As we get closer to the date that schools around the nation are supposed to open, the question “what about COVID-19?” looms large.  Everyone wants kids back in school. But what does that look like when faced with the reality of actual kids and actual teachers spending their days in enclosed spaces doing what kids and teachers do. The things that we do know about COVID-19 make the prospect scary. The things that we don’t know about COVID-19 make it even scarier.

 

Sometimes other commitments get in the way. Astronomy Magazine is short handed, so Dave and Alison have had to step away from Scientists Stuck Inside. But we are keeping it going with new faced. Michael Bailey is a Shakespearean Actor, a stand-up comic, the best Gifted and Talented teacher on the planet, and an all-around brilliant guy with a passion for science.  Jeri Reed is an astrophysicist, and former student of mine, who these days is involved in theater and choreography. She is also a delight. Join us as the SS SSI sails on!

To care about reality or not to care about reality, that is the question!  Some people spend their lives figuring out what is true and what isn’t. Others spend their lives slinging BS trying to make that hard-won knowledge go away.

Can you really catch COVID-19 just by breathing the air around people who don’t seem sick? Unfortunately, the likely answer is yes.

“May you live in interesting times” is not actually an ancient Chinese curse, but who cares? If the curse fits, use it!

The troubling turmoil surrounding George Floyd has captured the attention of the nation and the world, even as states move to relax restrictions meant to control the spread of COVID-19. But the virus itself doesn’t care about social justice, economics or political expediency. It just does what it does. Where do we really stand right now, and what tools do we have at our disposal to monitor and protect the public health?

It’s OK to not know stuff, so long as you recognize the fact. It is not OK to insist that all mathematicians everywhere are wrong and proclaim to the world that 1 + 1 = 3 because you are tired of wearing a mask.  

The nation is opening up, even as epidemiologists warn of deadly consequences. It seems like a good day to just sit back and take stock.  

We have a guest this afternoon (Monday, May 18). Jennifer Klesman is a therapist at Cityscape Counseling in Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker who treats adults and adolescents struggling with issues that include anxiety, depression, trauma, gender identity, relationships, and general life stress. We’ll be talking about the challenges of living in the time of COVID.

 

The world is not always as we imagine it is. Albert Einstein mixed together what for centuries had seemed the immutable concepts of space and time, and in the process reshaped our understanding of reality. And today, COVID has destroyed what had seemed immutable notions of how our society functions. It’s just that for the most part, people have yet to appreciate just how fundamental the change is.