during – Page 4

Churchgoers aren’t able to lift every voice and sing during the pandemic – here’s why that matters

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, Religion, VIDEO REELS

Churchgoers aren’t able to lift every voice and sing during the pandemic – here’s why that matters

Because of COVID-19, churches no longer reverberate with song; hymnals are neatly stacked and projection screens blank. Even as church leaders plan for reopening, scientists warn that it might be too early to resume singing in groups. Though such restrictions are understandable, they rob congregations of an important aspect of their Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, Believers should be “filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” As a choral conductor, scholar in African American sacred music and teacher of sacred music and worship, I have studied the relationship between singing and worship for over three decades. Singing is critical to identity and faith. In some ...

During COVID-19 A Community Rallies to Change Prison Rules

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

During COVID-19 A Community Rallies to Change Prison Rules

Here at the Washington State Reformatory in Monroe, four living units—each housing roughly 200 prisoners—share one recreation yard. And around this time of year, I could watch as teams gathered almost daily to compete on the soccer field or practice around the baseball diamond, as countless residents strolled the quarter-mile track, which surrounds both. Outside the track, some played horseshoes, bocce, handball, basketball, and used the array of pullup and dip bars, while others sat at cement tables slapping cards and banging dominoes. Needless to say, our yard isn’t small. All this changed in early April, after news that the first cases of COVID-19 inside a state prison had been confirmed at Monroe Correctional Complex, where the reformatory is. Courageous fellow residents, refusing to...

Finding Racial Healing During the Pandemic

13May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Finding Racial Healing During the Pandemic

As a kid growing up in White America, learning to embrace my Asianness has often felt like rebellion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it feels more political than ever. Added anxiety over the rise in anti-Asian violence has shaken my community’s sense of security. I’ve heard and seen plenty of advice on how to stay physically safe—most of which prescribes assimilation and exceptionalism, which has proven ineffective for BIPOC throughout history. Rather than performing useless acts that take us further away from ourselves, I recommend practicing a form of radical acceptance. We can and should call out racism, defend ourselves, and work towards policy change to improve racial justice. But with radical acceptance, we let go of the idea that it’s our job to prove our worth as humans; to change...

What policing during the pandemic can tell us about crime rates and arrests

15Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, IN OTHER NEWS

What policing during the pandemic can tell us about crime rates and arrests

Social distancing orders in place across the U.S. have added to the long list of low-level offenses that police are charged with enforcing as a routine part of their job. There are about 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, with close to 800,000 police officers. To date most appear to be exercising judgment and restraint in taking action against those occupying public spaces during the current pandemic. But then, of course, there are the exceptions. I was a Boston police officer for 27 years before becoming an academic. My career on the force began with the large-scale unrest that accompanied Boston’s school desegregation and busing crisis of the 1970s and ended with the massive redeployment of police resources for the city’s hosting of the 2004 Democratic National Conve...

5 ways parents can motivate children at home during the pandemic – without nagging or tantrums

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIETY

5 ways parents can motivate children at home during the pandemic – without nagging or tantrums

Parents have always helped with homework and made sure their children fulfill responsibilities like chores, but the extended and often unstructured time families are spending together during the current crisis creates new challenges. After a disaster like a hurricane or fire, establishing structure is important to keep consistency and maintain a sense of control for both parents and children. This includes creating a schedule and communicating clear expectations and guidelines on things such as screen time. But how do parents get children to follow the schedule and fulfill responsibilities without nagging and in a way that prevents blowups and tantrums? Wendy Grolnick, a psychologist and parenting expert who has worked with parents in disaster situations, has studied how parents can hel...

How high will unemployment go? During the Great Depression, 1 in 4 Americans were out of work

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism, WORK

How high will unemployment go? During the Great Depression, 1 in 4 Americans were out of work

The U.S. unemployment rate climbed from a half-century low of 3.5% to 4.4% in March – and is expected to go a lot higher. But could the rate, as some predict, surpass the 25% joblessness the U.S. experienced at the peak of the Great Depression? CC BY-ND As a macroeconomist who has tracked the labor force for decades, I’ve been wondering about this myself. There are actually two figures the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to estimate employment levels in the U.S. One is the unemployment rate, which comes from the Current Population Survey. The U.S. Census Bureau contacts about 60,000 randomly selected households every month to get an estimate of this rate. The other is an estimate of how many nonfarm jobs were lost or created in the month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics creates these fi...

How SNAP can help people during hard economic times like these

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS, Journalism

How SNAP can help people during hard economic times like these

A record number of Americans are seeing their hours cut or losing their jobs due to the initial economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. How will millions of newly jobless families keep putting food on the table? They might get some help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The nation’s largest anti-hunger system helped about 35 million low-income people buy groceries in 2019, down from a peak of over 47 million in 2013 in the aftermath of the Great Recession. After repeatedly trying to scale back SNAP the White House recently agreed to Congress’s efforts to ramp it back up. The Families First Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law on March 18, included an additional US$1 billion in funding for other nutrition programs and will let more people enroll ...

Buyer beware: Counterfeit markets can flourish during a public health crisis

27Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Buyer beware: Counterfeit markets can flourish during a public health crisis

Rapid acceleration of coronavirus-related infections and fatalities in countries like Italy, Spain and the United States has led to widespread bans on communal activities, global restrictions on travel and an increasing reliance on virtual interactions. The push to keep people indoors has lead to a substantial increase in e-commerce and internet-based activities, including video streaming, grocery shopping, food delivery and education. People are becoming increasingly reliant upon these services to provide life’s basic necessities – and counterfeiters are primed to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Counterfeiters have long preyed upon consumer vulnerability in order to make a quick profit. The current coronavirus crisis will likely be no different. However, what is unique about ...

Cuba shows his other side during a dreamy love sequence.

25Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CELEBRITIES

Cuba shows his other side during a dreamy love sequence.

The captivating Cuba Gooding Jr. started his showbiz career break-dancing for Lionel Richie. He was born January 2. 1968 in The Bronx. His father, Cuba Gooding Sr., was the lead vocalist in the R&B group The Main Ingredient. That makes sense, because if we were having a sausage-fest, we’d definitely want Cuba to provide the main ingredient! Cuba’s acting career began with bit parts on 80s More...

He was suspected of outing drug dealers on Facebook. Someone came for him during a livestream

9Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

He was suspected of outing drug dealers on Facebook. Someone came for him during a livestream

Prentis Robinson rarely went a day without using Facebook Live - his go-to way of broadcasting his music and his musings. He was on Facebook Live Monday, recording himself with a selfie stick, wearing the straw cowboy hat he often wore in videos. He talked about how his phone was stolen as he walked around his town of Wingate, North Carolina, 30 miles southeast of Charlotte. He stopped by the Wingate Police Department to check in with Chief Donnie Gay. “Bring his phone back so he can get on with his way today,” Gay told Robinson’s camera, according to video, part of which was posted by The Charlotte Observer. Robinson left and kept walking. Moments later, the camera captured and broadcast Robinson’s death. It happened about five and a half minutes into the video, when Robinson was app...