you may be tired of hearing about President Trump’s untruths. I’m tired of writing about them. They hardly qualify as surprising anymore. But it’s impossible to analyze a debate filled with untruths without first acknowledging them. They undermine an event meant to highlight differences between candidates. They undermine democracy. To �ignore them is to miss the biggest story: a president trying to construct his own reality. How are voters supposed to choose between, say, two different health care plans if one candidate makes up stories about both plans? No previous president has behaved this way. Democrats often accused George W. Bush of lying, and Republicans accused Barack Obama of lying. And both men made questionable statements and statements that later proved untrue. But when they proved untrue, Bush and Obama stopped making the claims. Trump just keeps making them. 11 days out. So I know you’re tired of virus news but here are the latest stats because I think we all need to pay attention and keep ourselves safe. US: yesterday saw 75,049 new cases, bringing us to a total of 8.46M. New deaths: 828 (although some sources say deaths climbed over 1000 yesterday). Total deaths: 223K. Michigan saw 2,245 new cases and a total of 170K. Deaths: 45 and a total of 7,465 deaths. This death number brings Michigan to one and a half Ford Theaters capacity. Kent County: 162 new cases for a total of 13,168 and 2 new deaths bringing our total to 182. The Kent County stats are from a different source today. Meanwhile in Europe: Washington Post Britain, France, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic are all facing calls for national lockdowns after Ireland implemented one this week. That such economically devastating, often deeply unpopular measures are being considered is a sign of Europe's desperation in the face of a massive winter outbreak. And locally, many states are desperately calling for medical workers from other states to come and help them with the onslaught of new cases. Rural areas where hospitals have closed due to inadequate funding and staffing have been especially hard hit. And virus fatigue has hit everyone. West Michigan Schools Superintendents have said that if students fail to wear masks they will close all schools down. Craig and his classes are trying a new system - first half of class is the lecture to the whole class and the second half is discussion with the whole class. A more ‘normal’ routine but online. Washington Post It should not be a partisan moment and, yet, he has made it that way to deflect from his administration's inability to get their arms around it,” Whitmer told Chuck Todd. “People are dying. People are out of work. People are looking for help just putting food on the table. And there is no relief in sight. Our numbers keep getting worse. And that is the sad, hard truth of this moment. We should have acted as though we were in a war, but not a war with one another, a war with a virus. And this virus doesn't care what side of the aisle you vote on. This virus is still a very real threat to all of us.” �Now I know this sounds strange, but Craig and I are seriously discussing staying indoors during the Election Day and perhaps for a few days afterwards. In recent days there have been gunshots recorded in streets near us and during the pandemic there have been 27 murders in Grand Rapids. And this article was upsetting: The Atlantic Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” So declared the alt-right leader Richard Spencer to the crowd of white nationalists gathered in Washington, D.C., one week after the 2016 presidential election. His audience responded with cheers and Nazi salutes. As a video journalist for The Atlantic, I captured exclusive footage of this chilling moment. In the days after Spencer’s speech, the footage would be viewed nearly 50 million times on Facebook and YouTube, and broadcast on dozens of television networks. It revealed something crucial: The alt-right wasn’t some cool, new brand of conservativism, but a fundamentally violent movement, and its followers—emboldened by President Donald Trump—saw a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring racism, anti-Semitism, and conspiracism mainstream. Four years later, displays of white nationalism have become more brazen, more violent, and, at times, deadly. Extremist forms of racist rhetoric have migrated from the dark corners of the web to mainstream American politics and the world’s biggest social-media platforms. 11 days out. Do we need Oliver now? Yesterday he was very tired and grumpy but when we said goodbye, he waved and then took his pacifier out and ‘blew’ us kisses sitting on his mothers lap. ��Flashback: so along with the stage show and the elephant show, Nong Nooch boasts a fantastic tropical garden to wander through. ���I had forgotten that while we were enjoying the gardens, a keeper brought a tiger out and chained it to this platform. I don’t think the tourist on the left has noticed. Off to Koh Samui tomorrow. 