vox--2020-05-13--America’s Native tribes and Ireland have a 170-year-old connection that’s being honored during the p

America’s Native tribes and Ireland have a 170-year-old connection that’s being honored during the pandemic

When members of the Choctaw Nation heard about the struggles of the Irish in the Great Famine in 1847 , the tribe gathered up about $ 170 — $ 5,000 in today ’ s dollars — to send overseas for “ the relief of the starving poor of Ireland.
” That 170-year-old act is being remembered , and , in some ways , returned , during the coronavirus pandemic .
Small donations from places like Cork , Limerick , and Dublin have poured in after a GoFundMe to support the Navajo and Hopi nations went viral in Ireland earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never forgot the generosity of your Choctaw Brothers & Sisters .
Happy to contribute something small for now , ” wrote Sean O Dubhlain , sending $ 25 via the GoFundMe .
Allison Kearney , donating $ 70 , wrote it was “ a small token of the gratitude from Ireland.
” The Choctaw gave the money to Ireland about 16 years after the Trail of Tears , America ’ s brutal forced relocation of the nation from the southeastern United States to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma .
That gift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s own tragedy , is lodged into Irish collective memory .
The story is taught in schools and has been honored with a sculpture in Middleton , in County Cork .
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar visited the Choctaw Nation in 2018 to pay tribute to the gift .
Now the Navajo & Hopi Families Covid-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $ 3.6 million ; as of May 8 , more than 20,000 donors were from Ireland , Cassandra Begay , the communications lead for the relief fund , told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not just from Ireland but everywhere , including from plenty of Americans of Irish descent .
“ I do think this story really has its roots in what we are as a people — certainly , from the Choctaws , that ’ s what we are — and now the Irish are returning that gift back to this country and back to the Navajo , ” Choctaw member LeAnne Howe , a professor of American literature at the University of Georgia and co-editor of the forthcoming book Famine Pots : The Choctaw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ So it ’ s this beautiful circle of life that we ’ re seeing , ” she added , “ at the same time as this terrible pandemic is ripping through this entire world.
” And the pandemic is devastating America ’ s indigenous communities , who were already vulnerable to the coronavirus .
The first coronavirus case was confirmed in the Navajo Nation on March 17 , which has now recorded more than 100 deaths .
The nation ’ s population is only about 300,000 with about 170,000 living on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Relief Fund , which came together in mid-March just before the crisis arrived , is all-volunteer — women , all members of either the Navajo and Hopi nations , make up the entire leadership team .
They are using the money raised to purchase supplies : food and toilet paper and disinfectant , which are being distributed to older people and families .
Organizers direct travel to remote areas to distribute goods , carefully sanitizing everything .
But they struggle to coordinate volunteers with sometimes spotty cell service on the reservation .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekend curfew imposed by the Navajo Nation , and stay-at-home orders that ask people to shelter at home from 8 pm to 5 am each day .
Begay said this speaks to the difficulty of grassroots , indigenous-led efforts like theirs — and how the support , from Ireland and elsewhere , helps .
This small act of humanity , first made by the Choctaw in a time a crisis a century and a half ago , is now recast for the current catastrophe .
“ We are just so grateful to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re the ones who planted the seed , ” Begay told me .
“ A lot of indigenous communities think about seven generations forward , and I think this is one of those examples.
” Why the Choctaw donation has become part of two nations ’ memories The Great Famine devastated Ireland , killing 1 million and forcing millions more to leave , migrating to places like the United States .
Relief committees sprang up in the US to try to help the Irish overseas .
This is where the collection from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oklahoma , where the Choctaw made their donation , to a committee in Memphis , then New York , until it landed in Ireland .
The amount was $ 170 , although Padraig Kirwan , a senior lecturer at Goldsmiths , University of London who is also co-editing the book on this historical moment , said it might have been an even larger sum of $ 712 .
( It ’ s unclear if the mix-up is a recording or an accounting error , or if perhaps some money got lost or pocketed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
The Great Famine in Ireland wasn ’ t just about potatoes ; it was also a policy failure of the British government , one that deepened the human toll .
The Choctaw Nation , when it made its gift to the Irish , was not far removed from its own tragedy , also imposed on the tribe by the government .
US policy ordered the removal of the Choctaws , and other nations from their homelands to Indian territory , in a forced march west that killed thousands .
The Irish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , both under colonial forces , Howe told me .
“ We felt their pain , ” Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton told CNN earlier this month .
“ We sensed what they were dealing with.
” It was also an act of sovereignty on the part of the Choctaw .
“ It ’ s partly political as well , because it ’ s about undermining the idea of the colonial .
We , as a people on the ground , can give to people on the ground , ” Kirwan said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ slightly more complicated than that .
Jacki Thompson Rand , an associate history professor in Native American and Indian studies at the University of Iowa who is also a member of the Choctaw Nation , pointed out that Irish arrivals to the US played a role expanding settlements into Indigenous lands in the southeast .
She also suggested other factors might have been at play , including the ties between Irish and Choctaw through intermarriage at the time .
It may have also been something of a show of strength , an attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Choctaw ’ s still-precarious circumstances .
“ They were in a very hostile situation in Indian Territory — it was getting overrun by settlers , they were at the mercy of all these unscrupulous people , lawyers , people who came in to govern the territory , that kind of thing — and so this was a good look for them , ” Rand said .
But in Ireland , the story of this donation stuck .
Naomi O ’ Leary , a journalist for the Irish Times and co-host of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was a sense of connection and of shared solidarity .
“ There ’ s an identification with Native Americans because , I suppose , Irish people struggled to hold on to the place that they called home and struggled to hold on to their language and culture , ” she said .
And the connection has continued .
In the 1990s , some Irish representatives joined the Choctaw to commemorate the Trail of Tears , which included a joint effort to raise money for relief in Somalia .
When Ireland commemorates the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Choctaw have also joined .
In Middleton , in County Cork , Ireland , a sculpture commemorates the donation .
Alex Pentek , the sculptor who designed “ Kindred Spirits , ” chose to depict a giant bowl , composed of nine eagle feathers , the kind used in Choctaw ceremonial dress .
Each was carefully welded to get the grains and the grooves of the feathers .
Pentek wanted to capture the fragility of the historical moment .
“ There was the Choctaw , having just survived their atrocities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the American government , ” he said of his piece .
“ And yet , they ’ re still willing to pull together everything they had.
” Pentek has been told that when the wind blows through the sculpture , it makes a keening sound .
America ’ s indigenous communities are still very vulnerable In early May , the journalist O ’ Leary called attention to the Navajo fundraiser in a tweet .
“ Native Americans raised a huge amount in famine relief for Ireland at a time when they had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s time for is to come through for them now.
” She wasn ’ t the only person , or the first , to promote it , she said , but her tweet blew up .
