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COVID Stay-At-Home Resources
Tags: Lockdown, Covid 19

Below are a listing of virtual programs and resources curated to help you during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check back as we will be updating.

The Latest

Library Services During Construction — The Library/Borough Building at 30 N. Main Street is closed for construction and is tentatively scheduled to reopen April 2021. Virtual programming and curbside pickup will be available for your convenience.

Pennington Borough– Includes a message from Mayor Lawver, local cases, updates on waste collection and recycling, and more town information.

Hopewell Township News — Includes Hopewell Township Update to Operations Notifications and updates from Stephanie D Carey, Hopewell Township Health Officer

COVID-19 Community Experiences — The Pennington Public Library would like your help collecting and archiving our community’s experiences and history during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual Programs & Events

Recordings of previous programs (Available on a selected basis):
If 2020 Was An Art Exhibition…
By: Hannah Henderson
Tags: 2020, Art, Lockdown, Reflections, Year In Review

2020: A Surrealist Retrospective

Like many modernist tropes we were positioned to have our course knocked sideways, and to have our thoughts, and prejudices disrupted in 2020. Akin to visiting a modern art museum in a 15th century château, expectations of normality were swapped for uncomfortable juxtapositions and confusion.

The Classics

Like any year, it began with a full belly and a hangover. Notions of dieting and nippy walks to chase the post-Christmas blues away. Ironically, we had made the conscious choice to travel less in 2020, so that I could concentrate on my new business. What we got was not really what we had in mind though.

The View out over Edinburgh from Calton Hill — Photo © Hannah Henderson

The entrance to the exhibition that was 2020 was rather captivating, I must say. I shook off my January blues with a trip to my former home, Edinburgh. It was the grand entrance to a museum I am deeply familiar with. Running my hands back over it with love and reverence, it was everything I expected it to be. Cold, damp, but full of wonderful stories and nostalgia.

February was all about the Renaissance, as we dived headfirst into exploring the re-birthed city of Bilbao. If there was ever a city to illustrate a modern day renaissance, it’s the Basque city of Bilbao / Bilbo. Pulled up by its bootstraps, and the Frank Gehry masterpiece that is the Guggenheim Bilbao, the city is a cultural hotbed.

The Guggenheim Bilbao, with Louise Bourgeois’ ‘Maman’ sculpture — February 2020 — Photo © Hannah Henderson

From Gentle Disruption to Teeth-Gnashing

If February 2020 was an artwork, it would be the warm caress of a Mark Rothko colour field abstract. While perhaps a little challenging to the classicists, the soft warming colours used by Rothko are perfect to represent the warmth of Bilbao. Not to mention the accessible modernism of the city itself. Rothko disrupted, but oh so gently.

By March, we were starting to feel the discomfort of the impending challenge to our aesthetic sensibilities. As if turning the next corner could bring with it a grotesque piece of modern art, so far up its own arse that it leaves you cold and searching for anything relatable.

La Tour Eiffel — March 2020 — Photo © Hannah Henderson

Before the hollow disappointment brought on by Tracey Emin’s 1998 ‘My Bed’ could ruin our year, we visited my spiritual home, Paris. Where, as is customary, my senses were assaulted joyously with Corinthian columns and linear Haussman lines, and then soothed by ancient (and wonky) medieval routes now awash with hipster bars and happy hours. But we knew Tracey’s fucking bed was around the corner, and there was no way to avoid it.
Scared about tomorrow?
Tags: Lockdown, Love, Relationships

We are the generation where the word “romance” has to come with “old school” to make it more meaningful. We are the generation where “moving on” seems easier than “sticking around”. We are the generation where “long term” and “long-distance” have become a myth. But are we really the ones to be blamed? Moreover, should we really be bothered about proliferating it to the extent that it can only destroy us?

Most of us, the hopeless romantics, believe that love is more of an experience than an emotion. All of us remember our first love, right? It’s amazing to reflect on those moments and look at ourselves blushing and feeling the joy within. But the tree of our life starts to branch out sooner or later. And it comes down to a decision, a yes or a no. The “yes” might contain further bifurcations into “good memories”, “a lot of efforts”, “significant time”, “deep commitment”, etc. On the other hand, the “no” might split into “losing priorities”, “repetitive arguments”, “misunderstandings”, “lack of communication”, and so on. A problem with such a high algorithmic complexity makes it difficult for our little brain to process. So either we rely on others to help us set the direction or we take several days to decide it for ourselves. This goes on for a couple of times before we realize how things were never meant to be repaired in the beginning. The loop seems to end there, but does it really? Have you ever felt the fear inside of seeing that person with someone else, someday? Have you ever felt the pain of coming across them and realizing how they have changed for the better but for someone else? Have you ever felt the angst of maybe giving it all up too soon? The trick is, we will never know.
Lockdown Tanka
By: Samuel Cross
Tags: Tanka, Poem, Lockdown, Poetry, Writing

There, on the counter

Sitting lonesome, from a friend

Unopened letters

Time, distance divided us

Changed dispositions as well
Alternatives to physical vintage shopping because of the global pandemic and lockdown
By: Vintage Fashion
Tags: Vintage, Lockdown, Online Shopping, Vintage Clothing

Online vintage clothing and window shopping

Window shopping

First of all, I recommend you to try out window shopping; go outside, take a walk in the city, passing vintage stores.