11 days out. � 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_2020-10-23_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-226 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 2020-10-23 Title A name given to the resource Day 226 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/42adc2e555fb838b3a5bb56472b238e0.pdf d56a3972ac23fb7fe316b81d8158f4f6 PDF Text Text Day 227: 10 days out by windoworks Here are the stats for today: US - a mind boggling number of new cases: between 83,757 and 85,085 new cases (if you count probables as well). Im Michigan we had 2,026 new cases and in the new red hotspot of Kent County we had 228 new cases. On Thursday Dr London from the Kent County Health Dept told us that our case numbers had risen from an average of 145 new cases per day last week to an average of 165 cases per day this week. And the death rate has risen from 1 new death every 3 days in the summer to 1 new death a day now. I read in the Atlantic that 1 in 1000 Americans tested was testing positive. Now I know this next piece is a long and alarming read, but this is where we are. There are so many ‘if onlys’. Washington Post Equally alarming is that no one knows how high this wave will grow before peaking. We are starting this wave much higher than either of the previous waves. And it will simply keep going up until people and officials decide to do something about it. Hours later, White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx warned that closing public spaces may not be enough. “It won’t be as simple as closing public spaces,” Birx said, pointing to increased gatherings in people’s homes. “What has happened in the last three to four weeks is that people have moved their social gatherings indoors.” In some areas of Wisconsin, 90 percent of hospital intensive care unit beds are full, the office of Gov. Tony Evers (D) said. The first patient was admitted Wednesday to a makeshift field hospital erected at a state fairgrounds. In Utah, leaders are trying to open a field hospital at an exposition center. State epidemiologist Angela Dunn warned that the health-care system is at capacity, hospital staff are exhausted, and Utahans are getting scared. “You know, I just, I don’t know what to do anymore,” Dunn said at a Thursday news conference, pleading for residents to be more cautious. “I’m really not trying to scare anyone. I’m just trying to inform you of what’s going on.” “Creating beds is relatively easy, but what do you do when you outstrip ICU nurses, doctors and teams?” said Michael T. Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. A report this week by Osterholm’s center showed shortages in 29 of the 40 basic but critical drugs often used for covid-19 patients. That includes antibiotics, sedatives like propofol that are used to calm patients during intubation and heart medication such as norepinephrine. And because of the widespread nature of the infections, hospitals are finding it harder to draw from excess supplies of such drugs elsewhere. Even as hundreds of people are dying each day, “there’s this false sense of calm right now,” said Tom �Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “We have the president saying, ‘We’re rounding the corner.’ We have state leaders openly defying public health guidances.” Inglesby pointed to plans and metrics many states laid out last spring for reopening. “That’s been completely disregarded in many places,” he said. In North Dakota — among the hardest-hit states — Gov. Doug Burgum (R) put the onus on individuals to wear masks and avoid gatherings. “It’s not a job for government,” Burgum recently declared. At Thursday night’s final presidential debate, President Trump claimed the virus was “going away” and “we’re learning to live with it.” His Democratic rival, former vice president Joe Biden, responded, “We’re learning to die with it." And then there’s this from The Atlantic: This surge is far more geographically dispersed than what the country saw in the spring or summer: The virus can now be found in every kind of American community, from tiny farm towns to affluent suburbs to bustling border cities. This is the first of the American surges with no clear epicenter: From North Carolina to North Dakota, and Colorado to Connecticut, more Americans are contracting COVID-19. As you know, the last presidential debate was on Thursday and here’s a piece from Crooked Media. Sometimes I think I should just post Crooked Media and leave it at that. In his final debate appearance, Donald Trump lied his face off about the pandemic, spoke fondly of family separations, and wandered out into the furthest reaches of the Fox News conspiracy universe, but he didn’t interrupt as much, so let’s call it a tie. • Asked about his coronavirus plan, Trump instead trotted out the claims that way more people could have died (if the country had done nothing at all), that he himself recovered (thanks to treatments nobody else has access to), and that a widely-available vaccine is just weeks away (it’s not). “We’re rounding the corner. It’s going away,” said the president, as the country recorded its second-highest daily increase in new cases since the pandemic began, and hospitalizations rose in 38 states. Joe Biden opened with a simple message: “Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States.” �This is another of those ‘ a picture’s worth a thousand words’ moments. And an astonishing endorsement from The Atlantic chief editor : “Two men are running for