Daily Archives: August 16, 2021

Even in the compressed historical arc of the pandemic, July 1st wasnt so long ago. The mood that morning, when President Bidens COVID-response cordinator, Jeff Zients, opened the White Houses weekly pandemic briefing, was unusually optimistic. Going into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, he said, Americans have good reason to celebrate. Zients, a wealthy businessman in his mid-fifties, had built a reputation within the Democratic Party for fixing impossible operational problems. At the dais in the White House briefing room, he spoke slowly and exactly, keeping his body still, so that he seemed something close to an embodied talking point. Deaths from the pandemic were down more than ninety per cent since January, he went on, and the countrys progress had exceeded expectations. This weekend, millions of Americans will be able to get togetherback together, not just with their families and close friends for small backyard cookouts, but with their community for larger festivals, parades, and fireworks, celebrating our countrys July Fourth Independence Day and the progress we have made against the virus together.

In retrospect, that optimism seems almost lurid. Even at the time, it raised eyebrows. When Zients appeared on Face the Nation three days later, Ed OKeefe opened the interview by citing the Delta variant and asking, Should we really be declaring independence right now from the pandemic? Whatever the right answer to that question waswhatever the White House should have been doingZients hadnt gone off the reservation. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had liberalized its guidance on face masks, making clear that vaccinated people should feel free to go maskless indoors. On June 2nd, President Biden had promised Americans a summer of freedom and urged them toward a month of action to meet his goal of having seventy per cent or more of adults at least partly vaccinated by the Fourth of July. After Independence Day, Biden delivered an address in which he praised the country for having nearly hit that target. This is one of the greatest achievements in American history, and you, the American people, made it happen, Biden said. We are emerging from one of the darkest years in our nations history into a summer of hope and joy. The President, perhaps self-consciously, added, Hopefully.

In the liberal drama of the pandemic, the figures in the White House briefing room on July 1st were the good guys. Zients would turn the microphone over to Rochelle Walensky, a pioneering infectious-disease doctor whom the President had hired out of Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital to run his C.D.C.; she emphasized the progress that had been made, even as she noted the remaining pockets of unvaccinated people who would be vulnerable to the Delta variant. Next up was Anthony Fauci, the longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whom Biden had elevated to the job of White House chief medical adviser. Faucis presentation was different in tone, if not substance, from Zientss. Next slide, he kept saying, to an aide, who would click to a new graph of data demonstrating that the existing vaccines were working well at preventing serious illnesses. As a matter of scientific process, the Biden Administration had clearly delivered on its campaign promises to restore integrity to the fight against the pandemic: the experts were at the lectern, carefully explaining vetted scientific data to the public.

Less than two weeks after Zients encouraged Americans to gather for larger festivals, a cluster of more than a thousand COVID-19 cases, including many among vaccinated people, were reported during Bear Week, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when rain and bad weather had forced celebrations indoors. The event sounded the alarm about breakthrough infections and eventually helped push the C.D.C. to reverse its guidance on masking. From the mature vantage point of August, as the national average of daily cases surpassed the peak from the previous summer, before there was a vaccine, it is easy to think that staging such a gathering was profoundly unwise. The suggestion in the early summer that freedom was here, even as the Delta variant began to crest, now seems at best premature and at worst damaging to public trust. Very simply: As a matter of public health messaging, did the Administration blow it?

In the first year of the pandemic, a simple line of scrimmage was drawn. Democrats generally believed that the Trump Administration was handling COVID-19 with a disastrous laxity and an open hostility to science, and that far stricter measures were needed to stop the viruss spread. Republicans argued that such measures were too harsh and would be poison to the nations economysome conservative commentators even argued that deaths from COVID were a risk the country should be prepared to absorb to keep the economy strong. The focal point of these arguments was often Fauci himself. To Republicans, he embodied the myopic point of view, as the free-market health-policy expert Avik Roy put it to me, that anything that permits further transmission is not worth it. For Democrats, he was a beacon of scientific policymaking in a Trump Administration characterized by its indifference to the truth. Everything that made liberals admire Faucihis formality and age, the universal support he seemed to enjoy from scientists, his meticulousness (next slide)made conservatives roll their eyes. That pattern still holds: Mike Schneider, who tracks online political spending for the Democratic consultancy Bully Pulpit Interactive, told me this week that conservative groups spent five hundred thousand dollars between April and July on ads denouncing Fauci and calling for his removal.

But the Biden Administrations response to the Delta variant this summer has in some ways inverted the pandemic debate; instead of being attacked for doing too much, the White House has, this month, come under pressure for doing too little. On August 4th, Zeynep Tufekci, who studies the social impact of technologies at the University of North Carolina and who has become a prominent voice on pandemic policy, published an Op-Ed in the Times under the headline The C.D.C. Needs to Stop Confusing the Public. The evidence from overseas, she wrote, clearly suggested that the Delta variant posed a great threat to Americans, but the C.D.C., in May, stopped tracking breakthrough infections among the vaccinated unless they were hospitalized or worse, abandoning a good surveillance tool at a crucial moment. She also identified a pattern of confusing messaging from the White House. At the end of July, for example, Walensky insisted that masking was an individual choice for the vaccinated, just days before announcing that the Delta variant made it advisable for even the vaccinated to mask again. Throughout June and July, Tufekci wrote, I felt the same out-of-body experience I had in February 2020, when Covid-19 devastated Wuhan and Milan while Americans acted as if it would somehow miss them.

That same day, Donald G. McNeil, Jr., who had been the Times lead public-health reporter during the first year of the pandemic, published an essay with the title What Is Biden Waiting For? He excoriated the Administration for not moving more urgently to establish vaccine mandates and passports, and developing plans for booster shots should vaccine protections wane. Why is this administration so hesitant about saving American lives? McNeil wrote. We are running out of time.

