The number of foreign workers living in dormitories who test positive for the coronavirus daily continues to be high in part because of an "active and aggressive testing regime" that sees more workers being tested each day, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong.

"We expect to still see these numbers for a few more weeks before they stabilise, but our strategy is working and we are making progress day by day in clearing these dormitories," he told a press conference yesterday.

While the coronavirus situation in larger purpose-built foreign worker dormitories is stabilising, Mr Wong said it will take time to clear other smaller dorms, such as factory-converted ones.

Several cases of Covid-19 were recently detected among healthcare workers and other support staff working in dormitories and community care facilities like the one at Singapore Expo. "We already have precautions in these settings but we are doing more now by also testing the workers who are working in these settings," Mr Wong said.

He added that these workers will be tested not just once but periodically to ensure they can do their work in a safe environment.

The Health Ministry's director of medical services Kenneth Mak said the ministry is very concerned about the number of staff involved in dormitory operations who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

"We want to make sure that they were properly trained in the use of their personal protective equipment and masks, and that they were obeying and respecting the infection control measures to make sure that they were properly protected," said Associate Professor Mak. "If needed, we will work with the inter-agency task force on refresher training, as well as having staff carry out inspections to watch over each other and make sure that everyone is doing the right thing."

Prof Mak also said the Health Ministry decides whether or not to attribute the death of a patient to Covid-19 based on the advice of medical authorities such as a doctor who attended to the patient or a coroner.

"Our approach really is first to ask ourselves, is this directly attributable to Covid-19 infection or complications related to Covid-19 infection? If they are, we will report them as such," he said.

"This comes out in our press statement every day. We are quite transparent in announcing and reporting all the deaths that we have."

He said that if a death is determined not to be due to Covid-19, it will still be reported but not attributed to the virus.

Read the rest here:
Clearing smaller dorms of coronavirus will take time, says Lawrence Wong - The Straits Times

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New Delhi: Now that the Narendra Modi government has begun repatriating Indians stuck abroad, the countrys rich have begun sending in applications to return using private jets, ThePrint has learnt.

According to sources, in the last one month, the Ministry of Home Affairs has received over 20 applications from private charter operators, requesting clearances to fly back to India from various international and domestic locations.

The pending applications include those from Sahara India chief Subrata Roy, Bharti Airtel head Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Essel Group/Zee Media chairman Subhash Chandra. While Roys son is said to be stuck in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a family member of Chandra is stranded in Dubai, sources in the home ministry said.

ThePrint reached the spokespersons of Roy, Mittal and Chandra through calls and messages.

While Mittals spokesperson refused to comment, Chandras and Roys teams did not respond to the query. The report will be updated when they respond.

The Modi government had, in an advisory issued on 16 March, prohibited travel from member countries of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey and the United Kingdom to India, with effect from 18 March. Then, on 22 March, the ban was extended to all countries as the government prohibited all international commercial flights from landing in India.

The rules laid down by the MHA are very strict and are being followed strictly. We cannot allow any chartered flight to land, unless they have permission from MHA, a government official said.

A second government source said the operation of these chartered flights are not allowed because the government is reluctant as people coming from abroad could be carriers. But with international flights now starting to repatriate Indians, the government may reconsider its decision, the source added.

Now we have started the flights to repatriate Indians stuck abroad but that too we are doing with extra caution. The private jets could be allowed in the near future (in phases) once we are ready to deal with the traffic. No decision has, however, been taken till now, he said.

Also read: Why Air Force wont be a part of Indias massive Covid evacuation for now

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also received several requests from private chartered plane operators, but none of them has been cleared until now.

The DGCA is not clearing any such flights at the moment. The applications are scrutinised, and if it is an emergency situation, the MHA gives the approval directly, the second source said.

Private charter operators are constantly enquiring whether it is permitted, this source said, adding: For now, air travel has only been allowed to inter-ministerial teams, doctors, air ambulances and paramedics. No non-essential travel has been allowed.

Last week, an Indian businessman, Rajnish Gupta, chartered a plane from Zambia and reached India with his cook, Suresh Kumar Baheliya. However, they were not allowed to de-board, and were eventually sent back.

They came to India without any clearance or permission, and so were sent back as we are strictly adhering to the guidelines issued by the government, said the first official quoted above.

Also read: India plans to expand repatriation from 15 May to bring back citizens from more countries

The cost of travel by a private jet can be as high as $200,000 (over Rs 1.5 crore), depending on where it is coming from, but that has not deterred those willing to return home.

The ride can cost anywhere between $50,000 (approximately Rs 38 lakh) for a four- to five-hour flight and $200,000 (approximately Rs 1.5 crore) for a longer flight, say from the USA. If someone is coming from London, then it will cost around $1,50,000 (approximately Rs 1 crore), said Kanika Tekriwal, founder of New Delhi based JetSetGo, a private jet operator.

