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The Columbus Dispatch

Julie, a pleasant young woman with no medical problems ordaily medications,came to the Emergency Department complaining of insomnia.She looked anxious when I entered the room and was wearing a face mask and latex gloves.

Julie told me that she couldnt sleep and felt miserable from being so tired. She had trouble concentrating while doing her work but would just tossand turn at nights.

More fromDr. Kube: Protect yourself and others, get a flu shot

She said there were times before big tests in high school that she would have trouble falling asleep, but nothing to this extent. Her symptoms had been going on for several months buthad gotten worse the past few weeks to the point that Julie felt like she couldn'ttake it anymore.

As we talked more, Julie saidthat she felt like her life was turned upside down when the COVID-19 pandemic began in the spring. She had been stressed with her finances, work and wasthe fear of becoming sick. She also feltisolated at home and missed seeing her friends and family.

During the early week of the state shutdown, Julie wassent home from her office to work from home. Daily Zoom meetings with her boss and other coworkers had become her daily routine.

It's a story I heardover and over with many patients since the start of the pandemic.

Juliebecame tearful and saidshe was feeling stressed out about everything, which was not typicalfor her. She was initially afraid she would become seriouslyill or even die if she were to get COVID-19, but those thoughts had subsided with time. Much of her sleeping problems were driven by anxiety, she said, and she could not calm herself down enough to rest and sleep.

Stressis your bodys normal response to a threatening situation. It gives you the ability avoid danger or meet a deadline. Anxiety is a reaction to the stress. Anxiety is a normal emotion that can be healthy.However, when a person regularly feels high levels of anxiety or stress it can become harmful to their health. Anxiety becomes a disorder when feelings of anxiety, worry or fear are strong enough to interfere with a persons daily activities.

Juliesaid she had to give up many of the things that gave her life joy because of the limitation imposed by the pandemic. Shedid kickboxingat her gym, but had to stopwhen it closed down for many weeks. She had been cooking for herself and was making healthy food choices but became so stressed about going to the grocery store that she started ordering fast fooddelivered to her home. She had gained a lot of weight and felt terrible about that, she said.

More: The coronavirus created a 'slow-rolling mental health crisis.' Here's what to do about it.

Julie and I talked aboutstrategies to prevent her anxiety from becoming so overwhelming that it interferedwith her life. We discussed the importance of eating healthy, well-balanced meals, avoiding excessive alcohol and drugs, and engaging in regular exercise. Exercise boosts endorphins that improve mood, decreases stress and can distract from the things that are causing worry. Being physically tired can also make it easier to fall asleep.

In addition to physical health, it isimportant to focus on emotional health. It's helpful to remain calm during stressful timesso you can think clearly and make good decisions. It's good to takebreaks from news stories and social media posts about the pandemic and other stressful events.Meditation and relaxation techniques can also behelpful to allow your mind to rest and reset.

More: Experts worry that winter months will be tough for people with mental health issues

Stress and anxiety management is more important now than ever before as wefaceone of the most significant events in our recent history. It is important to still do the things you like to do, even if it requires making modifications such aswearing a mask or practicing social distancing.You can and should connect with others in safe ways.You should talk with people you trust about how you are feeling because they're likely having the same worries and concerns.

With vaccines on the horizon, there's hope that the pandemic will slow down and our lives will eventually return to a more normal state, but this isn't all going away quickly. In addition to doing the thingsneeded to slow down the spread of the virus, we need to focus on our health and well-being. .

Julie was able to go home with a plan to relieve stress, which would improve her anxiety and sleep.She said she would work on her diet, exercise daily and connect with friends and family. She felt relieved to know that she wasnt the only one experiencing significant stress and anxiety during this unprecedented time.

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Dr. Kube: There are ways to manage stress, anxiety from pandemic - The Columbus Dispatch

The state on Thursday announced that it is now tracking hospital capacity by region, and if any regions available intensive care unit beds fall below 15% of total capacity, it will be subject to a more drastic stay-at-home order.

For the Southern California region, which includes Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange County and a dozen other nearby counties, it seems a matter of when, not if, that time comes.

The capacity in intensive care units across our region is already down to 20.6%, the state said Thursday.