Online vintage shopping

We all know that vintage shopping is not easy, you can easily spend hours and hours in the store and walk out with nothing. This combined with the lockdown we are facing in the Netherlands at the moment, results in my recommendation to try out this selection I made for you about online vintage shopping;

Vinted (& United Wardrobe)

2. Top Vintage

3. ThredUP

4. ASOS Marketplace

5. SecondhandNew Vintage Kleding

6. BLACKFISH Store

7. eBay

8. Mint Threads Vintage Clothing

I hope this blog post mentioning 8 online alternatives to buying vintage has been useful for you!

Do you want to see more actual outfit inspiration on my Instagram?

Then, follow @ut_vintageclothing on Instagram! Talk to you on Friday again, stay stuned for more!
CAN WE AFFORD ANOTHER LOCKDOWN IN NIGERIA?
By: Veronica B. Edeminam
Tags: Nigeria, Lockdown, Inflation, Economics, Covid 19

CAN WE AFFORD ANOTHER LOCKDOWN IN NIGERIA?

The world is experiencing the second wave of the COVID 19 pandemic and economies are responding by announcing lockdowns.

Can we afford another lockdown in Nigeria?

Assessing the impact of the first lockdown will provide a clear answer to the question. The first lockdown was effective from 30th March and lasted for one month until it was eased gradually. This lockdown coincided with the start of planting season for most crops in major farming communities. Movement of persons was restricted across the country and as a result, access to farmlands was restricted. The movement restrictions also reduced demand for fresh food produce most of which was left to rot in the farms and at the markets. The impact of this is the increase in food inflation to 18.3% as of November 2020 according to the NBS, the highest in 33 months. Onions for example became a very rare agricultural item. Surveys with some onion farmers revealed that restriction in the movement of persons was one of the factors that affected the cultivation of onions. Till now, we are yet to recover from the scarcity of onions. This is the same for other food items whose cultivation season started at the time the first lockdown was announced.

Some sectors such as Aviation are still struggling to keep up with overhead costs. The entertainment sector has not fully gotten back on its feet. This is the same for the education sector.

The Federal Government on the other hand is sourcing more resources through debt in order to have the resources to boost economic growth through social welfare programs. Despite these efforts, the effect of the first lockdown is still biting hard. On the other hand, NCDC statistics show that 87% of the confirmed cases have been discharged and 0.02% of deaths have been recorded from the confirmed cases. This is the same trend for most African countries. The real reason for this relatively low lethal effect of the virus compared to other countries in other continents has not been exactly established for now.

With the effects of the first lockdown still lingering, the approach to the second wave of the pandemic should rather be to strengthen compliance to COVID-19 protocols, rather than lock down the economy the second time. Locking down the economy a second time might result in more dire consequences than the COVID 19 virus itself.
Craft and Connection this Christmas
By: Emily Hayes
Tags: Lockdown, Craft, Christmas, Crafting, Covid 19

It goes without saying that this year has been unlike any other in our lifetime. Due to the pandemic, many of our usual Christmas celebrations and traditions simply won’t be possible.

As I write this, I remember the family gatherings, dinners with friends, office parties and other festivities I took for granted in the past. I miss visiting cosy, bustling pubs in December, full of high spirits, dated decorations and the warming smell of mulled wine. I maybe even miss overheating at the bar whilst wearing three layers and a roll neck jumper.

The thing I miss most is being free to connect with others around me.

I admit that I have been reminiscing with rose-tinted glasses and on varying scales, we can all relate to times of difficulty during the festive season. I have decided, however, that indulging in a little nostalgia is okay for now! In fact, it’s looking ahead to the future which has been more of a problem for me.

I am a graduate psychologist with a keen interest in health psychology and public policy, and I have already discussed in a previous InSPIre the Mind blog that making changes to our behaviour can be challenging. Indeed, Public Health England have developed detailed guidance on mental health during the pandemic.

In November, I got chatting with my good friend and housemate about all this — the long winter nights ahead, the lack of social connection, and the growing uncertainty about Christmas and beyond. She came up with a plan to lift our mood. Being a creative, her plan was based around crafts.

For this blog, then, I wanted to explore worry during this (very unusual) festive period, and how craft —such as macramé and knitting — can be a useful tool to help us cope and foster much-needed connection.
Maharashtra government imposes night curfew from Dec 22
By: Devendra Kumar
Tags: Coronavirus, Maharashtra, Lockdown, Mumbai, Covid 19

In the wake of new strain of COVID-19 spreading rapidly in the UK, the Maharashtra government on Monday, December 21, has decided to impose night curfew from December 22 in municipal corporation limits in the state. The night curfew will remain in force from 11 pm to 6 am every day till January 5.

The Chief Minister also announced that passengers coming to the state from European countries will have to remain under compulsory institutional quarantine for 14 days starting tomorrow, December 22.

