The current pandemic has adversely affected every aspect of human life from health, business, and leisure to education. Schools and colleges are closed and there are many doubts about the short-term and long-term impact of the measures being used to tackle the problem. Even after the pandemic subsides, its ripple effects will have a permanent impact on education.

While most educational institutions have shifted to online teaching, this approach will be challenging in the long term. Amid what is likely to be a deep economic recession, students and parents have begun to question what type of higher education provides the best value (if any). COVID-19 will also exacerbate some of the pre-existing and systemic challenges faced by higher education providers.

Since independence, the higher education system in India has undergone a development spurt, entailing drastic improvements in the number of establishments, enrolment rate, faculty positions, infrastructure development and provision of facilities and technological advancements. India boasts the second-most expanded higher education system globally. The regulatory roadmap of this sector is curated by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which devises appropriate guidelines and standards, keeps a check on the extent to which they are implemented countrywide, and aligns the functions of the central and the state governments. However, unlike the West, we have never developed a backup online education plan.

Now, COVID-19 is forcing parents to become tech-savvy in a short span of time to help their children learn. This may become the new normal with far-reaching implications for students from lower economic groups. Its effects need to be studied further so that the experience becomes valuable in overhauling the Indian higher education system. Unlike the West, we have never developed a backup online education dissemination plan.

According to the 2018-19 All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), there are 993 universities, 39,931 colleges and 10,725 independent institutions nationwide. Unfortunately, higher education institutions are concentrated mostly in urban areas, and that is the reason for the poor Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER). However, the GER has increased during the last five years, from 24.3 in 2014-15 to 26.3 in 2018-19. An effective online education system can mitigate this challenge, bring more objectivity and transparency and GER can reach beyond 80%.

There are challenges as well. Many students today travel abroad to get a good education, primarily due to the lack of globally ranked education institutions in India. Harvard University has around 21.1% international students in its entire student body in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. At Oxford, this number is 43%, with students from more than 150 countries. Almost 30% of the student body of the National University of Singapore, included among the league of premier Asian universities, comprises international students. In contrast, the rate of enrolment of international students in Indian institutions is considerably less. At the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, the number is only one per cent; Jamia Hamdard recently recommended as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) by the Ministry of Human Resources Development has about 7%.

According to the 2018-19 All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), a total of 47,427 international students are enrolled in different Indian universities. The majority belong to Indias neighbouring countries. COVID-19 will definitely limit their international travel and the proportion of foreign students enrolled in Indian Universities will also reduce.

The above description is an argument towards the Indian education system waiting for a revamp. If India is to be featured on a larger scale on the global education platforms, this is the time. Significant focus needs to be laid on technology and innovation with improvisations in the IT infrastructure.

Such a crisis can be turned into an opportunity to align with upcoming prospects. This is the perfect occasion to understand possible threats, spot loopholes and work on capacity building. The Finance Minister has announced that the top 100 universities in the country will be permitted to start online courses by May 30, 2020, which is a welcome step. This will help in increasing the GER substantially with increased enrolment from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. We have never given online or distance mode of education as much weightage as the regular mode. This is the right time to change this mindset.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) and other regulatory bodies need to revise their protocols so that online education is made more mainstream. Faculty selection criteria should also be amended to check for technology friendliness. The current disruption in the education sector will lead to a paradigm shift in the learning process. This will bring more transparency and address to deliver quality education on a large scale while ensuring inclusive e-learning. Paul Reville, the Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at Harvard Graduate School of Education, says, We dont simply want to frantically struggle to restore the status quo because the status quo wasnt operating at an effective level and certainly wasnt serving all of our children fairly. The already existing financial and technological disparities among various students have been made more apparent by the current scenario.

The online education system cannot function unless there is a reliable backup of Information Technology infrastructure. Very few universities have a good quality IT-enabled education system, which also has Internet connectivity with good bandwidth and a robust security system, in place. Till now, we never realised the need for an online university with universal, curriculum-linked resources for teaching and learning integrated curriculum widely delivered with a blended model. There are opportunities for universities to leverage the Internet and offer an anytime, anywhere, anyone model of higher education. The real challenge will be professional courses like Medicine, Nursing and Engineering. The education system should also focus on creating innovative career opportunities as we could see a complete change in the future job markets.

With the young population in India being a large number, policy makers should look at developing a consortium-type cluster university platform. A group of premier institutions like IoEs can form a virtual cluster education model to offer low-cost, high-quality, professional education that does not need separate campuses or geographic boundaries. For cost-effectiveness and economies of scale, cluster universities can share administrative resources to reduce duplication of activities. Such IT-enabled universities will have to deal with a large student base and, therefore, cannot falter on infrastructure. This requires enormous investment and the majority of the Indian institutions cannot afford that unless the government provides support. The national education budget should absorb the cost of these technologies for at least all the IoEs regardless of their status as private or public.

India spends considerably less on education compared to many other countries. The operational expenditures of Harvard University and Oxford University are $5.2 billion and $3.1 billion per annum, respectively. On the contrary, as per the annual budget of 2019-2020, the total allocation for the higher education sector in India is less than $ 5.0 billion. This implies that the entire nations higher education budget is less than Harvard Universitys annual operational expenditure alone!

