buzzfeednews--2020-04-01--Big Clothing Brands Claimed They’d Pay Store Workers During The Pandemic. Some Employees Say That's

Big Clothing Brands Claimed They’d Pay Store Workers During The Pandemic. Some Employees Say That's Not Totally True.

`` They ’ ve been misleading , manipulative , and created far more stress in an already stressful time , '' an Ann Taylor store manager told BuzzFeed News .
In response to the coronavirus pandemic , big clothing brands , including Ann Taylor , American Eagle , and Anthropologie , shut their stores across the world but earned praise for announcing they 'd pay their store employees during the closures .
But employees told BuzzFeed News that the companies are misleading them as well as the public .
Store associates ended up getting paid very little or nothing after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the closures .
And employees said the companies have failed at communicating with them during the pandemic .
“ They ’ ve been misleading , manipulative , and created far more stress in an already stressful time , ” an Ann Taylor store manager , who requested anonymity for fear of losing her job , like several other people who spoke for this article , told BuzzFeed News .
“ People who shop there were texting me saying they were so happy Ann Taylor was paying associates , and I had to tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Everyone is angry — clients , managers , associates .
Everyone.
” [ If you 're someone who is seeing the impact of the coronavirus firsthand , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels . ]
BuzzFeed News reached out to some employees after they had commented on a BuzzFeed post about companies that said they were paying associates through the crisis .
In a now-edited announcement on its website , Ann Taylor said it was closing its stores March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the heart of what we do , and they will be paid for their scheduled shifts during this time , ” Gary Muto , the CEO of Ascena Retail Group , whose brands include Ann Taylor , Loft , and Lou & Grey , said in the announcement .
After BuzzFeed News reached out to Ann Taylor for comment on the morning of March 27 , the part about paying store associates was removed from Muto ’ s statement on the website .
“ No pay at all , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was the people who usually work 25-plus hours , and we snuck them on for three hours for one day to cover managers ' breaks.
” She said that Ann Taylor first directed managers like her to cut associates ’ shifts back on March 12 , a week before stores closed .
A few days later , more associates ’ shifts were cut when Ann Taylor reduced store hours .
Then , on March 16 , managers were told to operate on “ minimum coverage , ” which meant that only two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled to work , she said .
This meant that no associates were put on the schedule .
“ This was a full 24 hours before we knew we were closing , ” she said .
“ We had associates on the other side of the phone crying , saying we couldn ’ t cut their shifts because they wouldn ’ t be able to pay rent .
It was one of the worst things I ’ ve ever witnessed.
” So when Ann Taylor publicly announced the next day that it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it caused confusion and anger among employees , the manager said .
“ The store associates were calling and texting , asking if they were getting paid now — after we had just told them they weren ’ t getting paid , ” the manager said .
“ It didn ’ t just mislead the public ; it misled the people who work for the company.
” The company has since furloughed all store associates until it can reopen stores .
“ We found out on March 24th that we had to call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were furloughed , ” the Ann Taylor manager said .
“ Associates are able to use up the rest of their sick time if they choose to , which they have very little of . ''
In a letter to employees published on StreetInsider.com , Muto said , “ Furloughing our [ store ] associates is one of the most challenging decisions we have ever had to make as an organization.
” He said that it was “ incredibly disheartening ” for the company to take this step “ due to the unpredictable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I want you to know that as a furloughed associate , you are still very much part of our team , and it is our goal to recall you to work as soon as possible , ” Muto ’ s letter said .
Slack , who was hired at American Eagle a little over a week before it closed its stores , was expecting to be scheduled for at least 10 hours a week as a part-time store associate .
But on Tuesday , when Slack logged into the employee website to check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid for , `` I felt like I got punched in the gut . ''
`` I got zero hours because I got scheduled for zero hours , '' Slack said .
Slack , who still has her day job at another company , said she was depending on the approximately $ 100 she would have gotten from American Eagle to go toward her medical treatments and the `` extra money I need every month to make sure I do n't overdraft my checking account by pay day . ''
Slack said American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to employees about paying store associates for their scheduled shifts did not clarify that some associates like her would not get scheduled at all .
`` They should n't get the press they 're getting for being kind to their employees .
when they 're not , '' she said .
Slack provided BuzzFeed News with screenshots of group chats in which her store manager informed associates about closures and the pay schedule during that period .
In one message on March 18 , Slack 's coworker asked their store manager , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to come in and we will get payed [ sic ] for those days !
! ''
The store manager replied , `` That 's the idea BUT if corporate feels we 'overscheduled ' they can pull the hours out .
Hopefully we fell into their guidelines . ''
He later added that not everyone was scheduled and that priority was given to leaders and core associates .
`` Then if hours were left , we could schedule flex associates , '' Slack 's store manager said in the chat .
Slack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been told she was a `` flex associate '' and did not even know what that meant .
When she found out she had not been scheduled to work at all during the store closures , Slack asked the store manager about it .
`` I know that you guys were going to scale down but I did n't think it would be to zero [ hours ] , '' Slack told him .
`` We only had a limited amount of hours to use , '' her manager replied .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our core staff at at least 12. after that there really was n't much to use . ''
When Slack lamented to him about needing the money , the manager told her , `` It 's something new none of us have gone through . ''
Slack said she will look for another second job soon .
She said that American Eagle should have paid all their store associates for the two weeks .
`` They have more than enough money to do it , '' she said .
`` It 's a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her direct manager , Slack complained about the company 's misleading statement .
`` It 's shady , '' Slack said in the message .
`` Feels like a dirty trick after what they said cuz I could have started working on another job somewhere else 3 weeks ago . ''
Her manager replied , `` I understand how frustrating it can be , just know that you are not alone . ''
A 21-year-old store associate for American Eagle in Oregon told BuzzFeed News that the company 's statement about paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On March 16 , the associate — who did not wish to be identified for fear of losing her job — said she got a call from her manager after the company shortened their store hours .
She was scheduled to work for three shifts that week , but due to the reduced hours , the manager had to cut two of the shifts .
The next day , she found out — through an American Eagle mass email sent to all customers on their subscription list — that it was closing all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did her store manager tell associates via group text that their store was closing .
“ So before the decision to close the store was made , associates were called and asked to reschedule or cut their shifts , that they otherwise would have been compensated for , ” the associate told BuzzFeed News .
She said that if her scheduled shifts had not been cut she would have made $ 135 ( before taxes ) for the week .
After two of her three shifts were cut , she made only $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ While I am thankful for the time I was compensated for , it ’ s upsetting that what I would have normally been paid was cut over half for my last check until further notice , ” the associate said .
“ This has affected me greatly financially .
Like many store employees , I do not know when I will be making an income again , and am having trouble applying for unemployment since American Eagle has not laid off their employees yet.
” The company did not reopen its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and associates have not heard from the company about when the stores will likely reopen or if they will be paid during this time .
She does n't know of any associate who had shifts scheduled this far out , which means they would n't be compensated .
She added that there has been “ minimal communication ” from American Eagle .
The assistant store manager sent associates a group text March 27 informing them about how they could send photos to be posted to the store ’ s Instagram account during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mentioned , ‘ While we don ’ t have a date for when we return… ’ but did not expand on that , ” the associate said .
URBN , which includes brands like Anthropologie , Urban Outfitters , Free People , BHLDN , and Terrain , publicly announced it was closing all its global stores on March 14 and that it would continue to pay store employees .
But Anthropologie `` said they 'd pay employees publicly but have so far made no attempt to give employees any actual information about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'd pay for scheduled hours , promptly took everyone off the schedule .
Workers with 30+ hours a week are getting only 8 hours ‘ quarantine pay , ’ ” one person commented on BuzzFeed .
When asked about the commenter 's claims , URBN said in a statement to BuzzFeed News that it was “ standard business practice for retailers to adjust store associate schedules according to traffic and demand trends.
” The statement said that , `` due to the impact of COVID-19 and the rapidly declining retail store environment during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ store employees ' schedules `` had been adjusted downward.
” “ We understand employees may question the timing of this change , but these two decisions were 100 % mutually exclusive as we continued to react quickly and ever changing conditions , ” the statement said .
“ Notwithstanding deteriorating conditions in the market , we chose to honor those scheduled hours.
” On Tuesday , March 31 , URBN announced that it was furloughing “ a number of store , wholesale and home office employees ” for 60 days as store closures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The company said that impacted employees will continue to receive enrolled benefits during their furlough and be able to collect unemployment compensation .
“ We will make every effort to assist those furloughed in receiving all benefits available to them , ” URBN said .
In the meantime , store associates are struggling to make ends meet .
The 21-year-old American Eagle store associate said she was having trouble qualifying for unemployment .
`` I normally have two jobs that I am financially dependent on ( as well as providing child care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me off , so I have been filing for unemployment since I was laid off from that job on [ March 20 ] , ” she said .
She said unemployment representatives had advised her to continue applying weekly even though she was still employed by American Eagle .
“ I still have not heard anything back from the unemployment office , however , ” she said .