On Sunday, December 20, Thackeray had warned the people of the state that the coronavirus threat was still very much there and asked people to follow all COVID-19 preventive guidelines. Though he stated that there would be no night curfew in the state but wearing of masks would be compulsory for more six months.
Motivation During Lockdown
Tags: Life, Motivation, Motivational Speaker, Lockdown, Career Advice

Motivation During Lockdown

Prior to lockdown, I had a very active life, working as a professional speaker, running school science events and workshops, and performing as a street-dancer. My social and work life was built around schools and public events. As you can imagine it was a drastic change to adapt to a confined space within the walls of my own home.

Two weeks into the lock-down I had cleared up a backlog of work and I had run out of things to do. I was gutted and disappointed to have lost most of my work and engagements. I lost a lot, and like most people, my future plans were halted for at least a year. So, after some time wandering around my home I realised I had to gain something. I had plenty of time, and I thought maybe turn this into an opportunity. For years I wanted to learn coding and programming. As an engineer, it’s a very powerful and useful tool to have in your skillset for problem solving and analysis. So I embarked on a new indoor adventure to learn this new skill.

I started off learning some basic courses in Python from Youtube and subsequently decided to build several robots for my future school shows. I learned so much and in the end, built a facial recognition human interacting robot. Following that, I learned the basics of a few other programming languages and custom-built my school business website completely from scratch (something I thought I would never learn). I then went onto develop few coding STEM workshops for schools. As time went on I actually ended up looking forward to waking up every morning during the lockdown so I could carry on with my work. I completed over a half dozen courses and it got to the point now where I won’t have enough time to learn all the things I would like by the time schools return in September.

What did I learn throughout this period? I could have thought “let’s just wait this out and pick up things next year” but you only get one life. Did I really want to wish a whole year of my life away? life is too short for that! Who knows how long the Covid nightmare will drag on for. Use your time wisely. It is never too late to learn something new and there is always something to do. I look forward to returning to a “normal” life like most people but the future is unpredictable. All the work I have done over the last five months will help contribute to the future growth of my business and work. I like to think that in the end, every little thing you do matters. Now is a good time to pick up that project you had always wanted to do. I hope my article will help inspire you to find some motivations to complete your own projects.
Skyline Drive
By: Craig T Lee
Tags: Poem, Lockdown, Poems On Medium, Pandemic, Poetry

Shenandoah Mountains — photo credit: Travel & Leisure

My inspiration grows stale as I stall on building new blocks of growth. Our current circumstances have me feeling locked down. Productivity is superior to the feeling of experiencing new ventures. The lack of excitement is a byproduct of burnout. Here’s to the realization that I need to escape the norms of my daily schedule.

Picture us rollin’ —

hitting the road with a destination —

or not.

I don’t care we go.

Energy can be the navigation.

Crisp air and a foggy skyline drive.

Song of choice: Freddie Gibbs “Something To Rap About” (instrumental).

Pack a cooler with our favorite snacks.

Did you remember to bring a lighter?

I want these flowers to lift us up,

because I’ve been secluded and feeling down.

Craving a high to exhaust the lows.
From loneliness to loneliness: a photo series
By: Julia Xavier
Tags: Corona, Lockdown, Photography, Loneliness, Solitude

I don’t know about you, but 2020 has been hard on me. I’m a Brazilian girl who has recently moved to The Netherlands all by herself. My daily interactions are scarce, and it has been hard to build relationships during the lockdown. In this process, I’m slowly finding comfort in my solitude. However, it is a tough journey and I thought that maybe there are other people going through the same struggle as I am.

That said, I decided to share a photo series on loneliness that I’ve been working on since 2019. This work helped me to remember that no matter where you are or who you are, loneliness is part of human existence.

I hope this brings you some peace. After all, there’s nothing better than observing loneliness drifting in space to make you feel less alone.
HOPE IS WHAT YOU NEED :)
By: Anuvinda Krishnan
Tags: Lockdown, Hope

‘Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future’ — Robert H Schuller

With the world locked down, due to a pandemic, it is important that we stay positive and keep our spirits up. Job hunting and the related procedures might seem really hectic and cumbersome, but hope is what we need these days. Do not get disheartened with the rejections that you might face, and keep trying for the next opportunity to come your way. Turn your negatives into positives, and work on your weaknesses. This would develop your ability to initiate, learn and grow.
X.3 - Citizen X - Medium
By: Citizen X
Tags: 2020, Life, Lockdown, Freedom, Covid 19

Stand and say it with me. — @iamXeverywhere . . .
Peripéteies in Greece — Week 18. Adventures in Greece as we pursue the…
By: Tim Bull
Tags: Greece, Lockdown

Peripéteies in Greece — Week 18

I think governments are generally pretty crap at communication. Certainly here in Greece the mood continues as one of doom and gloom, yet we ARE bringing down the Covid case load. Perhaps not as fast as they’d like, but regardless it is reducing from the peak in October.

I’m not feeling that positive about the 7th of Jan (which is the current official lockdown lift date), my guess is by then we’re basically back to where we were when we entered the lockdown which obviously won’t be low enough. They get the vaccine here this week, so I guess we see how that rollout goes.