Adding to the pressure, hospitalizations are rising quickly in Los Angeles County, by far the most populous part of the region. The county reported Thursday that 2,572 people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized, with 23% of these people in the ICU.

Long Beach, in a statement Thursday night, said the region could reach the 15% threshold as early as today, Friday.

Even if that happens, there would still be a little bit of breathing room before the strict new restrictions take effect. The stay-at-home order isnt officially in place until 12:59 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Plus, the state said it would give regions 24 hours to comply with the order.

That means the absolute soonest it could be implemented would be at 12:59 p.m. Sunday. Once in effect, the order would last at least three weeks.

If the order is triggered, all counties in Southern California would have to shutter dine-in service at restaurants, which has been a point of contention for local restaurants since LA County and Long Beach ordered theirs to close on Nov. 25.

Owners argued patrons could simply drive a short distance across the county line to eat. The states stay-at-home order takes that decision out of local authorities hands. Counties and cities with their own health departments will be allowed to enact stricter rules than the state, but they wouldnt be allowed to loosen them.

Discouraging people from simply migrating to nearby areas appears to be the impetus behind the states order. The Southern California region is massive, spanning from San Luis Obispo in the north to San Diego and east to the Nevada border. The list of covered counties includes: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura.

In addition to limiting eateries to takeout only, all gatherings would be banned except for outdoor worship services or protests. And many businesses would have to close or further limit capacity.

All operations would have to cease at:

Critical infrastructure operations may continue, and retail stores and shopping centers could stay open indoors at 20% capacity, but they would have to meter entrances and monitor shoppers to make sure nobody is eating or drinking in stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems, the state said.

Hotels may remain open for critical infrastructure support, as could offices where remote work isnt possible.

Professional sports could continue without live audiences, as could production of films and other entertainment.

Child care and schools serving K-12 students would not be affected by the order. Those open for classroom instruction could remain open.

Outdoor recreational facilities would be allowed to stay openbut without any eating, drinking, alcohol sales or overnight camping.

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Whens the soonest Californias stay-at-home order could start? And what would be closed? - Long Beach Post

Last season was cut short due to COVID-19. What have the past 9 months been like?

Weve really been flexible with all that we have been doing because were all navigating new waters. We implemented a Crystal Clean task force in March comprised of employees from across the resort who meet with industry peers, experts and state and local health officials to compile, craft and implement best practice safety protocols for the entire resort. We safely hosted guests from all over Michigan and parts of the Midwest throughout the summer, so, in many ways, we have been working toward reopening for winter when we closed back in March.

How are you feeling about the 2020/2021 season in 3 words?

Outside never closes.

Is there anything new this season youre excited about? (Equipment, dining options, instructors, etc.)

Weve got a lot of things were excited about. We continue to invest in the facility by adding RFID gates to our chairlifts, which will get guests on the slopes quicker and more efficiently. It also allows touchless, cashier-less lift transactions to keep staff and guests safe. We also have installed a new, wider snowmaking pipe that will move more water to our snow guns, helping us create better snow faster. (Heres our winter operations run down.)

Fresh air will be important this winter. So the resort has engineered several clean air solutions inside its public buildings including improving filtering in its air handling units; installing portable, HEPA air purifiers in some areas; opening ventilation dampers to bring in about 20% fresh air; as well as installing air scrubbers that are a spinoff of NASA technology.

How do air scrubbers work? When air passes through a UV light-activated titanium dioxide membrane filter, it causes water vapor in the air to turn into negatively charged hydrogen peroxide ions which can then be directed into room air supply ducts. Because of their electric charge, these ions attach to and can destroy most common bacteria and virus particles in the air and on surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide is generally recognized as a safe antimicrobial agent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Each room also typically has four to six air changes in an hour, which helps to keep the air clean.

Find out whats new at Boyne Mountain, Mt. Holiday, Caberfae Peaks, Shanty Creek, The Homestead and Nubs Nob: New at Northern Michigan Ski Resorts + COVID-19 Safety

Have Northern Michigan ski resorts been working together to make this season a success, or even with resorts nationwide?

