npr--2020-08-22--More Than 6,500 Teachers Have Had Unfair Student Debts Erased

More Than 6,500 Teachers Have Had Unfair Student Debts Erased More than 6,500 current and former teachers are getting a second chance to shed millions of dollars in unfair student debts , according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education .
The educators had enrolled in the department 's troubled TEACH Grant program , which provides grants to help aspiring teachers pay for college .
In exchange , they agreed to teach a high-need subject for four years in a school that serves low-income families .
But a 2018 investigation by NPR revealed that strict paperwork rules and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualified teachers having their grants converted to loans that they had to pay back , with interest .
In response , the department began a top-to-bottom review of the program and ultimately created a `` reconsideration process '' for any teacher who had met — or could still meet — the teaching requirements , but nevertheless had grants turned to loans .
According to the department , since that reconsideration process began , more than 6,500 educators have successfully petitioned to have nearly $ 44 million in loans turned back into TEACH Grants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had already completed their required service , their debts were simply erased .
For teachers still serving , the conversion means they can resume the deal they made with the department and work to keep their grant money .
Kaitlyn McCollum is one of those educators who successfully had her loans turned back into grants .
For two years , these unfair debts haunted her and her young family .
She was teaching high school in Tennessee when her federal TEACH Grants were turned into more than $ 20,000 in loans .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paperwork deadline .
She and her family eventually moved to a smaller , less expensive house to prepare for what then seemed inevitable : Repayment of a debt she and her husband had never planned for .
But , as NPR reported in the spring of 2019 , McCollum 's debts were erased as part of the department 's overhaul .
`` We won , '' she told NPR .
`` We raised our voices and they finally heard us .
Disbelief followed by a relief like I have not felt before .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ data , as of July 6 , 2020 , approximately two-thirds of TEACH Grant recipients who successfully had their loans turned back to grants had already or have since satisfied the program 's teaching requirement .
While the program 's flaws date back to its beginning , in 2008 , it was the Trump administration that agreed to a remedy and apologized to teachers like McCollum .
`` We 've put teachers who did n't deserve this stress , this pressure , this financial burden in a position that is frightening and confusing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undersecretary and acting assistant secretary , Diane Auer Jones , told NPR in 2019 .
`` I ca n't give them back those years , and I ca n't take away the gray hairs and I ca n't take away the stress .
It seems like a small thing to do to say , ' I 'm sorry , ' but I 'm very sorry .
And we want to work to fix it and correct it . ''
Since the TEACH Grant program began , roughly 32,000 educators have successfully completed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in grants to pay for their degrees , according to the department .
The department posted its new , final regulations for TEACH to the Federal Register on Aug. 14 .
Those regulations will go into effect July 1 , 2021 .

More Than 6,500 Teachers Have Had Unfair Student Debts Erased
Enlarge this image toggle caption Stacy Kranitz for NPR Stacy Kranitz for NPR
More than 6,500 current and former teachers have gotten a second chance to shed millions of dollars in unfair student debts, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education.
The educators had enrolled in the department's troubled TEACH Grant program, which provides grants to help aspiring teachers pay for college. In exchange, they agreed to teach a high-need subject for four years in a school that serves low-income families.
But a 2018 investigation by NPR revealed that strict paperwork rules and poor program management led to thousands of qualified teachers having their grants converted to loans that they had to pay back, with interest. In response, the department began a top-to-bottom review of the program and ultimately created a "reconsideration process" for any teacher who had met — or could still meet — the teaching requirements, but nevertheless had grants turned to loans.
According to the department, since that reconsideration process began, more than 6,500 educators have successfully petitioned to have nearly $44 million in loans turned back into TEACH Grants. For teachers who could prove they had already completed their required service, their debts were simply discharged. For teachers still serving, the conversion means they can resume the deal they made with the department and work to keep their grant money.
Kaitlyn McCollum is one of those educators who successfully had her loans turned back into grants. For two years, these unfair debts haunted her and her young family. She was teaching high school in Tennessee when her federal TEACH Grants were turned into more than $20,000 in loans. The reason: McCollum had narrowly missed a paperwork deadline. She and her family eventually moved to a smaller, less expensive house to prepare for what then seemed inevitable: Repayment of a debt she and her husband had never planned for.
But, as NPR reported in the spring of 2019, McCollum's debts were erased as part of the department's overhaul.
"We won," she told NPR. "We raised our voices and they finally heard us. Disbelief followed by a relief like I have not felt before."
According to the latest Education Department data, as of July 6, approximately two-thirds of TEACH Grant recipients who successfully had their loans turned back to grants had already or have since satisfied the program's teaching requirement.
While the program's flaws date back to its beginning, in 2008, it was the Trump administration that agreed to a remedy and apologized to teachers like McCollum.
"We've put teachers who didn't deserve this stress, this pressure, this financial burden in a position that is frightening and confusing," the Education Department's then-acting undersecretary and acting assistant secretary, Diane Auer Jones, told NPR in 2019. "I can't give them back those years, and I can't take away the gray hairs and I can't take away the stress. It seems like a small thing to do to say, 'I'm sorry,' but I'm very sorry. And we want to work to fix it and correct it."
Since the TEACH Grant program began, roughly 32,000 educators have successfully completed the program, receiving approximately $200 million in grants to pay for their degrees, according to the department.
The department posted its new, final regulations for TEACH to the Federal Register on Aug. 14. Those regulations will go into effect July 1, 2021.


npr--2020-08-22--As Pandemic Persists, Health Care Heroes Beginning To Crack Under The Strain

As Pandemic Persists , Health Care Heroes Beginning To Crack Under The Strain After five months working shifts at an emergency department in Oakland , Douglas Frey says he 's mentally and physically spent .
Most days the tall , athletic-looking 47-year-old nurse ends his shift depleted by what he calls an undercurrent of tension .
Every day Frey worries he 'll make a mistake — picking up a contaminated mask , perhaps — and bring the virus home to his two boys and wife , who is immunocompromised .
He 's worried about his hospital 's ability to source @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do his job safely .
Frey is not alone among medical staff when it comes to pandemic burnout .
The unflappable health care heroes of the current crisis are beginning to crack under the strain .
Doctors , nurses and other professionals are not only fighting an intractable virus day after day , they 're also coping with isolation , shifting official guidelines and limited ways to recharge .
A study showed emergency medicine physicians report a median 60 % increase in emotional exhaustion and burnout over prepandemic levels .
These workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inadequate testing and the risk of spreading the virus by discharged patients as their primary concerns .
Physicians noted their stress levels have decreased their affection with family members .
The gowns in one recent shipment to Frey 's hospital were so thin that managers encouraged workers to double up when they wore them , he says .
But , `` even with two , they 'd come off in shreds by the time you got them off . ''
Now , he has the opposite problem .
The gowns in the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vinyl .
He often leaves the hospital soaked in sweat .
Frey 's work frustrations are compounded by the drumbeat of bad news and what he considers to be a lack of cohesive response on the part of political leaders .
`` I 'm exhausted by the fact that every family , store , business , organization , school , city , county and state is having to duplicate efforts to try and figure out what to do , '' he said .
And now he 's bracing for a potentially overwhelming wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with cold and flu season .
Before the pandemic hit , 42 % of more than 15,000 physicians responding to an online survey by the medical news website Medscape reported being burned out .
High rates of depression and suicide in the medical profession have long been a problem .
Experts fear the coronavirus crisis will only make those numbers go up .
`` When the stress of hospitals gets unbelievably high , it ceases to be a place where we get sustenance , or feel like we 're being helpful , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physician and public health specialist at the University of Arizona in Tucson .
`` Instead we feel helpless . ''
Dreifuss wrote a New York Times editorial in June to draw attention to health care fatigue .
He wrote the article from an Airbnb after nine consecutive shifts .
For months he has lived there alone to protect his wife and 10-year-old daughter .
He says many of his colleagues are starting to withdraw emotionally and show increasing levels of cynicism , which inspired him to add mental health services to an initiative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first , the online platform connected health care workers with temporary housing , but now doctors and nurses can access mental health support as well .
Dreifuss called the current situation `` very , very challenging . ''
`` COVID patients are much sicker than our typical patients physiologically , '' he said .
`` When you 're working with constrained resources and uncertainty , it makes it a lot worse . ''
The days began to blur together for Dinora Chinchilla , a pulmonologist specializing in critical care in Los Angeles County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 5,000 people .
`` All I saw was COVID , COVID , COVID , '' she said .
`` I did n't know Monday from a Saturday .
I felt like every day was on repeat . ''
Recently she finally took a few weeks off to recharge .
Many days , when the 39-year-old looked around the intensive care unit , every single patient was connected to a ventilator .
Most were older , overweight , diabetic and Latino .
The group has been three times as likely to get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health experts credit that to essential jobs , multi-generational homes , and higher rates of comorbidities like diabetes .
`` Seeing how disproportionately COVID has affected the Latino community and being able to be that person for them now is what I always wanted , '' said Chinchilla .
`` But that comes with a big burden . ''
As a kid growing up in East L.A. , she dreamed of treating low-income families like hers .
Bridging that barrier inspires her to work longer shifts than many of her colleagues , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not allow visitors inside the hospital , so she has insisted on personally calling the families of Latino patients , because she believes it 's kinder to deliver what is often devastating news directly rather than through a translator .
`` It was just so emotional , '' Chinchilla said , fingering the inside of a large silver hoop earring .
`` I ca n't say that I did n't cry often . ''
The heartache did n't end at work .
When Chinchilla unlocked the door to her house , her two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But she had to head in the opposite direction .
`` How sad is that ? ''
she said .
`` Not being able to hug your child when she 's so happy that you 're home because you 've been gone for 14 hours . ''
Chinchilla did n't embrace her kids until she scrubbed herself raw in a scalding shower .
A recent break helped her reconnect with them , but the whole time she still felt the tug of the hospital .
`` I feel that sense of duty , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my specialty .
This is what I signed up for .
I have to be there . ''
Victor Cisneros , a 39-year-old emergency department physician , can relate .
He treats patients in Orange County .
His hospital is running out of beds for patients , many from families just like his .
`` I grew up very underserved , '' said Cisneros , smiling .
`` I come from a very humble family .
I 'm the first physician , the first person to graduate college . ''
He 's originally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his family lives in Los Angeles .
Even though they live near each other , social distancing has made it hard for them to feel close .
For Cisneros , the lack of physical contact is exacerbated because he lives alone .
`` You just feel trapped , '' he said .
`` Because you 're in the ER for 10 hours , which is intense , exhausting .
It smells .
People are vomiting .
There 's blood . ''
He used to disconnect from work by working out or going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his gym is closed and many of his friends do n't want to hang out , knowing he 's around sick people all day .
`` So , I 'm on a couch in front of a screen by myself .
It 's almost like you 're in jail . ''
He fears the current situation is not sustainable , especially for physicians who were already burned out .
`` This is probably the tipping edge for them , '' he said .
Doctors are n't known for seeking help , said Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Mount Sinai 's Icahn School of Medicine .
`` Suffering is kind of part of the profession to some degree , '' she said .
`` But people should n't be suffering . ''
Marin directs a new program called the Mount Sinai Center for Stress , Resilience , and Personal Growth , designed to address mental health issues such as depression , anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in health care workers .
`` The idea is to shore up people 's resilience and be supportive of them , '' Marin said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 're not in this alone . ''
The program includes a hotline , a wellness app and workshops designed to help connect nurses and doctors .
The program is providing a model for other hospitals .
She says the most important step is to ask for help , which could mean starting a conversation with a supervisor , friend or a therapist .
Which could be good advice for not just doctors , but all of us .

