An end and a beginning

 The Covid 19 pandemic: where we've been and where we are going!

A year ago on March 11, 2020, the Covid 19 virus had effected enough countries for it to be declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Since that date the world has been transformed. There have been more than 118.7 million COVID-19 cases throughout the world and more than 2.6 million people have died world-wide from the pandemic. Many, many things have changed, some for the worse and a few for the better. The good news is that rates of infection are declining and the rate of people passing away from the virus is also going down gradually.  At this time more than 10% of Americans have been vaccinated and the number of doses of vaccine continue to grow daily.  Before long, younger people and children will be able to receive the vaccine if they and their parents choose to get it.  At this point in the middle of March we can finally and clearly see the end of the pandemic tunnel. Despite many mistakes made by leadership at all levels and despite the many tragedies world-wide that resulted from Covid 19, things are starting to get better in the United States.

Although many people have lost jobs, the U.S. government has provided multiple stimulus checks and unemployment benefits to help people harmed by the lockdowns and lost economic activity. The most recent stimulus checks of $1,400 per person are reaching bank accounts right now. In general, the U.S. economy is growing and as the pandemic starts to end more and more jobs will become available as people return to the workplace.

Finally, almost all schools are starting to reopen and some schools have had hybrid learning for months. Even Waukegan and Chicago schools will be back to some on-campus learning in April. In the fall there may still be some safeguards in place to protect against the virus, but most students will be vaccinated and almost all teachers and staff will have received their vaccines. This will make the 2021-2022 school year much more normal than we've experienced over the last year.

We now have at least three different vaccines to choose from. Each day the supply of vaccines in Illinois grows and by the end of May all adults will probably have the chance to receive the vaccine if they choose. Children and teens will all be vaccinated by the end of the summer according to current plans. Soon a day will come when we no longer need to wear masks, at long last. Despite a terrible year with so many sad and unfortunate events, we are now finally nearing the end  of the pandemic and can look forward to a better and brighter future!

Good luck in online and hybrid learning this year and best wishes for a nice and normal school year 2021-2022!

Global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: 1 year on

The Status of the Pandemic, in Three Charts

What’s in Congress’s $1.9 trillion covid bill: Checks, unemployment insurance and more

From 'Mysterious' Illness To Global Pandemic: COVID-19, By The Numbers

Covid-19 Live Updates: As U.S. Sees Encouraging News Overall, the Northeast Is Looking Like an Outlier

The debate over reopening schools is fierce and divisive. Here's where people on different sides of the issue are coming from

New names

 Should Waukegan Schools be renamed?

Webster and Jefferson Middle Schools are getting new names this fall. The names haven't been completely decided upon yet, but will be chosen soon and the name changes will become effective in July. 

Webster Middle School

This is a big step in Waukegan and in the United States. Many other districts in more democratic and racially diverse areas are choosing this path in renaming schools. However, is this step really the best choice? Ultimately it depends on the community members in which the school is located. But are some people being erased from school names and from history without completely understanding their actual and complete historical roles? Many critics of the renaming process say that erasing these names, such as the former president Thomas Jefferson and former secretary of state Daniel Webster, from our schools does not take into account he actual historical record of these figures. 

Monticello, Jefferson's plantation

In the case of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, it is absolutely true that he was a slave owner. However, Jefferson personally was against slavery, freed some of his own slaves and after his wife died, probably had a long-term relationship with an African American woman and had children who were of mixed race. Jefferson also abolished the slave trade as president and believed in the gradual freeing of all slaves in the United States after they had been taught and prepared for employment. None the less Jefferson did own more than 600 slaves as a plantation owner. 

Thomas Jefferson and his likely partner Sally Hemings

In the case of Daniel Webster, the links to slavery are much less clear. Webster was from New England and never owned slaves. Slavery was illegal in the northern states, including in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where Webster lived. In addition he was anti-slavery and opposed the extension of slavery in new territories of the United States before the Civil War. However, Webster also favored compromise with the southern, slave-holding states and did not want the government to interfere with slavery where it already existed because he did not want the south to leave the United States, which they did after Lincoln was elected. This is what caused the American Civil War.

