by Sarah Edmonds | 1 Sep 2020 | Donald Trump, Educators' Catalog, Health and Wellness, World
They’ve been around for a long time and flourish in a crisis. Conspiracy theories may seem absurd and harmless to some — but they can do damage. Activists demonstrate against 4G/5G cell towers in Los Angeles, California, 2 May 2020. (AP Photo/Damian...
Like fake news, conspiracy theories abound in today’s polarized political world. Sarah Edmonds shows that they have been around for a long time and thrive in times of crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic. In an age when facts and science are under attack, how can a student know what to believe in? Should we simply dismiss those who perpetrate conspiracy theories — or engage with them? Edmonds interviewed numerous experts for her article and skilfully weaved in their quotes — a good example for student writers. Teachers of subjects from Science to Politics can use Edmonds’s story to encourage students to suspend their prejudices and push themselves to see contrasting viewpoints.
by Ben Barber | 27 Aug 2020 | Health and Wellness
Many Americans say they will not get inoculated if a vaccine against COVID-19 is discovered. Such distrust in science is nothing new. Russian scientists are working on a new vaccine, as shown in this photo taken in Moscow, 6 August 2020. (Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/...
by Barry Moody | 4 Aug 2020 | Europe, Health and Wellness
Italy is all chaos, while Britain epitomises civility, right? Think twice, because COVID-19 has helped to turn clichés upside down. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in London, 4 February 2020 (Chris J...
by Jeremy Lovell | 21 Jul 2020 | Climate change, Health and Wellness
The world’s youth will shoulder the long-term costs of COVID-19. They must play a central role in shaping the global economy and averting climate disaster. Environmental activist Greta Thunberg participates in a live chat about COVID-19 and the environment,...
by Tira Shubart | 15 Jul 2020 | Health and Wellness
Iceland has had only 10 deaths so far due to COVID-19. Testing and early use of track-and-trace have kept the new coronavirus in check. The message I received after I was tested for COVID-19 (Photos by Tira Shubart). As the world analyses COVID-19 statistics, the...
by Leela Rosaz Shariyf | 14 Jul 2020 | Health and Wellness, Miss Porter's School, Technology, Youth Voices
U.S. teenagers are increasingly depressed and spending more and more time on smartphones. But technology, used wisely, can make us smarter, safer and happier. A young man on his smartphone, Munich, Germany, 9 December 2014 (Tobias Hase / picture-alliance / dpa / AP...
by Richard Hubbard | 7 Jul 2020 | Health and Wellness
I covered SARS and watched the spread of HIV. For me, COVID-19 has been altogether different — in part because I had to fight it off. The door to my ward at the hospital warning people about entry. (All photos by Richard Hubbard) Viruses, I’ve seen a few. Singapore...
by Julian Nundy | 29 Jun 2020 | Health and Wellness
Cholera swept the globe half a century before COVID-19. But nothing, not even Keystone Cops, could stop our road trip to Moscow. 1849 Cholera prevention poster in New York City (Wikimedia Commons) When France, my home for many years, went into a strict lockdown to...
by Joyce Yang | 11 Jun 2020 | Health and Wellness, Westover School, Youth Voices
COVID-19 has hit the elderly hard and left many alone in confinement. But my grandmother in China has endured, even thrived, offering a lesson in tenacity. The author’s grandmother and two friends in a park after quarantine was lifted China’s population is...
by Helen Womack | 10 Jun 2020 | Europe, Health and Wellness
Ruled by a populist, Hungary is considered Europe’s bully. But its prime minister has shown common sense in managing COVID-19. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, left, checks medical supplies from China, Budapest, Hungary, 24 March 2020. (Tamas Kovacs/MTI...