Both. Our team has been working with other ski resorts from across the country and right here in Michigan, as well as industry and health agencies the National Ski Areas Association, Michigan Snowsports Industries Association and Benzie-Leelanau Health Department on best practices to safely open for winter. NSAA is a national industry and has convened many of us to ensure best safety practices are deployed across the country so all ski areas will have similar policies in place for winter.

Skiing/snowboarding is outdoors and can be socially distanced. Its the aprs-ski activities at cafes and bars that could pose a problem. How are you addressing that?

As we approach ski season amid a pandemic, some things at Crystal Mountain, like everywhere else, will look a little different. So weve had to reimagine a few things. Social distancing on a wide-open mountain is certainly doable, but the prospect of kicking back in a crowded ski lodge with a drink and big group of friends is just not possible. Aprs ski during COVID-19 will be subdued and likely very limited. We have reduced capacity in our restaurants and our Vista Lounge, which is our main bar for post-ski cocktails. And have moved the indoors outside where fresh air is abundant. Guests will need to social distance and wear masks when they cant be six feet apart from othersand will need to take their post-ski activities back to their accommodations or reserve a table at Vista Lounge way in advance.

We have basically moved a lot of our operations outsideseating, dining. And are opening up our Crystal Center for additional seating.

Has there been a silver lining, cool idea, lessonsomething positive that can be taken from this incredibly difficult time?

There has been a new and renewed interest in outdoor recreation. So we have been incredibly lucky that summer brought us a tremendous amount of guests who were interested in hiking, biking, running and golfing outdoors. And we expect that wave to continue into winter.

Secondly, incredible ideas, imagination and innovation come out of troubling times. We have had an incredible opportunity to reimagine the way we do business, which is rare, and that has made us stronger as a team.

The new RFID gates, which create touchless, cashier-less sales opportunities, will allow us to collect real-time data so we can better manage flow of our guests on the lifts, helping us become more efficient with how we operate. The addition of the air scrubbers, the barriers at our registers and between tables at our restaurantsthat we built!and other engineered solutions have shown us how incredibly talented our team is.

Weve also built some strong relationships with our peers across the industry, but also with our health officials at the Benzie-Leelanau Health Department. We could not do this without their advice, their guidance and their steadfast commitment to safety.

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers?

We have 1,500 acres of wide-open space for alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, fat tire biking, hiking and ice skating We have a lot of fresh air and room to breathe. Outdoor recreation has numerous benefits for physical and mental health and wellness. Its a community of skiers and riders who look out for each other, and we couldnt be more excited to safely and smartly get back to winter.

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New This Winter at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville - MyNorth.com

As health care organizations grapple with responding to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and adapting their operations to continue to fulfill other aspects of their care mission, they must also begin to define and prepare for the future of care amid economic, regulatory, and social uncertainties. What might the post-Covid-19 landscape look like? How can health systems address a range of possible challenges? What are the opportunities to revolutionize care?

Care providers must understand the ramifications for their digital health function and agenda and how information technology can address the challenges and opportunities of their new normal. To develop this understanding, we conducted a roundtable discussion with chief information officers from leading health systems at the Scottsdale Institute, a not-for-profit organization that supports its member health systems in achieving clinical integration and transformation through information technology.

The participants agreed that the new normal digital health agenda will need to focus on three overarching areas: developing virtual care, coping with the financial impact of the pandemic, and embracing the lessons learned from managing the crisis.

The volume of telehealth visits increased dramatically as patients sought to safely obtain outpatient care. Many physicians saw their telehealth visit volume increase by a factor of 50 to 175. This increase occurred over a very short period often in days or at the most, weeks. Providers hastily constructed a temporary bridge, built with digital tools and operational workarounds that are not robust enough to sustain this level of use permanently. At the same time, patients have come to expect telehealth and many providers have become comfortable delivering care via the technology.

Because virtual care is now part of the new normal, health systems must construct a sturdy, permanent bridge that includes organizational, financial, and clinical structures and processes. The health system will need to integrate telehealth technology with the electronic health record, define clinical protocols for appropriate telehealth visits, obtain reimbursement for telehealth visits, and revamp hospital and physician practice processes to support telehealth (e.g., how should virtual waiting rooms work for telehealth visits?).