As Pandemic Persists, Health Care Heroes Beginning To Crack Under The Strain
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Nicole Cataldi Courtesy of Nicole Cataldi
After five months working shifts at an emergency department in Oakland, Douglas Frey says he's mentally and physically spent. Most days the tall, athletic-looking 47-year-old nurse ends his shift depleted by what he calls an undercurrent of tension.
Every day, Frey worries he'll make a mistake — picking up a contaminated mask, perhaps — and bring the virus home to his two boys and wife, who is immunocompromised. He's worried about his hospital's ability to source enough masks and protective gear for him to do his job safely.
Frey is not alone among medical staff when it comes to pandemic burnout.
The unflappable health care heroes of the current crisis are beginning to crack under the strain. Doctors, nurses and other professionals are not only fighting an intractable virus day after day, they're also coping with isolation, shifting official guidelines and limited ways to recharge.
A study showed emergency medicine physicians report a median 60% increase in emotional exhaustion and burnout over prepandemic levels.
These workers cited the unavailability of protective gear, inadequate testing and the risk of spreading the virus by discharged patients as their primary concerns. Physicians noted their stress levels have decreased their affection with family members.
The gowns in one recent shipment to Frey's hospital were so thin that managers encouraged workers to double up when they wore them, he says. But, "even with two, they'd come off in shreds by the time you got them off."
Now, he has the opposite problem. The gowns in the current stock are made of thick, impermeable vinyl. He often leaves the hospital soaked in sweat.
Frey's work frustrations are compounded by the drumbeat of bad news and what he considers to be a lack of cohesive response on the part of political leaders.
"I'm exhausted by the fact that every family, store, business, organization, school, city, county and state is having to duplicate efforts to try and figure out what to do," he said.
And now he's bracing for a potentially overwhelming wave of patients this fall when COVID-19 collides with cold and flu season.
Recipe for more burnout
Before the pandemic hit, 42% of more than 15,000 physicians responding to an online survey by the medical news website Medscape reported being burned out. High rates of depression and suicide in the medical profession have long been a problem.
Experts fear the coronavirus crisis will only make those numbers go up.
"When the stress of hospitals gets unbelievably high, it ceases to be a place where we get sustenance or feel like we're being helpful," said Bradley Dreifuss, an emergency medicine physician and public health specialist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "Instead we feel helpless."
Dreifuss wrote a New York Times editorial in June to draw attention to health care fatigue. He wrote the article from an Airbnb after nine consecutive shifts. For months, he has lived there alone to protect his wife and 10-year-old daughter.
He says many of his colleagues are starting to withdraw emotionally and show increasing levels of cynicism, which inspired him to add mental health services to an initiative he started called HCW Hosted. At first, the online platform connected health care workers with temporary housing, but now doctors and nurses can access mental health support as well.
Dreifuss called the current situation "very, very challenging."
"COVID patients are much sicker than our typical patients physiologically," he said. "When you're working with constrained resources and uncertainty, it makes it a lot worse."
Extra burden on Latinx doctors
The days began to blur together for Dinora Chinchilla, a pulmonologist specializing in critical care in Los Angeles County, where the virus has killed more than 5,000 people.
"All I saw was COVID, COVID, COVID," she said. "I didn't know Monday from a Saturday. I felt like every day was on repeat."
Recently she finally took a few weeks off to recharge. Many days, when the 39-year-old looked around the intensive care unit, every single patient was connected to a ventilator. Most were older, overweight, diabetic and Latino. The group has been three times as likely to get the virus compared with whites in the U.S. Public health experts credit that to essential jobs, multigenerational homes, and higher rates of comorbidities like diabetes.
"Seeing how disproportionately COVID has affected the Latino community and being able to be that person for them now is what I always wanted," said Chinchilla. "But that comes with a big burden."
As a kid growing up in East L.A., she dreamed of treating low-income families like hers. Bridging that barrier inspires her to work longer shifts than many of her colleagues, she says. Current COVID-19 protocols do not allow visitors inside the hospital, so she has insisted on personally calling the families of Latino patients, because she believes it's kinder to deliver what is often devastating news directly rather than through a translator.
"It was just so emotional," Chinchilla said, fingering the inside of a large silver hoop earring. "I can't say that I didn't cry often."
The heartache didn't end at work. When Chinchilla unlocked the door to her house, her two young children would run toward her. But she had to head in the opposite direction.
"How sad is that?" she said. "Not being able to hug your child when she's so happy that you're home because you've been gone for 14 hours."
Chinchilla didn't embrace her kids until she scrubbed herself raw in a scalding shower. A recent break helped her reconnect with them, but the whole time, she still felt the tug of the hospital.
"I feel that sense of duty," she said. "This is my specialty. This is what I signed up for. I have to be there."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Kathleen Dreier Courtesy of Kathleen Dreier
Victor Cisneros, a 39-year-old emergency department physician, can relate. He treats patients in Orange County. His hospital is running out of beds for patients, many from families just like his.
"I grew up very underserved," said Cisneros, smiling. "I come from a very humble family. I'm the first physician, the first person to graduate college."
He's originally from Mexico, but now much of his family lives in Los Angeles. Even though they live near one another, social distancing has made it hard for them to feel close. For Cisneros, the lack of physical contact is exacerbated because he lives alone.
"You just feel trapped," he said. "Because you're in the ER for 10 hours, which is intense, exhausting. It smells. People are vomiting. There's blood."
He used to disconnect from work by working out or going to dinner with friends. But now, his gym is closed and many of his friends don't want to hang out, knowing he's around sick people all day.
"So, I'm on a couch in front of a screen by myself. It's almost like you're in jail."
He fears the current situation is not sustainable, especially for physicians who were already burned out. "This is probably the tipping edge for them," he said.
Doctors aren't known for seeking help, said Dr. Deborah Marin, a professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine. "Suffering is kind of part of the profession to some degree," she said. "But people shouldn't be suffering."
Marin directs a new program called the Mount Sinai Center for Stress, Resilience, and Personal Growth, designed to address mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in health care workers.
"The idea is to shore up people's resilience and be supportive of them," Marin said. "They need to feel like they're not in this alone."
The program includes a hotline, a wellness app and workshops designed to help connect nurses and doctors. The program is providing a model for other hospitals. She says the most important step is to ask for help, which could mean starting a conversation with a supervisor, friend or a therapist.
Which could be good advice for not just doctors, but all of us.