It indeed is expensive, but people are still booking their slots on these planes and sending us requests, the second source quoted above said.

Many of these plane operators are also demanding such high amounts as so many clearances are required, and the demand is only for flying one-way, the source added.

Tekriwal, however, said the rates are constant. Covid or no Cobid, these rates are constant.

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Original post:
Indias super rich ready to pay to return home on private jets, but govt not ready to allow it - ThePrint

By the time the already-fractious Allies had agreed on the form, timing and signing details of Germanys unconditionalsurrender at the end of the World War II, Berlin had been under the complete control of the Soviet Red Army for almost a week.

Adolf Hitler, terrified of the prospect of being captured alive or being held accountable for millions of murders,had married his partner Eva Braun and then the two died by suicide shortlybefore the Battle of Berlin was decided. Their newlywed corpses were burned and the ashes scattered near the so-called Fhrerbunker, Hitlers base of operations later in the war. He didnt even want his corpse to fall into enemy hands.

The Allies eventually agreed that combat would officially cease as of 11:01 p.m., Berlin time, on May 8, 1945. The strangely specific timingwas no accident. It assured that in Moscow, one hour ahead of Berlin, the clocks would have ticked over to May 9, allowing the Soviets their own day on which to recall victory inwhat was known in the USSR as the Great Patriotic War.

Field Marshall Keitel signs the capitulation shortly after midnight local time on May 9

It was the Allied leaders who delivered triumphant speechesto their people. Winston Churchill stood atop the roof of the Health Ministry in London before cheering crowds and proclaimed: This is your victory! It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land. In all ourlong history, we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone has tried. The exiled former and future French leader, Charles de Gaulle, also spoke of victory in his radio address, noting that Francesmilitary command was present for the signing of the capitulation.

Meanwhile, the man who briefly succeeded Hitler that May, Admiral Karl Dnitz, issued a radio broadcast lasting barely 30 seconds. He alluded to his previous broadcast, onMay 1, when he had announced Hitlers death and saidhis first priority would be to save the lives of German people. To that end, he said, hed asked the armed forces to agree to unconditional surrender.

On May 8, at 23:01, the guns will fall silent, Dnitz said. His next major public stage would be the Nuremberg Trials and his conviction for war crimes in 1946. He served just 10 years in prison.

The rubble women

The dominant international view was and remains that the role of Germans in the war was that of the perpetrators, not the victims, after their country set in motion a global war that went on to claim an estimated 60 million lives and its forces exterminated six million Jews in the Holocaust.

On the ground especially after more than a decade of wall-to-wall propaganda from the schoolyard up, distorting the image of Hitlers Germany this reality was not as immediately obvious.

Many German cities lay in rubble, either firebombed by western Allies (most notably Dresden and Hamburg) or overrun by the Soviets (Berlin). Occupying soldiers are estimated to have raped more than one million German women. Rushing into this wasteland was an exodus of as many as 14 million ethnic Germans refugees who either fled or were driven out of territory far to the east of todays borders.

Many young men were either dead, wounded, captured or traumatised, often by war crimes theyd committed themselves or had seen in the field. Meanwhile, the true extent of the Holocausts horror, which did not feature in Josef Goebbels anti-Semitic propaganda, was coming to light. The immediate postwar desolation became known colloquially as Stunde Null: zero hour.

Florian HuberPromise Me Youll Shoot Yourself: The Downfall of Ordinary Germans, 1945Penguin (July 2019)

Florian Huber has written extensively about the misery in defeated Germany in 1945

First of all Germans had to accept the defeat, which in itself was very hard for many of them, the historian Florian Huber told DW. His two most recent books focus on the immediate postwar months and years for ordinary Germans. His look at the wave of suicides in Germany at that time, Promise Me Youll Shoot Yourself, has also enjoyed success in English. For those who kept going, Huber said, simply securing food and income was the top priority.

The biggest problemwas how to get along with daily life when the man was imprisoned in the prisoner of war camps while children and families tried to get along with a situation that was very extreme, Huber said, and nobody could really say when it would end.

This did allow women to take a more active role. Obsessed with preserving traditional gender roles, Hitler had not called on women to volunteer to take up work in factories and other facilities to aid the war effort as the US and UK had; Nazi Germanys wartime economy had been propped up by the labour of enslaved people a mixture of civilian and military prisoners.

In the postwar years, a new German compound noun was coined for the women who took the lead in clearing the debris from city streets. They were venerated as the Trmmerfrauen, or the rubble women.

Also read: Promise me Youll Shoot Yourself: Nazi Germanys Suicide Wave

A divided land

Initially, Germany was divided into four zones, one administered by each of the Allies to whom it had formally surrendered: the UK, the US, the Soviet Union and France. But the tensions between these allies of necessity had been apparent even before Germanys capitulation, and had resurfaced at precisely thePotsdam conferencewhere the countrys ultimate postwar fate was decided.

