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2020-04-18
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, detailing the first CoronaWorld fight with The Girlfriend and the long-awaited arrival of The Kid.
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2020-04-01
This article is authored by a woman whose sister was murdered. She now works with a nonprofit called Restore Justice, based in California, whose goal is to positively effect change to all who are touched by violent crime. She reminds the reader that people can change and discusses how the large prison population can effect the population at large and those inside.
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2020-04-16
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.
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2020-03-28
The author of this article is a former inmate at San Quentin Prison in California. These days he focuses on justice reform through an organization he helped bring into being, Restore Justice. In this article he explains the medical system inside of prisons and his experience with lockdowns and solitary confinement as a place of quarantine during non-covid times.
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2020-04-16
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, in which I battle depression by reading a few Montaigne essays, taking a walk:
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2020-04-15
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, in which depression gets the better of me:
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2020-04-14
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. The latest entry discusses The Kid, a roller skating accident, Pringles, and my fear of auto-repair shops.
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2020-04-13
I'm keeping a Covid-19 journal. Here's the latest entry, filled with obituaries, Walt Whitman's tales of Civil War hospitals, and a poem.
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2020-07-20
A cartoon depicting a virus cell with arms, legs, and a face standing in front of a crowd of other virus cells. It is point at a poster of a person wearing a mask and saying "LISTEN UP! / DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH MASK WEARERS"
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2020-07-20
A cartoon depicting two people falling over a pit filled with virus cells which have mouths and teeth. One is falling rapidly which the other is floating away from the pit on a parachute made from a disposable surgical mask.
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2020-04-05
This time of year is usually buzzing with family and community. Passover is often referred to as a holiday of freedom, but this year it was for some people the furthest thing from that. As the Rabbi of an ever-growing synagogue and community centre, I host the Seders (traditional Passover feasts) at my home with community members and extend invitations to anyone willing to accept. However, this year there wasn’t anyone to invite. Leading up to this usually joyful holiday, I became quite dispirited as the calls started streaming in from community members that had lost their jobs, savings in the stock markets and now couldn’t even see their grandchildren. What’s ironic is that throughout the year I am the one chasing community members to bring them to the centre for events and prayer services. I also make calls, send WhatsApp and post on Facebook to catch their attention and attempt to entice them through the doors of the synagogue. Now I’m lamenting with them, trying unsuccessfully to find some reason as to why G-d is putting us through this test. The best I came up with was, “we are all in this together, we are all in the same boat”, none of us are unique in this corona-quarantining. Then a late-night call last week after the Sabbath really rocked me, a Holocaust survivor, 98 years old, had passed away and I was asked to officiate her funeral. Due to social distance regulations no more than 10 people were allowed to attend the funeral. This lady that I was laying to rest could’ve been my great-grandmother. I agonised about how I was to console this family that had just lost their matriarch. Who was I, some young rabbi, to give this family comfort and words of healing when they had had such a momentous loss, and their friends and extended family weren't even able to mourn together with them. This woman survived German slave labour camps during the Holocaust and now because of this silent killer was unable to have her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at her farewell. The reality of the situation is that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed my rabbinic role. As time goes on and this becomes our new normal, the constant calls from community members looking for support have been integrated into my schedule. My role has changed from preaching on a pulpit to one of reassurance and consolation during this time of social isolation and loneliness during the festive season of Passover. Whenever I am on the phone to a congregant I lighten the mood by facetiously joking “thank G-d crèche is an essential service!" With four children of my own under the age of five, or should I say with four babies under the age of five, I would have never been able to do anything if the government had pulled the plug on crèche. I was quietly praying together with my wife that they wouldn’t. I started dreading the upcoming school holidays, what am I going to do for two weeks locked in the house with my kids especially over Passover? Is my Passover Seder going to be 10 minutes because of nappy changes and bedtime will be in the middle of it? Incredibly without guests, my wife and I had the most wonderful two weeks locked up at home with our children. Our Seder was a lively event with re-enactments of the exodus of Egypt, as well as long speeches and songs from my 3-year-old who lively sang way past his bedtime. I even dressed up as Moses one night. I saw the silver lining in this turbulent time-I finally had time to be fully present with my children, no phone to disturb me, as on Jewish festivals we don’t use electronics, I had no sermon to fine-tune and I was finally able to spend the entire time with my family. My 4-year-old even learnt how to ride a bike without training wheels, an impressive feat that his grandmother told him over FaceTime “your daddy could only do it when he was 5”. Yes, the fridge has some scratches and dents that came about with children 2 and 3 trying to break into it for some milk. The curtains to their room have been ripped down and I am trying unsuccessfully to find a tradesman to come and fix it. But, I must say lockdown was a sort of blessing that I didn't know I wanted. Spending quality time with my kids without having to run to an urgent meeting or being required to write emails, was in a way an Exodus from real life I much needed (hopefully temporarily). But...I think my wife now needs a holiday.