As health systems implement a permanent approach to telehealth, they should recognize that telehealth is a component of two broader digital health strategies: ensuring that care is delivered in the right setting and creating a great patient experience through a digital front door.

Delivering care in the right setting. Driven by the movement to value-based care (paying on the basis of outcomes as opposed to the volume of services), health systems must ensure that patients are cared for in the most appropriate setting. For example, how do we redirect care from emergency room that rightfully belongs in a doctors office? Can we provide chronic care management through home health services, reducing visits to the physicians office?

Virtual care can help advance efforts to manage patient care across a continuum of settings. Remote monitoring can move much of chronic disease management to the home. Telehealth can enable access to specialist consultation for a patient at a nursing home without having to transport the patient to the academic health center.

Creating a great patient experience. The pandemic has increased consumer reliance on digital technologies for many of their daily activities. People work from home glued to Zoom. Groceries arrive from Instacart and Amazon delivers household supplies. Consumers will expect that their digital health experiences will be equally effective and easy to use.

To meet these expectations, health systems will need to double down on their digital front door efforts, enabling patients to handle routine interactions such as scheduling an appointment, paying a bill, finding a doctor, renewing a medication, finding answers to health questions, and navigating the health system itself.

Many health systems nominally offer these capabilities now, through patient portals with often opaque user interfaces and erratic performance. They must improve.

Between March 1 and June 30, hospitals and health systems lost an estimated $202.6 billion as a result of forgone revenue and increased Covid-19-related costs. Patients are slowly returning to hospitals, but admissions are projected to be down 10.5% in 2020 compared with 2019.

In addition, states are grappling with Medicaid spending as tax revenues decline and Medicaid enrollment increases. The growth in the number of public payer enrollees will cause a hit to hospital revenues, which, before the pandemic, were already contending with care reimbursement that was less than their costs of care. More downward pressure is expected on Medicare rates as the federal government deals with decreased revenues and the interest payments from the trillions of dollars of Covid-19 related debt incurred from economic stimulus payments, unemployment insurance, and business loans.

To address their revenue challenges, many health systems will accelerate their movement to value-based care, and those that offer health plans will emphasize them. Health systems have been stung by the volatility of volume-based reimbursement and will attempt to move to capitation reimbursement models that enable more predictable revenue.

To support capitation, health systems will need to step up their investments in several digital health capabilities:

In addition to managing revenue in the new normal, health systems will increase their focus on reducing costs and constraining budgets.

To reduce expenses, health systems must thoroughly review opportunities to apply digital health tools to streamline clinical and administrative operations. They must also continue to improve the usability of the electronic health record to reduce clinicians frustrations and ensure that they enter information correctly. And they must enhance analytics capabilities to understand care costs and staff productivity.

During the pandemic, many health systems discovered shortcomings in their analytics capabilities. Data quality was uneven, analyses took too long, and predictive models were not sufficiently comprehensive. Managers and clinicians were often poorly trained in using the data. As they adjust to the new normal, health systems will seek to remedy these deficiencies.

At the same time, as part of reducing expenses, the digital health function itself will be under pressure to operate with fewer resources. This pressure will result in efforts to:

During the peaks of the pandemic, health systems dramatically increased the speed of their decision-making in order to contend with challenges such as shortages of personal protective equipment, the high utilization of intensive care unit beds, and protocols for safely treating patients and protecting staff.

The urgency of the crisis also led to rapid experimentation with new ways of managing clinical and operational processes. In the heat of the moment, health systems developed new ways to do telework, implemented the use of chatbots to respond to patient questions and concerns, and collaborated across organizations to coordinate care across a region.

These advances in decision-making speed and experimentation abilities should not be placed in a box once the pandemic subsides. Health systems should seek to cement these gains in organizational capabilities. Even without a crisis to drive them, health systems should review how best to quickly and efficiently identify and conduct experiments with new digital health technologies and how to make those decisions quickly while ensuring that they are thoughtful and politically supported.

Acceleration has been the pandemics most notable impact on health systems digital strategy. Prior to the pandemic, most health systems had initiatives to pursue telehealth, implement applications that support value-based care, increase integration across care settings, improve the patient experience through the implementation of a digital front door, and reduce the cost of delivering care. The timeframe for accomplishing these initiatives will now be significantly compressed; what might have taken 10 years to accomplish will now take three years. This pandemic-induced acceleration of the digital strategy has been observed across several industries.