When Slack lamented to him about needing the money, the manager told her, "It's something new none of us have gone through."
Slack said she will look for another second job soon. She said that American Eagle should have paid all their store associates for the two weeks.
"They have more than enough money to do it," she said. "It's a billion-dollar brand."
In a message to her direct manager, Slack complained about the company's misleading statement.
"It's shady," Slack said in the message. "Feels like a dirty trick after what they said cuz I could have started working on another job somewhere else 3 weeks ago."
Her manager replied, "I understand how frustrating it can be, just know that you are not alone."
A 21-year-old store associate for American Eagle in Oregon told BuzzFeed News that the company's statement about paying store associates was “misleading."
On March 16, the associate — who did not wish to be identified for fear of losing her job — said she got a call from her manager after the company shortened their store hours. She was scheduled to work for three shifts that week, but due to the reduced hours, the manager had to cut two of the shifts.
The next day, she found out — through an American Eagle mass email sent to all customers on their subscription list — that it was closing all its stores.
Only after that email did her store manager tell associates via group text that their store was closing.
“So before the decision to close the store was made, associates were called and asked to reschedule or cut their shifts, that they otherwise would have been compensated for,” the associate told BuzzFeed News.
She said that if her scheduled shifts had not been cut she would have made $135 (before taxes) for the week. After two of her three shifts were cut, she made only $45 for the week after stores closed.
“While I am thankful for the time I was compensated for, it’s upsetting that what I would have normally been paid was cut over half for my last check until further notice,” the associate said. “This has affected me greatly financially. Like many store employees, I do not know when I will be making an income again, and am having trouble applying for unemployment since American Eagle has not laid off their employees yet.”
The company did not reopen its stores on March 27 as previously announced, and associates have not heard from the company about when the stores will likely reopen or if they will be paid during this time.
She doesn't know of any associate who had shifts scheduled this far out, which means they wouldn't be compensated.
She added that there has been “minimal communication” from American Eagle.
The assistant store manager sent associates a group text March 27 informing them about how they could send photos to be posted to the store’s Instagram account during the closure.
The manager “casually mentioned, ‘While we don’t have a date for when we return…’ but did not expand on that,” the associate said.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-23--Scientists Now Say No, They Weren’t Reporting The First Case Of A Dead Body Spreading The Coronaviru

Scientists Now Say No, They Weren’t Reporting The First Case Of A Dead Body Spreading The Coronavirus

A scientific journal has published a correction from two authors who had previously penned a short report suggesting that the coronavirus had spread from a corpse — a highly unusual measure only taken after a Thai journalist contacted BuzzFeed News about the accuracy of the journal ’ s report .
On April 12 , the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine announced “ the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit , ” which BuzzFeed News reported the next day .
The authors of the report , Won Sriwijitalai of the RVT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Hainan Medical University in China , linked the death to “ contact with biological samples and corpses.
” It was a groundbreaking statement from two scientists that captured the world ’ s attention , as experts scramble to understand how the coronavirus behaves and spreads among humans and animals .
But on Thursday , the journal published a correction from the authors .
The original report was poorly written , the authors explained , and had resulted in “ misinterpretation.
” “ The authors regret that the article might not have good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it might result in misinterpretation , ” they wrote .
“ The authors did not mean to suggest that the victim had died , and that the authors do not know for sure and can not scientifically confirm that the virus moved from the dead body.
” Asked about the correction , the journal ’ s editor , Tim Thompson , a professor of applied biological anthropology at Teesside University in the UK , said by email , “ We have been chasing this down this past week .
We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now.
” Elsevier , the publisher of the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine and one of the leading science journal publishers in the world , did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
The correction came after journalist Peerapon Anutarasoat of the Sure And Share Center in Bangkok raised questions to BuzzFeed News about the original report 's accuracy and about its authors ’ affiliations .
BuzzFeed News contacted Elsevier as well as the journal ’ s editor on April 14 for comment on the questions raised by Anutarasoat .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ editor , wrote on April 15 , `` It 's important to note that the letter does n't say that the deceased caught COVID from a corpse , just that it 's the first forensic practitioner to die . ''
In an email the next day , Sriwijitalai , the report ’ s coauthor , responded to a BuzzFeed News query to say a clarification was underway , and that the worker mentioned in the letter had not died , but had only been infected .
The situation raised the “ risk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
The Thai health ministry and Thai embassy in Washington , DC , did not respond to requests for comment .
Scientists still know very little about whether the dead bodies of people infected with the coronavirus can be contagious .
The CDC ’ s recommendations state , “ People should consider not touching the body of someone who has died of COVID-19 , ” suggesting that those who handle dead bodies should wear personal protective equipment .
“ This is really unusual , you do n't publish a report that someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is n't , ” said Angelique Corthals , a professor of pathology at CUNY 's John Jay College of Criminal Justice .
“ To be fair , this is a crisis and a lot of the review practices have become relaxed . ''
`` The points about the importance of PPE in handling people who have died of coronavirus still stand , because we just do n't have all the answers , ” Corthals said .

A scientific journal has published a correction from two authors who had previously penned a short report suggesting that the coronavirus had spread from a corpse — a highly unusual measure only taken after a Thai journalist contacted BuzzFeed News about the accuracy of the journal’s report.
On April 12, the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine announced “the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit,” which BuzzFeed News reported the next day. The authors of the report, Won Sriwijitalai of the RVT Medical Center in Bangkok and Viroj Wiwanitkit of Hainan Medical University in China, linked the death to “contact with biological samples and corpses.”
It was a groundbreaking statement from two scientists that captured the world’s attention, as experts scramble to understand how the coronavirus behaves and spreads among humans and animals.
But on Thursday, the journal published a correction from the authors. The original report was poorly written, the authors explained, and had resulted in “misinterpretation.”
“The authors regret that the article might not have good writing for clarification in the primary text and it might result in misinterpretation,” they wrote. “The authors did not mean to suggest that the victim had died, and that the authors do not know for sure and cannot scientifically confirm that the virus moved from the dead body.”
Asked about the correction, the journal’s editor, Tim Thompson, a professor of applied biological anthropology at Teesside University in the UK, said by email, “We have been chasing this down this past week. We’re hoping this will clear the situation up now.”
Elsevier, the publisher of the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine and one of the leading science journal publishers in the world, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The correction came after journalist Peerapon Anutarasoat of the Sure And Share Center in Bangkok raised questions to BuzzFeed News about the original report's accuracy and about its authors’ affiliations. BuzzFeed News contacted Elsevier as well as the journal’s editor on April 14 for comment on the questions raised by Anutarasoat.
In response, Thompson, the journal editor, wrote on April 15, "It's important to note that the letter doesn't say that the deceased caught COVID from a corpse, just that it's the first forensic practitioner to die."
In an email the next day, Sriwijitalai, the report’s coauthor, responded to a BuzzFeed News query to say a clarification was underway, and that the worker mentioned in the letter had not died, but had only been infected. The situation raised the “risk of death” among mortuary workers, he wrote.
The Thai health ministry and Thai embassy in Washington, DC, did not respond to requests for comment.
Scientists still know very little about whether the dead bodies of people infected with the coronavirus can be contagious. The CDC’s recommendations state, “People should consider not touching the body of someone who has died of COVID-19,” suggesting that those who handle dead bodies should wear personal protective equipment.
“This is really unusual, you don't publish a report that someone is dead and then say, no he isn't,” said Angelique Corthals, a professor of pathology at CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “To be fair, this is a crisis and a lot of the review practices have become relaxed."
"The points about the importance of PPE in handling people who have died of coronavirus still stand, because we just don't have all the answers,” Corthals said.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-23--Texas Has Banned Abortion During The Coronavirus Outbreak

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered a ban on abortions in the state unless the life of the mother is threatened .
The order came on Monday , a day after Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott said abortion did not qualify as “ essential ” care and ordered any scheduled procedures to be postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak .
“ No one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive order on medically unnecessary surgeries and procedures , including abortion providers , ” a statement from Paxton 's office read .
“ Those who violate the governor ’ s order will be met with the full force of the law.
” The order will expire April 21 , but before then any medical worker providing abortion care can be fined $ 1,000 or face jail time of up to 180 days .
Paxton and Abbott are following in the footsteps of Ohio .
On March 17 , Ohio ’ s governor ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; over the weekend , Ohio ’ s deputy attorney general , Jonathan Fulkerson , sent letters to several abortion clinics in the state , accusing them of being in violation of the order .
In Maryland , an order was slightly less clear .
In a press conference about the state order suspending nonessential businesses and procedures Monday , Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan appeared to tell a reporter he considered abortion a nonessential service .
Hogan ’ s office did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News ’ request for clarification on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinics , physicians , and reproductive rights advocates have argued that abortion providers are not violating the orders in any of these states because the procedure is essential health care .
In Ohio , clinics and physicians are continuing to provide abortion care despite Fulkerson ’ s letters .
As holds on “ nonessential ” health care began to be rolled out in states across the country last week , the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology preempted Republican and anti-abortion governors and attorneys general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments not to categorize abortion as nonessential .
“ To the extent that hospital systems or ambulatory surgical facilities are categorizing procedures that can be delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic , abortion should not be categorized as such a procedure , ” the statement read .
“ Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care .
It is also a time-sensitive service for which a delay of several weeks , or in some cases days , may increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible , ” the groups continued .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person ’ s life , health , and well-being.
” So far , no litigation has been filed to keep clinics open and functioning , but the American Civil Liberties Union is observing the fallout in Maryland and Texas .

