Fake news from 50 former U.S. intel officers;

IRRESPONSIBLE U.S. CITIZENRY

During this pandemic I got really bad anxiety and depression. I ended up getting 2 gerbils and a cat. I needed to snuggle with them and make myself feel better. The world is so scary still. Everything is getting shut down again, even schools. We are not allowed to leave our house, when we do we have to wear a mask. Grocery stores are almost always empty. Also people feel like they need 20 packs of toilet paper, so getting that is hard. This is important to me because the next generations need to know what happened. History repeats itself, so the next time this happens, they need to know that we can get through this. You are stronger than you think you are <3

I was stuck in my house for 9 months and I have been bored ever since.

The picture I uploaded is just a meme about 2020. But the schoolboy is not dead, I am the schoolboy. And sharing my life here has no purpose besides doing the assignment I was given.

This year has taught me to do what I love to do most when I am in school or at home and that is to draw. Drawing has been a helpful thing to get me through this year when I am bored or just feel like doing something.

My experience of 2020 has been a little different it all started when me and my friend were hanging out then his mom told us that we won't be going to school for two weeks we were excited but we did not know what we were saying because we did not go back to school for almost like 5 months that resulted to E learning

This is a photo of me after completing a mural with a team of painters. It was so much fun working and being around people again. We got COVID tested every week to make sure we were all safe to be around each other. I spent six weeks decorating this library and was highlight of my summer.

This is a photo of some social distanced exploring done at the Denver Botanical Garden. It was to get out and see the flowers! It’s so beautiful there! Everyone looked so happy to be out in the world exploring. It was such a fun day.

In the city of Chicago on Monday morning I was used to the train being super packed. However on this Monday there was only one masked man on the whole train. So I sat and did a social distanced doodle to capture the moment.

I'm an artist. That has been my path since I was five years old. It was in 2016 that I narrowed down that path to film. It's been my concentration ever since. I now attend Columbia College University where I study screenwriting. However, the pandemic has allowed me more free time than I have been allowed since I was twelve years old. Due to this, I knew I had to pick up a hobby. It could be anything as long as it made the time pass a bit faster. I tried doing a few different things from learning a new language to reading one of the books that have been collecting dust on my shelf for a year. However, the one hobby that stuck was crochet. I started out with small, easy projects such as sample squares. I then decided to take on something I had been wanting to make for months. The "Harry Styles Cardigan," otherwise known as the JW Anderson cardigan that rock star Harry Styles wore once. I knew it would be hard work, but I was ready for a challenge. The cardigan took me months to make. I started it the last week of August 2020, and I finished it the first week of November 2020. I was so proud of myself and still am. The end product is far from perfect, but I am now hooked on crochet. I can truly say that I love making my own clothing and making things for my loved ones. The craft has brought me so much joy during such a dark time in our world.

