Producer Johanna Eubank's Fave Five of 2020
-
Johanna Eubank
Online producer
- Updated
 |
We are sharing Arizona Daily Star reporters' and photographers' favorite work from 2020.
Digital producer Johanna Eubank has been at the Star for 29 years and filled several roles. She especially like doing history stories. Here are her favorites of 2020:
Fave Five: Being smarter in 2020: A century ago another virus had Tucsonans wearing masks
UpdatedThe parallels between the current pandemic and the Spanish flu of 1918 are uncanny, including a temporary ordinance requiring the wearing of face masks downtown. This made it ideal for the "Being smarter in 2020" series. The bad news: this epidemic lasted two years, but there was no vaccine.
A Red Cross nurse wearing a “flu” mask.
Teachers often quote, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” That may have evolved from a quote of George Santayana, philosopher and novelist, who said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” but that isn’t the point.
A look at the archives of the Arizona Daily Star shows a time when the wearing of masks to mitigate the spread of infection was mandatory in Tucson, public gathering places were closed and Tucsonans were advised to avoid crowds at all costs and to stay 6 feet away from each other outside the home.
The subject, of course, was the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, that most historians say lasted at least until 1920.
That two-year span may give those of us frantic for human contact reason to moan.
An article in the Star on Oct. 10, 1918, tells of the acting Tucson mayor ordering churches, movie theaters, schools and pool rooms closed. The order reads:
“Owing to the fact that there is present in Tucson what appears to be the beginning of an epidemic of Spanish influenza, as a protection to the public health, we hereby order you to close your place of business.
“By order of ‘MEADE CLYNE,’ City Health Officer.
“In compliance with above order, as acting mayor, I hereby declare for the public health and safety until further notice is given that the following places of business will be closed to the public:
“Churches of all denominations.
“Public and private schools.
“Moving picture houses.
“Pool rooms and other places of amusement where people congregate.
“This is in accordance with the orders of the surgeon general of the United States and also the superintendent of health, together with the city health.
“I urge upon every person, above named places of assemblage and all ministers of the gospel to strictly observe this request.
“We are not only fighting the enemy abroad, but also the enemy at home.
“In order to conserve all our forces and resources it becomes a necessity for each and every one to observe this request.
“A. C. BERNARD,
“Acting Mayor.”
Tucsonans were ordered to wear masks when going out in public downtown, enforceable by police beginning Nov. 23, 1918. “Policemen will be stationed in every street by which the downtown district may be reached,” the Star stated.
Read PDFs of articles on the Spanish flu epidemic from the Arizona Daily Star by going to tucson.com/morguetales
Fave Five: Rancher and artist retired in Tucson still makes art
UpdatedI was inspired by Sheryl Hester and her amazing photos that appear truly frozen in time. I just loved her photos of animals playing and was excited to share them.
Sheryl Hester snapped this photo in Sun City at the golf course.
What does a retired rancher who is also an artist do when she moves to Southern Arizona? She takes amazing photos of local wildlife in action, donating some to wildlife nonprofits and attracting a following of fans.
Sheryl Hester lived on a ranch in Montana for most of her life. She studied art in college and became Montana’s first police artist after training at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. As a police artist she did crime scene layout sketches and composite sketches of suspects.
Now retired, Hester lives in Sun City and has found a wealth of photographic subjects at and near the golf course. She enjoys being outdoors but lately has had mobility issues, so she uses her golf cart to get around.
A former Montana rancher and police artist now takes amazing photos of animals.
She’ll park and wait.
“We’re allowed to do that on our course in the off hours — early in the morning and in the evening. It’s not always ideal for perfect lighting,” Hester says, “but I’m persistent and devoted to it. I go out two or three hours every single day.”
While she’s out on her golf cart, sometimes other walkers will steer Hester to where they have seen some animals out and about.
Hester caught these round-tailed ground squirrels playing.
Once she chooses her spot, she has her camera, often with a telephoto lens, already focused and on her lap so she can grab it without delay.
Having been around animals all her life, Hester knows how to be patient and wait.
“I don’t ever stress the animals and I don’t try to push them. I just let them put on a show for me and I sit on the sidelines and get pictures,” Hester explains.
That show includes coyote pups playing and wrestling, javelina and their families and squirrels scrambling over one another as they play and explore. Hester’s patience is a rewarding virtue.
Sheryl with her coyote, Yippee, that she legally rescued and was qualified to keep. The Hesters had Yippee 16½ years. Yippee died of old age before they moved to Tucson.
She takes a lot of photos and then goes home to sort through them, deleting what isn’t usable. She then donates many photos to wildlife and animal organizations and has a website at SherylHester.blogspot.com where fans may see her photos and art.
Hester enjoys Tucson and the desert and has created a Facebook group called “Tucson Things I Love” where she and others may post photos and comments. The page has more than 3,000 members.
Between the Facebook group and her Blogspot page, Hester receives hundreds of comments daily and has a large online following.
If the animals keep playing, Hester will keep her camera handy to capture the antics.
