Category Archives: Golden Rule

Sian Thomas, from the bakery, said this week: While were all stuck at home with little to do, taking up a new hobby like baking has taken off.

Not only does this give you something calming to focus your mind on, but you will also have the satisfaction of something tasty to enjoy at the end of the day and an impressive new skill to try out on your friends when lockdown is over.

Theres certainly no shortage of flour at Thomas the Baker and were willing to share!

Thomas the Baker stores across Yorkshire are currently selling their flour, including the Country Crunch blend used in this recipe, in 1kg bags.

The recipe released by this Yorkshire based family bakery uses this popular flour blend and the video shows how to bake it to perfection using simple techniques to create your own bread loaf at home.

Visit HERE to watch the video and get baking!

35 g fresh yeast OR 7g dried yeast

1 kg Country Crunch flour

50 g fat (butter, oil, lard etc.)

Pour the tepid water and milk into a bowl, then add the yeast.

Leave the yeast to activate for around 5-10 minutes. You may see bubbles start to appear on the surface of the liquid as it activates.

Add the flour, salt and fat to the bowl then mix to combine.

Either knead the dough by hand or using a dough hook on a mixer for 12 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Pop the dough back into an oiled bowl then leave to prove for up to 2 hours in a warm place or until it has doubled in size.

Knock the dough back by hand then shape into sausages that fit into your loaf tins. This recipe should make two small loaves.

Leave the dough to prove in the tins for up to 2 hours.

Bake the bread in a preheated 180c oven for 25-30 minutes, until the loaves have a golden brown colour.

Remove from loaf tins and leave to cool, then enjoy!

Simon Thomas, general manager at Thomas the Baker, offers his tips from his years of experience baking bread:

The golden rule for good homemade bread is to take your time a good loaf cant be rushed, it needs time and attention to allow it to prove well so that it can develop flavour and texture.

Kneading the dough is something that cant be rushed, whether thats on a mixer or by hand, so spending time here is absolutely essential to the success of your bread.

And a little secret bakers tip for an excellent homemade loaf a spritz of water into the oven as you pop the dough in will help to develop a good crust, so good that the only giveaway that you havent bought it in store is the aroma of freshly baked bread in your kitchen!

More here:

Family bakery in Yorkshire releases instruction video on how to make your own bread at home - The Star

Dear Toby, Tara and Tommy,

I am writing this letter to you during a great health and economic crisis.

There are different theories about how it began, but the one I believe is that the trouble began when someone in China ate the meat of a bat and caught a bat virus. The lesson is: Do not eat the meat of wild animals.

The virus has spread all over the world, and has infected more than two million and killed more than 140,000 people. The economic cost is very great: millions of people out of work and many businesses destroyed.

When we look back on this painful period, I want you to remember the importance of the three values which your Chinese names stand for: compassion, trust and praise.

Toby, your Chinese name, Shan, means kindness and compassion. It is the most important virtue extolled by the world's major religious and ethical traditions. There is even a Charter for Compassion, formulated in 2009 by leading thinkers of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism, led by Karen Armstrong, the famous writer of religion.

The message of the charter is to treat others as you would like others to treat you. This is often referred to as the golden rule.

In Singapore, I saw many displays of kindness and compassion during the crisis. In one case, four restaurants owned by people I know decided to collaborate to send free food, every day, to the healthcare workers of one of our public hospitals. In another case, a group of kind-hearted Singaporeans, including children, would set out each night to look for Malaysian workers who were stranded in Singapore without accommodation. The good Samaritans would take them to hostels set up to provide free accommodation for such workers.

At the hawker centre which Nai Nai (granny) and I often go to, I was pleased to learn that the humble uncle who prepares my coffee was offering free coffee and tea to the cleaners of the hawker centre.

The poor are often more generous than the rich. The billionaires of Singapore have been conspicuously silent during this crisis. We have, unfortunately, no one like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos among our super-rich people.

Professor Tommy Koh with his wife Poh Siew Aing and their grandchildren (from left) Tommy, now two, Toby, nine, and Tara, five, celebrating Prof Koh's 82nd birthday last November. In an open letter to his grandchildren, Prof Koh shares what he feels are the most important values in the current coronavirus crisis, and how his grandchildren's Chinese names reflect those values. PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOMMY KOH

I am happy that several of my friends have used social media to highlight the plight of our hawkers and to appeal to our netizens to support them.

Many of our hawkers make only a modest living. They do not have much in savings to fall back on. If their patrons desert them, they have no income. With no income, they and their families will be reduced to a state of poverty. They desperately need our help.

Tara, your Chinese name, Shin, means trust.

Trust has played a very important role in the way in which Singapore has coped with the crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic raging across the world is taking a huge toll on lives and economies.

Already touted as the biggest global crisis since World War II, it has forced countries to take unprecedented measures - slamming borders shut, quarantining millions, shutting down workplaces and schools, and giving out massive stimulus and job rescue packages.

As the crisis unfolds, expect orthodoxies and established relationships to be challenged, with some upended and others reshaped.