npr--2020-08-22--Shedding Big Hats and Hoopla, Democrats Find Love Online

It turns out going virtual has its virtues .
Just ask the Democrats , grinning and basking after their first-ever online national convention this week .
No one knew what to expect , and there were plenty of doubters looking for glitches , flubbed cues and dead air – not to mention lots of dull and boring segments .
Most significantly , we feared all involved would miss the sense of history being made in real time .
But the week turned into a pleasant surprise .
While far from flawless , the four nights were in their way as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not more so .
And they may just have done the party and its ticket as much good as a traditional in-person convention would have in this pandemic moment – if not more .
For the delegates who would have been physically present in the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee , the lost opportunity was irreplaceable .
Ditto for the disappointed civic leaders and citizens of that city , who have never hosted a convention and wanted the chance to shine ( and the boost for local business ) .
Here 's a thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the site search in 2024 and award the next in-person convention to Milwaukee .
But for the vastly larger audience that would always have seen the convention on a screen at home , this was a more than acceptable substitute .
It probably means we will see more reliance on virtual elements in future conventions , as well .
To be sure , the virtual event lacked the scale and energy participants and viewers would get from a vast and boisterous crowd .
At certain moments of rhetorical flourish , you waited for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absence .
Crowd reaction at a convention is a cue to audiences everywhere , much like a laugh track for a TV sitcom .
But thanks to swift pacing and high production values , viewers got a compact and highly watchable two hours of political messaging each night .
It was , in fact , remarkably slick .
Each night 's program was hosted by a well-known Hollywood personality such as Eva Longoria on the first night and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the fourth .
That may have been too much glitz for some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican National Chair , an opening to say her party 's convention next week will feature `` real people . ''
But the Democrats ' week had quite a few regular folks as well .
Instead of hearing delegation chairs bellowing the virtues of their `` great state of '' wherever , we got a video montage of the country with a dizzying variety of delegate participants .
It was virtually fun .
Another real person who left an impression was Kristin Urquiza , who spoke on the first night about her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a karaoke bar ( `` His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump . ''
) The heart-tugging winner of the week for many was the brief video made by Brayden Harrington , a 13-year-old boy who told of how Biden has helped him battle his stutter .
That video aired shortly before Biden 's climactic speech on the final night .
While meaningful in itself , it also served to remind the audience of Biden 's own youthful struggle with stuttering .
Intentional or not , that might have helped to lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech .
He was following a stellar line-up of previous speakers who had delivered as advertised , particularly Michelle Obama on the first night .
Some will say this event , especially Biden 's part of it , succeeded by exceeding low expectations .
Laura Ingraham on FOX News said Thursday night that `` people were expecting him to flub every line and have a senior moment . ''
In this view , widely expressed , no one thought Biden 's speech would be great , so when it was good it seemed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a whole .
But there was more to both the speech and the week than that .
There were times when the made-for-TV formatting worked especially well .
Typically , convention speeches suffer from the competing demands of the camera and the live audience .
The in-person crowd 's roaring reaction can take on a life of its own , breaking the connection between the speaker and the viewers on screens .
But this week 's closers were all directed exclusively to camera , keeping the ultimate audience uppermost in the presenter 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the limitations of the format simplified the task facing convention organizers , who did not need to mount a stage show as well as a TV production .
This gave them greater control over the proceedings , unbothered by rowdy delegates or uncontrollable factors – as when hurricanes curtailed the first nights of the Republicans ' conventions in 2008 and 2012 .
Having a new kind of control , and pinpoint timing , allowed the show directors to orchestrate their performers to maximum effect and stick to their program.\ Yes , we knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of extravaganza .
The fireworks on the final night , and the honking cars in parking lots , were charming in a small-town way , although not as satisfying as the traditional closing-night mob scene and balloon drop on stage .
But were we deprived of actual history making ?
If so , it happened a long time ago .
The national live conventions have not had a serious role in deciding the nominee since 1952 , and the platform fights all happen elsewhere .
All the suspense is in the primaries and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the big arena blowouts have become essentially events .
They have been made-for-TV promotions that sprawl across hours of free airtime with bogus drama and goofy hoopla .
This week , under duress , they simply cut to the chase .
The week featured an unusual amount of outreach to Republicans and independents , particularly the working class .
Here was John Kasich , the former governor of Ohio , praising Biden and denigrating the incumbent president of his own party .
Here were Christine Todd Whitman , former governor of New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House member , establishment Republicans who have been appalled by Trump .
And Michael Bloomberg was given a five-minute slot on the final night .
Bloomberg is the mega-billionaire who served as mayor of New York as a Republican and as an independent and bankrolled a TV-based campaign in this year 's Democratic presidential primaries .
It fell to Bloomberg to call Trump `` a con , '' as he did in 2016 , and to point out that more jobs were created in the last three years of Obama 's presidency than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's .
The gestures to the center-right were numerous enough to evoke some grumbling from the left .
But you could also sense some smoke from the peace-pipe Biden 's team had shared with at least some of the party 's progressives .
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders got a featured speaking slot on the first night and a cameo on the final night in a panel of 2020 primary contenders .
He returned the gesture by praising his old Senate colleague .
Biden , for his part , played up the $ 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unions ( `` they built the middle class in this country '' ) .
If the message to the center-right was that Biden would not go too far , the message to the left was that he would go just far enough .
There were also vignettes of various white working-class people such as World War II veteran Ed Long who had voted for Trump in 2016 and now switched to Biden .
The party was using the online format to send videogram invitations to those who had decamped – a category crucial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
When the Democrats last managed to deny an incumbent Republican a second term , in 1992 , white voters without college degrees were roughly 60 % of their base .
Today , such voters are only 30 % of the Democratic base .
( Pew Research Center data from 2019 ) Much of this convention was an appeal to that demographic to return .
But that same Pew report also noted that people of color now make up 40 % of all those who identify with or lean to the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 % a century earlier .
And the convention planners were visibly conscious of this fact as well .
Most of the top speakers , the moderators and the entertainers were African American .
The ticket included the first black woman in history .
A featured tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia was a connection to Democratic conventions and sacrifices of the past .
There was not an equal amount of attention paid to Hispanic Americans , however , particularly not in terms of headline speakers .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , got only a minute as a nominating second for Sanders .
Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the country , and most have been voting Democratic .
This was noted by , among others , former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro , a candidate himself in the early going of this presidential cycle .
The perceived slight to Ocasio-Cortez , 30 , seemed an unforced error on the part of convention organizers , particularly because her age group in general had little profile in the programming .
When the singer-songwriter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 18-year-old first-time voter stood out in large part because Gen Z was so little represented .
On the final night , facing only a scattering of reporters and a camera lens , Biden kept his earnest attention on the camera , the stand-in for invisible judges tuning in from everywhere else .
His speech ended with an impassioned peroration .
He quoted the Irish poet Seamus Heaney saying `` Once in a lifetime the longed-for tidal wave of justice can rise up , and hope and history rhyme . ''
Then he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is our moment to make hope and history rhyme .
With passion and purpose let us begin you and I together one nation under God united in our love for America and united in our love for each other .
For love is more powerful than hate .
Hope is more powerful than fear .
Light is more powerful than dark . ''
Would it have been more stirring had tens of thousands been present , leaping to their feet and cheering ?
Yes .
But words and message can sometimes be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roaring crowd , a brass band and cascade of balloons in red , white and blue .
In this instance , the words could stand alone , and the message came through loud and clear .
And that was a last , unexpected virtue of the virtual convention .

