If you’re going to wear a cloth mask, Australian researchers say that masks with two or three layers better protect against the spread of the coronavirus than single-layered masks. Phew! Michele Roush and I sewed hundreds of masks for ER healthcare workers and firefighters. Our three-layered masks have a pocket for a filter to add even more protection.
Here is the pattern we used.
Here is a video I made to show you how to sew them.
I posted this blog: Make masks for healthcare workers back on April 3, 2020. They actually need N95 masks while working with COVID-19 patients; these three-layered cloth masks are for the public. Mask up to stop the spread of the coronavirus!
If you’re going to wear a cloth mask, Australian researchers say that masks with two or three layers better protect against the spread of the coronavirus than single-layered masks. Phew! Michele Roush and I sewed hundreds of masks for ER healthcare workers and firefighters. Our three-layered masks have a pocket for a filter to add even more protection.
Here is the pattern we used.
Here is a video I made to show you how to sew them.
I posted this blog: Make masks for healthcare workers back on April 3, 2020. They actually need N95 masks while working with COVID-19 patients; these three-layered cloth masks are for the public. Mask up to stop the spread of the coronavirus!
As COVID-19 ramps up this summer, colleges are struggling to justify opening up their campuses to students this fall. They need to offer on-campus courses and bring students back to the dorms in order to justify charging full tuition, room and board, yet they don’t want faculty and students to succumb to the coronavirus on their watch. This indecision about opening up campuses and the unknown about the second wave of the coronavirus this fall is now causing a new trend of students taking a gap year.
Normally, just a few students take a gap year between high school and college. These students either aren’t quite ready to make the big jump into a 4-year program or they have sports or projects that need to be completed before transitioning to college. Others take this opportunity to travel abroad or immerse themselves in research or work. They know college will be there for them when they’re ready.
But this year, students are choosing to take a gap year because they don’t want to miss their “college experience.” Living at home in their old bedrooms under family rules – and now “shelter-in-place” rules – stuck behind their laptops is not quite how they want to spend the next school year. They only get 4 years of living the college dream and they don’t want to waste one (or more) of those years living and studying from home. Parents are also on board for gap years because forking out $30,000 to $70,000 just doesn’t make sense when their kids are living and eating at home and taking classes online.
Taking a gap year while sheltering in place will be a completely different experience for these students. Most will not be able to travel abroad, do internships, or get jobs. The big difference this year is that many students are opting to take gap years because they want to live on campus, whereas previously, students took gap years to do something special.
Not all colleges allow gap years so check with your college to lay out a plan. Some colleges require that you reapply the following year. Others don’t allow students to take classes at other institutions during the gap year.
If taking a gap year makes financial sense, make good use of this year. Volunteer and support programs that help people struggling while sheltering in place. Work with your political party to get out the vote. Learn a foreign language. Build technical computer skills. Read, read, read! Consider your options and lay out a plan to ensure that you’ll be happy and satisfied with your decision to take a gap year.
As we approach the start of the 2020-2021 school year, parents and students are worried and frustrated by the decisions their schools are making due to the coronavirus pandemic. Teachers and administrators are concerned about spreading the virus and how they can conduct classes keeping students 6 feet apart. Parents and students realize that their spring 2020 online classes did not offer the quality instruction and overall learning that they had hoped for. Another year of distance learning or hybrid programs will undeniably disrupt both the quality and depth of instruction and learning. So what are your alternative choices?
1. Individual Tutoring (Virtual)
While online or hybrid instruction offers safe learning environments, actual instruction time with real teachers and the depth of material covered during the semester is often truncated. Teachers may not cover all chapters in their textbooks and may require less assignments and exams. While this may seem trivial, students need to receive instruction for all concepts listed in the class curriculum in order for them to be successful in the following year’s courses. So even if the student gets an “A” in the class, they may not be prepared for the next class in the sequence.
Many students are working with tutors to take instruction to a deeper level. By having a tutor review and discuss concepts in depth, students can complete the course being better prepared and more confident. Tutors can fill the gaps when teachers simply don’t have the time or resources to support individual students online.
2. Small Homeschool with Real Teacher (Face-to-face)
Young students and students with learning differences can benefit from having classes at home with just a few students (2 or 3). Parents can select a teacher to teach these classes using curriculum and materials. All parties would be tested for the coronavirus and they would wear masks and maintain 6 feet distance. These classes offer more individualized instruction than online classes. Classes can take place in the home or outdoors. The hosting family can charge tuition for the classes to cover the cost of the teacher wages. I wrote this book to help set up these small homeschools.
3. One-on-One Classes with a Real Teacher (Virtual)
For high school students who want high-caliber individual instruction and grades to separate themselves from their peers (and competition for selective colleges), they can take accredited classes taught one-on-one with a real teacher. This ensures that the student develops skills and learns concepts at a deeper level. Classes are taught using Google Meet in a virtual setting. The teacher individualizes the instruction to best fit the student’s learning modes. Colleges accept these courses and appreciate that the student has taken extra measures to build their academic foundation so they can be successful when attending college. Check out Merit Academy’s one-on-one classes.