Ireland began chalking up $ 10 and $ 20 and $ 50 donations , paying forward the kindness of 150 years ago .
The reciprocity also underscores the long , historical trail of injustice Native communities face .
It has put them at higher risk , and left them even more vulnerable , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Vox in March : In May , tribes sued the federal government over delays in the $ 8 billion in stimulus funds promised to Native tribes in the CARES Act .
It took more than a month for the funds to be released — just last week , the Navajo Nation received its $ 600 million share , according to the Washington Post .
Through it all , the number of cases continues to rise , and the Navajo Nation is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic .
The Navajo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arizona , Utah , and New Mexico .
More than 3,200 people in the Navajo Nation have tested positive for the coronavirus , with about 14,000 tests administered , according to the Indian Health Service .
Right now , that accounts for more cases per capita than any US state .
The death toll now stands at nearly 100 as of May 12 .
“ We ’ re so vulnerable right now , ” Begay told me .
“ Native American issues are not seen in the United States .
The US Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treaties , and because they don ’ t do their part , it creates [ this ] disparity.
” The Navajo & Hopi Covid-19 Relief Fund is trying to ameliorate this crisis .
Started by Ethel Branch , an attorney and former attorney general for the Navajo Nation , the fund was born from concern that stores were running short of food and supplies , so she connected with other women to try to solve what looked like a coming crisis .
They established a GoFundMe account , with the initial goal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , vice president of the Board of Regents for Diné College and one of the fund ’ s volunteers , told me that just 40 days later , they had hit $ 1 million .
The money goes to supplies and logistics ; everyone who works does so on a volunteer basis .
Aside from food and toilet paper , they also give out essentials like baby items and medications like Tylenol .
“ The whole idea is to keep families out of the grocery store for two or more weeks at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the virus , ” Hatathlie-Delmar told me .
They have thousands of requests , and Begay says they must work around the Navajo Nation curfew , which complicates distribution in a vast reservation .
Cell service is bad , sometimes nonexistent ; a truckload can be en route to a site , but the person with the key who ’ s supposed to open the building isn ’ t answering their phone because there is no signal .
There is only so much ground volunteers can cover in a day , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not always speedy .
When volunteers distribute the boxes , they must sanitize everything , and sanitize again once everything is given out .
If they break protocol — answer a phone during their shift , say — they must stop working and sanitize everything one more time .
Hatathlie-Delmar is also the lead seamstress for the group , sewing masks and other personal protective gear .
She has 124 volunteers , all but six of whom are women .
For masks , they started using fabric , but when fabric was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used hotel linens .
When they needed more , they bought sheets online .
When they started running out of elastic , the sewers pulled the elastic out of fitted sheets to use .
They have made masks , but also hospital gowns , shoe covers , hair covers , and even face shields .
The donations go where they ’ re needed , Hatathlie-Delmar said : the police or fire services , or senior care centers , community health centers .
They started in April , and as of May 11 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These relief efforts can not undo some of the larger challenges , like the lack of access to running water .
Families live in multigenerational households , which means the virus , once inside a home , can spread quickly .
Internet service is also unreliable ; the radio is the best source of news and information .
And in a close-knit community , people are sick and people are dying .
Everyone knows someone affected .
Begay said they ’ ve lost their sacred elders , and they have lost youth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to grieve right now , ” she said .
“ We have to keep going because there will come a time where we can grieve later and honor those people.
” Even the small $ 10 and $ 20 donations , from Dublin or anywhere else , is assisting the efforts on the ground .
That act of the Choctaw has been paid forward in the global pandemic , and , if history holds , will probably passed along again .
“ These are the stories that we carry and they serve us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think that ’ s the one thing .
This isn ’ t a quaint story .
This is the bigger story of humanity.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

When members of the Choctaw Nation heard about the struggles of the Irish in the Great Famine in 1847, the tribe gathered up about $170 — $5,000 in today’s dollars — to send overseas for “the relief of the starving poor of Ireland.”
That 170-year-old act is being remembered, and, in some ways, returned, during the coronavirus pandemic. Small donations from places like Cork, Limerick, and Dublin have poured in after a GoFundMe to support the Navajo and Hopi nations went viral in Ireland earlier this month.
“In Ireland, we never forgot the generosity of your Choctaw Brothers & Sisters. Happy to contribute something small for now,” wrote Sean O Dubhlain, sending $25 via the GoFundMe. Allison Kearney, donating $70, wrote it was “a small token of the gratitude from Ireland.”
The Choctaw gave the money to Ireland about 16 years after the Trail of Tears, America’s brutal forced relocation of the nation from the southeastern United States to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. That gift, coming so soon after the nation’s own tragedy, is lodged into Irish collective memory. The story is taught in schools and has been honored with a sculpture in Middleton, in County Cork. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar visited the Choctaw Nation in 2018 to pay tribute to the gift.
Now the Navajo & Hopi Families Covid-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $3.6 million; as of May 8, more than 20,000 donors were from Ireland, Cassandra Begay, the communications lead for the relief fund, told me. Money keeps pouring in, too, not just from Ireland but everywhere, including from plenty of Americans of Irish descent.
“I do think this story really has its roots in what we are as a people — certainly, from the Choctaws, that’s what we are — and now the Irish are returning that gift back to this country and back to the Navajo,” Choctaw member LeAnne Howe, a professor of American literature at the University of Georgia and co-editor of the forthcoming book Famine Pots: The Choctaw Irish Gift Exchange 1847-Present, told me.
“So it’s this beautiful circle of life that we’re seeing,” she added, “at the same time as this terrible pandemic is ripping through this entire world.”
And the pandemic is devastating America’s indigenous communities, who were already vulnerable to the coronavirus. The first coronavirus case was confirmed in the Navajo Nation on March 17, which has now recorded more than 100 deaths. The nation’s population is only about 300,000 with about 170,000 living on the reservation.
The Navajo & Hopi Relief Fund, which came together in mid-March just before the crisis arrived, is all-volunteer — women, all members of either the Navajo and Hopi nations, make up the entire leadership team. They are using the money raised to purchase supplies: food and toilet paper and disinfectant, which are being distributed to older people and families. Organizers direct travel to remote areas to distribute goods, carefully sanitizing everything. But they struggle to coordinate volunteers with sometimes spotty cell service on the reservation. They must also work around a strict 57-hour weekend curfew imposed by the Navajo Nation, and stay-at-home orders that ask people to shelter at home from 8 pm to 5 am each day.
Begay said this speaks to the difficulty of grassroots, indigenous-led efforts like theirs — and how the support, from Ireland and elsewhere, helps. This small act of humanity, first made by the Choctaw in a time a crisis a century and a half ago, is now recast for the current catastrophe.
“We are just so grateful to the Choctaw nation, honestly. They’re the ones who planted the seed,” Begay told me. “A lot of indigenous communities think about seven generations forward, and I think this is one of those examples.”