The IoE tag permits certain institutions to admit up to 30% international students with no restrictions levied on the fee charged from them. They can also hire foreign faculty up to 25% of the total number. With the focus on online or distance learning, hiring foreign faculty will be easy and cost-effective. In the recent past, India has become one of the fastest-growing sources of outbound students. The latest trends have demonstrated an increase in the number of students pursuing undergraduate education abroad, in contrast to earlier scene when students migrated for a post-graduate degree or a doctorate. Many students now seek admissions in foreign institutions immediately after high school, which is evidence of the availability of buying power, demand and a favourable market.

According to the data recorded by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, nearly 753,000 Indian students were enrolled in foreign universities as of July 2018. Another study conducted by ASSOCHAM and Tata Institute of Social Sciences, reveals that the expenditure of Indian students on foreign education amounts to $7 billion or around 45,000 crore a year. This outbound travel can be reduced significantly if global levels of quality can be obtained from Indian universities. Also, IoEs like Jamia Hamdard, IITs and IIMs can enhance their capacity through online mode. While this will trigger a competition to attract Indian students, the country will benefit enormously in the long run and emerge as a world leader in quality education with global rankings coming as a bonus!

Shibu John is Professor and former Dean, School of Management and Business Studies, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi. Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain is Vice Chancellor, Jamia Hamdard and Former Vice Chancellor, University of Hyderabad, and Former Invited Professor, IIT Delhi, and Former Member, University Grants Commission (UGC).

An edited version of this article appeared in print.

Read the original:
The time is NOW - The Hindu

Amid the COVID-19 chaos, the university system got transformed into virtual substitutes. As part of professional responsibilities, the educators were instructed to conduct online classes to keep up with the course programme. This turned out to be an insurmountable task for teachers. It was due to not just a lack of awareness of online teaching software but also a limited access to academic resources at home. This was further exacerbated by the need to manage the work-life balance amid growing chaos to arrange the paraphernalia needed to meet the needs of students in times of social distancing.

Though the teaching community rose up to the occasion, it led us to closely examine the multiple facets of online education in a diverse country like ours.

Drawing from my teaching experience at Aligarh Muslim University, which is a Central university providing higher education to students belonging to diverse socio-economic sections of society, I observed that about 30% of the total class was in attendance during the online lectures. While this got me worried about the majority of the class being left out of the ambit of online education, I began reaching out to the students on their mobile phones and e-mails. That threw open a Pandoras box of socio-economic problems before me, ranging from intermittent Internet connectivity and frequent power cuts to financial constraints in procuring a high-speed Internet connection and limited access to digital literacy and devices among college goers in the country.

While the painstaking efforts of teachers did benefit those hailing from privileged backgrounds, it left behind the vulnerable sadly, the majority. For students who had to opt out because they were forced to partake in agricultural livelihoods to sustain their economically weaker families, the virtual world with the promise of a brighter future looks dimmer and their chances of being pulled out of poverty slimmer than before. Students from poverty-stricken families now have a much widened gap to bridge before them between the "essentials" and the luxury of accomplishing academic goals. It would be even more challenging for the underprivileged to crack competitive examinations in the absence of a level playing field in terms of equal access to learning opportunities and resources.

This is not to say the we protest against technology adaptation, digital literacy, and online learning platforms, but can we as a nation afford to overlook the underprivileged and march ahead with a sense of accomplishment with the just privileged urban sections? Obviously not. This will not only dampen the spirit and dreams of the current lot, but also the aspirations of the future generations to come. It is incumbent upon us to urgently imbibe the lessons from the pandemic. Some measures that could be taken to bridge the learning gap include extra tutorials in the successive semesters and special teaching assistance in the form of student mentors for every student who missed out during the lockdown. It would become more challenging for the students as well as faculty.

We need urgent policy interventions advancing diversity and inclusion in higher education to be implemented at the national level. To begin with, we need to promote and ensure digital literacy among the masses, primarily uninterrupted Internet connectivity and mobile network signals in rural areas. Additionally, universities must fully fund digital access to user-friendly online teaching platforms to benefit a majority of the students in Central universities. These primary steps will not only bridge the learning gap but also help us realise our potential as a nation to evolve beyond the "essentials".

a.chaudhary.cm@amu.ac.in

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The divide in digital education - The Hindu

Written by Karina Tsui, CNN

Today, we can alter our bodies in previously unimaginable ways, whether that's implanting microchips, fitting advanced prosthetic limbs or even designing entirely new senses.

So-called transhumanists -- people who seek to improve their biology by enhancing their bodies with technology -- believe that our natural condition inhibits our experience of the world, and that we can transcend our current capabilities through science.

Ideas that are "technoprogressive" to some are controversial to others. But to photographer David Vintiner, they are something else altogether: beautiful.

Neil Harbisson was born with achromatism, or total colorblindness. In 2004, he had an antenna implanted into his skull that allows him to perceive colors as audible vibrations. Credit: David Vintiner

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Made in collaboration with art director and critic Gem Fletcher, the book features a variety of people who identify, to some degree, as "transhuman" -- including a man with bionic ears that sense changes in atmospheric pressure, a woman who can "feel" earthquakes taking place around the world and technicians who have developed lab-made organs.

Fletcher was first introduced to the transhumanist subculture via the London Futurist Group, an organization that explores how technology can counter future crises. Upon meeting some of its members, the London-based art director approached Vintiner with the idea of photographing them in a series of portraits.

Describing himself as an "eyeborg," Rob Spence installed a wireless video camera in place of his right eye. Credit: David Vintiner

"Our first shoot was with Andrew Vladimirov, a DIY 'brain hacker,'" Vintiner recalled in a phone interview. "Each time we photographed someone new, we asked for referrals and introductions to other key people within the movement."