Nevertheless, in a marked change of strategy after the punitive peace terms following World War I, the Allies opted for a lighter touch, gradually ushering Germany back into the international community. Reparations would still have to be paid, but nothing like to the extent of those demanded at Versailles in 1919.

The broader transition from global conflictto the Cold War would soon lead to a longerdivision of the country with the Soviet-occupied zone becoming East Germany, or the GDR, and the other three areas making up West Germany, or the Federal Republic. Paradoxically, this fresh threat and division might have smoothed the rocky path to democracy for West Germany.

I am quite convinced that the Cold War experience made it easier, especially for West German society, to accept being part of the Western world, Huber said. It also made it easier for them to adopt, voluntarily, a new democratic constitution, which we have to this day.

The Marshall Plan a major investment program launched by the US in 1948 to rebuild Western Europe after the war and prepare it for the long standoff between capitalism and Soviet communism added a financial incentive to welcome a new world order in the face of the familiar perceived threat from perhaps Hitlers fiercest foes: Stalin and the USSR.

East and West

West German foreign policy rapidly strove for outward reconciliation and reparation. A new and purely defensiveBundeswehr was formed, and no foreign military deployments whatsoever were approved until 1990. To this day, any missions abroad require regularly renewed parliamentary approval.

When Germany does participate in overseas operations, it is typically providing logistical support for allies hitting the targets, such as in the coalition against the Islamic State, or performing peacekeeping and defensive operations in territorythat has been secured by NATO or other friendly forces (with Afghanistan being the largest and longest-running example).

West Germany, and later the reunified country, led the push for the formation and then the expansion of what is now the European Union. The government in Berlin also anchored a historical responsibility for the Holocaust and the defence of Israels existence as part of the nations raison detre.

Especially in the early decades after the war, a spectre overshadowed such advances: the number of former senior Nazis still occupying positions of power in governments, courts, newspapers and society as a whole.

It took an extraordinarily long time for West Germany to make any serious attempt to face the Nazi past, said Susan Neiman, a philosopher and American Jewwho has spent much of her career in Germany,writing several books exploring the countrysrelationship to the Holocaust, and is currently with the Einstein Forum in Potsdam.

Its often the case that foreigners dont quite appreciate how true this was, because the iconic picture of postwar Germany was [Chancellor] Willy Brandt on his knees at the Warsaw Ghetto memorial [in 1970]. That is the picture we expected and we wanted to see. What most foreigners dont realise and it took me decades to realize it myself is that many West Germans hated that gesture of Brandts. They thought it was wrong; they attacked Brandt for having left the country during the war. The much more common view in West Germany was not atonement or repentance for having been a perpetrator, but self-pity for having been a victim.

Also read: When Hitler Realised the End of the War Was Upon Him

Real movement came in Germany with the next generation: the youngsters who were university students around the time of Brandts 1969-74 tenure, and who often grew up asking their own parents searching questions about the Nazi era. Both Neiman and Huber point to a speech by Richard von Weizscker in 1985, the 40th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day,when he declared May 8 one of liberation for Germany, not defeat.

East Germany was rather different, Neiman said.East Germany was anti-fascist from the start because the first victims of Nazis were not Jews, they were Communists and Social Democrats. So the leaders of East Germany were mostly in exile or concentration campsand they were genuinely opposed to the Nazis. Did they abuse their anti-fascist stance ideologically? Of course they did! But was it clear in one side of Germany that the Nazis were evil, and that defeating them was good? Yes.

The GDRs anti-fascism was very much top-down, as Neiman puts it: It was state ideology. So, though the GDRs political class could accurately claim to have never harboured any support for Nazism, this was rather less true for ordinary citizens many of whom would spend decades listening to fresh propaganda that reassured them that Nazism and capitalism went hand in glove and any responsibility for World War II lay west of the Berlin Wall.

Neimans 2019 book, Learning From the Germans, is an exploration of what lessons the US South could take from the progress made in Germany from examining the nationalpast. It was recently published in German.

When I told German friends and colleagues about the book, they either laughed at me or shouted at me because its part of being a good German that you dont believe Germany has any lessons to teach anyone else [on such matters], Neiman said. And my answer was always: Thats an admirable attitude to hold, but its also rather provincial. If you look at other national histories, I think you have to acknowledge that Germany as a whole has gone further in changingits view of itself from a victim to a perpetrator than any other country with remotely comparable history.

A new front

Could the progress made be at risk as the number of survivors of World War II dwindles? Young Germans, in particular, score increasingly poorly in surveys exploring their knowledge of the Nazi era.

By the numbers, the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) isone of the least successful populist far-right movements in Europe, yet it has still established what many analysts deemed impossible for years: a viable political party clearly to the right of the Christian Democrats with seats in the Bundestag and all stateparliaments.