Why the Choctaw donation has become part of two nations’ memories
The Great Famine devastated Ireland, killing 1 million and forcing millions more to leave, migrating to places like the United States. Relief committees sprang up in the US to try to help the Irish overseas. This is where the collection from the Choctaw went: first from Skullyville, Oklahoma, where the Choctaw made their donation, to a committee in Memphis, then New York, until it landed in Ireland.
The amount was $170, although Padraig Kirwan, a senior lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London who is also co-editing the book on this historical moment, said it might have been an even larger sum of $712. (It’s unclear if the mix-up is a recording or an accounting error, or if perhaps some money got lost or pocketed during the journey from Oklahoma to Ireland.)
The Great Famine in Ireland wasn’t just about potatoes; it was also a policy failure of the British government, one that deepened the human toll. The Choctaw Nation, when it made its gift to the Irish, was not far removed from its own tragedy, also imposed on the tribe by the government. US policy ordered the removal of the Choctaws, and other nations from their homelands to Indian territory, in a forced march west that killed thousands. The Irish and the Choctaw recognized their shared suffering, both under colonial forces, Howe told me.
“We felt their pain,” Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton told CNN earlier this month. “We sensed what they were dealing with.”
It was also an act of sovereignty on the part of the Choctaw. “It’s partly political as well, because it’s about undermining the idea of the colonial. We, as a people on the ground, can give to people on the ground,” Kirwan said.
History, of course, is always slightly more complicated than that. Jacki Thompson Rand, an associate history professor in Native American and Indian studies at the University of Iowa who is also a member of the Choctaw Nation, pointed out that Irish arrivals to the US played a role expanding settlements into Indigenous lands in the southeast. She also suggested other factors might have been at play, including the ties between Irish and Choctaw through intermarriage at the time.
It may have also been something of a show of strength, an attempt to assert the nation’s power in the Choctaw’s still-precarious circumstances. “They were in a very hostile situation in Indian Territory — it was getting overrun by settlers, they were at the mercy of all these unscrupulous people, lawyers, people who came in to govern the territory, that kind of thing — and so this was a good look for them,” Rand said.
But in Ireland, the story of this donation stuck. Naomi O’Leary, a journalist for the Irish Times and co-host of the Irish Passport podcast, told me there was a sense of connection and of shared solidarity. “There’s an identification with Native Americans because, I suppose, Irish people struggled to hold on to the place that they called home and struggled to hold on to their language and culture,” she said.
And the connection has continued. In the 1990s, some Irish representatives joined the Choctaw to commemorate the Trail of Tears, which included a joint effort to raise money for relief in Somalia. When Ireland commemorates the Great Famine with a walk, members of the Choctaw have also joined.
In Middleton, in County Cork, Ireland, a sculpture commemorates the donation. Alex Pentek, the sculptor who designed “Kindred Spirits,” chose to depict a giant bowl, composed of nine eagle feathers, the kind used in Choctaw ceremonial dress. Each was carefully welded to get the grains and the grooves of the feathers. Pentek wanted to capture the fragility of the historical moment.
“There was the Choctaw, having just survived their atrocities, with many thousands dead at the hands of the American government,” he said of his piece. “And yet, they’re still willing to pull together everything they had.”
Pentek has been told that when the wind blows through the sculpture, it makes a keening sound.
America’s indigenous communities are still very vulnerable
In early May, the journalist O’Leary called attention to the Navajo fundraiser in a tweet. “Native Americans raised a huge amount in famine relief for Ireland at a time when they had very little,” she wrote. “It’s time for is to come through for them now.”
She wasn’t the only person, or the first, to promote it, she said, but her tweet blew up. Ireland began chalking up $10 and $20 and $50 donations, paying forward the kindness of 150 years ago.
The reciprocity also underscores the long, historical trail of injustice Native communities face. It has put them at higher risk, and left them even more vulnerable, in the pandemic.
As Maria Givens wrote for Vox in March:
While nearly no one in the country is safe from the coronavirus outbreak, its impact on Indian Country looks different from the rest of the US. Tribal elders are more at risk of Covid-19 because of high rates of diabetes and heart disease. Clean water for proper hand-washing is not accessible in all tribal communities, and overcrowding in Native homes is also common as many are multi-generational, creating social distancing challenges. Meanwhile, emergency federal funding for tribal health organizations has been delayed within the bureaucracy at US Health and Human Services. Then there are the negative economic effects, with hospitality businesses like casinos — often tribes’ greatest source of income — closing. Indian Country’s resources were stretched thin to begin with, and the coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the disparities.
In May, tribes sued the federal government over delays in the $8 billion in stimulus funds promised to Native tribes in the CARES Act. It took more than a month for the funds to be released — just last week, the Navajo Nation received its $600 million share, according to the Washington Post.
Through it all, the number of cases continues to rise, and the Navajo Nation is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. The Navajo reservation extends 27,000 square miles, touching Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. More than 3,200 people in the Navajo Nation have tested positive for the coronavirus, with about 14,000 tests administered, according to the Indian Health Service. Right now, that accounts for more cases per capita than any US state. The death toll now stands at nearly 100 as of May 12.
“We’re so vulnerable right now,” Begay told me. “Native American issues are not seen in the United States. The US Congress has responsibilities to us because of the treaties, and because they don’t do their part, it creates [this] disparity.”
The Navajo & Hopi Covid-19 Relief Fund is trying to ameliorate this crisis. Started by Ethel Branch, an attorney and former attorney general for the Navajo Nation, the fund was born from concern that stores were running short of food and supplies, so she connected with other women to try to solve what looked like a coming crisis. They established a GoFundMe account, with the initial goal of raising just $50,000. Theresa Hatathlie-Delmar, vice president of the Board of Regents for Diné College and one of the fund’s volunteers, told me that just 40 days later, they had hit $1 million.
The money goes to supplies and logistics; everyone who works does so on a volunteer basis. Aside from food and toilet paper, they also give out essentials like baby items and medications like Tylenol.
“The whole idea is to keep families out of the grocery store for two or more weeks at a time so they’re not exposed to the virus,” Hatathlie-Delmar told me.
They have thousands of requests, and Begay says they must work around the Navajo Nation curfew, which complicates distribution in a vast reservation. Cell service is bad, sometimes nonexistent; a truckload can be en route to a site, but the person with the key who’s supposed to open the building isn’t answering their phone because there is no signal. There is only so much ground volunteers can cover in a day, and because of health considerations, the process is not always speedy.
When volunteers distribute the boxes, they must sanitize everything, and sanitize again once everything is given out. If they break protocol — answer a phone during their shift, say — they must stop working and sanitize everything one more time.
Hatathlie-Delmar is also the lead seamstress for the group, sewing masks and other personal protective gear. She has 124 volunteers, all but six of whom are women.