4. Do a project (Virtual)
While students are not taking classes on campus and participating in afterschool activities or extracurriculars, they may have more free time. Rather than playing videogames or binge-watching TV shows, students can do a project. Projects can range from writing a book, to developing an app, to creating a non-profit organization, to engineering a device. Some of my students are creating solutions to supply chain problems, while others are engineering fire prevention devices. One student is writing a book on teen angst with tips on how to avoid problems. These projects give students the opportunity to explore possible careers, and they all become more confident and interesting people when they complete these projects. Check out Beat the College Admissions Game with ProjectMerit.
If you don’t like your school options for 2020-2021, consider alternatives. You can make this unprecedented school dilemma a positive opportunity for your child to develop academic and professional skills so they can be more prepared to return to the classroom and position themselves to get into top colleges.
My handwriting is so illegible that I often need my staff to help me read it (ugg); and my signature is just a scribble! I attribute it to my hyphenated last name “Tatsui-D’Arcy” that also has a pesky apostrophe. But now I’m worried that my vote may NOT count in the upcoming election. Apparently, sloppy handwriting can get my mail ballot tossed.
In March 2020, 14,000 mail ballots were rejected in California because the signature on the vote-by-mail envelope didn’t match the one on the registration card. Yes, this is real. My voter registration card is over 40 years old and my handwriting and signature have changed over the years. I used to have neat handwriting and you used to actually be able to read my signature. But after signing thousands of payroll checks, my signature has morphed into a series of squiggles.
According the Secretary of State Alex Padilla, over 100,000 mail ballots weren’t counted in the March election. 70% were bounced because they arrived late (postmarked after the election day), but the 2nd-highest reason was mismatched signatures.
Every county has different ways of verifying signature for mail-in ballots. Some counties will contact voters to give them the opportunity to verify their signatures, while others just reject the ballot. The easiest way to check your signature is to call the Registrar of Voters or the local Elections Dept. They will check your file and tell you if your latest signature matches their current registration card on file or the latest DMV signature on file.
Do this now, and tell your family and friends to do the same. Since you are going to vote, let’s make sure your county will accept your signature on your mail-in ballot!
I was so excited to deliver an Indian dinner to the ER staff working the night shift at Valley Medical Center. I picked all of my favorites: Prawn korma, tandori chicken, fish tikka masala, lamb biriyani, saag paneer, samosas, and garlic naan! Royal Taj of Santa Cruz packaged everything so each frontline worker received piping hot entrees. Big thanks to my Uncle Frank and Aunty Sachi for providing the funds for all of these special treats! Nicole says the night staff is still talking about it! Mission accomplished: the ER staff feels appreciated and loved! We can do this!
Feeling like you don’t have control over your lives because of the coronavirus and fear of getting COVID? Well here’s something you can control and it will support companies that have donated money and/or supplies to help our frontline workers and people who need help. Keep this list and when possible, buy from these companies to support them.
First Responder Support:
Airbnb (San Francisco)
Hilton
American Express
Moscot
Serta Simmons Bedding
Specialized Bicycle Components
Tory Burch
Uber (San Francisco)
Discounter
Allstate
Shoes:
Allbirds
Crocs
Ugg
Small Business Helpers:
Pyer Moss
Netflix
Tapestry
Verizon
Food Rescue:
MGM Resorts
Southeastern Grocers
Subaru of America
Vita Coco
Entrepreneurs:
Aflac (Dan and Kathleen Amos)
Spanx
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Kraft Group
Starbucks
Pets:
Chewy
PPE Providers:
Apple
Burton
Harbor Freight Tools
Nike
Sanitizer Nation:
Coty
Koval Distillery
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
International Givers:
Coca Cola
Dell Technologies
Estee Lauder Companies
Intel
Pfizer
Restaurant Aid:
Bacardi
Samuel Adams
Health and Beauty:
Avon
DevaCurl
It’s a 10
The Honest Company
Education:
AT&T
Audible
Hobsons
Labster
Loom
Language Translators:
Pockettalk
Voyce
In just 4 months, the coronavirus tested the world’s food system – and FAILED. People panicked and started hoarding food, masks, and toilet paper! With shelter-in-place orders, farmers let edible produce rot and gassed, shot or buried livestock because food supply chains were broken. If this happened in the few months we have faced a pandemic, imagine what is going to happen when global warming changes our food supply due to droughts, water shortages, and an outdated supply chain.
By the end of this year, over a billion people will be without sufficient food supplies. The United Nations is holding a “Food Systems Summit” next year to craft a well-organized global effort to address food security and challenges that agriculture faces today. We need to rethink what we grow and stop over producing commodity crops; instead, we need to prioritize conservation methods. Farm groups are banding together to create a sustainable alternative to the Farm Bill.