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2020-06-29
The Israeli Folk dancing community in Melbourne specifically, is bereft at not being able to participate in weekly dance classes since the outbreak of the cholera pandemic
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2020-07-20
A drinking fountain (bubbler) on Macquarie Street in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia with government-issued safety instructions.
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2020-04-30
I always look for the good despite the bleakness of what is happening.
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2020-04-29
It tells about How we as a family is dealing with the Pandemic and how Gab, my son with ASD is surviving and even thriving
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2020-05-01
Now more than ever, we cherish the value of a well-planted garden and a well-stock pantry or kitchen. This global health crisis prompted us to plant, cook and eat together.
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2020-05-14
Our experience in delivering our extension services to clients
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2020-04-27
This account tells my own experiences of COVID-19 symptoms in the early days of pandemic announcement and my pursuit to get COVID-19 testing.
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2020-07-10
I took this picture of me - a selfie if you will - while enjoying an old Filipino music in my study room. I envisioned July as the month where lockdowns are lifted and everything is in control, but it was not the case as the government [continuously] reports spiking increases of active cases. Because of the news of increasing cases, government inaction and the recent battle of a media giant, I was having an anxiety and panic attacks. I realized that my hands were shaking, I have cold sweats and my body is trembling I [couldn't] breathe, I decided to play the song "Mabagal". All throughout I was enjoying the song, it gives me comfort, I decided to take a picture of my self enjoying the breeze behind the windows while the music play, this is the only time I felt peace in times of uncertainty. A picture of me at peace while there is fear of unknown and uncertainty behind me.
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2020-05-13
This is an oped advice piece from a financial expert advising this year's high school graduates to take a gap year. He suggests travel, earning money, taking classes, and staying positive
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2020-07-02
2020 is certainly a year filled with disasters, bad news, and unprecedented happenings. This author wrote down a few of them and wonders what's ahead.
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2020-03-27
This is the story of a 2020 high school graduate, Nicholas Reyan, in Pennsylvania. His mother owns a photography studio--one that takes the senior pictures you see in yearbooks. This year there was no graduation, so they set out to create photographic representations of what graduating now is like. Enjoy!
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2020-03-15
This is a collection of memes about the Coronavirus. Some good, some not so good, and some viral. Mostly good though. Humor is what helps us cope with stress and difficult times, so it is important.
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2020-07-20
The story shares my personal experience of the pandemic and it is important because it demonstrates a reaction at the face of adversity.
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2020-04-27
These commercials are airing on Hulu now. They are all so funny and typical of people struggling to work the video conferencing. One shows an employee, not realizing that she's not muted, talking about the other people at the meetings. Another one shows people's internet cutting out. A third one is a whole conversation about what day it was--a common problem during quarantine when all the days were the same.
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06/29/2020
This is an Oral History interview with Dr. Richard Wamai by interviewer Christina Lefebvre from June 29, 2020. Dr. Wamai speaks about the epidemiology of COVID and the global response to it versus other epidemic, as well response comparisons between Africa and the United States.
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05/15/2020
This is an Oral History interview with Julie West by interviewer Anjelica Oswald from May 15, 2020. Julie West speaks about being physical ed teacher, being a city council member, changes in her day to day life, and running a non-profit organization charity.
This interview was recorded as part of The Covid 19 Oral History Project, a project of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute associated with The Journal of a Plague Year: A Covid 19 Archive.
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06/02/2020
Interview with Dr Christopher Colwell, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Zuckerberg, San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center by interviewer Christina Lefebvre. Dr. Colwell speaks about the changes in his daily work activity and the obstacles of hospitals to respond to protests and a pandemic. He also shares his thoughts on how the pandemic has altered the practices and routines of medical facilities to maintain safety for patients and healthcare workers.