Having earned its battlefield stripes on the front line during the Covid-19 surge, the digital health organization will become a more strategic partner to the health system C-suite. Health IT professionals had to scale telehealth and telework rapidly and provide the analytics necessary for health systems to manage the impact of the surge on clinical operations. Leadership will continue to need their support.

While this public health crisis has tragically cost us lives, livelihoods, and our sense of normalcy, we still have the power to shape what comes next. Covid-19 has forced health care leaders and clinicians to move faster, work smarter, and take a more focused approach to decision-making than ever before.

Digital health solutions and technology will play a crucial role in the difficult work of optimizing processes and systems for greater efficiency, financial viability, and enhanced outcomes. Through this unexpected disruption of the status quo, there is a tremendous opportunity to create a new normal that is a significant improvement over the old normal.

Continued here:
What the Pandemic Means for Health Care's Digital Transformation - Harvard Business Review

Climate action group ACAN has called on architects at Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects to take "meaningful action outside of your employment" amid an escalating row over airport projects.

The body condemned the two studios for refusing to stop designing airports and urged staff to take action over an issue that is dividing the profession.

"If you work for Foster + Partners, ZHA or indeed any practice, please know that you are welcome to join our movement and take meaningful action outside of your employment," said Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) in a statement on its website.

"It is vital we speak truth to power and take action together."

Feud over airport projects escalates

ACAN's statement, posted yesterday, comes amid an increasingly acrimonious row over whether working on new airport projects is compatible with decarbonisation goals.

It came after the two London architects resigned from Architects Declare, another climate action group, following criticisms of the practices' ongoing work in the aviation sector.

Architecture writer Christine Murray, editor of The Developer, asked why ACAN and Architects Declare were picking a fight over aviation, which accounts for around three per cent of global carbon emissions.

Meanwhile, new construction and existing buildings are responsible for around 40 per cent of atmospheric carbon, Murray pointed out on Twitter.

Squabble has "divided the profession into good guys and bad guys"

"Instead, for example, could you write angry letters to all the practices specifying coal-fired bricks, concrete and stainless steel in, like, every single house-extension and new house in the whole country?" Murray tweeted.

"Instead, you've got architects sitting back congratulating themselves for not designing airports they were never going to be asked to design, while most of the country (and the newspapers) now think designing airports is the problem."

"If someone can explain what's been gained by this, I am seriously all ears," Murray wrote. "But you didn't stop the airport. You've just divided the profession into good guys and bad guys."

Architects Declare "disappointed" with Foster + Partners' decision to leave climate action group

However, ACAN said Foster + Partners had "made it clear that continuing to enable aviation expansion is more important to them than being part of a collective industry effort to address the largest crisis of our time."

"They have signalled very clearly that tackling the climate crisis is not their priority, especially when doing so would conflict with their business model."

"Statements from both of these practices are rooted in obsolete, hubristic ideologies which bear much responsibility for our failure to respect planetary boundaries," added the network, which this summer urged members to send paper aeroplanes to Foster + Partners in protest against its airport projects.

The row coincided with the UK government's announcement of plans to cut carbon emissions by 68 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The plan does not include international aviation or shipping emissions.

Founding signatories resign from Architects Declare

Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects, the UK's largest and third-largest architecture firms, were founding signatories of the Architects Declare movement, which advocates a shift to sustainable construction to help avert climate and biodiversity breakdown.

However, both resigned from the network this week after ongoing criticism of their continued involvement in new airport projects.

Foster + Partners withdraws from Architects Declare climate change group

In its resignation statement, Foster + Partners said it was committed to sustainability but felt that aviation was vital to tackling climate change.

"We believe that the hallmark of our age, and the future of our globally connected world, is mobility," said Norman Foster, founder of Foster + Partners.

"Only by internationally coordinated action can we confront the issues of global warming and, indeed, future pandemics," Foster said. "Aviation has a vital role to play in this process and will continue to do so."

A day later, Zaha Hadid Architects resigned citing "a significant difference of opinion with the Architects Declare steering group on how positive change can be delivered."