Shedding Big Hats And Hoopla, Democrats Find Love Online
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
It turns out going virtual has its virtues.
Just ask the Democrats, grinning and basking after their first-ever online national convention this week.
No one knew what to expect, and there were plenty of doubters looking for glitches, flubbed cues and dead air — not to mention lots of dull and boring segments. Most significantly, we feared all involved would miss the sense of history being made in real time.
But the week turned into a pleasant surprise. While far from flawless, the four nights were in their way as effective as the traditional conventions, if not more so. And they may just have done the party and its ticket as much good as a traditional in-person convention would have in this pandemic moment — if not more.
For the delegates who would have been physically present in the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the lost opportunity was irreplaceable. Ditto for the disappointed civic leaders and citizens of that city, who have never hosted a convention and wanted the chance to shine (and the boost for local business). Here's a thought: The Democratic National Committee should skip the site search in 2024 and award the next in-person convention to Milwaukee.
But for the vastly larger audience that would always have seen the convention on a screen at home, this was a more than acceptable substitute. It probably means we will see more reliance on virtual elements in future conventions, as well.
To be sure, the virtual event lacked the scale and energy participants and viewers would get from a vast and boisterous crowd. At certain moments of rhetorical flourish, you waited for the cheering that was conspicuous by its absence. Crowd reaction at a convention is a cue to audiences everywhere, much like a laugh track for a TV sitcom.
But thanks to swift pacing and high production values, viewers got a compact and highly watchable two hours of political messaging each night. It was, in fact, remarkably slick.
Stars, big and little
Each night's program was hosted by a well-known Hollywood personality such as Eva Longoria on the first night and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the fourth. That may have been too much glitz for some, and it gave Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chair, an opening to say her party's convention next week will feature "real people."
But the Democrats' week had quite a few regular folks as well. Instead of hearing delegation chairs bellowing the virtues of their "great state of" wherever, we got a video montage of the country with a dizzying variety of delegate participants. It was virtually fun.
Another real person who left an impression was Kristin Urquiza, who spoke on the first night about her father dying of COVID-19 after going to a karaoke bar. ("His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump.")
The heart-tugging winner of the week for many was the brief video made by Brayden Harrington, a 13-year-old boy who told of how Biden has helped him battle his stutter.
That video aired shortly before Biden's climactic speech on the final night. While meaningful in itself, it also served to remind the audience of Biden's own youthful struggle with stuttering. Intentional or not, that might have helped to lower the bar prior to Biden's acceptance speech. He was following a stellar lineup of previous speakers who had delivered as advertised, particularly Michelle Obama on the first night.
Some will say this event, especially Biden's part of it, succeeded by exceeding low expectations. Laura Ingraham on FOX News said Thursday night that "people were expecting him to flub every line and have a senior moment."
In this view, widely expressed, no one thought Biden's speech would be great, so when it was good it seemed great — just like the week as a whole.
But there was more to both the speech and the week than that.
There were times when the made-for-TV formatting worked especially well. Typically, convention speeches suffer from the competing demands of the camera and the live audience. The in-person crowd's roaring reaction can take on a life of its own, breaking the connection between the speaker and the viewers on screens.
But this week's closers were all directed exclusively to camera, keeping the ultimate audience uppermost in the presenter's mind.
That was just one way the limitations of the format simplified the task facing convention organizers, who did not need to mount a stage show as well as a TV production. This gave them greater control over the proceedings, unbothered by rowdy delegates or uncontrollable factors — as when hurricanes curtailed the first nights of the Republicans' conventions in 2008 and 2012.
Having a new kind of control, and pinpoint timing, allowed the show directors to orchestrate their performers to maximum effect and stick to their program.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP Carolyn Kaster/AP
Yes, we knew we were being deprived of any sense of extravaganza. The fireworks on the final night, and the honking cars in parking lots, were charming in a small-town way, although not as satisfying as the traditional closing-night mob scene and balloon drop on stage.
But were we deprived of actual history making? If so, it happened a long time ago. The national live conventions have not had a serious role in deciding the nominee since 1952, and the platform fights all happen elsewhere. All the suspense is in the primaries and caucuses that happen months earlier.
Instead, the big arena blowouts have become essentially events. They have been made-for-TV promotions that sprawl across hours of free airtime with bogus drama and goofy hoopla.
This week, under duress, they simply cut to the chase.
Balancing multiple appeals
The week featured an unusual amount of outreach to Republicans and independents, particularly the working class. Here was John Kasich, the former governor of Ohio, praising Biden and denigrating the incumbent president of his own party. Here were Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey, and Susan Molinari, former House member, establishment Republicans who have been appalled by Trump.
And Michael Bloomberg was given a five-minute slot on the final night. Bloomberg is the mega-billionaire who served as mayor of New York as a Republican and as an independent and bankrolled a TV-based campaign in this year's Democratic presidential primaries. It fell to Bloomberg to call Trump "a con," as he did in 2016, and to point out that more jobs were created in the last three years of Obama's presidency than in the first three years of Trump's.
The gestures to the center-right were numerous enough to evoke some grumbling from the left. But you could also sense some smoke from the peace-pipe Biden's team had shared with at least some of the party's progressives. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders got a featured speaking slot on the first night and a cameo on the final night in a panel of 2020 primary contenders. He returned the gesture by praising his old Senate colleague. Biden, for his part, played up the $15 minimum wage and the central role of unions ("they built the middle class in this country").
If the message to the center-right was that Biden would not go too far, the message to the left was that he would go just far enough.
There were also vignettes of various white working-class people such as World War II veteran Ed Long who had voted for Trump in 2016 and now switched to Biden. The party was using the online format to send videogram invitations to those who had decamped — a category crucial to Trump's coalition in 2016 and 2020.
When the Democrats last managed to deny an incumbent Republican a second term, in 1992, white voters without college degrees were roughly 60% of their base. Today, such voters are only 30% of the Democratic base, according to Pew Research Center data from 2019. Much of this convention was an appeal to that demographic to return.
But that same Pew report also noted that people of color now make up 40% of all those who identify with or lean to the Democrats. That is up from less than 25% a century earlier. And the convention planners were visibly conscious of this fact as well.
Most of the top speakers, the moderators and the entertainers were African American. The ticket included the first black woman in history. A featured tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia was a connection to Democratic conventions and sacrifices of the past.
There was not an equal amount of attention paid to Hispanic Americans, however, particularly not in terms of headline speakers. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the sensational newcomer from New York, got only a minute as a nominating second for Sanders.
Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the country, and most have been voting Democratic. This was noted by, among others, former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro, a candidate himself in the early going of this presidential cycle.
The perceived slight to Ocasio-Cortez, 30, seemed an unforced error on the part of convention organizers, particularly because her age group in general had little profile in the programming. When the singer-songwriter Billie Eillish was featured one night, the 18-year-old first-time voter stood out in large part because Gen Z was so little represented.
Biden makes his case
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP Carolyn Kaster/AP
On the final night, facing only a scattering of reporters and a camera lens, Biden kept his earnest attention on the camera, the stand-in for invisible judges tuning in from everywhere else.
His speech ended with an impassioned peroration. He quoted the Irish poet Seamus Heaney saying, "Once in a lifetime the longed-for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme."
Then he added, with uncharacteristic intensity: "This is our moment to make hope and history rhyme. With passion and purpose let us begin you and I together one nation under God united in our love for America and united in our love for each other. For love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear. Light is more powerful than dark."
Would it have been more stirring had tens of thousands been present, leaping to their feet and cheering? Yes. But words and message can sometimes be lost amid the animal spirit of a roaring crowd, a brass band and cascade of balloons in red, white and blue.
In this instance, the words could stand alone, and the message came through loud and clear.
And that was a last, unexpected virtue of the virtual convention.


npr--2020-08-22--Rural Hospitals Are Sinking Under COVID-19 Financial Pressures

Rural Hospitals Are Sinking Under COVID-19 Financial Pressures Jerome Antone says he is one of the lucky ones .
After becoming ill with COVID-19 , Antone was hospitalized only 65 miles away from his small Alabama town .
He is the mayor of Georgiana — population 1,700 .
`` It hit our rural community so rabid , '' Antone says .
The town 's hospital closed last year .
If hospitals in nearby communities do n't have beds available , `` you may have to go four or five hours away . ''
As COVID-19 continues to spread , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. find themselves without their hospital or on the brink of losing already cash-strapped facilities .
Eighteen rural hospitals closed last year and the first three months of 2020 were `` really big months , '' says Mark Holmes , director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill .
Many of the losses are in Southern states , including Florida and Texas , he says , and more than 170 rural hospitals have closed nationwide since 2005 , according to data collected by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous scenario .
`` We know that a closure leads to higher mortality pretty quickly '' among the populations served , says Holmes , who is also a professor at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health .
`` That 's pretty clear . ''
One 2019 study found that death rates in the surrounding communities increase nearly 6 % after a rural hospital closes — and that 's when there 's not a pandemic .
Add to that what is known about the coronavirus : People who are obese , live with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underlying health issues are more susceptible to COVID-19 .
Rural areas tend to have higher rates of these conditions .
And rural residents are more likely to be older , sicker and poorer than those in urban areas .
All this leaves rural communities particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus .
Congress approved billions in federal relief funds for health care providers .
Initially , federal officials based what a hospital would get on its Medicare payments , but by late April they heeded criticism and carved out funds for rural hospitals and COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the chance to shore up already-negative budgets and prepare for the pandemic .
The funds `` helped rural hospitals with the immediate storm , '' says Dr. Don Williamson , president of the Alabama Hospital Association .
Nearly 80 % of Alabama 's rural hospitals began the year with negative balance sheets and about eight days ' worth of cash on hand .
Before the pandemic hit this year , hundreds of rural hospitals `` were just trying to keep their doors open , '' says Maggie Elehwany , vice president of government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Then , an estimated 70 % of their income stopped as patients avoided the emergency room , doctor 's appointments and elective surgeries .
`` It was devastating , '' Elehwany says .
Paul Taylor , chief executive of a 25-bed critical access hospital and outpatient clinics in northwestern Arkansas , accepted millions in grants and loan money Congress approved this spring , largely through the Coronavirus Aid , Relief and Economic Security Act .
`` For us , this was survival money and we spent it already , '' Taylor says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hospital increased surge capacity , expanding from 25 beds to 50 beds , adding negative pressure rooms and buying six ventilators .
Taylor also ramped up COVID-19 testing at his hospital and clinics , located near some meat-processing plants .
Throughout June and July , Ozarks tested 1,000 patients a day and reported a 20 % positive rate .
The rate dropped to 16.9 % in late July .
But patients are still avoiding routine care .
Taylor says revenue is still constrained and he does not know how he will pay back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medicare .
The program allowed hospitals to borrow against future payments from the federal government , but stipulated that repayment would begin within 120 days .
For Taylor , this seems impossible .
Medicare makes up 40 % of Ozarks ' income .
And he has to pay the loan back before he gets any more payments from Medicare .
He 's hoping to refinance the hospital 's mortgage .
`` If I get no relief and they take the money ... we wo n't still be open , '' Taylor says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ area with a population of about 75,000 .
There are 1,300 small critical access hospitals like Ozarks in rural America and , of those , 859 took advantage of the Medicare loans , sending about $ 3.1 billion into the local communities .
But many rural communities have not yet experienced a surge in coronavirus cases — national leaders fear it will come as part of a new phase .
`` There are pockets of rural America who say 'We have n't seen a single COVID patient yet and we do not believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
`` They will get hit sooner or later . ''
Across the country , the loss of patients and increased spending required to fight and prepare for the coronavirus was `` like a knife cutting into a hospital 's blood supply , '' says Ge Bai , associate professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore .
Bai says the way the federal government reimbursed small rural hospitals through federal programs like Medicare before the pandemic was faulty and inefficient .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' she says .
In rural Texas , about two hours from Dallas , Titus Regional Medical Center chief executive Terry Scoggin cut staff and furloughed workers even as his rural hospital faced down the pandemic .
Titus Regional lost about $ 4 million last fiscal year and broke even each of the three years before that .
Scoggin says he did not cut from his clinical staff , though .
Titus is now facing its second surge of the virus in the community .
`` The last seven days , we 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said in early August .
Those numbers include the case of his father , who contracted it at a local nursing home and survived .
`` It 's personal and this is real , '' Scoggin says .
`` You know the people who are infected .
You know the people who are passing away . ''
Of his roughly 700 employees , 48 have tested positive with the virus and one has died .
The medical center is short on testing kits , medication and supplies .
`` Right now the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I 've been blown away by their selflessness and unbelievable spirit .
We 're resilient , we 're nimble and we will make it .
We do n't have a choice . ''
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit , editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation .
KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