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered a ban on abortions in the state unless the life of the mother is threatened. The order came on Monday, a day after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said abortion did not qualify as “essential” care and ordered any scheduled procedures to be postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“No one is exempt from the governor’s executive order on medically unnecessary surgeries and procedures, including abortion providers,” a statement from Paxton's office read. “Those who violate the governor’s order will be met with the full force of the law.”
The order will expire April 21, but before then any medical worker providing abortion care can be fined $1,000 or face jail time of up to 180 days.
Paxton and Abbott are following in the footsteps of Ohio. On March 17, Ohio’s governor ordered the cancellation of all nonessential medical procedures; over the weekend, Ohio’s deputy attorney general, Jonathan Fulkerson, sent letters to several abortion clinics in the state, accusing them of being in violation of the order.
In Maryland, an order was slightly less clear. In a press conference about the state order suspending nonessential businesses and procedures Monday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan appeared to tell a reporter he considered abortion a nonessential service. Hogan’s office did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for clarification on the issue.
In response, abortion clinics, physicians, and reproductive rights advocates have argued that abortion providers are not violating the orders in any of these states because the procedure is essential health care. In Ohio, clinics and physicians are continuing to provide abortion care despite Fulkerson’s letters.
As holds on “nonessential” health care began to be rolled out in states across the country last week, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology preempted Republican and anti-abortion governors and attorneys general by issuing a joint statement imploring state governments not to categorize abortion as nonessential.
“To the extent that hospital systems or ambulatory surgical facilities are categorizing procedures that can be delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion should not be categorized as such a procedure,” the statement read.
“Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care. It is also a time-sensitive service for which a delay of several weeks, or in some cases days, may increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible,” the groups continued. “The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being.”
So far, no litigation has been filed to keep clinics open and functioning, but the American Civil Liberties Union is observing the fallout in Maryland and Texas.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-23--How Are You Getting Your Weed During The Coronavirus Outbreak?

It does n't seem likely that the quarantine spurred by the coronavirus outbreak will end for most of us very @ @ @ @ @ are closed , people are told to keep at least 6 feet apart , and @ @ @ @ @ measures .
While businesses deemed essential are allowed to stay open — including grocery stores @ @ @ @ @ interestingly enough , some liquor stores — getting weed right now might be difficult .
@ @ @ @ @ stories from you on how you 're getting your weed now , what you 're @ @ @ @ @ dealer is still selling , and how you 're keeping your distance while buying .
@ @ @ @ @ yourself , we 're curious if you 're still doing pickups or drop-offs during the @ @ @ @ @ like to tell us , we 'd love to hear it — and we 'll @ @ @ @ @ prefer .
If you 're a weed user , you can fill out our survey @ @ @ @ @ a dealer , you can do so here .
●

It doesn't seem likely that the quarantine spurred by the coronavirus outbreak will end for most of us very soon. Bars and restaurants are closed, people are told to keep at least 6 feet apart, and some states are implementing shelter-in-place measures.
While businesses deemed essential are allowed to stay open — including grocery stores, pharmacies, and, interestingly enough, some liquor stores — getting weed right now might be difficult.
So we're looking for stories from you on how you're getting your weed now, what you're worried about, whether your dealer is still selling, and how you're keeping your distance while buying. If you're a dealer yourself, we're curious if you're still doing pickups or drop-offs during the quarantine.
Whatever you'd like to tell us, we'd love to hear it — and we'll keep you anonymous if you prefer. If you're a weed user, you can fill out our survey here. If you're a dealer, you can do so here. ●


buzzfeednews--2020-04-01--The Only Thing I Want To Do Is Binge-Watch Apocalypse Movies

After Contagion , I turned to Outbreak , which has also been experiencing a timely surge in popularity on Netflix .
Set in 1995 , Outbreak ( loosely adapted from the nonfiction book The Hot Zone ) is about the global spread of a lethal virus that causes people to break out into a terrible fever before killing them .
It was horrifying to watch the eerie parallels of this disease infecting the masses , hospitals putting patients into quarantine , and the CDC scrambling to come up with a vaccine .
Things took a turn when I streamed How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movie from 2018 starring Forest Whitaker and Theo James .
Their characters drive from Chicago to Seattle in search of Whitaker ’ s daughter and James ’ s girlfriend after a mysterious seismic event happens on the West Coast , shutting down national flights and leaving people across the country in panic about the unknown disaster .
Then I watched the 2009 film Carriers , about a couple of brothers and their girlfriends living in a postapocalyptic society after a mysterious virus has spread around the globe and killed the majority of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is critically acclaimed — nor are they popular or realistic !
— but that didn ’ t stop them from being very unsettling and stressful to watch .
I rebounded with the Steve Carell and Keira Knightley romantic dramedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World , from 2012 , about two people finding love and friendship with only 21 days left to live before an asteroid crashes into the planet .
Sure , the world does actually come to an end , but there 's also something charming and hopeful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fall in love , holding one another close as an asteroid hits Earth at the one hour and 40 minute mark .
The last apocalyptic film I watched in my anxiety-inducing marathon was the 1997 classic Armageddon , which is basically a full-fledged feel-good movie compared to the rest .
This movie truly has it all : nutty humor , an epic love story with a young , charismatic Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler , and the grumpy yet heroic Bruce Willis .
Who does n't want to feel a huge sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affleck , fresh off Good Will Hunting , help save the world and give viewers a happy ending ?
I ’ m certainly not the only person gravitating toward apocalyptic movies about surviving the end of the world and viruses spreading — Contagion is currently one of the 10 most-watched films on iTunes , and Outbreak has been on Netflix ’ s top 10 most-watched list for the past few weeks .
But to be crystal clear : I do not recommend anyone else fall down the same kind of rabbit hole that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was concerned enough with my behavior that I checked in with a professional to see just how bad an idea my obsessive viewing actually was .
I wanted to know : Is it copacetic to watch a string of apocalypse movies in the midst of what seems pretty close to an actual apocalypse ?
Or was I doing this at the serious cost of my own emotional well-being ?
I reached out to Christina Scott , a psychology professor at Whittier College , who 's researched and spoken about `` the allure of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People are naturally going to turn to Netflix because of escapism , ” Scott told me .
“ But everything is best in moderation .
I realize what a cliché that sounds like , but I wouldn ’ t watch 45 romantic comedies and I wouldn ’ t watch 45 doomsday movies back to back.
” Scott explained that the reason people like me are gravitating toward such dark films , which mirror at least a semblance of what we ’ re seeing happen around us in real life , is because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The theory basically says that all of us are scared out of our minds that our lives are limited and we will die one day , and it 's not something we like to think about , ” Scott said .
“ So I think in a moment of a pandemic , people want to escape.
” Some people are finding escape and comfort in streaming content that allows them to dissociate from the current state of the world , like romantic comedies or movies that make us feel nostalgic .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masochistic , turning to apocalyptic movies is another means of comfort , according to Scott .
“ There are two reasons I personally would think we would be looking at movies like Contagion right now .
One of them is that it almost gives us a sense that reality isn ’ t that bad .
It could be a lot worse , because look what a disaster is going on in this particular movie , ” she said .
“ And I think the other part of it is , unfortunately , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
People might think in case real life gets worse , this is the only reference point we have — because we don ’ t have any reference of this ever happening in recent times , in our lifetimes.
” With each day that goes by , humanity feels like it ’ s inching closer and closer to what I ’ m seeing onscreen in these apocalyptic movies ; death tolls are increasing , doctors are tasked with saving people ’ s lives but many don ’ t have the resources they need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dying , and grocery store shelves remain empty .
But as Scott pointed out to me , at a time when “ there 's still a sense of imminent fear every day about a problem that you ca n't just escape , ” these apocalyptic films are reassuring because they ’ re fiction , not reality .
And the central element of the fantasy is that “ there 's always a hero that pulls us out of it.
” “ It ’ s kind of this happily ever after for adults .
Maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ character bit the dust in a tragic , drawn-out scene , but in the end , the world is saved , ” Scott said .
“ And I think that 's part of that terror management theory of bringing us some comfort .
There 's hope at the end.
” That ’ s not to say this kind of entertainment is comforting for everyone right now .
Scott said binge-watching films about the world coming to an end isn ’ t likely to be helpful for people who are at risk for depression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limited social interactions with others and aren ’ t checking in with people in their actual realities .
“ If you 're watching these movies going , Okay , I have to go hoard masks and I have to not talk to anybody and I have to put duct tape on all of my windows , yeah , you 're looking at a Hollywood movie as though it were guidelines from the CDC , and that 's probably not good , ” she said .
“ This is supposed to be for entertainment.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that all movies , even ones about impending apocalypses and viral contagions , have beginnings , middles , and ends .
In Armageddon , Willis ’ s character sacrifices himself to save the world , allowing Affleck to go home and marry Liv Tyler .
In Contagion , the CDC scientists come up with a vaccine and Matt Damon ’ s daughter gets to dance around her living room with her boyfriend , the two of them all dressed up , at their private social distancing prom night .
In Outbreak , Dustin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Army not to drop a bomb on a congregation of citizens infected by a spreading virus because , at the last minute , they miraculously find a cure .
The simple fact that all of these movies come to an end might be the most reassuring thing about them .
“ People feel like , I ’ m safely in my pajamas watching Netflix , this isn ’ t real , it does have an ending , and in two hours , it 'll be over , ” Scott said .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in two hours or less , you 're going to watch this mess get cleaned up .
‘ Cause we ca n't get an ending right now .
We don ’ t really have a timeline .
We ’ re not getting a lot of decisive answers or great leadership and guidance.
” For the foreseeable future and out of an abundance of caution for my mental health , I 've given up on watching any more movies about global diseases spreading and the world ending .
Reality is grim enough .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't doing too much to make me feel better about the state of things , the main idea I ’ m holding onto from my weekend of apocalypse bingeing is something Scott told me , with optimism : “ The major heroes always survive.
” ●