Neither McNeil nor Tufekci is a medical doctor, and both are outsiders to the Administration. Cline Gounder, an infectious-disease specialist and epidemiologist at Bellevue Hospital, was a member of the Biden transition teams COVID-19 advisory board and co-hosted a pandemic podcast with the White House chief of staff, Ron Klain. She is less sweeping in her assessment of the Administrations public-health messaging. Honestly, I think its an impossible job, Gounder told me. But she also disagreed with some of the Administrations recent decisions. I think the C.D.C. did make a mistake pulling back on masks in May, Gounder said, emphasizing that there had been no passport or verification system to insure that people walking maskless into crowded indoor settings actually were vaccinated. The public, she went on, should not have been so surprised by the remergence of the virus last month; for all Bidens talk about a summer of freedom, the nature of a respiratory virus is to come in waves. Gounder said, This is something that we should have started preparing people for a year ago: that things are going to change, that they are going to change a lot over time, and that we are in essence in an evolutionary race with the virus.

The criticisms of the Biden Administrations handling of the pandemic echo, in some unexpected ways, the criticism of Trumps, especially in how much both Administrations counted on the vaccine. We put all of our eggs in the vaccine basket to the extent that we did almost nothing until the vaccine arrived, Michael Mina, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, told me, recalling 2020. That the vaccine was developed so quickly, and was so effective, made it seem almost magicalthe kind of gift that you might reasonably hope for from the most technologically advanced society in human history.

That focus on the vaccine has also defined this years pandemic response. We got so focussed on seventy per cent, Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, at the University of Minnesota, and another member of the Biden transition teams COVID-19 advisory board, told me. That number, he said, was always an administrative goal rather than a medical one. Show me any data that says seventy-per-cent vaccination in any country stops transmission. You cant. Theres no data. Then, too, there were scientific uncertainties about whether the vaccines protection would decay over time. And, even if it didnt, seventy per cent partial vaccination, Osterholm said, meant we have more than enough human wood for the coronavirus forest fires.

Even before Biden took office, public-health experts and pollsters understood that the vaccination campaign might struggle to reach members of two groups: people hesitant to take the vaccine, often because they were worried about how it might interact with prexisting health conditions or disrupt other aspects of their lives, and outright refusers. Many of the criticisms I heard this week centered on whether the Biden Administration had sufficiently prepared for a situation in which the vaccination campaign had been successful enough to limit much of the countrys mortality risk but not so successful that it snuffed out the virus: Tufekci emphasized the lack of surveillance of the disease, McNeil the decision not to mandate vaccines, Gounder the problem of verification, Mina the possibility that vaccines would grow less effective over time, and Osterholm the numerical insufficiency of a vaccine program, however technically impressive, that left tens of millions unvaccinated. Mina said, What does it mean to have an entire global economy thats really just depending on this spike-protein-based vaccine? That, I think, is very shortsighted. He added, There should have been a real emphasis in Trumps Administration and Bidens to figure out the other pieces.

Developing a vaccine relies on only a few very technically adept people rather than a pattern of broad coperation. In 2020, the message from the White House was often that the public should go about its business and let the scientists take care of the pandemic. In 2021, the message has been that the nation would have recovered fully if only the unvaccinated would do their part. Mina said, Its a public-health disaster, and you cannot beat a public-health disaster if you do not fully engage the public and get their trust, versus just telling everybody, You have to get vaccinated, and if you dont get vaccinated you are the problem. No. The virus is the problem.

Bidens election was billed as the most important step to restablish a scientific approach to the pandemic, and in many ways it has been. As McNeil, who covered the pandemic under the Trump Administration, reminded me by e-mail, The public health messaging of 2021 is a LOT better than that of 2020. Lets not forget that the official messaging we got included It will all be over by Easter, Herd immunity is just around the corner, The cure may be worse than the disease, More people are dying because of the lockdowns than from the virus, Hydroxychloroquine will cure this, Convalescent plasma will cure this, and Im a very stable genius. But removing a specific, truculent politician from the pandemic response didnt rid it of politics. Instead, it left the experts in the position of trying to manage a politically divided country in which the virus was evolving and many millions of people simply refused to be vaccinated. It has turned the scientists into politicians themselves.

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What Happened to Joe Biden's Summer of Freedom from the Pandemic? - The New Yorker

CINCINNATI While some businesses had trouble during the pandemic, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) saw it as a chance to bolster resources and present their material to a larger audience.

"We were getting a lot of inquiries about resources from parents, and educators, especially how it relates to social studies, how it relates to the history and the legacy of the Underground Railroad," Chris Miller, the senior director of education and community engagement for the NURFC, said.

Miller said there have always been online learning resources available, but the pandemic really made it important to update and expand these resources.

"We had to really take, raise that up to be for the education team, our number one priority, actually, in seeing that there was a need for this learning to take place," he said.

Lesson plans were beefed up and online material was made more engaging, and this helped expand the reach of the NURFC.

"We are the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and so not only are we a resource for the Greater Cincinnati area, we are a resource for the nation," Miller said. "Increasing our digital presence allows us to live up to that platform."

People from all over the US, as well as Canada, have used the NURFC's online resources since the pandemic started. And with a greater push for racial equity over the past year, Miller thinks the NURFC can help educate people.

"If we're not able to live with one another, to respect one another, all the technology, all the advancements, we make technological advancements, it will mean nothing," Miller said. "It will render into nothing if we don't learn how to treat each other with respect and with greater humanity."

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Making It Work: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center - WCPO

Hi there. Sunday night games remain trash, but at least I didnt spend like an hour going in a circle around the parking lot south of Audi Field I guess?

Recaps of D.C. Uniteds 5-2 loss to Nashville SC by us, WaPo, and MLS. Club and Country USA with the other sides take.

Recaps of the Washington Spirits 2-2 draw with the Houston Dash by us and WaPo and Equalizer Soccer.

Meanwhile, at the Spirit game, the NWSL Commissioner tweeting a selfie that includes Spirit owner Michelle Kang has to be noteworthy:

Recap: Loudoun gives up late goal in 1-0 loss (us): Played better, but a bad couple of bounces did it.

Meanwhile, congrats to Jeremy Garay, who will be with El Salvador against Costa Rica:

Rodney Wallace will retire a Timber (Stumptown Footy): Nice thing for the former D.C. United/Maryland Terrapin player.

Speaking of former D.C. United players, a Titi Rodriguez sighting!