How will global institutions, nations, economies and societies respond? To make sense of the impact and fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading opinion leaders share their views of this global upheaval with The Straits Times in Coronavirus: The Great Disruption, a special series that runs this month in the Opinion section.

Trust has to be earned. It cannot be commanded by law. It cannot be demanded by a person or institution. A teacher, for example, cannot say to his students, "please trust me", if he is an untrustworthy person. A hospital cannot expect to be trusted if it does not have a good reputation for competence and honesty. The same is true for a political leader. He must be honest and transparent. He must be willing to tell the people the truth, even when the truth is unpleasant.

We are fortunate in Singapore to live in a high-trust society. We trust our doctors, hospitals and government officials. We trust our political leaders. Because there is a bond of mutual trust between the people and the Government, the people are willing to abide by the advice and edicts of our Government.

If the people did not believe in the Government's assurance that we have an adequate food supply, there would have been worse panic buying at our wet markets and supermarkets. People have mostly complied with the advice to keep a safe distance from one another and to work from home, because they know that the advice is based upon the best scientific evidence and international best practice.

The people in some other countries are not so lucky. In those countries, they do not trust their leaders, because the leaders have shown themselves to be untrustworthy. Some of the leaders do not have a good reputation for truth. Some leaders are irrational and do not believe in science and do not listen to expert advice. In such a situation, where trust is absent, chaos is often the result.

Tommy, your Chinese name, Song, means praise.

When this nightmare is over, we must not forget to praise the many people who have acted with courage, kindness and selflessness.

The first group we should praise are our doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers. As was the case in 2003, during the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic, our healthcare workers have behaved like heroes. The reason why so few Covid-19 patients have died in Singapore is probably due to our excellent doctors, nurses and hospitals.

I wish to point out, in this respect, that our heroic nurses are paid about half the salaries of nurses in Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. We should put our money where our mouth is and increase the salaries of our nurses.

The second group we should praise are the officials, consisting of civilians as well as police and army officers, who have been interviewing the Covid-19 patients and tracing their contacts. It is because of their detective work that we are able to implement the policy of detect, isolate and contain.

The third group are our front-line workers, at our airport and seaport, police officers and other individuals who work around the clock to ensure our security.

The fourth group are the workers who look after our amenities, such as electricity, water, sanitation and waste disposal, as well as our bus captains, train drivers, taxi drivers and private-hire car drivers.

The fifth group are the workers in our wet markets, supermarkets, hawker centres, coffee shops and restaurants, and the people who deliver food to our homes. They have ensured that we have adequate supplies of both cooked and uncooked food.

The sixth group of people we should praise are our indispensable foreign workers, such as our domestic helpers, cleaners, construction and shipyard workers, and others who work in jobs that Singaporeans are not prepared to do. We owe the foreign workers an apology for the atrocious condition of their dormitories.

The seventh group of people we should praise are the members of the multi-ministerial task force, especially its two co-chairmen, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong and National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, and Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, director of medical services at the Ministry of Health. Their near-daily press conferences have done much to keep our people informed and reassured.

Finally, I want to say something about the people of Singapore. In normal times, they have often behaved in a manner that is below my expectations.

However, most of the people of Singapore have risen to the occasion. They have remained calm, united and resolute.

There is, unfortunately, a small minority who have indulged in panic buying and refused to abide by the safe distancing rule.

I hope the bad behaviour of this minority will not compel the Government to take even more stringent measures than the circuit breaker.

Your loving Ye Ye

Professor Tommy Koh, a veteran diplomat, is rector of Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore.

Excerpt from:

Letter to my grandchildren in a time of pandemic - straits times

Ollie Millington/Getty Images

On April 7, an Airbus A330 landed at Dublin airport from China. The private plane, owned by air freight leasing company Avolon Aero, contained pallets of medical supplies destined for the Health Care Executive (HSE), the Irish health service. The sought-after equipment was the result of a collaboration between the public and private sector government officials both in Ireland and diplomats in China had worked with prominent private individuals who were able to bring their connections and influence to bear, including the rock star Bono, who donated 10 million to the project.

One of the people Bono approached to bring the project together was Liam Casey, the founder of logistics firm PCH International. Having spent the past 24 years working in China, the 54-year-old Irish entrepreneur has developed deep expertise in an area now critical to sourcing the equipment needed in the fight against coronavirus an intricate knowledge of global supply chains.

PCH doesnt reveal the identities of its clients, but they are widely reported to include many of the worlds biggest brands and consumer goods companies, including Apple, LOreal, Salesforce, Square and Beats. The company, which is headquartered in Cork, but has offices in San Francisco and Shenzhen works with brands to develop, manufacture and handle logistics for products that are either in your pocket or on your desk. Its end-to-end supply chain orchestration, Casey says. We take products from concept all the way through to a consumer.