The boat in Italy turns out to not only exist, but we’ve had several conversations back and forward with the broker, including a video walk through taken a couple of days ago. We’re now trying to get a “Letter of Intent” in place so that we can arrange for a surveyor to do a remote inspection. We’ve been here before (more or less) so we’re not getting too excited, but things are moving in the right direction.
Businessman Tanuj Patel had worked a lot for the public during lockdown.
By: News Daily Bulletin
Tags: Anand, Gujarat, Lockdown, Help, Tanuj

Food for needy people by Tanuj Patel ( Gujarat )

All of us have read and heard about many a youths and organizations coming forward to help during the COVID 2019 pandemic but have you heard of Tanuj Patel ,a Philanthropist with an NGO, Root Foundations, who flew all the way from Atlanta, U.S, to help his countrymen just before the lockdown!

During the Pandemic he did everything he could do for his countrymen in Anand Gujarat. Tanuj along with some of his friends, following and adhering to COVID protocols, arranged three separate kitchens for providing food across the city on daily basis. He also provided daily food service to those affected with COVID at their homes as well to the quarantine centre across the city. This initiative not only fed the needful but also in turn offered a job opportunity to many of those who’d lost it during the shutdown. Till date, he has served over 400,000 meals and is dedicated to serve as well as the city remains affected with the pandemic.

Apart from this he also distributed over 25,000 vegetable kits and 30,000 fruits kits. Ensuring nobody in the city starves he distributed over 3,500 Kg of ration kits that included staple food — Wheat flour ,Rice, Dal, Salt and Tea packs.. And while there was a maddening rush with interstate migration of laborers from Gujarat, he stood firm and helped all those 17000 people commute to their hometown also providing packed foods and water for their safe journey.

Following the Prime Ministers’ clarion call during the pandemic he organized a small team and distributed over 500,000 re-usable cotton masks and over 20,000 bottles of sanitizers among the frontline workers serving the city. Concerned about all those Policemen serving the city during the summer do not de-hydrate, he provided 20,000 water bottles along with ORS solution. Moreover he provided health care and medicines to all those above 45years of age along with carrying a sanitizing drive in the nearby villages.

Tanuj Patel has been serving the country with various social initiatives including, Health-care, Pollution control over 16 years.

#tanujpatel #lockdown #gujarat #rootsfoundation #anand
New Strain Of Coronavirus Forces U.K. To Impose Harsher Lockdown And Nix Christmas Gatherings
By: Stephen Michael
Tags: UK Politics, Coronavirus, Lockdown, Boris Johnson, Covid 19

The harsher set of coronavirus restrictions — known as “Tier 4” — will be put into place beginning Sunday.

LONDON — Millions of Brits in London and those in the U.K.’s southeast will be forced to cancel their plans for Christmas after scientists found a new coronavirus variant was spreading more quickly.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a news conference on Saturday and said the harsher set of coronavirus restrictions — known as “Tier 4” — will be put into place beginning Sunday. This will see nonessential shops, gyms, cinemas, hairdressers and bowling alleys will be forced to close for two weeks and people will be restricted to meeting one other person from another household outdoors.

“The message is that this is the year to lift a glass to those who aren’t there, in the knowledge that it’s precisely because they’re not there to celebrate Christmas with you this year that we all have a better chance that they’ll be there next year,” Johnson said.

A “bubble” policy, which allows up to three households to meet over the holiday period in parts of the country that are not under Tier 4 restrictions.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted and attacked Johnson locking down the country, saying cure cannot be worse” than the problem.

Johnson said he was advised by scientists the new coronavirus variant spreading more rapidly, leading him to make the announcement. Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, released a statement on Saturday and said the U.K. had informed the World Health Organization about the mutant strain.

“As announced on Monday, the U.K. has identified a new variant of Covid-19 through Public Health England’s genomic surveillance,” he said.

Whitty went on to comment that “no current evidence to suggest the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments although urgent work is under way to confirm this.”

The news is not a welcome one for Britain, who have been anxious over the second wave with cases and deaths rising. Over 66,000 people have died — leaving the U.K. with one of the deaths per chapati rates in the world.

Johnson did not rule out a third lockdown for the country in the new year as restrictions over the holiday period could lead to a further upward spike.

We’re hoping very much that we will be able to avoid anything like that,” Johnson said Friday. “But the reality is that the rates of infection have increased very much in the last few weeks.”
London Exodus
By: D Abboh
Tags: Society, Lockdown, London, Loneliness, Poetry

Our world is dying,

but we say long live the world — as panic rises and chaos ensues.

Soon the city streets will be empty of life and its beat —

but full of ghosts and shards of broken hearts.

Hope has been flat-lined,

can’t feel it breathing.

We wait to exhale.

This ain’t living.

Tis the season for joy to be sucked out of the remaining festive spirits.

In an age of so much darkness and little light,

memories of yester-years cloud the sky then slip away.

This is our time, a time we won’t soon forget — though we may try.