Photography and drawing are courtesy of Architects Climate Action Network.

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UK architects feud over airport projects as ACAN urges staff to take action - Dezeen

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One of the UKs most famous architects has withdrawn from an environmental coalition in a dispute about the destructive role of aviation in the escalating climate crisis. [...]

The decision follows a row over Foster and Partners work on airports around the world seen by critics as incompatible with tackling the climate and ecological emergency. The Guardian

Airport designs have been key projects in Foster + Partners' portfolio for years, with prominent recent commissions and competition entries in Saudi Arabia, Marseille, Chicago, Mexico City, and Beijing.

Following Foster's decision to withdraw from his initial commitment, Architects Declare issued following statement on its website today:

We are disappointed that Foster + Partners has chosen to withdraw from the declarations and we would welcome a conversation with them on the points raised.

We recognise that addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies challenges current practice and business models for us all, not least around the expansion of aviation. We believe that what is needed is system change and that can only come about through collective action. Architects Declare is not a protest movement but a collaborative support network to innovate positive transformation. Our movement is global. As of today there are 1037 UK practices committed to the declaration and over 6000 companies signed up in 26 countries under the broader banner of Construction Declares.

The debate, and indeed the very definition of sustainability, has evolved considerably as the depth of the crisis we face has become ever clearer. Our declaration represents a positive vision of how our profession can respond to the planetary emergencies. This involves embracing new approaches and being realistic about what can be solved with technology in the next crucial decade.

Were looking forward to working with our signatories to raise the level of ambition in preparation for the critical COP26 climate negotiations next year.

Read more:
Foster + Partners withdraws from Architects Declare over aviation dispute - Archinect

Less than three months ahead of the (pushed-back) opening of Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, the first exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to examine the ties between architecture and African American and African diaspora communities, seven architects, artists, and designers featured in the forthcoming show have signed a letter demanding that the MoMA remove the name of the late Philip Johnson from all titles and public spaces due to what the letter describes as his widely documented white supremacist views and activities.

In addition to his prolific architectural output, Johnson was a MoMA curator, patron, trustee, subject, and institutional figurehead who had and continues to have posthumously vast associations with the museum.

As the November 27 letter states, the racist, antisemitic worldview held by Johnson makes him an inappropriate namesake within any educational or cultural institution that purports to serve a wide public.

There is a role for Johnsons architectural work in archives and historic preservation, the letter reads. However, naming titles and spaces inevitably suggests that the honoree is a model for curators, administrators, students and others who participate in these institutions.

As of this writing, the letter, which is also addressed to Johnsons alma mater, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and any other public-facing nonprofit in the United States that uses his name for honorific purposes, has been signed by a total of 31 artists, architects, designers, and educators, including, as mentioned, seven of the architects and designers featured in the upcoming MoMA exhibition. Diana Budds at Curbed was the first to report on the letter, which was initiated by and published on the Instagram account of the Johnson Study Group.

Formed this past summer amid the historic Black Lives Matter-led social justice and anti-racism movement, the largely anonymous collective is dedicated to examining Johnsons lasting influence on MoMA and design institutions as a whole while considering his significant and consequential commitment ties to white supremacy.

Along with members of the Johnson Studio Group, signees of the letter include Amale Andraos, dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; artist Xaviera Simmons; Alvin Huang, founder and design principal of Synthesis Design + Architecture and associate professor at the USC School of Architecture; Bryan C. Lee Jr., design principal of New Orleans-based Colloqate Design; Jennifer Newsom of Minneapolis-based practice Dream the Combine, and Kate Orff, founding principal of landscape architecture and urban design studio SCAPE.

V. Mitch McEwen, co-founder of Atelier Office and assistant professor at the Princeton University School of Architecture, was among the signees who is also a member of the Johnson Study Group and a featured architect in Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America. The other letter-signing architects and designers featured in the exhibition, which runs from February 20 through May 31, are Felecia Davis, Sekou Cooke, Emanuel Admassu, Olalekan Jeyifous, Germane Barnes, and J. Yolande Daniels.

