Items

2020-03-20

School Closings

Most people thought that we were getting an extra two weeks off of school and that this covid "thing" would blow over. Everyone thought this was short term and nobody expected to not be in schools for a year and a half and have their lives rearranged.

2020-05-24

HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 32

Global death rate per 100,000

2021-05-17

A new world within a year

From being on campus the last day of March 9th, 2020 to being on zoom classes and forced to get "vaxxed" is like making me want to give up on my education. This is significant because in this new world, they are requiring vaccinations upon students as if we have no say, even some professors I know are not comfortable with being coerced into taking this shot. But we want our old life back and we want to be back on campus, but its so significant because there are so many what-ifs. There will be so much restrictions and requirements if campuses open back up, they will definitely have so many precautions which makes people unmotivated. I miss my old life, bothering my professors during their office hours and going to the library to study, or even going to tutoring. Campus was my only escape, I think its important to me that we shed a light on this because this pandemic shows how, us citizens, really have no freedom when we are being forced to get a vaccination that may make us more sick because it is not FDA approved.

2020-05

The Escape of Friendship

Senior year of high school my hometown friends and I all chose to go to schools in different states so when we all got sent home last March it felt strange to be back from our freshman year of college so soon, but still having to do classes completely online. About a month before college students got sent home, I joined a sorority called Sigma Kappa. These girls quickly became some of my best friends while I was still at Duquesne, and once covid-19 hit we still advanced our connections even further. Everything was shut down and online, including classes for my first time ever, and the social aspect of my life was confined to my immediate family in my house like the rest of the world. The majority of my time was either spent binging Netflix shows or spending time with my friends and family virtually through Facetime and Zoom. This became my own little paradise inside of my house in which I was sharing my experiences with the people in my life in my own area and comparing them to my friends experiences in other states. When my family started to drive me up the wall and I needed an escape, I would hop on Facetime with one of my friends from home or one of my new sisters in my sorority. Once the weather started to get warmer my friends and I followed the lead of the rest of the country’s friend groups by going to a parking lot and sitting in the trunks of our cars socially distanced to get some sort of in person contact. This activity became almost a daily occurrence to get out of our houses for a short drive and fresh air. At this point in the pandemic, I was beginning to go star crazy, and I will never forget hearing the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, announcing that quarantine will be extended even longer. I burst out in tears in my kitchen because all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends in a normal setting. As this was happening, I relied on my best friends virtually and spent multiple hours with them over Facetime talking it out and realizing that this will eventually come to an end and normal life will begin again soon. One of the biggest things I can take away from this part of quarantine is how much my friendships mean to me. I was not a huge fan of Facetime, but the pandemic has really made me realize how necessary it is for me to keep in contact with my friends to check up on them and have them check up on me, even in the future when normal times occur again. As terrible and heartbreaking covid-19 was and still is, my friends were truly an escape from reality for me through Facetimes, Zoom, and car circles. I believe that my friendships became even closer through this shared trauma of covid-19 and I couldn’t have gotten through lockdown without them.

2020-12-13

無料コロナ検査に行列→有料クリニックが人気に　NY(2020年12月3日) - Procession for free corona inspection → Paid clinic becomes popular NY (December 3, 2020)

新型コロナウイルスの感染が再び拡大しているアメリカ・ニューヨーク州では、検査の行列を避けたい人たちの間で有料のクリニックへの注目が高まっています。　検査を受けに来た女性：「多くの具合が悪い人と一緒に行列に並ぶリスクを避けたい。（簡易テストの費用が）250ドルはすごく高いけど、皆、早く結果が知りたいし、賢いビジネスだと思う」　新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大が続くなか、ニューヨーク市内では無料の検査を受けるまで数時間、外で待つ場合もあり、行列を避けたい人たちの間で有料のクリニックへの注目が高まっています。ニューヨーク州では2日、前日に確認された新規感染者が8973人に上り、4月24日以来、最多となりました。クリスマスや年末に向けて感染者のさらなる増加が懸念され、クオモ知事は多くの市民に検査を受けるよう改めて呼び掛けています。ニューヨーク州では検査が無料のため、その数は一日で最大約22万件に上っていて、病院には大勢の人が詰め掛けています。 In New York, USA, where the infection with the new coronavirus is spreading again, there is increasing attention to paid clinics among those who want to avoid the inspection line. Woman coming to the test: "I want to avoid the risk of waiting in line with many sick people. (The cost of a quick test) is very high, but everyone wants to know the results quickly and is smart. I think it's a good business.” As the infection of the new coronavirus continues to spread, in New York City, it may take several hours to wait outside for a free test, so people who want to avoid lines are paying more attention to paid clinics. In New York State, the number of newly infected people confirmed the day before was 8973 on the 2nd, the highest number since April 24th. Concerned about a further increase in infected people towards Christmas and the end of the year, Governor Cuomo is calling on many citizens to be tested again. With free tests in New York, the number can reach up to about 220,000 a day, and hospitals are packed with people. Video Translated by Youngbin Noh