For masks, they started using fabric, but when fabric was expensive or hard to get, they used hotel linens. When they needed more, they bought sheets online. When they started running out of elastic, the sewers pulled the elastic out of fitted sheets to use.
They have made masks, but also hospital gowns, shoe covers, hair covers, and even face shields. The donations go where they’re needed, Hatathlie-Delmar said: the police or fire services, or senior care centers, community health centers. They started in April, and as of May 11, the group had sewn 18,171 masks.
These relief efforts cannot undo some of the larger challenges, like the lack of access to running water. Families live in multigenerational households, which means the virus, once inside a home, can spread quickly. Internet service is also unreliable; the radio is the best source of news and information.
And in a close-knit community, people are sick and people are dying. Everyone knows someone affected. Begay said they’ve lost their sacred elders, and they have lost youth.
“We don’t have time to grieve right now,” she said. “We have to keep going because there will come a time where we can grieve later and honor those people.”
Even the small $10 and $20 donations, from Dublin or anywhere else, is assisting the efforts on the ground. That act of the Choctaw has been paid forward in the global pandemic, and, if history holds, will probably passed along again.
“These are the stories that we carry and they serve us well,” Howe said. “I think that’s the one thing. This isn’t a quaint story. This is the bigger story of humanity.”
.


What day is it today?

Today is Wednesday , May 13 , 2020 , at least in the continental United States .
It is already Thursday , May 14 , in some parts of the world .
To some degree , time is an illusion .
We are bound by its forward passage , being the third-dimensional creatures we are , but the perceptions we have placed upon time have been invented .
Humans invented the year .
Humans invented the month .
Humans invented the day , the hour , the minute , the second .
These distinctions are not arbitrary — it really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earth to orbit the sun — but their creation was not inevitable .
Our numerical system is likely base-10 because we have 10 fingers ; the way we understand time is almost entirely dependent on the fact that we evolved on this planet , circling this sun .
Time , at least as we understand it , is also a byproduct of capitalism .
In his seminal 1967 economic paper “ Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism , ” E. P. Thompson notes that in early human cultures , delineations of time were broad understandings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went down , when the seasons changed .
But as industrialization became the norm , time became a mechanized system that no longer served those who ’ d invented it .
We increasingly served at the beck and call of time , for that is how those who possessed capital could best regulate those who performed the labor .
For we are now at a point where sociologists are discussing the “ problem ” of leisure .
And a part of the problem is : how did it come to be a problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convenience with industrial capitalism , was the agent which converted men to new valuations of time ; which taught children even in their infancy to improve each shining hour ; and which saturated men ’ s minds with the equation , time is money .
One recurrent form of revolt within Western industrial capitalism , whether bohemian or beatnik , has often taken the form of flouting the urgency of respectable timevalues .
And the interesting question arises : if Puritanism was a necessary part of the work-ethos which enabled the industrialized world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the past , will the Puritan valuation of time begin to decompose as the pressures of poverty relax ?
Is it decomposing already ?
Will men begin to lose that restless urgency , that desire to consume time purposively , which most people carry just as they carry a watch on their wrists ?
But it remains that on some base level , we will always understand time .
The sun comes up , the sun goes down .
Though we might be inside , where that process is more difficult to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not obscure the day and night cycle .
What is lost , as each day blends into the next , in vaguely similar ways , is the mechanistic definition of time , the capitalist definition of time , the industrial definition of time .
We do not know what day it is , but we do know when there is a new day .
To live inside is to lose distinction .
There is a numbing effect that occurs when each day is the same , when our schedules are subsumed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undifferentiated time .
And yet isn ’ t this how so many of the less privileged around the world , forced to work jobs involving menial labor , day after day after day , already live ?
Isn ’ t this why we invented the weekend ?
Has this quarantine simply shown to those of us with more economic privilege that our “ free time ” was always a mirage , which could disappear before our eyes , by giving us so much “ free ” time ?
I have a wall calendar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I need to orient myself in time , I look at it .
But even the usefulness of my calendar has started to fray around the edges .
I began writing this story because I couldn ’ t quite believe it was a Thursday , even as I knew it had to be a Thursday .
But it might as well not be .
A cycle that bears the sun across our sky until it sets in the west is a reality ; “ Thursday ” is an invention .
Is it still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I will update this article daily until we don ’ t need it anymore .
I hope there is a time when we know it is Thursday or Tuesday or June 17 without having to look at a calendar or ask each other or Google .
I hope there is a time when going outside to see the sun doesn ’ t feel like exposing yourself to toxic levels of radiation .
( I know I should be taking walks ; every time , I feel like I ’ m risking everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time in which all this “ free ” time no longer feels like a period we must exploit for maximum value .
I hope there is a time when I remember what it ’ s like to grab lunch with a friend , to watch dogs play in the surf , to breathe in the air and just be .
Until then , find a way to make time have meaning for you .
Read a long book .
Cook an elaborate meal .
Take up knitting .
Write an epic poem .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ always meant to get to .
Sleep .
Remember that time doesn ’ t own you , and that you own time .
This will be over someday , a part of the past .
It will someday be a memory .
Hang on to that .
I ’ ll see you outside again .
For now , it is Wednesday , May 13 , 2020 .
In some parts of the world , it is Thursday , May 14 , 2020 .
Are you a “ What day is it today ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ theme song .
It ’ s written by composer Laura Stratford , and it is wonderful .

Today is Wednesday, July 1, 2020, at least in the continental United States. It is already Thursday, July 2, 2020, in some parts of the world. Life isn’t resuming gracefully, but the herky jerky train wreck of America’s reopening certainly speaks to some desire to exit this quarantine period. And so “What Day Is It Today” will exit the stage, too. For now, at least.
To some degree, time is an illusion. We are bound by its forward passage, being the third-dimensional creatures we are, but the perceptions we have placed upon time have been invented. Humans invented the year. Humans invented the month. Humans invented the day, the hour, the minute, the second.
These distinctions are not arbitrary — it really does take about 365 days for the Earth to orbit the sun — but their creation was not inevitable. Our numerical system is likely base-10 because we have 10 fingers; the way we understand time is almost entirely dependent on the fact that we evolved on this planet, circling this sun.
Time, at least as we understand it, is also a byproduct of capitalism. In his seminal 1967 economic paper “Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism,” E. P. Thompson notes that in early human cultures, delineations of time were broad understandings of when the sun came up and went down, when the seasons changed. But as industrialization became the norm, time became a mechanized system that no longer served those who’d invented it. We increasingly served at the beck and call of time, for that is how those who possessed capital could best regulate those who performed the labor.