president,” he writes. “One is a terrible man; the other is a decent man. Vote for the decent man.” For just the fourth time in our 163-year run, The Atlantic is endorsing a candidate, and that candidate is Joe Biden. We are doing so because President Donald Trump represents a threat to our collective existence. �This morning at least 52M Americans have already voted. Thats a really big number and we are still 10 days out. Today is our 43rd wedding anniversary and I only remembered when I was updating my calendar. Our celebratory dinner will be home cooked and we will probably finish the evening by watching a favorite show on TV. Personally I’m tired of it all. I look at family members in other countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia and I envy those who have far more freedom than me. I am worried because the Republican majority in our state house went to the conservative biased Michigan Supreme Court and had our governors executive powers overturned, and now the state health dept has had to pick up the slack. Yesterday they lost patience with a faith based school that refused masks and physical distancing, and the dept closed the school. A local business we frequented immediately stopped wearing masks after the courts ruling- so we stopped frequenting them, and we may never go back. The list of businesses I won’t use gets longer and longer. I’m tired of warily entering grocery stores, hoping everyone keeps their mask on once they’re inside. And what’s with the covering of the mouth but not the nose? I’m tired of wiping down groceries and washing my hands for 20 seconds. I’m tired of not visiting my neighbors or friends. Some days I’m tired of cooking and cleaning and running the dishwasher every day. I’m tired of watching the world pass by outside the TV room window. And I’m really tired of FB and news stories from people like Chris Christie who tell everyone ‘Gosh, the virus is real, who knew?’ But although I’m tired of it, that’s all we have and the way the virus is exploding, that’s all we’ll have for the foreseeable future. I think I might have lost my sense of humor. Oliver and Zoe have gone to visit family in Canberra for a long weekend. ��Flashback: The next day we anchored off Koh Samui. Ko Samui, Thailand’s second largest island, lies in the Gulf of Thailand off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus. It's known for its palm-fringed beaches, coconut groves and dense, mountainous rainforest, plus luxury resorts and posh spas. The landmark 12m-tall golden Big Buddha statue at Wat Phra Yai Temple is located on a tiny island connected to Ko Samui by a causeway. ― Google Tendering to the shore. �The Buddha at Wat Phra Yai temple. �Small Buddha statutes representing the different aspects. I know these are significant but as it was 6 years ago, I just can’t remember. �Looking out at the coast from the temple. �Inside the temple. The monks wear saffron colored robes. And my thoughts exactly as Halloween approaches �10 more days. You know the drill. � 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_2020-10-24_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-227 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 2020-10-24 Title A name given to the resource Day 227 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/e82a742529dfe4a33d3cfd834747d865.pdf 648c5e0912e577df70aa6405bbeb508a PDF Text Text Day 228 – 9 days out by windoworks Its Sunday. The sun will rise at 8.09 this morning and set again just after 6pm. The trees are past their fall glory and more and more have assumed their bare branch winter look. Yesterday morning there was ice on our front steps. Winter is close. Already the doctors and scientists are warning people about gathering as usual for Thanksgiving - but many people intend to go ahead regardless. Dr Fauci is calling for a national mandate for mask wearing but that is falling on Trump’s deaf ears. It is going to be a dark time for us. Speaking of Trump, he is in a frenzy of rallies across America with his fans maskless and crowded together. In the only concession to the virus, he is holding these rallies outside, but if you’re shouting loudly in your neighbor’s ear - being outside doesn’t make that much of a difference. This week the CDC released a study which finds there is a shorter time of contact needed to catch the virus. You realize the situation in Michigan is bad when you see Governor Whitmer, Dr Joneigh Khaldun and Lieutenant-Governor Gilchrest all speaking at the podium with their masks still in place, covering their mouths and noses. That was Thursday and here’s how we are doing: Michigan - 3,257 new cases yesterday and 37 more deaths. Kent County (which is right up there with the counties surrounding Detroit) - 326 new cases yesterday and 2 new deaths. In other big news which we all seem to have greeted with ‘of course’ is this: �Washington Post: A fresh coronavirus outbreak in the White House has infected two of Vice President Pence’s top advisers and a third person who is on his staff, officials said late Saturday night, though officials said Pence tested negative and plans to continue his heavy schedule of campaign travel. Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, who is among the administration’s fiercest skeptics of coronavirus restrictions, tested positive for the novel coronavirus Saturday afternoon, has experienced symptoms and has begun isolation, officials said. Marty Obst, one of Pence’s top outside political advisers who has traveled with the vice president in recent days, tested positive for the virus earlier this week, according to two officials familiar with his diagnosis. A third person in Pence’s circle, a member of the vice president’s staff, has also tested positive, according to one of the officials. The White House has not disclosed that staffer’s name. How on earth has Pence tested negative? Is he and the President on some sort of virus prevention medication? And here’s a question - whatever happened to Hope Hicks who was the superspreader for the last infection at the White House? Has she recovered? Is she in hospital? Was she fired? Early voting continues apace. As of last night more than 56M Americans have already voted. Trump has so muddied the waters that Republican voters are worried about their mail in vote being counted. And you know - there’s nothing on the envelope to show your party affiliation and if your state is scrutinizing signatures on the back of the envelope to count or discard votes -its all the same for Democrats and Republicans. What genius didn’t think of that? Oh and (of course) the open carry citizens of Michigan are taking the Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to court to sue for the right to open carry at polling booths because - wait for it - they won’t feel safe without their assault rifles to help them intimidate possible Democrat voters who are waiting in line to vote. Does anyone else think they might have fallen down a rabbit hole? Washington Post: BRUSSELS — Well into Europe's second wave of the coronavirus, so many Belgians are sick or quarantining that there aren't enough police on the streets, teachers in classrooms or medical staff in hospitals. In some hospitals, doctors and nurses who have tested positive but don’t have symptoms are being asked to keep working, because so many others are out sick with covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. School principals are marshaling secretaries and parent volunteers to replace falling ranks of teachers. “We have runaway numbers in terms of contamination and a major issue is the risk of the collapse of the hospital system of our country,” the minister-president of Brussels, Rudi Vervoort, said Saturday as he announced a host of new restrictions. �Unlike in the spring, there are enough masks and gowns to go around. But months of preparation haven’t been able to avert a shortage of people. And a decision by the national government to remove a mask mandate and loosen restrictions on social contacts this month contributed to an acceleration of the virus before being largely reversed in hard-hit areas since Friday. Take note America! This is what happens when we make masks optional and loosen restrictions on social gatherings. Some states are teetering on the edge of this chaos right now. In other news, we drove to Kalamazoo yesterday for something different. Kalamazoo is hovering on the edge of becoming a virus red spot. The streets were almost empty of people. We drove into Western Michigan University to find somewhere to stop and eat our homemade lunch. We parked in front of a beautiful old building under some trees and ate. You could have fired a canon down any of the streets and not hit a soul. But it was nice to drive further afield. �I’m ready for my close up, Mr DeMille. It was hot in Koh Samui and our last stop was at a coconut plantation. ��They train these monkeys to climb the coconut palms and harvest the coconuts. The trainers use each monkey for about 30 minutes and then rest them. I don’t know how I felt about that. �Drinking coconut milk from a freshly harvested coconut. Surprisingly refreshing. I was so hot. �That night the towel creature in our cabin was a monkey! Off to Singapore tomorrow. �A new sign in our neighborhood. 9 days. � 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_2020-10-25_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-228 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 2020-10-25 Title A name given to the resource Day 228 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/38eee71a6c9d15881315bcee48dcad1b.pdf f35bfd8ccc08994ab7b75df2304923f7 PDF Text Text Day 229. 8 more days. by windoworks Another day. On Saturday the total of new cases in the US was slightly less than Friday’s total. In China, the total number of cases since the outbreak began is approximately 85,000. How can this be,you ask. Part of their containment program is immediate and aggressive testing in the millions daily. And they quarantine areas of breakouts immediately. And in the ‘you knew this would happen’ category, at least 5 members of staff in close daily contact with VP Pence have tested positive, some with symptoms. But its okay, Pence has tested negative and instead of following the rules and quarantining for 14 days, he has been designated an essential worker and is continuing to crisscross the country, campaigning. I think that’s a bit of a slap in the face for the real essential workers. ��How true, Donald. Yesterday