One of Vintiner's subjects, James Young, turned to bionics after losing his arm and leg in an accident in 2012. Young had always been interested in biotechnology and was particularly drawn to the aesthetics of science fiction. Visualizing how his body could be "re-built," or even perform enhanced tasks with the help of the latest technology, became part of his recovery process.

But according to the 29-year-old, the options presented to him by doctors were far from exciting -- standard-issue steel bionic limbs with flesh-colored silicone sleeves.

James Young has always been drawn to the aesthetics of science fiction. Following his accident, he came to see "re-building" his body as part of his recovery process. Credit: David Vintiner

"To see what was available was the most upsetting part," Young said in a video interview.

"What the human body can constitute, in terms of tools and technology, is such a blurry thing -- if you think about the arm, it's just a sensory piece of equipment.

"If there was anyone who would get their arm and leg chopped off, it would be me because I'm excited about technology and what it can get done."

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Japanese gaming giant Konami worked with prosthetics sculptor Sophie de Oliveira Barata to design a set of bionic limbs for Young. The result was an arm and leg made from gray carbon fiber -- an aesthetic partly inspired by Konami's "Metal Gear Solid," one of the then-22-year-old's favorite video games.

Beyond the expected functions, Young's robotic arm features a USB port, a screen displaying his Twitter feed and a retractable dock containing a remote-controlled drone. The limbs are controlled by sensors that convert nerve impulses from Young's spine into physical movements.

"Advanced prosthetics enabled James to change people's perception of (his) disability," said Vintiner of Young, adding: "When you first show people the photographs, they are shocked and disconcerted by the ideas contained within. But if you dissect the ideas, they realize that they are very pragmatic."

James Young's bionic arm features a USB port, a screen linked to his Twitter account and a retractable dock containing a remote-controlled drone. Credit: David Vintiner

Young says it has taken several years for people to appreciate not just the functions of advanced bionic limbs but their aesthetics, too. "Bionic and electronic limbs were deemed scary, purely because of how they looked," he said. "They coincided with the idea that 'disability is not sexy.'"

He also felt there was stigma surrounding bionics, because patients were often given flesh-colored sleeves to conceal their artificial limbs.

What -- and who -- will define beauty in the year 2050?

"Visually, we think that this is the boundary of the human body," Young said, referring to his remaining biological arm. "Opportunities for transhumanists open up because a bionic arm can't feel pain, or it can be instantly replaced if you have the money. It has different abilities to withstand heat and to not be sunburned."

As Vintiner continued shooting the portraits, he felt many of his preconceptions being challenged. The process also raised a profound question: If technology can change what it is to be human, can it also change what it means to be beautiful?

"Most of my (original) work centers around people -- their behavior, character, quirks and stories," he said. "But this project took the concept of beauty to another level."

Liz Parrish claims to be the first person to successfully undergo dual gene therapy to "treat" biological aging. Credit: David Vintiner

Science's impact over our understanding of aesthetics is, to Vintiner, one of the most fascinating aspects of transhumanism. What he discovered, however, was that many in the movement still look toward existing beauty standards as a model for "post-human" perfection.

Speaking to CNN Style in 2018, Hanson said that Sophia's form would resonate with people around the world, and that her appearance was partly inspired by real women including Hanson's wife and Audrey Hepburn, as well as statues of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

Related video: Meet Sophia, the robot who smiles and frowns just like us

But with her light hazel eyes, perfectly arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, defined cheekbones and plump lips -- Sophia's appearance arguably epitomizes that of a conventionally beautiful Caucasian woman.

How ancient Egyptian cosmetics influenced our beauty rituals

"When I photographed Ben Goertzel, he vocalized how he took no time to consider how he (himself) looked -- it was of no interest to him," the photographer recalled of the photo shoot.

Vintiner saw a certain irony: that someone who was unconcerned about his own appearance would nonetheless project our preoccupation with beauty through his company's invention.

It also served as a reminder that attractiveness may be more complex than algorithms can ever fathom.

Ben Goertzel, one of the scientists behind Sophia the robot. Credit: David Vintiner

"I fear that if we can design humans without any of the 'flaws' that occur in our biological makeup, things will be pushed further and further towards a level of perfection we can only imagine right now." Vintiner said. "Look at how plastic surgery has altered our perception of beauty in a very short space of time.

"If the transhumanists are right and we, as humans, can live to be several hundreds of years old, our notion of beauty and the very meaning of what it is to be human will change dramatically."

Read more from the original source:
Transhumanism: Meet the cyborgs and biohackers redefining beauty - CNN

All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. By Alison Foreman2020-05-28 11:00:00 UTC

HBO Max may have just hit the market, but we already know what it's bringing next month.

In June 2020, the streaming service will offer tons of new movie titles like Titanic, Ad Astra, Doctor Sleep, Bridget Jones's Baby, A Cinderella Story, Speed Racer, The Bucket List, The Neverending Story, The Good Liar, Uncle Buck, When Harry Met Sally, and more.

As for TV, HBO Max will debut new seasons of Search Party, Doom Patrol, and Summer Camp Island alongside the series premieres of Perry Mason, Karma, I May Destroy You, and I'll Be Gone in the Dark. Plus, we'll get Seasons 1-24 of South Park and a standup special from Yvonne Orji.

Check out everything coming to HBO Max in June 2020.