Rural Hospitals Are Sinking Under COVID-19 Financial Pressures
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Jerome Antone says he is one of the lucky ones.
After becoming ill with COVID-19, Antone was hospitalized only 65 miles away from his small Alabama town. He is the mayor of Georgiana — population 1,700.
"It hit our rural community so rabid," Antone says. The town's hospital closed last year. If hospitals in nearby communities don't have beds available, "you may have to go four or five hours away."
As COVID-19 continues to spread, an increasing number of rural communities in the U.S. find themselves without their hospital or on the brink of losing already cash-strapped facilities.
Eighteen rural hospitals closed last year and the first three months of 2020 were "really big months," says Mark Holmes, director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Many of the losses are in Southern states, including Florida and Texas, he says, and more than 170 rural hospitals have closed nationwide since 2005, according to data collected by the Sheps Center.
It's a dangerous scenario. "We know that a closure leads to higher mortality pretty quickly" among the populations served, says Holmes, who is also a professor at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. "That's pretty clear."
One 2019 study found that death rates in the surrounding communities increase nearly 6% after a rural hospital closes — and that's when there's not a pandemic.
Add to that what is known about the coronavirus: People who are obese, live with diabetes, hypertension, asthma and other underlying health issues are more susceptible to COVID-19. Rural areas tend to have higher rates of these conditions. And rural residents are more likely to be older, sicker and poorer than those in urban areas. All this leaves rural communities particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Congress approved billions in federal relief funds for health care providers. Initially, federal officials based what a hospital would get on its Medicare payments, but by late April they heeded criticism and carved out funds for rural hospitals and COVID-19 hot spots. Rural hospitals leapt at the chance to shore up already-negative budgets and prepare for the pandemic.
The funds "helped rural hospitals with the immediate storm," says Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association. Nearly 80% of Alabama's rural hospitals began the year with negative balance sheets and about eight days' worth of cash on hand.
Before the pandemic hit this year, hundreds of rural hospitals "were just trying to keep their doors open," says Maggie Elehwany, vice president of government affairs with the National Rural Health Association. Then, an estimated 70% of their income stopped as patients avoided the emergency room, doctor's appointments and elective surgeries.
"It was devastating," Elehwany says.
Paul Taylor, chief executive of a 25-bed critical access hospital and outpatient clinics in northwestern Arkansas, accepted millions in grants and loan money Congress approved this spring, largely through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
"For us, this was survival money and we spent it already," Taylor says. With those funds, Ozarks Community Hospital increased surge capacity, expanding from 25 beds to 50 beds, adding negative pressure rooms and buying six ventilators. Taylor also ramped up COVID-19 testing at his hospital and clinics, located near some meat-processing plants.
Throughout June and July, Ozarks tested 1,000 patients a day and reported a 20% positive rate. The rate dropped to 16.9% in late July. But patients are still avoiding routine care.
Taylor says revenue is still constrained and he does not know how he will pay back $8 million that he borrowed from Medicare. The program allowed hospitals to borrow against future payments from the federal government, but stipulated that repayment would begin within 120 days.
For Taylor, this seems impossible. Medicare makes up 40% of Ozarks' income. And he has to pay the loan back before he gets any more payments from Medicare. He's hoping to refinance the hospital's mortgage.
"If I get no relief and they take the money ... we won't still be open," Taylor says. Ozarks provides 625 jobs and serves an area with a population of about 75,000.
There are 1,300 small critical access hospitals like Ozarks in rural America and, of those, 859 took advantage of the Medicare loans, sending about $3.1 billion into the local communities. But many rural communities have not yet experienced a surge in coronavirus cases — national leaders fear it will come as part of a new phase.
"There are pockets of rural America who say 'We haven't seen a single COVID patient yet and we do not believe it's real,'" Taylor says. "They will get hit sooner or later."
Across the country, the loss of patients and increased spending required to fight and prepare for the coronavirus was "like a knife cutting into a hospital's blood supply," says Ge Bai, associate professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Bai says the way the federal government reimbursed small rural hospitals through federal programs like Medicare before the pandemic was faulty and inefficient. "They are too weak to survive," she says.
In rural Texas, about two hours from Dallas, Titus Regional Medical Center chief executive Terry Scoggin cut staff and furloughed workers even as his rural hospital faced down the pandemic. Titus Regional lost about $4 million last fiscal year and broke even each of the three years before that.
Scoggin says he did not cut from his clinical staff, though. Titus is now facing its second surge of the virus in the community. "The last seven days, we've been testing 30% positive," he said in early August. Those numbers include the case of his father, who contracted it at a local nursing home and survived.
"It's personal and this is real," Scoggin says. "You know the people who are infected. You know the people who are passing away."
Of his roughly 700 employees, 48 have tested positive with the virus and one has died. The medical center is short on testing kits, medication and supplies.
"Right now the staff is strained," Scoggin says. "I've been blown away by their selflessness and unbelievable spirit. We're resilient, we're nimble and we will make it. We don't have a choice."
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit, editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


npr--2020-08-22--What It Looks Like When School, And Everything Else, Happens At Home

What It Looks Like When School , And Everything Else , Happens At Home A friend posted a picture on Instagram of her 11-year-old daughter wearing a school uniform , sitting attentively in front of a laptop and waving to her teacher during a virtual class .
My experience lay in stark contrast .
During home lessons , my youngest child , a 7-year-old , often ignores the screen and climbs on me whenever possible .
Despite always finishing their homeschooling tasks , when asked what their favorite subjects are , my two boys usually respond in unison , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismayed every time I hear it .
We live in Berkhamsted , England , a little town an hour or so outside London , where the local schools there were shut down on March 23 due to COVID-19 .
I 'm a freelance photographer with a flexible schedule , so I suddenly became my boys ' primary teacher through the rest of spring and summer .
My husband , who has a full-time job , helps when he can .
There was n't much discussion at home about how to approach this new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternate options , and there was little preparation other than ordering five reams of A4 paper , printer ink cartridges and a packet of school exercise books .
As soon as the assignments rolled in from the school , we got down to work .
I quickly learned I was n't as qualified as I had hoped .
Patience is not one of my chief qualities .
Nor is long division , coding , art , English literature , Mayan history or physics – all topics I was suddenly `` teaching , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tutorials posted online each day by their teachers .
There were some interactive experiences with their classmates and teachers .
But mostly , I felt like I was supposed to make them embrace learning , to challenge themselves — while they just want to get on with the work of children , which is play .
The fact that so much of school has gone on-screen has made me push even harder to make space for low tech .
We created a little stage out of a cereal box in which the kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ books .
They performed a play penned by my eldest son Ben , 10 , for an English assignment he called `` Aliens in the Field . ''
It imagines the day aliens land on the school grounds in Berkhamsted .
My younger son Joe and I made a pinhole camera out of cardboard , and he relished the task of creating a mythical beast for an art assignment using photo collage .
It sits comfortably on his homeschooling notebook next to his math assignments .
Lockdown has made our family bond , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though at times it feels like a boa constrictor 's slow squeeze .
It has allowed my husband and me a glimpse into how our children approach learning and knowledge .
We found them injecting humor into every available assignment that would allow it .
Laughter , it seems , is a great route to education .
There have been many positives .
With no after-school activities we have the luxury of time , and the boys have found new interests .
Ben has developed a love for early American history and decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ names of all the U.S. presidents .
Joe has been reading up on infectious diseases .
I know our family is fortunate .
No one has lost a job .
We can pay the mortgage and buy groceries .
None of us have been ill .
But it 's not easy , for anyone .
In Zoom meetings , you can see parents mute their microphones and scold children , the kids popping in and out of the frame .
The lack of childcare has made scheduling work feel like a game of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times as long to get organized and done .
Nerves frayed from confinement — and the stress of insulating your children from pressure they only loosely grasp — sometimes make family interactions more tense and dramatic .
A simple arithmetic problem can seem insurmountable , and with nowhere to escape , seeing your child melt down at the kitchen table makes you question whether you are fit to mold a young mind .
If misery loves company , I 've had plenty .
Many parents have told me they 've been reduced to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who spent three hours extracting one paragraph of writing from their child .
Others have felt unable to stretch themselves to cover all of the demands pulling them in different directions .
And some tell me they regularly head for a glass of wine as soon as the day ends .
This may all be far from over , but I tell myself that if we can keep ourselves alive and sane during this period , we are all ahead of the game .