I can’t stop watching movies about the world coming to an end.
Like seemingly everyone else in the country, I started with Contagion, which I watched for the first time at the end of February so that I could interview veterinary pathologist Tracey McNamara, who served as a scientific adviser for the film. At that point, COVID-19 was already silently spreading in the US, but hadn’t really started to make itself felt in earnest. But that conversation was sobering; McNamara told me that Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film about a disease that originates in Hong Kong and rapidly spreads around the world, killing millions of people, was meant to be a warning. Evidently, it wasn’t one that fully got through.
My apocalyptic viewing started ramping up in earnest a couple of weeks ago, when the US made a collective shift toward taking the coronavirus more seriously. Things felt like they took a significant turn on March 11, when the spread of the virus prompted Trump to suspend travel from Europe to the US, Tom Hanks announced he and his wife, Rita Wilson, were quarantined with the virus in Australia, and the NBA postponed the rest of its season indefinitely. That same day, I was told by my company to start working from home and social distancing, and I witnessed firsthand the eeriness of going to a normally stocked grocery store that was left with barren freezers and empty shelves where canned goods and toilet paper were once abundant. It was a bizarre and unsettling moment. All of a sudden, things felt like they were changing, and they wouldn’t be getting better anytime soon.
This was before we knew what we know now; before the coronavirus infected more than 189,000 people in the United States, before states across the country instituted strict shelter-in-place mandates keeping residents inside their homes, before hospitals were overwhelmed, and before presidential adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci told the US to prepare for between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the next few months as a result of the virus. But even weeks ago, the fear of all of these forthcoming realities inspired me to double down and watch Contagion yet again; I had a morbid curiosity to see just how many apocalyptic movies I could stream from the comfort of my own apartment over the course of a single weekend.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-01--Put Makeup On. Wear Tight Clothes. Speak Like A Cartoon Cat: How Women Are Being Told To Behave Arou

Put Makeup On. Wear Tight Clothes. Speak Like A Cartoon Cat: How Women Are Being Told To Behave Around Their Husbands Under Lockdown.

The official lockdown advice from Malaysia ’ s women ’ s ministry — to wear makeup and avoid sarcasm — was ridiculed online .
The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
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NEW DELHI — Women in Malaysia were told to avoid sarcasm and to speak in the voice of a cartoon cat so they didn ’ t annoy their husbands during coronavirus lockdown .
Official advisories from the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women to make sure they wore makeup at home , and to avoid loose and casual clothes .
The bizarre advice , posted on the Facebook and Twitter pages of Malaysia ’ s Ministry of Women , Family , and Community Development ( KPWKM ) , also said women should speak in the voice of Doraemon to men in their household while in lockdown .
The timing of the advice was particularly galling .
Just a week ago , the KPWKM suggested closing down Malaysia ’ s crisis hotline for women and children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus .
The idea was scrapped after it was met with widespread outrage from women ’ s organizations .
Since then , the hotline is reported to have seen a 57 % increase in calls from Malaysians facing domestic violence at home .
Women ’ s groups have raised issues with the KPWKM on multiple occasions since fears about the coronavirus pandemic began in Malaysia .
The leadership of the ministry changed last month when the democratically government was toppled in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monarchy .
Minister Rina Harun and her deputy Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff took charge of the department , and since then , the KPWKM has focused on issues like providing Sharia-compliant uniforms for the country ’ s airline ’ s staff — even as the employees were facing job cuts due to COVID-19 lockdowns .
The ministry also fired a prominent children ’ s rights activist who was advocating for single mothers during lockdown , because he was appointed by a previous government .
Despite this , the advisory posters issued by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure peace at home .
The posters said that if a husband ignored his wife 's requests to contribute to housework , wives should use humorous words and copy Doraemon 's tone of voice followed by “ giggling as opposed to nagging.
”  One of the posters , part of a series called “ The Happiness of a Household is Built Together , How to Avoid Fights at Home Between Husband and Wife , ” asked women to refrain from sarcasm , and instead draw up a list of tasks for husbands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been online for a day when the ministry took them down and issued an apology .
`` Our approach was to share ways and practices to maintain positive relationships within the family while working from home .
Our team shares daily tips and positive messages on social media in line with our # WanitaCegahCovid19 [ # WomenPreventCOVID19 ] campaign that covers different themes and the goal is to share the information among women , ” KPWKM women 's department director Datuk Saidatu Akhma Hassan wrote in a statement online .
“ We would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inappropriate or if they touched on the sensitivities of certain groups .
We will be more careful in the future.
” The apology did not go down well — several Malaysians online described the language and tone of the apology as “ gaslighting.
” At present , Malaysia has recorded 2,908 positive cases of COVID-19 and 45 deaths .
The country ’ s recently appointed health minister has unofficially been sidelined since he claimed during a national broadcast that drinking warm water kills the coronavirus .
After facing ridicule online , all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered by the country ’ s director-general of health .
BuzzFeed News has also learned that the Malaysian prime minister has issued unofficial orders to Malaysian media organizations not to report any negative news about the government ’ s handling of the pandemic .

The timing of the advice was particularly galling. Just a week ago, the KPWKM suggested closing down Malaysia’s crisis hotline for women and children as the country went into lockdown over the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The idea was scrapped after it was met with widespread outrage from women’s organizations. Since then, the hotline is reported to have seen a 57% increase in calls from Malaysians facing domestic violence at home.
Women’s groups have raised issues with the KPWKM on multiple occasions since fears about the coronavirus pandemic began in Malaysia. The leadership of the ministry changed last month when the democratically government was toppled in a political coup backed by the country's monarchy. Minister Rina Harun and her deputy Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff took charge of the department, and since then, the KPWKM has focused on issues like providing Sharia-compliant uniforms for the country’s airline’s staff — even as the employees were facing job cuts due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The ministry also fired a prominent children’s rights activist who was advocating for single mothers during lockdown, because he was appointed by a previous government.
Despite this, the advisory posters issued by the department on social media asked women to ensure peace at home.
The posters said that if a husband ignored his wife's requests to contribute to housework, wives should use humorous words and copy Doraemon's tone of voice followed by “giggling as opposed to nagging.”


buzzfeednews--2020-05-26--A Security Flaw In Qatar's Contact Tracing App Exposed Hundreds Of Thousands Of People's Personal Da

A Security Flaw In Qatar's Contact Tracing App Exposed Hundreds Of Thousands Of People's Personal Data

A security flaw in Qatar ’ s mandatory coronavirus contact tracing app could have resulted in the leak of the personal data of hundreds of thousands of people , including ID numbers , location , and health information , according to Amnesty International ’ s Security Lab .
After Amnesty alerted Qatari authorities on Thursday , they fixed the flaw in the app .
The incident underscores the risks of contact tracing apps .
Privacy activists worry the apps could be compromised by outside attackers or used by governments to collect personal data unrelated to the pandemic .
Claudio Guarnieri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and head of its Security Lab , told BuzzFeed News that his organization found the flaw that could have compromised people 's data .
“ The app downloaded the QR code from the server by performing a particular request providing the national ID the user provided at registration , ” he said .
“ However , anyone with the sufficient technical know-how to analyze the inner workings of the apps would have been able to reconstruct the network protocol and notice that because the server only expected an ID number to return the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for any other ID instead . ''
A hacker could have used a brute-force attack to generate all possible combinations of the ID numbers , retrieving their data .
To fix the issue , the updated version of the app has more stringent authentication requirements .

A security flaw in Qatar’s mandatory coronavirus contact tracing app could have resulted in the leak of the personal data of hundreds of thousands of people, including ID numbers, location, and health information, according to Amnesty International’s Security Lab.
After Amnesty alerted Qatari authorities on Thursday, they fixed the flaw in the app. The incident underscores the risks of contact tracing apps. Privacy activists worry the apps could be compromised by outside attackers or used by governments to collect personal data unrelated to the pandemic.
Claudio Guarnieri, a senior technologist at Amnesty International and head of its Security Lab, told BuzzFeed News that his organization found the flaw that could have compromised people's data.
“The app downloaded the QR code from the server by performing a particular request providing the national ID the user provided at registration,” he said. “However, anyone with the sufficient technical know-how to analyze the inner workings of the apps would have been able to reconstruct the network protocol and notice that because the server only expected an ID number to return the QR code, one could request it for any other ID instead."
A hacker could have used a brute-force attack to generate all possible combinations of the ID numbers, retrieving their data.
To fix the issue, the updated version of the app has more stringent authentication requirements.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-15--A Family Learned The Hard Way How Important Phone Chargers Are To Coronavirus Patients. Now They Wan

A Family Learned The Hard Way How Important Phone Chargers Are To Coronavirus Patients. Now They Want To Help Others.