It was probably late March this year when I realized the pandemic was much bigger than anyone could have predicted. On the 16th, when my school district and the whole of the country went into emergency lockdown for three weeks, it just felt surreal, as if there was no way any of this was actually happening. Still as cases started rising day by day, I’d watch the graph as it went up and down, counting the COVID cases as they happened. I’d track the global progress in dealing with the pandemic, taking in every new piece of information about it, my mind buzzing and eventually pounding with everything happening around me. To say the least, it wasn’t long before I quickly became overwhelmed with the weight of everything around me, beginning April. It was around that time when I found my journal, a small navy colored book, probably costing about a dollar, yet worth so much more. Before the pandemic began, I rarely used a journal or any physical book to organize my thoughts; I’d just sometimes use the notes app on my phone. But, as the pandemic snowballed into what it is now, and I felt my relationship with the world around me changing, I quickly realized I needed an outlet specifically designed to help me process my thoughts. A new news story in this crazy year would pop up. I wrote something down. I graduated high school in a cramped car packed with my family in a traffic line of people I couldn’t really recognize, instead of a crowded stadium with everyone I’ve known since I was eleven. I wrote something down. I celebrated my 18th birthday in a socially-distanced way, instead of going out with my friends. I wrote something down. Starting college, two states away from my school, beginning what’s supposed to be one of the best experiences, alone. I wrote something down. And, yet, feeling guilty, writing all of this, knowing and understanding that I am still incredibly fortunate and lucky to be surrounded by those who love me, and I them. I write something down. Whether I realized it or not at the time, journaling really became a therapy to calm my already anxious mind from overthinking, as it slowed me down enough to process the surrounding changes. My journal was one of the few things, one of the few spaces in this new lifestyle, that I felt I had complete control over. No matter what was going on outside, and as much as I’m trying to learn more about everything that comes up this year, taking it in while still also taking care of my mental health, I suddenly found this space where I could just think, say, and write what I feel. More than just a place to process my thoughts, which is what I usually take from writing, my journal just became an extension of myself, a comfort that I didn’t know I needed, as I was able to take things one step at a time. In a world of judgement and chaos, I could return to a place where there was order, and I could say what I wanted, how I really felt about so many things changing at once, all out of my grasp. I’m safe there. And, when I wasn’t writing what I was feeling or thinking at that moment, but still needed an escape, I'd use this journal, alongside my sketchbook, adding in aimless doodles or spending time actually sketching. In the same way one reads books to learn a new truth or escape reality, I did so too for just long enough to gain control of my feelings before diving back into a world too big to understand. It was, and still is, the middle ground connecting my quarantine space with the world around me. But, perhaps one of the biggest advantages of documenting this journey is that now I have this time capsule of what I was feeling, what I’m still feeling about this entire crisis and how I’ve been dealing with it. It’s a piece of me that will always reflect my own perspective amongst everyone else’s voices and stories throughout all of this chaos, and I get to hold onto it forever. So going forwards, journaling is something that I hope I can always return to, especially in times of stress or anxiety, for the value and journey of reflecting on self-identity is one that will always remain priceless.

This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. I cannot believe it is already almost fall. I was thinking about it yesterday and it makes me really sad. Quarantine took so much of our normal life away, and it all just went by too fast. When I really think about it, so much has happened and changed for me over these months and some of which I wish never ended or changed. All the good times I had feel like a blur and all the rough times went by so slow. I wish I remembered more. In a usual year, I would look forward to Labor Day so much. This year I didn’t get to do what I normally do. Labor day usually comes by so slow because I just cannot wait for it to happen but this year it passed me up. Lately that has been all I could think about.

COVID has caused many to lose their jobs, impacting their financial stability. Many have to decide what they are able to pay for each week, one of those difficult decisions being if they can afford groceries or not. Food banks have been a life saver for thousands of families across the nation, providing them with food and relief knowing that they and their children don't have to go hungry. I have found my way in those long lines a few times, never thinking in my life before 2020 that I would need this kind of assistance. But, here we are, in my family some of us lost our jobs or were out of work for a long time. We are going to be facing the financial repercussions of COVID for a very long time. But, food banks like these have helped my family and many others alike worry about one less thing during these trying times.

Destiny Ramos and Amin Razzaque organized a clean-up effort on E. Fordham Road after a night of looting and destruction. It's pictured on Tuesday, June 2, in the Bronx. (Esha Ray/New York Daily News)

A store owner stares at the wreckage the looters caused in her store as she cleans up.

Locals participate in cleaning up their neighborhood after the lootings of June 2nd.

Students from Fordham University participate in the community clean up efforts of Fordham Road after the looting.

The inside of Bronx Footwear vendor ACELO footwear after it was trashed by looters

Aerial shot portraying the aftermath of the looting of Good Life Pharmacy in The Bronx

Images of the state of Fordham Road the morning after it was looted following the start of the protests.

A group of volunteers participated in cleaning up the aftermath of the looting the morning after Fordham road was ransacked. It was a community effort that took the better part of a day but was ultimately succesful.

The Spray paint on the boarding wood exemplifies the movement behind the June Protests and shows the creativity of protesters using a canvas created to supposedly protect the store from the looters hidden among the protestors.

Two co-workers pose while sweeping the broken glass that is scattered all around their store after the looting of several stores along Fordham Road as an unfortunate side effect of the George Floyd Civil Rights protests.

For the past five months, I have interned with A Journal of the Plague Year to help curate submissions from the year 2020. I have learned a lot about the collecting process and am excited to have been a part of such a great project!

