News

It might be the answer to America’s school-reopening problem. This month, Berkeley public schools, like many school districts across the country, announced they will not start the year with full-time, in-person school. Soon after, J Li, a business-innovation strategist who lives in the area, noticed moms in the local Facebook groups turn, like starlings at dusk, to one topic in particular: homeschool pods. Reluctant to face more months supervising Zoom classes, wealthy parents are grouping together in families of three or four...

A Vaccine Reality Check So much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine is only the beginning of the end. Nearly five months into the pandemic, all hopes of extinguishing COVID-19 are riding on a still-hypothetical vaccine. And so a refrain has caught on: We might have to stay home—until we have a vaccine. Close schools—until we have a vaccine. Wear masks—but only until we have a vaccine. During these months of misery, this mantra has offered a small...

as California, Florida and Texas report record averages The U.S. reported more than 1,100 coronavirus deaths on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Friday marked the first time since late May the daily death toll totaled above 1,000 for four consecutive days. There were 10 states across the U.S. that reported record daily coronavirus deaths  Source: newsbreak.com

Covid-19 has led to a pandemic of plastic pollution As the world produces more protective equipment—and gorges on takeaways—pity the oceans THE THAMES has always been a reflector of the times, says Lara Maiklem, a London “mudlark”. Ms Maiklem spends her days on the river’s foreshore foraging for history’s detritus, from Roman pottery to Victorian clay pipes. She can tell the time of year, she says, just by the type of rubbish she has to sift through: champagne bottles during...

The end of tourism? The pandemic has devastated global tourism, and many will say ‘good riddance’ to overcrowded cities and rubbish-strewn natural wonders. Is there any way to reinvent an industry that does so much damage? By Christopher de Bellaigue Source: The Guardian