The AfDs heavy hitters and more controversial figures dont tend to talk that much about World War II or the Nazis, although when they do, they will often breach postwar taboos, especially by questioning the culture of remembrance. Alexander Gauland, who weighed in this week arguing against making May 8 a public holiday in Germany, once described Hitler and the Nazi regime as a speck of bird sh*t on over 1,000 successful years of German history.

The partys chairman in the state of Thuringia, Bjrn Hcke, described Berlins Holocaust Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe as a memorial of shame in January 2017.

Also read: The Beer Hall Putsch of November 9, 1923 Germanys Own 9/11

I think we must be aware that the AfD doesrepresent a considerable part of German society today, Huber said. So, yes, they are here to stay. And we certainly will witness a hard and long fight between those who still insist on keeping alive our lessons from the past and those who want to close this chapter of our history, once and for all.

This doesnt seem to have escaped Chancellor Angela Merkel either. In December last year, having already made it clear her time in office was winding down, she visited Auschwitz for the first time on the 75th anniversary of its liberation.We can never forget, Merkel said at the concentration camp, which was built in Nazi-occupied Poland and is arguably the site most symbolic of the Holocaust on the planet. We can never draw a line under this or seek to relativize it.

According to surveys, the vast majority of Germans agree and feel a moral responsibility for the darkest chapter of their countrys history.

The article was originally published onDW.You can read ithere.

More:
May 8, 1945: Germany's 'Zero Hour' - The Wire

Shattered windows at HOPE for NH Recovery. Courtesy Photo

Over the course of the past eight days, someone has broken five different windows at Hope. Someone threw one rock through one window last Monday evening. Someone (or someones) threw three rocks through three windows last Thursday night. Someone threw a rock through a window last night. Three nights. Five windows. No explanation. No rhyme. No reason.

I am heartbroken and pissedoff, a dangerous combination for me and those around me. Many of you have heard me speak of Hope as holy ground, a space where the miracle of recovery can take place. Hope, like a church, is not made out of a different physical substance than the rest of creation. Throw a big rock with enough force and the window will shatter. But so will dreams that this place is different, that this window lets sunshine into a mystical and magical area, that somehow weve got protection against ugly violence.

Thats the heartbreak, but the anger is right behind it. When the person who did this is caught, and he or she will be caught, Id like to be given five minutes alone with them, not to physically punish them although thats certainly appealing but to make them feel shame, true moral shame. While most of you know me as an upbeat, hopeful man who tries to spread joy, I do have a powerful dark side that can find joy in making folks suffer, twist in the wind, and suffer more, simply by holding their behavior in front of them. This is not a side I particularly like, but it is a power Ive used effectively.

Each window replacement costs more than a thousand dollars, and all of us can think of better things to do with $5,000 than replace broken windows. Money is important, but its not the most important issue here. Money can be raised or found somehow. Trust, though, trust in our neighbors, trust in our members, trust in Hopes value, cant simply be raised or found, and once its gone, rebuilding it takes way more energy than its destruction did.

I choose to believe these broken windows are the result of random vandalism, some 14-year-old kid discovering destructive power and the mesmerizing sound of breaking glass. At one point, I was that kid, using a pellet gun to wage commando raids on streetlights throughout my town. I believe the statute of limitations has long since passed, so I will confess I enjoyed shooting out those lights with no thought about any consequences from my destruction. I was wrong and Im sorry. If Im right that this vandalism is random teenage destruction, I hope the vandal will be caught and held accountable.

Im not nave, though. These five windows could have been broken by a friend or associate of someone who lives in our building or even by a disgruntled Hope member. If its the latter, someone who feels Hope or I have somehow betrayed them or done them wrong, please ask them to stop and instead reach out to me to let me know their concerns.

To Hope Nation as a whole: Please, please, please help us stop this madness. If you hear anything, please let us know. If you see anything, please let us know. If you know anything, please let us know. Right now, we know nothing, and that really stinks.

Please dont let this sad news have an impact on your recovery. Soon we will gather up to six feet together, share the power of recovery and a few laughs.

After all,You matter. I matter. We matter.

Keith

Keith Howard is Executive Director of HOPE for NH Recovery in Manchester. Read more at tinywhitebox.com

See the original post:
Missives from Hope: Broken Glass Everywhere. Close to the Edge - Manchester Ink Link

Back in 2010, Apple surprised us all when it killed the Xserve. Although it wasnt near as popular as Linux and Window Servers, it still had its place among macOS heavy enterprises. OS X Server (now macOS Server) provided several useful features that dont really exist in todays enterprise market. Why did Apple kill the Xserve and begin stripping features from macOS Server?

About Apple @ Work:Bradley Chambers has been managing an enterprise IT network since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 100s of Macs, and 100s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.

One of the critical reasons that Apple likely killed the Xserve is they foresaw the shift to the cloud in the enterprise, and there would be even less demand for Apple server hardware.