PCH works at every level from design concepts to packaging, sourcing of raw materials and vetting of factories, it manages manufacturing and data services for brands to match clients with suppliers and to track orders and spot trends in real-time. It oversees e-commerce, fulfilment and distribution, often shipping directly to stores all over the world. It ships products as close to demand as possible in the way that, say, cloud computing scales services. The easiest way to understand PCH is to think of it as the Amazon Web Services of hardware.

As the UK government struggles to provide NHS workers and care givers with PPE equipment, its become clear that the current global demand for some medical supplies is insatiable and the marketplace treacherous. Unscrupulous middle-men act as brokers, supplying products of questionable provenance at vastly inflated prices Casey says that he has received numerous approaches from dubious sources every day claiming to access to large volumes of PPE and governments are outbidding each other for supplies and, allegedly, conducting piracy in order to access the crucial equipment. China is manufacturing around 200 million face masks per day with demand vastly outstripping supply.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, an EU agency, estimates that for each confirmed coronavirus case a health service would need 14 to 24 separate sets of personal protective equipment every day. According to Johns Hopkins University there are currently two million people who have tested positive for the virus. If even less than five per cent of these people are hospitalised, tens of millions of sets would be required per month, without even considering the demand from other organisations that need PPE, such as care homes.

So many people are chasing PPE, countries are chasing it, different states in the US are chasing it, hospitals are chasing it, so its hard to actually get solid supply, Casey says. Our focus is making sure that were comfortable with anything we get if youre putting a mask in the hands of a frontline worker it has to work.

Casey says that the only way to do this is to send teams to walk the line: to inspect every stage of the manufacturing process from raw materials to the finished product. You identify factories that have the licenses, you identify the factories that have access to materials, you identify the guys that have the automation and the capacity in their buildings, you want to make sure they can handle the volume.

Typically, PCH aims to move products from the production line to retailers in the US within 36 hours: products are trucked from factories to Hong Kong airport, pass through Chinese customs, loaded onto air freight for a 12-hour journey to the west coast and then through customs in the US and onwards to their destination. PCH works with partners on this final leg of the journey, which Casey describes as the last mile.

While PCH hasnt previously manufactured PPE, it has produced FDA-approved products since 2004. Regulation of this is determined by the International Organization for Standards, a Geneva-based group that oversees various commercial and industrial standards via representatives from across the world. The specific standard for medical devices is known as ISO 13485. Individual countries manufacture masks with physical properties and performance characteristics that adhere to this and can be expected to function at a similar level: the Chinese version of this is known as KN95, in Europe its FFP2 and the US N95.

These medical grade masks are different from the type that PCH is also working to source as part of an initiative by, among others, Y Combinator founder Sam Altman, who is hoping to crowdsource one billion masks for US workers within the next 180 days. These single-use, textile-based masks will have a Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE) of around 95 per cent. While not FDA approved, they are suitable for use in hospitals for non-frontline staff. Casey says that the biggest orders thus far have come from service companies, such as food delivery.

In order to keep freight costs down, this PPE will be shipped across the Pacific to Long Beach in California. Typically, this takes thirty days, but faster boats have been sourced which will take two weeks. Casey argues that this is the optimal way to ensure consistent supply as quickly as possible as long as PCH has visibility of the supply chain and it functions as it should do, then it can control what happens on either end of the time the equipment spends on the ocean. Transit time is real, that exists, but whats not real is all of the warehousing and all of the storage and all of the hoarding, and all of the gouging thats happening outside of the clean supply chain, he says. For us, its all about the quality of the factories and the data from the factories. We want to know the output on an hourly basis. Once we have that we can match it with wherever it needs to be We use data and AI to know where this stuff needs to go. Its the ultimate matching of demand and product, and technology can be used to do that.

Whether shipping consumer electronics or surgical masks, PCHs aim is to use data in order to shorten the supply chain if goods are in the hands of the consumer more quickly, the supply chain has a higher level of liquidity and capital requirements are lessened.

You have to pay up front because the factories are paying for the raw materials up front, paying for the equipment up front. We want factories that will build 5 million masks a day, so they have to make big investments, Casey says. Any transactions that are happening at the moment in China, theyre all cash up front.

China was able to ramp up production quickly as factories that had previously been producing other types, of products, such as consumer electronics, switched to producing masks. There are companies in China that, in January had never made a mask, and today they have a run rate of 30 million per day, Casey says. It also helps if you can mobilise the worlds largest oil, gas and petrochemical conglomerate company: the Chinese government instructed Sinopec to produce the raw materials in February.

At these kind of volumes you have to know where the raw material is. Wheres it coming from? When is that arriving? Is it on trucks? How fast is it going to get there? Casey says. If youve got a factory producing five million masks per day, it doesnt take long for those masks to fill up a lot of space, so youve got to create continuous flow as fast as possible.

The covid-19 crisis may lead to shifts in global supply chains, with some commentators arguing that western governments will not want to be reliant on east Asian manufacturing hubs again. But, for the foreseeable future, China will maintain its place as the worlds leading manufacturer. And, whether youre producing 900 smartphones or masks at 30 pence per unit, Casey maintains the golden rule: youve got to walk the line.

