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AK COVID-Development Studies Intersections

Aalok Khandekar

I am currently in the process of transitioning my M.A. level course on Science, Technology, and Development with 11 students to virtual instruction. One of my interests in engaging with COVID-19 is to examine how it (should) informs development ideologies and practices. How should students of development studies retool -- conceptually, methodologically, practically -- in wake of the pandemic?

Ecuador Acidification

This PECE essay details the quotidian anthropocene in Ecuador utilizing the Questioning Quotidian Anthropocenes analytic developed for the Open Seminar River School.

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maryclare.crochiere

"The purpose of this essay is to discuss a truly formidable task, the creation of an international nuclear emergency response team"

This quote sets up the rest of the article by showing the reader, regardless of their background or knowledge, that the creation of such a team is going to be difficult.  Beyond the standard challenge of creating a unified emergency response team, it is an international one - therefore with language barriers, geographical differences, and large distances to travel in the case of an emergency. And futhermore, it is a team created to deal with the incertainty of nuclear materials in an emergency situation - even more of a challenge.

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maryclare.crochiere

This article is all about emergency response. Could you imagine being called to a scene where the patient is sustaining injuries from a police officer? As EMTs, we are trained to help police for help if the patient is combative or a minor, and all they should do is restrain the patient or act as their parent for custody purposes. The police officer should not be the reason we have to provide care, unless someone's safety was at risk - which it does not seem was the case. This situation shows increased risk for EMTs in the field and more challenges we are facing each day with the politics and violence around police departments these days.

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maryclare.crochiere
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They do not seem to be very unique in any way, just the fact that they respond quickly, with plenty of resources, and the desire to do good with the resources they have, makes them a good organization. Their nurses and workers are highly trained but also have compassion, so they do not come off as trying to take over, but rather as trying to help the community from the bottom up.

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maryclare.crochiere

The platform has posts that are tagged with varios topics, and each is under one of the following categories: identifing and diagnosing, mananging the dead, caring for the sick, research/clinical trials, preparedness, comminication and engagement. There are field notes, briefings and guides, and background types of posts. These filters allow someone to quickly search for a topic and a type of post so that they can find what they need and read up on a topic before they may be faced with a similar situation. If you have information you want to post, you can email in and they will post it.

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maryclare.crochiere

Historical examples of emergency repsonse were given, showing how times have changed. In the theater fire years ago that was described, people sat around waiting for "fire-proof" mechanisms to kick in. This mindset has changed over the years and we have learned our lessons.

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maryclare.crochiere

"Clearly, this criterion aimed to prevent people who came to France solely for the purposes of getting treatment for their illness from also acquiring a temporary residence permit and free health care under the medical assistance system. However, such situations were not uncommon"

"Precisely because he or she is illegally resident, the sick immigrant may undertake medical tests or seek treatment under a different name, so that the cost of treatment is coverd, or simply to avoid being denounced and deported"