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2022-03-15
Passionate and (mostly) respectful recent debate in the waning pandemic
While the all-encompassing strength of the COVID-19 Pandemic is waning, it still persists and lingers. This is a critical time where countries can either dreamily and abruptly attempt to return to idealized pre-pandemic existence or continue to return to their visions of normalcy through steps found in scientific methodology. Debates that focused on safety, health, and personal freedoms (especially about masks and vaccines) were constantly in the news the last two years, with some deteriorating into disheartening and embarrassing public displays. Surely, these debates will continue indefinitely, and all perspectives will be important to history. While browsing this archive, many of the stories are of those who subscribe to the reality of the pandemic, who trust and listen to science, and who have highlighted the way their lives have changed during the pandemic. I am from Arizona, born and raised. I often find myself to be the lone liberal or democrat, particularly at work, in a state formerly known as a red state, now perhaps purple. While Arizona is well represented in this archive regarding life during a pandemic, it has many people living in it who dispute the pandemic's origin, virulence, and the government's attempt to control personal freedoms, as much as I personally disagree. The attached YouTube video shows a meeting of the Kyrene School District Governing Board from January 25th, 2022. The relevant background is that before the 2021 Winter Holiday break this district emailed parents that masks would no longer be mandatory after the new year. By the end of the break, Omicron infections had increased, and the district regressed back to mandatory masks after the holidays. Please watch, specifically from minutes 20:35 through 38:28. To me, a person who reads a diverse group of news sites daily, this clip has brought me hope. Of all the ugly comments I have read on far right or left news sites, debate like the one in this video is instead mostly constructive, passionate, and respectful. I may not agree with everything discussed in this sample, but I respect people's right to debate their beliefs. I believe studying other perspectives is useful for future generations. Historians one hundred years from now may wonder why certain people thought masks were useless in schools. Hopefully, between this J.O.T.P.Y. archive and the articles that exist on the internet, a thoughtful sample of diverse perspectives can be researched. Additionally, I hope this video adds to material in this archive that demonstrates the anti-mask perspective to historians who could research and educate future generations on state and federal authority during health crises to hopefully prevent conflicts as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic. This video is owned and uploaded by the Kyrene School District to YouTube. -
2021-07-19
HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 121
Afghanistan- not forgotten? -
2021-04-13
How does the pandemic affect children?
With vaccines already approved for ages of 16, still clinical trials need to be completed for children younger than 16. There is more thought put into children's vaccine as their body does not react to things the same way that grown adults do. By the looks of statistics, it can be said that the vaccines will be available for children before the start of the 2021 - 2022 school year. This means children will be able to get the vacancies and start living more socially involved lives as it is important for them during these stages of development. Though the vaccine will not be required, it is suggested and each state will make its own laws on what type of rules they want to set. On the bright sight, the vaccine is the best hope to end the pandemic and allow children to start enjoying their lives like before again, it will help cut down children's obesity rates and boost mental health. -
2021-03-07
Standouts/ scrap proposed changes to the Climate Bill
Park Ave /Chandler St Worcester 3/6/21: another in our series of standouts urging the State House to scrap #CharlieBakerMA 's proposed changes to the Climate Bill approved by the House and Senate. #buildbackbetter #climatecrisis #stopthemoneypipeline #keepitintheground #justrecovery #justtransitition #MassGovernor #CharlieBakerMA -
2021-02-04
US Rep. Yvette Harrell seeks to spare NM from Biden's ban on oil and gas leases
This article from Carlsbad Current Argus reporter Adrian Hedden explains NM District 2 Congressional Representative Harrell's efforts to preserve the oil-and-gas driven economy in New Mexico. The oil and gas lease referenced here applies to federal lands, and the ban of new lease issuance impacts existing operations. Much of southeastern New Mexico is federally owned, while nearby Texas is predominantly private land. The effect of this ban, if successful, would merely drive operations a few miles across the state line without largely impacting production from within the Permian Basin; it will, however, destroy the New Mexico economy, approximately 40% of which depends on oil and gas operations within the state. This article and topic are important to me because of my familial ties to New Mexico, but also because it demonstrates the unintended and myopic objectives set forth in this particular executive order. The economic impact of this ban would further exacerbate community and statewide problems related to COVID-19 as homeless has recently spiked in that region, and the disappearing tax base has further inhibited county and state programs and operations. -
2020-11-19
Warning Signs
Since this semester is all online, I have been living at home in NH instead of at school in Boston. Since this is the case, I am able to continue working where I was at over the summer in VT. At the beginning of the pandemic when you would cross into VT you would see one of those big orange construction signs stating that if you come to visit VT you should quarantine for fourteen days at home. Alongside the sign would be someone in a DOT truck watching the traffic. Sometime between yesterday, November 17th, 2020, and today, November 18th, 2020, the state of Vermont added these permanent signs at all the crossings in and out of the state. It really brings together how much of a lasting impact this virus has had on the world and that this is something that is not going anywhere anytime soon. -
2020-08-05
Daily COVID Positive Case Number and Deaths, Governor Whitmer Press Briefings – How I Have Come to Getting Michigan State COVID-Related Information Since April.
Journal Entry -
2020-06-10
No Iowa State Fair for the First Time Since WWII
After two consecutive years with record attendance, the momentum of the Iowa State Fair has come to a screeching halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since WWII there will be no Iowa State Fair, one of the largest in the country and the second largest in the Midwest. The Iowa State Fair has only been cancelled a total of 5 times in its 166-years history and was even held during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. One of the most anticipated and loved events for Iowa residents is no more for 2020