This is our winters tale, one for the history books —

soon to be shelved collecting dust untouched.

Who knew Driving Home for Christmas — would become a rebellion song? There is judgement all around.

My heart beats are heavy as my head pounds.

From a distance — I wish you well as the exodus is in full swing now.

There is no need to imagine scenes of desperate despair and weariness,

we’ve already arrived.

Carried along by these moments of movement

amongst waves of people longing for hugs.

The tide has come in to wash us away.

Beds have been made — as we rise from laying through sleepless nights and dawn breaks us open to more of the same foolishness from yesterday.

Should every nation under the sun, moon and stars —

chastise the lonely for risking it all to break a cycle of perpetual loneliness?
Classical Liberalism in the 21st Century
By: Zak Mudie
Tags: Lockdown, Libertarianism, Economics, Politics

There’s no better way to start writing on this site than to get straight in with a bit of politics. Classical Liberalism for those who don’t know is a philosophy with the core principle of freedom. Freedom means small governments, limited taxes, private property, and most importantly self-determination. I adamantly believe in human free will and our right to our own destiny.

Photo by Michael Descharles on Unsplash

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of the ideals America was built on, and while I’m not American, I envy their founding principles. I wish for a similar symbol in the UK, because an emphasis of freedom isn't in our nation as much as it is elsewhere. It should be and the new lockdowns to combat COVID-19 keenly display the devastation which occurs when our freedoms are curbed in the name of safety. Well, how many of you feel safe? The removal of freedom makes me feel unsafe. Freedom is the very core of a human being, self-identification and self-determination, what restricts this is unnatural and wrong.

Indulge me for a moment and just consider what would happen if we restored our freedom in both economics and our social rights. The British people would begin to flourish, and our economy would heal. We could deal with the devastating mental health crisis which the lockdown only amplified. The institutional poverty in deprived areas could be completely abolished. Classical Liberalism is about limited intervention, but sometimes not doing something can create a greater effect than if you had intervened. Let the market, more importantly, let the people move forward with their lives. Let us have responsibility for our actions, do not dictate them. Open up the deprived communities with incentives for the market to invest in and for the people to begin to prosper. We need a political earthquake, the current system is broken, and it is in desperate need of fixing.
London Lockdown
By: Rushabh Savla
Tags: London, Parenting, Lockdown, Tier4

London Lockdown

Its not for me to save others...

Its for me to protect you.

The simplest thing I can do is the most painful...

Being away from you.

The last two weeks were a trial...

To show me what was in store.

No contact with my baby girl for the length of time dictated by the R number & politicians creating uncertainty.

The new strain is not just a virus but on every relationship out there that hoped for human connection for a few days. Some normality in the madness we are breathing...

I'll try make sense of it all, one day at a time...

Knowing that I'll continue to miss out on the cooing, cuddles and your beautiful smile.

The rustle of your blanket as the night time cue begins for a feed, the yawns that never cease to amaze me & the strength of your kicks as you grow everyday... the beautiful bond you share with your mother as I watch you both nourish each other.

Watching you both brings me a sense of fulfillment I never knew, the love I see we all share is something I'll try bottle it as a keepsake for the dark days ahead...

Its never been easy this pandemic... but here is my real test.. to build that steel like fortitude.

Can I bunker down and get through it all... I have moments that I'll fall down but what keeps me going is...

Knowing you'll be waiting on the other side of this... ❣
Exhibition
Tags: Exhibition, Lockdown, Poetry, Reflections, Writing

The first exhibition since it all began

overwhelmed us with its chatter;

far too many people suddenly

after far too few

for far too long

it felt like thousands;

we wondered what we had missed

and forgot why we had come.

People we forgot existed,

hadn’t thought of or seen in months,

alive and well, apparently,

smiling, waving, milling,

dressed up tight and sleek,

unveiling this version of themselves

to shine for each other,

with nothing at all to say.

Well, what could they say?

Behind the smiles we knew

everyone was feeling hot and tingly

as my neck and forearms,

porcupine quills deflecting

projections, projectiles,

away from what they had found

when they sat still and finally saw themselves.
Coronavirus VS Team Dastarkhwan
Tags: Donation Drive, Coronavirus, Lockdown, Dastarkhwan, Food Drive

Coronavirus VS Team Dastarkhwan

Coronavirus wrecks havoc not just on health but on the livelihoods of many. With the rise in the cases of coronavirus affected people in Pakistan, strict measures have been taken by the government. The lockdown has left thousands of the people unemployed.

In the backdrop of the Coronavirus scare affecting the livelihoods of daily wagers due to the slowing down of the economy, NUST students are stepping up and playing a part to support the affected and their families.

One such story is that of Team DastarKhwan, that aims at helping the most vulnerable during the pandemic.

“As soon as the news of COVID-19 outbreak in Pakistan surfaced, we started an awareness campaign regarding it. The first thing we realised was that people in underprivileged areas had a pandemic bigger than COVID-19 to deal with, which was hunger,” says Team Head.