Finally, Season 3 of FXs What We Do in the Shadows starts in a couple of weeks, and the trailer looks predictably fun:

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D.C. soccer recaps, Rodney Wallace retires & more: Freedom Kicks for 8/16/21 - Black And Red United

All Events

Vajra Master: H.H. Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche The Natural Freedom of the Nature of Mind DateAugust 20 (Fri) ~ 26 (Thu), 2021 Time6:00 ~ 8:00 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) Venue: Online via Zoom English Translator: Andrzej Rybszleger Eligibility: Those who have received the supreme Tantric empowerment Organizer: Yeshe Khorlo Ningmapa Buddhist Center Tuition Fee for seven daysIn view of the socio-economic impact brought on by the pandemic, please select the fee that you would be able to contribute based on your respective abilities (this fee includes offering to Rinpoche and translators) 1$110 for general students 2$55 for Monks/Nuns/those who needhttps://forms.gle/hR5fKKG571oBxX7G6 financial assistance H.H. Gangteng Tulku Rinpochetaughtthe Dzogchen teachings on Finding Rest in Illusion in his previous teaching. Rinpoche will now be teaching on the Trilogy of Nature Freedom, which is a trilogy of Dzogchen texts by Longchenpa, consisting of The Natural Freedom of the Nature of Mind, The Natural Freedom of Reality and The Natural Freedom of Equality. Rinpoche will start with the text The Natural Freedom of the Nature of Mind. In the current tumultuous times, Rinpoche has continued to organize various practices in Bhutan for all to accumulate good merits, remove obstacles and expound the Dharma to guide us on the correct path. Hence, all participants should listen to the teachings with the motivation and purpose to benefit all sentient beings. Registration Closing date Aug 18, 2021 Wed)

Daily Events:

TheHaidakhandi Universal Ashram is gradually opening. You can email us atinfo@babajiashram.org or call 719-256-4108. Thank you.

Morning meditation practice is postponed until further notice at Vajra Vidya Retreat Center. You may call 719-256-5539 for updates once the gathering together ban is lifted.

Weekly Events:

Sunday:

Energy Fair Volunteer meeting noon-5pm, potluck & networking 5-8pm, Town Hall Park, crestoneenergyfair@gmail.com

AA, 7pm. Currently only video conference meetings.Call Cheryl 303-667-9459 or John 719-429-8450 for info.

Monday:

Al-Anon, 1pm. Currently only video conference meetings. Call 970-218-6099 or 719-298-9133 for info.

Tuesday:

Continuing Ashtanga Yoga, Mysore Style Shakti Sharanam, 5-6:45pm by donation, shaktisharanam.com, 256-5668

NA, Currently only video conference meetings. Call970-309-0710 for info.

Wednesday:

Yoga Fundamentals & Refinements, Shakti Sharanam, 8:30-10am by donation, shaktisharanam.com, 256-5668

Food Distribution, Crestone Food Bank, next to Crestone Mercantile, 10am-noon

Community gatherings, Baca Park 5-8pm,email crestoneenergyexchange@gmail.com for more information

Thursday:

C/BG Indivisible Group meeting, Mystic Rose Caf patio, 11:30am

AA, noon. Currently only video conference meetings.Call Cheryl 303-667-9459 or John 719-429-8450 for info

Baca Library open, noon-6pm, 719-256-4100, http://nscld.colibraries.org

Continuing Ashtanga Yoga, Mysore Style Shakti Sharanam, 5pm-6:45pm, by donation, shaktisharanam.com, 256-5668

Peace Patrol meeting, Cloud Station Caf, 5pm, 719-315-4117

Saturday:

NA, 9am. Currently only video conference meetings. Call970-309-0710 for info.

Weekly teaching on Uddhava Gita with Sajohn Daverly. Savitri House dome, 83 Baca Grant Way, 719-937-7665, 10am-noon

Downtown Saturday Market, Little Pearl Park, Crestone

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Dzochen Trilogy of Natural Freedom of the Nature of Mind - Crestone Eagle

A man screaming in the face of an elderly woman who said he wanted to be fined for refusing to wear a mask was filmed on a New York City subway train.

In a video posted on Twitter early Monday morning, you can see an unidentified man standing on top of a woman with a smile.

Im very afraid, the man ironically replies.

Keep away from me, says the woman. Before her harassment begins chanting 1776 with her fist raised in the air.

Photographed after a man harassing an elderly woman on the New York City Subway was told he wanted to be fined for not wearing the MTAs mandatory mask.

The man ironically tells her how afraid of the womans threat in a small voice

After that, he starts chanting 1776 repeatedly while raising his fist in the air.

The woman tells bystanders on the train that the man was looking down on her, and he answers: I respect freedom.

The video ends with a man shining towards the camera

Then the woman stands up and points to him, saying, Respect your elders, he tells her to sit down, and says, I respect your freedom.

The woman then repeats her claim to bystanders that strangers look down on her.

Do you know what I respect? I respect freedom. What do you respect? He asks, paying attention to the man filming the encounter. .. He then approached the pair.

What do you respect? Sit down, sit down, sit down f ***.

The video ends with a man shining into the camera.

User @Subway_DJ, who first posted the video on Twitter, said the incident occurred on the Q Train on Manhattans Upper East Side.

MTA requires riders to still wear face masks as cities have seen an increase in coronavirus infections in recent weeks

He said no one intervened despite the mans actions.

This encounter is because the Metropolitan Transportation Authority requires riders to wear masks at indoor stations and platforms on trains, buses and trams.

Riders who refuse to wear the mask will be fined $ 50. New York has lifted mask obligations everywhere else that bans healthcare settings, but private businesses can still choose to ask their customers to wear masks on their premises.

Many social media responded to the apparent hypocrisy of men, proclaiming their love for freedom and at the same time downplaying the love of women.

According to the city bureau, the incident also resulted from a variant of the Indian Delta causing coronavirus infections nationwide and also in New York City. Of health.

Much of social media has called for mens apparent hypocrisy by telling riders that they respect freedom while appearing to ignore womens autonomy.

A man who respects freedom and gives orders like authority, wrote a Twitter user.

Some said that no one seemed to take any action on the train during the encounter.

strange. Its like he doesnt know what freedom really means.

He said he respects freedom shes not the only one, a user wrote on Instagram. The video of the encounter was also shared there and was watched more than 730,000 times.

I cant wait for his apology video, another person joked.

