Baby steps out of your pandemic bubble

+ are you experiencing vaccine guilt? US Edition - Today's top story: Here's how to help your kids break out of their pandemic bubble and transition back to being with others [View in browser]( US Edition | 7 April 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair I’ve been cooped up with my elementary school-age kids since last March, when their school switched to all virtual learning. Being together nonstop throughout the pandemic has certainly had its highs and lows. I thought we all couldn’t wait to get some space from one another and get back to normal … but now that school is finally reopening for in-person classes, my family is realizing it’s not so easy to just burst out of our bubble. University of Miami child psychology experts Dominique Phillips and Jill Ehrenreich-May have me covered with their advice about how to help kids (and their adults) [adjust to a reopening world]( that still holds COVID-19 risks. Also today: - [The pandemic strained parents’ trust in schools]( - [Not many voters missed absentee ballot deadlines in 2020]( - [Could Netflix spread global understanding?]( Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor Whether just comfortable at home or nervous about leaving, kids may need extra support to get back out there. Imgorthand/E+ via Getty Images [Here’s how to help your kids break out of their pandemic bubble and transition back to being with others]( Dominique A. Phillips, University of Miami; Jill Ehrenreich-May, University of Miami After more than a year of isolation and empty schedules, some kids might be apprehensive or anxious about interacting with the outside world. Psychology experts provide tips to ease the transition. Education - [Building trust among parents and teachers is key to reopening schools]( Sherman Dorn, Arizona State University With distrust for school officials prevalent during the pandemic, an educational historian calls attention to the need for officials to have more positive relations with educators and parents. Ethics + Religion - [Vaccine guilt is good – as long it doesn’t stop you from getting a shot]( Elizabeth Lanphier, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Am I really eligible? Isn't there someone more worthy of getting immunized before me? A bioethicist explains that such feelings of guilt are understandable. In fact, they are good for society. - [No, the COVID-19 vaccine is not linked to the mark of the beast – but a first-century Roman tyrant probably is]( Eric M. Vanden Eykel, Ferrum College Some fringe conspiracy theorists are connecting COVID-19 vaccines to the mark of the beast. A religion scholar explains why the biblical reference should be considered in its first-century context. Politics + Society - [There’s a surprising ending to all the 2020 election conflicts over absentee ballot deadlines]( Richard Pildes, New York University The fight over absentee ballot deadlines in the November 2020 election was bitter and prolonged. Now, an election law scholar looks at how those ballots affected the presidential race. - [For autocrats like Vladimir Putin, ruthless repression is often a winning way to stay in power]( Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton And there's not too much the rest of the world can do to stop them. - [Misunderstanding addiction breeds despair and suffering – and, for alleged Atlanta shooter, violence]( Trysh Travis, University of Florida The story of the alleged Atlanta shooter highlights the two most common ways Americans think about compulsive behaviors – considering them the results of temptation and treating them as diseases. Health - [Vape sellers are using popular music videos to promote e-cigarettes to young people – and it’s working]( Jon-Patrick Allem, University of Southern California Product placement in music videos totals $15 million to $20 million a year and is rising. E-cigarette makers are discovering it's a great way to lure young adults into vaping. Science + Technology - [Embrace the unexpected: To teach AI how to handle new situations, change the rules of the game]( Mayank Kejriwal, University of Southern California Humans often stumble when they encounter the unexpected, but they tend to adapt and move on. Artificial intelligence systems, not so much. - [Scientists need to become better communicators, but it’s hard to measure whether training works]( Robert Wyss, University of Connecticut; Margaret Rubega, University of Connecticut; Robert Capers, University of Connecticut #Scicomm is a hashtag, and there are many programs that claim to teach scientists how to be better communicators. But it's hard to show exactly what they're accomplishing. Environment + Energy - [Technology innovation gives government leverage to drive down emissions fast – here’s how]( Jessika E. Trancik, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Technology innovation is one of the Biden administration’s most powerful tools for accelerating progress on climate change. Recent successes in renewable energy and batteries show how this can work. Arts + Culture - [Netflix’s big bet on foreign content and international viewers could upend the global mediascape – and change how people see the world]( Paolo Sigismondi, University of Southern California An Italian media scholar raised on American TV assesses Netflix's ambitious strategy to create original productions in Italy, Japan, Brazil and beyond – and distribute them globally. Trending on Site - [How some people can end up living at airports for months – even years – at a time]( Janet Bednarek, University of Dayton Some do so of their own accord, using airport amenities to meet their basic needs. Others, however, would rather be anywhere else – and find themselves at the mercy of bureaucratic wrangling. - [Today’s global economy runs on standardized shipping containers, as the Ever Given fiasco illustrates]( Anna Nagurney, University of Massachusetts Amherst Before the container was standardized, loading and unloading goods was very labor-intensive, inefficient and costly. - [Sea level rise is killing trees along the Atlantic coast, creating ‘ghost forests’ that are visible from space]( Emily Ury, Duke University As sea levels rise along the Atlantic coast, saltwater is intruding inland, killing trees and turning coastal forests into marshes. Should scientists try to slow the process, or work with it? --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s graphic [A scatter plot showing data on how Americans see drugs.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451