almost 60M Americans had voted. And there’s still 8 days to go! Here’s a comparison from last week: New York Times • President Trump and Joe Biden presented sharply divergent cases for how they would handle the crisis still ravaging the country: Mr. Trump sought to minimize it, while Mr. Biden said there was “going to be a dark winter ahead unless we change our ways.” Yesterday Mark Meadows, the White House Chief of Staff said, we can’t contain the virus, we can only mitigate it, that is lessen the gravity of it. Well how are we going to do that, I ask you? Micheal Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy said last week that we could soon see daily case counts in the triple digits in the US. So how is the White House going to mitigate that? �Every year our block holds a children’s Halloween walk. We have lived here for so long that one group of children have grown up and the next batch are the Halloween children. We and one of our neighbors have decided that there is no safe way to provide candy this year and we will not be participating. My neighbor is scheduled for hip replacement and the presurgery routine is daunting - sleeping in a separate bedroom with the bedsheets washed daily for the week before surgery. I have another friend who thought that her husband had Covid and they did the whole quarantining on different floors of the house etc - only to find out he had something entirely different. Both men are worrying that the surge in virus cases might delay their surgeries. My FaceBook page is full of stories with photos of people putting their ballots into the nearby ballot collection box. I hope it makes a difference. I hope that there is such a blue tsunami that the Senate is flipped, Mitch McConnell (he of the blue hands - what’s with that?) is ousted and Joe and Kamala win. Now the White House is discussing marshal law - to keep them safe? To escort them out of the White House? Surely not marshal law to rig the election results. ��I really want this woman as VP. She makes me happy just looking at her exuberant smile. And apparently some farmers show their allegiance this way: �Which makes up a little for all the other Trump supporting farmers out there. I’m still trying to figure out how this was done. Yesterday we walked along the Grand River at Ravine Park. It was cold with a watery sun shining. At one point we saw a Bald Eagle fly over us with a stick in its claws. Bald Eagles nest beside the river - but this is fall. Was it early nest building for next year? ��Here’s your daily Oliver shot - not quite sure what he is saying. ��Our last cruise stop was in Singapore. From memory it took us a day of sailing to get there. Anyway, Craig took photos of shipboard life. The Asian food market night �Me ‘exercising’ �Sunrise through our cabin window ��One night the towel artist outdid himself and left us a friend for my traveling companion, Poochie. Poochie was a Mothers Day gift from my son when he was 6 or so, and Poochie always travels with me. He’s my security companion. Don’t judge. �I couldn’t have said it better myself. 8 days. � 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_2020-10-26_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-229 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 2020-10-26 Title A name given to the resource Day 229 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/c71be6c6a6cd08c9379d27417e98ebf0.pdf 186e374ad262863b4e0e592111bfddf7 PDF Text Text Day 230 by windoworks Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Don't stand, don't stand so Don't stand so close to me Who sang that? And how appropriate. I think its my theme song. �The Atlantic Welcome to the great wait. The 2020 election is now close enough that you can feel its dragon breath on your neck. And yet! There’s still one more full week to go. �There are some days (and this is one of them) when I think: don’t make me write. But then I think: if not me, then who? There are 7 days to the election and you just can’t make this stuff up. First up: the adventures of Trump and Pence. Washington Post Faced with record levels of U.S. coronavirus infections and a new White House outbreak, President Trump declared Monday that the pandemic was “ending anyway,” further tying his reelection bid to his ability to convince voters, including those at large rallies that defy health authorities, that the viral danger is fading. Financial markets fell as he spoke, with investors reacting to the growing infection rates and dwindling hope of a pre-election stimulus package. Vice President Pence canceled a planned appearance at the U.S. Senate for the expected confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice, after Democrats objected because he has been in close contact with at least one of the five staff members who tested positive for the disease in recent days. And yes they did confirm Amy Whatsherface to the Supreme Court where she will rule any way that Trump tells her to. In my research i discovered that the Constitution makes no reference to size of the court and over time, there have been as few as 6 Justices and as many as 10 justices. I’m not sure why a Supreme Court appointee is seen as a lifetime appointment as there is no reference/guidance on this