However, some pointed out that no one seemed to be taking action on the train during the encounter.

And no one did anything, Instagram users replied.

Some social media users claim to have identified a man. The DailyMail.com tried to contact him for comment.

NYC subway anti-masker shoots a roaring I respect freedom in the face of an elderly woman

Source link NYC subway anti-masker shoots a roaring I respect freedom in the face of an elderly woman

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NYC subway "anti-masker" shoots a roaring "I respect freedom" in the face of an elderly woman - Texasnewstoday.com

Rally fronting the Maui District office of the state Department of Education on Main Street, in Wailuku. (8.13.21) PC: Gerry Comito via Bruce Douglas

For the second time this week, hundreds of people gathered for a demonstration in Wailuku advocating for medical freedoms amid vaccination mandates. An estimated 500 people attended Mondays demonstration, and participants in todays event say that number was even higher today. One participant placed attendance at 750 over the course of todays 2.5 hour event.

This time, participants say they demanded a reversal of the mandates for participation in high school sports.On Wednesday, Aug. 4, the state Department of Education announcedall student-athletes, athletic staff and volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 24, 2021, to participate in school-sanctioned athletic activities for the 2021-22 school year.

The message relayed by demonstrators today remained consistent with previous demonstrations, with participants waving signs that read: My health, my choice, Free the children, Protect and serve, not inject and serve, Anti-vax 2 da max, and Our keiki, our choice.

Maui police tell us there were no arrests or citations issued today at this mornings demonstration, and a department spokesperson said there were no issues as well.

For those asserting the right to gather, Governor David Ige continued to encourage physical distancing saying, The CDC guidelines make it clear that wearing masks and physical distancing are two of the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19.

If I could talk with the organizers of the protest, I would certainly encourage them to ensure that they maintain physical distance, that they wear their masks, even though they are outdoors, because they are gathering in the numbers that they are. I certainly would encourage them to wear their masks, Gov. Ige said during a press briefing on Fridaythat was focused on the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Hawaii amid a rise in the Delta variant.

When asked if a spike in cases is anticipated as a result of the demonstrations, Sandy Baz, Managing Director for the County of Maui today said:

Anytime theres large get-togethers, theres an opportunity for spread. The demonstrations were large groups of people that were unmasked. Many of them self-notified that they havent been vaccinated. So, there is a possibility of an increased amount of cases because of those demonstrations.

The demonstration comes as the state Department of Health reported an additional *1,167 COVID-19 cases on Friday, including 115 in Maui County, with state health officials calling the situation a crisis. In Maui County, there is an average of 57 new cases with a 6.5% test positivity rate over 14 days.

Maui Health officials say today, health care workers are caring for 30 COVID-19 positive patients in Maui County, with four in intensive care and three on a ventilator. All but one of these patients is unvaccinated. The hospital also announced that in collaboration with the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, it will be welcoming several rapid response nurses and respiratory therapists to assist in caring for COVID-19 patients.

County officials say they are also meeting with the National Guard on a regular basis and the state Department of Health has requested that they be used to increase capacity in contact tracing.

Meantime, schools and complex areas across the state also reported a total of 325 confirmed cases in Hawaii public schools between Aug. 7 and 13, the first full week of learning at most campuses. Excluding cases where the infected individual was neither on campus this week nor whose case required any disinfection of HIDOE facilities, there were 50 student cases 35 at elementary schools and 15 at secondary schools and 20 staff cases. On Maui, there were 39 cases reported over the same period.

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Maui Demonstration Seeking Medical Freedom Attracts Hundreds for 2nd Time This Week - Maui Now

TORONTO Ted Freeman-Atwood, 90, rolled out of his tall brick nursing home in his wheelchair, wearing a blue tweed jacket with a white handkerchief peaking from its breast pocket. This is the farthest Ive traveled since last year, he told the manager of his favorite restaurant two blocks away, who greeted him by name.

It was a beautiful day in June. The sky clear, the sun generous and Torontos streets alive. After eight months of near-constant, government-enforced closures, small storefronts flung open their doors to customers and restaurant patrons spilled out from sidewalk patios onto the road.

It was Mr. Freeman-Atwoods first real outing since August 2020; his second since the coronavirus pandemic began.

He ordered a glass of pinot grigio, explaining how he hadnt tasted that pleasure in almost a year because the joint I live in doesnt want drunk old men pawing girls after 5 p.m.

Toronto the city labeled the lockdown capital of North America by the national federation of small businesses was giddy with liberty and freedoms that many had considered chores back in February 2020.

Since December, gatherings in the city even outdoors had been banned, filling the city with a sense of loneliness. No one felt this more acutely than residents of Torontos nursing homes. Ground zero for the pandemics cruel ravages, they account for 59 percent of the countrys Covid-19 deaths. As a result, they also became the most fortified. Locked down since last March, most facilities refused all visitors for months.

For all but five weeks between March 2020 and June 2021, care home residents in Toronto were not permitted to leave their buildings for nonmedical reasons, not even a stroll. Many compared themselves to caged animals or prisoners. The lucky ones lived in residences with attached courtyards, where they could at least feel the sun on their faces.

Mr. Freeman-Atwood was not among the lucky ones.

Im bored to tears, he said in January, two weeks after hed received his first dose of the Moderna vaccine. I do virtually nothing. Today, nothing awful happened, nothing half-awful happened, nothing brilliant happened, nothing half-brilliant happened.

He added, Im in my room all day.

The child of a British army general and a mother from Newfoundland, Mr. Freeman-Atwood had lived a large, roaming life. He traveled around the world as a child and spent most of his adulthood in Rio de Janeiro, where he eventually became president of Brascan, a large Canadian firm that owned the biggest hydroelectric utility in the Southern Hemisphere, until he negotiated its sale to the Brazilian government.

In 2012, Mr. Freeman-Atwood moved into the Nisbet Lodge, a Christian nonprofit long-term care home in Torontos busy Greektown neighborhood. Hed suffered five aneurysms in 10 years, and had one leg removed because of bad circulation. After gangrene eventually set into the remaining leg, the doctors amputated that one, too.

His second wife had died from cancer, and hed stubbornly refused an offer from his only child, Samantha, to take him in.