We believe that a systematic strategy instated can help deal the crisis on an immediate basis. Collecting donations from friends and family, the team purchased ration bags carrying essential food items to feed a family for a month. These included flour, rice, pulses, sugar, oil, spices and a few vegetables. Other NUST. students also joined in and a total of PKR 0.114 Million was collected within three to four weeks and enabled them to help 40 families.

The aim however, is to reach out to the maximum number of households and provide them with food packs. At the moment, the team is covering areas of interior Rawalpindi. However, Team Head adds,

“We have devised a distribution strategy with the help of locals but are struggling to find the right donors and to get enough resources to feed maximum households.”

Meanwhile, during distribution, the team maintains the essential safety precautions by strictly adhering to strict personal protective measures while distributing the ration bags by wearing masks, using sanitisers, maintaining social distancing and disinfecting clothes on a daily basis.

“We believe we can win this fight with the Coronavirus pandemic as long as we look out for each other.” – Team Dastarkhwan.
My Little Garden 19th Dec 2020
By: Alison Moore
Tags: Garden Design, Lockdown, Photography, Gardening, Garden

My Little Garden 19th Dec 2020

Wouldn’t it be nice on a drab December day if we could briefly turn back time to June 2020 when we coming out of lockdown for the first time and everything in the garden looked rosy (well almost)……. Who would have thought back then that there would only be a window of four weeks for us folk in Greater Manchester to be able to see our friends and families. Thank goodness for childcare bubbles. And roll on 2021!

This is the last week of my Six on Saturday ‘cheats’ but it’s helped me focus on the changes I want to make to the garden next year, so it’s been a very useful process.

1. My first choice is the clematis that I had to disentangle from the arbour in order to paint it. Madame Julia has been gracing the arbour for several years now and I’m hoping she survives because her demise wasn’t part of the planned changes. I inspected yesterday and there were a few signs of life, so fingers crossed.

Clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’

2. It was totally impossible to disentangle the jasmine because some of it’s thick woody stems have permanently wound around and through the structure. I tried not to paint them!

Jasmine officinale

3. My favourite little daisy was looking delightful in June. I have some growing over an old tree stump and some in a pot with grasses. Such a trouble free container combination.

Erigeron karvinskianos

And it’s still going half way through December ….. just about.

4. This was the first of my salvias to flower. I can never decide whether to deadhead or not, but on balance the amount of new flowers I get are not always worth the effort.

Salvia nemerosa ‘East Friesland’

5. I wish someone would explain to me why this geranium has the word ‘red’ in it’s name. It clearly isn’t red but it is an absolute beauty. It was recommended by Sue Beesley of Bluebell Cottage Gardens a couple of years ago and it’s now a firm favourite and has been planted in one or two gardens.

Geranium ‘Red Admiral’

6. And I’ll finish with a shot of the sunny border. As you can see, it’s predominantly pastel shades in June apart from the magenta of the geraniums. There will be a few changes for 2021.

And that’s my review of June 2020 in my little garden. Back to what’s happening in ‘real time’ next week. Assuming there’s a Boxing Day Six on Saturday of course.

There are lots more ‘sixes’ take a look at the blog of The Propagator who is the creator of this weekly collection. There are also many more excellent photos and blogs on twitter under the hashtag #SixonSaturday

https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/

Wishing you a great weekend and a very happy Christmas.
Glycolysis
By: Nazmin Hussain
Tags: Writer, Blog, Content Marketing, Biochemistry, Content Creation

The fate of glucose.

In animals and vascular plants, glucose has three major fates:

1. It may be stored (as a polysaccharide or as sucrose);

2. Oxidized to a three-carbon compound (pyruvate)via glycolysis to supply ATP and metabolic intermediates;

3. Or oxidized via the pentose phosphate(phosphogluconate) pathway to yield ribose 5-phosphate for macromolecule synthesis and NADPH for reductive biosynthetic processes.

Glycolysis: Greek glykys, meaning “sweet,” and lysis, meaning “splitting”

A sequence of ten enzyme catalysed reactions and a metabolic pathway that converts glucose(C₆H₁₂O₆) into pyruvate(CH₃COCOO⁻).During the sequential reactions of glycolysis, some of the free energy released from glucose is conserved in the form of ATP and NADH.

A brief History:

Glycolysis was the first metabolic pathway to be elucidated and is probably

the best understood. From Eduard Buchner’s discovery in 1897 of fermentation in broken extracts of yeast cells until the elucidation of the entire pathway in yeast (by Otto Warburg and Hans von Euler-Chelpin)

and in muscle (by Gustav Embden and Otto Meyerhof) within the 1930s, the reactions of glycolysis in extracts of yeast and muscle were a serious focus of biochemical research. The philosophical shift that accompanied these

discoveries was announced by Jacques Loeb in 1906:

Through the invention of Buchner, Biology was relieved of another fragment of mysticism. The splitting from sugar into CO2 and alcohol is not any more the effect of a “vital principle” than the splitting from cane sugar by invertase. The history of this problem is instructive, because it warns us against considering problems as beyond our reach because they need not yet found their solution.

The overall reaction is divided into two phases:

Preperatory phase — Phosphorylation of glucose and its conversion to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate.