Fave Five: Being smarter in 2020: Treat your mask like underwear
UpdatedI could imagine that many hoped they wouldn't need to wear face masks for long and that the pandemic would end. But then we all realized that a dirty mask wasn't much better than no mask at all, so I sought some advice about how to care for a mask. I still follow the advice.
The iconic Casa Molina bull and matador statue both sported masks on the first full week of the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in mid-May.
You know you should wear a mask when out in public, but do you know how to wear it and how to take care of it? A dirty mask could just make things worse.
It’s a good idea to have more than one mask, perhaps even four or five masks per person in your household. That way you can have a clean one every day but only wash every other day, these tips from the World Health Organization indicate.
How to wear your fabric mask
- Wash your hands before putting it on.
- Make sure the mask isn’t torn or worn out.
- The mask should cover your nose, mouth and chin, leaving no gaps on the sides.
- Don’t touch the mask while wearing it, or at least try not to touch it.
- If your mask gets dirty or wet, change it.
- Wash your hands before taking off your mask.
- Take off the mask by holding the ear loops instead of touching the front of the mask.
- Wash your hands after handling the mask.
One way to remember how to handle your mask is to treat it like underwear, according to tips from Northern Illinois University and other Internet sources.
- Don’t share it.
- Wash it daily or have enough so that you can wear a clean one daily.
- Don’t touch or adjust it, especially in public.
- Make sure the fit is tight but comfortable.
- Wear the right side out.
- If it is damp or dirty, change it.
If this makes you wonder if you should wash your mask daily, that’s probably a good idea, according to WHO tips.
How to wash your mask
- Wash fabric masks at least daily with soap or detergent in hot water.
- If you don’t have hot water, wash it in room-temperature water and then either boil the mask for one minute or soak it in a chlorine solution (put a teaspoon or two of chlorine bleach in about a gallon of water in a tub or sink) for one minute and then rinse thoroughly with room temperature water. Doing that means you should not have any chlorine residue on the mask.
Photos: Tucsonans Don Masks to help curb Coronavirus
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Tom "Tiger" Ziegler: "I miss my work, my customers and my co-workers. I don't want my people to get this damn disease." June 30, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Rico Otero: "It's affected me by being limited in going out so much. Learn how to stay in more. Re-learning how to sanitize." June 2, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Pamela Stewart: "We've been turned upside down. Everything is different. For African Americans, we wear a mask and glasses, if I go into a bank or a business I'm already judged. It's a double threat for us as I see it." June 2, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Gabrielle Nunn: "Mostly my daughter. She has autism. The huge change has been stressful for her. She worries about me, being at work." May 14, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Lori VanBuggenum: "Even though the distance hasn't changed, this has made me feel the furthest away from my family. Everyone is in Wyoming. I can't jump on a plane and go see them." May 5, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Benjamin Johnson: "The word uncertainty just keeps coming to mind. I feel the biggest thing for me is being fully open to uncertainty with kindness and compassion." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Cellisa Johnson: "It's affected me financially with my business as well as emotionally, not being able to be hands on with my clients." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Bebe Barbosa: "I am a touching person. I like to hug. I'm missing the embracing." April 24, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Logan Byers: "I'm very conscious how my actions affect other people now, more than ever. Every place I go to I'm conscious of how close I am to people." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Elana Bloom: "It was very shocking. Everything I had planned for – my whole business was canceled over a two day period." Bloom owns Solstice, a textile business and would make most of her money in the Spring to help with the slower months of Summer. April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Kristina Michelle: My cousin passed away four days ago in New Orleans. We can't get an autopsy for a while and there will be no funeral service. April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Pat Fisher: "A friend of a friend is living with me and his three cats. It was only supposed to be temporary, but now he can't find a job or pay for a place to rent. The situation probably won't change until the Fall." April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Lori Adkison: "This is reaffirming my belief in community." April 13, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Sammy Cabrera: "A lot of people grab what they don't need at stores. I don't like the way some people are acting." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Jamie Galindo: "I'm getting over an ex-boyfriend and having to social distance is difficult." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Michelle Arreola: "My whole life is on hold." Job interviews are postponed and the medical college admission test is on hold. April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Kent Bauman: "I've had less of an impact. I work for a solar company so we're running full steam. People are home and are thinking about self-sufficiency and thinking about the environment." April 16, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Trevonn Clark: "I miss going to restaurants and the movies." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Laura Eliason: "I wonder when I'll be able to travel and see my family again." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
George Ortega, retiree: "I am retired. I wear a mask because it makes me feel good and others feel good." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Fox Nopri: "It has definitely affected me by how I keep up with my behavioral health. Most of the places I go have been closed down or have set dates to close." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Jeronimo "Mo" Madril, owner and executive chef of Geronimo's Revenge: "As an owner and driven person, I am very discouraged. It is what it is." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
David Clarke, unemployed bartender: "I am an out of work bartender. Jobs have instantly vanished." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Leonel Cabrera. April 6, 2020.
Fave Five: Being smarter in 2020: Songs to sing while washing your hands
UpdatedNear the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic we were all advised to wash our hands for 20 seconds and then told to sing "Happy Birthday" twice as an easy way to mark the 20 seconds. How boring! I knew there was a better way and after some research, saw that others beat me to it. I shared their tips and some of my own.