As detailed in the letter, the openly gay, Cleveland-born Johnson used his early tenure at MoMA (he worked in various capacities at the museum from 1932 through 1988 including heading the Department of Architecture and Design from 1932 to 1936 and then again from 1944 to 1954) as a pretense to collaborate with the German Nazi Party, including personally translating propaganda, disseminating Nazi publications, and forming an affiliated fascist party in Louisiana. In his curatorial role, he also omitted the work of Black architects and designers from the collections under his purview. He not only acquiesced in but added to the persistent practice of racism in the field of architecture, a legacy that continues to do harm today, the letter explained.

The inaugural Pritzker Prize winners decidedly more-than-flirtatious relationship with fascism has been explored in-depth since his death in 2005, including in Mark Lamsters 2018 book, The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century. His Nazi associations were even the subject of an FBI investigation although he was ultimately never prosecuted.

The letter concludes by calling on all members of MoMA and alumni of Harvard GSD to cease supporting these institutions until Johnsons name is scrubbed from all titles and places. It specifically implores white allies to step up: Organize. Spread the word. Further the impact. We must not only speak of undoing the work of white supremacy, we must call it out by name and uproot it.

AN has reached out to Justin Garrett Moore, executive director of the New York City Public Design Commission and a signee of the letter, and Barry Bergdoll, former Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design (2007-2013) at MoMA and current Meyer Schapiro Professor of art history in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, for further comment and insight.

We have also reached out to the MoMA for comment and will update this article accordingly.

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Architects and designers call on the MoMA to remove Philip Johnson's name - The Architect's Newspaper

The nonprofit GrandWorks Foundation has announced the Stars of Stage 2 fundraising campaign to complete the second stage of renovations at the historic Gloria Theatre. The initial goal is to raise $30,000 in order to receive a matching grant of an additional $30,000 awarded by the Grimes Foundation.

The second stage of work at the theatre includes handicap accessible restrooms, a new concession area, the new Clifford Caf named after the theatres original owner, Billy Clifford, a commercial kitchen, remodeling the lobby and other work to improve the experience of the Gloria patrons. Renovations and repairs have been ongoing since GrandWorks began its first stage of the Gloria Theatre project in 2014 by converting the auditorium to one large screen with digital technology and making many improvements and repairs necessary to reopen.

According to GrandWorks CEO Staci Weller, completing the second stage of improvements will greatly enhance the experience of all local theatregoers. Especially in times like this, everyone needs reasons for optimism and a place to get away from the concerns of the day. We know that our mission to reach, restore and revive our community is now more important than ever and completing the second stage of our renovations will give everyone a wonderful experience each time they come through Glorias doors.

GrandWorks vision for the Gloria is to the give the Urbana and Champaign County community an entertainment, performing arts and events venue along with a cozy gathering place for generations to come. Weller said that the first six years of progress is the result of 840 donors and more than two hundred volunteers devoting countless hours of work. The spirit and commitment of Glorias donors and volunteers is incredibly inspiring, Weller said. I know that our vision will be completed because the generosity of our supporters is nothing short of a miracle.

Officials estimate the total cost of the Stage 2 renovations will be $125,000 but the immediate goal of the Stars of Stage 2 campaign is to get $60,000 by raising $30,000 and then receiving the matching $30,000 grant from the Grimes Foundation. Donors will have their name on a star displayed at the theatre. For more information or to give online go to the theatres website, gloriatheatre.org, or visit the facebook page, facebook.com/gloriatheatreurbana. Checks may be made payable to the GrandWorks Foundation and sent to P.O. Box 38128, Urbana, OH 43078.

The GrandWorks Foundation is a local not-for-profit organization championing several efforts including the historic Gloria Theatre in downtown Urbana, The Big Questions (a podcast exploring some of lifes most pressing topics), and the Urbana Youth Center.

Theatre launches fundraiser

Information from GrandWorks Foundation.

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Time to support the Gloria - Urbana Daily Citizen

Almost seven years ago, Nate Hamilton was working as a roofer, trying to create a good life for his two kids. Then the death of his brother changed the direction of his life, launching him toward a leadership role to improve relations between police and the community.