Im too much of a bloody nuisance, he explained. Im in a wheelchair. I cant get up or downstairs. Why should I inflict that on her?

Before the pandemic, Mr. Freeman-Atwood regularly met Samantha, his son-in-law and two grandsons for lunch at nearby restaurants; he visited the bank and local cheese shop; and once a week, he wheeled his way to the liquor store for some wine, which he would smuggle back to his room.

Then, in March 2020, he lost what was left of his relatively independent lifestyle. He survived an outbreak in the home, during which 35 staff members and 53 residents tested positive. Four residents died. Mr. Freeman-Atwood tested positive, but experienced no symptoms.

He could no longer see his daughter, who found the trips to the building to drop off cookies and supplies for him heartbreaking.

On regular phone calls throughout the winter and spring, Mr. Freeman-Atwoods only complaint was boredom. Sometimes, the sound of his neighbor moaning in pain echoed hauntingly in the background.

I know it could be a hell of a lot worse, he said. Id love to go out. What if I picked it up and then came back?

During the pandemic, Canadian geriatricians sounded an alarm about confinement syndrome. Residents in nursing homes were losing weight, as well as cognitive and physical abilities because of social isolation concerning given that even in nonpandemic times most residents die within two years of arriving at a care home.

Mr. Freeman-Atwood tried to stay busy. He had three newspapers delivered on Saturdays, tabulated the tax returns for four people in the spring and completed 300 exercise repetitions each morning before getting out of bed.

A big day for him was a rare trip to the buildings dining room on the top floor, where he could speak to one young waitress in German, a language he had perfected in 1956 in Austria, when he worked doing the accounts of an aid group tending to Hungarian refugees.

He met his first wife, who was also working with refugees, in Vienna. We were young enough to think we were doing good, he said.

As the pandemic dragged on, Mr. Freeman-Atwood also revealed some vulnerable moments.

In late March, he was presiding over a second-floor meeting of the residents council, which he has led since moving in. Outside, the city was in early bloom, the forsythia bushes glowing an electric yellow of promise. In an instant, the sun spilled through the windows.

It was drawing us out, calling, Come out, come out, come out and play, said Mr. Freeman-Atwood. Youve had your two Moderna jabs, why cant you come out? The answer is, No, the rest of the world hasnt. And when will that be, nobody knows.

Canadas nursing homes were the first places to receive the countrys vaccines and by February, every resident of these homes in Ontario had been offered a first dose. Still, the restrictions did not change.

Government officials were so burned by poor performance, the last thing they wanted is to be that minister who allows more bad things to happen, said Dr. Samir Sinha, the director of geriatrics at Sinai Health System and University Health Network in Toronto. He was among those lobbying the government this past spring to relax its restrictions.

At this point, he said, the risks of loneliness and social isolation are far greater than dying from Covid in these homes.

Though the Delta variant has reached Ontario in recent months, it has not caused the damage or shutdowns as seen in other parts of the world, in part because of the high rate of vaccinations. Eighty-two percent of the provinces eligible population has received at least one vaccine dose, as of Aug. 11.

When Mr. Freeman-Atwood finally emerged in June, it wasnt to go on a grand voyage. His dream outing was much simpler. He rolled into a dollar store a block from his building to peruse the cheap watches, since his had broken. Do you remember me? he asked the man behind the counter. He was like a shipwreck survivor, giddy from the joys of basic social interaction.

This is my first time outside in a year, he exclaimed.

The restaurant patio bubbled with noises, like an awakening orchestra. The music from speakers threaded with boisterous conversation. A toddler at a neighboring table screamed; her parents explained this was her first time at a patio.

Meals were savored, checks slow to arrive. Mr. Freeman-Atwood ordered two more glasses of wine.

This is more fun than Ive had in a year, he said.

On the way back to his building, he pushed past storefronts that hadnt survived the pandemic; For Sale signs posted in their dusty windows. The sky was turning a bruising purple; storm clouds were gathering.

Mr. Freeman-Atwood said he didnt know how long these freedoms would last, or whether wed pay for them. But he was already planning another outing.

Vjosa Isai contributed research.

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For Toronto Care Home Residents, Freedom After Nearly a Year in Lockdown - The New York Times

Two salient features stand out in the history of the freedom struggle in Mysuru (then Mysore), comprising the regions from the erstwhile princely state.

One is the regions delayed entry into the mainstream freedom struggle, attributed to the cushioning provided by the benevolent rule of the later Wadiyars to help absorb much of the shock of the British despotism. Secondly, though the freedom struggle officially came to an end with India achieving Independence on August 15, 1947, the movement continued for a few more months.

The nationalistic and patriotic fervour that culminated in India attaining freedom from the British 75 years ago had a different tone and tenor in the princely state of Mysore, comprising vast swathes of the south Karnataka region in present times, according to N.S. Rangaraju, convener of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. He said mass movements, the kind of which were witnessed in other parts of the country, were conspicuous by their absence in Mysore for a long time as people also had deference to the maharajas for their socio-economic measures.

The rapid expansion of the railways, the establishment of the Representative Assembly in 1881 to discuss public issues, the introduction of Mysore Civil Services Examination, also in 1881, the ban on marriage of girls below the age of eight in 1894, free education for girls, the founding of the cooperative movement in 1905, the founding of the University of Mysore, the introduction of reservation in jobs for backward class groups in 1919, besides rapid industrialisation and expansion of agriculture, were some of the measures initiated by the rulers that helped minimise the pinch of foreign rule, according to the Mysore Gazetteer.

However, the larger demand for independence and an undercurrent of nationalism began to permeate with broadening political activity of the Congress after the Nagpur Congress in 1920 and Belgaum Congress convention in 1924. The influence of Mahatma Gandhi was a catalyst to stir the nationalistic pride, and Tagadur Ramachandra Rao was one of the great nationalists who emerged on the scene in the region during this period, said Prof. Rangaraju. Inspired by Gandhi, he made a bonfire of his own cart selling foreign goods and plunged into social reforms, he added. Rao launched a movement to emancipate the Dalits, braving all odds in rural Mysore, with temple entry movement etc., and his struggle was recognised by national-level leaders. All of this stoked the broader nationalistic sentiment.