After three painful years, Search Party is finally back. The dark comedy from Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter originally premiered on TBS in 2016 with its spectacular second season arriving in 2017. Now, it has been picked up for its third and fourth seasons at HBO Max so if you're new to the search party, now's the perfect time to catch up.

This satirical joyride follows Dory (Alia Shawkat) and her gaggle of entitled friends as they seek to solve the mysterious disappearance of Chantal Witherbottom. Stupidly funny and surprisingly tense, this series checks all the boxes and escalates in ways you can't imagine.

How to watch: Search Party Season 3 premieres June 25 on HBO Max.

A Cinderella Story (6/1) A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (6/1) A Monster Calls (6/1) A Perfect World (6/1) Ad Astra (6/6) Adventures In Babysitting (6/1) Amelie (6/1) An American Werewolf in London (6/1) Another Cinderella Story (6/1) Bajo el mismo techo (aka Under the Same Roof) (6/19) Beautiful Girls (6/1) Black Beauty (6/1) Bridget Jones's Baby (6/1) Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn (6/19) Cabaret (6/1) Chicago (6/1) Clash Of The Titans (6/1) Cornfield Shipwreck (6/16) Cradle 2 the Grave (6/1) Crash (6/1) David Attenborough's Ant Mountain (6/16) David Attenbouroughs Light on Earth (6/16) DeBugged (6/16) Doctor Sleep (Directors Cut) (6/27) Doubt (6/1) Dragons & Damsels (6/16) Dreaming Of Joseph Lees (6/1) Drop Dead Gorgeous (6/1) Dune (6/1) Ebony: The Last Years of The Atlantic Slave Trade (6/16) El asesino de los caprichos (aka The Goya Murders) (6/12) Elf (6/1) Enter The Dragon (6/1) Entre Nos: The Winners (6/19) Far and Away (6/1) Final Destination (6/1) Final Destination 2 (6/1) Final Destination 3 (6/1) The Final Destination (6/1) Firewall (6/1) First Man (6/16) Flipped (6/1) Forces of Nature (6/1) Ford V. Ferrari (6/20) Frantic (6/1) From Dusk Til Dawn (6/1) Full Metal Jacket (6/1) Gente De Zona: En Letra De Otro (6/1) Going Nuts: Tales from Squirrel World (6/16) Hack the Moon: Unsung Heroes of Apollo (6/16) Hanna (6/1) Havana (6/1) He Got Game (6/1) Heaven Can Wait (6/1) Heidi (6/1) Hello Again (6/1) Hormigas (aka The Awakening of the Ants) (6/26) In Her Shoes (6/1) In Like Flint (6/1) Into the Lost Crystal Caves (6/16) It Takes Two (6/1) Jason Silva: Transhumanism (6/16) Juice (6/1) Knuckleball! (6/16) Leonardo: The Mystery of The Lost Portrait (6/16) License To Wed (6/1) Life (6/1) Lifeforce (6/1) Lights Out (6/1) Like Water For Chocolate (6/1) Looney Tunes: Back in Action (6/1) Love Jones (6/1) Lucy (6/1) Magic Mike (6/1) Mans First Friend (6/16) McCabe and Mrs. Miller (6/1) Misery (6/1) Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (6/1) Mr. Wonderful (6/1) Must Love Dogs (6/1) My Dog Skip (6/1) Mystic River (6/1) New York Minute (6/1) Nights In Rodanthe (6/1) No Reservations (6/1) Ordinary People (6/1) Our Man Flint (6/1) Patch Adams (6/1) Pedro Capo: En Letra Otro (6/1) Penguin Central (6/16) Personal Best (6/1) Pompeii: Disaster Street (6/16) Presumed Innocent (6/1) Pyramids Builders: New Clues (6/16) Ray (6/1) Richie Rich (6/1) Rosewood (6/1) Rugrats Go Wild (6/1) Running on Empty (6/1) Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer (6/16) Scanning the Pyramids (6/16) Secondhand Lions (6/1) She's The Man (6/1) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (6/1) Space Cowboys (6/1) Speed Racer (6/1) Splendor in the Grass (6/1) Summer Catch (6/1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (6/1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 (6/1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 (6/1) Tess (6/1) The American (6/1) The Bucket List (6/1) The Champ (6/1) The Daunting Fortress of Richard the Lionheart (6/16) The Fountain (6/1) The Good Liar (6/13) The Good Son (6/1) The Goonies (6/1) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (6/1) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (6/1) The Hunger (6/1) The Iron Giant (6/1) The Last Mimzy (6/1) The Losers (6/1) The Neverending Story (6/1) The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter (6/1) The Parallax View (6/1) The Stepfather (6/1) The Time Traveler's Wife (6/1) The Woodstock Bus (6/16) Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (6/1) Titanic (6/1) TMNT (6/1) Torch Song Trilogy (6/1) Transhood (6/24) Tsunamis: Facing a Global Threat (6/16) Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (6/1) Tweety's High-Flying Adventures (6/1) U-571 (6/1) U.S. Marshals (6/1) Unaccompanied Minors (6/1) Uncle Buck (6/1) Veronica Mars (6/1) Versailles Rediscovered: The Sun Kings Vanished Palace (6/16) Vitamania (6/16) Walking and Talking (6/1) We Are Marshall (6/1) Weird Science (6/1) Welcome to Chechnya (6/30) Whale Wisdom (6/16) When Harry Met Sally (6/1) Wild Wild West (6/1) Wonder (6/1) X-Men: First Class (6/1) Youve Got Mail (6/1)