Also, in 2010, the writing was on the wall. Solutions like Google Apps for your Domain (now G Suite) were starting to become more popular in smaller businesses on its way to enterprise domination. Mobility was forcing enterprises to rethink their network setups as employees moved from desktop workstations to slim laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Services like Amazon Web Services were also starting to take off as real alternatives to building a data center.

The timing around the death of the Xserve is around the same time that Snow Leopard was released. One of the critical features of Snow Leopard was built-in support for Microsoft Exchange. Looking back, Apple was going with a we arent going to win the data center, lets when the end-user approach.

They were never going to replace Windows and Linux Servers, and they didnt need to win in the enterprise. OS Xs Mail Server was never going to replace Microsoft Exchange, so they made OS X work with Exchange instead. Theyd be better off selling a few thousand MacBook Airs instead of five Xserves. They needed to make the Mac easier to integrate into the existing enterprise environment, and that is precisely what they proceeded to do in the years since. They were never going to convince the IT department to deploy Macs, but, as users started demanding them, they needed to make sure it was as easy as possible for the devices to integrate.

Looking back over the past ten years, Apples enterprise strategy has worked perfectly. The rise of cloud services meant that it was easier than ever to deploy Macs without worrying about software compatibility. Apples dominance in mobility (iPhone and iPad) in the enterprise made it easier for the IT department to be sold on Macs for average users (not just video editors and graphic designers). At the time, killing the Xserve looked like Apple was giving up on the enterprise. In reality, it was step one in Apples plan to dominate the enterprise.

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Apple @ Work: Killing the Xserve was step one in Apples plan to dominate the enterprise - 9to5Mac

Microsoft's Chief Product Officer of Windows and devices Panos Panay had some important things to say recently. Of course, because the world is stuck at home those things were shared via a blog post instead of what would have been something with a little more pizzazz with people at hand, but the message still came through loud and clear: Microsoft is trying (again) to take the fight to Chromebooks.

Third time's the charm.

The gist of it all is that even though Windows RT was bad, Windows 10S was a failure, and while people actually are excited about Windows 10X and dual-display devices, Chromebook sales hurt the bottom line hard enough that everything is being shifted to make the future of Windows more like Chrome OS. Single screen clamshells are now the focus instead of dual-display hardware, and there appears to be a major shift to the cloud to make it all better. Somehow. From Panay's announcement:

The world is a very different place than it was last October when we shared our vision for a new category of dual-screen Windows devices. As we continue to put customers' needs at the forefront, we need to focus on meeting customers where they are now. Our customers are leveraging the power of the cloud more than ever, and we believe the time is right to lean into this acceleration in a different way.

With Windows 10X, we designed for flexibility, and that flexibility has enabled us to pivot our focus toward single-screen Windows 10X devices that leverage the power of the cloud to help our customers work, learn and play in new ways. These single-screen devices will be the first expression of Windows 10X that we deliver to our customers, and we will continue to look for the right moment, in conjunction with our OEM partners, to bring dual-screen devices to market.

Panay and his team are right in most ways. With everyone at home, things are very different than they were last October. The cloud has replaced the company server for a lot of things, and people need a simple, affordable, and dependable way to work and play. But that landscape will change again and again, and Microsoft has to learn to be proactive instead of reactive if it wants to find that one big thing that makes everyone want to rush out and buy a Windows laptop again.

More: Folding displays vs. dual screens: Comparing pros and cons for PCs and phones

I think a big reason why people buy Chromebooks is being overlooked here: simple and easy services integration. Schools and businesses aren't buying Chromebooks because of the form factor or even the lower prices Chromebooks are bought because of how easy everything is to set up and administrate, and how simple they are to use. This is where Microsoft needs to innovate and try to surpass Google: at the services level, not the hardware level.

Windows 10X doesn't look like a failure. It's streamlined and more like a mobile operating system, with a focus on software containers and simplicity. That sounds a lot like a Chromebook, but is that what people in the market for an inexpensive laptop to use are looking for? By doing this Windows isn't playing to its existing strengths locally operated software that can be plenty powerful on even anemic hardware.

If I want a cloud-computer I already know how well a Chromebook can do the things I want it to do. I also know how well a Windows computer can do what I want it to do. Just like I wouldn't buy a Chromebook to run Adobe Photoshop, I won't be buying a Windows 10X machine to use an online office suite. A new operating system that integrates your cloud as local storage and makes everything just work can be a cool thing, but we already have that in Chrome. Microsoft shifting away from a new form factor to something more mundane doesn't make me want it more than I used to, and I'll bet I'm not alone.

Microsoft has been building Windows for a long time and I am going to assume they have plenty of metrics of how people use Windows devices. It just seems that by chasing Chromebooks, the company is ruining its chance to leap ahead in the race.

More:
Microsoft will lose the fight with Google if it makes Windows 10X more like Chrome OS - Android Central

Even my daughter had to stay home, Jordyn Astorino said. I cry just thinking about it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work, shop, eat and interact with friends and family.