I think that remote learning is going okay so far but i’d rather be in school where I can get help easier and I can have face to face conversations with my friends. I feel like we go kinda fast in remote learning I wish we could slow it down. I also we started earlier and ended earlier at like 12. Although quarantine was nice and I got to hang with my friends, I would like to see the people I never got the chance to hang out with.

This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. Over the summer i guess i did change quite a bit. The main thing that changed was really my hobbies or rather, my newfound disinterest in my old set of hobbies. I always took my hobby far too seriously and it turns out that when i didn’t have any pressure to keep pursuing it, i kind of dislike it a bit. I had a bit of an existential crisis over it but it’s been nice to take a break.. I’ve also gotten used to school a lot better. I’m a lot more responsible nowadays and i have no missing work so that’s nice. It’s partly because of all the time i don’t use up on my hobby but it’s mostly that i just find find it fun to organize my computer. Now that i think about it i really don’t want school to start. I won’t have the choice to stay home because then i’d lose touch with my friends but I’ll really miss not being mentally drained from talking to strangers. There’s also the fact that i don’t want my room to be filled up with papers that i’ll just stare at become overwhelmed by. There’s just so many reasons that i don't want to go back to in-person.

The election is today, and this is probably the most important one of my lifetime. I don’t like either candidate, but I really hope Biden wins. I want to keep my rights, I quite like marriage and healthcare. If Trump wins I will most likely lose these things. I only see Trump as a bigot who isn’t doing anything good for this country right now. If he wins this election, I will most likely move out of the country when I am 18. I don’t care if I end up in China, I just want out of here. This election is causing me to fear for my own future, and that of my partner and all of my friends. We are not completely safe in this country, and we likely never will be. 2020 has been a garbage year for me and this election is quite literally the cherry on top of all things awful. I shall update this later with my thoughts and feelings after the election. If there is truly a God, he will let Biden win. I also have my driver’s test next Monday and that’s making me feel even worse right now!

This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California Throughout Covid-19, I’ve learned that I don’t really have any hobbies or anything that interests me because I realized all I did was playing video games after school. So I changed myself to be more active by doing some workouts and reading every day. Even though the first try didn’t work very well to keep my routine organize, I felt it was getting better each day since there’s much time I can spend my time on myself. I hope this would make my life a little better.

With COVID-19 spreading around the world this summer, a lot of my plans I was looking forward to doing were all cancelled. My brother was going to visit Ireland for his abroad last summer, but of course COVID exists. My mom and I were going to meet with him in Ireland and stay for about 4 weeks. I was really excited to go also because we were going to travel to London, Manchester, and Wales. Also not to mention the Irish pubs seem really cool and vintage.

I spent my entire summer walking around San Ramon with one of my best friends. I had plans to go to Hawaii and to go see my Dad in Utah a lot but those plans changed because of COVID19. My mom didn’t really think it was a good idea to allow me on a plane to run around another state in the middle of a pandemic. So my days were spent walking the Iron Horse trail to marketplace, central park, Target, Cal High, or pretty much any park that exists around here. Finding things to do was definitely a struggle but we mainly just wanted some company and someone to talk to so we didn’t have to sit in our houses alone all day. Everyday was definitely an adventure and we made a lot of memories throughout the summer that we will remember forever. It was the summer where you couldn’t do anything or go anywhere because everything was closed but we tried to make the most out of it and ended up a lot closer and happier than we were before the pandemic.

COVID-19 literally shook my life straight. Before, my life was full of procrastination, laziness, and just simply unmotivated. I didn’t know my purpose in life but now I came to the realization that I am a certified bad bytch! I was finally able to Launch my second company Peasant Cosmetics and relaunch my slime company Peasant Slimes. I did months and months of research on the hair industry so I can came in prepared to dominate and take over. All companies I have started have my 100% pride behind them, meaning no matter how large it grow to, none of it will be sold. I will always own 100% of the company since I didn’t get into business for the money and I would never really do anything in my life except for 9-5 to get money. I also used several extremely fragranced lotions from Bath and Body works which gives me a few scents to smell for nostalgia into the future.