What It Looks Like When School, And Everything Else, Happens At Home
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel Elizabeth Dalziel
A friend posted a picture on Instagram of her 11-year-old daughter wearing a school uniform, sitting attentively in front of a laptop and waving to her teacher during a virtual class.
My experience lay in stark contrast. During home lessons, my youngest child, a 7-year-old, often ignores the screen and climbs on me whenever possible.
Despite always finishing their homeschooling tasks, when asked what their favorite subjects are, my two boys usually respond in unison, "Break and lunch!" I'm dismayed every time I hear it.
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
We live in Berkhamsted, England, a little town an hour or so outside London, where the local schools there were shut down on March 23 due to COVID-19.
I'm a freelance photographer with a flexible schedule, so I suddenly became my boys' primary teacher through the rest of spring and summer. My husband, who has a full-time job, helps when he can.
There wasn't much discussion at home about how to approach this new reality. We didn't have good alternate options, and there was little preparation other than ordering five reams of A4 paper, printer ink cartridges and a packet of school exercise books.
As soon as the assignments rolled in from the school, we got down to work.
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
I quickly learned I wasn't as qualified as I had hoped. Patience is not one of my chief qualities. Nor is long division, coding, art, English literature, Mayan history or physics – all topics I was suddenly "teaching," with the aid of materials and video tutorials posted online each day by their teachers. There were some interactive experiences with their classmates and teachers.
But mostly, I felt like I was supposed to make them embrace learning, to challenge themselves — while they just want to get on with the work of children, which is play.
The fact that so much of school has gone on-screen has made me push even harder to make space for low tech. We created a little stage out of a cereal box in which the kids put on puppet productions of children's books. They performed a play penned by my eldest son Ben, 10, for an English assignment he called "Aliens in the Field." It imagines the day aliens land on the school grounds in Berkhamsted.
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
My younger son Joe and I made a pinhole camera out of cardboard, and he relished the task of creating a mythical beast for an art assignment using photo collage. It sits comfortably on his homeschooling notebook next to his math assignments.
Lockdown has made our family bond, wrapping us in a tight hug, though at times it feels like a boa constrictor's slow squeeze. It has allowed my husband and me a glimpse into how our children approach learning and knowledge. We found them injecting humor into every available assignment that would allow it. Laughter, it seems, is a great route to education.
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
There have been many positives. With no after-school activities we have the luxury of time, and the boys have found new interests. Ben has developed a love for early American history and decided to memorize the Gettysburg Address and the names of all the U.S. presidents. Joe has been reading up on infectious diseases.
I know our family is fortunate. No one has lost a job. We can pay the mortgage and buy groceries. None of us have been ill.
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
But it's not easy, for anyone. In Zoom meetings, you can see parents mute their microphones and scold children, the kids popping in and out of the frame.
The lack of childcare has made scheduling work feel like a game of Tetris. Everything seems to take three times as long to get organized and done.
Nerves frayed from confinement — and the stress of insulating your children from pressure they only loosely grasp — sometimes make family interactions more tense and dramatic.
A simple arithmetic problem can seem insurmountable, and with nowhere to escape, seeing your child melt down at the kitchen table makes you question whether you are fit to mold a young mind.
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
toggle caption Elizabeth Dalziel
If misery loves company, I've had plenty. Many parents have told me they've been reduced to tears at least once, including one who spent three hours extracting one paragraph of writing from their child.
Others have felt unable to stretch themselves to cover all of the demands pulling them in different directions. And some tell me they regularly head for a glass of wine as soon as the day ends.
This may all be far from over, but I tell myself that if we can keep ourselves alive and sane during this period, we are all ahead of the game.


npr--2020-08-22--More Than 550,000 Primary Absentee Ballots Rejected In 2020, Far Outpacing 2016

More Than 550,000 Primary Absentee Ballots Rejected In 2020 , Far Outpacing 2016 An extraordinarily high number of ballots — more than 550,000 — have been rejected in this year 's presidential primaries , according to a new analysis by NPR .
That 's far more than the 318,728 ballots rejected in the 2016 general election and has raised alarms about what might happen in November when tens of millions of more voters are expected to cast their ballots by mail , many for the first time .
Election experts said first-time absentee voters are much more likely to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected ballots .
Studies also show that voters of color and young voters are more likely than others to have their ballots not count .
Most absentee or mail-in ballots are rejected because required signatures are missing or do n't match the one on record , or because the ballot arrives too late .
`` If something goes wrong with any of this , that 's a problem writ large , but it 's also going to be one that hits some populations of the United States a bit harder than others , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher rates , '' said Rob Griffin of the Democracy Fund , which is conducting a sweeping survey of the 2020 electorate with researchers at UCLA .
Griffin said , so far , about a quarter of those who voted in person in the last election say they plan to vote by mail this November .
The same is true for those who have never voted before and will be casting their first ballots in this year 's election .
The numbers compiled by NPR are almost certainly an underestimate since not all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail-in ballots available .
Even with limited data , the implications are considerable .
NPR found that tens of thousands of ballots have been rejected in key battleground states , where the outcome in November — for the presidency , Congress and other elected positions — could be determined by a relatively small number of votes .
For example , President Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by almost 23,000 votes .
More than 23,000 absentee ballots were rejected in the state 's presidential primary in April .
More than 37,000 primary ballots were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a state Trump won by just over 44,000 votes .
The numbers are also significant because of large partisan differences in how Americans plan to vote this fall .
Democrats have expressed more interest than Republicans in voting by mail — 47 % to 28 % in the Democracy Fund/UCLA survey .
Forty-eight percent of those who intend to vote for Joe Biden say they will use mail-in ballots , compared with 23 % of Trump supporters .
With so much at stake , the political parties and candidates have made voting options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a central part of their campaigns .
Trump has repeatedly blasted mail-in voting as ripe for widespread fraud despite a lack of evidence .
At the same time , Republicans are encouraging their supporters to vote by mail .
In fact , Trump and his wife , Melania , did so this week in Florida 's primary .
For their part , Democrats are pushing widespread mail-in voting but are also concerned that many of their voters ' ballots could be rejected if the rules are n't relaxed .
They 're in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting to extend mail-in ballot deadlines and to waive witness and notary requirements .
They also want voters to be given the opportunity to fix errors before their ballots are rejected .
At the same time , Democrats are calling on election offices to make in-person voting and other options available for those who do n't want to vote by mail .
These concerns have grown in recent weeks with news of cuts in the U.S .
Postal Service that could impede ballot delivery .
`` The parties are making this political calculus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a political scientist at the University of Florida .
He said they 're trying to balance concerns about mail-in voting with the possibility that people wo n't turn out in person due to the health risks of voting during a pandemic .
Smith added that the rejection numbers are only part of the picture .
He said they do n't always take into account mail-in ballots that are initially accepted but then not counted because of other mistakes , such as a voter incorrectly choosing too many candidates or incorrectly circling a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bubble next to it .
Such errors are usually caught at the polling place and can be corrected before voters casts their ballots .
Most voting machines will also not allow people to overvote accidentally , or choose too many candidates in a given race .
`` Those mistakes are avoided when you vote in person , '' Smith said .
`` You have seven , 10 people who can assist you in terms of making sure that you know about the ovals having to be filled out . ''
As a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of in-person ballots are rejected compared with about 1 % of mail-in ballots .
Smith found that in Florida 's March primary – where 18,000 ballots were rejected — black and Hispanic voters were more likely to be voting by mail for the first time and , if so , were twice as likely to have their ballots rejected than white voters who were voting by mail for the first time .
These differences will likely be exacerbated in the general election when turnout is much greater .
`` If you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million votes , you 're talking tens of thousands of votes that potentially are going to be rejected , and they are not rejected evenly across the electorate , '' Smith said .
That could not only affect the outcome of the presidential election but other races as well .
In 2018 in Florida , Republican Rick Scott beat incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson for the Senate by just over 10,000 votes .
Even though Democratic-leaning voters appear to be most at risk of having their mail-in ballots rejected , Republicans and conservatives have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting by mail .
It 's part of a broader campaign to prevent the expansion of mail-in and absentee voting , which they fear Democrats could use to their advantage .
Jason Snead , executive director of the Honest Elections Project , a conservative advocacy group , noted that mail-in voting in the primaries has not only led to thousands of ballots being rejected but widespread confusion .
He cited New York City 's primary , which took six weeks to resolve , in part because many mail-in ballots were rejected for not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later ordered those ballots to be counted .
Snead predicted that if the margin of victory in November is `` smaller than the number of ballots that have been rejected for various reasons , I think that we can anticipate litigation to change the procedures for tallying those votes , '' similar to the post-Election Day legal challenges in the 2000 presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore .
Democrats and progressive voter groups argue that the answer is not to limit mail-in voting but to eliminate the barriers that lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the focus of their legal challenges of existing rules .
They also said it 's crucial that voters know what to do so their ballots are n't rejected .
Multiple nonprofit groups and campaigns have launched social media and online efforts encouraging voters to request their mail-in ballots early , learn the rules and return their completed ballots as soon as possible — either by mail , at a secure drop box or at their local election office .
At their presidential nominating convention this week , Democratic leaders repeatedly urged supporters to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote , in person or by mail .
`` We 've got to request our mail-in ballots right now , tonight , and send them back immediately and follow up to make sure they 're received .
And then , make sure our friends and families do the same , '' former first lady Michelle Obama said .
Election officials of both parties are also trying to get the word out in an effort to limit ballot rejections .
Many states have detailed instructions on their websites on how to get , fill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot .
This summer , Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson filmed a public service announcement where she filled out her own absentee ballot and explained the process step-by-step .
Pennsylvania , one of the states where the extent of rejected mail-in ballots might well determine the outcome of the election , is planning an ad campaign soon , urging people who have applied for absentee ballots to return them immediately , so they do n't risk having them not count because they arrived too late .

