Pfizer and Moderna are likely to be the first companies to see their respective vaccines authorized in the United States, possibly before the end of 2020. Though their journeys to a COVID-19 vaccine have been eerily similar, the companies themselves could not be more different. Pfizer is a multinational pharmaceutical giant, while Moderna is a small biotechnology company that has never brought a drug to the market. Yet when the COVID-19 pandemic began, both companies bet big on a brand-new vaccine technology called mRNA. Moderna had been working on the technology for years, while Pfizer partnered with a smaller German biotechnology company BioNTech for its mRNA research.
The world is a very different place right now. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many countries around the world have restricted travel and implemented quarantine measures; others have entered into complete lockdown. Restaurants, bars, and tourist attractions have closed their doors. People are working from home instead of driving to the office. As a result, cities that usually teem with people have turned empty and quiet. (Remember those early scenes of deserted London in 28 Days Later? Things are eerily similar to that right now.) To give you a glimpse of what a world practicing social distancing looks like, we've rounded up photos of streets, highways, and bridges around the world—sites that usually include bumper-to-bumper traffic and tourists crammed together like sardines—sitting empty.
Watching figure skater Adam Rippon compete, it’s easy to forget that he’s on skates. His dramatic, sharp movements – and facial expressions to match–emulate those of a professional dancer, at once complementing and contradicting his smooth, unfettered movement along the ice. He hides the technical difficulty of every jump and spin with head-flips and a commanding gaze, a performer as well as an athlete. But there’s one thing Rippon won’t be hiding – this year, he and freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy will become the first openly gay American men to ever compete in the Winter Olympics.
Fairy tales convey life’s magic, reflecting the deep psychological themes that govern the outcomes of our lives. Written in simple language, these stories take us along soul’s path once more, revealing how the issues of today can still yield new restorative meanings. This fresh set of tales introduces characters who invite the reader to think the unthinkable, explore the unknown, and feel what is irreconcilable—resulting in a deeper experience of life itself. Staged in remote corners of the world where healing mysteries can be summoned when life’s dilemmas emerge and right and wrong are no longer clear, Dr. Jacqueline Gerson’s fairy tales show that there are still Gods and Goddesses who can intervene when humans lose their way on life’s journey.