The visit of Mahatma Gandhi to Mysore in 1927 and 1934 helped galavanise the public and prepared the ground for mass movements. The seeds of nationalism nurtured through social reforms and political activity bore fruit when the Quit India Movement was launched in 1942 and saw students participate in large numbers.

But even as India gained Independence on August 15, 1947, agitations continued in the princely state of Mysore. This was because the people rallied behind the Congress to end monarchy and participated in Mysore Chalo, demanding a democratically elected government. The agitation culminated in a large rally on September 4, 1947, in which hundreds courted arrest. At least three, including Ramaswamy, a student of Hardwicke High School, died in police firing. The last maharaja, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, conceded to the demands of the agitators and K.C. Reddy became the States Chief Minister on October 25, 1947, bringing to a close the last chapter in the freedom movement of Mysore, over two months after the national tricolour was unfurled at the Red Fort.

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For Mysore, it was a prolonged fight for freedom - The Hindu

Seeing the scale of the imposing barbed wire wall bordering Palestine, covered in personal messages and pleas, is something Ill never forget. As are the bullet holes in Beiruts buildings, and meeting the people camping out on Skid Row in Los Angeles, a few miles from some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

The industry may be under attack, but accessible, inexpensive travel has taught me more about the world than my East London school or British university ever did.

In my early 20s, struggling to get a job, I took a gamble and went looking for work in Asia, where the pace of business was staggering and countless opportunities presented themselves. Back then, anyone with enough money for a flight could do the same. I lived in three regions across the globe for a decade, knowing I was still connected to home if I needed to, I could hop on a plane and visit my family.

I learned alternative versions of history, about tolerance, acceptance, inequality, wars, class and poverty. In cramped sprawling cities, with the same population as half of England, I learned that access to nature is fundamental for mental health. I learned how people suffer and thrive behind the Bamboo Curtain. I experienced high-taxation societies that worked like well-oiled machines and those that didnt. I experienced un-liveable countries where being female with blonde hair was an unshakable invitation for harassment and abuse. I learned the true value of state healthcare, having been treated in both a roadside shack and an American emergency room where I gave up my credit card before explaining my ailment.

Ive seen the determination, grit and resilience of communities without unemployment benefits and free education. The communities that rely solely on tourism, and have been devastated by the pandemic. Ive seen environmental disasters, been sick after surfing in polluted waters, and visited villages wrecked by industrialisation. Ive shared countless stories that, without travel, wouldnt have been heard.

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report has cast a shadow over the travel industry. While its obvious cutting emissions is of critical importance, and I fully support doing so, the murmurings about legislating travel are deeply worrying. Weve just seen Australia enact laws as strict as North Korea on travel, due to fears over coronavirus. Australians now have to apply for permission to leave their own country. This draconian policy sets a dangerous precedent for worldwide movement.

Theres more at stake here than a cheap tan, we must think very carefully before we erode our freedom of movement, for the climate or otherwise.

One solution is to urgently invest in low and zero carbon aircraft technologies at the same speed as other green technologies, like the electric car industry. Higher aviation taxes have been mooted as a possible solution to cutting aviation emissions, but the only people who will suffer from higher fuel costs and other tariffs are the working classes those who could benefit from global opportunities the most. The privileged will simply pay more for their trips abroad reaping the benefits of access, opportunities and culture that travel provides.

Instead of flight shaming people into not travelling, we should be creating more sustainable, mind-broadening overseas alternatives. We shouldnt be closing ourselves off from the rest of the world, but engaging with those in need of climate support and helping the communities most reliant on travel. The antidote to an increasingly xenophobic Britain is more cultural exchange, more green travel, not less.

The effect of no travel will not just be felt abroad but at home too. The pandemic has urged me to stick to my zone-three London neighbourhood, but with more people vaccinated and the capitals big attractions back open, I recently took my son to a matinee in central London.

We travelled on an eerily empty tube during mid-morning to avoid rush hour and arrived in Piccadilly Circus. As any Londoner knows, this is tourist central. On a typical August day, the place would be buzzing with people snapping pictures of Regents Street, dozens of languages echoing through the air, people queuing for attractions and museums, and crowds of exchange students blocking the pavements. London welcomes diversity.

This area of the capital usually teams with life. But it was dead. Unnerving. Almost apocalyptic. After our half-full theatre show again, strange during the peak summer season with kids out of school and travellers normally in their droves we had lunch at an almost empty restaurant and began our journey home. There were two other passengers in our Tube carriage. London without tourists is a scary prospect, how are businesses going to survive?

Livelihoods are at stake, those living from paycheque to paycheque, or making nothing at all thanks to Covid, dont have the luxury of future planning. We need to stop attacking the industry and invest in green technologies now, because without travel we are all poorer.

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I learned more travelling than I did in school restricting the industry is a bad idea - The Independent

They are raring to vote, and to seize their Constitutional rights: to free speech, to education, to pursue their dreams, to marry a person of their choice. They are glad India has travelled so far, in girls rights, technology, economy; but worry over the divides hurting the countrys diversity, the rich-gap poor, the insecurity for women.

When India turns 75 next year, these 17-year-olds come of age, as voters, as citizens with questions and some very pointed answers. Here, they answer 1) What is freedom to them? 2) Which freedom do they value most? 3) Will they vote? 4) What do they want in a govt? 5) What makes them most proud of India, the least proud? Plus 6) How has India changed in 75 years?

Siddhanth SanthoshPort Blair, Andaman and NicobarIn Class 12; wants to become an automobile engineer

1. Freedom is not only physical freedom. Everybody should be free to live their lives as they want, and that should be acceptable to all.

2. Freedom of expression, to express ourselves as per our wish, with others tolerant of ones views, is what I value the most.

3. Obviously I want to vote, to be part of choosing a leader who truly represents our thoughts and aspirations.

4. From the Centre, I have no expectations. In the pandemic, we should allow them to do what needs to be done, not criticise them at this juncture. As for the Island administration, I am worried about the rise in road accidents. The administration should also think about the environment.

5. I am grateful that I was born in India. I am least proud of the section who, after being educated here, leave the country. I am not proud either that a section is getting richer and others poorer.

6. I actually became aware of my surroundings about 10 to 11 years back. The country has seen all-around growth in the years since. Eight years back there was not a single shopping mall in Port Blair. Now there are supermarkets and malls. The beaches are more clean.