More Than 550,000 Primary Absentee Ballots Rejected In 2020, Far Outpacing 2016
Enlarge this image toggle caption Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images
An extraordinarily high number of ballots — more than 550,000 — have been rejected in this year's presidential primaries, according to a new analysis by NPR.
That's far more than the 318,728 ballots rejected in the 2016 general election and has raised alarms about what might happen in November when tens of millions of more voters are expected to cast their ballots by mail, many for the first time.
Loading...
Election experts said first-time absentee voters are much more likely to make the kinds of mistakes that lead to rejected ballots. Studies also show that voters of color and young voters are more likely than others to have their ballots not count.
Most absentee or mail-in ballots are rejected because required signatures are missing or don't match the one on record, or because the ballot arrives too late.
"If something goes wrong with any of this, that's a problem writ large, but it's also going to be one that hits some populations of the United States a bit harder than others, potentially disenfranchises different groups of folks at higher rates," said Rob Griffin of the Democracy Fund, which is conducting a sweeping survey of the 2020 electorate with researchers at UCLA.
Griffin said, so far, about a quarter of those who voted in person in the last election say they plan to vote by mail this November. The same is true for those who have never voted before and will be casting their first ballots in this year's election.
The numbers compiled by NPR are almost certainly an underestimate since not all states have made the information on rejected mail-in ballots available.
Battleground states
Even with limited data, the implications are considerable. NPR found that tens of thousands of ballots have been rejected in key battleground states, where the outcome in November — for the presidency, Congress and other elected positions — could be determined by a relatively small number of votes.
For example, President Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by almost 23,000 votes. More than 23,000 absentee ballots were rejected in the state's presidential primary in April. More than 37,000 primary ballots were also rejected in June in Pennsylvania, a state Trump won by just over 44,000 votes.
The numbers are also significant because of large partisan differences in how Americans plan to vote this fall. Democrats have expressed more interest than Republicans in voting by mail — 47% to 28% in the Democracy Fund/UCLA survey. Forty-eight percent of those who intend to vote for Joe Biden say they will use mail-in ballots, compared with 23% of Trump supporters.
With so much at stake, the political parties and candidates have made voting options, and the rules that surround them, a central part of their campaigns.
Trump has repeatedly blasted mail-in voting as ripe for widespread fraud despite a lack of evidence. At the same time, Republicans are encouraging their supporters to vote by mail. In fact, Trump and his wife, Melania, did so this week in Florida's primary.
For their part, Democrats are pushing widespread mail-in voting but are also concerned that many of their voters' ballots could be rejected if the rules aren't relaxed. They're in court in more than half the states fighting to extend mail-in ballot deadlines and to waive witness and notary requirements. They also want voters to be given the opportunity to fix errors before their ballots are rejected.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images
At the same time, Democrats are calling on election offices to make in-person voting and other options available for those who don't want to vote by mail. These concerns have grown in recent weeks with news of cuts in the U.S. Postal Service that could impede ballot delivery.
"The parties are making this political calculus right now," said Daniel Smith, a political scientist at the University of Florida. He said they're trying to balance concerns about mail-in voting with the possibility that people won't turn out in person due to the health risks of voting during a pandemic.
Smith added that the rejection numbers are only part of the picture. He said they don't always take into account mail-in ballots that are initially accepted but then not counted because of other mistakes, such as a voter incorrectly choosing too many candidates or incorrectly circling a candidate's name instead of filling in the bubble next to it.
Such errors are usually caught at the polling place and can be corrected before voters casts their ballots. Most voting machines will also not allow people to overvote accidentally, or choose too many candidates in a given race.
"Those mistakes are avoided when you vote in person," Smith said. "You have seven, 10 people who can assist you in terms of making sure that you know about the ovals having to be filled out." As a result, only about one-hundredth of a percent of in-person ballots are rejected compared with about 1% of mail-in ballots.
Smith found that in Florida's March primary – where 18,000 ballots were rejected — Black and Hispanic voters were more likely to be voting by mail for the first time and, if so, were twice as likely to have their ballots rejected than white voters who were voting by mail for the first time. These differences will likely be exacerbated in the general election when turnout is much greater.
Enlarge this image toggle caption David Ryder/Getty Images David Ryder/Getty Images
"If you have 1% of maybe up to 6 million votes, you're talking tens of thousands of votes that potentially are going to be rejected, and they are not rejected evenly across the electorate," Smith said.
That could not only affect the outcome of the presidential election but other races as well. In 2018 in Florida, Republican Rick Scott beat incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson for the Senate by just over 10,000 votes.
Legal storm clouds
Even though Democratic-leaning voters appear to be most at risk of having their mail-in ballots rejected, Republicans and conservatives have been most vocal about the risks of voting by mail. It's part of a broader campaign to prevent the expansion of mail-in and absentee voting, which they fear Democrats could use to their advantage.
Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, a conservative advocacy group, noted that mail-in voting in the primaries has not only led to thousands of ballots being rejected but widespread confusion. He cited New York City's primary, which took six weeks to resolve, in part because many mail-in ballots were rejected for not having a postmark. A federal judge later ordered those ballots to be counted.
Snead predicted that if the margin of victory in November is "smaller than the number of ballots that have been rejected for various reasons, I think that we can anticipate litigation to change the procedures for tallying those votes," similar to the post-Election Day legal challenges in the 2000 presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
Democrats and progressive voter groups argue that the answer is not to limit mail-in voting but to eliminate the barriers that lead to rejections in the first place — the focus of their legal challenges of existing rules.
They also said it's crucial that voters know what to do so their ballots aren't rejected. Multiple nonprofit groups and campaigns have launched social media and online efforts encouraging voters to request their mail-in ballots early, learn the rules and return their completed ballots as soon as possible — either by mail, at a secure drop box or at their local election office.
At their presidential nominating convention this week, Democratic leaders repeatedly urged supporters to make sure they have a plan to vote, in person or by mail. "We've got to request our mail-in ballots right now, tonight, and send them back immediately and follow up to make sure they're received. And then, make sure our friends and families do the same," former first lady Michelle Obama said.
Election officials of both parties are also trying to get the word out in an effort to limit ballot rejections. Many states have detailed instructions on their websites on how to get, fill out and return an absentee or mail-in ballot.
This summer, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson filmed a public service announcement where she filled out her own absentee ballot and explained the process step-by-step.
Pennsylvania, one of the states where the extent of rejected mail-in ballots might well determine the outcome of the election, is planning an ad campaign soon, urging people who have applied for absentee ballots to return them immediately, so they don't risk having them not count because they arrived too late.


npr--2020-08-21--Fallen Boulder Reveals 313 Million-Year-Old Fossil Footprints At Grand Canyon