Empty restaurant dining rooms on Mothers Day are just one example of how the coronavirus has disrupted our lives, at least for now.

Perhaps more important than a Sunday brunch that had to be canceled, the following accounts offer a glimpse at how life has changed for mothers and their families.

A Mothers Day to celebrate

When Jordyn Astorino gave birth to her daughter, Rory, two years ago, family members gathered in the Millcreek Township womans Saint Vincent Hospital room to celebrate.

It was much different March 23 after Astorino, 30, gave birth to her son, Brooks.

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions prevented everyone except her husband, Drew Astorino, from being in Astorinos hospital room. And he wasnt allowed to leave the room unless he was going home for the day.

Even my daughter had to stay home, Jordyn Astorino said. I cry just thinking about it.

As a physician assistant at Saint Vincents Westminster Family Medicine, Jordyn Astorino was fully aware of the threat COVID-19 posed as her due date approached.

She took a medical leave 10 days before Brooks birth to reduce the risk she would get COVID-19 or the flu.

When I went into labor, I had to go through the big, yellow tent at Saint Vincent when I arrived, Astorino said, referring to the COVID-19 triage tent the hospital had set up.

It didnt even feel like real life, she added. But the nurses were wonderful and really reassuring.

After Astorino delivered her 8-pound, 2-ounce baby boy, Astorino and her husband were able to use FaceTime to have video calls with family members.

It was only after mom and baby were discharged that the grandparents could see Brooks in person.

But they still had to keep their distance and not kiss the baby, Jordyn Astorino said. But at least they got to meet him.

Everyone else will meet Brooks on Sunday, when the Astorinos host a Mothers Day gathering.

Then we hope to take Brooks to see my grandmother, who is 93, lives at home and hasnt met the baby yet, Astorino said. "Well have see her through the glass, but thats OK.

Meeting at the window

Annette Sherrange, a 70-year-old former teacher and school administrator, moved back to Erie a dozen years ago.

She moved in with her mother, Gilda Carr, to help care for Sherranges father, who was in failing health.

Mother and daughter lived together until November when Carr, now 92, went to live at Manchester Commons after taking a fall.

The routine between mother and daughter has changed since then. Instead of a shared home on West 30th Street, they spent time together at the nursing home and chatted on the phone several times a day.

If she thinks of something, she will give me a call, Sherrange said. If I think of something, I will give her a call.

But calls arent always enough.

Sherrange brought her mom home for a visit at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas. She had planned to bring her home on Mothers Day for dinner with a relative.

With nursing homes in lockdown, that won happen.

Sherrange, who has three children and three grandchildren back in Connecticut, will instead do on Sunday what shes been doing in recent weeks. She will stand outside her mothers window and they will wave and share a smile.

The visit will be brief. Her mother has arthritis and it is hard for her to stand for long.

Two-hour visits, twice a week, have been replaced by these silent meetings at the window, daily calls and use of a video chat device.

But Mothers Day will be different this year. There will be no shared meal, no laughter around the table.

It different, but its doable, Sherrange said. Its been very aggravating not to get there, but what is very fortunate is that shes in a safe place. The care there is very good.

She worries, though.

You have to be accepting of what the situation is, but there is always that worry there, she said.

A visit with her mother isnt the only thing Sherrange is looking forward to. Shes a mother herself and is overdue for a visit with her own children and grandchildren in Connecticut.

Sherrange, who has asthma, said her children worry about her health. She wont go to see them just yet.

But she doesnt want to wait forever. She hopes to make the trip by the end of summer.

As soon as my children feel its safe, I will go on out, she said.

Separated at birth

Loren Cicero was hoping the COVID-19 pandemic would be finished or at least under control when her son, Roman, was due in mid-June.

Roman had other ideas, however. The baby was born at Magee-Womens, UPMC Hamot about seven weeks premature.

I went to my doctor on April 15 and they said I needed to go to the hospital, I was going into labor early, said Cicero, a 35-year-old Edinboro resident.

Doctors at Magee-Womens tried to stop her labor but Roman was born April 21, weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces.

For the past three weeks, Cicero and her husband, Anthony, have been making daily trips to the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit to spend time with Roman.

Each time Cicero arrives at the hospital, she must go through a gauntlet of procedures designed to protect the countys youngest residents from COVID-19.

Right after I walk through the door, they ask me questions about COVID, take my temperature and have me put on a face mask, Loren Cicero said. This last time, they also had me use hand sanitizer.

Ciceros husband is the only other family member permitted in the NICU. Everyone else must make do with short videos and photos of Roman.

COVID-19 guidelines have made it difficult for Loren Cicero to bond with other NICU parents, even though she spends eight hours a day in the unit.

The parent lounge is currently limited to one family at a time, and its tough to share a smile when everyone is wearing a face mask, she said.