Beat the Coronavirus by following these washing instructions while singing one of your favorite songs. Go to washyourlyrics.com
How many times have you heard you should wash your hands frequently, and for at least 20 seconds? In these days of coronavirus fears, it’s even more important than ever.
How long is 20 seconds?
No one puts a stopwatch near the bathroom sink, and if they did, it would be a germ factory like everything else because you’d have to start it before you wash.
So you sing a song. Kids are often taught to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Baa Baa Black Sheep” or the “A-B-C” song. They all use the same tune and take about 20 seconds.
You can also sing “Happy Birthday” twice. Either way, you’re likely to get sick of these ditties.
Never fear. There are plenty of other ear worms — um, we meant songs — that have 20-second choruses.
You can choose a different one each day.
“Africa,” by Toto, has a chorus that’s about 20 seconds: It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you / There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do / I bless the rains down in Africa / Gonna take some time to do the things we never had / Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you.
— Written by David F. Paich and Jeffrey T. Porcaro.
“Stayin’ Alive,” by the BeeGees, works and it’s rhythm is also perfect for CPR:
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother / You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive / Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’ / And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive / Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive / Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive.
— Written by the BeeGees.
If you’re a child of the 1970s, try a little “Dancing Queen,” by ABBA: You are the dancing queen/ Young and sweet / Only seventeen / Dancing queen / Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah/ You can dance/ You can jive/ Having the time of your life/ Ooh, see that girl/ Watch that scene/ Dig in the dancing queen.
— Written by Benny Andersson, Bjoern K. Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson.
If those don’t work for you, try the choruses of Prince’s “Raspberry Beret,” Beyoncé’s “Love on Top,” or Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
And, yes, there are newer songs that work as well, but we all need something we know well.
“Bear Down, Arizona” takes closer to 30 seconds, but there’s nothing wrong with a little extra washing.
Nerds can hum the Star Wars Imperial March or recite the opening speech to Star Trek: “Space, the final frontier…” — if you’re a Trekkie, you know it by heart.
Just remember to sing (even if you are only singing in your head) in the rhythm you’ve heard the song as performed by the artist; don’t just recite the words quickly.
If you have a favorite song you’d prefer to wash to, you’re in luck. An enterprising man named William Gibson has adapted a graphic from the World Health Organization and combined it with song lyrics from Genius.
Go to washyourlyrics.com, put in the name of the song you want and the artist, and you’ll get a downloadable hand-washing poster with the song lyrics beneath each picture.
They last a bit longer than 20 seconds because they include turning on and off the water — off with your elbow — and drying your hands with paper towels.
It’s not perfect, but it’s close enough for cleanliness. We tried it successfully with “Yesterday,” by The Beatles, and “We Will Rock You,” by Queen. Maybe it even works with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Fave Five: Being smarter in 2020: 5 reasons to go get up early or stay up late
UpdatedAt the time I wrote this story back in June, I was getting up each day at 5 a.m. to water the young trees in our back yard before the worst of the heat. I am a lark who is married to a night owl.
Getting up early can give you a chance to watch the sun rise in Tucson.
Are you an early bird, often called a lark, or a night owl? If you’re up at 3 a.m. — probably an extreme example — is it because you are still up or because you just got up?
Research suggests that about half of the population isn’t really either a lark or an owl, but somewhere in-between.
But about 25% of us are early birds or night owls.
For most of us, the human clock is about 24 hours long, which fits nicely with the Earth’s cycle.
Those with a naturally longer cycle tend to be night owls and those with a naturally shorter cycle are early birds. Some of this is likely genetic.
Your circadian rhythm can change over time. Younger children tend to be early birds and very few teenagers would choose to rise before 10 a.m.
If your occupation or school life doesn’t require it, it’s probably best not to try to change your nature.
It is possible to change your daily rhythm if you need to do so, but it’s easier to stay an early bird or a night owl if that’s what your body wants.
Just for fun, however, we decided to explore just a few advantages of each during Tucson summers.
Five reasons to get up before the sun:
- You can watch the sunrise. They are almost as spectacular as the Tucson sunsets and sometimes exceed them.
- Nursery and gardening experts say it’s best to water you thirsty plants outside early in the morning before the hot desert sun is cooking them. The water can get deeper to the roots before evaporating.
- In the summer, it’s a great time to take a walk or walk your dog.
- You can get a lot done before you even watch the morning news shows, especially if no one else is up to distract you.
The people you meet while out early in the morning are likely to also be larks, so you are meeting kindred spirits.
5 reasons to stay up late:
- Late-night comedy shows are always good for a laugh or two and Tucson’s live late-night entertainment — at least once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed — is plenty of fun.
- It’s the best time to check out the stars.
- By 10 p.m., it may finally be cool enough during summer months to take your dog out for a walk without hurting its paws.
- The second-best time to water you outdoor plants here is after dark.
- You can still get some work done or solve some problems long after others have given up for the day.
Johanna Eubank
Online producer