Payoff phase — Oxidative conversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to pyruvate and therefore the coupled formation of ATP and NADH.

The enzymes involved in each of the reactions are mentioned in the above flow diagrams.

The Overall Balance Sheet Shows a Net Gain of ATP

The left-hand side of the following equation shows all the inputs of ATP, NAD+, ADP, and Pi, and the right-hand side shows all the outputs (keep in mind that each molecule of glucose yields two molecules of pyruvate):

Canceling out common terms on both sides of the equation gives the overall equation for glycolysis under aerobic conditions:

Thus, there is an overall gain of two ATPs and 3NADH molecules.

What is the fate of pyruvate formed in Glycolysis?

Three possible catabolic fates of the pyruvate formed

Glycolysis is under tight regulation

Glycolysis is tightly regulated in coordination with other energy-yielding pathways to assure a gentle supply of ATP. Hexokinase, PFK-1, and pyruvate kinase are all subject to allosteric regulation that controls the flow of carbon through the pathway and maintains constant levels of metabolic intermediates.
Enhance Your Short Videos with Zynn’s New Video Features
Tags: Fun, Zynn, Short Video, Content Creation, Features

The Zynn App has recently released a ton of new features to make creating content even more fun!

Graffis

Zynn calls its movie magic filters “graffis.” Each of these filters inspires creators to step into the creative space and craft new content.

If you are struggling to come up with new content, graffis can inspire you to step out of the box and come up with new ideas. For example, one of the filters simulates you walking through the aisles of a grocery store, and you can even throw items in your basket with a wave of your hand. Some creators have used this filter literally, and some incorporate singing or other talents into this filter.

The company has even released some super cute holiday filters! They are interactive, certain types of movement release some fun effects!

So many funny and engaging graffi options! You’ll want to try them all!

It’s also worth noting that at the bottom of the screen, you have the option to take a photo or shoot a video with the graffis. After posting on the app, you can share on other platforms.

Stickers

There are dozens of stickers to choose from, including 3-D smiley emoji faces that can be placed anywhere on the page.

Stickers help creators to express their emotions when watching a video and can even hint at what type of video it is, such as a comedy, a drama, or shock-worthy. It’s an easy, fun way to up your filming game.

You can also add hats, accessories, and other fun animated stickers to your video content.

Text Options

There are so many text options, including six font types that change the look and feel of your video. You can customize color options for fonts, including selecting gradients and 3-D text cubes.

Want your audience members to be able to watch your video on mute? A new “subtitle function” actually shows what you’re saying in real-time through text.

Zynn is constantly releasing new features all the time. Try these out quickly before the next round is released!

Check out these features by downloading the Zynn app today! To download Zynn, please visit the Google Play Store and iOS App Store or visit Zynn’s website at www.zynnvideo.com.

You can also follow Zynn on social media:

- Instagram: @zynnapp

- Facebook: @zynnofficial

- Twitter: @zynnapp
3 Important Lessons Every Content Creator Needs To Know
By: Shreya Badonia
Tags: Creativity, Content Marketing, Content Creators, Content Creation, Personal Brand

Over the last few years, content creation has become a conventional career path. Everyone who’s posting online is a content creator, like it or not.

I have been creating content for myself for the last 4 years on various platforms. I recently started helping companies and brands create content for their online distributional channels. During this journey and studying several successful content creators, I learned the following lessons that can help thrive in your content creation

You Will Fail Often

When you start creating content you expect each piece you share with the world to go viral. You want it to make hundreds of dollars and garnered millions of views. Expecting so would be like living in a fairytale — where everything you post becomes a sensation.

If you share 100 pieces of content be ready to be failed at most of them. According to the 80/20 principle, 80% of your outcomes comes from 20% of your input. It applies in every field of life including content creation.

Out of all the stories I have written on Medium, I have made most of my money from 2–3 articles, and most of them have tanked badly.

And that’s okay.

You will fail a lot but that doesn't mean you need to stop creating content. It’s part of the process. Somedays, you will feel proud of your work, and most days, you’ll be struck by imposter syndrome.

When you prepare to fail, you don’t worry about the result and that keeps you consistent and stick to the process. You learn from every project, you get better with every content.

Consider content creation as a long-term investment, not all stocks you invest in will perform well but if one stock you bought did well you can cover the losses from all the bad investments. Treat your content the same way and you’ll never be afraid of failing.
The Number 1 Gift of De-grinching a Grinch
By: Tim Maudlin
Tags: Life Lessons, Mindset, Content Creation, Personal Development, Innovation

Is it possible to de-grinch a Grinch? Dr Seuss thought so. And the citizens of Who-ville are proof that it can be done. But how?

In this series, I’ve shared 6 principles that can make de-grinching a Grinch possible. Yet, for your efforts, a Grinch still has to make the choice to change. You can’t make it for him or her.

However, by applying these 6 principles, you will do something unexpected. You will drastically reduce the chance of becoming a Grinch yourself.

That’s the BEST gift you can give to yourself and others.