The nurses do a really good job at creating a sense of community, Loren Cicero said.

Friends and family celebrated Romans birth with a drive-through baby shower last weekend. Seeing people, even from 6 feet away, helped boost the couples spirits.

Roman is progressing well and could be discharged in a couple of weeks, Loren Cicero said. Hopefully, COVID-19 restrictions will continue to be reduced and the family can all gather to celebrate his birth.

My husband jokes that by the time Roman is walking, we can have everyone visit, Cicero said.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBRUCE.

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNMartin.

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The joys of motherhood interrupted by pandemic - News - GoErie.com

With discussions ongoing about how the Premier League season might be concluded, talk about the next transfer window has inevitably slipped down footballs agenda.

A knock-on effect of the coronavirus pandemic is that we do not know for certain when or if this season will finish, and therefore when clubs will be able to start signing players.

The summer transfer window is a key time for managers looking to shape their squads and, with time on their hands, planning will be continuing despite the lack of matches.

By looking at the age and playing time of every player this season, we can see the make-up of each squad and where the clubs might want to strengthen, as well as where gaps may appear as they look to replace players who are out of contract and set to leave this summer.

We have already assessed the top 10 teams, so now we check out those in the bottom half of the table.

With seven first-team players aged 30 or older and the oldest average starting XI in the Premier League overall, Roy Hodgson has recently said he would like to inject some new blood into the squad.

It might be a cause for concern for Eagles fans that no player under the age of 27 is a regular starter.

At 27, talismanic attacker Wilfried Zaha is in the peak years of his career and could push for a move away like he did last summer, which would leave them with huge boots to fill.

The Eagles will also likely need to sign a new centre-back, with Scott Dann set to leave when his contract expires and Gary Cahill turning 35 in December.

Hired as the manager who knows how to build a trophy-winning side, Carlo Ancelotti is likely to be busy in his first summer transfer window.

With Leighton Baines out of contract and a decision yet to be made about whether to sign loan player Djibril Sidibe permanently, Everton will likely be looking for full-backs, although Jonjoe Kenny is set to return after a season on loan at Schalke.

Midfield could also be a priority, with only Gylfi Sigurdsson playing regularly in the first team this season, but in Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ancelotti already possesses two of the best prospects in the league up front.

With talk of a potential 300m takeover by a Saudi-backed consortium, Newcastle could be in for their busiest transfer window in years.

But even if it does not happen, the squad is still likely to look very different next season, with seven players currently set to leave following Ki Sung-yuengs exit in January.

As the joint-lowest scorers in the Premier League, Steve Bruce will no doubt look to bolster his attacking options, with 40m striker Joelinton having scored just one Premier League goal all season.

After letting both Maya Yoshida and Cedric Soares leave on loan in January and with their contracts expiring this summer, Southampton will need defensive reinforcements.

Although the club did sign two young prospects on loan to cover their departures, the Saints reportedly only have the option to buy centre-back Kevin Danso, with full-back Kyle Walker-Peters set to return to Tottenham.

A striker may also be on Ralph Hasenhuttls shopping list, as Shane Longs departure leaves him with only Danny Ings, teenager Michael Obafemi and 23-year-old Che Adams, who is yet to score for the club.

Graham Potter will likely look to bolster his attacking options, with the clubs all-time Premier League top scorer Glenn Murray set to celebrate his 37th birthday in September.

And despite the club spending over 36m on the attacking trio of Florin Andone, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jurgen Locadia, none have managed to establish themselves, although academy graduate Aaron Connolly has impressed and Jose Izquierdo is set to return after a long-term injury.

At the back, the club will be bolstered by the return of highly rated academy prospect Ben White, after the 22-year-old centre-backs impressive loan spell at Leeds this season.

With 10 players aged 32 or older by the end of June, it seems West Ham have a busy window ahead, although its not quite as bad as it seems.

With Javier Hernandez having already left, two of them squad players out of contract and four goalkeepers, the main concern will be how long captain Mark Noble and Robert Snodgrass can continue at the highest level.

Keeping hold of hot prospect Declan Rice will also be a priority for David Moyes, as well as having more options up front, with Sebastian Haller the only true striker to play more than 10% of minutes this season.

Ben Foster and Heurelho Gomes are set to leave when their contracts end as things stand, so goalkeepers will be Watfords number one target (pun intended), while some experienced defenders will need replacing.

The club might also start to plan for life after their talismanic captain Troy Deeney, who turns 32 next month an unenviable task given his importance over the past decade.

Since only Crystal Palace have played an older average starting XI this season, Nigel Pearson could look to add some youth to the squad, with Ismaila Sarr currently the only young prospect anywhere near the first team.

Whether Bournemouth stay up or go down, they will likely be one of the busiest clubs, with seven players set to leave.

The loss of wingers Ryan Fraser and Harry Wilson will have the biggest impact on the starting XI, while the departure of some of the old guard who got the club promoted in 2015 will leave a gap in the squad overall.