How did coronavirus start and what happens next?

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Original post:

An Irish entrepreneur and Bono are fixing the PPE crisis - Wired.co.uk

Editors Note: Due to COVID-19, many breweries and beer shops have begun selling beer online or allowing for delivery or curbside pick-up. If youre able, support these small, local businesses with an order.

Does beer go bad? We chatted with ABC Beer Co. beer bar owner and Certified Cicerone Zach Mack about everything you need to know to make sure your beer haul stays fresh. Take notes.

Definitely, Mack says. You have to look at it as the freshness of this as something like bread or like a food product because thats what it is.

What does skunked beer taste like? If you dont already know, youve probably encountered it before. Mack describes it as a skunky smell like fresh-cut grass or weed or skunk spray. Basically, rotten beer.

Exposure to heat, air and light essentially, Mack says.

These are the three enemies of fresh beer. In this day-and-age of 16-ounce cans being the preferred vessel, light isnt as much of an issue as it used to be it obviously still is for bottles though.

Hops are photosensitive and theyre also sensitive to air, just like everything that breaks down in beer, Mack says. Even when beer is sealed in a can, and cans are better vessels than bottles, it still has some exposure to air thats going to break down the compounds.

While in-person shopping has decreased drastically, knowing how to spot beer thats expired is crucial. Nine times out of ten, turn the can over and look at the bottom, Mack says. Usually they print right on it the date that it was canned unless stated otherwise. If it just gives you a date and its recent, you can assume thats the canned-on date.

For bottles, especially those from larger breweries, Mack says to check the neck to see if theres a bottled-on date or best-by date. Occasionally its on the bottom of the label, tucked away in the corner near the barcode or the address and information.

Weve all seen those giant stacks of beer cases in supermarkets and grocery stores. Thats a good sign theres going to be some too-old beer there. The big tell is those huge stacks youre inevitably going to be left with a bunch of beer thats old. So if youre ever in a place where theres big stacks of beer, double-check the codes on those because thats a huge tell that theres going to be a good amount of expired beer, Mack says.

Generally speaking, fresher beer is better beer, but some beers lend themselves to aging and some dont at all. Mack says beer styles that rely on hop flavor are the most susceptible to going bad quickly. IPAs are very much the most sensitive style to aging because hops die off exponentially quickly, he says.

Thats because IPAs depend on hops for their flavor, and hops are photosensitive. Because of this, IPAs should typically be drunk within three or four weeks after canning/bottling, maximum. Not only will it taste different as time goes on, but it will also produce some pretty rank off-flavors.

The oxidized taste that people talk about is if youve ever grabbed an IPA thats been in your fridge too long and opened it without realizing, it tastes a lot like paper or cardboard. That oxidized flavor comes right through and its pretty nasty, Mack says.

Beers like bourbon barrel-aged stouts, pilsners, sours all styles not reliant on hops for flavor age gracefully and should stay good long enough to drink.

A simple way to extend the life of your beer: stand it up. If space isnt an issue you should always store your beer upright because that reduces surface area, Mack says. If its flat, it exposes more beer to the surface area and oxygen is going to turn it faster.

While observing social distancing and self-isolation norms is priority, Macks golden rule still holds true: The best thing to do if you have any doubts is to ask. Most of the stores stocking beer thats worth buying fresh will know. A good thing to say is Do you guys have anything you just got in this week that you really like? And most times the staff love that because they can say, Oh yeah. This is brand new and we really like it. Its a quick way to find out what really came through.

Ryan Brower serves as Commerce Editor and also writes about beer and surfing for Gear Patrol. He lives in Brooklyn, loves the ocean and almost always has a film camera handy.

Read the rest here:

Does Beer Go Bad? We Asked an Expert - gearpatrol.com

Houston, MOAt Texas County Memorial Hospital patients and staff are treated with the same love and respect that family would expect from one another, but now the tables have turned and the community is taking care of the caregivers at TCMH. The golden rule says to do unto other as you would have them do unto you, and that is exactly what the community has been doing for the TCMH family as they gear up for the impacts that coronavirus (COVID-19) could have in the area.

Donations of suits and masks as well as other kind gestures have been coming in everyday from people all over our community, Wes Murray, TCMH chief executive officer said. We are so grateful for everyone coming together to provide extra supplies for our staff.

Murray mentioned that one small business in Willow Springs is doing everything they can to help the caregivers at TCMH.

Kurt and Donna McKinney, owners of The Rusty Moon Quilt Shop have gathered support from all over to sew reusable face masks for the hospital staff.

The Rusty Moon Quilt Shop and TCMH are actually a lot alike. They refer to their customers as family too, fabric family to be exact.

They have received fabric donations from many of their suppliers and distributers, which they have shipped to the quilt shop for free, all to be used for sewing additional face masks for TCMH.

Our fabric family is made up of so many kind hearted people who are great sewers, Kurt McKinney said. Not only have they donated their time, but many of them have used their own fabric to complete the face masks.