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
`` No one should have to fight or die alone . ''
That 's the rallying cry from Jonathan and Maren Hefler , a husband and wife team who are raising money to get phone chargers to patients with COVID-19 in hopes of keeping them connected to their loved ones .
The couple 's initiative was sparked when Jonathan 's 77-year-old father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
The Navy veteran and pediatrician has been alone as he has been sick .
Given the highly contagious nature of the virus , hospital visits are all but impossible with coronavirus patients so instead families have had to rely on phone calls and FaceTimes .
But often hospital staff do n't have access to the phone chargers they need to keep patients connected to family and friends , said the Heflers .
Stephen Hefler started experiencing coronavirus symptoms in late March .
First , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home , but his health was declining rapidly and he was hospitalized two weeks ago .
When he was transported to a local hospital in Sarasota , Florida , he took his cellphone with him , but by his second day there , his phone had died .
Within 48 hours of him arriving at the hospital , Jonathan and Maren , who live across the country in San Diego , got a call from the hospital : Stephen 's health was still deteriorating fast .
They needed to start saying their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , how can we do that ? '
'' Jonathan told BuzzFeed News , noting that some nurses and doctors are loath to bring their phones into ICU wards because of the virus .
`` How are we supposed to talk to him or say goodbye or have him hear our voice ? ''

"No one should have to fight or die alone."
That's the rallying cry from Jonathan and Maren Hefler, a husband and wife team who are raising money to get phone chargers to patients with COVID-19 in hopes of keeping them connected to their loved ones.
The couple's initiative was sparked when Jonathan's 77-year-old father, Stephen, was hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The Navy veteran and pediatrician has been alone as he has been sick.
Given the highly contagious nature of the virus, hospital visits are all but impossible with coronavirus patients so instead families have had to rely on phone calls and FaceTimes. But often hospital staff don't have access to the phone chargers they need to keep patients connected to family and friends, said the Heflers.
Stephen Hefler started experiencing coronavirus symptoms in late March. First, he tried to deal with having the disease at home, but his health was declining rapidly and he was hospitalized two weeks ago. When he was transported to a local hospital in Sarasota, Florida, he took his cellphone with him, but by his second day there, his phone had died.
Within 48 hours of him arriving at the hospital, Jonathan and Maren, who live across the country in San Diego, got a call from the hospital: Stephen's health was still deteriorating fast. They needed to start saying their goodbyes.
"We said, 'OK, how can we do that?'" Jonathan told BuzzFeed News, noting that some nurses and doctors are loath to bring their phones into ICU wards because of the virus. "How are we supposed to talk to him or say goodbye or have him hear our voice?"


buzzfeednews--2020-04-15--College Closures Have Forced Many Trans Students To Hide Their Identity Again

The coronavirus pandemic has put the mental and physical health of an already vulnerable group at far greater risk .
Nora didn ’ t want to come home .
When Michigan State University , where she is a senior , shut down because of the coronavirus , Nora ’ s panicked parents brought her home .
Back to rural Michigan , to an isolated house surrounded by woods and cornfields on all sides .
It ’ s a house where 21-year-old Nora , who is transgender , can ’ t be herself : where every day , her parents call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wrong pronouns .
Where she can ’ t dress the way she wants .
Where she can ’ t leave the house — not even to go to the pharmacy to get the medications she needs for her gender affirmation , which her parents don ’ t know she ’ s taking .
Nora , who asked that her name not be used in this story , isn ’ t out to her parents .
“ I 've got a strong feeling that if I were to come out , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disowned.
” It ’ s “ dehumanizing , ” Nora said , not to be able to be herself , to be called every day by a name that isn ’ t hers .
“ Even if it comes from a place of ignorance.
” Students across the country have had to grapple with enormous loss as colleges shuttered their campuses last month : missed graduations and rituals ; communities splintered across the country in a matter of days ; uncertainty around grades , housing , financial aid , and nearly every other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transgender students , the loss was often even more profound and complicating .
For many , it meant a loss of safety and dignity , of access to vital health care and , fundamentally , a space — any space — where they could be themselves .
Those safe spaces are incredibly important right now .
Trans kids are far more likely to report having attempted suicide than their cisgender peers and are more likely to have depression and anxiety .
For many , access to medical transition services has been abruptly cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mental health care , too .
All of this means the coronavirus pandemic has put the mental and physical health of an already vulnerable group at far greater risk .
In interviews with BuzzFeed News , trans students described the experience of being trapped in a pandemic with families who do not accept them — a whiplash change from a college campus where they are openly trans , most for the first time in their lives , to a house where they are misgendered and called by deadnames .
Others who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months living alone in their dorm rooms rather than going back to houses where they felt unsafe or unwelcome .
In the midst of the pandemic , trans students have done what they always have : found a safe space in each other .
They 've learned to cope , many said , by leaning on classmates over text messages , Discord , and Zoom , talking to one another through medical challenges , homelessness , and isolation .
They ’ ve found housing for each other , even mailed medications .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , before they were openly trans — without the community they ’ ve found in college to lean on .
But that hasn ’ t made the experience of going back home , and back into hiding , easy .
“ Being misgendered hurts physically a little bit sometimes , ” one nonbinary student said .
“ It ’ s like you ’ re constantly wearing a costume , being someone that you ’ re not .
It would be different if it ’ s a one-time thing , but if it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ costume off can be frightening and dangerous .
As the weeks tick by , students said , they are coping with the fear of being outed , or coming out , to families who might throw them out of their homes in the midst of a pandemic .
One student living at home weighed what felt like the necessity of coming out as trans and nonbinary against their own safety , their voice kept to a low whisper during an interview to prevent their parents from overhearing .
“ Do I want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not myself — versus if it goes wrong , I have nowhere else to go ?
” At Michigan State , many of the students in a tight-knit group called TransAction have decided not to go home at all .
Elijah , a first-year student who is trans and wanted only his first name used in this story , said his life has been mostly confined to his dorm room : two lofted bunk beds , only one of them occupied , two desks , linoleum floors littered with takeout containers from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meals .
He has a microwave , but no kitchen .
It ’ s not an ideal place to self-quarantine , but the option to stay at Michigan State has been vital for Elijah and many of his friends .
At home in Indianapolis , Elijah ’ s parents refuse to call him by his name or refer to him with the right pronouns .
He came out to his mom last summer , and she was “ worse than I expected.
” The last time they spoke on the phone , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he spelled his name “ Alisa , ” which hurt : It was a feminine spelling , and that felt intentional .
And after they opened his mail and found out he was medically transitioning , his parents pushed back .
They were not happy , Elijah said , that he had used their insurance to cover his health care .
When his dad called him to talk about the mail he had read , he used words like “ woman ” and “ girl ” to refer to him .
“ Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know how sad I was , ” Elijah said of Michigan State .
When campus shut down , Elijah navigated a difficult situation with his parents , telling them he didn ’ t want to come home even though the university had written that only students who “ need ” to remain there could stay .
He hasn ’ t really explained to them why , he said , or even talked about it at all , except when he got an angry phone call from his father .
“ My parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but in basic ways don ’ t respect me , ” Elijah said .
“ That leads to a lot of distrust for the people around you , and it ’ s really isolating , especially when they ’ re the only people around you.
” Elijah has cataloged all the ways , some big , some smaller , that he and his trans friends have been affected by the pandemic .
Take handwashing : “ When people encourage you to wash your hands more frequently , they expect you have access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s campus , many buildings have only one gender-neutral bathroom , usually with a single stall .
That complicates the one task that public health officials have repeatedly stressed as vital to preventing infection .
“ As far as virtual classes go , I kind of love it , ” Elijah said .
“ They can ’ t see what I look like and judge me because of it .
Which is really nice — a lot of trans people gravitate towards the internet for that reason .
Being able to be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to show my face can be really refreshing.
” Zoom isn ’ t without problems , though .
It often automatically populates with trans people 's deadnames — their birth names — since it ’ s registered to their emails .
And online , Elijah ’ s professors sometimes assume students ’ genders because of their voices .
“ That shit hurts , man , ” Elijah said .
Summer plans and internships are up in the air for everyone .
But for trans students , the simple fact of where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question mark .
Campus dorms , if they ’ re open , don ’ t always offer gender-neutral housing in the summer , and some campuses will be closed altogether to students , forcing them to find places to live at the last minute .
Finding a sublet means finding a roommate with whom you can be out safely , which is not always an easy task .
Losses that are big for other college students — parties , rituals , graduation — can be magnified for trans students .
May Isrow , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out as trans only during the beginning of her senior year .
She ’ s in a “ privileged ” place relative to many of her friends .
But what she ’ s lost is big too : after three years on campus living as someone else , this was her only real chance to experience college as herself .
“ I hadn ’ t really been me very long — it felt like I ’ d just woken up six months ago.
” She ’ d only just started being able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to .
She ’ d only recently started being able to go to TransAction meetings presenting as a woman .
Even missing out on the chance to wear spring clothes on campus feels like a loss of self .
That college experience was the reason she chose to come out when she did , she said : “ I knew in 10 years I would think back on this time , and I would have regretted it .
Now , thinking back 10 years , I ’ m going to appreciate what I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be upset that I didn ’ t get to finish that.
” Perhaps most importantly for many trans students , there ’ s health care .
Many hospitals and clinics have ended all nonessential services , including gender affirmation surgeries and some treatments for people who are medically transitioning .
When it comes to gender-affirming health care , Elijah and other students at Michigan State have struggled to get in touch with their doctors in the midst of the pandemic .
Elijah was supposed to get important blood work done after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical transition , but he hit that mark last month and hasn ’ t heard from his nurse practitioner since .
Elijah is “ a little nervous , ” he said , but his prescription doesn ’ t run out until July — plenty of time , he hopes , to get the necessary blood work done .
Unless , he worries , his last-minute summer housing falls through and he has to go home , where his parents “ don ’ t want [ him ] to be taking it in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan , is waiting anxiously for her parents to ease restrictions .
“ There ’ s no way in hell I 'm letting anyone know , ” she said of her family , about the drugs she needs to take as part of her medical transition .
So , like she 's done before , she 's waiting .
“ As soon as my folks let me leave , I 'm headed straight to the pharmacy , ” she said .
Nora has been coping by trying just to forget about it — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worries about her parents ’ finances .
Animal Crossing helps a lot , she said : “ It ’ s easy to forget everything ’ s gone to shit when you can fill a house with nothing but bugs.
” Like many students , she said , she ’ s been relying heavily on the trans community at her school , who have been “ incredible.
” For Elijah , that meant finding safe summer housing when his original plan fell through .
For many others , it ’ s support and connection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states .
Group texts and other chat rooms are buzzing all the time .
They talk about tough things like dealing with parents or how to get a hold of the doctor ’ s office for blood work .
Mostly , though , it ’ s just lighter stuff .
As one student said : “ It makes things feel a lot less alone.
” ●