While the Cherries do have many talented young prospects, it will be interesting to see if Eddie Howe continues to rely so heavily on them to provide the depth and cover for the first team.

After needing to sign a lot of players with potential last summer to build out the squad, Dean Smith will be looking to add some top-flight experience this time around to help lead a first team approaching the peak of their careers.

Keeping star man Jack Grealish will obviously be the clubs main challenge, with the midfielder regularly linked with a move to Manchester United.

After suffering long-term injuries on New Years Day, the return of first-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton and striker Wesley will lessen the need for major reinforcements in those positions.

With relegation looking likely, the Canaries main task in the transfer window will be preventing their crop of exciting young prospects from being plucked away by bigger clubs.

Like Aston Villa counterpart Smith, Daniel Farke may choose to add some experience to go along with such potential, with only midfielder Kenny McLean playing more than 50% of minutes among the players at their peak.

After scoring 11 Premier League goals so far this season, star striker Teemu Pukki will likely also be in demand, although his exit would leave just Josip Drmic and 19-year-old prospect Adam Idah as options up front.

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Which Premier League squads need work in the transfer window? The bottom 10 clubs - News Info Park

Durham, William "Timmy", Sr., - 51, of Vineland, NJ passed away tragically on Monday evening May 4, 2020, at the Inspira Medical Center, Vineland, NJ. Timmy was born in Millville and raised in Vineland where he remained a lifelong city resident. Tim was a graduate from Vineland High School, Class of 1988. Along with his wife they owned and operated their own carpet cleaning business before being hired by the State of N.J. Dept of Corrections. He was employed for the past 19 yrs as a Senior Corrections Officer at the South Woods State Prison, Bridgeton, NJ. Tim enjoyed caring for his home, working in his yard, camping, restoring old mustangs and dirt bike racing with his family. Most of all he enjoyed his time spent with family. He is survived by his high school sweetheart/wife for a total of 32 yrs.; Tiffany (Hinckley) Durham, 2 sons; Billy & Gage Durham, Father; William Durham, Jr., Mother; Gail May, Sister; Tara Emeigh, 2 nieces; Lexi & Lauren Emeigh, Mother in-law's; Cathy (Bill) Everland & Linda Hinckley, Father in-law; Jerry (Beth) Hinckley as well as his 3 furbabies & extended Durham, Macken & Hinckley families. Private family funeral services will be conducted by the Pancoast Funeral Home. A public memorial service will be conducted at a time when it is safe for everyone to gather and remember what a special person Timmy Durham was and meant to everyone. For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made through his personal memorial page at http://www.inmemof.org/timmy-durham. To e-mail condolences & or tributes, please visit http://www.pancoastfuneralhome.com

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Durham, William "Timmy", Sr. - Press of Atlantic City

EVERYONE has their own way when it comes to freeing your carpet of hair, dust, bacteria and anything else you might find lurking in it's delicate fibres.

And while some people simply run over the surface with a vacuum occasionally, chances are you're not picking up all the trapped dirt - but this hack might just change all that.

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A cleaning fan revealed her clever carpet cleaning hack and people are shocked to learn just how much dirt is lurking in the floor.

The mum was challenged to find an effective carpet-cleaning method after being quoted up to 90 to clean the carpet in her just her kids' room alone.

She decided to try a hack she'd seen before but never tried, which involves using a cheap squeegee to scrape along the carpet fibres bringing all the hair and dust out.

From there you can vacuum as per normal knowing full well that you've effectively removed everything stuck in the carpets.

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She shared a clip of the hack in action, alongside a couple of snaps which show just how much she'd removed from her carpets with the squeegee - and it's incredible.

In the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group, she wrote: "Seen this trick being posted on a page I'm on.. wow just wow how amazing I wasn't even expecting it to work!

"Bring the hair and dust up out of your carpets and this is just a couple pound to buy. I was quoted 70-90 pound to clean the carpet in kids room.. but it looks fab now super made up."

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Many commented saying they too use the trick, but are still amazed by how much hair comes out each time.

"I do it every week honestly the hair that comes up shocks me. I hoover twice a day," one person revealed.

While another said: "I do this on a regular basis. I was shocked the first time I done it."

Loving the hack, on person added: "Thank you for posting this, Ive just done a bit of my bedroom carpet. Lets say I am to embarrassed to post a picture of what I collected."

Meanwhile, others suggested using a rubber broom, or even flip flops to do the same.

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We also shared one woman's hack for getting her windows sparkling using fabric softener and washing up liquid.

And a woman completely changes colour of the grotty patio she hasnt washed in six years using 2 The Range spray.

Plus this woman shared a stomach-churning photo of filthy bath after washing rug shes owned for only one MONTH.

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Mums genius 49p hack removes fluff from carpets and people are horrified by how dirty their floors are - The Sun