A geologist has discovered a pair of fossil footprints that researchers say are the oldest of their kind in the Grand Canyon , dating back 313 million years .
Researchers said the fossils show two animals passing at different times along the slope of a sand dune .
Allan Krill , a visiting professor from Norway , was hiking along a trail with a group of students in 2016 when he came across a fallen boulder containing the markings , according to a National Park Service news release .
The boulder , dropped there in a cliff collapse , held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a set of photos to his colleague , Stephen Rowland , a paleontologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas .
After extensive research , Rowland called the discovery `` by far the oldest vertebrate tracks in Grand Canyon . ''
`` More significantly , '' he added , `` they are among the oldest tracks on Earth of shelled-egg-laying animals , such as reptiles , and the earliest evidence of vertebrate animals walking in sand dunes . ''
One of the features scientists noticed was the distinct gait of the ancient tetrapods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's when the legs on one side of the animal move in succession , the rear leg and then the foreleg , alternating with the opposite side .
`` Living species of tetrapods―dogs and cats , for example―routinely use a lateral-sequence gait when they walk slowly , '' says Rowland .
`` The Bright Angel Trail tracks document the use of this gait very early in the history of vertebrate animals .
We previously had no information about that , '' Rowland added .
The findings were published on Wednesday in the journal @ @ @

Fallen Boulder Reveals 313 Million-Year-Old Fossil Footprints At Grand Canyon
Enlarge this image toggle caption U.S. National Park Service/U.S. National Park Service U.S. National Park Service/U.S. National Park Service
A geologist has discovered a pair of fossil footprints that researchers say are the oldest of their kind in the Grand Canyon, dating back 313 million years.
Researchers said the fossils show two animals passing at different times along the slope of a sand dune.
Allan Krill, a visiting professor from Norway, was hiking along a trail with a group of students in 2016 when he came across a fallen boulder containing the markings, according to a National Park Service news release.
The boulder, dropped there in a cliff collapse, held tracks that intrigued Krill who then sent a set of photos to his colleague, Stephen Rowland, a paleontologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
After extensive research, Rowland called the discovery "by far the oldest vertebrate tracks in Grand Canyon."
"More significantly," he added, "they are among the oldest tracks on Earth of shelled-egg-laying animals, such as reptiles, and the earliest evidence of vertebrate animals walking in sand dunes."
One of the features scientists noticed was the distinct gait of the ancient tetrapods, called a lateral-sequence walk. That's when the legs on one side of the animal move in succession, the rear leg and then the foreleg, alternating with the opposite side.
"Living species of tetrapods―dogs and cats, for example―routinely use a lateral-sequence gait when they walk slowly," says Rowland.
"The Bright Angel Trail tracks document the use of this gait very early in the history of vertebrate animals. We previously had no information about that," Rowland added.
The findings were published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.


npr--2020-08-21--U.S. Movie Theaters Say It's Safe To Watch A Film: How About 'Unhinged'?

U.S. Movie Theaters Say It 's Safe To Watch A Film : How About 'Unhinged ' ?
Theaters around the country have begun showing the first new movie since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas : an audacious road rage movie titled Unhinged , starring Russell Crowe .
The $ 30 million dollar movie opened internationally , where it 's been number one at the box office in some countries .
Now it 's playing in the U.S. , where 70 % of theaters are now open , except in Los Angeles , New York or other cities where the numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When our patrons come back , they 'll see the safe environment we 've provided for them , '' said John Fithian , president and CEO of NATO , the National Association of Theater Owners .
Fithian invited two medical experts and the heads of the country 's biggest theater chains to launch a public awareness campaign dubbed `` CinemaSafe , '' meant to ease moviegoer 's fears .
The campaign featured new industry-wide health and safety protocols , including mandatory face masks for moviegoers and employees , social distancing and regular sanitizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reduced theater capacity ( most between 30 % and 50 % ) , and contact-less , electronic ticket sales .
Fithian says the protocols will be followed by more than 2,600 theater locations , including more than 30,000 screens in the U.S. NATO used guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the World Health Organization , and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration .
`` It 's important to understand that going to the movies is not risk free , '' said David F. Goldsmith , an epidemiologist at George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protocols .
Still , during the announcement , he said he had not seen any medical literature evidence showing movie theaters around the world have been a venue for viral transmission of COVID-19 .
`` Honestly , time will tell , '' he said .
`` We 're still we 're at month six of this pandemic , but that is , at least , some basis for some reassurance . ''
Dr. Joyce Sanchez , an infectious disease specialist at the Medical College of Wisconsin , also worked on the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she noted that going to the movies is different from flying on a crowded airplane , or going to a restaurant or some other activities these days : audiences face the same direction as they watch the big screen , she said , and `` People are not speaking .
People are not singing or those types of activities that propel those respiratory droplets . ''
( Though the new protocols do allow moviegoers to temporarily remove their masks while drinking or eating popcorn or other snacks . )
The CinemaSafe announcement was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rival exhibitors .
For example , Adam Aron , CEO of the biggest movie chain , AMC , remarked , `` In normal times , I might say something like 'AMC Popcorn is better than Cinemark popcorn . '
But right now , actually , what I 'm going to say is just this one time : I 'll be really happy if someone goes to a Cinemark theater or Regal Theater or the other circuits , because it 's so important for our whole industry to recover .
... We all know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on our ability to actually operate our theaters safely and cleanly and to convince the public that that is precisely what we 're doing . ''
IMAX Entertainment president Megan Colligan said around the world , movie theaters have reopened with promising box office sales for the new Korean film Peninsula and the new Chinese film The Eight Hundred .
Theater owners are looking for success when Christopher Nolan 's film Tenet opens internationally next week .
Colligan agreed with her colleagues that American audiences are also eager to go back to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gym , some people go to church , some people need to go to the beach and surf , and some people really do need to go to the movies , '' she said .
`` It is people 's happy place . ''
Colligan said having health and safety protocols in place `` is going to lead to a really wonderful escape for people and for families . ''

U.S. Movie Theaters Say It's Safe To Watch A Film: How About 'Unhinged'?
Theaters around the country have begun showing the first new movie since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas: an audacious road rage movie titled Unhinged, starring Russell Crowe.
The $30 million dollar movie opened internationally, where it's been number one at the box office in some countries. Now it's playing in the U.S., where 70% of theaters are now open, except in Los Angeles, New York or other cities where the numbers of coronavirus cases are high.
"When our patrons come back, they'll see the safe environment we've provided for them," said John Fithian, president and CEO of NATO, the National Association of Theater Owners.
Fithian invited two medical experts and the heads of the country's biggest theater chains to launch a public awareness campaign dubbed "CinemaSafe," meant to ease moviegoer's fears. The campaign featured new industry-wide health and safety protocols, including mandatory face masks for moviegoers and employees, social distancing and regular sanitizing in theaters with better air ventilation, reduced theater capacity (most between 30% and 50%), and contact-less, electronic ticket sales.
Fithian says the protocols will be followed by more than 2,600 theater locations, including more than 30,000 screens in the U.S.
NATO used guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
"It's important to understand that going to the movies is not risk free," said David F. Goldsmith, an epidemiologist at George Washington University who consulted with NATO on the protocols. Still, during the announcement, he said he had not seen any medical literature evidence showing movie theaters around the world have been a venue for viral transmission of COVID-19. "Honestly, time will tell," he said. "We're still we're at month six of this pandemic, but that is, at least, some basis for some reassurance."
Dr. Joyce Sanchez, an infectious disease specialist at the Medical College of Wisconsin, also worked on the new cinema protocols. During the announcement, she noted that going to the movies is different from flying on a crowded airplane, or going to a restaurant or some other activities these days: audiences face the same direction as they watch the big screen, she said, and "People are not speaking. People are not singing or those types of activities that propel those respiratory droplets." (Though the new protocols do allow moviegoers to temporarily remove their masks while drinking or eating popcorn or other snacks.)
The CinemaSafe announcement was a rare show of solidarity for longtime rival exhibitors. For example, Adam Aron, CEO of the biggest movie chain, AMC, remarked, "In normal times, I might say something like 'AMC Popcorn is better than Cinemark popcorn.' But right now, actually, what I'm going to say is just this one time: I'll be really happy if someone goes to a Cinemark theater or Regal Theater or the other circuits, because it's so important for our whole industry to recover. ... We all know that the future of our industry rides on our ability to actually operate our theaters safely and cleanly and to convince the public that that is precisely what we're doing."
IMAX Entertainment president Megan Colligan said around the world, movie theaters have reopened with promising box office sales for the new Korean film Peninsula and the new Chinese film The Eight Hundred. Theater owners are looking for success when Christopher Nolan's film Tenet opens internationally next week. Colligan agreed with her colleagues that American audiences are also eager to go back to the movies.
"Some people go to the gym, some people go to church, some people need to go to the beach and surf, and some people really do need to go to the movies," she said. "It is people's happy place." Colligan said having health and safety protocols in place "is going to lead to a really wonderful escape for people and for families."