“Being misgendered hurts physically a little bit sometimes,” one nonbinary student said. “It’s like you’re constantly wearing a costume, being someone that you’re not. It would be different if it’s a one-time thing, but if it’s all the time…”
Taking the costume off can be frightening and dangerous. As the weeks tick by, students said, they are coping with the fear of being outed, or coming out, to families who might throw them out of their homes in the midst of a pandemic.
One student living at home weighed what felt like the necessity of coming out as trans and nonbinary against their own safety, their voice kept to a low whisper during an interview to prevent their parents from overhearing.
“Do I want to spend the next however many months being not myself — versus if it goes wrong, I have nowhere else to go?”
At Michigan State, many of the students in a tight-knit group called TransAction have decided not to go home at all.
Elijah, a first-year student who is trans and wanted only his first name used in this story, said his life has been mostly confined to his dorm room: two lofted bunk beds, only one of them occupied, two desks, linoleum floors littered with takeout containers from the dining hall where he picks up his meals. He has a microwave, but no kitchen.
It’s not an ideal place to self-quarantine, but the option to stay at Michigan State has been vital for Elijah and many of his friends.
At home in Indianapolis, Elijah’s parents refuse to call him by his name or refer to him with the right pronouns. He came out to his mom last summer, and she was “worse than I expected.” The last time they spoke on the phone, she sent Elijah a text afterward asking if he spelled his name “Alisa,” which hurt: It was a feminine spelling, and that felt intentional.
And after they opened his mail and found out he was medically transitioning, his parents pushed back. They were not happy, Elijah said, that he had used their insurance to cover his health care. When his dad called him to talk about the mail he had read, he used words like “woman” and “girl” to refer to him.
“Before I came here, I didn’t know how sad I was,” Elijah said of Michigan State.
When campus shut down, Elijah navigated a difficult situation with his parents, telling them he didn’t want to come home even though the university had written that only students who “need” to remain there could stay. He hasn’t really explained to them why, he said, or even talked about it at all, except when he got an angry phone call from his father.
“My parents claim a lot of love for me but in basic ways don’t respect me,” Elijah said. “That leads to a lot of distrust for the people around you, and it’s really isolating, especially when they’re the only people around you.”
Elijah has cataloged all the ways, some big, some smaller, that he and his trans friends have been affected by the pandemic.
Take handwashing: “When people encourage you to wash your hands more frequently, they expect you have access to a bathroom.” On Michigan State’s campus, many buildings have only one gender-neutral bathroom, usually with a single stall. That complicates the one task that public health officials have repeatedly stressed as vital to preventing infection.
“As far as virtual classes go, I kind of love it,” Elijah said. “They can’t see what I look like and judge me because of it. Which is really nice — a lot of trans people gravitate towards the internet for that reason. Being able to be in certain classes where I don’t have to show my face can be really refreshing.”
Zoom isn’t without problems, though. It often automatically populates with trans people's deadnames — their birth names — since it’s registered to their emails. And online, Elijah’s professors sometimes assume students’ genders because of their voices.
“That shit hurts, man,” Elijah said.
Summer plans and internships are up in the air for everyone. But for trans students, the simple fact of where they will live this summer is another huge question mark. Campus dorms, if they’re open, don’t always offer gender-neutral housing in the summer, and some campuses will be closed altogether to students, forcing them to find places to live at the last minute. Finding a sublet means finding a roommate with whom you can be out safely, which is not always an easy task.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-13--A Police Chief Allegedly Said A Deputy Died Of The Coronavirus Because He Was Gay

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
A Florida police chief belittled and berated police officers when they asked about protections against the coronavirus , then said a deputy who contracted COVID-19 died because he was gay , according to a complaint .
The Davie Police Department 's Chief Dale Engle was placed on administrative leave Saturday after the complaint was filed , city officials said , and an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident .
`` The allegations will be investigated in accordance with the Town 's Equal Employment Opportunity compliance policy by outside counsel , '' Richard J. Lemack , the Davie town administrator , said in a statement .
The complaint was filed by the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police , who told town officials that several police officers had complained about the chief 's comments .
Engle did not respond to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News .
According to the complaint , officers on April 7 had asked about their risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety protocols to help keep them healthy .
The officers ' concerns came just four days after Broward County Sheriff Deputy Shannon Bennett died after contracting the virus , making him the first law enforcement officer to die of COVID-19 in the state .

A Florida police chief belittled and berated police officers when they asked about protections against the coronavirus, then said a deputy who contracted COVID-19 died because he was gay, according to a complaint.
The Davie Police Department's Chief Dale Engle was placed on administrative leave Saturday after the complaint was filed, city officials said, and an investigation has been launched into the alleged incident.
"The allegations will be investigated in accordance with the Town's Equal Employment Opportunity compliance policy by outside counsel," Richard J. Lemack, the Davie town administrator, said in a statement.
The complaint was filed by the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police, who told town officials that several police officers had complained about the chief's comments.
Engle did not respond to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.
According to the complaint, officers on April 7 had asked about their risk of exposure to the coronavirus and about safety protocols to help keep them healthy. The officers' concerns came just four days after Broward County Sheriff Deputy Shannon Bennett died after contracting the virus, making him the first law enforcement officer to die of COVID-19 in the state.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-15--Landlords Are Allegedly Asking For Sex From Tenants Who Can't Afford To Pay Rent Right Now

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One woman , unable to pay her April 1 rent after losing her income due to the coronavirus crisis , said she texted a prospective landlord inquiring about a more affordable property .
He responded with a dick pic .
Another newly unemployed woman said she asked her landlord if she could pay her April rent once she had work again .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ come over and spoon him instead .
These are just two of the 10 complaints of sexual harassment by landlords filed with the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women since the COVID-19 outbreak began .
“ We ’ ve received more cases at our office in the last two days than we have in the last two years , ” Khara Jabola-Carolus , the executive director of the commission , told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview last week .
Nearly 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak began last month .
Nearly one-third of Americans did not pay their April rent within the first five days of the month .
And now some landlords are allegedly using the crisis as an opportunity to sexually harass vulnerable tenants struggling to afford rent .
“ We have seen an uptick in sexual harassment , ” said Sheryl Ring , the legal director at Open Communities , a legal aid and fair housing agency just north of Chicago .
Ring said her organization has seen a threefold increase in sexual harassment complaints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Since this started , they [ landlords ] have been taking advantage of the financial hardships many of their tenants have in order to coerce their tenants into a sex-for-rent agreement — which is absolutely illegal , ” said Ring .