Thompson writes:
For we are now at a point where sociologists are discussing the “problem” of leisure. And a part of the problem is: how did it come to be a problem ? Puritanism, in its marriage of convenience with industrial capitalism, was the agent which converted men to new valuations of time; which taught children even in their infancy to improve each shining hour; and which saturated men’s minds with the equation, time is money. One recurrent form of revolt within Western industrial capitalism, whether bohemian or beatnik, has often taken the form of flouting the urgency of respectable timevalues. And the interesting question arises: if Puritanism was a necessary part of the work-ethos which enabled the industrialized world to break out of the poverty-stricken economies of the past, will the Puritan valuation of time begin to decompose as the pressures of poverty relax? Is it decomposing already? Will men begin to lose that restless urgency, that desire to consume time purposively, which most people carry just as they carry a watch on their wrists?
But it remains that on some base level, we will always understand time. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. Though we might be inside, where that process is more difficult to witness, the fact of our insideness does not obscure the day and night cycle. What is lost, as each day blends into the next, in vaguely similar ways, is the mechanistic definition of time, the capitalist definition of time, the industrial definition of time. We do not know what day it is, but we do know when there is a new day.
To live inside is to lose distinction. There is a numbing effect that occurs when each day is the same, when our schedules are subsumed by what feels like an endless gulf of undifferentiated time. And yet isn’t this how so many of the less privileged around the world, forced to work jobs involving menial labor, day after day after day, already live? Isn’t this why we invented the weekend? Has this quarantine simply shown to those of us with more economic privilege that our “free time” was always a mirage, which could disappear before our eyes, by giving us so much “free” time?
I have a wall calendar hanging above my desk, and when I need to orient myself in time, I look at it. But even the usefulness of my calendar has started to fray around the edges. I began writing this story because I couldn’t quite believe it was a Thursday, even as I knew it had to be a Thursday. But it might as well not be. A cycle that bears the sun across our sky until it sets in the west is a reality; “Thursday” is an invention. Is it still necessary? I don’t know.
What’s important to remember is that time doesn’t own you. You own time. This will be over someday, a part of the past. It will someday be a memory. Hang on to that. I’ll see you outside again.
This story was originally published Friday, March 27, 2020.
Are you a “What day is it today?” superfan? Check out our official theme song. It’s written by composer Laura Stratford, and it is wonderful.


vox--2020-05-13--We don’t have a president, or a plan

We don’t have a president, or a plan

Here ’ s the truth : Lockdown is economically ruinous , and we can ’ t sustain it from now until a vaccine .
And you don ’ t have to take it from me .
“ You can ’ t be in lockdown for 18 months , ” says Dr. Michael Osterholm , director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy .
“ We ’ ll destroy society as we know it , and we don ’ t know what we ’ ll accomplish with it.
” But this is also the truth : Reopening without a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lethal to both human life and economic growth , as an escalating death toll will force states back into lockdown .
“ We can ’ t just let the virus go , ” Osterholm says .
“ Lots of people will die and it ’ ll shut down our health system , not just for Covid patients , but for anyone with a health problem.
” It is shocking .
Almost 60 days after the country ’ s first shelter-in-place orders , there is still no clear national plan for what comes next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a permanent state of affairs ; it ’ s intended to be a giant pause button that buys you time to get ready for the next phase , ” Jeremy Konyndyk , of the Center for Global Development think tank , says .
But the Trump administration wasted the pause .
Over the past two months , the US should have built the testing , tracing , and quarantining infrastructure necessary to safely end lockdown and transition back to normalcy — as many of our peer countries did .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playing the president on TV but refusing to do the actual job .
He has both dominated the airwaves and abdicated his duties .
As a result , America ’ s progress against the coronavirus has stalled , even as the lockdown has driven the economy into crisis .
I am more sympathetic than some to the protesters , and others , who want to see states reopen , who believe the cost of lockdown overwhelms the apparent benefits .
The economic agony is real , and they have been given no way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding of the purpose behind their sacrifice .
But the awful choice they feel we face — between endless lockdown or reckless reopening — needs to be understood for what it is : the failure of our political leaders to create a safer , middle path .
“ What we want to avoid in the reopening process is creating the conditions that led to us having to stay home in the first place , ” writes Caitlin Rivers , of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security .
That was the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do it , or they needed to support and empower the states to do it .
They have failed .
It is the most profound and complete failure of presidential leadership in modern history .
There is no plan We are used to policy debates revolving around whether the administration has chosen the right or wrong plan .
You could imagine that being the case here .
There are , at this point , a slew of reopening plans from think tanks and academics , economists and epidemiologists , liberals and conservatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways .
There are proposals that go all-in on mass testing .
There are others that imagine a vast architecture of digital surveillance .
Some rely on states , others emphasize the federal role .
And within the plans , details worth debating abound : What level of risk is acceptable ?
How should recommendations vary between dense cities and rural areas ?
Who counts as an essential worker ?
How do we prevent mass unemployment ?
What is technologically possible ?
“ You can ’ t be in lockdown for 18 months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we know it , and we don ’ t know what we ’ ll accomplish with it.
” The Trump administration could have chosen any of these plans or produced its own .
But it didn ’ t .
The closest it has come is a set of guidelines for states to consult when reopening .
You can read them yourself at the White House ’ s “ Opening America ” landing page .
The guidelines are not quite a plan , but they are at least a framework : They call for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 14 days , when hospitals can test all health care workers continuously , when contact tracing architecture is up and running .
President Trump , however , shows neither familiarity with , nor support for , his own guidelines .
He routinely calls on states to reopen though they have not met the criteria his administration suggests .
For instance , his series of tweets calling on right-wing protesters to “ LIBERATE !
” Michigan , Virginia , and Minnesota from stay-at-home orders contradicted his own administration ’ s guidance and created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manage a crisis .
Americans don ’ t have a functional president , but we have someone playing a dysfunctional president on TV , and he ’ s keeping other leaders from successfully doing their jobs .
This is not federalism Some of Trump ’ s allies have tried to frame the president ’ s policy response — or lack thereof — as a principled commitment to small-government conservatism .
“ He has given pride of place to federalism and private enterprise—lauding the patriotism and proficiency of our fantastic governors and mayors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” wrote Hudson ’ s Christopher DeMuth in the Wall Street Journal .
This is creative but unconvincing .
Harvard ’ s Safra Center for Ethics has put together a detailed road map advocating for a federalist approach and showing how one might work .
If states are to take the lead , they argue , the federal government has to support them in three ways : coordinate the supply chain so states don ’ t end up in a ruinous bidding war against each other , issue the debt necessary to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collapse , and deploy the federal government ’ s vast scientific resources to ensure the best available evidence is being processed and disseminated to the states quickly and clearly .
But none of that is happening now .
Instead , the authors write , “ today disharmony reigns , as states compete for the supplies and personnel necessary to meet the exigencies of the moment.
” Diplomatically , they omit any discussion of the president ’ s repeated efforts to foment political unrest against the governors he dislikes .