Daniel Webster

In both cases the evidence linking these two American leaders with slavery and African Americans is not completely clear and unambiguous. Even the slave holder Thomas Jefferson had a very complicated relationship with the institution of slavery and with black people. None the less, it is ultimately up to the community of Waukegan itself  and its citizens whether they wish to rename the schools. 

Question: should the Waukegan schools be renamed?

Obama Middle School? Waukegan School District 60 Board given 6 choices for renaming buildings over namesakes’ slavery ties

Debate over renaming schools remains impassioned almost a year after George Floyd's death

School Renaming Shouldn’t Be an Exercise in Ideology and Ignorance

A new surge of children at the border

Thousands of unaccompanied children and teens are arriving at the U.S. border

Disturbing photo of children being detained

During the presidential campaign, one of the main criticisms of the Trump administration by Joe Biden was separation of undocumented migrant families at the border. According to Joe Biden, children were being kept in cages and in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. In reality part of the problem was the large number of people trying to get into the United States illegally and the fact that parents were incarcerated until their immigration trial or deportation. Children could not be incarcerated with their parents, and had to be housed separately.

Children at the border

 In addition some of the children were not family members of the people that brought them across the border. This was at least partly due to the belief that individuals with children wouldn't be detained. In fact, during the Obama administration this same process occurred as had under Trump. But now there is a difference. Joe Biden has made it clear he will allow asylum seekers to enter the United States. This promise is now being questioned as thousands of unaccompanied children and teens are crossing the border. The border facilities and workers are not able to deal with the record number of arrivals and other government agencies, including FEMA, are also being deployed to help.

According to the British newspaper, the Daily Mail:

• Haphazard outdoor processing center has been set up under an overpass in the Rio Grande Valley
• Shocking photos show migrants sitting in fenced-off areas waiting to be bused to facilities that are already overcrowded 
• Children at one facility in south Texas are 'going hungry and are only able to shower once every seven days as the center is at 729% of its legal capacity'
• On Saturday night, DHS security Alejandro Majorkas announced he has directed FEMA to help with surge of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the US 
• But Joe Biden and members of his administration have failed to call the situation a 'crisis', despite being slammed by members of both parties   
• Critics say Biden promised a 'more humane' stance on immigration, but failed to prepare the necessary infrastructure to cope with the surge in migrants he knew that softer stance would bring
• Detractors say the result has ironically become less humane, and it also poses security and health threats to the American people amid the COVID pandemic 
• A new CNN poll shows immigration is the subject area where Biden is getting the lowest marks, with more voters disapproving than approving. (Biden FINALLY sends help to the border)

 This situation has indeed become a crisis. It is very sad for the children and for the system that is trying to accommodate them. Hopefully it can be improved soon and the children can be given adequate housing until reunited with their parents or family members.

Question: How do you think the border crisis should be solved?

Biden FINALLY sends help to the border

Pelosi says unaccompanied children arriving at U.S.-Mexico border is a ‘humanitarian crisis’ 

Children packed into Border Patrol tent for days on end 

More than 4,000 unaccompanied migrant children in CBP custody 

DHS chief directs FEMA to assist in ‘government-wide effort’ to house child migrants, as number surge 

 

Back to school at last?

 Waukegan schools will open for hybrid learning in April!

PPE in the classroom

Lightning has struck! We are finally scheduled to go back to school in April. All staff will report to the school on March 29, after Spring break. The first week for staff, March 29 to April 2, will be devoted to training and professional development. There will be no online or in building classes during this time. Freshman will start on April 19 and sophomores on April 26. At this time, only about 30% of students have signed up to return. In Chicago, many students who signed up to return never actually showed up, so it is very possible that attendance will be less than 30%. Furthermore, if students do return on the 19, it will give freshmen only 6 weeks in school and sophomores only five weeks before summer vacation! This is a very short time and it is quite likely that many students and their parents will not choose to go through the transition back to the school building for such a short time. None the less this hybrid plan is a nice way to ease back into school gradually. 