One woman, unable to pay her April 1 rent after losing her income due to the coronavirus crisis, said she texted a prospective landlord inquiring about a more affordable property. He responded with a dick pic.
Another newly unemployed woman said she asked her landlord if she could pay her April rent once she had work again. He replied by telling her she could come over and spoon him instead.
These are just two of the 10 complaints of sexual harassment by landlords filed with the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women since the COVID-19 outbreak began.
“We’ve received more cases at our office in the last two days than we have in the last two years,” Khara Jabola-Carolus, the executive director of the commission, told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview last week.
Nearly 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the forced government shutdowns to combat the coronavirus outbreak began last month. Nearly one-third of Americans did not pay their April rent within the first five days of the month.
And now some landlords are allegedly using the crisis as an opportunity to sexually harass vulnerable tenants struggling to afford rent.
“We have seen an uptick in sexual harassment,” said Sheryl Ring, the legal director at Open Communities, a legal aid and fair housing agency just north of Chicago. Ring said her organization has seen a threefold increase in sexual harassment complaints related to housing in the last month.
“Since this started, they [landlords] have been taking advantage of the financial hardships many of their tenants have in order to coerce their tenants into a sex-for-rent agreement — which is absolutely illegal,” said Ring.


buzzfeednews--2020-03-24--The White House Said People Who Left New York City Recently Need To Quarantine For 14 Days

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — White House officials on Tuesday called for people who left New York City in recent days to quarantine for two weeks in their new location , saying that they might have unknowingly contracted the coronavirus before leaving .
“ Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure the virus doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have gone , whether it ’ s Florida , North Carolina , or out to far reaches of Long Island , ” Dr. Deborah Birx , the White House coronavirus coordinator , said at a press conference Tuesday .
“ We ’ re starting to see new cases across Long Island that suggest people have left the city .
This will be very critical.
” People should quarantine for 14 days based on the time they left New York , meaning if a person left four days ago , they should quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Anthony Fauci , a member of the White House coronavirus task force , and Vice President Mike Pence both reiterated Birx ’ s call .
“ What we ’ re seeing now is that , understandably , people want to get out of New York , ” Fauci said .
“ We don ’ t want that to be another seeding point for the rest of the country , wherever they go.
” According to Fauci , about 1 in 1,000 people in New York are infected , which is about eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other places .
New York state has reported 25,677 cases of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , and 167 deaths so far , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Pence , in his remarks , said it ’ s clear that New York City is now the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US .
“ We have to deal with the New York metropolitan area as a high-risk area , ” he said .
Still , President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country by Easter , contradicting public health experts .
Fauci told reporters Tuesday that the date was `` very flexible . ''
`` We just had a conversation with the president in the Oval Office talking about , you know , you can look at a date but you 've got to be very flexible on it , literally a day-by-day , week-by-week basis .
You need to evaluate the feasibility of what you are trying to do , '' Fauci said .

WASHINGTON — White House officials on Tuesday called for people who left New York City in recent days to quarantine for two weeks in their new location, saying that they might have unknowingly contracted the coronavirus before leaving.
“Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure the virus doesn’t spread to others, no matter where they have gone, whether it’s Florida, North Carolina, or out to far reaches of Long Island,” Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, said at a press conference Tuesday. “We’re starting to see new cases across Long Island that suggest people have left the city. This will be very critical.”
People should quarantine for 14 days based on the time they left New York, meaning if a person left four days ago, they should quarantine for 10 days, Birx said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, and Vice President Mike Pence both reiterated Birx’s call.
“What we’re seeing now is that, understandably, people want to get out of New York,” Fauci said. “We don’t want that to be another seeding point for the rest of the country, wherever they go.”
According to Fauci, about 1 in 1,000 people in New York are infected, which is about eight to ten times higher than rates in other places. New York state has reported 25,677 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and 167 deaths so far, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Pence, in his remarks, said it’s clear that New York City is now the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US. “We have to deal with the New York metropolitan area as a high-risk area,” he said.
Still, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wants businesses to be up and running again across the country by Easter, contradicting public health experts. Fauci told reporters Tuesday that the date was "very flexible."
"We just had a conversation with the president in the Oval Office talking about, you know, you can look at a date but you've got to be very flexible on it, literally a day-by-day, week-by-week basis. You need to evaluate the feasibility of what you are trying to do," Fauci said.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-04--What I've Learned About The Coronavirus From My Family In Wuhan

In January , I started hearing from relatives in China about the deadly virus that had turned their lives upside down .
Now , on the other side of the world , I ’ m facing the same thing .
Months before the coronavirus epidemic really hit the United States , I had an inkling that we weren ’ t taking this outbreak seriously enough .
I couldn ’ t pinpoint the source of the discomfort , but I felt it — I knew we were closer to danger than those who had compared the coronavirus to the flu , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destined only to become a meme .
I wasn ’ t the only one with this hunch .
My dad started buying cans of Spam ; my mom was obsessed with making sure I was submerged in hand sanitizer .
Back then , in January , this pandemic still felt far away enough to be funny .
In a Chinese community thread , one person joked about who was most worried about COVID-19 : Chinese American women , Chinese American men , the media , ICU doctors , primary care doctors , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many people in the Chicagoland area had already panicked and bought boxes of face masks , giving my mom grief as we drove around to every Walgreens and CVS within a 30-mile radius , trying and failing to get some for ourselves .
But their fear was motivated by statistics about a place thousands of miles away .
Our fear was rooted in something much more personal .
My mom and dad grew up in Wuhan , China .
They spent their childhoods swimming in the glittering Dong Hu ( East Lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 90s .
They met each other at Wuhan University , and my dad took my mom out for dinner at the first KFC that opened in the city .
When my parents immigrated to America , they left behind my grandparents , cousins , seven great-uncles and seven great-aunts , and more relatives who still call Wuhan home .
And for the past two months , our family there has been living in a city under lockdown because of the coronavirus — a lockdown that is only now beginning to lift , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of the world .
Everything happened so suddenly .
A week before Lunar New Year , on January 18 , our family in Wuhan gathered for the first banquet that would kick off 15 days of celebration .
Then , on January 23 , two days before New Year began , the government announced that the city of 11 million was going on lockdown , which meant that public transportation would be shut down and millions of people would not be able to leave their homes .
My relatives told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to the supermarket for groceries .
At one point , stores would refresh their online shopping page at midnight , so my aunt would stay up late to purchase the limited necessities that quickly ran out because of the delivery cyclist shortage .
During a time meant for joyful family gatherings , people couldn ’ t even be in the same room .
One day in late January , I came home to find my dad back from the post office , having just shipped two heavy-duty construction masks overseas .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relatives in Wuhan had gotten kidney transplants and their caregivers had to go out to get the medication , but surgical masks were sold out in the city .
The cashier at the hardware store had stared at my dad ’ s face , evidently noticing his Chinese features , and , attempting to be subtle , asked , “ What are you going to do with those ?
” “ I ’ m…doing some work on a home project , ” my dad replied , though they both knew that wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan is the heart of my family , of my roots , and of a fascinating culture .
I fell in love with the bustling , homey city in seventh grade , when we flew to China from Chicago and I was paraded to relatives ’ apartments and dinner parties around a lazy susan in an effort to condense a decade of memories into a fortnight .
A transportation hub during the day , Wuhan morphs into a culinary paradise of street foods during mealtimes : re gan mian , lotus root soup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s taste buds became expertly trained at detecting the degree of sweetness or pinch of black pepper in a dish .
( Imagine his bittersweet melancholy upon moving to the United States and replacing spicy noodles with juicy Quarter Pounders , fried sesame balls with saccharine butter cake . )
But to the rest of the world , Wuhan is now the cradle of the coronavirus , the city with the exotic animal marketplace that supposedly infected humans with a deadly virus .
Never again will I be able to talk about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turning in people ’ s minds as they wonder : Isn ’ t that ... ?
Never again will I express the passionate ferocity I felt on “ China Day ” in third grade , racing to the map at the front of the room and stabbing my finger into the heart of the country for my classmates to see .
Thousands of miles away from Wuhan , when it was then the epicenter of the pandemic , I felt an underlying disconnect from what my family was going through there .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Asians should wear face masks , I cringed but said nothing .
When a friend actually wore a face mask to school after his mom returned from China , he told me , “ Everyone was staring .
But since my parents insisted , I did it to reassure them.
” I laughed when my little brother came home from school one day to tell me he had heard a beer company named Corona had changed its name to Ebola , then realized that he genuinely believed it .
Disheartened , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ myths , how some people in the US were worried enough to be racist but not enough to cancel a trip to the beach .
Simultaneously , I understood their fears , understood their urge to blame a foreign city they had never heard of for canceling their plans and introducing the concept of social distancing ( something that is , if not against the nature of all humans , certainly anti-teenager ) .
I held in my complaints about the uncertainty of graduation while my 17-year-old cousin on the other side of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entrance exam that my parents had taken decades earlier — one that would determine the rest of his life — but this time , with only online courses and textbooks to help him study .
I last saw him five years ago , where he showed me table tennis in the park and I taught him how to play Egyptian Rat Screw in a traffic jam .
Now we are on opposite sides of the world , facing the same disease .
Last week , the US officially overtook China as the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world .
I think it ’ s fair to say that most people here are — finally — as concerned as my family was back in January .
And maybe people in the United States have started to understand that across the world , we are facing the same enemy .
Wuhan may be known as ground zero , but it isn ’ t unique .
The city is just a symbol — now , everywhere is Wuhan .
At the beginning of the US pandemic , my parents discussed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I tiptoed downstairs late at night to play card games with my friends over FaceTime .
Then every teen I know suddenly turned into a biostatistician or epidemiologist , citing flattened curves and peaks in the hopes that we could somehow convince ourselves our prom would still happen .
Since then , some of my friends have been catalyzed by self-isolation ; one friend cut her own bangs on day three , while we could only comfort her from afar .
We desperately hoped that things would go back to normal , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to say our last goodbyes to people we didn ’ t even know we ’ d miss .
I realize , though , that nothing will ever truly be the same .
My dad jokes that my parents ’ 401 ( k ) has gone down to a “ 301 ( k ) .
” I tried to get my dad to explain what that meant ; he just keeps making exaggerated expressions of agony , but I know he is worried .
I feel myself enacting a false sense of normalcy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plays in the background , trying to bake pastry puffs next to a pantry with two weeks ’ worth of nonperishables , fielding calls from our connections in China as they ask how bad the situation is , whether they need to send us face masks .
It 's ironic , the sympathy I felt for my family in Wuhan without ever believing I would be in the same situation .
Yet , the inkling of awareness I had months before COVID-19 hit my own country helped me more quickly understand the many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power of globalization , discrimination , socioeconomic differences , bureaucratic pressures , and personal identity .
China recently announced that it will be lifting its lockdown on Wuhan on April 8 .
Across the Pacific , my high school classes are supposed to resume that day after spring break , but the community doubts it .
Still , there is hope .
During the peak crisis months of February and March in Wuhan , some people shouted from rooftops and apartment windows in solidarity , while others took to the front lines .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ car , ran an essential errand for a neighbor , many people in the city contacted him through Weibo and WeChat for help with delivering groceries , transporting materials to the hospital , and bringing patients to get medical care .
Thousands of doctors and nurses risk their lives to save others .
Unsung heroes , everyday civilians , are saving our lives at a distance .
Even when we retreat into denial , looking for a sense of normalcy , the need for this kind of courage is certain .
As a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but a world , I hope we will come out of this stronger , more united .
Being aware that we are living history is an otherworldly feeling .
We will learn to appreciate the significant things and the small , hugging each other close .
We will share stories with those in China , Italy , England , Iran , and many more about our universal yet unique experiences in isolation .
Like many Americans , I await a sign — any sign — of when this will all be over .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ meanwhile , I ’ ll be baking , keeping up with online school and the whereabouts of my friends ( at home , of course ) , dealing with my little brother while calling my grandparents who are cooped up 7,000 miles away .
It helps , a little , that they know exactly what I ’ m going through .
●