4th & Forever: Muck City: Season 1 (6/1) Adventure Time Distant Lands: BMO (6/25) Age of Big Cats: Season 1 (6/16) Ancient Earth: Season 1 (6/16) Apocalypse: WWI: Season 1 (6/16) Big World in A Small Garden (6/16) Digits: Season 1 (6/16) Doom Patrol: Season 2 Premiere (6/25) Esme & Roy: Season 2A Premiere (6/25) Expedition: Black Sea Wrecks: Season 1 (6/16) #GeorgeWashington (6/16) HBO First Look: The King of Staten Island (6/4) Hurricane the Anatomy: Season 1 (6/16) I May Destroy You: Series Premiere (6/7) Ill Be Gone in the Dark: Docuseries Premiere (6/28) Infinity Train: Season 2 Premiere (6/10) Inside Carbonaro: Season 1 (6/2) Karma: Series Premiere (6/18) King: A Filmed Record Montgomery to Memphis (Part 1 & Part 2): Season 1 (6/16) Looney Tunes (Batch 2): Season 1 (6/16)Perry Mason: Limited Series Premiere (6/21) Popeye (Batch 2): Season 1 (6/16)Realm of the Volga: Season 1 (6/16) Sacred Spaces: Season 1 (6/16) Science vs. Terrorism: Season 1 (6/16) Search Party: Season 3 Premiere (6/25) Secret Life of Lakes: Season 1 (6/16) Secret Life Underground: Season 1 (6/16) Secrets of the Solar System: Season 1 (6/16) South Park: Seasons 1 - 23 (6/24) Space Probes!: Season 1 (6/16) Speed: Season 1 (6/16) Spies of War: Season 1 (6/16) Summer Camp Island: Season 2 Premiere (6/18) Tales of Nature: Season 1 (6/16) The Celts: Blood, Iron & Sacrifice: Season 1 (6/16) The History of Food: Season 1 (6/16) The Secret Lives of Big Cats: Season 1 (6/16) Viking Women: Season 1 (6/16) Yvonne Orji: Momma, I Made It! (6/6)

Read this article:
Everything coming to HBO Max in June 2020 - Mashable

A

couple of years ago, I was trying to place the entire fitness industry on the arc of feminism, with my friend whos an aerobics teacher. What does it mean, if were all dropping a load of time and money trying to hone our glutes? Is it straight objectification? (Must look better to fit societys view of female form! Must be best self to maximise market value in a neoliberal frame!) Or is it a story of emancipation and strength? (I dont need a man I can push over a car using only my thighs.) She said, Youre partly looking at an aerobics class full of women who no longer do their own housework. The amount of physical activity is the same in a class, its just that nothing gets any cleaner. So really it was more of a Marxist question than a feminist one, but never mind that now.

What Ive been ruminating on recently is the question: is the amount of energy you expend cleaning the same as an aerobics class? Well, one: only if you plan it to be. Two: there will be gaps in the workout, but you can fill those with bodyweight bolt-ons. Three: cleaning demands craves music, because it otherwise drops to a sedate pace. Id even suggest making some 20-minute 160BPM playlists. (Ive got a musicals playlist, and everyone hates it: my mister because he hates musicals, the children because they say every time they hear The Greatest Showman, they know Im going to be in a really self-righteous mood. This doesnt deter me, as I am possessed by my own righteousness.)

Oh, and it helps if you have stairs. Do five minutes in four different rooms, rather than one room at a time, and run the length of your stairs between each one. If you live in chaos, you can get a decent cardio-only workout just by tidying, moving things at speed off the floor of one room and into a drawer in another. Hoovering, mopping, even dusting will all do something for your arms, but if you want to reach your legs, you need to concentrate on your posture, turn graceless leaning into lunges.

Dont fixate on the dirt, is my advice. Im with Adam Smith on this: even if you get it all done, itll be back again tomorrow. I have never engaged in any domestic activity that did anything for my core; so tack a plank on to the end.

Stationary activities chopping, stirring, hell, maybe you sometimes do polishing can be beefed up with resistance bands, then you can do leg extensions (note: not if youre sitting down). Ive tried this but I cant cut a carrot and extend my leg at the same time. People on the internet swear by it, though.

Give up on dreams of measurement and progress: youre not going to become an elite vacuumer. Youre just trying to kill two birds with one stone, and maybe in the process gain a bit of enthusiasm for both birds. But I read yesterday that the reason none of us is completing our grand lockdown plans is that all projects need a future to project into; so its possible that some living-in-the-moment fitness will suit the mood of the times.

Calories-per-minute estimates for most activities are online, but are pretty bogus. If unmeasurability is destroying your morale, get a Fitbit and set a raised-heartbeat target.

See the original post:

Fit in my 40s: is cleaning as good as a fitness class? There's one way to find out - The Guardian

INDEPENDENCE, OhioBusinesses and restaurants have started to re-open in the state of Ohio and Independence is following suit by reopening their Civic Center to residents.

The Civic Center will be reopened on June 1, but with new guidelines and regulations for those who visit. Only Independence residents with Civic Center passes will be allowed in the facility, meaning no outside guests may use the fitness equipment or indoor pool.