Rather than forcing farmers to succumb to Big Ag, we need to support farmers as they grow a variety of vegetables using non-GMO seeds, maintain organic systems, and reduce pesticides and fertilizer use. We need a new business model that doesn’t create an assembly-line approach to food. This has caused countries to produce just a few types of crops and makes them dependent on imports to feed their people. That’s how we ended up with over production of corn in the US, wheat in Russia, and soybeans in the Amazon rainforest.
Big Ag is causing a rise in CO2. We need to make American agriculture carbon neutral and expand soil conservation programs. To do this, we’ll need Congress to support farmers and ranchers to employ climate stewardship practices. We can’t allow Big Ag to consume resources, crush biodiversity, pollute the environment, and negate agriculture’s potential climate benefits, while they produce crops and food with little variety or nutrition.
If the coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, we don’t want to be dependent on food imported from other countries. This can be dangerous and can cause starvation when governments make export decisions and restrictions to feed their own populations or for political gains. Let’s support the small, local farmers and get Big Ag out of our food supply chain.
Get this message out to the teens and young adults who think they are invincible and won’t get COVID-19. One-third of young adults may be at risk of getting seriously sick with COVID-19 – especially if they smoke or vape. For young men, smoking or vaping can more than DOUBLE the potential of being hospitalized, needing intensive care, or dying from the virus. For young women, it could increase the possibility about 1.5 times.
With young people partying during spring breaks, summer vacations, 4th of July and more, they are now driving the nation’s surge in COVID cases. Kids between 18-29 years old are filling more hospital beds today than they did at the start of the pandemic. There’s been a 300% increase in hospitalizations of youth between mid-April and late June.
In California, new coronavirus cases among young people under age 35 surged by 73% at the end of June (compared to the first of June). During this same time period, infections for people over 50 rose only 43% — showing that smoking/vaping youth are at higher risk than people over 50.
I hope that youth will stop smoking and vaping to increase their chances of making it through this pandemic. This will also improve their overall health and life expectancy.
I’ve had some interesting conversations about future expectations and plans with both young and old people. Now that we’re in our 4th month of shelter-in-place with new COVID-19 surges in half of the states, we’re really feeling the stress of the unknown. When can we see our families again? Will schools and colleges offer on-campus classes this school year? Will I ever go back to work again? How did this pandemic become so political that misinformation has become rampant? I’ve addressed these questions in past blogs.
Learning how to deal with pandemics may become part of the way we live our lives. All of the brides and grooms who have postponed their weddings and honeymoons for months are having to make difficult decisions about their nuptials and who they can invite. Guest lists have been stripped from 250 people down to 40. Church and restaurant venues are now being replaced with outdoor beach gatherings with social distancing. Grandparents and at-risk family and friends are watching the event on Zoom or Google Meet.
Deciding when or if they should have children has also become a serious conversation. Grandparents are missing opportunities to be there for baby arrivals and celebrations. Many 30-somethings are considering not having children – after all, should they bring babies into a world where pandemics isolate kids from family and friends? What about another real threat: climate crisis? While our climate problems have been sidelined as the world focuses on finding a vaccine for the coronavirus, we still need to reduce our CO2 and develop sustainable energy.
High school and college students are stressed as they make decisions about how to finance an online college experience and how far away from home they should go. Parents worry that their children may become infected by other students if they return to campus this fall, yet parents need to go to work and school has always been the place kids go during the day. If we knew that the coronavirus would be contained in 6 months, we could make plans and start living our lives. But this pandemic may take years to understand and eradicate.
70% of current college students (who took a survey) have lost income due to the recession caused by the coronavirus. 50% changed their living situations in the spring; and 25% dropped at least one course. Over 90% are concerned about their colleges shifting to online learning.
It’s time to rethink how we socialize, work, learn, and celebrate. We need to look ahead and make smart decisions. And, we need to do this as people, not political parties. It’s time to work together so we can move on.
I’m neither good at nor comfortable receiving gifts. It must be the Japanese in me. I usually [awkwardly] don’t know what to say, because the spotlight is on me and I want to show appreciation but my mind is whirling in circles wondering if I deserve the gift or acknowledgement. So when Valley Medical Center staff gathered around me and presented me with a gift that they wanted me to open right there, I had one of those awkward moments. I didn’t know what to say. There were dozens of cameras shooting photos and videos as I opened the plaque.
The plaque had a photo of the ER docs, nurses, and staff holding their gift bags of 3-layered cloth masks, plastic shields, and bottles of wine. The plaque read: SCVMC Emergency Department Staff Thank the D’Arcy Family for supporting us during the Covid-10 Pandemic. Wow!
I don’t know how they had the time (or energy) to have the photo mounted and plaque engraved. They were thanking us? Huh? We made the gifts and gave them dinners to show thanks and appreciation for them working on the frontline with COVID patients and risking their lives (and their family’s lives) to treat and care for everyone.
I feel humbled that they presented me with this plaque when they are the heroes. I love knowing that we all shared that moment together – something we all needed during this terrifying pandemic. I would make gifts and bring meals to every one of them every day, if I could. And I plan to keep supporting them until we get through this.