The Daily Moth 3-6-2020
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Friday, March 6. Ready for news?
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Ice-cream licker sentenced to jail
Remember when there were viral videos of people in supermarkets opening ice cream containers, licking the contents, and putting it back in the freezer?
CNN reported that one of the lickers, D’Adrien L’Quinn Anderson was sentenced to 30 days in jail in Jefferson County, Texas after pleading guilty to criminal mischief for licking a Blue Bell container in a Walmart. He will have to pay over $2,000 in fines and restitutions.
The county district attorney said they enforced the law very strongly to stop copycats like him.
There are at least two other ice cream lickers who faced criminal charges, but this is the first known person who will have to serve jail time.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/07/us/blue-bell-ice-cream-licking-louisiana-arrest/index.html
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President Trump signs $8 billion coronavirus bill
President Trump signed a $8 billion emergency coronavirus funding package that had overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.
Axios explained that the bill includes $3 billion for developing treatments, $2 billion for public health agencies to help prevent the spread of the virus, and more than $1 billion to be sent overseas.
Trump will be visiting with tornado survivors in Nashville and then head over to Atlanta to stop by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He will then stay at his Mar-a-Lago resort for the weekend.
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-emergency-funding-congress-deal-8c9e7b5a-30a5-48a8-97ec-9bfc13dbe6f6.html
https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-why-trump-cancel-cdc-8bfb68e9-5b32-4238-accf-c39f87bcf637.html
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Deaf schools and organizations keeping an eye on coronavirus
What is the sign for coronavirus? I’ve fingerspelled it in all of my reports, and it’s quite a long word to fingerspell. I’ve seen a sign being circulated in the deaf social media community, and I feel comfortable to use it because it has been widely used.
This is what the sign looks like. It makes perfect sense because the word “corona” is from a Latin word that means “crown” or “halo.” The virus has spikes on it. So this is the sign I’ll be using.
There are now over 250 cases in the U.S. There is constant breaking news updates with the coronavirus.
I asked “The Daily Moth” reporter Renca Dunn to collect information on how deaf communities, schools, and organizations are responding to the outbreak. Here it is.
RENCA DUNN:
I have collected some information and will list them here.
I will start off with going from the West Coast to the East and how they have responded. I have a list here in front of me.
The first is Washington state, one of the affected areas.
One person who works for Microsoft said that many teams have canceled their events and some were specifically told to work from home. King County (the Seattle area) declared a state of emergency and asked everyone to work from home if their job allows it. It seems to be very serious in that area.
Now we will go down to Vancouver where the Washington School for the Deaf is -- a community member said that the school remains open and does have a plan if something happens.
Moving towards the Northern California area where California School for the Deaf Fremont is, they said that CSDF is working closely with the California Department of Education and the state and county departments of public health as the situation evolves. Right now there are no plans to close the school.
Further down in Southern California where California School for the Deaf Riverside is, a community member mentioned that the school remains open as of now.
I checked with Iowa School for the Deaf since that Deaf school is right next to Omaha, Nebraska which is one of the most well-known places for their medical centers and research. ISD is working closely with the Pottawattamie County Public Health Department and the Iowa Department of Public Health to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. There are no plans of closing the school as of now.
Now, let’s move to Washington, D.C. where Gallaudet University is located. The university is responding with their Crisis Leadership Team and other university officials to monitor the coronavirus outbreak closely and are establishing procedures. Gallaudet is also restricting all official travel to China. They are offering counseling and psychological services. In addition with Gallaudet’s announcement, they mentioned that Gallaudet will be vigilant against any incidents of racism or xenophobic reactions against Asian or Asian-American individuals.
I also checked in with NTID/RIT- they have information posted on their website. Like Gallaudet, they are also monitoring the coronavirus outbreak closely to make sure the students and staff are safe. They have a task force team to handle this situation. There are no plans to close the university right now. On their website, you can see all the procedures and responses to various concerns.
I also looked into Lexington School for the Deaf website as New York is one of the affected states too. The school remains open. They are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York Department of Education. They also posted a letter on their website from the NYC Health Department about how to practice flu prevention. If anything changes, they will post it on their website.
So that’s how Deaf schools and universities have responded.
Alex:
Thank you Renca for that report. We see that most schools and organizations are keeping an eye on what officials say, which makes sense.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/world/coronavirus-news.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
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Interview with creators of Gallaudet’s “We Belong” video
Two weeks ago Gallaudet University released a music / dance video called “We Belong.”
[Clip of a dance sequence from Gallaudet’s “We Belong” video]
The video was written and directed by Storm Smith, a deaf producer with BBDO LA, who worked in collaboration with Bus Door Films. The video features three Gallaudet student-dancers and multiple student-actors.
I reached out to the people behind the film for an interview.
STORM SMITH:
I want to tell a story that applies to real life experiences that’s relatable to the current generation especially those who come to Gallaudet for the first time.