Students are totally free to continue learning from home through the end of the school year. According to the schedule presented by the district, each grade level would be divided into two cohorts. One cohort will attend on Monday and Wednesday while the other will attend on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday will be online for everyone. In addition, the days will be shorter than a normal school day. Most students will attend from 2nd period, entering the building at 8:15 until 12:14 when they will travel home for lunch. The dates for all grade levels are as follows:

March 29: All staff return for orientation;
April 5: PreK, K, 1, and 2 return;
April 12:  Grades 3 and 4;
April 19:  Grades 5, 6, 9 and 12;
April 26: Grades 7, 8, 10 and 11.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

The look and feel of the buildings will be different. Plascencia said classroom sizes will be smaller to accommodate social distancing measures. Mask wearing will be required, and all rooms will be equipped with necessary personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer.
By the time teachers, administrators and staff return to the buildings, all of them who want to be vaccinated will have had the chance. Mark Pfister, the executive director of the Lake County health department, said Friday he anticipates all educators of preschool through high school seniors in the county, will receive their second shot by the end of March.
While Plascencia said COVID-19 heath metrics are trending in a positive direction, the district is prepared to take action if there is a change. Regardless, she urges everyone to continue to wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands frequently. (Waukegan schools to phase in students’ return to the classroom)

In any case, finally the day we have long been waiting for is near. We will finally return to the school buildings after more than a whole engaged in online learning. As we have already noted, President Biden and Dr Fauci predict a return to normal life by November or December of this year. This move to hybrid learning is an important step towards returning to normal. Hope to see you at school!

Question: Will you attend school this spring or will you wait until the fall to return? (both are okay!)

Waukegan schools to phase in students’ return to the classroom

Waukegan Public Schools Will Start Hybrid Learning in April

Announcing the Start of Hybrid Learning

Rumors and more rumors

 When will things return to normal?

Dr Fauci

Dr Fauci, who everyone knows by now, has told us that things will get back to normal when enough people have been vaccinated and when the number of cases decline significantly. We have been living through this pandemic for almost a year. Many of us have lost loved ones and many of us have experienced significant hardship. So when can we expect to get back to normal? Now that we have vaccines and between 10 and 20% of the U.S. population is already vaccinated, we can ask this important question.

 Firstly, how long will we need to wear masks?  According to Dr Fauci:

"The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the public will still need to wear masks until most of the country is vaccinated against the virus and case numbers are “very, very low.”

“I want to see [the COVID-19 numbers] go way down,” he continued. “When it goes way down and the overwhelming majority of people are vaccinated, then I’d feel comfortable saying we don’t need to wear masks.” (When will things return to normal? Here’s what Fauci says)

Masks will need to be worn by people who are vaccinated unless they are in a gathering with people all of whom are already vaccinated. As more people become vaccinated the need for masks will decline. However, the real question is whether the vaccine not only prevents a person from getting the virus but also needs to protect them from still spreading Covid 19 even though they do not get sick themselves. Dr Fauci has said that some studies already conducted show that it appears that vaccination is also effective 

When will we get back to normal and have the economy and all institutions and places of business open?  The main factor is once again the vaccines. There are now three vaccines; Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson. Soon there may be an abundance of vaccines as early as later this spring. At that point we will be able to vaccinate everyone who wishes to be vaccinated. In terms of returning to normal, Dr Fauci recently stated:

"How many people are going to get vaccinated, how many variants are you going to have, and then you get to the thing that we really individually don't have a lot of control over, and that is a global pandemic requires a global response,"

"And if in fact we find that, then you're going to see a pulling back on some of the restrictions," (When will life return to normal? Dr. Fauci provides an answer)

Both Fauci and President Biden have now stated that a more or less full return to normal will occur around Christmas this year. By then everyone should basically be vaccinated. This is still a while. But the end is now in sight as we head into the spring of 2021. 

Question: How will you celebrate the return to normal after this long pandemic?

When will life return to normal? Dr. Fauci provides an answer

When will things return to normal? Here’s what Fauci says

Fauci predicts return to ‘normal’ by Christmas

America could soon be swimming in COVID-19 vaccines: The shift from scarcity to surplus could bring its own problems

Can't go back to normal yet, Fauci warns

Dr Seuss surges in popularity!

Banned Seuss books soar in sales!