2020-09-26

Elderly Man Killed after Confronting Man Without a Mask

This incident happened in a neighborhood near my own. An elderly man was concerned when he saw a patron in the same bar as him without a mask. In New York State, masks are required inside all buildings open to the public by Governor Andrew Cuomo's order. The elderly man, Rocco Sapienza, confronted the anti-masker, Donald Lewinski, asking him why he wasn't wearing a mask and suggesting he put one on. Lewinski shoved Sapienza to the ground where he hit his head and never regained consciousness. Sapienza subsequently died in the hospital. Lewinski has been arrested. This comes 5 months after an elderly #BLM protestor was shoved to the ground by Buffalo police. His head smashed on the concrete and he was hospitalized for weeks. The news spread over the national news and the #BLM protestor was accused of being a hired crisis actor by conspiracy theorists. These incidences of inter-personal violence are perhaps nothing new- police brutality and bar brawls unfortunately happen all the time. But they appear to have taken on a new political significance in 2020. mask, Buffalo, New York, #BLM, anti-masker, Governor Andrew Cuomo, mask mandate, violence

2020-09-27

Hermit HERALD VOL 1 ISSUE 66

Bloomberg $100MM to Florida

09/18/2020

Emma Clifford Oral History, 2020/09/18

I am interviewing Emma Clifford from my HIST1215 class at Northeastern University on pandemics. Emma is from New Jersey so I asked about life and how she adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic.

March 25, 2020

COVID Share Your Story #RITtigers #1, Film Production Major's Point of view

I am jobless, and RIT is doing little to help. Many of my peers are in a similar situation where RIT is not paying them for shifts they were scheduled for (me that’s hockey games) but either got cancelled or suspended because of Cuomo’s order. I am unable to make rent for next month without this pay, and I am incredibly stressed and frustrated. I am disappointed in my college for their decisions on student employment and payroll, and how my requests have been denied without proper explanation. Pay your student workers for the shifts they were scheduled for. If I could give a message to myself at the start of this semester, what would I say? Save, save, save.

2020-04-16

Plague Journal, Day 35: Shuttered on Waverly

I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, pondering the fate of workers from eight shuttered businesses on a single block across the street, plus detailing my further adventures in Unemployment Insurance applications.

2020-04-06

04/06/2020 The Equinox Report

An inmate at San Quentin prison in San Francisco, California, has been sending letters out to someone who is posting them on this blog. Today he explains a news story he saw on Democracy Now. The story says 16 states have begun releasing prisoners but New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, has resisted even with hundreds of inmates and facility employees testing positive.

2020-03-28

Plague Journal, Day 15: Rank competence

I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, including our applause for New York City's health workers and first responders:

2020-03-16

New York Cuomo Brothers Banter

Who doesn't like to see a little brotherly competition? Here are the Cuomo brothers from New York. Andrew is the governor of the state and his younger brother, Chris, is a television journalist. During the COVID period, Andrew showed strong leadership and become something of a folk hero and many people watched his daily briefings where he scolded his citizens for misbehaving and also praised them for doing well when they were following the quarantine rules. The brothers often engaged in competitive banter and it was always entertaining to watch. This clip is about calling Mom and who is Mom's favorite son.

2020-06-18

NYC Nursing Home Guidelines for Covid-19

In this tweet, Governor Cuomo is called out on his claim that much of the death and misery in the New York nursing home community was caused because the state tried to follow the CDC guidelines. This was proved to be false, and contradicted a past announcement by the State of New York that nursing homes needed to admit patients only if they were able to care for them. With the scale to which the health system in New York was stretched, many nursing homes felt that they had no choice but to accept patients. This item was added with TAGS v6.9.1, searching under keyword #NewYork. Within that search I have chosen to add this item because it speaks on the ongoing debate between state and Federal guidelines over the health of various groups within society.

05/17/2020

Changing Federalism in the Time of Coronavirus

A discussion of how the state of federalism in the US has changed and how this has become evident by the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo of a man wearing a military backpack with a child's stuffed animal attached standing in front of a school with other men in military backpacks and full camo uniforms.

2020-05-05

Through Chinese Social Media -- 5

I’m a study-abroad student. Due to the virus, I had to stay at my home in New York. I got the update of the virus through Chinese social media, and I think it is really interesting. I’m going to share some posts from Chinese social media about the virus. The post is about that one of the temporary hospitals is going to close, which means the hope is coming. Through the post, I feel the persistence of those front line fighters. There are plenty of touching stories in the post. One of them brings his daughter's doll to the front line. They are also others' wives, husbands, mothers, children. These medical staff came to the frontline at the risk of infection, and their families were also worried, proud, and worried about them from afar.