Recreation Director Tom Walchanowicz outlined what areas within the center will be available to residents and which facilities will remain temporarily closed. The indoor pool, lap pool, and whirlpool will be open as well as the weight room, track, and cardio equipment area. Aerobics classes will also begin again on June 1. Walchanowicz said that according to state guidelines, the gymnasium, sauna and steam room, showers, atrium, and racquetball courts will be closed until further notice. Other extras that will not be available include the billiard tables and video game machines.

While the workout equipment will be usable, to follow social distancing guidelines some machines may be closed because of the proximity to other machinery. The weight room will have a maximum capacity of 12 people and Walchanowicz said the department is encouraging people to call ahead to reserve a lane in the indoor lap pool. Outdoor baseball diamonds must also be reserved ahead of time either for Independence teams or residents.

Walchanowicz hopes that everyone who visits the center will, Have patience. We are doing everything we can [to follow] guidelines from the Governor. At least the facility is open at this time.

Now that the Civic Center is open, employees and residents will have their temperature taken upon arrival to ensure they are not running a fever, which is a symptom of the COVID-19 virus.

To help in ensuring the new safety protocols are followed, the Recreation Department is planning to hire extra part-time staff members. During the citys Strategic Planning meeting on May 19, Mayor Greg Kurtz said that the part-time employees would be given a pay increase because, they have a different layer of responsibility.

Walchanowicz said that in addition to disinfecting equipment, staff would monitor the pool and workout areas to keep people socially distant while they use the recreation facilities. While the department is unsure how many new staff members it will take on, Walchanowicz said they are looking for more custodians and lifeguards.

During the strategic planning meeting, Finance Director Blaze said that the city would be able to budget for new staff because of the long delay where no wages were being paid due to the shelter-in-place orders. He also said the new staff would not be working for the length of a typical season.

Kurtz said during the planning meeting that if people do not follow protocols, they will be given a warning and if the misbehavior continues, the offender will be asked to leave the area.

As far as other summer activities are concerned in the city, Community Services Director, Marilyn Senick said in the planning meeting that she and her staff are working on planning summer camps and summer playground. The anticipated start date is sometime after July 4. She said that around 120 children registered for summer camp and 115 children registered for summer playground, an abbreviated version of summer camp for younger children.

This is another area where Kurtz said, It will take more people than we traditionally utilize. There can be no more than ten people in a group at once, so Walchanowciz said the registrants will be broken down into groups of eight children with two staff members.

Little League will also continue, but there will be no travel leagues this season. When games do begin, spectators must sit six feet apart and the players will also be spaced accordingly within the dugouts. Walchanowciz said the players will have to purchase their own helmet and bat and if there is a financial issue for the player, the Recreation Department may assist on a case by case basis.

Finally, the Recreation Departments goal is to have the outdoor pool open by June 15. During the planning meeting, new protocols for the pool were discussed including markings on the ground to maintain social distancing at the diving boards and special hours for the senior citizen community. Walchanowicz said, The most we can put in the entire outdoor pool complex at one time is 200 people.

Kurtz said facilities will open, on a measured basis initially to work the bugs out of these safety protocols. He continued, saying it was too soon to determine the status of the annual Independence Day firework display and Home Days celebration.

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Independence reopens Civic Center while summer programs are still in the works - cleveland.com

TALLADEGA -- The walking track and swimming pool at the Spring Street Recreation Center will reopen Monday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to a press release issued Friday by City Manager Beth Cheeks.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be observed, she said in the announcement. The swimming pool will be open for adult lap swim and water aerobics only Those using the walking track are expected to practice social distancing The gym, tennis courts, playgrounds and park restrooms are still closed.

The pool will be open for adult lap swim, with one swimmer per lane (up to six at a time) from 8 to 9 a.m., noon to 1 p.m., 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m.

Water aerobics classes for up to 12 people will be from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. and from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. in the shallow end of the pool. The pool area will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each activity.

CDC guidelines state that there will be no showers, Cheeks said. There will only be one at a time in the restrooms, and the restroom must be sanitized after each person. As you can see, this is a very labor intensive process for the employees.

Cheeks added, These restrictions are subject to change as new guidelines are issued by the CDC and the Governors Office.

Those wishing to use the pool will have to sign up for a specific time slot. To reserve a slot or for more information, please call the Talladega Parks and Recreation Department at 256-362-0514.

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Spring Street Recreation walking track, pool will reopen Monday - Anniston Star

Over the past 60 days, I have not touched my stack of presidential biographies or baked a single loaf of sourdough bread. Nor have I acquired new muscle definition, signed up for a 12-week Russian course or embarked on the slow but fulfilling process of practicing a new hobby.

I dont have the fortitude or patience for any of that right now.

In the midst of this pandemic, with my days split between work and Zoomschooling, I can barely manage to keep everyones schedules straight, let alone learn how to trim a bonsai tree. I need quick wins these days, not focused concentration on a new skill that may require weeks or months of my time in order to achieve competence.

While advice columns have urged us to find respite in deep study or passion projects, Ive gone in the opposite direction. Rather than devote my sliver of nightly leisure time to a single, purposeful activity, I have instead taken on 1,000 of them. Im channeling my listlessness into activities whose outcomes mean absolutely nothing to me, but which give me a small sense of accomplishment. I want to try everything and master nothing.

Since early April, Ive sowed seeds in the cold spring that were meant to be planted in the hot summer. Ive cooked recipes with little regard for the ingredients, substituting ricotta for parmesan depending on whats in the fridge. Ive run a trivia night for friends in which I awarded points at whim. I dusted off old programming skills to build something truly pointless: an animated digital robot whose arms rise and fall in panic.