After the publisher of the Dr Seuss books announced last week that they would no longer print 6 Seuss titles, sales of the books on eBay and Amazon increased dramatically.  The main criticism of Dr Seuss was the way that he drew Asian people, specifically Chinese men, whom at that time were often called: "Chinamen", in his book "And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street". Since the company made their announcement to 'cancel' these books in order to combat racism, the books have suddenly dramatically increased in sales and in price. Look at the picture above from Amazon on Friday, March 5. The price for a used copy of the book is $269.99! 

On eBay the same used book is $199 as you can see in the second picture. At least you get free shipping for the eBay item. In fact, Dr Seuss has risen to the 9th biggest seller on Amazon!

Since this announcement there have been many articles from both a progressive perspective supporting the banning of these books and from conservative perspectives that oppose banning these titles for 'racism'. As we wrote earlier, at least some Asian people, including my own family, do not consider the pictures racist. On the other hand, from a 'woke' perspective, they do appear offensive. It is important to remember that ideas change over time. What was once considered normal is no longer acceptable. In the case of offensive jokes that is understandable, but in terms of illustrations in children's' books, whether or not we need to reinterpret the past through the perspectives of today is not so clear. As a result, many  libraries will keep the books on the shelves, although they may not use those particular titles in programming.

Question: Do you think banning children's books is ever a good thing?

Dr. Seuss books' sales soar after 6 titles canceled for ‘racist’ imagery

A Dr. Seuss Expert Cuts Through the Noise on the Cancel Culture Controversy 

Worcester library director, like others in area, keeping Dr. Seuss on the shelves amid controversy

Dr Seuss books now make up nine of Amazon's top 10 best-seller list following recent controversy over 'racist' imagery

Dr. Seuss books are taking over Amazon's bestseller list

Dine and Dash?

 Grubhub and Doordash lead to new forms of dine and dash fraud

A famous dine and dash offender is arrested

A popular Korean restaurant in Los Angeles called Spoon by H has been driven out of business by a new kind if dinning fraud. Using the new method a person orders food from a restaurant, often a large order, using their credit card. They then dispute the charge and receive a refund. The restaurant then is forced to pay for the food at their loss and the fraudulent diner gets free food at the restaurant's expense. In the case of Spoon by H, the restaurant owner released a statement explaining the situation:

"We are heartbroken to find ourselves sharing the very news we hoped we would never have to share… Spoon By H will be closing," the restaurant’s last post reads, which was shared Monday, Feb. 22. "Although we put up our very best fight, we could no longer hold out against the growing barrage of fraudulent disputed charges and the countless refunds issued." (Restaurants are reportedly being hurt by refund request scams)

The owner of the restaurant, Yoonjin Hwang is the only employee and does all of the work and cooking herself. Hwang received a large order for more than $700 which she at first was grateful for. But when the customer disputed the claim on his credit card and Hwang was forced to pay for the whole order herself, she knew that the restaurant was in trouble. Then it began happening again and again. Finally Yoonjin Hwang couldn't afford to keep the restaurant open and closed it in February. 

Yoonjin Hwang

This form of dining fraud has been affecting restaurants around the country since the pandemic lockdown began. It is part of a larger pattern of social breakdown and a huge increase in crime that began occuring around the United States in 2020. See the articles below to learn more about this clever new form of fraud:

Question: what punishment do you thing fraudulent diners should receive? 

L.A. restaurants struggle with a new form of dine-and-dash

Popular Los Angeles restaurant closes after high-tech "dine and dash" scheme

Restaurants are reportedly being hurt by refund request scams

Should Dr. Seuss be banned?

 Should Read Across America Day be 'disassociated' with Dr Seuss?

Do you like thing 1and thing 2? I do, I also like green eggs and ham.  Well as you might know these famous expressions and characters were created by the famous children's author Dr Seuss otherwise known as Theodor Seuss Geisel. Dr Seuss had a doctorate in English literature, he was not a medical doctor, which is why he is called Dr Seuss. In any case some scholars and critics have looked at his work and found it 'discriminatory'. For example in the book: And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street, contains images of a Chinese person who is depicted with 'small' eyes and is eating with chopsticks as well as wearing more or less 'traditional' Chinese clothing. See the image below:

 

This issue is important and sensitive to me, due to the fact that my wife is Asian, from Asia, and my child is in general Asian looking, although he is in fact, bi-racial.  Furthermore I use chopsticks due to the fact that I eat Asian food, primarily noodles, on a daily basis. From my perspective the picture above is not racist since it simply calls attention to the  clothing, appearance and food habits of Chinese people. The man is smiling and looks happy, he is not an evil enemy or anti-hero. In addition my wife and son also think the picture is funny, but not racist. I can however, understand why some Asian people might feel offended by the picture. But actually Dr Seuss depicted white people and all people in a cartoon, humorous fashion, not just Asians or other groups of people. But that is my own perspective.