in the Constitution. Amy will take up her seat in the next few days. Will this make the conservative/democrat split 6-3? No one knows. Here’s what McConnell (he of the blue hands) had to say: Crooked Media: • If any Democrats were still feeling squeamish about court reform, they should take a good long look at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s gleeful admission that Barrett’s rushed confirmation was about securing minority rule: “A lot of what we’ve done over the last four years will be undone sooner or later by the next election. They won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.” Well Mitch, have you read the Constitution? One last word from RBG: �And we are, Justice Ginsburg, we are. As of yesterday 62M and counting. �Here’s a quick roundup of virus news: ABC news A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide. Over 43.5 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has varied from country to country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks. Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica. The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 8.7 million diagnosed cases and at least 225,735 deaths. California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 910,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 898,000 cases and over 782,000 cases, respectively. Locally, Kent County recorded 469 new cases yesterday and 2 new deaths. And how about this - we were in Meijer’s at Knapps Corner yesterday and everyone had masks on (not always correctly, but they’re trying) except for one 30ish woman and her child. She was angrily motoring through the produce dept. I guess she was one of those special ones, dancing in the rain but not getting wet. Then last night I read a post from a friend who said he had had Covid. What struck me most was the first comment from (I guess) a friend who asked - is this a share or did this happen to you? My friend explained in short terms that it was a personal post. Scrub that friend off your list. I read the post and at no time did I think it was a share. And just in case you thought Trump had turned a corner and begun acting like a real person: Crooked Media Lest anyone forget the president is a full-blown sociopath, this was his response to news reports about the third surge that’s already overwhelming hospitals in multiple states: “The Fake News Media is riding COVID, COVID, COVID, all the way to the Election. Losers!” Funny he should mention riding COVID to the election—Trump’s superspreading campaign rallies appear to have accelerated coronavirus outbreaks in at least five counties. Together, those counties reported 1,500 more new cases in the two weeks after Trump’s rallies than the two weeks before. The earliest post-rally spikes happened while the country’s overall coronavirus case numbers were in decline. �7 days. 7 days. 7 days. 62M already voted. More to come. ��Oliver: thank you for coming to this meeting. I have called you all here today....... Docking in Singapore �Farewell to the Volendam �Setting off with Juhani and Auli to explore the city. �Walking towards the Botanical Gardens. That’s a hotel behind Craig. More Singapore tomorrow. �Listen up. Vote. Wear your mask, dammit. Wash your hands. And ‘don’t stand so close to me’. You knew this - it was Sting and The Police. � 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_2020-10-27_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-230 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 2020-10-27 Title A name given to the resource Day 230 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/32d175ec227532ebd390a836c580e653.pdf 37a1e90d5c737a4ed00d230b3a97458d PDF Text Text Day 231 by windoworks ��6 days out. Every morning I think: it can’t get any worse today - and then it does. Everyone is scrambling. The Democrat voters are scrambling to get their votes safely in while the Republicans (Party and politicians) are scrambling to avert election disaster by making voting as difficult as possible while planning to steal the election anyway they can, if it seems as though Joe and Kamala are winning. In my state, IN MY STATE, a court of appeals just overturned the ban on open carry weapons at polling booths because thats what all Michiganders want - right? Because every potential voter needs an automatic weapon proudly on display. You can’t make this stuff up. Meanwhile, a man shot and killed a woman in the early hours of this morning and then raced over to his parents house (about 2 blocks from me) and the streets near my house were closed while hostage negotiators and tactical response teams surrounded the area. In Grand Rapids there have been 31 fatal shootings this year - more than 2018 and 2019 combined. The GRPD has been conducting a series of successful gun buy back days with more to come. And, in a reassuring note, GRPD has a well thought out plan for November 3 with 2 teams of police stationed on the South side and the North side of town. But only to be engaged as a last resort. By last night almost 70M Americans had voted. From New York Times: Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a furious struggle over voting rights. In almost every instance, Democrats are trying to make it easier