Kurt McKinney mentioned that Murray contacted them to see if they could help with sewing masks, so his wife sent out an e-mail to their fabric family.

They all stepped up and were instrumental to get everything going, Kurt McKinney said. We have collected over 300 masks so far, and there are more on the way everyday!

We felt very honored that TCMH would think of us, Kurt McKinney said. Were excited to help our community. It is definitely a tough time for small business America, but we are just glad we have had this opportunity and that our fabric family has made this possible.

The Rusty Moon Quilt Shop has been in business for three years. They not only serve their fabric family that drive from 40-50 miles away to visit their shop, but they also have an online store at rustymoonquilts.com.

The TCMH family is forever grateful for their generosity. Make sure to share your appreciation when you are able to visit them too.

If you would like to donate any personal protective equipment such as eye protection, face masks, suits or gloves to TCMH, please contact Kelly Bell, purchasing director at (417) 967-1300.

Read more:

Stiches of love from one family to another - Ozark Radio News

Correction, 10 a.m., 4/10/2020: In our broadcast, we incorrectly said CDC director Robert Redfield was affiliated with the Church of Christ Scientist. He is not.

One thing that's been helping some people get through the pandemic is their faith. The Church of Christ Scientist was founded in 1866 in Boston and looks to prayer for healing. Lance Madison is part of the church in Washington state, and he spoke to KUOWs Angela King.

Lance Madison: Christian Science is based squarely on the Bible. The founder of the church was a New England woman named Mary Baker Eddy. And she was a devout Christian and lifelong student of the Bible and was driven to find deeper answers to the problem of human suffering, and what she called the problem of being. Jesus words, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, are to us a promise of healing for us right here and now. And she took those words to heart, and Christian Science believes that healing in the spirit of Jesus, words and works is instrumental to Christian practice.

Angela King: What are the church's teachings about medical interventions, for example, like the use of antibiotics?

Madison: What's important to us is that each individual be healthy, well and safe. And that's how we understand God to have made all of us. Our church does emphasize that members and their families must make their own choices, responsible choices about health. We generally look to prayer for healing because it involves not only a physical cure, but meaningful spiritual and moral growth and renewal. And we do respect medical professionals and share their desire to heal, to relieve suffering. And we respect the official guidance and public health directives, especially at a time like this.

King: You talk about healing when a church member becomes ill. What are the recommendations?

Madison: Again, our goal is the health and well-being safety of each individual. But Christian societies are accustomed to turn to God in prayer first, because we felt from our own experience that this kind of rigorous prayer is not only effective, but it can be transformative. Our church does have a care system to support individuals who need healing. A Christian Scientist can call on a Christian Science practitioner to pray with them and or a Christian Science nurse to provide non-medical nursing, such as feeding and bandaging. So in a contagion context, such as we're facing now, clearly we think that it's important to respect the official requirements and also just be aware of the practical concerns of our neighbors. It's a simple matter of adherence to the golden rule, treating others as we would want to be treated right.

King: But if you are not seeking straight medical treatment that you might receive from a traditional hospital, how can you reassure members of the community that this may not be a problem for your neighbor?

Madison: Folks need to be assured on this. My observation is that Christian Scientists and Christian Science churches are very, very law abiding and considerate of their neighbors. We respect the recommended closure as a social distancing, the hygienic guidelines.

King: But some may argue that you're not helping the community by not seeking out traditional medical treatment.

Madison: Well, I think, again, we're not talking about just doing nothing. We find that our prayerful spiritual treatment is effective. And I think the record supports that. I think alleviating fear is doing something. And that, in fact, is what other religious representatives are trying hard to do.

Originally posted here:

How do Christian Scientists deal with the pandemic? - KUOW News and Information

As COVID-19 hits the world with full force, many restaurants and other food service establishments have been left bereft of customers. Just the other day I saw a video from two employees in a deserted Starbucks overwhelmed with boredom a foreign and unnerving sight at a coffee shop typically bustling with customers.

While this abrupt change in the flow of economic traffic has put many individuals and small businesses in financial danger, our nations attempts at social distancing can at least provide service workers a small break from what can sometimes be one of the most difficult aspects of the job dealing with the occasional unruly customer.

The customer is always right. Its a frightful phrase circulated so often that I hesitate to even repeat it here my whole body quakes with shivers down my spine whenever it comes to mind. The phrase haunts the nightmares of all service workers, and it echoes in their thoughts every time a customer berates them for an unnecessary reason or for something that is simply out of their control.

But all there is to do is offer a generous smile, grant a hollow apology and then either laugh it off or cry it out after running to the back of the store to hide. Service with a smile is what must be done for the sake of business, because the world is full of hungry customers with wallets and social media accounts one negative post on Facebook or review on Yelp can tank an entire staffs livelihood and world as they know it, and no one can afford that in the midst of our current crisis.

Therein lies the problem with the customer is always right. The phrase gives the upper hand to the person being served, and with that great power comes great responsibility. It is essential that we remember that grocers are people, too, and baristas are working to make a living just like everybody else. Remembering mutual respect and everyday manners paves a much more prolific path in any transaction, especially in this time of crisis, with tensions high and a million questions raised.