Some of them will really hit it off, make friendships and connections on the Gallaudet campus whether it’s through involvement in programs and academics. Some people do take a while to adjust whatever their reasons are, whether it’s through challenges, adversity or unique experiences. They finally develop connections later!
BRANDI RARUS:
When I met with Storm to discuss producing the film, my only request for the film was to include rhythms, using music beats. Also, I asked for this because being a deaf person, I’ve been listening by feeling the beats just like other deaf people have. I enjoy it particularly at deaf weddings and deaf events with deaf DJs where people can dance to the music beats. I also thought that many mainstreamed students who come to Gallaudet, those who have cochlear implants or still have some level of hearing, they would have some sense of connection to what we provide. There are people here who do celebrate music, rhythm and dancing.
JOSEPH:
I can say that all of us come from hearing families where we’ve experienced lack of communication because of the language being used. Often the family members speak rather than sign leading to constant miscommunication. We all really came here to be able to use sign language and that leads us to understanding our identities, figuring out and sharing similar interests. We can get all of this from sign language which is incredible to us.
RARUS:
Storm is the one who picked the theme “We Belong,” and the theme is important because Gallaudet is a place where deaf people come to find themselves and their identities. It’s a welcome center of sorts and I want students to see Gallaudet as a great place to come to and that you belong.
SMITH:
I belong.
That’s an empowering sense to me. I belong!
So, that’s where I started in developing this story. The story comes from the student’s POV (point of view). I wanted to deliver this concept, so I pitched it to Brandi and she was all for it! And the rest of history.
TANISHA:
When we came up with this dance for the music film, well, the three of us had different dance styles. We all shared ideas, put it all together and went from there. SMITH:
I picked out people plus the University’s Communications department was already very good at what they do. Bradley and Ruan from Bus Door Films were already really proficient with their filmmaking skills. They really know their stuff, they have the all the equipment and the lights!
BRADLEY GANTT:
What were the equipment and the lights that were used for this production?
I decided to use the RED camera, which is one of the top camera brands often used by Hollywood movies and TV shows. Also, it’s a professional grade equipment. The new technology that was used for this production is called the Gimbal-based system. It stabilizes the frame to make it smooth. It ended up being the right fit for what we wanted to with the music video.
RUAN DU PLESSIS:
My role in this project is as the Gaffer. That means I am responsible for adjusting lights, so the film gets the right look and feel. So, with this project, I decided to go with two things. The first is the Astera Titan lighting tubes. I actually rented 8 of them. Secondly, I also used the HMI Joker 800 which is used as the main lighting source. These are 2 of the things I used. And also another cool thing about this music video, did you know that you can break the rules when it comes to music videos? By this, I mean we can place different lights in front of the camera for special effects or the camera can be pointed at the HMI lighting source. That’s acceptable since this is a music video and you can be creative artistically by adding these effects.
SMITH:
If we have stories to tell, make it happen!
Bring the right people in and empower them.
We all have such a wealth of stories to share that hasn’t been told yet.
HARMONY:
It’s rare to see deaf people shine. We need more of that out there. This is where the 3 of us shone and it’s helped us grow up.
TANISHA:
Yeah, it’s because of this that I felt that this is a safe place for us to express ourselves. We can share our stories and experiences whether they’re good or bad.
DU PLESSIS:
We’ve been successful together. I’m always looking forward to filming the next frame or the next phase. That energy we put into this project can be felt through our production. Now that it’s been edited and released, you’re all enjoying the music video, right?! Do you feel a sense of connection with the video? It’s all about positive energy. That’s what’s important.
TANISHA:
We want to say thank you to the community and the production team. Thank you so much, Director Storm, for making this dream happen because if it wasn’t for Storm, we wouldn’t be able to share our visions, passions and talent. Thank you for that.
JOSEPH:
Or meet you!
TANISHA:
Or meet either of you!
GANTT:
I used to be a Gallaudet student myself so it’s nice to see deaf professionals and Gallaudet students working together to make this video happen. I think individuals have a lot to contribute. You know that phrase, “You can do it!”
I feel like this is… we are doing it!
I think this is really beautiful to behold.
STORM:
If we have stories to tell, make it happen! Bring the right people in and empower them. We all have so much to tell, so many stories to share that hasn’t been told yet. To be able to tell these stories, I’m really honored and humbled.
TANISHA:
Chase your dream!
JOSEPH:
Yeah!
HARMONY:
Dream big!
ALL:
We love you!
[Clips of dancing]
THE DAILY MOTH:
Thank you everybody for sharing your thoughts and perspectives. It is true that deaf people love music and dance just as much as anyone else. The “We Belong” film is an inspiration for all of us to chase our dreams and share our stories.
LINK to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S6x7ed2k9M
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That is all for this week. Thank you for watching “The Daily Moth.” Have a great weekend and stay with the light!