Visakhapatnam (Andhra)1st year law student; wants to become a public prosecutor

1. Freedom is the freedom to choose, irrespective of what someone else thinks, the right to justice; and to be able to express oneself freely, including to criticise authorities.

2. The freedom of speech is most important. Without it, no one would be able to question the policies, arbitrary rules and laws that affect the common man.

3. If we want change, our votes should be the change.

4. The government must ensure an efficient administration and provide law-abiding citizens like me an enabling environment to live with security and dignity. I also expect the government to provide job opportunities. Unemployment is our biggest problem.

5. I am proud of the freedoms provided by our Constitution and the technological advancements made by the country. I am least proud of the fact that people dont have equal access to resources and there is no proper infrastructure in rural areas.

6. In the years since Independence, India has emerged as a robust democracy and a rising economy. But there is a long list of unfinished tasks.

Rehanso BooMedo village (Lohit), Arunachal PradeshIn Class 12; wants to become an engineer

1. Freedom to me is the freedom to do anything we want to do whether read a book we want to, travel to a place we have dreamt of, even get a drivers licence.

2. I value the freedom to study and be what I want the most. My parents own a small clothes shop in the village but I want to do something that takes me out of Medo.

3. Yes I want to vote. Most candidates have limitations but at least voting gives me the right to choose someone whose ideals match mine.

4. I dont expect much from the government but it should at least ensure basic amenities. We have bad roads, poor health services and barely any phone network. This has proved so difficult during the pandemic, when we had online classes.

5. I am from the Northeast, so obviously its diversity makes me proud. Look at Arunachal we have so many tribes. I am not proud of the enmity between communities, and about Indias dirty towns and cities they are so crowded and chaotic. They should be more like our villages.

6. A lot has changed in India literacy rate, womens empowerment. My grandparents did not get the opportunity to go to school, and neither did my mother. But look at me. I am educated and no less than kids my age in cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

Ifza AkhtarDibrugarh, AssamIn Class 12; undecided about what she wants to do maybe a secure job

1. Freedom means being able to do what you want, without restrictions and judgment. The freedom to practise your own religion, and be yourself.

2. My mother trusts me and lets me do my own thing even if it means coming home a bit late. That is the freedom I value, which is close to my heart.

3. When we vote, we vote with expectations, but governments rarely deliver on promises. So I really dont like participating in anything political.

4. The Constitution says we are a democratic country, but lately India is no longer a true democracy. There is so much strife, hatred, discrimination. I want a government that promotes unity and brotherhood.

5. So many things about India make me proud recently it was seeing Neeraj Chopra win the gold, and Assams Lovlina Borgohain the bronze at the Olympics. Also, whenever the national anthem plays, I get goosebumps. I dont like the fact that India has become a very corrupt country.

6. India was progressing before, but now it seems we are stagnating I think as a country, we were more united before.

Chaharika UppalChandigarhIn Class 12; wants to become a journalist

1. Freedom is not something tangible, which can be limited to the confines of a Constitution; freedom is a feeling, a feeling to act, speak, express ones identity without any fear or any form of self-censorship. Only when you are free of fear can you act and express as you wish.

2. I value freedom from fear the most, as it is at the heart of all other liberties. Freedom from living in the shadow of someone elses hate, of being persecuted for saying the truth, of economic distress.

3. I will vote as it makes me feel like my voice matters. For any democracy to survive, all its citizens need to have control over their individual voices and realise they play an important part in the governments working.

4. I wish for a government that provides an environment of safety and security in all realms of public life, and shows greater appreciation for peoples voice.

5. I am most proud of Indias revolutionary spirit. At all times our people have fought for what they believe is true, since Independence. I am least proud of the country being divided over religion and ethnicity.

6. India is slowly making its way towards the level of freedom it aspired for when it was liberated. With each setback, we have learnt and will keep doing so.

Sheikh Mohammad AbdullahBara Hindu Rao, Old DelhiIn Class 11; wants to become an engineer

1. When I think of freedom, I think of the freedom of speech, to express what we want to without restrictions. Freedom also means we are all equals, and have the right to practise our religion in peace.

2. I value the right to equality the most, that we can all live in harmony. Whether someone is from a high or low caste, rich or poor, there should be no differentiation.

3. I know voting is important but Im not exactly excited about it. I think I dont yet know very much about these things and about political parties.

4. A government should works towards providing health, education, food to all. All basic essentials should be available to all.

5. I am proud that people of all religions and speakers of different languages can live in India together. But I think a lot of improvement is needed in basic services like transport and banking, which will also improve our overall economy.

6. Before Independence, Indians were not equal citizens of the country. That has changed since. People cant just be sent to jail without any reason now. We have a lot of security as citizens.

Aarti JoshiDiu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and DiuIn Class 11; wants to join the civil services

1. Freedom to me means the freedom that keeps people together, the freedom to get an education of ones choice, and to practise the occupation one wants.

2. As a girl, the freedom to education is the most valuable for me. Women till a few generations ago could not exercise this freedom. It is also important to me that discrimination on the basis of the tone of ones skin, and prejudices attached to ones religion, gender or caste, end.

3. Voting is the most important cog in a democracy Development of the country depends on it. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are fighting Covid-19, Section 370 has been repealed we have to think of all this while voting.

4. I expect the government to take decisions that will make the country Atmanirbhar. In the current situation, I would be happy if the government does something about price rise. Covid-19 and lockdowns have broken the backs of the people.

5. Almost everything about India makes me proud, at first thought. We got a gold medal at the Olympics, we are a big economy, have one of the worlds largest armies. Lives of people have improved. That said, the confidence of the poor has collapsed.

6. In the past 74 years, the opportunities for education, the way we are able to use social media suggest India has changed. But negatives like regressive societal norms persist.

Nympha FernandesBenaulim, GoaIn Class 12; wants to study history, become a singer, teacher

1. To me freedom is to do what one wants, with reasonable restrictions. Sometimes, there are more restrictions than there are freedoms.

2. I value all freedoms. It should not be that I have the freedom to choose my profession but not to change my religion. For example, I like to sing and I like history too. So I should be able to choose either or choose both.