Any lack of respect hurts, and it puts service workers on the defense. As much as I hate to admit it, as frequently as the customer is not right, it is not fair to say that the customer is never right. But as a food service worker who has been under attack before, I certainly would not want to lend any kind of helping hand to my tormentor.

I remember shaking as two women yelled at me from the window of my high school job after I forgot part of their order and wanting to curl up in a ball and cry. In my situation, the customer was not necessarily wrong on paper I had most definitely made a mistake.

But the right or wrong of an order is not as important as the right or wrong of the tone defining any interpersonal interaction. I have gladly amended orders and tried my best to solve any problems that I accidentally induced with a smile on my face. Those more frequent positive instances are thanks to the kind eyes I was met with in the requests kind eyes that people are in desperate need of right now.

It is all about having the right attitude.

On the flip side of things, I have been the customer a million times, too, and I have made the wrong choices with my attitude towards employees more than once. Ive grunted at a Wendys worker in frustration when he forgot to give me my Frosty, and Ive thrown a fit at an understaffed Firehouse Subs when they took too long to make my order. I have been in the wrong, too, and I am reminded of my embarrassing behavior every time I step into either of those places.

Now, more than ever, I am desperate to see a change in myself and in others. I cant even begin to imagine the range of emotions that service workers may be feeling right now in the midst of our global pandemic. No one deserves to be any more stressed out with unnecessary cruelties from customers.

All it takes to have a successful visit to a coffee shop, grocery store or restaurant for takeout is to simply remember the basics of being human the golden rule that we were all taught when we were waddling around in diapers.

Treat others as you want to be treated.

Moving forward, we should all open our eyes, remember this golden rule and use it to replace the customer is always right, a truly outdated phrase.

This column is not to make light of the severity of the COVID-19 situation. A loss of customers does mean a loss of money for many. This is merely a call to remember to always treat service workers with kindness especially in this time of financial uncertainty. While a coffee shop employee may be glad to be rid of customers, they may be completely lacking hours and payment. On the other hand, a grocery store clerk may be overwhelmed with more customers than ever before. You never know the situation, and all these hard workers need our humanity, respect and support as they lose wages, fight to maintain their lifestyles, become overwhelmed or underwhelmed with hours or whatever else it is that they might be struggling with in this time of crisis.

Hopefully we will live on a kinder Earth when we come out on the other side of COVID-19. Lord knows we are all going to need some happy and healthy human interaction when this mess is all over.

The rest is here:

Remembering to treat workers with kindness amidst COVID-19 - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

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Warren Wright(Photo: The Spectrum & Daily News file photo)

Now would seem an appropriate time (less the "hold hands and stick together"), to be reminded of the well-known counsel of Robert Fulghum's "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," as quoted below:

Share everything

Play fair

Dont hit people

Put things back where you found them

Clean up your own mess

Dont take things that arent yours

Say youre sorry when you hurt somebody

Wash your hands before you eat

Flush

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you

Live a balanced life learn some and think some

and draw and paint and sing and dance and play

and work every day some

Take a nap every afternoon

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic

hold hands, and stick together

Be aware of wonder

Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:

The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody

really knows how or why, but we are all like that

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even

the little seed in the Styrofoam cup they all die

So do we

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books

and the first word you learned the biggest

word of all LOOK

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere

The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation

Ecology and politics and equality and sane living

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into

sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your

family life or your work or your government or

your world and it holds true and clear and firm

Think what a better world it would be if

all the whole world had cookies and milk about

three oclock every afternoon and then lay down with

our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments

had a basic policy to always put things back where

they found them and to clean up their own mess

And it is still true, no matter how old you

are - when you go out into the world, it is best

to hold hands and stick together.

As Mr. Fulghum stated,wisdom has never been taught at the "top of the graduate school mountain," and likely never will be. Tragically this lack of wisdom is the primary reason why America faces the overwhelming, life-or-deathchallenges it does today. And the epicenter of this lack of wisdom is and has beenWashington, D.C. The most recent gross neglect and incompetence (COVID-19)and immeasurable pain and suffering causedis unconscionable and unforgivable! Sadly, the "sins and iniquity of the fathers," surely are visited upon their children for generations to come.

May we all better incorporate into our lives that which we should have learned in kindergarten!

Warren S.Wright is a resident of St. George.

Read or Share this story: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/opinion/2020/04/11/my-turn-all-we-really-need-know/2976304001/

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All we really need to know - The Spectrum

Last month, as the reality of life under lockdown began to sink in, I asked my family if they had any particular concerns. Without hesitation, my eldest, who is 16, asked: Why arent you normal? This was day one of no school, and she was right. I wasnt normal; nothing about this situation was normal. I really struggled to find any sort of equilibrium for a long time. What helped us was implementing a submarine routine, whereby the day is strictly portioned up, as it is in the locked-down conditions of the submariner, starting with a 7am reveille on weekdays. And in among the fear, panic and worry (most of my family is in Italy, and my mother, like so many elderly parents, thinks the rules dont apply to her) there have come pockets of calm, new normality and even small shards of joy. But still, the questions havent stopped. These are the three that readers have been asking me the most over the last few weeks.