Daily Doable: Take each of these principles and apply them in your life. You WILL influence the Grinches around you. But I offer this caution. Watch your heart. It might just grow three sizes too❤️❤️❤️

#DoWhatYouCanNow
Finding Your Why
By: Joe Avella
Tags: Video Production, Creative Process, Content Creation

Today it’s 100x easier to make and share a video. It’s also 100x easier to get distracted by the endless cycle of content created by people like you and me. We get fatigued endlessly scrolling on sites designed to keep you on it. Overwhelmed with anxiety we think: what about me? What about my stuff? What should I do next? Why are my videos not as good as X ??

I’m the king of this. Without a clear directive, I can look at just about anything and filter it through the anxiety lens: I gotta make more reels! Start a podcast! More stuff! I’m losing!!!

It’s demoralizing. What’s worse, the successful creators all act like it’s so easy (It’s not) and when they create it’s effortless (it isn’t).

It’s a bottomless pit of content that can never be enough, so what can be done to not lose your mind and be on your phone all day stressing? You need to hone in on your ‘why’. I established this a little bit in my last post, and I could go on forever with examples, but finding your why is the foundation to producing videos (or anything really) effectively and without losing your mind. Finding your why gives direction, momentum, and peace of mind.

A quick thought on fame and attention

Your why must be empowering. ‘I want to be famous’ is a terrible why. ‘I want to be rich’ is even worse. Totally disempowering. The quest for attention, fame, and greed has been destroying human beings long before the internet. Every major religion’s tome, all written thousands of years ago, warn against this very thing (see: seven deadly sins. Also, see Se7en that movie rules). So if attention and fame are what you think you want and need, I suggest spending time on this platform.
SEO & SMO; Research is key!
By: Prajim Mannemplavan
Tags: Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Content Creation, Research

Content Marketing Mojo #1

Research is key

Time and time again, remember that SMO & SEO is all about the energy you put into understanding the consumer/user/audience of your brand. An identity is merely the repercussion to succeeding at spreading your message with effective mojo.

Proofreading is an important part of research, where the key concepts are kept alive with constant reminders of what the audience expect. Plagiarism checks help optimize content to avoid copyright infringements. Checking grammar and analysing the readability is another aspect of effective content development. Tools like Grammarly, Yoast plugin, Hemingwayapp and others are examples of readability scores required for a search engine to look up your content and assure its validity.

Admire what you write

The admiration for good content is the timeless idealizing of effective marketing strategies. Take it seriously or you won’t let others take your brand seriously. Content is character and the audience are kingdom come.

Content is king!

www.ascertinstitute.org
I have found that when I write my speech improves and vice versa.
By: József Manhertz
Tags: Creative Writing, Storytelling, Content Creation, Writing, Writing Tips

I have found that when I write my speech improves and vice versa.
Content Development as a Career : Who is a content developer ?, Roles and Responsibilities for the job and Challenges Faced
By: Preksha Pranavi
Tags: Content Strategy, Content Developers, Content Marketing, Content Creation, Content Writing

Content Developer is someone who is responsible for development of Content Strategy, which involves creation, development, and editing along with front-end web development.

Content Development involves the role of creating content as well as presenting content. The developer uses his skills and experience as a Content Writer and knowledge in web based technologies to create the deliverables.

The responsibility involve creative work like copy writing and designing and technical work such as basic HTML, SEO and formatting.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Content Developer:

Based on the requirements of the company, a content developer needs to create original content, copy write the existing ones and proofread.

Developing Content involves different responsibilities, such as :

Align the contents with the company’s goal

Learn about the organisation for which you will be writing. Research about the target audience, company’s goals, its vision and mission. A content developer needs to work in close association with the client to creating a harmony between the contents and client’s expectations.

Developing a Content Strategy

A content developer is the one who is responsible for creating content goals and strategies in order to reach the company’s goals.

Creating Content and Content Distribution

Curating content is the main duty of a Content Developer. The content may comprise of blogs, graphics, sales copy, podcasts, video content, static web pages and so on. Along with creating content, a content developer is responsible for creating a roadmap to market and distribute those contents.

Quality assurance

Content Developers are required to edit and proofread every content that goes live because they have to keep an eye for quality and details. This needs a problem solving approach to ensure every content is free from error before presenting in front of the audience.

What challenges does a Content Developer face?
Three blessings exercise
By: Anushka Kharbanda
Tags: Freelancing, Content Creation, Content Writing, Mental Health, Psychology

Three blessings exercise

Like we do physical exercise for our body, we also have some mental exercises for our mind. One of these exercise is the ‘Three Blessings Exercise’ developed by one of the pioneers of positive psychology — Martin Seligman.

In this exercise all you need to do is before going to sleep write down about the 3 good things that happened with you that day along with the reason why did they happen.

The list can include anything from being able to get up in the morning and taking a shower shower to winning a Nobel prize — anything and everything that made you feel good counts!

Often we go to sleep thinking about all the negative events or the tiresome thoughts that make us feel restless. This little exercise prevents that from happening and instead helps you shift your chain of thoughts towards your blessings.

This is a wonderful exercise to improve overall well-being. Try it for yourself and witness the wonderful changes!