This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have faced a series of challenges. The biggest challenge I have faced is my emotions and accepting myself. Being stuck at home has raised my anxiety levels, and question my self-worth. I feel like when I was outside, around my friends, I was much more confident and free- but being isolated really damages you mentally and emotionally. A challenge that my family has faced is that they usually love going outside doing exercise, and they always take us out for runs. However, now that my sisters and I are extremely occupied with school, we can only manage to go together around once or twice a week. A major challenge for society is adapting to remote learning. It has been a very difficult process for myself and other students as well. Staring at a big computer screen for 7 hours is extremely draining, and I find myself falling asleep during the middle of the day, and I even fell asleep during my AP Biology lecture, and I am not the one to fall asleep during school. I also crashed to sleep yesterday immediately after school ended because I was so worn out and exhausted from school. It’s a lot, and I really hope a vaccine for the virus comes our way soon, because I don’t know how I’m going to be able to handle online school for the rest of the school year.

On Friday,09-11-20, I left my home to head to my boyfriend’s house. The air quality was dangerous and I was excited to leave the unhealthy air. I had my bags packed and then his family and I went into the car. We drove 4+ hours past Tahoe to Reno Nevada. The air quality was better and the views were beautiful. The drive consisted of bright green trees, blue sky, fluffy clouds, and gorgeous rocks. The landscape was something that I hadn’t seen in a while. We eventually arrived into the hotel and had an agenda for the next two days. We went to Harbor Shore Beach in Tahoe and we were able to swim in the water. The water was cold but our bodies got used to it. It was so clear, we were able to see the floor, the fishes, and everything else in the water. The whole trip was so amazing it is something definitely worth writing about. I am so blessed to be able to escape the ashes and poor air quality. I was able to have a relaxing weekend while making memorable memories. While I was there I also watched two baseball games on a huge tv and was able to socialize with different parents and families. It was a great experience to be able to catch up with parents I hadn’t truly been able to talk to. The whole trip was super fun and I’m glad I made the memories I did this weekend. Corona has definitely held back many traveling opportunities for me and it was remarkable to be able to do something fun while social distancing. I have learned and this experience definitely emphasized that no matter what is in the way, you can always overcome it and find something fun to do. You must live with what you are given, and make the best of every situation.

Covid-19 has changed my summer in many different ways. For one, I have grown more in confidence since I’ve been inside for so many months. Being around myself and learning more about who I am allowed me to slowly accept myself. Also, I got to talk to my friends a lot throughout summer quarantine over Zoom and texts, so we were always around to uplift each other constantly. One of my favorite childhood memories is probably when my family and I traveled to Seattle for a few months and we auditioned for the Shake It Up Competition. I was obsessed with Zendaya, (and I still am) so that moment of time really showed me that it would be a dream of mine to be like her when I grow up. The day my sister and I auditioned was a great memory because we were just little kids in the moment who gave it a shot. Although we didn’t make it out of the hundreds of thousands, it’s heartwarming to me because we have been always trying to chase after our dreams in any circumstance. As for a regular update, I’ve been wanting to decorate my room so I’ve been compiling album covers I would want to see on my wall and hopefully being able to order print outs of those soon. To add on, I just applied to be an ambassador for a clothing company I saw on Tik Tok so hopefully I get chosen for that, because the fashion aesthetic the brand displays is so beautiful, Also, it's a black-owned business, so I’d love to support that. Overall, this pandemic has allowed us to recognize our gratitude and things we have a growing passion for.

This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. During quarantine, I’ve noticed that I have a lot more fun in groups than I do by myself. I like being around people if they don’t tire me out- people who are super high energy all the time make me so tired. It’s just hard to keep up, honestly, and it’s definitely not a them thing, so I’ve kind of accepted I just have a really low social battery. School is going to be so draining this year once we go back since a lot of the people I don’t like are in my classes, but I’m not too worried about it since it’s only a few people and I can just ignore them. Quarantine hasn’t really led me on much of a self-journey type of thing, though. I just feel like who I did at the beginning but more anxious; I do know, however, that I am very indecisive. I want to build a PC for gaming and those are usually super expensive, so I’ve pretty much been putting it off for the past few weeks and just building it online instead of in person. The parts come out to around a thousand dollars and I physically do not have that amount of money with me at the moment, which means waiting for deals, which means waiting until Cyber Monday two months from now, and I am very impatient. I’m hoping that my birthday will pull in enough cash to afford the grand fee, because not only do I have to build the computer but I also have to buy a microphone, earbuds, monitors, etc. It’d be pretty cool and I’d be able to cut my time down by an entire month, but because of quarantine I probably won’t have a big birthday even though I’m turning 16- which is for the better because it’s safer. It’s just kind of funny because my Mom wants a cool, socially distanced sweet 16, and that works in my favor thankfully!