Its a huge task. I think we have to accept it is going to affect them, but we can try to control how much. In these extreme times, were going to get a lot of things wrong as parents. When you are stretched emotionally, its hard to be even good enough at times. This is a huge learning curve in acceptance: of ourselves, others, the situation.

Child and adolescent psychotherapist Rachel Melville-Thomas (childpsychotherapy.org.uk) explained to me that we need to recreate the pegs, the natural markers that children have in their usual life, such as getting to school, having break time, eating lunch, talking to friends. We all need, especially now, a predictable cadence to the day, and by dividing it up into a routine, we also help reduce anxiety. Broken down into chunks of time, life seems less overwhelming. This, in turn, will give you pockets of respite.

Dont dismiss childrens concerns with, Dont be silly or Dont worry. That doesnt work

Routines are formulaic, but bring predictability, and, crucially, you dont have to feel guilty for saying: Ask me that at lunchtime. I know that if I dont hold space, as therapists call it, it can affect the emotional wellbeing of the whole family. No one can be constantly interrupted without going mad.

Melville-Thomas explained that even young children can get into the new pattern of the day and will learn to keep (some) questions to specific times; after all, they do this at school.

As to how not to overwhelm them, Melville-Thomas said, Dont dismiss their concerns with, Dont be silly or Dont worry. That doesnt work. Tell me more is a great question to ask children, as is Tell me what you know. It also buys you thinking time.

Very young children dont need to know more than Theres a very bad flu going round that makes people quite sick, so were doing our bit to stop it spreading by not going out and by washing our hands, she added. Always remember the golden rule with children: listen to the question and answer just the question asked, factually, calmly and age-appropriately. Its OK to say you dont know. You dont have to have the answer to everything: no one does at the moment.

Older children and teenagers will be able to see or hear the news, but they might hide their worries. Melville-Thomas recommended asking them, How are your friends dealing with this at the moment? Coming at it via a third person may open up a bigger conversation.

Whatever restrictions you had on their phones and social media before, keep them, she says. And we all react more badly to news at night so, ideally, no screens in their bedrooms. Everyone needs a news break. But I would also stress that children wont have the usual emotional support of their school friends, so encourage phone/video calls if they want them.

Its never easy to talk about serious illness and death, but we must remember that talking about it doesnt mean it will happen. If it does, knowing what a loved one wanted will bring you focus and peace.

Kathryn Mannix, a palliative care doctor and author of With The End In Mind: How To Live And Die Well, said, Having these conversations is less upsetting than not having them and then finding you needed to. She suggested that one way in may be to talk about it as something that will affect all of you, not just elderly family members. Do this either on the phone or a family Skype session. You can say, We need to talk about this for, say, 20 minutes, then we can talk about something else. But approach it by saying, If any of us were to die, or get seriously ill, what do we want?

Things to think about, Mannix said, include: If I cant have the funeral that I would like, what should my family do as a form of commemoration once such things are allowed?

Make sure family members can use a smartphone/Skype and have a tablet and charger to use if they have to go to hospital

The last conversations that Mannix sees on deathbeds come down to three messages: I love you, Im sorry, or thank you. So if there are people you want to say these things to, do that now. I know this is quite scary, but as Mannix says, When we are dealing with people at the end of their lives, the messages [they give to those left behind] are so important for people to carry into their grief and bereavement.

Another thing to talk about is what to do if any of us become very seriously ill. Mannix explained: To decide whether a ventilator is the right treatment, intensive-care practitioners will look at a persons ability to recover. They may ask loved ones if the patient would agree to be on a ventilator; if they would want to be saved even if the quality of life [afterwards] is not one that they would value. The doctor needs to make a medical decision partly based on whats possible but, because we wont be well enough to discuss it, our families need to know what matters most to us.

On a practical level, make sure family members know how to use a smartphone/Skype and have a tablet, charger and cables (all name-labelled) to use if they have to go to hospital. You may not be able to visit in person, and if you want to stay in touch, there may not be enough tech in wards to go round.

None of this is easy, Mannix admitted, but it may open the door to an important conversation we have all avoided until now.

The bereavement charity Cruse (cruse.org.uk) is a great resource if people are bereaved, and has lots of useful, Covid-19-specific information online.

A routine, as detailed in my first answer, is really important. You may even have to implement a bathroom rota for ablutions. What we have to remember, says family and couples therapist Chris Mills, is that captivity is not natural for us. So if we are reactive or stroppy, its the tensions created by being forced together. Were designed to nest together and come together, but also to have freedom of movement and interaction with others.

