Originally published in the June 2021 Nassau/Suffolk Chapter of NCCPAP Newsletter. I wanted to share my recently published article as I feel so strongly about the message being more far reaching than my immediate accounting community. Message from the Educational Foundation President A Season of Takeaways By Andrea Parness It has been a while since we included our MAP meeting Take-A-Ways in our quarterly newsletters. The great content always made… Read more
As the pandemic recedes and businesses reopen, millions are quitting their jobs rather than return to their pre-pandemic routine. Some are seeking out positions where they can be fully remote, while others, particularly in the leisure and hospitality sector, are seeking better work-life balance, higher pay, or a less stressful work environment. The lengthy experiment with remote work has changed what people think about where and how they want to… Read more
Is there a perfect number of hours to work each day? Research shows that five hours seems to be the maximum that people can focus and be creative. The constraint of a shorter workday can also increase productivity as people are forced to find ways to get their work done in less time. While a shorter workday gives people more time for other pursuits, it also has several downsides. People have… Read more
Before the pandemic, commuting was widely considered the worst part of one’s day and only worsened one’s sense of well-being. However, now that most office workers have skipped the commute for more than a year, the hidden benefits are emerging. Commuting serves as a distinct boundary between the home and office. Interesting that my contribution to a recent article “How to Draw the Line Between Work and Home” also focused on the… Read more
How will the COVID-19 pandemic end? Scientists who study global pandemics of the past observe that previous pandemics have subsided over time, generally in 18 months or so. The virus itself seems to become less deadly, and becomes more of an endemic seasonal illness. At the same time, our immune systems become better able to fight them off. At least that has been the pattern in the past. It is… Read more
It seems crazy that a year ago, consumers were snapping up essentials like cleaning wipes and toilet paper in a panic-driven frenzy. Today, as economies around the world reopen, businesses are in a similar panic-driven frenzy to stock up. Supply lines have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic capacity, and recent events, including the Suez Canal blockage, a deep freeze in the southeast, and disruption of an East coast pipeline from hacking,… Read more
Starting this week I am renaming this weekly blog and newsletter. For now you will still be able to find it in the “Latest Updates” in our Covid-19 Resources and our Blog. For many people, large, life-shattering events can provide break point for making dramatic life changes that improve life going forward. Arthur Brooks, writing for The Atlantic, suggests that the pandemic provides all of us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… Read more
Are you feeling exhausted these days (even those non-accountants out there)? Are you struggling with “brain fog”? According to mental health experts interviewed by NPR, fatigue and brain fog may be a response to the stress and trauma of the last year. Many of us have lost loved ones, our lives have been uprooted, and even if we haven’t been sick, there’s a fear that we might catch this strange new… Read more
In fall we gaze out car windows, walk along paths or along the street to see the colored leaves, while spring’s comparable pleasure comes from waterfalls, as this guide to waterfalls describes. Nov that so many of us are vaccinated, it would it be great to plan some day trips. In New Hampshire, Crawford Notch State Park is home to 10 waterfalls, ranging from 200’ Arethusa Falls to smaller Silver… Read more
As the pandemic wears on, many people have been reporting a sense of “brain fog.” Memory problems and an inability to think clearly or to concentrate in meetings may be the brain’s response to the stress of the pandemic, our isolation, and the sameness of our days, according to neuroscientists interviewed by The Guardian. Our brains are wired to respond to novel situations, but the repetitive nature of working from… Read more
We’ve been spending more of our time staring at electronic screens all day, and rumors abound about the possible negative consequences of that, as this piece in Lifehacker explains. Eyestrain is real, but the blue light from our screens won’t damage eyes. Simply holding your device a bit further from your eyes may reduce just as much blue light as expensive blue-light-blocking glasses. Practicing the 20-20-20 rule may help alleviate… Read more
Rapid vaccine rollout across the U.S. is helping the economy here recover months ahead of European economies, as a Reuters study of data across many platforms shows. Bookings on OpenTable show that the U.S. is gradually returning to nearly normal, while those in Europe are still flatlining. Air travel is increasing, and commercial activity is also improving, especially as stimulus payments hit bank accounts. I am so grateful to have… Read more
The state of Florida pursued an open, non-restrictive approach to the pandemic, which appears to have been vindicated by recent stories in the media. However, as Derek Thompson of The Atlantic found when he began investigating the veracity of claims, results are neither as cataclysmic nor as positive as either side claims. While it is true that COVID-19 cases are falling in the state, they are likewise falling across the country.… Read more
In our office we love the expression “it’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity”. Those “lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy have been serving us well during this pandemic. A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have certainly had plenty of experiences to learn from. The New York Times asked scientists, public health experts, and health advocates about the lessons we should learn for the next pandemic. One… Read more
Eventually, epidemiologists hope that the coronavirus will become a seasonal pathogen, not much worse than the flu. But the path to that state is not a straight line, as this article in Stat describes, breaking the continued pandemic into short-, middle- and long-term phases. With vaccines steadily reaching more people, most agree that we are at least approaching the end of the “crisis” phase. Over the short-term, we may see… Read more
Today could be the day! Congress is expected to vote on the 1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill today, Wednesday March 10th, just before the expanded unemployment insurance benefits end. As per the Associated Press morning wire : A dominant feature of the bill is initiatives making it one of the biggest federal thrusts in years to assist lower- and middle-income families. Included are expanded tax credits over the next year for children,… Read more
Congratulations! You got the COVID vaccine! I have an appointment for my first shot for this afternoon due to an underlying condition. Now what should you/we do? As an article in The Atlantic describes, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but “When deciding what you can and can’t do, you should think less about your own vaccination status, and more about whether your neighbors, family, grocery clerks, delivery drivers, and friends are… Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t the first to sweep the globe, nor is it likely to be the last one. Throughout history, pandemics have shaped our world, as this historic lookback in the Washington Post explains. One such plague likely contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire, when disease –likely measles and smallpox – swept through the ancient world and killed 5 million people over 15 years. The Black Death… Read more
Keeping people safe in the pandemic requires a comprehensive approach, as explained by Aaron E. Carroll, a pediatrics professor at Indiana University. By taking the pandemic seriously, “far from posing a risk to its host city or town, a university could become—by supplementing behavioral measures such as masking and social distancing with widespread surveillance testing—a model for detecting and suppressing the virus.” By the time IU’s 87,000 students return to… Read more
Although most of us have not been able to travel for much of the last year, that didn’t stop The Guardian from hosting a travel photography competition. Stunning landscapes, colorful marketplaces, and chance photos that capture an unforgettable moment are all among the winners in the many categories. We may not be able to travel safely yet, but we can at least travel in our imaginations. I am glad to… Read more