His brother, Dontre Hamilton, was killed by a Milwaukee police officer on April 30, 2014, and the incident led to huge protests in Milwaukee and national media attention. Hamilton became a spokesman for his family, the founder of the Coalition for Justice, and a leader of the protests though always with an emphasis on nonviolence.

These days, Hamilton leads a city commission that aims to improve relations between the community and the Milwaukee Police Department. Black people both as individuals and as a whole, have failed to acknowledge the importance of ourselves, Hamilton said. It has become my goal to encourage people to attach themselves to what they care about and fight for it.

Now a father of five, Hamilton is juggling parenting, being a business owner, and a police reform activist.

Hamilton attended Milwaukee Area Technical College to study carpentry and started a home-improvement business named Hamiltons Improvements about a year after the death of his brother. His company does cosmetic work on houses from bathroom and kitchen remodeling to roofing and siding.

Willing to listen

Over the summer, Hamilton was elected chairman of the new Community Collaborative Commission, or CCC, a reconstituted version of the Collaborative Community Committee, of which he was a member since its start.

I think people like Markasa Tucker and Tammy Rivera saw something in me, Hamilton said, referring to earlier leaders of the committee that was a precursor to the CCC. They knew I am wiling to listen and put myself in a position to learn, so they nominated me.

The new CCC is made up of Black and brown grassroots leaders who work within Milwaukee neighborhoods. When it was still a committee, the CCC in 2017 gathered community input on the U.S. Department of Justices unfinished 2016 review of the Milwaukee Police Department.

The group presented its final report in 2019. All but one of the reports recommendations have still not been taken, according to a June statement. Doubtful yet hopeful that its recommendations will be implemented, Hamilton said the CCC is moving forward nevertheless.

We want to create a Milwaukee where the environment is good for everybody, he said. Not only are we working to ensure the community is happy, but police as well.

The CCC is urging the Milwaukee Police Department changes its standard operating procedures for community policing and understands its responsibility, Hamilton said.

Common Council President Cavalier Johnson said the CCC offers the best approach to re-examine the relationship between MPD and the community.

The communicator

One of Hamiltons best talents as a leader is his skill in communication, he said.

I grew up with very responsive parents, so we communicated well, he said. I just wanted to give that to my kids, and that is still my goal.

He said that because of the role he has taken as a community leader, people take him almost too seriously.

Im actually very talkative, he said. I like to laugh and have fun. I dont think many people know that.

His brother, Dameion Perkins, agreed.

He is so passionate about whatever he is a part of that everyone doesnt get to see it, Perkins said. But he can make you laugh.

He said he especially appreciates how Hamilton stepped up after Dontre was killed.

He took on learning the policies and procedures, he said. He became in that moment the leader our parents taught us to be.

Hamilton is also finding time for himself.

I have learned to be selfish enough to take time for myself, he said. I have to be fully responsible for myself before I can be responsible for others.

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Nate Hamilton: On becoming the kind of leader his parents taught him to be - Milwaukee Independent

FULTON COUNTY, GA Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, predicted this would happen as millions of Americans lost their jobs, their paychecks and even their businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic: Hunger is an urgent problem for about 173,421 people in Fulton County.

You can help. Patch and Feeding America teamed last summer to address the growing hunger crisis in America, connecting readers with the organization's 200 member food banks that serve 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, and providing an easy way to donate money to help their neighbors.

Now through Dec. 31, we're encouraging readers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America in the Patch Holiday Food Drive. Every $1 given to the organization buys 10 meals.

Feeding America predicted last summer that 50 million people, including 17 million children, could face hunger by year's end because of the pandemic. Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate in Fulton County will rise to 16.3 percent in 2020, up from 12.5 percent in 2018.

Feeding America says that 80 percent of its food banks or 4 in 5 are serving more people than they were at the same time last year. With the pandemic worsening during the holiday season, many people who never before worried about how they'd pay for a holiday meal are turning to food banks for the first time.

From the beginning of the pandemic in March, Feeding America distributed 4.2 billion meals enough to provide every U.S. resident with breakfast, lunch and dinner for just over four days.

In the first four months of the pandemic, 4 in 10 people were first-time visitors to food banks, according to Feeding America.

Patch has teamed with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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Patch Holiday Food Drive In Fulton: Give To Feeding America - Patch.com