Trump ’ s approach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not philosophical .
He has been explicit in his belief that his administration should only engage with the governors that have been sufficiently politically supportive of him .
At a press conference , Trump said he told Vice President Mike Pence , “ don ’ t call the governor of Washington .
You ’ re wasting your time with him .
Don ’ t call the woman in Michigan.
’ ” In this , as in so much else , the Trump administration is maneuvering around the president ’ s grudges and impulses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to maneuver around the Trump administration to secure their response .
In a remarkable admission , Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan , a Republican , told the Washington Post that after purchasing 500,000 tests from South Korea , he made sure the plane bearing the tests landed under the protection of state troopers because he feared the federal government would take for itself the tests he had fought to procure .
The move reportedly enraged Trump , who “ saw Maryland ’ s deal with South Korea as a bid to embarrass the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is not a president who believes in federalism .
It is , in truth , incoherence all the way down .
And I do mean all the way .
As my colleague Matthew Yglesias has argued , the White House — and thus the country — has not even chosen a goal .
The Trump administration has never decided whether the aim is “ mitigation , ” in which we slow the virus ’ s spread so the health system doesn ’ t get overwhelmed , or “ suppression , ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so as to save lives .
It is possible , as Thomas Friedman writes , that the US is actually pursuing neither goal — instead , officials are following Sweden ’ s laissez-faire approach to the virus , and Trump “ just hasn ’ t told the country or his coronavirus task force or maybe even himself.
” This , then , is the state of things : The White House does not have a plan , it does not have a framework , it does not have a philosophy , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not because these things are impossible .
At this point , there are dozens of plans floating around and dozens of governments offering models it could choose from .
Germany ’ s response has been a success , and I ’ m sure officials would share the lessons they ’ ve learned .
In South Korea , professional baseball is restarting , and in Taiwan , there have been about a dozen new Covid-19 cases in the month of May so far .
The White House does not have a plan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it does not have a philosophy , and it does not have a goal It is not that the president is doing the wrong thing — he is doing basically nothing .
But he has combined a substantive passivity with a showman ’ s desire to dominate the narrative and a political street fighter ’ s obsession with settling scores , so he is making the job of governors and mayors harder , neither giving them what they need to beat the virus nor leaving them to make their own decisions free from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as David Wallace-Wells writes at New York magazine , is that “ the country has accomplished essentially none of the necessary preparatory work required to safely begin to reopen and return to some semblance of normal life.
” Americans have made tremendous sacrifices to buy their government time , and that time has been wasted .
That is why we are left with an increasingly polarized , and polarizing , debate between endless lockdowns and reckless reopening : The government has failed to do what functional governments in other countries have done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s like the Lewis Carroll line , ‘ If you don ’ t know where you ’ re going , any road will get you there , ’ ” Osterholm says .
“ Well , I don ’ t know where we ’ re going.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Here’s the truth: Lockdown is economically ruinous, and America can’t sustain it from now until a vaccine. And you don’t have to take it from me. “You can’t be in lockdown for 18 months,” says Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. “We’ll destroy society as we know it, and we don’t know what we’ll accomplish with it.”
But this is also the truth: Reopening without a way to control the coronavirus will be lethal to both human life and economic growth, as an escalating death toll will force states back into lockdown. “We can’t just let the virus go,” Osterholm says. “Lots of people will die and it’ll shut down our health system, not just for Covid patients, but for anyone with a health problem.
“What we need,” he continues, “is a plan.”
It is shocking. More than 60 days after President Trump declared a national emergency over the novel coronavirus, there is still no clear national plan for what comes next. “The lockdown is not meant to be a permanent state of affairs; it’s intended to be a giant pause button that buys you time to get ready for the next phase,” Jeremy Konyndyk, of the Center for Global Development think tank, says.
But the Trump administration wasted the pause. Over the past two months, the US should have built the testing, contact tracing, and quarantine infrastructure necessary to safely end lockdown and transition back to normalcy — as many of its peer countries did. Instead, Trump has substituted showmanship for action, playing the president on TV but refusing to do the actual job. He has both dominated the airwaves and abdicated his duties. As a result, America’s progress against the coronavirus has stalled, even as the lockdown has driven the economy into crisis.
I am more sympathetic than some to the protesters, and others, who want to see states reopen, who believe the cost of lockdown overwhelms the apparent benefits. The economic agony is real, and they have been given no way to imagine its end, no clear understanding of the purpose behind their sacrifice. But the awful choice they feel we face — between endless lockdown or reckless reopening — needs to be understood for what it is: the failure of our political leaders to create a safer, middle path.
“What we want to avoid in the reopening process is creating the conditions that led to us having to stay home in the first place,” writes Caitlin Rivers of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. That was the Trump administration’s job — either they needed to do it or they needed to support and empower the states to do it.
They have failed. It is the most profound and complete failure of presidential leadership in modern history.
There is no plan
We are used to policy debates revolving around whether the administration has chosen the right or wrong plan. You could imagine that being the case here.
There are, at this point, a slew of reopening plans from think tanks and academics, economists and epidemiologists, liberals and conservatives. They differ in important, controversial ways. There are proposals that go all-in on mass testing. There are others that imagine a vast architecture of digital surveillance. Some rely on states; others emphasize the federal role. And within the plans, details worth debating abound: What level of risk is acceptable? How should recommendations vary between dense cities and rural areas? Who counts as an essential worker? How do we prevent mass unemployment? What is technologically possible?
“You can’t be in lockdown for 18 months. We’ll destroy society as we know it, and we don’t know what we’ll accomplish with it.”
The Trump administration could have chosen any of these plans or produced its own. But it didn’t. The closest it has come is a set of guidelines for states to consult when reopening. You can read them yourself at the White House’s “Opening America” landing page. The guidelines are not quite a plan, but they are at least a framework: They call for states to reopen when caseloads have fallen for 14 days, when hospitals can test all health care workers continually, when contact tracing architecture is up and running.
President Trump, however, shows neither familiarity with nor support for his own guidelines. He routinely calls on states to reopen though they have not met the criteria his administration suggests. For instance, his series of tweets calling on right-wing protesters to “LIBERATE!” Michigan, Virginia, and Minnesota from stay-at-home orders contradicted his administration’s guidance and created a distraction for state officials trying to manage a crisis.
Americans don’t have a functional president, but we have someone playing a dysfunctional president on TV, and he’s keeping other leaders from successfully doing their jobs.
This is not federalism
Some of Trump’s allies have tried to frame the president’s policy response — or lack thereof — as a principled commitment to small-government conservatism. “He has given pride of place to federalism and private enterprise — lauding the patriotism and proficiency of our fantastic governors and mayors, our incredible business leaders and genius companies,” wrote Hudson’s Christopher DeMuth in the Wall Street Journal.