for Americans to cast ballots, and Republicans are trying to make it harder. And here’s what Trump’s up to, from Crooked Media: On Monday night, Donald Trump and the conservative hacks of the Supreme Court announced exactly how they would like to steal this election. But like any good cartoon villain, they’ve done so while we still have time to thwart them. Big problems and discrepancies with Mail In Ballots all over the USA,” the president wrote on Twitter, triggering a warning label that the tweet contained misleading information. “Must have final total on November 3rd.” Buoyed by the Court’s Wisconsin decision, Trump kept that drumbeat going on Tuesday. Republicans are counting on huge GOP-voter turnout on Election Day itself, which could create a “red mirage”: the illusion that Trump is winning, before all absentee votes have been counted. The new median Supreme Court justice has obligingly helped Trump lay the groundwork for demanding an end to vote counting if and when partial tallies in swing states show him in the lead. You can’t make this stuff up. �So here’s the question: what will happen if he tries to steal the election, which at this point it seems pretty likely. Friends and neighbors have decided to hunker down from Tuesday until there is a result. I now understand a siege mentality. I really do have supplies of everything in my basement, cupboards and freezer. I have no idea what will happen from Tuesday onwards. A friend and I actually (half jokingly) discussed if it was possible to sneak into Canada as refugees. And just an FYI: • Trump plans to fire the heads of the FBI, CIA and Defense Department if he wins reelection, Axios reports. You can’t make this stuff up. And all the while, the virus continues to spread further and and deeper into communities. In the US, the daily case number averages 71,000 and above per day. In Kent County, there are over 200 new cases a day and at least 1 death. The hospitals have had rising case numbers for over 3 weeks now, and soon will delay all non essential surgeries. �Washington Post A two-page ad in the Tulsa World, placed by Saint Francis Health System, echoes what health-care workers and experts are saying across the country: “WE’RE HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.” Fox17: Local hospitals are also facing high COVID numbers. Spectrum Health has hit a record for hospitalized patients. As of Monday, 156 patients were hospitalized -- the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. Health experts attribute the uptick to colder weather, indoor gatherings, and the beginning of respiratory virus season. They are urging everyone to social distance, wear a mask, and continue proper handwashing. "I know it’s been a long haul here with wearing masks and social distancing and everything like that," noted Hartl, "but really now is the most important time to adhere to those precautions, to make sure that we are doing that, so we can really try to stop this transmission." And in case you were wondering if that sore throat or runny nose is a cold or Covid, the CDC posted this reminder again: COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Infected people have had a wide range of symptoms reported – from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache New loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately: Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion �Inability to wake or stay awake Bluish lips or face Washington Post For his part, Trump continues to be in a state of deep denial. His own recovery appears to have made him less sensitive to the plight of ordinary Americans who do not have access to the world-class care and medicines he did. Experts say Trump is giving false confidence and projecting that people do not need to take this contagion seriously. “I don’t see forceful policy intervention happening any time soon,” former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “We have a moment of opportunity right now to take some forceful steps to try to abate the spread that’s underway. But if we don’t do that, if we miss this window, this is going to continue to accelerate.” I’m pretty sure we missed the window. You can’t make this stuff up. My youngest son (just turned 39 years old, OMG!) has only a small balcony space to grow things on. Look at these photos and imagine what he could do with even a small garden plot. ����Obligatory Oliver shot. Fun in Singapore. ��In the fabulous Botanical Gardens. Juhani, Auli and me in another section of the Botanical Gardens �Remember the 3 part hotel with the ‘ship’ on the top? Here I am at the public access end. Very high up. �Looking down at the Botanical Gardens Domes. �Looking across to the hotel end and the infinity pool. Very high up. �The famous Raffles Hotel. �Where we indulged in a really expensive Singapore Sling before dinner. And the next morning we flew home. �If you’ve got them, wear them. 6 more crazy, scary days. I hope you’ve voted and I hope you voted Blue all the way. �� 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_2020-10-28_BenjaminPamela_PD-Day-231 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 2020-10-28 Title A name given to the resource Day 231 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