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07/02/2020
Interview with Lynn Brown , Educational Coordinator of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center by interviewer Alex Bice. Lynn speaks about the importance of group and physical interaction learning. She also shares her thoughts on how the pandemic has altered educational practices for students and teachers during a time of distance learning.
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2020-07-20
"The Métis artist decided to take two of her pieces and, using translations she found on an Indigenous Services Canada website, add the recommendation to 'wash your hands' in 21 Indigenous languages."
"There's a lot of elders that don't speak the English language fluently, so to see something in their own language would be comforting, just knowing that somebody cares enough to take the time to give you something in the language of your own upbringing."
- Colleen Gray
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2020-07-19
"About 60 people gathered outside Ottawa City Hall on Sunday for an event called March to Unmask.
"Some were skeptical about the evidence for making masks mandatory in indoor public spaces. Some argued that it’s a human rights issue. Others were skeptical of government in general."
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2020-07-20
"I Am" poem to be used in conjunction with the archives by classroom teachers.
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2020-04-08
Quora is a large forum for Asked to Answer (A2A) interchange. One user can post a question, and any other user or users can answer.
In this case, a user posted photos of famous places that are now deserted because of COVID-19.
The world is quite different now--hopefully only temporarily
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2020-07-18
YEAR OF PLAGUE AND "FIRE" 2020
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2020-07-14
WWIII on simmer
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2020-07-18
Classroom lesson using the JOTPY archive. Designed for 6 -12 grade students.
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2020-07-18
Readings to accompany Teaching Module Six.
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2020-07-18
JOTPY Teaching Module Six for classroom teachers and college instructors. Essential Questions for Module Six: How has oral history brought to light the stories of groups whose history might otherwise have been hidden? How has the practice empowered individuals and been employed for advocacy? What are the advantages and disadvantages to using oral histories?
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2020-07-18
Readings to accompany Teaching Module Five
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2020-07-18
JOTPY Teaching Module Five for classroom teachers and college instructors. Essential Questions for Module Five: What is Rapid Response Collecting (RRC)? What are the best practices of RRC, and why is it an important type of collecting? What are the challenges of RRC?
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2020-07-18
Readings to accompany Teaching Module Four.
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2020-07-18
JOTPY Teaching Module Four for classroom teachers and college instructors. Essential Questions for Module Four: Whose voices are absent from traditional and digital archives? How does an archive’s collecting
policy influence what is understood to be the historical record?
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2020-07-18
Reading to accompany Teaching Module Three.
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2020-07-18
JOTPY Teaching Module Three for classroom teachers and college instructors. Essential Questions for Module Three: How does record-keeping matter in the context of a democratic government? Is archival practice neutral? Who controls the records kept in archives, and who controls access to these archives? What 21st century events may pose a challenge to future historians because of the way records of these events have been collected?
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2020-05-10
Local San Ramon baker, KrisPetites, features cookies that reflect the reality of masks in our COVID-19 world. The cookies are round sugar cookies with yellow royal icing emoji faces wearing masks. The cookies expression is sweet - as if the cookie is actually smiling - and the masks are vibrant with unique detailing.
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2020-07-11
Across San Francisco, honey bears wearing masks - created by the artist fnnch - are popping up on storefronts and in resident's windows. The message is clear, "Please wear a mask. It's simple." The featured bears are masked versions of the Bowie Bear, the Bowtie Bear, the Classic Bear, the Pizza Bear holding a BLM sign, the Love Bear near a sign that reads "Hey Honey! Let's stick together." and the Avocado Bear. The originator of this post is also wearing a Honey Bear mask created by fnnch and included a photo of his mask collection that sits near his front door.
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2020-07-18
Readings that accompany Teaching Module Two
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2020-07-03
The story I have uploaded captures the negative effects on the coronavirus lockdowns, it represents many people's lives during this time.
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2020-07-16
In response to California's decision to require schools to begin the school year with remote learning, and to only allow schools to reopen if they have been off of the state "watch list" for 14 consecutive days, local San Ramon Valley Unified School District parents are forming co-op groups. These groups are designed to allow small cohorts of students to learn together during the remote learning phase. California's decision to require remote learning is due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the state.
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2020-07-18
JOTPY Teaching Module Two for classroom teachers and college instructors. Essential Questions for Module Two: How does the digital realm change the nature of archives? Who are the stakeholders in a digital archive? How are privacy and access concerns balanced by digital archivists? What are the biggest challenges to
archival work in the 21st century? How is metadata active interpretation?