To other observers however, this image and others demonstrate racism because they reinforce stereotypes of Chinese people and Asians in general. On the other hand Dr Seuss wrote books that were critical of racism and discrimination, for example The Sneeches. See the following articles to learn more:

What do you think? Should Dr Seuss be canceled or read?

NEA Focuses Read Across America on Diversity Not Dr. Seuss

Loudoun County Public Schools responds to ‘Dr. Seuss ban’ controversy 

No, a Virginia school district didn’t ban Dr. Seuss books. Here’s what really happened.

Liz Peek: CPAC blasts cancel culture – could the attacks on Dr. Seuss be the tipping point? 

Dr. Seuss Books Can Be Racist, But Students Keep Reading Them

 

 

NOTICE

 Due to the return to in-building work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, this blog will have one longer post per day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting Wednesday, March 3rd.

How effective are Covid 19 vaccines?

Can Covid vaccines prevention the spread of the virus and lead to herd immunity?

More and more people are being vaccinated across the globe to prevent them from getting Covid 19. But will vaccination also prevent people from spreading the virus? This is the great question that remains to be answered by science regarding the terrible pandemic we have been living through since last spring. 

When enough people are immune to a virus because they have already had it or because they are vaccinated, the virus cannot move from person to person anymore. This is called herd immunity. Herd immunity is the ideal stage for a group of people to be in, since the virus can no longer infect around 80% of the population. So can the current vaccines; Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines prevent the spread of the virus? Can these vaccines and the others that are being developed in China and Russia stop the spread and create herd immunity? According to the limited research doen so far, the answer is basically yes. Studies have shown the following:

Research covering the entire Scottish population of 5.4 million – with one-fifth inoculated with the Pfizer or Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs -- provides real-world validation that the vaccines prevent COVID symptoms and illness more than 90 percent of the time.

A study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine -- comparing two groups in Israel of nearly 600,000 people each, one vaccinated and the other not -- also reported reduced illness in line with clinical trials.

But unlike the research from Scotland, the Israeli findings also showed infections had sharply declined in the vaccinated group -- by 92 percent among those at least one week past the second of two doses. (COVID vaccines' effectiveness at preventing infection is key to a return to normalcy)

So the evidence seems to be that getting the vaccine can lead to herd immunity and most importantly, to a return to normal, pre-pandemic life!

Question: do you plan on getting the vaccine when it is available for your age group?

COVID vaccines' effectiveness at preventing infection is key to a return to normalcy)

Will he come back?

 Can Trump return to politics?

Donald Trump is down but not out. Despite losing the election in November of last year and despite two attempts at impeaching him, Trump has survived. Now he has moved to Florida from New York and is living in his resort at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. There he is planning his next moves. According to CNN, Trump has two main goals at present; avoiding any legal conviction and being reelected in 2024. Since Trump was not convicted in the impeachments, he can still legally run for office. Some democrats are trying other methods of getting him convicted for some crime in order to prevent him from running in any election again, but it is unlikely that they will succeed after so many previous attempts have failed.

Mar-a-Lago

In addition, Donald Trump is considered the 'kingmaker', which means the person who will determine the next republican candidate for 2024. Two people look likely at this time; Ron DeSantis of Florida and Kristi Noem of South Dakota. Both are very loyal to Trump and he will probably support one of them for the next election.

The Mar-a-Lago Club where Trump now lives

However many democrats and progressives believe that Donald Trump should never be allowed to run for political office again. After many unexpected events this last year, who knows what the future holds for Donald Trump and especially for us the American people.

Question: do you think Donald Trump should be allowed to run for another political office?

The GOP’s choice in 2024: Trump Ultra, Trump Lite or Trump Zero

Trump plots future -- and revenge -- from sunny Florida links