Covid-19 shaped my summer by making me feel more grateful. It made realize that a lot of people around the world are losing their life even when they were taking precaution for the virus. I am grateful that I live a healthy lifestyle and so does my family. The first part of quarantine we were not even supposed to leave our house, which at first sucked. But as time went on, I started to begin to feel really appreciative of the things that I didn’t notice could have such a huge impact. For example, before quarantine, my dad would take me to school, and bring me home from school. My mom was a teacher so she was at school the same time I was at school, so she was never available to pick me up. My dad went from working in an office 24/7, to working at home 24/7, so he was there for me at any time of the day when I possibly needed him. Even though he worked at home, he was constantly busy with phone calls and virtual conferences, just like he would be doing if he was in an office. So when quarantine started I had told him, “at least you don’t have to drive me to school anymore.” He had told me that even when I was school, how stressful it was to try and make it to school at 2:55pm, I am super excited for this weekend because I go get to hang out with my sister and her new roommates that she moving in with in October. My whole family has known them since before I was born, and my other sister and her fiance are coming so no parents, yay! I also get to hang out with my friends tomorrow which I have been doing, but it’s hard to hang out as a group because everyone has different schedules. We have construction going on in our house so it is super loud and kind of hard to do school while a nail gun and drills are going on upstairs. My dog gets super anxious while loud noises are near so we have to keep her on a leash and she won’t sit still and will bark which really makes me fussy .

"This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California."

9/29: This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. During the pandemic, many people have faced lots of different struggles. These struggles can range from very slight problems to large ones, and thankfully, for my family and I, we are doing pretty well. Personally, I had a few struggles when adapting to the new ways of learning and getting used to not seeing my friends as much. At first, it was fine because I thought of it as an extra-long spring break, but when I realized that we weren’t going back to school in Contra Costa County I was pretty sad. Throughout COVID, I definitely missed my friends and I felt pretty alone. Luckily, my dad was able to keep his job and work from home, so we did not have any financial problems. Covid definitely allowed me to grow closer to my dad and brother because I ended up spending a lot of time with them where I usually wouldn’t see them as much. Socially, I think our county has started to adjust to the new reality and lots of families are starting to get used to it. I think this whole situation has made people realize that they should be grateful for the valuables and people that are in their life. Lots of things (like social gatherings, school, and friends) can be taken away in a second, but family and other really important things will always stay.

This past weekend I went lake tahoe for the weekend. I did do school up in tahoe which was really weird, but it was kinda cool. Most of the time we spent was on the water wake surfing.

This talks about how I've found something good about that pandemic. This is important to me because I know a lot of people are going through a lot during the pandemic and I think we should find something to be grateful for because it will help with the trials you are going through.

The biggest challenge I faced with corona was not being able to see people or do anything. I wanted to be with friends so badly and being stuck inside my house made me crazy some days. Covid 19 was stressful for my dad because during the begging of quarantine he couldn't have his clinic or perform surgeries. This made my parents stressed about money because just bought another house and have a lot of expenses. However, there were some positives of quarantine. I got so bored I worked out and got in shape a little. I also feel like I got a lot closer with my family, even though I definitely did get tired of them. Quarantine also made me anxious and stressed. I am more of an extrovert and being with people energizes me and makes me happy, so not being able to see people definitely affected me. Quarantine also allowed me to learn new things in the kitchen and I realized that I don’t hate hikes as much as I thought I did. I also found new TV shows that I loved and we also got a cat to entertain us.