This is creative but unconvincing. Harvard’s Safra Center for Ethics has put together a detailed road map advocating for a federalist approach and showing how one might work. If states are to take the lead, they argue, the federal government has to support them in three ways: coordinate the supply chain so states don’t end up in a ruinous bidding war against each other, issue the debt necessary to backstop state and local spending as revenues collapse, and deploy the federal government’s vast scientific resources to ensure the best available evidence is being processed and disseminated to the states quickly and clearly.
But none of that is happening now. Instead, the authors write, “today disharmony reigns, as states compete for the supplies and personnel necessary to meet the exigencies of the moment.” Diplomatically, they omit any discussion of the president’s repeated efforts to foment political unrest against the governors he dislikes.
Trump’s approach to state needs has been transactional, not philosophical. He has been explicit in his belief that his administration should only engage with the governors that have been sufficiently politically supportive of him. At a press conference, Trump said he told Vice President Mike Pence, “don’t call the governor of Washington. You’re wasting your time with him. Don’t call the woman in Michigan.’” In this, as in so much else, the Trump administration is maneuvering around the president’s grudges and impulses.
States, too, are having to maneuver around the Trump administration to secure their response. In a remarkable admission, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, told the Washington Post that after purchasing 500,000 tests from South Korea, he made sure the plane bearing the tests landed under the protection of state troopers because he feared the federal government would take for itself the tests he had fought to procure. The move reportedly enraged Trump, who “saw Maryland’s deal with South Korea as a bid to embarrass the president.”
To state the obvious: This is not a president who believes in federalism.
Forget a plan. There isn’t even a goal.
It is, in truth, incoherence all the way down. And I do mean all the way.
As my colleague Matthew Yglesias has argued, the White House — and thus the country — has not even chosen a goal. The Trump administration has never decided whether the aim is “mitigation,” in which we slow the virus’s spread so the health system doesn’t get overwhelmed, or “suppression,” in which we try to eradicate the virus so as to save lives. It is possible, as Thomas Friedman writes, that the US is actually pursuing neither goal; instead, officials are following Sweden’s laissez-faire approach to the virus, and Trump “just hasn’t told the country or his coronavirus task force or maybe even himself.”
This, then, is the state of things: The White House does not have a plan, it does not have a framework, it does not have a philosophy, and it does not have a goal. That is not because these things are impossible. At this point, there are dozens of plans floating around and dozens of governments offering models it could choose from. Germany’s response has been a success, and I’m sure officials would share the lessons they’ve learned. In South Korea, professional baseball is restarting, and in Taiwan, there have been about a dozen new Covid-19 cases in the month of May so far.
The White House does not have a plan, it does not have a framework, it does not have a philosophy, and it does not have a goal
It is not that the president is doing the wrong thing — he is doing basically nothing. But he has combined a substantive passivity with a showman’s desire to dominate the narrative and a political street fighter’s obsession with settling scores, so he is making the job of governors and mayors harder, neither giving them what they need to beat the virus nor leaving them to make their own decisions free from his interference and criticism.
The result, as David Wallace-Wells writes at New York magazine, is that “the country has accomplished essentially none of the necessary preparatory work required to safely begin to reopen and return to some semblance of normal life.”
Americans have made tremendous sacrifices to buy their government time, and that time has been wasted. That is why we are left with an increasingly polarized, and polarizing, debate between endless lockdowns and reckless reopening: The government has failed to do what functional governments in other countries have done and create a better option.
“It’s like the Lewis Carroll line, ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there,’” Osterholm says. “Well, I don’t know where we’re going.”


vox--2020-05-13--What it’s like to manufacture toilet paper during a pandemic

Toilet paper became a coveted item sometime in mid-March , when US cities and states saw an increase in coronavirus cases that prompted many Americans to stock up on household goods .
Soon enough , grocery stores found themselves struggling to meet demand ; some placed purchase limits on certain items , toilet paper chief among them , as sparsely stocked shelves became the new normal .
While many people attributed the toilet paper scarcity to panic buying , the shortage likely stemmed from supply chain disruptions , as I previously reported for The Goods .
More people are staying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own TP stash .
As a result of this shift in habits , suppliers now have to produce more consumer toilet paper ( the likes of Quilted Northern , Charmin , or Cottonelle that you use at home ) , rather than the bulky commercial rolls of thin , scratchy paper often found in public restrooms .
Suppliers such as Kimberly-Clark , Georgia-Pacific , and Procter & Gamble have all ramped up production since March to meet the increased demand .
In this crisis , employees like John Patteson , a Charmin department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ G plant in Albany , Georgia , are considered essential — and in most instances , they ’ re busier than before .
Since March , Patteson has gone from working five days a week to seven and is responsible for an entire paper machine and more than 100 people who directly report to him .
In recent weeks , the toilet paper shortage is starting to be corrected .
According to data Reuters reported from NCSolutions , about 73 percent of US stores were out of toilet paper on April 12 ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by April 19 .
I spoke to Patteson about how his work has changed as a result of Covid-19 , the biggest challenges of his job , and how the toilet paper industry is susceptible to surges in demand .
Our conversation , lightly edited for length and clarity , follows .
Can you briefly describe what you do as a paper-making leader ?
As a department leader , I take direct responsibility for the paper machine and all the folks who work on it .
All the people operating around the machine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we meet as a team and go through our plan for the day : what will production look like , any output problems , what we need to work on to ensure that we ’ re able to produce the amount of paper that ’ s needed .
I also communicate with those overseeing other paper machines .
When you think about a paper machine , it ’ s about four stories tall and about the length of a football field ( or 100 yards ) in size .
We take the pulp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in , and we process and dry it to turn it into rolls of paper .
How has your daily work changed ?
On Mondays before each team comes in , I put together all the masks and make a bag of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) .
I deliver them to the control room or work area so when workers come in , they have all the PPE that they ’ ll need to ensure that they ’ re safe .
Every day , we implement the Covid-19 response protocols set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plant , we look at the status of Covid-19 for the local area and the state to ensure we have the right information to put together [ employee ] plans for the next day and week .
We are going out and ensuring we have everything in place so we can protect the health and safety of our employees as we continue to respond to Covid .
One thing that ’ s really been a change is the Southern hospitality .
Not being able to greet people at the gate or being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s been very much a cultural change for us here in the plant because it ’ s a lot of relationships , and we ’ re used to working side by side .
Not having that has really been a big difference for us workers .
[ A P & G spokesperson said that workers are given staggered shift times throughout the day to create social distancing . ]
We have to meet and discuss the plans together , but in many instances we ’ ve had to figure out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do you go about and communicate daily ?
How do we host our team meetings now ?
We would ’ ve had our team meetings all in one room together around the table , and that ’ s now not possible .
We have to call in virtually now .
When did you realize that your work would be impacted by the coronavirus ?
In January , we started to see projections for demand come in a little bit higher .