I commit to nothing; I am wildly promiscuous in my tastes. I signed up for a community-supported agriculture program and canceled it the moment brussels sprouts appeared in my delivery box. I made a face mask with honey and yogurt and ended up eating it instead. I played exquisite corpse with an artist friend and cheated halfway through (Sorry about that, Matt!).

Through it all, I suffer no physical or mental strain. I skip past the 1,000-piece, single-color jigsaw puzzle in favor of an easy, 300-piece Map of the United States, half of the pieces still assembled from a previous pass. I do online fitness videos on YouTube that I abandon around the 20-minute mark, just when I am starting to sweat. Why should I work that hard? No one is going to see my abs for another 18 months.

Only the most generous judge would award me a participation ribbon for these feats; nowhere on my tombstone will I be recognized for my green thumb, cooking skills, athletic ability or sharp engineering talent.

But at the same time, these quick, one-off projects have all kinda, sorta worked. Half of the seeds have sprouted. The food Ive been cooking is wildly off but still edible. The panicked robots arms dont properly connect to its torso, but instead wave urgently from its head. I may not have a six-pack, but dance hall aerobics do provide a nice rush of endorphins.

Im not learning any new skills; there is no self-improvement happening here. There is no exciting, frustrating or meaningful experience of grappling with something truly new and unexplored. In fact, I rarely do the same activity twice.

Perhaps such a distracted approach would feel emptier in more normal times. Or maybe doing something aimlessly with no intention at all is the very definition of leisure, and its leisure, not focused projects, that some of us need right now.

Whatever the case may be, Ive been pleased by my short-lived, fruitless endeavors. My projects if one can even use such an ambitious word to describe them are fun and quick. They may be sloppy half-wins, but they are activities with a start and an end. They make me feel productive at a time when all the normal and truly important stuff can feel slow-going and difficult. Unlike my children or my job, I can abandon them at a moments notice with little consequence or feelings of guilt.

The nation may need a collective therapy session when all of this is over. (Ill probably need an individual one to address my ever-present need to feel occupied.) But in the meantime, for those of you who arent making any headway on writing your pandemic novel or reorganizing your closet, I encourage you to remember this: All those projects will still be there when all of this is over. So rather than punish yourself with a slow and meaningful undertaking that will transform you into a better and more fulfilled individual, why not instead just spend 10 minutes learning how to kind-of-not-really-sort-of do a roundhouse kick?

Jessica Powell (@themoko) is the author of The Big Disruption: A Totally Fictional but Essentially True Silicon Valley Story.

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Why Have One Pandemic Hobby When You Can Have 1,000 of Them? - The New York Times

The Big Brother Australia reboot will premiere on Channel Seven in early June.

AndMelbourne-based Zoe George, a well-known blogger and creator of website The Subtle Mummy, was the latest housemate to be announced on Wednesday.

She will join the likes of AFL prankster Daniel Gorringe, raunchy model Chad Hurst, Think Tank star Mat Garrick and 80saerobics icon Marissa Rancan in the house.

The 38-year-old brunette has two kids and is a woodwork teacher from Melbourne.

If you havent had things under your nail and, like, wondered if its Nutella or poo then youre not a mum! Kids have changed my life, Zoe says.

Zoe documents her home life with kidsAri and Ambrosia and husband Bob to her 17,700 Instagram followers and on unfiltered blog,The Subtle Mummy.

She says shes as subtle as a brick in the face and aims to show people shes fun.

The 30-year-old has been dubbed the shows outback tradie after filming his promo in Broken Hill, focusing on his country lifestyle in far west New South Wales.

However, he failed to mention his year as a panelist on ABCs Think Tank from 2018 to 2019.

My beautiful fiance Jess is the best thing thats ever happened to me. Its a bit of a running joke that Im Don Bradman and bat above my average with Jess, he says.

When asked how hell go in the house, Mat says: I hope Im a pretty likeable guy. Got to keep my wits about myself. Some people are conniving and backstabbing.

Housemate Daniel, 27, retired from AFL in 2017.

Since then hes amassed 76,000 Instagram followers by stripping naked for bizarre stunts, as well as taking part in some very questionable comedy skits.

One of his longest-running gags involves placing random items down his trousers. In past videos, hes wedged a lemon between his buttocks, and a golf ball.

Marissa Rancan was announced as a housemate for the reboot earlier this month.

The 61-year-old makeup artist from Sydney found fame in the 1980s as one third of aerobics icons The Rancan Sisters with her twin siblings, Adele and Lisa.

We were the first three to bring aerobics to Australia. It started back in 1983 and we were known for our morning TV appearances, Marissa says of her showbiz past.

The 27-year-old splits his time between photo shoots in Los Angeles, and working as a roofer in Sydney.

While Chad boasts about appearing in Vogue Australia in his promo for the show, he forgot to disclosethe X-rated full frontal nude shoots he did back in 2013.

I think Ill be able to adapt to most personalities in the Big Brother house. Ill be weaving my way in there, seeing whats going on, he says.

Sophie is hoping her good looks will help her win the Chanel Seven reality show.

After being announced as a housemate on Saturday, the 25-year-old from Darwin said: Using my looks will be one of my strategies.

The glamorous brunette is a former gymnast who now works as a part-time grid girl and makeup artist while studying at university.