Covid impacted my summer because my family always goes to the east coast and we to the beach with my grandparents but this year we were not able to go because the house we rent was not available and It was not suggested to go on a plane so that was canceled. I also usually play on a lacrosse travel team and box lacrosse team but that was all canceled only of late has it started to reopen so I’m hoping we get to play some games but we have only been able to practise and have no contact practices. The one thing that was really unfortunate was I was supposed to move my brother into his dorm.But was not able to do to the fact that there COVID guidelines say that only one family member can help move them in.

Having to quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak has made me realize that people are not worth it. Many times during quarantine I have found myself not talking to any of my friends or anyone from school. This could be either because they have not reached out or because I haven’t reached out. Well if you know me I am always the one who will make the plans and will reach out first to ask to hang out. But quarantine has made me realize that nobody reaches out to me to talk or to hang out and if I hadn’t reached out we wouldn’t be talking to me or hanging out with me if I didn’t. Now what am I supposed to do wait around until somebody reaches out or should I try multiple times to reach out. What I have done now is reached out to new people because at this point I don't care what people think of me because I know it will negative in some way. So by me reaching out to new people I won’t have to waste my time on people who don't care about me and I can find people who do.

This is a journal entry I created when school started online learning. At the time, I was frustrated and upset at the online learning, but now I have been able to adapt and overcome the adversity our society faces. Covid-19 has greatly impacted my family. I have been continuously doing online school at California high school and at DVC. I personally strongly dislike it. We are staring at a computer all day for classes and to do homework. The online classes make me tired and lazy. With sports pretty much stopped, it is hard to go outside and practice all by yourself. For my dad, his work has been greatly affected. His workload has dropped and he has constant precautions for his employees. He almost even had to shut down. For my sister, she was finally able to college three months late. They might also cancel her soccer season at UCSB. For my mom, she is very cautious about being around other people because of her parents and their health. This pandemic has influenced the world away from socializing. I can rarely hang out with people and being on zoom is annoying. We are doing the same thing over and over again when it seems like there is no purpose. Our entire world as we know it flipped over and is completely different now. I need school to go to hybrid and sports to start back up soon.

This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. This will mostly be about the shut-in. To be honest, it feels as though not much has changed. At the same time, I feel disoriented. The major difference in my daily activity is the stationary school setting, along with dance practice which I attend from right at home. As I’ve settled into the new life, I feel more aware of how poorly i’ve been treating my own room, and the mess gets to my head. I suppose the quarantine has made me cleaner. Additionally, I’ve more time to spend with my family. It makes me happy to see their faces every day. In darker news, my mom’s condition got much worse, but we’re all here to support her now, and that makes me proud. Being walled up at home certainly did change things.

I learned about myself that every day I get up the laziness stops my body move an inch away from my bed even through the weekend. Since I got class still for learning like a normal school day but in our own home. This let me remember the good old times when we learn in school struggling.

I think the biggest challenge I have faced because of Covid-19 is coping with the fact that this is how life is going to be for a long time.. Personally I don’t like the unknowns. We don't necessarily know when we'll go back to school or when well be able to play sports games. My family has always been very active and loved to go out and do things, so it has been different to just stay home all of the time. Luckily we have gone on some short day trips to the beach or to different restaurants but to be honest things are just not the same. Sometimes I find myself thinking what I’d be doing at that exact moment if Covid-19 wasn't a thing. Last Friday I was driving to my moms house around 6pm and I realized that if Covid wasn't a thing that I would be in the Cal parking lot tailgating for a football game. These are the type of things that unfortunately us as Juniors haven't really experienced yet and I don’t think we will be able to this year. Hopefully things will start to return to normal soon so we can finish our High School experiences the right way.

These past few months have just felt like the same thing on loop constantly with nothing new besides music. I have the same album on repeat for months now. The album is called “No Pressure” By Logic. I have really been enjoying it but sadly it is his last album as of now. I ordered his vinyl too. This year so far i can say its been very hard but this years music feels like a flashback to all the 2016 music. A Lot of good music has been made and im grateful for that because it's what I need to stay mentally stable during these times.

This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. It tells a short story of how life was like for me before we had to go into quarantine due to covid-19.