Mills recommends looking for ways of keeping a distance, of having headspace from other members of the family (I cant stress enough how important boundaries are in these enforced conditions). Consider either taking your state-approved daily exercise separately if you can, or having time apart in different areas. Under strain, we can become highly volatile, and may explode over things we would previously have laughed at or brushed aside. Even talking about this, and acknowledging it, can help (saying sorry also really matters).

Another useful thing to try, advised Mills, is, if possible, to ask what each family member wants to achieve that day. This allows some flexibility within a routine, and takes into account daily moods and rhythms. Some days, for example, your partner may feel more able to take on responsibilities than you; on those days, maybe you can negotiate more you time.

As for differing parenting styles, Mills advises, In this situation, nobodys good or bad. Its not about one person winning or losing, but you do have to find a way at least while on lockdown of provisionally agreeing so that theres a system in place to get through this. Its about being pragmatic, not philosophical.

You both have to recognise that, really, you just have to get the job done, whatever that job is: the children learning, or eating. We dont have the luxury of pontificating over parenting styles at the moment.

Original post:

Climbing the walls? How to cope as a family when you can't escape each other - The Guardian

The world has changed in the last ten weeks. The rapidly spreading Coronavirus has gone from the first American case noted on January 19 to more than 336,000 diagnosed cases--and at least 9,000 dead.

In an attempt to ward off the virus, Americans have emptied stores of critical supplies such as hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes -- and theyre hoarding things such as toilet paper in case of quarantine. N95 masks are disappearing, despite the Surgeon General noting that they should be saved for health professionals who need them.

A recent analysis by PennPIRG Education Fund found prices for many hand sanitizers and surgical masks on Amazon spiked at least 50 percent at some point since the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency. A four-pack of Purell hand sanitizer was selling for $159. Two containers of Lysol wipes cost $70.

Businesses will tell you that the market is responding to increased demand. Costs increase to ramp up manufacturing and expedite delivery. But when prices for these products climb 220 percent above their 90 day average, those explanations look as ridiculous as a $459 small bottle of hand sanitizer. Exorbitant prices have also been seen on eBay, Walmart, and Craigslist.

When people need something to protect their health and prevent the spread of a potentially-deadly virus, merchants should follow the Golden Rule, not the money.

Sadly, this rampant price gouging isnt a surprise. Its happened in recent years during other emergencies such as hurricanes. In a crisis, the urgent need for essential supplies -- whether its water, gasoline or sanitizer -- overrides any logic. That is why many states outlaw selling critical products at exorbitant prices during these times.

Amazons Fair Pricing Policy prohibits setting a price on a product or service that is significantly higher than recent prices offered on or off Amazon. And yet, PennPIRG Education Fund found significant price spikes for 1 in 6 products sold directly by Amazon to customers.

While Amazon says it monitors sellers and there is no place for price gouging on its online marketplace, its policing efforts are like a game of whack-a-mole. A shopper reports exorbitant prices or Bloomberg writes about them or a computer algorithm flags an overpriced product. The company, then, in its words, may remove the Buy Box, remove the offer, suspend the ship option, or, in serious or repeated cases, suspending or terminating selling privileges.

But because monitoring so many listings is so difficult, when Amazon removes one product, sellers mark up prices on other products or create new listings. The net result is that many consumers desperate to find cleaning supplies to help prevent Coronavirus infection pay way more than they should have to.

All businesses -- online and offline -- have both moral and legal obligations to our broader society during a time of crisis. And we expect a trillion-dollar company such as Amazon to set a high standard for others to emulate. It could set price ranges during emergencies for certain supplies, limit increases to a certain percentage over a 90-day average, or use their technological prowess to develop a different solution.

Thats exactly why more than 300 state legislators from across the country, including 20 from Pennsylvania, signed a letter to the top five online retailers encouraging them to make three significant changes to curb price gouging:

First, they should create strong policies that prevent sellers from increasing their prices in a significant way from what it was prior to the emergency. This would involve looking at historical prices for a particular product or other similar products. Any proposed price outside that framework could only be approved after a careful review by an employee of the online platform.

Second, given the hyperspeed at which modern shopping operates, companies should trigger price gouging protections prior to official emergency declarations. Price spikes for COVID-19 began back in February, which was before any state had declared a disaster.

Lastly, consumers should be able to report price gouging directly Fair Pricing Portal on each marketplace. Given the technological prowess of these companies, creating a simple mechanism on their websites shouldnt be a big lift. Additionally, that data should be shared with attorneys general to enforce price gouging statutes.

These are only a few options to prevent price gouging. Engineers at these companies have designed massive platforms to enable people to shop all around the world. That same ingenuity can be put to use to protect everyone.

If we dont quickly fix this problem, its going to happen again. During each crisis, whether an outbreak or natural disaster, Americans have enough safety issues to worry about. They shouldnt have to also worry about getting bilked by opportunists who dont do unto others what they would have done to them.

State Rep.Tim Brigg (D) represents-District 149, and Emma Horst-Martz, is an associate with PennPIRG, a consumer advocacy organization.

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Beware the price gougers | Opinion - pennlive.com