She fractured her back at the age of 13 while trainingfor the Olympics in London. It was all over. I was out of the sport overnight, she says of her sad past.

Feisty Angela, a 37-year-old events manager and mother from Perth, says she wants to be the last one standing and that Big Brother has met its match with her.

She claims shell sweet talk housemates during the day, and vote them out at night.

I came from Africa with nothing but a suitcase. My family is everything. At home, Im a mum. At work, Im a boss. I can be all of that and more, she says.

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Big Brother 2020 line-up: All of the confirmed housemates so far - Brinkwire

by Wendy Turrell

On April 24, Walter BudWisneiskicelebrated his 100thbirthday with the same attitude of gratitude and enjoyment that have been histrademarkthroughoutalong life.In reply to Happy Birthday and congratulations on reaching 100 years,Wisneiskicheerfullyreplied, Imstarting on my second 100!

He added, Physically I dont feel any different than I did yesterday, the day before, or the day before that. I am happy to have arrived at 100. Ive had a great, enjoyable life. Im really appreciative of all of it, the bumps in the road and the high spots.

Wisneiskiwas eagerly anticipating the following day, when nearly all of Richfield would turn out in a parade past his house to honor him. A total of 78 cars, a bicycle or two, and the Richfield Police and Fire Departments honoredthis longtime Richfield resident, who has given alifetime of community service.

Wisneiskiserved in the Army Air Corpsin World War II not as a pilot, but as a meteorologist, then called an aerologist.He gatheredweather information from the North Atlantic to guide the delivery of fighter planes from the U.S. through Newfoundland, Iceland, Greenland or Scotland to London and France;and togather data forEuropeanmaps that wouldaidAllied troupe deployment, including the famous D-DayLanding inNormandy.

WhenWisneiskiwas discharged from the servicein 1946, he and his wife Mildred had two children.He began his career as a teacher at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, where eventually he would become principal.They settledinwith her parentsin a household that included Mildredsbrother Elmer,whowasmarriedtoWisneiskissister,their child, and his mother-in-laws mother.

We out-populated that house, he recalledwith a laugh. He took the $2,000 he got from his army discharge, and the young couplebrieflyrented a house in Brecksville,before buyingan old farmhouse in Richfieldfor the princely sum of $9,900.TheWisneiskiscontinued to live in Richfield, with a lively family that ultimately included sixchildren, and aseventhlost tragically soon after birth.

Wisneiskistwo daughters, Jane in Denver and Ellen in New York state, had tickets to join their father for his momentous celebration but, I asked them to stay home, with the danger of flying with the Coronavirus outbreak,Wisneiskisaid.

Son Doug fromSan Diegoisstayingwith his father. I havent been out of my house for 17 weeks at this point, and having my son here has been a lifesaver, the centenarian said.

Completingthe Wisneiskifamilyare oldest son Phil, who lives in Naples, Florida; second oldest son Jeff, a doctor who lives in Pepper Pike; and son Jack, who lives in Denver.Wisneiski isalsograndfather to five.A sixth grandchild is deceased.

Wisneiskisbirthday parade began from the parking lot of his longtime church, the Richfield Church of Christ, where he assumed many leadership roles over the years. These have included moderator, which in UCC parlance is the lay leader, and Chair of the Stewardship and Administrative Board.

Wisneiskislegacy of service includes being a Bath-Richfield Kiwanis Club President of Distinction, and starting the Richfield youth baseball team, back when he had to borrow equipment from the Akron Athletic Association.

Wisneiski used to be an avid golfer, buthegaveit up at age 95, When I couldnt hit a fairway shot more than 75 yards. Eighteen years ago, Wisneiski was instrumental instartingthe annualBrecksville-Broadview HeightsBud WisnieskiAlumniGolf OutingatSt. Bernard Golf Club on Streetsboro Road,whereWisneiskis home abuts the 15thgreen. He is quick to give credit to others,insistingBBVH alum Bob Miller, whom Wisneiski taught in high school, did the hard work tostart thetournament.

In 2008, Wisneiski needed to have a Peg tube placed in his abdomen, through which he has taken all liquids, medications and nourishment ever since. Agregariousman, even this hasnt slowed down his delight in going out for dinner with friends. He jokes, The rest of them cant talk with their mouths full, so I have a captive audience!

Although Wisneiskis fathers family lived well into their late 80s and 90s, he is the first to reach 100. He attributes it to good luck and good living. By the time he got out of the service, he had developed duodenal ulcers. The doctor told him to give up smoking and drinking caffeine, which he promptly did. The other factors to whichWisneiski attributes long life are a reflection of his positive outlook:

1. Dont hold grudges. Be able to forgive. It takes a lot of pressure off you.

2. Be grateful. Wisneiski quotes the 1960s inspirational speaker Zig Ziglar with a saying he lives by: Be grateful for what you have. Dont complain. It bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesnt solve any problems.

3. Be curious. It gives you a zest for life. Wisneiskis zest for life continues, amidst Coronavirus or reduced circumstances. He concluded, I enjoy life, even though now my day consists of getting up, feeding myself, putting on compression hosemy isometric exercise for the day! I sit in my chair and think. I have difficulty with my eyes, so I cant read much, but I answer my emails. I usually have a lot of visits from friends, which makes the time pass so quickly. We enjoyeach otherscompany.

Feature image photo caption: Bud Wisnieski

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Walter "Bud" Wisneiski marks 100 years of positive living | Scriptype - scriptype.com