3. There is no difference really whether I vote or not. Politicians make lofty promises and dont fulfill any. If you dont vote, you have no expectations.

4. The government should set aside a section for the visually impaired in movie halls and theatres; there should be audio-described movies. My family or sighted friends have to describe scenes to me and that can be irritating When a film releases, the government should make it compulsory for producers to also prepare an audio format. (Born pre-mature at 6 months, Nympha was kept in an incubator for a long time, and lost her eyesight after the hospital neglected to keep her eyes covered.)

5. I am most proud of our tradition of generosity. When I have little of something but I see that someone else needs it more, I give it to them. I am least proud of the lack of security in our country.

6. I am sure at the time of Independence the environment was much cleaner Nobody wants to spend time in nature any more. People are always with their mobiles and computers. This has led to mood swings and attitude problems.

Dip SosaNanavada village (Gir Somnath), GujaratJust cleared Class 12; wants to be an IT engineer

1. I dont know what to say about freedom. Currently, I am struggling to get enrolled in a university as my school is not giving me an LC (school leaving certificate) till I clear fees dues of Rs 50,000. I cant participate in IAF recruitment for the same reason despite having scored 88% in Class 12.

2. The fact that I am able to go to an educational institute and study is the biggest freedom for me. And we owe it to Babasaheb Ambedkar.

3. I absolutely want to vote. I want to exercise my franchise to elect leaders who would work for the country.

4. I have not thought much about what I want from the government, but corruption must be checked.

5. I am proud that the country has made big strides in education. Thanks to Babasaheb Ambedkar, SC students like me are getting scholarships, helping us pursue our dreams. Of late, recruitment drives by the Army, police have been regular.

But corruption is a big concern. Secondly, as a society, we can be more compassionate. Vivan Vadher (who died recently of a rare spinal muscular atrophy) should have been alive. If only a section of us had contributed even Rs 1 each, he would have been alive.

6. Many things have changed for good in the past 70 years. But for me, the fact remains that my father, a fisherman, is still in a Pakistan jail, and that my mother is struggling to ensure that my two elder sisters and I are not forced to stop studying. Maybe, she will mortgage our land.

Sneha SolankiJhajjar, HaryanaIn Class 12; wants to be a doctor

1. Freedom means the right to express our views, no restrictions on movement in any part of the country. But there should be checks too to avoid misuse of this freedom.

2. Girls should have the freedom to choose the profession they want, and their own life partners, thats the most important freedom. The scales are unequal even when it comes to clothes of our choice.

3. Yes, I want to vote so that we can be part of the election process, decide who is wrong and who is right.

4. I hope the government changes the system of reservation in educational institutions; meritorious students sometimes lose out. To help the children of backward communities, there should be scholarships, coaching facilities and monetary benefits in place of reservation. There should be more job opportunities in the public sector.

5. Unity in diversity is the most valuable asset of our country. There are people of different castes, religions and languages but still they live together. I am least proud of the reservation system for admission and government jobs.

6. New technology has come to India since Independence apart from a lot of development in terms of infrastructure, and job opportunities. Earlier, we used to import even foodgrains. Jammu and Kashmir has become an integral part of India after abrogation of Article 370. There is a change in the mindset of people too, like more and more women participating in sports.

Vanshika AhluwaliaNew Shimla, Himachal PradeshIn Class 12; wants to become an engineer

1. Freedom is the right to function as per ones will and to exercise ones rights as well as duties.

2. I value the right to education the most. It can help you shape your destiny and also light someone elses path.

3. Yes, I will vote. I believe one vote can make a difference.

4. Before expecting anything from the government, I believe it is our duty as citizens to exercise our rights. They say the government makes policies but the implementation is not that good. Why? Because we as citizens have to follow the norms.

5. India is unique. Its diversity is its most beautiful and important part. The thing that makes me least proud is that India is secular only in the pages of the Constitution. Islamophobia is spreading at the speed of light.

6. The way people perceive things has changed since Independence, there is a lot more stress on education, specially of the girl child. The government should provide free education till at least Class 12 to all students, regardless of economic status. That will make a big, big difference.

Kalpana TamangJammuIn Class 12; wants to become an IAS officer

1. Freedom to me is the ability to do what I want to. There should be no restrictions, as only then is one free.

2. Being a girl, the most important freedom to me is being able to walk alone at night.

3. I will vote, it is my right to choose my government.

4. I am a Taekwondo player. I want the government to support athletes financially, socially and emotionally so that they can bring laurels for the country.

5. Our society is a fine example of unity in diversity. Despite so many religions, cultures, languages and opinions, we live together and stand united. I am least proud about girls being unsafe in the country.

6. There was a time when people used to study under a lamp. Now we are studying on a mobile phone. Technology has changed a lot in 70 years. The spread of education has meant people have a modern outlook towards things like boys and girls studying together, interacting with each other.

Juvairiya T AKochi, KeralaJust finished Class 12; wants to become a schoolteacher

1. The freedom we enjoy today is the result of so many sacrifices, but there are a lot of people who misuse that freedom. Also, women still face difficulties in moving about, especially at night.

2. The freedom of speech and expression, that allows us to express our ideas and opinions, is the most important to me.

3. Yes I will vote. It allows us the right to engage politically and elect the people who we think should govern us.

4. I expect the government to build schools across the country so that more children get access to education and can contribute to the countrys growth.

5. Given that such a large majority derives some form of income from agriculture, I am very proud of the vast strides India has made in the farming sector. I am least proud of the treatment of women in India.

6. India has developed a lot in the past 75 years, there are so many industries where millions have jobs. Thats progress.

Stanzin YangdolLeh, LadakhStudying commerce; wants to become a good human being

1. Freedom to me means being true to myself and living by my own principles.

2. Freedom of speech is what I value the most, apart from freedom of choice.

3. Yes I am looking forward to voting because the freedom to choose our leaders reflects the kind of future we want to live in.

4. I want the government to focus on removing poverty and social inequality, as well as taking quick and decisive decisions for the soldiers at the border.

5. I am proud that even though India has a lot of diversity, at the end we all stand together for our country. I feel least proud of the patriarchy that exists and that injustice is done to women every single day.

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Citizens Z: What Is Freedom To Me - The Indian Express