At the beginning of the US pandemic, my parents discussed the future in hushed, uncertain voices and I tiptoed downstairs late at night to play card games with my friends over FaceTime. Then every teen I know suddenly turned into a biostatistician or epidemiologist, citing flattened curves and peaks in the hopes that we could somehow convince ourselves our prom would still happen. Since then, some of my friends have been catalyzed by self-isolation; one friend cut her own bangs on day three, while we could only comfort her from afar. We desperately hoped that things would go back to normal, that we as high school seniors might be able to say our last goodbyes to people we didn’t even know we’d miss.
I realize, though, that nothing will ever truly be the same. My dad jokes that my parents’ 401(k) has gone down to a “301(k).” I tried to get my dad to explain what that meant; he just keeps making exaggerated expressions of agony, but I know he is worried. I feel myself enacting a false sense of normalcy, struggling with homework as COVID-19 news plays in the background, trying to bake pastry puffs next to a pantry with two weeks’ worth of nonperishables, fielding calls from our connections in China as they ask how bad the situation is, whether they need to send us face masks.
It's ironic, the sympathy I felt for my family in Wuhan without ever believing I would be in the same situation. Yet, the inkling of awareness I had months before COVID-19 hit my own country helped me more quickly understand the many layers this pandemic has uncovered — the power of globalization, discrimination, socioeconomic differences, bureaucratic pressures, and personal identity. China recently announced that it will be lifting its lockdown on Wuhan on April 8. Across the Pacific, my high school classes are supposed to resume that day after spring break, but the community doubts it.
Still, there is hope. During the peak crisis months of February and March in Wuhan, some people shouted from rooftops and apartment windows in solidarity, while others took to the front lines. After my uncle, who owned a car, ran an essential errand for a neighbor, many people in the city contacted him through Weibo and WeChat for help with delivering groceries, transporting materials to the hospital, and bringing patients to get medical care. Thousands of doctors and nurses risk their lives to save others. Unsung heroes, everyday civilians, are saving our lives at a distance. Even when we retreat into denial, looking for a sense of normalcy, the need for this kind of courage is certain.
As a resident of not only a nation, but a world, I hope we will come out of this stronger, more united. Being aware that we are living history is an otherworldly feeling. We will learn to appreciate the significant things and the small, hugging each other close. We will share stories with those in China, Italy, England, Iran, and many more about our universal yet unique experiences in isolation.
Like many Americans, I await a sign — any sign — of when this will all be over. No one can predict it, but meanwhile, I’ll be baking, keeping up with online school and the whereabouts of my friends (at home, of course), dealing with my little brother while calling my grandparents who are cooped up 7,000 miles away. It helps, a little, that they know exactly what I’m going through. ●


buzzfeednews--2020-04-08--Stevie From "Schitt's Creek" Shared Details Of The Final Episode

After six seasons of some of the sweetest comedy on TV , the finale of Schitt 's Creek aired on Tuesday night and , boy , was it emotional .
In case you missed it ( SPOILERS AHEAD ! )
, the wedding day of David Rose ( Dan Levy ) and Patrick Brewer ( Noah Reid ) is thrown into disarray by a rainstorm that causes their penny-farthing-riding officiant to cancel on them .
So David 's mother Moira ( Catherine O'Hara ) steps in to perform the ceremony , dressed in her finest papal-inspired couture .
After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teary farewell to Moira and Johnny ( Eugene Levy ) as they leave Schitt 's Creek for Hollywood so Moira can return to her soap opera .
`` The last scene we shot was the last scene of the show , '' Emily Hampshire , who plays Stevie , told BuzzFeed News ' Twitter show AM to DM to promote her new Quibi project , 50 States of Fright .
`` So you can see a lot going on in that . ''
`` It ’ s not just the characters… It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other , '' she said .
Hampshire , who has been on the show since it began in 2015 , said filming the final few episodes was an emotional experience because the cast had grown so close .
`` You would have wished you didn ’ t have a heart because it was being ripped out of your chest and set free to die , '' she joked .
After filming wrapped , Dan Levy even flew the entire cast to a villa in Tuscany for two weeks .
`` It was bittersweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lucky we are to have been part of something that is so — as I say this , I realize that people say this sometimes about shows they ’ ve been on because you feel you have to say , ‘ I ’ m so grateful ’ — but this is true , '' said Hampshire .
`` We ’ re so grateful to have been a part of this show .
We genuinely like each other . ''
For Hampshire , the professional relationship and friendship between her character and Johnny as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the thing she 'll miss the most .
`` It ’ s this dynamic that I think is the loveliest thing I ’ ve ever experienced , '' she said .
She 'll also miss the messages from fans about how the show helped them when they were going through chemo or coming out to their parents .
`` I feel like it ’ s such a safe space for so many people , '' she added .
`` Dan , from the beginning , his mandate was , ‘ There will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ’ and the town will never be the butt of a joke , '' she said .
`` I think that environment and these characters has bred this show with this heart that doesn ’ t sacrifice its humor for that .
It ’ s still super funny , but there ’ s no mean .
It ’ s kind comedy . ''
She also said she thinks it 's `` weirdly serendipitous '' that the show is ending now amid the coronavirus pandemic .
`` I feel like if people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their families or they ’ re in quarantine alone and Schitt ’ s has been a thing that people have said has brought their family together , and people who are alone have said Schitt ’ s has been their chosen family , '' she said .
`` I think it ’ s perfect . ''

After six seasons of some of the sweetest comedy on TV, the finale of Schitt's Creek aired on Tuesday night and, boy, was it emotional.
In case you missed it (SPOILERS AHEAD!), the wedding day of David Rose (Dan Levy) and Patrick Brewer (Noah Reid) is thrown into disarray by a rainstorm that causes their penny-farthing-riding officiant to cancel on them. So David's mother Moira (Catherine O'Hara) steps in to perform the ceremony, dressed in her finest papal-inspired couture. After the big day, the family bids a teary farewell to Moira and Johnny (Eugene Levy) as they leave Schitt's Creek for Hollywood so Moira can return to her soap opera.
"The last scene we shot was the last scene of the show," Emily Hampshire, who plays Stevie, told BuzzFeed News' Twitter show AM to DM to promote her new Quibi project, 50 States of Fright. "So you can see a lot going on in that."
"It’s not just the characters… It’s also us saying goodbye to each other," she said.


buzzfeednews--2020-04-07--Thousands Of People Crowded Public Spaces After Chinese Cities Ended Their Coronavirus Quarantines

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Over the weekend , thousands of people flocked into China 's public spaces and parks for an attempt at normalcy during a deadly coronavirus pandemic that 's far from over .
As major cities across the country lifted their quarantine restrictions , people crowded into parks to enjoy the springtime weather — and in Wuhan , where the novel coronavirus was first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's government-enforced lockdown was lifted on Wednesday .
Despite this optimism , new in COVID-19 cases in South Korea , Hong Kong , and Singapore present a warning that a new wave of infections may be on the rise in the region .
The weekend also marked the Qingming Festival , or Tomb Sweeping Day , in which relatives of the deceased pay their respects to their lost loved ones .
In an effort to stop people from gathering , the Chinese government issued a statement recommending people maintain social distancing and avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how thousands of Chinese people disregarded the warnings .

Over the weekend, thousands of people flocked into China's public spaces and parks for an attempt at normalcy during a deadly coronavirus pandemic that's far from over. As major cities across the country lifted their quarantine restrictions, people crowded into parks to enjoy the springtime weather — and in Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first reported only months earlier, the city's government-enforced lockdown was lifted on Wednesday. Despite this optimism, new in COVID-19 cases in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore present a warning that a new wave of infections may be on the rise in the region.
The weekend also marked the Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, in which relatives of the deceased pay their respects to their lost loved ones. In an effort to stop people from gathering, the Chinese government issued a statement recommending people maintain social distancing and avoid others. Still, these pictures show how thousands of Chinese people disregarded the warnings.