We quickly shifted to use some idle equipment that we had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughput .
We didn ’ t know exactly why in January , but over time , more news of Covid-19 made it clear .
At our plant [ in Georgia ] , we brought in a piece of auto equipment that allowed us to increase our production rate about 20 percent .
We had to utilize resources from other sites in Pennsylvania and Missouri , and they came down to assist us [ in setting ] it up .
Normally , it takes a couple months for equipment to be brought out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources in a couple weeks .
So our increase in production started in January , but the biggest increase began in March .
We ’ re also in the process of training new hires , and we ’ re currently using headsets that enable us to communicate without being right next to them .
What challenges do you face in your job that the average person isn ’ t aware of ?
We work with large pieces of equipment , and a big portion of our current challenge is how do we continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safe throughout the process .
With Covid , all of the distress and uncertainty , we haven ’ t been able to see what we ’ re working against .
With other crises , we ’ ve been able to clearly see the barriers in production .
The unknown has been the biggest challenge , especially in placing measures to protect our employees when you can ’ t necessarily see the threat .
Has there been an event , much like Covid-19 , that was challenging and reaffirmed your belief that your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got hit by a tornado in 2017 , and it took out our distribution warehouse .
We had to figure out how to utilize our entire network to continue to produce .
The tornado was very different in the sense that we could see what we were working against : Our employees needed electricity at home , or they needed trees removed from their yard .
We were able to get generators to help provide electricity and removed trees to clear their driveways .
The tornado also created a small surge ; any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but we ’ ve learned over the years how to plan ahead and meet production needs .
Is there anything else that you want customers or friends or family who may be worried about a TP shortage to know ?
I just like to tell folks that Charmin is on the way .
We ’ re working as fast as we can to meet demand .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to @ @ @

Toilet paper became a coveted item sometime in mid-March, when US cities and states saw an increase in coronavirus cases that prompted many Americans to stock up on household goods. Soon enough, grocery stores found themselves struggling to meet demand; some placed purchase limits on certain items, toilet paper chief among them, as sparsely stocked shelves became the new normal.
While many people attributed the toilet paper scarcity to panic buying, the shortage likely stemmed from supply chain disruptions, as I previously reported for The Goods. More people are staying home and therefore using more of their own TP stash.
As a result of this shift in habits, suppliers now have to produce more consumer toilet paper (the likes of Quilted Northern, Charmin, or Cottonelle that you use at home), rather than the bulky commercial rolls of thin, scratchy paper often found in public restrooms. Suppliers such as Kimberly-Clark, Georgia-Pacific, and Procter & Gamble have all ramped up production since March to meet the increased demand.
In this crisis, employees like John Patteson, a Charmin department leader who works at a P&G plant in Albany, Georgia, are considered essential — and in most instances, they’re busier than before. Since March, Patteson has gone from working five days a week to seven and is responsible for an entire paper machine and more than 100 people who directly report to him.
In recent weeks, the toilet paper shortage is starting to be corrected. According to data Reuters reported from NCSolutions, about 73 percent of US stores were out of toilet paper on April 12; the number went down to 48 percent by April 19. I spoke to Patteson about how his work has changed as a result of Covid-19, the biggest challenges of his job, and how the toilet paper industry is susceptible to surges in demand. Our conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows.
Can you briefly describe what you do as a paper-making leader?
As a department leader, I take direct responsibility for the paper machine and all the folks who work on it. All the people operating around the machine report to me, so each morning we meet as a team and go through our plan for the day: what will production look like, any output problems, what we need to work on to ensure that we’re able to produce the amount of paper that’s needed. I also communicate with those overseeing other paper machines.
When you think about a paper machine, it’s about four stories tall and about the length of a football field (or 100 yards) in size. We take the pulp, which is the product that comes in, and we process and dry it to turn it into rolls of paper.
How has your daily work changed?
On Mondays before each team comes in, I put together all the masks and make a bag of personal protective equipment (PPE). I deliver them to the control room or work area so when workers come in, they have all the PPE that they’ll need to ensure that they’re safe.
Every day, we implement the Covid-19 response protocols set out by P&G. At the plant, we look at the status of Covid-19 for the local area and the state to ensure we have the right information to put together [employee] plans for the next day and week. We are going out and ensuring we have everything in place so we can protect the health and safety of our employees as we continue to respond to Covid.
One thing that’s really been a change is the Southern hospitality. Not being able to greet people at the gate or being close on the floor, for example, it’s been very much a cultural change for us here in the plant because it’s a lot of relationships, and we’re used to working side by side. Not having that has really been a big difference for us workers. [A P&G spokesperson said that workers are given staggered shift times throughout the day to create social distancing.]
We have to meet and discuss the plans together, but in many instances we’ve had to figure out how to keep our distance. How do you go about and communicate daily? How do we host our team meetings now? We would’ve had our team meetings all in one room together around the table, and that’s now not possible. We have to call in virtually now.
When did you realize that your work would be impacted by the coronavirus?
In January, we started to see projections for demand come in a little bit higher. We quickly shifted to use some idle equipment that we had to enable us to improve the increase in throughput. We didn’t know exactly why in January, but over time, more news of Covid-19 made it clear.
At our plant [in Georgia], we brought up a piece of idle equipment that allowed us to increase our production rate. Overall, we’ve produced about 20 percent more. We had to utilize resources from other sites in Pennsylvania and Missouri, and they came down to assist us [in setting] it up. Normally, it takes a couple months for equipment to be brought up, but we were able to consolidate those resources in a couple weeks. So our increase in production started in January, but the biggest increase began in March.
We’re also in the process of training new hires, and we’re currently using headsets that enable us to communicate without being right next to them.
What challenges do you face in your job that the average person isn’t aware of?
We work with large pieces of equipment, and a big portion of our current challenge is how do we continue to produce while keeping our employees healthy and safe throughout the process.
With Covid, all of the distress and uncertainty, we haven’t been able to see what we’re working against. With other crises, we’ve been able to clearly see the barriers in production. The unknown has been the biggest challenge, especially in placing measures to protect our employees when you can’t necessarily see the threat.
Has there been an event, much like Covid-19, that was challenging and reaffirmed your belief that your job is important?
Our Albany plant got hit by a tornado in 2017, and it took out our distribution warehouse. We had to figure out how to utilize our entire network to continue to produce. The tornado was very different in the sense that we could see what we were working against: Our employees needed electricity at home, or they needed trees removed from their yard. We were able to get generators to help provide electricity and removed trees to clear their driveways. The tornado also created a small surge; any natural disaster creates surges across our system, but we’ve learned over the years how to plan ahead and meet production needs.
Is there anything else that you want customers or friends or family who may be worried about a TP shortage to know?
I just like to tell folks that Charmin is on the way. We’re working as fast as we can to meet demand.