Trying to stay sane and connected JULY 31st ISSUE, 2020 | ISSUE 26

In this Issue: A Note from Ish Social Distancing Network Campfire Chats New Knowledge Nuggets Want to Change the World? Short Story of the Week Buzzfeed Quiz of the Week Your Pantry is Calling Riddle Me This Solutions from Last Issue

Hey everyone! Six years ago, just a few days after finishing seventh grade, I was watching America’s Got Talent alone on the couch. I’d been watching the show for a few years at this point, so I was very familiar with the setup, judges, and logistics behind the show’s premise. Although I’d seen a lot of really amazing talent, nothing really stuck with me, or made me want to want to go back and watch it again. Except for this one night. About halfway through the show, a young guy wearing a green shirt and an infectious smile, walked out on stage and said he was about to do magic. He said he’d been learning magic on his own for his whole life, rewinding clips frame by frame to learn how to do tricks and sleights-of-hand. After the judges wished him good luck, he gave (in my opinion) the best audition the show has ever seen. What this magician did really moved me and has stuck with me since: he told a story. He didn’t just make the judges pick a card, and lose it somewhere in the deck, then pull it out of nowhere to everyone’s surprise. Anyone can do that, and in fact many magicians came on the show before him to do such a thing. No one was able to tell a story like this guy, to really pull you into a deck of 52 cards, to keep you hooked on the thrill of the unexplainable in card magic.In just a few months this magician went on to become the first magic act to win the show and now has his own show in Las Vegas. I’ve been doing magic ever since I watched this audition. I’ve gone through too many decks of cards to count, spent countless hours learning wrist turns, card palms, and false shuffles. The art of deception and distraction has become one of my favorite hobbies to pursue over the last six years of my life, and the countless stories I’ve made up for my routines would fill a small novel. During my free time this summer I’ve been practicing my signature trick – transporting a randomly-chosen card into a sealed basketball. Impossible? No. Difficult. Sure. Captivating?100%. There’s not really a metaphor here I wanted to share, just a story about a young 13-year old kid who saw something and never forgot it. Ish Sethi Echols VP for Community Engagement Class of 2023 P.S. – here is the audition if you want to watch it. Fun fact, I have never actually figured out exactly how to do every single move in this trick. One day, maybe :) As always send things our way via email to   EcholsProgram@virginia.edu

Social Distancing Network If would like to introduce yourself through future issues of the Quarantimes, please send your submissions to echolsprogram@virginia.edu

Ethan Marsh Rising First-year from Greensboro, NC  Prospective Political Philosophy major  Two truths and a Lie: I'm a huge harry potter fan I’ve never left the country I’ve never had a pet

I was on a bayou in Louisiana. -Ethan

Lydia Newnam Rising First-year from Asheville, NC Prospective commerce major and Spanish minor Two truths and a Lie: I used to live in Washington DC Billy Joel is my favorite artist I think sharks are amazing

I have a pretty intense bucket list, and one of the items on there was to run a marathon despite the fact I never run... So randomly one day in November I signed up to run the Shamrock Marathon with my dad. Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to COVID so I decided to run it solo! -Lydia

Campfire Chats

Cameron Webb Tuesday August 4 at 5:30pm. We are very excited to continue our Campfire Chat speaker series! Our next speaker is Cameron Webb who graduated from the University of Virginia in 2005 as an Echols Scholar with a major in Echols Interdisciplinary Studies. He then got his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2012 and his M.D. from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He is speaking Tuesday August 4 at 5:30pm. Sign up to join the chat here . * Registration is not required but requested so we have an accurate headcount before the event.

Cameron was tapped by President Obama for the White House Fellowship. He served on the White House Health Care Team and also worked on President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, where he helped tackle issues in education, workforce development and criminal justice reform. A practicing physician and professor, Cameron returned to Charlottesville where he treats patients as a general internist, teaches students, and serves as the Director of Health Policy and Equity at UVA’s School of Medicine. Now, Cameron is running for Congress for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District (UVA’s district) to serve his community at this critical time. Learn more about Cameron Webb

New Knowledge Nuggets Help all of us keep learning cool new things! Send all New Knowledge Nuggets to echolsprogram@virginia.edu to be featured in future issues.

" The sport of American Bodybuilding actually originates from a sub-sect of colonial christianity called "Muscular Christianity," which used physicality and exercise as a form of worship. " Charles Ellison Rising First-year For more information about the "muscular christianity" movement and its connection to the founding of the YMCA check out this article " People with certain blood types are less susceptible to corona. " Sophie Lettes Rising First-year You can learn more about the latest research on this phenomenon by reading this article on the Harvard medical school website.

Want to Change the World?

Healthy Habits as Activism

As many of us prepare to return to Grounds, the Echols team would like to take a moment to highlight the critically important responsibility that we all have not only to ensuring our individual health and safety, but that of the larger university community as well. We would like you to reframe your understanding of the precautions we should all take to prevent infection not only as simple risk reduction measures, but as its own form of activism.

Activism / aktə · viz · əm / noun: The practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving a goal. Ensuring that the physical return to Grounds is successful will require a community-wide effort. We all need to unite in a kind of coalition that is committed to the health and safety of every member of the University community, which includes students, faculty, staff, and even non-UVA affiliated Charlottesville residents. While we have all come to feel like seasoned pro's of the quarantine lifestyle by now, it's important that we all take a moment to reflect on ways in which our choices, particularly those relating to COVID safety measures, affect those around us. A great way to do this is to read through the new "Return to Grounds" site. This site contains a ton of helpful information about what you need to do in order to return to grounds while also keeping yourself and those around you safe. The FAQ page is particularly helpful as it contains tons of links to additional resources and clarifications of specific University policies. With your help we can make the return to Grounds a success story. By following the steps that are presented on the Return to Grounds site and in other official university communications, and by encouraging those in your network to do the same, you can create a movement with the ability to save lives. Now is not the time to waver or become complacent, if our goal is to overcome the challenges posed by this virus, then it's time for vigorous action.

Short Story of the Week

“The Ones Who Look” by K atherine Duckett For fans of NBC’s The Good Place, this story offers a look at a reality where technology has enabled people to track their points toward earning “heaven” in real time. Narrated by a woman who works as a judge of the points awarded or subtracted in ambiguous ethical situations, this story asks key questions about what morality is, what we should consider the ultimate ends of our actions, and whether technology should play a role in these moral concerns.

Buzzfeed Quiz of the Week

What's your deal? Taylor Swift has graced us with a new album folklore not even a year after the release of her previous album Lover . This new album is very different from Lover and in a good way. I hope you have taken the time to listen to folklore and if not, I suggest you do. After you have done that, take this quiz of color aesthetics and find out what lyric from folklore matches your personality. Take the quiz now!

Your Pantry is Calling

Heriloom Tomato Tart

Surveys reveal that, in the US, tomatoes are home gardener's #1 favorite plant, and its easy to see why. Tomato plants are easily grown from seed, rubbing the leaves releases a mesmerizing scent that can only be described as the essence of summer, and the brightly colored fruits make the perfect reward for months of botanical effort. This recipe is the perfect way to enjoy the fruits (and yes tomatoes are technically fruits) of your labor if you have grown your own tomatoes this summer.

How it's done: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Fit the rolled-out dough into a 9-inch tart pan, allowing the edges to rise about 1/4 inch above the rim of the pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Line the dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes until beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices. Place in a colander to drain excess tomato liquid for 20 minutes. Spread 1/4 cup pesto in an even layer over the parbaked tart crust. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the pesto. Sprinkle the fresh basil and oregano over the cheese. In a medium bowl, prepare the custard: Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper until combined. Place the sliced tomatoes evenly over the cheese and herbs in overlapping concentric circles. Pour the custard evenly over the tomato slices. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute the liquid. Bake until the filling is set and won’t jiggle when shaken, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving warm. This tart can also be served at room temperature.

Ingredients  Dough for a 9-inch single crust pie, or use store-bought, rolled into an 11-inch round  1 ½ pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes (about 4 medium) ¼ cup store-bought pesto ¾ cup shredded mozzarella (about 3 ounces) 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano 3 large eggs ⅓ cup heavy cream ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Let us know if you try this recipe out! Send us a picture of your culinary adventures by emailing it to echolsprogram@virginia.edu and we may feature it in an upcoming issue! Enjoy!

Riddle Me this Send your answers to echolsprogram@virginia.edu, subject line "Riddle". Respondents with correct answers will be entered into a raffle to win a random item from Kelsey's home! ...we're serious.

You are in a room that has three switches and a closed door. The switches control three light bulbs on the other side of the door. Once you open the door, you may never touch the switches again. How can you definitively tell which switch is connected to each of the light bulbs?

Solutions from the Last Issue Did you miss the last issue? Check it out  here!

Rohan Schroff Rising First-year from Richmond, VA Prospective Environmental Science Major Two truths and a Lie: I've been less than 100 feet away from a tornado Our car nearly got struck during a police chase I have 4 pets, 2 dogs, 1cat, and 1 parrot LIE

Last Week's Riddle

What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and once in a million years?

The Answer:  The letter M!

Last Week's Riddle Raffle Winner

David Miron! David will receive a pack of planet erasers! Congratulations and enjoy David!

That's it for this issue!

Have a restful weekend, and a fantastic start to the month of August!